Chapter 12: Even If You Try to Hide It, You Can’t. -02
Beopmu continued speaking toward Ban Hojin, who answered readily.
However, at those words, Ban Hojin’s body momentarily stiffened.
It was because the last remark contained an extraordinary amount of meaning.
‘Has he noticed.’
Ban Hojin muttered bitterly inwardly.
He had been careful in his own way, but perhaps because his soul and body had not yet fully merged, it seemed Beopmu had sensed it.
He had hurried, yet there was still a slight discrepancy, as if he were wearing clothes that did not quite fit.
That was why he had subtly avoided meeting Beopmu and Damhyeon, but it seemed he had been found out in the end.
“You know what this means, don’t you.”
“Yes.”
“That is my request.”
“I understand.”
Knowing how much Beopmu must have agonized before bringing this up, Ban Hojin rose from his seat.
A martial artist spoke and proved things through martial prowess.
If Beopmu wanted it, it was only right to grant it.
Moreover, for the sake of the future, Beopmu needed to become stronger than he was now.
‘It was something I would have had to go through anyway. It just came sooner than expected.’
Ban Hojin chose to think positively about the current situation.
The Beopmu he knew was never a weak man.
The Beopmu standing before Ban Hojin now was the same man who had led Shaolin without wavering even after Damhyeon’s death.
“We won’t need torches, will we?”
“If you wish, I will light them.”
“Moonlight will be enough. Fortunately, tonight is a full moon.”
After briefly lifting his gaze to the bright full moon hanging high in a cloudless sky, Ban Hojin adjusted his stance.
It was to do this properly, just as Beopmu had said.
Swish.
Perhaps he sensed Ban Hojin’s resolve.
Beopmu also took a small, deep breath and corrected his posture.
He adopted the most comfortable stance, ready to strike at any moment.
At the same time, a heavy surge of qi power explosively erupted from Beopmu.
“I am ready.”
“So am I.”
“Then, I will begin.”
“I cannot bring myself, as your senior brother, to say I will give you three seconds.”
“Hahaha.”
At Beopmu’s expression as he spoke as though it truly could not be helped, Ban Hojin let out a soft chuckle.
It was his first time seeing Beopmu like this.
At the same time, he could feel Beopmu’s determination.
“Come.”
“Yes.”
Sreerng.
In the tranquil darkness, a clear and refined sound echoed.
Though it was an ordinary Azure Steel Sword, what mattered was whose hand held it.
After returning to the past, one of the things Ban Hojin was happiest about was precisely the Azure Steel Sword he now held.
Because this sword had been a heavenly friend and brother that stayed with him until his death, even the sound of it being drawn was far from ordinary.
Wooooong!
As if it understood Ban Hojin’s heart despite being unable to speak, the Azure Steel Sword roared powerfully.
Beopmu’s eyes widened at the sword cry released by an exceedingly common Azure Steel Sword.
It wasn’t that he had never heard a sword cry before, but he had never heard one resonate so greatly.
At the same time, he could feel Ban Hojin’s momentum.
‘Hoo hoo hoo.’
Just as he had said, Ban Hojin was sincere.
More than the sword cry, the qi flowing from his body told the story.
If one was not careful, if one did not stay tense, everything would be decided in a single second.
Clench!
Feeling the enormous pressure bearing down on his entire body, Beopmu naturally repeated the motion of clenching and unclenching his fists.
It was his own way of properly tensing and relaxing his body.
As he did so, he drew up the internal power in his dantian.
So he could respond at any moment.
Shaaaah!
The instant the sword cry subsided, Ban Hojin’s blade cleaved through the air.
Receiving the bright moonlight, it poured out silvery radiance as it surged toward him.
Yet the speed was strange.
Even without focusing his internal energy into his eyes, Ban Hojin’s sword was bold and sweeping, but it was not overwhelmingly fast.
‘Is he going easy on me.’
At the sword strike that was clearly visible even to the naked eye, Beopmu’s gaze sank heavily.
He thought Ban Hojin was toying with him.
But that thought melted away like snow the moment Ban Hojin’s sword thrust drew near.
‘There’s no way to avoid it!’
Beopmu’s pupils trembled.
The one who had underestimated was not Ban Hojin, but himself.
Despite feeling Ban Hojin’s heavy qi, he had let his guard down.
He had made a rash judgment based solely on the sword’s speed.
Swish.
He came to his senses late and moved his body technique, but Ban Hojin’s sword followed him exactly.
It was tracking his movement with exact precision.
Not barely keeping up, but positioning itself squarely in front of him from start to finish.
‘It’s impossible to completely shake it off.’
Even as he unfolded the Buddha Shadow Immortal Haze Steps to their extreme, the tip of Ban Hojin’s sword did not waver in the slightest.
Seeing it precisely aim for his center and follow him exactly, Beopmu clenched his teeth.
He was certain that moving any further would change nothing.
If so, there was only one method left.
Buuung!
The moment his thoughts reached that point, Beopmu’s right palm surged forward, releasing a heavy, tearing sound through the air.
He had thrust his palm straight toward Ban Hojin’s sword.
Claaang!
True to Beopmu’s nature, his right hand, which extended straightforwardly, collided with Ban Hojin’s sword thrust.
Yet no blood spurted forth, nor was his palm pierced through.
Astonishingly, Beopmu’s palm knocked Ban Hojin’s sword away head-on.
He had countered the sharp Azure Steel Sword with his bare hand.
Screee!
At the same time, his left palm moved like lightning.
Unlike his right hand, which had moved heavily, his left hand pierced in like a flash of light, aiming for Ban Hojin’s solar plexus.
It was a palm strike that made the phrase lightning-fast come naturally to mind, but Ban Hojin was no easy opponent either.
Ban Hojin twisted his sword and blocked Beopmu’s left palm, which surged in like a bolt of lightning, with the flat of the blade.
Clang!
With a crisp sound, Beopmu’s left hand was knocked back this time.
There was no sword energy condensed on it, but true energy was infused within, so it was repelled by the rebounding force.
However, Beopmu did not give up.
Using the recoil from his left hand being knocked aside, he unleashed the Subduing Demon Continuous Divine Kicks in rapid succession.
Clat-clat-clang!
Beopmu’s shins sharply targeted Ban Hojin’s entire body like blades.
It was an unrelenting onslaught, as if he had no intention of leaving any room for a counterattack.
Moreover, the sharp gusts generated by the consecutive Subduing Demon Continuous Divine Kicks swept violently in all directions.
The sharp kicks themselves were dangerous, but the fierce leg wind they produced whipped about as if it would tear Ban Hojin’s limbs apart.
‘Wind is easily swallowed by a greater wind.’
The swirling gale made it difficult even to keep his eyes open properly, but a martial artist who relied solely on naked eyesight could never be called a true master.
A real master instead made broad use of all five senses rather than just vision.
Besides, wind of this level was no more than child’s play to Ban Hojin.
Shuaaaang!
As if to prove that fact, Ban Hojin’s sword began to move in earnest.
Unlike Beopmu, who had consecutively deployed the Great Strength Vajra Palm, Buddha Shadow Immortal Haze Steps, and Subduing Demon Continuous Divine Kicks, Ban Hojin did not unfold any martial art.
He believed that the basics of thrusting and slashing were more than sufficient.
However, since that would not be what Beopmu desired, Ban Hojin unfolded the first form of the Three Dharma Swords.
Srrrk.
He had merely raised his sword, yet the wind that had been raging savagely around them settled down.
It was all suppressed by the sword pressure emanating from Ban Hojin’s blade.
At that sight, Beopmu felt pure admiration.
He had heard much about the Three Dharma Swords, but this was his first time seeing it, and it was indeed beyond what he had imagined.
Screee!
The sword that had been raised overhead descended slowly.
It was an exceedingly simple form that split in two with a single stroke.
Though it was identical to a form from the Three Talents Sword Technique that any martial artist knew, the pressure Beopmu felt far exceeded imagination.
Even without a trace of sword energy condensed, Beopmu felt an almost suffocating pressure.
“Hup!”
To shake it off, Beopmu let out a shout and clenched both fists tightly.
Instinctively, he felt that he could not deal with this using the Great Strength Vajra Palm.
So instead of the Great Strength Vajra Palm, Beopmu unfolded the Great Vajra Fist.
Simple yet powerful because of that simplicity, the Great Vajra Fist collided with Ban Hojin’s sword strike.
Kroooong!
Even though he had controlled his internal power, a thunderous roar erupted as sword and fist collided.
The completely different impact sound from before resounded throughout the training grounds, yet Ban Hojin and Beopmu, who heard it from the closest distance, paid it no heed at all.
They had focused all their attention solely on the spar.
Buuung!
Seeing that Ban Hojin did not so much as flinch even after receiving the Great Vajra Fist, Beopmu thrust in his left fist once more.
He had exquisitely launched the second attack, aiming for the instant his right fist collided.
Yet astonishingly, rather than using his left hand or foot, Ban Hojin showed quick improvisation by blocking with the sword hilt.
Not only that, he used the rebound to naturally rotate his body and swing his sword.
Saaat!
So sharp was the strike that even the sound of tearing the air was faint, as the sword aimed for Beopmu’s neck.
Though it was a spar, Ban Hojin swung his sword as if it were real combat, and before he knew it, thick beads of sweat formed on Beopmu’s forehead.
Yet strangely, despite the extremely dire situation, a peculiar excitement welled up.
The fact that he could lay everything aside and focus solely on the spar came to him as an immense joy.
Clang!
Thinking that, Beopmu leaned his upper body back and struck Ban Hojin’s blade with his fist.
He had knocked away the slashing sword by striking it at the exact moment.
At the same time, he naturally shifted his center of gravity and unleashed a kick.
Rather than rising back up, he fell as if lying down, aiming for Ban Hojin’s chin.
Swish.
It was a razor-sharp strike, but regrettably, Beopmu’s attack failed.
Even though it was an unexpected strike that dug in from below at close range, Ban Hojin naturally twisted his head as if he had anticipated it.
Then he hooked Beopmu’s leg while Beopmu still had one foot in the air.
When an attack with large movements failed, the opening it left behind was equally large, and Ban Hojin had aimed precisely for that.
“Hup!”
However, Beopmu had not thrown that kick without thought.
Because he had considered failure as well, when Ban Hojin targeted the only leg touching the ground, Beopmu instead lifted his other leg into the air.
The moment Ban Hojin evaded the kick, Beopmu escaped as if performing a backward roll.
Unlike Ban Hojin, who was holding a sword, Beopmu could freely use both hands and both feet, so he naturally widened the distance and caught his breath.
Screeeek!
The problem, however, was that even this had been within Ban Hojin’s expectations.
Rather than panicking, Ban Hojin closed the distance in an instant and scattered sword forms that left no choice but to block.
Though it was the first form, the Three Dharma Swords could be adapted into hundreds, even thousands of variations, and Ban Hojin directly demonstrated its fearsome nature.
“Ugh!”
Moreover, as the Golden Light Divine Steps, which had now reached a state of mastery, were added to the mix, Beopmu’s monk’s robe gradually turned into rags.
There was no sword energy, but the blade itself was sharp, so the cloth was torn.
In addition, as time passed, he was also being pushed back physically, so Beopmu soon raised both hands as if conceding.
“I lost. I can’t go on any longer.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“What hard work. You’re the one who really worked hard. Still, you truly have become strong.”
Despite losing to a much younger Ban Hojin, Beopmu’s face was bright.
No, rather, it looked refreshed.
Perhaps it was the expression of relief that came from pouring everything out.
However, unlike Beopmu, Ban Hojin’s expression was slightly dark.
“I worked hard in my own way.”
“You don’t need to speak like that in front of me. I also know how hard you work. Groundless rumors are just that—groundless rumors. And you don’t need to worry too much either; I am truly fine. If anything, I am glad to have a junior brother like you.”
Ban Hojin gazed quietly at Beopmu.
Yet nowhere did he see any sign of acting.
Rather, it was an expression of genuine joy, just as he had said.
“You mean it.”
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