Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 13

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

Chapter 13
Namgung Geom made no effort to conceal that his cultivation stage had risen.
The stronger he became, the more faith he could inspire in his peers at Changyong Pavilion.
Namgung Chang regarded him with unconcealed bewilderment.
One couldn’t simply raise one’s cultivation stage by mere desire—it didn’t work that way.
“Did you consume a Spirit Elixir?”
“A Spirit Elixir? I wish I could say I’d had even a taste of one.”
“Then how in the world are you raising your cultivation stage so easily?”
Namgung Chang pressed the question, his tone betraying genuine incomprehension.
“How about this—consider it a reward I gained from mending the Guyang Meridian Severing.”
“So your own inexplicable growth stems from the same cause, then?”
Namgung Geom answered by raising his shoulders in a slight shrug.
Namgung Chang furrowed his brow and circled back to something Namgung Geom had mentioned moments before.
“You said something about taking command of a new Sword Unit—what did you mean by that? Has the leadership already approved it?”
“I think it would be better if the other disciples heard about that together.”
Namgung Geom gathered all his peers and laid out the conditions for establishing the new Sword Unit.
“We’re going to hold a martial tournament against the Three Great Sword Units?”
Namgung Chulwoong blurted the question in shock.
“Why? Nervous?”
“Of course I’m not nervous. But they’re called the Three Great Sword Units for a reason—it’s hard not to worry.”
“Don’t worry. Your abilities can hold their own against the commanders of the Three Great Sword Units.”
“We still don’t know which of the Three Great Sword Units we’ll be fighting, do we?”
Namgung Cheongsang posed the question.
There were indeed differences in strength between the Three Great Sword Units themselves.
And even within the same unit, there were gaps between individual Sword Units.
Facing off against a Sword Unit from a relatively weaker unit would give them the advantage.
“We’ll be holding the martial tournament against the Third Sword Unit of the Tianfeng Sword Unit.”
Namgung Cheongsang’s expression brightened.
The Tianfeng Sword Unit was regarded as the weakest of the Three Great Sword Units.
And the Third Sword Unit, aside from the Fourth Sword Unit which had more of a reserve character, ranked lowest in strength within the Tianfeng Sword Unit.
Their chances of victory were far higher than against the units of other organizations.
Still, it would be folly to underestimate the Third Sword Unit of the Tianfeng Sword Unit.
Though their strength paled in comparison to other units and divisions, they too were the elite of the Namgung Clan.
They were not opponents to be dismissed casually.
“But who will participate in the tournament?”
Namgung Chang asked.
“I’ll go, along with three unit commanders and Namgung Seol.”
Aside from the three unit commanders, Namgung Seol possessed the highest level of mastery among the peers.
“I’m not sure I’ll be much help.”
Namgung Seol spoke without confidence.
She had recently ascended to the First-Rate Realm.
But she was still at the threshold, and facing the commanders of the Tianfeng Sword Unit’s Third Sword Unit would be beyond her reach.
“Don’t burden yourself with worry. Just show them what you’re capable of.”
After all, they didn’t need to win every match.
They only had to secure three victories out of five.
“If you win even one, then two of us have to claim certain victory.”
At Namgung Chulwoong’s words, Namgung Geom smiled.
“Wouldn’t it be better if all four of us won?”
“That would be ideal, but things rarely go the way we wish, do they?”
Namgung Chulwoong spoke as though the prospect of all four winning seemed unrealistic.
“That’s why I plan to conduct special training leading up to the tournament.”
“Special training?”
“Until the tournament, I’ll spar with you all using the Tianfeng Sword Technique.”
The primary martial discipline of the Tianfeng Sword Unit was the Tianfeng Sword Technique.
Namgung Geom intended to use these matches to familiarize them with the Tianfeng Sword Technique and, more importantly, to teach them how to counter it.
Above all, Namgung Geom’s cultivation stage surpassed that of the Third Sword Unit’s commanders.
His understanding of the Tianfeng Sword Technique ran equally deep.
After facing his Tianfeng Sword Technique, the commanders’ own technique would feel far easier to contend with.
The three unit commanders and Namgung Seol grasped his intention at once.
The martial tournament against the Tianfeng Sword Unit’s Third Sword Unit would take place in a fortnight.
From that day on, Namgung Geom underwent special training alongside four of his peers.
A fortnight passed.
* * *
Tianfeng Sword Unit Training Ground.
A martial tournament had been arranged between the Changyong Pavilion graduates’ newly formed Sword Unit and the three Sword Units of Tianfeng.
The Training Ground was filled with the commanders of the Three Regions, along with the unit masters and captains of the Three Great Sword Units.
The unit masters and captains of the Three Great Sword Units found it amusing that the Changyong Pavilion students would dare challenge them.
They had no doubt that Tianfeng’s three Sword Units would emerge victorious.
They knew well enough that this year’s Changyong Pavilion graduates included many with exceptional talent.
But the Changyong Pavilion students were still young.
They had trained for only a brief time and possessed no real combat experience in the Martial World.
By contrast, the captains and squad leaders of the Three Great Sword Units had spent at least ten years more in cultivation and had far greater battlefield experience.
Perhaps in a few years’ time things would be different, but now the notion that Changyong Pavilion students could defeat the Three Great Sword Units was impossible.
The commanders of the Three Regions shared this assessment.
They had not accepted Namgung Geom’s wager without cause.
The first bout unfolded exactly as they had anticipated.
Namgung Seol fought with tremendous spirit, but she fell to the fourth squad leader of the three Sword Units.
Namgung Seol returned with a frustrated expression.
“I’m sorry. The special training doesn’t seem to have paid off.”
“No, you did well.”
Namgung Geom patted her shoulder reassuringly.
The fourth squad leader of the three Sword Units that Namgung Seol faced was at the early stage of the First-Rate Realm.
For Namgung Seol, who had only recently entered the First-Rate Realm, it was a formidable opponent.
Yet she displayed her full capabilities, fighting for more than a hundred moves.
That alone was a remarkable achievement.
The second bout commenced.
It was a contest between Namgung Cheongsang and Namgung Sanghyeok, the third squad leader of the three Sword Units.
From the outset, Namgung Sanghyeok pressed Namgung Cheongsang hard.
The successive waves of Sword Wind generated by Namgung Sanghyeok’s blade were relentless.
Evading the ceaseless barrage of Sword Wind proved no simple matter.
Yet in Namgung Cheongsang’s eyes, space revealed itself.
Compared to Namgung Geom’s Sword Wind, Namgung Sanghyeok’s possessed many gaps.
Namgung Cheongsang seized upon those openings.
A commanding Sword Momentum erupted from his blade, driving through the gaps in the Sword Wind.
The successive waves of Sword Wind shattered under the force of his momentum.
Namgung Sanghyeok, startled, unleashed another cascade of Sword Wind.
But again, Namgung Cheongsang carved through the space, shattering the sequence.
Namgung Sanghyeok’s attacks repeatedly collapsed before they could fully unfold.
Slowly, Namgung Cheongsang’s blade took command of the space, pressing closer.
Namgung Sanghyeok found himself driven back by the overwhelming momentum of Namgung Cheongsang’s blade.
Namgung Cheongsang’s Changgung Sword Technique had reached a considerable stage of cultivation.
The Changgung Sword Technique prizes Sword Intent over mere form.
This made it more difficult to master than other sword techniques.
Yet once one awakened to Sword Intent, it could unleash far greater power than other methods.
In terms of cultivation stage alone, Namgung Sanghyeok held the advantage over Namgung Cheongsang.
But Namgung Cheongsang wielded the true power of his technique, overwhelming his opponent.
The special training with Namgung Geom had played a significant role.
Through that training, Namgung Cheongsang had come to grasp the essence of the Tianfeng Sword Technique’s forms.
Once Namgung Cheongsang seized the advantage, he pressed forward without mercy.
At last, trapped within the momentum of Namgung Cheongsang’s blade, Namgung Sanghyeok conceded defeat.
Everyone was astonished at Namgung Cheongsang’s victory.
The unit masters and captains of the Three Great Sword Units stiffened at this unexpected loss.
But this bout was merely an aberration.
They remained confident in the three Sword Units’ triumph.
Then came the third match.
Namgung Chulwoong’s opponent was Namgung Seokhyeon, the second squad leader of the three Sword Units.
From the start, Namgung Chulwoong moved with aggressive intensity.
His Great Sword, infused with monstrous strength, tore through space as it drove toward Namgung Seokhyeon.
The sheer velocity of lightning and the destructive force contained in Namgung Chulwoong’s strikes were not to be taken lightly, even by a Peak Master.
Feeling the power embedded in Namgung Chulwoong’s blade, Namgung Seokhyeon avoided a direct collision.
He wove together the Infinite Steps and the Tianfeng Divine Method to evade Namgung Chulwoong’s assault.
Namgung Chulwoong’s attack was so swift it seemed impossible for a Great Sword to move that fast.
Yet his movements were far too broad.
Namgung Seokhyeon anticipated Namgung Chulwoong’s motions and sidestepped them before they could land.
No matter how powerful an attack might be, it served no purpose if it never touched its target.
Moreover, Namgung Chulwoong’s swordwork, for all its devastating force, exhausted him quickly.
Desperation crept into Namgung Chulwoong’s movements, and with each heartbeat his forms grew larger still.
As Namgung Seokhyeon parried without haste, his eyes suddenly gleamed with purpose.
The wider the motions grew, the wider the gaps—and Namgung Seokhyeon seized upon them without hesitation.
His blade lanced through Namgung Chulwoong’s opening, unleashing a torrent of Sword Wind.
Namgung Chulwoong wrenched his Great Sword into a desperate defense.
Crash-boom!
He barely turned aside the Sword Wind, but already Namgung Seokhyeon had slipped to his flank, summoning another gale.
Bang!
Caught in the Sword Wind, Namgung Chulwoong skidded backward across the ground.
Namgung Seokhyeon bore down upon him, releasing a volley of successive Sword Winds.
Namgung Chulwoong fended them off in a blur of steel and desperation.
But he could not contain the full cascade—a strike slipped through and caught him square in the chest.
His massive frame was hurled backward, and he rolled across the training ground.
Fortunately, Namgung Seokhyeon withdrew his blade at the last moment, sparing him grievous injury.
Yet there was no escaping defeat.
Namgung Chulwoong lowered his head as he rose to his feet.
“I’m sorry.”
Namgung Geom shook his head.
“It’s fine. We just need to win the remaining two matches.”
The outcome was already decided.
Blaming Namgung Chulwoong would not change it.
He had given everything he had.
There was no shame in losing when your strength simply fell short.
“Will Namgung Chang be able to win?”
Namgung Geom had no doubts about his own victory.
But Namgung Chang troubled him.
Namgung Chang’s opponent was the First Commander.
He was far stronger than the Second Commander that Namgung Chulwoong had faced.
Namgung Chulwoong could not be certain that Namgung Chang had what it took to defeat the First Commander.
“We have to trust in the results of the special training.”
Namgung Geom spoke with serene confidence.
And then came the fourth match.
Namgung Chang ascended the martial platform.
He gazed toward the stone dais where his father, Namgung Byeok, sat watching.
Namgung Byeok had summoned Namgung Chang privately the day before.
He had made clear that the establishment of a new Sword Unit could not be permitted.
Though he had not spoken plainly, the meaning was unmistakable: do not win this match.
For the sake of his father, Namgung Chang would have to prevent Namgung Geom from obtaining a Sword Unit.
But as a martial artist, Namgung Chang wanted always to face himself with pride.
To lose through insufficient strength was unavoidable.
Yet to lose deliberately for another’s sake was to forsake the warrior’s honor.
No matter that it was for his father, it changed nothing.
Namgung Chang’s expression hardened with resolve.
‘Not for anyone else—I fight for myself.’
Namgung Bing-yong
Author |
Baek Wol Geom
Publisher |
(주) Samyang C&C
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
Published by |
(주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books
Address |
7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsaro114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260511103
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
Samyang C&C — The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without written permission from Dream Books.

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