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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Young Dragon Ascension Tournament (3)
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A quarter of an hour after the first match of the Young Dragon Ascension Tournament began, both children were visibly exhausted.
Despite this, the outcome of the match remained uncertain.
In terms of pure skill, Baek Sa-hyeon of the Baek Family was clearly superior.
However, because they were using wooden swords for a children's match, the fight couldn't be ended easily.
Had they been real swords, Soyeon's dazzling footwork would have been much harder to execute so relentlessly.
Moreover, Baek Sa-hyeon was struggling to land a decisive blow on Soyeon.
Every time he seemed to have her cornered, Soyeon would make an unexpected move, turning crisis into opportunity and catching him off guard.
As Soyeon's unpredictable movements continued, the Poison Emperor found himself genuinely impressed.
"So it was real. That movement technique wasn't a fluke."
Beside him, Dang So-hye nodded in agreement.
Mujin spoke with an expression that said, 'Of course.'
"How could such movements be mere coincidence?"
"It seems completely unrelated to any known footwork, so it must have been taught separately…"
The Poison Emperor trailed off, looking at Elder Jo.
But the answer came from Mujin.
"I taught her that."
"Remarkable. To think you personally taught a movement technique that looks like it could only be mastered through countless real battles."
*'It's the only movement technique passed down in our school, which lacks even the most common of lightness skills.'*
It was a technique he had learned physically from his master since childhood, in a school that disdained any martial art except swordsmanship designed for killing.
Unaware of this fact, the Poison Emperor couldn't help but be amazed by Mujin.
The more he learned, the more new facets Mujin revealed, and his interest grew.
Just then, Mujin clenched his fists and shot to his feet.
"That's it!"
-Crack!
On the stage, Soyeon's kick had shattered Baek Sa-hyeon's wooden sword and struck him in the chest.
After breaking the sword and planting her foot in his chest, Soyeon rushed forward and unleashed a merciless barrage of kicks.
-Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Struck by four kicks in quick succession, Baek Sa-hyeon was sent flying backward.
At that moment, the head of the Baek Family leaped onto the stage, scooped up the fallen boy, and glared at Soyeon.
!!
Seeing the head of the Baek Family directing a resentful gaze at his precious little sister, Mujin was about to jump onto the stage when Chief Steward Do and Elder Jo grabbed him.
"Young Master!"
"You mustn't!"
"Let me go!"
"This is a loss by foul."
"It is Lady Soyeon's fault, so please endure it."
At the two elders' words, Mujin calmed his anger and turned his gaze.
"A loss by foul? Why? What for?"
"When the wooden sword broke, didn't that blue pouch fly onto the stage?"
Indeed, just as Soyeon's kick landed, something like a blue beanbag had flown past the two of them.
"So what about it?"
"In children's matches, real swords are not used. So, if a wooden sword is damaged, the match is paused, the weapon is replaced, and then it resumes. That blue pouch is the signal to stop attacking. Since she continued to attack, it is our side's loss by foul."
"... Is that so? I didn't know there was such a rule. Why didn't you tell Soyeon beforehand?"
As Mujin said this, the two elders shook their heads.
"We told her several times. If a blue or red pouch lands on the stage, she must stop attacking and not land any additional blows."
"..."
At Chief Steward Do's words, Mujin cleared his throat and sheepishly sat back down.
Because it was a match for young children, there were rules that differed somewhat from real combat.
These rules were created to protect the children, who had bright futures ahead of them, from any potential injuries.
Soyeon, who had completely ignored these rules and injured her opponent, stood on the stage with a look of relief.
"Her competitive spirit is stronger than most boys. A martial artist should have that much drive."
Mujin nodded at the Poison Emperor's flattering words.
"It's a necessary quality to become a master."
In the end, Soyeon was disqualified and had to leave the stage. But as she came down, her expression was incredibly bright.
"Brother!!"
Mujin caught Soyeon as she ran and jumped into his arms, then sat her on his lap and asked.
"Did you not see the blue pouch fall?"
"No, I saw it clearly. It flew right in front of my eyes."
"Then why did you land more hits, knowing you'd be disqualified?"
Soyeon answered Mujin's question with a grin.
"Because I thought I would lose if we started fighting again."
"..."
At Soyeon's words, Chief Steward Do and Elder Jo stared at a distant mountain, their lips sealed tight.
"An excellent decision. The real victory is more important than the outcome of a mere match. In a real fight, there are no beanbags to stop your opponent's attacks. Well done."
"Hehe, right? Did you see that brat from the Baek Family fall over after my kicks? He used to bring his family's warriors to the neighborhood and act all high and mighty. I really wanted to beat him up."
Mujin smiled at Soyeon's words.
"So? Do you feel better now that you've beaten him up?"
"Yeah! A lot!"
"Then that's all that matters."
"But his dad glared at me really scarily, so I was a little scared…"
"Hmph! What's he going to do, just glare? Don't be afraid. If things go south…"
"Young Master."
At Chief Steward Do's call, Mujin swallowed the rest of his words.
Watching Mujin talk with Soyeon, a smile never left the Poison Emperor's face.
"By the way, who are you, grandpa and big sister?"
Mujin answered Soyeon's question.
"A high-ranking person from the Tang Clan. And next to him is his granddaughter."
"Tang Clan?"
Soyeon tilted her head.
Unlike typical children of a martial family, Soyeon and Dojin were not well-versed in the clans and sects of the martial world.
This was likely because their family had few martial artists, so they hadn't picked up much through hearsay.
"I am the Grand Elder of the Tang Clan, which is based in Chengdu of Sichuan. You can think of me as a close friend of your grandfather."
At the Poison Emperor's words, Soyeon stepped forward, placed her hands on her stomach, and bowed deeply.
"Hello. It is an honor to meet my grandfather's friend."
Soyeon's cute gesture made the Poison Emperor's smile widen.
"Yes. I heard you inherited your grandfather's martial arts, so why did you only use kicking techniques? It would have been much easier if you had used his arts, wouldn't it?"
Soyeon glanced at Elder Jo before answering the Poison Emperor's question.
"Grandpa Elder told me not to recklessly display our family's secret arts in a formal setting. He said I could lose something great for the sake of a small victory."
The Poison Emperor burst into laughter at her unchildlike answer.
"Hahaha!"
It was admirable that a child who wouldn't hesitate to foul out of sheer competitiveness had endured a disadvantageous situation without using her secret arts, all to protect them.
After all, even adult martial artists were the type to use any secret technique they had when cornered.
"Impressive. Yes, that is how the granddaughter of the Flame Emperor should be."
"Yes!"
At the mention of her grandfather's title, Soyeon's face hardened as she answered resolutely.
From that alone, the Poison Emperor could clearly see what kind of upbringing the child had received.
A child who valued practical gain but also knew how to protect her family's honor.
It was reminiscent of the Tang Clan's own teachings.
As the conversation centered around Soyeon, four more matches passed by unnoticed.
However, the group had no interest in the other children's matches.
And then, the sixth match.
-Seok Chu-yong of the Seok Family. Hwa Dojin of the Yeomhwa Family. To the stage!
At the call, the group's eyes turned to the stage.
"Oh? A sword this time? Kicking techniques and swordsmanship. Neither seems to be the Flame Emperor's art."
Hearing this comment about Dojin, who was ascending the stage with a wooden sword, Mujin looked at Elder Jo.
Meeting his gaze, Elder Jo spoke.
"He has begun training in the Severing Heart Sword. He has learned up to the Sword Ki chapter, so he should be able to handle most exchanges."
Mujin nodded at the mention of the Severing Heart Sword.
He figured that would be enough to avoid the disaster of being beaten to a pulp.
Unlike Soyeon, Dojin wasn't very competitive. He had a rigid side that made him seem mature, but Mujin had many concerns about him.
Facing his opponent, who also carried a wooden sword, Dojin lowered his center of gravity and took a defensive stance as the match began.
"To give up the first move…"
The Poison Emperor trailed off.
Seeing the contrast with the boy from the Seok Family who charged forward with great vigor, the Poison Emperor predicted Dojin's defeat.
However, Elder Jo and Soyeon raised the corners of their mouths, their attention fixed on what would happen next.
-Clack! Thwack!
!!!
Dojin's movement was so fluid it was hard to believe it was a child's technique—he swiftly deflected the sword of the charging Seok Chu-yong, closed the distance in an instant, and struck his shin as he passed by.
The Poison Emperor shot up from his seat, his eyes wide.
If this had been a real sword fight, that single move would have cost his opponent a leg.
But what truly stirred the Poison Emperor was the familiar sword path unfolding from Dojin's hands.
-Clack-clack-clack! Clack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!
-Thud.
His face red from his throbbing leg, Seok Chu-yong gritted his teeth and charged again, only to be struck on the wrist, shoulder, and arm. As he faltered and retreated, a red pouch fell onto the stage.
The pouch that signaled the end of a match when the skill gap was too great, implying one side could suffer a serious injury if it continued.
Seok Il-do, one of the organizers of the Young Dragon Ascension Tournament, stiffened at his young son's crushing defeat.
He could hardly be pleased that his son had been so one-sidedly defeated in a match witnessed by an elder of the Tang Clan, a man ranked among the greatest masters of the Central Plains—the Poison Emperor himself.
Moreover, everyone in Sichuan knew that the secret art of the Yeomhwa Family was unarmed combat.
To lose to a child from such a family in a sword-on-sword fight was inexcusable.
Among the martial artists in the venue who knew this, the murmurs grew louder.
Hwa Mujin, the Hidden Dragon of Xichang, who had crushed the second son of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild in an instant with a ridiculously large iron sword.
And now, his younger brother had followed suit, defeating a child of the Seok Family in just over ten seconds with a wooden sword. The venue was bound to be in an uproar.
The Poison Emperor remained standing for a long moment before finally sitting down and looking at Mujin.
"I never expected you to have a connection with Jang So-saeng."
"You have a keen eye."
"So it really is Jang So-saeng's swordsmanship?"
Mujin nodded.
"There's no point in hiding it. It is."
"After he vanished, his martial arts were thought to be lost. When did he leave his techniques with the Yeomhwa Family?"
"Master Jang So-saeng didn't specifically leave his arts with the Yeomhwa Family. It was simply by a twist of fate that his techniques came into our family's possession."
The Poison Emperor slowly nodded at Mujin's words.
Not only the Poison Emperor but also the surrounding martial artists who were watching the match began to murmur more loudly upon hearing this.
"To have such a fortunate encounter, it seems the heavens have blessed the Yeomhwa Family."
At the Poison Emperor's words, Mujin deliberately raised his voice and said.
"What's so great about acquiring the martial arts of one of Hubei's ten great masters? In Sichuan, it wouldn't be considered all that impressive, would it? While Master Jang So-san's poetry and painting are highly regarded, if he had been active in Sichuan, do you think he could have even made it into the top ten masters?"
At Mujin's words, the Poison Emperor smirked and shook his head.
"Not a chance!"
The people of Sichuan had a much stronger sense of pride in their region than people from other areas.
Naturally, the Sichuan martial artists gathered in the venue all nodded in agreement with the Poison Emperor's words.
Then, Mujin raised his voice even louder.
"In our Yeomhwa Family, we are having our warriors learn Master Jang So-san's swordsmanship. We only had Dojin learn it to give him some experience with the sword. For only three months of training, it's not bad, but it can't compare to the Yeomhwa Family's own secret arts."
The ripples created by Mujin's words were incomparable to anything before.
It was surprising enough that the lost martial arts of Jang So-san had reappeared, but the fact that such a master's techniques were being taught to common warriors was no small matter.
Although they had disparaged Jang So-san, saying he wouldn't have made it into the top ten masters if he were active in Sichuan, that was purely due to the pride of the Sichuan people.
Everyone acknowledged that Jang So-san's martial arts were of the highest caliber.
Teaching such supreme martial arts to a mere family warrior was not a common practice, even among the most renowned families.
Even in the Namgung Family, the most prestigious of the great families, their supreme martial arts were not taught to anyone who wasn't a recognized swordsman of exceptional talent.
-Jang So-san's swordsmanship. Could it be true?
-If it's true, I want to join the Yeomhwa Family right now.
-The Poison Emperor confirmed it himself. You can't fool his eyes.
-I heard the Yeomhwa Family is still recruiting warriors.
-So you're saying if we join the Yeomhwa Family, we can learn supreme martial arts?
-What kind of martial family does that! Teaching supreme martial arts to common warriors.
Watching the venue buzz with talk of the Yeomhwa Family, the expressions of the warriors from the Seok and Baek Families hardened.
Not only them, but also the Sangro and Ilyeo martial halls of the Xichang Martial Alliance, who had co-hosted the tournament, stared at Mujin in the distance with stiff faces.
*'Using me like this. The more I see of him, the more interesting this child is.'*
The Poison Emperor smiled as he watched Mujin use his reputation to promote his family.
There was likely no other martial artist in the world who would use the Poison Emperor's name to advertise warrior recruitment for their family.
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