—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobt
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Joo Seo-cheon wielded the iron sword that suited his body and displayed the first stance of the Plum Blossom Sword. Nak So-wol quickly raised her sword to block it.
Clang!
Tremble.
“Tremendous internal energy!”
Nak So-wol’s delicate wrist trembled slightly.
Although Joo Seo-cheon looked older, he was still just a boy at most.
Unless he was an adult, it was impossible for his pure strength to be this powerful. Then it meant the power of internal energy.
Nak So-wol regretted giving him the first move and took the next action. First, she stepped back quickly using footwork.
“Calm down.”
The moment she retreated a few steps, Nak So-wol’s mind swiftly rotated and devised a course of action.
“Although it’s questionable how he possesses such internal energy, that’s not what’s important.”
Nak So-wol was young, but her way of thinking was already close to that of an adult. She was what people commonly called a genius.
Her understanding of martial arts, judgment of the situation, and knowledge were also hard to believe belonged to a nine-year-old.
Above all, her greatest strength was the ability to come up with various possibilities even in the brief moment of crossing swords.
“I need to think about how he will attack next…”
Plum Blossom Sword, Six Harmonies Sword, Falling Petals Sword Technique, Plum Blossom Glorious Sword, Five Elements Plum Blossom Sword.
They were the martial arts that the opponent could learn at his age.
Although she didn’t know exactly which one he had trained in, she was certain that he would attack with one of these.
Nak So-wol was familiar with these five martial arts and had already planned in her mind to respond accordingly.
However…
“…What?”
In that brief moment, all her plans crumbled. Not a single one was correct.
He didn’t use an advanced martial art. No, it wasn’t even a martial art in the first place.
“Take this!”
Joo Seo-cheon shouted boldly and swung his sword.
Literally, he just swung his sword. He didn’t even use the Plum Blossom Sword. It was just a random swing.
It had no form and wasn’t even a proper sword technique.
He slashed diagonally from the upper left to the lower right.
It wasn’t even the Plum Blossom Sword.
“What…!”
It caught her off guard.
Nak So-wol could come up with various options even in a fleeting moment, but conversely, that could also be her weakness.
To put it negatively, she had too many unnecessary thoughts, and when those thoughts were fixated, she would be taken aback if something else came at her.
When Joo Seo-cheon displayed a sword technique that was embarrassing to even call a sword technique, Nak So-wol blocked it in a daze and had a blank expression.
“Here I come again!”
Joo Seo-cheon shouted as if to show off. He brutally drew internal energy from his lower dantian and used it.
Whoosh!
His body moved swiftly, fueled by internal energy. The muscles well-trained from cliff climbing exerted their strength.
Every time the sword was swung, a heavy sonic boom erupted. The air split and targeted Nak So-wol.
However, it still wasn’t a sword technique. It was just swinging.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the swords clashed.
“Ah!”
Nak So-wol let out a faint scream. The impact that spread from the sword to her hand and throughout her body was not insignificant.
“Ha!”
Swish!
A brief shout followed by a sonic boom.
Nak So-wol raised her sword to block Joo Seo-cheon’s sword.
Clang, clang, clang!
This offensive and defensive exchange continued.
Joo Seo-cheon brutally pushed forward using the power of internal energy and swung his sword randomly. Nak So-wol blocked all of it.
At first, she was startled, but Nak So-wol had innate talent. She somehow managed to block the sword with her reflexes.
Although the random sword swings were irregular, it wasn’t impossible to block them. On the contrary, it was easier.
The movements were so simple that there was no high-level sword technique present, warning her openly.
It was as if a young child was swinging a wooden sword randomly without knowing anything. That was the feeling.
“Ugh!”
Eventually, the final scream burst out.
Indeed, the sword path was clearly visible. It was so obvious that it made her yawn.
She could dodge it even with one eye closed.
However, that only applied to the expected trajectory of the sword. The power and speed of the flying sword were completely different.
Even if she could predict the expected trajectory, it was meaningless if her body couldn’t keep up.
It was truly an overwhelming, brutish internal energy!
In the end, the one who surrendered in the face of that power was Nak So-wol.
“I… lost…”
Nak So-wol dropped her sword. Her complexion was not bright.
The leisure she had shown just a moment ago was completely gone.
“Winner, Joo Seo-cheon!”
The examiner raised his hand to signal the end of the match. However, his expression was not very good.
“What was that!”
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
Jeers were heard from here and there. The jeers were directed not at the loser, Nak So-wol, but at the winner, Joo Seo-cheon.
“You expect us to acknowledge that?”
“He’s worse than third-rate!”
“Are you still a disciple of Mount Hwa after doing that!”
The Mount Hua Sect. No, the orthodox sects valued honor more than life.
Especially in the case of the Mount Hua Sect, they were even stricter when it came to the sword.
According to their ideology and philosophy, Joo Seo-cheon’s actions naturally deserved jeers and curses even if he had won.
It wasn’t just any place, but the assessment of the Lotus Hall, which boasted a long history.
There, he had won not with a sword technique, but in a way that was embarrassing to even call a martial art.
Although he didn’t roll on the ground, throw dirt, or use underhanded methods, it was still an act close to humiliation.
“Well, I expected this, so…”
Joo Seo-cheon brushed off the jeers and curses as if they were nothing.
“Being too strong is also a problem.”
He meant not only Nak So-wol but also himself.
To defeat a martial artist like Nak So-wol, it was difficult with ordinary methods. He had to display the Plum Blossom Sword and show his martial prowess.
But then it would be too strong. Even if he tried to hold back, the problem was his body strengthened by that damned Body Enhancement Exercise.
Moreover, with his overflowing internal energy, even just displaying the basic sword technique, the Plum Blossom Sword, would easily surpass the power of a third-rate technique.
If he showed this, he could imagine the examiners gaping and reporting it to the sect leader and the Five Elders of Mount Hua.
However, if he lowered his skills too much, he couldn’t defeat Nak So-wol. So, after much thought, this was the method he came up with.
To defeat Nak So-wol while preventing unnecessary rumors and evaluations like being called a genius.
He would win with only internal energy and physical strength.
This way, he could conceal his skills and still win.
“Be ashamed of yourself!”
However, the price that came with it was a bit bitter.
“I, too, would have been too ashamed to show my face if it weren’t for the age of war.”
He was also a typical orthodox sect member.
Originally, not only would he not tolerate such actions, but he wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing in the first place.
However, after the age of war, the orthodox sects significantly changed their characteristic rigid way of thinking.
The situation of the martial arts world was so bad that it was difficult to adhere to and insist on traditions and customs.
The fact that the Five Elders of Mount Hua knew martial arts like the Purple Haze Divine Technique and the Purple Haze Sword Technique, which were supposed to be passed down to only one person, was also for a similar reason.
The orthodox sects changed quite progressively, saying that it was inevitable for the sake of the sect’s survival.
That’s how much the age of war had changed many things in the martial arts world, and Joo Seo-cheon was also one of the people who had changed with the flow of the times.
“Although it was unavoidable, it will damage Master’s reputation, so I don’t feel at ease.”
Joo Seo-cheon let out a soft sigh.
* * *
The Lotus Hall assessment was over, but it couldn’t be said that it ended smoothly.
It wasn’t that there were any injuries or deaths, but because of the controversial match.
It was about Joo Seo-cheon and Nak So-wol.
“I do not allow it.”
A middle-aged woman who seemed to be around fifty years old spoke.
Her cold, ice-like impression was her characteristic.
It was Deep Jade Union, the Iron Blood Plum Blossom Sword, one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua.
“Elder Shim. I understand your point, but we should at least hear him out, shouldn’t we?”
An old man with a small stature and a kind smile that seemed to suit him spoke. He was also one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua.
Wise Sword Elder, Hak Song. Among the second-generation disciples, his seniority was the highest after the sect leader.
“There is no point in discussing it, Elder Hak. How can we allow someone who insulted the sword of Mount Hwa to enter the Lotus Hall?”
Deep Jade Union spoke calmly, itemizing the points one by one. Most of them were about Joo Seo-cheon’s faults or opinions on etiquette.
Indeed, from the perspective of the Mount Hua Sect, no, the orthodox sects, Joo Seo-cheon’s actions were not very good.
“I agree with Elder Shim.”
Among those seated in the Upper Palace, the tallest middle-aged man nodded in agreement with Deep Jade Union’s argument.
He was also one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua, Fate Hand Cho Moo-yang.
By the way, the Five Elders of Mount Hua did not use the term “martial brother” unless they had the same master.
Even if their seniority was different, they prioritized and respected the position of being one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua.
However, in the case of Hak Song, he was exceptionally old and senior among the second-generation disciples, so they made an exception for him.
“Hohoho, both of you, please don’t make it too difficult for Elder Hak. I also want to hear the story.”
Woo Il-mun stroked his white beard and shifted his gaze.
“And we should also hear the opinions of the other two, shouldn’t we?”
With the sect leader’s help, Hak Song showed a grateful look in his eyes.
“I heard that the disciple of Smiling Gentle Swordsman consumed a spiritual medicine. Is that true?”
The Alchemist Yeong Jin’s eyes sparkled.
The movements Joo Seo-cheon had shown at the assessment ground. It was something that a nine-year-old could never produce.
Strength and speed originated from internal energy. With that level of speed, he needed to have at least twenty years’ worth of internal energy.
The examiners of the Mount Hua Sect, who were martial artists, couldn’t possibly not know that, and naturally, they reported it.
There was also an interrogation of Joo Seo-cheon. In response, Joo Seo-cheon confessed about the Water Spirit Divine Fruit, mixing some lies.
He said that he had accidentally discovered it while sneaking out to enjoy some delinquent behavior when Yu Jeong-mok had gone to attend the regular meeting.
Anyway, if he entered the Lotus Hall, unlike the Cultivation Cave, a supervisor would be assigned to each person and pay attention to them.
Pulse diagnosis was also naturally included, and if that happened, the internal energy slightly exceeding half a cycle would inevitably be discovered.
However, in this case, it wasn’t discussed as a big problem.
If it had been a spiritual medicine owned by the Mount Hua Sect, it would have been different, but since he had consumed an ownerless one, it was ambiguous to judge right or wrong.
If they had heard rumors about the Water Spirit Divine Fruit in advance and ordered him not to consume it and report immediately upon discovery, it would have been a different story.
As a result, the matter of consuming the spiritual medicine was overlooked with a sense of inevitability.
Instead, sneaking out and enjoying delinquent behavior when Yu Jeong-mok was away was punished.
Even the punishment wasn’t severe, and he was only assigned miscellaneous tasks like cleaning the restroom for about a month.
“We can’t take out the spiritual medicine from that kid’s stomach, but I still want to know what kind of effects it shows.”
The hidden meaning was that he wanted to put him in the Lotus Hall and observe him.
As his nickname suggested, Yeong Jin was a martial artist and also a physician who produced elixirs.
With this, there were two in favor and two against.
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned to one place.
Plum Blossom Sword Commander Wi Ji-gyeol.
One of the Five Elders of Mount Hua. No, in the Mount Hua Sect, there was a nickname that was passed down through generations like the Lord of the Northern Sea Palace.
The one who could independently move twenty-four hands alongside the sect leader. The one whose position itself was a nickname, the Plum Blossom Sword Commander.
That name was special even among the Five Elders of Mount Hua, and he had strong authority externally as well.
“Let him enter.”
“Commander.”
Deep Jade Union’s eyebrows trembled.
Wi Ji-gyeol continued speaking without even blinking.
“He’s only ten years old, but he possesses internal energy equivalent to half a cycle. Regardless of his qualifications, if we teach him, even by force, he will become a sufficient force. It might cause some gossip, but it’s not to the extent that we can’t handle it.”
The Five Elders of Mount Hua also had their respective fields, and authority was given accordingly.
The appointment of elite groups such as the Lotus Hall or the Plum Blossom Swordsman was given priority to the authority of the Plum Blossom Sword Commander.
Even if there were two in favor and three against, if the Plum Blossom Sword Commander raised his hand, that side would have more weight.
Clap!
Woo Il-mun clapped his hands to gather the attention of those present.
“Then, let’s end the meeting here. The individuals entering the Lotus Hall are Joo Seo-cheon and Nak So-wol. A total of two.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
