Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 9

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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 9
The central Grand Martial Arts Arena, spacious enough to accommodate several hundred people, filled with a throng of spectators.
Though each spoke in hushed tones, the sheer number of voices created a cacophony that reverberated throughout the entire arena.
“A public martial exhibition between the direct bloodline of the main house? It’s been quite some time.”
“Indeed. The factional disputes have been quiet lately.”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Of course, Young Master Ak will triumph.”
“Still, the recent rumors about Young Master Myeong have been rather unusual…”
The servants of the Dokgo Clan chattered with keen interest about this rare confrontation between direct descendants.
Meanwhile, there was a man in the spectator section who regarded the gossiping servants with displeasure.
A man seated just below the viewing stands, directly in front of the martial arena.
It was Dokgo Jo-hak, the Patriarch of the Baek Ok Sect and father of Dokgo Ak.
“…Vulgar rabble. How dare they chatter so loudly at an event graced by the young lords.”
Dokgo Jo-hak muttered with irritation in his voice.
Though he himself had summoned these people to gather here, he couldn’t help but feel displeased.
Dokgo Jo-hak glanced subtly to his side and spoke.
“My son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Since this is your doing, I trust you’ll perform admirably.”
Dokgo Ak replied with an indifferent expression.
“Of course.”
“Humiliation once was quite enough. I’ve gone to the trouble of arranging this spectacle despite my displeasure, so there is absolutely no room for defeat.”
“Victory is inevitable.”
Dokgo Ak’s lips curled into a smirk.
“What tiger would concern itself with victory or defeat when fighting a cur?”
Dokgo Jo-hak finally smiled.
“Precisely. Victory is inevitable. What matters is how you achieve it.”
Dokgo Jo-hak’s eyes swept across the surroundings.
There was a reason he had deliberately orchestrated this event for the servants and direct bloodline to witness.
“This occasion is where you demonstrate your talents and worth to the servants and direct relatives. The Eight Forms of Iron Sword was merely the prelude. That fool Dokgo Myeong is simply…”
“A sacrificial pawn.”
After all, light shines brightest when darkness surrounds it, does it not?
The more pathetically Dokgo Myeong fell, the more brilliantly your ascension would appear.
Dokgo Jo-hak nodded with a satisfied smile.
“Exactly. That is precisely it.”
“Rest assured. That dull-witted fool barely registers in my thoughts.”
Dokgo Ak’s gaze turned toward the distant section where Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Wi-hak sat.
His eyes gleamed like those of a predator surveying its prey.
* * *
“….”
Dokgo Wi-hak gazed straight ahead with an impassive expression.
Though his face revealed nothing, his heart was far from at ease.
The chatter of the family members grated on his ears. Most of them held no expectations for Dokgo Myeong whatsoever.
The most favorable comments amounted to nothing more than “I wonder how many moves he’ll last?”
Dokgo Wi-hak exhaled a short breath and turned his gaze to his son sitting beside him.
“Hmm… What should I do…”
Was he nervous?
His son sat with his eyes fixed on the martial arena, lost in deep thought.
“Myeong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Are you alright?”
“About what?”
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head in confusion.
A flicker of surprise crossed Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes.
‘He truly has changed so much.’
He should have felt the whispers and stares directed at him, yet he seemed utterly indifferent to them.
“I’m referring to this moment right here.”
“Oh, the martial contest?”
“Are you not afraid?”
Suddenly, Dokgo Myeong’s body stiffened.
He hesitated for a moment, his lips moving uncertainly, before exhaling a deep sigh.
“…Yes, I’m quite afraid.”
“…”
Of course—with so many eyes watching, there was no way he wouldn’t be afraid, no matter how much he’d changed…
Just as that thought formed, Dokgo Myeong continued.
“I’m afraid I’ll win too quickly.”
…What?
Dokgo Wi-hak blinked rapidly.
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
What is this? Why do his eyes look like that?
He’s changed, yes, but something feels off about the boy…
“I need to show him true hell this time, but what if he goes down after just a few hits?”
“…?”
“Should I hold back and gauge his condition before striking, or…”
“…You’re saying you’re confident?”
At Dokgo Wi-hak’s words, Dokgo Myeong paused.
He turned his head sharply, and the corners of his mouth curved into a crescent smile.
“That’s not something I should be hearing.”
“Then?”
“It’s something he should hear.”
I nodded toward the front of the arena.
Dokgo Ak and Dokgo Jo-hak sat on the opposite side of the martial stage.
Dokgo Wi-hak let out a hollow laugh. Confidence radiated from my son’s tone and gaze.
Suddenly, Dokgo Wi-hak recalled something Maecheon Yang had said.
“The young master seems to have already forged his own path.”
Dokgo Wi-hak saw a glimpse of his younger self in my son’s confident face.
Those days of youth when I said I would walk my own path, not the family’s.
Blood cannot lie—was my son also trying to walk his own path?
‘No, it’s a bit different.’
I merely tried to escape, but my son is focused on walking the path that is truly his.
“….”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s wavering gaze gradually found its clarity.
Dokgo Wi-hak turned his head indifferently and spoke curtly.
“I look forward to a good match.”
“Yes, it will be a good match.”
Of course, at least for me.
I kept the rest of my thoughts unspoken.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Dokgo Ak also looked this way.
‘The brat’s smiling? Good, he should smile. He should smile a lot!’
How should I beat that reckless fool so that it becomes legendary?
I let out a low chuckle—hehehehe.
* * *
It was not long before the scheduled time for the match.
It was when Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Ak began to rise from their seats to warm up.
The clan members who had been murmuring and chattering suddenly began to fall silent one by one.
It did not take long for complete silence to descend upon the Training Hall.
The people’s gazes slowly turned upward toward the platform.
Thump, thump.
An elderly man was ascending the platform with slow, measured steps.
“We greet the Clan Lord!”
“We greet the Clan Lord!”
A disciplined cry befitting the Dokgo Clan’s status echoed through the arena.
Dokgo Cheon, the Sword Saint.
Simply standing at ease, yet everyone gathered in the Training Hall fell silent and focused on Dokgo Cheon. Such was the presence of a colossus who dominated an era.
Dokgo Cheon swept his gaze across the assembly and opened his mouth.
“Today I am here not as the Clan Lord, but as the grandfather of these children, so I ask that you not mind me and simply watch the match.”
His voice was calm and measured.
But then Dokgo Cheon suddenly laughed and wore a meaningful expression.
“However, there is one thing—I do hope that occasions like today become more frequent.”
It sounded like a kind remark on the surface, but considering the significance of this match, it was truly laden with meaning.
“I’ve talked long enough. Let’s begin now.”
Dokgo Cheon concluded his words plainly and took his seat at the prepared position on the platform.
“Young Master Dokgo Myeong and Young Master Dokgo Ak, please ascend to the martial arts arena immediately!”
At that moment, the cry of the referee from the Enforcement Division echoed across the Grand Martial Arts Arena.
* * *
Dokgo Ak climbed onto the martial arts arena with very leisurely steps.
With everyone’s gaze concentrated on him, Dokgo Ak saw Dokgo Myeong ascending from the opposite side.
Pfft!
Laughter escaped unbidden.
‘So something has changed after all.’
Well, of course.
His body seemed somewhat more toned, but I could sense no inner strength, and his stance was merely mediocre.
The moment Dokgo Myeong stepped onto the martial arts arena, my eyes gleamed with predatory sharpness.
‘Idiot. I’ll suppress your momentum from the very start.’
Suddenly, I drew upon my inner power and drove my right foot down directly into the ground.
Boom! Whoooosh!
My inner power erupted, and a violent gust swept across the martial arts arena.
Exclamations burst forth from the family members on all sides.
“Impressive! Such formidable energy!”
“At that age, to possess such inner strength.”
“I heard he consumed vitality pills, but has he already fully integrated them?”
The Grand Martial Arts Arena, which had been shrouded in silence, grew noisy once more.
Feeling all the family members’ gazes fixed upon me, I lifted my chin proudly.
“I commend you for walking out without fleeing. But I’ll show you that was also a mistake. Steel yourself mentally.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“Mental preparation just to deal with a brat?”
“You insolent bastard! Fine, let’s see how long you can keep up this bluster!”
I shouted, bristling with anger.
Whoosh!
I drew my wooden sword with a sinister gleam in my eyes.
“Draw your sword! Today I won’t even spare you if you grab my pant leg and hang on!”
Dokgo Myeong drew the wooden sword from his waist with an indifferent expression and fiddled with it.
‘A sword…’
As Dokgo Myeong gazed down at the wooden sword, his eyes suddenly gleamed with light.
Click!
Dokgo Myeong did not point the wooden sword.
Instead, he grasped both ends of the wooden sword and lifted it high.
“What are you doing right now…?”
The moment I furrowed my brow.
Dokgo Myeong brought the wooden sword down directly toward his own knee.
Crack!
The wooden sword snapped in two.
The sound echoed through the Grand Martial Arts Arena like thunder.
“…!”
“…!”
“What in the world!”
The clan members who had gathered at the Grand Martial Arts Arena widened their eyes in shock.
Breaking a wooden sword, no less!
The strong impression Dokgo Ak had made on the clan members vanished like it had been washed away by Dokgo Myeong’s outrageous behavior.
“What are you doing right now!”
Dokgo Ak shouted sharply, glaring at Dokgo Myeong.
Whoosh!
Dokgo Myeong laughed as he hurled the broken wooden sword behind him.
“If I use this, you’re dead, you bastard.”
“You son of a—!”
Dokgo Ak’s face twisted like that of a demon.
Regardless, Dokgo Myeong had no intention of stopping.
I spun around and swept my gaze across the spectator stands.
Then I suddenly drew in a deep breath.
“In this match!”
My resonant voice thundered across the arena as I exhaled completely.
“I will not take a single blow!”
“….”
“I will not take a single blow and emerge victorious!”
I smiled wickedly, my face flushed red as I turned to look at Dokgo Ak.
“If I take even one blow, I will concede defeat on the spot.”
Silence fell over the Grand Martial Arts Arena, where so many people had gathered—not a single breath could be heard.
* * *
Dokgo Ak blinked with a blank expression on his face.
‘What did that bastard just say?’
Has he finally lost his mind?
Breaking a wooden sword wasn’t enough—now he’s saying he won’t take a single blow?
And what? If he takes even one blow, he’ll concede defeat?
“…Ha!”
Dokgo Ak couldn’t contain the laughter bursting from within him.
“Puhahahaha!”
This idiot—I never imagined this.
I knew he was stupid from the start, but not to this extent.
‘Does he not understand what this match means to me and my father?’
For Dokgo Myeong, this match was far more than just a match.
My position and Dokgo Wi-hak’s honor were both on the line.
Even if I retreated, the ground beneath my feet might crumble—yet I had kicked away my own footing.
‘Ah, I see.’
Dokgo Ak suddenly seemed to understand Dokgo Myeong’s thoughts, and a wicked smile twisted across his lips.
“Hehehehe, they said you’d changed, but I knew you’d be like this.”
“….”
“Now that you’ve climbed up here, you’re finally getting scared, aren’t you?”
Whoooosh.
Dokgo Ak drew up his inner force as he spoke.
With the inner force seeping upward, his robes fluttered this way and that.
“It seems you were laying groundwork to take a hit or two and call it done… but what do we do about this?”
Dokgo Ak’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“I have no intention of ending things so quickly today.”
The smile suddenly vanished from Dokgo Ak’s face.
“From this day forward, the moment you see my face, I’ll make you lose control of your bowels.”

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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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