Book 16 Chapter 5

The Divine Power of the Sword Hu

-Ten enemies (十招之敵)

An overly famous swordsman suddenly confronts an unknown student, Bi Ryuyeon. The phrase "one-day puppy" refers to a case like this, and the way people looked at Bi Ryuyeon was not very flattering.

There was no reason for it to be pretty.

Swordsman Yi Ok-san, a man of the three heavens. He was one of those powerful names who could find someone to disrespect faster than someone to respect. It was a name that had already become a legend. But now that there's an ignoramus who dares to contradict that legend, how can his insolence be seen in a good light?

Very wisely, there was not a single person in the crowd watching with bated breath who was interested in who was going to be the winner and who was going to be labeled a psychopath. As always in these cases, the question of who wins is of no interest at all. People believe that the winner is already decided. How can you imagine any other case? Are you constantly worried that the sun, moon, and stars will not rise again tomorrow? This was the case with this confrontation.

The spectators' interests had already transcended victory or defeat. Rather, their interest was centered on the mocking prospect of whether the unknown boy with the bangs down to his eyes would last a second or three, or whether he would bow with his forehead to the ground when he begged for forgiveness from the swordsman, or whether he would beg until his fingerprints were wiped off, or whether he would stand on a handstand, spin a lap, and then bark.

Naturally, no one was crazy enough to think she would win-except for a few who thought she might not go down without a fight. Betting on her to win here was a gamble that would require an immediate brain dissection and call into question the stability of her mental state.

So everyone's attention turned to a secondary issue. The question was, how long could this little nobody withstand the onslaught of the sword?

In the meantime, there was a lot of back and forth.

One-second or three-second? That seemed to be the general consensus. No one seemed to think she'd be able to pull off the miracle of lasting five seconds, let alone ten. Yes, she would. In short, she was being ignored.

"Ten seconds?"

There were snorts here and there.

"You've got to be kidding me……?"

"Ten seconds after the fact? No way!"

"Do you think you can last a full second on the subject?"

"So you said you got into the academy the dirty way?"

"Yeah? So people were wondering how a guy like that got into a subject that he didn't know anything about, with such a lowly status, and he didn't know the fundamentals, and then I said, "Well, he couldn't have gotten in on merit. Ha!"

Mo Yonghui's acute hearing allowed him to hear such stories even when he didn't intend to. He was surprised that there were so many people who resented Bi Ryuyeon, given that his friend had so few interpersonal relationships, it was obvious that few of them had been directly harmed by him. Perhaps they were simply resenting him because they had imagined him through rumors, tidbits of knowledge, elixirs, and inferences, in which case it was unquestionably justice, in their minds and in their circles, to chew him out, condemn him, and vilify him. It was clear that they believed it without question. Some of them even seemed to be under the illusion that they were doing justice, for no particular reason, just that their reasoning was plausible.

Mo Yonghui wondered how many of them had ever spoken directly to her, or even touched her shoulder. Suddenly, he began to feel angry, even though it was none of his business. A little selfish, a little arrogant, but not enough to be called that. He decided to give his friend a mental cheer. He knew he was going to lose, but he wanted to encourage him to hang in there.

"Now, I hope you're ready to do it, so take up your sword."

Inwardly, she hoped she would hear a different answer now. But her hopes were dashed once again.

"I can't hear you."

Ryuyeon Bi replied.

"Again, why!"

The swordsman bellowed.

"Of course not, I don't use a sword, and it's prejudice to think that all unarmed people should use a sword as a trooper."

"What does a man carry but a sword? The sword is all-powerful!"

"But you don't seem to be in favor of that story, do you?"

Where Bi Ryuyeon pointed her finger, there was Dao Sheng, giggling and shouting, "Black sandals, toys for sandals! Dao is the spirit of the martial artist!" Beside him, Swordsman was drying up, but he didn't have much kinder words for Dao Sheng. "Shit! You're in this together, you bad swordsmen! The way of the swords is the dream of the warrior!" he said, unless someone else thought that was a good thing. The swordsman spoke again.

"Then draw your weapons!"

"With my weapons, I don't have to pull them out, they're always there, always ready."

"Ho-ho, that's an interesting story, do you think your mind is controlling them all?"

"It moves with me where my mind goes; it's like my hands and feet."

"Maybe I've been underestimating you. Okay, a promise is a promise. Ten seconds from now, you win. I'm going to use this as a way to warm you up!"

In his hand, Gum Hu held up a sprawling, heavenly pole woven from threads spun from silkworms.

"Is that what you're going to do?"

"Why, is there a problem?"

"No, it doesn't. What does it matter what's in the hands of someone who's already free of the constraints of a weapon?"

She was absolutely right.

"Be careful, or… you die!"

The newest member of the sword family has suddenly disappeared from public view.

"Huh?"

Before anyone could react, Bi Ryuyeon's newest creation was almost right in front of her, and in one swift movement, Bi Ryuyeon drew her opponent into her gap and struck down Usui with all her might, not caring about the situation.

Quack, quack, quack!

The earth cracked with a mountainous vibration. The shockwaves gobbled up dirt, gravel, and dust like a monkfish, leaving giant grooves in the earth.

The ferocious shockwave's teeth were hungry and tore into the beautiful tree that stood five zhangs behind Bi Ryuyeon. The beautiful tree, which was unable to escape the impact of the shockwave due to its lack of legs, soon shattered into a million pieces with a terminal scream that sounded like the drums of a thunder god. A tree that had withstood the elements for hundreds of years was instantly reduced to a pile of toothpicks. A cloud of dust rose up, and it sank silently and slowly, taking thirty times as long.

"That's… I think he's serious……."

"Hmm, I guess so."

Dao Sheng and Sword Sheng's faces hardened slightly. They hadn't expected him to be so sincere when it came to mixing it up with the cranky junior.

"No way!"

Watching the same thing from a little distance away, Jang Hong, Hyorong, and Yun Junho felt goosebumps rise all over their bodies. They were still too self-indulgent to be able to maintain their composure as skillfully as Sword Sheng and Dao Sheng.

What kind of absurd power is this?

It was as if even the most fragile of biryans would be crushed to dust under the force of this blow. It was doubtful that what she held in her hand was really a full-bodied body.

"Is this the power of those who are called the Heavenly Three?"

Chirp!

I was still reeling from the shiver that ran straight through the back of my head to the soles of my feet.

"No!"

Na Yerin shook her head. Then she corrected Zhang Xing.

"He hasn't even unleashed a tenth of his power yet!"

As the cloud of dust settled, the figure of Bi Ryuyeonyeon emerged from it.

He was standing only a few feet from where the thunderous blow had fallen, narrowly avoiding the bolt of lightning that had struck his crown, but he didn't seem too surprised. I wondered if he was feigning nonchalance, but I couldn't tell.

"Whoooooooo……."

Looking at the long gash in the earth beside her, Bi Ryuyeon blew a long whistle.

"I don't think I would have been able to pick up a bone if I had been hit."

Bi Ryuyeon said, whistling lightly.

"But little did I know that the sword of the mighty would be so simple-minded."

Even though it was a miss, there was a calmness in her voice after witnessing such a blow.

"You shouldn't be putting all your energy into dealing with your juniors, should you? That was a warning I just gave you."

In a calm voice, devoid of emotion, Gum Hu said. It meant that you weren't able to escape because you were good.

"But can we get away with it this time?"

The real fun was to come.

"Jay Cho!"

One moment, Sword Hu's new form disappeared from Zhong Yin's sight, and the next, it appeared on Bi Ryuyeon's right flank. The sword's exit was as fast as the wind, and it struck directly at Bi Ryuyeon's forearm, which had been drawn up to her side in time to dodge.

Boom!

The blow sent her body flying in a parabolic motion. The shockwave alone was enough to split a tree in two, the sheer power of the blow hitting her body. There would be no one else in all of Heaven and Earth who could use a body that was supposed to subdue strength with softness in such a way as to press down on strength with strength.

Sword Hu quickly leaped toward Bi Ryuyeon, who was still floating in midair. He still hadn't gotten the hang of his new sentence. However, Sword Fu didn't give him a second thought and slammed down on his body with all his might.

"Three seconds!"

A loud 'boom' rang out, and with it, Bi Ryuyeon's new formation was sent flying at the speed of an arrow, his body crashing directly into a large rock formation.

Quack!

Then, a roar rang out that seemed to shake the heavens and earth. Spiderweb-like cracks spread out from the center of Bi Ryuyeon's body. It was a tremendous power.

"This… this can't be……."

The look on Na Yerin's face as she witnessed the scene was instantly contemplative.

Judging by the echoes, it was a good thing there were people around. But even so, it didn't seem to bother her. It was probably Bi Ryuyeon's first time facing Kang Ho.

"Has he finally met his match?

It's too early to tell.

"Is he dead?"

Mo Yonghui asked, his face stiff, but not hiding his wonder at the overwhelming power he had witnessed. He hadn't grasped the entirety of what had just happened.

"Not yet."

Swordsman's insight was accurate. Already, his eyesight could not be fooled by dirt.

The battle of the masters was a battle of who saw how much and how closely. It's a battle of observation and judgment. Strength came next.