Chapter 71: Chapter 71
The Grand Patriarch was dumbfounded.
You could perform it after seeing it just a few times?
It was an unbelievable claim.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“It is hard to believe, but…”
Wearing a complex expression, he stroked his fine beard that grew down to his chest.
“Judging by your expression, it does not seem like a lie.”
The Grand Patriarch’s eyes sparkled.
“Then, if I were to perform a martial art now, could you copy it?”
Cheon-hwi nodded.
“Something like that.”
There was nothing for him to regret.
‘It is great for me if he shows it multiple times.’
The moment he was thinking it was actually better.
“Good. Then.”
The Grand Patriarch immediately clenched his fist.
“Then, I will first show you our clan’s fist art, the Nine Cleaves Divine Fist.”
Soon, a sharp fist wind swept over.
A moment later.
“Hohoho.”
The Grand Patriarch let out a hollow laugh.
‘How could this be!’
Right now, Cheon-hwi was properly recreating the martial arts he had demonstrated.
‘Surprising, truly surprising. To think he is such a genius.’
He shook his head from side to side.
Even though it was a half-baked martial art unaccompanied by inner qi cultivation methods, it was perfect from the outside.
The starting stance and the posture too.
‘It is to the point of being better than most children in our clan.’
His evaluation of Cheon-hwi rose.
The Grand Patriarch could understand the reason why Cheon-hwi had been overflowing with confidence.
“It is truly a surprising eye and talent.”
Although the Grand Patriarch offered praise.
“That is true.”
Cheon-hwi spoke confidently.
The Grand Patriarch broke into a spontaneous smile at Cheon-hwi’s overflowing confidence.
“I intended to break your conceit, but I might end up being the one embarrassed at this rate.”
His atmosphere changed.
Soon, he turned his head and called Namgung Jin-gyeong, who was zoning out from afar.
“Jin-gyeong.”
“Yes?”
Perhaps startled by the sudden call, Namgung Jin-gyeong’s voice cracked sharply.
“Did you say you wanted to escape the well?”
At the Grand Patriarch’s serious question, Namgung Jin-gyeong’s expression also became utterly serious.
“Yes, I did.”
“However, with your current skill, it seems you are far lacking to roam the Jianghu.”
The Grand Patriarch said while looking at Cheon-hwi.
“I am aware.”
Namgung Jin-gyeong bit his lip.
It was a statement he would have snorted at in the past, but now he was definitely realizing it.
Having known the existence named Cheon-hwi, he felt his own weakness to the bone.
“So I am thinking about going into closed-door training to become stronger.”
“Good. To think you know your shortcomings.”
Seeing him admit his shortcomings, the corners of the Grand Patriarch’s mouth twitched.
“I will help you.”
Namgung Jin-gyeong’s eyes widened.
“You will, Grandfather?!”
“There is a sword art I created by pouring my heart and soul into it for a long time. It is still incomplete, but if you learn this, you will be able to roam the world… no, dominate it.”
At the confident words, Namgung Jin-gyeong gulped.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi was expectant.
‘I wonder what kind of sword art he created?’
Harboring the exact same question, Namgung Jin-gyeong asked carefully on his behalf.
“Just what kind of sword art is it…”
“It is a sword art created by aggregating the sword arts within the Namgung Clan into one.”
“You mean our clan’s sword arts?”
Cheon-hwi pricked up his ears.
That was difficult.
He had already walked that path.
Because of that, he knew very well better than anyone how hard it was.
Around the time Cheon-hwi was focusing on their conversation.
Whoosh…
Namgung Jin-gyeong glanced at him.
“If I learn that, can I win even if Little Daoist Cheon-hwi is my opponent?”
Namgung Jin-gyeong’s expression as he asked was serious.
If traversing the world was the final goal, the top priority goal right now was Cheon-hwi.
The Grand Patriarch laughed heartily.
“If you learn this sword art, it will be hard to find an adversary in the world.”
“Is it to that extent?”
Instead of answering, the Grand Patriarch nodded.
“If it is such an incredible sword art, why haven’t you taught Father…”
“That guy who abandoned righteousness cannot learn this sword art.”
The Grand Patriarch wore a cold expression.
“The Unorthodox Faction is still going strong, and we do not know where the Heavenly Demon Cult bastards will maneuver in secret, yet he was blinded by petty power; I will never teach it to him. As if leaving the Murim Alliance was not enough, he went and established that Flying Heaven Society or whatever. Tsk.”
After grumbling for a moment, his gaze pierced through Namgung Jin-gyeong.
“However, you, who will leave our clan and traverse the world, have enough qualification to learn it.”
For a moment, tension filled Namgung Jin-gyeong’s shoulders.
The world’s number one sword art!
And only he was capable of it.
Every single word uttered by the Grand Patriarch was enough to make him elated.
The Grand Patriarch stared at Cheon-hwi.
“Receive this well.”
With those words, he drew up his inner qi.
Crackle!
The manifestation of the Heavenly Thunder Sovereign Divine Art!
In an instant, the Grand Patriarch’s sword wavered.
No, because of the intense energy he exuded, it created the illusion that the sword was wavering.
In a flash, his surroundings became boundlessly dark as if covered by dark clouds.
At the same time, thunder struck through the darkness.
Rumble…
A banquet of intense thunder qi unfolded.
‘Oho, it’s quite strong, isn’t it?’
Cheon-hwi’s mouth tore into a wide grin.
The hairs all over his body stood on end at the momentum.
At this level, was it a match with the White Snake God?
No, comparing the two was impossible.
The momentum both exuded was intense to the point where it was unknown who was better.
Watching, Cheon-hwi moved his lips.
“What is the martial art’s name?”
Far from being pressured by his momentum, the Grand Patriarch looked at Cheon-hwi, who was asking for the martial art’s name, with surprised eyes and spoke.
“I have not decided on a name yet.”
“What about the move’s name?”
“I don’t have that either.”
Simultaneously with his words, his well-groomed white hair and white eyebrows stood sharply, and his two pupils began to glow yellow.
“Because it is a sword move of a single strike.”
“That is good.”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes curved like half-moons.
At that moment.
Craaaaack!
The Grand Patriarch’s sword pierced through the swirling darkness around him and struck down like a thunderbolt.
Eventually, the moment it was about to touch Cheon-hwi.
Thud.
The Grand Patriarch stopped his sword.
“…….”
“…….”
A strange silence flowed between the two.
The massive striking thunderbolt had already disappeared, and the sky and earth were just as they normally were.
However, the lingering aftertaste caused by that single sword art was thickly laid out in the surroundings.
“I-It is an incredible sword art. If it is this sword art, it would not be pushed back even when compared to the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.”
Namgung Jin-gyeong, who had been detached from their conversation up until now, made a fuss.
“But it is still incomplete.”
“Are you saying this is incomplete? That means if this sword art is completed…”
“It will surpass the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art created by our ancestor.”
The Grand Patriarch spoke in a vigorous voice.
He was that confident.
Just how many of the Namgung Clan’s sword arts had he properly learned and dissected one by one in order to create this sword art?
Those years alone exceeded thirty years.
In addition, was that all?
Creating a sword art was not an easy task, so he had gone through failure countless times.
A few times, things went wrong and he even suffered internal injuries.
But he did not give up in the very end.
And finally, he produced a result.
‘Although it is still incomplete…’
Not much was left now.
“If it is completed, this sword art will indeed be called the number one sword art in the world… no, the greatest sword art of all time.”
Listening to the words overflowing with pride, Namgung Jin-gyeong’s Adam’s apple twitched greatly.
“Then, am I able to learn this sword art…?”
Seeing Namgung Jin-gyeong unable to hide his joy, the Grand Patriarch’s chest straightened on its own.
“Did I not say I would teach you?”
The Grand Patriarch, who was feeling proud at Namgung Jin-gyeong’s reaction, asked Cheon-hwi, who had sheathed his sword at some point.
“How did it look to you?”
Cheon-hwi, who was recalling the sword art that had been performed just before, voiced his impression.
“It is an extremely outstanding sword art, isn’t it? If it is completed, it would be to the point of being counted on one hand even among the sword arts I know.”
It was not empty talk.
If it were completed, it would be to the extent of competing for the top ranks even among the sword arts he knew.
However.
“That is why it is a pity.”
For that to happen, the premise that the martial art must be completed was attached.
Moreover.
“It would have been a better sword art if you had just focused on one thing…”
Did they say too much is as bad as too little?
If he had given up on one of the two, it could have become a peerless sword art, but because he could not give up on one, it became ambiguous.
The Grand Patriarch frowned.
“What do you mean by focus on just one thing?”
“You aimed for the unity of offense and defense, right?”
The Grand Patriarch flinched.
“How did you immediately…”
“I can tell just by looking. With a destructive sword of this level, you could not have suddenly withdrawn the sword move in the middle. But seeing how you immediately withdrew it, it seemed you made it so you could transition into a defensive form at any time.”
“That is correct.”
“That is why it is ambiguous. If you had just completely focused on either offense or defense, it would have been a better sword art.”
“Hoho. As expected, even if you are outstanding, you still do not know much about martial arts.”
The Grand Patriarch formed a wrinkled smile.
He had forgotten because he kept showing surprising sides compared to his age, but Cheon-hwi was a young child with little experience.
“If one focuses only on offense, openings will appear, and if one focuses only on defense, one cannot display that much might.”
“Isn’t that why it is incomplete?”
“Hoho. It will be completed soon.”
“I bet it has been like that for several years.”
At the words that hit the nail on the head, the Grand Patriarch gave a start.
Just as he said, it had been stagnated for several years.
“Rather than awkwardly aiming for both, it would have been much better if you just focused on one.”
The Grand Patriarch knit his brows.
“…What would you do if it were you?”
“Perhaps if it were me, I would have given up on defense and poured everything solely into offense.”
“Even if an opening appears while pouring all your strength into offense?”
“What does that matter?”
Cheon-hwi spoke as if it were obvious.
“You said it is a single-move sword art. Didn’t you make it to settle the match with one sword?”
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