The Heaven-Slaying Sword - Chapter 49

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Order

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◈ The Heaven-Slaying Sword ◈

Chapter 49: Chapter Five - Dragon-Phoenix Assembly (22)

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It was splendid.

The enormous martial arts arena, decorated for the day’s festivities, was filled with all manner of rare ornaments and the banners of renowned Martial World factions.

Standing at its center was none other than the Sword King, Namgung Hyeok.

His face stern, he continued his speech.

The usual formalities. How pleased he was that this Dragon Phoenix Gathering had concluded successfully, how bright the future of the Martial World was, and so on.

The audience knew such words were necessary, but they could not deny their growing boredom.

Why would they not be bored?

They had not gathered here to hear the Sword King’s speech.

The stars of today’s event had not even appeared yet.

The crowd’s eyes remained fixed in one direction.

The tightly shut door at the center of the arena.

It was the door through which the award recipients would emerge.

[…We will now proceed to the main event.]

The instant Namgung Hyeok spoke, an immense roar filled the arena.

Without expression, Namgung Hyeok raised a hand.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The drums sounded.

The door that had remained tightly closed until then opened, and a man and woman emerged.

They were Dang Hwa-seo and Hyeon-gong, the two semifinalists.

Keeping a measured distance between them, they approached Namgung Hyeok and offered him a cupped-fist salute.

Namgung Hyeok gave the recipients the customary words of encouragement.

No prizes were handed out here.

They would receive Martial Alliance secret martial manuals, which they would select for themselves after leaving.

The audience busily whispered as they watched the pair accept their plaques.

“The Poison Phoenix has made a dazzling return. No one will dare speak lightly of her name now.”

“The Immortal Dragon was remarkable as well. He only stopped at the semifinals because of who his opponent was. Had that man not appeared this time, the Immortal Dragon might have reached the final.”

At the mention of “that man,” those nearby nodded.

Mok Ri-won, the Ink Sword.

The man who had become the greatest surprise of this Dragon Phoenix Gathering and a remarkable occurrence in the Martial World of the Central Plains.

As talk of him continued, the crowd’s attention naturally turned to the next recipient.

[Next, the runner-up, the Sword Dragon, Namgung Jin-cheon.]

Namgung Hyeok announced the name with resonant Inner power.

Though he was calling his own grandson’s name, his expression remained businesslike.

“Waaaaah!”

Amid the crowd’s cheers, a man ascended the platform.

It was Namgung Jin-cheon, a handsome man with striking jade-blue eyes and sharp features.

“He doesn’t look well. Was his defeat that much of a shock?”

“Don’t even mention it. Do you know what people in Anhui have been saying most often lately? That the Sword Dragon may have fallen into a heart demon. Some even say he may never be able to hold a sword again.”

“Come on, isn’t that quite a leap?”

“You never know what may happen to someone.”

The murmuring continued.

Runner-up.

It was certainly an achievement worthy of praise, but the problem was that it was the Sword Dragon.

When one who had always stood as an overwhelmingly dominant victor fell, Martial World people who delighted in gossip tore into him and savored their base pleasure.

Still, they were not entirely wrong.

Namgung Jin-cheon had truly fallen into a heart demon and had been unable to sleep properly for days.

The first defeat of his life.

And the questions that had arisen with it.

They were surely gnawing away at Namgung Jin-cheon’s towering confidence.

Namgung Hyeok looked at his grandson.

The gloomy expression Namgung Jin-cheon had never shown before and his listless gait displeased him.

“…Stand straight.”

Namgung Hyeok spoke quietly.

Namgung Jin-cheon’s brow tightened slightly, but he soon obeyed.

“I apologize.”

“Do not show weakness. The Martial World is cold. It does not pity those who reveal such weaknesses.”

That was the end of their exchange.

Namgung Hyeok offered no further rebuke and simply focused on leading the ceremony.

[Your prize is Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. Sword Dragon, use it to forge the sword you desire.]

A martial artist from the Noble Clan waiting behind Namgung Hyeok came forward carrying a chest as large as an adult man’s torso.

Namgung Jin-cheon offered a cupped-fist salute, and the martial artist took up position behind him.

Then they left the arena together.

[Next…]

The moment he reached those words, silence fell over the arena.

At last, the crowd waited tensely for the day’s main figure to appear.

Yet their anticipation did not stem solely from the winner’s arrival.

This was the moment a new Dragon would be born.

They were eager to learn which Dragon byname would be bestowed upon him.

[…We shall now begin the winner’s award ceremony.]

Namgung Hyeok accepted a neatly sealed letter from a Noble Clan martial artist.

Inside was the byname that would be bestowed on Mok Ri-won that day.

Was a byname decided in advance?

Was it sealed in a letter before its proclamation?

No one wondered such things.

It was only natural.

A Dragon’s byname was special.

It was proof that one was a genius acknowledged by the entire Martial World of the Central Plains. Before one was granted, masters from renowned Martial World factions discussed it repeatedly and reached their decision with great care.

Would its weight be easier to understand if one considered another byname granted through such complex procedures, that of a King?

The audience’s eyes fixed on the letter.

They fixed on Namgung Hyeok’s every movement as he unfolded it.

In the silent arena, Namgung Hyeok’s lips moved.

[A new Dragon has been born.]

The absolute master who had once reigned as a King of the Martial World spoke.

[There is a rising talent who has displayed overwhelming skill. There is a martial artist who has proven himself through his sword.]

He listed the feats one man had displayed throughout this Dragon Phoenix Gathering.

[At times, his sword is domineering. At times, it is gentle, and at times, it is bold. Yet through it all, there is one quality he has always possessed.]

He defined Mok Ri-won.

[A Dragon who stains the ground he treads ink-black, making it gleam darkly and proclaiming his existence. The Martial World of the White Path shall henceforth call him this.]

Namgung Hyeok defined the quality that represented Mok Ri-won.

[Ink Dragon. Ascend the platform.]

Mok Ri-won, the Ink Dragon.

The man who would now be called by that name stepped through the door.

The silence that had endured until then shattered.

“Waaaaah!”

A roar powerful enough to tear the whole space apart erupted.

Heat fierce enough to scorch the skin burst forth.

Wearing a dazzling smile, Mok Ri-won strode into the heart of that frenzy.

On the platform, Namgung Hyeok looked at Mok Ri-won, who had finally reached him.

[Congratulations on your victory.]

With that, he handed over the plaque.

Next came Il-un, the Shaolin Sect’s Fist Dragon.

[Your prize is a Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill. Ink Dragon, accept it, cultivate diligently, and devote yourself to the righteousness of the Martial World.]

That was all.

Namgung Hyeok waved a hand, dismissing Mok Ri-won.

Mok Ri-won left the arena.

Yet its heat did not fade.

The ceremony had been brief and decisive, but its fervor lasted until the Gathering ended.

No, even after it ended, it did not die down until the day itself was over.

Today, a new Dragon had been born in the Martial World.

* * *

Mok Ri-won stood in the middle of a secluded chamber with a broad grin on his face.

Inside, he repeated his new byname.

‘Ink Dragon!’

It was a little disappointing that he had not received Chivalrous Dragon, but this was still wonderful.

After all, it was a Dragon’s byname.

A byname said to be bestowed only upon the young talents representing the Orthodox Sects of the Martial World had been granted to him as well.

From now on, wherever he went, he would be called a Dragon.

If someone asked who he was, he would have to say, “My fellow wanderers of the Martial World call me Ink Dragon!”

‘My fellow wanderers of the Martial World call me Ink Dragon…!’

Imagining the scene, Mok Ri-won clenched his fist and trembled.

He was overcome with emotion.

Il-un watched him with an awkward expression.

‘He truly looks delighted….’

It was not an emotion Il-un could not understand.

When he himself had received the byname Fist Dragon, he had been unable to sleep and kept grinning with excitement.

He had not been quite so openly delighted, of course, but he understood the feeling.

“Benefactor Mok, congratulations on your victory.”

“Ah! Thank you! I was so caught up in my joy that I made a fool of myself for a moment!”

A blush spread across Mok Ri-won’s cheeks.

Il-un smiled gently and held out a small case toward him.

“Then, shall we begin?”

The case was no larger than a person’s fist.

The moment it opened, Mok Ri-won gasped.

“Oh…!”

A sharp fragrance filled the secluded chamber.

At the same time, cool, refreshing air seeped into his lungs.

The Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill.

It was one of the Shaolin Sect’s representative spiritual medicines, and merely being exposed to the air caused this phenomenon.

Mok Ri-won swallowed hard and reached for the Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill, neatly wrapped inside the case.

“Do I simply consume it as it is?”

“Yes. While you absorb the spiritual medicine’s energy, my junior brothers and I will stand guard for you.”

“Understood! Then excuse me for a moment!”

“Please, go ahead.”

Without further delay, Mok Ri-won sat cross-legged.

Carefully unwrapping the Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill, he placed it in his mouth and swallowed.

‘Oh…!’

The moment it entered his mouth, its fragrance burst forth.

As it touched his saliva, the spiritual medicine melted smoothly.

The moment the medicine reached his stomach and vividly awakened his senses, Mok Ri-won quickly recited the cultivation formula.

Saaaah.

Ink-black Qi Waves flowed out.

Mok Ri-won could not contain his admiration for the purity he felt as the Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill was absorbed.

As expected of a spiritual medicine from the Shaolin Sect.

‘How can it be this pure?’

It possessed a purity entirely different from the inner core of the Human-Faced Spider he had consumed before.

There was not a trace of wicked energy or unnecessary residue.

Inner power that did not originally belong to him was bound to cause friction while being absorbed, yet the Shaolin Rejuvenation Pill gave up its own nature as though it were willing to blend with any Inner power and become part of him.

His dantian gradually expanded.

At the same time, the Internal Energy coursing through his Blood Channels grew more violent.

Because of Mok Ri-won’s Extreme Demon Physique, his Internal Energy was already explosively violent. Delighted by its newfound strength, it began to rampage even more fiercely.

‘Calm down, you little brat.’

Mok Ri-won firmly took hold of the reins of his Internal Energy.

Then he opened the world of his inner vision.

There stood the sword constellation, its radiance still unimpressive compared to the others.

Mok Ri-won pushed the rampaging Internal Energy under his control into that constellation.

Whoooosh!

In an instant, the Qi Waves pouring from Mok Ri-won became deeper and heavier.

The fourth constellation he had finally completed had broadened his inner vision.

But that was not the end.

The Star-Linking Divine Technique was a martial art of harmony.

Now that the sword constellation had properly taken shape, he needed to link it correctly with the other constellations.

As he had when completing the first three stars, Mok Ri-won formed a path between the third and fourth constellations.

And he added another rule to the circulating constellations.

Heaven, Earth, Humanity.

And Sword.

The third and fourth constellations defined their point of connection in that way.

“Haaa…”

Mok Ri-won exhaled and opened his eyes.

His gaze now held a light far clearer than before.

He had fully entered the middle stage of the peak realm.

Il-un had to compose himself at the aura Mok Ri-won displayed after consuming the spiritual medicine.

‘…So it seems he had lacked Internal Energy from the beginning, not enlightenment.’

His realm had seemed low compared to the swordsmanship he had shown. This appeared to be the reason.

Such cases occasionally occurred.

Unlike martial artists from prestigious factions, who could consume spiritual medicines suited to their level of enlightenment whenever they wished, martial artists from smaller, struggling sects often lacked the Internal Energy needed to support the enlightenment they had attained.

A bitter smile touched Il-un’s lips.

‘I should be congratulating him….’

It was not as easy as he wished.

Il-un was also undeniably a martial artist.

When someone of the same generation and a similar realm advanced first and overtook him, there was bound to be a sense of loss and envy.

It was not a feeling befitting a disciple of Buddhism, so Il-un suppressed it and spoke.

“Congratulations. You have made progress.”

“Thank you for standing guard for me! I keep receiving help from you, Venerable.”

Mok Ri-won’s smiling words made Il-un steady his heart once again.

“…Not at all. And thank you.”

“Hmm?”

“I have my reasons.”