Surviving as a Cripple in Murim – Chapter 92

Chapter 92: The Back and Front Side of the Dice Add Up to Seven (16)
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“It’s getting noisy outside.”

Yuehua muttered quietly at the sound of people rushing somewhere.

“……”

Xiaoshao gripped the bedsheets and stared silently at the broken die on the table.

A die that had landed on seven, an impossible result.

Simple sophistry, wordplay.

“Yuehua, bring me my outdoor clothes.”

She forced her trembling body out of bed.

But… she wanted to believe.

It wasn’t just about the outcome of this duel.

Perhaps, as Mancheon had said, she could escape the fate she had been burdened with since birth.

A glimmer of hope sparked within her.

She had always thought that heroes didn’t exist in fairy tales, but now, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety, a contradictory feeling, welled up inside her, a longing for a hero to save her.

‘Young Master Sima…’

She slowly and carefully left the infirmary.

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On the tournament stage, where all eyes were focused, as if Mancheon’s taunt was a signal, the two battered men, Mancheon and Mudan, distanced themselves and faced each other.

Their stamina and inner energy were at their limits.

Mudan’s eyes reflected Mancheon’s tattered yet upright figure.

A figure reminiscent of the gentleman his master always spoke of.

Anger welled up inside him.

Why didn’t he fight to restore their master’s honor, despite possessing such skill?

What had he been doing all this time?

If he was going to appear and interfere, if he was going to scold him in place of their master, he should have appeared before he had crossed the line.

“……”

No, that wasn’t it. He had had plenty of chances to stop.

He had made his own decision.

He calmed his ragged breath and cleared his mind, his killing intent focused on the enemy before him.

Zi Lu, the Martial Alliance leader corrupted by the righteous martial world, and this brat, they were all fakes.

“I warn you… I’ll return those words to you.”

Only he was their master’s true disciple.

He drew his hidden weapon.

Yangyi Divine Art.

The Daoist technique that allowed one to master different inner energy cultivation techniques by harmonizing yin and yang.

The yin energy in Mudan’s body vanished, replaced by yang energy.

Yin and yang were reversed.

The empty space left by the yin energy was rapidly filled with hot energy.

Ironically, because he had no great talent for ice techniques,

he had resorted to a shortcut, allowing him to simultaneously master the extreme yang martial art taught by his master.

The fragrance-less peony had gained a talent.

“If you don’t fight with all you have, you’ll die.”

Hot breath escaped from Mudan’s lips. A purple aura erupted from his body, enveloping him.

“T-that’s-!!”

“Impossible… what…?!”

The Mount Hua Sect martial artists gasped in shock.

They were so surprised they couldn’t move.

The technique he had been saving to fight against the Sword Dragon and the Jade Dragon, the monsters of a different league.

Zixia Divine Art.

The ultimate technique of the Mount Hua Sect was unleashed.

-Crash!!

The tournament stage cracked under the force of his stomp.

A violent, purple flash, like a red meteor, streaked through the air.

A thrust so powerful it took the breath away of anyone who saw it.

But… Mancheon remained perfectly calm.

Immovable Wisdom King Stance – Eye.

In the slowed world, he calmly observed his opponent and timed his move.

It was said that the founder of the Mount Hua Sect, He Daitong, had a unique constitution that caused his entire body to turn purple and his physical abilities to skyrocket when he used his inner energy.

The Zixia Divine Art was a martial art created by systematizing this constitution.

A buff technique that dramatically increased physical abilities and the power of techniques by exploding extreme yang energy.

As a technique created by a direct disciple of Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Emei Sect,

it was a unique martial art that was more in line with the Emei Sect’s style of overwhelming opponents with power, like the Frost Treading Ice Shattering Palm, than the current Mount Hua Sect’s style of deceiving opponents with transformations and illusions.

In short, even a scratch would be fatal.

He slid forward, extending his right leg and hand, preparing to unleash his technique.

The plan was simple. If he came at him with hardness, he would respond with softness.

He would reduce the power of the attack with the Emptiness Illumination Fist and then redirect it with Tai Chi Chuan.

A crazy stunt that would tear his hand apart if he made even the slightest mistake.

But… if he succeeded, it would be the coolest thing ever.

He exhaled and gently circulated his inner energy.

He imagined himself at his best, the genius who could deceive even the heavens.

‘Carry Tai Chi above your head.’

‘Embrace the Eight Trigrams in your chest.’

‘Tread the Five Elements with your feet.’

He trusted himself and faced the purple flash with the accumulated enlightenment he had gained.

He grabbed the blade, surrounded by violent energy, with his hand.

And… at that sight, Zi Lu’s eyes widened in shock. He jumped to his feet.

“That brat- could he really-!?”

Shangshan Ruoshui, rouneng zhigang.

The highest good is like water, softness overcomes hardness.

Zhang-style Tai Chi Chuan.

No matter how strong a sword was, it couldn’t cut flowing water.

“……?!”

The crowd’s gaze naturally shifted upwards.

-Clack!

The masterless sword, released from its owner’s grasp, fell from the sky and stuck into the ground.

The Zixia Divine Art’s energy scattered like petals, and beautiful plum blossoms swirled around.

Mudan, thrown into the air by his own force, was engulfed in a sense of weightlessness.

‘I see… I was thrown.’

He saw the plum blossoms filling the sky, just like when he had first met his master.

At first, he had just wanted to create plum blossoms just like his master.

When had he become so obsessed with worldly fame?

When had he started doubting himself and resorting to schemes?

It was foolishness…

Perhaps it was because he had been defeated despite resorting to despicable tactics that went against his respected master’s teachings, Mudan felt a strange mixture of frustration and relief as he lost consciousness.

He fell towards the viewing stands.

“Catch the Young Master-!!”

The North Sea Ice Palace martial artists, who had been on standby, rushed to catch the falling Mudan.

The atmosphere in the tournament grounds was chaotic.

A mysterious cripple had suddenly appeared and defeated all the aspiring martial artists who had reached the quarterfinals.

And now that even Xue Mudan, who had been considered the favorite to win, had been defeated,

“The Ice Dragon lost… how…”

“T-that’s impossible… D-did he use sorcery…?!”

the crowd began to murmur, like a flock of panicked sheep.

At the noisy chatter,

“Hoo…”

Mancheon, who was left alone on the tournament stage, revealed the very obvious reason for Mudan’s defeat.

His defeat was due to a single, simple reason.

“He… made me, Sima Mancheon…”

He shouted the line he hadn’t been able to say at the inn because of Xiaoshao’s intervention.

“…angry.”

North Sea Ice Palace Young Master, Ice Dragon Xue Mudan, defeated.

With those words, his stamina and inner energy depleted,

his body, pushed to its limits, collapsed.

“You overdid it… you’re a mess…”

Or rather, he was about to collapse backwards.

He felt a pair of delicate hands catch him and smiled at the person before him.

“Brother Nangong, did you see that? Fate isn’t so great after all.”

“Yes… I saw it clearly.”

Xiaoshao held Mancheon tightly, who had fought for her.

She held back her tears and smiled back at the hero who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

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In the second-floor viewing pavilion of the Jegal Family,

Jegal Liang laughed heartily at his Go friend’s performance.

“Hahaha! I knew he would be great, but I didn’t think he would cause such a huge mess!!”

“What just happened? Why was the Ice Dragon thrown into the air?”

Jegal Liang explained to his granddaughter, Jegal Yeon, who hadn’t understood the situation, without taking his eyes off Mancheon.

“It’s simple. He first reduced the power of the Zixia Divine Art with the Emptiness Illumination Fist, then sent him flying with Tai Chi Chuan.”

Jegal Yeon’s face turned pale at Jegal Liang’s simple explanation.

The explanation was simple, but the execution was not.

If he had been even a little late in performing Tai Chi Chuan, Mancheon’s hand would have been torn apart.

It was like walking a tightrope over a bed of thorns.

It wasn’t martial arts, it was acrobatics, a gamble.

“He… He’s crazy.”

“That’s what makes him great. Yan, not all martial artists are psychopaths, but…”

Jegal Liang’s eyes, watching Mancheon being embraced by the Nangong brat, gleamed with greed.

“…all strong martial artists are psychopaths.”

Like Cao Cao looking at Guan Yu, regret welled up inside him.

He should have kidnapped him and tied him to the Jegal Family.

He… had lost the Go match, damn it.

Jegal Liang clicked his tongue as he saw the gazes of the Huangbo, Tang, and other miscellaneous families fixed on Mancheon.

“Tsk! Those worthless fools… they’re already eyeing him.”

That brat belongs to our Jegal Family.

“Gwahae, prepare for the wedding. I’ll pay for the dowry.”

“G-grandfather-?!”

Jegal Yeon was shocked by the sudden wedding announcement, but Gwahae remained silent.

-Crack Crack!!

The wooden railing, unable to withstand the pressure, creaked and broke.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp…! Chirp, chirp, chirp…!”

Jjaek-bong and Jjaek-hwang fluttered up in a panic at the cold aura, like the winter sea.

“……”

Her deep blue eyes, like the deepest ocean, glared at the fearless challenger who had touched her other half, her most precious treasure.

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Bruh I wonder if this novel being adapted to manhwa that would be lit! or maybe should I make it as a fan made? 🤔