Chapter 89
‘Finally…’
‘It’s over…’
‘…’
Only after seeing the fallen Gwang-won and the Shaolin personnel who were carrying him and running to the medical hall, could the spectators below the duel stage let out a deep sigh.
It was truly a breathtaking decisive battle.
From the beginning to the end, it was a head-on clash.
It was a battle of strength versus strength, and a duel where every single blow was a secret technique.
Although they were martial artists who had watched numerous duels, it was the first time they had seen such a heart-pounding bloody battle.
In that moment.
With an unreadable expression, the Great Master Gwang-yeong stepped onto the duel stage.
Then he brought his gaze to the calmly standing So-ah.
‘He’s not intoxicated with the feeling of victory… nor is he happy. Does that mean that even Gwang-won couldn’t make Young Master Jin nervous!’
A bitter thought came to mind.
Through today’s duel, Gwang-won had showcased a splendid martial prowess that contained the history and spirit of Shaolin.
Because he had realized the secrets of the Muscle-Tendon Change and Marrow Cleansing, and had unfolded the three great secret arts of Shaolin in succession, and his fighting spirit and perseverance were unique.
But even after winning the duel with such a Gwang-won, So-ah was just detached.
Like a person who felt no emotion at all.
In the midst of this, the Great Master Gwang-yeong fulfilled his role.
“Comrades of the Orthodox Path. As you can see, the duel between Young Master Jin and the Great Master Gwang-won has ended with Young Master Jin’s victory. I hope you will all give a warm encouragement to Young Master Jin of the great Moyong Family. Amitabha…”
With his words, the Great Master Gwang-yeong performed a half-bow and slowly bowed his head towards So-ah.
‘Ah…!’
So-ah could not help but be surprised.
The reason Shaolin had put Gwang-won forward and requested a duel was, first, a debut for Shaolin, which had been in seclusion, and second, he had thought it was a judgment to flatten the nose of himself, who was receiving the most attention in the current Orthodox Path.
Of course, that guess would be correct.
But nevertheless, the Great Master Gwang-yeong’s actions were politely courteous.
Not only the clean victory, but also the attitude of the Great Master Gwang-yeong, who mentioned the great Moyong Family and bowed his head to the young himself despite having the seniority of the Gwang generation, caused a ripple in So-ah’s heart.
‘Now I know why Shaolin is called the great mountain of the Orthodox Martial Path. It’s not because he’s cunning, nor because he has other calculations in his head. It’s a politeness that is deeply ingrained in his body.’
Therefore, So-ah also bowed his head to him and returned the favor with a cupped fist salute.
Just then.
—Waaaaaaaaah!
—It was a truly amazing duel!
—It was the best fight of my life.
—Young Master Jin! You are no longer a rising star. Who would call a supreme master like you a rising star?!
—That’s right. The title of one of the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path suits Young Master Jin better than a rising star!
—The appearance of a new Ten Great Master of the Orthodox Path!
Emotion and joy.
The thrill of the climax.
Only then did So-ah look at the spectators below the duel stage and feel goosebumps all over his body.
The Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path!
The figures who were given that brilliant title were all people who had become legends of the Jianghu.
1st—The God of War of the Moyong Family, Moyong Cheon
2nd—The Sword God of the Jongnam Sect, Master Yong-gak.
3rd—The Great Master Gong-seung of Shaolin.
4th—The Plum Blossom Sword of the Huashan Sect, Ye Jong-do.
5th—The Martial Alliance Leader, Ha Won-sang.
6th—The Dragon Head of the Beggars’ Sect, Hong In-geol.
7th—The Sword Empress of the Emei Sect, Hong-ryeon.
8th—The True Man of Wudang, Jong-ryeo, Jang Ha.
9th—The Head Instructor of the White Martial Academy, Namgung Won.
10th—The head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Tang Mun-cheol.
A list of the ten strongest of the Orthodox Path that made one’s heart pound just by their names.
The current roar of the spectators was suggesting the appearance of a new Ten Great Master of the Orthodox Path.
“Of course! Since the esteemed God of War has passed away, the name of his top disciple, Young Master Jin, should be on that list.”
“For a master and a disciple to be listed in the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path in succession. That’s really cool.”
‘I’m one of the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path…’
Although So-ah didn’t care about empty formalities and fame, at this moment, even he could not help but tremble.
Certainly, filling his deceased grandfather’s place with his own name came to So-ah with a special meaning.
Also, regardless of the Unorthodox or Orthodox Path, the status of the Ten Great Masters was not something that someone with authority decided, but a title that was naturally born through the mouths of the martial artists, so after today, So-ah would surely be called one of the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path before long.
‘Grandpa…’
A strange feeling, not of joy or accomplishment, soaked So-ah’s heart.
Just then.
“So-ah!”
“Senior Brother!”
“So-ah!”
The family members of the Moyong family with smiling faces, and.
“As expected, he’s a hell instructor.”
“How on earth is his internal energy made that he can spew out gang qi all day long?!”
“Brother Jin! You’re the best!!”
The former students of the Human Division, who were speechless but giving a thumbs up and rushing to the duel stage.
The figures of his friends filled So-ah’s sight.
Finally.
“Hooray!”
“Uh… uh uh?”
“Hooray!”
“Stop it, stop it!”
“Hooray!”
With three cheers, they grabbed So-ah’s body and began to toss him into the air.
“Kekeke! As expected, I knew our So-ah would do it.”
“Hohohot. So-ah has really become strong enough to be called one of the Ten Great Masters now.”
“That’s right. Hoho.”
The Dragon Head of the Beggars’ Sect, Hong In-geol, the Sword Empress, Hong-ryeon, and the Martial Alliance Leader, Ha Won-sang, also looked at So-ah and burst into a hearty laugh.
To everyone who had a connection with So-ah.
And to So-ah himself.
Also, to the God of War, who had now become a deceased person.
It was a day that could not be anything but joyful and pleasant.
It was a night with a particularly beautiful moonlight.
***
The heat of the duel subsided…
The guests soon moved to the banquet hall that the Shaolin side had prepared by emptying the entire guest hall, and began to unwind.
Stories related to the duel were still pouring out of their mouths.
Would it only be today?
It was clear that the entire Jianghu would be abuzz with stories about the duel between So-ah and Gwang-won for a while.
But So-ah, before going to the banquet hall, first headed to the medical hall.
As an instructor who had prepared medicinal water for the students and had performed acupressure and moxibustion on them for a long time, he wanted to check on Gwang-won’s injuries.
A little later…
Creak—
When he opened the door of the medical hall, as expected, the high monks of Shaolin were looking at the fallen Gwang-won on the bed with worried eyes.
In particular, the Great Master Gong-seung and the Great Master Gwang-yeong were personally treating Gwang-won’s injuries with acupuncture and moxibustion.
“Um… how is Monk Gwang-won?”
“Fortunately, there is no damage to his heart meridian. However, he has overused his internal energy, and a considerable part of his body’s bones are fractured, so it will be difficult for him to stand on his own feet for a while.”
It was the Great Master Gong-seung who answered So-ah’s question.
In his eyes, which were buried in the deep traces of time, was a compassion and pity for his disciple.
“I know that Shaolin’s medical skills are the best. But I can prepare a medicinal water that has an excellent effect on fractures and external injuries. So I thought it might be helpful.”
As So-ah spoke softly, a few of the high monks frowned slightly.
It was only natural.
Shaolin’s medical skills were renowned throughout the world.
Was it just medical skills?
Shaolin was a place that was also proficient in pharmacology and had a deep knowledge of internal and external alchemy.
So wasn’t So-ah’s statement like teaching a fish to swim?
But.
“By any chance, did you learn that medicinal water preparation method from the great hero Moyong?”
The Great Master Gong-seung asked.
So-ah nodded.
“Yes. My late grandfather taught me.”
“The God of War’s medicinal water is arguably the best for healing the injured parts of the human body. In my youth, I also could not avoid a serious injury after a duel with the great hero Moyong, but I was completely cured after soaking my body in that medicinal water for three days.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll write down the prescription, so could you get the medicinal herbs?”
At that, the Great Master Gong-seung nodded and whispered to his disciples.
At that, a middle-aged monk brought a piece of paper and a brush and handed them to So-ah.
“I ask of you, Young Master Jin.”
“Yes, yes.”
So-ah wrote down the list of medicinal herbs that were the ingredients of the medicinal water in detail on the paper and handed it to the monk, and the monk who received it soon left the sickroom with the other monks.
In that way, only three people, Gwang-won on the bed, the Great Master Gong-seung, and So-ah, were left in the room.
After a moment of silence, the Great Master Gong-seung opened his mouth.
“Looking at the duel between Donor Jin and my disciple, I was reminded of a past event.”
Although it was somewhat abrupt, So-ah was curious and asked.
“What event are you talking about?”
“It was the duel between the God of War and this humble monk.”
“Ah…”
“Funnily enough, the duel between the God of War and this humble monk at that time also had a similar aspect to today’s. But there was definitely a difference. Do you know what that is?”
So-ah shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
“It was the difference in class.”
“…The difference in class.”
“At that time, I prided myself on being the number one in the world. I had rediscovered the Nine Yin True Classic, which had been lost in practice, and had mastered it, so I was full of confidence. But through the duel with the God of War, I finally realized. How insignificant I was. The God of War was just that, a God of War. He was truly a god of fighting. I, who had a higher realm and a more profound internal energy than him, could not withstand even thirty moves of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts and had to kneel.”
It was an honest and frank confession.
Because it was not an easy thing to confess the shameful memories of the past.
But the Great Master Gong-seung did not consider it shameful.
Because Moyong Cheon was a fighter beyond the heavens.
“Also, through that match, I was able to reach one conclusion. That is, that I could never surpass the God of War until I died… At that time, my age was also a factor, and I had finished all my personal growth. It was a difficult frustration to accept.”
“Great Master Gong-seung…”
“But Gwang-won is different. Gwang-won is not only young, but he is a child with infinite growth potential. In other words, today’s defeat does not mean that it will result in an eternal defeat. What do you think, Donor Jin?”
Although it seemed like a belligerent question, the Great Master Gong-seung’s voice and expression were so calm that So-ah did not feel that way at all.
Was it because of that?
So-ah smiled faintly.
“Haha. You are right. Monk Gwang-won has room for growth, and he was actually on par with me. In terms of the depth of his internal energy, he even surpassed me. But a match is not decided by the superiority or inferiority of martial arts alone.”
“Not decided by the superiority or inferiority of martial arts alone?”
“Yes. A match is a combination of the luck of the day, the state of one’s mind and body on that day, tens of thousands of variables, the compatibility of each other’s martial arts, stamina, insight, and perseverance. It is a combination of so many external factors.”
At that, a look of surprise appeared in the Great Master Gong-seung’s eyes.
“That’s an interesting story. Is that your own thought?”
“It was my grandfather’s philosophy.”
“Hoho… hoho. So that’s what it was. In the first place, the great hero Moyong’s perspective on martial arts was different from the start.”
At the low murmur filled with regret, So-ah did not know what to do and just silently looked at the Great Master Gong-seung’s face.
Just then, the Great Master Gong-seung’s words came out again.
“Donor Jin. I have one request, but would you be able to grant it?”
“What is it?”
“In the future… in the very distant future. If Gwang-won can pride himself on another growth.”
“…”
“Could you gauge Gwang-won’s achievement once again?”
“Of course. I don’t avoid a fight that comes to me.”
“Hoho.”
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes. Go ahead. All the people of the Orthodox Path will be waiting for you.”
So-ah, who had performed a polite cupped fist salute, soon left the sickroom.
Watching So-ah’s disappearing back, the Great Master Gong-seung had a small thought.
‘Perhaps the gap between Young Master Jin and Gwang-won. It may be something that can never be closed. Amitabha…’
(End of Chapter)