I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 22

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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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Why Enter the Martial Alliance Pointlessly — Chapter 22
Dang Mo-jun, the Grand Patriarch of the Sacheon Dang Clan, was returning leisurely to the clan when word reached him of developments at home.
The clan’s warriors were combing through Sichuan Province as thoroughly as one might search for lice, hunting for the Clan Master’s eldest son and his first wife.
Realizing that something grave had befallen the Dang family, Dang Mo-jun hastened toward the Sacheon Dang Clan.
He was making straight for the Clan Master’s Hall, the heart of the Sacheon Dang estate……
“……What is this?”
An odd presence had caught the attention of Dang Mo-jun’s Chi Sense.
“The Guest Hall?”
So a visitor had come to the clan.
He gathered that the guest was lodged in the Guest Hall and conducting cultivation there.
But then.
“……Look at this.”
The presence caught in his Chi Sense was not enormous. To Dang Mo-jun, such a being was no different from an ant crawling across the earth.
Yet it was not ordinary. No, it was strange.
It made no sense.
Rather, it made no sense that such a guest could be at the clan right now.
The Martial Alliance Master, that fool, or the Sword King perhaps, or even the Beggar King—none of them could possibly be here……
Among the Absolute Masters of the righteous Jianghu, such as Dang Mo-jun himself, only they would be worthy of visiting the clan. Yet there was no reason for any of them to come now.
Dang Mo-jun himself had not invited them.
Moreover, even if they had come, they were hardly the sort to lodge in the Guest Hall and conduct cultivation.
If they meditated, it would be to glimpse the world beyond. But these ancients—even if they collapsed from age, it would be no surprise. What cultivation could they possibly need?
Thus curiosity bloomed unbidden. Even as a catastrophe had struck the clan, Dang Mo-jun found himself far more curious about who wielded this strange presence. The moment demanded he know.
He changed direction, heading not toward the Guest Hall itself but into the dense thickets some distance away from it.
Sa U-rin was conducting cultivation in the Training Ground of the Guest Hall.
‘……That is……’
What in the world was this presence?
It was not what Dang Mo-jun had initially supposed. Now, at last, it began to make sense.
What he had first sensed was Natural Chi—that which only Absolute Masters could manipulate.
No, not even Absolute Masters could easily handle such a thing. That was why he had been puzzled.
To speak of wielding Natural Chi is one thing, but in truth, it is nothing more than crude manipulation through overwhelming Internal Power.
Yet here stood a boy, barely old enough to know right from wrong, manipulating something akin to Natural Chi. At first glance, it appeared to be Natural Chi, but to Dang Mo-jun’s perception, it seemed subtly different.
Something he had never felt before in all his years……
Then it happened.
‘Impossible.’
It defied all sense!
Had this green boy actually felt his presence? How else could he have unleashed a Wind Blade with such precision?
And a Wind Blade at that……
How could such a youth manage it……
The Wind Blade is a martial art only those who can freely control their Internal Power can execute.
It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that there is not a single martial artist under thirty in the entire Jianghu capable of wielding it today.
Most cannot use the Wind Blade at all. Even masters find it perilously difficult to attempt. The reason is that one must condense Internal Power to an impossibly fine point, and moreover, one must be able to move that energy with absolute freedom.
Furthermore, the condensation process itself takes considerable time. Thus, many simply choose not to employ it.
But what of this boy?
The condensation itself had not even been visible.
No matter how he thought about it, this youth was utterly preposterous.
The blue-glowing Wind Blade from Sa U-rin came hurtling toward Dang Mo-jun, and Dang Mo-jun did not dodge.
He simply caught it in his own hand and clenched his fist.
‘Impressive.’
The blue radiance dissolved like dust in Dang Mo-jun’s palm, yet its force lingered within his grip.
If Dang Mo-jun’s suspicion was correct, the boy harbored no intention of harming him.
‘He wanted to confirm it.’
The existence of whoever was hiding and watching.
Dang Mo-jun had no further reason to remain concealed. His presence had already been detected, and his curiosity about what sort of creature this youth could be—possessing such extraordinary power—had become maddening. He pushed off from the earth and descended lightly into the Training Ground where the boy stood.
* * *
Sa U-rin’s head tilted to the side.
Very old, yet somehow not appearing so. A testament to his tremendous Internal Power.
Yet the presence he radiated was no less than Sa U-rin’s own.
Had he not witnessed it clearly?
The figure soaring from deep within the distant forest, alighting gently into the Training Ground in a single bound.
There was no doubt about it.
An Absolute Master who had reached the Banbaggwijeun stage.
In the Sacheon Dang Clan, there was only one Absolute Master who had reached the Banbaggwijeun stage. But one couldn’t be certain about such things.
It could be someone else entirely.
The Jianghu was a place filled with unknowns.
So Sa U-rin asked.
“Who are you, sir?”
……
……Sir? That title?
When had he last heard himself called that?
Had he ever heard it before?
……Never…… No, there had been once. That beggar brat had run his mouth like that.
But that beggar, at least, had climbed to the same rank as himself, hadn’t he?
Yet this one was far too young—green as a sprout. He was so taken aback he nearly lost his words.
“……And who might you be?”
“I asked first, didn’t I?”
How absurd was this.
That the Grand Patriarch of the Sacheon Dang Clan should hear such words spoken within his own halls.
“……Where exactly do you stand right now?”
“The Guest Hall, sir.”
“……Yes. That much is true enough. But…….”
“So you’re Dang Mo-jun.”
Putting the pieces together, it could only be Dang Mo-jun. He lowered his head in formal respect.
One of the few martial artists who commanded the Jianghu.
“And who, then, are you?”
The question was—what sort of person was this green boy to be staying in the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Guest Hall?
Though it also carried the weight of asking: what was the nature of this chi he wielded?
“I’m a martial artist with the Sunyeong Branch.”
“The Sunyeong Branch…… the Patrol Unit?”
“Yes, sir.”
“For what reason?”
How did a mere Patrol Unit officer come to stay in the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Guest Hall? It would be different if this were an ordinary inn.
“The Clan Master granted us lodging here.”
He seemed entirely unaware of the circumstances surrounding what had happened within the Sacheon Dang Clan. There seemed no need to spell out every detail of what he would soon learn anyway.
“Indeed?”
“Yes.”
“The others inside as well?”
The eleven Patrol Unit officers sleeping deeply within the Guest Hall.
“That’s correct.”
So they were all connected to this matter.
After all the years he’d spent in the Jianghu, one could tell at a glance.
The Sacheon Dang Clan had fallen into turmoil, and it was hardly ordinary for Martial Alliance officers to be lodging in the clan’s Guest Hall at such a time.
“That much is so.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Dang Mo-jun suddenly looked Sa U-rin up and down, then circled him slowly and deliberately, examining him in great detail.
‘Hah. Look at that.’
Though he’d felt it from a distance, this young man had contained his chi within himself without reaching the Banbaggwijeun stage—had he not?
No, wait. No.
It didn’t quite look like deliberate restraint of power. Rather, as though he had become one with the surrounding chi…….
“Have you learned Sorcery?”
“No, sir.”
“No, it doesn’t appear to be Sorcery…….”
Yet the chi he sensed, faint though it was, possessed a purity almost too pristine—like that of a newborn babe.
Was there any martial art in the Jianghu that produced such chi?
There was not.
“Then where did you learn your martial art?”
“From my father.”
“Tell me about it.”
He was asking who your father was.
“You likely wouldn’t know the name. And he has since passed away.”
“That is a pity. But when did he pass?”
“Thirteen years old.”
“So you’re telling me you’ve taught yourself martial arts all this time, alone?”
It made no sense, but given the circumstances, he had to ask.
“Yes.”
There was no one to teach me besides my father.
“Hmm.”
Truly, this was as strange and peculiar as anything could be.
A child learning martial arts entirely on his own?
From time immemorial, martial arts cannot reach mastery when learned alone. Rather, far from mastery, there’s a very real risk of learning them incorrectly without proper guidance. And if that happens, one might suffer from Qi Deviation.
Which would naturally mean the end of his life as a martial artist.
Yet this boy claims to have taught himself martial arts starting at thirteen.
If the King had possessed such ability himself, he would never have reached his current position.
So the boy was truly remarkable. Remarkable enough that the King felt the urge to take him as a disciple.
To manipulate chi with such freedom meant the boy possessed ability equal to the King’s own mastery.
‘……This one’s a gem.’
Yet it was a pity he did not carry Sacheon Dang Clan blood.
Though lack of bloodline didn’t matter greatly, it surely would mean less loyalty in return.
And…….
‘This boy has no manners.’
The way he conducted himself before the King was entirely improper. Any martial artist in the Martial Alliance would not even dare lift his head in the King’s presence——.
Yet this boy held his head high, meeting the King’s gaze directly and speaking each word with utter composure.
One might call it boldness, but to the King, it was nothing but impudence.
“I have a request, sir.”
“……A request?”
How audacious—to make a request of the King.
And a mere child meeting him for the first time, no less.
Was he lacking in sense, devoid of fear, or simply mad……?
“Speak.”
Let’s hear it first.
What lies inside that head of his.
Sa U-rin had been wrestling with his thoughts since facing the King.
Dang Yi-ryeong had done the same, as had the Clan Master.
They’d said whatever he wanted would be granted. So Sa U-rin had already settled on what he desired.
When the Clan Master had said it.
Of course, the King had never made such an offer. Sa U-rin didn’t even know what he’d done for the Sacheon Dang Clan.
Yet Sa U-rin wanted to voice his desire to the King.
The King possessed far greater martial power than the Clan Master. Was he not Sichuan Province’s greatest martial artist?
“Would you not offer me a lesson in combat?”
In other words, he was asking for a sparring match.
The King’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“……Say that again.”
“I ask for a lesson in combat. If you refuse, you need not do so.”
For a moment, the King doubted his own ears.
Was he not among the top ten Absolute Masters in the Hundred Ways Jianghu?
This boy was asking him for a match?
“Do you truly mean what you say?”
“Yes.”
Sa U-rin was not one to speak nonsense after eating a fine meal.
“Heh. Heh-heh.”
Beyond absurdity—he was losing his very capacity for comprehension.
A match between Absolute Masters is not merely a match. At minimum, one loses an arm or a leg, and in severe cases, one’s life or martial power—it differs little from a Life-or-Death Match.
Of course, some matches are fought merely to determine victory and defeat. But even then, much is lost.
Honor, namely.
Only honor, yet it is the beginning of losing very much indeed.
Lose honor and one loses power; lose power and people, money, and followers abandon you.
Yet how could an Absolute Master like the King engage in a match with a mere officer of the Martial Alliance?
In other words, the result would be scarcely different from death itself.
It was the custom of Jianghu that while master cultivators might offer instruction to their family or disciples, Absolute Masters and peak cultivators did not casually engage others in formal combat.
The King gazed at Sa U-rin’s face.
There the boy stood, his expression serene and his eyes clear, awaiting the King’s answer.
“You…….”
He wanted to ask if the man had lost his mind, but a madman would never admit to his own madness.
Then, abruptly, the corners of Dang Mo-jun’s mouth twisted upward.
Right. It didn’t have to be a match.
Not a match—just a lesson to correct this boy’s manners, if one thought about it that way.
“Are you ready?”
“……Yes.”
He had always been ready. Yet something in Dang Mo-jun’s expression felt deeply unsettling.
Dang Mo-jun put distance between them.
“Prepare yourself.”
“……Yes.”
He had been preparing all along. He’d been eagerly awaiting this very moment.
Where did Absolute Masters dwell in the Jianghu?
What level of martial prowess did an Absolute Master’s art reach?
What was necessary to ascend to that rank?
“……!”
Astonishing.
He didn’t even see the Internal Power being drawn up. A tremendous force—no, a calamity beyond human intervention, like a natural disaster—descended in a single instant.
Ah!
Sa U-rin could only watch in awe. There was no time even to comprehend the word “counter.”
He simply saw it, and it was already upon him…….
Everything went dark.
Crack-boom!!!
A colossal thunderous roar shattered through the Sacheon Dang Clan.

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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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