"So you're saying you accepted the offer of a duel?"
"That's right."
Jeon-hyeon bowed his head and said in a polite tone.
Considering his relatively arrogant nature, the appearance that Jeon-hyeon was showing now was certainly unusual.
He had no choice.
"Are you confident?"
"Yes, Master."
It was none other than Jeon-hyeon's master and one of the six great elders of the Zhongnan Sect, the Wind and Cloud Sword Lord, Zhong Li-hong.
The real power of Zhongnan, who was a strong candidate for the next sect leader.
He prided himself on being one of the top five in Shaanxi in terms of martial prowess, and he was a master who could be seen as one of the top fifty, or even one of the top hundred, in the entire martial world, depending on the evaluation of the people.
It wasn't just Zhong Li-hong. Right next to him was also one of the top elders of the Zhongnan Sect, the Three Treasures True Man, Dan-hu.
They had co to visit Mount Hua right away.
Zhong Li-hong looked at his disciple, Jeon-hyeon, and smiled faintly.
"What do you think is the reason why they readily accepted the duel?"
"Pardon?"
"To put it bluntly, they just have to hold out. No matter how strong Zhongnan has beco, Mount Hua is Mount Hua. They know that we can't have a head-on confrontation."
"..."
At Zhong Li-hong's words, Jeon-hyeon was lost in thought.
Well, that was right.
Although he had proposed a duel, he had not known that they would accept it so easily.
Wasn't it Mount Hua that already possessed the Primordial Root Scripture?
Jeon-hyeon, who had felt sothing strange, looked at Zhong Li-hong.
"Please give your teachings, disciple."
"Jeon-hyeon."
"Yes."
"They accepted the duel to gain legitimacy."
"Legitimacy?"
"They intend to let the martial world of the Central Plains know that they have securely obtained the Primordial Root Scripture through their skills by competing with Zhongnan, so that they can't bring it up anymore."
"Ah..."
"If Zhongnan loses and Mount Hua wins. Even if Wudang and Kunlun claim ownership later, Mount Hua can say. If you want it, take it through a duel."
"Eum!"
"But are those guys from Mount Hua that easy?"
That's right.
Mount Hua is strong. There are not many sects that would boldly challenge them to a duel.
If the Primordial Root Scripture were a secret manual of an ultimate martial art, he wouldn't know.
Isn't it just a Taoist scripture that symbolizes legitimacy?
Although Wudang and Kunlun would be quite tempted, at least they were not to the extent of the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect. Zhongnan was a self-proclaid descendant of The Complete Truth Sect, and Mount Hua was also subtly claiming to be a branch of The Complete Truth Sect.
"Then does it an that Mount Hua is absolutely confident of victory in the duel?"
"This is Mount Hua."
Zhong Li-hong said.
"They said it was one person of the elder rank and four of the first-generation disciple rank. They have the Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin."
"...Eum!"
"Although he remains in the elder position due to his rank, considering his title and reputation as the Guardian Sword, he is no different from one of the five great elders. If it's an elder rank, isn't it just you in Zhongnan?"
"Ah!"
"Right. And among their first-generation disciples, there is the Plum Blossom One Sword, Gukbo."
Then the defeat of Zhongnan was clear.
In the elder rank, Jeon-hyeon could not defeat Cheonghyeonjin.
If it were a normal rank, the difference between the two was a whopping two ranks.
Then in the first-generation disciple rank?
To be honest, Gukbo was a skilled person of a similar level to Jeon-hyeon.
So it was not strange at all for Gukbo to face four of Zhongnan's first-generation disciples alone.
When his thoughts reached that far, Jeon-hyeon bit his lip.
"My thoughts were short."
It was a self-inflicted trap.
Although he had thought that he had gotten a chance to proudly take the Primordial Root Scripture through a duel, his thoughts had not reached that far.
Zhong Li-hong smiled benevolently.
"Don't worry. That's why I ca."
As soon as he had heard the news of the duel, Zhong Li-hong had rushed to Mount Hua in one go.
He had run through a trendous distance, using his lightness skill for two nights.
"Shouldn't we also set the stage as advantageously as possible?"
"An advantageous stage...?"
The Three Treasures True Man, Dan-hu, who had been by his side, cut in.
"So there are a few ways I've thought of."
"What are you thinking of doing?"
"I will face the Guardian Sword, and you will face the Plum Blossom One Sword."
"That ans..."
Jeon-hyeon's face hardened.
"The Zhongnan Wind Sword, Jeon-hyeon, will be stripped of his elder position, taking responsibility for losing a first-generation disciple at the Ghost Tomb."
"...!"
Zhong Li-hong added.
"It's strictly a formality. If you obtain the Primordial Root Scripture, I will return the elder position to you as a reward for that achievent."
Jeon-hyeon flinched for a mont and then nodded his head.
It was certainly a clever move.
The Three Treasures True Man, Dan-hu, was also a considerable swordsman. Because it was Dan-hu who had had an even fight with Cheonghyeonjin in a past exchange between the sects. Of course, that was at least 10 years ago...
"Then I must defeat the Plum Blossom One Sword."
"Are you confident?"
"There is nothing to be afraid of."
Zhong Li-hong smiled with satisfaction.
"Mount Hua will surely protest the sudden stripping of the elder position. But since I ca, thinking of that, don't worry."
Zhong Li-hong was a strong candidate for the next sect leader.
If he held out, he could quell the protest of Mount Hua.
If so, Zhongnan could also do it.
But, there was a sense of unease and sothing fishy that did not go away.
The protest of Mount Hua? Zhong Li-hong would quell it.
The Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin? If it was Dan-hu, at least it was a 50-50 chance. It was a close match.
It would be good if he won, and even if he lost, it would not be a big problem.
'I will catch the Plum Blossom One Sword, and if Sa Jeok-yu is not Gukbo, he can surely defeat one or two of the first-generation disciples.'
So at least 3 wins out of 5 were possible. Jeon-hyeon did not doubt for a mont that he could defeat Gukbo.
Looking at it this way, it was certain.
But what was this fishy feeling?
Not long after, Jeon-hyeon found the cause of the fishy feeling.
'The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero, Cheon Mubaeck!'
Surprisingly, all these plans were being made with Cheon Mubaeck excluded.
"The Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero, you say? Hmm. Is he that great, as the rumors say?"
"...At least he's on the sa level as and the Plum Blossom One Sword."
"Eum."
Zhong Li-hong shrugged his shoulders.
"Then we can just have a three-way battle."
"A three-way battle?"
"Right. The three of them will have a duel at the sa ti."
"Then...?"
"The offensive might be focused on one guy."
Jeon-hyeon flinched for a mont.
A three-way duel.
A duel he had never heard of or seen before.
"Mount Hua will not refuse. They will also not welco an outsider who has suddenly interfered, and they will probably think of excluding him first."
At Zhong Li-hong's words, Jeon-hyeon nodded his head.
Certainly, if they went with a three-way battle, the situation might beco more advantageous.
"I understand."
But.
Even so, the anxiety that had taken root in Jeon-hyeon's heart did not fall away.
* * *
"A three-way battle?"
Neung-heo, who had heard the news, let out a hollow laugh.
"Isn't this just killing us all first and then starting?"
"They've used a trick."
Neung-heo and Gwak Cheon-hu narrowed their brows.
In any case, whether it was Mount Hua or Zhongnan.
From their perspective, Cheon Mubaeck's party was an unwelco outsider.
But it was Cheon Mubaeck's justification that was hard to ignore.
The first discoverer of the Ghost Tomb, the benefactor who had annihilated the Blood Demon Sect and had saved the people.
Because he had enough reason to claim ownership of the Primordial Root Scripture.
So since they had no choice but to include him in the duel, Mount Hua and Zhongnan would want to get rid of Cheon Mubaeck sohow.
What had co out of that was the three-way battle.
Mount Hua, Zhongnan, and Cheon Mubaeck's party.
A thod where one person from each side ca out and competed at the sa ti.
In other words, it ant that two could cooperate and attack one person intensively.
Then wouldn't the offensive be focused on the outsider, Cheon Mubaeck?
Unlike Neung-heo, Cheon Mubaeck's reaction was not that big of a deal.
He passed the ti by nonchalantly wiping his sword or quietly cultivating his internal energy.
From ti to ti, he would watch Neung-heo's sword, and sotis he would also watch Gwak Cheon-hu's sword.
It was a truly peaceful appearance.
"Are we just going to fight according to the thod they have set up?"
When Neung-heo said with a frustrated look, Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his eyes.
"Then what? Should we say let's fight separately?"
"That's better. Taking turns, huh? Isn't a duel supposed to be a one-on-one confrontation?"
Cheon Mubaeck smirked.
That's right.
"A duel is one-on-one."
A place to witness each other's martial arts.
A duel, not a life-or-death battle, is a one-on-one. Only then can they witness and share each other's martial arts and learn. Wasn't the original duel conceived with that aning?
"Yes. Go and say sothing. I can't face those two at the sa ti."
"Why? Isn't it good?"
"Pardon?"
In fact, Cheon Mubaeck rather liked this three-way battle thod much more.
It would take a long ti to have a one-on-one duel, taking turns.
"It's annoying."
And it's a 'duel'.
A duel where you can't harm the opponent.
So.
"Isn't it not fun?"
"Pardon?"
At the unexpected answer, Neung-heo was at a loss for words.
"A three-way battle is not a duel."
If it were a fair duel, it would not make sense for two to cooperate and launch an offensive on one person. But a three-way battle tolerates and induces such an action.
In other words, this was not just a duel.
That was why he liked it.
"I don't have to show rcy in my hands, worrying that the opponent might die, right?"
"...!"
Cheon Mubaeck's nonchalant tone.
But Neung-heo's face hardened as he realized the aning contained within it.
The trick of a three-way battle that Zhongnan and Mount Hua had used to exclude Cheon Mubaeck was, on the contrary...
'It will choke their own necks.'
* * *
'It's better than a simple duel.'
Cheon Mubaeck was rather welcoming the three-way battle.
It was natural that the offensive would be focused on Cheon Mubaeck.
Then there was no need to show rcy in his hands.
Of course, there was no reason to kill the opponent just to buy resentnt.
Cheon Mubaeck also did not like that very much.
Although Mount Hua was stained with the ways of the world, unlike Shaolin, it was a prestigious orthodox sect that followed justice in important matters.
Cheon Mubaeck also did not want to buy resentnt by killing a martial artist of an orthodox sect, unless he was particularly at odds with them.
Especially Mount Hua, even if it wasn't Zhongnan.
But wouldn't it be better than showing rcy in his hands, worrying that he might kill them?
As for Zhongnan, well, he had no particular resentnt or grace, and not much of a connection.
Looking at the way the Zhongnan Wind Sword, Jeon-hyeon, was acting, he also had a desire to teach him a lesson to so extent.
'Cheonghyeonjin and the Three Treasures True Man.'
Cheonghyeonjin from Mount Hua, and the Three Treasures True Man from Zhongnan.
Cheon Mubaeck was looking forward to the confrontation with those two.
Both were elders of the Nine Great Sects.
They had no lack of martial arts and internal energy, and they had enough martial world experience.
Cheon Mubaeck was satisfied with testing the Heaven-Concealing Sword Technique he had acquired against those two.
It would be a good place.
'Well, I'll also get the Primordial Root Scripture while I'm at it.'
Since he was digging into the Blood Ghost Valley through the Hao Faction, information would co out soon.
On top of that, since Mount Hua would surely start tracking the Blood Ghost Valley after the duel was over, things would go well if it was according to the plan.
Cheon Mubaeck headed to the training ground where the duel was to be held, with Gwak Cheon-hu and Neung-heo.
Neung-heo had a tense face, and Gwak Cheon-hu, on the contrary, had a faint heat rising on his face.
"There are quite a lot of people."
"All the disciples of Mount Hua have co out."
"Zhongnan also has the Wind and Cloud Sword Lord who has co in person."
Not only that.
Mount Hua had always kept its doors open, and the number of visiting martial artists and people was countless.
The influential figures of Shaanxi had heard the news and had flocked to Mount Hua.
A truly enormous crowd had gathered.
"Mount Hua has also used a trick."
Cheon Mubaeck smirked.
To securely hold the ownership of the Primordial Root Scripture through victory in a place where this many people had gathered.
In the end, it ant that they would prove the legitimacy of the Taoist lineage of the Central Plains in front of everyone.
'That's how much confidence they have.'
It was the sa for Zhongnan.
On the contrary, they also welcod the crowd gathering for this duel.
They were also in the sa position as Mount Hua. The purpose of legitimately obtaining the Primordial Root Scripture in front of many people.
They also did not consider defeat.
Of course, that was,
" too."
Cheon Mubaeck's eyes flashed.
(End of Chapter)
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