CLS-Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Young Master Cheong’s mouth, which had been about to say something, clamped shut like a clam.

After staring at Wei Yan-ho in silence for a while, Young Master Cheong turned his head to look at Gong Wu-jin. His eyes held doubt and bewilderment.

After looking at Gong Wu-jin for a long time, Young Master Cheong turned his head back and opened his mouth weakly.

“……You pass.”

“Huh?”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Young Master Cheong with a subtle expression.

“I pass?”

“That’s right.”

“You said no earlier, but why do you keep going back and forth? I can’t understand it.”

Young Master Cheong’s cheek twitched.

‘That bastard who wouldn’t be satisfied even if I beat him to death.’

When was it that he caused all sorts of trouble when told he wouldn’t pass, but now that he’s been told he passes, what’s he complaining about again?

“Do you want to take more of the examination?”

“No. May I go down?”

Young Master Cheong mentally drew the character for patience several times over.

‘I mustn’t get angry.’

Wei Yan-ho’s questioning could be considered legitimate. No matter that Young Master Cheong’s single sword strike wasn’t the purpose of the examination, who would know that? Others could only judge based on the situation they saw on the surface.

“……Go ahead then.”

When Young Master Cheong’s permission was given, Wei Yan-ho went down from the examination stage with a cheerful face, then said to Wei Jeong-han:

“I passed.”

“……Right.”

When Wei Yan-ho looked at him with a face like a puppy seeking praise, Wei Jeong-han nodded with a reluctant expression.

“Well, good job.”

“Then I can go in now, right?”

“Hm? Without watching the remaining examinations?”

“It’s not like I’m the one being examined anyway, it’s other people being examined, so what would I do watching that?”

That was true enough……

Wei Jeong-han nodded slowly. He wanted to tell him that watching others’ examinations was also a form of training so he should stay and observe, but……

‘There’s no way this guy would watch that.’

Rather than having him doze off here, it would be better for the Righteous Martial Alliance and the Guangdong Wei Family’s dignity to have him go in and sleep. Even now, couldn’t he feel other people’s gazes gathering on this place?

“Go in, go in quickly.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded, then began walking with shuffling steps toward the lodgings.

“Lucky fellow.”

Those who had been watching the situation all had similar thoughts.

Dang Jong-ui felt the same way.

Wei Yan-ho was the only one in the Righteous Martial Alliance whose identity was ambiguous. He had made time specifically to see what kind of performance he would show in the examination, but to think he would pass in such a manner.

As Dang Jong-ui clicked his tongue, a low voice came from behind him.

“Do you think so?”

“……”

Dang Jong-ui slowly turned his head.

“Well, I should call this an honor. I never thought the third young master of Hundred Sword Castle would come in person.”

The man who had spoken from behind him was one who suited the description of a peerless beauty.

Wearing slightly oversized white martial robes and with his long hair tied tightly back, this man was so handsome that even another man couldn’t take his eyes off him.

‘It’s not just that his face is handsome.’

Though it was unfortunate from another man’s perspective, this man wasn’t merely handsome in face alone.

Before Wei San-ho of the Guangdong Wei Family made his reputation, this man was the one who never let go of the title of Best Under Heaven among the younger generation.

Baek Geom-yeong.

Though his news couldn’t be heard frequently recently, if he had continued his activities in the martial world, Wei San-ho’s current position would have been his.

“Are you participating in this tournament?”

Baek Geom-yeong smiled slightly.

“Must I state a fact you already know? If you didn’t know, I would have no choice but to be disappointed.”

Dang Jong-ui narrowed his eyes.

“If you put it that way, I cannot disappoint Young Master Baek. However……”

Dang Jong-ui naturally changed the subject.

“What did you mean by your earlier words? That it wasn’t luck?”

“Of course.”

In that instant, Dang Jong-ui’s eyes gleamed with interest.

The Baek Geom-yeong he knew was a very arrogant person.

While Wei San-ho, who was receiving even higher evaluations, was said to be quite humble compared to his skills, Baek Geom-yeong was known to be as arrogant as befitted his abilities.

But that very same Baek Geom-yeong had given Wei Yan-ho a high evaluation.

“Are you saying like brother, like brother?”

“That brother?”

Baek Geom-yeong smiled gently. That smile carried an air of leisure.

“Wei San-ho is a good martial artist, but his skills tend to be overestimated.”

“…….”

Though he didn’t agree, there was no need to shake his head in front of Baek Geom-yeong. Even if he said otherwise, Baek Geom-yeong couldn’t help but be conscious of Wei San-ho.

“For a martial artist of Wei San-ho’s level, there’s no need to worry about him. However……”

Baek Geom-yeong’s eyes flashed coldly.

“That one is different.”

“……You mean Wei Yan-ho?”

Baek Geom-yeong nodded quietly without answering.

“I apologize to the Heavenly Lotus Alliance, but the winner of this tournament has already been decided.”

Dang Jong-ui smiled bitterly.

If anyone else had said this, he would have scoffed, but Baek Geom-yeong was qualified to make such statements.

Even the outstanding rising talents of the Nine Sects had no choice but to yield to Baek Geom-yeong. The general assessment was that only Wei San-ho could face him.

“You’re saying you will win the championship.”

“The probability of that is half.”

“Then what about the other half?”

“Wei Yan-ho.”

“…….”

Dang Jong-ui doubted his own ears.

Saying the probability of winning was fifty-fifty meant Baek Geom-yeong acknowledged Wei Yan-ho as a martial artist of equal rank to himself. That very same Baek Geom-yeong who didn’t even consider Wei San-ho worth his attention.

“Are you saying that even Wei San-ho and your senior brother don’t qualify as championship candidates?”

“That’s correct.”

Baek Geom-yeong smiled gently.

“It probably sounds like crazy talk now, but you’ll soon find out. This tournament will reveal how meaningless the martial world’s evaluations have been up until now.”

Dang Jong-ui nodded with a serious expression.

‘I might need to revise our plans.’

If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but Baek Geom-yeong was someone who would be hurt if called second in arrogance under heaven. For such a person to acknowledge Wei Yan-ho to this extent was very significant.

‘Perhaps Wei Yan-ho really is the Righteous Martial Alliance’s secret weapon.’

Baek Geom-yeong let out a low laugh watching Dang Jong-ui’s expression change by the moment.

‘Little rat.’

He was probably racking his brains to make this tournament belong to the Heavenly Lotus Alliance, but he would soon realize how futile such efforts were.

This tournament was prepared solely for the glory of Baek Geom-seong.

‘You’d better play your role as a scarecrow well.’

These fools mustn’t ruin things by underestimating Wei Yan-ho. So giving them appropriate hints wasn’t bad.

Baek Geom-yeong’s eyes fixed on Wei Yan-ho’s back as he returned to his lodgings.

‘Don’t just lose halfheartedly because it’s bothersome—make it to the finals.’

Sparks flew from Baek Geom-yeong’s eyes.

“I can’t stand this.”

Wei Yan-ho rolled around on his bed and let out a sigh.

‘How many more times do I have to do this?’

This kind of thing really didn’t suit Wei Yan-ho. Fighting itself was bothersome enough to kill him, and it wasn’t like he was some monkey—having to fight in front of other people.

If he had just lost in the preliminaries, Wei Jeong-han would have come charging at him ready to kill, so he had managed to pass appropriately, but now it was starting to become bothersome.

‘I can’t do the main tournament.’

Having reached his limit, Wei Yan-ho sprawled out in his room.

Wei Yan-ho let out a low groan and glanced toward the window, then quietly got up and approached it.

‘It’s because my body is half-warmed up.’

Making excuses for the impossible, Wei Yan-ho stealthily jumped down from the window. Perhaps because everyone had gone to the judging grounds, the training ground was empty, and there seemed to be no one in the building either.

Wei Yan-ho looked at the training ground with longing, then deployed his lightness techniques to leave the Huashan Sect and began climbing the mountain.

Arriving at that familiar clearing, Wei Yan-ho drew his sword with a reluctant expression.

‘I shouldn’t keep doing this……’

He was supposed to maintain his identity, but he kept acting in ways unbefitting a lazy person like this.

Wei Yan-ho quietly closed his eyes and drew his sword.

‘I mustn’t be conscious of it.’

He must not try to become like his master’s sword.

It’s like a child who doesn’t even know how to crawl trying to run. First, one must focus on following the Form. The True Intent must be infused afterward.

Swoosh.

He quietly slashes his sword through the air.

At first, gently.

He slashes the sword again.

This time, strong and fast.

Again gently, again strongly.

After that, he puts everything into the sword.

His master’s sword was fast and slow, strong and soft. All the swords under heaven were within it.

How should one describe that sword?

If forced to express it… Ten Thousand Swords.

Within that single slash existed all the swords under heaven, everything under heaven existed there.

A moment that seemed to exist only in fantasy, containing everything about swords.

Just as a potter falls into fever upon seeing the world’s finest works, and a blacksmith loses his soul to the brilliance when seeing the world’s greatest swords, Wei Yan-ho was captivated by his master’s Sword Technique.

The Sword Technique that his master showed was the very ideal that all sword wielders desired—so much so that it made the laziest person under heaven pick up a sword and go out to train.

Wei Yan-ho’s heart began to race like a maiden greeting spring.

The moment he could freely unfold this sword, he would be able to see the world with completely different eyes than before.

Swooosh.

The sword’s cutting sound through air began to diminish.

The fast yet gentle sword didn’t even cut the air, but softly pushed it aside.

One sword, and then another sword.

Little by little, Wei Yan-ho’s sword was beginning to resemble his master’s sword.

“Huh……”

Startled.

Wei Yan-ho, who had been slowly falling into a state of selfless absorption, grimaced.

‘Is this some kind of walking path?’

He had deliberately sought out a place devoid of people, yet whenever he tried to train, someone kept showing up.

Wei Yan-ho let out a deep sigh and lifted his head to find two people watching him.

“Did I see correctly, Sword Sage?”

“This old man is also doubting his eyes right now, Sword Master.”

Wei Yan-ho pursed his lips and said:

“You seem to have a hobby of watching others train.”

At Wei Yan-ho’s pointed remark, the two elderly men wearing Taoist caps smiled lightly. The old man wearing Taoist robes embroidered with plum blossom patterns spoke:

“You brat, if you’re training while blocking the road, should we have to step aside?”

“That’s not it. But being able to make the consideration of taking a detour for a growing sprout—that’s what makes for a bright and beautiful society.”

“Heh heh heh.”

The old man burst into hearty laughter.

“I thought only your sword was ghostly, but your mouth is ghostly too. Well then, just who are you to wield such an impossible sword in this pure sanctuary, disturbing people’s hearts? You must be a demon!”

“I’m not a demon, I’m a lazy person.”

“A lazy person……”

The old man smiled broadly and said:

“A lazy person who puts his heart into his sword…… It seems the world is welcoming a new era.”

Shing.

The old man quietly drew his sword and walked toward Wei Yan-ho.

“Well then. How about giving me a chance to examine this lazy person’s sword?”

“Hmm……”

Having an opponent is a good thing. Wei Yan-ho had also been feeling the limitations of wielding his sword alone.

But……

“Not for free. You’ll have to pay ten gold nyang each.”

“……”

The old man’s face became horribly distorted.