Chapter 33: Conviction, Part 3
An undeniable tension was evident on Myeong Ho-rim's face.
It wasn't just him. Even the late-stage disciples who were resting, and those in the middle of sparring matches, turned their attention to the two.
Yeon Ho-jeong had proven his skill by defeating the formidable Chu Seong.
Myeong Ho-rim was the third young master of the most prestigious family in the land and was the most deeply trained in martial arts among them.
As these two faced each other, an inexplicable silence fell. Some might not admit it, but this was a showdown between the two strongest fighters present.
Naturally, the level of attention was bound to be high.
Myeong Ho-rim belatedly opened his mouth.
"I apologize for the delay, but I saw your match with Master Chu. It was impressive."
"Thank you."
"Your spear technique was remarkable. Does the Yeon family also have such martial arts?"
"It's nothing compared to the Myeong family's skills."
Myeong Ho-rim smiled amiably.
"Quality is more important than quantity, wouldn't you say? That spear technique was incredible, something I've never seen before."
Yeon Ho-jeong also smiled back.
"I'm also eager to see the true martial arts of the top-ranked family."
It was a meaningful remark.
Myeong Ho-rim, unaware of his true intentions, laughed.
"Haha, I wonder if it will live up to Yeon's expectations."
"You are being modest."
Whoosh.
Yeon Ho-jeong, gripping the middle of his iron staff and twirling it, seemed to be already prepared.
"That was a messy warm-up, but now that we've sized each other up, let's get to the real fight."
By 'prelude,' he meant their close-quarters grappling match yesterday.
Myeong Ho-rim's expression hardened as he recalled yesterday's grappling.
'He was tough. And he still is today.'
Every technique he used against Chu Seong was practical and battle-tested.
But Myeong Ho-rim saw Yeon Ho-jeong's true potential hidden beneath those fierce moves.
"It's not just his skill; it's how he uses it in any situation."
Yeon Ho-jeong knew how to wield his weapon accurately at the optimal moment.
That's something few can do. It takes talent, sure, but you can't do that without tons of real combat experience.
Where the hell did this kid get so much real-world fighting experience?
'Moreover….'
When Chu Seong blocked his first three attacks...
'Back then, there was definitely something there, wasn't there?'
He felt some kind of unknown force holding Chu Seong back.
No, that's what it felt like. Like Yeon Ho-jeong did something, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
'Whatever it is, he's definitely hiding something up his sleeve.'
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes gleamed.
"Shall we begin?"
"Let's do it."
Myeong Ho-rim picked up a wooden dao (木刀) that had fallen to the ground.
It was a gently curved wooden dao. Unlike a regular practice sword.
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes flashed.
'Dao techniques (刀法)?'
He recalled the past, when his family had been invaded by a mysterious group.
Whether in his previous life or now, after regressing to the past, he had never forgotten the situation back then. The shock had been so great that he remembered almost everything.
'There were definitely dao users (刀客) back then.'
Not just dao users. There were also other swordsmen, fist fighters (拳士), and spearmen (槍手).
The invaders all used weapons that were most commonly used in the Jianghu. Not a single one used specialized hidden weapons, mandarin duck blades (鴛鴦鉞) (paired, crescent-shaped weapons), whips, or iron brushes (鐵筆).
If the Myeong family was truly the family behind the attack on the Yeon family.
And if he could catch a glimpse of their traces in the swordsmanship of Myeong Ho-rim, the third young master of that family.
If the Myeong family was truly the culprit, how should he move forward?
'….'
Yeon Ho-jeong cleared his mind of thoughts.
'It might not be the Myeong family. Don't jump to conclusions.'
Setting up this whole training ground wasn't just about fighting Myeong Ho-rim.
He wanted to test himself against everyone here, in case he'd missed something.
But he found nothing. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find any connection between the other families' martial arts and those of the attackers.
But yesterday, he'd felt something off about Myeong Ho-rim's aura, something that reminded him of the attackers.
Swish.
Myeong Ho-rim lowered his stance.
"Well then, I am ready."
"Me too."
"Let us begin then."
Swiftly!
The two of them leaped towards each other almost simultaneously.
Even without going all-out, they were fast. Their footwork was quicker than anyone else's in the training yard.
Yeon Ho-jeong unleashed his martial arts without hesitation.
Whoosh!
He unleashed the Whirlwind Staff Technique, a flowing, wind-like style that targeted Myeong Ho-rim's shoulder and side at the same time.
Myeong Ho-rim's eyes widened.
'Strong!'
He could tell with just one move. How formidable Yeon Ho-jeong's weapon skills were.
This was nothing like their hand-to-hand fight. This staff technique, fueled by his Azure Wall True Qi, was both incredibly light and devastatingly heavy at the same time.
Myeong Ho-rim swung his wooden dao.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He countered perfectly.
Myeong Ho-rim, using a two-handed grip on his wooden dao (雙手刀), moved with perfect efficiency, deflecting the heavy iron staff's power at its source.
Yeon Ho-jeong's foot landed on the ground.
Thud!
The force of the impact shot up his thigh, adding power to his core.
Whoosh!
A lightning-fast thrust.
The strike, powered by his twisting waist, was incredibly fast. Myeong Ho-rim dropped his stance and deflected the thrust upwards with his wooden dao.
Clang!
Myeong Ho-rim's eyes wavered.
He didn't even need to look; he could feel the wooden dao's surface had been nicked by the staff's thrust.
'Incredible power!'
Thud!
Myeong Ho-rim, pushing away the iron staff and leaping backward, was startled for a moment.
Whoosh!
As if he'd anticipated the retreat, Yeon Ho-jeong was already closing in.
The distance was incredibly close, too close to even swing his wooden dao.
At the same time, the iron staff was also moving. The staff, coming in with a horizontal slash (橫擊), was so fast it actually bent slightly.
'I can't block it?!'
They'd barely exchanged a few blows, and he was already on the back foot.
If this kept up, he was done for. It wasn't even a close fight, he hadn't made any major mistakes, and yet he was about to get his ass kicked.
'Careless…!'
Even though he knew the opponent's technique deployment was formidable, he had been driven to this point. It could only be seen as carelessness.
Careless. Defeat. Failure. The words stung Myeong Ho-rim's pride.
Whoosh! Clang!
The arm that gripped and swung the iron staff became heavy.
Instinctively, he blocked the iron staff with his wooden dao, even though it should have been impossible.
Whoooosh.
A faint golden aura shimmered around Myeong Ho-rim as he gripped the wooden dao with both hands.
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes widened.
Myeong Ho-rim was finally showing his true strength.
Whoaaa.
The golden aura radiated outwards like a heat haze.
The sheer fact that he could solidify (有形化) his true qi like that, let alone the power behind it, was incredible.
'Amazing.'
That aura...it's as strong as a true master's.
Thud!
Yeon Ho-jeong retreated.
Myeong Ho-rim was about to launch an attack immediately but was startled.
Yeon Ho-jeong hadn't just backed off. He'd gripped the end of his staff and swung, sending a powerful shockwave (發勁) straight at his chest.
It felt like a spike on the end of a whip. He couldn't just block it with a simple burst of internal energy.
"Hap!"
Clang!
A clean, diagonal slash (一刀) shattered the shockwave.
Whoosh!
Yeon Ho-jeong rushed in again. He attacked before Myeong Ho-rim could even recover his stance.
'This is!'
His stamina was insane.
His attacks and evasions were too fast. The problem was, this kind of fighting burned through stamina like crazy. Hell, it was pushing his muscles way past their limits.
Yeon Ho-jeong was flushed red, his muscles screaming from the strain.
'Show me.'
Yeon Ho-jeong swung his iron staff.
Myeong Ho-rim was forced back again and again by the relentless staff attacks.
'Show me what you've really got!'
Thud!
The staff tip cracked the bluestone floor.
It was at that moment that Myeong Ho-rim's counterattack began.
Thud!
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes widened.
In an instant, as if his arm had extended, he was slashing diagonally with his wooden dao.
It was a perfect counter. Not just reflexes, but the technique itself was designed for countering.
Clang!
He pulled back his staff and blocked, but the impact still sent shivers through him.
And that was just the beginning of Myeong Ho-rim's dao technique.
Boom!
Myeong Ho-rim surged forward, kicking off the ground.
This was the Demon Subduing Dao Technique (斬魔刀法), a follow-up to the Golden Net Divine Art (金羅神功), the Myeong Family's most closely guarded secret. A powerful technique, created less than a generation ago and passed down only to blood relatives.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two-handed dao technique was powerful and imposing.
But the forms themselves were surprisingly simple. It was like they believed in the power of simplicity, channeling immense strength and speed into basic movements.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yeon Ho-jeong was immediately forced onto the defensive. He blocked with his staff, spinning it with both hands, but he couldn't find an opening to counter.
Myeong Ho-rim's eyes gleamed.
He had the upper hand now, and he was going to finish it. He unleashed the full power of the Golden Net Divine Art.
Zzzzzzz.
The golden qi flared even brighter.
And the aura around the wooden dao began to swirl.
'……?!'
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes widened.
'This is?!'
Three strikes (三擊) from the wooden dao came flying at him.
The forms (套路) and underlying principles were different, but he'd seen that swirling aura within the blade before.
He recognized the way the qi was being manipulated.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Thud!
The powerful slash knocked the iron staff aside, sending it scraping across the ground.
The true qi within the blade was spinning wildly, but it was invisible to the naked eye.
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes, his qi sense, could feel it.
Something fundamentally different from the martial arts of the Central Plains.
It looked straightforward and profound on the surface, but the way it used internal energy was completely alien to the Central Plains.
And that technique...
'A palm (掌) technique!!'
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes flashed a brilliant blue.
Whoosh! Bang!
"Keuheuk!"
Myeong Ho-rim was blasted backwards.
His eyes wavered.
'Wh-what power!'
He looked at the wooden dao.
The wooden dao was almost shattered. If he hadn't used the full power of the Golden Net Divine Art, that strike would have seriously injured him.
Myeong Ho-rim looked at Yeon Ho-jeong.
Tzzzzzz.
A blue aura surged from Yeon Ho-jeong. The Azure Wall Divine Art, one of the Yeon family's Five Great Martial Arts, a power on par with the Golden Net Divine Art, was blazing around him.
He was kneeling on one knee, gripping the iron staff with both hands. But the way he held the staff...it wasn't a spear stance. It was like he was holding a glaive or a massive axe.
A chill ran down Myeong Ho-rim's spine.
'This isn't his real technique!'
That's right. The grappling, the staff work, even the spear techniques...
None of that was Yeon Ho-jeong's true power. His real ultimate technique was something far stronger, far more devastating.
Rustle.
Yeon Ho-jeong lowered his head and stood up from his spot.
It looked like he was bowing, or maybe he just didn't want to show his face.
"We should stop here."
Or was he imagining it? Yeon Ho-jeong's voice sounded strained.
Myeong Ho-rim tossed aside the broken wooden dao and gave a fist salute. His hands trembled slightly, a testament to the power he'd just faced.
"I've learned a lot."
"Same here. Farewell."
And with that, Yeon Ho-jeong turned and strode across the training grounds towards the inner courtyard, moving so fast that even Yeon Ji-pyeong couldn't catch up.
The narrow path leading to the inner courtyard's residence.
A terrifying killing intent burned in Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes.
"...So it is the Myeong family."
