Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 136

The new year had passed.

As everyone had predicted, the Martial Alliance was established. Although it was said to be a decision made after sufficient discussion, those in the know were aware that it was a decision made by a majority vote.

As soon as the establishment of the Martial Alliance was decided, the organizational chart of the Martial Alliance was created at a terrifying speed.

There were already precedents from the past, and the process of reviewing and adjusting the blueprints that the heads of each faction had drawn up before the announcement was exceptionally fast.

Thus, the White Path Martial Alliance was formed. The leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Six Great Families took on the title of serving the Martial Alliance, and the position of Alliance Leader was still vacant.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the Central Plains.

The revival of the Martial Alliance. It was the beginning of a massive change that would shake the Central Plains martial world, which had grown accustomed to peace.

Thud!

“Kuh!”

“Don’t back down!”

Whack!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, closing the distance in an instant, threw a punch.

Okcheong’s eyes widened.

‘Again!’

It was an ordinary punch.

A straight punch without any variation. The speed wasn’t particularly fast, and the power wasn’t something he couldn’t block.

However, he had been repeatedly defeated by that punch. To be precise, he had been defeated by the unimaginable attack hidden behind that punch.

‘Not again!’

He couldn’t be defeated this time. The mixed energy in Okcheong’s eyes, burning with determination, flashed.

Whooong.

A strange light emanated from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes.

He discarded the iron sword in his hand and clasped his fists together. Okcheong’s hands, filled with mixed energy, began a strange rotation.

‘Hmm.’

Whoooong!

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body spun in accordance with the rotation of that energy.

Joy flickered in Okcheong’s eyes. He had finally disrupted the posture of the charging bull-like Ho-Jang.

That’s when it happened.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, whose posture had been broken, kicked Okcheong’s shoulder.

Crack!

“Kuh!”

Okcheong knelt on one knee. The power of the Tai Chi Scattered Hand [a Wudang martial art focused on deflecting and redirecting force] contained in his hands lost its way and scattered.

‘No!’

Whack!

As soon as he knelt, he retreated backward. Yeon Ho-Jeong was a master of practical martial arts. He could use techniques to defeat his opponent from any position, at any time. First, he had to retreat and find a countermeasure.

Whooosh!

However, Okcheong, who had become accustomed to fighting through the relentless sparring, had not grasped the limits of Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Whooong!

‘Huh?!’

Terror filled Okcheong’s eyes.

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t move from his spot. He simply extended his hand and poured white tiger energy [a type of internal energy cultivation] into his body, and the power was so strong that it felt as if his entire body was bound.

He couldn’t move for a moment. The mixed energy released the white tiger energy that had bound his entire body, but that time was enough for Yeon Ho-Jeong to land ten attacks.

Whooong! Thwack!

“Gack!”

Okcheong fell backward.

Yeon Ho-Jeong grinned.

“Eighty-seven matches, eighty-seven wins, and undefeated.”

“Cough, cough!”

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine. Ugh!”

Okcheong ended up spitting out blood. Although he had pulled back his strength in the final blow, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s palm still contained extraordinary power.

Okcheong staggered as he stood up.

“You weren’t bad.”

“Huh?”

“This fight, you weren’t bad. You’re finally starting to understand something.”

Surprise flickered across Okcheong’s face.

In all the fights so far, Yeon Ho-Jeong had never praised Okcheong, not even with empty words.

Instead, he had cursed and mocked him to the point where his pride was shattered. It was a thorough criticism that completely denied the training of his sword intent that he had cultivated so far.

And yet, Yeon Ho-Jeong was praising him for the first time.

‘……Huh.’

What should he say?

It felt exhilarating. He didn’t think he had ever felt this way, even when his master praised him.

“T-thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? It’s your tenacity that got you this far.”

In fact, Yeon Ho-Jeong acknowledged Okcheong’s tenacity. It would be difficult for anyone with a normal temper to endure his relentless verbal abuse.

His pride must have been hurt a lot. He must have lost confidence. Was it around the seventieth match? He had even shown signs of declining skills.

However, Okcheong had endured that harsh routine and reached this point.

“Whether you’re training alone or sparring with an opponent, what’s important in training isn’t time. It’s efficient effort.”

“Efficient……”

“You dropped your sword just now, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes!”

“Why did you drop your sword? You were holding onto it tightly until the moment you fell.”

Okcheong looked at the fallen sword with a bewildered expression.

‘I dropped my sword?’

He had just realized it. He had dropped his sword and twisted Yeon Ho-Jeong’s attack with the Tai Chi Scattered Hand.

‘How could this be.’

For a swordsman, a sword is something that can never be separated from them. Dropping the sword in a moment of crisis is not something a swordsman would do.

Thud!

Okcheong knelt down with a hollow expression.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was about to praise him, frowned.

“What are you doing?”

“I, I dropped my sword.”

“Huh?”

“A swordsman dropped his sword. This is such a disgrace……!”

Thwack!

“Cough!”

Okcheong rolled on the floor. Dirt clung to his white uniform and eyes.

“You idiot, you should be praising yourself for dropping your sword, not being shocked by it!”

“……Huh?”

Okcheong blinked with an innocent expression.

Thinking that he looked like a sad-eyed calf, Yeon Ho-Jeong continued.

“Your martial arts are all like that. They’re all stuck in a mold.”

“A mold?”

“Why shouldn’t you drop your sword? If this were a real fight, you’d be dead. Are you going to die just holding onto your sword because you’re a swordsman?”

“……!”

“See? A swordsman should be like this, this mind technique should follow this operation, this footwork should be soft, so you operate it softly. It’s all like that, isn’t it?”

“T-that’s……!”

“It’s more amazing that you’ve learned it while being so stuck in a mold. How were you able to reach the pinnacle? You just went up purely with talent without any worries.”

“……”

“In a way, it’s a truly monstrous talent. If a mediocre person continued to train as rigidly as you, they would spend their entire life as a third-rate martial artist, let alone a first-rate one.”

Okcheong’s eyes bulged like marbles.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face became serious.

“You’ve only looked back at your own martial arts while fighting me, haven’t you?”

“……Y-yes.”

“Why didn’t you try to imitate my techniques?”

“Huh?!”

“I didn’t attack you with great martial arts. I just put power and speed into simple movements that even a street thug could use.”

“Ah……”

“If you can see through your opponent’s movements and respond, even ordinary martial arts can transform into top-tier martial arts. Your sense of practical combat is extremely poor. Why? Because you don’t try to break free.”

Okcheong’s face was filled with shock.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smirked.

“Actually, this was something I could have taught you with words. But you were too extreme. You would have been caught up in my words and worried for days, wouldn’t you?”

“……”

“It’s better to get beaten up and learn the pain and attack methods with your body during that time.”

A realm that talent alone could never reach, no matter how hard one tried.

That was practical combat, experience. If you look at the survival rate in the first real battle, it is certainly higher for the talented than for the mediocre, but the difference is not as great as you might think.

In the end, it’s about focus. It was about will. A person who knows how to immerse themselves in something can break the mold sooner or later, no matter when.

Okcheong lacked that.

And at this moment, Okcheong could clearly ‘feel’ what Yeon Ho-Jeong was trying to teach him.

“I’ve brought you to the door, it’s up to you to open it and go out. You’ve worked hard.”

“H-huh! Is the teaching over now?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

“Then what else would I do? I’ve done enough.”

“B-but I’m still very lacking! I want to see more of your despicable attack methods!”

This guy was throwing daggers with an innocent face.

“Shut up. There’s no point in repeating the sparring any more.”

Okcheong drooped his head, dejected.

If he was a disciple of a former old master, he would be higher in seniority than Yeon Ho-Jeong. It was quite a rare sight to see such a person so dejected.

‘By the way, what was that Sword Immortal doing?’

It was a question he had asked himself several times while fighting Okcheong.

‘Did he not teach his disciple this kind of thing until he became such a blockhead? Is he even a master?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was looking at Okcheong with pity, shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, it’s not my problem.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing. Now, go back to your place. You don’t need to come here from tomorrow.”

“……Yes.”

Okcheong, who had stood up weakly, clasped his hands in a respectful bow.

“I’ve learned a lot thanks to you. I’m deeply indebted to you.”

“No, I’ve learned a lot thanks to you too. I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Okcheong smiled.

‘He’s a good person.’

When they fought, he used all sorts of creative curses to scratch at his insides, but when the fight was over, he would loosen his body and pat him on the shoulder.

‘He’s a great person. Can I become like him?’

A person who had mastered such martial arts would have had nothing to learn from him. And yet, he said he had learned a lot.

He was a kind-hearted person.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong shouted.

“If you’re done with your greetings, get out of here, you idiot!”

“H-huh! Yes! I’ll see you later!”

Okcheong quickly left the Pagun Hall.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was clicking his tongue and watching Okcheong’s back, had a sinister smile on his face.

“Hmm. Hmmm. Hehehe.”

Thump!

Yeon Ho-Jeong, stepping firmly, lowered his stance.

‘I think it was something like this?’

Whooong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s two fists gently cut through the air.

Surprisingly, it was the Tai Chi Fist of Wudang [a martial art focused on soft, flowing movements]. Not the Tai Chi Fist in the form of gymnastics that was circulating in the market, but the real Tai Chi Fist that only the disciples of Wudang could learn.

‘And from here……’

Whap! Whap! Whap!

The fist technique that pierced seven points in an instant was full of vigor.

And it was soft. It was a lightning-fast fist technique, but within it, a wave of flowing energy was moving fiercely.

‘Good. I’ve perfectly copied it.’

Okcheong did not make the forms he learned his own. In other words, he was using all the martial arts he had learned close to their original forms. In other words, it could be said to be the original version of Wudang martial arts.

And Yeon Ho-Jeong, while teaching Okcheong, was able to copy most of his techniques. Of course, it was only the form of external martial arts.

“Kuh, as expected of the Wudang Sect. Even just copying the form, it creates this much flow in the air? He’s a prodigy, a prodigy.”

At that moment, a voice was heard.

“That’s so dirty.”

“Cough!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was startled. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice someone approaching.

Muk Bi frowned.

“Do you like stealing other people’s martial arts?”

“Stealing! I just naturally learned it while teaching that guy. Well, isn’t it good? We both helped each other.”

“Tsk, tsk!”

“Tch, don’t look at me with such contempt.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled ungracefully.