The Lightning I Harbor Is Too Strong - Chapter 41

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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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Chapter 41
Before entering Cheonmu Academy, Jeong Ishin had walked that road once more with Gu Jayun through Sinyang.
After passing the Entrance Ceremony, he’d done it again when he met third-year senior Baek Rihyeon.
And once more with Bang Sijeong, the master of Gaebang whom he hadn’t seen in ages.
There was one thing Jeong Ishin had been particularly thorough in confirming.
“Why am I suddenly furious? But what can I do—this is Cheonmu Academy, not the Hwangbo estate.”
“You wretched bastard……!”
Hwangbo Yeonggeol, held by the face and trembling violently, was the result.
“Academy business doesn’t leave the grounds, right? That means adults don’t meddle in children’s quarrels. I think that’s fair. Though I wonder how strictly it’ll actually be observed.”
“Know when to stop!!”
Hwangbo Yeonggeol threw a punch with that shout, aiming at the arm that pressed down on his face—and even in the midst of that, he was going for the joint.
Jeong Ishin pressed down on Hwangbo Yeonggeol’s face one more time before withdrawing his arm.
The punch sailed wide, but as anticipated, the recoil snapped Hwangbo Yeonggeol upright. He didn’t even straighten his posture before his foot shot out at the ground.
“How dare you! How dare you!”
“So this is the real Hwangbo. Your skull must have rattled. Quite a specimen.”
Hwangbo Yeonggeol closed the distance at explosive speed. His broad face ballooned into view. His eyes glinted with murderous intent, looking desperately dangerous, but Jeong Ishin made no move to evade.
“I’ll plant you just the same!!!”
It was as Hwangbo Yeonggeol threw a full-power punch, his voice trembling with rage.
Tap—
The sound was impossibly light.
“……Huh?”
Even Jeong Ishin could understand Hwangbo Yeonggeol’s bewildered response.
The enormous fist that had been rushing toward him had been stopped mid-strike by a sword sheath that simply slipped into its path.
It wasn’t a powerful parry—merely something that had glided in, nothing more.
A moment later, a soft voice rang out.
“Private squabbles like this are forbidden inside the Academy. If you want to fight, use the Practice Martial Arts Ground.”
The one withdrawing the sword sheath, long fingers wagging gently, was none other than Baek Rihyeon.
Her small head bobbed in sync with her fingers, which was somewhat distracting.
“Thank you, Senior Baek.”
“Hold on! I’m scolding both of you!”
“But I’m the victim here.”
“Shush! Bullying your classmate won’t fly.”
As he traded meaningless back-and-forth with Baek Rihyeon, the reaction he’d been hoping for never came.
‘What’s this? I thought he’d lose it and come at me again.’
He’d been planning to grab the back of Hwangbo Yeonggeol’s head and plant his face in the Flower Garden, but the man had gone peculiarly quiet.
He glanced back to check, and the murderous gleam that had been dancing in Hwangbo Yeonggeol’s eyes had vanished entirely. In its place had come something else.
‘Confusion? Bewilderment? ……Fear?’
There was no question where his gaze had fixed itself—on Baek Rihyeon.
Was this diminutive senior truly so terrifying?
Under Jeong Ishin’s scrutiny, Hwangbo Yeonggeol swallowed whatever defiant attitude he’d been flaunting just moments before and turned away.
It was at that moment Jeong Ishin’s expression fell.
“……I greet the Cliff Sword Epithet. I am Bang Sijeong of Gaebang.”
“Hey there! Wait—are you a friend of Ishin’s?”
“Yes, I exchange scholarly discourse with Jeong Ishin.”
“Huh. So he does have friends…….”
Just as Jeong Ishin was thinking Baek Rihyeon had found something odd to marvel at.
“Hear that? She definitely said Cliff Sword.”
“……So word has reached you as well, I see.”
“That purple ribbon in her hair. It has to be her. Actually seeing it gives me chills.”
“Even a rogue from the Hwangbo estate has to yield to her.”
“Has to. My own older brother can’t even move in her presence—a true monster.”
It was an extremely hushed murmur, but Jeong Ishin possessed exceptionally developed senses.
He could immediately tell who the whispered remarks were pointing to.
“What, why are you looking at me like that? I have friends too, you know?”
Long hair bundled with a purple ribbon swayed gently.
“……No, it’s nothing. So it’s been a while since you visited?”
“Oh! I actually came to pass along a message!”
This was the Baek Rihyeon who’d been helping with the Entrance Ceremony.
And just as she was about to speak again—
Boom—
A weighty Qi wave rippled toward them from far off.
The Flower Garden grew turbulent, and Baek Rihyeon’s face fell.
“Ah, we’re too late.”
* * *
A formidable Qi wave undulated through the air.
From far away, from a place not yet visible, they announced their arrival openly.
Boom—
They had come.
“W-what is this!”
“Where does such a Qi wave come from!”
Not a few came tumbling out of their quarters, startled.
Baek Rihyeon quickly stepped into the center of the Flower Garden and raised her voice.
“The Director of Ipmuon and the academy instructors have arrived. Everyone, please come out to the Flower Garden!”
Only then did Jeong Ishin realize that today was the final day of the Entrance Ceremony.
And so a procession of martial artists, each wrapped in a formidable Qi wave, entered the Flower Garden.
As they crossed the flower beds toward the center, countless eyes fixed upon them.
“The White Cloud Wanderer! They say the Peng Clan Lord tried three times to make him one of theirs.”
“My! Isn’t that the Lotus Heart Lady Swordmaster?”
“The Auspicious Wind Gentleman’s Sword, the Anchor Deity Palm—all here!”
With each step, epithets none had heard before erupted around them.
Yet one epithet caught Jeong Ishin’s ear with particular clarity.
“Good heavens! Is that truly the Guangya Sword Master?”
“Indeed! I’d heard that Cheonmu Academy had invited someone directly from the Jeongdo Uicheonmaeng, but truly….”
Just then, Seop Yeon, the Guangya Sword Master, passed before Jeong Ishin and his eyes flickered.
Jeong Ishin had been watching him as well, so he caught that movement without missing a beat.
As expected.
‘The Guangya….’
The Guangya Sword Master’s gaze swept across the short sword hanging at Jeong Ishin’s hip. Then he broke into a wide smile, teeth gleaming, and moved on.
It was unmistakably deliberate.
‘So that’s why they said we’d meet soon enough.’
As Jeong Ishin’s hand drifted across the Guangya Sword Wave, a man who carried himself with the bearing of a scholar stepped forward.
“Greetings. I am Baek Mongsan, Director of Ipmuon and administrator of this Entrance Ceremony. Before we proceed, I offer my respects to all who stand in this place….”
That was when it happened.
Crack—
With a sound like something wrenching, someone dropped from the empty air.
“Hah! Hah…!”
A woman knelt on the ground, breathing in ragged gasps, and something about her seemed vaguely familiar.
A short-haired beauty with a scar prominent across her face.
‘Eon Soran?’
The Flower Garden fell into sudden disorder.
“Who is that?”
“Why does that woman bear such a disfigurement?”
“Ha! She’s not a woman—she’s a martial artist who’s entered here as a warrior. What’s wrong with you? Did you come to the academy to find a girlfriend?”
“W-what did you just—! Who was that!”
The harsh voice silenced the crowd momentarily, but soon those who recognized her came forward.
“It’s Janhwa Fist. I saw her at the birthday banquet of the Peng Clan’s second son.”
“Ha! The withered flower from the Eon household?”
“…The Eight Great Families cannot endure forever. Here is a perfect demonstration of the fleeting nature of all things. I had only heard rumors.”
“Shut your mouth!”
That familiar voice cut through once more.
Baek Mongsan, the Director of Ipmuon, bowed his head to Eon Soran.
“My apologies.”
“…No matter.”
“When I face the future of Jeongdo Murim, this old heart races without fail. The passion of youth stirs my mind into haste. But the Entrance Ceremony is not yet finished.”
“It’s all right.”
I offer you my respect. Please accept it. You are number one hundred.”
Eon Soran received the Wooden Token and bowed her head.
As the strands of hair that had fallen away settled back into place, a sharp voice rang out again.
“Sister! Over here! Here!”
Eon Soran crossed the Flower Garden, the back of her neck flushed red.
Only then did the Ipmuon Master step before them once more.
His gaze swept across the Flower Garden, lingering notably long on Jeong Ishin.
At that peculiar look, Jeong Ishin tilted his head for only a moment before the Ipmuon Master cleared his throat and made his announcement.
“I shall now commence the Evaluation Battle.”
* * *
The Ipmuon Master gave a brief explanation of the Evaluation Battle.
Yet from the reactions around him, it seemed everyone already knew what it was.
‘Was I the only one in the dark?’
Jeong Ishin had only grasped the full picture of the Evaluation Battle after arriving at the Flower Garden, thanks to Baek Rihyeon and Bang Sijeong.
Which was why he found the situation somewhat harsh—though this judgment stemmed largely from Eon Soran, who had only just taken her seat.
“By the look of her, her body’s not in normal condition.”
“What can be done? That too is a measure of one’s ability.”
“True enough.”
As Jeong Ishin nodded readily, Bang Sijeong asked casually.
“By the way, it seems you have some acquaintance with Zan Hwagwon?”
“We traveled together briefly as far as Sinyang.”
“First the Leopard-Eyed Swordswoman, then the Cliff-Edge Swordmaster… how is it you find yourself entangled with so many women?”
Jeong Ishin’s expression turned incredulous as he listened to the Ipmuon Master’s explanation.
“Half the world is women, so naturally that follows. And I converse with you, Bang, precisely because the other half is men.”
“Ahem! Well, I…”
Bang Sijeong smacked his lips and changed the subject.
“Now that I think on it, this is the first time I’ve truly seen your martial prowess.”
“Is that so?”
“Just now there’s little to remark on, and at Mute Lake, your opponent was Seop Yeon.”
The Ipmuon Master looked toward Jeong Ishin at the right moment.
“Come then, Jeong Ishin. Step forward.”
“I shall watch with keen interest, Jeong.”
“I’m going now.”
The Evaluation Battle, they had said, would take place here in this Flower Garden where they had first set foot.
A crowd formed in a circle around the Ipmuon Master.
The space they had opened was the martial arena.
‘Martial matches conducted before the masters, with their judgment rendered upon us.’
Even the Academy Students scattered about freely to watch the matches from various vantage points.
For all that the setting was merely the Flower Garden, Jeong Ishin could scarce imagine a more suffocating arena than this.
And so among the Academy Students, they called this first Evaluation Battle the Grass Flower Battle.
There was no shortage of murmuring directed at Jeong Ishin as he made his way toward the center of the Flower Garden.
―That man’s the top scorer? The Nine Schools had someone like that?
―I heard he’s a lay disciple of Shaolin. But there are far more than just one or two of those.
―Is he the Prince of Brightness from Namgung?
―Fool. Namgung entered seclusion long ago.
―Ishin is my friend.
―W-who are you?
Those who had emerged late from their quarters spoke on:
―…That move that subdued Hwangbo Yeonggeol. I didn’t see it.
―Even accounting for the distance, it was incredibly swift. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have struggled to react.
―What?
―We know the Iron Fortress has grown lax in his training, but he shouldn’t have been subdued by an unknown martial artist. There’s something more to this.
―No, considering Hwangbo Yeonggeol’s character and negligence, it may simply be the consequence of carelessness and coincidence overlapping.
―I agree. After all, he’s shown nothing substantial, has he? Not even a close-range hundred-strike sequence. Any judgment now would be meaningless.
Even among those Academy Students who had witnessed the subduing of Hwangbo Yeonggeol.
A storm of debate swirled around Jeong Ishin—though between the two factions, their assessments did not differ greatly.
The masters did not silence the students as they exchanged their views. Rather, most of them gazed upon them with distinctly eager eyes.
From this, Jeong Ishin surmised much about the atmosphere of Cheonmu Academy, and continued forward.
Once in position, the Ipmuon Master greeted him with a warm smile.
“Congratulations on achieving top scorer in the Entrance Ceremony. I have very, very many questions I’d like to ask… but there is only one thing I can say from here, Academy Student Jeong Ishin. Have you chosen your opponent?”
“Yes, I have.”
The moment Jeong Ishin nodded readily.
Nam Taegang rose to his feet.
“Ah? You’ve chosen Academy Student Nam Taegang?”
“No?”
Why?!
Ignoring Nam Taegang’s desperate cry, Jeong Ishin chose Mujin.
There had never been any other option. Mujin, as if he’d anticipated this, walked forward with an unflustered expression.
The murmurs erupting from the crowd were distinctly different from those that greeted Jeong Ishin.
“An unbelievable choice. Top Scorer, and yet deliberately choosing Shaolin?”
“Even if he truly is a Shaolin lay disciple, would Small Golden Strength bend to anyone’s hand?”
“Mujin of Small Golden Strength. There’s no one in Hanaam who doesn’t know his name. They say his achievement in external cultivation has no equal among his peers.”
“That’s foolish talk. Would it be different in only Hanaam?”
“The Entrance Ceremony top scorer is certainly a remarkable achievement, but the Martial Arts Match is another matter entirely.”
Mujin wasn’t without agreement among the observers.
Come to think of it, he knew nothing of Jeong Ishin. Only that he was good at talking nonsense.
They had never even discussed martial learning.
‘Still, he doesn’t seem like the losing type.’
Arrogance and pride are words unknown to Shaolin.
A Shaolin monk’s self-cultivation does not end with tempering and honing the body.
With spiritual training and moral cultivation proceeding hand in hand, one can advance endlessly. That is diligent practice.
Even Mujin had only come to understand this fact just before the Entrance Ceremony.
“Academy Student Mujin, are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Then, let us begin.”
The Ipmuon Master declared the start in a conversational tone, as if merely chatting.
“Hah—!”
Mujin launched himself from the ground half a beat late.
Only when he’d closed the distance did Mujin shout out:
“I ask that my opponent show mercy!”
At that shameless provocation—to take a hit first and begin—the corner of Jeong Ishin’s mouth twitched.
And in the same instant.
Crackle—
A flash of Golden Lightning bloomed in his eyes.
The Lightning I Held Was Too Powerful
Author |
Woo San-yu
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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