Return of the God of War - Chapter 14

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

Chapter 14: Departing Mangdamjeon
After a brief day had passed and Namgung Ryeongryeong left Mangdamjeon.
Muk Yeojin shut himself away in his sleeping quarters, practicing and re-practicing the cultivation of the newly learned Changgung Daeyeonjingyeoljul.
And this is the result.
Exhale!
After sitting in lotus position for some time, Muk Yeojin released a long, deep breath.
A bluish light flickered across his half-lidded eyes before gradually fading back to their natural color.
Muk Yeojin smiled faintly to himself.
‘My Changgunggi has reached the Third Stage.’
Moreover, true to its nature of encompassing all things, the synergy between my Hundred Vessels and the Sanwangmu exceeded all expectations.
Each benefiting the other, the progress was terrifyingly swift.
So the legendary Geuk Sangseungsimbeop is no mere name after all.
‘At this rate, reclaiming my former cultivation within five years is not beyond reach.’
Before his return, Muk Yeojin had achieved the realm of Chogeukyeong.
A martial artist’s cultivation ascends from Chukgi and Chunggi through a long and difficult journey, eventually reaching Muggyeokgyeong—the final destination of the martial way.
But that destination is also a wall, a threshold to new beginnings.
Those martial artists who transcended that wall of Muggyeokgyeong.
Having even surpassed Geugui, they are called ‘warriors of Chogeukyeong’—a term carrying respect and admiration.
There was no one in all the Murim who had reached Chogeukyeong before coming of age, yet Muk Yeojin was confident.
‘I’ve already walked that path before. And now my circumstances are incomparably better than then—there’s no reason I shouldn’t succeed. The real question lies beyond that.’
The realm beyond Chogeukyeong.
That was Shinmugyeong.
In his past life, both Cheon Hwarin and Heuk Myeongjae, leader of Wonyunikyo, had ascended to that very height.
Wonyunikyo would not reveal its sinister face to the world until ten years hence.
‘So I must set foot in Shinmugyeong within a decade.’
Or perhaps—since even Cheon Hwarin, despite reaching Shinmugyeong, ultimately could not withstand Wonyunikyo’s bloodthirsty schemes—he should aim even higher still.
Beyond Shinmugyeong, to some place yet greater.
Could he truly reach a height that even Cheon Hwarin herself had never touched?
……
Muk Yeojin suddenly broke into laughter.
“First, I should extinguish the fire at my feet.”
There was no folly greater than yearning for a goal so distant it lay beyond sight.
By achieving small objectives one by one, eventually he would grasp that elusive tail.
‘For now, perfecting the technique is my foremost goal.’
With that resolve, he once more began to circulate his energy and refine his inner force.
A moment later.
A voice called out to Muk Yeojin from beyond his chamber door.
“Young Master Muk, it is Gam Mo. It is time for your training.”
“Very well, I shall be right out.”
The man who called himself Gam Mo was one of the escort martial artists who had come with Namgung Ryeongryeong on Muk Yeojin’s birthday not long ago.
Normally, when the Lord’s children resided at Mangdamjeon, a master instructor could be stationed there for their cultivation.
Until recently, Muk Yeojin had shown no interest in martial arts, so no master was appointed.
But circumstances had changed; now Gam Mo, personally recommended by Namgung Ryeongryeong, remained at Mangdamjeon to assist his training.
As the door opened, a lean-featured middle-aged man stood waiting.
The moment Gam Mo saw Muk Yeojin, he exclaimed in admiration.
“Remarkable! Young Master Muk, your Changgunggi’s density has grown even denser than a few days ago—have you made further progress already?”
Muk Yeojin felt inwardly astonished at this.
‘To sense such change from merely a handful of cultivation… his perception truly is sharp.’
Though his achievements were yet incomplete and pale compared to the realm of Banballgwijin, the fact that Gam Mo had discerned the energy Muk Yeojin had gathered at a glance meant he was no ordinary martial artist himself.
“This is all thanks to your guidance, Master Gam.”
“My, such humility… truly, the son of Senior Mad Dragon Sword is different in every way.”
Muk Yeojin’s expression became subtly complex at those words.
Mad Dragon Sword.
He had only learned recently, through Gam Mo, that this was his mother’s alias.
Of course, he hadn’t believed it at first.
But when Gam Mo recounted several of the deeds his mother had accomplished during her active years, he could only accept it.
‘To think Mother possessed such a history.’
In this Gangho where all manner of eccentrics made their mark every other day, his mother had achieved feats worthy of bearing the character “Mad” in her very title.
As Muk Yeojin walked toward the training grounds with Gam Mo, a question suddenly arose in his mind.
“But how did you come to be connected with my mother?”
“In my days as a vagrant, I owed my life to Namgung Ryeongryeong. There was an expedition against a bandit named Maengchi, and we fell into their trap—we were about to be slaughtered. But Namgung charged into their ranks alone, captured both the bandit chief and his lieutenant, and ended the battle single-handedly.”
Caught up in the memory, Gam Mo let out a long string of exclamations of admiration as he recounted Namgung Ryeongryeong’s exploits.
“When I heard that such a master had suddenly abandoned martial arts, I felt deeply troubled. But to learn recently that she’s returned to the path, and moreover is preparing for a grand emergence—how could I simply stand by? I went directly to her and offered my hand in whatever she might undertake.”
Muk Yeojin nodded.
‘So that’s how it came to pass.’
Seeing how Gam Mo had not forgotten a debt from decades past, Muk Yeojin could tell the man possessed an upright character.
As they continued their conversation, the two arrived at the training grounds before they knew it.
Gam Mo brought over two wooden swords that had been set aside in a corner.
“Shall we proceed as we usually do?”
“Please.”
Up until now, Muk Yeojin and Gam Mo’s training had taken the form of sparring focused on technique, excluding the use of internal energy.
The two stood facing each other on the training platform, wooden swords in hand, assuming their stances.
Yet curiously, Gam Mo—the more skilled of the two—showed tension etched across his face.
Even when Muk Yeojin first proposed replacing training with sparring, Gam Mo had given it little thought.
He’d reasoned that his long years as a vagrant had left him with little teaching experience, so this approach would actually serve better.
But that complacency shattered in their first match.
‘The moment I let my guard slip, I’m the one who falls.’
The swordplay Muk Yeojin employed held nothing extraordinary.
He simply moved through sixteen directions, striking, thrusting, and blocking.
It was the orthodox basic sword technique a beginner learns.
Yet every movement Muk Yeojin made was free of excess. He parried Gam Mo’s attacks with such perfect timing that it felt as though they were performing a choreographed dance, their rhythms matched beforehand.
This was the fruit of the foundation Muk Yeojin had laid by following the sword traces left by Muk Umyeong, the Lord of Sadocheon, in the Archives of the Hidden Sect.
A martial foundation so deeply rooted in bedrock that it would not falter.
Gam Mo sensed this momentum instinctively.
‘The branches that will sprout from such roots, the blossoms that will bloom—how magnificent they will be.’
Goosebumps rose on Gam Mo’s forearms.
Of course, if Gam Mo—true to his vagrant origins—wielded the assassination-focused swordplay he’d honed over a lifetime, the outcome would be different.
But he was no mortal enemy, and one could not unleash such brutality in a sparring match with his benefactor’s son.
Besides, there was another reason he held back.
‘The young master hasn’t shown everything either.’
His keen instinct told him so.
His opponent too had not revealed all their cards.
How then could he unleash his full strength?
Gam Mo swallowed dryly.
“Then—I come at you, young master.”
“Very well.”
And so the two wielded their swords until the sun turned green, only then returning to their quarters.
* * *
“There’s quite a bustle about.”
Muk Yeojin and Gam Mo sat sipping tea on a broad platform.
True to Gam Mo’s observation, the servants in their quarters moved about more busily than usual.
Even as they carried luggage without pause, their faces glowed with a curious excitement.
“Naturally. We’re finally leaving this confining Mangdamjeon—how could they not be delighted?”
Gam Mo had now been at Mangdamjeon for well over a year, and Muk Yeojin had finally reached the age of fifteen.
In just three more days, he could venture out into the world beyond.
Muk Yeojin reflected quietly on what he had gained in this place.
“The day when your name shakes the Junggwon cannot be far off.”
Gam Mo’s words were no mere flattery.
Muk Yeojin, who had not wasted a single day, had now reached the Fifth Ascension of Changgunggi and the Sixth Ascension of Sanwangmu.
‘And I’ve finally managed to raise my winning rate against Gam Mo to fifty percent in our sparring matches.’
He believed that throughout Junggwon’s history, no one had achieved such heights at barely the threshold of Jihak age.
Yet Muk Yeojin harbored no complacency.
‘I’ve only just taken my first steps. The real journey begins now.’
Three days later.
With the Departure Ceremony of Mangdamjeon, Muk Yeojin would truly plunge into the Gangho.
The Departure Ceremony of Mangdamjeon—the Hall of the Serpent Lake, named for the waters where a great serpent dwells—was also called the Ascension Ceremony in common parlance.
It was the moment when the child of Muk Umyeong, the Lord of Sadocheon and one of the Three Sovereigns, veiled until now, would be revealed to the world.
It was no exaggeration to call it a grand event upon which the eyes of all Gangho would be fixed.
At that Ascension Ceremony, the Lord of Sadocheon would assign his children one of three missions: Sanggeuop, Junggeuop, or Hageuop.
It was both a measure of the mission’s peril and the Lord’s assessment of his child.
For reference, a year ago at Muk Byeongho’s Ascension Ceremony, he was assigned only a lower-tier mission.
Muk Iyeon, Muk Byeongho’s sister, was assigned an upper-tier mission instead.
Sadocheon’s lord, Muk Umyeong, had given only three of his children an upper-tier evaluation thus far.
His firstborn son Muk Jujin, his third son Muk Hyeonsam, and his fourth daughter Muk Iyeon.
Those three, who had received an evaluation tantamount to the lord’s own recognition, still wielded tremendous influence within Sadocheon.
And yet.
Receiving an upper-tier evaluation from the lord was not cause for unmixed rejoicing.
‘Iyeon’s mission, as I understand it, was to venture into Gangho and defeat disciples of Gupailbang in duels, claiming twenty-five victories before returning.’
Muk Iyeon had left Sadocheon for that mission at fifteen.
And she’d returned at eighteen—which meant she’d been thrust into a task of unspeakable cruelty for one barely emerged from the safety of home.
No matter how carefully Muk Yeojin tempered his spirit, he could not hide his strength before his father, the lord of Sadocheon.
‘Which means I will certainly be assigned an upper-tier mission, whether I like it or not.’
If he failed to sharpen his mind, a grave setback was inevitable.
Muk Yeojin braced himself anew.
But unfortunately.
His prediction went slightly awry.
Four days later.
The day of the Ascension Ceremony.
In a moment shorter than a single breath.
Sadocheon’s lord, Muk Umyeong, regarded Muk Yeojin and spoke a single word before vanishing like wind.
“Muk Yeojin, supreme-tier.”

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