Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 111

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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 111
Despite the large number of participants and spectators, the martial arts tournament proceeded smoothly without major incident. This was because the Moyong Sega had thoughtfully arranged temporary martial arts arenas and viewing stands for the spectators.
The participants, divided into sixteen groups, began their preliminary matches on their assigned arenas, determining who would advance to the main rounds.
“Now that I think about it, why didn’t you participate in the martial arts tournament, Young Master Dokgo Ak? Are you not interested in such things?”
Geum Seok-du, who had just achieved an impressive three consecutive victories, asked Dokgo Ak with a face still flushed with excitement.
Dokgo Ak answered with his characteristic arrogant expression, crossing his arms.
“What’s the point in participating in a child’s game like this martial arts tournament? Besides, how could the Dragon Blood of all people become a spectacle before others?”
“Ah… can you really say such things?”
“Hm?”
“Then that means Young Master Dokgo Myeong participated in that child’s game, didn’t he?”
“…!”
“If he hears about this…”
“D-don’t mention it to that bastard.”
Geum Seok-du chuckled as he watched Dokgo Ak stammer in apparent panic.
“Now that I think about it, could it be that you avoided participating because you might face Young Master Dokgo Myeong?”
“…”
“I was just joking…”
“…”
A brief silence fell between them.
Soon, Dokgo Ak shuddered and spoke.
“What’s… wrong with that?”
“…”
“You want me to participate in a martial arts tournament where I might face that bastard? In front of all these people? Are you asking me to commit social suicide?”
“Eh? Eh?”
“Even if I lose and get eliminated before meeting Dokgo Myeong, it’s still a problem. He’ll mock and torment me until the day I die. Won’t he?”
“Ah, ah, ah. Please calm down, calm down.”
“Huff, huff…”
“And surely the Young Master wouldn’t do such a thing?”
“You still don’t know him well.”
“Eh?”
As Dokgo Ak gestured with his chin toward the front, Geum Seok-du’s gaze also turned in that direction.
“Let’s see if such talk continues even after the match ends. I should pray for his opponent’s well-being. That bastard’s laughing face will haunt my dreams for months to come…”
Dokgo Myeong could be seen casually ascending the martial arts arena ahead.
* * *
From the moment Dokgo Myeong witnessed Moyong Lim’s swordsmanship, his mood had not been good.
Perhaps that was why.
The young man facing Dokgo Myeong, whose expression had grown rigid, could only swallow dryly.
“Dokgo Myeong! It’s an honor to meet you. I am Jang Han-chung from the Jeong Sect of Hubei.”
“…”
Dokgo Myeong looked Jang Han-chung up and down.
Look at that youthful earnestness.
Dokgo Myeong, who had been rigid, finally let out a weary laugh.
‘Yes, what crime has this fellow committed?’
Part of me wants to finish this quickly, but….
Dokgo Myeong shook his head and opened his mouth.
“You know of me, it seems?”
“Your reputation as a hero has spread even to Hubei!”
“Ah, such talk of reputation.”
“Might you have heard of my name as well? I am known in my region as the Iron Ridge Blade….”
“Well… I’ve never heard of it.”
“Ah, that’s… understandable.”
Watching Jang Han-chung’s visibly deflated spirits, Dokgo Myeong grinned widely.
After dealing with insufferable fools lately, seeing the pure innocence of someone his own age stirred something peculiar within him.
“Now that we’ve exchanged names, shall we begin?”
“Gladly!”
Clang!
Jang Han-chung bowed respectfully and drew his blade.
“I hope you won’t let your guard down! My blade knows no mercy!”
“Ha, what a splendid line. My blade knows no mercy! I’ll have to use that myself sometime.”
“….”
“Why do you look like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing at all.”
Jang Han-chung drew in a sharp breath and took his stance.
“Though I know you are formidable, please remain vigilant. The Asura Heavenly Blade of our sect is no trivial technique!”
“Asura Heavenly… what? Wait, isn’t that a name the Baekdo sect forbids using….”
“Silence! Hyaaah!”
Jang Han-chung stomped the ground.
His inner force extended straight, barely clinging to the blade’s edge.
“Asura Absolute Sea!”
Whoosh!
A textbook thrust came streaking forward.
Dokgo Myeong sidestepped with merely a slight pivot of his feet and assessed briefly.
‘He has talent, but he’s not ready to use it yet.’
His swordwork showed considerable effort and pain. Once he broke through, he would likely become a skilled warrior.
‘Though even so, he’s still just one move away from defeat.’
Still, one mustn’t let such thoughts show.
After all, wasn’t he a man of character far removed from ruffians like Dokgo Ak or Moyong Lim?
‘Yes, there should be something to gain from this match. I should offer some guidance.’
Dokgo Myeong evaded the Asura Heavenly Blade technique with his hands clasped behind his back and spoke.
“Lower your shoulders by half. Don’t aim there—aim for the arm instead.”
“Hck…?”
“Here. No, not there—here! You’ve already exposed all your openings!”
“Huff! Gasp!”
“That’s it! Just like that! You’re doing quite well?”
As I offered my instruction, I could see astonishment bloom across Jang Han-chung’s face.
Dokgo Myeong nodded with satisfaction.
‘Ah, this is worth how much instruction.’
Such teaching was not something one could learn anywhere, even with money.
Of course, that was Dokgo Myeong’s thought.
‘Damn, damn bastard…! Mocking a person like this!’
Dokgo Myeong moved as smoothly as if the Martial Arts Arena were a sheet of ice, evading and countering attacks.
Jang Han-chung, drenched in sweat, swung his blade desperately at such a Dokgo Myeong.
The gazes of the watching Followers gradually shifted from astonishment to bewilderment.
“What in the world is that….”
“…It’s pathetic.”
“The bloodline of the Dokgo Clan runs true wherever it goes. How can he toy with his opponent like that?”
How much time had passed like this.
Finally, Jang Han-chung’s movements ceased.
He looked at Dokgo Myeong with resentful eyes.
“Huff, gasp! Ugh….”
“What, you’re already exhausted from that?”
“Just end this….”
“But you should at least block once so you can tell people elsewhere that you’ve crossed hands with me, shouldn’t you?”
“What, what….”
“Block just one strike. I’ll even show you where to aim so you don’t get hurt.”
Jang Han-chung’s face contorted.
‘Block what! Just end this!’
He wanted to cry out thus, but before he could even open his mouth, Dokgo Myeong took his stance.
Whoooosh!
“…!”
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong’s body seemed to expand several times over.
Of course, he hadn’t actually grown larger. When Dokgo Myeong revealed the inner energy he had been concealing, his very presence suddenly swelled in magnitude.
‘This, this was the extent of it?’
Jang Han-chung swallowed hard.
He felt like a pebble before Mount Tai.
He had heard tales of the Peak Realm, but he had thought he could at least reach some measure of it.
But to be this vast?
To be this powerful?
To have spoken such nonsense as telling such a being to be careful. He wished to hide in a mouse hole.
Jang Han-chung’s chin trembled slightly.
At that moment, Dokgo Myeong spoke softly.
“Come on then. Focus.”
“…!”
Jang Han-chung flinched in alarm and raised his blade.
Perhaps it was the intensity of his tension.
Every sight in the world seemed to slow.
The heavy resonance of striking earth, the distance closing in an instant, even the punch that erupted forth like a spring.
Jang Han-chung’s eyes widened.
‘He’s aiming for my solar plexus!’
By some mysterious intuition, I knew he was targeting that vital point.
Jang Han-chung gathered every ounce of inner force he possessed into the tip of his blade.
“Krrrraaaaaah!”
It was the totality of heart and strength.
Never in his life had he unleashed a sword strike with such concentration—a blade technique that unfolded from his hands with devastating precision.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
A violent gale swept across the Martial Arts Arena.
“Gaaahhh!”
Jang Han-chung was hurled ignominiously beyond the arena’s edge with a wretched scream.
The spectators around him widened their eyes in shock.
‘Wow, he could’ve died from that.’
‘If he survived that hit, is he even human?’
‘To toy with him and then strike to kill! How could he be so cruel….’
Yet contrary to everyone’s expectations, Jang Han-chung sprang to his feet the moment he hit the ground.
“Huff!”
Jang Han-chung rose with a gasp, felt across his body with trembling hands, and muttered in a daze.
“I, I’m alive…?”
“Ha, there’s no way you’d die from that. I controlled my strength the whole time.”
“…?”
Jang Han-chung regained his senses and looked up.
Dokgo Myeong, crouched at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, wore a mysterious smile.
“Though I thought you’d at least lose consciousness.”
“Well, that….”
“What do you think of the Main Sect?”
“Pardon?”
“If you’re interested in working under me, come to the Main Sect anytime. Just give my name at the gate.”
With those words, Dokgo Myeong rose from his position.
The Judge called out belatedly.
“V, Victory! Dokgo Myeong of Honam!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
All those watching the martial contest erupted in cheers.
Meanwhile, at the base of the Martial Arts Arena, Geum Seok-du and Dokgo Ak watched with expressions of utter exasperation.
“…Why does he descend with such a satisfied look after tormenting them like that?”
“Right, now do you see? That insufferable bastard is exactly like that—always finishing things off solo and acting like he’s accomplished everything.”
Among the vast crowd, only Geum Seok-du and Dokgo Ak shared an indescribable sentiment, shaking their heads in unison.
* * *
“You have made that incomplete sword technique entirely your own. Your effort is dazzling.”
“….”
“To win in merely one second. Truly impressive, Rim-a.”
“…Yes, Uncle.”
Moyong Lim responded half-heartedly to his uncle’s words while staring intently at something distant.
-Waaaaaah!
-As expected! The Coiling Dragon!
-Didn’t they say he was a sleeping dragon in the Overwhelming King Divine Cooperation!
There, Dokgo Myeong descended from the Martial Arts Arena amid thunderous cheers.
Crackle!
Lightning-like brilliance flashed across Moyong Lim’s eyes.
It was the power of the Windstorm Celestial Divine Technique, which he had concentrated in his eyes to analyze Dokgo Myeong’s martial prowess.
‘An extreme charging movement technique, footwork specialized in evasion and penetration. I’ve seen enough.’
However, there was one thing he could not see.
‘When did he extend his fist?’
The charge, the moment of contact, the strike—I saw it all.
Yet that single instant when the fist extended eluded my perception.
‘Not even from the front… I was watching from such a distance, yet my eyes couldn’t follow it?’
No, that couldn’t be right.
Perhaps the distance was the reason, or perhaps my perception was scattered because countless people were constantly engaging in combat all around.
‘It must be an illusion.’
Moyong Lim turned his head.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
Yet one cannot deceive oneself, no matter how one deceives all else. Moyong Lim’s heart raced rapidly.
“…Rim-a. Moyong Lim.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“What troubles you?”
“It is nothing.”
“…Hmm.”
Moyong Baek furrowed his brow and continued.
“Within a day or two, all the finalists will be determined. Observe them carefully.”
“I shall do so.”
“That aside….”
Moyong Baek gazed toward a particular spot, his eyes narrowing.
“Do you see that young man over there—the one with the slight build and slender frame?”
“Are you referring to that third martial arts arena?”
“Yes, that young man who blends the Six Harmonies Palm with the Three Calamities Sword Technique.”
Moyong Lim immediately took in the person Moryong Baek had mentioned.
Pallid white skin, eyes carrying a cynical glint, wielding sword strikes with almost tedious precision.
It was none other than Namso.
“Is there something wrong with that fellow?”
“Do you know who he is?”
“I don’t.”
“Is that so?”
Moryong Baek regarded Namso with an enigmatic gaze.
“Why do you ask?”
“That young man keeps casting glances toward our direction.”
“Surely he’s not the only one doing so?”
“That’s true, but…”
Boom!
The sharp sound of Namso’s strike and the tremor of his inner force registered clearly in Moryong Baek’s perception.
“That young man is different from the others—he’s concealing his true strength. He harbors a rather peculiar qi cultivation.”
Moryong Baek stroked his beard, his expression growing mysterious.
“Moreover, I keep feeling as though I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“An acquaintance, perhaps?”
“It’s possible. In any case, be cautious. His gaze is far from ordinary.”
That was when it happened.
Crash!
-The victor is Namso of the Namjik Clan!
Namso had just defeated his opponent and was performing the proper salute.
As Namso descended from the martial arts arena, he seemed to sense a gaze and turned his head.
“….”
In the empty space between them, the gazes of Moyong Lim and Namso became entangled.
Namso met the stare unflinchingly, then abruptly turned his head away and left the arena.
Moyong Lim’s eyebrows twitched.
“…There are far too many arrogant fools in this world.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing at all.”
Moyong Lim examined the tournament bracket.
The name he had just heard appeared on the rapidly filling bracket for the main tournament.
“Fortunately, if that fellow advances without being eliminated, we’ll face each other immediately.”
“Oho. So if he makes it to the main tournament, you’ll be his first opponent?”
“Fortunately so. It’s best to settle uncomfortable matters right away.”
Moyong Lim’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
* * *
Geum Seok-du’s extraordinary winning streak shattered like glass just before the main tournament began.
“Damn it, all you needed was one more victory and you couldn’t even manage that?”
“Do you know what? I have no regrets whatsoever, and I’m quite satisfied. That roar of cheers from the crowd—it alone is enough to sustain me for a lifetime without needing a single drink.”
“Cheers? Nonsense. Everyone burst out laughing because you were gasping and fleeing across the Martial Arts Arena like a madman.”
Still, Geum Seok-du had acquitted himself reasonably well.
The problem, if one could call it that, was that he fought by wildly deploying his lightness technique to strike his opponent’s back of the head with his palm strikes, or creating variables through headbutts.
“In any case, we’ve finally reached the main tournament. Aren’t you nervous?”
“How could I be?”
“True, I should have asked that question to those who will face the young master instead.”
Soon the names of the sixteen who had advanced to the main tournament were called out in order.
With that announcement signaling the start of the main tournament, more spectators gathered, and the area near the Martial Arts Arena grew crowded and bustling.
“It’s finally beginning.”
The first match of the main tournament.
Two people finally faced each other.
“From Zhejiang, the Thunderbolt Sword, Moyong Lim!”
“From Namjik Province, Namso!”
“Exchange courtesies with one another, then begin your match!”

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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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