The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - 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.
The moment Dok Go Hyeon saw the storm of plum blossoms flooding the sparring ground, he knew at once.
‘I can’t stop this.’
It was a matter of matchup.
No matter how effective the Wave Breaking Technique was at severing the flow of qi, there was no way to block all these countless petals.
‘Then….’
Dok Go Hyeon charged toward Do Un, who was enveloped in the multitude of plum blossoms.
At first glance it seemed reckless, but Dok Go Hyeon had his own plan.
‘If I increase the distance, it becomes even more troublesome. A point-breaking strategy is the right call.’
If the petals created by the Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance spread like mist, there was no way to block them one by one.
Even accepting some damage, a direct collision gave him better odds of victory.
His action flowed from this calculation.
Dok Go Hyeon closed the distance in an instant and swung the Nine Claw Wave Breaking Technique at Do Un.
Watching this calmly, Do Un raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which held no sword, and formed the Sword Seal Finger.
At that, petals from the Distant Fragrance flew in and created a massive barrier of plum blossoms between Dok Go Hyeon and Do Un.
Boom!
“…Tsk.”
Dok Go Hyeon clicked his tongue.
The Wave Breaking Technique had torn through quite a number of the plum barrier, but there were simply too many to pierce through completely.
Immediately after, the plum blossoms that had blocked the attack surrounded Dok Go Hyeon.
“Damn—”
In response, Dok Go Hyeon swung his sword with all his might, trying to parry the blade-like petals.
Pap-pap-pap!
“Ugh!”
Unable to block them all, small wounds began to mark Dok Go Hyeon’s body one by one.
Each individual petal’s impact was bearable.
Yet like a gentle rain soaking clothes without notice, if he continued to allow such attacks, it was clear that Dok Go Hyeon would be the first to fall.
‘…This is an extraordinary technique. That such a thing is possible—he truly is different.’
Dok Go Hyeon paid silent respect to Do Un’s talent and the technique of Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance.
But he did not retreat.
Backing away would allow the plum petals to disperse further, making them even harder to respond to—and there was another calculation at work.
‘There’s no way he can maintain control of all these petals indefinitely.’
Remarkable was remarkable, but Do Un was no master of the Flower Realm stage, and he certainly wasn’t manipulating the plums through the mystery of plucking things from the void.
In the end, these plum blossoms were merely the manifestation of Do Un’s qi—something akin to Sword Qi.
If that were the case, then if Dok Go Hyeon could somehow endure, his opportunity would come.
No matter how vast his inner strength, Do Un—a Peak Stage martial artist—could not channel Sword Qi forever.
‘The problem is….’
Pap-pap-pap!
“Ugh!”
Whether Dok Go Hyeon could last until that moment.
No matter how weak each individual petal’s strike was, a wound was still a wound.
Continuously withstanding the blades of Do Un—someone at his same realm—was grueling.
In ordinary circumstances, Do Un’s victory would have been assured.
‘…I can endure this.’
Dok Go Hyeon was confident.
Thanks to the Dok Go Gusanggeom, he could read the flow of qi and block all attacks aimed at vital points.
Of course, he couldn’t say the advantage was overwhelming, but neither was he at a grave disadvantage.
The match had become a contest of whose was superior—Do Un’s inner strength or Dok Go Hyeon’s durability.
Dok Go Hyeon wore a bitter smile.
‘Let’s see what you’ve got, Master.’
Watching that smile, Do Un’s lips curved upward and he shook his head.
“No, there’s no fun in falling that way.”
“…?”
From the sword held in Do Un’s left hand, a deep fragrance of plum blossoms wafted forth.
Then, a pale pink aura began to shimmer like heat haze around Do Un’s blade.
At this sight, a small murmur escaped from the audience stands.
“Wh-what… that!”
“Sword Qi! It’s Sword Qi!”
“Master Do Un has drawn forth Sword Qi!”
With the appearance of Sword Qi—the very symbol of a Peak Stage martial artist—the small murmur transformed into a thunderous roar.
It was Sword Qi unleashed for the first time in this Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
There was no rule forbidding its use, but until reaching the semifinals, the situation had never called for it.
Dok Go Hyeon murmured softly.
“…Hmm, can you sustain the Inner Power expenditure?”
“You can’t learn to stand if you’ve never fallen.”
Do Un answered and in the same breath launched himself skyward.
Dok Go Hyeon grasped the meaning of that motion instantly.
‘A downward strike…!’
He tried to anticipate the moment of descent and take a defensive stance, but—
“…!”
All the world knows when the plum blossom falls.
Yet none perceive the moment it descends.
Do Un’s body descended at a speed that shattered Dok Go Hyeon’s predictions, that defied common sense itself.
Twenty-Four Hand Plum Blossom Sword Technique, Sixth Movement.
Plum Blossom Falling.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Reading the flow, Dok Go Hyeon barely evaded the vital point—but a fairly deep wound tore across his shoulder.
Do Un’s blade, wreathed in pink Sword Qi, showed no mercy as it continued.
Clang!
Dok Go Hyeon managed to block this strike, but the Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance that followed gave him no recourse.
Slash-slash-slash!
Dok Go Hyeon, struck head-on by the Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance, became a tattered figure with wounds everywhere.
“…Damn it!”
Even seeing Dok Go Hyeon in such a state, Do Un’s assault did not cease.
Caught in a tempest of blade-work—the Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance layered with Do Un’s own sword strikes—Dok Go Hyeon couldn’t gather his wits.
The spectators watching let out sighs.
“Goodness, this is entirely one-sided.”
“Well, what can you do? Dok Go Hyeon fights well enough, but his opponent is from the Huashan Sect, after all. This much is respectable. At least he’s not losing in a single exchange.”
True to their words, Dok Go Hyeon had fully met the crowd’s expectations.
Most believed Do Un would emerge victorious as things stood.
Yet some saw it differently.
“If Hyeon holds out just a bit longer, Do Un will exhaust himself first and collapse.”
“Indeed. That technique looks like it drains Inner Power tremendously, and with Sword Qi stacked on top, the consumption must be beyond reckoning. The match isn’t decided yet.”
Mu Heun and Namkoong Seo Ryong, who were close to Dok Go Hyeon, thought as much.
“The Dok Go Clan….”
Dang Cho Bin, who harbored affection for Dok Go Hyeon, thought the same.
‘…Hyeon.’
Ju Wol Ryun, hidden among the spectators watching Dok Go Hyeon’s sparring, shared their conviction.
Having trained Dok Go Hyeon directly, Ju Wol Ryun was certain this would not be where it ended.
‘Hyeon’s martial skill draws greater power in circumstances like these, does it not?’
***
Crack!
Do Un’s blade grazed Dok Go Hyeon’s arm once more.
Dok Go Hyeon didn’t even cry out.
Whether from blood loss or otherwise, pain no longer registered.
Even if it had, the assault was too fierce to allow a moment’s thought.
The Judge observed Dok Go Hyeon intently.
If the wounds worsened, he was prepared to halt the match.
But Dok Go Hyeon was not merely enduring.
‘Right, down, up….’
Clang!
“!!”
Do Un’s Sword Qi scattered as it met the Wave Breaking Technique that Dok Go Hyeon deployed.
By continuously reading the energy flow, Dok Go Hyeon had discerned Do Un’s patterns.
“…Exhale.”
Though outwardly dominant, this was far from easy for Do Un.
‘Truly impressive.’
Thanks to Dok Go Hyeon’s relentless evasion of vital points despite Do Un’s full-force strikes, Do Un’s Inner Power reserves were beginning to show their limits.
Even having gathered far more Inner Power than usual, it would fall short of finishing Dok Go Hyeon cleanly.
‘That’s why I want to win so badly!’
Do Un drew a shallow breath and took the Sword Seal Finger position, gathering his scattered focus.
Squeezing out every ounce of Inner Power accumulated from his Lower Dantian through his Middle Dantian, his blade bloomed pink once more as he prepared his final strike.
Dok Go Hyeon watched with a hollow, absent stare.
From the blood loss, he had entered a state of near-unconsciousness—capable only of reacting to Do Un’s assault, nothing more.
‘Where will it come next? Where is that fragment of a blade aimed? Is there any way to evade?’
Countless thoughts flickered through his mind, yet they all converged toward a single conclusion.
‘I want to win.’
For Dok Go Hyeon, revenge had been everything—his sole ambition.
Revenge for whom?
Of course, for his master.
Yet since meeting Mu Heun, since entering the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, since hearing the countless voices of the crowd, another small flame had kindled within Dok Go Hyeon’s heart.
‘With my own blade, I want to overcome that remarkable swordsman’s steel!’
He wanted to show the world the strength of his master—the Dok Go Gusanggeom lineage.
He yearned for recognition that his master’s blade, to which he had devoted his entire life, and the eye that chose him as its inheritor, were both formidable.
That fierce desire moved Dok Go Hyeon’s battered, ravaged body.
Though consciousness had nearly fled, instinct whispered to him that this would be the end.
Without hesitation, both men launched themselves toward each other.
The pink Sword Qi wreathing Do Un’s blade converged into a single point.
Even as winter’s final breath lingered, the plum tree first unfurled its buds.
A solitary bud bloomed, delicate and silent, at the sword’s tip.
Then that pinpoint of Sword Qi unfurled as petals might open.
The Twenty-Four Hand Plum Blossom Sword Technique, its twelfth form: Plum Blossom Budding.
Dok Go Hyeon answered with the Wave Breaking Technique.
Crash—
He severed the Sword Qi’s flow and blocked the Budding, but the scattering petals of the Distant Fragrance remained.
In focusing on this Point-Breaking attack, he had left every other angle unguarded.
The petals swept toward him without mercy.
Dok Go Hyeon, too weak even to raise his blade, turned his gaze to face them.
And in that final moment, his master’s voice echoed in his mind—a legend of the Dok Go lineage he had heard countless times.
‘The founder never fell, even with only the hilt in hand.’
‘Wait, that doesn’t make sense. Then why do you practice with a proper blade every single day?’
‘Fool. All things have their order. First comes wielding the blade as an extension of your own body. Second comes perceiving and overwhelming your opponent’s sword.’
‘Then what’s third?’
‘Third is…’
sharpening your own momentum until it becomes a blade so keen it needs no steel.
The thought reached its end just as the storm of petals crashed down upon him without mercy.
Boom!
“Ah!”
Dang Cho Bin gasped without thinking.
Given Dok Go Hyeon’s condition, surviving such an assault seemed impossible.
Do Un, having exhausted every shred of his Inner Power, let the petals of the Distant Fragrance fade slowly to nothing.
And then came a result no one had foreseen.
“Wha—?”
“Huh?”
Dok Go Hyeon stood firm in place, having taken the full brunt of the Distant Fragrance’s assault on his body.
Shock flashed across Do Un’s face.
“…Wow, Dok Go… that’s incredible.”
Thud.
With those words, Do Un—having spent the last of his Inner Power—collapsed where he stood.
Every ounce of strength had been consumed.
The Judge examined both combatants with bewildered scrutiny.
Dok Go Hyeon remained upright, but his eyes had lost focus and his mouth hung slack.
Do Un was the same—seemingly unconscious, barely breathing.
There was only one measure by which to judge.
Who stood firm upon the earth until the end?
That alone was clear.
“The w-winner! Dok Go Hyeon of the Dok Go Gusanggeom!”
At the Judge’s proclamation of this upset, Wudang Mountain erupted in roaring voices.
***
Namkoong Seo Ryong watched the sparring in silence, his words catching in his throat.
“…Was that last technique Mental Image Manifestation?”
Most spectators had missed it beneath the storm of petals, but he had seen it clearly enough.
The moment Dok Go Hyeon looked, the petals of Plum Blossom Distant Fragrance were being severed even though he had not swung his blade.
Mu Heun, who had witnessed the same thing, answered with a grave expression.
“I can’t say for certain. But the resonance between what he showed and manifestation does seem remarkably similar.”
“Ha… haha! That friend of ours! Has he reached the Ultimate Peak?”
Mu Heun shook his head.
“No, Hyeon’s body is still at the Peak stage. He hasn’t reached the Ultimate Peak.”
“But surely he demonstrated manifestation, did he not?”
“That is….”
Mu Heun paused in thought before continuing carefully.
“The martial art called Dok Go Gusanggeom itself contains many things that cannot be explained by contemporary martial systems. The fact that it doesn’t rely on internal power at all is the first clue. I suspect it stems from tempering external strength and mental image to their absolute limits. What we just witnessed from Hyeon was that principle manifesting itself.”
“Hmm…. I see. In any case, it was a magnificent match.”
“Indeed, you speak truly.”
Mu Heun chuckled in agreement with Namkoong Seo Ryong.
Do Un had prepared diligently, and Dok Go Hyeon had achieved a dramatic reversal—both had been superb.
“Which makes it all the more regrettable.”
“Regrettable? How so?”
“Hyeon’s condition. Since he’s won, he’ll face me this afternoon….”
Namkoong Seo Ryong’s expression was genuinely troubled.
“We won’t be able to test ourselves against each other at full strength.”
Mu Heun regarded him for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.
“All you can think of is fighting when your friend is in that state. You’re incorrigible.”
Dok Go Hyeon was being carried away on a stretcher that the officials had brought.
He wouldn’t even know he’d won until consciousness returned to him.
Though it was only a sparring match and his life was in no danger, it seemed unlikely he’d recover enough to fight in the semifinals.
Yet Namkoong Seo Ryong spoke as though Mu Heun were the one missing the point.
“I merely conveyed Hyeon’s heart in his stead.”
“His heart?”
“Look at Hyeon’s hand.”
Mu Heun’s gaze shifted toward Dok Go Hyeon’s hand.
“…Hah.”
Dok Go Hyeon was still gripping his sword tightly, refusing to let it go.
The officials tried to pry it from his grasp, but it wouldn’t budge an inch.
Seeing this, Mu Heun couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Perhaps you’re right.”
“Not ‘perhaps’—it’s true. I always thought well of Hyeon, but seeing him like this… I find myself moved to genuine respect. Which is why I regret it all the more.”
“Is that so….”
Mu Heun gazed at Dok Go Hyeon with a faint smile.
‘If Hyeon’s heart burns with the same flame as Namkoong Seo Ryong’s….’
Perhaps I should help him fight one more time.
***
Unlike Dok Go Hyeon, Do Un’s loss of consciousness stemmed not from bodily injury but from internal power depletion, so as time passed, he rose to his feet without great difficulty.
“Ah… I lost~.”
Do Un descended from the arena with an embarrassed smile.
It was a defeat he could accept.
Dok Go Hyeon had dismantled his strategy with superior skill.
In the end, it came down to a gap in ability.
Do Un continued walking with a cheerful expression.
Since he’d lost anyway, he thought he’d go cheer for Mu Heun.
“Hmm….”
Yet for some reason, his feet wouldn’t carry him toward where Mu Heun was.
After a moment’s hesitation, Do Un turned and walked in the direction away from the Taiji Plaza.
He had no destination in mind, but he felt the urge to distance himself from the arena.
Being near the Taiji Plaza made his heart feel strangely unsettled.
‘It’s not like anything bad happened, so why do I feel this way?’
As Do Un walked with his eyes turned skyward, lost in thought, he collided with someone.
Thud.
“Ah! My apologies—I was distracted… Eh? Master?”
The person Do Un had collided with was unmistakably Ju Wol Ryun, the Sect Leader of Huashan, who should have been watching the Dragon Phoenix Gathering in the Tai Chi Plaza.
Do Un scratched his head with an awkward expression.
“Ah… I apologize for losing. I did my very best, but I’m still falling short.”
At Do Un’s apology, Ju Wol Ryun looked down at him with a peculiar expression.
“Where were you heading?”
“Well… I wasn’t really going anywhere in particular.”
“Were you trying to get away from the Tai Chi Plaza?”
At the precise observation, Do Un’s eyes widened.
“How… how did you know that?”
In response to Do Un’s answer, Ju Wol Ryun let out a soft sigh.
“You want to get away, but for some reason you don’t understand why, do you?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“When you get close to that area, your heart just feels suffocated and heavy.”
“Master, have you finally awakened to the Heart-Reading Technique? Congratulations—”
Whack!
Ju Wol Ryun struck Do Un’s head for spouting nonsense.
“Ow! Why, why did you—?”
“You fool, the Heart-Reading Technique? Before you even speak of such things, shouldn’t you first examine your own heart?”
“What?”
Ju Wol Ryun looked at Do Un with a slightly softer expression.
“You’re vexed because you lost, aren’t you?”
At Ju Wol Ryun’s words, Do Un’s eyes wavered.
“You thought Dok Go Hyeon was strong, but you never expected to lose to him, did you?”
“…No.”
“You feel sorry for betraying the expectations of your senior brothers and my expectations, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Do Un lowered his head without even realizing it.
His voice was trembling.
“More than anything else, your pride is wounded. You’ve never lost before, have you?”
Do Un couldn’t even answer, only nodding repeatedly.
Drip. Drip.
Water droplets began to fall slowly at his feet.
They were tears.
Ju Wol Ryun, watching Do Un, offered him a warm smile.
“You stubborn colt.”
Ju Wol Ryun stroked Do Un’s head.
“There are those who spend their lives only winning, but most people don’t. Losing is also good. It allows you to consider how you might win the next time. In that process, new enlightenment will await you.”
“But… what if there is no next time?”
“Won-ui, why would there be no next time? You’re joining that Cheon응 Group, aren’t you? Since you’ll be in the same organization, you can spar whenever you wish. And besides, you don’t have to fight only Dok Go Hyeon.”
Ju Wol Ryun comforted the sobbing Do Un.
“Training the heart doesn’t necessarily mean confronting your deepest inner self and facing your pain. There’s no reason to deliberately throw yourself back into the same suffering. Seeing the world more broadly is also a form of heart discipline. Now that you’ve learned the world is vast, you will grow stronger.”
“Yes… *sniffle*! Yes.”
“Disgusting. Don’t eat your snot.”
“*sniff*…”
Ju Wol Ryun watched as Do Un hastily wiped his nose with his sleeve, chuckled softly, and looked up at the sky.
‘There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heaven. Today you learn something precious.’
Even at his disciple’s defeat, Ju Wol Ryun smiled.
It was faith.
Faith that his disciple, blessed with heaven-given talent, would transcend today’s defeat and become a martial artist worthy of the Huashan Sect’s future.
***
Shortly after Dok Go Hyeon was carried away, the Dragon Phoenix Gathering proceeded as scheduled.
Because the sparring match between Dok Go Hyeon and Do Un moments earlier had ignited the hearts of the spectators, the heat was fierce enough to rival the summer sun.
The next match featured names no less anticipated, only intensifying the fervor.
“Next! Jin Yu of the Open Gate! Hye Gang of Shaolin! Step onto the martial platform!”
The two martial artists called by the Judge ascended onto the platform.
In sharp contrast to Jin Yu, who bore obvious signs of tension, Hye Gang, the Diamond Fist Monk of Shaolin, wore a gentle smile.
“I look forward to our match, Patron Jin.”
“Y-yes… I also look forward to it. Thank you.”
The Judge confirmed both were ready and gave the signal.
“Begin!”
At the same moment, Jin Yu threw himself forward, swinging a short wooden staff toward Hye Kang with unflinching force.
“Hah!”
Crack!
Hye Kang did not move his body at all, receiving Jin Yu’s attack directly.
Had the impact shaken him?
Quite the opposite—Hye Kang did not lose his smile and even praised Jin Yu’s strike.
“Truly an excellent blow. Is this the Staff-Beating Technique that the Beggar Clan prides itself upon?”
Jin Yu answered with a bewildered expression.
“Ah… no? It’s not the Staff-Beating Technique, but… do you not feel any pain?”
“Heh heh, how could there be no pain? I merely strive to endure it through the strength of will.”
Hye Kang moved his body with a gentle smile.
“Then, if I may be so bold, allow me to enter the fray this time.”
At this, Jin Yu closed his eyes, pondered briefly, then opened his mouth.
“I concede!!”
A shout so loud it covered the entire Tai Chi plaza silenced everyone in an instant.
The Judge thought he had misheard and asked again.
“What did you just say…?”
But he had not misheard.
“Analysis complete! I cannot win! I concede!”
Jin Yu, drawing on his sharp judgment, had recognized that he could not defeat Hye Kang.
Hye Kang gazed at Jin Yu with a slightly astonished expression and smiled.
“You have no regrets in your heart, it seems. You will become a person of great stature.”
“Thank you for understanding!”
The Dragon’s Head Master Gu Cheon Ak, who had been watching his disciple’s unseemly farce from a distance, clicked his tongue.
“That wretched fool…”
Thanks to Jin Yu’s concession, which alone brought shame upon the entire Beggar Clan, the overheated atmosphere of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering cooled somewhat.
But it was only temporary.
One more quarterfinal match remained.
“Mu Heun of the Jegal Clan! Sun Yeon of the Wudang Sect! Step up to the sparring platform!”
When the young master of the Five Great Families who had shown such a reversal and the foremost talent of the north took to the platform, the venue, as if it had never cooled, burned with fervor once more.
Mu Heun, as always, offered a fist salute to Sun Yeon in greeting.
“I look forward to our match, Sun Yeon.”
Sun Yeon did not answer, but returned the fist salute in mirror.
The slightly drooping eyes and tense expression combined to give her the appearance of a frightened deer.
Yet that was only an outward facade.
“…I-is it true that Do Un of the J-Jegal Clan founded his martial arts by referencing our Wudang’s secrets?”
Mu Heun nodded at Sun Yeon’s timid question.
“Yes. I am grateful that the True Master allowed it…”
“My m-master said it was alright, but…!”
“Yes?”
Sun Yeon pressed on, forcing the words out.
“I… I cannot accept Do Un’s actions. The Wudang secrets belong to Wudang…!”
Mu Heun was somewhat surprised by Sun Yeon’s words, but he did not deny them.
“What you say is not without truth.”
“R-right? Then, please, just make me one promise.”
“What would that be?”
Sun Yeon drew in a deep breath, then raised her sword and planted the Sword Seal Finger.
At the same moment, sword energy the color of a cloud-filled sky rose like heat shimmer, wreathing her blade.
It was the mark of a martial artist who had reached the Peak Stage.
“If… if I win, then remove all the techniques from Do Un’s martial arts that use our secrets.”

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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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