Becoming the Swordmaster Rank Young Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family Chapter 274

Episode 273. In Shaanxi (2)

You might lose your life━

“… … .”

The sleeping dragon of the volcano barely managed to hold back his breathing as he heard his master’s worried words. However, he was unable to stop one of his eyebrows from twitching, which was proof that his mood was quite hurt.

‘How long do I have to be treated like a child left out in the water?’

Cheongmyeong felt a sense of rebellion. He had already crossed the Imdokyang vein a year ago and reached the level of Johwagyeong that he had longed for. He had entered the ranks of a true peerless swordsman. And that was before he became a second-rank swordsman.

The current world of martial arts is one in which the evil spirits have gained power to an unprecedented degree.

If we look into the background, we can see that it was because outstanding figures from the evil path and the devil path appeared, and today, almost no one knows their names: Black Lotus Master and Magwang Heavenly Master. Of course, Black Lotus Master Yu Gil-jun has now become a ghost, and after his death, the evil forces have fallen apart… … .

Black Lotus Pearl and Magwangcheonju had something in common: they had both reached the highest levels of excellence at a young age based on their extraordinary qualities.

Maybe that’s why.

Cheongmyeong had always considered himself to be on the same level as Heuksa-ryeonju or Ma-gwang-cheonju. In fact, the elders of the Hwasan faction who had taught him were the same. They said that a great person of the right path who could stand up to evil spirits had finally appeared. It was just a pity that Heaven’s arrangement was delayed by about ten years.

However, even after he was able to use the 罡氣, Cheongmyeong was still just a sleeping dragon of Hwasan. To put it nicely, it was Hwasan’s dark sword that could be a desperate measure in a chaotic situation, and it was a strategic weapon, but to Cheongmyeong, it didn’t seem to be a proper force.

Look at it now.

If he had thought of him as a complete and utterly master of the art of secularism, would he have been afraid of clashing with the Hwa clan?

Of course, Cheongmyeong also knows that simply using the energy of the river is not enough to win a fight between peerless masters.

There may be a difference between forward and backward movement, but it is finally the state where the mind is grafted onto the martial arts – Ganggi (罡氣), which is the exclusive property of peerless masters who have reached the state of harmony or the state of extreme magic, is itself a collection of powerful thoughts. It is a transcendent will that far surpasses the level that ordinary people can have. It does not break or become dull like a weapon.

Therefore, it is common knowledge that the only thing that can stop Kang-gi is Kang-gi, and it is common sense that the fight between the best masters naturally flows into a battle of attrition of internal energy. The victory or defeat is determined only when one side can no longer maintain Kang-gi.

However, that does not mean that those with more internal energy always win in battles. If that were the case, the martial arts world would have fallen into the hands of evil spirits long ago. Those who learned the martial arts of the evil way (邪道), which follows the right path but only values practicality and efficiency, or the evil way (魔道), which follows the opposite path, and became masters, were not only less pure than those on the right path, but they also generally accumulated an enormous amount of internal energy.

Although rare, there have been those who have reached a level of refining their energy since ancient times.

It is to fully understand the secrets of the martial arts that one has learned on one’s own, and to graft that enlightenment onto one’s spirit so that one can shatter the thoughts of others.

Although it is not well known, there is a skill that swordsmen call Ganggeom (强劍).

The secrets of heavy, fast, change, break, scatter, grasp, cut, sharp – most swordsmanship is created with one or two of these as the extreme, and the key is to perceive these secrets and perceive them again to derive the secret of strength. However, swordsmanship that uses the secret of strength itself as the extreme is very rare. This is because it is difficult for a normal person’s body to handle such unskilled skills.

In any case, those who can use refined qi like this, such as the Ganggeom, can easily break the qi of other peerless masters – unrefined ones. This means that even if they are somewhat inferior in internal energy, they can gain the upper hand.

This is the reason why the Jeongdo forces were able to overwhelm the apostles and magicians for so long. They did not focus on the efficiency of the mind method or the killing power, but simply studied the principles and mysteries contained in the martial arts, so many of them naturally reached a level where they could refine their strength.

No matter how many peerless masters Sima Yi’s group produced, the number of masters who mastered the art of Jiang Qi refinement was incomparable to that of the Jeongpa.

‘Yes. So those guys probably haven’t reached the level where they can wield refined magic energy.’

Cheongmyeong thought. The two greatest masters of the Hwa family – Bukgung Hyun, the Demon Sword of the King of Hell, and Baekri Qing, the Demon Swordsman of Stealing Death, had been in the top ranks for quite some time, but given the nature of their martial arts, they probably hadn’t reached the level where they could use the technique of Ganggi Jeongryeon.

‘It’s already been a year. The years have passed by without me even being able to grasp the thread.’

Under the passionate guidance of his master, Okyeon, he constantly practiced his skills, but it was truly not easy to embody the essence of strength. He studied and studied the extremes of the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique, but he was unable to extract the essence of strength and graft it onto his strength. This meant one thing. His swordsmanship skills were not yet fully developed.

‘… … The age of the leader of Jeongcheon was clearly around the young age.’

Cheongmyeong felt a sense of defeat toward the head of the Sacheondang family, whom he had never met before. This had been happening frequently recently. Rumors about him had spread all the way to Shaanxi.

Naturally, I heard that a person who had never been known as a late index suddenly seized power in the family and put my mother in the position of head of the household. He himself became the head of the household.

Is that all?

Not long after, I heard that at the Sacheonjihoe that was held, one of the six apostles and the sworn brother of the Black Lotus Cult, Guhwan Gyogeom Sangmyeongil, was killed. With an incredible sword.

In an unexpected accident, even Heuksahwa Yoo Yeon-hee lost her life, and the enraged Heuksayeonju Yoo Gil-jun declared a war on Bangpa to destroy the Dangga clan, but it was Heuksayeon who was destroyed instead. The anecdote where he single-handedly annihilated thousands of Sapa warriors was also famous. It was an opportunity to remind us once again that Sacheon Dangga possessed a secret martial arts specialized in mass murder.

After sweeping away the Apostolic Forces, the Jeongcheon Alliance was established in the land of Sacheon, where peace had returned. For the first time since the Murim Alliance was completely destroyed by the Magwangcheon Lord, a focal point was born where the Jeongdo forces could gather their strength. It was a force that was absolutely necessary for the six faction leaders who were concerned about the safety of their faction. That was why Hwasan also sent Okyang, the Plum Blossom Gentleman, along with the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, to aim for the position of the first Jeongcheon Alliance Leader.

However, no matter what happened, the one who took over the position of the leader of the Jeongcheon Clan was the Dark Poison Sword Dragon, Dangmyeong.

‘A dragon.’

It was a nickname that Cheongmyeong couldn’t help but be aware of. Because he was a sleeping dragon. A being who hid in a puddle called a volcano, who had never been able to properly fly, and who couldn’t even be sure that he was a dragon.

That was the extent of my thoughts.

Because the voice of Geomhwa Okyeon continued.

“The one who is frustrated is Jongnam. He must be well aware of Shaolin’s crisis and the situation his sect is in, but he doesn’t even think about taking action. It must be because he still harbors an old grudge. It’s obvious even without looking. He must be waiting for his sect to bend first and ask for help.”

“Surely you would really have such narrow-minded thoughts? Magwangcheonju is a powerful man who could defeat the Sword King. I have no intention of doubting Shaolin’s power, but if something goes wrong, Shaanxi will also become a land where safety cannot be guaranteed. In this situation, there is no way we would have a fight over pride… … .”

“You’re saying that because you don’t know him well yet.”

Hmph━ Okyeon snorted. It seemed like she was thinking of Hak-yu, the head of the Jongnam Sect, who had been at odds with her since the days of the late Ji-su.

“Even if Shaolin is destroyed, he will insist that it is the fault of the main sect. He will never be the first to reach out because of the reputation he lost during the last friendly match.”

“If we do, how about we reach out first? Don’t you know, Master, that the current situation is not simple? Think of the greater good.”

Cheongmyeong raised his voice. If Jongnam joined, they would definitely be able to defeat Hwasisega. Not only Hwasan Jangmun Okyeon, but also Jongnam Jangmun Hakyu were all swordsmen who could use the techniques of Ganggi Jeongryeon.

Of course, Cheongmyeong’s true intention was to witness the duel between the peerless masters and, by lending a helping hand in the process, to find a clue to the refinement of Ganggi.

But Okyeon tilted her head awkwardly and asked back.

“why?”

“Well, for the sake of the cause… … .”

“It’s already too late. It’s not because of the pride of the main sect. It will inevitably take time to convey our intentions and reach out to Jongnam. Shaolin is probably already engaged in a fierce battle with Ma Gwangcheon, so when will we be able to ask for help and coordinate the details? There’s also the possibility that Jongnam will refuse to help. This is an opportunity to use the Hwasisega’s hand to significantly reduce the main sect’s power.”

“I know that you two don’t get along well, but would you really do something like that… … ?”

“And there is more. If he was someone who knew how to prioritize the cause, it would have been impossible for a painter to settle down in this island land.”

“… … .”

Cheongmyeong was speechless. That was because her teacher Okyeon’s words were not so wrong. And she also felt that she was twisted somewhere, just like Jongnam Jangmun, but she let it be. The peerless masters are people whose convictions are as firm as iron, so once they change their minds, it is extremely difficult to change them. Cheongmyeong knew that she had such a personality, so she did not even think about trying to persuade her teacher.

I just wanted to ask about what’s next.

“Master, what are you planning to do now? Are you not going to help Shaolin or attack the slowly approaching Hwasisega, or are you just planning to meet the enemy at the main mountain?”

“Your tutor will come.”

Okyeon spoke decisively. By Cheongmyeong’s private tutor, he meant Okyang, who had been dispatched to Jeongcheonmaeng.

“You must have heard that the Jeongcheon Alliance has taken up residence in Juksan. It seems that they wanted to directly check Hubei Ma Guangcheon, but Ma Guangcheon led his troops and advanced to Songshan. The Huashi clan is slowly advancing, even holding a ceremony to mark their departure, so the situation in Shaanxi must have already reached the Jeongcheon Alliance. Your private tutor knows the Geomjong bastard as well as I do, so he will somehow persuade the Jeongcheon Alliance leader to support the main faction. If the Jeongcheon Alliance supports Songshan, that will be a relief in itself. Since it is quite far away, I am not sure if reinforcements will be meaningful, but at least they will help the main faction.”

That was when Okyeon spoke.

Suddenly, the presence of a peerless master was captured in the two people’s aura. He was closing the distance very quickly, as if he had used lightness.

Okyeon and Cheongmyeong were neither surprised nor wary. It was a very familiar sound.

Okyeon just smiled brightly and spoke again.

“Look. Your tutor has come.”