Chapter 35: Chapter 35
A peculiar silence fell within the banquet hall.
This was because no one had anticipated that Cheon Woo-jin would designate the Sword King as his sparring opponent.
Of course, the most flustered person was the Sword King himself.
In his youth, that was, even until he was in his forties, he had often received sparring requests.
As was usually the case with martial artists bursting with vigor, there were many cases where they sought out those called experts to request a move.
Naturally, the Sword King had never lost in a sparring match. That would be the case for anyone who had risen to the World’s Twenty-Seven Revered Ones, not just the Sword King.
Only by winning, and winning again, truly never ceasing to achieve victory upon victory, could one reach the World’s Twenty-Seven Revered Ones by the time one reached one’s fifties.
To the Sword King, who had undergone such a process, there was no longer anyone who requested a sparring match. The reason was obvious. Because the result was already determined.
The Sword King’s sparring match was no longer a sparring match. It was merely ‘guidance’, accepting an underling’s polite request in exchange for a certain price.
“So, are you saying you want to spar with me?”
“Yes.”
That young generation talent bastard nodded his head as if it were natural.
This was truly refreshing. It felt as though his senses were abruptly awakened, as if he had washed his face with cold water.
“Ahem, no matter what, I am the Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, so wouldn’t it be unreasonable to spar with you here?”
That was the reality. There were few remaining in the jianghu worthy of sparring with the Sword King. At most, about Alliance Leader Bukli Cheon, who was called one of the World’s Three Great Swordsmen alongside him.
Just the fact that such a Sword King would spar with a mere youngest of the Martial Alliance was quite a laughable matter.
However, Cheon Woo-jin did not understand at all. In the first place, it was because the two masters who taught him were men who did not care about such things in the slightest.
Soon the Sword King’s words continued.
“Because I have my face as the Patriarch, that will be difficult. However, I will match you with an expert who can satisfy you.”
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head nonchalantly. In fact, it was a sparring match that was fine whether he did it or not. He had merely blurted out whatever came to mind because the man tenaciously demanded a wish.
The Sword King said something to a maidservant, and before the drinking party dragged on long, a man stepped into the banquet hall.
A sparkle of light crossed Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes.
It was as if a famed sword honed and sharpened over several decades by a master craftsman was walking in.
The martial artists of the Namgung Clan were generally on the sharp side, but that man’s disposition was particularly severe.
Confirming Cheon Woo-jin’s expression, the Sword King smiled with satisfaction and introduced the man.
“He is your sparring opponent. He is a prominent expert counted on one’s fingers even in our Namgung Clan, a fellow called the Sword Hero in the jianghu.”
“T-The Sword Hero!”
Exclamations burst out among the people.
Though he had reached his forties now, he was a man who had carried all sorts of genius-related modifiers since his youth.
Among the many modifiers, the title that most represented him was Anhui’s Foremost Fast Sword.
Commonly, there were those who had the names of provinces attached to their monikers, such as Zhejiang’s Foremost Sword or Guizhou’s Foremost Sword, but in Anhui, that meaning was even more special. Because it was the place where the Namgung Clan, which founded an entire lineage with the sword, was situated.
Confirming Cheon Woo-jin, Sword Hero Namgung Seok knitted his brows finely.
“Could that person be my sparring opponent?”
It was a natural reaction. Having come because the Sword King personally commanded a sparring match, a green novice was sitting there.
The Sword King nodded his head.
“Do not let down your guard.”
At those words, the Sword Hero’s gaze sank low. Because the Sword King was not a person to blurt out meaningless words carelessly.
“Where is the venue?”
The Sword Hero asked in a low voice. Because the banquet hall of the Namgung Clan was extremely wide, sparring, musical performances, or plays could easily be held in the central space of the open-rectangle-arranged tables.
Of course, if their martial prowess was similar and the match grew fierce, it would be impossible.
Such meaning was contained in the Sword Hero’s question.
‘Just how strong of a fellow is he?’
Smiling faintly, the Sword King answered.
“It is fine to proceed here.”
At that answer, the Sword Hero nodded his head. He felt as though the needless tension in his mind was relieved. Because naturally, it was accepted as meaning that the opponent was an underling compared to himself, so he should guide him moderately.
Soon the Sword Hero stood in the center of the banquet hall and looked at Cheon Woo-jin. Then everyone’s gaze turned toward Cheon Woo-jin.
Cheon Woo-jin lifted the wine cup placed before him, moistened his throat slightly, and rose from his seat.
“I am Cheon Woo-jin.”
Cheon Woo-jin clasped his fists first and observed etiquette. Then the Sword Hero clasped his fists in return.
“I am Namgung Seok. Please take care of me.”
“Yes.”
Cheon Woo-jin instinctively tried to grab the Crescent Moon Staff carried on his back, but placed it down at his seat and took out the Crane Feather Fan from his robes.
A gleam crossed the eyes of several people. They had seen Cheon Woo-jin use a staff, but it was their first time seeing him use a fan.
Meanwhile, the Sword King’s expression had stiffened somewhat, to a degree that no one could notice.
Soon the sparring match began.
Befitting a senior of the jianghu, the Sword Hero stated that he would concede three moves.
Then Cheon Woo-jin fell into contemplation for a moment.
– Woo-jin, when sparring with an underling of the Righteous Path, it is right to properly concede the initiative.
– Nonsense. Just smash his skull right away and see.
– No, Black Elder, you bastard, do you not know what a sparring match is?
In any case, Master White Elder had taught that it was etiquette to go easy appropriately when sparring with an underling in the Righteous Path.
Recalling that teaching for a brief moment, Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head.
Soon, the Crane Feather Fan held by Cheon Woo-jin sliced through the air with a truly gentle posture.
Swooosh!
However, at the end of that gentleness was fierce power. The sword wind poured out from the edge of the Crane Feather Fan surged toward the Sword Hero.
It aroused people’s astonishment because it was quite ferocious, yet accurately targeted only the Sword Hero without spreading to the surroundings.
A gleam also crossed the Sword Hero’s eyes.
Lowering his stance, the Sword Hero drew the sword at his waist and took a step forward simultaneously.
Heavenly Prison Sword-Drawing Art.
A sword-drawing technique derived from the Namgung Clan’s Lightning Thirteen Sword Prison, it was the Sword Hero’s specialty and the martial art that had earned him the moniker of Anhui’s Foremost Fast Sword.
The well-forged Azure Sky Sword slashed fiercely across the front.
Slash!
The sword wind poured out by Cheon Woo-jin touched the tip of the Sword Hero’s sword and smoothly split apart.
‘Fast.’
Cheon Woo-jin nodded his head. Certainly, the Sword Hero’s sword was extremely light and fast. Among those present, there would be few who could follow his sword with their eyes.
In an instant, Cheon Woo-jin harbored a faint smile that no one could notice.
He had developed an interest in that sword.
Cheon Woo-jin lightly stamped on the ground. Then, just as his figure seemed to disappear as if sinking into the earth, he appeared before the Sword Hero in an instant.
Greatly startled, the Sword Hero hastily took a stance. Since he had said he would concede three moves, he was waiting for the attack.
Soon the pure white Crane Feather Fan waved in the air once more. Unlike at first, the Sword Hero raised his Azure Sky Qi with a rather tense mind.
“…”
Yet, far from sword wind, not even a tiny breeze blew.
Around the time doubt crossed the Sword Hero’s mind.
“Tsk.”
The Sword King clicked his tongue softly.
At the same time, sharp qi that felt like it would cut right away was sensed in the Sword Hero’s sensory perception.
Moreover, not from the front where Cheon Woo-jin was, but from behind.
The Sword Hero instinctively twisted his waist. At the same time, the sword wind that poured from behind grazed and cut his waist shallowly.
A few drops of blood splattered into the air.
Having widened the distance, the Sword Hero firmly pressed his waist with his left hand to stop the bleeding.
“…”
A peculiar silence arose in the hall. They had not expected that Cheon Woo-jin would wound the Sword Hero’s body first.
Gazing intently at Cheon Woo-jin, the Sword Hero spoke.
“One last move remains, so come at me.”
Determination was clearly felt in the Sword Hero’s tone. That once this single move passed, he would launch an offensive with full strength.
Nodding his head, Cheon Woo-jin waved the Crane Feather Fan once more, and sword wind surged toward the Sword Hero.
The Sword Hero swung his sword with a tense mind. Even though sword wind blew straight from the front, he could not predict when and in what direction it would twist.
Soon, the Sword Hero’s sword and Cheon Woo-jin’s sword wind touched.
The Sword Hero felt doubt in an instant.
Because it was sword wind so honest that being tense felt embarrassing.
In an instant, looking at Cheon Woo-jin’s face, the Sword Hero’s mind burned bright red. That young novice bastard was looking at him with a face full of anticipation.
In other words, he had roughly brushed off the conceded final move while looking forward to the offensive the Sword Hero would unfold with full strength.
The Sword Hero thought that Cheon Woo-jin was looking down on him.
Soon the Sword Hero’s momentum changed at once.
From the mindset of guiding an underling, the desire to end the sparring match in victory arose.
“It is the end.”
The Sword King spoke in a low voice.
Sure enough, centered around the ground the Sword Hero stood upon, the surroundings were trembling finely.
The Namgung Clan’s unique domineering and valiant Azure Sky Qi completely dominated the surroundings.
While everyone was uttering exclamations, Cheon Woo-jin waited for the Sword Hero’s attack with a calm demeanor.
Soon the Sword Hero’s stance lowered as if it would touch the ground. His unique fast sword art would unfold. He had no desire to hide it. Because even if known, his fast sword art could not be blocked.
The moment the Sword Hero’s back foot lightly pushed and kicked the ground.
Bang!
The air where he had been burst apart. The Sword Hero’s figure surged toward Cheon Woo-jin like an arrow that had been shot.
It was a speed so fast that by the time the Sword Hero reached Cheon Woo-jin, everyone except a few experts was still looking at the spot where he had originally been.
Soon the silver-white blade sharply sliced through the air.
Slash!
The Sword Hero was convinced of victory from the sensation felt at his fingertips. Although he could not cut completely, he had cut into something.
Soon, however, he could not help but doubt the scene unfolding before his eyes.
“W-What in the world is this…”
What the Sword Hero had cut was not Cheon Woo-jin.
It was merely the wind Cheon Woo-jin had created.
The Sword Hero’s sword was blocked by condensed wind. It was wind so solid and exquisite that one would mistakenly think one had cut a person.
The Sword Hero realized. If he was a martial artist who commanded sword wind of this level, he was an expert a cut above himself.
That the Sword King had permitted the sparring match here in the banquet hall was because he saw this fellow, not himself, as a cut above.
Soon, as Cheon Woo-jin waved the Crane Feather Fan once more.
Swooosh!
The wind holding the Sword Hero’s sword began to rotate crazily. The Sword Hero tried to pull out his sword, but it did not go as he wished. The sword touching the gust of wind trembled crazily.
“Th-This…!”
By the time he let go of his sword, it was already too late. Swallowed by the gust, the single sword soon burst into pieces.
Even amid that, what was surprising was that the wind raised by Cheon Woo-jin prevented the broken sword fragments from heading toward the dining tables.
At that sight, the Sword Hero lost his will to fight.
Soon dropping his two arms hollowly, the Sword Hero meekly admitted his defeat.
“…I have lost.”
Retrieving the Crane Feather Fan, Cheon Woo-jin politely clasped his fists toward that Sword Hero.
Exclamations mixed with shock burst out wildly from everywhere.
They knew Cheon Woo-jin was strong beyond common sense, but they had not known he would defeat the Sword Hero so overwhelmingly.
Even Zhuge Rin and Song Yi-yeon, who already knew Cheon Woo-jin’s martial prowess to some degree, were dumbfounded.
In that heated atmosphere, only one person’s expression was stiff like wood and stone.
“Youngest Cheon.”
A truly heavy voice squeezed through people’s exclamations and reached Cheon Woo-jin.
Cheon Woo-jin’s gaze turned toward the Sword King.
“Come talk with me for a moment.”
Having spoken so, the Sword King rose from his seat and left the banquet hall.
Then an awkward silence fell over the hall. Everyone looked at Cheon Woo-jin while watching the mood.
Even the Sword Hero who had fought the sparring match was tilting his head, unable to know the reason.
However, Cheon Woo-jin had an inkling.
‘Did he recognize it?’
Soon, after bowing his head once more to greet the Sword Hero, Cheon Woo-jin left the banquet hall.