The Return of the Sw Chapter 66 : Hidden Dragons. -03

Chapter 66: Hidden Dragons. -03

-That must have cost quite a lot, right?

-I didn’t really have anything to spend money on, so I kept saving up my allowance little by little, and it ended up being a pretty large amount. But is Brother Ban rich? You didn’t seem like you were trying to save money at all.

Murong Cheok suddenly asked something he had been curious about for a while.

Although Ban Hojin was an Unregistered Disciple of the Shaolin Abbot, as far as Murong Cheok had found out, Ban Hojin was not from any particularly prestigious family.

Since he had been born not even into a martial family, but into an ordinary household, Murong Cheok had been constantly wondering ever since they left his home and came all the way here.

Just where did he get the money to cover all the expenses?

-Hojin is rich. You know he took down the Green Forest Great Lord, right?

-Of course. If I didn’t know that, I couldn’t call myself your younger brother.

Murong Cheok snorted as if asking whether he was being looked down on.

But Sunwoo Bang paid absolutely no attention to that reaction.

-He got a proper big cut back then. Not just Hojin, but me and Joun too.

-Ah, so you looted the mountain stronghold?

-That too, and there was also the reward money from the Geum Family Estate. Hojin also sold some martial arts separately. The Green Forest Great Lord’s true inherited techniques.

-Aha.

Murong Cheok quickly showed a look of understanding.

Others dismissed him as nothing more than a mere bandit, but that was nonsense.

Compared to the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven, he admittedly fell short, but the Green Forest Great Lord was still a master who ranked within the top hundred of the Jianghu Name Registry every year.

Moreover, he was a powerhouse who consistently ranked within the top thirty each year.

-I don’t know the exact amount either, but you can roughly guess it, right?

-Right. But at the same time, it’s kind of amazing. There can’t have been many places that would buy it. The Green Forest Great Lord must have had all his martial arts there.

-That’s right.

-But thinking about it another way, that’s impressive too. To even think of selling the Green Forest Great Lord’s martial arts. As expected, his generosity is really something!

Murong Cheok’s eyes sparkled.

It was because, true to the one he regarded as his elder brother, his capacity was truly immense.

In a way, to a master of Ban Hojin’s level, the Green Forest Great Lord’s martial arts probably did not seem all that amazing.

But that did not mean he failed to recognize their value.

-He sold quite a lot besides the Green Forest Great Lord’s. All the stronghold masters of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds were at Taeho Stronghold. So you don’t have to worry about expenses. He also received a hefty amount in rewards.

-Then luck like that will come to me soon too, right?

Murong Cheok’s eyes sparkled again.

After all, there was no downside to having lots of money.

Moreover, he was someone who would later become the head of the Murong Family.

So if there was any opportunity to make money, he had no intention of turning it down.

-Who knows. I heard that Hojin’s appearance has completely spread among the bandits. For now, they say they don’t touch sects or escort agencies connected to Shaolin. As for clueless nobodies, they don’t care, but places like that end up getting hit badly instead.

-It’s not like there are only bandits in the Central Plains.

Murong Cheok smiled meaningfully.

That was why Murong Cheok believed that there would be opportunities for him as well.

And if he stayed together with Ban Hojin, his own name would naturally rise as well.

“Hehehehe!”

Once his thoughts reached that point, Murong Cheok let out a laugh reflexively.

However, he did not know.

That Sunwoo Bang beside him was looking at him with exasperated eyes.

“Shall we begin?”

“Even though I’m your senior, it would be right for me to yield the first move, but… honestly, I’m a bit scared. Hahaha.”

“Let’s start at the same time.”

Seeing Sang Il-gi frankly express his current feelings, Ban Hojin smiled faintly.

But he did not take his words at face value.

Just like Jeong I-ryong, Sang Il-gi wore hemp clothes, and his build was not particularly large, making him look like a rustic villager, but Ban Hojin knew.

He knew exactly what kind of martial artist Sang Il-gi was.

‘The martial artist called the Divine Fist.’

The one standing before him now, Sang Il-gi, was the martial artist who had obtained that epithet—one that even the Fist King, a member of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven, had failed to obtain.

Because of that, Ban Hojin felt his heart beat slightly faster.

Even in his previous life, although they had encountered each other, they had never actually crossed hands.

And unlike when he sparred with Damhyeon or Beopmu, now he could properly bring out his strength without any issue.

‘Everyone’s in for a good show.’

Ban Hojin casually glanced toward the edge of the open clearing.

There, he saw four people huddled together, eyes shining as they watched this way.

“Very well.”

“Then shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

Sreung.

The moment he heard Sang Il-gi’s reply, Ban Hojin drew his sword.

Yet even though he had merely drawn his sword, the atmosphere changed completely.

Ts-ts-ts-ts!

Strange sounds arose around Ban Hojin and Sang Il-gi.

It was the sound of something twisting or scraping, erupting from all around the clearing.

Yet neither of them blinked an eye.

They knew very well that the sound they were hearing was caused by the collision of the intangible energies emanating from each other’s bodies.

Gulp!

And the four watching also knew.

They also knew just how terrifying that level was.

Though they appeared to be merely standing still, the spar had already begun.

Swish.

The one who moved first was Ban Hojin.

Ban Hojin, who had been standing with his sword hanging loosely, took a leisurely step forward as if there was no hurry.

Yet unlike how light the step appeared, his body closed the distance in an instant.

He had taken only a single step, yet Ban Hojin’s sword was already positioned in front of Sang Il-gi’s Adam’s apple.

Sreureuk.

But Sang Il-gi did not panic.

Though it was a single sword strike that slipped in without warning, Sang Il-gi moved his left hand with an utterly unmoving gaze.

He gently pushed aside Ban Hojin’s flashing, surging attack with the back of his hand.

He did not use much strength, applying only enough force to twist the trajectory.

Shuhahat!

At the same time, he thrust out his right fist.

It was the Myungwang Fist, the signature technique that had earned Sang Il-gi the title of Divine Fist and the martial art symbolizing Bangcheon Gate.

True to its simple name, Sang Il-gi’s punch looked ordinary.

On the surface, it was nothing more than a plainly simple straight punch.

‘But the reality is different.’

Though it appeared to be a simple straight punch, within it were contained thousands, tens of thousands of variations.

Sang Il-gi knew that the essence of everything he had cultivated throughout his life was contained within that single fist, so Ban Hojin likewise swung his sword with complete sincerity.

Ssaeaeaeak!

Ban Hojin swiftly retrieved the sword that Sang Il-gi had deflected and immediately unleashed a slashing strike.

He had executed retrieval and attack simultaneously.

As if he had intended it from the very beginning, the sword’s movement was extraordinarily natural.

Jjeoeong!

Soon, Ban Hojin’s sword and Sang Il-gi’s fist collided in midair.

Yet despite it being a clash between bare flesh and a blade of steel, a deafening roar erupted.

On top of that, the shockwave spread outward in concentric circles from the two men, rippling in all directions.

Sseuk!

But this was only the beginning.

Even though he was empty-handed, Sang Il-gi did not avoid colliding with the sword.

Rather, he actively attacked Ban Hojin.

Unlike Ban Hojin, who could only use a single sword as his weapon, Sang Il-gi’s entire body was a weapon, and he made full use of that fact.

Papapapat!

Knowing Ban Hojin’s level, Sang Il-gi did not let his guard down even the slightest bit.

Instead, just like Ban Hojin, he unfolded the Myungwang Fist with complete earnestness.

Peopeopeopeong!

Despite being bare fists without even a trace of fist energy coating them, explosive booms erupted every time Sang Il-gi’s twin fists tore through the air.

It was a phenomenon caused by the immense True Energy imbued within his fists, contrary to their outward appearance.

And the same was true for Ban Hojin.

From the very start, Ban Hojin had brought out the Three Dharma Swords, and his momentum did not fall behind Sang Il-gi’s in the slightest.

Ssaeaeaeak!

Rather, as time went on, the air-tearing sound produced by Ban Hojin’s sword grew heavier and sharper.

Yet the more that happened, the deeper Sang Il-gi’s smile became.

It had been such a long time since he had been able to properly unleash his martial arts.

“Shall we really get going?”

“Very well.”

Wungwungwungwung!

As if everything up until now had merely been a warm-up, Ban Hojin and Sang Il-gi smiled while staring at each other.

At that moment, a heavy resonant hum flowed out from the two of them.

They were about to use their Inner Energy in earnest.

In truth, even now the level was tremendous, but with this degree of True Energy, it was insufficient for either of them to display their real strength.

Kwaaaang!

Since both of them knew that, they fully drew up their internal power, and soon a feast of sword force and fist force unfolded in the air.

The force energies they unleashed collided without rest.

“This is insane.”

“So this is a real spar between true masters.”

“We should probably fall back a bit more.”

Each and every move was an exquisitely profound technique, completely stealing the attention of all who watched.

However, not everyone was the same.

As the spar grew increasingly intense, Sunwoo Bang felt the shockwaves and aftershocks growing stronger, so he moved the group back.

He understood their desire to watch from up close, but if they were to mistakenly enter the area affected by the spar, their bodies would surely be torn apart, so he hurried them away.

Kwaang! Kwang!

Thanks to Sunwoo Bang’s measures, Ban Hojin was able to focus solely on the spar without a single worry.

He could concentrate on Sang Il-gi alone.

‘My wrist’s going numb.’

Sang Il-gi’s build was far from being burly.

Yet the power flowing from his fists was solid and compact.

It felt like colliding with a tightly compressed fist of steel.

Perhaps because of that, every time Ban Hojin met Sang Il-gi’s fist strikes head-on, his wrists throbbed.

‘How long has it been?’

The more they clashed, the more the accumulated shock piled up within his body.

But Ban Hojin did not dislike it.

This kind of pain came to him as a good stimulus.

Ever since he had returned to the past through an unforeseen miracle, no one had been able to give Ban Hojin such stimulation.

‘And I’m not the only one feeling it.’

Ban Hojin could see it.

The expression on Sang Il-gi’s face, which maintained a faint smile throughout.

He, too, was enjoying the current spar.

Though he had left the secular world and undergone solitary ascetic training, Sang Il-gi was still human.

There was no way such a spar would not be exhilarating.

Moreover, this was an opponent capable of drawing out his full power.

‘What I don’t understand is that his practical combat sense should normally have dulled, but it hasn’t. Is it because he’s at the pinnacle realm?’

Sang Il-gi’s fist strikes were concise, but they were not simple.

Whenever change was needed, he freely employed false moves and changing moves, forcing Ban Hojin to push the Golden Light Divine Steps to the extreme.

It was to avoid the fist forces that poured down like a torrential rain, filling the space ahead.

Yet he did not raise his protective energy.

Kwakwakwaquang!

It was confidence—confidence that he could evade them without blocking.

As a result, only the unfortunate ground was torn apart.

Shwiik!

And Ban Hojin did not merely evade.

Even as each individual fist force surged in, precisely targeting the vital acupoints across his entire body, he found the gaps and thrust his sword accurately into them.

There was nothing perfect in this world; things only appeared perfect.

Having realized that truth while dying in his previous life, there was not the slightest hesitation in Ban Hojin’s single sword strike.

“Hup!”

At Ban Hojin’s counterattack, which slipped exquisitely into the gaps between techniques, Sang Il-gi was startled.

He had never imagined that such a weakness could exist in techniques he had unfolded thousands, tens of thousands of times.

But unlike his surprise, Sang Il-gi’s response was swift.

He crossed his arms and blocked Ban Hojin’s sword strike.

Kwang!

Yet this was only the beginning.

As if to repay all the pressure he had endured until now, this time Ban Hojin’s sword pressed Sang Il-gi back.

A sword sea unfolded, bearing down on Sang Il-gi.

Tsutsutsutsu!

In an instant, hundreds of sword forces seemed to split apart, filling the air.

No, not just the front—every direction, even overhead, was completely covered.

Kwaaaang!