Volcanic Age - Chapter 18

Ju Seo Cheon performed the Plum Blossom Sword Art’s opening posture. In a rush, Nak Seo Wol raised her blade and deflected it.

Cheeng!

Tremble.

‘What amazing internal energy!’

The thin wrists of Nak Seo Wol trembled.

Despite appearing ancient, Ju Seo Cheon was a little child.

A child could not possibly possess this kind of unadulterated strength. It followed that he possessed internal energy power.

Nak Seo Wol After regretting allowing Ju Seo Cheon to take the initiative,  took the next step. She moved fast to the side using some footwork.

“Calm down,”

Nak Seo Won’s head began to rapidly spin as she took a few steps back and began to prepare her next move.

“I’m not sure how he managed to save this much internal energy, but that’s not what matters in this situation.”

Nak Seo Wol was young but her way of thinking was close to that of an adult. She was one of those so-called geniuses.

It was hard to see her as a nine-year-old kid because she comprehended martial arts, situation judgment, and knowledge.

Most of all, her strongest point was that she could think of several variables even in the short instant when they exchanged blows.

‘I should think how he will attack after that….’

The Universe Sword Art, Withered 

Flower Sword Art, Plum Blossom Brilliant Sword Art, Five Elements Plum Blossom Sword Art, and the Fourteen Stances of the Plum Blossom Sword.

Those were the martial arts her opponent of that age could learn.

She didn’t know exactly what he trained on but she was sure he would attack her with one of those sword arts.

Nak Seo Wol knew about these five sword arts and drew a picture of how to react against them.

However…

“…..What?”

All her plans crumbled in that short moment. Nothing fits with what she devised.

He hadn’t used any top-ranked martial arts. No, it wasn’t martial arts in the first place.

“Take this!”

Ju Seo Cheon yelled energetically and swung his sword.

He only swung his sword. He didn’t even use the Plum Blossom Sword Art. He simply swung his sword randomly.

It didn’t have any form or shape.

A line was drawn from the top left to the bottom right.

It wasn’t even art.

“What….!”

She got astounded.

Nak Seo Wol was able to consider several situations in a short instant but that was also her shortcoming.

Putting in badly, she thought too much unnecessarily and she got flustered if something besides her fixed concepts came flying toward her.

When Ju Seo Cheon swung his sword in a way that was embarrassing to call swordsmanship, Nak Seo Wol barely managed to block it and put on a dumbfounded expression 

“Here I go again!”

Ju Seo Cheon yelled. He brought up internal energy from his lower dantian and utilized it.

Pabababat!

His body received the internal energy and moved quickly. His muscles that got well trained due to the cliff climbing exerted strength.

Every time he swung his sword, a heavy slashing sound rang out. The ground split and he aimed at Nak Seo Wol.

But that also wasn’t swordsmanship. It was only a swing.

Cheeng!

The two swords clashed against each other and fired off sparks.

Nak Seo Wol let out a scream. The shock that was transmitted from her sword to her hand wasn’t small at all.

“Hap!”

Swuuuung!

A heavy sound followed the yell.

Nak Seo Woll raised her sword and blocked Ju Seo Cheon’s sword.

Chechechecheng!

Attack and defense continued repeatedly.

Ju Seo Cheon pushed her back ignorantly with his internal energy and swung his sword randomly. But Nak Seo Wol blocked all of that.

She got bewildered at first but was somehow able to block it thanks to her genius-like talent and reflexes.

His sword was irregular but it didn’t mean that it couldn’t be blocked. It was the opposite. It was easier to do so.

His movements were so simple and didn’t draw a particular sword line so it was warning her how it would strike.

It was like a kid that didn’t know anything was swinging his sword randomly. It gave her that feeling.

“Kyaak!”

The last scream came out from her.

She could see the sword’s path. It was so obvious it made her yawn and she would be able to dodge it with her eyes closed.

But that was merely when they were speaking in the sword path. 

The strength and speed behind that sword were incredible.

Even if she was able to expect the path of the sword, that became meaningless if her body wasn’t able to follow it.

That was an overwhelming and ignorant internal energy!

In the end, the one that raised the white flag in front of that strength was Nak Seo Wol.

“I…lost…”

Nak Seo Wol dropped her sword and she didn’t look bright.

The leisure she showed just a while ago was nowhere to be seen.

“Winner, Ju Seo Cheon!”

The examiner raised the hand of the winner and notified the end of the examination. But their expressions weren’t that good.

“What is that!”

“Where did he come from!”

Booing sounds were heard everywhere. It was towards the winner Ju Seo Cheon, and not the loser Nak Seo Wol.

“You want us to recognize that?”

“He’s worse than a third rank!”

“Are you even a disciple of Mount Hua!”

The Mount Hua Sect. No, the Righteous Faction took more importance on honor rather than death.

In the case of the Mount Hua Sect, they were even stricter with situations of the sword.

If they followed that thought and concept, it was obvious that they would curse and jeer at Ju Seo Cheon even though he was the winner.

This place was none other than the Lotus Peak, a place that boasted of its everlasting history.

He had won in a way that was embarrassing to call martial arts, not to even mention swordsmanship.

Even if it wasn’t rolling on the floor, throwing dirt, or using underhanded tactics, it was still insulting enough.

‘Well, I already expected it.’

Ju Seo Cheon let the jeers and curses flow out.

‘Being too strong is also a problem.’

It wasn’t only Nak Seo Wol’s will but also his own will.

It would be hard to defeat a martial artist like Nak Seo Wol with ordinary methods. He had to use the Plum Blossom Sword Art and show his martial prowess.

But if he did that, she would become too strong. No matter how weak he pretended to be, his body that got strengthened with the enhancement of gymnastics was the problem.

In addition, he also had overwhelming internal energy so 

he could easily surpass a third-rate martial artist with just the basics of the Plum Blossom Sword Art.

He could already imagine the examiners reporting this to the Five Leaders and the sect leader with their mouths hanging wide open.

Even if that was the case, he wouldn’t be able to defeat Nak Seo Wol if he lowered his skills too much. That’s why this is the method he came up with after thinking for a long time.

A way to stop the rumors of him being a genius or whatnot would be if he was able to defeat nak Seo Wol dishonorably.

He would win only with his body and internal energy.

If he did that he would be able to hide his skills and win.

“Know that it’s shameless of you!”

But he had to pay the price for something else.

‘If it wasn’t for the age of war, I wouldn’t be able to raise my head because of the shame.’

It was that he was also a member of the Righteous Faction.

Originally he would not allow an act like this and in the first place wouldn’t even think of something like this.

That’s why after the age of war ended, the Righteous Faction’s particular way of thinking had to change a bit.

The situation in Murim wasn’t quite good to stay stubborn in keeping their traditions or customs.

This was also the reason why the Five Elders got to know of the top-ranked martial arts such as the Purple Haze Arts and the Purple Haze Sword Wave.

The Righteous Faction has changed to be quite progressive saying that it was unavoidable for the continuance of the factions.

The age of war changed countless things in Murim and Ju Seo Cheon was also one of the people that changed in that flow.

‘Even if it was unavoidable, it will deal a blow to my master’s honor so I don’t feel well.’

Ju Seo Cheon let out a sigh.

The evaluation of the Lotus Peak ended but he couldn’t say that it ended safely.

It wasn’t that there were injured or dead people but because he became the center of a controversy. It was the matter between Ju Seo Cheon and Nak Seo Wol.

“I don’t approve of it.”

A woman that was about fifty years old said.

She had a face that looked as cold as ice.

It was one of the Five Elders the Iron Plum Sword called Shim Ok Ryeon.

“Elder Shim. It’s not that I don’t understand you but shouldn’t you listen to us first?”

An old man that fitted a small body and benevolent smile spoke. He was also one of the Five Elders.

The Wise Sword, Hak Song. His rank was higher than Jang Moon In even among the second-generation disciples.

“It’s not even worth speaking about elder Hak. How can you let in someone that has insulted the sword of Mount Hua into the Lotus Peak?”

Shim Ok Ryeon spoke in a calm tone and stated the facts. Most of them were related to Ju Seo Cheon’s wrongdoings and manners.

Ju Seo Cheon’s actions weren’t seen in a good light by the Mount Hua Sect, not even by the Righteous Sects as a whole

“It’s just like Elder Shim says.”

A middle-aged man that was the tallest of them and was one of the people inside the Shang palace, nodded in agreement to Shim Ok Ryeon’s words.

He was also one of the Five Elders, the master hand Jo Mu Yang.

In addition, the Five Elders didn’t use the term fellow brother except for the ones that had the same master.

It was because they prioritized the position of the Elder and respected it, even though they were from the same generation.

But in the case of Hak Song, he was one of the people that had the most age among his generation so he was an exception.

“Hohoho, don’t make Elder Hak too troubled. I want to hear the story too.”

Woo il Moon stroked his white beard and turned his gaze away.

“And shouldn’t we also hear the opinion of the other two?”

Hak Song sent a gaze of gratitude at the help.

“Based on a report that I heard, the disciple of the Smiling Gentle Sword consumed a miraculous medicine. Is that true?”

The eyes of the Elixir Maker Young Jin shone.

The motions Ju Seo Cheon displayed at the testing site. There was no way a nine-year-old child could make those movements.

His internal energy was what gave him strength and speed. You would require enough internal energy to last at least twenty years if there was that much speed.

There was no way the Mount Hua martial artists and examiners could have missed that, so they included it in the report as well.

Ju Seo Cheon has also been the subject of a thorough investigation. Ju Seo Cheon inserted various fabrications regarding the Water Spirit Fruit.

He claimed that in the past, he had sneaked away to enjoy the world while Yu Jong Mok was away at the periodic conference, and he had accidentally discovered it.

He would have one instructor stick with him and look after him if he entered the Lotus Peak.

It also included taking the pulse, and if that happened, his enormous internal energy would unavoidably be found out.

But in this instance, it wasn’t too problematic.

It was difficult to say whether or not he was wrong because he had devoured something that had no owner.

If he had known about the Water Spirit Fruit’s legends beforehand and had been told not to eat it when it was discovered, things could have turned out differently.

That’s why they just let the matter with the miraculous medicine slide.

But instead, he did get punished for sneaking out when Yu Jong Mok was absent.

Even if it was called a punishment, it wasn’t a great deal. He merely had to take care of minor matters like cleaning for one month.

“We can’t take out what has already entered his stomach but I still want to know what kind of effects that medicine will show.”

It indicated that he wished to see him within Lotus Peak.

Young Jin was a martial artist and a doctor who created elixirs, as you could already tell from his nickname.

There were two in favor and two opposed to this.

Naturally, everyone turned to face that one guy.

Ui Ji Gyeol, the Plum Blossom Sword King.

The 5 Elders. Some monikers descended onto Mount Hua. similar to the Red Sea Archer.

The only one that could move others and his rank itself was a nickname. The Plum Blossom Sword King.

That name was special even among the Five Elders and also strong internationally.

“Let him enter.”

“Sword King.”

Shim Ok Ryeon’s eyes trembled.

Ui Ji Gyeol didn’t blink even once and spoke.

“Thirteen-year-old kid has thirty years’ worth of internal energy. 

Regardless of his quality, he will be a plentiful force if we beat up the teachings into him. There will be a lot of words regarding this matter but it’s not to the point we can’t bear it.”

The Five Elders were given authority based on their specialties.

The Plum Blossom Sword King’s power was given precedence in exclusive organizations like the Lotus Peak and the Plum Blossom Sword Examiner.

Even if there were only two in favor and three opposed, the Plum Blossom Sword Examiner would have taken the position mentioned above.

Clap!

Woo il Moon clasped his hands and drew the attention of everyone.

The meeting will thereafter come to an end. Ju Seo Cheon and Nak Seo Wol will be the members to enter Lotus Peak.