WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 39: The Grandmaster's Title (4)
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“Though the first half has been damaged and lost, what you need is the cultivation of Spirit, which will allow you to control yourself. It should help you greatly.”
“Really?”
“That’s right.”
White-Browed Taoist answered with a gentle smile.
Before long, his gaze fell on the broken black stone slab he had taken out.
He had brought it out readily enough, but the verse formula inscribed on that slab had once thrown the martial world of the Central Plains into chaos.
Even those who cultivated the Taoist path had coveted it.
‘To think I would reveal the latter half of the True Heavenly Martial Scripture to the world like this.’
The True Heavenly Martial Scripture.
The verse formula of enlightenment White-Browed Taoist had brought out was part of the supreme secret manual that had once shaken the martial world.
‘Hmm.’
White-Browed Taoist turned his gaze back to Mumu.
Originally, he had resolved never to take it out again, so it would never spread through the world.
The moment it fell into someone’s hands, it would surely cause another conflict great enough to shake the world.
It was an ancient treasure desperately sought by all who devoted themselves to Martial Arts.
Still, Mumu should be all right.
‘Who could possibly take this verse formula away from this child...?’
There was probably no one.
Who could steal it from Mumu, who could send a mountain flying with a single punch?
Besides, the first half had already been damaged and lost.
The latter half contained enlightenment for cultivating the mind, the Spirit aspect of Delicate Energy Spirit[1]. Unless one was an exceptional supreme master, it would be difficult to understand what it even meant from this alone.
Then Mumu asked White-Browed Taoist, “Does the verse formula on that stone slab have a name?”
White-Browed Taoist fell silent for a moment.
Would it be better to tell him?
After a brief hesitation, he spoke.
“What matters is the enlightenment within the verse formula itself. There is no need to concern yourself with a name.”
He decided not to tell him.
There was no need to invite trouble.
What mattered was for Mumu to cultivate his mind through this and learn how to control himself.
Still, he should warn him just in case.
“My child, this verse formula is for cultivating your mind. Never reveal it to anyone else.”
“To other people?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
“Ho ho ho.”
That should be enough.
As long as Mumu alone knew, there would be no need to worry about the turmoil this verse formula might bring.
Mumu began reading the writing on the slab.
White-Browed Taoist took out a portable brush, inkstone, and paper from the wrapping cloth.
“It will be difficult to carry the stone slab around, so I’ll give you these. Copy it down, then commit it to memory.”
Mumu shook his head.
“Hmm?”
“It’s okay. I memorized it all.”
“What?”
White-Browed Taoist furrowed his brow.
Mumu had only read through it once. Had he truly memorized every line of those obscure and difficult verses?
‘That can’t be.’
White-Browed Taoist said, “Can you recite it for me?”
“I memorized it.”
“Yes. Let me hear it.”
Though he doubted it, Mumu closed his eyes and began reciting the latter-half verse formula of the True Heavenly Martial Scripture written on the stone slab.
“Eternal Sprout Questions, Vast Sea Guides Yang, Dawn Flash Through Clouds...”
‘!?’
White-Browed Taoist’s brow creased even deeper.
The verse formula flowing from Mumu’s lips was flawless, without the slightest mistake.
White-Browed Taoist approached him.
“May I examine your head for a moment?”
“My head?”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
Mumu readily lowered his head.
White-Browed Taoist placed his palm on the crown of Mumu’s head.
A faint sigh slipped from his lips.
‘Oh no... The Thought-Clarifying Needle has been removed.’
He had thought something was strange.
The Thought-Clarifying Needle was used to clear away distracting thoughts, simplify one’s thinking, and reinforce obedience.
It had been implanted to keep Mumu, who stood outside the natural order, from going astray. Yet just as the Ki-Restraining Bracelets had failed to endure, the needle must have failed as well and disappeared.
White-Browed Taoist stared at Mumu.
“Is something wrong?”
“...Ho ho ho. Nothing at all.”
That was what he said, but there was a problem.
It was not enough that Mumu had surpassed the limits of the body. He had gained a sharp mind as well.
White-Browed Taoist wanted to seal it again with the Thought-Clarifying Needle, but how could he when Mumu had already been freed from it?
‘Hah. Is the natural order impossible to defy, no matter what?’
Even the restraints of the Ki-Restraining Bracelets and Thought-Clarifying Needle had not lasted long.
White-Browed Taoist grew concerned.
Though he had given Mumu the enlightenment contained in the latter half of the True Heavenly Martial Scripture, could Mumu truly control himself and overcome the natural order?
‘Primordial Lord of Heaven. Primordial Lord of Heaven...’
In the end, everything depended on Mumu himself.
* * *
The grand plaza of Changcheon Martial Academy had become a ruin.
The place had been in turmoil as academy cadets, masters, and even guard warriors gathered there, but things had settled down somewhat.
Only a quarter hour earlier, it had been pure chaos.
Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom, said to stand at the pinnacle of the current martial world, had appeared at the academy.
That alone would have drawn everyone’s attention, but he had also fought someone.
Their battle had been fierce enough to turn the vast plaza into ruins in an instant.
Yet his opponent had been an academy cadet.
A new cadet who had enrolled that very year.
‘Damn it. I have to find out how it ended, at least.’
Not far from the grand plaza, the academy cadets were being dismissed under the masters’ supervision.
Still, one second-year cadet had hidden inside a building directly across from the plaza to watch.
‘If they were going to fight, they should’ve finished it here.’
The hidden cadet clicked their tongue.
No matter how they looked at it, this was an incident that would shake the entire academy, no, the martial world itself.
That cadet who had fought Shin Ui-gyeom...
‘I heard that guy only trained his muscles and never learned Martial Arts.’
How could someone like that have fought Eastern River Sword Sage so fiercely?
Even before they changed locations, Mumu had not seemed seriously injured.
There were only two possible explanations.
‘Either Great Hero Shin went easy on a junior, or that Mumu guy was hiding his strength.’
The first did not seem likely.
If he had gone easy on Mumu, the plaza would not have ended up like this.
The second possibility was just as strange.
Did it make any sense for someone who had not even learned Martial Arts to hide such incredible strength?
‘Damn it, I’m dying of curiosity.’
That was why they had hidden here.
Seeing how the academy was dismissing all the cadets, they feared the result of the battle might not be revealed.
Yet they were far from the only ones hiding to watch.
“Master... I understand why I’m here, but why are you here with me?”
At Tang So-so’s question, Dan Baek-yeon, one of the Six Stars of Heaven, blushed faintly and answered in a quiet voice.
“...As a martial artist, I’m simply curious about the outcome of their battle.”
“Really?”
“O-of course.”
“Ah, I see. I thought maybe you were worried Mumu might get hurt, like I was. I suppose that’s not it after all.”
‘Hmm.’
Dan Baek-yeon pressed her lips together at Tang So-so’s teasing words.
Tang So-so was younger than her, yet the girl was surprisingly perceptive about such things.
Like Tang So-so, Dan Baek-yeon had been worried about Mumu’s safety and had hidden here to watch.
But she could not reveal that she was interested in Mumu when she had her dignity as a master to consider.
“This won’t do. As the Academy Director said, Cadet So So should leave at once...”
“Master, how do you think it will end?”
“Pardon?”
“You said you stayed because you were curious about the outcome. If Mumu fights the Eastern River Sword Sage, a Grandmaster, who do you think will win?”
Dan Baek-yeon was at a loss for words.
When she first arrived, she had only seen Mumu and Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom facing one another in the center of the ruined plaza.
That alone had been shocking.
‘...To think that child was that strong.’
She had sensed that Mumu was different from ordinary people.
Still, she had never imagined his strength would be enough to contend with one of the Four Immortal Masters.
She was certain that if she fought one of them, she would not last even three moves. Yet from what she had seen earlier, Mumu’s presence had surpassed even Shin Ui-gyeom’s.
Her thoughts became tangled.
“Have you reached a conclusion?”
Dan Baek-yeon let out a faint breath at Tang So-so’s question.
Tang So-so carefully asked, “Do you think it’s Great Hero Shin after all?”
“...Cadet Mumu may be extraordinary, but Great Hero Shin is the finest master of this era. He has already reached the level of a Grandmaster through the sword.”
In enlightenment, internal energy, and experience, Shin Ui-gyeom surpassed Mumu in every way.
No matter how she considered it, Mumu fell behind in all respects.
Dan Baek-yeon believed his chances of winning were practically nonexistent.
“The weight of the title Four Immortal Masters is greater than your generation can yet understand. It isn’t something one can overcome by hoping for that one slim possibility.”
“...No matter how strong Mumu is, it would be too much, right?”
“Sadly, yes.”
Tang So-so wanted Mumu to create a miracle.
But his opponent was too formidable.
No, it went beyond that. His opponent stood at the pinnacle of the martial world and was a living legend.
Perhaps they should consider it fortunate if Mumu survived the battle.
“I just hope Mumu is safe...!? Wh... wh... aaahhhhh!”
Dan Baek-yeon frowned at Tang So-so’s sudden, piercing scream.
What had happened for Tang So-so to scream like that...
‘!?’
Dan Baek-yeon’s expression froze.
She wondered if what she was seeing was real.
‘...How could this happen?’
At that moment, commotion broke out all around the plaza.
* * *
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong and Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu stood in the middle of the plaza.
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong, who had been looking toward the north of the city, said, “The outcome should have been decided by now. What do you think, Vice-Master?”
“...I believe so.”
“No matter what the result may be, one thing seems certain.”
“And what is that?”
“Before long, a new supreme master may be born, the youngest person ever to bear the title of Grandmaster[2].”
Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu did not deny it.
They had already witnessed that tremendous battle with their own eyes.
Because of this battle, Mumu’s fame would spread beyond Changcheon Martial Academy and throughout the Central Plains.
He might still fall somewhat short in experience and other areas.
But it would not be long.
“Ahem. What good is hiding it now? I recognized that child’s talent long ago and have been watching over him ever since. One can tell from the first buds whether a tree will grow tall. Mumu will surely stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Immortal Masters within ten years, no, within five...”
He was boasting when it happened.
-Aaahhhhh!
-Waaaaah!
The area around the plaza suddenly erupted into chaos.
They knew some people had hidden themselves to watch, but what was this reaction?
Then, at that very moment...
-Boom!
Mumu landed before them with someone slung over his shoulder, his entire body covered in gray muscles glowing with heat.
It was none other than...
“Great Hero Shin?”
“Ah... He seems to have fainted because he was hurt.”
“Fainted?”
‘!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’
The two stood there with their mouths agape, unable to speak.
The person Mumu had carried over his shoulder was Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom.
Seeing him unconscious and covered in wounds, the two found it difficult to breathe.
Only moments ago, they had been discussing how a new supreme master bearing the title of Grandmaster might emerge in five or ten years.
Yet it had happened right before their eyes.
‘This cannot be...’
‘...It’s impossible. Eastern River Sword Sage lost?’
They could not easily find their voices in the face of such a colossal event.
The shock was overwhelming.
Eastern River Sword Sage Shin Ui-gyeom, one of the Four Immortal Masters and a legend who stood at the pinnacle of the martial world, had been defeated by a boy of only seventeen.
An earth-shattering event that would shake the entire martial world had occurred.
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong opened his lips in disbelief.
“...Vice-Master. Didn’t you say that a growing monster could not defeat a completed monster?”
[1] Delicate Energy Spirit — A cultivation triad of essence, energy, and spirit; its Spirit aspect concerns the mind and will.
[2] Grandmaster — A title for a martial artist whose attainment rivals the Four Immortal Masters.
Footnotes:
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