Chapter 18: I Dominated the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly (3)

Does the possession of an excellent weapon serve as a measure of a martial artist’s skill?

This was the subject of a debate that once swept through the Jianghu Murim.

-Relying on such external things, you will never be able to step into the realm of the highest level.

Many strong individuals with traditional values were reluctant to include excellent weapons in a martial artist’s skill.

Their argument was that external things were things that could be there one moment and gone the next, so the true strength of a martial artist came from their own martial power.

This was not wrong.

In the end, martial arts were something that one cultivated and displayed with one’s own body.

There was also a strong argument that supported this claim.

-The very fact that you are talking about the utility of weapons is proof that you are not a master of the highest level.

This was because of the existence of sword qi, which could be called the essence of martial arts.

In the Jianghu Murim, a master of the highest level referred to at least the Peak realm or higher, so their argument was that they, who utilized sword qi, were not in a position to be picky about the quality of their weapons.

In reality, with the exception of the divine weapons of a few unique master craftsmen, it could be said that there were very few martial tools that could withstand the power of sword qi.

It was a common theory and common sense in the Jianghu that most weapons could not win against sword qi.

How could it be otherwise, when one of the main plays of street performers was about a hidden recluse with a crude sword worth one silver nyang who raised his sword qi and cut the sword of a villain worth ten gold nyang in a clean slice.

It was truly a great human anthem of the Jianghu Murim.

Those who made these claims were collectively called the ‘Purist Faction’.

But the fact that this topic became a major controversy meant that there was an opposing force with different opinions.

That opposing force was the ‘Pragmatist Faction’.

-Damn it. After getting stabbed by a knife and dying, are you going to argue that my skills were better but I lost because that bastard’s weapon was better! What kind of useless nonsense are you talking about. Is it because they’re guys who are cooped up in the mountains swinging their swords, do they have no sense of reality?

-Ahem.

Since it was the words of a super-high-level master who had surpassed the State of Harmony and reached the State of Profundity, it was a statement that hit the Jianghu quite heavily.

It was known as the claim of a super master who did not reveal his name in the rumors, but this could be said to be thanks to the sacrifice and dedication of the Murim Alliance’s intelligence unit.

I, who had been active in the Beggar’s Gang for a long time, knew who the protagonist was.

The Murim Alliance Leader of that time.

A super-high-level master who was said to have greatly changed the aspect of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil if he had not suddenly announced his retirement.

Emperor Breaker Yeom Gi-ha.

He was the protagonist of that statement.

I think it would be better to leave the reason why the Murim Alliance Leader, the focal point of the righteous Murim, came to have the title of Breaker, which the head of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult should have, as a secret in history.

As with all debates and ideological struggles, it was not known what the right answer was. Didn’t everyone have their own position and justice?

But at the same time, wasn’t the Jianghu Murim originally a place where the argument of the powerful was enforced as the truth?

Since the Murim Alliance Leader stood at the forefront of the ‘Pragmatist Faction’, it would not be an exaggeration to call the current righteous Murim at least the era of the Great Pragmatist Faction.

The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly could not escape that great flow.

A rather sharp-featured old Taoist, who looked quite good in a changshan, appeared.

“This humble Taoist is Taecheong of Wudang, who will be presiding over the second test.”

He was the person who would be in charge of the second test, following Great Monk Beomgak.

To be Taecheong Jin-in of Wudang was to be a being comparable to the Shaolin Abbot, Great Monk Beomgak. This was because he was the current Sect Leader of the respected Wudang.

“The second test will test sword strikes. As you all know, you may use your own martial tools, but the use of internal energy and sword qi is prohibited.”

At the words that they could use their own martial tools, the faces of several up-and-coming prodigies lit up.

The era of the Great Pragmatist Faction.

The second test to determine the true Dragons and Phoenixes was a test where one could show off their so-called equipment power.

***

The sword strike test was, literally, a test to gauge the power contained in a sword.

The reason for restricting sword qi was that there was a separate stage to test internal energy in the next test.

Since the destructive power of sword qi was generally proportional to the amount of internal energy, it was to prevent the absurdity of a person with a lot of internal energy easily obtaining high scores in both tests.

“You can test your sword strikes on this here.”

The place Taecheong Jin-in pointed to had a thick lump of iron placed on it.

“It is a one-chi thick lump of Hundred-Refined Steel.”

Hundred-Refined Steel was a steel used when making top-grade martial tools. Its hardness was known to be difficult to cut even with sword qi.

“You should try to make a scratch. Ah, it would be even better if you could cut it.”

Saying so, Taecheong laughed to himself as if he had heard a funny joke.

This was because since the beginning of the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, no one had cut a lump of Hundred-Refined Steel in its entirety.

“We will proceed in the reverse order of the first test’s results, so please come out in your turn.”

With Taecheong Jin-in’s declaration, the second test began.

My turn was last, so I was satisfied.

It was because I knew that was the role of the protagonist.

***

What was the most important thing in a sword strike test where the use of internal energy and sword qi was restricted?

Some would say it was the quality of the martial tool, some would say it was the physical strength one possessed, and some would say it was the speed of the sword strike.

None of these were wrong, but they were answers at the level of a first-rate.

A master who had reached the Peak realm with their own strength should be able to give a different answer.

Is one at the Peak realm just by accumulating a lot of internal energy and shooting out sword qi? It seemed plausible at first glance, but it couldn’t be called the right answer.

This was because it was appropriate to see sword qi as the culmination of the martial arts one had built up.

It was not that one was strong because one could shoot out sword qi, but that sword qi was permitted because one had become sufficiently strong.

In order to manifest sword qi, everyone trained their own martial arts.

They learned the form of the martial art and trained the techniques. When it was embodied, it was called a technique.

When one understood the principles of the martial art and applied it to their body, it was called a profound principle.

In fact, the essence of martial arts was composed of these techniques and profound principles. This was why sword qi could not be everything in martial arts.

Therefore, my answer to the question was profound principles.

My thought was that the most important profound principle in this test, where internal energy and sword qi were restricted, was Four Taels deflect a Thousand Jin.

Since it was a profound principle that the founding ancestor of Wudang, Jin-in Sanfeng, had dealt with importantly, the reason why Taecheong Jin-in was presiding over this test was probably this.

“The first is Jin-hu of the Peng Clan.”

“Khahaha! I have been waiting for this test!”

At Taecheong Jin-in’s call, a man of large build stepped forward with a hearty laugh.

The Peng Clan was a prestigious clan from Hebei that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Namgung.

He was truly a man of magnificent build. His shoulders felt bigger than my head. Looking at that build, I could see why he had placed last in the movement art test.

But at the same time, it meant that he had covered two hundred li with that body, so I also knew that he had not learned his martial arts in vain.

“Hoo-”

Peng Jin-hu took a ready stance in front of the Hundred-Refined Steel.

As expected of a Peak blade master, it was the flawless ready stance of the Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade Art.

The blade in his hand was brilliant. Since he was also a descendant of a prestigious clan that would not be outdone anywhere, he must have brought an excellent martial tool.

“Chaaap!”

Peng Jin-hu struck the Hundred-Refined Steel without hesitation. Never mind the profound principle of Four Taels deflect a Thousand Jin, it looked like he was just striking down with brute force.

Kuuung!

But at that result, the mouths of all the Dragons and Phoenixes dropped open.

“Khahahaha!”

Peng Jin-hu laughed heartily.

Under his blade was a dented lump of Hundred-Refined Steel.

Hmm.

The saying that if there was something that couldn’t be solved with force, it might be that the force was not enough, came to mind.

Four Taels deflect a Thousand Jin test…… maybe it wasn’t.

***

The test continued, but there was no one who showed as much prowess as Peng Jin-hu, who had gone first.

Jjeong!

“Keuk.”

With the use of sword qi restricted, the true skills of the up-and-coming prodigies were revealed one by one.

Some couldn’t even scratch the Hundred-Refined Steel, while some made a hairline crack the size of a fingernail.

“Ooh.”

Some succeeded in embedding the tip of their blade into the Hundred-Refined Steel.

Of course, it was an undeniable fact that the faces of those who had embedded their swords into the Hundred-Refined Steel were splendid, and that their martial tools looked like precious artifacts.

And.

Chaenggang!

There were also those who broke their own martial tools from time to time.

“Ahem.”

Such people, looking at Taecheong Jin-in, quickly disappeared into the crowd.

“Will that be enough?”

Dancheon Hak approached me as I was waiting for my turn. After the movement art test, he had been ignoring me, but now he seemed to have suddenly gained confidence.

His gaze turned to my sword’s hilt.

“What happened to the sword given by the clan, why did you bring such a shabby sword.”

The blade of the Dancheon Sword obtained from Heavenly Artisan’s cave was still sharp, but the hilt, which could not overcome the passage of time, was rather old. I knew the reason for his sudden surge of confidence.

Sreung.

With a triumphant expression, Dancheon Hak drew his own sword. The brilliantly shining blade was impressive. Even with my poor judgment, I could recognize that it was a famed sword.

“A sword, by definition, is something like this.”

It must be a divine weapon that his mother, Baek Yeo-hae, had obtained for him using her wealth and power.

“Ah, you wouldn’t have been able to obtain something like this, would you?”

As if he had finished what he had to say, Dancheon Hak burst into laughter and leisurely walked away.

“Young Master Myeong has a very good brother.”

A single word from the taciturn Lee Chun-baek made me laugh.

That’s right.

I did not have such support.

It was because my father, Dancheon Gang, was a person who could be called the vanguard of the Purist Faction, so it was impossible for him to bestow a famed sword for the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.

I gripped the old handle of my sword that Dancheon Hak had sneered at.

The feeling of it fitting perfectly in my hand calmed my heart.

“Yes. He makes his younger brother shine, so he is a very good brother.”

Dancheon Hak would soon find out. The prowess of this sword he had sneered at.

This was because Heavenly Artisan was a person who was considered the best among those few unique master craftsmen.

This test was truly a stage for me.

***

“Tan of the Namgung Clan. Come out.”

Namgung Tan’s turn came. Since he had barely arrived around half a shichen, about the middle of the order had passed.

“Hmph.”

He snorted and passed by, bumping his shoulder against mine.

It was the so-called shoulder bump, an inconsiderate act that would lead to a knife fight nine times out of ten if done in the marketplace.

I knew well that it was intentional from the way he turned back to me and grinned after bumping into me.

Since I couldn’t cause a commotion during the test, I just let it go.

Sreung.

“Ooooh.”

As Namgung Tan confidently drew his sword, exclamations flowed out from here and there.

“Isn’t that Heavenly Artisan’s eighth sword?”

It was because many people in the venue recognized Namgung Tan’s sword.

Although there were many up-and-coming prodigies who had already faced the test with famed swords, the sword that had now appeared was of a different class.

The eighth sword of the master craftsman Heavenly Artisan, passed down as a family heirloom of the Namgung Clan. It was a martial tool that could truly be called a divine weapon.

“Hoo-”

Namgung Tan took a ready stance in front of the Hundred-Refined Steel.

It was not the most famous Azure Sky Infinite Sword Art of the Namgung.

Emperor Sword Form.

That peerless martial art, which only the next Clan Head of the Namgung could learn, had appeared here, at least in its form.

To have already entered the Emperor Sword Form, it meant that that foolish wastrel was at least serious about martial arts.

“Heup!”

An impeccable technique and the profound principle of Four Taels deflect a Thousand Jin unfolded at the tip of his sword.

Kagagak!

For the first time since the start of the test, a new sound was heard.

“Hoo.”

Taecheong Jin-in’s satisfied expression was also a first.

Namgung Tan’s sword had penetrated halfway through the one-chi thick Hundred-Refined Steel.

Sreung- chak-

Namgung Tan, who had finished sheathing his sword, looked at me again. It was with a triumphant smile.

I was sorry to rain on his parade, but he looked a little pathetic.

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