Chapter 42

But that guy’s arrogance is highly rated.

Here’s my duel!

—he shouted, leaving Qing with nothing to say.

In the end, it was purely a training of sword techniques that had absolutely zero practicality.

Qing thought it was just a way to kill time.

Plus, it came with the bonus of body fatigue.

What’s the point of a duel like this?

Yet, oddly enough, it was a beneficial time.

“Young Lady Seomun’s technique is truly outstanding.”

“That’s a given. One doesn’t need to praise the sun for rising and setting.”

“That confidence! What a magnificent attitude for a swordsman! I learn more each time.”

Namgoong Shin-jae nodded, continuing his remarks.

“However, Young Lady Seomun’s sword is far too straightforward. A swordsman’s blade should be free.”

“……?”

Qing tilted his head.

What does it mean for a sword to be free? Should it wander around like my master’s sword does?

If that’s how it works, why even bother with being at the peak?

“Come, you’ll see once I demonstrate. This is the third move of the Changkong Sword, called the Deflection Wind.”

The blade, as it cut downward, grazed the ground and swung horizontally two more times following the two spins of his body.

Then he unleashed that same move several more times.

However, the same move didn’t yield the same result.

It had the elasticity of a snake striking its prey.

The repetition came with the oppressive force of a boulder, followed by a leisurely grace reminiscent of a gliding crane, and then a swarm of ants with their frantic energy.

“Oh…”

“Do you understand? Even the same technique can change based on what you put into it. Young Lady Seomun’s techniques are extraordinary, so much so that, aside from our Namgoong clan, no one can follow their essence, but they always look the same.”

It was true, but why does he seem more like a master?

Qing couldn’t help but grin a bit slyly.

“Such a pity. If only you had said that after defeating me just once, it would have sounded a bit cooler.”

“Hmph, lacking isn’t something to be ashamed of. Only the unwillingness to improve is what’s shameful.”

“Sorry. Then what does that make me…?”

Qing immediately apologized.

“It’s fine. We’re both swordsmen, no?”

Namgoong Shin-jae flashed a big smile, showing his white teeth.

What’s this, why is this weird guy so charming?

“From what I saw, Young Lady Seomun should practice your two moves from the Three Disasters. What do you think?”

“Three Disasters Sword? That one? Slash, strike, thrust?”

The Three Disasters Sword was embarrassing to even call a sword technique.

It was merely three basic moves in swordplay.

Vertical downward strike, horizontal slice.

And one varied by location.

In some places, you would stab, in others, slash from the side, and sometimes you’d do a wide sweeping motion.

For example, like the three signature dishes of a restaurant.

The first two are fixed while the last spot is cleverly replaced by a local specialty of sorts.

In other words, the first two are the genuine ones.

The vertical strike technique is the Taishan Pressure, meaning strike down with the power of Mount Tai; an unnecessarily grand name yet it cuts to the core.

The horizontal strike technique is the Hengsou Tianjun, which means swinging the sword once to cut down a thousand enemies.

Also grand, yet very easy to visualize.

“So. Hmm. How about you try only these two moves against me? Since it involves sword form, let’s just use pure sword strength without any stakes.”

“Hmm…?”

Qing observed Namgoong Shin-jae’s expression closely.

The corners of his mouth twitched subtly.

Qing immediately picked up on it.

If I’m only using those two moves and there’s no stakes…

Looks like you’re trying to make sure I can’t win at all.

Just when I was finally impressed, what a little rascal!

However, Qing’s stats were already hanging precariously at the peak of human level.

If we assume a world where everyone doesn’t use inner strength, he would have already been known as Number One in the World or something like the Peak Queen.

And shortly after, holding a broken wooden sword, Namgoong Shin-jae said.

“Thinking about it, if we don’t use stakes, there might not be much meaning to the enhancement of sword skills. Stakes are indeed quite important.”

—-

The Persian king Darius once said—

A thoughtful and dedicated friend is the most valuable treasure in the world.

The elder of the Divine Maiden Sect, Qing, agreed with that.

Adding onto that, if that friend is rich, then it’s an even more valuable treasure.

Namgoong Shin-jae was a hearty man.

If you had to point out his most manly trait, it was that he always ate at the most famous places when in the city.

Usually, when a place is the most famous in town, just barging in and saying “give me food” wouldn’t get you very far.

It’s generally booked up for months in advance.

But Namgoong was a Namgoong.

Inherently, powerful clans were either local gentry or descendants of the gentry.

Among them, some clans particularly held strong dominance.

The Namgoong family were simply the rulers of Anhui Province.

The small owners of Anhui eagerly welcomed the arrival of their distinguished guest.

If it’s an honor, then it is an honor; who would dare to speak of reservations!

Qing’s habit was simply to be infinitely happy in front of food.

That was only natural.

Someone who suffered when it came to food develops an obsession that goes beyond the ordinary.

Having fought over discarded food with beggars, strong beggars, rats, bugs, and even dogs, Qing had naturally developed a deep-seated fixation on food.

Was there ever a time as comfortable as this in the Martial World?

Of course, the Divine Maiden Sect was home, so that was an exception.

Home is naturally comfortable.

It wasn’t just about the food; this duel was unexpectedly enjoyable.

“Alright, feeling full means it’s time for a duel! Let’s go, swordsman!”

“Sounds great! To go straight from eating to dueling shows just how worthy a swordsman you are!”

Namgoong Shin-jae was serious about his sword and had a talent for it unknown to even himself.

Qing was eager to soak up that realization.

And finally.

After the duel, Qing let out a deep sigh.

“Hoo…”

Qing finally reached enlightenment.

He understood the difference between sword power and sword form.

When the strength of a technique is realized through one’s form, it’s the principle that helps all to excel in the same martial arts while turning out uniquely.

He had finally achieved enlightenment!

The peak of the Supreme Martial Artist was now something he could interpret fully as his own.

Radically, you could even call it a modification of martial arts.

The starting point, the first step of interpretation had been taken.

With this newfound understanding, Qing had entered the early peak stage.

Realizing what he should have grasped a while back, he finally got it now!

The gap between his skill and Great Master Muhak’s was finally narrowing a bit.

This was because Qing had learned martial arts in a haphazard manner.

With neither roots nor basics, he just used whatever stuck in his head!

—-

Two weeks passed.

Qing arrived at the southwestern tip of Henan Province, reaching a place called Huangtian.

Qing pondered.

How can a city be called Huangtian? Doesn’t that sound ominous?

The Young Master succeeded in Huangtian and built a household, and now I’ll have to bring my father and mother to Huangtian as well.

Doesn’t seem like any good omens are coming from this.

What Qing didn’t know was that in the land of the Central Plains, there were actually quite a few cities named Huangtian.

If you counted villages, it would easily exceed several hundred.

Because in many places, the rivers of the Central Plains were muddy yellow.

People settled nearby, turning them into Huangtian.

But Henan’s Huangtian was special.

Of the many Huangtians, it was the largest city.

Upon entering the horse stable, returning the carriage, Namgoong Shin-jae settled the bill, and naturally, they were headed to find the best tavern in Huangtian.

Indeed, the best tavern proved to be no joke, as a massive crowd could be seen from afar.

It looked like a crowd encircling the city walls.

Qing’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow. What kind of tavern is so popular? Is this a place worth getting excited about?”

“No matter how great a tavern is, a crowd like this signifies something special happening.”

“Something special?”

Namgoong Shin-jae’s eyes lit up.

“Surely it’s because a celebrated swordsman has made an appearance. They all must have swarmed, hoping to catch a glimpse of their exceptional swordsmanship! Otherwise, there’s no way there would be this many people.”

“…Yeah. If you say so.”

Qing simply let out a heavy sigh.

“Thinking like that makes it hard for me to stay calm. I can’t wait to meet them and beg for a lesson.”

Namgoong Shin-jae couldn’t contain his excitement as he marched ahead.

Qing shook his head.

What even is swordsmanship and sword techniques? How can a perfectly ordinary wealthy young master end up like this?

Qing lamented while following the high-spirited man.

Soon, Namgoong Shin-jae’s steps halted.

As Qing caught up, disappointment was evident on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s all just women.”

“And so?”

“I’ve seen this sort of situation a dozen times. It seems no swordsman is actually here. Just as I’d hoped to feel my heart race for a moment.”

Ah. The wall of women.

Qing could find some common ground here.

Right, from the outside it does look like that.

“Ah. You’re right.”

Roughly, he could picture what was happening inside.

Probably a rubbish illegal gambling ring or something.

Namgoong Shin-jae sighed deeply.

“It seems I’ve got a younger brother in there. Though he’s a fool who uses Taoism rather than swordsmanship, he’s not a bad guy even if a bit foolish. Mind if I go say hi? Should be okay, right?”

Do rich young masters all know each other or something? Then again, wealthy heirs probably stick together.

Thinking about it, it actually seems reasonable.

“Of course, that’s perfectly fine.”

Then Namgoong Shin-jae added earnestly.

“Honestly, he can be particularly rude toward women, so it’s possible he’ll be disrespectful to you, or rather, he undoubtedly will. He’s not an inherently bad guy, but please, just try to overlook anything he does.”

Qing responded with a mere smile in lieu of words.

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