Chapter 29

Chapter 29

When the judge called Kang Hosan’s name, he stepped up onto the sparring platform.

“Phew…….”

His tension had already eased long ago. But what was this heavy feeling weighing on his heart?

‘Don’t think. Trust in the Young Master’s words, and in the training you have undergone until now.’

The training with Youngho had been extremely simple and straightforward.

Fundamentals. Among them, how to firmly anchor one’s center. Youngho had emphasized only that.

And in his training with Horyeung, he had learned how to make use of those fundamentals.

After witnessing the completion of that entire process, Youngho had thereafter forced him into sparring at every possible moment.

Since he now knew how to hold his center, he needed to learn how to keep it from wavering.

It had been simple, yet unbearably grueling training. Youngho’s training, Horyeung’s training, and finally the sparring sessions with Youngho.

As he recalled those memories, Kang Hosan suddenly felt confidence surging within him.

‘There can’t be anyone in the world who has received the Young Master’s training like I have!’

His sparring with Youngho had seemed meaningless at first. In the beginning, he endured a single stance. Then three stances. And as it continued, before he knew it, he was enduring one dakyung.

When he managed to endure a quarter-hour, Kang Hosan realized that all his training until now had held meaning.

‘I will not lose.’

As Kang Hosan repeated it to himself as though hypnotizing his own mind, the Seongman standing before him spoke.

“Long time no see?”

“…….”

“Why so quiet? Well, your luck’s been utterly terrible, so I guess you wouldn’t be in a good mood.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re in the Asura Squad, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

More precisely, he was the Fifth Young Master’s escort… but there was no need to say that.

“That’s the problem. I heard the Asura Squad went under the Fifth Young Master? Even if it’s the Alliance Lord’s order, that’s really pitiful. You didn’t train that hard just to serve someone like the Fifth Young Master.”

Seeing Seongman speak as though he truly felt sorry for him, Kang Hosan let out a small, incredulous snort without realizing it.

Someone like the Fifth Young Master? He did not feel anger in particular. He simply found it absurd.

‘Right. This is how others view the Young Master.’

They did not know. They did not know what role the Asura Squad now held, that they were serving a being like an Imoogi on the verge of ascending.

At this point, Youngho’s thorough concealment of himself was almost admirable.

‘No… he didn’t even conceal himself.’

He had merely shut himself inside and focused solely on training. Unaware of those circumstances, Seongman asked with a puzzled expression.

“What? Why are you laughing? Anyway, later on I’ll pull some strings so you can come to the Flying Phoenix Unit too. Just wait a little.”

Seongman was not ill-natured. If anything, he knew how to look after those around him, while thoroughly calculating his own benefit.

There was no particular grudge. But……

“Seongman. Thanks for the offer. But you’d do well to show proper respect to the Young Master.”

“He does seem to have some skill. But he’s still the Fifth Young Master. Compared to the Third Young Master, he’s nothing.”

At those words, Kang Hosan asked with a puzzled expression.

“Weren’t you there when the Third Young Master fainted?”

“The Third Young Master fainted? When?”

It seemed Youngho had told him a small lie.

‘You said you saw it yourself?’

Seongman wore a flustered expression, about to ask something further, but the judge stepped in to block him and spoke.

“We will now begin the sparring match.”

After increasing the distance between Kang Hosan and Seongman, the judge declared,

“Begin!”

The moment the judge’s word fell, Seongman shot toward Kang Hosan like a bolt of lightning.

Youngho also watched the sparring matches of the others besides Kang Hosan.

Cheon Muback, who was still sending opponents flying with a single strike. Zhuge Lianhua, who was doing her utmost despite her weaker martial strength. Unjeong, who bloomed beautiful plum blossoms. He observed the various junior disciples.

‘As expected, their skills are unbelievable.’

It was tremendous. This Dragon–Phoenix Gathering would surely be on the lips of many idle talkers.

‘Hosan, stay strong.’

It was true that he had encountered the Flying Phoenix Unit before. But this was his first time seeing Seongman in person.

Kang Hosan was still young. He possessed boundless potential for growth, and Youngho knew the result of that potential.

And Youngho had merely given a little water and nourishment to a seed that was soon to sprout.

“He’s won.”

Clang!

Kang Hosan’s sword came to rest at Seongman’s throat. The judge determined that the match was decided and declared,

“Kang Hosan wins!”

Kang Hosan stared wide-eyed at his own hand, as though he still could not believe it.

‘Now he will understand.’

That he had grown this strong. And that his opponent had been this weak.

‘He must not grow arrogant, but that lesson can come later…….’

Youngho then checked on the matches of the other Asura Squad members who were also performing well.

Jongpal, who had gained a slight upper hand over his opponent. Sancheong, who was seeking an opening. The Asura Squad members were sparring earnestly as well.

Since it was their first real combat experience, there were many shortcomings, but even considering that, their performance was dazzling.

When Kang Hosan returned, Youngho and Horyeung welcomed him.

“Well done, Hosan. Since it was your first real battle, there were many awkward parts, but we’ll gradually fill those in later.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Hosan, it wasn’t much, was it?”

“I still don’t know.”

“If you don’t know, think about it slowly. For now, look at your younger sister.”

“My sister?”

“Yes. I couldn’t understand why you called Chowon a Sword Ghost, but now I do.”

Seeing the deeply sunken gaze in Kang Chowon’s eyes, Youngho unconsciously grinned.

“She was born with it.”

At the rare sight of Youngho showing excitement, Kang Hosan quickly turned his head to look at his younger sister.

Soon enough, Kang Hosan understood why Youngho had given Kang Chowon such an evaluation.

It was cold. And yet, he did not know why his hands kept sweating.

Namgung Cheon swallowed hard without realizing it as he looked at the girl standing before him.

She was young. Judging by appearance alone, she looked at least three or four years younger than him. That was all.

And yet, that was precisely what made it strange. What was this pressure he felt?

Soon, Namgung Cheon realized it when he met Kang Chowon’s eyes.

‘Those eyes are the problem.’

Intense? Overflowing with fighting spirit? No, that was not it. Rather than intense, they were cold. Rather than brimming with fighting spirit, they were tranquil.

A gaze deeply sunken.

That gaze made Namgung Cheon more tense than ever before.

The terrifying concentration emanating from her eyes naturally drew admiration from within Namgung Cheon’s heart.

Kang Chowon already knew that she was weaker than Namgung Cheon. Thus, the strategy she chose was simply to find an opening.

Even an opening as small as an ant’s tear would suffice. She could widen that gap herself.

Until her opponent moved, she did not move in the slightest. As if Namgung Cheon had perceived her intention, he slowly raised his sword.

In order to determine victory or defeat, someone had to move anyway.

In an instant, Namgung Cheon’s body movement form vanished before Kang Chowon’s eyes.

“……!”

In that fleeting moment, Kang Chowon sharpened her senses like a blade and raised her sword to block Namgung Cheon’s attack.

Clang!

When Namgung Cheon’s sword and Kang Chowon’s sword collided, a tremendous surge of Qi burst forth between them.

Boom—!

She had been struck.

If Namgung Cheon had aimed not at her sword but at her neck, her head would have long since been separated from her body.

‘This opponent is not favorable.’

“Ugh!”

As Namgung Cheon’s heavy greatsword crashed down with such force that her wrist throbbed, Kang Chowon let out a pained groan.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In the sparring match itself, Namgung Cheon was winning. Anyone who watched would have thought, nine times out of ten, that Namgung Cheon would emerge victorious.

With his brutal heavy greatsword, Namgung Cheon thrust in crushing sword strikes too weighty for Kang Chowon to withstand.

Yet Namgung Cheon himself was astonished, for the situation differed from his expectations.

‘How can a child like this withstand my sword……?’

Even those seven years older than her had failed to endure it. So how could such a small child withstand his blade?

Even in this overwhelming situation, Kang Chowon did not lose her fighting spirit. No—rather, as she felt herself growing, she raised her fighting spirit even higher.

She deflected. Like a cool breeze brushing past the body, like the flowing sword of Mount Songshan of Shaolin, her blade—centered on the flexible sword—kept redirecting Namgung Cheon’s sword.

From Kang Chowon’s eyes emanated a chilling aura befitting a swordsman—no, one could even call them the eyes of the Sword Ghost.

The Sword Ghost who had gone mad for the sword and devoted everything to it.

A situation where the slightest mistake could claim her life.

A situation where, if she erred, her body could be cleaved in two.

Even so, Kang Chowon merely diverted and deflected the blade.

She wielded moves akin to gambling as naturally as breathing, unaware of how those watching clenched their hearts at the sight.

In that moment, white Sword Qi gathered upon Namgung Cheon’s blade. Seeing it, Kang Chowon’s eyes sank into unfathomable depths.

She could not block it. Her intuition, instinct, and reason all told her the same.

Namgung Cheon briefly waited for Kang Chowon’s judgment, hoping she would not act recklessly.

At last, Kang Chowon sheathed her sword and said,

“I have lost.”

“Victory to Namgung Cheon!”

At the referee’s declaration, cheers erupted from the stands. They celebrated Namgung Cheon’s victory, yet also held respect for Kang Chowon, who had displayed such a high-level duel.

“Amazing!”

“With such a small frame, to withstand the sword of the Namgung Clan to that extent!”

“Exactly!”

Kang Chowon blankly gazed at the audience for a moment before breaking into a smile.

It was a smile of joy at receiving people’s recognition. So delighted that she even forgot, for a brief moment, to show courtesy to Namgung Cheon, she hurriedly clasped her fists toward him.

“I have learned well.”

“I have learned well.”

With those words, Kang Chowon stepped down from the sparring stage.

Step. Step.

As she walked back, Kang Hosan greeted her first. Then Horyeung. And after them, the Asura Squad Members who cherished her ruffled her hair.

Even as her hair became disheveled, there was no sign of her smile fading.

Soon, Kang Chowon came to stand beside Youngho. Without taking his eyes off the other sparring matches, Youngho spoke.

“How was it? Your first real match?”

“I was nervous. The tip of my sword wouldn’t move the way I wanted.”

If those who had watched the sparring heard that, they would be dumbfounded. Yet as if he too had sensed Kang Chowon’s shortcomings, Youngho nodded and said,

“There were certainly many lacking points. But that’s not all I’m asking.”

“Yes? Then……?”

“Right… Rather than your first real match, shall I ask how your first battle felt?”

At those words, Kang Chowon stared blankly at Youngho for a moment before lowering her gaze and replying,

“My heart pounded. I was excited.”

“Yes. Even while your heart pounded and you were excited, you maintained the cold heart of a swordsman. I acknowledge it. You are a true swordsman, different from the rabble.”

“I still have a long way to go.”

“Of course. You can’t even freely control Sword Qi yet.”

“…Did you have to put it like that? I’ve only trained for a year and a half, you know?”

“That’s exactly why you still have far to go.”

“Tch…….”

“Still, you did well. The reason we train is to avoid making mistakes in real combat. You were excellent, Kang Chowon.”

At Youngho’s praise, Kang Chowon beamed brightly.

Without even looking at her smile, Youngho merely gazed at the sparring stage with deeply sunken eyes.