Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 319

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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 319
“Why ask such a thing?”
“You know why.”
….
“A master of qi-sensing can hardly feign ignorance before the greatest martial artist under heaven.”
Hiding my qi-sensing from Dokgo Myeong was as difficult as concealing gambling techniques before Geum Seok-du.
“If I continue like this, I’ll only drag down the people around me.”
Namgung Sohwa began speaking in a subdued voice. She laid out her thoughts from training, then methodically recounted everything she’d heard from Dokgo Ak and Cheolmu-baek, her tone clinical and measured.
“The Captain told me there would always be some possibility, no matter who I fought. But now I fear I might become a burden not just to Muyong Tae, but even to my fellow managers.”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst into laughter. Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened.
“I thought I was being serious just now?”
“You were being serious when you were wailing at the moon in the middle of the night?”
….
Namgung Sohwa, her ears flushed crimson, remained silent before finally composing herself and speaking.
“Captain Dokgo Myeong.”
“Hmm?”
“You look good when you smile.”
An eerie silence descended.
A chill ran through me.
Every hair on my body stood on end. Dokgo Myeong immediately wiped away his smile, straightened his posture, and opened his mouth.
“I understand why Ak and Mu-baek said what they did.”
“Sir?”
“You’ve built a new structure and only need to hang the nameplate, yet you’re envying the old building standing beside it.”
“Is it that time will resolve it? Or are you saying it’s already too late to change?”
“There’s no need to change it.”
…?
Dokgo Myeong continued with a slight smile.
“I understand your concern. Perhaps my existence has had a negative influence on you.”
“That’s not it. Why would you say such a thing?”
“Of course the positive influence outweighs it, but I can’t deny the negative effects either.”
….
“Mu-baek finds value in climbing the mountain itself, no matter how difficult. Ye-hwa and Seok-du are the types who would find another path around it. As for Ak, well… he’d probably say mountains aren’t meant to be climbed in the first place.”
“Are you calling yourself a mountain that’s difficult to overcome?”
“Isn’t that true?”
Dokgo Myeong was someone who, by anyone’s measure, existed in a category of his own.
But how could the human heart work that way? It might not have been jealousy, but rather a vague sense of pressure.
“Then what am I?”
“You’re someone who keeps your head held high with the goal of reaching the very peak.”
“…So you’re just calling me reckless and stubborn?”
Namgung Sohwa grumbled.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
“So Ak-i said why he completed everything already?”
“Yes.”
“And Mu-baek said he only has fighting left to do, that he envies you?”
“That’s right.”
“Let me ask you one thing. If Muyong Tae were standing before you right now, what would you do?”
“I’d have to fight.”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Could you win?”
“If I faced him with the resolve to perish together, couldn’t I at least take one of his arms?”
“The way you answer reveals your stance isn’t right.”
Namgung Sohwa’s brow furrowed slightly.
Dokgo Myeong continued.
“Those two probably didn’t spell it out because they wanted you to realize it yourself. Only then can you obtain something truly complete.”
“….”
“I won’t give you the answer either for that same reason. Offering guidance at this stage would only be unnecessary meddling.”
“But….”
“Instead, I’ll do something else. Get up.”
“Pardon?”
“In situations like this, a good sparring match isn’t a bad idea.”
Namgung Sohwa hesitated for a moment, then shook her head weakly.
“I’m not in the mood for that right now.”
“What’s this? When have I ever refused something you didn’t want to do?”
“Ah….”
That’s right.
That’s Dokgo Myeong for you.
Namgung Sohwa rose with a sigh.
Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“This is rather unfamiliar.”
“Sir?”
“Our clan leader looked straight ahead and shouted with conviction, yet why do you act so pathetically out of character?”
“…!”
“And since when did you become so interested in others’ accomplishments?”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened in shock.
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong was already bringing down his Hyeonchul Sword.
* * *
How many exchanges had they already had?
I found myself being pushed back relentlessly.
Clang! Clang clang!
‘This person is serious!’
Dokgo Myeong was truly merciless.
He had always been someone without mercy when it came to martial arts, but still—did he really need to test that overwhelming martial principle he’d just demonstrated on me?
Boom!
The moment Dokgo Myeong’s foot gently touched the ground, the entire area trembled.
The Changgung Vessel, already unstable, swayed like a candle before the wind.
‘He’s coming!’
The Hyeonchul Sword traced a black arc as it came crashing down.
Namgung Sohwa started in surprise and unfurled her Changgung Sword.
Clang!
The force was tremendous. My entire upper body twisted sharply to the side as I struggled not to lose the rebounding blade.
‘I shouldn’t be pushed back this helplessly at this level.’
Had I deteriorated this much?
Sword or not, there was no way I could face Dokgo Myeong with this mindset.
‘…I can’t face him?’
When had I started saying such things?
After my life was saved on that martial stage that day, I had sworn never to speak of weakness again.
Zing!
Of course, recalling my original resolve did nothing to steady the blade’s trembling.
Watching my face darken once more, Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Your right side. Wide open.”
“Gasp!”
I quickly blocked the side with my sword.
Boom!
For a moment my vision went dark, then returned.
There was no time to gather my senses. As my eyes opened, the Hyeonchul Sword was already descending diagonally toward my shoulder.
Crash! Screech!
The moment our blades met, I thought my wrist would twist.
I bit my lip hard.
‘Hwacheon Strike combined with Jecheon-gi…!’
Now there was no distinction in Dokgo Myeong’s martial arts. Even in attacks that rushed forward with the speed of Hwacheon Strike, the techniques of Jecheon-gi could be woven in.
Boom!
Then came a sound that shook the ground from below.
The moment the vibration touched my body, my inner force completely dissipated. There was no doubt. It was that bizarre footwork again.
Stagger!
I stumbled backward.
Dokgo Myeong would never miss such an obvious opening.
Crash!
A palm strike exploded against my shoulder.
I was sent flying with the impact, then crashed vertically to the ground.
“I can’t tell if you’re not concentrating or can’t concentrate. If this weren’t a controlled match with restrained power, you would have lost your arm from that strike.”
“I know too!”
“Know what? You’re doing it again.”
“Wait, just a moment!”
Whiiiiiing!
A strange cutting sound echoed through the air, as if a swarm of bees were beating their wings.
The Heavenly Wave Technique. And from it emerged an invincible sword form infused with that power.
Clang!
The blade bent as if it might snap, then rebounded.
This wasn’t a matter of her condition being poor or not. Even at full strength, how could she possibly block a strike of such magnitude?
‘Why am I only thinking of defense?’
A strange realization flickered through my mind, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Boom!
After giving way once, I was pushed back relentlessly.
Thud!
Unable to dissipate the sword force, I stumbled backward two steps.
Crack! Twist!
As my wrist was seized and my elbow bent slightly inward, my shoulder followed suit, and my entire upper body’s balance collapsed naturally.
Screech!
Though I hastily broke free, three streaks of sword light pierced toward my centerline.
“Ugh!”
I barely deflected them with the recreated Heavenly Palace Unhindered Sword, using a single stroke of Heavenly Palace Harmony. Namgung Sohwa retreated with her footwork, her mind racing.
‘Something’s wrong.’
How was I managing to block Dokgo Myeong’s strikes while trembling like this?
‘Could it be?’
Namgung Sohwa’s face twisted.
Boom!
With a strike delivered with all my strength, the Hyeonchul Sword was pushed back for the first time.
“If you were going to show such consideration, you should have quit!”
At the sharp tone in her voice, the fight momentarily ceased.
“Did you think I’d regain confidence if you adjusted your strength to match mine? It’s only humiliating!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
“Have you ever seen me hold back my strength?”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes wavered.
‘If he wasn’t holding back, then what was that?’
Whoosh!
Dokgo Myeong suddenly closed the distance without warning.
Caught off guard, Namgung Sohwa instinctively extended her blade.
Crash!
With a thunderous boom, the Hyeonchul Sword shot upward.
It would only be temporary. Dokgo Myeong brought the Hyeonchul Sword down like an axe with brute force.
Crash! Clang!
My blade clashed with Dokgo Myeong’s in mid-air.
My eyes gleamed with intensity.
‘How did I just do that?’
I had deflected his sword.
If he truly hadn’t held back his strength….
That meant I had just deflected a strike capable of felling four or five masters of the highest caliber with a single blow.
‘What did I just execute?’
It was the Changgung Unbound Sword.
Even when pressed back by an opponent like just now, a martial art that focused more intently on one’s own technique—wasn’t that precisely the Changgung Unbound Sword Method?
In that instant, I suddenly raised my hand and cried out.
“Wait!”
“…?”
“Just a moment! I think I’m starting to understand something, so please go easier!”
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head once before speaking.
“I don’t want to.”
“…No!”
“Who decides the terms of a duel?”
Ugh! That’s exactly like him!
Tap!
For the first time.
I pushed off the ground recklessly and launched my own attack.
Thud!
Dokgo Myeong blocked with his left arm instead of his sword, deploying the Silver Han Wall.
Soon I understood why he had deliberately blocked with his arm.
The moment my blade touched the Dragon Scale Cannon, my sword suddenly slid sideways like a reed caught in a water current.
A martial art that shook the meridians and pressure points of force, and it was Jecheon-gi.
‘That bizarre martial art is truly terrifying!’
This was no time to be dazed.
The terrifying aspect of Jecheon-gi was the suppression technique that followed after deflecting the attack.
“Ugh!”
I threw myself sideways without even looking.
Rip!
The sleeve of my martial robe was torn to shreds by Dokgo Myeong’s fingers.
Dokgo Myeong flicked away the scrap of fabric he held and spoke.
“Looks like your instincts are returning. But is this right?”
“What?”
“Does the Changgung Sword unfold so clumsily?”
“I have to dodge—what else can I do!”
“Flee?”
“…?”
Whoosh!
In an instant, Dokgo Myeong’s face appeared inches before me.
“Gasp!”
I hadn’t even sensed his approach.
The harmony of Gwangguk Unsang and Cheonra Yubo—his footwork had reached perfect unity.
Namgung Sohwa swiftly swung her blade.
Clang, clang, clang!
By now, I was being toyed with.
‘Yes, what does the captain’s level matter? If my sword advances properly, I can overcome any supreme martial art, no matter how profound.’
Namgung’s sword was also a divine martial technique—the highest art that even the Moyong Family coveted, that even Dokgo Cheon acknowledged.
‘How did I unfold the Changgung Sword? What is its essence?’
The Sword of the Center.
A martial art that finds oneself as the center of all existence.
‘But why do I keep being swayed by my opponent?’
Zing!
Even as I felt that, my sword’s tip still trembled.
Why did it tremble at all? Was it truly fear? If I was afraid, why did I speak of fighting Muyong Tae without hesitation?
‘Forget the Changgung Sword. What about the Mumeong Swordsmanship?’
A sword that makes any space it enters into its own center.
Center, and center again, center once more.
The Namgung clan’s sword always emphasized the center.
-You’ve already built it all.
I heard Dokgo Ak’s voice.
Yes, it was already complete.
-The fact that there are so many worthy opponents.
Cheolmu-baek spoke.
Right. When I saw the strong, I was delighted to make them my goal—when did I ever despair?
-Since when were you so interested in others’ achievements?
Dokgo Myeong’s words continued.
Yes, that was the problem.
Using a sword where the center is paramount, why did I keep focusing on others? The answer has always been within myself, hasn’t it?
Clang, clang, clang!
‘But this person! Shouldn’t you show some restraint at a time like this?’
Dokgo Myeong’s relentless sword felt cruel.
Yet thanks to it, I could focus solely on my blade. Though I was driven back and forced to retreat, Namgung Sohwa gritted her teeth and held her ground.
‘The trembling in my sword… it is indeed from fear.’
But that fear was not directed at Muyong Tae. It was fear of my own uncertain self.
Clang!
The sword extended in a perfectly straight line, drawing an elegant arc through the air.
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
Suddenly, Dokgo Myeong’s voice echoed as if from a distant place.
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes grew hazy.
‘That’s right—I already possess everything.’
Everyone had always said it.
Namgung Sohwa’s balance of essence, spirit, and body surpassed all others.
I had already achieved unity. I possessed martial techniques, I possessed true qi, I possessed body and spirit alike.
All that remained was to steady my center, keep my eyes wide open, and advance with the conviction to simply try.
‘I had merely lacked certainty.’
Certainty about what lay beyond this wall.
Certainty about myself.
‘Let me find my center.’
The world cannot be my center.
I am the center of this world.
That was the true essence of the Namgung Family’s martial arts of the Eternal Heaven Sword School.

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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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