episode_0076

It was Han Chang-moon that eased the tension.

“Now, Moonju. That’s enough. Isn’t he my benefactor? Please be kind to me.”

“Golden Elder! How could the elder do this to Munju? Instead of taking my side, you take that bastard’s side!”

“What… If what the Ice Flame God Dragon said was correct, then there wouldn’t be much wrong with what he said. And he is my benefactor, so how could I treat him so carelessly?”

“Augh!”

His expression scrunched up and he started glaring at me again.

But I had nothing to bow down to, so I just shrugged my head and slightly raised one corner of my mouth.

“…Now, by overcoming this rudeness, I have repaid the favor of saving my son’s life! If you behave like this again, you will pay the appropriate price!”

“Well, as long as Moonju has the ability to do so. Haha.”

“Keuuuu… ! let’s go! Elder Geum, stop following me again! No need to say hello to Jongnam!”

“See you next time, Ice Flame God Dragon.”

-The Second Coming of the Heavenly Demon, Manmaangbok!

“… … .”

Baek Cheol-hyeon gets angry, Han Chang-moon, a magician spy who cosplays as a knight, and even Baek Do-hyun keeps his mouth shut and hesitates.

The dizzying combination of characters quickly disappeared from my eyes, and I led my group toward the off-stage. Anyway, it was difficult to say that Jongnam and I had a connection. I guess it’s okay since they gave me something in return.

When they were out of sight, another familiar but unpleasant voice reached my ears.

“Hehe, I guess Hyun Munju is very angry. Long time no see.”

“… Hello, Jang Moon-in.”

I saw Mucheong, a long-time member of the Hwasan Sect, next to him the elders and the guy who said he was his son, and behind them I saw Hwaryeong and the disciples of the Hwasan Sect whose faces I had seen a few times before.

In my heart, I didn’t really want to say hello or say hello to Mucheong, who had caused Jin Hua-ryeong a hard time. Rather, I wanted to treat him the same way I treated Baek Cheol-hyeon earlier, but I couldn’t.

‘Anyway, my external status is that I am a disciple of a hidden person with ties to the Hwasan Sect.’

Since Hwaryongmun was a subfamily sect of the Hwasan sect, it was possible to do the same thing as before by laying down the iron plate. However, a disciple of Ki-in, who has ties to the Hwasan Sect, does not show respect to the Hwasan Sect? It was clear that it would have a negative impact not only on me but also on Hwaryeong, who I hang out with.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I absolutely don’t want to do anything that would harm Hwaryeong.

So, I bowed my head slightly and said hello to Muchen, and he smiled as if he was very satisfied. Because I, who had lost Hwaryongmunju’s face so much, saved his face. It seems like they keep each other in check, even though they are close friends.

‘wait a moment.’

When I heard it anyway, it was said that if Hwaryeong learned Jahasin Gong, it would be no different from being qualified as a Jangmun master, or at least as a Jangmun disciple.

-The fact that Jang Mun-in of the previous generation left his own merits to me means that Jang Mun-in and I are now qualified to challenge for Jang Mun-in status regardless of distribution. So, in the time remaining until the Shaanxi branch meeting, I will definitely surpass that old man by practicing my own skills. Then, I can proudly reveal that I have mastered the art myself and use a secret to determine who is worthy of being a long-time scholar.

As someone who had heard her pledge before, I couldn’t help but say this line in my mind.

Hwaryeong-ah. After all, you have a plan, right?

Since I was rooting for her as she smiled coldly and predicted what would happen in the future, I was careful not to give any variables that might be different.

Mucheong accepted this with great satisfaction. It certainly seemed like he was the type of person who would self-destruct if his pride was satisfied.

“Don’t think too badly. Even though the Hwaryongmun is a branch of the Hwasan faction, it is one of the oldest factions in Hwaeumhyeon. So, next time I see you, I hope you’ll be a little gentler.”

“Okay.”

“Keuhum! Then, we, the Hwasan faction, will meet Jongnam first. I hope you get good results from this Shaomseo branch, Munju.”

“I hope there will be good results with the volcanic wave.”

Beyond the group of volcanic waves that are moving away, I see Hwaryeong turning her head towards me.

She smiled slightly in my direction with an expressionless expression, and I responded with a smile as well.

“Oh, oh oh!! Geombong is smiling at me right now, right?”

“No! it’s me! You did this to me, you bald guy. How could a bald person get involved in a situation like this? Damn it.”

“What are you, you idiot? Would you like to be beaten to death by a bald man once? Huh?”

Ignoring the pointless argument between Hwang Woong and Pyo Woong.

* * *

In a gathering of many warriors, Bangwoo, a Taoist monk from the Jongnam faction who was selected as the judge, shouted to everyone.

“Before we start the Shaanxi Branch in earnest, we will hold a preliminary round to check the qualifications in advance. Everyone who decides to participate, please follow me!”

He led many young fighters to a training ground with several large, thick steel plates.

“Because there are so many people, we would like to check in advance the skills of our Shaanxi warriors using specially treated steel plates instead of sparring as before. Everyone please follow the instructions!”

It is a Seomseo branch in which two of the five dragons and three peaks participate. Therefore, the level of the preliminary round had to be raised.

Everyone was shocked at the level of difficulty of the preliminaries, which was even more difficult than the level of the last Shaanxi District meeting.

“That won’t go away! What on earth is this!”

“It is said that only by drawing out the sword energy can there be even a trace… ? Are you saying that if you’re not first class, you won’t even pass?”

“Passed! Next, participant number 49, Cheongmumun’s Oh Chung-seon! Come out here!”

“Evicted! Next, participation number 78, volcanic wave heaven!”

Anyone who could leave a mark on a specially finished steel plate could only do so if he or she was a first-class person, especially a top-notch person. Of course, no matter how old they were, there could not have been a large number of late-stage exponents around Lee Rip.

“Succeeded! also! There’s no way my sword energy can’t cut even this! Hahaha!”

“Aaaagh–! Oh my, this can’t be happening! My sword energy can’t even make a scratch!”

The sounds of joy and despair mix together to disturb the gymnasium. Bang-woo was looking at that with satisfaction.

‘As expected, the ones who pass through the most are the children of our Jongnam faction. Well, we’ve trained everyone in advance.’

Of course, among them, there were many young warriors who were not Jongnam.

“Baek Do-hyeon of Hwaryongmun! Pass!”

“The heavenly light of the volcanic wave! Pass!”

There was also the matter of whether Hwasan Sect’s lay family and Hwasan Disciple, which I did not pay any attention to, were passing through one by one.

‘But it won’t work against the skills of our World Dragon.’

Thinking of Ki Chun-soo, who had escaped from the beginning of the climax and was already looking at the stage of intermediate entrance, he felt proud as a master and looked at him taking the test next to him.

“Haaa—!”

The first half of the sword that is thrown out with a loud sound is one of the first half of the thirty-six swords in the world, which is proud of its name.

The elegant sword strike, as if looking down on the world from above, drew clear and deep lines on the iron plate that everyone had struggled with.

“Woo, wow! The One Dragon in the World cut through the steel plate with ease!”

“Even top-notch fighters can only make scratches on that steel plate, so how far has the skill of the First Dragon in the World grown…? ?”

Bang-woo’s shoulders shrug as he hears praise for the recluse’s qualities.

‘Hehe, did you see it? This is our Jongnam. The best in Shaanxi… , No, it means that he is a Jongnam who will soon catch up with the shaman and Shaolin and aim to become the best in the world. ha ha ha!’

How many years had it been since I couldn’t even raise my head properly in Shaanxi when the Plum Blossom Sword was in existence?

Nowadays, he is a proud monk who is aiming for the position of Namjon Shaolin, the Northern Shaolin with the longest history.

However, there were bound to be people everywhere who ruined the good atmosphere.

Cooung—!

Bang-woo’s brow furrows slightly as he hears the sound of a steel plate collapsing somewhere. He turned his head and looked back.

And there was Geombong Jinhwa-ryeong, arrogantly leaving the place with his sword neatly sheathed.

With a steel plate with a hole in it.

“Oh my god! Look at this cut! It’s as smooth as glass!”

“How good of a sword do you have to be to cut through a steel plate this cleanly… ?”

“As expected, Geombong! A talented person vying for supremacy among the five dragons and three peaks… !”

“I can’t believe there is such a talented person in the failing Volcanic Sect. After all, I don’t think it’s wrong to say that even if a rich family goes bankrupt, three generations survive.”

He frowned slightly when he heard praise for the Evolutionary Spirit, which was compared to the proud One Dragon in the World.

‘It is the strongest among the three peaks, but in reality, the One Dragon in the World is stronger. Tsk. I don’t like it.’

Then he focused on his task again and called a new participant.

“Participation number 289! Haedongsa Newspaper… ? Hyeonseong of!”

He tilted his head at the name of a sect he had heard for the first time, and then shouted out loud in surprise when he saw the name of a young martial artist who had recently made a name for himself in Shaanxi.

‘Is this a young man who looks like the Ice Flame Divine Dragon…? !’

Hyeonseong came in front of him.

He swallowed his saliva unconsciously due to the pressure of his long stature, which seemed to be over six feet tall and was taller than the average midfielder.

‘But then, isn’t he a young man who hasn’t even grown up yet? I guess the inaction thing is also a rumor.”

He had heard rumors about him, but he thought they couldn’t be true. Because there were countless people who lied about their inaction in that way.

Whether his judgment was right or wrong would be proven right now, at this moment.

“Now, the participant must use his martial arts skills to damage this iron plate. There must be traces of a cut of at least three inches (1 inch: approximately 3.03 cm). You only get one chance, so please keep that in mind.”

“I understand. However, the people around you might get a little hurt, so could you please leave for a moment?”

“Huh… I understand. Hey! We ask that people around you please keep their distance for a moment!”

Bangwoo didn’t like it, but he thought it might happen so he made the people around him step away.

‘At first glance, it looks insignificant… . Still, someone might get hurt by a knife being wielded carelessly.’

As the people retreated, Hyeonseong quietly drew his sword.

And on his sword, two opposing energies, cold and hot, come together like a snake.

Grumbling!!

Damn it!!

“Wow!! Ice Flame Divine Dragon’s Ice Flame Energy!!”

“You mean that is the name technique of the Ice Flame Divine Dragon who saved the Ghost Spear Daehyup?”

People around him gradually gathered around and became interested in Hyeonseong’s test.

The moment everyone around you pays attention to Hyeonseong,

Huuung—!!

A mixture of red and blue energy was released from Hyeonseong’s sword, and the sword energy wrapped around the iron plate.

And the moment the two swords touched the iron plate,

Fuuuch—!!!

The explosion caused by the two conflicting energies exploded on the iron plate.

“Wow!!”

“Ji, is it Jincheon-roe?!”

“Someone crazy brought Jin Cheon-roe to the preliminaries of the non-martial arts competition! Something only used in the imperial palace!!”

Everyone flinched for a moment at the loud noise that sounded like a bomb exploding, but then they raised their heads again and saw the scene Hyeonseong had created.

And what caught their eyes was a tattered steel plate.

“The steel plate is like a rag… !”

“Nonsense! How strong does the sword have to be… !”

There have never been many people who can cut down and break through in one day, but they do exist.

But has anyone ever damaged so much steel plate with a single sword move?

“Hey, supervisor?”

“Ah, ah… Yes?”

“Passed, right?”

“Ah, ah! That’s right!”

The steel plate where Hyeonseong used his sword was marked with countless explosion marks and holes that seemed to be several times larger than that.

At the sound of Hyeonseong calling, Bangwoo was barely able to return to reality from the shock.

“Cha, participation number 289! Hyeonseong of Haedongsa Newspaper! Sat, satonggwa—!!”

In a trembling voice without realizing it, Bang-woo had no choice but to change the way he had first looked at him and announce to everyone that Hyeon-seong had passed.