The Legend of the Northern Blade-Chapter 189: Theres Always a Party Pooper (2)

Injuries were an unavoidable part of martial arts tournaments. However, while there had been serious injuries, no participant had died thus far. The competing martial artists had always managed to control their internal energy and reduce the lethality of their techniques.

Nevertheless, that unspoken rule was broken today.

The first death occurred, and it was not just any martial artist, but Hyun Gong-Hwi, a man regarded as one of the greatest talents in the jianghu. Everyone was shocked by his death, especially since he was a member of the Seven Young Skies and had earned the alias 'Fighting Maniac' for his formidable skills.

The leaders of Heaven's Summit were similarly dumbfounded by his death. Despite the possibility of death during the tournament, the loss of a member of the Seven Young Skies was too great a loss.

Aside from them, the Azure Dragon Society was also thrown into a state of emergency.

Chief among those affected was Seomoon Hye-Ryung. Her plan to take control of the Demon Hunters had suffered a major setback, and the Azure Dragon Society was in turmoil. Although new martial artists called the Earthly Quartet had emerged, she had never considered them a true threat.

It was the appearance of an unexpected variable. Furthermore, the true power of Jo Wol, the man who had killed Hyun Gong-Hwi, was not yet revealed.

The leaders of Heaven's Summit held an emergency meeting to decide Jo Wol's fate. Ultimately, though, they decided that he could not be punished because the death had occurred during a legitimate duel.

The tournament resumed, albeit with an immediate background check on Jo Wol.

As far as they knew, he was the successor of the Iron Palm Sect, a single-master-single-disciple sect. Since no successor had been seen in thirty years, however, it was rumored that the sect had been wiped out.

Ordinary martial artists found the term "single-master-single-disciple sect" mysterious, but most prestigious factions looked down on such lineages.

A martial art supreme enough to shake the world was not perfected in one or two generations. Rather, it was gradually refined over a long period of time by geniuses with a broad understanding of martial arts.

The general opinion in the jianghu was that it took at least five or six generations for a proper martial art to emerge from a prestigious family. The financial and human resources required to sustain such a lineage over such a long period of time were far beyond what an individual could handle. Therefore, the longer a prestigious family endured, the more powerful their martial arts were bound to be.

Conversely, most "single-master-single-disciple" sects lacked the financial resources and steady stream of talented disciples necessary to survive for so long. Ultimately, there was a greater than ninety percent chance that they were all show and no substance. There were rare cases where a once-in-a-generation genius would appear and create an unimaginable martial art, but such instances were extremely rare in the entire history of the jianghu.

Until now, the prestigious factions had seen the Iron Palm Sect as just another one of those sects, believing it to be all show and no substance, wrapped up in a fancy title.

However, Jo Wol's unexpected rise completely shattered that preconception. People began scrambling belatedly to obtain information about the Iron Palm Sect and its martial arts. They instinctively sensed that a great change was occurring, a new current that was deviating from the established flow of the jianghu, as exemplified by Jin Mu-Won and now Jo Wol.

Jo Wol had thus emerged as the eye of a new storm. By killing Hyun Gong-Hwi, he earned his place among the Demon Hunters and gained the right to challenge for the captain and commander positions.

The fifty-six martial artists who won their final matches were all wary of Jo Wol. After all, they had their sights set not just on becoming members of the Demon Hunters, but on becoming one of the leaders.

Shim Won-Yi gathered the members of the Azure Dragon Society. Excluding Hyun Gong-Hwi, sixteen of their members had made it into the Demon Hunters.

At the very least, they had reached their minimum target. Still, neither Shim Won-Yi nor Seomoon Hye-Ryung were satisfied.

"We must secure the position of Commander, no matter what."

"Of course. My pride won't allow me to settle for a mere captain position."

"You must defeat Jo Wol."

The Azure Dragon Society members' fighting spirit ignited at the mention of Jo Wol. For better or worse, Hyun Gong-Hwi had been one of them. Though they were not saddened by his death, their egos had been badly bruised.

Shim Won-Yi looked at Seomoon Hye-Ryung. "Do you know anything about the Iron Palm Sect?"

"I only know that it is a sect based in Shaanxi Province. Like most single-master-single-disciple sects, very little is known about them."

"Hmm..."

"You must be careful. During his match with Master Hyun, I noticed that he uses a very strange bare-handed martial art. One moment of carelessness could result in a mortal wound."

"You dare compare me to Hyun Gong-Hwi? I will not be defeated like that rash fool."

"It was just a figure of speech."

"Hmph!" Shim Won-Yi scowled stubbornly.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung let out a soft sigh. It was clear that no matter what she said, he would not listen.

It's too late to find out about the Iron Palm Sect. Even if I send someone to investigate now, it will take at least ten days to get any results. Damn it, I was so focused on Master Jin that I neglected other areas. I should have identified a variable like this in advance.

In the end, Jin Mu-Won was the biggest problem. The aftermath of his appearance was still greatly affecting her... no, it was affecting the entirety of Heaven's Summit.

"The Commander of the Demon Hunters must be one of us."

"Don't worry. I'll subdue him in three exchanges, " Shim Won-Yi boasted, his voice dripping with intense killing intent.

The Azure Dragon Society members held their breaths. They had never seen Shim Won-Yi so angry.

Seomoon Hye-Ryung looked at Jwa Moon-Ho. "At least three of us must become captains. Do you know what I mean?"

"Of course."

Seomoon Hye-Ryung took a small booklet from her robes and handed it to Jwa Moon-Ho. "This is a compilation of the strengths and weaknesses of the martial arts of those who have joined the Demon Hunters. Pass it around and read it. I believe you'll find it helpful."

"Thank you!"

Jwa Moon-Ho's hand trembled as he took the booklet. He was more afraid than impressed by Seomoon Hye-Ryung's swift intelligence-gathering abilities. The fact that she had compiled all this information in such a short time was staggering.

Just how obsessed is she?

sep

Jin Mu-Won continued to watch the duels. The battles to select the captains were now underway. Fifty-six people were participating, but only five positions were available, meaning they had to overcome odds of nearly ten to one.

Because of this, the martial artists on stage were fighting with all their might. Sweat flew and blood splattered. No mercy was spared, and brutal scenes followed one after another.

Jo Wol had broken their inhibitions. A sense of crisis had taken hold, making the martial artists fear that they might die if they held back.

Meanwhile, Jo Wol was on a winning streak. He had seriously injured two more martial artists. One had all four limbs broken, while the other was left hovering between life and death. His methods could only be described as ruthless.

As things stood, none of the other Demon Hunters were willing to fight him. Fear of him was spreading like a plague.

"Heheh!" Jo Wol laughed as he looked down at a bloodied martial artist struggling weakly on the stage.

His opponent was a promising descendant of the Zhenzhou Eon Clan, one of the Five Great Clans renowned for its fist arts, said to rival those of Shaolin. This young man had mastered the Six Directions Explosive Fist, one of the clan's signature techniques, and rumor had it that few among Hebei Province's prodigies could match him.

Jo Wol had rendered him incapable of fighting after about twenty exchanges, earning massive applause from the spectators.

Jin Mu-Won's eyes gleamed as he watched Jo Wol standing arrogantly at the end of the duel stage.

He has perfect control over his inner arts, and his concentration is incredible.

The crowd cheered for Jo Wol's impressive martial prowess, but Jin Mu-Won noticed something else. He focused on Jo Wol's footwork and movements.

The young man moved like a beast rather than a trained martial artist. He attacked and neutralized his opponents based purely on instinct and the shortest, most optimal path. It was a brutally efficient martial art based entirely on practical combat.

"Truly amazing, is it not? I have never seen a martial art that maximizes efficiency to such an extent," a woman's voice rang out beside him.

Jin Mu-Won looked to his side. A dazzlingly beautiful woman stood there, dressed in a pure white robe with a brilliant red sash.

He recognized her at once.

The Broken Moon Fairy, Sa Yu-Ha.

Like the Black Fog Warrior, she appeared like a comet through the duel tournament. She stood out from the beginning, earned her nickname, and became one of the Earthly Quartet.

She smiled brightly at Jin Mu-Won. "What do you think, Master Jin?"

"Do you know me?"

"Everyone here knows you, Master Jin."

Sa Yu-Ha's smile was sweet. Her eyes, shaped like a crescent moon, captivated all who saw them. In fact, a few people near Jin Mu-Won were staring at her with their mouths agape.

"I asked you a question. What do you think of the Black Fog Warrior, Master Jo Wol?"

"He's strong."

"Is that all?"

"What more needs to be said?"

"If you say so, Master Jin, then he must be strong indeed. Still, you could defeat him without much difficulty, couldn't you?"

"I wonder?"

"I believe you are much stronger, Master Jin." Sa Yu-Ha's eyes curved into a gentler smile. Her smile exuded a fatal charm, leaving no doubt that she was trying to seduce Jin Mu-Won.

The Northern Blade is certainly worth it.

The people agreed inwardly. Though Jin Mu-Won was slightly out of the spotlight because of the tournament, he was still undeniably the most popular figure in the current murim.

Even without his background as the Northern Army's heir, his martial prowess was immense. If a sect could recruit him, it would instantly gain prominence. It made sense for Sa Yu-Ha to approach him.

"Thank you. I wish you the best of luck, Young Lady Sa."

"Thank you. If you have time this evening..."

"There you are, Master Jin!" another woman's voice cut in.

Sa Yu-Ha's eyes flashed with fire upon seeing the meddler, Tang Mi-Ryeo.

However, Tang Mi-Ryeo only glanced at her for a moment before saying calmly, "My uncle is looking for you."

"Master Tang?"

"He's waiting for you at the True Kindness Pavilion."

"I understand. Well then..." Jin Mu-Won gave Sa Yu-Ha a clasped hands greeting and walked away.

Sa Yu-Ha stared blankly at Jin Mu-Won's retreating back for a moment, then glared at Tang Mi-Ryeo.

Tang Mi-Ryeo simply bowed her head and followed Jin Mu-Won quickly. She knew there was another woman in Jin Mu-Won's heart and that there was no place for her there.

Still, she hated just standing by and watching another woman try to wedge her way in.