Transcendence
In response to the sudden challenge for a duel, Dao Yuetian hesitated briefly before speaking.
“To have a duel with the young master of the Jegal family is a great honor for . However, I’ve just finished my training and need so ti for Qi Conducting. Could you allow so ti for that?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Jegal Jin-hee answered, Dao Yuetian sat down on the ground of the training field and began his Qi Conducting.
A little while later, having sowhat recovered his energy, Dao Yuetian stood up.
“Since this is a duel, I will use a wooden sword.”
“…Are you mocking ?”
Jegal Jin-hee’s forehead slightly furrowed at Dao Yuetian’s words, but he shook his head and presented the Celestial Flash Sword.
“This sword is a divine weapon made from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron. It wouldn’t be fair to use it in a duel, even if it’s a matter of life and death.”
“I don’t mind.”
With Jegal Jin-hee’s firm stance, Dao Yuetian sighed inwardly and took a defensive stance.
“Understood. Let formally introduce myself again. I am Dao Yuetian of Cheon Seom Moon.”
“I am Jegal Jin-hee of the Jegal family.”
Following the etiquette of a duel, the two exchanged formalities and took their stances.
For a brief mont, they engaged in a staring contest.
Dao Yuetian moved first.
Or rather, the mont Jegal Jin-hee sensed him moving, Dao Yuetian’s black blade was already in front of her face.
After several months of rigorous training at Shaolin, Dao Yuetian had perfectly mastered the mnemonics of the Swift Shadow Strike.
Additionally, thanks to Hyun-gwang’s assistance, his body had also started to slightly transform, enhancing his speed.
His swift blade had no match, at least among those Jegal Jin-hee had faced directly.
However, Jegal Jin-hee had also experienced life-and-death situations due to the rebellion.
And even at Shaolin, she hadn’t just been idly following Mu-jin around.
Predicting his target through Dao Yuetian’s stance, she narrowly blocked his first strike with her iron fan.
Or so she thought.
Slice!!
“!!!”
Jegal Jin-hee had not expected her iron fan, reinforced with sword energy, to be cut in one strike by the black blade.
Surprised by this, Jegal Jin-hee alternately looked at the broken iron fan and Dao Yuetian’s black blade with an uncharacteristically bewildered expression. �
Knowing how competitive she could be, Mu-jin softly intervened to avoid provoking her.
“As you can see, Dao Yuetian’s black blade is an unmatched divine weapon. Moreover, Dao Yuetian’s swift sword will beco even faster in the future. At that ti, it will be challenging for anyone, even a master of the Seven Kings level, to block his black blade.”
“I think I now understand why Master Mu-jin gave Dao Yuetian such a difficult task.”
Despite losing due to the difference in their weapons, Jegal Jin-hee responded in a bitter tone.
Dao Yuetian, noticing her deanor, spoke to her.
“It was the power of the weapon that won. Didn’t you block my first strike? Next ti, how about we duel with wooden swords?”
“Would that be alright?”
“Training alone at Shaolin was getting lonely. I’d welco a duel anyti to assess my martial arts level.”
Jegal Jin-hee’s previously disheartened expression returned to its usual self at Dao Yuetian’s words.
“I also welco any duel with a master. As they say, ‘The night is long, and dreams are many,’ (Yajangmongda), could we duel again now?”
Her desire to refine her skills through dueling was pure, not driven by a refusal to lose or stubbornness.
Seeing the pure desire for improvent in her eyes, Dao Yuetian agreed to her challenge with equal sincerity.
While Jegal Jin-hee briefly went to fetch another fan to replace the broken one, Mu-jin spoke to Dao Yuetian.
“How is your body holding up, Dao Yuetian?”
“Thanks to the techniques Master Mu-jin taught , I feel much better. Thank you for your concern, Master Mu-jin.”
“…I apologize for not being able to help more despite giving you such a difficult task.”
“Saving and my family is more than enough grace. I’m rather embarrassed to have received so much help.”
He was thankful for the dangerous mission Mu-jin had entrusted him with, feeling that it justified the help he had received.
While Mu-jin and Dao Yuetian conversed, Jegal Jin-hee returned with a new fan.
Dao Yuetian picked up a wooden sword from the training ground and faced Jegal Jin-hee again.
Having already exchanged formalities once, they skipped the greetings and took their stances.
Once again, Dao Yuetian’s blade, moving faster than sound, flew towards Jegal Jin-hee.
Jegal Jin-hee managed to barely block the strike this ti as well.
Since Dao Yuetian wasn’t using the Celestial Flash Sword, her fan didn’t break in one strike this ti.
Clang!
Dao Yuetian continued to use the sa Swift Shadow Strike, targeting different areas with each quick attack.
Clang!!
Each ti, Jegal Jin-hee narrowly blocked or slightly dodged the attacks, utilizing her stepping techniques to the fullest to defend against the impossibly fast consecutive strikes. Her hair was already disheveled, and her clothes were turning to rags.
It seed like Jegal Jin-hee could lose at any mont.
“Hoo.”
Slowly,
“Hoo.”
Dao Yuetian’s strikes began to slow down.
“Hoo.”
Additionally, with each strike, white breath escaped from Dao Yuetian’s mouth.
He wasn’t exhausted, but rather…
Clang!!
“…Is that Ice Technique?”
Dao Yuetian asked as he stepped back, noticing the cold energy accumulating with each clash against Jegal Jin-hee’s fan.
“It’s a technique called Moonlight Dance.”
Moonlight Dance was a technique that could cause Qi Deviation if not perford with Yin energy.
When perford with Yin energy, it had effects similar to Ice Techniques.
Fortunately, as the Jegal family was dedicated to martial arts research, they had internal energy techniques to handle Yin energy.
For the past few months, Jegal Jin-hee had been training in Moonlight Dance by drawing Yin energy from her internal energy using this technique.
Apart from the ti spent studying Mu-jin’s external training thods.
“…It’s a sha the internal energy technique isn’t advanced enough to be called an ascending martial art.”
It was a remaining challenge for her, having acquired a divine technique but lacking an advanced internal energy technique to support it.
Seeing the two catching their breaths from a distance, Mu-jin intervened.
“If this continues, one of you might get seriously injured. How about ending the duel here for today?”
“Since there will be more opportunities, that seems wise.”
“I agree. It wasn’t a life-and-death duel anyway.”
Both Dao Yuetian and Jegal Jin-hee gladly accepted Mu-jin’s proposal to end the duel in a draw.
Prolonged exposure to ice energy could be dangerous, and Jegal Jin-hee risked Qi Deviation due to her weaker internal energy technique.
Jegal Jin-hee, who now recognized Dao Yuetian’s abilities, spoke.
“Your skills are remarkable, even without considering the black blade.”
“Thanks to Master Mu-jin. I’m sorry I still haven’t t Master Mu-jin’s expectations.”
“Oh, are you talking about what you ntioned last ti?”
Recalling the story Dao Yuetian had shared while suppressing the rebellion in the Jegal family, Jegal Jin-hee asked.
Baek Ga-hwan, who had been watching the duel, joined the conversation.
“Thanks to Master Mu-jin? What do you an by that, Dao brother?”
“Haha. It’s a long story.”
Laughing heartily, Dao Yuetian started to talk about the help he received from Mu-jin, from their first eting at the Yongbongji Conference, saving Cheon Seom Moon, and revealing the secrets of the Celestial Flash Sword.
“Master Mu-jin is indeed different.”
“Master Mu-jin has always been that way.”
Jegal Jin-hee, perhaps inspired by Dao Yuetian’s story, spoke up.
“The first ti I t Master Mu-jin was in Jiangxi Province.”
She shared how Mu-jin had outwitted Jegal-hyeon with his eloquence when he was just a child.
“Who would have thought that a child, barely old enough to be called a scholar, would toy with an elder of the Five Noble Families with his sharp tongue.”
She also talked about losing a duel to Mu-jin, Mu-jin’s victory at the Yongbongji Conference, and how he saved the Jegal family.
After Jegal Jin-hee’s story, Baek Ga-hwan shared his experiences.
“I heard he left Jiangxi Province and went to the Jegal family and Jeongan-hyeon, but hearing it in detail, Master Mu-jin indeed seems extraordinary.”
Baek Ga-hwan spoke about the events at So-cheongmun, being chased by bandits, and the fight against a master of Langdao.
“He defeated a master of the Seven Kings level! Master Mu-jin is amazing!”
“His bold decisions are truly admirable.”
“But I value his spirit of sacrifice the most. With such a mindset, it’s no wonder he saved us.”
As the three shared their stories about Mu-jin, Ryu Seol-hwa couldn’t help but join in.
“The first ti
I t Master Mu-jin was about five years ago.”
Starting with the story of Mu-jin, known as the “Buddha-Handed Novice,” leading a musculoskeletal treatnt clinic and treating the elderly in Deungbong-hyeon at the age of fourteen, she talked about how Mu-jin captured Hong So-hee, a spy who had been tornting her.
She shared stories about visiting Jiangxi Province to form a branch, suppressing a rebellion at Yeon Ga-hee’s seventieth birthday with Hyun-gwang, and more.
Combining all their stories, it was as if they were recounting Mu-jin’s entire life.
Listening to all these stories was Mu-jin, who tried to intervene but couldn’t stop them.
“Um… could you stop, please…?”
“Ah, those things did happen, but…”
Mu-jin, unable to stop the stories and having to listen, felt embarrassed and a shiver ran down his spine.
‘This feels like so kind of cult…’
To Mu-jin, it seed like a confession session in a cult.
* * *
Even after Ryu Seol-hwa and the Baek siblings left, Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian continued their duels.
Mu-jin also occasionally watched their duels during his break tis from training.
Actually, it was more about monitoring Dao Yuetian.
Mu-jin felt the need to divert Dao Yuetian’s attention since he kept trying to proselytize.
After watching several duels between the two, who were fairly evenly matched without using the Celestial Flash Sword, Mu-jin spoke up.
“While your duels are beneficial to each other, constantly fighting the sa opponent might beco less effective. How about sparring with the Shaolin disciples as well?”
Both Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian were intrigued by Mu-jin’s suggestion.
As guests, they couldn’t easily request duels with the Shaolin disciples, but both were eager for more duels.
“Could you arrange that for us?”
“Of course.”
Confidently replying, Mu-jin waited for Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian to recover their internal energy through Qi Conducting before leading them sowhere.
Thud!
“Guueeek!”
Upon arriving at the hall, they heard a pig-like scream.
‘Is Shaolin slaughtering pigs?’
While Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian wondered, Mu-jin nonchalantly knocked on the door.
“Master Uncle Hye-gwan, this is the third-class disciple Mu-jin.”
Hearing the pig-like scream confird Hye-gwan’s presence, and soon the door opened, revealing Hye-gwan gulping down a bottle of alcohol in broad daylight.
Behind him lay Mu-gyeong, sprawled out on the floor.
“Haha. Have you co to steal a drink?”
“That will be for another ti. Today, I’ve brought sparring partners for Mu-gyeong.”
As Mu-jin stepped aside, Hye-gwan looked at the two standing behind him.
As if assessing their skills and Qi.
“Hmm. They seem suitable opponents for our disciple.”
Throwing away the empty bottle, which accurately landed on Mu-gyeong’s head, Hye-gwan addressed him.
“Have you rested well, disciple?”
“Yes, Master Uncle.”
Despite the blow, Mu-gyeong swiftly got up and responded.
Watching the casual exchange between the two made Jegal Jin-hee and Dao Yuetian feel a bit dizzy.
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