novelraw Chapter 181 : Chapter 181
Chapter 181 : Chapter 181
Chapter 181 - What in the world kind of sect is this?
“……”
The Three-knot Swordsman of the Mount Heng Sect.
Sangsam could not say a word.
It was understandable, really. How could he make a judgment when he could not even see what had happened?
All he had felt was Solbo’s figure disappearing after the opening stance was completed.
And the sharp, cold blade of a sword stopping right before the tip of his chin.
And then, belatedly, a fierce gust of wind.
“H-how did you…?”
His large, dark eyebrows were like caterpillars, and his eyes were overly bright for a martial artist.
Even his expression seemed a bit clumsy.
Solbo was exactly as he had appeared when he first saw him.
But the quick sword that erupted from that naive-looking man was reminiscent of his own master.
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
Only after the crowd’s cheers poured out could Sangsam finally realize it.
He had lost.
Without even getting to extend his sword once.
“Keuk……!”
Although there was no sword mark, it felt more painful than when Namgung Chu had struck his vital point.
How much had he prepared for this martial arts tournament?
But from this moment on, Sangsam was in a position where he could no longer wield a sword here.
“I am ashamed……”
Sangsam, who had returned to the waiting room, bowed his head with a crestfallen face.
Jun-il, Sangsam’s Senior Uncle and a Four-knot Swordsman, could not bring himself to scold him.
Even to his eyes, the strike from the swordsman named Solbo just now had been incredibly fast and swift.
He was an opponent that Sangsam was no match for in the first place.
Jun-il was flabbergasted.
‘What in the world kind of sect is this?’
To call it the sword technique of a fellow rising star was truly a cheat.
He was not even sure if he himself could catch up to that rapid footwork.
Even after the match ended, Solbo’s Gale Sword was a topic of discussion for many people.
“Did you just see that? I blinked once and that swordsman named Solbo had already won.”
“I couldn’t see it properly either. I’ve never seen such a fast rising star in my life.”
“That swordsman named Uma was no ordinary talent either, and isn’t this friend from the Diancang Sect who just appeared also incredible?”
“What’s more surprising is that their opponents were defeated without being able to do anything. And they weren’t just some mediocre sword sects, but the prestigious Zhongnan and Mount Heng Sects, weren’t they?”
“Heo! What a coincidence! Isn’t this a situation where the Diancang Sect, which had disappeared from the Nine Sects One Union, is defeating the sects of the Murim Alliance one by one?”
When Solbo, following Uma, achieved a complete victory, the number of people paying attention to the Diancang Sect increased exponentially.
It was not just the spectators; the martial artists participating in the tournament also began to grow wary of the Diancang Sect’s name.
“Woo Jinsu of Kunlun requests a match.”
“Eung Gajin of Diancang.”
As the Diancang swordsman reappeared after an hour, the gazes of the crowd focused on one spot.
But this time, it seemed that the interest was more focused on his opponent.
“Woo Jinsu! Isn’t Woo Jinsu the rising star of Kunlun who single-handedly defeated the evil sect known as the Black Subordinate Gang in Tibet?”
“He can be considered Kunlun’s greatest prospect, in fact. To run into him of all people, the luck of the draw for this man named Eung Gajin is quite poor.”
“But you never know, do you? Maybe the Diancang Sect will show unexpected skill this time as well.”
“Hey, you. Have you ever seen such a coincidence repeat three times in this world?”
“That’s right. A coincidence is enough once or twice. If it happens a third time, it can no longer be seen as a coincidence. If that happens, then it’s skill.”
They drew their opening stances, but neither swordsman moved rashly.
It was a sense of caution that only those who had reached a certain level could feel.
‘…This is astounding.’
The stoutly built man wearing a black heroic bandana inwardly clicked his tongue.
He had expected that it would not be easy, as it was a showdown between renowned prospects.
But to face such a strong opponent from the very first match?
He had not felt this much pressure even when facing Dok Si, the leader of the Black Subordinate Gang.
He could not even guess how much internal energy he had accumulated, and his posture aimed at him was without a single flaw.
What was most impressive were his solemn eyes.
As if he were a person who had achieved enlightenment, the man’s eyes showed no fear or wavering.
‘Is this the level of the entire martial arts tournament? Or is it just…’
Is it just my bad luck to meet a strong opponent from the start?
To confirm this, Woo Jinsu drew up his internal energy.
VWOOOM!
A halo of light formed on Woo Jinsu’s well-forged sword.
The crowd burst into admiration at the pure Sword Aura.
But for some reason, no energy could be seen on Eung Gajin’s sword.
Pabat!
Woo Jinsu, who leaped toward the sky, unleashed a sharp sword strike.
A powerful strike rained down toward Eung Gajin’s nape.
KANG!
Eung Gajin raised his sword diagonally and blocked Woo Jinsu’s path.
Just then,
Whirl!
Woo Jinsu’s body, which seemed about to fall, rotated once and changed its posture in mid-air.
The crowd burst out in admiration at the marvelous movement, which was reminiscent of acrobatics.
“Waaah!”
Woo Jinsu, who had flipped his body in mid-air, immediately unleashed three consecutive techniques.
It was as if an invisible string in the air was supporting his body.
“The… Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon!”
A spectator with a good eye let out a voice mixed with astonishment.
It was a superior movement technique that flipped the body in mid-air like a dragon frolicking among the clouds.
A rising star was displaying the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon, which could only be used by a limited number of masters within the Kunlun Sect.
He had single-handedly destroyed the Black Subordinate Gang, which even the government offices in Tibet could not touch carelessly, and his skill was indeed worthy of a nod.
Clang clang clang!
Eung Gajin’s hands moved busily toward the three incoming techniques.
The bizarre movements of the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon certainly flustered Eung Gajin.
However, Eung Gajin was a man who had become thoroughly inured to the emotion of ‘fluster.’
After all, he lived with a guy who confused him every day, with every breath, with his absurd skills.
“What a magnificent sight, truly magnificent!”
“It seems difficult to consider Woo Jinsu’s swordsmanship as that of a rising star anymore.”
“Seeing that sword, it looks like the future of Kunlun will continue to be bright!”
However,
Amidst the shower of praise for Woo Jinsu, people who raised questions appeared.
“But…”
“?”
“Aren’t all of those amazing Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon being blocked? By that young hero named Eung Gajin.”
“…………!”
“Look, I can’t even count how many techniques Eung Gajin is blocking now.”
The spectators then began to realize that something was seriously wrong.
They had been so absorbed in the flashy techniques of the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon that they had missed the basics.
Wasn’t Eung Gajin, who was facing Woo Jinsu, completely unharmed?
What was even stranger were the expressions of the two swordsmen facing each other.
The expression of Eung Gajin, facing the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon, was consistently calm, while Woo Jinsu’s face became pitifully distorted as the exchanges continued.
Paat!
At the end of the dazzling exchange, the two swordsmen stepped back about a zhang, as if by agreement.
It looked like a literally evenly matched fight, with no injuries between them.
That is, if it had not been for Woo Jinsu’s roar that followed soon after.
“Are you trying to insult me? Why are you not using your full strength!”
“?!”
The crowd reacted to those words before Eung Gajin did.
“What? What did Young Hero Woo just say?”
“N-not using his full strength?”
“Does that mean Eung Gajin was going easy on Woo Jinsu?”
“What kind of nonsense is that…!!”
Going easy on a genius swordsman from Kunlun who could perform the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon?
It was a statement that would make anyone doubt their ears.
Everyone’s eyes and ears focused on Eung Gajin.
Eung Gajin gave a slightly troubled smile.
“It is neither an insult nor anything else. I simply wanted to experience Kunlun’s ultimate techniques a little more.”
The tip of Eung Gajin’s sword pointed from the floor toward Woo Jinsu.
“But if you felt insulted, I will use my full power from now on.”
Psssss…….
A piercingly blue Sword Aura bloomed from Eung Gajin’s blade.
‘This can’t be…!’
Those with expertise in martial arts each flinched and trembled their eyelids.
Was it because Eung Gajin’s Sword Aura was so clear?
No.
Many rising stars had already displayed Sword Aura.
What they were surprised about was Eung Gajin’s ‘past.’
The past where he had exchanged blows with Woo Jinsu without imbuing his sword with aura.
Facing a sword with aura with a normal sword was no different from hitting a rock with an egg.
Unless there was a difference of two or three stages in internal energy between them, they could not exchange blows.
But until just a moment ago, Eung Gajin had done that as if it were nothing.
Against a Sword Aura that contained the ultimate techniques of the Great Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon, no less.
Psssss……!
Only after Eung Gajin showed his Sword Aura could the crowd finally understand.
Why Woo Jinsu had said, ‘Use your full strength.’
At the same time, they were seized by a strange sense of anticipation.
If they were evenly matched even without him using Sword Aura, what would be the result when they clashed with equal swords?
“Chahap!”
With a short, final kiai, Eung Gajin stomped his foot.
His movement had a different flavor from that of Uma and Solbo.
It was far from fierce or swift, but it had a firmness that seemed unstoppable by anything.
Just like Eung Gajin’s heart for his sect.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE!
Eung Gajin’s body, sword, and heart rushed toward Woo Jinsu like a raging wave.
“!”
Woo Jinsu firmly planted his feet and thrust his sword forward.
He was prepared for a different level of power than before, as it was now imbued with Sword Aura.
There were many ways to face a sword other than confronting it head-on.
One could parry it moderately or use footwork to get out of the sword’s path.
Woo Jinsu planned to deal with it appropriately according to his opponent’s swordsmanship.
That was, until he saw Eung Gajin’s sword change from one to three, and from three to nine.
Paaaak!
“?!”
The tip of the sword changed.
One sword, as if copied, poured down from multiple directions.
Woo Jinsu could instinctively sense it.
This was fundamentally different from the usual variations of sword techniques.
All the swords were flying toward nine directions of his body at the same time.
“!”
Some of the figures on the high seats who were watching this shot up from their seats.
They had not expected to see the forgotten martial arts of the Diancang Sect in this place.
‘This cannot be blocked or dodged…!’
Woo Jinsu felt a sense of despair as he watched the nine menacing slashes fly toward him.
He even felt as if his body would be cut into pieces soon.
Spat!
Exactly nine very fine wounds occurred in nine places.
Eung Gajin, who had extended his sword, was standing upright in front of Woo Jinsu as if nothing had happened.
His majestic and confident appearance was as if a master from the Diancang Sect’s previous generation had come back to life.
“…………!”
His hair scattered finely, and underneath it, Woo Jinsu’s heroic bandana was split in half and slid down.
What fell along both his eyes felt like tears.
“…What is the name of this sword art?”
“It is a technique from the Sun-Shooting Sword Art called Nine-Shooting One Flash.”
“The Sun-Shooting Sword Art…!”
He remembered hearing about such a sword art from his Senior Uncle in the past.
It was said that there was a sword art of the Diancang Sect that did not appear often in the Murim, but when it did, it turned the whole world upside down.
But since it was something from over ten years ago, he only remembered it as a piece of history.
‘Facing it myself, I understand now.’
Why this sword art was still being talked about even after ten years.
With that thought, Woo Jinsu obediently accepted the result.
“I admit my defeat.”
At the same time, the monk shouted in a resounding voice.
“This match is the victory of Eung Gajin of the Diancang Sect!”
The spectators, who had been watching with bated breath, all shouted at once.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Fifteen years.
It was the moment when the Sun-Shooting Sword Art of the Diancang Sect, which had disappeared from Jianghu for nearly fifteen years, made a splendid comeback.