The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 120

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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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120
The Sword’s Ascension
The Jianghu is ever-changing; countless martial artists make their grand debuts and vanish on any given day.
People rarely paid attention to those who disappeared or retired.
It was not only because those fading into the recesses of time were a dime a dozen, but also because the departure of a name everyone had grown utterly accustomed to brought no real excitement.
Consequently, people’s interest was primarily drawn toward the rising stars newly appearing in the Jianghu.
News of a martial artist who emerged as brilliantly as a shining star, quite literally, spread across the entire Jianghu so fast that it put lightning to shame.
Lately, no eye-catching young martial artists had been spotted in the Jianghu.
It was not for a lack of talent, but rather because they lacked the opportunity to display their prowess.
Ever since the war between the Cheonmyeong Association and the Nine Great Sects, the Jianghu had enjoyed peace for a long time.
Although the Ten Pillars had taken center stage, they focused on solidifying their own spheres of influence rather than coveting one another’s territory.
Thanks to that, incidents of bloody warfare were remarkably rare.
Under such a peaceful climate, it was by no means an easy feat for a young martial artist to achieve a formidable reputation.
Perhaps because of this, no young martial artist capable of drawing the interest of the Jianghu had appeared over the past few years.
Yet recently, an unbelievable rumor took the Jianghu by storm.
It all started in Cheongang County, a territory managed by Punglim Fort.
An incident occurred in Cheongang County where Chilian Xinjun, one of the Ten Direction God-Kings of the Red Cloud Sect, lost his life.
The Red Cloud Sect was one of the Ten Pillars, a power that everyone feared.
As the successor to the Demonic Cult, its believers were scattered across the entire Jianghu as thick as grass roots, and it boasted experts like the Four Great Envoys and the Ten Direction God-Kings in its ranks.
The Ten Direction God-Kings, in particular, were the representative martial artists of the Red Cloud Sect.
Rumors even went so far as to claim that if just one of the Ten Direction God-Kings stepped forward, they could erase a decent sect right out of the Jianghu.
In fact, there were a few sects that had been completely wiped out when the Ten Direction God-Kings took action.
Stories were passed down about how brutally they slaughtered people, to the point that everyone who went to investigate the scenes ended up retching.
Because of that, the Ten Direction God-Kings became objects of terror.
While they were not the strongest martial artists Under Heaven, it was safe to say their cruelty was unmatched in the Jianghu.
For this reason, many sects and martial artists in the Jianghu were reluctant to cross paths with the Red Cloud Sect.
Fortunately, the Red Cloud Sect also showed little interest in expanding its territory into the Jianghu, allowing a precarious peace to be maintained until now.
However, Chilian Xinjun, one of those very Ten Direction God-Kings, had lost his life in Cheongang County, which was under the management of Punglim Fort.
This incident became known bit by bit through the people of Punglim Fort.
Although Punglim Fort tried to keep the matter quiet, it was impossible to silence everyone.
That was how the fact of Chilian Xinjun’s death first came to light in the Jianghu.
People’s attention gravitated toward the person who had slain Chilian Xinjun.
However, up until this point, almost no information was known about the martial artist who killed Chilian Xinjun.
At most, it was rumored that he was a young martial artist around thirty years old.
People did not easily believe this rumor.
From a common-sense standpoint, they believed it was impossible for such a young martial artist to kill the formidable Chilian Xinjun.
Thus, the rumor seemed as though it would be buried.
But it did not take long before fresh news arrived.
The new rumor was so absurd that it was even harder to believe.
It claimed that Qingyi Shizhe, one of the Four Great Envoys who could be considered the strongest martial artists of the Red Cloud Sect, along with two of the Ten Direction God-Kings, had been defeated by the exact same martial artist.
Though people wanted to dismiss the unbelievable rumor as a lie, this time there were simply too many eyewitnesses.
Since the testimonies of the eyewitnesses were completely identical, they had no choice but to believe it.
The reason why the young martial artist killed Qingyi Shizhe and three of the Ten Direction God-Kings from the Red Cloud Sect remained unknown.
In truth, the reason why he had made an enemy of the Red Cloud Sect did not matter.
What truly mattered was that he was strong enough to stand against the Red Cloud Sect, and that he was young.
Almost nothing else was known about the young martial artist.
Only that he used a sword and possessed a transcendent, unearthly appearance. Furthermore, someone clamored that he might be a descendant of the Quanzhen Sect.
Because the source of the rumor was unclear, this claim was soon buried.
Yet just a few days later, this young martial artist once again became the protagonist of a sensational rumor.
It was precisely due to his clash with the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency.
For reasons unknown, this young martial artist clashed with the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency on Cheongang County.
Both the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency were prominent, highly influential powers Under Heaven.
The Yunyo Bang, in particular, was one of the Ten Pillars and possessed a military might that rivaled the Red Cloud Sect.
Moreover, unlike the Red Cloud Sect, the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency exerted their influence in the core regions of the Jianghu rather than its fringes.
They were absolutely not the kind of sects anyone in their right mind would pick a fight with.
No sane person would ever cause a conflict with these two sects.
Yet this young martial artist recklessly and ruthlessly fought against these two sects without hesitation.
Yun Jin-myeong and thirty Purple Cloth Warriors of the Yunyo Bang suffered the humiliation of being subdued by this single young martial artist.
Because everyone near Cheongang County witnessed this spectacle, the rumor spread uncontrollably.
People assumed that the Yunyo Bang would never let this slide, and their judgment was not wrong.
To restore their fallen honor, the Yunyo Bang deployed over three hundred martial artists along with past experts like the Three Fiends of Tianmen.
Naturally, people thought the young martial artist would submit to the Yunyo Bang.
It was common sense that no matter how strong an individual might be, enduring that level of military force was impossible.
Furthermore, the military strength of the Tianjin Escort Agency had joined forces with them as well.
A force capable of instantly sweeping away a decent sect like a tidal wave had been mobilized to target just one young martial artist.
A force of this magnitude had never been mobilized even once within the last ten years.
It was truly an unprecedented incident occurring within a decade.
Thinking logically, the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency should have emerged victorious.
Yet this time as well, the young martial artist completely defied everyone’s predictions.
He broke through the encirclement of the Yunyo Bang and the Tianjin Escort Agency all by himself.
The martial prowess he displayed during this process was even more unbelievable.
Among the hundreds of martial artists who had formed the encirclement, only three people died.
They were none other than the past experts, the Three Fiends of Tianmen.
While countless individuals sustained minor and major wounds, only those three lost their lives.
It was truly an astounding, hard-to-believe display of martial prowess.
Everyone who belonged to the Jianghu knew this fact.
That subduing someone alive is far more difficult than killing them.
To deal with hundreds of martial artists and inflict nothing but wounds meant that the young martial artist had shown that much leniency in his execution.
The fact that he did not recklessly take lives even in a life-or-death struggle revealed just how high his martial arts were and how gentle his character was.
Had he slaughtered all hundreds of martial artists instead, they could have branded him a demonic fiend or pushed him to be a public enemy of the Jianghu, but the young martial artist merely wounded them and did not kill.
The only ones who died, the Three Fiends of Tianmen, were in fact demonic fiends who had no right to complain even in death.
Though it was unknown why they were staying as guests of the Yunyo Bang, not a single martial artist felt public indignation over their deaths.
This was also why nobody blamed the young martial artist, despite him causing a massive friction with the Red Cloud Sect, the Yunyo Bang, and the Tianjin Escort Agency.
The young martial artist’s swordsmanship was terrifying enough to cut down the Ten Direction God-Kings and the Three Fiends of Tianmen in a single stroke, yet he never lost his benevolence and righteousness.
Coincidentally, two of the sects he faced contained the word ‘Yun’, meaning cloud.
While this was merely a coincidence, the martial artists of the Jianghu had a tendency to obsess strangely over such elements.
Thus, the people of the Jianghu granted the young martial artist the title of the Cloud-Extinguishing Sword Master.
“Once drawn, blood must be seen; the master of the sword that destroys clouds.”
That was the title of Woo Geom-san.
Rumors of him spread across Under Heaven faster than a thousand-mile steed or a ship traveling the Yangtze River.
***
In Jinjiang, where the Woo Family Manor was located, there existed a grand academy.
At this academy, which bore the name Cheongpeong Academy, dozens of children were learning the teachings of the sages.
It was said that the Old Scholar of Cheongpeong Academy possessed deeply profound erudition and had once served in the imperial court. However, as he aged and found it difficult to move around, he returned to his hometown and established Cheongpeong Academy.
Cheongpeong Academy was virtually the only academy in the Jinjiang area where one could properly acquire scholarly knowledge.
Of course, there were several other academies, but none could offer teachings as deep as the elderly master of Cheongpeong Academy.
Consequently, most of the prestigious families in Jinjiang sent their descendants to Cheongpeong Academy to receive instruction.
Under these circumstances, Cheongpeong Academy inadvertently became a social hub for the children of prominent families.
There was no one attending Cheongpeong Academy who was not a descendant of a prestigious family, and they all exerted great influence within Jinjiang and its surrounding areas.
Inside Cheongpeong Academy, there was a fairly large artificial mountain, which any child attending the academy could freely use.
However, those who actually used the artificial mountain were extremely rare.
This was because everyone usually headed outside once they finished receiving instruction from the schoolmaster. Yet there were exceptions.
Woo Seon-myeong was precisely one of those exceptions.
With an exceptionally pale face and a thin frame, he was considered one of the weakest unfortunates within Cheongpeong Academy.
It was because he had suffered from various minor illnesses ever since he was a child.
Even so, not many people looked down on him.
Though he was sickly, he was very handsome, and above all, it was because he hailed from the Woo Family Manor.
Furthermore, he belonged to the rare direct lineage of the Woo Family Manor.
There were very few individuals in Jinjiang who could afford to ignore the Woo Family Manor.
Woo Seon-myeong enjoyed contemplating on the artificial mountain, which nobody else ever sought out.
Since his body was weak, sitting quietly like this and reflecting on the teachings of ancient sages was his sole pleasure.
Today as well, Woo Seon-myeong was sitting alone on a small rock inside the artificial mountain, enjoying his contemplation.
Chirp, chirp!
From within the artificial mountain, the cry of an nameless bird rang out.
A smile surfaced on the corners of Woo Seon-myeong’s lips.
The bird’s singing delighted his mind and body. However, his peace was broken a moment later by a voice that drifted over.
“Making a pathetic display of yourself all alone again, I see.”
A voice that was filled with a sharp edge from some unknown grievance shattered Woo Seon-myeong’s peace.
When he raised his head to look, three young men who appeared to be two or three years older than Woo Seon-myeong were looking down at him with pathetic expressions.
Woo Seon-myeong let out a sigh and stood up from his seat.
“You’ve arrived, older brother.”
“I am quite flattered to hear you say that. You are a grand member of the direct lineage, while I am just a deeply insignificant member of a collateral line.”
The young man at the lead said, glaring at Woo Seon-myeong.
At his sharp words, Woo Seon-myeong wore a bitter smile and replied.
“What does a distinction between direct lineage and collateral line matter? You are older than me, so of course you are my older brother.”
“Do you truly think that way?”
“Of course.”
“My word, you certainly answer well without changing your expression even a bit. Even though your inner thoughts are completely different.”
“Brother!”
“Did I say anything wrong?”
The young man who spat out sharp words every time he opened his mouth was named Woo Nam-yeong.
Woo Nam-yeong was one of the collateral descendants of the Woo Family Manor and was an older brother two years senior to Woo Seon-myeong.
As was the case with any clan, the distinction between the direct lineage and collateral lines was extremely strict within the Woo Family Manor as well.
The collateral lines were pushed out of the family’s main businesses and did not possess great power.
Woo Nam-yeong considered this unfair.
Everyone in the Woo Family Manor put Woo Seon-myeong on a pedestal.
Because he was sickly, they protected him with even greater care.
Woo Seon-myeong, who received better treatment than him simply for the single reason that he was born into the direct lineage, felt like a thorn in his eye.
Hence, whenever he faced Woo Seon-myeong, he unconsciously spat out venomous words.
“They might revere you as the direct lineage right now, but your children will be treated as the collateral line just like me. So you had better start preparing your heart from now on. Besides, you aren’t even part of the real direct lineage like your older brother or older sister anyway…”
“You had better shut that mouth of yours.”
At that moment, a chilly voice echoed from behind him.
Woo Nam-yeong froze right on the spot with his mouth still open.
When he cautiously turned around, a girl whose face looked exactly like Woo Seon-myeong’s was glaring at him.
Unlike Woo Seon-myeong, the girl looked fresh and brimming with vitality.
In contrast to how he treated Woo Seon-myeong, Woo Nam-yeong found himself at a complete loss for words in front of the girl.
“S-Seon-hye! It seems there is a misunderstanding…”
“What do you mean, misunderstanding? I heard it perfectly clearly with my own two ears. I saw with my own eyes how you treat our Seon-myeong carelessly just because he is kind and sickly.”
“That is…”
“My mood happens to be extremely foul right now. If you don’t beat it from my sight by the time I count to three, I’ll smash that face of yours. One, two…”
“Eek!”
The moment the girl counted the numbers, Woo Nam-yeong hurriedly fled the artificial mountain along with his friends in a panic.
Watching their retreating figures as they scrambled away in confusion, the girl let out a sigh.
Woo Seon-myeong smiled as he looked at the girl.
“Sister!”
Thump!
In an instant, the girl lightly flicked Woo Seon-myeong’s head with her small fist.
“Ouch!”
“You dummy! Why are you just taking it? Because you treat people so nicely, that jerk tries to climb all over you.”
“Sorry!”
“Why are you apologizing to me? Honestly, being too nice is a sickness…”
The girl thumped her own chest out of sheer frustration, and Woo Seon-myeong laughed upon seeing her like that.
The girl’s name was Woo Seon-hye.
She was Woo Seon-myeong’s twin sister.

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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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