novelraw Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183 - I Agree
POW! POW! POW!
Was this truly the sound of human hands striking each other?
It was a roar so loud that even if one brought a drum, the drumhead would surely be torn.
The source of the sound was the center of the vast fighting stage.
It was where Jinhwa and Biyoung were exchanging blows.
‘This can’t be…!’
Though her lips were tightly sealed, Jinhwa’s eyes looked as if she were possessed by a ghost.
If this were the Tiger-Subduing Temple on Golden Summit Peak, the origin of the Emei Sect, she might have understood.
But was this not Shaolin?
A martial arts tournament venue where different sects showcased their skills.
Yet, to think she would encounter the Emei Sect’s Tiger-Subduing Palm here.
The feeling was so surreal that she began to wonder if she was dreaming.
“Eek…!”
After having her attacks blocked several times, Jinhwa let out a suppressed cry and unleashed one of her ultimate techniques.
Spat!
“Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step…!”
A few martial artists burst out in admiration.
The Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step, one of the movement techniques the Emei Sect prided itself on, was executed flawlessly.
The Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step demonstrated its true value especially in close-quarters combat like this, possessing an excellent advantage in crossing one’s feet in a short moment to get behind an opponent.
‘I got him…!’
When she executed the Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step, Jinhwa was certain.
She had undoubtedly gotten behind Biyoung.
However, just as she was about to strike with the Tiger-Subduing Fist, Biyoung’s shoulder flickered like an afterimage.
“!”
Spat!
Jinhwa’s fist cut through the empty air in vain, and her eyes filled with shock.
The stance Biyoung had taken before showing the afterimage.
It was unbelievable, but it was the stance of the Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step that she herself had just executed.
‘Then…!’
Before she could finish her thought, she felt a heavy impact from behind.
THUD!
Jinhwa’s body staggered, and she instinctively took three or four steps forward.
By the time she regained her balance and turned around, Biyoung was standing in his original posture.
“…………!”
More than anger, a sense of absurdity surged up.
Jinhwa could not help but ask.
“Young Hero, have you by any chance trained in martial arts at our sect?”
“How could that be? I am a person of the Diancang Sect.”
“Then how do you know our sect’s martial arts?”
“Well, that’s…”
A malicious smile appeared on Biyoung’s lips.
“I just saw it a few times and figured it out.”
“…………!!!”
That was not just an insult to Jinhwa; it was an insult to the entire Emei Sect.
To say he figured out a martial art that others dedicated their lives to training seriously just by looking at it a few times.
As if he had imbued his answer with internal energy, Biyoung’s words echoed clearly throughout the fighting stage.
“You insolent….”
For the first time in a long while, a harsh word escaped Master Okjin’s lips.
But she was just as flabbergasted.
He was a rising star from the Diancang Sect who was just beginning to make a name for himself in Jianghu.
When and how on earth did he learn the Emei Sect’s martial arts?
‘Of course, you wouldn’t know.’
As if enjoying the murmurs in the hall, Biyoung tilted his head.
He was Biyoung of the Diancang Sect, and also the World's Fastest Sword who had experienced various martial arts in his previous life.
He might not know the ultimate techniques that represented each sect, but it was entirely possible for him to imitate basic martial arts like the Tiger-Subduing Palm.
The footwork of the Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step also had a similar principle to the Rotating Retreat of the Flying Eagle Steps.
For Biyoung, who had mastered over eighty percent of the Vast Sky Eagle Body Method in the past, all the footwork of the Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step was as clear as the palm of his hand.
It was a bizarre event for everyone, but a natural one for Biyoung himself.
The current situation could be summarized as such.
“Don’t take it so hard. It’s just a difference in experience.”
“…?”
Jinhwa did not fully understand Biyoung’s words.
Biyoung, who looked younger than her, was talking about experience?
In fact, even without that, the current match was full of things she could not understand.
All she could do was draw upon all her strength to deny this current reality.
Glance.
Jinhwa’s gaze momentarily turned to Master Okjin.
Since she had been watching their match the whole time, Master Okjin immediately understood the meaning in her eyes.
‘Jinhwa. Surely you don’t mean…!’
Her sharp eyes held a resolve that she could not back down like this.
She could endure being humiliated alone, but she could not bear to have her entire sect mocked and lumped together like this.
Thus, she resolved.
To use her hidden trump card, which had been forbidden in the tournament due to its high lethality.
The look Jinhwa had just sent Master Okjin was precisely for permission.
-Don’t!
Before Master Okjin’s telepathic message could be delivered, she had already completed her preparatory stance.
“Ooooh!”
Several martial artists were unable to contain their surprise at her preparatory stance.
A posture with her fingers placed neatly in front of her chest, as if playing an instrument.
It was the Zither-Playing Finger, a superior finger technique of the Emei Sect.
“Haat!”
Pahak!
With a sharp cry, a single Zither-Playing Finger shot out from her fingers.
Though one was all she could manage for now, the Zither-Playing Finger, shot out with condensed internal energy, was like a bullet.
At the same time, Jinhwa threw her body toward Biyoung.
She intended to land a decisive blow on Biyoung after he was struck by the Zither-Playing Finger.
Just then,
“!”
Jinhwa, who was flying toward Biyoung, came face to face with a chilling scene.
A posture with fingers placed neatly in front of the chest.
It was because Biyoung was also imitating the technique of the Zither-Playing Finger.
Pahak!
Toward the trajectory of Jinhwa’s Zither-Playing Finger, Biyoung flicked his fingers.
An incomparably powerful force then cut through the air and flew.
If Jinhwa’s Zither-Playing Finger was a bullet, this was like a flash of light.
Biyoung’s Zither-Playing Finger, which flew with utmost precision, soon shattered her internal energy and, riding its momentum, shot toward Jinhwa’s shoulder.
“!”
Forget about countering it; Jinhwa, who had not even expected her Zither-Playing Finger to be blocked, was faced with a heaven-and-earth-shaking development.
She was startled and stepped on the Pearl-Spinning Phantom Step, but she could not prevent a line of blood from spurting from her shoulder.
“Euk…!”
As she staggered and tried to barely regain her balance, a dark shadow approached within her reach.
Before she could even compose her posture, a fist carrying the weight of a hundred catties struck her chest.
A basic fist technique of the Emei Sect.
It was the technique of the Tiger-Subduing Fist, which Jinhwa had swung countless times but had been blocked every time.
BOOM!
Jinhwa was sent flying out of the fighting stage without even being able to scream.
Since the result was clear for anyone to see, the monk serving as the referee raised one arm without delay.
“This match is the victory of Biyoung of the Diancang Sect!”
“Ooooooh!”
A voice mixed with admiration and shock echoed through the fighting stage.
It was true that they had anticipated Biyoung’s martial arts, but no one had expected him to win in this way.
“Heo! How strange! How can he use the Emei Sect’s martial arts at that age?”
“It would be understandable if he were old, but isn’t he a young man not yet twenty?”
“It’s truly amazing. It’s a pity we didn’t get to see the Diancang Sect’s martial arts, but this is shocking in its own right.”
“That girl named Jinhwa’s martial arts seemed quite good, too.”
“The Emei Sect must be in a terrible state of mind. Especially since it seems they didn’t bring many people.”
Throb.
Master Okjin unknowingly stroked her right cheek.
Somehow, it felt as if the pain she had suffered at the hands of the Heavenly Demon in the past was rising again.
Being able to imitate the Zither-Playing Finger was on a different level from the Tiger-Subduing Fist he had shown before.
It meant that he was not just a rising star of the sect, but had the skill to face the main masters of the Emei Sect right now.
Where on earth did such a person come from?
“Biyoung…”
As if sensing Master Okjin’s gaze, Biyoung raised his head and looked at the high seats.
Biyoung grinned at Okjin.
It was the very same smile he had shown her the day before.
‘Don’t feel too resentful. The other sects will suffer the same fate.’
***
“Haaam.”
“Hmm hmm.”
The second day of the martial arts tournament.
As the matches reached their final stages, the spectators’ concentration was waning.
No matter how eye-popping a martial art might be, watching it for hours would inevitably lessen the excitement.
Moreover, most of the rising stars the spectators were anticipating had already finished their first matches.
The number of people yawning in the stands increased, and some even started dozing off.
“Hey, you. If you’re sleepy, go to your lodgings and sleep.”
“Ahem. Ahem. I can’t do that. There’s still one match left.”
“My my. Is it because our standards were raised by the first day’s matches? It’s not very exciting.”
“Actually, this is normal. Does it make sense for rising stars to use the martial arts of their senior masters?”
The reason they were staying in their seats, rubbing their sleepy eyes.
It was because there was still one swordsman left.
The last swordsman of the Diancang Sect, which was causing a sensation in this martial arts tournament.
To see that swordsman, the spectators endured their boredom and remained in their seats.
“Ooh!”
The half-closed eyes of the spectators suddenly flashed open.
The swordsman they had been waiting for had finally stepped onto the fighting stage.
“Hee-ya…”
“The rumor of her being the First Beauty of Yunnan was no exaggeration…!”
“Just Yunnan? At this level, she wouldn’t be out of place being called the First Beauty of Jianghu.”
“Can she even swing a sword properly with such a frail body?”
“Don’t say that. Isn’t that woman also a swordsman of the Diancang Sect? She must have a trick up her sleeve.”
The curiosity of her being the last swordsman of the Diancang Sect and her breathtaking appearance.
Those were the two factors that kept the spectators glued to their seats.
As Jeong-i stepped onto the fighting stage, the stands began to stir.
However,
Thump, thump.
The spectators’ strange excitement was doused as if with cold water by a single man.
A bald, tall man who looked to be about seven chi tall appeared before her.
“Is that man Lady Jeong’s opponent?”
“I thought a giant had appeared.”
“The sword he’s holding is as big as Lady Jeong’s torso…!”
“Wait… that saber (刀) is…”
A spectator who had been looking at the fighting stage with narrowed eyes soon let his jaw drop.
“That tiger-shaped saber is the weapon of Cheong Pae, the Five-Terrace Saber Tiger!”
“What?”
“You mean Cheong Pae, who is called the Saber Emperor of Mount Wutai?”
“Now that you mention it, his bald head and physique are a spitting image of Cheong Pae.”
“Then…!”
Cheong Pae, the Five-Terrace Saber Tiger.
He was a legendary figure who, as the ruler of Mount Wutai located in Shanxi Province, had pacified the minor sects around Mount Wutai with a single saber.
He was indifferent to matters outside his territory, so there were few opportunities to see him in Jianghu, but he had sent his son to this martial arts tournament.
“Khahahaha! It was worth the damn long journey. To think that this Cheong Pyeong’s first opponent is such a beautiful noble lady!”
His voice was as big as his height.
At that resonant voice, the spectators already wore expressions of disgust.
“This is a big problem. No matter how meaningless appearances are in the Murim, isn’t this truly a case of an egg hitting a rock?”
“It’s not just his appearance. If that man is really the son of the Five-Terrace Saber Tiger, he’ll subdue most rising stars as if kneading dough!”
“Heo. Misfortune has befallen the last swordsman of Diancang.”
A duel between a slender woman who looked as if she could be held in one hand and a seven-chi-tall giant.
Looking at their physiques alone, the word ‘match’ was embarrassing.
As if he himself felt that clear difference well, Cheong Pyeong said something unexpected.
“Lady Jeong. I have a proposal to make.”
“?”
“How about we each bet something we want in this match?”
“Something we each want…?”
From beneath a thick mustache that belied his age, Cheong Pyeong’s voice boomed.
“If I win this match, how about you go out with me!”
“!!!”
At those words, the crowd was startled and pointed their fingers.
“That, that, that shameless bastard!”
“Proposing a bet to a lady who isn’t even a third of his size?”
“They say the conduct of the Five-Terrace Saber Tiger is unrestrained and arrogant, and it’s truly a case of like father, like son!”
The crowd, who had already been looking on with pity, began to glare at Cheong Pyeong with one heart and mind.
What man would not harbor ulterior motives upon seeing Jeong-i’s dazzling appearance, but they had not expected him to be so blatantly forward.
The crowd naturally thought Jeong-i would refuse.
Some even sent worried glances, fearing she might lose her composure at his rude proposal.
However, at Jeong-i’s subsequent answer, the spectators were all so surprised they almost fainted.
“I agree.”