The Reformed Genius of the Sichuan Tang Clan - Chapter 53

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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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Chapter 53
“Waaaaah! Dang Young won!”
“The Dang Clan sure knows how to fight!”
“So the Dang Clan isn’t just skilled with the Flying Dagger Technique!”
The spectators, ignorant of what Dang Young and Jin Seo-ha had discussed, showered her with praise for her performance.
But Dang Youxuan, who had heard their entire exchange, could only let out a hollow breath.
‘Now I understand why Lady Yu warned her to watch her tongue.’
He had known she wasn’t merely some delicately raised young lady, but he hadn’t realized she could be so merciless to outsiders as well.
‘She’s not a hothouse flower—she’s a poisonous bloom.’
An uncommon one, too, that had sprouted of its own accord.
“Ha. I told you—Young never holds back.”
Dang San muttered the words softly, waving to Dang Young as she descended from the Tournament Arena.
“Well done. That was a fight no one would have expected from someone at her First Emergence in Jianghu.”
“Hehe.”
“You’ve been training hard these days, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been working hard to surpass you, brother. Just watch—out of all of us, I’ll be the one who rises highest.”
“My, such grand ambitions! But that role belongs to me, not you.”
Like true siblings, Dang Young and Dang Eun-ho bickered the moment they met.
They showed no sign of tiring, their mouths moving with the same fierce back-and-forth, until Dang Eun-ho’s turn came to compete.
“The tenth match is between Dang Eun-ho, young master of the Sichuan Dang Family, and Han Cheon-ak, young master of the Gongdong Sect!”
“Young showed her worth, so I can’t fall behind.”
Dang Eun-ho sprang to his feet and headed for the Tournament Arena.
His opponent was Han Cheon-ak, known as the Nakil Blade.
He had made his name destroying the mountain strongholds of the Green Forest bandits alongside his sworn brothers.
‘This won’t be an easy fight.’
The Gongdong Sect, which pursued the Five Elements, had infused their swords and blades with the principles of strength and weight.
That made them fundamentally opposed to the Dang Clan, which embodied speed and versatility.
Yet Dang Eun-ho merely rotated his wrists, still smiling.
“Look, it’s the Heated Toxin and the Nakil Blade!”
“Indeed. Rising talents from Sichuan and Gansu respectively, I’d say.”
“Now that you mention it, both of them carry themselves with considerable presence.”
“I’ve heard the Heated Toxin is unusually large-framed, even among the Dang Clan?”
“Well, but what’s that compared to the Nakil Blade? He wields such an enormous Halberd Blade—how could the Dang Clan, who must wield their Hidden Blades with precision, possibly win?”
‘More than possible.’
Dang Youxuan answered the spectator’s question silently.
‘The Gongdong Sect? Those Daoist fools wouldn’t make a sound after a single crack to the skull.’
Many years had passed, but there was no reason Dang Eun-ho couldn’t do what Dang Youxuan had once accomplished.
“I shall learn from you.”
“I shall learn from you.”
Unlike Han Cheon-ak, whose expression was solemn, Dang Eun-ho beamed like sunlight, still grinning.
But everyone here understood.
They were both formidable opponents.
“I won’t hold back.”
“Neither will I.”
Satisfied with the answer, Han Cheon-ak nodded.
Then he began spinning his Halberd Blade overhead in wide arcs.
“Haaaaaaagh!”
Han Cheon-ak roared and brought the Halberd Blade crashing down.
A single strike split the Arena Floor, sending fragments flying.
Dang Eun-ho leaped into the air to dodge the Blade Qi, then swept away the sharp debris with his Hidden Blades.
“Indeed—the Gongdong Sect. I’d expected the preliminaries wouldn’t be simple.”
“Coming from the Heated Toxin, such praise feels gratifying.”
“But I have reasons to advance past the preliminaries, so I’ll move ahead first.”
Dang Eun-ho launched his Hidden Blades.
Ten Hidden Blades flew out in different directions—the Chain-Linked Ten Daggers.
Some came fast, some rotated as they flew, others moved slower but carried massive Internal Energy.
“Remarkable technique. But versatility crumbles before strength.”
Shhiiiiiick!
Han Cheon-ak swept his blade in a tremendous arc.
A wall of Blade Qi, towering like a cliff face, knocked the Hidden Blades away.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hidden Blades scattered across the Arena Floor.
Some ricocheted back, targeting Dang Eun-ho once more.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Blade Qi surged like waves, timed to every swing of Han Cheon-ak’s weapon.
Without his Hidden Blades, defending against such an onslaught with bare hands alone was nearly impossible.
“Look—열독강호 is being pushed back!”
“If he can’t retrieve his blades, it’s over…”
A critical moment: his arsenal depleted.
Yet Dang Eun-ho’s smile only widened.
“Did you enjoy your little blade-catching game?”
“…!”
Dang Eun-ho extended his palms directly into the surge of Blade Qi, unleashing the Flying Floss Palm.
Boom!
A ferocious torrent of energy—true to his fearsome reputation—swept through and obliterated the Blade Qi in an instant.
“What—!”
Caught off guard, Han Cheon-ak faltered in executing his next move.
Dang Eun-ho seized that fleeting opening, closing the gap with the Chasing Thunder Body Method and driving his fist home.
Thud!
Dang Eun-ho’s strike landed squarely on Han Cheon-ak’s solar plexus.
Gasp!
Dang Eun-ho pressed a Hidden Blade to Han Cheon-ak’s throat as he staggered.
“You said the Jianghu crumbles before strength? No—strength crumbles before the Jianghu.”
“Victory goes to Young Master Dang Eun-ho!”
As Won So declared it, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Dang Eun-ho turned away from the acclaim and offered Han Cheon-ak his hand.
Han Cheon-ak grasped it with his rough palm and rose.
“Ha! For this tournament at least, I’ve nothing to say. My skills were lacking.”
Han Cheon-ak possessed a forthright nature.
He accepted the outcome without reservation and acknowledged his own shortcomings.
“I’d welcome another chance to test myself against you someday.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
They exchanged grins and clasped fists.
“Well fought.”
“Well fought.”
As Dang Eun-ho descended from the Arena, visibly pleased, Dang Youxuan watched Han Cheon-ak’s receding figure.
‘So the Gongdong Sect still nurtures such seeds.’
It was a good thing when a martial artist could genuinely enjoy a bout while respecting their opponent.
‘May you grow without changing who you are.’
In today’s Jianghu, few possessed Han Cheon-ak’s depth of character.
Just look at Dang San’s next opponent—Hwangbo Jin-hyuk, master of the Hegemon Fist.
“Hmm. This is troublesome.”
“Is something the matter?”
“The matchup is unfortunate. The Hegemon Fist is a stubborn as stone, driven by fierce competitive pride.”
“Surely that’s only natural in a tournament setting?”
“When he won’t accept any tactic that isn’t direct head-on collision, calling everything else cowardly—how could that be ideal?”
“I see your point.”
He’d seen that type often enough—those consumed by the will to win.
The sort who believed raw force solved everything.
Add respect for one’s opponent to that mix and it would be perfection, but sadly most such men harbored a visceral contempt for anyone who differed from them.
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk clearly belonged to that ilk; he’d despise the Dang Clan for favoring Hidden Blades and favoring intellect over brute collision in combat.
‘If I recall, he’s renowned for raw strength and Fist Mastery.’
A calm, calculating mind pitted against fiery temperament.
In every way, he and Dang San were fundamentally at odds.
‘Dang San won’t lose, but this opponent will be a genuine nuisance.’
Lost in thought, Dang Youxuan was startled when Dang San thrust his face forward with a slight smile.
“What? Having doubts?”
“No.”
“You needn’t worry. I didn’t come all this way with grand ambitions only to be broken by someone like that.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“I’m grateful you look after your big brother so well, Youxuan.”
“I didn’t do anything like that.”
No matter what Dang Youxuan said, Dang San interpreted it however he pleased.
‘Fine. It’s not entirely wrong anyway—believe what you want.’
The moment Dang Youxuan’s face went serene, Dang San reached over and mussed his hair.
“Ha ha ha. I didn’t expect you to react so amusingly.”
“As you say.”
“Well then, I’m off.”
Dang San followed the Shaolin Monk’s guidance toward the Tournament Arena.
“The twentieth match is between Hwangbo Jin-hyuk of the Hwangbo Clan and Dang San of the Sichuan Dang Family!”
“Roaaaaar!”
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk watched Dang San approach with neither smile nor gesture, his gait austere and measured, and thought to himself.
‘All pretense. A coward who shamefully runs from honest combat.’
Fist against fist alone was true combat; poison and hidden blades were the resort of the contemptible.
So Hwangbo Jin-hyuk held it as unshakeable fact that all the Martial Achievement Dang San had accumulated was merely deception.
‘Poison? Only weaklings who can’t put their strength into their fists fall to such tricks.’
He who had polished both raw power and Fist Mastery could never lose.
‘How arrogant he is.’
Dang San, reading his thoughts the moment they faced each other, suppressed an inward smile.
“Let the match begin!”
“I shall learn from you.”
“I shall learn from you.”
No matter how far below the opponent he deemed himself, a young master of a great clan remained a young master. Courtesy was not forgotten.
Yet the muttering that leaked through gritted teeth could not be held back.
“Cowardly poison-user.”
Dang San yawned widely, paying it no mind.
He’d heard that refrain so many times it had grown tedious.
“Hyaaaah!”
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk dropped into the Horse Stance and exploded forward with devastating momentum.
The Hidden Blade flashed before his eyes like a streak of light, but he did not evade.
Clang! Clang!
“Ho! Ferocious from the very start!”
“The Hegemon Fist is what the Hwangbo Clan is famous for! It’s a fundamental technique, yet it’s no ordinary fist art!”
“Hmm. I’m curious how the Shadow Blade Master will respond.”
“Excellent! Blow him away!”
The Hegemon Fist was the foundational art of the Hwangbo Clan—it drew forth complete power and Internal Energy in a single breath to deliver a crushing blow.
Meeting such a technique head-on, one that rendered even solid defense useless, would put Dang San at a disadvantage.
Knowing this, Dang San dodged the direct approach, instead restricting his opponent’s movements with the Hidden Blade as he shifted fluidly left and right.
“Stop dancing around like a coward—it’s infuriating!”
Boom!
When Hwangbo Jin-hyuk brought his fist crashing down on the Arena Floor, it split with a sharp crack.
Robbed of solid ground, Dang San launched himself into empty air and unleashed his Hidden Blade.
Screeeech!
Crash! Crash!
The Hidden Blade charged with Internal Energy collided with Hwangbo Jin-hyuk’s momentum, producing a deafening roar.
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk’s fist art against Dang San’s Flying Dagger Technique.
The back-and-forth continued without either side yielding an inch.
“Grrraaaaah! Do you think I’d lose to a nobody like you!”
“What’s wrong with someone like me.”
Dang San, who had been silent the entire time, opened his mouth for the first time.
At that very moment, Hwangbo Jin-hyuk’s stance wavered.
The accumulated exhaustion from pouring out Internal Energy for so long was finally showing on the surface.
‘Damn it!’
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk hurried to plant his feet and regain his center.
But Dang San’s Hidden Blade was faster.
Screeeech!
The Hidden Blade cut through the wind and shot forth like lightning.
“Ugh!”
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk lowered his body to evade it.
Yet he still could not steady his footing.
An opponent whose stance had crumbled was prey too tempting to pass up.
Dang San seized the moment and unleashed the Flying Floss Palm.
Crash!
“Aaaaaagh!”
A force like the talon-print of some massive bird bore down upon Hwangbo Jin-hyuk.
Dang San twirled the Hidden Blade with leisurely grace and leveled it at his opponent’s throat.
“How does it feel to lose to a dishonorable poison user?”
“Nooooo!”
“I’m curious when the cadet branch of the Hwangbo Clan became indistinguishable from the Dark Blade Faction. Perhaps you should return to your patriarch and seek instruction anew.”
“T-the victory goes to Dang San, Young Master of the Sichuan Dang Family!”
Won So called the match to an end before the crowd could descend into chaos.
‘He held back considerably.’
Dang Youxuan drummed his fingers against the armrest, musing.
Hwangbo Jin-hyuk had been too fixated on the idea of defeating Dang San through raw fist mastery to notice, but Dang Youxuan, watching from a distance, had seen it clearly.
Knowing Hwangbo Jin-hyuk’s temperament and fighting style, Dang San had deliberately drawn out the bout, steadily draining his opponent’s stamina.
Every strike required him to channel considerable Internal Energy into his fists; eventually, his body would fail.
The moment Hwangbo Jin-hyuk collapsed, the match was over.
Victory born not of strength, but of intellect.
This was what made Dang San fearsome—what made the Dang Clan fearsome.
The Sichuan Dang Family’s Prodigal Genius Turns Over a New Leaf
Author |
Lee Il-yeong
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(Co.) Samyang C&C
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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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