Chapter 354 : Geniuses of the World
Chapter 354: Geniuses of the World
“Wow! Quite a crowd has gathered.”
On the road to Jungeuk Peak, many martial artists were lined up.
They had all gathered to watch the debate and sparring of the Three Supreme Swords, hoping to gain enlightenment no matter what.
Most of them were first-rate masters or higher.
“Ah, isn’t that the young lady of the Jaegal Clan?”
On the way up to Jungeuk Peak, a group spotted Jaegal Yohye and greeted her.
They were masters of the Murim Alliance who recognized her.
Among the many great clans, the Jaegal Clan was the one most actively interacting with sects from other regions.
This was to make up for their lacking martial skills through exchange with other sects.
Because of that dynamic, there was almost no sect in the martial world the Jaegal Clan was unfamiliar with.
“Oh, so you were here. It’s been a long time.”
As the head of the Jaegal Clan’s Information Pavilion, Jaegal Yohye was well known even at a young age.
Those who greeted Jaegal Yohye and Jaegal Yeongcheon were the successors of the Murim Alliance.
They were Myeongok of the Emei Sect, Seoseong of the Qingcheng Sect, Mak Yun of the Kunlun Sect, Go Jin of the Zhongnan Sect, and Muk Yang of the Diancang Sect.
The Murim Alliance had greater influence in the martial world than the Namung Alliance or the Northern Justice Alliance because among the Nine Great Sects, five were members of the Murim Alliance.
These people had encountered Pang Giyok a few times before and recognized him right away.
“Ah, aren’t you Master Pang?”
Those who had just passed their twenties often changed in build and appearance so much that if one hadn’t seen them for a while, they might not recognize them.
Pang Giyok was one such person.
He had inherited the Pang Clan’s strong frame and was growing rapidly.
Then, the successors of the Murim Alliance, noticing Yong Hwarin’s extraordinary presence and his companions, asked Jaegal Yohye.
“Lady Yohye, who are these people? They seem to be traveling with you.”
Indeed, Taoist priests from the Daoist sects rarely ventured into the secular world and thus could not recognize others by appearance alone.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. This here is none other than the Heavenly Sword Hero, Master Yong.”
“Oh!”
“Ah!”
“Ho-oh!”
Exclamations of admiration burst out all at once.
Even if they rarely left their sects, they had heard countless tales of Yong Hwarin, the rising star of the martial world.
“So you are Master Yong?”
The one who approached most actively was Seoseong of the Qingcheng Sect.
The Qingcheng Sect, having more ties to the secular world than most, knew well who Yong Hwarin was at present.
“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you.”
He greeted with clasped hands, and Yong Hwarin nodded.
“I am honored to meet the geniuses of the Murim Alliance as well.”
Among them, Mak Yun of the Kunlun Sect was captivated by Mo Biyoung’s beauty.
“And who is this?”
This time, Yong Hwarin stepped forward to introduce her.
“This is Mo Biyoung. She is the martial instructor of my household.”
“So you are the famous One Flower Among Dragons, Mo Biyoung.”
Mak Yun greeted her warmly.
“Hahaha, Senior Brother Mak Yun seems quite taken with One Flower Among Dragons.”
Regardless of sect, the successors of the Murim Alliance addressed each other using the senior-junior brother titles.
The one teasing Mak Yun was Go Jin of the Zhongnan Sect.
Unlike most Taoists, Go Jin was manly and large-built.
Looking at Jong Seok, Go Jin spoke.
“But why are you associating with a demonic practitioner?”
Sensing Jong Seok’s aura, Go Jin spoke in a scolding tone toward Yong Hwarin’s group.
Go Jin was the most hot-tempered among them and harbored deep hatred toward the Demonic Path, having lost his parents to it as a child.
Yong Hwarin replied with a smile.
“That’s a misunderstanding. My sworn younger brother is not of the Demonic Path.”
“If someone radiates demonic qi like that, who else could they be? Is there any orthodox martial art that emits such evil qi?”
Although the successors of the Murim Alliance were bewildered by Go Jin’s sudden anger, none stepped in to stop him.
“Senior Brother Go Jin, this is someone the Heavenly Sword Hero calls his sworn brother. There’s no way a chivalrous hero like Master Yong would take a demonic practitioner as his sworn brother.”
Muk Yang of the Diancang Sect, calm and composed by nature, tried to dissuade the irate Go Jin.
“Reveal your identity!”
Seeing Go Jin speak as if ready to fight, Yong Hwarin was about to step forward when Unmang of the Wudang Sect, who had followed up late, got ahead of him.
“It’s been a while, Brother Go Jin.”
“What! Reverend Unmang, you’re here as well?”
Seoseong, delighted to see Unmang, was met with Go Jin’s grumbling.
“Reverend, my foot. Just because you’re praised a bit in the martial world doesn’t mean you get to be called reverend.”
“Hahaha, Brother Go Jin, you’re the same as ever.”
After exchanging clasped-hands greetings with the Murim Alliance successors, Unmang said.
“I have traveled here with Benefactor Yong’s group until now. I’ve observed them along the way, and I can assure you that Lord Jong is not a demonic practitioner. He may have learned martial arts of the Demonic Path, but he is not of it.”
“If he’s learned martial arts of the Demonic Path, then he is of the Demonic Path.”
Go Jin still openly showed hostility toward Jong Seok.
As the previously friendly mood turned tense, Yong Hwarin spoke.
“It seems we’ve caused discomfort. We’ll take our leave first.”
When Yong Hwarin indicated he would step back, Go Jin sneered.
“What? Feeling intimidated now that you’ve met strong opponents while pretending to be a bold man with a demonic practitioner by your side?”
The other successors of the Murim Alliance frowned at Go Jin’s excessive behavior.
They knew he was hot-tempered, but to pick a fight even after someone from the same Daoist sect—Unmang—vouched for them, seemed too much.
At that moment, as Yong Hwarin was about to turn away, he released his qi.
In that instant, the successors of the Murim Alliance and Unmang were startled.
It was an aura they could never expect from someone their age.
Unbelievable. Isn’t this similar to the divine might my master occasionally shows? Could it be that he’s at a level comparable to my master?
In truth, the successors of the Murim Alliance had initially looked down on Yong Hwarin despite his growing fame.
Even if they heard of a master emerging from an unheard-of remote sect, they assumed he would be about on par with the third-generation disciples of a great sect.
The successors simultaneously raised their own qi to counter Yong Hwarin’s pressure.
Out of pride as disciples of great sects, they wanted to overwhelm him with their presence.
Yong Hwarin smirked.
The qi released through his Taiji Dantian had already far surpassed the Four Gaps stage.
Not only did he have the Three Gaps worth of internal energy gained from the Demonic Master, but also substantial power accumulated through the four acupoint paths.
As time passed, his aura grew even stronger, and the eyes of the Murim Alliance’s successors widened in shock.
Unbelievable.
The astonishment of Unmang of the Wudang Sect was even greater.
‘This is almost at my master’s level!’
Go Jin couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
His body was already completely suppressed by Yong Hwarin’s aura, and to move would mean bracing for internal injuries.
Yong Hwarin withdrew his aura and spoke.
“My sworn brother is like a real brother to me.
Surely, if your own brothers were insulted, you would naturally react in kind.
I would appreciate it if you could see my actions in that light.”
After speaking, Yong Hwarin fixed his gaze on Go Jin and continued.
“Taoist Go Jin, let me ask you something.
If a man trained in the martial arts of the Orthodox Faction went around committing murders, would you say he was an orthodox man? Or a demonic practitioner?”
“That’s obviously a demonic practitioner who should be beaten to death!”
Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.
“Then, if a man trained in the martial arts of the Demonic Path acted righteously, would you call him a demonic practitioner? Or a chivalrous hero?”
Go Jin replied with a stubborn look in his eyes.
“Even if such a man pretends to be righteous for a time, he will eventually reveal the vicious nature of the Demonic Path.
So he’s still a demonic practitioner.”
“So that’s how you see it, Taoist Go Jin.
I do not think a person’s origin or martial arts alone determine whether they are orthodox or demonic.
I believe it is their actions that decide.
If someone trained in orthodox martial arts commits unrighteous deeds, I will punish them.
If someone trained in demonic arts performs righteous deeds, I, Yong Mo, will gladly bow my head before him.
That is the distinction between the Orthodox and the Demonic that I have learned in the martial world.”
Many martial artists gathered to watch their dispute unconsciously nodded their heads.
In the jianghu, such situations happened all the time.
When disciples of prestigious orthodox sects did wrong, people often had no choice but to let it go.
Opposing them would mean standing against their sect, and that was simply the nature of the martial world.
When Yong Hwarin spoke respectfully, Myeongok of the Emei Sect bowed her head in agreement.
“I have learned much from Benefactor Yong’s words. Thank you.”
Looking at the beautiful nun Myeongok, Yong Hwarin replied.
“Not at all. Think nothing of it.”
Yong Hwarin let his gaze sweep over the young geniuses.
They were well-trained disciples of prestigious orthodox sects.
Most of them seemed to agree with what he said.
However, when Go Jin’s eyes met Yong Hwarin’s, he involuntarily shuddered.
It was a different kind of shudder.
“I challenge Master Yong to a duel.”
Go Jin’s pride was so strong that even his master sighed over it, saying it was unbefitting of a Taoist.
Feeling his pride wounded, Go Jin decided to see Yong Hwarin’s true skill for himself by challenging him.
It was a childish thought—defeat him and regain his pride.
“I think deciding the outcome here with a duel is foolish.
Can we not determine skill through the formation of the Three Supreme Swords?”
This meant deciding skill level based on whether one could pass the formation.
“Even so, passing a formation and crossing swords directly are not the same, are they?”
When Go Jin replied, Yong Hwarin smiled.
“There’s no need to rush.
If you still want to duel after that, I will accept.”
In a situation like this, a duel could not be forced.
No matter how prideful and stubborn Go Jin was, he was still a gifted Taoist trained by the Zhongnan Sect.
He did not act like a mere street thug.
“Fine. We’ll see each other at Jungeuk Peak.”
Go Jin turned and strode toward the summit.
The other young geniuses saluted Yong Hwarin’s group with clasped hands and followed him.
Jaegal Yohye muttered as she watched Go Jin.
“I’ve heard they call Taoist Go Jin of the Zhongnan Sect ‘Mad Dragon’—he must be a troubled man.”
The nickname Mad Dragon Go Jin mocked his temperament as being unbefitting of a Taoist.
“Let’s head up as well.”
When Jaegal Cheongyeong took the lead up the path, Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.
Of the group, Jaegal Cheongyeong had been the quietest along the way.
Yong Hwarin could sense that she had, to some degree, sorted out her feelings toward him.
Jaegal Cheongyeong also realized she could see Yong Hwarin only as a close elder brother and nothing more.
‘Good. If she can set her mind at ease like this and devote herself to martial arts, she will surely become a great master.
The reason the Jaegal Clan sent her here this time must be so she could witness the debate of the Three Supreme Swords and aim to become even greater.
As for Jaegal Yeongcheon and Jaegal Yohye, their goal is to break the formation and let Jaegal Cheongyeong through, since they are skilled in formations.’
In truth, Yong Hwarin’s guess was exactly right.
The Jaegal Clan had placed little hope in their young master, Jaegal Yeongcheon, and instead pinned their hopes on Jaegal Cheongyeong.
If she became a great master and left her insights to the clan, that alone would be meaningful.
Fortunately, Jaegal Yohye no longer flirted with him as she once did.
She too seemed focused on discussing the formation of the Three Supreme Swords, speaking mainly with Jaegal Yeongcheon.
Thanks to that, Yong Hwarin was able to spend most of the journey talking with Mo Biyoung and Jong Seok.
When discussing martial arts theory with Unmang of the Wudang Sect, the two of them could talk endlessly without parting.
The two men, like old friends, had no awkwardness when it came to martial discussion.
Simply listening to their conversation was greatly beneficial for Mo Biyoung and Jong Seok.
As Yong Hwarin’s group climbed ahead, Jaegal Yeongcheon muttered to Jaegal Yohye.
“I heard that Zhenghang of Shaolin and Cheong Mong of the Mount Hua Sect are also coming up to Jungeuk Peak.
If that’s the case, then the geniuses of the Nine Great Sects and the great clans will all be gathered.
That’s where the true ranking will be decided.
I’m so excited to see who will pass the formation and witness the debate of the Three Supreme Swords.”
“Just passing the formation alone doesn’t necessarily mean overwhelming skill, but from what I’ve heard, until now the formation of the Three Supreme Swords has never allowed someone without real ability to pass.
We’ll see the level of the young geniuses there.
We’ll know who the true dragons and phoenixes are.
I just hope Sister Cheongyeong will definitely pass.”
Jaegal Cheongyeong spoke firmly.
“I will pass. So you must help me.”
“That’s why we’re here. Trust us.”
When the end of Jungeuk Peak finally came into view, Jaegal Cheongyeong gripped her sword tightly.
Jaegal Yeongcheon muttered.
“But why do I only see the young geniuses here?
I don’t see any middle-aged masters.”
Although there were a few martial artists who looked to be in their thirties or forties, most were young.
Jaegal Cheongyeong sighed at such a question from Jaegal Yeongcheon.
‘It’s clear Yeongcheon lacks the necessary qualities.
For someone of the Jaegal Clan not to realize something so obvious…’
Jaegal Yohye also looked at her brother in exasperation.
“Brother, if famous masters challenged the formation and failed, their reputation would collapse overnight.
Why would they be foolish enough to risk it?
That’s why only the young geniuses, who lose nothing by failing, are gathered here.”
“Oh, I see.”
Scratching the back of his head, Jaegal Yeongcheon gave a sheepish smile.