Chapter 67 : Hidden Dragons. -04
Chapter 67: Hidden Dragons. -04
Sang Il-gi hurled his fist toward the sword sea that did not leave even the slightest space to evade.
Just because it could not be avoided did not mean there was absolutely no method.
If there was no space, then he would make one.
As if proving that, the fist force that erupted from Sang Il-gi’s punch slammed directly into Ban Hojin’s sword sea.
Kkeugeugeuk!
However, Ban Hojin’s sword sea was solid.
As if declaring that this level of power was not enough to break it, it endured Sang Il-gi’s fist force.
“Heup!”
At that sight, Sang Il-gi raised his internal power another level.
If he could not sweep away the sword sea, he could do nothing, so he once again chose a head-on clash.
Wung—wung—wung—
Yet, contrary to him drawing out even more power, Sang Il-gi’s fist force gradually grew smaller.
To break apart Ban Hojin’s sword sea that covered all directions, it should have been of comparable size, but instead Sang Il-gi’s fist force only continued to shrink.
However, the aura it emitted was different.
“It’s a Ganghwan!”
“More precisely, it should be called a Gwonhwan.”
At the appearance of a Ganghwan—the symbol of a Supreme Master and something only a martial artist standing on the threshold of the Transcendent Realm could complete—the eyes of everyone watching the sparring widened like oil lamps.
The sword sea was impressive, but when it came to sheer destructive power, it could not compare to a Ganghwan.
As if proving that fact, Sang Il-gi’s fist ring shook the sword sea with a single strike.
Kkwa-gwa-gwang!
With a thunderous explosion from the terrifying collision of energies, the ground itself trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
But the sparring was not over yet.
When Sang Il-gi deployed a fist ring, Ban Hojin, as if refusing to be outdone, also raised a sword ring.
At that, everyone gaped in astonishment.
Kkwaa-ang!
Even so, this was only the beginning.
Sang Il-gi generated another fist ring.
As if saying that with two hands came two fist rings, Sang Il-gi created one more and sent it flying straight toward Ban Hojin.
Yet Sang Il-gi’s expression was somewhat strange.
‘This doesn’t feel like the end.’
While controlling the two fist rings, Sang Il-gi narrowed his brow.
Others were shocked by the fact that Ban Hojin had formed a sword ring, but he was different.
Judging by the realm he saw in Ban Hojin, forming a sword ring was more than possible.
What truly startled Sang Il-gi was how exceedingly relaxed Ban Hojin looked right now.
‘He’s not barely maintaining it. Which means…….’
Without realizing it, Sang Il-gi swallowed dryly.
There was only one realm beyond the Supreme Master level.
But that realm could not be reached simply because one wished to.
It was a realm only the chosen could ascend to, and thus only a handful across the world had ever set foot in it.
Yet Sang Il-gi felt that Ban Hojin might have reached that realm.
Otherwise, there was no way he could handle a Ganghwan so effortlessly as he was now.
“It seems you have many thoughts.”
“I can’t help it. Watching Young Hero Ban makes certain things keep coming to mind. Along with that, a proverb of Jianghu also surfaced.”
“And what would that be?”
Because Sang Il-gi was unable to focus on the sparring, Ban Hojin lowered his sword.
Continuing the sparring no longer seemed meaningful.
At once, the sword ring that had been shining brilliantly dispersed like mist.
“Hide three-tenths of your strength.”
“There is indeed a saying about never revealing your full power at any moment. After all, ultimate life-saving techniques don’t exist for nothing.”
“Perhaps because of that, one thought keeps surfacing in my mind. What’s surprising is that it feels less like a hypothesis and more like a conviction.”
“Is that so.”
Facing Sang Il-gi’s sharp gaze, Ban Hojin neither affirmed nor denied it.
He merely smiled enigmatically.
Yet that alone gave Sang Il-gi his answer.
He understood the source of that confidence.
“Let’s end the sparring here. If we continue, the shock to the disciples may be too great.”
“I agree on that point. Moderation is best, after all.”
“Indeed. Excessive shock makes one give up everything.”
“Though there are exceptions, they are rare.”
Exchanging words that resembled Zen riddles, Ban Hojin sheathed his sword.
However, the sparring was not truly over.
Sparring did not necessarily require direct physical movement, so Ban Hojin walked alongside Sang Il-gi, engaging him in various conversations.
Kka-ang! Klang!
Even though Ban Hojin and Sang Il-gi’s sparring had ended, metallic sounds continued to ring through the clearing.
Once the two stepped back, Sunwoo Bang, Seo Jo-woon, Murong Cheok, and Jeong I-ryong took turns sparring instead.
Whether the earlier match had properly ignited a fire in their chests, the sparring among the four was ferocious beyond measure.
As if facing life-and-death enemies, the momentum pouring out of them was razor-sharp.
“As expected, is it still too much?”
Sang Il-gi had gone out hunting to prepare a meal, leaving Ban Hojin as the only one without a partner in the clearing.
Still, he was not bored.
Simply watching the four spar was entertaining enough.
In particular, Ban Hojin stroked his chin as he watched Jeong I-ryong and Sunwoo Bang’s bout.
“They’ve grown a lot.”
Although he was being pushed back by Jeong I-ryong, who was a year younger, Ban Hojin still nodded.
Compared to when he had first met them at Shaolin, the improvement was truly tremendous.
And despite his young age, Jeong I-ryong was also a possessor of astounding talent.
On top of that, he had inherited Bangcheon Gate’s martial studies, so it was only natural that Jeong I-ryong was strong.
Rather, it was Sunwoo Bang holding his ground that was surprising.
Originally, Sunwoo Bang should have bloomed later, but because he had broken out of his shell earlier, Ban Hojin had achieved his initial purpose in coming to Bangcheon Gate.
“I just hope that twisting the past helps change the future.”
Moreover, Seo Jo-woon, who had died during the war, was alive now, and Murong Cheok—who in the previous life had only come to his senses after his family’s annihilation—had awakened far earlier this time.
For that reason, Ban Hojin held quiet expectations.
Perhaps the future itself could change.
He could not stop the war with the Four Tyrants of the World, but he wanted to change the outcome.
“Cha-hap!”
“Yap!”
While Ban Hojin was thinking about the distant future, the four continued their fierce sparring as if determined to settle matters to the death.
They kept switching opponents.
Even as their stamina and internal power waned, the four continued their practice matches regardless.
But everyone still had the absurd realm Ban Hojin had shown etched firmly in their minds.
“That’s enough. If you keep going, you’ll ruin your bodies.”
Ban Hojin, who had been lost in thought with his hands clasped behind his back, spoke in a leisurely tone.
Even while thinking about something else, Ban Hojin had been checking the physical condition of the four in real time.
It was because he knew well that excessive zeal led to injury.
And since today was not the only day they had, Ban Hojin stopped the four.
“Huk! Huuuk!”
“I can still go!”
“That’s right!”
“You know that if you get hurt like that, you’re the only one who loses, right?”
However, the four seemed to think differently.
Still, at Ban Hojin’s following words, Sunwoo Bang, Seo Jo-woon, and Murong Cheok lowered their swords.
Since it was Ban Hojin saying this much, it did not seem right to push further.
In truth, all three of them were in a state of extreme exhaustion.
“Shall we do more after dinner?”
“There’s no rule that the time has to be right now.”
“It seems I timed it well.”
“Master!”
Just as the conversation was settling down, Sang Il-gi’s voice came from the forest.
He was carrying a massive stag on his back.
And the size of the limp deer was astonishing.
Not only was its body as large as a full-grown man, but its antlers were enormous as well.
“With honored guests visiting, it didn’t seem proper to serve only meat. If you simmer antlers together with various medicinal herbs, it becomes quite a fine medicinal tea.”
As everyone’s gaze turned to the antlers, Sang Il-gi said with a faint smile.
Having deep knowledge of tea culture, Sang Il-gi was confident.
He had actually seen its effects before.
“Just hearing about it sounds good for the body.”
“Please don’t expect too much.”
“Hahaha.”
At Sang Il-gi’s banter, Ban Hojin laughed, as did Sunwoo Bang and Murong Cheok.
Only Seo Jo-woon did not smile.
Having taken medicine his entire life, he made a face of pure revulsion unlike the others.
“Ugh!”
“Even if you don’t like it, there’s sincerity in it, so you should drink it. Antlers of that quality aren’t easy to obtain.”
“Yeees.”
“There’s nothing bad about eating things that are good for the body. Especially antlers—they’re good for men. It won’t hurt to eat them for your future self either. Didn’t you say you’d take three wives and four concubines later?”
“As expected, nothing in this world is easy.”
Seo Jo-woon let his shoulders sag.
Still, he did not refute Ban Hojin’s words.
No matter what anyone said, a strong man was better than a weak one.
Whether it was day or night made no difference.
“If things were as easy as words, I wouldn’t be wandering all over the Central Plains like this.”
“Yes?”
“There are things like that.”
Ban Hojin wore a bitter expression.
If one were to count dissatisfaction with the world, he would likely rank among the highest.
Of course, he was endlessly grateful for being given another life, but from another perspective, it was little different from opening a road of hardship.
Lately, such thoughts surfaced from time to time, and Ban Hojin let out a sigh with a complicated expression.
“If you have anything troubling you, please tell me. I may not be of great help, but it’s better than suffering alone, isn’t it?”
“Ahem! I’m here too.”
“I’m good at listening as well.”
As if they had overheard, Sunwoo Bang and Murong Cheok quietly joined the conversation.
And though they said nothing, Sang Il-gi and Jeong I-ryong also wore curious expressions.
“You just need to keep growing rapidly like you are now. That’s how you help me.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll understand when the time comes. Now then, shall we butcher it? From now on, we’ll need to work diligently—drain the blood and skin it. If we do that, it seems we can eat grilled venison before night falls.”
“With so many hands, it’ll be done quickly. Hehehe.”
Although Sang Il-gi knew Ban Hojin was deliberately changing the subject, he pretended not to notice and let it pass.
He thought there was no need to pry into things someone did not want to talk about.
After all, they had only met today.
Since everyone had secrets they did not wish to share, Sang Il-gi deftly slit the throat wide to drain the blood first.
“We’ll go gather wood to use as firewood.”
“Alright.”
Perhaps because they were the same age, Murong Cheok—who had quickly grown close to Jeong I-ryong after their sparring—moved together with him.
After that, Seo Jo-woon went to the valley to fetch water, while Ban Hojin and Sunwoo Bang began the butchering work.
Since Sang Il-gi had gone to fetch various seasonings and medicinal herbs for cooking the venison, preparing the deer naturally fell to the two of them.
After a dinner that satisfied everyone, deep darkness settled over the mountain.
Yet light was still spilling from Sang Il-gi’s room.
“Sit.”
“Yes.”
Late at night, when everyone had gone to bed, Sang Il-gi called for Jeong I-ryong.
He felt it was best to speak immediately once he had made up his mind.
And since Jeong I-ryong had sparred with the guests, it seemed unlikely he would fall asleep right away.
Just as expected, traces of the sparring still lingered heavily on Jeong I-ryong’s face.
“It seems you enjoyed today.”
“To be honest, yes. But it was never because of loneliness. I also cherished the times I spent with you, Master.”
Jeong I-ryong said calmly, his face flushed.
But Sang Il-gi knew.
No—he could not not know.
He too had been young once, and like Jeong I-ryong, he had spent time devoted solely to training with his master in a remote place.
“You’re already nineteen, aren’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
“Descend the mountain first.”
“…Yes?”