CRS Chapter 46

1″But I wonder why Young Master Peng and Master Myungjin made such a choice.”

In response to someone’s question, Moyong Soo shook his head and answered.

“They’re just stupid. Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword? What a joke. Do you really believe that guy is on par with the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters?”

“But the rumors are quite specific, aren’t they? Maybe they’re true.”

Recently, the later-stage adepts affiliated with the Dragon-Phoenix Branch had been staying at the Martial Righteous Alliance.

Thanks to this, they would gather every night after training to chat, mostly about the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword.

The one who disliked this situation the most was undoubtedly Moyong Soo.

Having been humiliated by Eunho in front of everyone, how could he not feel resentful?

“What’s certain is that regardless of whether those rumors are true or not, Myungjin and Peng Jeo-ak are stupid. The fame of the Nine Major Sects and Five Great Families isn’t for nothing.”

Being from the Moyong Clan, he particularly emphasized ‘Five Great Families’.

Whenever they gathered, the later-stage adepts would talk about the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword, Peng Jeo-ak, and Myungjin.

They were so anxious that they wanted to deny it.

Watching this from a distance, Namgoong Hyeon and Tang So-so^[1] clicked their tongues.

“Tsk, they should be training harder instead of wasting time like this.”

“Isn’t that the same for you, Young Master Namgoong?”

“Ahem.”

Caught off guard by the sudden jab, Namgoong Hyeon cleared his throat.

“I’m training enough.”

“I think Master Myungjin and Young Master Peng will show something in this competition. That man called the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword will come too, right?”

“You seem to be looking forward to it?”

Tang So-so’s eyes sparkled.

“Of course I’m excited. They say the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword is around our age, right? Ah! Young Master Namgoong, you’ve actually seen him, haven’t you?”

“Well, yes, I have seen him.”

“How is he? Is he really that strong? Is he handsome?”

Namgoong Hyeon recalled Eunho from Elder Namgoong Cheong’s funeral.

“First of all, he is strong. He took down Young Master Peng and two others in one go at that time. As for looks, doesn’t everyone have different standards? In my opinion, I think I’m a bit better-looking.”

“Ah… yes… You’re right, Young Master.”

Indeed, Namgoong Hyeon was also tall and handsome, with the characteristic firmness of a Namgoong family martial artist.

Moyong Soo and the later-stage adepts, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, approached.

“Of course! Our Young Master Namgoong is more handsome! And back then, I just let my guard down. I’m not that easy to defeat!”

Moyong Soo puffed out his chest, displaying his masculinity.

Tang So-so tilted her head.

“I’ve never seen anyone who claims they lost because they let their guard down actually be telling the truth.”

“Ahem, what are you saying! Young Lady Tang, I’ll definitely show you this time!”

“If you say so.”

Moyong Soo, who was usually bold in front of anyone, even Eunho, had a reason for groveling in front of Tang So-so.

If you asked people to choose the top family among the Five Great Families, eight out of ten would mention the Namgoong family.

But if you asked which one was the most feared, all ten would mention the Sichuan Tang family.

Not only did they primarily deal with poisons and hidden weapons that martial artists found uncomfortable, but their personalities were also incredibly vicious.

It’s said that a hundred years ago, they couldn’t even be classified as orthodox, existing in a gray area between righteous and evil sects.

And Tang So-so was literally the precious daughter of the Sichuan Tang family.

Her title was ‘Flower Among Poisons'^[2].

She was proudly listed as one of the Three Flowers of Murim, referring to the three most beautiful female martial artists in the world.

Usually, delicate titles like Sword Flower or White Flower were common, but she was exceptionally skilled with poisons even within the Sichuan Tang family, and was famous for her quick hands, hence the title.

Especially, befitting a daughter of the Sichuan Tang family, her personality was very unique.

She had a favorite type of person.

First were those who could drink poison well, and second were strong men.

Her pretty appearance combined with her unique personality came across as strangely stimulating, so many later-stage adepts harbored romantic feelings for her.

Of course, those who had neither the confidence to drink poison well nor the strength to surpass Tang So-so just kept these feelings in their hearts.

Moyong Soo was one of them.

“Among the women participating in the Dragon Phoenix Contest, Young Lady will undoubtedly be the best.”

“That doesn’t make me feel very good.”

“Huh?”

He had said that trying to impress Tang So-so, so why did she say it wasn’t good?

“Among women? I think I’d be stronger than you, Young Master Moyong, at least?”

“Ahem.”

He wanted to refute, but honestly, he was a bit scared.

With her unpredictable personality and skill with poisons…

Of course, he wouldn’t be poisoned to death just like that, but fear tends to arise even with the slightest possibility.

Watching Moyong Soo avert his eyes, Tang So-so shook her head.

How can a man have so little spirit?

“Ah! I’m so curious about the Bloody Heavens Renewing Sword!”

***

Peng Jeo-ak was staring somewhere with a half-dazed expression.

“Don’t you think she’s prettier than Young Lady Tang?”

“Ahem, I’m a Taoist priest.”

Myungjin cleared his throat as he spoke, but it was futile.

“I saw you staring at Young Lady Hwa-yeon with a dazed expression too, Young Master.”

Peng Jeo-ak pondered seriously.

Had he ever seen such a beautiful woman in his life?

No matter how much he thought about it, he hadn’t.

Maybe Somi in about five years, but right now, it seemed there was no woman comparable.

‘Ah, if there’s one person…’

Where Peng Jeo-ak’s gaze was directed, there was a woman exuding a seductive atmosphere.

It was Su-rin, who was looking at Eunho with a similar gaze to Peng Jeo-ak’s.

She suddenly seemed to feel the gaze and turned her head to look at Peng Jeo-ak.

Peng Jeo-ak flinched.

She was a somewhat scary woman.

Sure enough, her eyes grew fierce and she mouthed something.

‘What… are… you… looking… at…?’

Peng Jeo-ak quietly lowered his eyes.

Ah, how did he end up in this situation?

Regardless, Eunho approached with an indifferent expression.

Hwa-yeon, Myungjin, and Peng Jeo-ak.

Eunho looked at the three and nodded with satisfaction.

They all seemed half-dazed, but now they didn’t just run away from the chasing staff, they even counterattacked with their bare hands.

“All three of you have done well. Now you can hold swords again.”

With a gesture from Eunho, the swords that had been placed aside flew towards them.

After just running away for so long, holding a sword again felt somehow deeply moving.

Suddenly, Myungjin looked at Hwa-yeon and said,

“Ah! Come to think of it, Master Tae-heo said that Young Lady Hwa-yeon could participate in the Dragon Phoenix Contest too. I heard you’ve sought refuge with the Martial Righteous Alliance?”

For a moment, a radiant smile bloomed on Hwa-yeon’s face.

“Really?”

Myungjin felt his mind going blank.

‘I, I’m a Taoist priest! I’m a Taoist priest!’

He repeated this to himself, desperately fighting off his inner demons.

“Oh, if you achieve good results there, it would be quite helpful for running the martial arts hall, right?”

At Eunho’s question, Hwa-yeon nodded vigorously.

“Of course!”

The scale and prestige of the Dragon Phoenix Contest were that great.

If one achieved good results there, it was only natural that people’s attention would be drawn!

“I see… Good. Now it’s time for blocking.”

They still didn’t quite understand what he meant, but they knew from experience.

If they didn’t want to faint like last time, they needed to stay sharp.

Peng Jeo-ak tensed his eyes and assumed a sword stance.

This time, he wouldn’t be caught off guard!

Eunho’s index finger slowly pointed at Peng Jeo-ak.

Peng Jeo-ak swallowed hard as he stared at the tip of Eunho’s finger.

‘I’ll block it!’

The moment he thought this, he felt a tingling sensation on his forehead.

Huh? His body was falling backward.

His eyes were slowly closing too.

Ah, he was fainting again.

Peng Jeo-ak fell backward with a thud.

A wisp of smoke rose from his forehead.

Seeing this, the remaining two gripped their swords even tighter.

“You two, don’t end up like that.”

With those words, a wind blade shot out.

Clang! Clang!

Myungjin and Hwa-yeon barely managed to block it.

From the start, Eunho could see through the realm of these three as if it were transparent, so he only shot wind blades that they could block if they concentrated extremely hard.

“Good. Keep doing that.”

Wind blades kept shooting out.

The two kept their eyes wide open and continued swinging their swords to block them.

Clang-! Clang clang!

They were definitely blocking, but the internal energy contained in the wind blades was so strong that they were pushed back one step at a time.

With each block, their balance wavered.

However, if they lost their balance, they felt they would end up just like Peng Jeo-ak.

Hwa-yeon suddenly felt a chill.

This level of power came just from casually sitting and shooting wind blades.

She couldn’t even imagine the terror Eunho’s opponents must have felt until now.

‘Especially when he subdued Blood Demon…’

Thud!

At that moment, Hwa-yeon collapsed too, and sure enough, a wisp of smoke rose from her forehead.

“Why are you letting your mind wander like that?”

Now only Myungjin was left standing.

“What do you think is the meaning of this training?”

At this sudden question, Myungjin answered as if it were obvious.

“Growth through the process of blocking attacks while maintaining extreme concentration…”

“No, that’s wrong.”

“…?”

Then what was it?

“I’m shooting these just a bit faster than the level you can block when you push your concentration to the limit. What do you think will happen?”

Myungjin glanced at the two who had collapsed.

“That’s right. It’s impossible to block. How could you block an attack that’s beyond your limits? However, if you keep fainting from these attacks, eventually you’ll be able to block them.”

Whoosh!

Eunho’s wind blade shot out.

Thud!

Myungjin collapsed.

“Then I’ll just increase the intensity. Training is really fun.”

Just before losing consciousness, Myungjin could clearly hear one thing.

‘Fun…?’

And so, only after the three had fainted and regained consciousness more than a dozen times did the training finally end.

***

At the time when everyone else had dragged their tired bodies to sleep.

Hwa-yeon sat cross-legged in her room, preparing to circulate her qi.

“It’s close to the full moon, so the yin energy is abundant.”

The bright moonlight seeped in gently through the window.

“Ah, be careful on the full moon. The yin energy is so strong that sometimes monsters might pop out.”

“What? Come on, in this day and age, what monsters?”

Hwa-yeon dismissed it as a joke, but Eunho was serious.

“Well, don’t believe it if you don’t want to.”

Feeling a bit creeped out, Hwa-yeon quickly changed the subject.

“L-let’s start.”

Saying this, she closed her eyes and began circulating her qi.

Eunho intentionally moved the natural energy to infuse yin energy around her.

“Listen while you’re circulating your qi. Pouring a bucket of water into the sea doesn’t make it less salty, right?”

Hwa-yeon visualized the sea in her mind according to Eunho’s words.

Certainly, adding a little water wouldn’t make it less salty.

“But the noodles they sell at that inn over there become bland with just one cup of water. That’s exactly it.”

Hwa-yeon finally understood the intention behind Eunho’s words.

When the balance of yin and yang is perfect and internal energy is full, even if you accumulate yin energy, it will only slightly tip towards yin.

However, if you squeeze out all your internal energy, existing or not, and then fill the empty space with yin energy like today?

In reality, yin energy was rapidly filling up inside Hwa-yeon’s body.

Eunho quietly watched her.

She has more talent than I thought.

Right now, Myungjin might be stronger, but at this rate, she’ll catch up soon.

Probably when she fills up with yin energy and masters the Silver Beautiful Moon Heart Sword Technique, the gap will widen even more.

‘She might even become the Sword Empress in the future.’

While thinking this, he sensed the Shadow Guards Leader’s energy from the ceiling.

“Why aren’t you attacking? I’m completely defenseless right now.”

The area near the ceiling shimmered, and then the Shadow Guards Leader dropped down from there.

“How could I attack when you’re standing guard?”

“Tsk, you’re too soft. Then when do you plan to attack? I thought I told you to do your best?”

“…”

For some reason, the Shadow Guards Leader looked dejected as he disappeared into the air again.

***

“Is everyone ready?”

The four people gathered in front of the Hwiyeong Manor wore determined expressions.

“Now, remember. You three have been trained directly by me, even if it was only for ten days. So what kind of results should you achieve in the Dragon Phoenix Contest?”

“G-good results?”

“Tsk, all of you are so timid.”

When Eunho clicked his tongue and glared at them, the three flinched greatly.

“Your minimum requirement is third place.”

“…?”

“If any of you fall below third place, I’ll put more effort into your training.”

In other words, he was telling them to take first, second, and third place.

As everyone was taking deep breaths.

The air shimmered briefly, and a human figure appeared, instantly pouncing on them.

“I, I did it!”

It was the Shadow Guards Leader.

He was rejoicing, holding a half-torn ornament in one hand.

Except for Eunho, the other three were so shocked they could only blink.

‘So this is the realm of a Transcendent…’

It was truly terrifying.

They couldn’t even see it properly from the start.

They only felt goosebumps from the murderous aura that momentarily enveloped the surroundings.

In fact, the Shadow Guards Leader was a martial artist far too high above the later-stage adepts to handle.

There were few in all of the Central Plains stronger than the Shadow Guards Leader.

However, Eunho was unimpressed.

“What are you doing?”

“I cut it off! Even Young Master Ha lets his guard down sometimes!”

Eunho was dumbfounded.

“I stopped guarding against you after blocking your first strike. I told you to come and cut it anytime, didn’t I?”

“…?”

The Shadow Guards Leader stared blankly at Eunho.

What does this mean?

“That’s your problem. You’re too cautious, even for an ex-assassin. You must have felt that I wasn’t guarding against you at all. Am I wrong?”

The Shadow Guards Leader nodded.

In fact, he had pondered it several times.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like he could cut it if he just jumped out and did it right away.

“But you didn’t trust your own judgment. That’s why it took you a whole ten days from your first strike to this attack. A martial artist should trust their own judgment. Tsk tsk.”

The Shadow Guards Leader felt like he’d been hit on the back of the head.

Huh? It wasn’t just a feeling, something was actually tingling.

Isn’t this…?

“I-I’ll be right back!”

He hurriedly said this and dashed inside.

Watching this, Eunho wore a strange smile.

“He should catch it this time. Well, let’s be on our way.”

Eunho took the lead, and the three bewildered people followed him.