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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The time until the quarterfinals began passed in the blink of an eye.
William honed his swordsmanship by repeatedly training, eating, then training again before sleeping, but unfortunately, there was no progress in his cultivation realm.
In fact, it was absurd to think that one’s realm would increase just from crossing swords a few times and hearing a single piece of advice from Mokgyeong.
…If they were going to have him transmigrate anyway, they should have at least given him that kind of crazy talent.
He knew he would be criticized for lacking conscience if he said such things, considering he had already risen through the ranks at a rapid pace, but still, wouldn’t it have been nice if they had given him a huge boost since he didn’t have it in the first place?
They could have at least showered him with some opportunities.
…Although he wasn’t sure what would pop out if he encountered opportunities in the Western Regions.
Maybe he would have eaten something like mandrake. At least he should consider himself fortunate that he didn’t live like the mountain madmen residing in Mount Vesuvius, surviving on volcanic ash.
But was that stuff really effective?
“Mister? What are you thinking about?”
Hye-ryeong tugged on his hand and looked up at him, her expression filled with curiosity. It was a face that wondered what he was thinking about.
“Just thinking that I want to eat some spirit medicines?”
“Oh, come on, what’s that about?”
“I’m serious!”
“Why are you thinking about that while heading to the martial arts arena?”
“Because there’s nothing better than spirit medicines for increasing one’s realm?”
“Master said that spirit medicines don’t really help much with realm advancement! Unless it’s something like Immortal Purity Oil or Millennium Snow Ginseng, ordinary spirit medicines only help with improving internal energy…”
Where did she hear that? The Western Regions were already so stingy with aura that they had to worry about how to save every little bit of it while fighting.
It was a daily occurrence to not only coat weapons with aura but also fight wearing nothing but aura armor.
That’s why he had to make sure to win the top prize in this martial arts tournament.
“Still, spirit medicines are spirit medicines.”
The more spirit medicines, the better.
“That’s true. Just improving internal energy is good enough. I heard you need a tremendous amount of internal energy to reach the supreme peak or transcendent realm…”
Was the amount of internal energy important?
In the Western Regions, they were too stingy to care much about the amount of internal energy.
Well, the system here was a bit different, so the story might be different.
“I really hope you win!”
“I’ll definitely win, so watch closely.”
“Okay~”
William and Hye-ryeong headed to the martial arts arena in a cheerful atmosphere.
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‘Finally, I get to fight him!’
Paeng Jeok-san couldn’t hide his excitement and roughly exhaled through his nose.
For him, fighting against a strong opponent made his heart race.
Moreover, fighting against a strong expert from the Western Regions was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so he stared at the giant Westerner walking towards the arena with eyes full of anticipation.
‘Westerners are really big. Are they all like that?’
Paeng Jeok-san was not someone who would be called small anywhere, but when he saw the Westerner who seemed to be a head taller than him, he couldn’t help but feel like he was a giant.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just arrived too!”
In response to William’s question, Paeng Jeok-san replied in an excited voice and drew his sword. It was a large saber, thicker and wider than an ordinary one.
It looked as if a scoundrel was wielding a huge blade, and William stared at the saber with an intrigued expression.
‘He must be quite strong. It looks heavy just by looking at it.’
Usually, weapons, except for polearms, were not made very heavy.
If they became too heavy, it would be easier to expose gaps when swinging them, and it would be more difficult to perform techniques due to the weight.
However, if it was a martial art representing the Hebei Paeng Clan, the story was different.
Five Tiger Severing Blade and Primordial Thunder Saber.
They were famous martial arts that came to mind when thinking of the Hebei Paeng Clan, known for their villainous saber techniques.
Paeng Jeok-san, as the young clan leader, had inherited the true teachings of the Five Tiger Severing Blade.
Therefore, his saber was designed to be optimized for wielding the Five Tiger Severing Blade.
‘An impressive saber. If I clash with it incorrectly, my sword might break.’
“Now! The first match of the quarterfinals! The match between Paeng Jeok-san and William will begin~!”
The two assumed their starting stances along with the referee’s shout signaling the start of the match.
Paeng Jeok-san took a stance where he could rush in and swing his large saber at any moment, while William took the Ox Guard stance, ready to deflect his saber whenever he swung it.
It was a clash between those who had reached a high realm in the quarterfinals, so they didn’t move rashly.
From the perspective of watching the match, it might be somewhat boring, but in the first place, a martial arts competition wasn’t about the audience’s response.
‘I’ve never seen someone carrying such a ridiculously large weapon survive on the battlefield.’
In fact, he had experience wielding a lance that made that large saber look like a toy, but it was ambiguous to compare it to a weapon used only for charging and not for infantry battles.
“Haha! Brother Wi! My blood is boiling, so I’ll go first!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Paeng Jeok-san rushed towards William using the Primordial Steps.
It was a footwork technique that suited the villainous saber methods, showing the determination to ‘charge in a straight line and crush everything.’
William responded to the boar-like charge by putting strength into his lower body and tilting the tip of his sword further downward.
‘I need to engage in a probing battle first.’
The scariest thing in the world was not a powerful martial art but an unknown one.
No matter how powerful a martial art was, there was always a way to break it, and therefore, if one understood that martial art, it became possible to break it somehow.
It was no wonder that one of the most important things martial arts masters in the Murim considered when choosing disciples was ‘a disciple who doesn’t carelessly blab about martial arts to others.’
‘In the Top 16, I ended the match by destroying my opponent in a single move.’
Since he had won by breaking his opponent’s weapon the moment their blades clashed, he couldn’t clash with him recklessly.
‘Here he comes.’
William slid the large saber charging diagonally from top to bottom along the blade of his sword, and while admiring its weight, he tried to strike Paeng Jeok-san’s forehead with the hilt.
However, as if proving that he was skilled enough to wield a large saber and utilize footwork, Paeng Jeok-san used the Primordial Steps to retreat and avoid William’s counterattack.
‘His footwork is truly remarkable.’
William, who had returned to a proper stance after striking the air with the hilt, observed Paeng Jeok-san’s reaction.
His expression was still filled with excitement. That expression was even brimming with delight, making William feel a chill.
‘He reminds me of that Pythagoras bastard.’
He was a type he didn’t particularly like.
It was really annoying when a sweaty type stuck to him.
‘…Let’s focus.’
William shook off his past memories and looked ahead once more. His current opponent was Paeng Jeok-san. It was rude to recall past opponents.
‘Should I attack first this time?’
William had that thought but immediately retracted it. Even if he tried to attack, the footwork was tricky, so he might end up like a dog chasing a chicken and staring at the roof.
‘There’s no need to make a self-defeating move. He’s a hot-blooded fellow anyway, so he’ll rush in on his own-‘
“Hahaha! I’m coming!”
Before his thought could even finish, Paeng Jeok-san charged at him once again.
Still a straight path.
However, the force applied to his feet was not ordinary, so if they clashed head-on, it would be difficult to block it without taking damage.
‘I’ll wait calmly for the right moment to move.’
If he moved too early, Paeng Jeok-san would catch up with his footwork, so he had to move at the precise moment to receive the attack.
Three.
Two…
One.
William’s stance changed.
He lowered the hilt to his waist and pointed the tip of the sword towards the ground.
Alber.
Paeng Jeok-san’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden change in stance.
‘Defending in that state?’
At a glance, it looked like a stance where the entire upper body was completely defenseless and had nothing to do with defense.
It was a puzzling stance, but the choice had already been made, and all that remained was to execute it.
Paeng Jeok-san didn’t stop his charge and swung his large saber at William.
The large saber descended with the force to split William’s body in two.
At that moment, William rotated the tip of his sword counterclockwise, dodged Paeng Jeok-san’s large saber by turning his body to the side, and simultaneously returned to the Ox Guard stance and swung his sword towards Paeng Jeok-san’s head.
‘Ha!’
Paeng Jeok-san’s body tilted to the side. He had avoided the attack with ghostly footwork, but there was nothing he could do about the cloth near his shoulder being torn.
‘To think he would attack like this.’
Not blocking techniques with techniques but responding by changing starting stances, it was a sword art he had never heard of or seen before.
‘Does it mean that if I attack half-heartedly, I’ll be counterattacked instead! It’s like the sword art used by the Taoist priests of the Wudang Sect!’
“Haha! Truly amazing! Brother Wi!”
‘Why are you suddenly acting so friendly?’
William stared at Paeng Jeok-san with annoyed eyes.
Judging by Paeng Jeok-san’s personality, he foresaw a future where he would unnecessarily pester him after the match ended.
‘…Sigh. Let’s focus. I just need to win first and think about it later.’
William solidified his stance and glared at Paeng Jeok-san.
And as if responding to him, Paeng Jeok-san grinned fiercely and said,
“Now, let’s play for real!”
His body began to emit a blue glow.
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MC got a free yandere bro