Chapter 50 : Facing the Demonic Master (3)

Chapter 50: Facing the Demonic Master (3)

“Gurrrrk!”

That was the first time I’d ever heard such a loud and forceful burp.

When the internal energy suddenly burst out, Seomun Yuwon involuntarily let out a thunderous belch.

In the tense and urgent atmosphere, the unexpected outburst made Jaegal Yohye lower her head and let out a stifled laugh.

That moment triggered it. Warriors all around, who had been watching the ladies of the Seomun Clan to gauge their reactions, began to burst into laughter.

“Pfft!”

“Hehehe!”

They tried to hold it back, but couldn’t. Seeing those who couldn’t suppress their laughter, the ladies of the Seomun Clan twisted their faces in embarrassment.

They hadn’t expected such a disgraceful display.

More than that, probably only a handful of people here had actually witnessed Seomun Yuwon's draw.

That’s how flawless his draw technique had been.

But Yong Hwarin had dodged it perfectly.

For the ladies of the Seomun Clan, this was unthinkable. But now that it had happened, they couldn’t lift their heads.

“What are you all doing! Escort the Young Lord back!”

Shaking with shame, they quickly whisked Seomun Yuwon away to the guest hall, as if fleeing the scene.

Because the Young Lord of the Seomun Clan had been defeated, no one dared to stir up a commotion. People merely exchanged glances and then began to disperse.

However, this incident became a turning point in how people viewed Yong Hwarin.

Some lower-ranked warriors gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.

But just as the crowd was dispersing, someone’s voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Young Master Yong! I request a martial contest!”

As Pang Giyok stepped forward boldly and shouted, the crowd gathered once again with the look of people anticipating a spectacle.

Meanwhile, Pang Cheollyeon and Jaegal Yohye exchanged awkward glances.

They hadn’t expected Pang Giyok to step up like this.

Judging from her brother’s nature, Pang Cheollyeon should have anticipated this possibility and prepared in advance.

A wave of self-blame washed over her.

When it came to martial arts, Pang Giyok was like someone who lived in a world of his own. Right now, he probably couldn’t hear or see anything else.

All he had was a pure desire to duel Yong Hwarin.

At first, Yong Hwarin frowned as he looked at Pang Giyok.

Was Pang Giyok stepping up after Seomun Yuwon just to humiliate him further? Or were they conspiring to injure him through repeated duels? Yong Hwarin carefully studied his intentions.

But soon, a faint smile formed at the edge of Yong Hwarin’s lips.

‘A pure-hearted guy.’

There were no signs of wicked intent or ambition in his eyes.

He was certain that Pang Giyok had stepped forward out of a sincere desire to duel.

Standing there so awkwardly and seeking Yong Hwarin’s acceptance looked no different than a man wooing a woman.

Many thoughts passed through Yong Hwarin’s mind.

“Very well. I’d like to see the Dao of the Pang Clan of Hebei.”

When Yong Hwarin accepted Pang Giyok’s challenge, applause erupted from the crowd.

The dignified and respectful attitude of both Pang Giyok and Yong Hwarin had touched the hearts of the martial artists.

To request a duel without ulterior motives, and to accept it with a pure martial spirit—this type of courtesy and sincerity in the younger generation was a sight that naturally brought smiles to faces.

Moreover, unlike Seomun Yuwon, who had flaunted his status as the Young Lord of a prestigious clan and gained people’s disdain, Pang Giyok had shown none of that arrogance.

It was a clear example of why some held the Pang Clan of Hebei in higher regard than the Seomun Clan.

They had the composure of the strong, without the arrogance of the strong.

“Before we duel, I’d like to ask you something.”

Pang Giyok looked at Yong Hwarin and asked,

“I only caught a brief glimpse of Brother Seomun’s blade. How did you manage to dodge it?”

To be honest, if it hadn’t been for the Demonic Master’s warning, Yong Hwarin would have been severely injured.

Even though he avoided it using the Tongue-Pressing Technique, if he hadn’t seen both blades, he might’ve been the one in trouble.

That’s how lightning-fast Seomun Yuwon’s quick draw had been.

Even someone like Pang Giyok, who had trained relentlessly, hadn’t seen through the essence of that speed.

It truly lived up to its reputation as a secret technique of the Seomun Clan.

The Seomun Clan’s Great Ancestral Twin Sabers were swung in sequence with both arms, leading many to think one hand was just a feint.

But that was exactly the Seomun Clan’s trap.

The first attack with the left hand was nearly a feint, while the second strike with the right was the true threat.

If one didn’t know about the twin sabers, there was no way to avoid being completely fooled.

And really, to make it appear as if there was only one blade when wielding two meant both arms had to move at an inhuman speed.

That alone was enough to classify the Great Ancestral Twin Sabers as a superior secret technique.

The fact that Seomun Yuwon had a notably more developed upper body and thicker arms than his lower body was likely a result of such training.

“Seomun Gongja’s blade truly lived up to the name of a quick draw. But I didn’t actually see his sword—I just felt its presence.”

I had to give an answer. If I didn’t, people might think I won by sheer luck, so I offered a response blended with plausible exaggeration.

“I see, I suppose that’s possible.”

The innocent Pang Giyok nodded, accepting Yong Hwarin’s words.

He figured that avoiding an invisible quick draw could only be done that way.

“My clan’s Dao techniques aim for supremacy. I really wanted to know how they measure up to your swordsmanship, so even though you just finished a match, I dared to challenge you again.”

Truly, Pang Giyok was a man who was born to wield a blade.

A martial artist worthy of being remembered in the annals of the Pang Clan’s history.

“It’s not something to apologize for. Since stepping into the martial world, I’ve found it’s not as romantic or chivalrous as I imagined. The martial world I heard about, the one I wanted to live in—I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I ended up pretending to be a chivalrous swordsman, and people started calling me the Flying Dragon Sword Hero.”

“I began to wonder. If the martial world were truly full of chivalrous warriors, would they hand out titles like that for such small deeds? So I made a decision. I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to live in the martial world I dreamed of. And this—this is part of that journey.”

“If there’s someone I want to duel, I will. If there’s someone I want to test my skills against, I will. That’s the martial world I dreamed of. And right now, I’m feeling that very romance of the martial world.”

Yong Hwarin had come to many realizations since entering the martial world.

For fifty years, he had lived for profit as a merchant, becoming more selfish with time, yet never able to quench a lingering thirst in his heart.

He hadn’t known what it was. But after returning to the past and learning martial arts, he finally understood.

But the martial world wasn’t what he had envisioned.

People gathered based on reputation, the strong were arrogant, and the weak grovelled.

The martial world wasn’t full of warriors who lived by their code and practiced justice.

So if he was going to become a martial artist, he didn’t want to repeat the regrets of his previous life.

Though he learned martial arts as a means to survive and protect his family, he resolved to hold onto this principle.

“Look at that. Young Master Yong really knows how to move people’s hearts.”

Before they knew it, Jaegal Yohye had approached Pang Cheollyeon and whispered softly.

“It seems people are responding because he possesses the spirit of a pure martial artist.”

Pang Cheollyeon nodded in agreement, as she too had been moved by Yong Hwarin’s words.

“It feels like the name Flying Dragon Sword Hero won’t fade away quickly. Rather, it will shine even brighter.”

It was rare for Pang Cheollyeon to praise someone else.

“Would you still think that way if your older brother were to lose?”

The Jaegal Clan, being one of the sword clans, did not use terms like ‘senior brother’ the way members of the blade clans did.

The sword clans and blade clans had long maintained a sense of separation in their customs.

Jaegal Yohye had used the excuse of Shangguan Mijong’s illness as a pretext for her visit, carrying a secret order to help bridge the distance between the two clans.

‘I truly don’t know. Whether Young Master Yong defeating Young Master Pang will aid or hinder the formation of the World Martial Alliance.’

Even someone as insightful as Jaegal Yohye couldn’t easily reach a conclusion.

This time, the martial contest provided quite a spectacle.

The clash between the Tyrannical Blade of the Single Lineage and the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword was the perfect embodiment of a head-to-head match.

The two techniques intertwined so harmoniously that for nearly two hours, neither side faltered—until Pang Giyok suddenly stepped back.

“Seeing your swordsmanship, Young Master Yong, has stirred my ambition. I wish to test a blade technique that my clan has been researching for a long time. It’s called the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade. I have yet to show it to anyone.”

“It is an honor to be the first to receive such a technique of the Pang Clan.”

Yong Hwarin tensed. At last, the legendary technique Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade was making its appearance.

To be present for such a historical moment gave him a deep sense of awe.

“My brother is using the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade against Young Master Yong?”

Pang Cheollyeon knew that the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade wasn’t yet a perfected martial art.

There were unresolved flaws in its inner energy principles, which is why it had never been demonstrated carelessly.

But Pang Giyok’s desire to test it now meant he believed Yong Hwarin could help him break through those unresolved elements.

‘Brother holds Young Master Yong in high esteem.’

The momentum behind Pang Giyok’s technique remained powerful, but now it carried an added layer of intricacy and precision.

That was the true essence of the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade.

The Pang Clan of Hebei had long been renowned for martial arts that emphasized dominance and strength.

But realizing that strength alone couldn’t surpass the Namgung Clan, they had begun to refine their blade techniques by infusing precision and delicacy into their aggression—thus giving birth to the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade.

Yong Hwarin clashed directly with Pang Giyok’s technique, eager to feel its essence for himself.

Both the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and the Five Tiger Tyrannical Blade leaned heavily into offense. As such, the two of them approached the duel with a fearlessness that made them seem like warriors facing life-or-death foes.

And yet, despite the fierce intensity of the contest, it never felt like anyone would be seriously harmed.

The spectators gasped in admiration.

“This is what a true martial contest looks like.”

“Exactly. It’s not about cutting down your opponent, but about discovering your own strengths and weaknesses through them. That’s what a true contest is.”

“Isn’t that what the word biwu originally meant? It’s just that people twisted it into something about humiliating or crippling others.”

“Watching those two fight—I haven’t felt my blood boil like this in ages.”

“You? Did you even have any blood left to boil? Last I heard, you used it all up on your wife!”

“What?! How dare you say that to me? I’m challenging you to a martial contest!”

“Oho! Really now? Fine, I accept!”

Inspired by Yong Hwarin and Pang Giyok’s duel, others on the sidelines began issuing their own challenges in jest.

Even as blades and swords narrowly grazed past heads or aimed for vital points, it never felt brutal or savage.

Because everyone could sense they’d stop before going too far.

“Haha, I can’t even remember the last time I had a duel like that,” one elder murmured.

The distinguished elders of the Pang Clan looked at one another, murmuring in agreement.

Then, one elder, large and imposing with a splendid white beard, said,

“That young man… I truly like him. I’d love to take him as my son-in-law.”