55. Only Then Can You Make Use of It.
The martial duel between Namgung Seo-wol and Bajie began off to one side.
If Bajie had married early, he’d be old enough to have a daughter Seo-wol’s age. But that didn’t an he could treat her like a child. She might be small, but she was an adult in her own right—and, more importantly, who was she?
‘She’s the Sword God’s daughter.’
Bajie cautiously assud the Tiger Fist stance.
“I look forward to our match, miss.”
“……”
Seo-wol’s sullen face made Bajie feel a bit awkward.
Even a blank face can show emotion.
She was clearly displeased that her opponent wasn’t Sun Wukong.
‘Isn’t she underestimating a bit too much?’
He glanced over.
He could see Sun Wukong weaving through Namgung Mu-yeong’s dazzling martial forms like flowing water.
‘…Hmm.’
If that’s the level of duel she was expecting…
Yeah.
No wonder she’s dissatisfied.
Bajie scratched his chin sheepishly. Either way, the duel was happening.
He found it all rather fascinating.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d one day cross swords with the Sword God’s daughter?’
It was absurd, and yet, deep in his chest, a strange thrill stirred.
The yearning he’d felt as a child, dreaming of becoming a great warrior.
The sensation of gripping a sword, vowing revenge for his slaughtered village.
That old passion began to flicker again.
Ever since eting Sun Wukong, a small spark had been rekindled.
Bajie knew himself well. He wasn’t so hot-blooded youth swept up in a tiny fla. He’d seen the worst, lived as a bandit, spent years at Shaolin—he was a seasoned veteran.
There’s a ti to swallow your pride, and that’s a virtue too.
Bajie grinned and bowed.
“Well, miss. I may be your senior in the martial world, but, uh, maybe I could let you have the first three moves?”
“……”
Seo-wol’s face flashed with incredulity at his awkward, deferential offer.
She sighed briefly, then assud the Tiger Fist stance.
A silent acceptance.
Swish—!
Bajie imdiately thrust his sword.
Seo-wol leaned her head back to dodge.
“…?”
A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
Her long black hair fluttered down.
There was no ti to just watch.
The sword that had thrust past her head suddenly ca slashing down.
The transition from thrust to downward strike was awkward—clearly not a connected martial form. It was as if a step had been skipped.
Yet, strangely, the movent was so fluid that it looked like a single martial form from the start.
Seo-wol narrowed her eyes and twisted her body, dodging again. Bajie’s movents were sharper and faster than she’d expected, but she could still read them.
If you can see your opponent’s moves, it ans they can’t hurt you.
…Or so it should have been.
Seo-wol’s eyes narrowed. Once again, a single strand of her hair was sliced off and drifted through the air.
So might dismiss it as just a single strand.
But the problem was, it was outside Seo-wol’s calculations. She stared at Bajie, puzzled, then realized the three moves she’d allowed were up and imdiately counterattacked.
Clang! Clang! Claaang!
Even as the exchange continued, confusion flickered across Seo-wol’s face.
‘Why is he blocking everything?’
Her attacks, aid at exploiting openings, were lightning-fast. Given Bajie’s level, he should have let at least half of them through.
Seo-wol was pressing hard, but none of her attacks landed.
Only then did she notice sothing different.
Her eyes widened.
‘His breathing!’
Seo-wol had a rare talent: she could read the flow of Internal Qi by observing her opponent’s breathing.
It was a skill every martial artist should have, but Seo-wol excelled at it.
The depth of breath, the length of exhalation, the frequency of inhaling and exhaling.
All of it was a signal for predicting the movent of Internal Qi.
‘Why is he breathing like that?’
Bajie’s breathing was abnormal. In fact, he wasn’t breathing at all.
Yet his Internal Qi moved freely. Even faster and more powerfully than Seo-wol had anticipated.
‘He’s manipulating Internal Qi purely by sensation, without breathing? Is he really a Martial Master?’
This man?
Seo-wol was shaken. There’s a saying about “cutting off the rhythm of breath.” If you interrupt soone mid-sentence with a gesture or interjection, they’re often left speechless. That’s because you’ve disrupted the flow of their breath.
Seo-wol’s specialty was stabbing her sword right into that rhythm. It would throw off her opponent’s Internal Qi control completely.
But if the opponent isn’t breathing at all, how frustrating is that? And then, during several exchanges, Bajie even closed his eyes.
‘What a weirdo!’
She’d never seen anyone close their eyes in the middle of a fight.
Yet every ti he did, Bajie’s sword moved even faster and stronger, as if he was about to be overwheld.
His movents made no sense.
Thanks to Bajie’s unexpected performance, the duel dragged on.
But the limits were clear.
No matter how skilled Bajie was, he couldn’t hold his breath forever.
The mont his breathing faltered—
Namgung Seo-wol unleashed her Internal Qi and surged forward. Bajie scrambled to defend, but this ti it was too much. Seo-wol’s sword touched his throat.
Bajie raised both hands.
“I yield!”
Seo-wol withdrew her sword. Despite her victory, her expression wasn’t entirely satisfied. Bajie, on the other hand, looked exhilarated.
“How about that? Not a bad sparring partner, right?”
Both of them turned their heads almost simultaneously.
There was Sun Wukong, watching with a relaxed smile.
To Seo-wol, who was glaring at him, Sun Wukong said,
“See? Even if it’s not , you’ve got a worthy opponent.”
“Hmph.”
She turned away with a huff. But clearly impressed, she turned to Bajie and saluted.
“Next ti, again.”
“…Another duel? Ah, sure, miss.”
Bajie returned the salute, still flushed with excitent.
He felt quite proud.
“Not bad. At least you’re not a complete fool. You understood what I was getting at.”
“Well, if you’d just told straight out to hold my breath, close my eyes, and shut off all my senses, it would’ve been easier.”
“The easy path is the one that crumbles fastest.”
At the sudden, weighty advice, Bajie scratched his cheek.
Then he saluted again in thanks.
“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve taken a step forward. I can now control Water-Fire True Qi effectively even on land.”
“Hone it well. Only then can you make use of it.”
“Sorry?”
“You’ll have plenty of chances to use your sword from now on. Just like the old days, you’ll have to pull your weight.”
“The old days?”
Sun Wukong didn’t answer, turning his gaze away.
‘Back when Bajie and I always led the charge against demons. I could trust Tripitaka to him.’
Now it was ti for Bajie to take up that role again.
He turned to look at Namgung Mu-yeong and Namgung Seo-wol.
Both were seriously reviewing their recent duel.
And so, as the two threw themselves into training for several days—
The day of the Azure Dragon Rite of Passage dawned.
* * *
“They’ll do well, right?”
Muhwa looked anxiously at Namgung Jin-Baek.
“You know how skilled Mu-yeong and Seo-wol are.”
“I do, but… I didn’t realize the Azure Dragon Rite of Passage was this terrifying.”
She was the only one among the Namgung Clan’s bloodline who hadn’t experienced the Rite.
She’d been taken in as an orphan during the war.
During the war, there was neither ti nor resources for such a ceremony.
Namgung Jin-Baek smiled as he looked ahead.
A path filled with countless chanical traps.
Namgung Mu-yeong led the younger generation as they stepped inside.
“It’s been twenty years since the last one, so maybe the elders went a little overboard.”
“A little? This seems excessive.”
“They have to break through that much to be worthy heirs of Namgung.”
“Did you go through sothing like that, Clan Leader?”
Namgung Jin-Baek shook his head.
“Today’s Azure Dragon Rite of Passage is harsher than in my day.”
All the traps and chanisms from back then were still in place.
Thanks to the Namgung Clan’s diligent maintenance, everything worked perfectly.
The real problem was the Namgung Clan’s martial artists acting as obstacles.
“They’ll have to break through the clan’s elite.”
Namgung Jin-Baek’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the past.
Regardless of age or rank, this was a test to prove you could surpass even your seniors and beco the heir.
But things were different now.
“Back then, it was mostly young Martial Masters blocking the way. Now, it’s monsters who survived the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.”
“What can we do? We’re short on people.”
“Still, having the elders go up against the younger generation seems a bit much.”
“Hahaha.”
Namgung Jin-Baek laughed it off.
Of course, no one would die.
There was no way the clan’s martial artists would truly harm Mu-yeong or Seo-wol.
But he didn’t want to see them fail at the gates, either.
Namgung Jin-Baek smiled as if he understood all these worries.
“There’s no helping it. When you think about the burden on Mu-yeong and Seo-wol’s shoulders…”
“……”
“The elders now are the very Old Monsters who survived the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.”
They were relatively young to be called “Old Monsters”—most were in their forties.
But their skills were monstrous enough to deserve the title.
Their personalities were just as fierce and difficult.
“They’re all blood of the Namgung Clan, but their standards are strict.”
“Does that an if they’re not satisfied, they won’t acknowledge Mu-yeong as the heir?”
“How could they not? The real question is whether they’ll offer their heartfelt loyalty.”
As long as Namgung Jin-Baek lived, there’d be no problem.
He’d filled the Sword God’s shoes admirably as the previous clan leader.
He’d proven himself in the thick of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil—no one could find fault with him. Above all, he was the strongest, ranked at the very top among the Ten Great Martial Masters.
But the next generation hadn’t experienced the war.
Namgung Mu-yeong and Seo-wol were different.
They were promising young talents, watched by all of the martial world.
But to the elders and retainers who’d survived the war, that wasn’t enough.
“And on top of that, they have the burden of leading the Five Great Families.”
On one shoulder, the weight of the Namgung Clan. On the other, the responsibility as the head of the Five Great Families.
Namgung Mu-yeong and Seo-wol faced a daunting road ahead.
“In the long run, even this Azure Dragon Rite of Passage will seem like a re pebble.”
A flicker of worry crossed Namgung Jin-Baek’s eyes. Only then did Muhwa realize that even soone as imposing as Jin-Baek could worry like a parent and an uncle.
“Don’t worry. Those two have improved by leaps and bounds.”
“Haha, I’m sure. Especially since they’ve been sparring with Master Sun lately.”
Muhwa nodded.
“Law Enforcent Hall Leader.”
“Yes, Clan Leader?”
“Make sure you keep that man close.”
“Pardon…?”
“He could beco a great asset to Mu-yeong and Seo-wol in the future.”
“Well…”
But he wasn’t of Namgung blood.
Of course, even just having him as a retainer would be a help.
But it seed Jin-Baek ant sothing deeper.
Muhwa nodded for now.
“As long as Master Sun doesn’t turn against Namgung, we’ll never treat him as an enemy.”
“Good. That’s how it should be.”
If only we didn’t know…
“If we ever et as enemies, I don’t even want to imagine it…”
It was a terrifying thought.
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