Chapter 360: Eight Exalts (3)
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This was precisely why I had gathered the people. When martial artists rubbed shoulders in the same space, friction was bound to occur.
Even more so if it was a gathering involving someone like me, whose evaluation in the martial world was divided between two extremes.
I had calculated that if a brawl broke out, the high masters would take care of sorting things out, but to think more than half of the Eight Exalts would arrive. No matter how extraordinary I was, even I had not anticipated this much.
Fighting Exalt Jang Gwang-yeong, who roamed freely anyway, seemed likely to show up, but the other figures occupied weighty positions. Right now, I had become someone who commanded attention even from such individuals.
“Everyone, please calm down.”
I dropped down from the sky and stood in their center.
Because the densely packed martial artists had scattered under Jang Gwang-yeong’s intimidation, the open ground was quiet.
“A splendid entrance.”
“Is it because you are the protagonist of this gathering?”
“It is nothing like that.”
I feigned seriousness. Of course, masters of the Eight Exalts’ caliber had not risen to their positions for nothing.
“No one has ever exploited the Eight Exalts to this degree, though.”
The Dark Exalt spoke with a shadowed face. I clasped my hands in a salute.
“You must be Senior Dark Exalt. I am Muk Hui-yeong, the New Justice Association Master. It is an honor to meet you for the first time.”
“Senior, my foot. I know full well how orthodox people view assassins.”
I smiled awkwardly. Although orthodox figures disliked and loathed assassins, someone of the Dark Exalt’s level was a martial artist possessing martial prowess worthy of immense respect.
“Whenever I see you, you are truly a treacherous fellow.”
“Treacherous? You mean exceedingly wise.”
Meanwhile, Jang Gwang-yeong and Namgung Jin-hyeon were bickering with each other.
While seemingly joking, they never encroached upon another person’s space or territory even by mistake. In words, they pretended to treat each other as old friends reunited after a long time, but they were deeply wary of one another.
“So, why have you all come?”
“Do you ask because you truly do not know?”
At my words, Jang Gwang-yeong chuckled dryly.
“Naturally, I came to have a bout with you. That wanderer fellow was a tricky bastard, so I wondered how you managed to beat him.”
“Is the same true for the other esteemed seniors?”
I looked toward Gakwon, the Dark Exalt, Namgung Jin-hyeon, and Tae-seong. In particular, because Namgung Jin-hyeon and Tae-seong belonged to the New Justice Association, it was unclear whether they had come to fight.
“Indeed.”
“When a new powerhouse emerges, is it not the natural duty of martial seniors to verify?”
Namgung Jin-hyeon and Tae-seong also smiled brightly. Gakwon subtly joined in on those words and pressed his palms together.
“I am called Gakwon of Shaolin. Although our diverging paths may make things uncomfortable, I too am a martial artist who has come wishing to spar with the patron in the purest sense, so I hope you will not misunderstand.”
“If that is the case.”
I pressed my palms together in return. No matter how the crowd had dispersed, they had merely cleared out of the immediate open ground, remaining densely packed in the surrounding area.
If I turned them away at the door when they came seeking to compare martial arts, rumors would certainly spread that the New Justice Association Master lacked magnanimity.
If I had lacked the Heavenly Eye, I might have doubted Gakwon’s true intentions, but knowing he was sincere, I did not wish to embarrass him.
“Then what should we do? All of you have come wishing to spar with me.”
I looked around at the gathering. They also exchanged glances and wore troubled expressions.
The fact that the Eight Exalts would gather to this extent was something not only I, but they themselves had failed to foresee. Naturally, they had assumed that by coming in person, they could fight as the sole representative, but with other members of the Eight Exalts present, the order of sparring became ambiguous.
“In times like this, is it not better to determine it by generational seniority?”
Tae-seong cleared his throat.
He was none other than the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect. Although Namgung Jin-hyeon was also the Clan Head of the Namgung Clan, he was more than ten years younger than Tae-seong. By generational seniority, Tae-seong was naturally the highest here.
“Generational seniority, what nonsense! That sort of thing is only cared for by old orthodox geezers!”
Jang Gwang-yeong immediately roared at the top of his lungs. That was not wrong either. Normally, seniority was determined by who one’s master was, but unorthodox martial artists often had no masters at all.
“Then does that mean we must trade blows among ourselves first just to fight the New Justice Association Master?”
The Dark Exalt spoke coldly. I immediately shook my head.
“That would be burdensome for me.”
If I had agreed to that here, I would have probably become an insolent commoner who knew nothing of etiquette toward seniors. Although I was a merchant among the four classes, so a commoner was technically correct.
“Since all of you have taken the precious step to travel here, it is only proper etiquette to face every one of you.”
As if my words were entirely unexpected, everyone widened their eyes.
“Wait, is that even possible?”
The first to regain his senses was Namgung Jin-hyeon. I formed a smile.
“Of course. It cannot be done at the exact same moment, but if I face you one by one and rest in between, wouldn’t that suffice?”
“……Mm, will that truly be alright?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? After all, everyone wishes to compare martial arts rather than engage in a battle of life and death, do you not?”
“That is true.”
No matter who they were, it seemed they had not expected me to face every single one of them. For me to volunteer to face them actually ended up flustering them instead.
“Since deciding the order of who I face would be disrespectful to my seniors, I would be grateful if you determined it among yourselves. The moment it is decided, we will begin in this open ground.”
Leaving those words behind, I returned to the New Justice Association’s headquarters. Now, the Eight Exalts would decide the order among themselves, whether by fighting or discussing hierarchy.
Truthfully, I thought it would take a day here. Because all of them were renowned members of the Eight Exalts with strong individual opinions.
That was why I intended to return to the headquarters and step back out once everything was settled, but they were far faster than expected.
“We have decided.”
“Already?”
“Yes. We simply decided by age.”
“So you were gentlemen capable of such agreements.”
Then why did you bring up generational seniority earlier? I had hoped to buy some time here, but that too was thwarted.
“Who is first, then?”
“It is me.”
Blue Moon Sword Exalt Tae-seong stepped forward. The Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect.
Suddenly, a profound feeling washed over me. From being an expelled lay disciple of the Wudang Sect, I was now welcoming the sect leader of one of the Nine Great Sects to engage in a spar on equal footing. Not an instructional spar, but a genuine duel.
“I never imagined the day would come when I would cross swords with the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng Sect.”
“Did you think I would know? That I would exchange moves with a young friend half a cycle younger than myself.”
I thought that in a way, they might feel uncomfortable. A junior who was vastly younger had grown rapidly and was trying to overtake their entire lifetime.
At least those who had reached the Eight Exalts were people who had never slacked in their martial arts training. If they had been distracted even slightly, they could never have risen to the Eight Exalts.
Yet in Tae-seong’s hearty laughter, not the slightest ill intent could be seen.
The Heavenly Eye displayed the colors of emotion. Having observed people through the Heavenly Eye for quite some time, I could now interpret those colors.
Representatively, red signified emotions possessing yang energy, such as excitement and passion, while blue signified emotions possessing yin energy, such as melancholy and calmness.
And right now, I read interest from Tae-seong’s emotions. Tae-seong was genuinely intrigued by this newly emerged master known as myself.
That was not all. In the other members of the Eight Exalts watching with folded arms, the same color of intrigue was visible.
Of course, among them, some displayed the emotion of jealousy, but that color of jealousy was not shot toward me, but was sinking inward into themselves.
Jealousy toward what one did not possess—something naturally felt by human beings. The difference between ordinary people and them was likely that they used the emotion of jealousy as nourishment for their own improvement.
Despite being born and raised in different environments and learning different martial arts and cultivation methods, I was astonished that they displayed broadly similar emotions. That was likely the driving force behind their strength.
Of course, not all strong people were like this. Former Martial Alliance Leader Su Je-heon was completely unhinged, and Violet Mist Divine Sword Gu Jinqing could hardly be considered a good person either.
Ultimately, it was a matter of tendency. To reach such a level of martial prowess, how much cultivation, meditation, chaos, and enlightenment must they have experienced? It was only natural for the character of such people to be relatively more mature than others.
“Are you ready? Even if you have to face four more people after this, I will not take it easy. This is an opportunity for me as well.”
The one who pulled me out of my inner thoughts was Tae-seong, standing before me. I felt embarrassed to have been caught spacing out in front of my opponent.
“I apologize. I am ready. But what kind of opportunity is this for the Sect Leader?”
“It means it is an opportunity for me to climb as well. From a genius like you, creative sword trajectories emerge that cannot be seen in the swords of others. That can translate into enlightenment for me.”
“Is that so.”
“All who came here probably did so wanting to see that. That is also why the order was decided so quickly. Because everyone wishes to see your sword as soon as possible. After all, aren’t all martial artists seekers of the Dao? Having reached this far, you too must be pursuing your own Dao.”
I resonated with Tae-seong’s words. It was certainly true. From a certain point, the trigger for my growth came not from the Martial Talent Shop, but from the enlightenment gained through contemplating talents. And that contemplation was regarding the path I walked—that is, my Dao.
“Let us begin. If we drag out the time any further, those friends over there will be displeased.”
Tae-seong said. Concurrently with those words, all the colors of emotion floating around Tae-seong were sucked into his sword.
In an instant, he had entered the realm of Unity of Sword and Self and the State of Selflessness. It was an astonishing level of focus and immersion.
“Please grant me instruction.”
Omitting the martial salute, I immediately drew my sword and clashed against the Blue Moon. That was the highest courtesy I could show him.
At that moment, a colorless fluctuation pierced forcefully toward my waist. It meant a sword strike completely stripped of all emotion. A clean, flawless strike without the slightest hesitation or superfluity. Holding my sword in reverse, I deflected it, turned my body, and continued the attack.
The Eight Exalts were undeniably burdensome opponents. If I had not read Tae-seong’s moves in advance and countered with the Heavenly Eye, I certainly would have collapsed within a hundred exchanges.
Like the Wudang Sect, the Qingcheng Sect possessed the sword of Daoism. However, the Dao learned in the Wudang Sect and the Dao learned in the Qingcheng Sect seemed to differ.
While the Wudang Sect sought to contain flowing water within the sword, the Qingcheng Sect sought to contain heaven, earth, and nature itself.
The Azure Cloud Red Sunset Sword Art that Tae-seong was currently displaying was also an imagery embodying blue clouds and the red glow of sunset. What we expressed as the Taiji, they expressed as the Azure Cloud and the Red Sunset.
I sought to display everything I had to the utmost. The Taiji Wisdom Sword that I could currently unfold. It was an opportunity to verify whose Taiji was more aligned with truth.
Wudang’s Taiji Wisdom Sword focused on balance, while Qingcheng’s Azure Cloud Red Sunset Sword Art focused on the unfathomable vastness of the universe.
“Hah!”
As blades clashed, a kiai erupted simultaneously from Tae-seong’s mouth and mine.
The ground overturned, and the sound of the heavens collapsing rang out.