Chapter 429 : Sword Debate Amidst the Rapids

Chapter 429: Sword Debate Amidst the Rapids

The waves that met the gorge were nothing short of fierce.

The dynamic movement of the water revealed a completely different face from its previously calm flow.

Each time the water surged, the boat leapt up like a fish, springing above the surface before crashing down again.

Every time it did, the boat creaked and shook as if it might break apart at any moment.

Splash!

The boat lunged toward a jagged black rock ahead like a moth to a flame.

Then Yong Hwarin lightly waved his hand.

Thud!

When the released force clashed against the rock, the boat's bow spun to the right.

But there, too, were rocks.

So Eungjo also released a burst of force toward the rocks.

Boom!

The stern spun again, narrowly slipping between the rocks.

Both of them were demonstrating extreme focus.

They didn’t let their guard down, knowing that a single miscalculation in the output of qi would smash the boat against the rocks.

“What a mess.”

Seeing that the gorge's floor was littered with rocks, they exchanged glances.

And in that moment, the same thought flashed through both their minds.

‘Let’s see what you’re really capable of.’

On their way here, they had been quietly impressed by each other's precise control over qi.

Just as they were starting to feel a competitive urge, they came upon this gorge impassable by boat—prompting a desire to test each other.

“What do you propose?”

Though the boat rocked violently as if about to flip, the two stood motionless, as if on solid ground.

That alone left them impressed by each other’s level.

Especially Eungjo, who already knew of Yong Hwarin, felt even more astonished.

‘He’s incredible. His composure and poise are like those of an old master from the martial world.’

Yong Hwarin, unaware of who Eungjo was, was equally shocked inside.

‘Who the hell is he? With skills like this, he could easily be among the Twelve Dragons of Murim. No—he’s beyond even them.’

Looking at Eungjo reminded Yong Hwarin of Pang Giyok and Namgung Soomyung.

It wasn’t only through sparring or duels that one could assess another’s level.

Situations like this were enough to gauge it accurately.

Using just enough power to prevent the boat from breaking was not so different from fighting an enemy.

“Shall we answer at the same time?”

Eungjo, curious about Yong Hwarin’s idea, proposed this.

“Very well. Let’s speak simultaneously and act on it.”

When Yong Hwarin replied, Eungjo nodded.

Then both spoke in unison.

“Fly.”

Having given the same answer, they smiled with similar expressions.

Then, aiming at the blackened rocks below, they both struck downward with force.

Boom!

Yong Hwarin and Eungjo struck the floor of the gorge, lifting the boat into the air.

By releasing qi, their bodies could rise on their own, so they each held the boat with their left hand.

This was where their difference in skill became clear.

The stern, where Eungjo stood, rose significantly lower.

As the bow where Yong Hwarin stood tilted dangerously high, threatening to flip midair, Eungjo quickly struck again to level it out.

‘Yong Hwarin's internal strength surpasses mine.’

Realizing this, Eungjo felt slightly deflated.

He had reached the Third Jiazi, and had believed that no one his age possessed greater inner strength.

Bruised in pride, Eungjo now struck the surface with all his might.

The boat floated higher.

But again, Yong Hwarin’s side was higher.

He had emitted slightly more qi than Eungjo to keep the boat afloat.

Though his pride was hurt, Eungjo had no choice but to strike again to level the height.

Thus, the two continued to keep the boat in the air, traversing the gorge strewn with rocks.

To an outsider, it would have looked like the boat was flying through the air, enough to spark rumors of hallucinations.

Splash!

After crossing the rocky gorge, the boat landed back on the water and resumed its rapid journey downstream.

Eungjo glanced at Yong Hwarin, noticing his own lower body was drenched.

As he had struck the water with force, the resulting splash had soaked his pants.

‘Hmm.’

Yet Yong Hwarin’s pants bore not a single drop of water, prompting a silent groan from Eungjo.

He couldn’t fathom how anyone could strike the water without causing any splash. That level of qi control was incomprehensible.

Eungjo had thought he only slightly lagged behind Yong Hwarin in inner strength, but realized now that he had been mistaken.

He knew how difficult it was to control qi well enough not to cause splashes.

‘Damn it. Seems now’s not the time.’

When Yong Hwarin first boarded the boat, Eungjo had planned to drown him at the right moment.

Since Yong Hwarin didn’t know his identity, Eungjo planned to strike by surprise when he was off guard—but now, having seen his martial prowess, he concluded that killing him wouldn’t be easy.

Even so, he couldn't give up so easily.

He knew opportunities like this would never come again.

So Eungjo thought of another way.

“Your martial skills are extraordinary. How about we have a friendly duel in this setting? For men like us, there’s no better place for a spar than in a spot as picturesque as this.”

Driven by pride, Eungjo worded it in such a way that Yong Hwarin would be compelled to accept.

Saying a man would be unworthy if he turned down a duel in such scenic surroundings, he stoked Yong Hwarin’s pride and fighting spirit.

Seeing Eungjo suggesting a duel in such dangerous circumstances, Yong Hwarin let out a slight smile.

“Your competitive spirit is truly something. Even in a situation where we might end up as water ghosts, you speak of martial arts.”

But he had no intention of refusing. This man, who at first refused to let him on board, was now burning with martial passion after witnessing his skills—clearly a martial arts maniac.

“How should we do this?”

Yong Hwarin asked, and Eungjo replied eagerly.

“Since we’re on a boat, how about this—without breaking the vessel, whoever knocks the other into the water wins?”

The boat was still being tossed about by the fierce rapids, threatening to capsize at any moment.

“Sounds good.”

Though a dangerous duel, Yong Hwarin accepted without hesitation, having seen Eungjo’s skills.

A martial artist, when faced with a strong opponent, always felt the urge to test themselves—and that desire, that impulse, was what they called fighting spirit. Yong Hwarin couldn’t reject that feeling.

And he, too, had become interested in this duel Eungjo proposed.

They began with fists.

Their brawl lasted for about two hours, but Eungjo soon realized that even in unarmed combat, his strikes and footwork couldn’t compare to Yong Hwarin’s.

He had assumed that because Yong Hwarin used a sword, he wouldn’t be skilled in bare-handed combat—but that wasn’t the case.

‘Damn it! Just how strong is this guy?’

Since entering Murim, it was Eungjo’s first time feeling such helplessness. Until now, no matter the opponent, he had always subdued them with his martial arts.

Even the renowned figures of the martial world had knelt before him. But now, meeting Yong Hwarin, he was hitting a wall—feeling his limits.

Unable to easily approach Yong Hwarin, who had mastered the Fighting Dragon Fist, Eungjo drew his sword.

“It seems we’ll have to use swords if we’re to have a proper duel.”

Eungjo needed to knock Yong Hwarin into the water in order to create an opportunity to kill him.

So, shameful as it was, he tried one method after another.

“Do as you wish.”

Yong Hwarin accepted that suggestion as well.

Eungjo attacked while doing his best to suppress his killing intent.

Revealing it could risk exposing his identity.

Only after clashing directly did Eungjo truly realize Yong Hwarin’s level.

He was no match in close combat—and even his swordsmanship didn’t measure up. By this point, irritation started to rise from Eungjo’s growing awareness of his own inadequacy.

‘But I still have one trump card.’

There was a clear reason why Eungjo had proposed the duel.

The descendants of the Eung Clan, successors of the White Tiger King, had long studied the martial arts of the Four Vassal Families and succeeded in devising methods to break them.

However, when Yong Hwarin used the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, Eungjo quickly became flustered.

Though the Eung Clan had created counters for the Four Vassal Families’ martial arts, Heavenly Central Sect had adopted Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword and Azure Bamboo Sword, which were not part of the Four Vassal Families’ techniques, rendering Eungjo’s counters useless.

Originally, the Blue Dragon Family possessed a sword art called Blue Dragon Formation Technique.

Eungjo knew the counter to that technique, but not to the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword, and thus struggled against Yong Hwarin’s blade.

Eungjo’s martial arts were designed specifically to counter those of the Four Vassal Families, so in terms of pure martial skill, there was a fundamental lack.

So Eungjo began mixing in his clan's secret art—White Tiger Taebaek Art—to deal with it.

However, Yong Hwarin showed no reaction, as if he didn’t know White Tiger Taebaek Art at all. Seeing that, Eungjo understood.

‘This guy doesn’t know the main family’s martial arts. Well, I suppose that makes sense. The main family’s arts have never been made public.’

Because of that, even though he was using White Tiger Taebaek Art, he only brought it out in critical moments and avoided overexposing it.

During the duel, Eungjo kept eyeing Yong Hwarin’s sword with greedy intent.

‘If only those Twin Swords of the White Tiger were in my hands.’

With the Twin Swords of the White Tiger in hand, he felt he’d have nothing left to fear if he wielded White Tiger Taebaek Art.

After the Eung Clan lost the Twin Swords of the White Tiger, they began collaborating with Poison Valley to forge a new set. They had recently been excavating Dragon Bone Site together.

They had finally located the long-lost place, but it was so toxic that ordinary people couldn’t even enter.

Thus, they were forced to form an alliance with Poison Valley, whose expertise in poison rivaled that of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Then, by chance, the Greatest Sword Under Heaven entered the mountain where the Dragon Bone Site was located.

Having lost to the Greatest Sword of the Central Plains during the Sword Debate of the Three Externals, Jo Cheonsaeng entered the mountain to pursue enlightenment in Heart Sword.

The Eung Clan and Poison Valley, fearing exposure of the Dragon Bone Site, chose to fight even such a formidable opponent as the Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

While their official reason was to forge a new pair of the Twin Swords of the White Tiger, the Eung Clan had other motives behind excavating the Dragon Bone Site.

Of course, Poison Valley was unaware of this.

They were merely interested in harvesting the world’s most potent poison found within the Dragon Bone Site.

Eungjo did his utmost to pressure Yong Hwarin with all his skills.

At the same time, he wondered to himself,

‘Could it be that this guy doesn’t even know the Blue Dragon Formation Technique?’

Seeing Yong Hwarin not use the Blue Dragon Formation Technique even in such dangerous situations, Eungjo began to grow suspicious.

‘That makes sense. If he doesn’t know the White Tiger Clan’s techniques, then of course he wouldn’t know the Blue Dragon Clan’s either. After all, the Four Vassal Families were known for never learning each other’s arts. They always said we of the White Tiger Clan were the only ones to know them all—and it turns out they were right. Still, how could they pass down other martial arts and neglect their own family techniques?’

Eungjo was dumbfounded.

Then he got caught in Yong Hwarin’s Shifting Body, Surging Sea technique, lost his balance, and was flung into the air.

As Eungjo landed, he infused qi into his foot and stomped on the boat’s deck.

Thud!

His leg pierced straight through the deck. Losing his balance had thrown off his control over his qi as well.

Water surged up from beneath the boat like a geyser.

“Ah! I couldn’t retract my qi in time!”

Eungjo apologized with a sheepish expression, but Yong Hwarin shook his head.

“Step aside for a moment.”

Yong Hwarin placed the sole of his foot over the hole.

Immediately, the spurting water stopped.

‘Just how much qi does this guy have to be able to stop water gushing from the Yongcheon Point using just that?’

The more he confronted Yong Hwarin, the more Eungjo was stunned by his abilities.

Though he was thoroughly defeated in the duel and felt dispirited, Eungjo grinned internally.

‘You won’t be alive for much longer anyway.’

While scooping out the water that had poured in, Eungjo spoke.

“This was my fault. I apologize.”

Truthfully, Yong Hwarin was annoyed at Eungjo’s carelessness, but as the guest, he couldn’t voice his complaints.

“It’s fine.”

Still, it seemed they would be delayed since Yong Hwarin had to block the hole using qi.

“At this point, you’ll have to row, hyungjang.”

Since Yong Hwarin was now plugging the hole with his foot from the center of the boat, Eungjo had no choice but to take over rowing.

As he accepted the oar, Eungjo smiled inwardly.

‘With this much delay, my subordinates must have had enough time to set up the ambush.’

Everything Eungjo had done up until now—from the duel to damaging the boat—had been to buy time for his subordinates to prepare an ambush downstream.