Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 52: The Finals (2)

The martial arts tournament hosted by Mount Hua Sect occupied a peculiar position in many ways.

It was hosted by the renowned Mount Hua Sect thus attracting countless martial artists, but on the other hand, those of similar standing to them had no particular reason to participate.

This was why aside from Namgung Suah, no members of the Nine Sects One Union or the Six Noble Clans had participated.

Of course, had Mount Hua offered their Violet Mist Divine Art, passed down only to the sect leaders and their successors as a tournament prize, even the heads of the Six Noble Clans would have come running, dignity be damned. But unless Mount Hua had gone mad, that would never happen.

But...

Why the hell is this woman participating in this?

Seojun scratched his head, watching her standing on the opposite side of the arena.

The Namgung Clan must have plenty of spirit pills and swords. Was she just bored?

“Fufu, why are you staring so closely?”

“Just trying to figure out where to hit to make it hurt without leaving any visible marks.”

“Oh my... If that’s what you want, then do it right here.”

Namgung Suah stroked her stomach.

“Wouldn’t the abdomen be best?”

“Ah, I see.”

This woman’s a bit strange.

Seojun shook his head and looked at the referee.

The two met eyes then the referee exchanged a glance with Namgung Suah before raising his hand.

“Then...”

Whoosh!

As his hand descended,

“Begin!”

Boom!

Seojun’s foot slammed into the ground as he launched forward. In response, Namgung Suah anchored her scabbard with her foot as she spun into a lightning-fast draw of her greatsword.

Crackle—

Thunder qi was wrapped around the sword as it was drawn.

It seemed she was trying to force him back initially, but Seojun just grinned.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Unlike Chunbong, he was confident in his power.

Click—

Seojun suddenly stopped charging forward and crouched down, digging his foot into the floor and pivoting his entire body.

The sheathed sword groaned under the pressure of the overwhelming inner qi, unleashing a piercing sword resonance.

Bzzzz────────

Now.

Sensing the perfect moment through his fingertips, Seojun drew his sword using the mysterious principle of the Wang family blade technique.

BOOM───────!!!

The arena trembled with the sound of the explosion.

Namgung Suah staggered, transforming her unbalanced momentum into an aerial spin. Her greatsword carved a deadly arc as it plummeted from above.

Seojun quickly retrieved his half-sword and enveloped it with blue sword qi.

Snow Plum.

Blue plum blossoms scattered following the path of his sword.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Namgung Suah smiled brightly.

A domineering aura burst forth in that same instant.

Seojun felt a crushing pressure bear down on his body.

The sky.

An endless expanse of sky pressed down upon him.

The blue sky as deep as gazing into an abyss was far too overwhelming to face directly. To humans who could only bow their heads before its might, a lightning bolt would descend upon them.

Is this the Sword of the Boundless Azure Sky?

The plum blossoms scattered helplessly beneath the sky.

Seojun grinned as he watched Namgung Suah’s descending greatsword.

“This is it!”

BURST────────!!

Blue plum blossoms bloomed.

The plum blossoms that had seemed insignificant beneath the endless sky bloomed profusely, eventually engulfing the entire horizon.

Seojun, enveloped by plum blossoms, swung his half-sword upward.

BOOM──────!!

“Ugh...!”

In mid-swing, Namgung Suah was suddenly sent flying backwards.

Tear!

She managed to properly land, but her body was covered in wounds. Trails of blood had frozen mid-flow across her skin, her body shivering uncontrollably.

— WOOOOAH───────!!!

The spectators screamed at the sight of her exposed flesh, but neither Namgung Suah nor Seojun paid any attention.

“This is nice...”

Namgung Suah smiled.

Seojun also grinned silently before quickly glancing at Elder Jongin.

There’s no particular reaction?

Despite putting on a show with the blooming plum blossoms, Jongin hardly batted an eye.

The audience was naturally in an uproar, but even his opponent Namgung Suah didn’t seem to place much significance on the plum blossoms.

Are these murim friends more open-minded than I thought?

As Seojun chuckled to himself,

Bang!

Namgung Suah charged in first.

Unlike her passive stance in previous matches, she now moved with devastating aggression.

She raised her greatsword high, the very sky embodied within her sword.

The weight of the sky bore down upon Seojun, but that too was ultimately the effect of qi. He shrugged it off with ease and drew in a deep breath.

“Haa...”

This should be enough observation.

As always, I can never hope to match the weight contained within her sword.

But that boundless sky and its weight... these I can capture in my sword.

Seojun raised his half-sword high, eyes closed.

By nature, humans are insignificant creatures who strive to ascend from earth to heaven, and only upon reaching the heavens to become a heavenly being do they truly achieve the meaning of man. The first step begins with bringing the tip of the sword down from heaven to earth.

The sutra of the Three Principles Sword Technique. He had recalled it after so long, only to cast it aside entirely.

Simply catch the sky at the sword’s tip, and let it fall.

In a flash, the falling sky crashed down like lightning itself, but the blooming plum blossoms beneath welcomed the sky, capturing it within the gentle embrace of their petals.

Heavenly Plum.

The swords of the two martial artists descended and clashed—

────────────!!!

The impact shattered the arena, sending waves of qi in all directions.

“This is...”

Elder Jongin leaped in, fluidly drawing his sword, the plum blooms of Mount Hua blooming forth.

As he moved through his sword dance, the deadly shockwave racing toward the audience transformed into a gentle breeze, merely rustling their hair.

— Wow, WOOOOW──────!!

The dust settled amidst thunderous cheers.

Around Seojun, plum blossoms containing lightning swirled before scattering to the wind.

“Really now... This is just absurd...”

Namgung Suah staggered, eyes fixed on Seojun.

What in the world, just how many martial arts does he know? Could the sky contained within the plum blossoms really be a mere coincidence?

Her mind was in chaos, but the match wasn’t over yet.

Fresh plum blossoms bloomed from Seojun’s half-sword, burning crimson.

Crackle—

With the last dredges of her strength, Namgung Suah drew forth lightning once more.

Her meridians screamed from the forced use of inner qi.

How can that man bloom plum blossoms like that without depleting his inner qi?

Pushing aside such thoughts, she gripped her greatsword tighter.

Seojun merely smiled.

He’d already chosen the form that would end this match.

Whoosh!

The flames wreathing his half-sword compressed into an ever-denser blaze.

“When you think of Mount Hua, you think of flames after all.”

Namgung Suah’s expression hardened as plum blossoms scattered like embers.

“W-Wait...”

The aura she felt was beyond anything normal.

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His previous attacks had been formidable, but they paled far in comparison to this.

This would be fatal if it connected.

Namgung Suah flinched and stepped back, but—

Thump!

Seojun was already before her.

“The volcano’s erupting!”

Volcano.

Rumble──────────

Crimson plum blossoms crashed down like a tsunami before Namgung Suah’s widening eyes, but they didn’t engulf her.

Instead, they swirled around her in all their eerie beauty before soaring skyward.

“Ah...”

She stared blankly at the reddened sky, strength draining from her arms.

Thud—

Her greatsword struck the ground.

“The plum blossoms...”

“This one’s for Chunbong!”

“What?”

Thwack!

A fist connected with her abdomen.

“Kuhk...!?”

She dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach.

Seojun smiled down at her.

“With this, our grudge is—”

“Nngh.... Kuh....”

Uh... did I hit too hard? I didn’t even use inner qi though?

A flustered Seojun examined her condition.

“A-Are you alright...?”

“Hnng... Uuh, uh-huh...”

Seojun backed away.

What the fuck. Why is she making those sounds?

He quickly put distance between them, watching her carefully. After a moment, she looked up.

“Mmm...”

Her face was flushed, eyes unfocused.

Haa... Haa...

The way she stared at him while breathing heavily was... unsettling.

“W-What the hell?”

As Seojun panicked, Namgung Suah smiled more radiantly than ever.

“Hnng... I... I lost.”

Lick. Her pink tongue came out to wet her lips.

“Eek...!”

A startled Seojun looked at the referee.

“I won, right!?”

“Ah, yes.”

Ahem. The referee cleared his throat and announced.

“We have a winner for the martial arts tournament! The victor! Lee Seojun!”

— WOOOOOOO────────!!!

A massive cheer erupted.

And Seojun made his great escape.

“Ch-Chunbong...! Save me...!”

That woman was definitely not in her right mind.

*Seojun, wielding the invincible Chunbong shield, stayed far away from Namgung Suah as he listened to Elder Jongin’s congratulatory speech with one ear and let it go out the other.

“Well done. Despite some incidents... I am glad we could successfully conclude this martial arts tournament.”

“Oh, yeah. When do I get the Plum Blossom Pill?”

“I can give it to you right now if you would like.”

Seojun nodded and held out his hand.

Jongin signaled to a Mount Hua Sect martial artist standing behind him, then asked Seojun,

“By the way, what are your plans now?”

“Well, I guess I’ll be heading elsewhere.”

“Hmm... Must you? The timing isn’t good right now.”

“The timing?”

Jongin nodded.

“It has yet to officially begin, however friction between the Black Serpent continues. The Murim Alliance predicts that war could break out at any moment.”

Ah, right.

That reminds me, wasn’t I going to ask Chunbong if it was okay to copy Unorthodox Faction martial arts? I forgot about that.

Seojun scratched his head.

“Well, we can just avoid those areas.”

“Is that so? What do you plan to do about your Killing Star?”

“Well that... is something I’ll figure out somehow.”

“Hmm...”

Why is this old man being so clingy?

His intent to keep him in Huayin by any means was obvious.

As Seojun looked at him strangely, the Mount Hua Sect martial artist who had disappeared at Jongin’s signal returned carrying an ornate tray with several items.

A wooden box, two swords, and a book.

Jongin gestured to these items and explained.

“The winner can choose first, then the others in order. Those who lost in the semi-finals can come to an agreement, or if they wish, they can have another match for priority.”

According to his further explanation, there was some flexibility with the prizes.

If one wanted money, they could receive silver equivalent to the value. If a martial artist didn’t use a sword, they could receive a different weapon instead.

The book contained the Seven Plums Sword, one of Mount Hua Sect’s martial arts. Choosing it would allow one to join the sect.

For those not wishing to join, they would provide a different martial art, but judging by the sparkle in the two martial artists’ eyes, that seemed unlikely.

If anything, they might fight to the death over the chance to join.

Of course, that wasn’t Seojun’s concern.

He quickly grabbed the Plum Blossom Pill and tucked it away.

With that, Namgung Suah’s choice was set.

She picked up a sword and looked at Seojun passionately.

“Young Expert Lee?”

“Yes...?”

“Will... you accept this?”

As Namgung Suah held out the sword she had just received, Chunbong’s eyes widened and she bared her teeth.

“Why are you giving that to him! And if you’re going to give it, do it somewhere else! How rude!”

Handing over a prize you just received right in front of Mount Hua Sect was certainly not polite behavior.

“Oh my, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

She bowed slightly and smiled.

“In that case, I’ll come to your inn later and give it to you then.”

“What did you...! This...!”

Grr!

Chunbong bared her teeth.

The remaining two martial artists engaged in a heated discussion over the Seven Plums Sword before agreeing to have a match for it.

It was utter chaos.

Even Elder Jongin’s brow furrowed, clearly displeased.

Judging this to be the perfect timing, Seojun picked up Chunbong.

“Well then, we’ll be going!”

He bolted the fuck out of there.

*Hmm...

This was troublesome. It would be truly problematic if they left Huayin.

Especially that girl.

The survival of the Divine Sword Geum Clan’s bloodline must be prevented at all costs.

The Sword God’s martial arts...

Since it had come to this, gaining some additional benefits wouldn’t be bad.

In Elder Jongin’s eyes, an indescribable, insatiable hunger swirled.

*Back at the inn, Seojun took out the Plum Blossom Pill and pondered seriously.

“Ah...! To think I must make those chubby cheeks disappear with my own hands...!”

Oh heavens!

Seojun wailed, his hands trembling as he held the Plum Blossom Pill.

“Kuh...!”

“You’re being ridiculous, seriously.”

Chunbong sighed.