The Fortunate Sword God of the Zhuge Clan - Chapter 63

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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 63.
It was a preposterous proposal.
Master Yun Hak Jin, already the sect leader of Wudang, had already consented—what right did Soon Yeon have to question Mu Heun’s martial arts?
Mu Heun could have simply refused, and Soon Yeon would have had nothing to say in return, but he found himself thinking differently.
“As you know, a technique form cannot be altered on a whim.”
“B-but, that particular form….”
“Yes. It’s true I drew upon the subtle principles of Wudang. However, as I mentioned, I received permission from the True Immortal of Taiji.”
“U-um… even so….”
“Then, how about this instead?”
“Y-yes?”
Mu Heun smiled slightly and offered a new proposal.
“If you emerge victorious, I will discard the technique form you mentioned—the Flowing Cloud. But if I prevail, will you agree to join the organization my junior brothers and I have been establishing?”
Soon Yeon tilted her head as if asking what he meant.
“An… organization?”
“Yes. I’ll explain in detail later, but fundamentally it is an organization dedicated to righteous action.”
“Righteous… action.”
At Mu Heun’s proposal, Soon Yeon lowered her sword and fell into thought.
“I-I like the idea, but I… I-I don’t speak well even with my martial siblings, and if there are s-so many people I’ve never met before… b-but Do Woon’s technique form is… ugh….”
Whether aware or not that her thoughts were tumbling out of her mouth entirely, Soon Yeon clutched her head in deliberation.
Mu Heun smiled and waited for her decision.
‘Truth be told, I had no intention of recruiting Soon Yeon into the Cheon응 Group so soon.’
Of course, he had already recognized her exceptional talent.
Soon Yeon was the greatest pillar that had allowed Wudang to maintain its prestige as the Mount Tai and the Big Dipper even after Yun Hak Jin’s passing.
Had she not been swept away and lost in the flames of war, she might well have become Wudang’s first female sect leader.
Yet the reason Mu Heun had not proposed membership in the Cheon응 Group to her was singular.
-When I was young, my temperament was far too timid. My words were few… it is shameful to recall.
Such was the assessment that she herself had given in her former life.
‘I thought it truly so, since she never spoke a word.’
Yet now that they had met like this, was she not—however cautiously—pushing her own convictions forward?
Even though the sect leader had already granted permission.
Having reached her decision, Soon Yeon turned to face Mu Heun with resolute determination.
“I… I agree. L-let’s do it that way.”
“Excellent.”
At her decision, intrigue kindled in Mu Heun’s heart.
She had accepted his proposal—she, whom even his martial siblings found daunting.
There could be only one meaning to that.
‘She does not believe she will lose.’
This despite Mu Heun himself having advanced through the quarterfinals with overwhelming dominance.
Mu Heun found this not displeasing.
Rather, it stirred his curiosity.
‘Perhaps she has devised some unbeatable stratagem.’
What could it possibly be?
Mu Heun, his heart alight with anticipation, placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword.
Soon Yeon, too, raised her sword once more into proper stance, gripping the hilt with readiness.
The referee, observing both combatants, raised his arm and signaled the start.
“Begin!”
Though the referee had announced the commencement, neither moved first.
Both Wudang’s swordplay and Jegal’s swordplay were rooted in the subtle principles of late-stage responsive technique.
‘Then….’
Yet Mu Heun’s sword, while based on theirs, belonged to a different martial art entirely—and so without hesitation he employed the Cheon Do Mu Jeong Step Method, closing the distance in an instant.
Man Seong Cheon Do Sword First Form: Man Seong Open Way.
Mu Heun’s blade flashed from its sheath in a heartbeat.
The pressure it carried was startling, yet Soon Yeon’s eyes did not waver—she met it head-on with her gaze.
“Do Woon’s sword….”
Those eyes, from which all awareness had vanished, burned with an intensity wholly different from the timid doubt she had expressed moments before.
“…is arrogant.”
Soon Yeon raised her blade, wreathed in sky-blue Sword Qi, with effortless grace.
The moment that light motion collided with the force of Man Seong Open Way.
Thunk.
“…!!”
The Man Seong Open Way lost its momentum, and Mu Heun’s body rose into the air.
“Concentrating subtle principle into a single technique form. In truth, that’s not so different from the philosophy of Wudang. It’s an excellent conception.”
Soon Yeon’s blade moved with deliberate calm once more, its point leveled at Mu Heun suspended in the void.
Mu Heun showed no panic, drawing his sword downward to meet hers in a mirror position.
The Myriad Star Heaven Slashing Sword Third Form: Peony.
White petals scattered as Mu Heun’s body plummeted toward Soon Yeon with terrible speed.
It resembled the exchange he had witnessed moments before between Doggo Hyeon and Do Woon.
Soon Yeon held her stance unwavering, the tip of her blade meeting the thrust of the Peony.
“Yet you were not content with that fine principle and coveted other subtle techniques as well….”
In that instant, beneath Soon Yeon’s feet, black Qi bearing Yin Energy and white Qi bearing Yang Energy spiraled inward, drawing her into their circle.
Taiji.
“Do you not see that as arrogance?”
The two blades met once more in the air.
Crash!
This time, Mu Heun’s body was driven backward with full force.
He exhaled sharply.
Mu Heun could not hide his bewilderment.
That strike—or rather, that which scarcely qualified as an attack—had returned the full force of his own technique back upon him.
Mu Heun glanced back over his shoulder, swallowing lightly.
Had he traveled even one step further, he would have been thrown from the stage.
‘Had I not withdrawn my inner force at the final moment….’
He might have suffered grave internal injury.
‘To have already achieved such mastery at this stage.’
Mu Heun knew precisely what art this was.
Like the Doggo Sword Technique, a martial art honed to its extreme not through technique forms but through Sword Principle itself.
The supreme expression of Dual Flower Grafting—the art that had forged Yun Hak Jin, pride of the Orthodox Faction beyond Wudang itself.
Wudang Supreme Secret Art: Taiji Hui Sword.
***
Soon Yeon watched the recoiling Mu Heun, swallowing a smile of contempt.
‘As expected. No match at all.’
She had known it would be so.
To conceive of something as profound as the Taiji Hui Sword, yet never dare to master it yourself, and instead chase after the subtle principles of other schools?
It displeased her.
His presumption made her feel his talent was wasted.
‘That arrogance is why his blade sits so lightly in hand.’
One needed only look at his bewildered expression to understand.
This single exchange had shown him the error of his judgment.
‘And yet he speaks of cooperation, of mutual understanding, with honeyed words….’
This opportunity would teach him to think more clearly.
With that resolve, Soon Yeon waited for Mu Heun to rise.
“?”
But something was wrong.
‘Why… is he smiling?’
Mu Heun opened his mouth as though answering her unspoken question.
“To have already entered the Taiji Hui Sword at such a young age. Truly magnificent.”
At his praise, Soon Yeon’s expression twisted.
‘Does he think to catch me off guard with words?’
It would not work.
Soon Yeon closed her mouth and ignored him.
Yet Mu Heun’s smile never wavered.
“It is said that the Taiji Hui Sword perfected to its peak admits no defense. Now that I have felt it myself, I understand why.”
Mu Heun brushed dust from his garments and continued.
“Then I suppose I must test it.”
“…What do you mean, test it?”
“Precisely as I say. Between your Taiji Hui Sword and….”
Mu Heun paused, closing his eyes.
Then Sword Qi, white as snow, poured forth, wreathing his blade like shimmering heat.
“Which of my Myriad Star Heaven Slashing Swords is more profoundly mastered.”
As Mu Heun drew forth his Sword Aura, the Taiji Plaza erupted in roaring acclaim.
“A clash of Sword Qi!”
“The Jegal prodigy was a Peak-stage martial artist after all!”
Witnessing two sword auras clash was no common spectacle, and the crowd’s voices trembled with excitement.
Soon Yeon’s brow narrowed.
“As for p-proficiency, naturally that would b-be my strength!”
“But one must test length against length to know.”
Whoosh!
Drawing forth his sword aura, Mu Heun launched himself forward at a speed even faster than before.
“Let’s see how you fare!”
Clang!
Mu Heun brought his blade down with fierce momentum, yet Soon Yeon’s Taiji Hui Sword deflected the attack as though it were nothing.
He pressed forward with three or four more strikes in succession, but Soon Yeon simply positioned her sword and met each one without strain.
At this, Soon Yeon’s lips curved upward.
“S-see? I was right, wasn’t I?”
Soon Yeon had convinced herself that her mastery surpassed Mu Heun’s, yet he never lost his smile.
“Indeed. Your understanding of the Taiji Hui Sword runs deeper than mine.”
“H-heh, heh. W-well, of c-course it does….”
“You’ve ascended to the Second Stage of the Taiji Hui Sword, haven’t you?”
“…Eh? H-how did you….”
“Heh heh. One need only look.”
Mu Heun, who had witnessed the Taiji Hui Sword at far greater heights, had read Soon Yeon’s present level from those opening exchanges alone.
Soon Yeon could not fathom his method, yet it changed nothing, she thought.
“R-regardless, m-mine is still higher, c-correct?”
“True. However….”
The Second Stage Taiji Hui Sword harbored two fatal weaknesses.
The first: step beyond the Taiji circle, and the sword’s subtle principles could no longer be maintained.
Which meant Soon Yeon could neither seize the initiative nor even move from where she stood.
“Then I suppose there is hope for me after all.”
Mu Heun raised his blade overhead and gathered sword aura around it in thick coils.
“W-what are you….”
Soon Yeon could not discern his exact intent, but she recognized the posture of a descending strike.
Yet knowing that changed nothing.
This was the second weakness.
Any attack exceeding her capacity could not be blocked.
The moment Mu Heun’s blade descended vertically, a crushing overhead stroke descended like the very heavens falling, and engulfed Soon Yeon.
—Myriad Star Heaven Slashing Sword, Fourth Form: Spear Heaven.
Soon Yeon recoiled at the terrifying force, but fear did not seize her—she thrust her sword forward.
‘The Taiji Hui Sword cannot lose to such arrogance!’
Then, as the two blades met, a sound unlike any heard before filled the Taiji Plaza.
Boom!
“Ahhhhh!”
“What—what is this?!”
The crowd stood frozen as dust thick as if from a cannon blast engulfed the Tournament Stage.
When the dust cleared and the scene revealed itself, all gasped in horror.
“The T-Tournament Stage….”
The Tournament Stage, which had withstood every martial practice until now without damage, was split clean in half by a massive fissure running through its center.
In the midst of it all, Mu Heun stood motionless, his sword lowered, aiming at the throat of Soon Yeon, who lay sprawled on the ground, her weapon lost.
Mu Heun smiled faintly.
“The wager is mine.”
Soon Yeon’s expression showed she wished to protest, but unable to deny reality, she closed her mouth and bowed her head.
The referee, who had stood dumbfounded for a moment, cleared his throat.
“The victor: Mu Heun of the Jegal Clan!”
It was the moment all candidates for the Semifinals of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering were determined.
***
“Hah….”
Namkoong Seo Ryong could not close his mouth after witnessing Mu Heun’s match.
“So he’s drawing from the main line’s subtle principles….”
There was nothing left to question.
It was the martial art Namkoong Seo Ryong himself had trained in his entire life—how could he not recognize it?
It was a form that carried the same understanding as his own, or perhaps even greater.
“How was such a thing even possible?”
I was curious, but no jealousy stirred in me.
If anything, I was delighted.
Hadn’t a friend I’d kept my eye on grown this strong?
And precisely to test himself against me, no less!
“Spear Heaven…”
Namkoong Seo Ryong turned the image of Mu Heun’s Spear Heaven over and over in his mind.
“This won’t do.”
Soon after, Namkoong Seo Ryong quickened his pace toward the lodgings where the Namkoong Family was staying.
Between the semifinals and the finals, there was a two-hour rest period scheduled.
In that time, Namkoong Seo Ryong resolved to gather and organize the insight that had flickered through his mind during the sparring match.
He couldn’t bear it otherwise.
***
Mu Heun fielded the cheers of many celebrating his victory with appropriate grace, then hurried to the Medicine House.
He wanted to check on Doggo Hyeon’s condition.
Mu Heun opened the Medicine House door with care, taking pains not to make noise.
Creak—
“Young Master. You’re awake—ah?”
At the sight of an unexpected figure inside, Mu Heun’s eyes widened.
Yun Hak Jin, who had been speaking with the awakened Doggo Hyeon, spotted Mu Heun and offered a fist salute.
“Young Master, welcome.”
“Master Yun. You’ve arrived early.”
Mu Heun returned the fist salute.
“You’ve come to check on Young Master Doggo’s condition?”
“Yes. Now that the young master is here, I should be on my way.”
“Heh, you must be proud.”
“…Pardon?”
Mu Heun offered a playful smile.
“In a sense, isn’t your bond like that of master and disciple? After all, your student has advanced to the semifinals of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.”
“…Since we don’t share the same lineage, I cannot speak of a master-disciple bond. I came merely to share my admiration for what was truly an excellent match.”
“Hmm.”
Mu Heun nodded with an enigmatic expression.
His eyes held the gleam of one saying, “If you say so,” which drew a cough from Yun Hak Jin.
“Truly, that is all.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
……
Yun Hak Jin regarded Mu Heun for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh and rose to his feet.
“Then I’ll take my leave. I shall cheer most enthusiastically for your own match in the semifinals.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
Yun Hak Jin closed the door carefully behind him and stepped outside.
Mu Heun watched him go for a moment, then turned his gaze to Doggo Hyeon.
“How’s the body, Young Master?”
At Mu Heun’s question, Doggo Hyeon laughed, his voice hoarse and rasping.
“…I’m fine.”
“You don’t look it at all.”
“…What you see isn’t everything… Cough!”
Blood came with Doggo Hyeon’s cough.
Mu Heun watched for a moment, then spoke.
“In this condition, the semifinals will be too much.”
“No… I’m going. I can get up… Ugh!”
Doggo Hyeon tried to rise, but the sharp pain that seized him forced him back down.
“…Your opponent is Namkoong Seo Ryong. Even in perfect health, one cannot easily predict victory against such an adversary. Yet you still wish to compete?”
At Mu Heun’s question, Doggo Hyeon looked at him as if to ask why he would even pose such a thing.
“That’s exactly why I want to go.”
……
“In that final moment when I defeated Do Woon… I don’t know what it was, but I’m certain that’s the direction I need to move toward. Master Yun confirmed it for me too.”
Doggo Hyeon regarded Mu Heun with eyes burning with desire.
“I need to grow stronger—for revenge, if nothing else. No, I want to grow stronger whether it’s for revenge or not. To do that, I need to fight strong opponents like Do Woon, like Namkoong Seo Ryong. That’s the feeling I have—that I must.”
At those passionate words, Mu Heun deliberated for a moment, then nodded.
“Then you should compete.”
“Yeah. Right? There’s still some time, so… help me sit up for now?”
“No. Not in your current condition.”
“Huh?”
“If you face Seo Ryong now, he’d only need to push you and you’d collapse, wouldn’t you?”
“But… then why are you telling me to go?”
“Because you will. But not like this.”
Mu Heun continued, offering a faint smile.
“Let me help you recover. Though I warn you—it will hurt. Can you bear it?”
***
Two hours passed swiftly. The Tournament Stage was reset, and spectators gathered once more.
Yet the anticipation for the first semifinal match was muted at best.
“Doggo Hyeon won, sure enough, but the way they carried him off—the semifinals will be too much for him, won’t it?”
“That’s how it looks. And even if he makes it out, his opponent is Namkoong Seo Ryong—what’s the point?”
“True enough. Honestly, the fact that he beat Huashan’s Do Woon without Sword Aura at all—that’s made me genuinely curious about Doggo Hyeon’s sect. How did they manage it?”
“Secret transmission, I’d wager. Still, shame we didn’t get to see more of him.”
Impressive, certainly, but pushing further would be unreasonable.
Nearly everyone gathered at Taiji Plaza had reached the same conclusion about Doggo Hyeon.
Everyone except the one man already waiting on the Tournament Stage—Seo Ryong.
He stood with his eyes closed, motionless.
The referee watched him intently. If he were cultivating his Inner Force, a careless interruption could cost a man his head.
Once the referee realized he was merely sharpening his focus, he spoke carefully.
“Namkoong Seo Ryong, it seems unlikely that Doggo Hyeon will arrive. Wouldn’t it be better to take the walkover and withdraw?”
In Do Woon’s case, his absence had been self-inflicted, so they’d granted a time allowance; but everyone knew Doggo Hyeon’s condition. Why waste time?
Yet Seo Ryong shook his head firmly.
“He will come. Might you permit me a little more time?”
The referee shrugged.
“There’s still time on the clock, so it’s no matter. But even if he does arrive, he won’t be in any state to fight, will he?”
“He will arrive in perfect condition.”
At Seo Ryong’s unwavering certainty, the referee nodded with resignation.
“Very well. But once the time limit expires, there are no exceptions—he’s eliminated. You understand?”
“Of course. And…”
Seo Ryong smiled brightly.
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Eh?”
The referee turned to follow Seo Ryong’s gaze across the arena.
And he gasped aloud.
“Goodness.”
Doggo Hyeon, who should have been bedridden with wounds that looked mortal, walked toward the Tournament Stage as though nothing had happened.
Striding boldly across the stage, Doggo Hyeon met Seo Ryong’s eyes.
“Sorry for keeping you. Didn’t bore you too much?”
“I believed you’d come, so the wait was pleasant enough.”
“You’ve got a silver tongue, that’s for certain.”
Doggo Hyeon drew his sword without hesitation and looked toward the referee.
“I’m not late, am I? That should be fine?”
“Ah, well… technically no, but are you sure you’re—?”
“Look fine, don’t I? I’m sound. Truly.”
Doggo Hyeon shrugged casually.
‘Though it was hell getting here.’
In any case, thanks to Mu Heun’s intervention, he could stand on this stage at all.
Seo Ryong smiled in turn and drew his own blade.
“Mu Heun helped you?”
“How did you know?”
“Well, I wouldn’t overlook you alone. But Mu Heun made the semifinals too, and he’s not here now. I’d never believe you lost—so he must have gone to help you. Simple enough.”
“…Is everyone from the great houses this sharp?”
“Merely thinking it through. But you look sound indeed. I’m glad.”
Doggo Hyeon smiled thinly.
“Better than sound—I’m in excellent shape. You’d better bring everything you have.”
“Everything? Ha ha ha!”
At Doggo Hyeon’s words, Seo Ryong burst into hearty laughter.
“I’ve never fought any other way.”
“Then let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Excellent. Very well done.”
The referee watched as both fighters drew their swords, then raised his hand skyward.
“Under the solemn regulations of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, let a fair contest decide the victor! Begin!”
As his hand fell, the semifinals of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering commenced.

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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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