novelraw Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176 - Originally, Cramming…
‘It was a close call. Something big could have happened if we were just a little late.’
Looking at the bewildered Solbo, Uma had such a thought. Biyoung, Jeong-i, and I had taken the spirit pills long ago, and Eung Gajin had taken his while being exposed to the energy of the Phantasmal Confusion Forest.
However, Solbo had not relied on the power of the spirit pill from beginning to end. He had overcome the curse of this Phantasmal Confusion Forest purely through his own strength.
“I…… I did it?”
Solbo looked over his body here and there with a blank face. Since so many things had happened in a short moment, his changes still seemed awkward to him.
“Hey! Senior Brother Solbo!”
At that moment, a welcome voice was heard from the other side. It was Biyoung’s group, who had disappeared midway.
“Senior Brother! Senior Sister! Biyoung!”
Solbo brightened and waved his hand toward the three. As soon as I reached the scene, I asked Uma.
“How did it go?”
“Fortunately, there was no need to knock him out.”
“Senior Brother! You did it!”
The faces of the three turned as bright as a full moon. However, Solbo still hadn't grasped the situation.
“Knock me out? What does that mean?”
“Ah. I asked Senior Brother Uma. If you lost your mind, Senior Brother, he should smack the back of your head and knock you out.”
“…………!”
“I firmly believed you could overcome it, Senior Brother, but you never know how the world works, right? Haha!”
“S-So, you were planning on beating me up if things went wrong…….”
Solbo’s gaze moved from me to Uma. Uma spat once and then shot a look that said, ‘What? So what?’ Perhaps having read Solbo’s expression, I grinned.
“I’m telling you now, but we entered this Phantasmal Confusion Forest for the sake of you and Senior Brother Eung.”
“For me? Why?”
“……Don't you know best yourself?”
At that meaningful answer, Solbo’s eyes turned round. ……Right. What he had overcome just now in this Phantasmal Confusion Forest, Solbo himself knew better than anyone. His companions had come here despite the risk for his awakening.
“Thank you, Biyoung. Thank you, Senior Brothers.”
“There’s nothing to be thankful for since I didn't do anything. Stand tall, Senior Brother. Overcoming this Phantasmal Confusion Forest with one's own strength is something even the old monks of Shaolin find difficult.”
“Really? Hehe.”
Looking at him scratching his crown awkwardly, he didn't seem much different from before. So, I wanted to check.
“Senior Brother. Let’s have a spar.”
“A-A spar?”
“Yeah. I want to actually check if you can swing your sword without hesitation, Senior Brother. Anyone is fine, so let’s have a spar.”
At those words, Jeong-i asked worriedly.
“Will it be okay? He seems to have just escaped the shock…….”
“………….”
Solbo fell into thought for a moment. His fearful eyes remained, but soon a determined voice flowed from his mouth.
“It’s okay, Senior Sister. I’ll try it.”
“Hoh?”
In fact, this alone could be called a great leap forward. Since these were words coming from the world's peerless coward who had realized the Vast Sky Eagle Body Method while fleeing. But. The truly surprising thing was the statement that followed.
“If I’m going to do it, I want to try it with you, Biyoung.”
***
After escaping the Phantasmal Confusion Forest, I and the others found a suitable empty lot and settled down. Looking at the two men standing across from each other, Jeong-i wore a sentimental smile.
“Has it been a year?”
“Probably about that long, Senior Sister.”
Uma’s expression was not much different from Jeong-i’s. On the day I first visited Simao, I had sparred with the young talents one by one. Although it was closer to a one-sided massacre than a spar. Recalling that past, Uma suddenly bared his molars.
“I still clearly remember the absurdity I felt back then. He stepped forward hesitatingly, then suddenly declared his withdrawal and ran away. I was truly at a loss for words…….”
Recalling that day, Jeong-i gave a smile as dazzling as sunlight.
“If there were a mouse hole, I would have wanted to squeeze my body into it.”
“It’s funny to say, but I also actually saw Solbo’s sword for the first time today. Is he not the guy who only barely extended his sword when everyone was about to die?”
“Fufu. There are probably more people in the Diancang Sect who haven't seen it than those who have.”
So, they were curious. What would Solbo’s sword, launched with his own will, be like? The Sect Leader, who had witnessed Solbo’s sword in the past, once left this evaluation.
‘It is truly like a gale.’
Even back then, it was a sword highly praised by Jeokseo. Since then, he had learned the proper swordsmanship of the Diancang Sect through me, increased his internal energy through the Cradle-to-Grave Pill, and opened the door to the Vast Sky Eagle Body Method.
What would Solbo’s sword, where all these were combined, be like? It was something to look forward to, enough to make the onlookers feel excited. If he could only draw it, Solbo’s sword would be very strong. Only if he could draw it, that is.
“Here I come!”
Flash!
Unlike the training and duels until now, I drew my sword first. It was a kind of verification. A verification of whether he could fight back without being scared or running away from an opponent who rushed at him.
Pang!
It was an attack without much power, a single sword strike that Solbo could easily avoid. The key lay in Solbo’s position. Would he have performed the Vast Sky Eagle Body Method and fled far back? Or……..
Grin.
A smile full of satisfaction bloomed on the lips of me, who had swung the sword. Because the place where Solbo was located was none other than behind my back.
“Haap!”
Along with a brave battle cry, Solbo finally extended the tip of his sword. A basic technique of the Eagle Talon Twelve Swords added to the Vast Sky Eagle Body Method. The Sky-Mirror Shattering Strike flew toward me.
“Ohh!”
Exclamations burst from the mouths of the senior brothers watching. Breaking the mirror-clear sky with a sword. Just like the name of the technique, it was fast and light, a strike truly like the root of the Diancang Sect.
Clang!
Whistle!
Along with the sound of sword clashing with sword, a wild wind whipped around the two. Just as the single sword strike extended toward Uma had done, the surrounding air had reacted to the swift body movements.
“……It’s good.”
“……It’s good, isn't it?”
As if they had reached an agreement, Uma and Jeong-i spoke with the same voice. Even if it was the same martial art of the Diancang Sect, the feeling was different depending on the practitioner. Uma’s Eagle Wing Sky Boundary was incredibly fierce, Danseol’s Eagle Wing Sky Boundary was full of variations, and Eung Gajin’s Eagle Wing Sky Boundary had a straight and clean taste. And the current Solbo was,
“Senior Brother’s sword seems to most suit a quick sword.”
It was truly something worthy of being the root of the Diancang Sect.
“B-Biyoung.”
“The expression 'Gale Sword' is a bit embarrassing, but I have no other way to describe it.”
Gale Sword Solbo. It was the moment the nickname that would make his name known in the Jianghu in the future was born.
***
“We’re here.”
“This place is…….”
“Mount Song……!!”
The footsteps of my group finally reached the entrance of Mount Song. A sacred land called a place where immortals have gathered and lived since ancient times. The home of Shaolin, which is called one of the Five Great Mountains and is said to be overflowing with famous spots and historical sites. The eyes of the young talents looking at the superb view of Mount Song were filled with overwhelming emotion.
“Wow…… it’s really majestic and…… beautiful.”
Jeong-i burst into exclamations as if blooming flower buds. Diancang Mountain was also a place second to none in terms of scenery, but Mount Song was indeed Mount Song. With Xiaoshi Mountain to the west and Taishi Mountain to the east as the leaders, it was a great mountain with more than seventy peaks, large and small. Just by looking at it from afar, I could see why Shaolin had settled here.
“But why has Senior Brother Eung been like that since earlier?”
Uma asked in a very strange tone. It was because Eung Gajin’s speech had noticeably decreased since arriving at the entrance of Mount Song, no, since being inside the Phantasmal Confusion Forest.
“Did it look that way?”
Eung Gajin gave an awkward smile as if embarrassed.
“Are you not someone who likes mountains more than anyone? It’s amazing because someone like you has no particular reaction even after seeing Mount Song.”
“Haha. It’s also my first time seeing Mount Song. How could I not be touched? It’s just……”
“It’s just?”
The answer flowed not from Eung Gajin but from my mouth.
“He can't concentrate.”
“Concentrate?”
Uma showed a reaction of not knowing at all, wrinkling his small eyes.
“Senior Brother Eung is in a state where he can't turn his mind elsewhere right now.”
“Stop talking in riddles and tell me in detail.”
“Can you look at the scenery leisurely while practicing internal energy circulation, Senior Brother?”
“What? That’s…… impossible.”
“That’s exactly the state Senior Brother Eung is in right now. He has to operate his internal energy art all day now.”
At those words, not only Uma’s but also Jeong-i’s and Solbo’s mouths fell wide open.
“I-Is such a thing possible?”
“You must have heard of it too, Senior Brothers? Once you open the Conception and Governor Vessels, it’s possible to practice all day from then on.”
“Come to think of it……”
It seemed they had heard such a story in the past. The reason why martial artists try so hard to clear the Conception and Governor Vessels. Opening the vessels can bring about dramatic development itself, but the true value can be said to be what follows. A martial artist who can only practice when they sit down and a martial artist who can practice the entire time they eat and sleep. There was no need to explain how big that difference was.
“Then…… you mean Senior Brother Eung is in that state right now?”
“Right. Since it’s a period of adjustment now, it’s hard to concentrate on other things, but he’ll soon start living as usual.”
“That’s an amazing thing…….”
“Congratulations, Senior Brother!”
Uma, Jeong-i, and Solbo looked at Eung Gajin with new eyes. From now on, the eldest brother who opened his Conception and Governor Vessels will bravely play an active role at the forefront of the Diancang Sect.
“……I somehow don't like it.”
“?”
But suddenly, my head tilted to the side. The young talents swallowed hard at that delinquent attitude. Why. Why is he acting up again when things are going well? What is he dissatisfied with after explaining it all himself!
“Are you just going to admire and be envious like that?”
“Then…… what should we do?”
“You should be jealous! And feel a sense of competition!”
“……?!”
I thumped my chest as if frustrated.
“Are you going to live your whole lives just looking at Senior Brother Eung’s butt? You should vow to become a swordsman better than Senior Brother Eung! You should even come find me separately and whimper that you want to open your Conception and Governor Vessels too!”
“Hah……”
“Don't let your guard down, Senior Sister Jeong. Since he opened the Conception and Governor Vessels, catching up to your internal energy will happen in an instant.”
However, Jeong-i only gave a smile like a swaying spring breeze.
“It’s a good thing for the future of the Diancang Sect.”
“Ugh. You frustrating people. Anyway, just wait until we return to the main mountain. I’ll roll you even more clearly.”
Solbo waved one hand as if it were absurd.
“The martial arts tournament hasn't even started, so why are you talking about rolling us already? Give us a break!”
“Hohoho.”
Even while his colleagues were laughing and chatting, Eung Gajin didn't say much. Was it because of the internal energy incessantly wandering through his body? There was that, but the words Jeong-i had said earlier were shaking his heart.
‘It’s a good thing for the future of the Diancang Sect…….’
Eung Gajin suddenly felt ashamed. Jeong-i had already reached the realization that he had only barely gained after suffering to death in the Phantasmal Confusion Forest. What I said about acting up to surpass his fellow disciples was right, and everything Jeong-i said was also right. Eung Gajin felt his fellow disciples were very reliable.
“Senior Brother Eung! I told you to say something! You're at the level where you can blab your mouth! Do you think I won't know?”
“That’s right, Senior Brother! I told you, the eldest brother is always quiet at times like this.”
“Don't tell me, you're already putting on airs because you opened the Conception and Governor Vessels?”
“Does this mean you won't even talk to us whose skills are lacking now?”
“………….”
Was it because he received the energy of Mount Song?
Eung Gajin laughed heartily like an immortal.
Reliable my foot.
I wish they would all just go away and die.
“Anyway……”
Jeong-i changed the subject as if to refresh the atmosphere.
“It seems both Junior Brother Solbo and Senior Brother Eung have done an immense amount of training in just one day. It’s exactly like cramming the day before an evaluation.”
“Now that I hear it, you're right.”
I also nodded in agreement.
“I think the results are also impeccable at this level?”
Then the corners of my mouth went up slightly.
“Originally, cramming has good efficiency.”