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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Mancheon stared curiously at the Samadhi True Fire flickering from Zi Lu’s hand for a moment, then…
shifted his gaze to meet the eyes of the Martial Alliance leader, the supreme authority of the righteous martial world, and spoke.
“Senior Brother, I understand that this Wu Ming guy is dangerous, so now tell me.”
He wasn’t really curious about how strong this Wu Ming, or whatever his name was, it was…
“Why would Xiaoshao, someone I care about, get hurt if I fight Xue Mudan?”
“Because you’ll lose. He’s stronger than you.”
He was stunned by the immediate, blunt answer.
“Excuse me? I’ll lose? Me? Sima Mancheon, the genius who can deceive even the heavens? Have you gone senile, Senior Brother?”
“You brat! Is that how you talk to your senior brother after I give you advice?!”
Zi Lu’s hand shot out, smacking Mancheon on the head.
“Ouch!?”
“My master’s disciples are hopeless.”
He thought that the upper stream had to be clear for the lower stream to be clear, meaning Zi Lu wasn’t exactly a clear stream either, but…
he kept his mouth shut, knowing he would only get hit again. And that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“I don’t think there’s that much difference in strength between us. Why are you so sure I’ll lose?”
Due to the nature of the Orthodox Sect’s Inner Energy Cultivation Technique, which focused on cultivating pure qi and resulted in a slower accumulation of inner energy compared to other techniques,
he might be at a disadvantage in terms of inner energy quantity, but he still considered himself quite strong among aspiring martial artists.
So, he didn’t understand why Zi Lu was so certain of his defeat.
“I’m not talking about levels like first-rate or peak.”
Zi Lu explained patiently.
“Shupari (守破離). I’m talking about the stages of learning.”
Shu (守) – The stage of mastering the fundamentals taught by one’s master, making them one’s own.
Ha/pa (破) – The stage of breaking away from the master’s teachings, incorporating one’s own individuality and applying them in new ways.
Ri (離) – The stage of separating from the master, creating one’s own unique techniques.
“Snowflake Sword Technique. He combined his master’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique with the North Sea Ice Palace’s ice techniques.”
“If you’re at the Shu stage, then Mudan is at the Ha stage.”
He recalled the beautiful snowflakes he had seen at the inn, the stinging pain of the wound from the cold air.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying you’re lacking in talent. You’re just too greedy.”
“Greedy?”
He tilted his head at the unexpected remark, and Zi Lu nodded slightly.
“The Dog Beating Staff Technique, the Emei Sect’s martial arts, and even esoteric Buddhist meditation techniques. Mastering any one of these orthodox martial arts would be enough to make a name for yourself in the world.”
“But you’re trying to learn them all, so you don’t have time to incorporate your own individuality, let alone master them.”
In short, he was spreading himself too thin, trying to dig too many wells and not becoming proficient in any of them.
But what could he do if everything looked interesting? Was it his fault?
Honestly, there were too many cool martial arts in the world.
“Mudan devoted all his talent to mastering the Plum Blossom Sword Technique taught by his master. That’s remarkable dedication for someone his age.”
As he listened to Zi Lu, a question came to mind.
“What is his… goal?”
He was curious about what Mudan, who was so obsessed with his master’s teachings that he even incorporated his family’s secret ice techniques, was trying to achieve, even going so far as to violate his master’s teachings as a gentleman.
“He’s obsessed with our master in a different way than you are.”
Zi Lu pulled out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“Restoring his honor. His goal is to become the Martial Alliance leader and clear our master’s name as a public enemy.”
It was absurd.
Throwing away righteousness to restore the honor of the master who had taught him righteousness and chivalry.
It was a mess.
And another question arose.
“Can’t you just do that, Senior Brother?”
He looked at his senior brother, who was already the Martial Alliance leader. If his disciple was the leader,
why was their master still a public enemy? Was it a political issue?
“Uh… me? Why?”
But contrary to his expectations, it was a completely different issue.
“He’s a criminal. I can’t clear his name just because he’s my master.”
Zi Lu, his old, wrinkled face, looked at his young, passionate junior brother.
“I respect him as my master, and I’m grateful for his teachings. But that’s separate from this.”
“You weren’t born into the martial world, so you’ve been heavily influenced by our master and tend to take stealing martial arts lightly.”
The strange, eight-foot-tall old man who roamed the world, stealing martial arts.
“The Eight-Foot Tall Monster is a criminal who caused chaos in the martial world.”
A being who denied the existence of supernatural beings while becoming one himself, a being martial artists were reluctant to speak of.
“As the Martial Alliance leader, I cannot openly condone such a being.”
He exhaled a cloud of bitter cigarette smoke. He was getting a headache. He regretted becoming the Martial Alliance leader.
“The best I can do is turn a blind eye.”
-Knock knock!
Just as he was about to respond to his senior brother’s words, there was a knock on the door, and someone who looked like a secretary entered.
“Alliance Leader, I apologize for interrupting, but there’s an urgent matter… The Beggar King, Jin Gai Xianren, has arrived.”
“That old man never comes when I call him, but he always shows up for celebrations. Offer him some tea and ask him to wait for a moment.”
It seemed like an important guest had arrived.
He had more to say, but he had already received the information he needed, and…
he didn’t want to keep a busy person any longer, so he stood up, excused himself, and left.
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Dog Beating Staff Technique – Vicious Dog Blocking the Path.
He practiced his martial arts in a corner of the training grounds, having nothing better to do and not wanting to just sit around.
To be honest, his mind was a mess.
Gwahae, Yeonhwa, and now Xiaoshao. He didn’t understand why he was surrounded by so many girls with complicated circumstances.
No, thinking about it now, Gwahae, whose only complication was having a dragon for a father, was an angel.
She had the simplest and kindest personality.
‘This medicine is delicious! Mancheon, let’s eat together!!’
Well, she was a child back then.
Anyway, he missed Gwahae. He wanted to squish her soft, mochi-like cheeks and heal his weary soul.
A cool breeze brushed against the back of his sweaty neck.
He remembered Xiaoshao’s pale face as she leaned against him.
I’m sorry, Gwahae. Something came up that I need to take care of before we meet.
He repeated the movements, pushing his already familiar, yet somewhat neglected, techniques to their limits.
“Hmm~ The staff technique is less powerful when performed with a cane, but it has a certain lighthearted charm.”
He turned his head at the voice and saw
“But judging by the heavy end of your cane, you seem to have something on your mind.”
a man with black hair, dressed in white silk robes and holding a bamboo staff, who looked both young and old, standing nearby. He must have approached while Mancheon was practicing.
“Who are you?”
He looked young, but the strange aura he exuded suggested he was a master of age regression techniques, so Mancheon addressed him respectfully.
He was probably an elder of the Martial Alliance, or a master who had come for some business.
“Just a passing beggar. I heard there was a grand celebration with dancing dragons and phoenixes, so I came for a free meal.”
“You’re quite clean for a beggar.”
He gestured towards the man’s spotless white silk robes.
“Young man, I’m a beggar because I’m poor, not because I’m dirty.”
The self-proclaimed “passing beggar” retorted with a smile.
“Who doesn’t like being clean? Even beggars prefer to be clean.”
He had a point.
“So, what do you want from me?”
Wary of the unknown master, he asked, and…
“Well, I was walking down the road, and this Dog Beating Staff guided me here.”
the beggar tapped the ground lightly with his bamboo staff, a strange smile on his face.
“And I found a young man who seemed troubled. Is that a good enough reason?”
Wow~ this guy named his staff?
Officer! There’s a strange man here!!
But somehow, it felt strangely endearing.
‘Taegu-! Taegu-!!’
He glanced down at Taegu-zzang.
Naming and cherishing your weapon wasn’t such a strange hobby after all.
It felt like a meeting of dog owners, introducing their dogs to each other, so he raised his cane and introduced Taegu-zzang.
“Ah~ so it’s called the Dog Beating Staff. It’s quite a beautiful staff. Mine is called Taegu-zzang.”
“Taegu-zzang? Dog Beating Cane…?”
The beggar stroked his chin and nodded, a pleasant smile on his face.
“That’s a good name. A very good name.”
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Will he get a new technique?
