Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Disciple Looks to the Master, the Master Comforts the Disciple (Part 2)

Dam Ho lay sprawled on the ground, motionless for some time. Everyone assumed he would not rise. Some even looked at Su-gyeong with expressions suggesting he had gone too far.

Su-gyeong's own expression was not relaxed either. He had been unable to defeat Dam Ho with pure Five Element Unusual Fist alone and had been forced to resort to Plum Blossom Step to exploit his weakness.

Su-gyeong let out a soft sigh.

"That should be enough. No more—"

In that instant, Dam Ho, who had lain without so much as a twitch, forced himself upright. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth. Yet the fighting spirit in his eyes as he looked at Su-gyeong remained unbroken.

Su-gyeong spoke.

"Junior Brother, it would be better to stop now—"

"Continue."

At that moment, Sage Hyeon-geom's voice rang through the hall.

Su-gyeong turned to Sage Hyeon-geom.

"But—"

"Cheong-gyeong's fighting spirit has not yet been broken. The opponent has not surrendered—do you intend to end it on your own? I have no desire to pass my martial arts to someone so lax."

Su-gyeong clenched his teeth.

Sage Hyeon-geom's intent was clear.

To break Dam Ho's will. To extinguish his obsession with martial arts. He believed this was for Dam Ho's own good.

'Do not blame me, Junior Brother.'

Su-gyeong picked up a nearby wooden sword and charged at Dam Ho.

His Plum Blossom Step, as dazzling as scattered petals, dazzled Dam Ho's eyes. Dam Ho retreated a single step, seeking to create distance while he read his opponent's intent.

Whoosh!

Su-gyeong's foot grazed past the tip of Dam Ho's nose.

Sweeping Leaf Kick—a technique that sliced through the air like fallen leaves being swept from the ground. The kick that had seemed to pass by suddenly bent at an impossible angle and drove straight toward the crown of Dam Ho's head.

Wham!

Dam Ho crossed both arms to block Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaf Kick.

A tremendous shockwave spread through both forearms and into his entire body. The excruciating pain made Dam Ho's face twist involuntarily.

Su-gyeong attacked by seamlessly combining the Sweeping Leaf Kick with the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword. Against the razor-sharp sword strikes and dizzying kicks, Dam Ho could barely respond and was driven back relentlessly.

"Th-this—?"

The watching First Generation Disciples' faces filled with sympathy. Though many of them had not been particularly fond of Dam Ho, seeing him so completely overwhelmed stirred their compassion.

Un-gyeong spoke to Mu-gyeong.

"This is reality. No matter how strong one's will, fundamental differences cannot be overcome. The path of the martial artist is not suited for Cheong-gyeong."

"But—"

"You are the one who will lead the Mount Hua Sect of the future."

With those words, Un-gyeong fell silent. But his meaning was clearly conveyed to Mu-gyeong.

"Tch!"

Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue in frustration.

In the meantime, Su-gyeong was pressing Dam Ho even harder. The combined assault of sword and kick left Dam Ho with nowhere to retreat, forcing him to crouch low.

"It is over."

Su-gyeong's sword shot toward Dam Ho.

It was the Full Plum Blossom Bloom—a technique so dazzling it created the illusion that all the plum blossoms of Mount Hua were blooming at once.

Surrounded by the storm of blossoms, Dam Ho could see no way out.

Su-gyeong was certain of his victory.

'Now!'

In that moment, Dam Ho's eyes blazed.

Su-gyeong, perhaps carried away by excitement, enlarged his movement. This created an opening.

Crack!

Dam Ho drove his right foot into the ground.

A single step forward, and a single punch.

Wham!

Dam Ho's fist pierced through the Full Plum Blossom Bloom and struck Su-gyeong squarely in the chest. Fortunately, Su-gyeong's internal energy protected him, and he suffered no serious injury.

For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Su-gyeong's face. Had Dam Ho's fist carried normal internal force, that single blow would have shattered his ribcage entirely. It had been a precision strike at a critical opening—and a devastating counterattack.

Su-gyeong felt his chest go cold.

He had dismissed Dam Ho as a cripple, but the boy had an unexpected card to play. And that card was powerful enough to send a chill down his spine.

'If that fist had carried internal energy, I would be dead.'

Unconsciously, Su-gyeong glanced toward Sage Hyeon-geom. He could see Sage Hyeon-geom's displeased expression. But the elder showed no intention of ending the match.

'Then—?'

There was still a chance.

Su-gyeong swept his foot at Dam Ho's waist.

Wham!

Dam Ho's face contorted. The blow was so powerful it nearly folded him in two.

Dark blood trickled from the corner of Dam Ho's mouth. It was proof that he had suffered deep internal injuries, not merely surface wounds.

To Dam Ho's staggering ears, Sage Hyeon-geom's voice echoed:

"You possess truly remarkable talent. That last blow was proof of it. But without a body and internal energy to support it, such talent is useless. That is reality. So face reality and give up."

"I… cannot."

Dam Ho shook his head.

His lips were so badly bitten that blood was seeping through.

His entire body ached. It felt as though he had been pounded continuously with an iron hammer. His left knee especially throbbed. He longed desperately to simply lie down. It would be so much easier.

But Dam Ho stood firm.

Admitting reality, as Sage Hyeon-geom suggested, was not difficult. But doing so would mean denying his very identity.

The singular resolve to become a strong martial artist—all of his efforts until now—would be reduced to nothing.

Dam Ho's unyielding gaze, unchanged and stubborn, made Sage Hyeon-geom's own eyes burn colder.

"What are you doing, Su-gyeong? The match is not yet over. How long do you intend to stand there like a statue?"

At Sage Hyeon-geom's glacial command, Su-gyeong flinched.

'Damn it!'

Su-gyeong gritted his teeth and attacked Dam Ho again. A single Sweeping Leaf Kick had already stripped Dam Ho of his ability to defend himself.

To continue fighting such an opponent? It was no different from ordering him to inflict merciless violence on someone who could not protect himself.

Wham-wham-wham!

Su-gyeong's Sweeping Leaf Kick struck Dam Ho's body again and again. Each time, Dam Ho's body shuddered like a leather sack.

The sound of bones cracking, and his body covered in dark bruises—yet Dam Ho stood firm to the very end.

It was so extreme that Su-gyeong finally shouted:

"Please, just give up, Cheong-gyeong!"

It was not easy for the one doing the beating, either.

What Su-gyeong had wanted was a proper match, not this kind of merciless brutality. But Sage Hyeon-geom's cold gaze would not allow him to stop.

"Cheong-gyeong."

"Mmm!"

The sight was so cruel that many of the First Generation Disciples turned away. Among them was Un-gyeong, who had opposed Dam Ho's pursuit of martial arts.

"Just fall down."

If Un-gyeong was saying such a thing, it spoke volumes about how wretched Dam Ho's condition truly was.

The capillaries in both of Dam Ho's eyes had burst, and the world was washed in red. As his vision blurred, the pain began to fade—his nerves had been numbed by the agony.

"Kuh!"

Dam Ho vomited blood. The dark blood staining his chest showed that the internal injuries he had sustained were far from trivial.

Dam Ho knew he could endure no more. His will remained unbroken, but his body had reached its absolute limit.

Dam Ho looked at Sage Hyeon-geom one final time. In that instant, Sage Hyeon-geom flinch.

It was because of Dam Ho's eyes.

In those eyes were desperation, a savage killing intent, and an unbreakable venom—a combination that unsettled Sage Hyeon-geom to his core.

This desperate, savage sight was utterly incompatible with the serene, pure-hearted Taoist sect that was Mount Hua. Sage Hyeon-geom bit his lip hard.

From deep within his chest, an instinctive revulsion rose up. His heart was rejecting Dam Ho as a being.

He knew he should stop this now.

If Dam Ho crossed this line, he would lose not only the path of the martial artist but even the ability to live a normal life.

'But—'

The revulsion rising from his heart sealed his lips. In that time, Dam Ho allowed Su-gyeong to land several more Sweeping Leaf Kicks.

Dam Ho finally managed to move his lips.

"I will… never… give up…"

Wham!

In that instant, Su-gyeong's final blow struck his temple.

The thread holding Dam Ho's consciousness snapped. He crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing to the ground.

"Cheong-gyeong!"

Only then did Mu-gyeong and Han So-yu rush to Dam Ho's side.

Su-gyeong closed his eyes and tilted his head back. On his forehead, a liquid—whether sweat or tears, it was impossible to tell—trickled down.

Then Sage Hyeon-geom's voice echoed through the hall:

"What are you doing? The losers are to leave True Martial Palace immediately."

At that icy command, the defeated disciples carried the battered Dam Ho outside.

Sage Hyeon-geom did not even look back as he spoke:

"Continue the sparring."

"Martial Uncle!"

Several First Generation Disciples ran to Sage Hyeon-so's quarters. Upon one of their backs, the broken form of Dam Ho was draped.

Sage Hyeon-so leapt from his platform in shock.

"Ho-ya! What has happened to you?"

"He was in a sparring match, and—"

"A sparring match? Does this look like the result of a sparring match? This is the work of a life-and-death battle! What in heaven's name… No. Quickly, lay him down."

The First Generation Disciples hastily laid Dam Ho on the platform.

Dam Ho's condition was grave. No—it was the worst.

His life force was flickering weakly, and blood flowed ceaselessly from his nose and mouth. It was miraculous that he was still alive at all.

"Ho… ya! Can you hear my voice?"

Sage Hyeon-so's voice trembled uncontrollably. Before the well-being of his only disciple, his composure shattered utterly.

Dam Ho did not answer. He could not. He was on the threshold of death.

"Who did this to you?"

"Martial Uncle, please compose yourself."

"Compose myself? Yes, I must compose myself."

Sage Hyeon-so rummaged through his robes with shaking hands and found a small wooden box. Inside lay dark medicinal pills. He quickly dissolved one in water and trickled it into Dam Ho's mouth, bit by bit.

"Ho-ya! You must live. Ho-ya! Where do you think you are going, leaving this master behind?"

After ensuring Dam Ho had swallowed the entire pill, Sage Hyeon-so began frantically massaging his entire body.

"Ho-ya, Dam Ho! You wretched boy…"

Sage Hyeon-so's anguished cry echoed into the night sky.