A mont of silence flowed around the low wooden tea table. Brief yet calm.
“……”
The two sect masters possessed profound cultivation.
There was a distinct aura of clarity about those who had trained in temples and monastic grounds. Even the grand inner chamber—where the Great Patriarch of the Amya Battlefront had once stayed—felt like nothing more than a modest guest hall in their presence.
At this mont, the faint wisps of steam rising from their teacups seed to be offering silent consideration to the young supre martial artist who was hearing stories about his grandfather from others.
Baekyak Satae’s gaze, filled with gentle benevolence, turned toward Jeong Yeon-shin.
“If we are to be precise, the Beggars’ Sect leader was the one who first provoked the dispute. Of course, quite ironically, he never ended up forming a sworn brotherhood with Mount Hua in the end…”
She spoke.
It was a tale of young geniuses.
Those who distanced themselves from the worldly great sects like the Eight Great Clans and the Thirteen Heavens, wandering the martial world purely as wandering ascetics.
The Seven Prodigies of the Nine Schools and Sects had always been lofty figures. Even then, their skills were already at a level where they could each have established their own martial lineage.
Brilliant stars, no matter how far apart, can still be seen in the sa sky. The eting between them and Ma Yeon-jeok was inevitable.
Hwaeum County.
In an inn at the base of Mount Hua, a true gathering of dragons and phoenixes took place.
The young beggar—who was, at the ti, the Hu Gae of the Beggars’ Sect—abruptly stopped eating his al and challenged Ma Yeon-jeok to a duel.
Encounters and clashes between young martial artists traveling the land were as commonplace then as they are now. However, the event that unfolded that day was sothing extraordinary.
“The Beggars’ Sect leader of that era took imnse pride in Drunken Fist. Even more so when he was younger, back when he was called Chui Gong (Drunken Duke). His technique involved stimulating the Upper Dantian with alcohol, unleashing unpredictable moves. Compared to that, even Mount Hua’s dazzling Plum Blossom Swordplay seed almost too refined. As a spectacle, I would say the Plum Blossom Sword was more visually stunning, but…”
Baekyak Satae spoke with a slight hint of amusent in her tone.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not interrupt her.
He barely knew the old stories of his parents, including his mother. Naturally, he had never truly had the chance to hear tales of his maternal grandfather either.
“In any case, as soon as Ma Shi-ju accepted the duel, he downed an entire barrel of Western Phoenix Wine in one go. It was his way of proving he would uphold his words. Not to be outdone, Chui Gong also drank the sa amount and then flipped the jar upside down to show it was empty.”
I can beat you even using Drunken Fist.
It was not the kind of statent one would expect from the direct successor of the Beggars’ Sect’s martial lineage.
The masters of the Beggars’ Sect were well known for never separating their martial training from their doctrine.
This was because the distinction between higher-ranking experts and lower-ranked martial artists within the sect was always clear-cut.
The technique of skillfully drawing up the alcohol’s essence into the Upper Dantian and utilizing it was an art in itself.
There was even a saying that a drunken grandmaster of the Beggars’ Sect could choke the breath out of a flood dragon. Hence, Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms existed.
That was also why Chui Gong could not simply let Ma Yeon-jeok’s words slide.
“At that ti, Chui Gong resented the intelligence network of Ipwang Fortress, which controlled information across all governnt offices under heaven. He would often express his frustration, lanting how they turned the martial world upside down with their constant interference. He said that while well water and river water should never mix, Ipwang Fortress had practically sold the principle of martial autonomy to the dogs.”
“Stagnant well water should be drawn out. Especially if common folk live nearby.”
Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been silently listening, finally spoke. His voice was calm.
“Hm.”
“…That’s not wrong.”
A fleeting shadow passed over the faces of Baekyak Satae and Yangbyeok Sword Lord.
They did not simply dismiss his words as passing remarks.
To Jeong Yeon-shin, their reaction was peculiar.
The masters of the Nine Schools and Sects were legendary beings, widely revered in the martial world—so powerful that they could discuss worldly affairs even from their mountain seats.
If it was not a matter that could shake the entire martial world, they should have simply laughed it off.
“Please, tell more. What happened after they got drunk?”
He urged Baekyak Satae.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
The elderly bhikkhuni looked at Jeong Yeon-shin for a mont before breaking into a wrinkled smile.
“As expected, they fought. Chui Gong of the Beggars’ Sect and The Tyrannical Hero Ma Yeon-jeok. It was a duel worthy of shaking the entire martial world. Yet the only real spectators were the seven elders of the Nine Schools, the anxious innkeeper watching their argunt unfold, and a trembling errand boy.”
Chui Gong of the Beggars’ Sect.
By then, he had already achieved the feat of slaying one of the Lords of the Thirteen Heavens, even though it had been a combined effort.
Yet, he still yielded the first move to Ma Yeon-jeok. Such was the pride commonly displayed among martial artists.
“Ma Shi-ju didn’t argue further. Instead, he took a single True Step right from where he stood. At that mont, even Venerable Bin-ni had to unleash the full extent of our sect’s Lotus Bloom Without Trace technique.”
“…Why?”
“Because an earthquake erupted.”
Baekyak Satae continued.
After a thunderous roar surged beneath the earth and faded, everyone present fell silent.
Chui Gong, who had endured the terrifying tremor at close range, stared blankly at his opponent. anwhile, The Tyrannical Hero Ma Yeon-jeok, deeply impressed, praised him.
‘Your footwork technique must be modeled after a bear balancing on a log… Bin-ni rembers. It was a challenge like none other.’
Baekyak Satae’s lips curled slightly, revealing a faint sense of amusent. It seed that reminiscing about the exuberance of youth stirred her emotions.
Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly shook his head at his younger grandfather.
So, he wasn’t much of a gentleman after all.
“Of course, Chui Gong didn’t back down there. He couldn’t afford to—not in front of his fellow disciples of the Nine Schools. We all had our own close ties, but at the sa ti, we were rivals, always competing in martial arts out of sheer pride. After all, the only worthy opponents under heaven were each other.”
When Chui Gong raised both arms and charged forward, Ma Yeon-jeok did not even draw his sword. He simply released an invisible wave of energy from where he stood—Ipwang Fortress’s Unifying Fist Technique.
“The Tyrannical Hero endured all eighteen consecutive attacks. Ma Shi-ju did not retreat a single step and received every single one of Chui Gong’s Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms head-on. That was when even the youngest, The Ancient Sword of Wudang, the Sword Empress of Mount Heaven, and the eldest, the Abbot of Shaolin, finally dusted themselves off and stood up.”
“…Why?”
“Because Ma Shi-ju did not use one of his hands. Even when he subdued the eighteenth and final technique of Chui Gong—the blue palm strike of Jaecheon Gwanin—Ma Shi-ju kept his left hand behind his back. And that was the end of it.”
Chui Gong, stunned, was struck in the solar plexus and sent tumbling away like a skipping stone across water.
The young Ma Yeon-jeok spoke.
—Not even a mouthful for a flood dragon.
It was a remark that no one present had ever dared to utter. He had openly mocked the legend of Descending Dragon Eighteen Palms, a technique said to subdue even dragons.
To the prodigies of the Nine Schools and Sects, his words were undeniably a step too far. The elders presiding over the duel as witnesses all rose from their seats.
“Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, that was precisely when the Bloodfla Cult Leader descended upon us. He must have been tracking us all the way from Sichuan. That monstrous figure had always feared that the Nine Schools would one day restore the lost Buddhist mystical arts or the Three Purities Power of Daoism.”
At the ti, the conflict between the Thirteen Heavens and the Nine Schools had reached its peak. The martial army of Simmuryun had also appeared.
Yet the mont they saw Ma Yeon-jeok, they withdrew their forces and vanished into the distance. The only enemy left to face was the Bloodfla Cult Leader.
Even that, however, was no small challenge. It was sothing impossibly close to undoable.
“There were only four people who managed to properly receive his attacks. Ma Shi-ju, the young sword prodigy of Wudang, the master of the Mount Hua Sect—who has since passed—and the Abbot of Shaolin. But even though they managed to land hits, the Bloodfla Cult Leader simply laughed as he regenerated, making it impossible to sustain a prolonged fight. It was Ma Shi-ju who ultimately opened an escape path.”
It was with the words: I can’t fight while babysitting bears.
By then, Ma Yeon-jeok had already ascended to a realm beyond humanity.
The Moon-Guarding Sword, the sacred blade of the next Singeom Squad Leader, was drawn from his hand, and in an instant, a sword gale erupted, shaking the heavens and earth and sending the Bloodfla Cult Leader soaring far into the sky.
—It’s only a temporary asure.
It had bought them only a brief mont of respite.
But at that ti, the prodigies of the Nine Schools had reached a turning point. Their pursuit of perfection through orthodox martial arts had begun to outpace the practical mastery of the Eight Families’ combat techniques.
Their natural talents were exceptional.
Even when executing Lightness Techniques, they concealed their energy so well that not even the rustling of grass beneath them could be heard.
Chui Gong, who had been lying on the ground, was picked up like a sack by the young Ma Yeon-jeok.
It was a stroke of fortune atop another. Again and again, they fled through day and night until they finally shook off the Bloodfla Cult Leader’s pursuit.
It was fate.
“After that, there was no one left with the heart to challenge each other further. Moreover, having fought side by side against the Bloodfla Cult Leader, we had gained a rough understanding of each other’s martial skills. We decided that next ti, we would compete not through impromptu duels but through an official martial lineage exchange.”
They had realized, however vaguely, that it was necessary.
The martial world was a place where even supre masters could suddenly et their deaths in so naless roadside inn.
If so, why not create an opportunity for sects that valued the people’s well-being to at least secure a passing qualification for mutual training?
“Our lands were imasurably far apart, our values and grudges wildly different… The leaders of the Nine Schools, who had long viewed Ipwang Fortress with suspicion due to its ties with unorthodox sects, ca to recognize the virtue of Tyrannical Chivalry. We had to learn to channel our competitive spirits in a productive way.”
“You an to say… through martial lineage duels?”
“At any ti, if Tyrannical Chivalry or their direct successor issued a challenge, the Nine Schools agreed to select their finest disciples from all their branches.”
At last, the hidden history of the highest echelon of the martial world was being laid bare.
Baekyak Satae’s eyes, calm like the surface of a still lake, t Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze.
“To be precise, it was six of the Nine Schools. Mount Heng, Kongtong, and Zhongnan were excluded. The four disciples of the Nine Schools who had ford The Mount Hua Pact would have to face the four chosen masters of Ipwang Fortress, known as the White, Blue, and Black Lords. Whichever side won more matches would have the right to demand anything from the losing side—except for sealing their martial gates. If personal assistance was required, the Nine Schools would send at least one of their sect leaders, while Tyrannical Chivalry would provide a grandmaster of the highest violet rank.”
“That kind of agreent would never be accepted within the fortress.”
Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head slightly.
Baekyak Satae’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
“It was approved by the Lord of Ipwang Fortress. Likely because the Singeom Squad is always short on hands. Furthermore, I suspect that Bin-ni played a significant role in persuading him. He seed to have been deeply impressed by the defensive arts of the Beggars’ Sect leader. He held young Chui Gong in very high regard. Chui Gong, of course, was utterly exasperated by it.”
Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the remark his grandfather had made about babysitting bears.
So the martial world truly was full of eccentric individuals. As his grandson, it was an embarrassing quirk to inherit.
“…You ntioned that seven people had ford The Mount Hua Pact. Why was the Beggars’ Sect leader not included in the agreent?”
“He had no intention of leaving the outco to future generations. He believed that since the Tyrannical Chivalry martial arts of Ipwang Fortress were techniques that borrowed from the future, he would only grow stronger over ti. Ironically, for all his grand ideals, Tyrannical Chivalry never sought us out again.”
Jeong Yeon-shin could guess the reason.
His grandfather had simply been born with an extre arrogance.
Once he had made the agreent, he had likely erased the notion of seeking assistance from other sects entirely from his mind.
Slowly, Jeong Yeon-shin parted his lips.
“…I will need quite so ti. I appreciate you passing down the bonds of the past, but…”
It would not be sothing he could use imdiately.
The matters in Sichuan had already been relayed to Ipwang Fortress through the reports of his senior disciples. Now, his goal was clearer than ever.
By subduing the Young Master of the Amya Battlefront, he had secured the Dread Vulture.
It was ti to track down the Amya Battlefront’s Lord—the sworn enemy of the current Singeom Squad Leader.
‘I’ve taken enough of the sect masters’ ti.’
Perhaps sensing that Jeong Yeon-shin was preparing to take his leave, the long-silent Yangbyeok Sword Lord turned his gaze toward him.
“You there, Ma Gwang-ik.”
“…Speak, Senior.”
“I may look like this, but I am from a distinguished lineage. My insight runs deep. It seems as if you are searching for soone… a noble figure hidden in a dangerous place.”
“……”
“You have the air of one who is naturally humble. But know this—you are soone who could overturn the entire martial world.”
Jeong Yeon-shin, for once, was taken aback.
This man’s perception had pierced through two deeply hidden truths with astonishing clarity.
The Wudang Sect Leader’s eyes glead faintly with a natural radiance, a testant to his inherited bloodline and refined sight techniques.
“This land is vast. No matter how fast your Lightness Technique may be, what will you do if, in the ti it takes for you to arrive, misfortune befalls the one you seek?”
“…Are you suggesting—”
“Invoke The Mount Hua Pact. The martial world will answer.”
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