Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Disciple Looks to the Master, the Master Comforts the Disciple (Part 1)

The winner of the first bout was Seo-myeong.

Seo-myeong had used the Falling Plum Blossom form of Plum Blossom Fist to neutralize Un-gyeong's Seven Star Sword Technique.

Sage Hyeon-geom offered no comment after the match ended and simply moved on to the next bout.

Winners and losers were separated. Joy and sorrow diverged.

The winners rejoiced at the possibility of inheriting Sage Hyeon-geom's insights, while the losers fell into despair. A strange, feverish heat filled True Martial Palace.

The desire for victory, the yearning to become strong—it consumed reason bit by bit. Even Mu-gyeong, who was not participating in the sparring, had a feverish gleam in his eyes.

Dam Ho frowned.

In his five years at the Mount Hua Sect, he had never witnessed such a strange fervor. The Mount Hua Sect was fundamentally a martial sect, but it was also a Taoist order. As such, a tranquil atmosphere had always dominated. But now it burned with a feverish intensity.

'Did you intend this? This kind of atmosphere.'

Dam Ho looked toward Sage Hyeon-geom at the edge of the training ground.

Unlike the air of near-madness that pervaded the hall, Sage Hyeon-geom stood as composed and cold as he had been from the start.

Perhaps sensing Dam Ho's gaze, Sage Hyeon-geom turned his eyes toward him. The instant their eyes met, Dam Ho felt as though invisible awls were boring into his skull, and he staggered. But he did not look away.

At Dam Ho's reaction, a flicker of interest crossed Sage Hyeon-geom's eyes. But it lasted only a moment—soon his gaze returned to the training ground.

There, Han So-yu was fighting another First Generation Disciple.

In her hands, the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword technique unfurled. Each time her ice-white hands moved, plum blossoms seemed to bloom in the air. Her opponent, meanwhile, was driven back, step by retreating step.

Even Dam Ho, who knew little of sword techniques, could see that it was a beautiful and efficient application of the art.

"Ohh!"

Exclamations burst forth from all around. But Sage Hyeon-geom's brow was slightly furrowed, as though something did not please him. Most people were too absorbed in Han So-yu's battle to notice.

Schwing!

At last, Han So-yu's sword slashed through the hem of her opponent's robe, and the match was over. The defeated disciple looked down at the long, clean cut across his chest.

Had the blade been two inches deeper, he would no longer be of this world.

"Martial Sister, I thank you for your restraint."

"You fought well, Junior Brother."

The two exchanged the customary courtesies and returned to their positions.

Dam Ho watched Han So-yu, her cheeks flushed with exertion, as she took her place beside Mu-gyeong.

'Martial Sister's Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword is remarkable. To unfold the techniques with such fluid grace.'

Han So-yu was perhaps the only person who could execute the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword in such a manner. Being a woman, she lacked the physical strength of her male counterparts, and this was her way of compensating.

Even with the same martial art, the power produced varied enormously depending on the insight one gained and the manner in which one applied it.

She was not yet perfect, but Han So-yu was finding her own path in the Plum Blossom Sword.

Dam Ho was genuinely surprised by her skill—far beyond what he had vaguely imagined. But he did not feel envy. Though he was slower, he believed that one day he too would reach that level.

Then Sage Hyeon-geom's voice rang out.

"Next are Su-gyeong and Cheong-gyeong."

Hearing his own name called, Dam Ho raised his head.

Su-gyeong was among the strongest of the First Generation Disciples. His personality was extremely resolute and his manner blunt, which was why many of the Second Generation Disciples feared him.

Dam Ho stepped onto the training ground. Sage Hyeon-geom watched him approach with a slight frown—he had noticed the faint limp in Dam Ho's step.

Dam Ho clasped his fists and bowed to Su-gyeong.

"Senior Brother."

"To think my opponent would be you, of all people."

Su-gyeong's expression twisted with displeasure.

Honestly, Su-gyeong wanted a worthy opponent against whom he could demonstrate his skill to Sage Hyeon-geom. Defeating a cripple was nothing to boast about.

Su-gyeong looked to Sage Hyeon-geom. His gaze asked: May I refuse to fight him? Whether he understood the intent or not, Sage Hyeon-geom walked forward to stand before Dam Ho.

"Cheong-gyeong."

"Yes!"

"So you are the disciple that Hyeon-so took in."

"That is correct."

"Hmm."

Sage Hyeon-geom's gaze grew even colder.

Dam Ho's eyes darkened in response. No further words were spoken, but he could feel that Sage Hyeon-geom looked upon him with disfavor.

"You may leave now."

"…?"

"Did you not hear me? Leave."

"May I ask… the reason?"

"Do you truly not know?"

"I do not."

Dam Ho's answer was so direct that a chill began to circulate in Sage Hyeon-geom's gaze. Though that gaze was fearsome, Dam Ho did not retreat.

Sage Hyeon-geom studied Dam Ho for a moment, then clicked his tongue.

"You have quite the nerve. A man should have at least that much. But you carry a fatal flaw as a martial artist."

"Because of my leg?"

"That is correct."

At the expected answer, Dam Ho's pupils wavered. On one hand, he could not suppress his disappointment. He had hoped that the greatest martial artist of Mount Hua might see things differently—but Sage Hyeon-geom was no different from anyone else.

"My sword is not so simple that a cripple can learn it."

In Sage Hyeon-geom's voice was a fierce, proud confidence in his own blade. But Dam Ho's heart was being torn apart.

Dam Ho's eyes widened.

"I, too, am a First Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect."

"If you are a Scholar Taoist's disciple, then the Scholar Taoist's path is the proper one for you. If you walk that path, you too will receive the respect of the sect's scholars, as Hyeon-so does."

"Are you telling me to abandon martial arts?"

"Have you not already experienced your own limits? You must have tried everything to overcome your physical shortcomings."

Sage Hyeon-geom's gaze fell to Dam Ho's leg. Though hidden by his robes, his right leg was visibly far more muscular than any other disciple's. It was evidence of the fierce effort and training he had endured. But by comparison, his left leg was pitifully thin.

"No matter how much you train, a severe physical imbalance can never be fully overcome. You will never reach the highest levels. Rather than continuing to expend futile effort, you would do better to find another path early. That is the only advice I can offer for your sake."

"That is impossible."

At Dam Ho's resolute reply, Sage Hyeon-geom's brow furrowed.

An ordinary person would have been cowed by his gaze alone, yet Dam Ho did not flinch. Sage Hyeon-geom appreciated that iron will—but selecting a disciple to receive his insights demanded a different kind of cold rationality.

"You will not back down?"

"At the very least, I want the same opportunity as everyone else."

"Very well. If your will is that strong…"

Sage Hyeon-geom's patience with Dam Ho's stubbornness finally gave way to anger.

He stepped back and addressed Su-gyeong.

"Spar with him."

"But—"

"Show the boy reality. That, too, is for his own good."

"I… understand."

At Sage Hyeon-geom's firm command, Su-gyeong nodded reluctantly.

Su-gyeong raised his fists toward Dam Ho.

"Do not blame me, Junior Brother."

He assumed the opening stance of the Five Element Unusual Fist—one of the supreme arts of the Mount Hua Sect.

Based on the principles of the Five Elements, it was difficult to learn, but once mastered, a single punch could shatter a massive boulder.

Dam Ho inhaled deeply and assumed the opening stance of the Bamboo Leaf Technique. It was the martial art he had practiced the longest. Its power could not compare to the Five Element Unusual Fist, but Dam Ho trusted his own Bamboo Leaf Technique.

Han So-yu's face drained of color at the sight.

"Will he be all right? Should we not stop this? He cannot possibly withstand the Five Element Unusual Fist with the Bamboo Leaf Technique."

"It is the decision of Sage Hyeon-geom himself. No one can overturn his decision."

Mu-gyeong's expression was grave as well. But there was nothing he could realistically do.

Sage Hyeon-geom was a figure so powerful that even the Grandmaster, Sage Hyeon-cheon, could not treat him lightly. Mu-gyeong could not possibly reverse his decision.

Un-gyeong added:

"Sage Hyeon-geom is right. We must make Cheong-gyeong face reality while there is still time."

"Senior Brother?"

"How long will you let him keep dreaming? Think again about what is truly best for Cheong-gyeong."

At Un-gyeong's cold logic, Han So-yu bit her lip.

In that instant, Su-gyeong and Dam Ho clashed.

Tak-tak!

Their fists collided.

The watching First Generation Disciples' eyes went wide. They had expected Dam Ho to be sent flying in a single blow, yet he was blocking the Five Element Unusual Fist with remarkable effectiveness.

"Was Cheong-gyeong always at this level?"

"The Bamboo Leaf Technique holding its own against the Five Element Unusual Fist?"

They murmured in astonishment.

The most surprised of all was Su-gyeong himself, who was fighting Dam Ho directly. The rebound force he felt from Dam Ho's hands was far from ordinary.

The fact that Dam Ho could withstand the Five Element Unusual Fist using the most basic technique of the Mount Hua Sect was astonishing—and, to Su-gyeong's pride, galling.

'Dare you!'

Su-gyeong's brows shot upward.

Tak-tak-tak-tak!

His hands moved even faster. The air seemed to fill entirely with his fists. It was the Wood Conquers Earth Strike—one of the ultimate forms of the Five Element Unusual Fist.

As its name suggested, it was a form in which the energy of Wood consumed and killed Earth.

"Kuh!"

The impact transmitted through his hands made Dam Ho grunt. But he refused to give ground.

Su-gyeong's technique was dazzlingly intricate. By contrast, Dam Ho's Bamboo Leaf Technique was very simple. But it was solid—as solid as his unyielding will.

'I am not wrong.'

Dam Ho clenched his teeth.

He wanted to prove that even with a crippled leg, he could fight without hindrance.

Wham!

In that instant, Su-gyeong's fist crashed into his side. The blow was so fierce it nearly stopped his breath, and Dam Ho's face contorted. But even in that moment, he executed the Bamboo Leaf Technique and struck Su-gyeong's chest.

Thud!

Su-gyeong's expression changed. The blow carried almost no internal energy, so there was no real damage—but he had never expected to allow Dam Ho a single clean hit.

Boom!

Suddenly, Dam Ho's momentum shifted. He abandoned the lightness of the Bamboo Leaf Technique and embraced heaviness. He had transitioned to Crouching Tiger Fist.

Dam Ho pivoted on his left foot, stepped forward with his right, and unleashed a devastating punch.

Wham!

The strike crashed into Su-gyeong's forearm. Su-gyeong's arm swelled almost immediately. He had taken unexpected damage from a blow he had never anticipated.

Su-gyeong's expression changed. He stole a glance to the side. Sage Hyeon-geom's displeased face was visible. If he lost face in front of Sage Hyeon-geom now, the chance of becoming his disciple would be gone forever.

'Damn it! I did not want to do this, but—'

Su-gyeong's movement changed.

Plum Blossom Step—a footwork as elusive as plum blossoms scattered by the wind.

Su-gyeong circled around Dam Ho. Dam Ho anchored himself to the ground with his left foot as a pivot, focusing on defense. But against Su-gyeong's Plum Blossom Step, he was outmatched.

Su-gyeong advanced and retreated in rapid succession. His unpredictable movements threw Dam Ho's timing into disarray. Seizing a fleeting opening, Su-gyeong drove forward.

Fire Conquers Metal Strike—the form in which the energy of Fire subdued and killed Metal—struck Dam Ho square in the chest.

Kwahh!

Dam Ho's body was sent flying backward.