Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 63

063. What Determines a Person’s Worth?

‘It’s flashy, but…’

Yunhyun couldn’t hide his disappointment as he looked back at the others.

The Young Palace Lord was still watching the sparring match, but her eyes were cold.

Binghun was even more blatant, his face openly displaying his disdain.

However, Yunhyun couldn’t say anything to them.

He felt the same way.

‘There’s no weighty swordsmanship or overbearing flow. At this rate, it would be better if…’

He thought Moyeongjin, whom he had met in the Moyeong family, was much better.

Even though his moves were a bit lacking, he had spirit.

‘But.’

There was something he couldn’t quite understand since earlier.

Yunhyun tilted his head and unknowingly said,

“Why does everyone’s martial arts look so similar?”

“It’s inevitable.”

The Young Palace Lord next to him said quietly.

“Pardon?”

Yunhyun turned to look at her, and the Young Palace Lord continued quietly.

“All martial artists pursue a single goal: strength. In the process, they naturally arrive at similar results as they choose the best methods.”

The Young Palace Lord spoke without hesitation.

“In the end, it’s just a matter of who learns stronger martial arts and who accumulates more internal energy.”

“Ah, but the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions have different approaches to martial arts…”

“That’s right.”

The Young Palace Lord interrupted Yunhyun.

“But they are not Unorthodox in the strict sense.”

“Not Unorthodox?”

“Yes. They joined forces with the Green Forest [a collective term for bandits and rebels] during the Orthodox-Unorthodox War. They were just branded as such for that reason. Officially, the Martial Alliance no longer uses the terms Orthodox or Unorthodox.”

The Young Palace Lord said with a faint smile.

“Only officially, though.”

Although she was unfamiliar with the culture here, the Young Palace Lord had considerable knowledge of the martial arts world and the Martial Alliance.

Perhaps it was only natural.

There was no way she, being so intelligent, would have come to the Martial Alliance without prior investigation or preparation.

And Yunhyun realized then that the Martial Alliance’s ‘Unorthodox’ had a slightly different meaning.

“I see.”

Yunhyun nodded.

“But I find it hard to agree that a martial artist’s worth is determined solely by the strength of their martial arts.”

“Pardon?”

The Young Palace Lord asked back.

Receiving her gaze, Yunhyun said as if making an excuse.

“Ah, I mean, having strong martial arts is just one criterion…”

“Of course.”

The Young Palace Lord took his words as a given.

“We must also consider power, wealth, family, and knowledge, not just martial arts. You can’t determine someone’s worth based solely on martial arts.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Hehe.”

Yunhyun was surprised by the Young Palace Lord’s sudden laughter.

The Young Palace Lord said with a smile.

“I know what you mean.”

The Young Palace Lord turned her head to look at the sparring arena.

“That’s right. You can’t simply determine a person’s worth. But the reality is that everyone strives to be even an inch ahead of others.”

Her red lips moved slightly as she uttered quietly.

“…An undeniable reality.”

The smile had already disappeared from the Young Palace Lord’s lips.

Yunhyun also turned his head to look at the sparring arena.

“Haa!”

A shout erupted from the sparring arena.

Both those who were sparring and those who were watching were extremely serious.

As the Young Palace Lord said, the desire to move even an inch forward was openly revealed in their eyes.

‘Perhaps I’m judging too hastily, but…’

The Golden Uniform Guard’s sparring was different.

They were also serious about sparring, but once it was over, they returned to being colleagues who suffered together.

Even Gyodu Ilchunghyun selflessly helped Yunhyun with his training and didn’t try to get ahead of anyone.

Even though he possessed such great martial arts.

Therefore, Yunhyun couldn’t agree with the Young Palace Lord’s words that ‘everyone strives to be even an inch ahead.’

No, he rather disliked it.

‘Is that all martial arts mean to a martial artist?’

He was disappointed. But Yunhyun decided to reserve judgment for now.

For a scholar, unfounded hasty conclusions or false preconceptions are extremely dangerous traps.

“Alright. That’s enough.”

The sparring stopped at the voice of Mae Hwa Geom, Yeonghojun.

The young men looked dissatisfied but obediently put away their weapons.

They had no intention of settling the score here anyway, and the formal sparring hadn’t even started yet.

They exchanged formal greetings and stepped down from the sparring arena.

“Who’s next?”

“I’ll do it.”

A young man stepped up to the sparring arena without hesitation.

After several rounds of sparring, the atmosphere had become much lighter.

“I am Pajinhan from the Southern Sea Sword Sect.”

The young man, Pajinhan, bowed.

Mae Hwa Geom, Yeonghojun, looked back at the younger generation and said,

“Well, who will accept the challenge from someone who has come from afar?”

“Shall I?”

A clear female voice rang out.

Tak.

A young lady stepped onto the sparring arena with a light step.

“I am Namgung Biyeon from the Namgung Family.”

She bowed lightly.

As befitting a young lady from a prestigious martial arts family, her greeting was polite and elegant, but Pajinhan’s expression was stiff.

Sparring doesn’t discriminate between men and women.

But he never expected to face a woman.

Whether he won or lost against a young lady, he wouldn’t receive good reviews.

“You’re not going to avoid me just because I’m a woman, are you? This is just a fair sparring match.”

Namgung Biyeon looked straight at Pajinhan and said.

As if confirming her resolve, she drew her sword.

Sreung.

With a quiet sound, a straight sword revealed its form.

Seeing the sharply shining blade, Pajinhan from the Southern Sea Sword Sect also became serious.

“Alright. I will gladly face you.”

Chiing.

The Southern Sea Sword Sect’s sword revealed its form.

As soon as the young man drew his sword, he swung it once in the air.

Hwirik.

“I will yield the first move.”

Namgung Biyeon accepted his concession with a smile on her face.

“Thank you. But you will regret it.”

Pat.

As soon as she finished speaking, Namgung Biyeon leaped forward.

Her posture was as soft as if she were dancing, but the energy gathering at the tip of her sword was by no means soft.

Pajinhan tensed his entire body.

Kaang.

Swords began to clash.

“Hoo.”

A different light flashed in Yunhyun’s eyes as he watched the sparring arena.

Compared to the previous sparring matches, Namgung Biyeon and Pajinhan had a different spirit from the start.

Namgung Biyeon’s swordsmanship was fluid, yet it contained an energy that could not be ignored.

Pajinhan was also facing Namgung Biyeon’s sword with spirit and passion.

“Haat!”

Chaeng, chaeng.

Swords collided, and sword paths intertwined.

Flashy moves that pierced the opponent’s weakness and immature but sincere sword strikes continued their offense and defense without giving an inch.

Amidst the constantly erupting sounds of destruction, Yunhyun was completely immersed in the two people’s sparring.

‘This is quite… good?’

Yunhyun felt his heart pounding.

This is what sparring should be like.

Eye-catching flashy moves or ingenious sword paths are secondary matters.

Sparring makes the hearts of those who watch it burn because they put everything on the line with a single sword and clash against each other.

Regardless of whether the opponent is a man or a woman, or whether they are from a prestigious Orthodox faction or an Unorthodox faction.

‘Yes. This is what martial artists’ sparring should be like.’

This was what Yunhyun had been hoping for.

So the previous sparring matches, although flashy and dazzling, were too artificial and calculated to catch Yunhyun’s eye.

‘Ah!’

Yunhyun watched the sparring match intently. And he sometimes suppressed his regrettable exclamations inwardly.

‘If he had just had a little more composure there…’

The two people’s sparring was full of spirit, but it was sometimes immature and hasty.

It was only natural that Yunhyun, who was watching, sometimes felt regret or analyzed their sword paths with shining eyes.

“Haa!”

Kaang.

With Namgung Biyeon’s sharp shout, the two people’s swords clashed.

Yunhyun nodded.

‘As expected, the Namgung Family’s swordsmanship is amazing. Perhaps because she’s a woman, there’s also a delicate aspect to it…’

Yunhyun, who was muttering inwardly, looked at Pajinhan from the Southern Sea Sword Sect.

‘On the other hand, that young man lacks a bit of understanding of sword forms. It’s fast and sharp, but he’s so focused on that that he’s lost the original depth and gravity of the sword form. That wasn’t the intended sword path, so why is he doing it like that…’

Yunhyun clicked his tongue in disappointment.

‘It’s a pity. With that level of sword, he could have competed with the Namgung Family’s sword.’

If someone had heard those words, they would have been surprised. And soon they would have laughed.

The Namgung Family is the Sword King Family [a family renowned for their exceptional swordsmanship].

How could the Namgung Family’s sword be placed on equal footing with the Southern Sea Sword Sect, a martial arts family from the frontier?

However, in Yunhyun’s view, the Southern Sea Sword Sect’s quick sword style was by no means inferior.

It was just that Pajinhan’s achievement, or rather, his understanding of the sword path, did not reach Namgung Biyeon’s level.

And that is by no means an absolute gap.

‘It seems like it will end within the next ten moves… what a pity.’

Pajinhan from the Southern Sea Sword Sect was getting impatient. On the other hand, Namgung Biyeon’s sword was becoming more serious.

Originally, once it starts to tilt, it collapses in an instant.

As Yunhyun predicted, the sparring soon began to change unilaterally.

***

Jeobeok, jeobeok [sound of footsteps].

The four warriors escorting the Sword Saint were moving without the slightest disorder.

Their sturdy physiques, extraordinary eyes, and unusual spirit told that they were excellent warriors who had been trained for a long time.

However, their appearance, which would have been felt as pressure by ordinary people, was rather creating a sense of favor for the Sword Saint.

‘Well-trained children.’

The Sword Saint felt his unpleasant feelings subside a little.

The Sword Saint is a person who has a liking for anyone, regardless of who they are, if they are a strong opponent.

A person who would not hesitate to travel a thousand miles to spar with a strong person, and who would not hesitate to call himself ‘a person crazy about swords.’

If he had the mind, it would not be difficult to reach the highest position, but the Sword Saint chose to be a person crazy about swords rather than power.

It is because of such a Sword Saint that the fierce spirit of the warriors is rather easing his mind.

Jeobeok, jeobeok.

It was when the Sword Saint, the four escort warriors, and Gwanjibu had just passed a large building.

‘Hmm?’

Gwanjibu, who was walking ahead, suddenly noticed that the sound of footsteps had stopped.

When he turned around, as expected, the Sword Saint had stopped walking and was staring at something.

“Is there something wrong?”

Gwanjibu asked the Sword Saint politely.

But the Sword Saint did not answer.

“Is there anything uncomfortable…?”

“Is there a sparring match?”

Gwanjibu did not understand the Sword Saint’s sudden question.

However, Gwanjibu, who looked in the direction the Sword Saint was staring at, quickly understood the reason.

“Ah, those are…”

Across the building, young men and women were gathered at the sparring arena.

“They are the participants of this Yongbong Contest [a martial arts tournament for young talents].”

“Yongbong Contest?”

The Sword Saint frowned slightly.

“Yes. It is a competition where the young promising disciples of prestigious sects compete in skill.”

Gwanjibu’s explanation was full of pride.