Chapter 273: Generation of Shooting Stars. (2)

Gu Yeonseo, a blood relative of the Sanseo Gu family and the second daughter of the family head.

Up until today, she had believed herself to be a genius.

Her martial arts achievements, which were faster than expected for her age, were proof of that.

Just as her older sister, Gu Huibi, was called the foremost late bloomer, she thought she herself was no less talented.

In fact, the results were commensurate with the faith she put into her training.

The Gu family’s martial art, the Gu Yeom Hwa Ryun Gong, had reached the third level, and her martial arts skill surpassed the second-rate.

Compared to other late bloomers of similar age, it was an incredibly fast progression, and Gu Yeonseo had confidence in herself because of it.

‘Someday, I will become a martial artist representing the family.’

That was the kind of confidence she had.

Gu Yeonseo’s talent was more than enough for her to possess such confidence.

However, the timing was rather unfortunate.

It didn’t take long for Gu Yeonseo to realize this and for her confidence to crumble.

When did Gu Yeonseo’s firm confidence shatter?

It was definitely.

On a certain spring day long ago.

Yes, around the time the Nine Dragons Gathering was held.

When Gu Yeonseo was slapped by Gu Yangcheon and fell to the ground.

It was probably then.

Her younger brother, the family head’s only son, whose position as family head was already decided despite his unremarkable talent.

She hated how he received all the attention from the Second Elder and her own sister back then, but Gu Yeonseo, who thought her brother’s talent was fittingly incompetent and that she could never lose to him, lost everything the moment she was defeated by Gu Yangcheon on the martial arts stage during the night of the Nine Dragons Gathering.

Her confidence.

Her potential. Her hope.

Everything.

Her brother, whom she had considered incompetent, then seemed to reveal hidden talents as if he had been saving them up.

He soared into the sky in an instant, the very thing Gu Yeonseo had dreamed of.

He took the seat of the Dragon, representing the current Generation of Shooting Stars.

Upon hearing this news, Gu Yeonseo could no longer meet Gu Yangcheon’s eyes.

Back then, no matter how intoxicated she was with her qi, she had said things she shouldn’t have to Gu Yangcheon, and Gu Yeonseo couldn’t bear to look into the eyes of Gu Yangcheon, who had soared so high.

Was that all?

Furthermore, Gu Seol-yeop, the descendant of the Gu family’s secular branch, the Gu Seon Gate, and the grandson of Gu Chang-jun, the former First Elder who had lost his honor through death after rebelling against the family.

Gu Yeonseo happened to cross swords with him on the road to Namyang while heading towards the Dragon God Pavilion.

She couldn’t help but be astonished by Gu Seol-yeop’s growth.

‘How…?’

Just a short while ago, Gu Seol-yeop was similar to her or perhaps slightly ahead.

But now he had grown into a master she couldn’t even brush shoulders with.

His level had clearly surpassed the first-rate.

How much time had passed for Gu Seol-yeop to reach the first-rate, while Gu Yeonseo, who had been at a similar level, remained stuck in the second-rate.

She was barely touching the wall leading to the first-rate, but she didn’t know when she would break through it.

Self-loathing welled up to the tip of her throat.

Meanwhile, she saw her brother training from afar.

Honestly, it looked less like training and more like him just standing still with his eyes closed, but Gu Yangcheon called it training.

She also saw her brother’s fiancée, known as the Sword Dancer.

A woman of incredible beauty.

Her appearance was so perfect that it was hard to believe she was human; she was unforgettable.

Moreover, as if her beauty wasn’t her only asset, she spent all her time, except for sleeping, practicing swordplay.

And.

The same went for Snow Phoenix of the Moyong family.

Although she didn’t seem to train as diligently as others, regardless of anything, everyone Gu Yeonseo had seen was undoubtedly stronger than her.

They were all supposed to be around her age…

‘How did this happen….’

How on earth did things turn out this way?

Could it be that she hadn’t tried hard enough?

No.

She had trained by cutting into her sleep hours, and she had made efforts to compensate for her weaknesses.

Why was it?

Why had she ended up like this?

Gu Yeonseo still didn’t know.

The journey continued, and they arrived in Namyang without further incident.

Gu Yeonseo participated in the trip to the Dragon God Pavilion as instructed by the family head, her father, but she still couldn’t meet Gu Yangcheon’s eyes and felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Of course, Gu Yangcheon didn’t seem to mind it much, but Gu Yeonseo was the only one being self-conscious.

After that long yet short journey, upon arriving in Namyang, Gu Yeonseo encountered an incident.

The Five Dragons and Three Peaks, no, now the Six Dragons and Three Peaks.

Two individuals from the Generation of Shooting Stars, whom Gu Yeonseo desperately wanted to join.

The news was that they were sparring in the streets of Namyang.

‘…Ah.’

As soon as she heard the news, she hurried over, and upon arriving at the scene, she found a noisy crowd of onlookers already gathered, and right in the center, just as the rumors suggested, two young men were indeed sparring with swords.

The one in white martial arts attire must be the Sword Dragon (劍龍), and the one in light blue martial arts attire, belonging to Wudang, must surely be the Sleeping Dragon.

Gu Yeonseo couldn’t properly see the sword dance of the two.

It was because their movements were so fast that it was difficult even to perceive them properly.

Tching!

The sound of swords clashing was exceptionally sharp and clear.

Moreover, the sound of qi clashing and exploding through the air was on another level entirely.

Could this truly be the Generation of Shooting Stars?

Seeing them firsthand, Gu Yeonseo had to realize it painfully: she would never be able to join them, even if she were reborn.

Even observing them for just a moment was enough to know.

When she attended the Dragon Phoenix Convention last time, these individuals were on a completely different level compared to the late bloomers she had seen then.

She had seen the Thunder Dragon, the Poison Peak, and even the rising star, the Divine Star, but the ones she faced now were on a completely different level even compared to them.

The bearing of true martial artists was present there.

The increasingly intense spar momentarily quieted as the presumed Sword Dragon stopped moving, but Gu Yeonseo could sense the culmination simultaneously.

Even Gu Yeonseo, watching from a distance, could feel it.

A powerful aura began to surge.

She didn’t know what was happening, but it certainly wouldn’t end lightly.

‘Is this okay?’

The moment she realized that, Gu Yeonseo looked around.

The surroundings were filled with people watching the spar between the two martial artists.

It couldn’t be helped.

The Six Dragons and Three Peaks represented the cream of the crop among the new generation leading the current Central Plains.

They were the most outstanding individuals.

How could anyone not watch a spar between those two?

However, since there were civilians mixed in, there was a high chance of collateral damage if those two went all out.

‘Are there no other experts nearby?’

Weren’t there people who could stop them?

Whether by chance or not, no one particularly caught Gu Yeonseo’s eye, and Gu Yeonseo couldn’t break into the fray.

The blade aura emitted by the Taoist martial artist was overwhelmingly heavy, and the barrage of sword energy clashing back fiercely made her feel the difference in skill with her entire body.

She couldn’t intervene.

Not at her current level, absolutely not.

Cheolkeok-

As Gu Yeonseo watched, biting her lip, she sensed someone moving beside her.

Upon checking, it was Gu Seol-yeop, who had accompanied her on the trip to Namyang.

Tuduk.

He was drawing his sword and warming up.

Seeing that, Gu Yeonseo had to hide her surprise.

‘No way, is he trying to jump into that?’

Is he trying to block them?

Gu Yeonseo felt like screaming internally.

How could he possibly try to enter amidst those monsters?

While Gu Seol-yeop was warming up, another person stood beside him.

It was Mu Yeon, Gu Yangcheon’s guard.

Mu Yeon looked at Gu Seol-yeop and asked,

“Will you be alright?”

Gu Seol-yeop frowned slightly at Mu Yeon’s question.

“…Well, if I don’t, he’ll probably throw a fit anyway. Besides, we can’t just leave them like this, can we?”

“I’ll lend a hand.”

Mu Yeon nodded at Gu Seol-yeop’s words and drew his sword as well.

It seemed the two of them were about to jump into the fray.

Gu Yeonseo couldn’t bring herself to speak as she watched them.

She knew that the guard named Mu Yeon was a peak master.

The family had been abuzz about it briefly back then.

But even for a peak master, would they really be able to easily jump into that situation?

Just as Gu Yeonseo’s mind filled with such thoughts, Mu Yeon and Gu Seol-yeop were also raising their qi, just about to leap into the midst of the monsters, but

Uttuk-

As if by magic, Mu Yeon and Gu Seol-yeop’s movements stopped simultaneously.

It was as if they had sensed something.

‘What is it?’

Just as another question arose in Gu Yeonseo’s mind,

“Ah, those crazy bastards. Why are they making such a scene even after coming all this way? Did they eat something wrong?”

Someone spoke as they passed by Gu Yeonseo.

The tone was particularly laced with annoyance.

The voice, which had just passed puberty and was deepening, bore a slight resemblance to her father’s.

Gu Yeonseo turned her gaze towards the owner of the voice, but the owner had already disappeared, leaving only a brief remark behind.

At that moment.

Hu-wook!

A powerful gust of wind swept past Gu Yeonseo.

---

The young man, known as the Sleeping Dragon, Woo Hyuk.

As always.

Woo Hyuk heard a sound in his ears.

-From the right, upwards.

At the voice penetrating his ears, Woo Hyuk immediately turned his head.

It had been like this since he was young.

From the moment he grew up and realized he was at Wudang, Woo Hyuk knew he possessed ears different from others.

The sounds of all things reached the ears of a small human.

Woo Hyuk’s ears were like that.

The sound of leaves rustling.

The sound of raindrops falling.

Even the sound of the Sect Leader shouting angrily from afar, from his own quarters at the cliff’s edge.

Woo Hyuk’s ears captured everything.

Even sounds others couldn’t catch, everything.

They heard slightly louder.

They heard more.

This was both a curse and a blessing.

Since sounds were too clear, he couldn’t sleep even with his eyes closed, and it was difficult to maintain sanity amidst the cacophony of noise.

Therefore, this was undoubtedly a curse.

A curse laid upon him.

Then what was the blessing?

If hearing sounds prevented sleep and kept his mind from being sound, what was the blessing?

The answer was simple.

-Diagonally, bend slightly.

As he moved his body according to the sound, the sword tip grazed his cheek as if it had been waiting.

If every sound held meaning, Woo Hyuk could also hear the opponent’s movements.

-Shift your gaze horizontally, feet back. One strike.

Hook!

A sharp sword energy pierced his chest.

However, before the energy could reach him, Woo Hyuk had already evaded.

Could this perhaps be the opponent’s inner thoughts?

In reality, it didn’t matter.

Even if it was an ability any martial artist would envy, for Woo Hyuk, it was a curse that made his life more tedious and miserable.

It would be the same this time, he thought.

Woo Hyuk had already judged it in his mind: this sword practice would be no different.

However.

Hook!

Something felt slightly different.

“…Oh.”

As Woo Hyuk moved his head, the sword grazed his chin.

Feeling this, he let out a small exclamation.

He stomped his foot on the ground, and internal energy emanated.

Woo Hyuk’s eyes scanned the tip of the opponent’s sword.

Amidst the countless movements of the sword path, his energy flow remained constant.

Furthermore, it felt desolate.

And yet, it was fast.

Watching the Sword Dragon’s sword, Woo Hyuk thought,

‘He’s changed.’

Woo Hyuk donned his protective qi and looked straight ahead.

In his forward gaze was the person everyone expected to rise to the position of the foremost late bloomer after leaving the Sword Peak.

Hua San’s greatest talent.

The youngest Plum Blossom Sword Master.

The prodigy of the sword, whom many claimed would inherit the name of the Sword King of future generations.

The Plum Blossom Sword Dragon, Yeong Poong.

He was facing Woo Hyuk.

‘What could have happened?’

Woo Hyuk, observing Yeong Poong, pondered internally.

How many years had it been?

The day Woo Hyuk last met Yeong Poong.

He was younger than now, but he had already bloomed plum blossoms at his sword’s tip, proudly displaying a plum blossom petal on his chest, signifying his status as a Plum Blossom Sword Master, but his appearance now was somewhat different.

The unique humility possessed by most Hua San martial artists.

Politeness, yet amidst it all, a burgeoning confidence and simmering arrogance.

The Yeong Poong Woo Hyuk faced was such a youth.

He understood.

Possessing talent of that caliber, and being revered as Hua San’s greatest talent, how could he not be arrogant?

Woo Hyuk himself, if not for these damn ears, wouldn’t find it strange to have become like that.

But that’s precisely why it’s not interesting.

Those intoxicated with themselves will soon perish.

Just like his Sect Leader, who was always cool and beautiful like a well-sharpened sword, had been.

Knowing that, Woo Hyuk extinguished his interest in Yeong Poong.

Because he seemed like embers destined to fade away anyway.

Back then, Yeong Poong, as if proving Woo Hyuk’s assessment, had a clean and fast swordsmanship filled with talent, but that was all there was to it.

‘But now?’

What about Yeong Poong now?

The Yeong Poong Woo Hyuk looked at had become completely different in just a few years.

Swish!

The sword tip grazed his cheek.

Woo Hyuk readjusted his stance, rolling his eyes.

His gaze didn’t stray from the sword tip.

The sword was fast.

And sharp.

Yet, it was also free.

It felt like movements that couldn’t be easily discerned, like plum blossom petals falling through the air.

This was a sensation he hadn’t felt back then.

-Your toes moved left. Execute a feint.

As the sound reached him, a flash appeared before his eyes.

Woo Hyuk knew it was a feint, so he took another step forward.

Kku-uk.

Power gathered in his dantian, and his internal energy seeped into the sword blade.

Not a gap created by Yeong Poong, but a different opening discovered by identifying the feint, he swung his sword, but

Hook!

“…!”

Kwak!

As if he had been waiting for this, Yeong Poong twisted his technique and thrust his sword.

Woo Hyuk, barely parrying, retracted his energy and stepped back a couple of paces.

‘That was close.’

What was that just now?

The sound couldn’t keep up.

It was a strange sensation.

It was a sound he hadn’t heard even from Wudang’s elders or the Sect Leader.

Was the Sword Dragon’s sword faster than theirs?

No, that wasn’t it.

No matter how outstanding the Sword Dragon was, he was, at best, a late bloomer, and fell short compared to them.

So what difference caused this sensation?

‘…This.’

This is interesting.

Woo Hyuk’s lips curved slightly upwards.

It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years.

Creating some distance, Woo Hyuk looked at Yeong Poong and spoke.

“To start fighting right after meeting again after so long, how did the world’s Sword Dragon become so ferocious?”

It wasn’t a surprise attack.

Yeong Poong had sufficiently alerted Woo Hyuk to the situation before approaching and drawing his sword.

With the killing intent felt from afar being so strong, how could he not know?

Yeong Poong chuckled sheepishly upon hearing Woo Hyuk’s words.

“I didn’t originally intend for this… but I was too curious about the training hall’s sword to resist.”

“Is that so? It’s a flattering compliment, but tell me, what are your thoughts on my sword, tasted in exchange for courtesy?”

“Just as expected.”

Yeong Poong grinned and flicked his arm downwards.

Pang!

Shaking the sword to release the residual energy, the internal energy left on the blade exploded, echoing through the air.

“As expected. You are strong, Master Woo Hyuk.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s fortunate I could once again realize how narrow my world was.”

That was a subtle statement.

How narrow his world was.

It meant Yeong Poong realized he had been a frog in a well.

‘Did something happen?’

It was unknown. Although he was somewhat curious, he didn’t want to know that much.

“However… even coming this far, I realize that person is still further away.”

“Hmm?”

That person?

Woo Hyuk felt a slight interest in Yeong Poong’s words, but he had to extinguish it immediately.

Seu-eu…

Because the wind had changed.

The wind surrounding Yeong Poong.

Confirming this, Woo Hyuk spoke to Yeong Poong, looking somewhat flustered.

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to do that here?”

“Thank you for indulging my insistence, Master Woo Hyuk.”

“…Well… I wasn’t exactly indulging you.”

He had merely accepted it to see if it would spark a little interest in his boring daily life.

And it actually turned out to be quite decent.

Of course.

Woo Hyuk’s expression, thinking so, was still filled with annoyance and leisure.

The wind passed by, brushing Woo Hyuk’s cheek, and a floral scent lingered at the tip of his nose.

-It will bloom.

The sound echoed in his ears as if it had been waiting, but it was an incomprehensible statement.

Yet, amusingly, it was a statement he understood all too well.

If a Hua San sword master declares they will bloom something, what else could it be?

This was a fact known even to Woo Hyuk, a martial artist of Wudang.

The only flower Hua San blooms with their sword is the plum blossom.

‘…Dealing with that is too bothersome.’

Kku-uuk.

Woo Hyuk drew up the energy within his body.

It was pure Taoist energy, unlike his lazy and rather unimpressive nature.

Huuk.

The moment Woo Hyuk raised his Taoist energy, a plum blossom petal descended.

Slowly, lightly.

The moment that fluttering petal settled on the ground, this area would be filled with plum blossoms.

‘…Hmm.’

Watching it, Woo Hyuk thought.

Would one sword strike be enough?

He hadn’t used it since receiving guidance sparring from the Sect Leader long ago.

He wondered if it would be okay, but

‘Dragging it out will just be annoying.’

He wanted to go back and sleep quickly, so he didn’t ponder for long.

As the petal slowly descended, Woo Hyuk channeled his Taoist energy throughout his entire body, then looked at Yeong Poong, his eyes shining.

“Hmm…?”

And then he uttered something unexpected.

It was understandable, really.

The plum blossom petal had already landed on the ground and turned to dust, yet Yeong Poong showed no reaction whatsoever.

What then entered Woo Hyuk’s sight was Yeong Poong’s figure, gradually crumbling.

“Wha…?”

Just as he wondered why that guy was collapsing,

Tung-

“…!”

Woo Hyuk twisted his body from the vibration he suddenly felt in his abdomen.

Although he moved quickly the moment he felt the impact, Woo Hyuk’s legs were already airborne, flying through the air.

And.

“These crazy bastards, do they have to destroy the entire street?”

A fierce and rough voice reached Woo Hyuk’s ears.

Woo Hyuk rolled helplessly on the ground.

He should have executed a falling technique, but he couldn’t muster the strength in his body, unsure of what attack he had received.

It certainly wasn’t a major impact, though.

“Shit, why are they acting crazy right in front of me the moment they arrive? What a pain.”

“Kkeuhuk…”

“Ah, seriously, guys with swords are out of their minds. Crazy bastards, they don’t look around when they wield their swords.”

He couldn’t lift his head.

Whose voice was this?

Ppak!

“Keok!”

Just as he tried to move, someone struck Woo Hyuk’s head.

“And why is this guy acting like this the moment we meet again after so long?”

“Kkeu…”

It felt like his skull reverberated as one piece.

How could a blow without internal energy feel like this?

Perhaps due to the shock, Woo Hyuk gradually lost his grip on consciousness, and within his blurring vision, Woo Hyuk suddenly realized he was in a silence where no noise could be felt.

“Ah…”

Pulsuk.

Woo Hyuk uttered a cry and lost consciousness,

“…What the hell? Why is this bastard lying there with such a disgusting expression?”

Gu Yangcheon, confirming the expression of the fallen man, recoiled from Woo Hyuk in disgust.

Furthermore, the onlookers who had surrounded the area and were watching noisily fell silent, every single one of them closing their mouths.

The street that had been so noisy suddenly became quiet.