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Chapter 552: Wudang

“What the heck is going on…?”

Goo Ryeonghwa muttered as she witnessed the scene unfolding before her, having just finished her morning training.

“What’s happening?”

She asked as she glanced over at her brother, who was yawning beside her.

Goo Yangcheong, wiping sleep from his eyes, casually spat out, “Can’t you tell? They’re sparring.”

“No, I mean….”

Why are they suddenly doing that right now?

Ryeonghwa fought the urge to ask more questions, as countless thoughts were swirling in her head.

‘What the heck is this?’

She strained to keep her cheeks from puffing out in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at the situation.

On a gravel bed with a stream flowing by, two young men stood facing each other.

One was a clean-looking lad dressed in white martial robes, representing the Hwasan Sect.

The other was a pale-skinned youth wearing tattered robes that looked like they had been picked up off the ground.

She had heard that the latter was a friend of her brother and someone her sister-in-law knew.

‘Wasn’t he said to be from the Kunlun Sect?’

Ryeonghwa wasn’t entirely sure.

She had never seen a master from Kunlun before, but that young man seemed quite out of place for one.

‘Something feels…off.’

Cold and sharp.

That was the impression Ryeonghwa had of the youth.

“Are those two really sparring?”

“Well, they wouldn’t be standing there otherwise, would they?”

Goo Yangcheong’s typical rude tone grated on Ryeonghwa’s ears.

‘This brother of mine…’

He hadn’t responded to any of the dozens of letters she had sent him.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a while, his attitude was still the same.

‘We were never that close, but this is too much.’

It had been ages since they were close siblings.

It was somewhat awkward and uncomfortable, which was to be expected, but Ryeonghwa had been trying her best to patch things up.

That said, it also irked her to see her brother acting this way.

Despite feeling this irritation, she held back her anger.

This wasn’t the time for such outbursts.

Looking at her bothersome brother, she asked, “Do you really think that guy can beat Yeongpung?”

She had heard that if this pale youth won, he would reveal why they were heading to Wudang.

Ryeonghwa couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that.

‘That’s ridiculous.’

It was obvious that the opponent was a martial artist of Yeongpung’s generation.

Except for his height, he looked frail and scrawny.

It seemed like he hadn’t eaten well, and his body looked like it would break if poked.

Could someone like that possibly defeat Yeongpung?

‘No way.’

Ryeonghwa declared that it was impossible.

Not for anyone else, but for Yeongpung, it was a different story.

Who was Yeongpung?

The youngest Plum Blossom Sword Technique practitioner from the Hwasan Sect.

Currently regarded as the greatest talent in Hwasan.

Moreover, now that he had even received that person’s ‘opportunity,’

It was certain Yeongpung would soar even higher.

Was there really a peer-level talent who could beat Yeongpung?

Ryeonghwa thought not.

‘No….’

As she contemplated, Ryeonghwa glanced sideways.

There was her brother, still yawning and oblivious.

“…”

While Ryeonghwa saw things that way, it seemed Yeongpung thought differently about Goo Yangcheong.

That phrase was constantly on Yeongpung’s lips.

‘…Why…?’

As if he sensed someone was talking about him, Goo Yangcheong furrowed his brow and began digging into his ear.

That appearance was somewhat comical.

‘…What the heck?’

Ryeonghwa had a fair amount of interest in Yangcheong, which led her to learn about his past actions and the rumors surrounding him.

Jin Ryong, who had conquered the Dragon Meeting and earned the name of the Dragon.

Shortly after being given the title of youngest pinnacle, he had overwhelmed the demonic master’s forces and been hailed as a hero for preventing a terrible incident at Shinryong Temple.

Then, he had received the new nickname, So Yeomra.

Goo Yangcheong’s name had been buzzworthy throughout the Central Plains at that time.

However, no one actually believed those rumors.

Not even his own blood relative, Ryeonghwa.

Do you know what name he’d been given after reaching the youngest pinnacle?

‘Youngest Transformation Realm Martial Artist? Come on, that’s absurd.’

Even if it was just a rumor, that was pushing it way too far.

No matter how much of a kinship they had, some stories were just too outlandish.

Ryeonghwa was a martial artist herself, so she could see how ridiculous those claims were.

‘There’s no way he could be that.’

When she saw Yangcheong at Hwasan.

Ryeonghwa had heard he had solved some events, but she had never seen him engage in direct combat.

She only heard tales of how he miraculously defeated a pinnacle martial artist.

He wasn’t just a reckless fool, so he must have some talent.

That was her assessment.

However, unlike Ryeonghwa, Yeongpung seemed to view Yangcheong quite differently.

When the rumors about the Dragon Meeting had spread, it was all Yeongpung could say.

‘As expected, Goo So-hyeob!’

When the whispers of him being the youngest pinnacle surfaced,

‘As expected…Goo So-hyeob!’

After returning to Hwasan from the incident at Shinryong Temple,

‘…As expected…Goo So-hyeob!’

That phrase existed in Yeongpung’s mind like an incantation.

Even when he raised his own realm.

Even as the plum blossoms infused into his sword grew increasingly magnificent.

Yeongpung’s gaze was fixed firmly on one direction.

Wanting to beat someone.

Desiring to reach someone.

His eyes looked far beyond.

Ryeonghwa thought that gaze was directed at Yangcheong, but she didn’t understand why Yeongpung was so fixated on him.

In any case.

If they were to be sparring, she naturally assumed it would be with Goo Yangcheong, yet

Yeongpung was facing someone she had never heard of before, and she couldn’t comprehend it.

“Why, do you think he will lose?”

“…”

At Yangcheong’s question, Ryeonghwa didn’t instantly reply, but her silence showed affirmation.

Yangcheong chuckled lightly at that reaction.

Ryeonghwa’s brows furrowed at the sight of his grin.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Well, it just seemed like an obvious reaction.”

Yangcheong also seemed to recognize that the current situation was strange.

But.

“Still, let’s just watch.”

The same look was in Yangcheong’s eyes, as always.

“I don’t think it’ll go as smoothly as you expect.”

At that response,

Ryeonghwa gradually returned her gaze to the two fighters.

*

Swoosh—!

The sound of the waterfall drummed around the valley.

A gentle breeze caressed the air while clouds drifted lazily across the sky.

Within this serene atmosphere, Yeongpung stared ahead.

He saw the youth holding a sword.

With disheveled hair and strikingly pale skin.

His movements gave off no sense of energy.

As he watched the youth, Yeongpung subtly shifted his gaze toward Yangcheong.

He was sporting that signature aloof gaze, watching the two with keen interest.

‘What are you thinking?’

Yeongpung wondered as he studied Yangcheong.

What could possibly be on his mind?

Why did he choose to pair him with Yeongpung?

Did he think Yeongpung was still unworthy of his time? That thought crossed Yeongpung’s mind, making him bittersweetly smile.

‘There’s some truth to that.’

From the moment he laid eyes on Yangcheong, he sensed it.

‘…I can’t feel anything from him.’

He barely felt any presence.

In simple terms, it meant Yangcheong’s realm was significantly higher than Yeongpung’s.

It was a feeling reminiscent of the past, except now Yangcheong seemed several skies higher.

This fact made Yeongpung feel quite relieved.

Whenever he tried to push forward, Yangcheong was always ahead of him.

He sped up further and went even farther away.

That first encounter had shone a light on how much of a frog in a well he had been.

Yangcheong had shattered the arrogance that had built a wall around him, setting a target for him that urged him not to stop.

A goal to run towards incessantly.

In that respect.

‘I should have gotten a little closer, but…’

Unfortunately, it felt like he was still far away. That thought surfaced naturally.

‘…Even with the blessing of that extraordinary figure.’

Despite receiving the grace of greatness, he still felt lacking.

‘Just how far are you planning to go?’

Yeongpung found Yangcheong fascinating.

To what extent would he strive forward? How could he race ahead at such a swift pace?

Whenever Yeongpung even dared to feel pride, Yangcheong would come along to ground him.

While feeling somewhat drained, Yeongpung found comfort in that – perhaps it was because he wasn’t in his right mind.

Thinking of that made it vaguely amusing.

However.

‘No matter what happens,’

Yangcheong always had his own intention behind his actions.

It must be the case again this time.

Although he felt a twinge of regret that he couldn’t spar with Yangcheong, he held a subtle grievance against Seongyul for pairing him against someone unknown.

Yet Yeongpung believed in Yangcheong.

He drew his sword toward the opponent.

“Please take care of me, Seongyul.”

“…”

At Yeongpung’s words, Seongyul silently lifted his sword.

There was no reply.

Along with that, there was a palpable sense of anxiety in the air.

Seeing that, Yeongpung couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

‘What’s going on?’

Why was he acting so strangely?

He couldn’t make sense of it.

One thing was for certain, he wouldn’t let his guard down.

The fact that Yangcheong had put him against Seongyul indicated that the latter held some value.

“Begin.”

The voice echoed.

Yeongpung instantly launched himself into the spar.

Hooosh—! Starting from the lower dantian, an immense wave of Taoist qi erupted from him.

It soon burst forth, flooding the area.

‘Gah…!’

Feeling the overwhelming aura enveloping the surroundings, Yeongpung swallowed his breath.

It was far too powerful.

The amount of energy was colossal to control.

Furthermore, it felt unruly.

‘The petals are boiling.’

That was his impression.

What had been gentle and soft plum blossom leaves were now intertwined with harshness.

It was impossible to exert complete control over it.

Yeongpung just barely managed to wrap the energy around his body while regulating its release.

Boom—!

What should have been a light footwork ended up weighing him down.

And then,

Woom—!

Yeongpung shot forth like an arrow.

“Oh.”

Goo Yangcheong gasped subtly as he watched Yeongpung.

Swoosh—!

The sword blade slicing through the air was enshrouded with immense energy.

‘It’s gentle.’

Although Yeongpung was sweating from wielding the sword, Yangcheong saw it differently.

The Hwasan sword path was characterized by lightness and gentleness.

Like cherry blossoms in the wind.

For a technique called the Plum Blossom Sword, it radiated a fresh feel.

This was what those from the Central Plains called the beauty of Hwasan’s sword.

However.

‘Most people don’t realize how difficult that is.’

Most didn’t understand the meaning behind that softness.

‘To say a sword path is gentle means it is difficult to lend power.’

To imbue sharpness into a blade that’s hard to exert force with, requires an immense level of precision.

Most would not know this.

Additionally.

‘That’s also why the martial artists of Hwasan excel physically.’

When Yangcheong had first arrived at Hwasan, he was astounded by their absurd strength training and solid physiques.

Only now did he understand.

‘To wield that sword properly, one needs a body that can withstand the burden.’

Hwasan’s sword required high-level meticulousness.

To accomplish that, one must endure the pressures on the body.

And to manage a gentle sword, one also needed a solid foundation.

Only then could they properly wield Hwasan’s sword.

Yeongpung’s blade cut through the air.

The essence that poured from his body enveloped the sword, creating a graceful swirl.

That sight was reminiscent of petals falling softly.

Yangcheong smiled at the view.

‘The quality is different.’

When he first met Yeongpung,

He had barely managed to open a single plum blossom.

Now, Yeongpung was blooming in full.

It wasn’t the insipid petals he had shown before.

What was unfolding now were the true petals demonstrated by a genuine Plum Blossom Sword practitioner.

Boom—!

As he struggled to control his overwhelming energy, it was still quite a remarkable sight.

‘Yeongpung has already transcended that realm.’

He had broken free from the domain of late-stage talents, it seems.

From Yangcheong’s perspective, if Yeongpung’s form spread throughout the Central Plains,

He could potentially claim the name of the Sword Dragon.

If that happened, then perhaps.

‘In just ten years, he might even eye the position of the Sword King.’

It could happen sooner than that.

Yeongpung’s talent was starting to bloom that way.

‘This is different from his previous life.’

In Yangcheong’s eyes, Yeongpung was one of the very few to have positively transformed from their past.

The genius who had crumbled under the weight of his own talent was gone.

What was left was Yeongpung, who found a path unencumbered by his own abilities.

His appearance shone brightly, alongside the petals as well.

Still.

The opponent Yeongpung was facing wouldn’t be an easy nut to crack either.

Clang—!

The sound of swords clashing rang out.

A clear, ringing note reverberated.

“…Huh?”

At the same moment, a surprised sound reached Yangcheong’s ears.

It was Ryeonghwa’s voice.

She wore a shocked expression.

And with good reason.

Clang—! Squeak—!

Seongyul was casually deflecting Yeongpung’s blows, who had just broken through the late-stage talent.

‘What…is…?’

He had easily countered Yeongpung’s strikes.

‘His opponent must also possess value.’

Although Seongyul had the candidate quality of the Sword King.

Had the Sword Demoness taken the title in the future, no one had filled the position of Sword King.

After the Sword Demoness killed the Wang of the Azure Sky Sword, the title had remained vacant for too long.

There were candidates, sure, but they were few and far between.

At that time, with the Hwasan Sect in ruins and Yeongpung scattered, he had been excluded from the list.

But the Sword Demon was different.

He was among the candidates once considered for the throne of the Sword King.

Nonetheless, due to a lack of significant power displayed, he never rose in rank.

Had he done so, he would have likely been identified by a name akin to Sword Demon King.

‘This might feel a little like a burglary.’

Most of the masters wielding swords had perished.

So Seongyul was not in a prominent position to claim the title of Sword King.

Regardless of that.

‘Still, he indeed reached the level of a candidate.’

The title Swordsman was not something easily acquired — even as a demon, being labeled a contender meant something.

Seongyul was proving that.

Clang—! Clang—!

The young Sword Demon, facing Yeongpung who had blossomed to his full potential, showed no sign of retreat.

Deflecting Yeongpung’s sword path or

Swoosh—!

Whenever he saw even a slight opening, he’d slip in.

‘He’s using the flow to overcome his physical difference.’

In terms of sheer strength and physique, Seongyul lagged behind Yeongpung.

Yet, he was managing to counter this gap.

Squeak—!

Using his blade’s surface to divert Yeongpung’s attacks and neutralize them.

Yeongpung realized this through direct experience, causing his expression to shift.

‘What the heck?’

Whenever he thrust forward, Seongyul had already moved to disrupt the dynamics of his swordplay.

Even the slightest deviation from the sword tip would sap its strength, causing it to veer off course.

Attempting to stabilize this with footwork yielded no effect.

Tap—!

“…!”

As soon as Yeongpung moved, Seongyul matched him step for step.

The distance neither closed nor expanded.

Yeongpung found himself in an uncomfortable situation.

Seongyul’s realm was far greater than he’d anticipated.

At Yeongpung’s level, he was on par with someone who had obtained an opportunity.

While he was certainly shocked by this, what surprised him even more was,

‘…I can’t sense the essence of Kunlun in his sword.’

There should be a distinct aura associated with the Kunlun sword style.

But there was none in Seongyul’s blade.

Swoosh—! Clang—!

Their swords met once more, the resultant sound roaring through the air.

The force was distinctly different, leading to a slight tremor through Seongyul’s frame.

Taking advantage of that moment, Yeongpung didn’t miss the chance to strike.

He lowered his stance.

Switching his grip, he aimed to hit Seongyul with the flat of his blade, since striking directly with the edge was futile.

As he swung at Seongyul,

“…!”

In that instant, Seongyul’s gaze shifted, and he increased his speed.

The motion seemed unnatural for someone unable to control their body from the recoil.

Yet Seongyul managed to overpower Yeongpung by forcing his arm to move against its limits.

That strike was unreasonably fast.

Swoosh—!

‘Oh no!’

Faced with such peculiar movements, Yeongpung adjusted his sword path.

He had to defend against Seongyul’s impending attack.

But.

Seongyul’s sword was unreasonably speedy.

Almost impossible to evade.

Had he been concealing his true strength all along? Yeongpung pondered.

At that moment.

[Stop.]

“…!”

Goo Yangcheong’s voice echoed in Seongyul’s ears, causing his attacking blade to slow down.

Seeing that, Yeongpung seized the opening to swing his blade.

Squeak—! The blades narrowly brushed past each other.

Pow—! Both swords were deflected back, creating some distance.

“Hoo…Hoo….”

Yeongpung took a moment to collect himself from the sudden turn of events and gazed at Seongyul.

Seongyul remained steady, touching his cheek softly.

A trickle of blood flowed from his cheek.

It seemed he had been cut by Yeongpung’s blade.

“…”

However, Seongyul didn’t seem overly concerned about his wound; he looked surprised by something else.

Yeongpung asked, watching the daze in Seongyul’s expression.

“…Seongyul.”

He turned, meeting Yeongpung’s gaze.

“Why did you slow down at the end?”

If he hadn’t, Yeongpung would have been hit by what could have been a lethal strike. Yeongpung sought the reason behind Seongyul’s hesitation.

In response, Seongyul replied,

“…I was afraid…of killing you.”

Was he having trouble understanding why he had hesitated, or was it that he couldn’t comprehend why he had decided against striking?

Yeongpung couldn’t decipher it, he simply knew.

“…Huh….”

Swinging his sword back into its sheath, he declared.

“…I’ve lost.”

The expression on his face as he admitted defeat lacked satisfaction but appeared to be somewhat refreshing.

“…It seems there are still many I do not know in this world. And I feel I have a long way to go. You wanted to show me this, didn’t you? Goo So-hyeob.”

Yeongpung realized that Yangcheong truly had intention behind this.

“…Yes…? Ah, yes…. That’s right…”

Yangcheong, overhearing from a distance, stood perplexed by their exchange.

‘What on earth are they talking about?’

He felt as though something was off.

But he decided against contradicting Yeongpung’s musings.

It didn’t seem like a bad thought.

‘Look at that, he won.’

Yangcheong was observing this event with astonishment.

Although he hadn’t expected Seongyul to be overwhelmed, he didn’t think Yeongpung would come out on top.

‘It was just supposed to be a test, though.’

Yangcheong had intended to gather some insights through Yeongpung.

But the way it unfolded had caught him completely off guard.

‘Yeongpung isn’t weaker than Seongyul.’

It was true that Seongyul exceeded expectations, yet Yeongpung wasn’t falling short either.

He just hadn’t been able to fully harness his energy and demonstrate his true power.

If they were to spar again after fully mastering it,

‘Then Yeongpung would win.’

From an objective perspective, it seemed plausible.

‘But that’s not what matters right now.’

Yangcheong was more focused on observing Seongyul’s reaction.

The surprise in Seongyul’s yellowish eyes widened.

Perhaps he had sensed something, as he turned to Yangcheong.

Yangcheong couldn’t help but smile.

‘This works out.’

Just as Seongyul had attempted to use the power of the Heaven Kill Spirit during their spar.

Yangcheong had tried something on Seongyul as well.

And thus, the Heaven Kill Spirit, which was trying to seize control of Seongyul’s body, was subsequently suppressed.

Observing that, Yangcheong found it a rather worthwhile outcome.

Of course, there was still more testing needed.

But he felt an inkling.

‘This guy, I think I can use him.’

Yangcheong believed he had grasped a way to counter the Sword Demon’s Heaven Kill Spirit.

*

Once the spar concluded and lunch rolled around,

As they gathered to grill the fish that Seongyul had caught in the valley,

Yeongpung’s words caused Yangcheong to wear an expression of confusion.

“…What did you just say?”

He had intended to ask about the reasons behind the two making their way to Wudang as per their agreement.

But the words Yeongpung let slip were undeniably baffling.

Seeing Yangcheong’s vacant expression with the fish in hand, Yeongpung cautiously said,

“…It seems I’ve…become a disciple of the Hwasan Sword God.”

“…?”

Yangcheong couldn’t grasp the meaning behind that statement at all.

 

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