The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 136

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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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The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 136

I felt the weight of every gaze converging upon me and lowered my eyes deliberately.
The fallen Namgung Yeon seemed to escape Moyong Hyeok’s notice entirely—his eyes, fixed upon me as I remained seated, burned with unmistakable intensity.
Envy, jealousy, inferiority—every bitter emotion was laid bare across his features and in the depths of his gaze.
Despite the countless eyes watching, he made no effort to conceal himself.
He had clearly lost all capacity to govern his own emotions.
Even Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo, who had been observing, could not hide their astonishment.
“Will you accept a duel with me?”
Moyong Hyeok’s voice emerged with weighty authority, carrying an unshakeable resolve—he would crush me beneath his feet and claim victory.
I glanced briefly toward Hoyeon.
He watched the unfolding situation with detached composure, yet his eyes gleamed with unmistakable amusement.
Did he view this as an opportunity to gauge my true strength?
Perhaps so, though it remained an impetuous act.
My gaze naturally shifted toward Gam Cheong-un.
This gathering had been arranged to honor him; to step forward without his permission would be discourteous.
“If the Master permits, I shall endeavor to enliven the occasion.”
“Hehehehe, this too is entertainment. If you wish it, then by all means, proceed.”
The moment permission was granted, the expressions of the seated Martial Arts Alliance masters—all save Hoyeon—grew decidedly complex.
What had been a modest tournament, yielding little of consequence, had produced a compelling narrative through the clash between the Namgung and Moyong families.
Though the aftertaste was unsatisfying, it had concluded with Moyong Hyeok’s victory.
This would certainly become a tale worth repeating.
But my confrontation would be different.
Should I prevail, I would gain overwhelming prestige—victory over the one who had defeated Cheon Yul. Should I fall, I would suffer immeasurable disgrace.
Though many wished to intervene, Hoyeon’s silence left them merely observing, as if powerless to act.
I cast aside their scrutiny and launched myself toward the dueling arena.
Whoosh—
As I descended with fluid grace, cheers erupted from the crowd.
“Whoa! What’s this? Moyong Hyeok against the Golden Dragon?”
“A pairing rarely seen! Who will emerge victorious?”
“That swordsmanship which felled Namgung Yeon moments ago—surely it is the Sword Emperor’s secret technique. Even the renowned Jin Cheon-u will find this no simple matter.”
“Yet he is the very one who defeated Cheon Yul. The caliber differs greatly.”
Murmurs rippled through the assembly—
Voices of differing opinions flowed ceaselessly outward.
The Cheonhajeilgeom School, or the Sword Emperor’s heir.
Beyond such pedigree, the prevailing sentiment held that I would never have sought this duel without confidence in my own abilities.
Yet what captured my attention was something else entirely.
The Golden Dragon?
I realized that this epithet, flowing naturally from their lips, referred to me—it seemed I had acquired a title that even Moyong Hyeok had yet to earn, born from recent events.
So the Golden Dragon, then?
It suits him rather well, doesn’t it?
With that thought, I gazed at Moyong Hyeok standing before me and smiled.
“I didn’t take you for the type to attempt something so reckless.”
“Reckless?”
“Yes—the final display you showed Namgung Yeon, and now this discourteous challenge to a duel. It seems the disciples of the Cheonhajeilgeom School lack proper refinement.”
Twitch—!
Moyong Hyeok’s brow twitched as he shot me a fierce glare.
Was the fact that his face hadn’t flushed red a sign he was still maintaining composure?
It was markedly different from what I’d observed when he wielded the Pyohyeong Sword.
Yet his pride still seemed to pierce the heavens themselves.
His eyes blazed with lethal intensity, as if to prove it.
He emanated such a vicious aura that one might wonder if he’d forgotten this was supposed to be a mere duel.
Shhhhh—
To release killing intent like that.
My skin prickled at the murderous aura radiating from Moyong Hyeok.
Yet unlike his killing intent, his actual spiritual energy was remarkably weak.
Nowhere near comparable to Cheon Yul’s.
I found myself confirming once more that Moyong Hyeok’s reputation as the most outstanding among the later generation had been built largely on the prestige of the Cheonhajeilgeom School and the name of the Sword Emperor.
It was precisely as I entertained these thoughts.
Moyong Hyeok’s voice reached me, heavy and deliberate.
“I humbly request to learn from your martial prowess.”
“Of course. I too shall endeavor to learn from the martial arts of the Cheonhajeilgeom School.”
Though Moyong Hyeok assumed a respectful fist salute, his eyes gleamed with a sharp, piercing light as he took his stance.
Then he drew his spiritual energy higher, channeling it into his blade.
I felt the wind around us grow turbulent and fierce.
Narrowing my eyes to slits, I watched intently.
Moyong Hyeok launched himself forward, pushing off the ground.
The distance between us closed in an instant.
The moment he entered my range, he drew his sword and swung it down.
His blade flew faster than the flash of light that accompanied the draw itself.
I tilted my head back slightly.
Whoosh!
The blade passed perilously close, grazing the tip of my nose.
In response, I swung my sword guard lightly, striking Moyong Hyeok’s abdomen.
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
The impact sent him staggering backward with a grunt, widening the distance—but as if to show this wasn’t over, he closed in again and unleashed another sword technique as swift as lightning.
Flashes of light flickered before my eyes multiple times.
His blade left afterimages in its wake, dizzying to behold.
He swung with such speed that it was impossible to tell what was real and what was illusion—a dozen or more sword blades seemed to descend upon me.
But I had already seen this.
Unlike last time, I had no intention of blocking and deflecting them all.
Just one point.
Etching a single trajectory through the barrage of blades that descended as if no gap existed, I thrust my sword hilt toward that one precise location.
Crack!
Clang clang clang!
The moment the afterimages scattered and lost their force, Moyong Hyeok—pierced through the chest by my sword hilt—flew backward absurdly and tumbled across the ground.
“Ugh…!”
The man who had been rolling groaned and tried to push himself up from the ground.
His eyes glowed with venom as he stared at me.
Unlike himself, who was desperately swinging his sword, I had yet to even draw my blade—he seemed to believe he was being disrespected.
An obvious expression.
Seeing that unmistakable resolve to make me regret this, I found myself smiling as I swung my sword hilt toward the ground.
Boom!
The sword hilt shattered the floor, and its fragments flew toward Moyong Hyeok.
Thud thud thud thud!
The fragments, flying at a vicious speed, pelted Moyong Hyeok’s entire body, sending him flying backward once more as he crashed down.
Writhe writhe—
He squirmed like a pathetic worm, trying to rise.
I closed the distance as I watched.
“…!”
As Moyong Hyeok tried to stand, he saw me appear suddenly before him, his eyes widening. Then, catching sight of my descending sword hilt, he rolled across the ground to evade.
Boom!
The force of the strike was enough to crater the floor.
Barely rolling away to safety, Moyong Hyeok rose to his feet faster than anyone else and found his footing.
But there was no time to recover.
Crack!
“Gasp?!”
My sword hilt appeared before his eyes and lashed across his face. Blood erupted from his nose as he staggered, barely maintaining his balance.
Drip drip—
An unceasing stream of blood soaked the ground beneath him.
I took in the sight and glanced around the arena.
Moyong Hyeok trembled at the sudden turn of events, while the crowd that had been cheering moments before fell into complete silence, their mouths sealed shut.
Despite having subdued Cheon Yul, they had never imagined I would display such overwhelming dominance against Moyong Hyeok—the son of the Sword Emperor himself.
I spoke to Moyong Hyeok with unhurried composure.
“Shall we continue?”
“…It’s not over yet!”
“Perhaps you don’t realize? If I had drawn my sword, a nosebleed would have been the least of your concerns.”
“Grrr! How long do you think you can maintain this composure?!”
“If that’s how it appeared, I apologize. But I suspect it’s because I seem more composed when facing you than when I faced the Junior Heavenly Lord.”
Moyong Hyeok’s face flushed crimson.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he ground his teeth and gripped his sword once more.
Explosive power radiated outward in all directions.
Drawing forth every ounce of strength he had not revealed even during his clash with Namgung Yeon, a tremendous gale of force came crashing down with violent intensity.
I furrowed my brow and clicked my tongue.
Simultaneously, Moyong Hyeok’s momentum shifted.
Even his martial technique was no longer the same as before.
Now he was finally revealing it.
The Sword Emperor’s martial arts.
“Let’s see how much longer you can maintain that arrogant facade!”
Moyong Hyeok, brimming with killing intent, rushed toward me once again.
It was undoubtedly different from before—drastically so.
As the nature of his spiritual energy transformed, so too did his martial technique.
The footwork with which he struck the ground was markedly different from moments prior.
With each step, afterimages lingered so faintly they were barely perceptible, and the sword wielded in sync with that speed carried force far more rapid and intense than before.
Clang—!
The moment I blocked it with my sword,
a shock reverberated through my wrist with numbing force.
Yet it was far from over, as blades descended from all directions.
Clang—clang, clang—!
Tremendous speed and power, coupled with exquisitely dense and intricate swordplay.
Mastery of any single element—strength, speed, or technique—would be enough to earn the title of Powerful Expert, yet the Sword Emperor’s martial arts seemed to harmonize all three flawlessly.
Voices began to emerge one after another in the arena, which had been silent as a tomb.
“It’s the Sword Emperor’s Supreme Heaven Sword Technique!”
“To think we’d witness Moyong Sohyeop unleash it!”
Unlike the brief display when facing Namgung Yeon, now that the complete Sword Emperor’s swordplay had been revealed, the arena filled with clamorous voices.
The pitiful state Moyong Hyeok had shown moments before seemed utterly erased.
This was the weight that the title of Sword Emperor carried.
Moyong Hyeok, who understood this better than anyone, wielded his blade with even greater force.
The relentless barrage showed no signs of abating, and I could sense a strong intention to press forward without mercy and end this in one decisive moment.
“I will crush you! And prove once more that I am supreme!”
At that moment, a voice erupted from Moyong Hyeok’s lips, creating a powerful resonance.
His resolve to reclaim the highest position was unwavering.
Was this the inferiority complex he harbored toward me?
At such an absurd notion, I let out a scoff of exasperation.
Clang, clang, clang—crunch—!
Did he see that mockery?
Moyong Hyeok’s blade swung with even greater ferocity.
As though he intended to tear me to shreds.
Each martial technique I blocked sent a considerable shock through my arms.
The relentless barrage of strikes threatened to overwhelm my wrists, as if my sword might slip from my grasp at any moment.
Sensing this, I rolled my eyes to regard Hoyeon.
The gaze directed at me was remarkably sharp.
As if driven by the will to pierce through everything and lay it bare, he scrutinized my movements and sword forms with unwavering focus.
Just as a smile threatened to curl at my lips, my gaze naturally shifted toward Moyong Hyeok.
“…!”
In that instant, his pupils trembled.
As if he had recalled someone he wished never to think of.
Because of that, I felt his previously razor-sharp swordplay dull somewhat.
I did not miss that opening and posed a question.
“Is that what you call the Supreme Heaven Sword Technique?”
Simultaneously with my words, I evaded his incoming blade, retreated two steps backward, and drew my own sword.
Shing—!
Grasping the blade as it revealed its cyan aura with a sharp ring, I charged toward Moyong Hyeok this time.
“What?!”
Closing the distance without giving him even a moment to blink, I met his gaze directly and unleashed my strike.
Clang—!
“…!”
With a harsh metallic shriek, half of Moyong Hyeok’s blade flew into the void.
The moment I confirmed his eyes widening in shock, I twisted my body with a bitter smile and extended my leg in a sweeping kick.
Crack—!
With a sickening sound of bone fracturing, Moyong Hyeok’s body lifted from the impact to his jaw.
Thud!
Finally, he crashed to the ground with a violent sound.
Silence descended upon the assembly once more.

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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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