Episode 371: Return to the Martial Arts Hall

The inner hall was vast.

In the center, a martial arts stage had been set up. One person lay sprawled on the ground, clearly having just finished a match, while another stood silently, exuding a chilling aura.

As Deung Bu-hyeong entered the hall, he furrowed his brow slightly and looked at the person standing on the stage.

“Where have I seen him before…?”

The face was strangely familiar.

A slender figure clad in a black hat and dark clothing.

“Ah…! At the inn…!”

Deung Bu-hyeong muttered to himself, and Ja Un-ryong, standing beside him, tilted his head in curiosity.

“Do you know him?”

“No, not really… I just saw him briefly.”

Deung Bu-hyeong brushed it off, his expression hardening as he looked at the stage.

The match seemed to have just ended, and the opponent was bleeding from the mouth, likely from internal injuries, and groaning in pain with a leg twisted in the wrong direction.

Chu Ryang, who was acting as the judge, looked at the man in the black hat with a troubled expression.

“The match was already decided, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that a bit too much? Was it really necessary to go that far?”

The man in the black hat looked at Chu Ryang with a cold expression and spoke.

“Isn’t the Martial Arts Hall established to fight against demons?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“I simply treated my opponent as a demon and took the match seriously. If my mindset and resolve were the problem, I have nothing more to say.”

“Well…”

Chu Ryang was at a loss for words, but at that moment, Sa Bi-gang stood up from the platform.

“That’s enough. Let it go.”

He then looked at the man in the black hat with a satisfied expression.

“A mindset to face demons. Impressive. But your name is…?”

“We Geom-jong.”

“It seems you’ve mastered martial arts from the unorthodox sects…”

“Is that a problem? I heard the Martial Arts Hall doesn’t discriminate between orthodox and unorthodox.”

“Oh, no problem at all. I was just curious about your martial arts. It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

“It’s a unique martial art developed by my late master, who lived in seclusion.”

“I see. Well, understood. We Geom-jong, you pass. I look forward to working with you.”

We Geom-jong bowed and stepped back.

Go Jeok-san turned to Deung Bu-hyeong and Ja Un-ryong.

“You two, please step onto the stage.”

But Deung Bu-hyeong stood frozen, his mouth agape.

Sensing something was off, Go Jeok-san frowned and spoke again.

“What are you doing? Please step onto the stage.”

Ja Un-ryong, noticing the situation, approached Deung Bu-hyeong and whispered.

“Senior, what’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“That… that person… I’m sure…”

“Who? Are you talking about the master?”

“The master? Who?”

Deung Bu-hyeong’s eyes widened as he looked at Ja Un-ryong.

Ja Un-ryong smiled, finally understanding.

“Oh, right, you didn’t know. That’s the master. It’s my first time seeing him in person too. He’s as young and handsome as the rumors say.”

“Wait, that person… that Sa Bi-gang is the master here?”

Deung Bu-hyeong raised his voice in disbelief, then quickly looked around, embarrassed.

Ja Un-ryong nodded.

“Yes, that’s Sa Bi-gang. Isn’t it amazing? My heart’s already racing.”

“This can’t be… damn it!”

“Why… what’s wrong?”

“Damn, damn, damn.”

Deung Bu-hyeong’s face turned pale.

Of all people, the master had to be Sa Bi-gang!

At that moment, Go Jeok-san shouted in a slightly irritated tone.

“If you two aren’t going to take the test, then leave!”

“Oh, sorry. Senior Deung here is just overwhelmed with emotion. Haha. Please understand. Come on, senior, let’s go.”

In the end, Deung Bu-hyeong was practically pushed onto the stage by Ja Un-ryong.

Meanwhile, Sa Bi-gang watched them with a disinterested expression.

Finally, standing side by side in the center of the stage, Deung Bu-hyeong looked at Sa Bi-gang and muttered blankly.

“Why… are you here…?”

Sa Bi-gang frowned slightly.

“Hmm? Do you know me?”

Sa Bi-gang tilted his head in curiosity.

Deung Bu-hyeong was even more shocked.

“Did he completely erase me from his memory?”

His face flushed red, and Ja Un-ryong, standing beside him, formally introduced himself with a bow.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Ja Un-ryong from the Iron Gate of Bongyang!”

After his introduction, he nudged Deung Bu-hyeong with his elbow.

Reluctantly, Deung Bu-hyeong bowed and introduced himself.

“Yong… Yong… Yongcheon Hall’s Deung Bu-hyeong.”

Sa Bi-gang tilted his head, trying to recall.

“Yongcheon Hall? Deung Bu… Ah! Instructor Deung Bu-hyeong!”

Finally, Sa Bi-gang seemed to remember and stood up.

“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to see you here. How have you been?”

“Thanks to you… I’ve been well.”

“It’s really nice to see you again.”

“Yes…”

“Hmm? But your weapon has changed? Didn’t you use a saber before?”

“I’ve recently taken an interest in swordsmanship…”

“Oh, really? Your swordsmanship, then. This is a good opportunity to see it. I’m looking forward to it.”

With that, Sa Bi-gang sat back down.

Chu Ryang addressed the two of them.

“You two will spar against each other. The goal isn’t to determine a winner, so don’t feel too pressured.”

Deung Bu-hyeong and Ja Un-ryong faced each other.

Ja Un-ryong cheerfully bowed.

“Senior! Please teach me a thing or two!”

“Do your best.”

Deung Bu-hyeong replied with a reluctant expression.

“So it’s a spar between applicants? That’s a relief.”

If he had to spar against Sa Bi-gang, he might have given up on the test altogether.

“Not that I have anywhere else to go if I don’t take the test.”

He had no intention of returning to Yongcheon Hall once he left. He had even advised Cheon Se-myeong to find a replacement instructor.

“Anyway, it’s fortunate. Sparring with a youngster like this. I’ll just go easy… hmm?”

Deung Bu-hyeong’s eyes widened as he looked at Ja Un-ryong.

Ja Un-ryong, with his sword poised, was exuding a completely different aura than before.

“What… what is this? This guy…! Where did this pressure come from all of a sudden?”

Ja Un-ryong’s robe billowed, and even his hair seemed to float as if defying gravity.

Feeling the hot air rush towards him, Deung Bu-hyeong instinctively drew his sword and swallowed hard.

“This guy…! He wasn’t kidding about being confident in sparring!”

Ja Un-ryong was indeed a different person.

Deung Bu-hyeong had planned to go easy and secure a win, but Ja Un-ryong’s aura was unexpectedly formidable.

Feeling the tension, Deung Bu-hyeong swallowed hard and focused on Ja Un-ryong.

“If I’m not careful, I might lose. I can’t let my guard down!”

Slowly, Deung Bu-hyeong began to move.

He had no intention of letting Ja Un-ryong take the first move.

How long did they circle each other?

“Here I go!”

Finding his composure, Deung Bu-hyeong suddenly launched himself forward.

Swoosh!

A sharp sound cut through the air, and a purple mist scattered around them.

Ja Un-ryong didn’t flinch even as the sword approached.

Deung Bu-hyeong allowed himself a confident smile.

“His reaction is slow! This should decide the match!”

But in that split second,

Swoosh!

Ja Un-ryong moved with unbelievable speed, as if he had teleported.

And even more astonishing…

“A thrust…?”

He was countering Deung Bu-hyeong’s thrust with a thrust of his own.

“This crazy…!”

The opponent’s sword, charged with energy, met Deung Bu-hyeong’s sword head-on.

A slight misalignment, and one of them would suffer a severe injury.

“Fine! Let’s see who’s better!”

In that brief moment, Deung Bu-hyeong twisted his body to close in on his opponent.

But surprisingly, Ja Un-ryong mirrored his movements almost exactly.

Finally, as their swords met precisely,

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Deung Bu-hyeong felt a jolt of pain in his arm and couldn’t help but groan.

In contrast, Ja Un-ryong remained calm and composed.

A battle of inner strength was about to begin.

“Haaah!”

Deung Bu-hyeong shouted, pouring all his energy into his sword.

If he lost his grip, his arm would be severely injured.

He channeled all his inner strength into his sword, but Ja Un-ryong, with his sword extended, remained as immovable as a rock.

Then, suddenly,

Flash!

Ja Un-ryong’s eyes snapped open,

Crack…!

“What! Crack…?”

A foreboding sound reached his ears.

An unimaginable nightmare was about to unfold.

Crack… crack…!

“No, no!”

But his hopes were in vain…

Crash!

Shhh, swoosh!

In a shocking turn of events, the Yanmu Jaryeong Sword shattered into pieces, and Jaunryong’s blade grazed Deung Buhyung’s shoulder as it passed by.

“Ugh!”

Staggering backward, Deung Buhyung clutched his right shoulder, overwhelmed by the shock.

Blood trickled down, but that was the least of his concerns.

All he could see was the shattered remains of the Yanmu Jaryeong Sword, now reduced to just a handle.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck.

Thunk!

Jaunryong had somehow moved behind him, pointing his sword with precision.

A complete defeat.

But what struck him even more was…

“My… my Yanmu Jaryeong Sword… one of the top thirty swords in the martial world…!”

As his body trembled, Churyang quickly stepped in to announce the end of the match.

“That’s enough.”

Jaunryong swiftly withdrew his sword and approached Deung Buhyung, offering a respectful bow.

“Thank you, senior. I never expected you to go this far for me. To make such a sacrifice just because of our previous encounter…”

Deung Buhyung spun around, ready to grab Jaunryong by the collar, but seeing the tears in his eyes, he forced himself to calm down and cleared his throat.

“Ahem! It’s not a sacrifice, really. Your swordsmanship is simply exceptional.”

“You flatter me. I’m embarrassed! If only your sword had been a bit better…”

Deung Buhyung couldn’t bring himself to mention that it was the Yanmu Jaryeong Sword, one of the top thirty in the martial world.

Instead, he swallowed his frustration and spoke with feigned dignity.

“A true master doesn’t blame his tools.”

Meanwhile, Sabigang, who had been watching the duel, nodded in approval.

“Well done. Jaunryong, you pass. Deung Buhyung, you do not. However, if you’re willing, we’d like to offer you a position as an instructor here.”

With nowhere else to go, Deung Buhyung reluctantly accepted the offer with a bow.

“Thank you.”

Sabigang smiled warmly and sent a private message.

[I’m offering you the instructor position out of old friendship. Let’s do well together.]

[Th-thank you.]

A forced smile spread across Deung Buhyung’s face.