Chapter 165: What I Want to Show (5)
“Just what on earth is happening?”
“…How is he on such a different level?”
At the very top of the building overlooking the dueling arena, the atmosphere was thick with an unrecognizable tension filled with the high-ranking members of the Murim Alliance.
Initially, there were expectations, followed by shocks, and now, sheer dismay.
The final match in progress below was nothing short of shocking.
Even the seasoned martial artists, who had braved countless battles, were swallowing hard at the sight.
Whoosh—!
The previously buzzing voices quieted in an instant.
The air was becoming dense with heavy energy.
The formidable Qi that weighed upon the surroundings belonged to none other than the current Alliance Leader, Jang Cheon.
Clench.
He tightened his fist.
With his intense, wide-open eyes fixed on the dueling stage, Jang Cheon thought,
‘…What on earth…?’
In less than a quarter of an hour, the dueling stage had already turned into a chaotic mess.
He gulped repeatedly, reflecting,
‘He really is a monster.’
The arena, built of the notoriously tough rocks from Bigu Mountain, was famous for its durability.
Not any ordinary martial artist could hope to damage them easily; even the top-tier swordsman would leave nothing more than a scratch.
‘Yet he crumples it up like tofu.’
The destructive strength of this boy, who had barely yet to live a quarter of his life, was unbelievable.
Moreover, he demonstrated exceptional control over that strength.
At his age, possessing either strength or skill would make one a genius, yet this boy had mastered both.
And exceedingly so—he appeared honed to perfection, enough to send shivers through anyone watching.
“…Hah.”
This was not a sound from Jang Cheon but rather from someone else, reflecting the sentiments of everyone gathered.
The cause of this sound was merely a mix of helplessness and envy.
Each of them had to come to terms with their growing jealousy towards that child as they drifted into their thoughts.
Even the legends who risked their lives for decades in the world were feeling that pang of jealousy.
And it was for a talent that was simply nonsensical.
‘My son…’
Jang Cheon wished he could shut his eyes right there.
His son, whom he had believed was chosen by the heavens and who had never disappointed him; the thought of his downfall felt like a stab to the heart.
Jang Seonyeon had never once caused his father worry or disappointment throughout his life.
With his outstanding talents and noble character, he was already confirmed to be the future head of the Taeryung Clan.
Jang Cheon had imagined that if only he continued to grow that way, his son’s name would forever be etched in the annals of history.
But now, he found his child confronting an insurmountable barrier—a colossal wall named Gu Yangcheon.
Perhaps a wall they might never surpass.
Jang Cheon could only pray that his son wouldn’t shatter under that weight.
That was all he desired.
His mind was a jumble.
That single phrase seemed rather fitting.
Dust swirling in the wind, and fragments scattering.
The endless cries of pain coupled with the exploding echoes of Qi rang out amidst the chaos.
In that disordered moment, Jang Seonyeon swung his sword.
Swish!
The blade cut through the air.
The condensed Qi enveloped the sword blade, leaving behind a fleeting trace in the air.
There was no wavering.
He had swung that sword countless times in his life; it would not tremble now.
Thrum…!
The softly resonating sound of the sword confirmed that his swordsmanship had reached an advanced level.
He wielded the Qi of a first-class martial artist; the aura surrounding his sword posed a genuine threat.
While his technique was nearly flawless, it all became moot if the attack didn’t connect.
“Ugh…!”
Amid the torrent of sword strikes, a hand stretched forth, seizing Jang Seonyeon’s collar.
It would have been a dangerous situation, even if the sword merely grazed him.
Yet he hesitated not even for a moment.
No, perhaps he refrained from hesitation because he knew he would not be struck?
Bam!
With no concern for his movements, his opponent began to rain down blows.
Jang Seonyeon’s body rolled across the already battered battlefield.
“Cough… Huff…”
How many times had this been already?
It must have exceeded five.
After a point, he simply stopped counting.
“Ha… Huff.”
He breathed heavily.
Though his body ached all over, he could not afford to rest.
Pow!
“Ughh…!”
Jang Seonyeon’s chin was thrust upwards.
He had just been kicked.
“You’re spacing out in the middle of a duel?”
Upon hearing the subsequent voice, Jang Seonyeon shook himself back to awareness.
He definitely hadn’t spaced out.
It was simply that he hadn’t seen the incoming attack.
He hadn’t noticed Gu Yangcheon approaching or launching his assault—nothing at all.
‘Damn it…!’
‘Is this even possible?’
‘The Young Lady of Namgung I fought yesterday was absurdly strong as well, but nowhere near this level.’
‘Can this even be classified as talent?’
‘This is…’
‘A monster…’
When that thought flitted through Jang Seonyeon’s mind, he jolted, biting his lips.
It was reminiscent of what Peng Woojin had told him.
‘Do you really think you can beat him? That monster?’
Back then, Jang Seonyeon believed he could.
He thought it would not be that difficult.
‘Doesn’t that make sense?’
‘I was the chosen one, and he wasn’t.’
‘It had to be easy.’
‘So then why…!’
‘Why can’t I even see that bastard’s movement?’
Jang Seonyeon could only hide his quivering lips.
The skill level was different.
Such a common expression had never resonated with him as strongly as it did at that moment.
This realization came swiftly, only after a few exchanges.
Gu Yangcheon felt as if he belonged to a completely different domain.
He did not seem human.
If he wasn’t, then such incredible talent should not exist in this world.
It was far too unjust for anyone else to coexist with such talent.
Tingle-
At that moment, sensing an approaching danger, Jang Seonyeon hastily lifted his sword in defense.
Bam!
As soon as he raised the sword, the impact sent Jang Seonyeon hurtling into the air.
Despite ensuring he was protected by Qi, Gu Yangcheon’s striking force shredded through his defenses like paper.
As Jang Seonyeon braced for a crash back to the arena,
“Hey.”
With that brief call, Jang Seonyeon was caught by Gu Yangcheon’s grasp.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Gu Yangcheon’s voice was as ferocious as a wild beast’s growl.
“What did I say before? I told you to use everything you’ve got from the very start.”
“…Huff… Huff…”
“You did just fine last time, so what’s up? Feeling embarrassed to use it against me?”
“…What… are you…”
“Right, I figured I’d get a stupid response from you even if I asked; I must’ve been foolish.”
Gu Yangcheon made a disgruntled face before letting go of Jang Seonyeon.
Once freed, Jang Seonyeon sprang back to his feet.
‘What… should I even do?’
This completely nonsensical situation left his mind in disarray.
Jang Seonyeon understood that he was able to stand again because Gu Yangcheon had gone easy on him.
It was painfully obvious.
Despite having been knocked around the ground so many times, not a single drop of blood had spilled.
This meant that his body hadn’t suffered significant damage.
It was the same case for the Qi within him.
While the flow had been disrupted, and he had encountered the shock from the attacks, he emerged injury-free otherwise.
This indicated that…
‘…He was holding back?’
It meant that Gu Yangcheon had been managing his power deliberately with each attack.
In the middle of a duel, no less.
And Jang Seonyeon could not comprehend just how frightening and astonishing that was.
“Okay, listen up. I’m going to share something that will become your strength for life.”
The sound of Gu Yangcheon snapped Jang Seonyeon from his spiraling thoughts.
The voice was farther away than he’d expected.
The Gu Yangcheon, who had been directly before him moments ago, was now at the far end of the arena.
‘What in the world is he doing…?’
“…!”
Jang Seonyeon’s eyes widened as he felt a chill race from his back to his crown.
The wind stirred.
It was certainly no surprise to feel a cold breeze in winter…
Yet what Jang Seonyeon sensed was not merely cold air.
Heat.
A wave of scorching warmth radiated around him.
From Gu Yangcheon, this intense heat began to swirl aggressively throughout the arena.
‘…What sort of absurdity is this?’
The reason Jang Seonyeon couldn’t believe his senses wasn’t only due to the heat.
It was because that suffocating warmth was entirely composed of Gu Yangcheon’s Qi.
‘How much Qi must he possess to…!’
The arena was nowhere near cramped.
In fact, it was almost overly spacious, leaving one to wonder why it had been constructed so large.
But was Gu Yangcheon brimming with enough Qi to fill the entire arena with heat?
The realization did not stop here.
Whoosh!
A chilling sound echoed from somewhere.
Alongside the winds, flames began to tangle with the residual warmth in the air.
Those flickering flames roared as they seemed poised to engulf Jang Seonyeon.
“I’ve thought about why you aren’t using your power. It’s quite obvious. I didn’t believe you to be such a fool, yet here you are, resisting when it’s glaringly clear that you cannot win.”
Jang Seonyeon swallowed hard at Gu Yangcheon’s words.
The atmosphere surrounding him weighed heavily on his shoulders.
“You.”
Contrasted with the flames encroaching upon him, Gu Yangcheon wore an annoyingly light expression.
“You’re scared, aren’t you?”
His tone was nonchalant but bore an underlying sharpness, giving rise to discomfort for Jang Seonyeon.
“You are worried that even using that power will result in your defeat, and you aim to leave yourself an excuse for when you find yourself flat on the ground—that’s the reason you aren’t using it.”
Jang Seonyeon clenched his lips tightly at Gu Yangcheon’s remarks.
‘How does he know…?!’
He wasn’t troubled by the idea of excuses.
Instead, he was confused about how Gu Yangcheon was aware of his hidden power.
‘Did he catch a hint during yesterday’s duel?’
Those who lacked Divine Qi were incapable of sensing it.
This principle applied to everyone, be they the revered Three Heavenly Venerables or distinguished figures.
Even the Chief Abbot of Shaolin wouldn’t pick up on it, let alone his father.
That ‘Dancer’ had mentioned it herself, so he had believed it to be accurate.
But somehow, this fiend was entirely convinced.
‘He knows something resides within me.’
‘Did he… perhaps receive the baptism too?’
He mulled it over but discarded that notion because no Divine Qi was detectable from Gu Yangcheon.
“Seems you’re off in your thoughts again, damn it.”
“…!”
“You’re gonna piss your pants at this rate. In the midst of a duel, you ought to keep your eyes strictly on the fists.”
Why was he suddenly bringing up urination? Jang Seonyeon pondered that momentarily but soon forgot, as Gu Yangcheon had compelled it from his thoughts.
“Ugh…”
A groan slipped from Jang Seonyeon’s lips.
It was because Gu Yangcheon was radiating an overwhelming killing intent.
So intense that it manifested physically, gripping Jang Seonyeon’s throat.
‘To unleash such vile killing intent during a duel in the Orthodox Faction… has he lost it?’
Jang Seonyeon darted a frantic glance at the judge.
“What…!?”
Yet the judge merely observed the duel with the same dispassionate expression as before.
‘Does he not… recognize this?’
A shiver ran down Jang Seonyeon’s spine.
That insidious, sticky killing intent was distinctly directed at him alone.
Not a soul except him could feel its weight.
“You seem to be caught up in unnecessary thoughts and have no intention of employing your power, so I’ve decided to get serious.”
The flames that had previously hung in the atmosphere began to spin around before being vacuumed back into Gu Yangcheon.
More specifically, they condensed into Gu Yangcheon’s arm.
That was danger he could sense.
Not just instinct—he could tell just by looking.
“If I don’t use it, I’ll die.”
It sounded as though he spoke without much contemplation,
Yet Jang Seonyeon recognized that there was no deception in his words.
The sheer killing intent bearing down on him felt like it could knock him out at any moment; that was proof enough.
And as if to confirm that truth again, Gu Yangcheon thrust his arm, cloaked in swirling flames, toward Jang Seonyeon.
This was an attack so unrefined it lacked any semblance of stances.
Though the movement appeared slipshod, the outcome was anything but trivial.
Roar—!
The dragon-shaped blaze howled as if ready to swallow the entire arena, hurtling towards Jang Seonyeon.
Jang Seonyeon had the sensation that he wouldn’t even leave bones behind if struck by that attack.
Ultimately, he relinquished the seal and summoned his strength.
He felt the rippling sensation of his body being bolstered, his muscles expanding.
Whoosh!
As he activated his power, the deadly grip of killing intent faded.
And right before he would face the flames head-on, Jang Seonyeon swung his blade without a moment’s pause.
SWOOOSH!
The fortified blade cleaved through the flames in a singular stroke.
The fire was extinguished, and the Qi constituting the flames detonated, creating an impact in the void.
In that instant, he had successfully countered the strike.
Though Jang Seonyeon staggered slightly due to the exertion, he quickly regained his stance.
Feeling a surge of relief at having deflected such a ferocious offense.
Despite the fatigue from drawing on his power two days in a row, it was of no consequence.
His innate Divine Qi reassured him that he could ward off and triumph over any of his opponent’s attacks.
‘I did it…’
Crack—.
“…Huh?”
With his bewildered reaction, Jang Seonyeon glanced at his right arm.
It was the sound of something breaking that had drawn his attention.
And he could see it now.
His right arm was violently shattered.
“Good job.”
Gu Yangcheon’s voice came from nearby, and Jang Seonyeon’s gaze fell.
Thud!
His head drooped as one of his knees struck the ground.
The unexpected pain was so overwhelming that Jang Seonyeon couldn’t voice a scream.
“I told you I would start with the arm.”
Gu Yangcheon’s tone noticeably held a hint of amusement.
“Now I can hurt you even more. Isn’t that wonderful?”
His playful statement, delivered in a strangely kind manner, made Jang Seonyeon’s eyes tremble.
At that moment, he truly recognized the feeling gnawing at his chest.
That sensation, slowly eroding him away, rising like a towering dread.
It was undoubtedly fear.
‘…N-…’
Jang Seonyeon’s eyes widened as Gu Yangcheon’s fist charged towards him.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.