The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 65 - The Mount Song Meeting (4)

Baek Ri-cheong, who had been traversing the Tiger’s Grove, stopped his steps.

“How long do you intend to follow me?”

The gaze of Baek Ri-cheong, as he opened his mouth, was directed toward a tree to his left.

“Baek Ri-cheong.”

The figure who had been hiding behind the tree slowly revealed himself.

On the collar of his brown martial arts uniform, the two characters for Mount Heng were embroidered diagonally.

It was Jin Gyeong of the Mount Heng Sect.

The Baek Ri Clan and the Mount Heng Sect were factions that had maintained a steady exchange since long ago.

It was because they both belonged within the large fence that was Shanxi Province. But that, too, was a story of the past.

Ever since the Baek Ri Clan had been annihilated, the exchange between the two powers had come to a sudden stop.

“In the end, is the place you have sheltered yourself in the Azure Sky Society? You have become a pitiful sight.”

“Pitiful? What do you mean by that?”

Jin Gyeong smirked and answered.

“The Azure Sky Society. The name is grandiose, but is it not a place where the losers who have suffered the humiliation of their sects being annihilated have gathered?”

The eyes of Baek Ri-cheong, which had been leisurely curved, became rigid.

The smile of Jin Gyeong, who saw this, deepened.

“And on top of that, they say you all pore over each other’s martial arts under the excuse of annihilating the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult? What a shameless bunch of people. It is something that would be impossible in a prestigious Orthodox Faction sect.”

“Jin Gyeong. It would be best for you to be prudent in your remarks.”

Jin Gyeong shook his head.

“My apologies if it was uncomfortable. It was just that the sight of you, who have fallen from the Great Young Master of the Baek Ri Clan to a mere Cloud of the Azure Sky Society, was so amusing.”

“There is no need to exchange any more words.”

Baek Ri-cheong brought his hand to his sword hilt without hesitation.

SWISH!

Jin Gyeong poured out a sharp Swift Sword strike at the same time as he drew his sword.

Two streaks of a sword strike, aiming straight for both sides of his chest, surged in with a truly vicious spirit.

It was a move that had been meticulously aimed for the moment Baek Ri-cheong would try to draw his sword.

‘I will end you in the first exchange.’

Even to his own eyes, it was a very clean single move.

Though he would not be able to finish Baek Ri-cheong with this one move, he would surely be able to deliver a fatal strike.

Cha-chaeng!

But Baek Ri-cheong’s reaction was beyond his expectations.

The moment he saw his move, the speed of his sword draw had become twice as fast, and with a single light swing, he had parried the two successive thrusts.

“You bastard?”

“Were you expecting something? My apologies. It’s because I’ve been bested quite a lot by a younger brother who wields a Swift Sword superior to yours.”

Thump!

Baek Ri-cheong, who had perfectly nullified Jin Gyeong’s move, stomped his foot powerfully and extended forward with a ferocious spirit.

The atmosphere was stained by the rough aura that was being spewed from Baek Ri-cheong’s entire body.

Jin Gyeong, who had flinched at the unusually hegemonic aura, hurriedly brought his sword to his chest.

‘This is not a martial art of the Baek Ri Clan.’

Jin Gyeong recalled the most solid form of the Mount Heng Sect’s High Cliff Sword Style.

Five streaks of a sword path overlapped in layers, and a sword strike as steep as a cliff shot up vertically.

The Wavebreaker of the High Cliff Sword Style.’

Baek Ri-cheong knew the form that Jin Gyeong had unfolded well.

Though the form itself was solid, it also hid a solid sharpness like that of a cliff, so if one were to face it rashly, it was easy to suffer a counter-attack.

He could not not know it, as he had the experience of being severely beaten by it in a friendly duel between the Baek Ri Clan and the Mount Heng Sect when he was young.

‘Ordinarily, widening the distance would be the best plan.’

But Baek Ri-cheong did not stop.

On the contrary, he raised the speed of his Lightness Skill even more.

FLAAAARE!

The aura that had swelled from Baek Ri-cheong’s entire body gathered as one and was concentrated in a single sword strike.

Baek Ri-cheong’s sword tore the atmosphere apart while spewing forth a terrifying, immense power.

KWAAAAAANG!

Simultaneously with the deafening roar, the sword strike of the Wavebreaker was shattered with a single blow.

“Keuk!”

Jin Gyeong, along with a scream, was sent flying in the exact posture he had been in when he had thrust his sword.

Jin Gyeong, who had been slammed into a tree behind him, staggered as he vomited blood.

Jin Gyeong, who had barely managed to endure without collapsing, glared at Baek Ri-cheong with half-sunken eyes.

“You bastard! That martial art, what on earth is it?”

“The Art of Martial Supremacy.”

Baek Ri-cheong raised his sword and aimed it at Jin Gyeong.

“It is the martial art of the Azure Sky Society, which you judged so carelessly.”

“A martial art of the Azure Sky Society… could not possibly handle our sect’s martial art!”

Jin Gyeong shouted and rushed in.

The forms of the High Cliff Sword Style, which had switched from a defensive to an offensive posture, were very rough and perilous.

Forms that had taken the rugged mountain range of Mount Heng (恒山) as their shape were deployed in succession.

As if the internal injury he had gained from the clash just now were nothing, Jin Gyeong’s sword flowed without restraint.

Though it was a martial art of the Orthodox Faction, it was mostly comprised of forms that were rather thick with killing intent and were practical for real combat.

It was partly because it had taken the shape and essence of Mount Heng’s mountain range as its martial art, but it had also naturally changed as they had occasionally faced the martial artists of the Northern Martial World who came down to the northern part of Shanxi.

‘In the past, it would have been difficult to handle.’

But now was different.

It was not simply a matter of the difference in compatibility between the Centurion Sword Style and the Art of Martial Supremacy.

After entering the Azure Sky Society, Baek Ri-cheong had certainly become stronger.

His resolve to rebuild his annihilated family.

His new comrades and martial arts.

And even a younger brother born with a special talent.

Since entering the Azure Sky Society, Baek Ri-cheong had been tempered in many ways.

No matter how perilous and rough the sword of Mount Heng was, the Martial Arts that Baek Ri-cheong had built up, starting from the annihilation of his clan, was not light.

KUUUUUNG!

The sword, laden with the hegemonic energy of the Art of Martial Supremacy, spewed forth a thick sword path.

The Art of Martial Supremacy and the Centurion Sword Style.

A single move, in which the trajectories of the two martial studies were cunningly mixed, overflowed from the front and shattered the ultimate skill of the High Cliff Sword Style in a single breath.

K-ka-ka-kang!

Jin Gyeong, who was vomiting blood as the five forms were shattered in succession.

The fierce cloud of dust that shot up around Baek Ri-cheong proved the might that had been laden in his single sword strike.

“Keuk. There’s no way I would lose to the likes of you…”

As Jin Gyeong staggered but showed no signs of retreating, Baek Ri-cheong knitted his brow.

“I knew that your pride was as lofty as Mount Heng, but I did not know that you would not even accept the result.”

It was the moment Baek Ri-cheong, who had been glaring at Jin Gyeong for a moment, was about to approach to subdue him.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man who had popped out from behind Jin Gyeong subdued him. It was a clean and proficient single move.

The middle-aged man, who had knocked Jin Gyeong unconscious through vital point striking, took out an iron token from within his robes.

“In my capacity as an examiner, I announce that the Mount Heng Sect’s rising star, Jin Gyeong, has been eliminated from the scramble.”

The middle-aged man threw Jin Gyeong’s iron token to Baek Ri-cheong.

“Do you intend to rebuild the Baek Ri Clan someday?”

“I absolutely intend to do so.”

At his firm answer, the middle-aged man gazed at Baek Ri-cheong for a moment.

“I pray that you may be able to do so.”

The voice of the middle-aged man, who had disappeared taking Jin Gyeong with him, was plunged into Baek Ri-cheong’s ear as a telepathic message.

—At that time, I think it is a sorry and shameful thing that our sect did not help the Baek Ri Clan.

Baek Ri-cheong, who had been receiving the iron token, flinched.

Because he had hidden his identity with black martial arts robes and a mask, it had been impossible to determine which sect the examiner belonged to.

But by the looks of it, it seemed he was an examiner belonging to the Mount Heng Sect.

Baek Ri-cheong looked down at the iron token engraved with the name Mount Heng for a long while.

Baek Ri-cheong, who had let out a faint sigh, moved his feet to search for his next opponent.

An overflowing strength was in those steps.

……

The Head Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Yeong-il, evened out his rough breathing.

He had ended up meeting several rising stars in succession. Fortunately, he had been able to defeat them all, but he needed to catch his breath.

‘The Dog Beating Staff Technique of the Beggars' Union. As expected, it is an incredible signature skill.’

Yeong-il fiddled with his wrist.

As if the crazily pouring offensive had been quite incredible, the shock still remained.

‘Only three so far.’

Obtaining the iron tokens was quite difficult.

Though the range of activity had been limited by the formation, the width of the Tiger’s Grove was considerable.

Furthermore, because it was not a duel with set rules but was close to a real battle, there were cases where people would run away to protect their iron token if they were at a disadvantage.

If one made a mistake, they could futilely waste time and stamina in a chase, so one’s judgment in the moment was important.

Finding people was one task, but obtaining an iron token from an opponent whose movements one could not know was even more difficult.

‘If I can leisurely obtain about two more, wouldn’t I be able to get into the top three among the rising stars?’

If he had five, it would mean he had obtained a share corresponding to a quarter of the total, so it would surely be easy to enter the top ranks.

The expression of Yeong-il, who had been sitting on a rock and catching his breath, hardened. It was because there was a presence being caught by his spread-out Qi Sense, and it was no ordinary one.

Yeong-il slowly rose to his feet while holding his plum blossom sword.

Step.

A footstep, heard from far away, gradually drew closer. The presence caught by his Qi Sense also became clearer by that much.

Yeong-il let out a dry laugh.

The rising stars, regardless of whether they were from the Three Sects and One Union or the Five Great Mountain Sword Sects, were busy avoiding him.

Yeong-il knew the reason well.

Both Yeong-il and the rising stars he had encountered so far knew it.

That if one were to bother to rank the superiority between the rising stars, Yeong-il was one of the top two.

‘If there is one who can compete with me on equal terms, it would be Daoist Sam-gyeong.’

Excluding Sam-gyeong of the Wudang Sect, he was confident he could defeat them all.

But the man who had shown himself before his eyes, far from running away, was, on the contrary, revealing his presence and closing the distance.

“Young Hero Namgung.”

“Daoist Yeong-il.”

The two swordsmen stood facing each other and did not move.

In the end, Yeong-il was the first to open his mouth.

“How many iron tokens have you gathered? I have three.”

“I have seven.”

“Seven?”

Yeong-il asked back, as if he could not believe it.

At that, Namgung Jun shook his hands and showed him the seven iron tokens.

Yeong-il’s eyes widened.

In Namgung Jun’s hands were all sorts of iron tokens, without distinction between the Three Sects and One Union and the Five Great Mountain Sword Sects.

‘To think he met seven people in this short amount of time, and defeated them all?’

Either his stamina and internal energy were far greater than expected, or he had fought a series of short, decisive battles with overwhelming martial prowess.

Either of the two was not an ordinary feat.

“Truly…”

“I met Daoist Sam-gyeong of the Wudang Sect a short while ago. He was quite strong.”

“‘Quite strong’?”

Sam-gyeong was not a person who deserved to be evaluated with merely that.

Yeong-il, who had been staring intently at Namgung Jun, burst out laughing.

“It seems the hidden dragon of this meeting was someone else.”

Yeong-il slowly drew his plum blossom sword.

“Yeong-il, the Head Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. I wish to challenge you, Young Hero Namgung.”

“Come.”

Namgung Jun humbly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

An attitude that took Yeong-il’s challenge as a matter of course.

But his bearing was not arrogant at all. It was extremely natural.

What was it about Namgung Jun that created this atmosphere?

Even with the senses he had polished through his life as a martial artist until now, he could not fathom Namgung Jun’s inner depths.

It felt as if he were veiled by a high-floating cloud.

‘His bearing is nothing special.’

Yeong-il was feeling it faintly.

That the strength Namgung Jun possessed was not merely of this level.

He would surely know his true value only by crossing blades directly.

“I will risk the embarrassment and take the first move.”

Yeong-il, who was observing Namgung Jun, admitted it.

That he was the one of lesser skill.

The boy before him was surely hiding some kind of power. And his own capability was likely insufficient to clearly grasp that power.

‘It is fine even if I cannot win.’

Yeong-il looked at the sword of Namgung Jun that was being slowly drawn.

It was more than enough to be able to just confirm the hidden true value of Namgung Jun, which he could not see through clearly.

THUMP!

Simultaneously with a powerful stomp, Yeong-il’s sword displayed a red trajectory.

The delicately drawn sword path left red marks dotted in the empty air.

As the red sword paths that were scattering in eight directions formed a graceful flow, a bewitching fragrance rose up along with the sword-shadows that were sprinkled like flower petals.

‘This fragrance. It is the plum blossom.’

The scent of plum blossoms, at some point tickling the tip of his nose.

But Namgung Jun was not deceived.

FLARE!

The body of Namgung Jun’s sword revealed a cerulean radiance and began to create a fierce wind.

The cerulean-dyed sword wind mercilessly toyed with the crimson flower petals.