Chapter 104

Chapter 104

It goes without saying, but for most masters who make a name for themselves in the martial world, the matches of late-stage disciples are nothing more than entertainment.

This is utterly natural. Just as a seasoned soldier doesn’t feel threatened watching children’s war games, for masters, the level of late-stage disciples truly appears like children’s antics.

No matter how outstanding a late-stage disciple may be, they can only threaten their position after time passes. Those who feel fighting spirit or threat from mere late-stage disciples aren’t qualified to be called masters in the first place.

Now, most of the masters in this place were feeling threatened from the late-stage disciples’ match.

Perhaps they might be caught up to immediately.

That most vivid threat.

“Impressive.”

“Aren’t they called the Golden Generation?”

Sword Sovereign , who had been watching the match, spoke a word, and Paeng Family Head  Paeng Mugyeok , who had been quietly watching the match beside him, chimed in.

“There’s no disciple from the Sword Pavilion  in this class, so Sword Sovereign may not know, but this class has been evaluated as more outstanding than any other. I hear it can even compare to the Golden Generation from over ten years ago.”

“Is that so?”

“Don’t you see it right before your eyes without needing confirmation?”

At Paeng Mugyeok’s words, Sword Sovereign Cheon Seoryeong  nodded and looked at the unfolding match. It could truly be said those words were correct.

What are late-stage disciples?

Among the martial world’s younger generation, those who are exceptional are called late-stage disciples. The reason grand aliases like dragon or phoenix are attached to late-stage disciples isn’t because they’re actually as strong as dragons or phoenixes, but because it’s a wish that they’ll become so in the future.

Conversely, this means the level of late-stage disciples remains at most at the level of “promising for the future.”

No matter how outstanding a late-stage disciple, they’re rarely considered immediate combat strength. Late-stage disciples are existences to be nurtured, not the main force to lead the sect’s prosperity. Even in small and medium sects lacking manpower, late-stage disciples are treated as such.

But what about the current situation?

Kwaaang! Kwaaang—!! Kwaaaaang—!!!

Three consecutive strikes.

Golden sword energy cuts through and bisects the white flames that erupted like flowing water. Yet flames of tremendous firepower continue bursting forth as if limits don’t exist.

The surroundings  shake, the ground loses its form. Sword Sovereign, who felt like watching a real life-and-death battle between masters, murmured lowly.

“Dragon and tiger competing fiercely …….”

Dragon and tiger fighting each other on equal terms.

Could anything describe this situation better?

“Huhu. Those words fit perfectly.”

Paeng Mugyeok agreed with Sword Sovereign’s words, then watched the unfolding match for a moment before chuckling and shrugging his shoulders.

“To say those two are late-stage disciples is unbelievable. They’d be adequate as Martial Force Corps members even if you worked them for a few years.”

“……Isn’t judging only by martial arts level the most meaningless thing?”

“Of course, I’m only talking about martial arts level. If you add the experiential aspect, those two are still greenhorns. But isn’t experience something anyone can accumulate anytime?”

A martial artist is like a growing tree.

Outstanding talent is fertile soil, experience is the light and water poured on it, and tenacity and effort are like the tree’s own will to grow. They could grow with just one of these, but they can’t grow more than those who possess everything.

To become a great tree in the future, one must have all elements. If even one thing is lacking, they won’t grow that far, or even if they grow, they’ll soon fall.

“Well, my son isn’t someone who’d be called lacking anywhere either.”

Scratching his head at the renewed clash, Paeng Mugyeok glanced sideways at the cold-looking man sitting beside him and asked.

“Baek Ri Family Head. Let’s hear your story. What methods do you use to raise them so well? Does the Baek Ri Family have some secret genius cultivation method or something?”

“I did nothing.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Paeng Mugyeok chuckled and raised his finger.

“You yourself are a swordsman counted in the martial world, your second son was the protagonist of the last Golden Generation, and now your youngest daughter is becoming the protagonist of this Golden Generation. Yet you say you did nothing—what kind of—”

“Be quiet, Paeng Mugyeok.”

“Don’t dismiss it like that, give me a hint. And I’m a family head now too. Hyeong-nim.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Don’t just say be quiet, give me some face.”

At the grinning Paeng Mugyeok, Baek Ri Family Head  Baek Rigang  sighed as if his head hurt and fell into thought. Because he truly had done nothing.

Baek Rigang isn’t an enthusiastic educator.

He never hesitated to teach martial arts to children who wanted to learn, but he never went out of his way to teach anything. That’s why when his eldest, Baek Riseon , declared he wouldn’t learn martial arts, he simply accepted it.

He respects his children’s thoughts regarding martial arts. If they don’t want to learn, that’s fine, and unless they’re going the wrong way, he doesn’t deny them even if it’s a difficult path.

The reason he didn’t stop Baek Risan when she said she’d learn the True Flame White Fire Art was that. He didn’t think she’d listen if he tried to stop her anyway, and it wasn’t a direction with no path at all.

So Baek Risan’s proper growth isn’t Baek Rigang’s influence. Rather, another’s influence.

“Family members resemble each other, I suppose.”

“……Are you bragging about yourself now?”

At Paeng Mugyeok’s annoyed look, Baek Rigang didn’t answer and turned his gaze to quietly watch Baek Risan gritting her teeth and swinging her sword. Memories from the past flashing through his mind.

He recalls his youngest daughter who always wanted to resemble her second older brother. She stubbornly wanted to resemble Baek Riyun, and even forcibly learned the martial arts Baek Riyun used.

Actually, to Baek Rigang, that action was close to meaningless. It’s not about pride or whether constitutions match or not.

He had conviction.

Because he had conviction that she’d come to resemble Baek Riyun anyway, he thought the very act of trying to resemble Baek Riyun was meaningless.

“Don’t you think being stubborn and not giving up is foolish?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“When you see someone challenging something clearly impossible to anyone without meaning, doesn’t it make you sigh?”

At Baek Rigang’s sudden story, Paeng Mugyeok, who had been silent for a moment, chuckled.

“Well, I do think it’s foolish. As someone around them, it’d be worrying too. But I quite like that kind of foolishness.”

“I hate it.”

“……Do you?”

“Yes. Because it’s not rational. Still.”

Baek Rigang cut off his words, closed his mouth, and kept silent before uttering another word.

“I can dislike that choice, but I can’t hate it.”

“……What are you talking about?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Baek Rigang roughly cut off Paeng Mugyeok’s words and fixed his gaze on the match reaching its end.

The end of the sparring platform.

Baek Risan, with a thoroughly exhausted expression, was desperately swinging her sword.

Looking exactly like her mother.

—Oppa!

In my memory, Baek Risan was a younger sister unlike the Baek Ri Family bloodline in many ways.

—Look at this. I’m good at it now too!

—Mm, really? I can’t believe it.

—It’s not a lie! It’s true!

—Haha. Then shall I take a look?

Unlike Father, who has little range of emotion, or elder brother, who’s adept at hiding his emotions, she was my younger sister who rejoiced and grieved over small things. She had perseverance and talent, but she wasn’t a child with a strong disposition.

When I left the family and encountered fragments of the ‘truth’ tied to Mother’s death, the first thought that came to mind was that. I must not let my sister know this truth. If I dig deeper into the truth, the whole family could be in danger.

It’s too enormous a truth for a tender-hearted child to bear. Unlike others, my younger sister, who’s weak to affection, would surely be swept up and consumed by it.

So I thought and kept my mouth shut. Even though I could return to the family, I didn’t. Because I thought I had to. Because it was a burden I didn’t want to place on my disciple and younger sister.

Was that truly the right judgment?

True Flame White Fire Art

Mountain Fire Bright and Clear

White flames rising like a great mountain filled the view and attacked Seonwoo Gang. Seonwoo Gang gritted his teeth and responded to the firepower that had become much stronger than at the beginning.

Blood Sea Asura Sword

Purgatory Thrust

Golden sword energy wrapped around the flames like a net and burst them. White flames scattering and falling like dying flames.

But not all flames went out. No matter how many tens, hundreds, thousands of pounds of water you pour, fierce flames don’t completely go out and leave embers. 

──Flames that haven’t completely gone out.

If you take your eyes off them even for a moment, they rise again.

True Flame White Fire Art  Secret Technique

Great Scorching Heat

Kwaaaaaaa—!!!

Front, back, left, right.

The entire sparring platform exceeding fifteen jang  burned with violent white flames. Massive internal energy heated the air, and the heated wind swept across the entire audience area. Soon the flames, like living serpents, gradually turned their necks toward Seonwoo Gang.

The flames surged like waves.

Like seawater filling the great ocean , flames covering the sparring ground opened their mouths and bit Seonwoo Gang’s body. The form of the sparring ground, distorted by the heat, shone in the eyes like a heat haze. Everyone squinted at the intense light, and those who didn’t close their eyes despite the considerable light intensity worried about Seonwoo Gang’s safety.

Blood Sea Asura Sword  Secret Technique

Sixth Heaven

From within the flames that swallowed Seonwoo Gang, golden sword energy rose like a tidal wave and tautly pushed back the flames.

“Beautiful…….”

Razor-thin margin.

At the close battle with not even a slight difference, Seohwa, who had been watching blankly, let out an admiring sigh. An undeniably beautiful yet ferocious sight.

Each uses their full strength. Even though fierce techniques that could harm each other are exchanged, no one among the spectators wants to stop the late-stage disciples standing here now.

In truth, it couldn’t be helped. Most people here are masters.

If they’re at least masters, they couldn’t feel nothing from this sight.

“Who will win?”

“……Well.”

At Seohwa’s question, I gave a brief answer and observed the match unfolding on the sparring platform. Baek Risan and Seonwoo Gang.

Both are geniuses in martial arts, and each has thrown off their constraints. Seonwoo Gang, who took wrong turns for relatively longer, fell behind a bit, but Baek Risan also can’t demonstrate her full ability while operating unfamiliar Yin arts together. If you had to judge, they’re evenly matched.

“I don’t want to think about it.”

I set aside such calculations.

—Please don’t try to solve everything alone, Corps Commander. We’re not children you need to look after.

I thought a master is an existence who only gives to disciples. So I thought it was right for me alone to bear the burdens that would go to disciples.

But the proof that was wrong is before my eyes. The evidence that worries and burdens make people grow is before my eyes.

“The outcome of the match isn’t important.”

Baek Risan and Seonwoo Gang are both my disciples, if you think about it.

Who seems likely to win, who I hope wins—such things are meaningless. Whoever wins is fine, whoever loses is fine. The only emotion I feel now is one thing.

Pride in disciples who accomplish more than what I taught.

“Both are splendid.”

A brief lull.

While watching Seonwoo Gang and Baek Risan gradually catching their breath and gathering internal energy to exchange the final strike with unspoken agreement, I murmured that. And.

Shortly after.

True Flame White Fire Art  Secret Technique  Modified Form

Filling the Sky

Blood Sea Asura Sword  Secret Technique

Blood Net

The result.

Was decided.