The Heaven-Slaying Sword - Chapter 32

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 32: Chapter Five - Dragon-Phoenix Assembly (5)

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The instant Mok Ri-won met those deep blue eyes, he felt something strange.

It was as if a fleeting moment had stretched into infinity.

As if no one but the two of them remained in the world.

Even Mok Ri-won could not quite define the emotion that rose within him.

If he had to name something similar, perhaps heat, fighting spirit, or attraction.

Beyond his control, the feeling kept pounding against his heart, crying out.

-Devour.

‘The Imperial Ruler Star.’

The star of an emperor.

The star of a ruler.

And the star of blessing.

At the arrival of a new star from the opposite extreme, the star dwelling in Mok Ri-won’s mind stirred awake.

At the other end of Mok Ri-won’s gaze, Namgung Jin-cheon’s brow drew together slightly.

Then his expression returned to normal, and he looked away.

Only then did the sounds and sensations that had seemed distant return to Mok Ri-won.

“Young Hero Mok?”

“...Ah, no. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

Mok Ri-won answered Dang Hwa-seo with an awkward smile.

He cast Namgung Jin-cheon one last glance before looking away.

Dang Hwa-seo let out a dry laugh.

“Do you wish to test yourself against him?”

“Hmm?”

“You have that sort of look on your face.”

Mok Ri-won touched his lips, only then realizing that he was smiling.

“Ah...”

Was that what it was?

“Perhaps I do.”

He nodded in admission.

His hands itched.

Seeing someone his age who had attained such martial skill made him want to train.

When Mok Ri-won imagined sparring with Namgung Jin-cheon, he could scarcely contain himself.

“There are many remarkable people here.”

“That is why it is called the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.”

A gathering of dragons and phoenixes.

The name certainly suited it.

“Still.”

Mok Ri-won grinned.

Then he leaned close to whisper to Dang Hwa-seo, making sure no one else could hear.

“I don’t think I’d lose.”

It was an honest thought, spoken quietly so as not to offend those present.

Dang Hwa-seo’s eyes widened before she let out a small laugh.

“That sounds like you, Young Hero Mok.”

“Miss, if I defeat everyone here, can I earn a dragon title?”

“You need not defeat them all. If you prove yourself, it is possible.”

“Hmm! Good!”

Mok Ri-won straightened and smiled confidently.

“Starting with this Dragon Phoenix Gathering, I will strive to earn the title Chivalrous Dragon!”

That damned Chivalry.

The thought came to Dang Hwa-seo, and she smiled despite herself.

Jegal San, who had been listening beside them, chuckled.

“Well, as you know, Brother Mok, titles are not given exactly as one wishes. If you earned a dragon title, I think Jade Dragon would suit you.”

“Come now, Brother Jegal! I prefer chivalry to jade!”

“I’m sure you do.”

Laughter bloomed among the three of them.

White Phoenix Hye-un, who had been watching nearby, felt a strange emotion as she suddenly found herself excluded.

If she had to put it into words, it was this.

How dare they speak of other things in front of me?

‘Really...’

How amusing.

Yes, there would only be satisfaction in conquering him if he was this difficult.

With a smile that seemed dangerous at a glance, Hye-un looked directly at Mok Ri-won.

Only then did Mok Ri-won remember Hye-un, whom he had forgotten, and flinch.

Even as he nervously edged behind Dang Hwa-seo again, Hye-un spoke.

“That is a wonderful goal. Ah, I hope the tournament brackets are announced soon.”

Her eyes curved like crescent moons.

“I would like to witness Benefactor Mok’s sword as well.”

A shiver ran through Mok Ri-won’s body.

“I-is that so...?”

Like a rabbit abandoned before a predator, Mok Ri-won trembled and grabbed Dang Hwa-seo’s sleeve.

Hye-un felt a thrill run down her spine.

As expected, anger appeared on Dang Hwa-seo’s face.

“The brackets will be released soon. There is no need to rush them.”

“I was only expressing my anticipation.”

“Well, I do not know why, but I have a feeling Young Hero Mok will not be facing you.”

Dang Hwa-seo clenched her fist.

The veins bulging across the back of her hand made Jegal San let out a small squeak.

“You will likely have to face me first.”

“I will defeat you and advance.”

“Confidence and arrogance are different things.”

Neither gave an inch.

Even Fist Dragon Il-un could only swallow nervously as he watched. Then Hye-un added with a smile,

“Yes, that would be fun as well.”

Hye-un tapped her lips with a finger.

Then she ran her gaze over Mok Ri-won as though licking him with her eyes, smiled, and stepped back.

“Ah, I shall be going now. I need to greet the others as well.”

“Take care.”

I hope you step in shit.

Dang Hwa-seo cursed inwardly as she glared at Hye-un’s retreating back.

“...Young Hero Mok.”

“Hmm...?”

“If that Lust Phoenix approaches you again, run immediately. No, come to me. There is something wrong with the way that bitch looks at you.”

Mok Ri-won nodded like a madman.

* * *

The banquet ended that way.

The following morning, Mok Ri-won looked over the brackets posted before the estate gates and exclaimed.

“I’m in Group Four! Miss Dang is...”

“Group Three.”

Dang Hwa-seo answered while carefully studying the bracket.

She was looking for one person, White Phoenix Hye-un.

After scanning it quickly, Dang Hwa-seo finally found Hye-un’s name and grinned.

‘Group Three.’

They were in the same group.

Going by the match order, they would meet in the Group Three final.

“Perfect.”

Crack.

Dang Hwa-seo flexed her fingers, producing a chilling sound.

Mok Ri-won watched her with trembling eyes before quickly looking away.

‘Miss Dang and White Phoenix really must not get along.’

He should avoid provoking her for no reason.

“I’m in Group Two!”

Jegal San said with a broad grin.

Il-un, who had approached at some point, smiled gently beside him.

“We are in the same group. Ah, Immortal Dragon is in our group as well.”

Jegal San felt a chill in Il-un’s strangely cold voice and forced a smile.

“W-well... please go easy on me.”

“Would that be proper? This is a martial arts tournament. We should give it our all.”

“...”

What was wrong with this monk?

That thought rose in Jegal San’s mind.

He had no idea that Il-un was currently thinking of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of ways to shut his mouth.

“Namgung Jin-cheon is in Group One.”

At Dang Hwa-seo’s words, everyone turned toward the bracket.

As she had said, Namgung Jin-cheon stood alone in Group One, without another dragon or phoenix.

Jegal San’s eyes narrowed.

“...Isn’t that rigged?”

“Rigged? What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t the Namgung Noble Clan hosting this Dragon Phoenix Gathering?”

“Why would Namgung Jin-cheon need it rigged? Well, even if it was rigged, the intention would be obvious.”

Dang Hwa-seo’s eyes narrowed.

“They’ll clear the bracket as much as possible, so show them how far you can advance.”

It was an incredibly arrogant idea.

Yet it was impossible to deny.

Knowing that, the people present fell silent.

Sword Dragon Namgung Jin-cheon was unmatched.

Among this generation’s young talents, righteous and unrighteous alike, not one person could compare to him.

Even if the bracket had been arranged, everyone present had no choice but to rely on that arrogance.

“Hmm... Is he really that impressive?”

Mok Ri-won scratched his cheek as he watched his companions create such a heavy atmosphere.

‘He does not seem impossible to defeat.’

His Inner power was certainly inferior, but a spar was not simply a contest of Inner power. Was it not a contest to determine superiority by crossing sword against sword?

From the perspective of martial arts, he did not think it was hopeless.

Of course, he had yet to properly witness Namgung Jin-cheon’s swordsmanship, so it was too early to judge. Still, Mok Ri-won was confident.

‘He is not as strong as the Azure-Forming Sword.’

It was only natural, but Namgung Jin-cheon was far beneath the Azure-Forming Sword, who had reached the transcendent peak.

If so, Mok Ri-won could somehow make up for the gap in Inner power through swordsmanship.

“If it is you, Young Hero Mok, I think you could still give him a good match.”

Dang Hwa-seo smiled bitterly, concern surfacing in her heart.

‘I hope he will not be too disheartened.’

Most people who had never seen Namgung Jin-cheon’s martial skill thought as Mok Ri-won did.

Martial arts were not decided by Inner power alone, so they believed they had a chance.

‘...It is because it is not simply a contest of Inner power that he cannot be defeated.’

Sword Dragon Namgung Jin-cheon.

His true strength did not lie in the Inner power he had cultivated to the very limit of peak. It lay in his sword itself.

* * *

Four more days passed.

The Dragon Phoenix Gathering began.

“Waaaaah!”

Thunderous cheers battered Mok Ri-won’s ears.

The heat gathered by the crowd pressed against his skin.

Mok Ri-won’s eyes shone at the sight, and he broke into a broad smile.

“There are so many people!”

“Yes. I am almost grateful that we are participants.”

Dang Hwa-seo spoke as she caught her breath in her relatively spacious seat.

Other than the northern seats reserved for participants, every side of the martial arena was so packed that people were pressed together as they cheered.

They were people eliminated during the preliminaries, or spectators who had come from far away to watch the Gathering.

“There are sixty-four competitors in total. Each group will whittle down its field of sixteen, and the four group winners will advance to the semifinals.”

“Hmm! That is a relief. Brother Jegal and Miss Dang are in different groups, so all of us can reach the finals.”

“I do not know about that Jegal fellow... but yes, I intend to reach the semifinals for certain.”

She would tear Hye-un apart and advance.

Dang Hwa-seo’s eyes sharpened at the thought.

[We shall now begin the first match of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering!]

A powerful voice infused with Inner power filled the arena.

Cheers and clamor swelled around them.

Amid it, Dang Hwa-seo said,

“Watch carefully.”

Two men stepped onto the martial stage.

[First, Flash Saber Yang Heo of Hebei!]

A scruffy man in shabby clothes took the stage with a saber hanging at his waist.

He was a wandering martial artist from Hebei who had stood out in the preliminary rounds.

Then, on the opposite side.

[His opponent is a favorite to win this gathering! A dragon among dragons, called the future of the White Path Martial World!]

A sharp-featured, handsome man with striking deep blue eyes climbed onto the stage with a sword in hand.

With his appearance, the mood within the arena reached new heights.

[Sword Dragon Namgung Jin-cheon!]

“Waaaaah!”

Mok Ri-won took it all in.

‘The future number-one martial artist under heaven.’

At last, he would be able to witness Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword. A strange tension began to rise within him.

Clench.

Mok Ri-won’s fist tightened.

[Begin!]

The announcer raised a hand high.

Then.

Clang!

The match was decided in a single exchange.

* * *

Overwhelming.

And heavy.

That was Mok Ri-won’s assessment of Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword.

He was not speaking of the gap in Inner power between the two martial artists.

Nor was he speaking of the difference in reputation they had built.

It was simply his judgment after seeing that one sword.

The blade Yang Heo shot forward like a ray of light at the start of the match was cut in two by Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword, which swept downward without seeming particularly fast.

The other spectators could only cheer at the overwhelming victory, but those who had built some Inner power of their own must have sensed an insurmountable gulf in the principles underlying that single exchange.

People spoke of the Namgung sword in a certain way.

The emperor’s sword.

A sword that reigned above the heavens of the Martial World.

Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword was built wholly around oppressive force, making those words a perfect fit.

‘If I tried...’

Mok Ri-won closed his eyes.

Then he imagined himself wielding the same sword.

‘...I cannot.’

No, at best, he could only imitate it.

It was not a difference in talent, but a difference in the martial arts they had learned and mastered.

The Star-Linking Divine Technique and Seven Meteor Swords took an unbroken flow as their foundation.

Even if he forcibly poured Inner energy into them to create momentary destructive force, that would not be the proper way to use those martial arts.

He admitted it.

The Namgung sword was strong.

But.

‘Does that mean Star-Linking falls behind that sword?’

The question rose again.

Mok Ri-won became certain.

‘Absolutely not.’

Star-Linking was strong.

Neither he nor Mok Seon-o’s teachings would fall before the Namgung sword.

[We shall begin the Group Four matches!]

The voice infused with Inner power rang in his ears.

Mok Ri-won slowly opened his eyes and looked ahead.

“I will be going.”

“I will cheer for you.”

Mok Ri-won walked forward.

Then he stepped onto the martial stage.

[Now, a new young talent has appeared! A young master who has boldly challenged the long-stagnant rankings of the younger generation! A chivalrous warrior who single-handedly destroyed the Black Path in Suyang County, Jiangxi!]

His name rang through the arena.

[Ink Sword Mok Ri-won!]

“Waaaaah!”

“Aaaah!”

The cheers pierced his ears.

The noise grew loud enough to make his whole body shake.

Even so, Mok Ri-won only looked ahead with a calm heart.

And he continued to think.

‘I want to fight him.’

He wanted to determine who was superior between himself and Namgung Jin-cheon.

The instinct that he needed to spar with Namgung Jin-cheon to recognize and overcome any shortcomings within himself would not leave Mok Ri-won’s mind.

[His opponent is Cho Cheol, eldest son of the Cho Family Estate!]

Mok Ri-won looked at his opponent.

A young man stood there, glaring at him with a face filled with tension.

‘I am sorry.’

Mok Ri-won apologized to him in advance.

The young martial artist who had only just reached the middle stage of first-rate was beneath Mok Ri-won’s notice now.

Shing.

Mok Ri-won was looking toward a higher place.

[Begin!]

Mok Ri-won would use him, nothing more.

Clang!

At the instant the match began, Cho Cheol’s sword was cut in two.