I Obtained Guan Yu's Martial Arts - Chapter 18
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
I Obtained Guan Yunchang’s Martial Art 018
Bow Ghost (3)
Guan Hui’s brow furrowed as he glared at Gu Man.
“What’s going on? You said they couldn’t track her without the Thousand-Mile Fragrant Extract.”
“That, that is… it should have been impossible.”
Gu Man’s pupils trembled in confusion.
Tracking Fragrance wasn’t something you could deploy simply by scattering it anywhere.
Only a martial artist trained in a special technique could consume Tracking Fragrance with the same scent and manifest that technique to give chase.
In other words, the Blood Strength Sect and Jang Ryu couldn’t track her without the extract.
“Perhaps they found her by hearing stories from villagers in the surrounding towns. Even hiding in the mountains, she’d need to come out to buy provisions.”
“Damn it. Things are getting complicated. There’s no help for it. Let’s go support her.”
“Y-yes? Me too, sir?”
Beads of sweat gathered on Gu Man’s brow in panic.
“If I fight here, I’ll surely die?”
Gu Man’s martial prowess sat at the lower reaches of Second Class.
He’d become a sect deputy through his mastery of various miscellaneous techniques and quick wit, not through martial strength alone.
“Besides, the sect leader won’t forgive me…”
Gu Man cast an anxious glance toward Baek Seok, the sect leader of the Blood Strength Sect.
Right now he was too preoccupied with fighting to notice, but if his betrayal were discovered, he couldn’t predict what would happen.
Knowing his character, the man might cleave him in two.
“Hmm. A slave watches his master march toward death without moving?”
“N-no, sir. It’s just that…”
“Tsk! A slave talks back?”
“…I’ll go, sir.”
Gu Man, looking disheartened, fell in behind Guan Hui.
Either way, if death awaited him, he reasoned it would hurt less to die at the hands of a Blood Strength Sect disciple.
Scrape!—
Drawing his sword from his belt, Gu Man charged into the fray.
“Come on! Damn it! Let’s see who dies! Come on, all of you!”
His roar seized the attention of the Blood Strength Sect disciples just as—
Whistle!—
With a sound like snapping thread, dozens of arrows rained down from the sky.
Arrows with wooden shafts and pointed silver heads.
That sharp rain pouring from overhead instantly transformed the surrounding terrain into a killing ground.
More than a dozen Blood Strength Sect disciples met death, pierced like porcupines.
“Ahhhhh!”
Gu Man, his face drained of color, retreated at a speed even faster than his charge.
“Well, well.”
Guan Hui let out a hollow laugh watching that ridiculous sight—the man scrambling backward on all fours.
The lunatic was supposed to be fighting, so why was he dancing?
“That’s impressive archery, though.”
Seeing more than a dozen Black Path martial artists now lying dead, Guan Hui clicked his tongue.
Bows were inherently superior weapons for the few against the many, but to witness such overwhelming devastation…
He understood now why the Anmun Household coveted her martial prowess.
-My martial art is far superior; you need not envy hers.
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Guan Hui nodded casually and began unfastening the Crescent Moon Blade strapped to his back.
The General had a habit of growing jealous when other martial arts were praised.
He’d heard the General had a strong pride. That must have been why.
“I need to help her quickly.”
Though the female archer had displayed tremendous skill just now, the current battle situation was decidedly unfavorable for her.
Over fifty Blood Strength Sect disciples and Baek Seok, the sect leader, wielder of the Red Demon Blade.
And the five elite warriors led by Jang Ryu, the Shadow-less Blade and a First Class master—even she would find this overwhelming.
“Taking those two should be enough.”
From what he’d seen of her archery, she could handle Second and Third Class rabble regardless of numbers.
So if he could just pin down the two masters pressing her relentlessly at the front, the tide would turn.
Grasping the battle situation in an instant, Guan Hui kicked soft earth beneath his feet and drove through the Blood Strength Sect disciples.
“What—who is this guy?!”
“Kill him! If he’s not one of ours, just slaughter everyone!”
The panicked Blood Strength Sect disciples rushed to swing and thrust their blades.
But.
Whoom!—
Guan Hui, who had forced them back with nothing but the wind pressure from the Crescent Moon Blade, seized the end of the spear shaft and drew a great circle through the air.
Heavenly Extreme Cloud Destruction Blade.
Second form. Returning Heaven Moon Slash.
Whoom!—
The blade of the Crescent Moon Blade cleaved six Blood Strength Sect disciples in half, scattering their blood in every direction.
A perfect form executed with full power, not wasting a single breath.
From above, the sight resembled nothing so much as silver brushstrokes painting a flawless circle beneath the moonlight.
“Splendid. You are indeed worthy of my lineage.”
Even Guan Yunchang, who rarely offered praise, could not help but acknowledge the form Guan Hui had just displayed.
The will to grow stronger and the martial prowess honed through unceasing cultivation had fused within him, allowing the form to unfold nearly to perfection.
“This much? We’re only beginning!”
In a flash, Guan Hui burrowed into the heart of the battlefield, driving straight through with a single step and slashing the Crescent Moon Blade in a diagonal arc.
Whoom!—
With the chilling sound of air being sheared, an Anmun Household warrior’s body was split clean in two.
“……!”
Jang Ryu’s eyes went wide as he watched his subordinate’s corpse torn asunder.
“You……!”
“It’s been a while, you bastard.”
Guan Hui, a bloody smile curling at the corner of his mouth, swung the Crescent Moon Blade at him with savage force.
Clang!—Clang!—
Lightning scattered in all directions as Jang Ryu’s form was driven steadily backward.
Though he managed to block with the Anmun Household’s distinctive wide-bladed Long Blade, he could not dissipate the force behind the blow and was driven back.
‘What kind of strength is this……!’
Jang Ryu’s palms split slightly under Guan Hui’s overwhelming power, his brow furrowing.
“Come on then, you bastard. Are you afraid?”
“……You dare mouth off to me like that?!”
Jang Ryu’s face twisted like something deranged as he unleashed his blade in a thunderous assault.
True Chaotic Blade, the technique of a proper First Class master.
Despite lacking any formal structure or sequence, his attacks were fierce and razor-sharp.
It was a far cry from Gwang Sa-heun’s awkward ascension to First Class.
The martial philosophy of the White Path was deeper and more profound than the Black Path after all; even at the same rank, a White Path master surpassed a Black Path one.
And Jang Ryu was no mere First Class adept—he had reached the apex of the rank.
His offensive power far exceeded what any Second Class warrior could hope to withstand.
But.
Clang!—Clang!—
Guan Hui, blessed with natural strength and the teachings of Guan Yunchang both, traded blows with him on nearly equal terms.
“The crown of your head is wide open. Watch for horizontal cuts to the chest,” Guan Yunchang’s voice came softly.
“Understood!”
Guan Hui easily dismantled the opening and forced Jang Ryu back with brute strength.
“Gaah…… You insolent wretch!”
Jang Ryu’s face contorted as he blocked the Crescent Moon Blade and was driven backward.
‘Damn it. Why isn’t anything working?’
The Anmun Household’s Illusory Beheading Technique was a martial art centered on illusion—it created false openings through illusory feints, then exploited those created weaknesses with razor-sharp blade work.
‘How is a mere Second Class warrior able to——?!’
But none of his illusory feints landed on this opponent.
It was absurd, utterly absurd—a mere Second Class warrior was seeing straight through every false opening and every real weakness in his technique.
“Heh heh. Predictable. So very predictable.”
Guan Hui continued to talk even as he traded blows evenly with his opponent.
In fights evenly matched like this, sometimes the mouth decides the victor.
It was all mental warfare in the end, and he meant to shake his opponent’s resolve.
“There is no need for such tactics. You will win regardless,” Guan Yunchang’s voice came, tinged with disapproval.
‘But this way is more efficient, Master,’ Guan Hui thought.
He ignored Guan Yunchang’s displeasure and pressed his taunts onward.
“Are you even First Class? Or are you just talking big? Tsk. The more I look, the more your skill disappoints me.”
“Shut your mouth!”
“Gwang Sa-heun fought better than you. Are you sure you’re not a fake First Class master?”
“Silence, you dog!”
“Or is your lower half weak? You wouldn’t happen to be…… impotent, would you?”
Guan Hui deliberately let compassion flicker across his face.
“You damned bastard!”
Blood vessels rose at the corners of Jang Ryu’s eyes, a sign the provocation had struck home.
He unleashed a bestial howl and swung his blade wildly, while screaming toward Baek Seok, “Baek Seok, you useless wretch! Why aren’t you helping me now?!”
“Baek Seok, you idiot! Get over here!”
“……Cursed fool. No manners whatsoever.”
Baek Seok’s face twisted as he broke away from his men, who were still engaged with the Bow Ghost.
Crash!—
Baek Seok wheeled around and drove his sword toward Guan Hui.
“Huh!”
Guan Hui barely deflected the blade with the tip of his spear staff and stumbled backward.
Seizing the opening, Jang Ryu swung his Long Blade again, but Guan Hui ducked low and slipped past the strike.
Then came another attack from Baek Seok.
Against the combined assault of two First Class masters, Guan Hui retreated steadily.
Each time their weapons met his Crescent Moon Blade, his insides reverberated with the impact.
These genuine First Class fighters were in a different league entirely.
‘Damn. This is harder than I thought.’
He felt a flicker of regret—the provocation had been too much.
‘If luck turns against me, I could die here.’
Guan Hui bit his lip lightly.
One opponent he could manage, but two was a different matter.
“Listen. Mind your tongue a little, won’t you? The men are watching.”
Baek Seok continued his assault, pressing Guan Hui backward even as he grumbled.
Under normal circumstances, this would have passed unnoticed, but now all the men were here.
If he stood idle, the household master’s honor would be dragged through the mud, wouldn’t it?
That was why Baek Seok had made his request as politely as possible, only to receive fierce rebuke in return.
“Stop that nonsense and help me now, you Black Path dog! What honor do you have to speak of?”
“…….”
Crunch—
Baek Seok clenched his teeth so hard they ground audibly.
Such force gathered in his jaw that the sound of grinding enamel was plainly heard.
‘Interesting.’
Guan Hui’s eyes gleamed as he caught sight of this.
“How does a man of the Black Path serve beneath such a pup?”
“……Shut your mouth.”
“Don’t you see the way your men look at him? They treat the household master like candy—all because of that fool. Hehehehe.”
“…….”
Baek Seok’s lips sealed tight as the words struck their mark.
He fell silent and pressed his attack anew, but his heart was unsettled, and the ferocity of his assault dulled noticeably.
‘One is manageable now.’
Guan Hui swung the Crescent Moon Blade in a wide arc, forcing Baek Seok to retreat, then launched himself at Jang Ryu.
“So a First Class master resorts to joint attacks? Your methods are barely Third Class. If that’s all you’ve got, lose the lower half—though I suppose that’s a moot point since you can’t use it anyway.”
“Shut…… your mouth!”
“You shut yours, crippled Third Class.”
“You bastard!”
Eyes blazing crimson, Jang Ryu snorted heavily through his nostrils and lashed out with his Long Blade.
Having lost his composure, his strikes became mechanical and predictable, and Guan Hui evaded them with ease.
“Tsk, tsk. Admit it—you’re weaker than him, aren’t you? That’s why you keep insulting him, dragging down your own dignity.”
Whoosh!—
Jang Ryu hacked brutally at the air with his Long Blade and released a savage cry.
“Hah! Worms like you Black Path dogs can never reach even the soles of my feet. You are merely my——”
Thud!—
The pale, keen edge of a blade erupted through Jang Ryu’s abdomen as his words poured endlessly forth.
“Ugh…… ughhh…….”
The blade shattered his spine and pierced the Dove Tail Acupoint between his ribs.
That lethal blade belonged to none other than Baek Seok, the Red Sword.
“Did you really think you could insult Baek Seok and walk away alive, you little wretch?”
“……Ughhhh…… you mad…… bastard…….”
Thud!—
Baek Seok kicked Jang Ryu’s back, withdrew his blade, and swept it toward the man’s head.
Crash!
A wounded beast is still a beast, or so they say.
Despite his grave injuries, Jang Ryu managed to parry Baek Seok’s assault.
“Hah…… hah……. That’s right. I’ll finish all of you here…… and now.”
“Stubborn fool. For a First Class expert, you’re awfully hard to kill.”
Sensing that Jang Ryu’s momentum remained sharp, Baek Seok gestured toward Guan Hui.
“Listen, boy. Help me. Finish off these Anmun Household dogs with me, and I’ll leave you alone.”
An offer too sweet to refuse.
Guan Hui nodded without hesitation and stepped to Baek Seok’s side.
Once Baek Seok confirmed that Guan Hui’s gaze and Crescent Moon Blade were both aimed at Jang Ryu, he turned his attention back to his target with relief.
“Heh. Jang Ryu, you arrogant whelp. I’ll tear all four of your limbs from your body here and now.”
The moment Baek Seok, his full concentration fixed on Jang Ryu, raised his Long Blade.
Slice!
Guan Hui’s Crescent Moon Blade traced a horizontal arc through empty air.
Slice!
A silver trajectory painted itself across the void, and Baek Seok’s head fell to the ground.
“Idiot. Why would I help you.”
Guan Hui let out a cold laugh.
And at that same moment.
Thud!
Jang Ryu, his Dove Tail Acupoint pierced, collapsed while blood sprayed from the Seven Orifices.
The poison that had clung to Baek Seok’s blade spread through his body, and he finally could endure no longer.
“……!?”
“……!!”
The Anmun Household martial artists and Blood Strength Sect disciples surrounding them stared at Guan Hui with expressions twisted in shock.
To bring down two masters with such vicious treachery.
Even demons did not scheme so wickedly.
“Hmm. Everything went according to plan.”
Feeling their stares upon him, Guan Hui composed his expression into one of calm indifference.
He’d only meant to prevent them from joining forces—he hadn’t actually anticipated a knife in his back like that.
But a truly skilled martial artist learns to adapt fluidly to any circumstance.
And sometimes that meant acting as though you’d intended it all along.
—So you saw that far ahead and provoked him anyway. Your scheming is truly remarkable.
Guan Hui brazenly thrust out his chest as he spoke.
“……You witnessed it yourselves? A three-inch tongue can be this formidable.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————