Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Baek Riyun always emphasized to his disciples.

Never, no matter what realm you reach, must you neglect the basics.

-The most important thing for a martial artist is the foundation.

-Foundation……?

-Yes. Taking horse stances, training muscle strength, striking down with the sword—these things.

Simple sword paths. Simple training.

Though they may seem plain at first glance, each of these trainings becomes flesh and blood. Especially for martial artists, these basics play the role of foundation, able to make what’s built on top more solid.

Baek Riyun usually said this, and Seohwa also agreed with those words.

Right now, Seohwa was thoroughly benefiting from those basics.

Because all her opponents, one after another, were groveling after losing their inner power.

“Seuuup.”

Mild air.

While dusting off her hands at the cold energy she’d lived with her whole life but couldn’t feel now, Seohwa looked at the scene before her. Two martial artists lying on the ground with rolled-back eyes after being beaten by Seohwa.

“Even though I have inner power, still…….”

The Inner Power Pill Seohwa ate was the lowest grade. Even if she had inner power, it was rat’s tail-like inner power. Moreover, her own level wasn’t that high. Even borrowing the power of her ‘eyes’, she wasn’t at a level where she could easily win two against one.

Yet the reason she won easily was simple. Because the opponents couldn’t adapt at all to losing their inner power.

“Is it that hard to adapt?”

Two and a half years since learning martial arts.

Of course, recently her use of inner power had become quite free, but Seohwa still vividly remembered the days without inner power. She knew well how to move her body when without inner power, how to deflect an opponent’s strength with weak force.

Compared to that, opponents who lost inner power seemed even weaker than ordinary people. They understood the basic principles of martial theory, but couldn’t translate it into action. It was like suddenly forcing the strongest person in the world to operate with only ordinary person’s strength, unable to adapt.

“I guess it’s fortunate for me……?”

Riip! Riiip!

Feeling somewhat complex emotions, Seohwa tore off the bracelets of the two who had fainted when she suddenly felt a presence and immediately took a starting stance while turning around. And at that moment, a white-robed man appeared.

“Oh my. A familiar face.”

“……Who are you?”

“Mm? Ah, come to think of it, the young lady wouldn’t know me.”

The white-robed man wore a bitter smile and raised both hands to show he had no hostility.

“Calm down for now. I’m not the young lady’s enemy. I haven’t even learned martial arts in the first place.”

“Isn’t that a lie? How could someone who hasn’t learned martial arts be here…….”

“If you’re a representative of a renowned martial family, you can just enter here. Didn’t you know?”

Can a member of a renowned martial family not learn martial arts? And can such a person become a representative?

As Seohwa looked at the white-robed man with such eyes, the white-robed man smiled slightly and unfolded his folding fan. The following answer.

“My younger brother is always indebted to you. How is it, is that fellow doing well these days? He lives so rigidly that I worry about his health.”

“Younger brother?”

“My surname is Baek Ri. I came as the representative of Baek Ri Sega. Alone.”

“……Then could it be.”

“My name is Seon.”

The white-robed man who smiled slightly, Baek Riseon, directly stared into Seohwa’s eyes.

“Those eyes.”

“It seems they’ve settled properly.”

Baek Riseon, looking at Seohwa’s eyes that still showed a deep black-violet color since she hadn’t fully drawn out her ability, covered his mouth with his folding fan. And watching that appearance, Seohwa opened her mouth without lowering her guard.

“I heard from Munjunim. That you helped when rescuing Choa…….”

“No, no. Rather, it’s closer to Uni helping with my work. Anyway, it was something someone had to stop.”

“Something that had to be stopped?”

“Well, stopping it at the source was impossible, but rather, I’d say a better result came than stopping it at the source. When I read the Heavenly Energy that the Blood Cult followers twisted, everyone in that village was fated to be massacred.”

Baek Riseon smiled brightly, folded his fan, and tucked it at his waist. A leisurely smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

“The villagers survived, the pitiful divine beast was saved. Uni’s skills advanced one step, and the young lady obtained a foothold to become stronger. Can’t this be considered well done?”

“……Did you also read that through Heavenly Energy?”

“It’s a bit different from reading through Heavenly Energy, but well, I knew it would turn out that way. Hmm.”

After finishing his words and pausing briefly, Baek Riseon hummed and then sat down on the ground. And the groan that flowed out.

“Uu-urgh…… My stomach……!”

“! Are you injured somewhere…….”

“My stomach……! Is hungry.”

“……Pardon?”

“I should have eaten something before entering. Don’t you have anything to eat? You could buy it at the shop and give it to me.”

At Seohwa’s dumbfounded expression, Baek Riseon awkwardly scratched his head and spoke again.

“Ah, right. How about this? The young lady protects me, and I help the young lady. I guarantee it’ll be easy to accumulate points if I’m with you. I won’t be helpful in catching people, but I’ll be of great help in finding missions or objects.”

“Do you know this trial well?”

“No. I probably know less than the young lady?”

“But you can trust me. My intuition is quite accurate. You don’t even need to share the points with me. I just need to not go hungry and be able to look around.”

How about it?

At Baek Riseon asking shamelessly, Seohwa sighed. And.

Shortly after.

Seohwa’s party increased by one.

“Wow, even shop-bought dumplings are decent. Would you like to try one?”

“……I don’t like them because they taste bad.”

“Usually, if the outside is decent, the inside isn’t bad either. The young lady has picky tastes.”

A white-robed man holding tasteless dumplings.

One shichen after entry.

“That makes four hundred points.”

After taking the bracelets and objects of the defeated opponent, Seonwoo Gang wiped the sweat beaded on his forehead while breathing deeply and looked around. Beyond his field of vision, an endless procession of ruined pavilions.

“Still a long way to go.”

Just how many days are they planning to hold this Opening Gate ceremony?

Seonwoo Gang sighed and massaged his stiff neck while reviewing his strategy. Because there was still a long way to go.

‘No one should have been eliminated.’

Uicheonmun disciples have solid fundamentals. And having solid fundamentals means it’s easy to surge ahead in the beginning.

Wang Pal, who has a large build and absurd physical strength, would naturally advance ahead, and Seomun Cheok, who wandered as a vagabond for a long time, could urgently respond to the situation of inner power disappearing.

Needless to say for Seohwa with her ‘eyes’ that can clearly read opponents’ techniques, and the somewhat worrying one would be Baek Risan, but Baek Risan also received Baek Riyun’s teachings from childhood, so his fundamentals were unquestionably solid. He would have built enough muscle strength to not be greatly pushed back even against ordinary adult men without inner power.

Then what remained was himself and Baek Riyun. But he was alive like this, and worrying about Baek Riyun was pointless. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.

Though there wasn’t.

‘But if we continue without joining up, we’ll fall behind.’

That was the problem. Forces had started grouping together. They had begun searching for allies.

‘It’s hard to find people traveling alone now.’

Orthodox Path with Orthodox Path, Unorthodox Path with Unorthodox Path.

Even if not from the same sect, temporary alliances were becoming frequent. Until now, zone transfers were closed, but a little while ago, he confirmed that zone transfer gates were opening. Considering that it’s inefficient to just do zone transfers without a Detection Device, it must mean some major sect’s members gathered points to purchase both Detection Device and Zone Transfer Authority simultaneously.

Continuing to travel alone in this state was suicidal. Somehow, either join up with Uicheonmun disciples, or find allies to temporarily ally with.

‘But buying Transfer Authority or Detection Device myself would be inefficient…….’

Certainly those two would be purchased by Baek Riyun, so buying them redundantly wasn’t good. But it wasn’t easy to travel alone until Baek Riyun came searching either.

What should he do?

──Kaaang!

‘Mm?’

While deeply contemplating, hearing the metallic sound piercing his ears, Seonwoo Gang quietly raised his head and searched for the sound’s source, then widened his eyes greatly. That was because.

“Slowly hand over your bracelet. Hyeolcheop!”

“……Sajeo?”

A familiar back was fighting two against one and being pushed back.

Hyeolgeommun’s Young Sect Master. Hyeolcheop. The person who was formerly Seonwoo Gang’s martial elder brother.

Not martial elder brother anymore.

Unknowingly calling him sajeo, then falling silent and shaking his head, Seonwoo Gang gripped his sword tightly and watched the state of combat. Hyeolcheop being pushed back defensively by the joint attack of two Taoist priests in blue robes.

“Two guys since one won’t do, the dignity of the Orthodox Path has fallen to the ground. Or should I say Qingcheng’s dignity has fallen?”

“Immeasurable Buddha. Knowing one’s own insufficiency yet facing you alone would rather be the act of a fool who hasn’t properly cultivated. Hyeolcheop, don’t try to provoke these poor monks with shallow tricks.”

“……Tsk.”

At the Qingcheng priest’s logical argument, Hyeolcheop ground his teeth and swung his sword, stepping back one step while gasping for breath. Numerous cloth bracelets hanging all over Hyeolcheop’s arms.

‘Just how many…….’

Just how many people did he capture to have that many?

Unknowingly blinking at his former sajeo’s achievements, Seonwoo Gang suppressed his presence again. Anyway, there was nothing to gain by getting involved over there.

‘I can’t gain either side as an ally even if I intervene.’

The Qingcheng priests already formed a group. With two disciples from their own sect combined, moreover in an advantageous situation, they wouldn’t want a foreign element interfering.

Then when he interfered, a situation would arise where he’d have to team up with his former sajeo Hyeolcheop. However, Seonwoo Gang knew well about Hyeolcheop.

That Hyeolcheop would never forgive him for being a traitor.

‘He’s endlessly warm to those on his side, but endlessly cold to those not on his side.’

From Hyeolgeommun’s standpoint, Seonwoo Gang was a traitor. A spy recruited by the Orthodox Path.

Strictly speaking, Uicheonmun isn’t a sect of the neutral territory, but even so, it didn’t seem like Hyeolcheop would forgive him considering that. Because the one who was his sajeo followed Hyeolgeommun as heaven and Daesageom’s words like a deity. Surely he would try to cut down even himself.

‘I have to pretend not to know here.’

That’s what he should do.

……That’s what he should have done.

“Now it’s the end. Hyeolcheop!”

Disheveled posture. A sword strike coming from a direction impossible to block.

The moment he confirmed the Qingcheng priest’s strike, Seonwoo Gang leaped forward. Along with the deployed martial technique.

Uicheon Red Arts Third Form

New Year’s Day 

Kaaaaaang-!!!

A semi-circle of sunset-colored light like the sun shining in the morning swept away the Qingcheng priest’s sword.

“……You bastard.”

“Ha, haha…….”

After unknowingly intervening and letting out an awkward laugh, Seonwoo Gang looked at Hyeolcheop’s clearly dismayed expression and bit his lip. And the following words.

“……Long time no see. Sajeo.”