Chapter 21: The Fetus-Bound Fiancée (3)

By now, most martial artists of the Jaegal Clan already knew that Yong Hwarin of the Heavenly Central Sect was like a frail scholar with no real martial power.

Though Yong Hwarin himself was unaware, he was already somewhat infamous within the Jaegal Clan—for all the wrong reasons.

It was because he was the fetus bound fiancé of Jaegal Cheongyeong.

To make things worse, the one who requested a spar wasn’t just anyone—it was the promising young talent of Azure Pine Sect, which had recently been rising rapidly in Hubei.

To the Jaegal Clan, this was a valuable opportunity for practical learning.

Despite his young age, Jeok Gwang had already made his debut in the martial world years ago, and he even had a flashy title to his name.

‘Azure Dragon Wind Sword.’

It sounded somewhat frivolous but still carried a flair of grandeur.

The nickname originated from his clan’s technique, the ‘Great Strength Azure Cloud Sword’. It was said that once one reached a certain level, the sound of their sword resembled a dragon’s cry, and the energy of the sword flowed like blue clouds—thus the name was given.

With just that sword technique alone, he had earned the right to boast even within the Southern Alliance.

Moreover, Jeok Gwang was said to be on par with the later-generation disciples of prestigious orthodox sects. The fact that he would spar with the famously feeble Young Master of a mid-tier sect from Henan stirred everyone’s curiosity.

“You’re far too rude, Young Master Jeok. How could you suddenly request a sparring match with Brother Hwarin who was merely out for a walk? Don’t you even understand the basic manners of a spar? If you want to spar, set a date. That’s the proper way to do it.”

Jaegal Cheongyeong’s anger flared as soon as she found out that Jeok Gwang was Yong Hwarin’s opponent.

No matter what, she couldn’t stand by and watch her fetus bound fiancé be humiliated.

But Jeok Gwang had already anticipated such resistance and came prepared to sway the crowd with his words.

He had these lines ready in case Yong Hwarin tried to object. Everything was going according to Jeok Gwang’s plan, and he was quite pleased with himself.

“Hahaha, Young Master Yong isn’t some frail scholar but a descendant of a martial family—what fault is there in requesting a sparring match? Isn’t that right, everyone? And why should we bother setting a date and time for a simple match? If both sides agree, we can do it right here, right now. And if the term ‘spar’ sounds too excessive, let’s just call it a duel—many of the Jaegal Clan’s martial artists are already doing them. If formalities are so important, just call it a friendly match. What’s the difference?”

When Jeok Gwang turned to the crowd for agreement, they all nodded. They believed that a descendant of a martial family should always be prepared to accept a challenge.

Of course, when honor was on the line, the martial world typically followed certain procedures for formal duels, but those procedures were so tedious that one could get exhausted even before the duel began—this wasn’t an exaggeration.

That’s why, recently, many martial artists were skipping the formalities altogether.

“I’ve longed to see the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword of the Heavenly Central Sect that once stirred all of Henan. I heard Young Master Yong will be leaving soon, and I thought I wouldn’t get another chance. That’s why I’ve taken the liberty of making this impromptu request.”

Jeok Gwang offered a polite cupped-fist salute once more and formally requested a duel. Backing down here would make him look like a fool.

Yong Hwarin was fully aware that his skills were still no match for Jeok Gwang. He was still in the process of learning, whereas Jeok Gwang had already reached completion.

‘So, you’ve made up your mind to humiliate me.’

Seeing through Jeok Gwang’s true intention, Yong Hwarin let out a dry chuckle.

Even for someone as seasoned as he was, it was hard to come up with a convincing excuse to avoid this match.

Claiming to be lacking in martial skills would disgrace the Heavenly Central Sect, and accepting the challenge for pride’s sake didn’t guarantee a victory against the obviously stronger Jeok Gwang.

Of course, time spent training didn’t always correlate directly with skill, but it still mattered.

Just then, Mo Biyoung and one of the Two Wook Sword Demons appeared, drawn by the commotion.

“Young Master is still recovering from internal injuries sustained during the fight with the assassins who ambushed Lady Jaegal Yohye’s party. It’s inappropriate to request a duel from someone in that condition.”

Mo Biyoung’s voice rang out clearly, and the onlookers nodded.

They had already heard such rumors.

But still, everyone was curious—

How had someone who looked so sickly managed to fight off assassins and protect Jaegal Yohye?

“You must refuse, Young Master. No one will criticize you for it.”

Mo Biyoung whispered those words, and indeed, no one would say a word of blame. But it was obvious that he would be looked down on.

‘In my past life, I was scorned as a martial heir who couldn’t even wield martial arts properly. Must I live that way again?’

The truth was, Yong Hwarin hadn’t failed to learn martial arts in his past life because he lacked talent—but because he lacked spirit and courage.

‘So what if I lose? Even if I do, I won’t fall apart like I used to.’

Through his sparring with Mo Biyoung and the Two Wook Sword Demons, he had gained real combat experience. He had even fought actual battles against the assassins of the Blood Antler Serpent Group.

Yong Hwarin believed he wouldn’t lose so badly as to embarrass himself.

“I may not be a match for Young Master Jeok, but I will accept the challenge.”

Mo Biyoung, who had expected Yong Hwarin to refuse, was shocked.

“Young Master!”

She was genuinely worried that he might get badly hurt, fully aware of what Jeok Gwang was trying to provoke.

“Well done. I never liked that guy’s attitude anyway.”

“Lord Nam, Jeok Gwang isn’t someone to be underestimated. He’s still too much for the Young Master.”

Mo Biyoung glared at Namwook, who, instead of discouraging the duel for safety’s sake, was actually encouraging it.

“Aren’t you underestimating the Young Master a bit too much?”

This time, it was Jungwook speaking.

He also believed that Yong Hwarin, whose skills were growing by the day, wouldn’t go down so easily.

“Hahaha, as expected of the Heavenly Central Sect’s Young Master.”

Jeok Gwang, worried that the duel might be canceled, quickly went and brought two wooden swords from a corner of the training hall.

“It’s just a friendly match, so real swords would be too dangerous. Let’s use wooden ones.”

Though Jeok Gwang said it like he was offering a favor, Yong Hwarin didn’t get angry—he just smiled.

“I’ll be in your care.”

The water had already been spilled.

Instead of trying to gather it back, Yong Hwarin thought it better to pour in something new.

At that moment, Jaegal Yohye stepped forward and said,

“A simple duel is boring. Why don’t we make a bet?”

“Haha, gambling on a duel in the early morning? That sounds interesting. What kind of bet?”

“The loser won’t be allowed to set foot in the Jaegal Clan ever again. How about that?”

“Oh! That’s a good one.”

Jeok Gwang blurted out his agreement without thinking too deeply. His plan was to defeat Yong Hwarin and make sure he could never visit the Jaegal Clan again.

But the bet was actually extremely unfavorable for Jeok Gwang.

Jaegal Yohye had a simple reason for proposing this condition.

If Jeok Gwang lost, he would never be able to enter the Jaegal Clan again—and would no longer be able to make moves on Jaegal Cheongyeong.

On the other hand, Yong Hwarin had nothing to lose.

Since he and Jaegal Cheongyeong were to be married, they would be living together anyway, and not being able to visit the Jaegal Clan temporarily wasn’t a big deal.

Yong Hwarin chuckled at the way Jeok Gwang walked right into Jaegal Yohye’s trap.

‘Not bad, kid.’

She definitely had the blood of the Jaegal Clan, showing such cleverness in an instant.

“I like that bet. We must make sure it’s honored.”

“Hahaha, of course. If I don’t keep my word, you can all call me a dog’s son. With all these people as witnesses, I won’t be able to protest!”

Jeok Gwang, confident of victory, made the declaration boldly.

“We should decide how to determine the winner and loser.”

Yong Hwarin aimed to tilt the conditions as much in his favor as possible.

If it was with wooden swords, he had a chance. He needed every edge he could get.

“You decide, Young Master Yong. Since I was the one who issued the challenge, it’s only fair.”

Jeok Gwang handed over the decision-making to appear fair and just. He didn’t think it would matter anyway, believing Yong Hwarin didn’t even have any internal energy.

Yong Hwarin accepted the offer.

“If the wooden sword breaks or is dropped, it counts as a loss. If the sword shatters from failing to withstand the inner power, that’s a loss too. Agreed?”

“Those terms are fair.”

Jeok Gwang was willing to accept even harsher conditions. Since these were commonly accepted rules, he had no reason to refuse.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Jeok Gwang, excited for some reason, started warming up, swinging his wooden sword.

‘Soon you’ll be rolling on the ground, begging for your life.’

With a twisted smile, Jeok Gwang narrowed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Mo Biyoung and the Two Wook Sword Demons were secretly worried. Especially the latter—he wondered if he’d misjudged the situation.

Judging by Jeok Gwang’s aura, he wasn’t just some mid-tier fighter.

‘Not quite top-class, but still impressive.’

Mo Biyoung frowned as she sensed the force he was giving off.

Last time, Yong Hwarin had defeated the White Robed Man by sheer wit and luck.

‘Let’s see how long he can hold out.’

It was already too late to stop it now.

Backing down would be worse than never starting.

Mo Biyoung scanned the area with a frown.

Before they knew it, a crowd had gathered around the two duelists.

Facing Jeok Gwang directly, Yong Hwarin started to feel it—Jeok Gwang might really be unmatched among his peers.

He knew how much money and time it took to raise such a prodigy.

‘Still, a medium won’t suit someone like you.’

Yong Hwarin quietly raised his wooden sword and gathered his internal energy.

As soon as he took his stance, Jeok Gwang lunged forward and launched an attack.

‘Slowly… I’ll toy with you slowly.’

Jeok Gwang disliked Yong Hwarin’s calm, mature demeanor. Being around him made Jeok Gwang feel like a child. Even though they had only met two days ago, he had already wanted to punch that ever-knowing face more than once.

It felt like Yong Hwarin’s very presence mocked him.

But he didn’t know why he felt that way. Maybe it was because Yong Hwarin was Jaegal Cheongyeong’s fiancé.

Grinding his teeth, Jeok Gwang launched a powerful strike.

Though it was only his second form, it carried serious weight—if not blocked properly, it could cause him to lose grip of his sword.

However, Yong Hwarin saw Jeok Gwang’s movement patterns with shocking clarity. He had seen them just as clearly the previous day when fighting the assassins of the Blood Antler Serpent Group.

But even he didn’t understand why.

To see through another’s techniques like this required the mastery of the Clear Vision Technique.

Only when one’s internal energy reached the optic nerves could they begin to visually trace an opponent’s sword trajectory.

That was the beginning of Eye Techniques.

No matter how great one’s martial arts were, without mastering this, winning was difficult.

And what surpassed this technique was the ‘Mind’s Eye’, something one could only gain upon reaching the realm of transcendence.

Even the Clear Vision Technique itself was something acquired only at the peak of mastery.

After defeating the White Robed Man, Yong Hwarin had pondered why he could see his opponents’ techniques so clearly.

Eventually, he arrived at a conclusion.

‘It must have been because of that old man I met before returning to the past… either I gained the Clear Vision Technique because of him, or he was already a master beyond the peak.’

There was no other explanation.  

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep