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Chapter 2: Lotus Sword Association)

Chapter 2: Lotus Sword Association)

Joo Seo-cheon, fourteen years old.

When Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun turned fifteen, they left the military as planned..

The two were disappointed and made plans for next year..

‘What happened to death penalty and sister-in-law in the original history??’

As I became closer to someone, I naturally started to worry..

Even Joo Seo-cheon doesn’t know the future of Jang Hong and Jang Seo-on..

I searched my memory several times, but nothing came to mind..

In this case, the future is largely divided into two..

There are cases where you were a gifted child when you were young, but you were blocked by the wall of enlightenment, despaired, and became a mere useless person..

This is a case where one dies before even having a chance to do anything..

I was worried what would happen if it was the latter..

The future has changed a lot due to what happened until today, but you never know..

There are cases in which it had no influence on the deaths of Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun..

So, even though it was annoying these days, I secretly helped you with your martial arts skills while doing the dance..

If your strength becomes stronger, you can prepare for an uncertain future..

“My brother-in-law and sister-in-law won't be able to see each other for a while, so I can spend a year training like I'm dead..”

Joo Seocheon muttered and glanced around..

A training place with a teacher a few years ago..

I crossed the border between life and death while climbing a cliff..

I still get goosebumps down my spine when I think about that time..

Now that I'm here, I don't even want to think about memories..

But in the end, I came back because it was a place with few people..

“Phew……”

I took a deep breath and let it out..

I used the inner gongsim method by repeatedly taking deep breaths..

Bets began to flow from the bottom match..

It was a period of one and seven years..

My strength no longer accumulates exponentially..

Still, I accumulated twice as much as others..

When I was thirteen, it suddenly became five years, so I gained exactly two years in one year..

‘Self-made work, fostering.’

Jashingong was promoted to nurturing in Oseong..

I felt like I was still as slow as a turtle..

Although it does not glow purple, the bet, which operates as a volcanic force, circulates around the body and provides strength..

Raise the sword in your hand, take a stance, and internal power is converted into air power..

The atmosphere trembled slightly due to the dense energy..

‘Jaysik, Hwawoo Line (花雨扇形))!’

wedge!

The sword was stretched out straight ahead..

The movement was like lightning..

That wasn't the end..

The moment the sword was struck, it spread like a fan and was divided into dozens of pieces and shot out..

The swords, distributed in double digits, left long trails like meteors and struck dozens of trees..

Kwazijic!

There was a hole in the exact center of the tree..

Another tree had a half-moon on its side, as if its side had burst..

In addition, tree branches fell or pebbles splashed, creating long sword marks on the ground..

“Haha, haha!”

Joo Seocheon took a deep breath as if he was tired..

His face was distorted with irritation..

“Okay!”

I wasn't dissatisfied with the extreme consumption of internal energy..

J-Sik has a destructive power as great as the internal power he consumes..

What was annoying was the difficulty of martial arts itself..

I've been practicing J-style for quite a while, but I've never really practiced it properly..

Originally, the petals made of purple true energy had to fall, and the sword path had to be constant..

The direction I just aimed was straight ahead..

There shouldn't be a sword mark on the floor..

This is proof that the direction has completely changed..

“Is it for no reason that martial arts is only allowed to the greatest genius in Hwasan? I almost cursed at the leader of the faction.!”

Many things are required to become a pillar of the political faction and a leader leading the old faction..

Martial arts are the basics, but martial arts alone does not mean you can lead a sect..

So, the master of the clan or the master of the clan is not necessarily the best expert of the clan..

In fact, the current head of Shaolin Temple was not even in the ranks of masters, let alone the best Shaolin master..

This was because the Shaolin Temple placed more importance on Buddhist studies than on martial arts..

Buddhist studies and legal power come first, martial arts come second, and they are limited to incidental matters..

The Shaman faction, the representative of Taoist martial arts, was also similar..

What they prioritized was the Tao itself, not martial arts..

Other old file rooms were similar..

It was natural that most of the old factions of the sect had their origins in Taoism or Buddhism..

However, there was an exception among these..

It was the opening and volcanic wave..

Regardless of the opening, the volcanic wave was truly exceptional..

The Hwasan faction did not attach importance to Taoist ideology like other Taoist factions..

Even though I had a secular inclination, it was really only a little bit..

If you look at the old school, it was just above the middle..

This is proven by the fact that Maehwageomsu, the elite of the Hwasan faction, cannot become strong only in martial arts..

However, even so, unless there were special circumstances such as war, the top person was always in charge of Hwasan..

‘It's because Jahaingong and Jaha Geomgyeol can't do anything with their mediocre talents! I'm going to throw up like this!’

To master your own skills, you must first be a genius..

Even that wasn't possible with any amount of talent..

However, once talent was discovered, one could receive full support from Jang Moon-in..

Since I was young, I had followed the teachings of the former genius and even the elixir, so it was natural for me to become the best expert in Hwasan..

“How much of a monster is Amcheonhoeju??”

And the greatest expert in Hwasan also lost his life at the hands of Amcheonhoeju..

Fear of Amcheonhoeju has soared..

Joo Seocheon was lost in thought with a serious expression on his face, then shook his head from side to side to shake off his anxiety..

“Anyway, genius is!”

Instead, I lashed out at useless people..

“Some people live for seventy-seven years and barely reach the level of martial arts, but they suffer like this. They learn martial arts while having fun, right? The world is really unfair!”

Still, my anxiety went away after swearing..

It felt like my frustrated heart was cleared up..

“A normal person like me should at least practice martial arts more when he has time to worry. Otherwise there's no hope..”

I sat cross-legged and started a fortune-telling breakfast to recover some of the energy I had lost..

“Hmm, is Sun and Moon Shrine next?.”

After the luck breakfast, I took out my bow and arrows from where I always hid them, and checked the sky to check the weather..

It's clear weather without a single cloud..

The sun rose in the sky, emitting warm light and heating up the earth..

Ilwol Shrine had a unique training environment..

First of all, it had to be day and night, and the sun and moon had to be clearly visible..

It was possible to practice even when clouds obscured the sun and moon, but strangely, it did not produce proper strength..

When I found out about Ilwol Shrine, I thought it was named because of archery skills so good that they could shoot down the sun and moon..

but it wasn't at all.

As the name suggests, it was a martial art that used the natural energy coming from the sun and moon..

Ilseong of Ilwol Shrine was a basic archery technique, and Iseong was able to increase destructive power and speed by putting energy into arrows..

The three stars could contain the positive energy of the sun, and the four sounds could contain the negative energy of the moon..

It was an arrow that could shoot the yin and yang energy, so it was worthy of being called a divine archer..

“Hmm.”

The protester with the arrow was pulled straight back..

The arrow slowly rose and fell according to my breathing..

Joo Seocheon took a deep breath and paused..

The arrow I was holding in my hand also stopped as if time had stopped..

In that state, I closed my left eye to focus, and at the same time raised my bet and loaded it onto the arrow..

I didn’t improve my physical abilities through internal energy. put energy on the arrow.

It was a talent that could not be performed except by Gunggong (弓功)..

‘1 ri (里: 1 ri = 500 meters)).’

I let go of the hand that was holding the bowstring..

Paang!

The air exploded as the arrow left the field..

‘It became a shooting star while emitting an explosive sound like ‘I’m sorry.’.

The arrow, which drew an eerily clean straight line without even the slightest vibration, hit the target exactly..

The primary target was a tree branch as thick as a finger joint, and the secondary target was a leaf on a tree branch..

And the final target was the beautiful tree beyond..

“oh! I even got the leaves right!”

Archery is quite difficult.

In particular, fine control was required when loading energy into the arrow..

If it is too much, the arrow will explode, and if it is not enough or half-hearted, the direction will change, etc..

Still, if successful, the effect was significant..

First of all, it was not affected by the wind at all..

It was a characteristic of Ilwol Shrine.

This alone significantly increases the hit rate..

Other than that, as explained before, destructive power and speed increase..

“Let's just keep it like this.”

The days of training continued..

* * *

It's a weather that makes you sweat just by standing still..

It was a heat that made me often look for water..

The temperature was particularly high.

“death penalty, death penalty.”

Nak So-wol called Joo Seo-cheon..

“huh?”

“what are you doing?”

“breathe.”

“……”

Luo Sowol looked speechless..

But even that expression was so pretty and cute that my heart pounded for a moment..

Nak So-wol turned thirteen and became even prettier..

As the days went by, the off-white color became brighter..

‘ ha.’

I couldn't help but sigh inside..

Sometimes I can't come to my senses when I see Naksowol next to me..

“Well, I’m calling that a joke now. ……”

Luo Xiaoyue frowned..

Even the frown was cute.

“Death penalty, you got something on my face?”

Nak So-wol felt the gaze and tilted her head..

Joo Seocheon said, “Oops,” and looked away..

‘Nothing.’

“I was permanently preserving your cuteness in my head, which was not good for my heart. To keep watching while pretending not to be interested.”

My inner thoughts came out.

‘Oops!’

“Oh my gosh,” I checked Naksowol..

Heo Eok!

Joo Seocheon flopped down in his place..

His hands were squeezing his chest..

There was a fairy in front of me..

Luo Sowol kept her mouth shut, her head lowered, and her slender shoulders were trembling..

For a moment I thought he was angry, but he wasn't..

Luo Sowol was blushing and embarrassed..

It was really cute to hold still while holding the hem of the sleeve..

“Hmm!”

I cleared my throat to shake off the awkward atmosphere..

“But why did I find it?”

Nak So-wol also responded to Joo Seo-cheon's consideration by finding composure..

“I came to deliver news from the Lotus Sword Association..”

“Yeonhwageomhoe?”

Joo Seocheon made an openly disgusted expression..

Surely it has to be this year?

Nak So-wol answered by nodding his head..

“why? You haven't been there for a while.”

Yeonhwageomhoe is a type of martial arts competition..

However, as the name suggests, participants are limited to Yeonhwagakwon..

“I think you would know if it was the death penalty..”

Nak So-wol laughed bitterly..

“grunt.”

It's not that I didn't do it, I couldn't do it..

In the meantime, there was a lot going on in Moorim, so Hwasanpa was also busy..

Remarks of Surim Guchae and Saman Shintu.

It was only today that the cleanup was completed and the volcanic waves returned to their proper places, allowing the original event to take place..

“why do you hate it so much?”

“……I too will be released next year. Until then, I wanted to feel at ease..”

It wasn't wrong, but it wasn't right either..

Since there were so few Yeonhwagakwon members, they had no right to veto, so they had to participate unless it was a truly formidable reason..

And when you compete, you naturally attract attention from all over..

I hated those looks.

Since there will be more eyes watching, it is impossible to sneak out and practice for the time being..

That was the complaint.

‘Let's do it in moderation and then leave..’

Although the Yeonhwageomhoe is an annual event, it is not a festival that attracts much attention among the martial arts people..

It is held without any spectators except for the officials, and the Yeonhwageomhoe itself is completed in two days and lasts four days at most..

But that didn't mean the participants took it lightly..

It was quite the opposite..

“It's an opportunity that never comes again.”

In the first place, the Yeonhwageomhoe was more of a kind of judging than a martial arts competition..

If you participate in the Lotus Sword Competition and show excellent or outstanding results, you will receive appropriate compensation..

Although it wasn't great, certain elixirs, famous swords, and treasured swords were given as prizes..

Of course, this is only part of it..

What the contestants were so thirsty for, and what they truly wanted, was something else..

“Let's not stand out, let alone win. It would be a big deal if I drew attention for no reason and got recommended as a plum reviewer..”

For generations, the supervisors of the Yeonhwageomhoe were Elder Hwasan and Maehwageomjang, and there was a reason for this..

This was because talented people who could become the next Maehwa inspector were selected through this competition..

For Joo Seocheon, this Yeonhwagyeom meeting was very annoying..

Not only did they select the winner as the next plum inspector, but they also selected those who showed satisfactory qualities..

He himself once dreamed of becoming a plum sword sword, the elite and idol of volcanoes, but not anymore..

This was because freedom would be restricted once the plum blossom inspection was conducted..

As they are the elite of volcanoes, they are deployed to various places to solve missions that ordinary disciples cannot perform..

As a result, I was either waiting at the volcano for a mission or was always out on a mission..

It was unsuitable for Joo Seo-cheon, who had to travel all over Murim to prevent and change what would happen in the future..

“Let's do it in moderation, in moderation.”

The Lotus Sword Association has begun.

There was a training hall in the center, and around it, the Yeonhwagak members who were participating were sitting or standing in appropriate places..

There was a seat on top of the fence near the training hall with a clear view below, and because of the people sitting there, it naturally became the head table..

“It's been three years……”

Geomseon Woo Il-mun, a long-time member of the Hwasan faction, muttered..

What emerged between the small wrinkles was joy..

“Wow, looks like it's going to be quite competitive this time..”

Elder Hwasan Oh and Jigeomong Haksong glanced at the contestants and said:.

“It is decided who will win.”

Cheolhyeolmaegum, Shim Ok-ryeon spoke with a voice full of confidence..

That face was still as cold as ice.

The eyes were on Nak So-wol, the Sason, near the training ground..

“I really think so.?”

Danyaksa, Youngjin smiled and said ‘Hoho’ and touched Shim Ok-ryeon’s heart..

“yes.”

Shim Ok-ryeon answered immediately without blinking..

“That remains to be seen..”

Youngjin looked away with a meaningless smile..

I followed his gaze and saw a familiar boy..

‘Joo Seocheon……’

Shim Ok-ryeon slightly bent her eyebrows..

I tried to say something, but I swallowed it inside..

At one time, he was a boy who was ridiculed for being a foreigner because he was lucky enough to take an elixir and his skills increased..

Shim Ok-ryeon was very displeased with the fact that he entered Yeonhwagak through luck and fluke without any talent or effort..

However, that perception changed after the events of Noh Soo-chang and Surim Gu-chae..

She was surprised to hear what he was doing at that time..

However, the negative feelings toward Joo Seo-cheon had been so strong before that that even though the perception had changed, the core of it remained ambiguous..

“Just as Elder Young said..”

Among the elders, a particularly sturdy middle-aged man came forward, agreeing with Youngjin's remarks..

It was Myeongsuak Jo Muyang..

Muyang Zhao looked down at the training ground with expectant eyes..

There was also a boy where his gaze fell..

“My son-in-law, who has no intention of becoming a plum inspector, may take that opportunity away, so I apologize in advance..”

Among the Yeonhwagakwon members, there were two people who were not interested in plum blossom inspection, and they were Joo Seocheon and Jo Muyang's in-laws..

It was simple that Myeongsuak's Sason, Bang Cheol-sam, was not interested in plum blossom inspection..

It was because I didn't lift the sword in the first place..

The Hwasan faction is famous as a swordsman along with the Shaman faction, but that does not mean that all of its disciples are swordsmen..

Although it is not commonly used other than sword techniques, there are also martial arts such as jangbeop, jobeop, and hand techniques..

Among them, Zhao Muyang chose craftsmanship and was recognized as the Five Elders of Hwasan..

He is one of the best handcraft experts in Moorim..

Bang Cheol-sam, like Jo Mu-yang's grandson, also chose hand-crafting instead of sword-fighting..

There was no way I was interested in plum blossom inspection..

“There's no need to apologize. In the end, it is decided who will win..”

Shim Ok-ryeon declared with a confident voice..

“who will say.”

Muyang Cho also responded in a relaxed manner..

“Hehehe, I can feel the enthusiasm up to here..”

Woo Il-moon laughed heartily at the war of nerves between the two elders..

I didn't say anything because it was a friendly competition..

‘by the way……’

Woo Il-moon stopped laughing and looked at Joo Seo-cheon blankly..

The emotions in Geomseon’s gaze were doubt and curiosity..

‘What is this friendliness??’

Being the chief writer of Hwasan is not such an idle position..

It’s been quite a while since I saw Joo Seocheon..

He went missing after getting caught up in a fight with Surim Guchae, and when he returned, he only heard about it and was not able to greet him in person..

It was because I was so hectic due to the remarks of the Three Eyes Shintu..

The last time I saw him was four years ago, during a meeting of the royal palaces, where Joo Seo-cheon's entry into Yeonhwagak was discussed briefly..

Of course, I was amazed at the extraordinary level of strength back then, but that's it..

Other than that, there was nothing special about it..

According to the information, he was talented and his swordsmanship was poor, so I just passed it off as luck..

But today, four years later.

When I saw it again, I felt a sense of familiarity that I couldn't explain in words..

Woo Il-moon was curious about the identity of this friendliness..

“I knew it would be like this……”

Joo Seo-cheon, the person receiving attention, muttered as expected..

When Nak So-wol, who was next to him, gave him a look as if he was saying something, he waved his hand and expressed it as if it was nothing..

Joo Seo-cheon glanced at the head of the table, confirmed the owner of his gaze, and then sighed..

It was Yeong-jin and Woo Il-moon..

Young-jin's gaze may have been due to their previous friendship, but the reason for Woo Il-moon's gaze was quite annoying..

‘You were instinctively drawn to your work..’

There was a skill I learned while practicing Jashin Gong for the past two years..

It is the hidden ability of the realm..

Jashingong originally has strong characteristics..

Since the purple flag was shaped and waved, anyone could recognize it..

However, on the other hand, until this technique came out, it was impossible to know whether even an expert had practiced the art himself..

That is why Ju Seo-cheon has been able to hide his own exploits even though Yoo Jeong-mok and Yeong-jin pinpointed the truth..

Anyway, what I found out recently was an extension of this feature..

It's not just Jashin-gong who can hide it, but Gyeongji as well..

Thanks to you, I was able to hide the fact that I was at my peak..

However, there was something shown during Surimguchae, so it was adjusted from second-class to first-class..

‘If you think about it, it's really useless……’

This cloaking ability was not permanent..

By the time the purple characteristic appears, it will naturally disappear..

The problem is that you cannot go outside the volcano until you reach the level and are recognized by your teacher..

The tactic of hiding your strength and catching the opponent off-guard and then stabbing them in the back is fine, but if you don't go out there, it won't happen..

Even if you search for great scholars and practitioners throughout history, you will not find anyone who has benefited from this type of strategy..

Still, it was amazing that he was able to deceive even the eyes of the Ten Most High Heavenly Seas..

It's not like the magic of volcanoes for nothing..

It ended to the point where even Woo Il-moon was unconsciously concerned about Ja Ha-jin-gi sleeping inside Joo Seo-cheon's body..

‘It's like a chameleon..’

Pigtails are creatures that only live in tropical regions, such as Nanman, and their body color changes depending on temperature and mood..

This ability to change color is especially useful when encountering natural enemies or predators..

For example, if you were near a tree, you could hide yourself by changing color to the point where it was difficult to distinguish it from the tree..

It was the same for Jashingong..

It seemed like it was weak and hiding its true identity until it unleashed its true power..

What is different from blood poisoning is that top predators of the prey class are present near Jashingong's practitioners..

* * *

Yeonhwagakwon has only ten members..

This meant that there were ten participants in the Lotus Sword Competition..

Every day is the fifth revolution..

Since the numbers did not match on the second day, it was decided to draw lots to decide on a win by default..

Wow!

The few onlookers cheered..

They were the contestants' teachers, executioners, and other officials..

The contestant in the first round was a boy of the same age as himself, but came in a year later..

Although his teacher was not a plum blossom swordsman, he was still one of the three great disciples who managed to make a name for himself..

But the other side was also formidable..

No, it was even greater.

“Nakso Month!”

It was Nak So-wol, the Sason of the Iron Blood Swordsman..

Beauty is beauty, martial arts is martial arts, talent is talent.!

There, Hwasan Oh Elder is the founder of thought..

Nothing left out.

The expression on the boy's face of the same age was not very good..

Joo Seocheon clicked his tongue and sympathized with him..

‘Why did you fail from the beginning?.’

Even if you lose, the Yeonhwageomhoe just needs to show off your skills..

However, if the opponent is too strong, it is also difficult..

“Please take care of me.”

Luo Xiaoyue greeted politely..

“Both participants, ready!”

Supervisor, Maehwa Sword Chief Wi Ji-gyeol stood up..

start!

There were no precautions.

I didn't inform you on purpose.

Those who were blinded by greed and could not control themselves were eliminated without a doubt..

Judgment was left to each person’s skills..

Taat!

It was the boy who jumped first..

As the movements continued smoothly, the volcanic sword unfolded from the boy's hand..

“like.”

It wasn't perfect, but it was the Fourteen Plum Blossom Sword Technique..

the offense was great.

I wasn't so nervous that I threw it away hastily..

It wasn't strange to applaud..

But unfortunately, the boy's luck was bad..

Luo Xiaoyue responded to the flying sword without blinking an eye..

The movement was like lightning and contained tremendous power..

The boy was startled when the swords actually collided..

The sword with all its might was pushed to the point of futility and bounced upwards..

I tried to retrieve it, but it was already too late..

Luo Xiaoyue's sword leaps out and cuts through the wind..

The tip of the sword stopped in front of the boy's slender neck..

“Huh!”

“That's amazing!”

The game was decided.

Of course, it was a complete victory for Nak So-wol..

To end with just one union, it was amazing..

Above all, isn't the other person still a member of the Yeonhwagakwon and the Four Great Disciples?.

Admiration flowed out of me..

“A sword that is accurate enough to be neat and sharp enough to be frightening. Iron-blooded swordsman, I really resemble you..”

The crane was scratching its chin in surprise..

“Thank you.”

Shim Ok-ryeon answered in an obvious tone..

Although he received praise from Sason, he was indifferent..

“next!”

One round ended in vain.

All participants greeted each other and left..

The round starts soon.

“Oh, isn't this the state's death penalty??”

Bang Cheol-sam smiled brightly as he came up to the non-stage..