The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 111

Looking at Zhuge Yun, I am reminded of a deer.

A deer that is always looking around with a frightened expression and trembling.

But, now, holding a sword and looking straight at me, he feels quite different from such a herbivore.

'Oh-ho...'

Perhaps because it's been three years since he held a sword, his hand holding the sword is excessively tense.

But it doesn't seem to be because the grip itself is wrong, but rather because he has stopped training his body for a while, so he lacks strength.

His basics are better than I thought, and his spirit is also good. It's hard to think of him as a person who was afraid to even step out of his room until just a few days ago.

"Then shall we begin? Please attack."

"Yes. I look forward to working with you."

Although it's been a long time since he held a sword, it wouldn't be an easy task to receive twenty techniques without any internal energy, so I also raised my concentration to its peak.

"I will be using the Zhuge family's Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art."

"I will receive it with the Taiji Sword Art. That's the only way to face you without internal energy."

"I will get to experience the rumored Taiji Sword Art."

Woong—

Zhuge Yun's wooden sword began to cry quietly.

'Huh...? This is a little different from what I thought.'

Although I tried not to show it, to be honest, I was starting to get a little flustered. I thought Zhuge Yun's internal energy was at a level where it was as good as none.

Because I had heard that he didn't train in martial arts that diligently in the first place, and I had heard that he had completely given up on martial arts for three years.

But Zhuge Yun's internal energy was much more profound than I thought.

A deep internal energy that is not far behind even when compared to Senior Brother Uncheol.

'Ah, he's Miss Zhuge Ling's older brother.'

Two things I overlooked.

If Zhuge Ling is so talented in martial arts, Zhuge Yun may also have been born with such talent.

And that most of the direct descendants of the martial arts families begin to learn martial arts after receiving a bone-marrow cleansing from a great elder of the family before they turn ten.

So, even if Zhuge Yun had given up on martial arts three years ago, it means that he has at least six or seven years of experience in martial arts training.

"Wait..."

Hwook!

I tried to stop him for a moment, but perhaps he didn't hear me, and he swung his wooden sword as it was.

At the rather sharp sword art, I almost raised my internal energy without realizing it, but I quickly regained my composure and parried his sword with pure strength.

Ttak!

The wooden sword and the wooden sword clashed, but Zhuge Yun's sword was hardly repelled and pushed straight into me.

Since a wooden sword imbued with internal energy and a sword swung with just strength clashed, it is only natural that the sword with internal energy is heavier.

I endured the tingling pain that I felt in my wrist and fingers, and barely swung my sword to block Zhuge Yun's sword again.

But this time, I didn't swing it without thinking.

This time, my sword is full of the mysteries of Taiji.

Hwiririririk! Shwook!

My sword, like a snake, climbed up Zhuge Yun's sword and was shot towards his neck.

Zhuge Yun, as if he had never experienced such a natural receiving technique before, is in a state where he can't defend himself at all and is about to give up his neck.

'Oops! This won't do.'

Although it's a situation where I could end it like this, I barely managed to retrieve my sword.

I had unconsciously tried to attack my opponent out of habit, but the bet of this spar was to receive his attacks for twenty techniques without internal energy, not to defeat him.

I took a few steps away from him and said, "You're sharper than I thought. I thought you couldn't even swing a sword properly."

"At one time... I trained hard."

"If you hadn't had a blank period, you would have been much stronger."

At my innocent-sounding words, Zhuge Yun bit his lip.

He knows it too. That he has been wasting his time.

"There's still plenty of time. So for now, let's focus on the present. There are eighteen more to go."

He nodded his head and took his starting stance again.

When I glanced at Zhuge Ling, she was looking at us with a face full of worry.

I naturally thought that she was worried while looking at Zhuge Yun.

But strangely, it seems she's looking at me too...?

Sha-ak!

At that time, Zhuge Yun's wooden sword, which was sharply thrusting towards my philtrum, made me unable to have any more idle thoughts.

I barely turned my head to avoid the sword, but his attack was not the end of it.

His wooden sword, which had grazed the side of my head, was swung sideways as it was, trying to hit my temple.

I leaned my body back and retreated, barely avoiding it this time as well.

'Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art. They said it's a sword art where there's no distinction between techniques. So this is what it feels like.'

Although it's the first time I've faced the sword directly, I've heard about the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art a few times.

It is said that once the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art begins its attack, its end cannot be seen.

So the opponent just keeps blocking the attacks and eventually gets hit, and if I had to say, I heard that the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art is a persistent, snake-like sword art.

But now that I've experienced it directly, I can understand the principle of this sword art to some extent.

'The Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art is not a sword art where there is no distinction between techniques. Rather, it's a sword art where the techniques are divided into countless numbers.'

Right now, Zhuge Yun's body is very weak.

It seems he didn't like physical training in the first place, and he hasn't even done any proper exercise for three years.

So although Zhuge Yun has a fairly large amount of internal energy that he has already accumulated, he is in a state where he cannot use it properly.

And showing the sword art so slowly and obviously is no different from teaching me the sword art.

'The core of the sword art is that you can perform the techniques from any posture.'

Thanks to that, I was able to realize the core of the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art.

When an ordinary person thrusts a sword and then wants to attack again, a process of retrieving the sword is necessary.

But, the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art is to swing the sword again from that posture without retrieving the sword.

Of course, if you do that, it's a matter of course that you can't put proper strength into the sword and body.

So this is where internal energy comes in.

The explosive internal energy momentarily assists the insufficient strength of the muscles and tendons, making it possible to use sufficient strength from any posture.

'It's interesting. If I learn it well, I can incorporate it into my martial arts.'

While I was thinking this, Zhuge Yun was continuously swinging, thrusting, and cutting his sword, trying to land a valid blow on me somehow.

But, now that I have realized the principle of the Lesser Heaven Star Sword Art, I could predict how he would attack next, and now I could block or avoid all his attacks without much effort.

In fact, it was a fight where I didn't even need to actively use the principles of Taiji.

With each exchange of blows and each avoidance, Zhuge Yun's expression became more determined, and his attacks began to become fiercer.

And at the same time, his face gradually turned red, and large beads of sweat formed on his face and were scattered around whenever he moved his body.

And so, ten techniques, fifteen techniques, and the last twenty techniques.

I blocked all twenty techniques he had promised.

But Zhuge Yun, as if he hadn't realized that the spar had already ended with my victory, continued to attack me.

"O-Older brother..."

The moment Zhuge Ling was about to call Zhuge Yun, I showed her my palm and stopped her.

Then, as if she had understood my meaning, she immediately stopped talking and began to watch our spar silently.

I gave her a slight smile in that brief moment, and then I parried Zhuge Yun's sword, which had come right up to my face, once more.

'Good. I've seen enough of his skills. Shall I show him a little of my skills now?'

The spar is over anyway.

The rule that I can't use internal energy doesn't apply to me anymore.

I slowly raised my internal energy.

'I have to show him the overwhelming difference in strength, the difference in internal energy, and the difference in skill.'

I plan to show him the best move I can.

Because I have to make him clearly understand the gap between us, so that he will start to follow my words without any complaints in the future.

And this is not just for Zhuge Yun, but also to show Zhuge Ling.

Because I plan to grab her and make her train too.

If my training method is applied to the talents of these siblings...? Perhaps in a few years, they will be masters who are called by their names in the Central Plains, both in name and in reality.

Ttak— Ttak!

The sound of wooden swords clashing continued to ring out.

But there is one big difference from before, and that is that while before, Zhuge Yun was attacking consistently and I was only defending, now the aspect of the fight has changed, and I am attacking, and Zhuge Yun is struggling to receive my sword.

Hwi-ing, Hwa-a-ang, Hwa-a-a-ak!

And, with each clash of the swords, the strong wind that arises becomes stronger and more powerful.

The wind is so strong that my sleeves and the hem of my clothes are starting to flutter as if they are about to be torn.

"Ugh."

Since Zhuge Yun and I were in the eye of the storm, it stopped at our clothes fluttering, but the surrounding grass, trees, and dust were swirling madly, creating a whirlwind.

The aftermath of the strong wind was so strong that even Zhuge Ling was staggering.

"Young Master Zhuge. In a situation where we met by chance in the martial world. I'm trying to kill you. Then can you survive?"

"......"

Although he kept his mouth shut, I feel like I heard the answer that he probably couldn't survive from his clenched lips.

"So you have to build up your strength. The martial world is a scary place. There's no particular reason for a person to kill another person in the martial world. They kill you because you look unlucky, they kill you because you look rich, they kill you because you seem to have learned martial arts. Have you ever thought about what it means to go out into such a world alone?"

"Ugh, keuk..."

Although I spoke calmly while our swords continued to clash, he couldn't answer.

Only a faint groan could be heard whenever the swords clashed, as if he was taking a fairly large shock to his hands and arms.

"So you have to become strong. Always prioritize martial arts training. Maps are good, and geography is good, but if you die, everything is over."

With those words, I stopped talking and focused all my attention on my sword.

The sword art I had been performing since a little while ago was the Taiqing Sword Art.

Originally, this martial art is a sword art that can only be used by extremely raising the energy of nature based on a powerful celestial energy.

But I interpreted this in my own way and made it possible to perform it based on the internal energy of the lower dantian.

So from a martial art where a gentle and kind wind blows, it was reborn as a martial art where a wind that seems to tear the opponent apart blows.

It feels like it wouldn't be strange to be called the Typhoon Sword Art instead of the Taiqing Sword Art.

Kung— Hwa-a-ak!

The moment my sincere sword and Zhuge Yun's sword clashed, he dropped his sword from his hand, and that wooden sword flew far away.

And my sword was shot towards Zhuge Yun, who had lost his weapon.

Just as he couldn't react properly and instinctively raised his two arms to block my sword.

My sword stopped right in front of his nose, and the powerful wind created by the sword art devoured him.

Zhuge Yun couldn't withstand the wind pressure and fell to the floor with a thud.

I roughly sheathed my wooden sword and threw it around, and then extended my hand to Zhuge Yun, who was sitting on the floor, and said, "If you follow my words, I can make you incomparably stronger than you are now. You've seen my senior brothers, right? A year ago, those senior brothers were much weaker than the current Young Master Zhuge. I made them all like that."

"......"

"The bet was won by me a long time ago, but martial arts is not something you can be forced to do just because someone tells you to. If you want to become strong, no matter what you have to do, no matter what pain you have to endure, take my hand and stand up. If there is something you truly want and want to do... achieve it with that hand."

At my words, it was as if a fire had been lit in Zhuge Yun's eyes.

He took my hand and stood up.

It is certain that his hidden instinct as a martial artist has been revived.

"Older brother..."

Tears are pouring down from the eyes of Zhuge Ling, who was watching us.

She must have realized it too. That Zhuge Yun has finally come out into the world again.

I looked at her and Zhuge Yun alternately and thought.

'He's completely fallen for it. Tomorrow... no, as soon as we leave the Zhuge family... I'll have to push him really hard.'

Just imagining it seems to be an enjoyable... no, a satisfying thing.

(End of Chapter)