The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 257

A little while later, I arrived at the place where Un Gwang and the other senior brothers were gathered.

A considerable number of senior brothers were gathered there.

'Un Gwang, Un Hwang, Un Jo, Un Jihak, Un Cheol... all the senior brothers who are considered strong in our generation are gathered here.'

All the senior brothers who had shown a good performance in the last Taoist-Buddhist Great War were here.

Of course, their skills were a little lacking compared to them, but the senior brothers who now possessed quite strong martial arts were also filling this place.

And all the senior brothers from our room were present.

'Even after being beaten by me like that, do they still want to fight me?'

While I was genuinely curious, on the other hand, I was also very proud.

Because the fighting spirit that the senior brothers were showing was something I had never seen when I first became a Wudang Sect Taoist.

To be honest, it's hard to believe now that they were all people who grew up delicately like flowers in a greenhouse, barely managing the training that the elders or grand-elders ordered.

"You're here, Unhwi-ya."

Un Gwang, who had spotted me, stepped forward as a representative and greeted me.

Seeing Un Gwang's expression, I thought that Un Gwang also seemed to already know about the proposal the Sect Leader had made to me a little while ago.

Perhaps Un Gwang had even proposed it first.

Because among our senior brothers, the person who knows my strength most objectively would be Un Gwang.

"Is the conversation over?"

"Yes. You heard from the Sect Leader, right?"

"Yes. I heard."

"You accepted the proposal, of course, right?"

I didn't think there was any need to hesitate, so I immediately nodded my head.

"That's right. I decided to do so. I don't know how many times I'll have to fight that day... but I decided to fight as much as my strength allows."

The eyes of the senior brothers gathered here sparkled.

They all seemed to be already planning how to fight me.

But the atmosphere was a little different from what I had thought.

'Everyone is seeing me as too nice.'

It was time to ask them the same question I had asked the Sect Leader.

"But senior brothers. I think you're all greatly mistaken about one thing."

"Mistaken?"

"What mistake?"

"Why do you think I will adjust my skills to match yours so that you can bring out your abilities to the fullest when we duel?"

"...?"

"......!"

At my one word, everyone's expression was as if they were at a loss for words.

It seems they had never thought of it even once. They all thought of me as too kind and nice, and believed that if they dueled with me, I would naturally let them see their limits.

"Have you never thought about it? If you duel with me for no reason and end up being defeated in just one or two exchanges after it starts, you'll lose one chance just like that. I have almost infinite duel opportunities, but you senior brothers only have three. You know that, right?"

Everyone was as silent as a clam, unable to answer.

I deliberately spoke to the senior brothers in a more firm voice.

"Senior brothers. So choose well. Whether fighting me is really the best choice."

After another moment of silence, one of the senior brothers opened his mouth.

"Then what you're saying is... you will also do your best in the duel, so only those who can withstand at least a few exchanges should challenge you. Is that what you mean?"

"No. There's a slight flaw in that statement as well."

"What?"

"If you think I'm fighting with all my heart... most of the senior brothers here will have a hard time withstanding even three of my attacks."

"......!"

I easily spat out words that could seem arrogant in a way.

But that was the truth.

It is true that the senior brothers have developed dazzlingly. But, my growth rate was so tremendous that it was difficult to express even with the word 'dazzling', so the gap between me and the senior brothers was getting wider and wider as time passed.

Perhaps not only among the senior brothers of our generation, but even among the elders, it would be hard to find someone stronger than me.

"Even so, those who want to clash swords at least once on the duel stage. Only those people should challenge me. And... I will help you with that choice a little."

"How will you help with the choice?"

Instead of answering Senior Brother Un Jo's question, I looked around and searched for something.

After turning my head one and a half times, I was able to find what I was looking for.

"Does anyone have a real sword? Can you lend me one?"

At my request, Un Gwang threw the Cheonggang longsword he had to me.

He usually doesn't carry a weapon, but seeing that he had it now, it seemed he had come straight from researching some martial art.

I took the sword I received from Un Gwang and went to the front of a rock at the bottom of a nearby cliff.

And I quietly placed my palm on the rock and muttered softly, "I don't know how long you've been stuck here, but I'm sorry."

The moment the whisper ended, I swung the sword.

A simple downward strike with no special sword art.

But, within it, the enlightenment and internal energy I had accumulated so far were fully contained, amplifying the sword's sharpness several times.

The rock that was hit by the sword was cut as if it were tofu, and then, with a loud kung!, it crashed to the ground.

"An amazing sword skill..."

"If you just tell me to split a rock with a sword, I could probably do it. But it's hard to cut a rock with a smooth cross-section..."

"Is he trying to show the difference in level with a single sword strike?"

While the senior brothers were murmuring, I didn't answer them and, after sheathing the sword again, handed it to Un Gwang.

And then I walked towards the rock I had cut and grabbed both ends of the rock with both hands.

Since I had deliberately cut it in a shape that was difficult to hold with both hands, it felt much heavier than its actual weight.

"This should be about right...? Heup!"

I, with a small kiai, lifted the rock.

Although it was heavier than I thought, as soon as I started using my internal energy, I could barely feel its weight.

As I slowly walked to the center of the clearing where the senior brothers were waiting for me, holding the cut rock, the senior brothers, as if by agreement, parted to both sides and made way for me.

Thanks to that, I was able to comfortably bring the rock to the center and put it down without saying much.

"U-Unhwi-ya. What are you doing now?"

"Why did you suddenly cut the rock?"

"And why did you move it?"

I, after looking around at the senior brothers who were full of curiosity, said, "I just cut it by feel, but it's the weight I was thinking of."

"Weight?"

"Let's do this. Only the senior brothers who can carry this rock and go around this clearing once can challenge me. If you don't have that much power, there will be no meaning in challenging me."

The senior brothers finally realized why I had cut the rock and nodded their heads.

"Yes. It will be a fair standard."

"If you can't lift this, don't waste a chance by fighting with you for no reason, but rather pick a similar opponent and show your best, right?"

"I'll try to move that rock somehow."

I, smiling broadly at the senior brothers' answers, opened my mouth again.

"The deadline is two days before the martial arts tournament. It's to prevent a situation where you try to lift this until the day before and run out of stamina, so you can't use your strength during the actual martial arts tournament."

"I understand. We'll all try our best until then."

"Alright. Then I'll be going back now. I'll hear who can fight me and how many can fight on that day."

I, without any lingering feelings, turned around and went back down in the direction of the Yuyeop Hall.

'Should I have used a slightly heavier rock?'

But now, there's no way to change the rock and all that without losing face.

I had no choice but to swallow my slight regret.

***

A few more days passed quickly, and finally, the day before the martial arts tournament arrived.

During that time, I spent my time training as usual.

The Demonic Cult, the Four Evils Alliance, the Four Evils Alliance, etc... there are many things related to me, but fundamentally, if training is not supported, nothing will be resolved, so during this period when I can concentrate on training, I am trying to think only about training.

If I had to pick one thing that was different from usual, it was that I had renegotiated the terms of my bet with my master.

"If the story goes like this... in the end, it's as good as picking you as the best martial artist and the first of the Five Swords of Wudang and then holding the martial arts tournament."

My master, who was a little dumbfounded that the bet he had made with me had become null and void, quickly accepted this situation.

"There's no other way. In this case, it's as good as you winning the bet."

"Yes? Is that how it is?"

"You haven't been completely chosen as the best martial artist yet, but it's as good as a done deal, isn't it? After this tournament is over, I will speak well to the Sect Leader and introduce you to the Martial Alliance Leader."

"So my destination after the martial arts tournament will be the Martial Alliance."

"Right."

For a moment, a feeling that I couldn't tell if it was joy or weariness flashed through my mind.

Because in my past life, I had gone back and forth to the Martial Alliance so much that I was sick of it.

Since I had used the Martial Alliance as my base for over ten years, it was almost like my home.

'Is the current Alliance Leader the same Alliance Leader I remember?'

Since there is still a time difference, it might be the previous Alliance Leader, but even if he is not the Alliance Leader yet, he will be in the Martial Alliance.

I feel a little excited to meet him again.

"So don't worry about anything and enjoy the martial arts tournament tomorrow. How many people will you be fighting tomorrow?"

"As it happens, I heard about that from Grand Senior Brother Un Gwang as soon as I woke up. He said there are a total of eleven."

"Really? That's much less than I thought. I was worried that you might have to fight dozens of people."

"Fortunately, it seems I brought a pretty heavy rock."

"A rock?"

I told my master that as a condition for dueling with me, I had made them lift and move a rock.

My master, even though it wasn't a very funny story, burst into a hearty laugh and said, "So that's what happened. No wonder. I've seen your senior brothers gathering often in the clearing on the way down from the Sangcheong Palace these days, and it was all because of you."

"Now that the martial arts tournament is over, the senior brothers won't be gathering there anymore."

"I wonder. I don't think so."

"Really?"

"Perhaps the children who can't challenge you now will make lifting the rock you split their primary goal. It serves as a kind of milestone for the children who didn't know well how strong they had to become or where their goal of becoming stronger was."

"That could be. Then should I not just leave that one rock, but bring a few more bigger ones? It seems it would be a good tool for the disciples who will come in the future to roughly measure how strong they are."

"Yes. That's a good idea. I'll also speak to the Sect Leader about that."

"Yes, master."

My master, as if he were going to the Sangcheong Palace right away, got up from his seat and placed his hand on my head.

"No matter how much the skill difference is with your senior brothers... it's still a duel with real swords. Your senior brothers are not that weak either. So... be careful."

Regardless of the level of martial arts, I felt good seeing him worry about me.

Being worried about by someone, and worrying about someone, was something I would have never known in my past life.

"Yes, master."

At my simple but sincere words, my master nodded his head vigorously and went up to the Sangcheong Palace.

And so, another day passed.

Finally, the day of the martial arts tournament dawned.

(End of Chapter)