The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 259

The duel between Senior Brother Un Jo and Senior Brother Un Jihak proceeded a bit tamely for a first duel.

It was because Senior Brother Un Jihak was only blocking Senior Brother Un Jo's attacks with a very passive attitude.

The elders and grand-elders who had been looking forward to this martial arts tournament were clearly disappointed by that fact.

"This martial arts tournament is not just about pursuing victory, but a duel where one must show their abilities... but since he's only defending, we can't see his abilities."

"In contrast, Un Jo seems to be displaying his abilities to the fullest. His basics themselves are solid. Right now, he's at that level because he hasn't learned advanced martial arts, but I'm looking forward to how much he will develop if he learns more advanced sword arts in the future."

The elders deliberately exchanged conversations as if for others to hear.

Most of them were of that feeling.

Cheering for Senior Brother Un Jo, who was all-out attacking, and rebuking Senior Brother Un Jihak, who was all-out defending.

But as time passed, their public opinion gradually began to change.

"I thought Un Jo would finish this duel quickly... but isn't his defense surprisingly excellent?"

"Perhaps Jihak wanted to show that. That he has sufficient talent in defense as well."

"Huhu... could Jihak's thoughts have reached that far?"

"As someone said a little while ago, this duel is a duel where one must fully show their abilities... and since there are three duel opportunities, he might have nominated Un Jo, who is talented in offense, as his first duel opponent to show his defensive side."

Like the elders' conversation, Senior Brother Un Jihak showed no signs of wavering even after exchanging dozens of blows with Senior Brother Un Jo.

It must be possible because all of Senior Brother Un Jo's attacks are within his range of prediction.

"K-Keut..."

"Un Jo-ya, if you're starting to get tired, you can stop first."

"Tired... what are you talking about!"

"You have to have two more duels. One of them will have to be with Unhwi. Are you trying to use all your strength here?"

Even while clashing swords, Senior Brother Un Jihak spoke in a relaxed voice.

In contrast, Senior Brother Un Jo began to pant very slightly.

Originally, the attacker's movements are much larger than the defender's, and they consume more stamina.

Under the same conditions, they are bound to get tired first.

"Hehe, Senior Brother. No matter how many duels are left, are you telling me not to do my best in the fight right in front of me? I haven't even used half of my strength yet. Haaap!"

Senior Brother Un Jo, after spitting out some rather cool words and letting out a kiai, rushed at Senior Brother Un Jihak once again.

Senior Brother Un Jihak, on the contrary, smiled at Un Jo's words and countered his attack.

But it was a slightly different attitude from the one he had shown so far.

Until now, he had focused all his attention on defending against the attacks with his feet firmly planted on the ground, but now, on the contrary, he took a step forward and narrowed the distance where Senior Brother Un Jo could generate sufficient force.

A dull sound, different from the clear sound that had been heard until now, echoed.

It was because Senior Brother Un Jo's sword was not imbued with sufficient force.

"Yes. Use the remaining half of your strength in the next duel."

"......!"

Senior Brother Un Jihak, stomping the ground hard and using that rebound, almost leaped into Senior Brother Un Jo's arms, and Senior Brother Un Jo, who had been accustomed to Senior Brother Un Jihak's almost motionless state, could not react to the momentarily very fast-moving Senior Brother Un Jihak.

Senior Brother Un Jihak, instead of a sword, rammed his shoulder into Senior Brother Un Jo's chest, and towards the collapsing Senior Brother Un Jo, he leisurely swung his sword.

His sword, not too fast, nor overbearing, performed the Flowing Cloud Sword Art with a gentle movement.

In the end, following the flow of the Flowing Cloud Sword Art, the place where Senior Brother Un Jihak's sword reached was the side of Senior Brother Un Jo, who had fallen to the ground and was supporting himself with his hand.

"Shall we stop here?"

"Yes... I lost."

Senior Brother Un Jo, without being stubborn, admitted his defeat.

Because he himself knew well that if the sword had gone in just a little further, it would have cut into his side.

"The winner is Un Jihak!"

Clap clap clap clap—

Along with the declaration of Senior Brother Un Jihak's victory, the sound of clapping echoed.

"This martial arts tournament seems to be of a particularly high level. To think it's at this level from the first duel."

"Un Jo is amazing, and Un Jihak is also amazing. I don't think we could have done that when we were their age."

"Both are talents worthy of being in the Five Swords of Wudang. Especially Un Jihak, to have such composure at that age... amazing."

The elders' reactions were also good.

This duel method seems even more meaningful because the winner and loser are not completely separated.

Because it is a method where it is sufficient to just properly show one's abilities even if one loses.

I don't know who devised it, but they used their head well.

"We will move on to the next duel right away. Un Jeong of Room Eight. And Un Hak of Room One."

The second was Senior Brother Un Jeong's duel.

We simply cheered for our senior brother, telling him to do well in his duel.

Although Senior Brother Un Hak is also a fairly strong person as a member of Room One, I'm not that worried.

Although he has a personality that doesn't step forward much, and he's also on the quiet side, so many people don't know him well, but Senior Brother Un Jeong's skills are among the best of our senior brothers.

"Then we will begin right away. Start!"

Senior Brother Un Jeong and Senior Brother Un Hak, with the declaration of the start, rushed towards each other.

***

After that, the duels continued.

Senior Brother Un Jeong brought a very leisurely victory against Senior Brother Un Hak.

It is said that in this duel, Senior Brother Un Hak had nominated Senior Brother Un Jeong first.

He must have nominated him thinking he could win, but when Senior Brother Un Jeong's martial arts were much more outstanding than he thought, he couldn't hide his surprise and ended up self-destructing.

After that, all the senior brothers from our room went up to the duel stage once and came down, and they were all able to easily secure one victory each.

"It's a good thing this martial arts tournament has a peculiar method... if it had been done the original way, Room Eight would have probably won."

"Each and every one of their combat powers is overwhelming. Even if Un Cheol or Unhwi were known to be outstanding from before... how much stronger have the other three become?"

"When I'm on duty at the Yuyeop Hall, Room Eight often comes to ask for permission for night training... is this the result of that effort?"

The elders, after seeing the combat power of our senior brothers, exchanged a word each.

I, who had overheard their stories, couldn't hide my proud heart.

'Of course. How much effort have I put into those senior brothers?'

Of course, the other senior brothers also trained together, but I paid special attention to the senior brothers in our room.

I taught them with all my might, to the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were my disciples, so that proud feeling seems to be felt twice as much.

"The next duelists are Unhwi of Room Eight. And Un Hwang."

At that time, the grand-elder's voice was heard.

Finally, it was my turn to fight.

I got up from my seat, lightly warmed up, and then went up to the duel stage.

On the opposite side, Senior Brother Un Hwang, who had come up before me, is looking straight into my eyes.

'I think this is the first time I'm dueling with Senior Brother Un Hwang.'

Senior Brother Un Hwang is not a member of the Yuyeop Hall.

Because he had been chosen by Grand-elder Ok-gil and became his disciple, he had left the Yuyeop Hall.

That's why he is considered one of the strongest among our Un generation disciples.

In fact, during the Taoist-Buddhist Great War, he had also won an easy victory against a Shaolin martial monk.

'I thought Senior Brother Un Hwang wouldn't be interested in things like the Five Swords of Wudang.'

Senior Brother Un Hwang is not a very sociable person in the first place.

He doesn't do many external activities, and he quietly trains under the grand-elder...

Although he is a real Taoist, he is literally a Taoist-like person.

But the attitude he is showing now is very serious.

I thought that the fact that he was trying to duel with me meant that he wouldn't do it if he wasn't interested in the Five Swords of Wudang.

"Unhwi. We finally get to fight like this."

"I know, right? This is the first time we're facing each other with swords, isn't it?"

"Right."

"Are you also interested in the Five Swords of Wudang, Senior Brother?"

"Why? Am I not allowed to be interested in the Five Swords of Wudang?"

"No. For some reason, I thought you wouldn't be attached to such things, Senior Brother. But the fact that you're facing me now means you lifted and moved the rock I cut, right? Seeing that you went to such trouble, I just asked because I thought you weren't completely uninterested."

He chuckled and said to me, "You saw well. To be honest, I'm not that interested in things like the Five Swords of Wudang."

"Really?"

"Instead, I'm interested in something else in this martial arts tournament. Because I'll be able to know my position in our Un generation quite accurately. And one more thing. I really wanted to find out once how big the difference between you and me is now."

"If that's the case, you could have just come to me at any time and asked for a spar."

"I thought you wouldn't take a normal spar seriously. I thought you would go easy on me according to my skills. But a few days ago, I heard you gathered the senior brothers and said that. That you have no intention of going easy in this tournament. So I thought I shouldn't miss this opportunity."

I almost let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.

Although we weren't that close, so I didn't know him well, but I felt that Senior Brother Un Hwang had the spirit of a true martial artist.

I had said that to scare the senior brothers whose skills were too low compared to mine so that they wouldn't challenge me, but on the contrary, he felt like fighting me after hearing that.

I couldn't help but think that it wasn't for nothing that Senior Brother Un Hwang had caught the grand-elder's eye and became his disciple years ago.

"Good. I'll do my best so that you won't regret your choice, Senior Brother."

I said so and first drew my sword and took a ready stance.

The sword I am holding now is not the Red Dragon Sword I received from the Namgung Clan, but an ordinary Cheonggang longsword that can be easily supplied by the Wudang Sect.

Although there was a word that we could use our personal weapons, I didn't want to gain an advantage due to the Red Dragon Sword as much as possible.

I have to weaken my overall combat power as much as possible so that I can do my best and at the same time bring out the senior brothers' abilities to the maximum.

"Good. Here I come."

"Yes. Come on."

My senior brother slowly moved his feet, slowly spinning his sword.

'What kind of martial art is that?'

I, seeing a martial art for the first time in my life, focused all my nerves to figure out what kind of martial art it was.

Since Senior Brother Un Hwang is using it, he must have learned it from Grand-elder Ok-gil, and then it means it's a martial art of the Wudang Sect, but it was a martial art I was seeing for the first time.

Well, I heard that the Wudang Sect has not dozens, but hundreds of martial arts, so it's not like I can know all of them.

It was presumed to be a martial art that Grand-elder Ok-gil had specially taught to Senior Brother Un Hwang to face me.

'For now, I have to clash with it to know.'

I, in an instant, used the Seven Star Steps to approach Senior Brother Un Hwang and then struck my sword down from above.

My purpose with this attack is not to defeat Senior Brother Un Hwang in one blow.

I just wanted to see how he blocks this attack and figure out what that strange sword art is.

As I thought, Senior Brother Un Hwang struck my sword upwards at the exact moment, and a clear sound echoed.

And the moment I clashed with Senior Brother Un Hwang. I realized that I felt something familiar.

'Heavenly Firmament Demon Subduing Palm?!'

For some reason, I was feeling the energy of the Heavenly Firmament Demon Subduing Palm from the sword art Senior Brother Un Hwang was using.

(End of Chapter)