The Legend of the Northern Blade - Chapter 187: The Star of Justice Shines Once Again (3)

Chapter 187: The Star of Justice Shines Once Again (3)

The main tournament unfolded with ferocious intensity. Defeat meant immediate elimination, so the martial artists had no choice but to fight with all their might.

Naturally, not everyone could be a victor. Of the six hundred martial artists who participated, half were eliminated on the first day. Most of them were the same warriors who had struggled to pass the preliminaries.

Exhausted, injured, and with inferior martial arts, they stood no chance. In the end, those who had fought so hard only to be eliminated in the main tournament could do nothing but shed tears of frustration.

If there was any consolation, it was that they would not be kicked out of Heaven’s Summit. Having passed the preliminaries, they were granted the right to spectate the rest of the tournament.

Of course, the main tournament also brought many new martial artists, previously unknown to the jianghu, into the spotlight. Most were disciples of prestigious factions like the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans, but there were also some who did not belong to them, drawing the people’s attention.

In particular, four martial artists had stood out like sharp awls piercing through a sack since the preliminaries. Even now, they displayed martial prowess that surpassed the disciples of the prestigious factions.

The people of the jianghu called them the Earthly Quartet and sent them fiery cheers of support.

The Soul-Burning Ghost Spear, Cho Seung-Gyeong.

The Broken Moon Fairy, Sa Yu-Ha.

The Handsome Swordsman, Yoo So-Mun.

The Black Fog Warrior, Jo Wol.

The appearance of such dark horses threw the spectators into a frenzy of excitement. People wondered how far they could go and even hoped that one of them might claim a position as one of the Demon Hunters’ Captains.

Unfortunately, Myeong Ryu-San was not among the Earthly Quartet. His martial arts were neither as flashy nor as powerful as theirs, and he always won his matches after a difficult struggle, finishing each duel a battered mess.

At first, people had mocked Myeong Ryu-San’s duels, calling them dogfights. As they watched him emerge victorious time and again despite being covered in wounds, however, the number of people cheering for him gradually began to increase.

Currently, inside a small tent behind the duel stage, Myeong Ryu-San, Jin Mu-Won, Ha Jin-Wol, and Tang Gi-Mun were gathered.

Tang Gi-Mun examined Myeong Ryu-San’s body with a worried expression. The young man’s body was a wreck, with unhealed external wounds and damaged internal organs that had yet to recover.

“This is your limit,” he concluded.

“What do you mean, my limit? I’m perfectly fine.” Myeong Ryu-San swung his arm in a wide circle to deny Tang Gi-Mun’s words, but he could not completely hide the look of pain on his face.

In truth, he had a cracked rib, and every breath was painful. If not for Tang Gi-Mun’s treatment, even sitting like this would have been difficult. Furthermore, although Tang Gi-Mun used poison to rapidly increase his qi each day, the energy was unstable since it had not been accumulated through proper training.

“You will surely become a master in time. Why obsess so much over a tournament like this? You’ve already made a name for yourself, so how about you give up now?”

“No.”

“But continuing to fight could be dangerous.”

“Master… No, Elder. People like you who were born and raised in the Tang Clan would not know how I feel.”

“What do you mean…”

“The jianghu is an incredibly harsh place for people like me, who have neither a strong background nor decent martial arts. You cannot understand the dirty and miserable feeling of having to spend your entire life at the bottom, never being given a single opportunity.”

Myeong Ryu-San bit his lip fiercely. It split and began to bleed, but he did not even seem to feel the pain.

“But even a bottom feeder like me has a dream of soaring into the sky. For noble people like you, this might just be another tournament, but for me, it is a golden opportunity to achieve my dream. What does it matter if my body breaks a little? An opportunity like this will never come again.”

He had finally gotten the chance to make a name for himself. People had started to recognize him. When he walked down the street, they would acknowledge him. Though he did not even have a proper alias yet, the fact that people recognized him was enough to make him feel like he could burn away everything he had.

Tang Gi-Mun let out a soft sigh and looked at Ha Jin-Wol, hoping he would help persuade him, but Ha Jin-Wol shook his head. Though the scholar was not particularly fond of Myeong Ryu-San, he could understand the young man’s feelings.

In the end, Tang Gi-Mun had no choice but to give in. “Fine. In exchange, you must forfeit if you think it is dangerous. Promise me this one thing.”

“I know my life is precious. If I think it’s dangerous, I will give up immediately.”

“Alright.”

Myeong Ryu-San rose from his seat. For a moment, he winced from the pain in his side, but soon gritted his teeth and glared at Jin Mu-Won.

If it’s you, on the other hand, I will never surrender…

He strode past Jin Mu-Won and went outside.

Ha Jin-Wol clicked his tongue. “That guy and his temper…”

“Let’s go out too. He’s probably going to lose, but we should still watch him fight, right?”

“Hmm… Hyung-nim, you should watch with Mu-Won.”

“What about you?”

“I have something else to do.”

“What?”

“There is someone I have to meet and something I need to look into. I will see you at the manor later.”

Disappointment flashed across Tang Gi-Mun’s face. “Can’t you tell me about what you’re doing in secret?”

For some time now, Ha Jin-Wol had been going out alone frequently, yet not once had he given him a hint about what he was doing.

Ha Jin-Wol smiled brightly. “I am just preparing for the future. Even if you are curious, could you just bear with it for a little while? I will let you know when the time is ripe.”

“Alright…”

“Don’t worry too much, heheh! After all, if I don’t tell you, Hyung-nim, who else would I tell?”

Finally, Tang Gi-Mun’s expression softened a little.

Ha Jin-Wol clapped Jin Mu-Won on the shoulder. “I’ll see you later. Please take care of Hyung-nim while I’m not around.”

“Don’t worry.”

Ha Jin-Wol waved his hand and left Heaven’s Summit, while Jin Mu-Won and Tang Gi-Mun headed for the audience stands.

When they got there, though, they found that Tang Mi-Ryeo had already saved them seats.

“Uncle, Master Jin, welcome.”

“Where’s Ryu-San?”

“He’s up next.”

“Who’s his opponent?”

“He got unlucky…”

“Just who is it?”

“One of the Earthly Quartet.”

“Hmm!” Tang Gi-Mun’s expression hardened. The Earthly Quartet were warriors who made even the disciples of the prestigious jianghu factions nervous. For the current Myeong Ryu-San, they were far too overwhelming. “Which one of the Earthly Quartet?”

“Master Cho Seung-Gyeong.”

“The Soul-Burning Ghost Spear?”

“That’s right.”

Tang Gi-Mun’s gaze turned toward the dueling stage, where a young martial artist stood holding a long spear. He kept his back straight and his eyes half-closed, and an extraordinary aura emanated from him. One glance was enough to see that he was a highly skilled spearman.

“I don’t know if Ryu-San can face him…”

Tang Gi-Mun frowned in worry. Even to his untrained eyes, it was clear that Cho Seung-Gyeong was a lot stronger and more experienced than Myeong Ryu-San.

He looked at Jin Mu-Won, seeking his opinion.

Jin Mu-Won’s gaze, however, wasn’t on the stage. Amidst the cheerful chatter and laughter of the crowd, his eyes were fixed on a solitary figure.

Across the stands, a man in a black cloak stood apart, arms crossed, his black bamboo hat pulled low, shadowing his face. He blended seamlessly with the throng, yet his singular focus on the duel stage set him distinctly apart.

“Who are you looking at so intently?”

“……”

“That’s the Black Fog Warrior,” Tang Mi-Ryeo answered.

“The Black Fog Warrior, Jo Wol?”

“Yes. I saw him fight this morning.”

“Wow, everything about him is really as black as fog. To think there’s someone who likes black so much.”

Jin Mu-Won did not take his eyes off Jo Wol even while listening to their conversation. Like the two Tang Clan members said, everything about the man seemed to be shrouded in a black fog, just like his alias. Because of that, he was strangely unsettling.

Suddenly, Jo Wol turned his head in their direction as if he had detected Jin Mu-Won’s gaze.

Their gazes met.

The corner of Jo Wol’s lips, visible under the black bamboo hat, curled into a slight smile.

Jin Mu-Won narrowed his eyes. The man had not only recognized him but was provoking him. Nevertheless, he was not so undisciplined as to fall for such a simple provocation.

No, what unsettled him was not the taunt, but the man’s qi. There was something about it that grated on his nerves.

He may be the most troublesome opponent among those participating in this duel tournament.

The qi of most of the martial artists who participated in this tournament was pure and refined, as they had received teachings from prestigious factions. Jo Wol’s qi, on the other hand, was reminiscent of a snake, and a venomous one at that.

“We will now begin the next duel. Will Master Myeong Ryu-San please come up to the stage!”

The officiator’s voice echoed in Jin Mu-Won’s ears, and he shifted his gaze from Jo Wol to the stage.

Myeong Ryu-San ascended the steps nervously. His senses were screaming that Cho Seung-Gyeong was different from the opponents he had faced so far.

Cho Seung-Gyeong clasped his hands in greeting. “I am Cho Seung-Gyeong of the Yongzhou Cho Family. It is an honor to face you.”

“I am Myeong Ryu-San of Sichuan.”

“Pleased to meet you, Master Myeong. I have come with the honor of my family on the line, so I pray that you too will do your best without any regrets.”

The Cho Family was once a prominent family in the Yongzhou region of Hunan Province. Over time, however, most of their techniques were lost, and now they were barely holding on to their lineage.

Cho Seung-Gyeong raised his spear and aimed it at Myeong Ryu-San. He was his fallen family’s last hope, and was participating in the Demon Hunters’ selection for the sake of his family’s revival.

Instantly, Myeong Ryu-San felt the illusion of a powerful energy piercing his body and shuddered. His expression twisted at the intense pressure unlike anything he had ever felt before.

“Shit!”

His opponent’s spear was aimed at his forehead, yet that alone was enough to make him feel as if his head had been split open. He shook his head from side to side, trying to shake off the unpleasant feeling.

“You think I’ll lose? I won’t lose! No, I can’t lose!” he shouted, rushing toward Cho Seung-Gyeong.

Jin Mu-Won watched as Myeong Ryu-San clung on tenaciously until he was knocked unconscious by a spear that pierced his side.

“The Unyielding Bloodhound!” someone shouted, reminded of a blood-soaked war hound.

“”The Unyielding Bloodhound! The Unyielding Bloodhound!””

The crowd chanted Myeong Ryu-San’s new alias, one he had earned in exchange for his defeat. His dogged determination had left a deep impression on them.

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