Hyun Jong clenched his fist under his sleeve as he watched Baek Chun on stage.
‘Baek Chun-ah.’
His body then tenses up.
Is he worried that Baek Chun will lose?
That is not the case.
Hyun Jong has complete faith in him. If Chung Myung is a lucky charm, Baek Chun is the essence of Mount Hua, nurtured with all their heart and soul.
If Chung Myung is a beautiful child who will not be hurt even if he gets it in his eyes, Baek Chun is a child who has been raised with the fear that he will fly away if blown or broken if touched.
As a result, being nervous is unavoidable.
“Is that the great disciple of Mount Hua?”
“Yes, he is the great disciple of the second-class disciple.”
“Then that child must be the most fierce of all the children who participated in this sparring competition.”
“That’s right.”
There were no more words to say.
Only those who looked at Baek Chun more suspiciously than usual stood out.
‘The mood is very different from yesterday.’
He said yesterday that he would save face and give his blessing. However, after Chung Myung’s performance, he expected the atmosphere to cool slightly as Mount Hua continued its winning streak, but the cold air flowed once more.
‘What are you so afraid of?’
With a stiff face, Hyun Jong bit his lips.
Are they concerned about getting hurt?
Or are they concerned that the long-established balance of power between the Ten Great Sect and the Great Five Family will be upset?
‘He is a second-rate disciple.’
If this was the battleground for the first-class disciples and Elders, he would have understood their reactions a hundred times over.
However, he was so disappointed that they were so concerned about the performance of the young disciples, who cannot yet be referred to as the sect’s true power.
‘Are these the world’s leaders?’
Unable to conceal his disappointment, Hyun Jong sighed deeply as if he had realized something.
‘No, it isn’t. I was mistaken.’
They are in perfect condition.
Hyun Jong is the problem.
Which sect would develop further if one of them and Hyun Jong were two sects with similar abilities and skills?
It is obvious that Hyun Jong, who prefers concessions to competition, will eventually lose everything to them and push the sect into the abyss.
‘Is this why he warns me about the timing?’
Hyun Jong nodded quietly as he looked behind Shaolin Sect Leader Bop Jeong, who was sitting in the front.
‘Bangjang had to have made it this far.’
A good person can, of course, be a good Sect Leader.
Those who can’t care for themselves while only demanding fairness/justice will be taken away in the end.
To protect, one must be tough.
Hyun Jong’s eyes shone with a chill when he realized that these seemingly naive behaviors were solely for the benefit of their own sect.
‘I, too, need to be tougher.’
To keep those children safe.
So as not to obstruct those children.
The reactions of the Sect Leaders taught Hyun Jong something else.
“Isn’t Baek Chun the one who beat Wudang’s Blue Dragon? Now it’s called another Five Dragon that replaces Blue Dragon, right? Should he be called White Dragon?”
Wudang Sect Leader, Heo Dojin, smiled brightly at someone’s words.
“My child is indebted to him. However, I am thankful for that child again. Jin Hyun has been practicing hard since that day, forgetting even to eat. I’m also looking forward to what the future will be like as the child who I believed the talent in has even made more efforts.”
“Haha. Then it’s a good thing.”
“Probably.”
Heo Dojin smiles as he looks at Hyun Jong.
“The result of the next match will be a little different from the previous one. It would be great if they could meet at this sparring competition.”
If it had been Hyun Jong in the past, he would have appropriately praised the opponent after saying humble things here.
But Hyun Jong now knows.
He has the ability to lower himself, but he must not lower Mount Hua.
Even if he was told he rolls in the manure pile and is naive and narrow-minded, he couldn’t bring those kids down an inch.
That is exactly what Sect Leader should do.
“It’s something to celebrate if Wudang’s Blue Dragon achieved his purpose. But…….”
Hyun Jong had a pleasant expression on his face.
“Baek Chun’s talent is astonishing even to me. I can’t imagine that the child will lose again to the opponent who he won against once.”
Heo Dojin’s eyes are slightly surprised as he looks at Hyun Jong.
“Hahaha. It seems that the result of the match yesterday gave Sect Leader great confidence.”
“That’s not true. How can a natural result become self-confidence? What gave me confidence is not the result of the match, but the skills of those children.”
The atmosphere quickly became quiet.
Heo Dojin was about to open his mouth as he stared silently at Hyun Jong.
But then there was a loud voice from the side.
“You’ll have to beat my grandson first to discuss that connection!”
Their gazes were drawn to the sound.
Peng Hwa Seo (팽화서(彭和庶)), the head of the Hebei Peng Family, was looking at them with an unhappy face.
Heo Dojin and Hyun Jong, who confirmed that Baek Chun’s opponent came from the Hebei Peng Family, looked embarrassed.
“Excuse me, Gaju-nim.”
“I was short-thinking.”
“Hmph!”
Peng Hwa Seo snorted loudly, crossed his arms, and said loudly and hoarsely.
“Our Dowan (도완(刀完)) isn’t a very famous kid, but his skills are second to none! So keep your eyes wide open and look carefully!”
Heo Dojin did not respond and remained silent. Hyun Jong looked at Peng Hwa Seo with subdued eyes, who was suppressing his rage.
‘If the Hebei Peng Family’s head covers their child, how am I to prioritize my face over those children?’
He encouraged Baek Chun from the bottom of his heart, with an apologetic heart.
‘Baek Chun-ah, victory.’
His eyes were filled with trust and concern, and his hands were lightly clasped.
***
It’s not heavy.
Baek Chun applied light force to the hand holding the sword and repeatedly released it.
‘I know what those guys were discussing.’
Peng Dowan of the Hebei Peng Family was the opponent.
He has never heard of his name, but if he is revealed to be the representative of the Hebei Pang Family, he should be one of the world’s most prominent figures.
But he didn’t pose a threat to Baek Chun.
All you can feel is his own heart constantly beating.
And there was only Hyun Jong’s gaze from above, staring at this side.
“Sect Leader.”
Baek Chun used to be a man who was only concerned with his own development. But then he met Chung Myung, and as he went through many changes, he discovered something new.
Sect Leader is a wonderful person who knew Baek Chun’s identity and accepted him without question.
‘I will make Mount Hua the best sect in the world,’ he declares.
In other words, he would elevate Mount Hua’s Secs Leader to the highest position in Jungwon. To accomplish this, he must defeat the man in front of him right now.
Baek Chun stared at Peng Dowan, unafraid.
However, Peng Dowan appeared to interpret the look as a provocation.
“You have cheeky eyes.”
Put the large one-handed sword on his shoulders and threatened him.
“You must have lost your head because you played well yesterday, huh?”
Baek Chun sighed as he noticed the unexpected provocation.
‘Why is my opponent acting this way?’
It would be preferable if it was a good match.
Baek Chun responded nonchalantly.
“Not exactly. I’m a little scared right now.”
“Hahaha. The snout is as shiny as the face.”
“…….”
Baek Chun grabbed the sword, realizing that it would be difficult to hear a good sound if he spoke.
“If you don’t intend to fight verbally, I’ll start.”
“No, no. I’m thinking of giving you a chance.”
“A chance?”
Peng Dowan laughs and says,
“If you surrender now and go down, that shiny face won’t get hurt. I get irritated when I see a guy who looks like a gisaeng orabi like you.”
“… Gisaeng orabi?”
“Mount Hua seems to have been lucky, but that’s because they haven’t met the real one yet. But you’re out of luck. I’m different from the idiots that Mount Hua has ever dealt with. If you don’t want to be shamed, you’d better go down now.”
“…Thank you for your advice.”
Baek Chun shifted his gaze to the left and right.
Yoon Jong, who sat down and saw it, tightly closed his eyes.
“Now you look like that too.”
“Just put your mind down, Sahyung. It’s too late to go back now.”
“…where is the human heart?”
Yoon Jong and Jo Gol fought back the tears as they watched their Sasuk resemble Chung Myung more and more.
Where had their Sasuk, whom they had previously admired?
Of course, they still admire him. Respect.
The issue is that the sense of respect has shifted slightly.
Peng Dowan had progressed.
“Even now…….”
“Oh, that’s enough.”
“Hm?”
Baek Chun sighed as if bored.
“If you’re done, let’s start. It’s getting boring.”
“…This guy?”
Peng Dowan drew his sword from his shoulder and aimed it squarely at Baek Chun.
“You seem to think you’re strong just because you’ve had some luck. Then I’ll let you know. The Mount Hua Sect’s reputation that has been cut off once can never be under the same class as a prestigious sect!”
The arrogant remark made Baek Chun smirk.
“Reputation?”
“That’s right.”
He then scratched the back of his head a few times and spoke in a sour tone.
“If a man I knew well had heard it, he would have said this.”
“…what?”
“Is a prestigious sect doesn’t have any head at all?”
“…….”
Baek Chun raised his sword and aimed it at Peng Dowan.
“Come here. I’ll break the head of that prestigious sect.”
In an instant, Peng Dowan’s face turned bright red. He clenched his teeth and looked as if he was about to burst.
“You cheeky bastard!”
Finally, clutching the sword, he charged toward Baek Chun like an enraged bull.
“I’ll fix your manner!”
“Tsk.”
Baek Chun’s pupils constricted.
What he’s doing is ridiculous, but whether he was taught roughly in the Hebei Peng Family or not, a powerful force is pressing on him.
It’s only…
‘I must have felt the same way.’
He seemed to understand how Chung Myung must have felt when he said he would change his demeanor. His face becomes hot when he thinks about it.
Those who have been unable to break free from the façade of belonging to a prestigious sect believe that their background is their ability.
Only after Chung Myung broke his head did Baek Chun realize the truth.
Then?
Baek Chun’s mouth corners are slightly raised.
“I don’t want to be gracious about this.”
“What nonsense!”
Peng Dowan leapt to his feet like a tiger and slammed his sword into Baek Chun’s head. (비호)
The martial art that the Hebei Peng Family is proud of. During the Ohodan Mundo, it was the martial art Five Tigers Broken Sect Sword (()) of Swift Tiger Kill Rabbit (()).
With tremendous momentum, the sword infused with intense Tao energy fell toward Baek Chun.
At the same time, Peng Do-wan closely followed Baek Chun’s movements without losing his cool.
‘It’s pointless to avoid!’
Even if they die split in two, a fool who confronts Swift Tiger Kill Rabbit will have nothing to say. If one has any sense at all, one should definitely avoid it.
Whatever route he takes, once he loses momentum, he will never be able to recover.
Then, with the continuous follow-up strike (연환격(連環擊)), he will seize the victory at once and leave a cut on that unlucky face…….
It was back then.
Baek Chun tilted his sword to the back as he stared at Peng Dowan’s sword falling toward him. Then he swung with devastating force toward Peng Dowan’s sword.
‘Cra-Crazy?’
Peng Dowan’s eyes widened.
Is he going to fight back against the sword that strikes him so hard with that thin sword?
Even a three-year-old child can see that this is illogical.
‘All right, then, don’t blame me!’
Peng Dowan clenched his teeth and pushed as much energy as he could.
Finally, his sword collided with Baek Chun’s!
Kaang!
There was a loud, ear-piercing roar, and a man was thrown to the ground.
“Tha-That!”
“No way!”
The onlookers burst out in applause.
It’s normal for Baek Chun to bounce off due to the size difference or the weapon’s weight.
Peng Dowan, on the other hand, rolled to the ground.
“Wha-What?”
As he fell, he struggled to raise his head and look at Baek Chun. He didn’t seem to have time to hide his surprise.
“Tsk.”
Baek Chun shook his sword lightly and approached him slowly.
Unlike Peng Dowan, who fractured his arm and tore all of his arm muscles in a single collision, Baek Chun had no visible wounds.
Finally, Baek Chun clicked his tongue in front of Peng Dowan, who had stopped walking.
“Hey, you.”
And strongly advised.
“Do some exercise.”
“…….”
“You’re so weak that you can’t even carry a bucket of water if you come to Mount Hua.”
Peng Dowan’s mouth widened.
Weak?
‘Is this me?’
His gaze swept over his forearm.
His forearms are twice the size of an average man because he is a descendant of the Peng Family, who are known for their majestic bodies. Most bears bow their heads to him and refer to him as Older Brother (Hyung-nim).
But such a weakling?
Baek Chun sighed and rolled up his sleeves because Peng Dowan couldn’t understand.
The muscles that had been split were exposed. Training for hellish muscles.
Peng Dowan gritted his teeth and gradually drew himself up.
“Where is this… this dog-like guy…”
“Oh? A dog? Yeah. That puts my mind at ease.”
“Huh?”
Baek Chun turned the sword upside down and smacked Peng Dowan on the back of the head.
Dok!
There was a cracking sound, like a ripe watermelon.
Peng Dowan’s mouth widened. And he instantly froze.
“Head! Head! Head! Head! Head!”
Dok! Dok! Dok! Dok! Dookkk!
Peng Dowan, who had foam in his mouth, collapsed on the spot after five strikes.
As he fell to the ground, Baek Chun glanced at him, pushed his sword into the scabbard, and turned around without hesitation.
But after a few steps, he completely stopped, as if he had missed something.
And he wept from the bottom of his heart, his face contorted.
“Ah! I should have hit you one more time!”
To make it hurt, he has to shout five times and hit six times!
“Ei!”
‘I haven’t figured it out yet.’
‘Tsk!’