Chapter 219

“Cheon Yu-hak said that when you wake up in the morning, you’ll discover the wonders of feeling the flow of heaven and earth.”

I had no idea what that was supposed to feel like, but experiencing it firsthand… oh wow.

The true ability of the Awakening Skill was the sharpness spreading from my fingertips to every inch of my skin.

As Qing waved her hand, she could vividly feel the air parting along her skin.

After wandering a couple of laps around the room, I could clearly grasp what it meant to feel the flow of heaven and earth in my body.

Is this what it feels like to become one with nature?

As Qing fidgeted about, it looked like Gongson Yo-ye had woken up.

“Young Lady Seomun…? Are you up?”

“Did you sleep well? You’re going to the opening ceremony, right?”

“Um, I have to attend the ceremony with my family, so I’m really sorry, Yeo. I can’t go with you, but my heart is with you!”

“Oh. Family comes first. Then, you go ahead. I’ll just have a quick breakfast and take my time getting there.”

Qing smiled reassuringly at Gongson Yo-ye, who seemed about to glitch out, and got dressed.

She was quite used to combat training by now.

Donning her Divine Maiden Sect uniform carefully while gripping a sword, confidence radiated from Qing as she put on her clothes, showcasing her role as a disciple.

Since today was an official event, wearing the Divine Maiden Sect uniform felt right.

From morning, she felt like a champ. Maybe it was because she had taken a bit too much elixir yesterday? She felt supremely refreshed and lighter than ever.

Walking towards breakfast, the sensation of the silk lining of her uniform brushing against her skin felt divine.

The soft whispers of the fabric caressing her skin almost boasted its existence, like the most comfortable bedding wrapping around her. Each step, feeling more blissful than the last, was absolutely heavenly…

Hmm.

Qing’s lively steps began to narrow.

Her previously vigorous arm movements turned modest, as if the graceful strides of Seomun Sulin were making their debut.

It felt good and all, but this was a bit too… how should I say it? A tad odd. She was merely walking around, yet here we are.

Behind her mask, Qing frowned.

Is this really a big deal…?

—

Awakening Skill, Martial World Tournament, and whatever else—Qing hastily enacted emergency measures.

The fabric brushing against her body was bearable for a moment, but the buildup of stimuli was something she couldn’t ignore.

To reduce the irritation, she wrapped her arms and legs in silk sleeves and tightly secured her belly with a wide sash to keep her clothes fitting snugly against her body.

With this delay, by the time she arrived at the Martial World Tournament venue, the leader of the Martial Alliance, Jo Hyun-ryang, was already rambling on about the orthodox sects.

Qing subtly surveyed the area and asked a warrior of the Martial Alliance for directions.

She had heard where the Divine Maiden Sect seating would be, but with how expansive the venue was, she needed help finding it.

The Martial World Tournament venue was set up in the heart of Gaebong District, right in front of the great canal.

Being the starting point connecting all waterways across the Central Plain, it had to match its grand scale.

The venue itself was built on rafts with a solid foundation beneath them.

Peeking around and carefully weaving through the crowd, Qing finally found the seat reserved for the Divine Maiden Sect.

“Oh! Master! You made it? Are you participating in the Martial World Tournament?”

“You’re just arriving? I can’t rest easy if you stroll in without a word.”

“Hehe…”

Qing felt relieved to see her Master there.

Compared to other factions, which brought along dozens of people, she was glad she just had to follow her Master around.

“You went to train and didn’t even greet the kids in the Kuobai Hall, did you? I mean, it’s not easy doing things alone, right?”

The kids Seomun Sulin referred to were the leaders or representatives attending in place of the Sect Leader.

Though she called them kids, they were closer to her level, which felt weird.

Afterward, it was quite a tiresome period.

What’s the event for? To unite the orthodox martial practitioners and assert their power, they would say.

So it was a combination of networking, mental fortification, and showing off their skills.

There were several events for that.

Free speaking where any sect leader could express their thoughts, a match where less renowned masters could submit duel requests, and a grand council where participants voted on agendas selected by the Martial Alliance—all that jazz.

However, the event that the average spectators looked forward to the most was definitely the Rising Stars Martial Competition, featuring fierce competitions between the best of the post-orthodox generation.

However, the opening ceremony was unbearable.

Starting with the leader’s opening remarks, well-known figures from the martial world each gave their speeches, which included representation from the lesser sects and some renowned individuals getting up to chat…

Oddly enough, spectators were surprisingly entertained.

Wow! The World’s Top Martial Masters! Wow! The Zhongnan Sect Leader!

Just the appearance of the absolute powerhouses of the martial world left everyone buzzing, swooning even at the mundane speeches, tossing around awed reactions like “Ooh, impressive.” “Hmm, such deep meaning.”

Qing couldn’t understand it, but the play culture in ancient Central Plains was quite primitive and rudimentary.

Unlike her hometown, where you could see esteemed figures anytime on screen, many came just to catch a glimpse of the legendary ten masters.

Then came the climax of the opening ceremony: the draw for the Rising Stars Martial Competition.

The leader himself went on stage to draw lots while the announcer read aloud the names, writing them on a large tent.

Qing was bored out of her mind waiting for over sixty participants to be drawn, but in fact, this was precisely the moment spectators had been waiting for.

“Kunlun disciple Jin Sam! From Ta-dong, Bae Jae-hap!”

When the announcer bellowed the name he pulled out, spectators started buzzing with their own predictions.

Wouldn’t this round favor the Kunlun disciple?

They’d saw Bae Jae-hap’s performance and saw him handle the kun like it was part of him. I bet it’ll be a close match.

This was a mix of curiosity and strategizing over the stakes at play.

Enduring through the tedium, Qing sat, and towards the end of the third group, her name was finally called.

“Disciple of Divine Maiden Sect, Seomun Qing! Wudang disciple Hwan-yuk!”

Whoever it was, she didn’t care since she didn’t know him, although she thought she might have heard the name at the Rising Stars Meeting.

What intrigued her more was the spectators’ predictions on the outcome, so she leaned closer to catch their chatter.

– No surprise here, Hwan-yuk from Wudang. Taiji sword, Taiji sword equals the number one swordplay, right? Bet it will be an easy win.

– There’s nothing outstanding in the skills of the Divine Maiden Sect, right? Do they even have any known techniques?

– It’s still unknown. There’s a rumor that Master Yuha praised her greatly in the past. Might as well take a chance on her as an upset.

– Didn’t you just call her an upset…?

From what she overheard, it appeared that predictions were overwhelmingly in favor of Hwan-yuk.

Hmm. Is he some kind of strong opponent?

If Je-gal had been here, he would have snickered at her with commentary.

Then it happened.

“Shaolin disciple Wolbong! Black Dragon Clan Jo Hak-che!”

Seomun Sulin voiced her sentiments.

“That monk. Jo Hyun-ryang’s going to be in a rough spot now.”

“The leader? Hmm. Is Shaolin that strong?”

“Isn’t his Dharma name Wolbong? Since your level is similar, you should know who his master is.”

Wolbong’s master was the current head of Shaolin, Great Master Muhak.

So, that meant he was a direct disciple of the number one in the world.

“What kind of disciple have they been keeping hidden for so long?”

“Um. Will he be a tough opponent?”

“Shaolin doesn’t enter disciples unless they’re confident they can win.”

In Shaolin, movement was synonymous with gravity; they wouldn’t budge for petty matters.

But when they moved, it was like moving mountains—that’s the weight vehicles of the orthodox martial world carry.

“Seems like he’ll be your opponent in the semifinals.”

Seomun Sulin spoke as if it were a matter of course.

The Rising Stars Martial Competition was split into four groups, and if Qing and Wolbong won their respective matches, they would face off in the semifinals.

“Hey, don’t worry. My master is the strongest rookie out there!”

This made Seomun Sulin grin brightly.

“There’s no need for pressure. If you lose to a Shaolin disciple, no one’s going to find that weird. But…”

Seomun Sulin’s eyes sparkled.

“If possible, I’d love to showcase you defeating Shaolin for all the world to see.”

Qing paused, tapping her chest before gripping her fist tightly.

“You can count on me!”

—

The Martial World Tournament is a gathering of the best from each orthodox sect, so to say it’s a chaotic mess would be an understatement.

No sane person would dare cause a ruckus at the Martial World Tournament.

At least, no sane individual would.

But idiots do exist in the martial world, and one such group was the fearsome Blood Sect.

Truth be told, their own branding as the Blood Sect already screams insanity.

Even the heretical sects referred to themselves differently, and the Demon Cultists weren’t even called that by themselves; they identified as the Heavenly Demon Sect or the Divine Sect.

The reason for Blood Sect’s infamous rep in the Central Plains was exactly that.

The Demon Cultists may be notorious, but they’re ultimately akin to foreign invaders who attack periodically, claiming to conquer the Central Plains. They are, in some sense, just nuisances.

But the Blood Sect? They thrive on a bloodbath, with the sole purpose of causing chaos in the Central Plains—which means they’re real, dyed-in-the-wool lunatics.

Thus, amongst the ongoing Martial World Tournament in Gaebong, one of those madmen from the Blood Sect had slipped in.

Known as Ji-tan Gwangma, he was a demon of the martial realm.