The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 131

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 131. Who Do You Think Will Win?

 

 

It was indeed beautiful.

It was clearly the same sword technique as the Azure Sky Unhindered Sword that Namgung Ji-hu had shown just moments ago.

But unlike his, the lines of her sword movements were beautiful.

Of course, Namgung Ji-hu’s had been beautiful too.

The spectators had watched in entranced admiration.

But Namgung Ji-yu’s sword was different.

How should I put it.

It was as if beauty itself was its very foundation?

Though it might sound absurd, more than a few people felt this way.

And what about Yeon Ha-min’s sword?

It was clearly the Three Talents Sword Technique that anyone could execute immediately.

Sword manuals for the Three Talents Sword Technique were stacked by the dozens even at the bookstore in front of Gyoryong Hall.

Reading through those manuals would take only one gak, and copying the movements would take only half a sijin.

Thus, the Three Talents Sword Technique was a sword technique anyone could easily learn, but.

Yeon Ha-min’s Three Talents Sword Technique was different.

‘How is that the Three Talents Sword Technique?’

‘The Three Talents Sword Technique can be executed like that?’

It was unbelievable.

Yeon Ha-min’s sword movements were clearly those of the Three Talents Sword Technique, but.

They had depth, and above all, they were beautiful.

Enough to rival Namgung Ji-yu’s sword.

 

Namgung Ji-yu’s sword aimed for and pierced toward Yeon Ha-min’s vital points.

Clang! Clang clang!

Each time, Yeon Ha-min’s sword blocked those paths.

Namgung Ji-yu’s sword moved gracefully with various changes and mysterious movements.

Yeon Ha-min’s sword moved simply and linearly but with depth.

Perhaps because they were contrasting sword techniques.

Their exchanges grew increasingly fierce.

‘How can mere Three Talents Sword Technique…’

Namgung Ji-yu simply couldn’t believe it.

Yesterday, and today too.

How could she not break through defenses executed with the Three Talents Sword Technique?

Yeon Ha-min’s sword was even more solid and strong than Dang Jin-san’s.

And the occasional counterattacks sent chills down her spine.

‘I can see it.’

Yeon Ha-min’s eyes gleamed as she tracked Namgung Ji-yu’s sword.

Hadn’t Ha Seol-ran said so?

That she could see it.

Though not as well as her, Yeon Ha-min could also see Namgung Ji-yu’s sword.

She had also seen Namgung Ji-hu’s sword and had experience training with him.

Yeon Ha-min did not retreat.

Rather, she took one more step forward.

She advanced toward Namgung Ji-yu.

The two clashed swords without yielding an inch.

It was fierce.

And it was rough.

Though both were clearly wielding swords of incomparable beauty, their exchanges were aggressive and savage.

The face veils covering both their faces fluttered ceaselessly.

Though their beautiful features were repeatedly revealed, no one was paying attention to that now.

Instead, everyone was completely captivated by the primal sword strikes the two were exchanging.

A clash of strength against strength shown by two beautiful women.

 

Baek Ri-pyeong watched their exchanges with calm eyes.

Namgung Ji-hu approached his side.

“Who do you think will win?”

At that question, Baek Ri-pyeong shook his head.

“I couldn’t even predict the outcome of my own martial duel, so how would I know the outcome of someone else’s?”

“Sometimes you can see things when watching from the outside.”

“I don’t know. So what do you think?”

“Actually, I don’t know either.”

Namgung Ji-hu chuckled as he answered Baek Ri-pyeong’s question.

“What does it mean that cultivating the Three Talents Sword Technique was cultivating the Heavenly Star Sword Technique?”

This was Namgung Ji-hu’s real purpose.

The words Baek Ri-pyeong had spoken during the martial duel.

He couldn’t understand their meaning at all.

“Try learning the Three Talents Sword Technique once.”

Baek Ri-pyeong said with a slight smile.

It was something he himself couldn’t have imagined before trying it.

And it was something he hadn’t realized until he executed the Heavenly Star Sword Technique again.

No amount of verbal explanation would make this understood.

One had to experience it directly to know.

Just as he had.

Namgung Ji-hu’s expression became ambiguous.

“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

Baek Ri-pyeong added one more comment.

“Understood.”

With that response, Namgung Ji-hu focused on the martial duel again.

 

“What do you think about this time?”

Gongsun Mu-oe asked Ha Mu-baek.

“I don’t know if she planned this strategy knowingly or if it’s instinctive, but.”

Last night, Ha Mu-baek.

Had only encouraged the defeated cadets, giving no advice whatsoever about today’s martial duels.

He simply let the cadets think and act on their own.

Because he judged they had reached a level where this was acceptable.

Still, the performance Yeon Ha-min was showing today was unexpected.

“Does it seem like the child named Yeon Ha-min has the advantage?”

Gongsun Mu-oe asked, reading the hidden meaning in Ha Mu-baek’s words.

Ha Mu-baek nodded and said.

“Yes. Namgung Ji-yu. That child is essentially fighting two against one right now.”

“Two against one?”

Gongsun Mu-oe asked as if he couldn’t understand the meaning.

“I’m talking about yesterday’s martial duel with Dang Jin-san. At that time, Dang Jin-san made Namgung Ji-yu use all of her full power.”

“Still, she rested for a night, so hasn’t her internal energy already fully recovered?”

“Her internal energy would have, yes. As the Valley Master of Seonyu Valley, don’t you know this well?”

Ha Mu-baek asked back.

“Ah!”

Gongsun Mu-oe let out an exclamation as if he had realized something.

“You’re talking about muscle fatigue.”

“Yes. Even if internal energy is the source of martial arts, what moves the human body is muscle. Even if internal energy maximizes muscle capability and relieves fatigue, it cannot completely eliminate the fatigue that accumulates in the muscles themselves.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gongsun Mu-oe nodded in agreement.

“Exactly right. That’s why external arts cultivation is also important, but that child Namgung Ji-yu shows little trace of external arts training.”

“Most martial artists are like that.”

“True words. Even the disciples of our valley right now… Tsk. When I return this time, I’ll need to make some major changes.”

Ha Mu-baek smiled slightly.

“Of course, even if external arts training is lacking, muscles do adapt as one accumulates experience fighting consecutively, but that child…”

“This is probably her first such experience. Oh my. The signs are already showing.”

Gongsun Mu-oe, who had been responding to Ha Mu-baek’s words, saw something and spoke.

 

Clang!!!!

A sword cry incomparably louder than before rang out.

The two were pressing against each other with their swords locked together.

Faced with Yeon Ha-min’s aggressive offensive push, Namgung Ji-yu had no choice but to meet it head-on.

But then.

Small tremors occurred in Namgung Ji-yu’s arms.

‘Ugh.’

Namgung Ji-yu gritted her teeth.

However, the tremors gradually expanded their range and worsened.

Yeon Ha-min also noticed this change.

Strength surged into both her arms.

She pushed her opponent even more forcefully.

“Urgh.”

A thin voice flowed out from between Namgung Ji-yu’s clenched teeth.

“Haah.”

Yeon Ha-min’s battle cry also flowed out thinly.

Namgung Ji-yu drew up her internal energy to the maximum. Though she had already drawn it to its peak, she squeezed out even the last drop of internal energy remaining in her dantian beyond her limits.

Changung Daeyeon Mind Technique.

She frantically operated the secret mind technique learned by the direct lineage of the Namgung family.

Internal energy flowed into the trembling muscles of her arms.

Namgung Ji-yu supplemented her lacking muscle strength with internal energy.

Once again, a situation of equal strength.

Yeon Ha-min operated the Three Talents Heart Method.

She too poured out all the internal energy she possessed.

Namgung Ji-yu, the precious daughter of the prestigious Namgung family.

Though she couldn’t possibly have as much internal energy as her, she had still cultivated diligently until now.

Hadn’t she taken those terrible pills twice?

The internal energy in Yeon Ha-min’s dantian spread like a torrent through her entire body’s blood meridians.

“Haah!”

A rough battle cry burst from Yeon Ha-min’s mouth.

At the same time.

“Kyaah.”

A scream burst from Namgung Ji-yu’s mouth.

She flew backward.

Thud.

Just as she fell to the ground and barely managed to steady herself and rise.

Yeon Ha-min, who had followed in an instant, brought her sword straight down.

Stop.

The sword stopped one inch above Namgung Ji-yu’s crown.

Namgung Ji-yu stared blankly at this sight.

The match was decided.

“I lost.”

Namgung Ji-yu closed her eyes and spoke quietly.

At those words, Yeon Ha-min withdrew her sword.

“Waaaaaaah!”

“Amazing!!!”

“Whee! Whee!”

Even someone’s whistle could be heard as all sides were covered with cheers.

The breathtaking match had ended like this.

Already the second time.

A Namgung had been defeated.

Perhaps people were getting even more excited by the consecutive defeats of prestigious families.

They seemed to welcome the shattering of their fixed notion that they couldn’t win against disciples of prestigious families.

“Whew.”

Namgung Ji-yu sighed and tried to get up.

Yeon Ha-min’s sword had come flying before she could even properly rise.

But no strength would enter her body at all.

With not even a handful of internal energy remaining.

“Here.”

At that moment.

Yeon Ha-min extended her hand. She was still in front of Namgung Ji-yu.

Namgung Ji-yu stared blankly at that hand.

“Take it. You probably have no strength left in your entire body. Tomorrow your whole body’s muscles will be screaming, right?”

Yeon Ha-min spoke with a gentle smile.

Her smile, from someone who rarely smiled, was refreshing.

Namgung Ji-yu nodded and took that hand. A smile had somehow appeared on her lips as well.

Since they were covered by face veils, no one saw the smiles of these two.

“Magnificent!!”

“Clap clap clap clap!!!”

Applause and cheers burst out again from all directions.

Thus Yeon Ha-min and Namgung Ji-yu came down from the martial arts arena together.

Already two matches of the quarterfinals had ended.

Two matches remained.

The heat in the venue was growing even hotter.

 

Ju U-myeong repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists.

Two consecutive masterful matches.

Having seen such matches, his body couldn’t help but be eager.

Ju U-myeong’s gaze turned toward the martial arts arena.

Soon it would be his turn to go up.

Ju U-myeong’s opponent was Yeong Ho-jun from Mount Hua Sect.

Yeong Ho-jun was also looking at Ju U-myeong.

The gazes of the two became entangled in midair.

Finally, the time for the decisive battle had arrived.

The two slowly walked up to the martial arts arena.

Cheers erupted from all directions.

How could it not be so?

Until now, it had been battles between Jamryong Corps and Maengryong Corps, but this time was different.

Of course, that was if we were talking about their affiliations. But their origins.

Mount Hua versus Wudang.

Wudang versus Mount Hua.

Disciples from two sects that formed the twin peaks of swordsmanship within the Nine Sects One Alliance were about to clash in the Winter Tournament’s round of eight.

Anticipation gleamed in people’s eyes.

It was a very old debate.

Which was the greatest sword sect among the Nine Sects One Alliance – Mount Hua or Wudang?

Though it was a duel between two Gyoryong Hall cadets, this martial duel that existed as an extension of that age-old debate was worthy of drawing everyone’s attention.

The two slowly drew their swords.

After lightly showing courtesy.

They searched for their opponent’s weaknesses.

For a moment, neither person made any movement.

Their swords remained completely still, as if time had stopped.

The first to move was Yeong Ho-jun.

His sword trembled faintly, then slowly began to bloom flowers.

One blossom, one blossom.

Plum blossoms began to scatter through midair.

The number of those flowers reached twenty-four and surrounded Ju U-myeong.

“Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique!!!”

Someone among the spectators shouted loudly.

A sword technique so famous as Mount Hua’s ultimate technique that no one was unfamiliar with it.

That sword technique was now unfolding before their eyes.

 

“To achieve full bloom at that age is quite impressive.”

Full bloom.

This referred to blooming all twenty-four flowers of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

Ha Mu-baek expressed quiet admiration.

Among the Mount Hua Sect masters he had encountered on the battlefield, there weren’t many swordsmen who had reached the level of full bloom.

“If you’re impressed enough to say that, that fellow must be quite remarkable.”

“He’s changed beyond recognition in just a few months.”

Ha Mu-baek replied to Gongsun Mu-oe’s words.

“Then how do you think this match will turn out?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a bit too late. If he had come to his senses sooner, it might be different, but… He seems to have just reached full bloom… That level isn’t enough to face U-myeong. The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique truly begins from full bloom. That fellow Yeong Ho-jun has only just set foot at the starting point.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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