Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 73

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 73
It took a full two hours before the carriage carrying the group finally left Bi Cheon Society’s territory and entered the Murim Alliance’s domain.
“Now I can breathe again.”
“Phew, that was exhausting.”
Cheon Yu and Gu Gyeom Wi slumped in their seats.
The tension they’d maintained rigidly for nearly four days loosened its grip, and their words came out languid and weary.
Watching them, Hyeon Jin smiled.
He understood their hearts well enough.
During his stay at the Nangong Family, how much mental anguish had he endured? How long had he borne that weight?
“You’ve all worked hard.”
Then he glanced sideways at Cheon Hui.
Cheon Hui, his back against the seat, sat apart as if isolated from the rest, reading a Martial Arts Manual with deliberate care.
‘Hah. My youngest disciple. Are you watching? That frail student you brought to me has become a master capable of defeating Changtian Jiaolong.’
Even now, it was astonishing to think about.
Changtian Jiaolong was counted among Bi Cheon Society’s finest Late Stage Masters, yet Cheon Hui had defeated him.
Overwhelmingly, at that.
Pride swelled up unbidden.
‘The future of our sect shines bright!’
Then a question suddenly struck him.
“But Cheon Hui, who was that person? Judging by how respectful Changtian Jiaolong was toward him, he’s clearly no ordinary man……”
“He said he was the Former Patriarch of the Nangong Family.”
In an instant, the carriage fell silent.
“The, the Former Patriarch?”
“The Former Patriarch?”
“Master, is what you’re saying true?”
“Yes.”
Cheon Hui answered as if it were nothing of consequence.
“So that was Lei Dian Jian!”
Hyeon Jin let out a belated cry of shock.
“I thought I’d heard that name somewhere before……”
He swallowed hard.
Lei Dian Jian — one of the Five Greatest Swordsmen Under Heaven, an Absolute Master whose name had rung in his ears since childhood.
‘How could I have forgotten?’
He felt ashamed of himself for overlooking such a thing.
‘But still……”
“Why would the Nangong Family’s Former Patriarch give Cheon Hui a gift……”
The thought escaped his lips aloud.
“He offered some advice while I was creating a new martial art, and he said he was repaying a debt for that.”
The more Cheon Hui spoke, the more stunned the faces of the three listeners became.
“You, you offered advice on creating a martial art?”
“To the Nangong Family’s Former Patriarch?”
………!
Was there ever such a strange twist of fate?
The man in question was Lei Dian Jian, a Previous Generation Master.
And yet he sought advice from Cheon Hui on a martial art he was creating?
It was almost impossible to believe.
“Is that truly what happened?”
“Why would I lie about such a thing?”
It was then.
“Master!”
Gu Gyeom Wi called out to Cheon Hui in a loud voice, his eyes wide open.
“Could I, could I also receive advice on my martial art?”
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
“Advice? If you need that sort of thing, wouldn’t it be better to ask Senior Hyeon Jin?”
Trying to shirk the troublesome request, Cheon Hui attempted to deflect to Hyeon Jin.
“Well, that is……”
Gu Gyeom Wi’s expression grew awkward as he turned his head away, scratching his cheek.
Seeing this, Hyeon Jin laughed.
“Haha. I’ll admit my teaching methods are rather clumsy.”
“No, that’s not it at all.”
Gu Gyeom Wi waved his hands frantically.
‘……Is that all there is?’
Simply watching the two of them move was enough for Cheon Hui to understand everything.
“So you’re asking me for guidance?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I want to become strong like my master and stand with confidence.”
Gu Gyeom Wi clenched both fists tight.
“I won’t stay silent any longer while our sect is treated with such contempt.”
Hyeon Jin and Cheon Yu flinched at those words.
Those two, who had remained quiet at that time, were included in what he meant.
Weren’t they all chaff?
A faint smile played across Cheon Hui’s lips.
He’d thought them spineless for staying silent despite such words.
But he was wrong.
They were people who knew how to endure.
‘And if they’re willing to seek instruction from me, their master, that shows they have more than enough will to grow stronger…….’
Cheon Hui watched the three of them suppress their rage at the memory, and his mouth curved slightly upward.
“Then I’ll make it happen.”
* * *
That evening, as the party prepared to camp for the night.
“Let’s move somewhere quieter first.”
Cheon Hui left his seat.
Hyeon Jin, Cheon Yu, and Gu Gyeom Wi followed, soon arriving at a secluded clearing.
“Then we’ll do a sparring match.”
“Huh. A sparring match.”
Gu Gyeom Wi, fully tensed, drew his sword.
“Come then.”
Moments later, Hyeon Jin and Cheon Yu, watching from a distance, gaped wide.
“He’s toying with him completely.”
“Maybe this sparring should be done by Master Cheon Hui instead of me?”
Cheon Yu spoke with a laugh, but his back was drenched in cold sweat.
‘Was Cheon Hui’s martial power really at that level? I thought he was remarkable when he dueled Changtian Jiaolong, but this……it’s on another level entirely.’
Though Gu Gyeom Wi hadn’t received a Sect Token because he had to carry on the family line, his martial skill was comparable to Cheon Yu’s own.
But what was the situation now?
Not long after the sparring match began, he was being overwhelmed by Cheon Hui.
Cheon Hui hadn’t moved a single step, while Gu Gyeom Wi darted back and forth trying to escape.
The gap in their power was starkly apparent.
“Cheon Hui’s strength has long surpassed the Late Stage Master realm.”
Hyeon Jin couldn’t help but marvel.
But that admiration soon faded.
“However, the technique forms are far too ornate.”
The longer the duel continued, the deeper Hyeon Jin’s frown became.
The sword technique that Cheon Hui and Gu Gyeom Wi were displaying was the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship.
It seemed Cheon Hui had chosen the same technique to provide instruction.
“This isn’t right.”
Hyeon Jin shook his head.
Though the Huashan Sect’s sword techniques were known for their grace, the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship was different.
It was weighty and practical.
But what was this?
The way Cheon Hui wielded it was like a sword dancer performing—light and ornamental.
“……Perhaps his exceptional talent led him into error.”
Hyeon Jin pressed his hand to his forehead.
Ever since Gai Pa Zushi had created it, this sword technique had been refined and perfected by countless predecessors across the generations.
And yet to alter it on his own whim.
That was the grave sin of destroying the lineage.
Meanwhile, Gu Gyeom Wi also noticed that something was wrong with the sword technique Cheon Hui was displaying.
“……Master, what have you done?”
Gu Gyeom Wi, having quickly retreated backward, opened his mouth with a deep frown.
“The Nuo Ying Swordsmanship isn’t supposed to be like this.”
“Why? It should be concise and sharp, but that was far too light and ornate.”
“Ah, well……. You’re right.”
Watching Gu Gyeom Wi stammer in confusion, Cheon Hui let out a quiet laugh.
“It’s not usually like that.”
He picked up his sword again.
“Then let me demonstrate the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship that you showed just now.”
Cheon Hui moved with a crisp, rapid precision entirely different from before.
The technique form that Gu Gyeom Wi had displayed.
Clang—
Having blocked Cheon Hui’s technique form, Gu Gyeom Wi spoke as if to say: if you could do it this way, why had you done it like that before?
“If you can execute it properly like this, why did you display it that way?”
“Before, I couldn’t block it and was just struggling to dodge, but now it’s easy to stop.”
“What……?”
“Try blocking it again.”
Cheon Hui moved his sword once more.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
In less than six heartbeats, Gu Gyeom Wi scrambled backward in retreat again.
“Do you understand now?”
Gu Gyeom Wi’s head felt numb.
The Nuo Ying Swordsmanship that Cheon Hui had displayed seemed so light that it ought to be evadable, yet he had barely managed to flee.
But what of the true Nuo Ying Swordsmanship?
Gu Gyeom Wi swallowed hard.
“I’ll execute the technique forms properly this time, so watch carefully.”
Before Gu Gyeom Wi could even respond, Cheon Hui lifted his sword and swung it with broad, sweeping motions.
It was a form entirely different from the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship known until now.
Gu Gyeom Wi’s eyes grew hazy.
The blade moved so lightly and with such grace that it seemed it would drift away at the gentlest breath.
Was it not precisely as the art’s name suggested—Nuo Ying, like falling flower petals?
“I was taught it was definitely a swift and practical sword technique…….”
Gu Gyeom Wi, who had been murmuring to himself, fell silent.
That was what he had been taught from the beginning.
The sect leader. The elders. All of them.
Everyone in the Huashan Sect had learned it that way.
Everyone except the one wielding the blade before him.
Then, having displayed all the technique forms, Cheon Hui rested his sword on his shoulder and asked.
“What do you think?”
“It was an astonishing sword technique……. Uh.”
Gu Gyeom Wi, who had begun to respond without thinking, hastily swallowed the rest of his words.
If he admitted it, he might find himself in trouble.
But before that.
“……W-what was that?”
Hyeon Jin, who had been watching their sparring match, could contain himself no longer and came rushing over, breathless.
His face had gone pale.
It was a method he had never heard of, never seen.
Could something so light yet possess such strength and excellence?
“It’s become somewhat lighter and more ornate than the original, but isn’t it still recognizable?”
“Somewhat……?”
Hyeon Jin was taken aback.
How could this be merely “somewhat”?
The concise and practical technique forms of the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship no longer existed.
‘Yet it’s even stronger…….’
His head ached.
If it were weaker, he could have objected.
But the changed Nuo Ying Swordsmanship was far superior to what came before.
So much so that even he, who had initially considered it a grave transgression of the Technique Lineage Extinction, had to concede its merit.
‘What am I to do about this?’
Hyeon Jin found himself at a crossroads.
Should he acknowledge it as correct.
Or should he deny it.
Unable to choose an answer, he turned to Cheon Hui with a question.
“Why did you deploy it like that?”
“That’s just how it’s done.”
Hyeon Jin stiffened at the bold reply.
“That’s not a light and ornate sword technique.”
“No, I think this is right?”
“What?”
Cheon Hui, watching Hyeon Jin’s bewildered expression, continued.
“If it’s a Huashan sword technique.”
“What does that have to do with anything…….”
“Isn’t it true that most of the martial arts created by Gai Pa Zushi are ornate?”
Hyeon Jin shook his head slightly.
The Huashan Sect had become famous partly because of its distinctive reputation for rare and ornate sword techniques.
“But what’s that got to do with it?”
Cheon Hui felt a flicker of frustration.
‘Even when I spell it out, he doesn’t understand.’
“Who created the Nuo Ying Swordsmanship?”
“That was created by Gai Pa Zushi…….”
Hyeon Jin caught himself mid-sentence, understanding what Cheon Hui was driving at, and his brow furrowed.
“Are you saying that since Nuo Ying Swordsmanship was also created by Gai Pa Zushi, it should be ornate like his other martial arts?”
“Exactly.”
Now he was finally getting it.
Cheon Hui’s face brightened with satisfaction.
“But Nuo Ying Swordsmanship has always had practical technique forms from long ago…….”
“What does being practical matter?”
Cheon Hui cut off Hyeon Jin’s lengthy explanation with a dismissive laugh.
“This is superior.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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