Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 7

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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 7
Namgung Chang despised Namgung Geom.
He resented that Namgung Geom received preferential treatment simply for being the eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan.
When he learned that Namgung Geom could not master martial arts because of the Guyang Jeolmaek, he was overjoyed beyond measure.
He believed Namgung Geom would never again be treated as the favored heir.
But then Namgung Geom suddenly corrected the Guyang Jeolmaek and announced he would apply for admission to Changyong-gak.
Namgung Chang was certain that Namgung Geom would fail the First Round Test at Changyong-gak.
Even if he had corrected the Guyang Jeolmaek, how much martial skill could he have mastered in a single month?
But it was not so.
Namgung Geom claimed the top rank by a crushing margin.
It was only natural that the clan’s attention turned toward him.
That attention rightfully belonged to Namgung Chang.
Namgung Chang was seething with resentment at having his share of recognition stolen away.
He hoped to face Namgung Geom in the Second Round Test—the Martial Combat.
He wanted to defeat Namgung Geom and show everyone that he was the superior one.
And the matchup came to pass as he desired.
In the first round, no less.
Namgung Chang smiled with grim satisfaction.
“Cousin, I’m sorry, but a match is a match—I won’t go easy on you.”
Namgung Geom let out a soft laugh.
“Then I won’t go easy on you either.”
At those words, Namgung Chang’s brow twitched.
“So you’re getting arrogant just because you placed first in the First Round Test.”
“Not just first—overwhelmingly first.”
Namgung Chang’s expression darkened.
“I’m curious whether your other martial arts are as impressive as that Divine Technique.”
“Don’t worry. I’m good enough to defeat you.”
“We’ll see how long you can keep spouting such arrogance.”
Namgung Chang’s eyes blazed as he spoke, then he hurled himself forward, extending his Wooden Sword toward Namgung Geom.
Namgung Chang’s Wooden Sword drove swift and sharp toward Namgung Geom’s shoulder.
Cheonpung Unsansan.
The first stance of the Cheonpung Sword Technique—unleashing sharp Sword Wind to pierce the opponent.
From Namgung Chang’s Wooden Sword, rapid and keen Sword Wind extended forth.
Namgung Geom parried with the Cheonpung Bingbaek Sword.
Cheonpung Hoeryuu.
A Sword Wind that whirls along the blade’s path, a defensive stance against the opponent’s attack.
Namgung Geom’s Wooden Sword moved in a circle, unleashing a Sword Wind of frost-cold.
Namgung Chang’s eyes widened at the sight.
‘The Bing-gong!’
He had suspected Cold Qi was woven through the Cheonpung of the Divine Technique, but seeing the Sword Wind of frost-cold, he was certain.
Namgung Geom had mastered the Bing-gong without question.
And at a considerable level at that.
Namgung Geom’s Wooden Sword, bearing the Sword Wind of frost-cold, rotated powerfully and drove into Namgung Chang’s Wooden Sword.
Crack!
Namgung Chang’s Sword Wind split in two and shattered.
At the same instant, Cold Qi flowed through Namgung Chang’s Wooden Sword into his body.
“Gasp!”
Namgung Chang was startled by the Cold Qi burrowing into his interior and urgently channeled his Inner Power.
Whoosh!
The Cold Qi lodged in his meridians was scattered by the force of his Inner Power.
But before he could catch his breath, Namgung Geom’s Wooden Sword drove in again.
Namgung Geom’s Wooden Sword unleashed frost-cold Sword Wind on both sides.
Namgung Chang spun his body and parried the Sword Wind coming at him from both directions almost simultaneously.
But his Sword Wind could not overcome the frost-cold Sword Wind.
Shatter!
His Sword Wind split and crumbled, while the frost-cold Sword Wind struck his Wooden Sword.
Cold Qi burrowed into his interior once more.
“Groan.”
Namgung Chang stifled a cry as he felt his meridians beginning to freeze, channeling his Inner Power to resist.
Having barely driven out the Cold Qi, Namgung Chang clenched his teeth.
The meridians swept by the cold qi tingled as if frostbitten.
After only two exchanges, if he suffered the cold qi’s damage any further, internal injury would be unavoidable.
The longer the offense and defense continued, the worse his position became.
Namgung Chang decided to stake everything on a single, all-out strike.
Crack!
As he drew his inner power to its limit, a fierce wind swept across his entire body.
The wind that rose like a tidal wave converged upon his wooden sword.
And his wooden sword extended forward.
From his wooden sword, a wild wind rushed forth and pierced toward Namgung Geom.
The Cheonpung Gwangnang.
A succession of sword winds pouring down like raging waves.
It was one of the most destructive techniques in the Cheonpung Sword Technique.
‘Not bad at all.’
Namgung Geom watched the Cheonpung Gwangnang that Namgung Chang had unleashed and inwardly admired it.
Both his inner power and technique were flawless.
For his age, it was considerable progress.
‘With this much skill, it would be a shame to let him go.’
Namgung Geom decided he would make Namgung Chang his own man.
The fact that he was the son of Uncle Namgung Byuk, his second uncle, gave him pause, but he couldn’t let this much talent slip away.
‘First, I’ll break his spirit.’
The Namgung Chang that Namgung Geom saw was a man of strong pride.
To win him over, it was necessary to shatter that pride first.
What mattered was overwhelming skill—forcing him to submit with no other choice.
A flash of blue light gleamed in Namgung Geom’s eyes.
And his wooden sword moved.
The Cheonpung Gwangnang.
The exact same technique that Namgung Chang had deployed unfolded before him.
‘Impossible!’
Namgung Chang’s eyes widened as he watched Namgung Geom deliberately display the identical technique.
The Cheonpung Gwangnang was an advanced technique of the Cheonpung Sword Technique.
It was not some trivial technique that could be mastered with merely a month of training.
Namgung Chang had acquired the Cheonpung Gwangnang only after long effort.
Yet to see Namgung Geom unleashing the Cheonpung Gwangnang was simply unbelievable.
Moreover, the sword wind of Namgung Geom’s Cheonpung Gwangnang carried such cold qi that it seemed to freeze his entire body.
Namgung Chang clenched his teeth and drove his wooden sword toward the frost-cold sword wind.
Crack!
Burst!
The sword wind pouring from his wooden sword froze upon the frost-cold sword wind and shattered.
‘Shattered so easily!’
As his own sword wind disintegrated helplessly, Namgung Chang’s eyes opened wide enough to tear.
The next moment, Namgung Geom’s wooden sword came down upon Namgung Chang’s wooden sword.
Boom!
With tremendous impact, the frost-cold sword wind engulfed him.
“Ugh!”
Namgung Chang was sent flying and tumbled across the ground.
He tried to push himself up, but his entire body felt frozen—he couldn’t move.
In that moment, Namgung Geom approached and lowered his wooden sword to Namgung Chang’s throat.
The martial combat was over.
If this had been a real fight, Namgung Chang’s throat would already have been cut.
It was a complete defeat for Namgung Chang.
“Namgung Geom wins.”
The proctor overseeing the martial combat immediately declared Namgung Geom’s victory.
The masters of the Three Great Sword Pavilions who were observing all bore expressions of astonishment.
“Remarkable. To so thoroughly defeat the Second Heir—I can scarcely believe it even having witnessed it.”
“I heard the Crown Prince had only been training in martial arts for a month, but I had no idea he’d already mastered the Cheonpung Gwangnang.”
“Yet there’s something puzzling about the cold qi imbued in the Crown Prince’s Cheonpung Sword Technique.”
Namgung Hyuk, the master of the Seomjeon Sword Pavilion, spoke with suspicion.
“I suspect the Crown Prince has blended the Ice Technique into his Cheonpung Sword Technique. What manner of Ice Technique it is, I cannot say.”
“I suspect the Crown Prince’s correction of the Guyang Jeolmaek is also connected to this Ice Technique.”
“The crucial question is the source of this Ice Technique. If the Crown Prince has somehow learned such an Ice Technique from a place outside the proper path……”
“The Crown Prince is the eldest grandson of the main house. The Master of Seomjeon Sword Pavilion should refrain from speculation.”
Namgung Baek, Master of Changyong-gak, spoke in a severe voice.
“I spoke only out of concern for the Crown Prince. I trust there is no misunderstanding.”
Namgung Hyuk made no move to oppose Namgung Baek directly.
The matter of Namgung Geom’s Ice Technique could be addressed later.
Namgung Baek sent a warning glance as if to say he should exercise restraint going forward, then turned his gaze back to Namgung Geom on the arena.
A faint smile played at his lips.
‘Mixing cold qi into the Cheonpung Technique—I’m curious to see what else the Crown Prince will reveal.’
Meanwhile, once Namgung Geom’s victory was assured, he set down his wooden sword and grinned widely at Namgung Chang.
“I won.”
Namgung Chang trembled with rage and humiliation.
Then he recalled the cold qi woven through Namgung Geom’s Cheonpung Hoeryuu.
“What was that cold qi just now?”
“Why should I explain that to you?”
“If you don’t reveal the source of your Ice Technique, everyone will doubt your martial arts.”
“Changung embraces all things, so why would harboring coldness matter?”
Namgung Geom spoke without the slightest hesitation and descended from the arena.
Namgung Chang’s expression darkened at Namgung Geom’s confident response.
He had tried to pick a fight over the martial technique, but it had no effect whatsoever.
Moreover, the impact he had suffered moments before had caused an internal injury.
If he was careless, he could be eliminated in the Loser’s Round as well.
He might fail to gain admission to Changyong-gak entirely.
Now was not the time to question Namgung Geom’s martial arts.
He had to recover from the internal injury somehow before the Loser’s Round and gain admission to Changyong-gak.
Otherwise, he would fall out of favor with his father, Namgung Byuk.
Having won the First Round Test, Namgung Geom advanced smoothly to victory in the Second Round Test as well.
With his entrance into the Round of 16, Namgung Geom’s admission to Changyong-gak was now assured.
In the subsequent Round of 16 and Quarter-Finals matches, Namgung Geom claimed victory with ease.
His opponents were not without skill.
They were among the upper ranks among their generation.
It was simply that Namgung Geom was far too strong.
All those who fell to Namgung Geom, save Namgung Chang, accepted the results.
His strength was so overwhelming that they could not help but acknowledge it.
And so the Semi-Finals matchups were finalized.
Namgung Geom’s opponent would be Namgung Cheonsan.
The other Semi-Final pairing was between Namgung Cheolung and Namgung Seol.
Namgung Seol was a hidden talent, having placed fifth in the preliminary rankings.
The Semi-Finals took place in the afternoon.
Namgung Geom thought his uncles might come to observe.
But they did not appear.
‘They probably don’t want to draw attention to my existence.’
It was rare for the masters of the Three Great Sword Pavilions to observe Changyong-gak’s admission tests.
If they suddenly did so, it could appear that they were wary of Namgung Geom.
That would only increase his visibility.
The masters of the Three Great Sword Pavilions likely had no desire to create such a situation.
In any case, even if they did not observe directly, the masters of the Three Great Sword Pavilions would confirm Namgung Geom’s martial arts on their behalf.
Namgung Geom put thoughts of his uncles aside and ascended the arena.
The first Semi-Finals match was the confrontation between Namgung Geom and Namgung Cheonsan.
Namgung Geom regarded Namgung Cheonsan across from him.
The eldest grandson of the Grand Elder and one of the most promising prospects within the Namgung Clan.
An aura approaching First Class.
An aura that did not lag behind even Namgung Chang’s.
Had Namgung Geom not existed, Namgung Cheonsan would have had every reason to compete for Top Admission to Changyong-gak.
“You’d better give it your all from the start.”
At Namgung Geom’s words, Namgung Cheonsan nodded.
“I was planning on it anyway.”
Namgung Cheonsan had already acknowledged that Namgung Geom stood above him.
So he had to go all out from the beginning.
“Then let’s begin.”
With Namgung Geom’s words, Namgung Cheonsan burst forward and launched the first strike.
The sword shadow born from his blade threw Namgung Geom’s vision into chaos.
The Dae-yeon Sword Technique.
The foundational sword art of the Namgung Clan, celebrated for its infinitely mutable forms.
At its zenith, a single strike could contain forty-nine distinct variations.
Naturally, Namgung Cheonsan had not yet reached such a height.
Yet his blade carried transformations aplenty.
‘Twenty-four variations woven into a single strike—impressive indeed.’
Namgung Geom read the transformations layered within Namgung Cheonsan’s swordplay and marveled at them.
For his age, it was an extraordinary level.
Had he faced any other opponent, they would have faltered before the complexity of Namgung Cheonsan’s blade.
But Namgung Geom was not such an opponent.
Having pierced through the transformations in Namgung Cheonsan’s strikes in an instant, Namgung Geom extended his sword with casual ease.
His blade struck precisely at the vital point of the transformation.
Simultaneously, the Sword Wind born of Cold Qi from his blade shattered that very transformation in a heartbeat.
“……!!”
Namgung Cheonsan’s eyes widened.
He hastily withdrew his blade and retreated, evading the Sword Wind of Cold Qi.
Then, treading the Muhanbou, he drove toward Namgung Geom’s flank.
Once more his sword bloomed with transformation, thrusting toward Namgung Geom.
Yet again, Namgung Geom’s blade found the vital point of the transformation with perfect precision.
The transformation Namgung Cheonsan had unleashed was shattered in an instant by the Sword Wind of Cold Qi.
Namgung Cheonsan knew well that defeating Namgung Geom was unlikely.
But he had not imagined that Namgung Geom would dismantle his swordplay so effortlessly.
It was not merely the power of the Cold Qi Sword Wind.
Namgung Geom read the transformations woven into his blade with precision and broke their very current.
Such a thing was impossible without mastery of the Dae-yeon Sword Technique’s transformations.
What truly struck him was that Namgung Geom was not fighting at full strength.
‘Just how powerful is he?’
Namgung Cheonsan marveled at Namgung Geom’s skill.
Yet he could not simply yield just because his opponent was stronger.
He threw his full strength into his assault on Namgung Geom.
Literally pouring everything he had into the attack.
But none of his strikes landed.
At last, Namgung Cheonsan lowered his blade and accepted his defeat.
“I have lost.”
Recognizing that he could not prevail despite exhausting all he possessed, he yielded with genuine conviction.
Namgung Geom smiled and spoke.
“Do not despair over losing to me. Your sword is plenty brilliant.”
Namgung Cheonsan let out a bitter laugh.
“But brilliant alone is not enough.”
“You already know that. If you wish to stand at my side, you’ll have to grow far stronger than you are now.”
“Who said anything about standing at your side?”
Namgung Cheonsan looked at him as if he had heard something absurd.
Namgung Geom shrugged and replied.
“Think it over carefully. It might turn out to be the best decision of your life.”
Namgung Bingryong
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Baek Wol-geom
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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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