I was completely caught off guard.
What the hell was this supposed to mean?
Why was the Alliance Leader recommending me?
I forced my expression under control and looked at Young Lady Seohyang.
But her eyes had gone wide as well, as though she hadn’t seen this coming either.
My parents looked shocked, and so did the rest of my party.
Haa. First, I needed to sound out the Alliance Leader and figure out what he was thinking.
I rose from my seat, cupped one fist in the other, and bowed respectfully.
“First, allow me to thank you for recommending me, Alliance Leader. However, I am a merchant. I came here to conduct business. Surely everyone has a place where they belong, don’t they?”
I continued.
“I am hardly suited to a friendly martial contest, so I ask that you please withdraw your recommendation.”
Murmuring voices drifted over from nearby.
“Hmph. At least he knows his place.”
“Exactly. This isn’t somewhere a merchant should be sticking his nose in.”
“But if the Alliance Leader himself recommended him…”
“What could the Alliance Leader possibly be thinking?”
I fought down the irritation rising inside me as I listened to their whispers.
Excuse me, but I can hear every word you’re saying.
What was that? I know my place? A merchant doesn’t belong here?
Brother Jin-ho was scheduled to participate in this Murim Grand Assembly as well. If they were willing to say such things now, that meant they would hurl the same insults at him once he stepped onto the stage.
Who said that?
I made sure to remember their faces.
The Alliance Leader calmly addressed me.
“You inherited the ultimate technique of the Extreme Heaven Sword, a hero of the martial world from two hundred years ago. Shouldn’t you show that sword art to the world and prove that the Extreme Heaven Sword’s legacy has not died out?”
“…”
“It may also serve as a warning to the forces seeking to throw the martial world into chaos.”
“…”
Forces seeking to throw the martial world into chaos…
His argument was perfectly reasonable, and it was exactly the sort of thing the Alliance Leader was expected to say.
The fact that he was pushing this hard also meant he was determined to have me participate.
He wouldn’t accept a polite display of humility as a genuine refusal.
If I handled this poorly, the consequences might even reach Master.
That would be a problem.
Nothing about Snow Wind Palace could be exposed yet.
How was I supposed to change the Alliance Leader’s mind…?
Since Brother Jin-ho was also participating, should I claim that my parents would worry about two people from the same family competing at once?
No, that wouldn’t work.
To martial artists, that wasn’t a cause for concern. It was something to boast about.
Just then, the Alliance Leader spoke again.
“Ah, I nearly forgot to mention this. Anyone who advances to the main tournament in this friendly martial competition will receive prize money and a treasured sword.”
Wait, what?
“Although you entered through my recommendation, it is effectively the same as advancing to the main tournament. You will receive the prize money and treasured sword as well.”
– Kui!
Judging by Geumryeong’s reaction, that treasured sword had to be worth a fortune.
“Therefore, I trust you will not do anything that would make me regret my recommendation.”
“How could I possibly refuse your recommendation, Alliance Leader? And as you said, if showing the world our predecessor’s sword art can serve as a warning to those who seek to throw the martial world into chaos, then it is only right that I do so.”
Prize money and gifts were serious business.
A martial contest?
I could simply exchange a few light blows with someone and then bow out.
“Thank you for accepting my recommendation. That is all.”
With that, the Alliance Leader concluded his congratulatory address and returned to his seat.
Commander Geum Yeon-hwa stepped forward once more and continued the proceedings.
“Then we will now begin constructing the tournament bracket.”
At her words, the assistants emerged carrying large jars, and the senior figures reached inside to draw tokens.
“It seems I’ve drawn the marked token.”
The person who spoke as he rose from his seat was Sect Leader Jin Seon of Wudang Sect.
He held a wooden token with one end painted red.
I see the elder I met before is with him as well.
I wonder who Wudang Sect will send into the competition.
Sect Leader Jin Seon stepped onto the stage and began drawing wooden nameplates from the box before him, placing each one at random on the tournament bracket.
Everyone watched him with bated breath.
The draw was that important. People often said that in a competition like this, bracket luck was half the battle.
Clack, clack–clack, clack, clack.
Dozens of wooden nameplates were hung on the bracket one after another.
There were sixty-two competitors in all.
That was more than I expected.
The Heaven (天) Group had thirty-two competitors, while the Earth (地) Group had thirty.
After everyone fought once, sixteen competitors from the Heaven Group would advance to the main tournament, while only fifteen from the Earth Group would advance.
That left one open slot, which would be filled by the person recommended by the Alliance Leader.
The recommendation also served to prevent the empty slot in the bracket from becoming a bye.
Sixteen competitors from each group, thirty-two in total, would enter the main tournament.
That was where the martial competition truly began.
The competitors would continue fighting within their respective groups until only one remained on each side, and those two would then face each other to determine the final champion.
It would have been far more thrilling and entertaining if I weren’t participating…
“Haa…”
When I let out a sigh, Palgap spoke beside me.
“Young Master, what’s done is done, sir.”
“I know.”
I answered him while looking toward the stage.
Clack.
At last, the final wooden nameplate was placed on the bracket, completing the draw.
Sect Leader Jin Seon of Wudang Sect cupped his hands toward the crowd.
“May fortune favor each of you in battle.”
He then returned to his original seat, and Commander Geum Yeon-hwa stepped forward once more.
“We will now begin the first match. Please reveal the names in the first pairing of the Heaven Group.”
At her command, an assistant removed the wooden covers concealing the names on the two nameplates.
The revealed names belonged to a scion of the Namgoong Clan and a disciple from a small sect.
“Namgoong On of the Namgoong Clan! His opponent is Dae-nok, a disciple of Yeongyeol Sect!”
At Commander Geum Yeon-hwa’s announcement, the two fighters climbed onto the stage.
The man named Namgoong On looked quite young.
Late twenties, perhaps?
But he had already reached the Peak Realm. As expected of the Namgoong Clan.
He had grown powerful at a young age thanks to his clan’s high-level martial arts, countless Elixirs, and exceptional teachers.
However, martial artists who became strong by relying on such advantages tended to have several weaknesses.
When they attempted to reach the Profound Realm or advance beyond it, they often encountered a far higher wall than those who had climbed slowly, steadily, and by the proper path.
Master had told me that from the Profound Realm onward, it became increasingly difficult to bring one’s physical body and enlightenment into harmony.
Building a body capable of withstanding Profound internal power was already difficult, but attaining the necessary enlightenment was even harder.
And there was another problem.
Those who grew strong by relying on their clan’s power often had terrible personalities.
After being pampered and showered with special treatment from childhood, they tended to become arrogant, lacking both empathy and consideration for others.
Namgoong On appeared to be exactly that sort of person.
Seven markers had been attached to each fighter’s body, and they faced one another across the stage.
“I have no idea what hole the Yeongyeol Sect crawled out of, but I almost feel sorry for you. You came all this way only to turn around and return to your sect as soon as you arrived.”
“Won’t we have to cross swords before we know how this will end?”
“Some things don’t need to be tested to be known. The difference between your level and mine, for instance.”
Just as Namgoong On claimed, Dae-nok was only a First-rate martial artist.
There were no restrictions on who could participate in the friendly martial competition at the Murim Grand Assembly, which was why even First-rate martial artists like him could enter.
Since martial artists below the Peak Realm often entered only to suffer crippling injuries or even die, it had become customary for competitors to be at least Peak martial artists.
But custom was only custom.
Officially, there were still no restrictions on participation whatsoever.
BOOM–!
The drum sounded, signaling the beginning of their match.
Namgoong On didn’t even bother taking a proper opening stance. He merely stood there with a mocking smile plastered across his face.
“Haaaah!”
Warrior Dae-nok swung his sword at Namgoong On.
Not bad. He was fairly fast.
But that wouldn’t be enough.
Wham!
As expected, Namgoong On easily slipped past the sword and lashed out with a kick. Warrior Dae-nok took the blow and went tumbling across the stage.
One of the markers attached to his chest shattered.
“Ugh!”
He groaned and forced himself back to his feet, only for Namgoong On to sneer at him.
“Oh? You got back up. I thought that would keep you down.”
“I’m not… that weak!”
Warrior Dae-nok gripped his sword once more, launched himself at Namgoong On, and swung.
Slash!
A sword flashed toward him.
The blade sliced through the marker near his shoulder, and blood sprayed from the shallow cut it opened in his flesh at the same time.
“Ugh!”
Just as everyone had expected, the match became completely one-sided.
Namgoong On toyed with his opponent from beginning to end, while Dae-nok gradually became drenched in blood.
He was allowing the rest of his body to be injured in order to protect his remaining markers.
The grim sight gradually silenced the crowd, and voices began condemning Namgoong On for playing with Warrior Dae-nok instead of simply ending the match.
“Dae-nok! That’s enough! Surrender!”
A desperate voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd.
Even so, Dae-nok refused to give up.
The difference between them was overwhelming, but that didn’t mean he wanted to surrender.
He could barely remain standing, yet he probably still wanted to land at least one proper blow on that bastard.
“You only have one marker left now, don’t you?”
Namgoong On, meanwhile, looked as fresh as ever.
“Then let’s finish this. I was just starting to get bored of playing with you.”
He wrapped his sword in sword Qi.
The senior members of the Murim Alliance looked displeased when they saw it, but no rule prohibited the use of sword Qi, so they could only watch.
“You may take pride in falling to Namgoong On’s Thirteen Lightning-Thunder Sword Strikes! Hahahahaha!”
With lightning-like sword Qi crackling around his blade, he charged toward Warrior Dae-nok’s final marker.
Swish!
Warrior Dae-nok twisted out of the sword’s path and rolled across the floor.
“Not so fast!”
Namgoong On tried to turn after him with an irritated expression.
However, his foot slipped in the pool of Warrior Dae-nok’s blood covering the stage, causing him to lose his balance.
“…!”
Warrior Dae-nok didn’t miss the opportunity.
“Uaaaaaaaagh!”
Letting out a battle cry, he kicked Namgoong On’s legs out from under him while still lying on the floor, sending him tumbling off the stage.
It all happened in an instant.
No one had expected such a result, so everyone could only blink in stunned disbelief.
Even Namgoong On, the one who had fallen from the stage, sat there blinking in shock.
“Huff, huff, huff.”
Warrior Dae-nok forced himself upright.
Commander Geum Yeon-hwa, who had calmly observed the entire match, stepped forward and announced the result.
“The first match is over! Namgoong On has left the bounds of the stage, so Dae-nok of Yeongyeol Sect wins by ring-out!”
At her declaration, Dae-nok thrust both arms toward the sky and unleashed a deafening roar.
“Uaaaaaaaaah!”
It was a roar of victory.
And then he toppled backward.
Thud.
He had passed out.
Understandable. He was covered in blood from head to toe.
Despite the vast difference in their abilities, Warrior Dae-nok had refused to yield, fought with everything he had, and seized victory. The spectators rewarded him with thunderous applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
I applauded as well.
What incredible grit.
Warriors from the Murim Alliance hurried onto the stage, placed Warrior Dae-nok on a stretcher, and carried him away. Namgoong On remained seated on the ground, looking utterly devastated.
Of course he did. The possibility of losing probably hadn’t crossed his mind even once.
Had he fought seriously from the beginning, he would have won without difficulty.
But he had looked down on his opponent and let his guard down.
There was an old saying in the martial world: never lower your guard, even when crossing swords with a five-year-old child.
“This is impossible! I… I lost? A Peak martial artist like me lost to a First-rate fighter? No! This match is void! It doesn’t count!”
Namgoong On leaped back onto the stage and stormed toward Commander Geum Yeon-hwa.
“Something went wrong! Did you even judge that match properly?”
“You fell from the stage, and Warrior Dae-nok remained until the very end. What part of that result is incorrect?”
“No! No! I didn’t lose!”
“This is your warning. Leave the stage immediately.”
“I didn’t lose… Guh!”
Thud.
In the next instant, Namgoong On dropped to his knees directly in front of Commander Geum Yeon-hwa.
To everyone else, it appeared as though he had voluntarily knelt before her, but that wasn’t what had happened.
Commander Geum Yeon-hwa’s fist had buried itself in Namgoong On’s stomach.
“Under the tournament regulations, you will be confined in the Underground Prison for two days. Take him away!”
“Yes!”
Warriors from the Murim Alliance immediately rushed forward and dragged Namgoong On away.
Under the rules of the Murim Grand Assembly’s martial competition, anyone who caused a disturbance on the stage or refused to accept the result of a match would be confined in the Underground Prison for two days.
At Namgoong On’s disgraceful display, the Clan Lord of the Namgoong Clan shook his head in exasperation.
The sight was immensely satisfying.
The matches continued, but the third match had only just ended by the time lunch arrived.
A two-hour lunch break was announced.
“Let’s get something to eat.”
“Understood.”
My father and mother had arranged to dine with representatives from the other merchant groups, while Brother Jin-ho headed off somewhere with the Outer Chief Administrator.
That meant I would have lunch with the rest of my party.
“Let’s go to an inn.”
Every other restaurant was probably packed by now, making it nearly impossible to find an open table.
My parents seemed to be heading toward a tavern where they had already reserved a table.
I had considered making a reservation at a good tavern or restaurant myself, but ultimately decided against it.
We needed to finish our meal quickly and visit the temporary shops afterward.
Just then, I noticed a man walking with someone supporting him.
It was Warrior Dae-nok, the participant from the first match.
He must have woken up after passing out.
I approached him.
“Are you all righ… No, you don’t look all right at all.”
“A little spit and I’ll be fine.”
Warrior Dae-nok didn’t appear to recognize me, but the man supporting him clearly did.
“Could you perhaps be the Handsome Young Hero?”
“That’s right.”
My answer startled him.
“Oh! I should properly pay my respects, but I’m supporting this fellow right now… Please forgive me.”
“It’s fine.”
I waved it off and held out a small jar.
“I found your performance in the first match deeply impressive. This is a highly effective golden wound salve. It should help.”
Warrior Dae-nok had said a little spit would heal him.
He was right.
After all, this golden wound salve had a little of Geumryeong’s spit mixed into it.
–TL Notes–
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