Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 62

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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 62. Shall I finish this?
Han Wol Geom looked at Dan Yeop as if provoking him, muttering something about “courage.”
The Sabeoms had decided to drag down the Chonggyo-du and Gyo-du by any means today.
“Of course.”
Dan Yeop answered readily.
It seemed inevitable that he would clash with the Sabeoms sooner or later.
Unjung Gaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng were masters of the Gangho, whereas Dan Bulwi and he were unknowns.
As if they had been waiting, Unjung Gaek, Han Wol Geom, and Go Geom Haeng stepped forward before the table.
Dan Bulwi and Dan Yeop, who rose from their seats, now stood facing the three Sabeoms.
As everything unfolded according to plan, Ha Soran the Sect Leader turned her gaze toward Hong Sogwang the Amun Sect Leader and Baek Chogong the Jeommun Sect Leader.
‘Hmph! Did you think I would simply watch while you two strutted about?’
Her face, which had worn a smug smile, tensed.
Hong Sogwang’s and Baek Chogong’s expressions were far too composed.
‘What is this? Surely they don’t believe Dan Bulwi can actually defeat the Sabeoms?’
Ha Soran hadn’t even considered Dan Yeop.
He had only recently emerged from the Terracotta Army Tomb.
Dan Bulwi spoke first.
“I am Dan Bulwi. Who shall take the first step?”
By nature, Dan Bulwi was not a man given to such courtesy.
But after narrowly escaping death in the Baekwol Kingdom and receiving instruction in the Jinsamdaedobeop from Dan Yeop, his bearing and speech had grown composed.
Unjung Gaek spoke as if he had been waiting for this.
“I, Unjung Gaek, shall verify your abilities first.”
He deliberately used the word “verify” to provoke his opponent, but Dan Bulwi paid it no mind.
Soon after, Dan Bulwi and Unjung Gaek drew their Hwaengdo almost simultaneously.
Unjung Gaek, confident in his own superiority, calmly appraised Dan Bulwi.
Or rather, he tried to.
But he could not.
Dan Bulwi had launched his attack without warning.
Two Hwaengdo clashed in the middle.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Crash—!
In the blink of an eye, four exchanges had passed, and the composure vanished from Unjung Gaek’s face.
‘Haah! He’s strong!’
Unjung Gaek stared at Dan Bulwi with eyes full of disbelief.
Dan Bulwi.
A man from Amun with no alias, no reputation to his name.
Yet here he was, wielding his blade against Unjung Gaek without hesitation.
Each strike was so lethal that cold sweat broke across his back.
Unjung Gaek quickly retreated, opening the distance between them.
For a moment, heat flooded his face.
To be pressed like this by mere Dan Bulwi—he had no shame left to show the other Sabeoms.
Gritting his teeth, he surged forward like the wind, sudden and without warning.
His Hwaengdo vanished from sight as if it had never existed.
Following the Pungjinbo that had made Unjung Gaek’s name resound across the world came the Unjanggdo.
Dan Bulwi did not simply endure it.
He immediately unfurled the Chosangeumheo, the first form of the Seven Wounds Blade Method.
Unable to see his opponent’s blade, he judged it was attacking from a concealed angle and met it with the Chosangeumheo.
Crash—!
Metal struck metal with a sharp cry, and both Unjung Gaek and Dan Bulwi were hurled backward.
Unjung Gaek stumbled three paces; Dan Bulwi, only one.
Unjung Gaek’s face was drained of all color, whether from internal injury or shock.
As he steadied his shaken internal state, Unjung Gaek’s mouth opened.
“I have lost.”
With those words, Unjung Gaek stepped back.
Dan Bulwi’s gaze shifted to Han Wol Geom and Go Geom Haeng.
Han Wol Geom stepped forward with an expressionless face.
“I am Han Wol Geom. Do you not need a moment to catch your breath?”
Yet his words belied his actions—he drew his sword slowly.
He meant to give his opponent no time to rest.
This signified that Han Wol Geom no longer regarded Dan Bulwi as beneath him.
“It is fine.”
Despite his composed demeanor, Dan Bulwi’s inner self had absorbed a subtle shock when he received the Unjanggdo.
Yet Dan Bulwi thought nothing of it.
In the Gangho, he had witnessed far grimmer battles as casually as one took meals.
Rather, he was more curious about how many of these masterless wandering swordsmen he could actually contend with.
Dan Bulwi’s gaze settled on Han Wol Geom.
Han Wol Geom, a former outer disciple of the Hwasan Faction, had refined the Maehwa Geombeop to suit practical combat while wandering as a Nangin.
What emerged from that refinement was the Hanwol Maehwa Geom.
‘They say the subtlety of Maehwa Geombeop was infused with real-world effectiveness.’
The prospect of a clash between the O Ak Geom Faction’s martial arts and the Jinsamdaedobeop made him quiver with excitement.
Han Wol Geom and Dan Bulwi stared at each other without the slightest movement.
Yet the air between them crackled with tension.
In their minds, the two exchanged countless combinations of attack and defense.
How much time had passed?
The complex glint in Han Wol Geom’s eyes gradually settled.
‘I’ll win.’
He judged that while Dan Bulwi’s blade method was indeed formidable, it still fell short of the Hanwol Maehwa Geom.
Fights are decided by momentum.
And momentum is born from belief in one’s own martial art.
There was no way someone like Dan Bulwi could withstand the Maehwa Geombeop honed through real combat.
At last, Han Wol Geom drew upon all the power within him.
Buzz—buzz—buzz.
A shimmer rose from Han Wol Geom’s sword blade.
Geomgi Balhyeon.
Go Geom Haeng, watching from a distance, felt a spark cross his eyes.
He had heard much of Han Wol Geom’s martial power, but it proved stronger than the tales suggested.
‘Dan Bulwi’s defense ends here, then.’
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Han Wol Geom and Dan Bulwi became entangled.
Sword and Hwaengdo crossed in every direction, their collisions heavy and sharp.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang—!
After parrying the final strike, Dan Bulwi’s expression hardened slightly.
A metallic taste bloomed in his mouth, accompanied by a sensation of something rising within.
‘Tsk! Internal injury already?’
His chest had stung sharply each time he deflected the opponent’s blade.
But an internal injury?
They hadn’t even begun a proper fight yet—it was absurd.
‘So he really is from the O Ak Geom Faction.’
Unjung Gaek’s blade was sharp but light, whereas Han Wol Geom’s sword moved like lightning yet was oddly heavy.
It must have been because the Hwasan Faction’s inner martial techniques supported it.
Dan Bulwi stepped back slightly to calm the turmoil within.
A belated regret washed over him—he should have rested a little after fighting Unjung Gaek.
But Han Wol Geom granted him no respite.
He pursued like a shadow and unfurled the Hanwol Maehwa Geom, which he had held in reserve until now.
Whissssh—.
Han Wol Geom’s sword moved from left to right, then from right to left, swift as lightning.
In the empty air, eye-shaped sword energy like crystallized snow drifted down in dizzying profusion.
It was the famous Maehwabunbun of the Hanwol Maehwa Geom.
Dan Bulwi countered with the Four Wounds Shape-Breaking form of the Seven Wounds Blade Method.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop—!
Light crackling sounds erupted continuously in the empty air.
Four eye-shaped flowers burst, but the three that survived bore down on Dan Bulwi.
In that critical moment, Dan Bulwi drew forth the final technique of the Jinsamdaedobeop.
Chilsangdonggwi—”Mutual Destruction”—a technique that died together with the enemy.
The Hwaengdo, ignoring the snow-like flowers, thrust straight toward Han Wol Geom.
Shrieeek—!
Han Wol Geom’s eyes flew wide open, the satisfied smile vanishing from his face.
He could stop the Hwaengdo with his sword, but to do so, he would have to withdraw the Maehwabunbun.
‘Has this man lost his mind?’
If Dan Bulwi were his mortal enemy, he might understand.
But to employ such a ruthless technique in a place where martial arts were merely being verified…
The thought took time to form, yet all of this unfolded in an instant.
Yet it was Han Wol Geom’s hesitation that compounded the trouble.
Han Wol Geom had not withdrawn the Maehwa Geom after all, and Dan Bulwi had not ceased his advancing Hwaengdo.
In that desperate moment, Go Geom Haeng drew his blade and struck the Hwaengdo aside in one fluid motion.
Clang!
As the Hwaengdo veered sharply to the side, every eye in the gathering turned toward Dan Bulwi.
They feared he would be wounded by Han Wol Geom’s Maehwa Geom technique.
But what was this?
Three petals of sword energy had been aimed at him, yet he remained unscathed.
Judging by the way Dan Yeop had drawn his Hwaengdo, it appeared he had dealt with them.
Han Wol Geom looked at Dan Yeop with disbelief in his eyes.
He had not even seen him draw the blade, yet Dan Yeop had shattered the Maehwa Geom technique with nothing but the Hwaengdo—it seemed impossible.
Then, suddenly, Go Geom Haeng spoke.
“Dan Bulwi, you speak of mutual annihilation in a gathering meant to discuss the Way of Non-action? Don’t you think that’s excessive?”
Dan Bulwi let out a brief laugh and replied.
“Mutual annihilation? What kind of absurd nonsense is that? It only happened because Han Wol Geom failed to block my attack.”
“You should have aimed for the sword energy, not Han Wol Geom himself. What else would you call that but mutual annihilation?”
Go Geom Haeng pressed the charge of mutual annihilation.
It was true that Han Wol Geom’s hesitation had led to this outcome, but by any measure it was a technique meant to kill together with your opponent.
“If Han Wol Geom had been struck by my blade, would the sword energy still have held? I would have faced no danger whatsoever if you had not intervened on his behalf.”
Go Geom Haeng did not press further against Dan Bulwi’s rebuttal.
Go Geom Haeng turned to Han Wol Geom and asked.
“Will you continue, Han Daekyup?”
“No. I will stop here.”
Han Wol Geom withdrew without hesitation.
He had learned he could not subdue Dan Bulwi with the Hanwol Maehwa Geom—there was no point in continuing.
‘A vicious man.’
Dan Bulwi could have neutralized the sword energy, yet he had aimed for Han Wol Geom instead.
For someone who had lived the life of a wanderer as long as Han Wol Geom, such an experience was rare.
Had Go Geom Haeng not intervened, Han Wol Geom might well be dead.
In that case, the remaining sword energy would have dissipated on its own, just as Dan Bulwi claimed.
It was his defeat.
Once the matter had been settled, Go Geom Haeng stepped forward before Dan Bulwi and spoke.
“Can you continue?”
Dan Bulwi did not answer at once.
He did not think he would lose, but the state of his body troubled him.
As he hesitated, Dan Yeop interjected.
“Shall I finish this, then?”
“That would serve just as well. Let us proceed that way.”
Dan Bulwi returned to the Amun’s section without even glancing back.
Dan Yeop spoke to the bewildered Go Geom Haeng.
“I am Dan Yeop, Gyo-du of Jeommun. Shall we begin at once?”
Then Go Geom Haeng shouted toward Dan Bulwi, who had seated himself.
“What manner of conduct is this! Do you truly believe Dan Yeop is suited to this gathering!”
Dan Yeop was the one who answered.
“Go Daekyup, if you defeat me, I will of course step aside—and so will the Chonggyo-du.”
In that instant, Go Geom Haeng’s eyes narrowed like those of a tiger regarding Dan Yeop.
A mere stripling presuming to stand among masters of the blade.
“They say a puppy fears not the tiger! If you mean to turn today’s contest into a jest, you have made a grave mistake. The blade, by its nature…….”
“Yes, has no eyes. It is something I tell people often enough.”
Dan Yeop received the words with courtesy.
He found this opponent more refined than the Haowen disciples, and it pleased him.
But that was only Dan Yeop’s impression; Go Geom Haeng felt his blood rising.
Was this mere youthful bluster and empty posturing?
Or was he employing some formal courtesy of combat etiquette even now?
Either way, it was deeply offensive to his pride.
‘This is precisely why I wished to remain uninvolved with Haowen…….’
Go Geom Haeng looked toward Ha Soran with eyes full of resentment.
It had been a mistake to accept a teaching post out of old ties with Ha Soran from his youth.
As their eyes met, Ha Soran’s gaze slipped away.
Thinking of Go Geom Haeng’s noble bearing and his unmatched character among the Gangho, she could not lift her face for shame.
But what could be done about it?
To unite the ten branches of Haowen, his help was indispensable.
‘Brother, if we meet in the next life, I’ll serve you better then.’
At Ha Soran’s feigned indifference, Go Geom Haeng exhaled a long, weary breath.
“Hah! I am Go Geom Haeng. I pray that none shall lose their lives to my blade.”
“If I survive, then I win, is that it?”
……
As Go Geom Haeng’s eyes turned deadly, Dan Yeop hurried to continue.
“Of course not. I too will give my all.”
“I won’t resort to poison like Dan Bulwi did, but still—you should be cautious.”
Go Geom Haeng clearly disapproved of Dan Bulwi’s final tactic and issued the warning once more, pointedly.
“Yes. And I hope you will also be careful, my friend.”
At the youth’s refusal to yield even an inch, Go Geom Haeng’s jaw clenched, though he swallowed his anger and held his tongue.

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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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