Chapter 233: Martial Arts Tournament (2)
"The highlight of the Southern Murim Conference, the Martial Arts Tournament, will now begin!"
“Wuaaaah!”
Thunderous cheers echoed like they could pierce the heavens.
Only a short while ago, there had been turmoil and tension over a looming war with the Demonic Cult.
But with the start of a martial arts conference that even the Demonic Cult was participating in, the Central Plains breathed a momentary sigh of relief.
And that sigh of relief translated into massive attention on the Murim Conference—or more precisely, the Martial Arts Tournament within it.
“There are some names I’ve never seen before.”
“I heard only carefully selected First Rate Martial Artist stage warriors were invited, not random nobodies.”
As the tournament bracket for the sixty-four First Rate Martial Artist experts was announced, crowds gathered around it, eagerly predicting the matchups.
Among those First Rate Martial Artist fighters, however, were a few new names that drew particularly intense attention.
“Demonic Heaven’s Dragon, Jin Yeomyung?”
“First Strategist Black Thunder, Myeong Jin? I heard he’s one of the strategists from the Black Blood Lotus…”
“Heavenly Divine Dragon, Jin Myeong? Was that ever one of the Six Divine Dragons?”
With the exception of the completely unknown trio, the First Rate Martial Artist martial artists from orthodox sects were mostly individuals who had made a name for themselves in their respective regions.
But these three were different.
Especially—
“Their titles sound impressive, but where the hell did they crawl out from?”
“I can maybe understand if they’re from the Demonic Cult or Black Blood Lotus, but what? Heavenly Divine Dragon?”
“That’s an arrogant title. The prestigious orthodox sects won’t let that slide.”
Even the most well-informed spectators in attendance tilted their heads at the unfamiliar name, "Heavenly Divine Dragon."
At that moment—
“Hey!”
Baek Sang-ah, who had apparently not been informed of the situation beforehand, stormed over and sat down roughly next to Cheon Yura.
“You’re here.”
As the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the Black Blood Lotus Leader sat side by side, the eyes and tension of everyone nearby immediately focused on them.
And when the Young Cult Leader casually said “You’re here?” to the Black Blood Lotus Leader with familiarity, the spectators’ eyes widened as if they might rip apart.
But Baek Sang-ah completely ignored their stares and spoke in a hushed voice.
—What on earth is Young Master Jin thinking?
—Hehe...
—He’s attending the tournament under three different identities at once. Does he seriously think that’s going to work?
To that, Cheon Yura simply shrugged.
—Why wouldn’t it? The host is on our side.
—...What?
Baek Sang-ah was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, with the Sword King of Namcheon, the head of the host clan, cooperating, no manipulation was impossible.
Cheon Yura continued calmly.
—He said he’s going to draw everyone’s attention here first, and then infiltrate the Namgung Clan.
—T-The Namgung Clan?
—Yes. He thinks Biyeon might be there.
—……!
No matter how much the Namgung Clan had fallen slightly behind the rest of the Namcheon Clans—
Sneaking into their territory was a completely different level of difficulty from entering as a guest, like here.
Even if Jin Yeomyung had broken through Extreme Demonic Walls, no one could guarantee how many monstrous martial masters were hiding in the Namgung main household.
Baek Sang-ah hesitated before speaking.
—Going alone to a place like that…
—Just so you know, neither you nor I are in a position to act rashly. It’s best to restrain yourself.
Flinch.
—That aside, you seem to be deep in thought these days.
Flinch, flinch!
The second jab seemed to hit harder, and her shoulders twitched slightly.
With her legs crossed and her chin resting on her hand, Cheon Yura glanced sideways at Baek Sang-ah and advised her.
—I don’t know what you’re worrying about, but with your personality, prolonged hesitation will only lead to poor decisions. It’s best to decide quickly.
—...Even if my decision ends up negatively affecting you?
—Doesn’t matter. I’ll shake off that kind of influence with ease.
Baek Sang-ah let out a small sigh.
—I envy that confidence of yours.
—For now, let’s just enjoy the tournament. Most of them are just chaff, but even watching chaff clash has its own appeal.
—Fine.
—I feel bad for the orthodox side, but this tournament is going to be our stage.
—…….
She let out a slightly deeper sigh than before.
As someone who knew the inside story, she could already clearly see the devastating losses the orthodox sects' First Rate Martial Artist warriors would soon suffer.
"I’ll make you pay for your cowardly sneak attack."
“……”
“In front of all these spectators, I’ll completely crush you and restore my damaged honor!”
Peng Unyeong kept provoking Baeksa relentlessly.
Yet Baeksa showed no real reaction.
Instead, he curled one corner of his lips in a smirk, flipping the provocation back at Peng Unyeong.
“Do orthodox bastards fight with their mouths?”
“...You bastard!”
“Sorry, but I’m not really impressed by this ‘Six Divine Dragon’ title anymore.”
Baeksa slowly shifted into a Supreme Tyrant Art stance.
He was convinced after their earlier exchange.
Six Divine Dragon or whatever—there was no need to be intimidated by surface-level fame.
Especially when threats far worse than “that guy” were lurking, there wasn’t time to care about reputations!
“If I lose to the likes of you, I won’t survive the wrath of my superior.”
“I’ll grind you to pieces, you demonic scum.”
Facing Peng Unyeong, who was brimming with killing intent, Baeksa casually repeated the taunt he had learned the previous night from his lord.
“You suck at martial arts.”
“Shut your mouth!”
Fw-woosh!
It was short, but the taunt hit its mark like a dagger in the heart of the proud.
Peng Unyeong charged at Baeksa again, looking ready to lose control.
But this time, he had more of his wits about him, and his strikes were on a completely different level—much sharper and precise.
Baeksa didn’t back down and drew his sword with equal intensity.
‘Winning easily doesn’t look possible… but I won’t lose!’
From a lowly street thug to standing here by sheer luck and will—this was his moment.
Baeksa had gone through too turbulent a life to be overwhelmed by the pressure of someone at the same First Rate Martial Artist stage.
Boom!
Sword and blade, force against force—clashed head-on.
“Wuaaaah!”
“Go, Radiant Cloud Blade Dragon!”
“Baeksa, was it? I bet on you!”
Cheers erupted loud enough to drown out the explosion.
“A battle of defeat against defeat, huh.”
“How foolish. Challenging a Peng Clan warrior head-on?”
“Radiant Cloud Blade Dragon’s blade art is said to exceed First Rate Martial Artist standards in speed. And at its core is an innately overwhelming strength.”
First Rate Martial Artist warriors around them each shared their evaluations of the duel.
Murong Gun asked me a question.
“What do you think, Great Hero Jin?”
“Hmm.”
Smiling softly, I gave a completely different assessment.
“At this rate, Lord Peng is in for a huge disappointment.”
“What?”
“W-What do you mean?”
As I looked at the confused expressions on their faces, I pointed toward the stage.
“In terms of physical strength, that Baeksa from the Demonic Cult doesn’t seem to be falling behind at all.”
“……!”
Indeed, even as sword and blade continued clashing, neither side gave way or retreated.
“Y-You bastard!”
Peng Unyeong’s panic was clear at Baeksa’s far more domineering momentum than expected.
Reading that emotion, I chuckled inwardly.
‘He trained for years wearing that heavy Black Iron Ball—it’s only natural.’
Sure, the Peng Clan’s bloodline might hold the edge in innate strength. But that could easily be caught up with through effort and investment.
No—surpassed.
Fwoosh!
A lingering trail of demonic energy from Baeksa’s sword slowly enveloped his entire body.
Seeing that, the experts from the orthodox side let out gasps of admiration.
“A manifestation of Qi Storage Body Protection that vivid!”
“His internal energy is remarkably deep!”
Typically, the ability to use sword qi marks one as a first-rate martial artist, and forming sword force qualifies as master-level.
But there exists a clear transitional stage between the two.
Qi Storage Body Protection—when one pours internal energy into the sword to form a qi force, but due to insufficient enlightenment, the energy doesn’t fully infuse into the blade.
Instead, the residual energy forms a thin layer around the entire body, serving as a kind of defensive field. Hence the term, “Qi Storage Body Protection.”
This phenomenon was usually only seen among First Rate Martial Artists nearing master level—and for the talentless, it remained a boundary they could never cross, no matter how hard they tried.
“To be that close to master level at such a young age—what, the Demonic Cult doesn’t consider this enough to be one of their Six Great Demonic Dragons?”
One elder from an orthodox sect clicked his tongue.
“He may be a follower of the Six Great Demonic Clans, but that also means he’s just a subordinate of one of them.”
“If a mere underling is that strong, then how powerful must their master, the Demonic Heaven’s Dragon, be…?”
“The Demonic Cult’s strength might be far greater than we imagined.”
The assembled martial masters began reevaluating the Demonic Cult’s overall level, based on Baeksa’s performance.
Of course, Baeksa wasn’t exactly a typical representative, but interestingly, if judged not as a single First Rate Martial Artist warrior but in terms of the cult’s overall strength, their conclusion wasn’t too far off.
Confronted with Baeksa’s overwhelming presence, Peng Unyeong grew visibly flustered.
“Y-You… Are you actually at a higher stage than me…?”
“……”
Considering the general assumption that Six Divine Dragons were mid-level First Rate Martial Artists, Baeksa’s level was absurd.
“Ghhhhh!”
He was being pushed back.
With every exchange, Peng Unyeong’s posture shifted slightly backward.
Was his technique weakening?
Was Baeksa just stronger?
Neither.
Whether it was Supreme Tyrant Art or anything else, demonic energy was fundamentally a force that ate away at reason and emotion.
Even if Baeksa wasn’t doing it consciously, the demonic aura of Supreme Tyrant Art was gnawing at Peng Unyeong’s mind, consuming his negative emotions.
“Uaaaagh!”
Defeat.
That word crossed Peng Unyeong’s mind.
The moment he recognized that he was losing in a test of strength to a peer—
Fwoooosh!
His blade strikes turned more violent and chaotic.
While the power increased, his composure—the most basic requirement of a swordsman—was crumbling.
If a senior member of the Demonic Cult had seen this, they would’ve clicked their tongue, calling him an immature novice lacking even the fundamentals.
“T-That guy!”
“Peng Unyeong! Get a hold of yourself!”
Realizing the shift immediately, Peng Clan elders shouted in alarm to bring him back to his senses.
But before that could happen, Baeksa made his move.
“Hraaaah!”
“Hraaaaagh!”
Both let out roars, closer to beastly cries, as they unleashed their ultimate moves.
At that moment—
Baeksa’s sword surged with a momentum far beyond anything he had shown thus far.
And with that, Peng Unyeong’s Five Tiger Severing Blade was shattered head-on.
“Well done, Baeksa.”
As Peng Unyeong collapsed, I clenched my fist tightly.
Unlike his previous win—which had been labeled cowardly due to a sneak attack—this was a clean and honorable victory against a Six Divine Dragon of the orthodox faction.
“You all… are proof that my choice wasn’t wrong.”
Baeksa was panting from the effort of having used his full strength.
But there was unmistakable joy on his face.
He might not admit it, but it was clear how happy he was to have won a straight-up fight.
Watching Jeoksa and Heuksa run up to Baeksa, I smiled inwardly.
‘About three rounds later, it’ll be my turn. Maybe I should help balance the odds a bit.’
Right now, the entire arena was silent in shock over the Six Divine Dragon’s early loss.
While this Martial Arts Tournament was ultimately meant to favor the Heavenly Demon Cult, offering a bit of hope would help with the show’s popularity.
Just as I was having that thought—
—Young Master, what in the world are you doing there….
‘Huh?’
I stood up without realizing it.
Because I’d just heard a voice that had no business coming from here.
“Great Hero Jin?”
Those around me gave puzzled looks, but I ignored them and narrowed my eyes toward the audience, where the sound had come from.
And I saw him.
His hair had grown out a little since the past, but I could never forget that sloppy face.
—Gu Chil?!
—Hehe, your loyal servant Gu Chil has arrived, Young Master.
Gu Chil, who should’ve been working hard back at the cult, had somehow appeared in the heart of Namcheon Baek Clan territory.