Chapter 49 : Friendly Spar (3)

Chapter 49: Friendly Spar (3)

No matter how much one’s realm had risen, for Daewoong to seize such an overwhelming victory was by no means an easy feat.

“Huff, huff.”

His brief bright conversation with Yeo Seon ended quickly.

Below the training ground, Daewoong was gasping for breath as he rested.

It was because the expenditure of his qi had been immense.

That was it. The reason Daewoong had been able to so easily suppress Beom Pyeong was because,

whether he fired an arrow or swung his blunt weapon, he had poured out more than four-tenths of all his qi each time.

He had come prepared with nothing but a true one-strike-kill strategy, without any countermeasures or follow-up plans should his attacks fail.

And the weakness of that strategy was his current condition.

Looking at Daewoong’s pale complexion, the warriors of the Dark Flower Unit sighed in relief, thinking, “So it wasn’t without cost.”

It seemed that he had indeed used his full strength to topple Beom Pyeong, but in such a state, it was obvious that in the next match, he would collapse without being able to do anything.

But…

Their expectations were soon shattered.

The warriors of the Dark Flower Unit gaped, mouths wide open, at the completely unforeseen scene before them.

Tak! Tap!

A lively sound, like percussion instruments being played, resounded around them.

Before anyone knew it, Sewoon had stepped up beside Daewoong and was striking his body swiftly and mercilessly.

Of course, it was not to cause him pain.

Ssshhh!

Qi began rippling from Daewoong’s body, his eyes closed.

A lively energy coursed through his body, and his expression became far more at peace.

Just like Geum Hwa Sa-tae had done before, Sewoon was using Pushing Palaces and Passing Acupoints to restore Daewoong’s physical condition while quickly replenishing his exhausted qi.

At this sight, all the clan members watching the friendly spar could not help but voice their admiration.

‘Wow, to personally perform Pushing Palaces and Passing Acupoints on just a subordinate!’

‘That technique is so troublesome and exhausting, too.’

‘……I’m jealous. If only I could’ve entered the Dark Flower Unit, I would’ve chosen the Young Master without hesitation.’

Envious gazes poured forth.

The warriors of the Dark Flower Unit were no different.

But then, thinking it might affect fairness, Son Geon cautiously spoke to Sewoon.

“Uh, Young Master… such one-sided assistance seems a bit problematic…”

“Problematic, you say?”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t this literally the rest period?”

“Th-That’s true.”

“I’m letting him catch his breath during this break. I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

“Th-That…”

Son Geon’s lips moved, but no words came out.

On second thought, there was nothing wrong in Sewoon’s reasoning.

“Besides, I merely returned Daewoong’s condition to what it was at the start of the first match. I don’t have the ability to instill any more qi beyond that.”

“…Then may I check for myself?”

“Of course.”

Sewoon nodded without hesitation, and Son Geon quickly approached Daewoong.

He immediately placed his hand on Daewoong’s shoulder and began examining him internally.

As a master of the Hall of Inner and Outer Affairs, Son Geon himself had reached the pinnacle of First-Rate, so the inspection did not take long.

‘It’s true?’

Upon closer look, the amount of qi Daewoong held was exactly the same as before.

With that, Son Geon carefully turned to Tang Bi and spoke.

“Dark Flower Unit Leader, do you and your men agree?”

“…If his condition is identical to what it was before, then what problem could there be? As the Young Master says, let’s proceed.”

“Yes, then so be it.”

Tang Bi responded with a bewildered look.

The Dark Flower Unit Leader and his men had no choice but to accept Sewoon’s actions.

After all, in this friendly spar, they already held an absurd numerical advantage over the other side.

If they were to raise objections here, it would not sit well with Tang Muyeol, the Clan Head who was watching from the start.

“Then, let the second match of the friendly spar begin!”

Waaaah!

The clan members roared once more, and the friendly spar resumed.

And soon after—

Craaaash!

With another thunderous roar, yet another warrior of the Dark Flower Unit collapsed helplessly in the training ground.

‘What in the world is this…’

Dark Flower Unit Leader Tang Bi barely held back a gasp.

The feast that had begun with cheers was already racing into its later stages.

On the training ground, where Tang Bi watched with troubled eyes, fierce battles were unfolding.

Clang!

Clang!

Sharp metallic clashes rang out, sparking bursts of orange light in midair.

One of the most senior warriors of the Dark Flower Unit, with a grim look, unleashed hidden weapons from his sleeves.

“Haaah!”

Shhhh!

But Jang Yi, wielding twin spears, fiercely spun them with both hands, blocking the attacks.

No, he was not just blocking them—he was pressing forward, driving his opponent into a desperate corner.

Anyone could see that Jang Yi was dominating the match with ease.

Just ten days ago, one would never have imagined such ability from Jang Yi, who had ranked among the lower tier of the Dark Flower Unit.

‘…So it wasn’t only Daewoong whose realm had risen.’

Tang Bi breathed out both admiration and frustration.

He had dismissed Daewoong’s sudden advancement as nothing more than an unfortunate disaster.

In contrast, he had thought the Jang brothers would show little difference.

But it did not take long to realize how wrong he was.

‘No… how could three people reach the maturity of First-Rate in only ten days?!’

Both of them had surpassed the entry level of First-Rate and reached its maturity.

Jang Il and Jang Yi.

The two brothers were often called the “Contradiction Brothers” within the Dark Flower Unit.

Not because their words or actions were inconsistent—

Elder brother Jang Il used a shield art (Shield Martial Arts), which was rare in the murim.

His younger brother Jang Yi, as could be seen, was a spearman wielding twin short spears.

But until just yesterday, that nickname of theirs carried a subtle sense of mockery.

Many had ridiculed them, saying that their lacking skills made their presence in the Dark Flower Unit itself a contradiction.

-Another ring-out loss!! The victor of this match is once again the Young Master’s side, Jang Il!

Jang Il, stepping out after Daewoong, blocked every attack of his opponent with his shield.

Then, pouring all of his qi into his shield, he pushed forward with great force, driving his opponent out of bounds.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Jang Yi used an endless offensive of twin spear techniques, continuously knocking down opponents.

Their ability was in no way inferior even compared to Daewoong, who had fought before them.

‘Now the remaining men are…….’

Tang Bi surveyed his own side.

What had begun with an overwhelming difference of twenty-one against three had now dwindled to a mere nine.

Daewoong had taken down five.

Jang Il, four.

Jang Yi, three.

So far, twelve of his men had fallen one after another.

Of course, the Dark Flower Unit members had fought valiantly to the end without giving up…

But unfortunately, the results had been the same.

“Urgh.”

Thud.

At that moment—

“The victor of this match is the Young Master’s side, Jang Yi-!!”

‘Ah….’

Yet another Dark Flower Unit warrior fell to his knees with a groan.

Now only eight remained, not even nine.

Waaaah!

As Sewoon’s side claimed another victory, the clan members’ eyes shone not just with admiration, but with reverence.

“How many is that already? One, two… thirteen?!”

“Wow, how can they keep winning in a row without losing once?”

“Were those three always the strongest?”

“Tsk, no. It’s all thanks to the teachings of the instructor and the Young Master that they’ve grown so rapidly!”

As the clan members said, all three warriors of Sewoon’s side still stood undefeated.

Not a single defeat among them.

Jang Yi’s participation was not because Daewoong or Jang Il had been eliminated.

It was simply because Sewoon, thinking the spectators might get bored watching the same match repeatedly, had rotated them in.

The honor of the Dark Flower Unit had already been trampled upon beyond repair.

How could such an unbelievable situation be happening?

A sigh escaped Tang Bi’s lips without him even realizing.

“Hehe, you’re all doing so well! Just a little more effort, let’s keep it up!”

Yeo Seon, tireless as ever, bounced about like a freshly caught fish.

A strange light flickered in Tang Bi’s eyes as he looked at him.

He was a rare figure in the Sichuan Tang Clan—someone whose inside and outside matched perfectly, a lighthearted personality.

To be honest, he had harbored some subtle disdain toward him.

But now, seeing such outstanding talent and ability, that past disdain felt shameful.

‘…To come prepared with a perfect strategy tailored to each opponent. Is such a thing even possible?’

As the spar grew longer, Tang Bi naturally realized that the other side had perfectly grasped the patterns of both their first and second attacks.

But even more shocking than that was Sewoon’s audacity to demand Yeo Seon from the Murim Alliance.

‘…How did Sewoon recognize this man’s talent so quickly?’

To know that a talent, more precious than silver or gold, more valuable than ten thousand treasures, stood right before him—

It was simply astounding.

At the same time, a pang of guilt and shame welled up inside Tang Bi toward Sewoon.

‘Could it be that my arrogance and prejudice had kept me from truly seeing my nephew all along?’

Regret flooded him.

Even after watching all his progress.

Even after seeing his battle with the Poison Demon, even after seeing him acknowledged by Geum Hwa Sa-tae, a seed of doubt had remained in his heart.

It was because he had watched Sewoon from childhood, frail and sickly, and had viewed him more as a nephew than the heir to the clan.

But now he finally realized.

‘My nephew—no, the Young Master is someone far beyond my ability to judge.’

How could a mere dove ever comprehend the grand ambition of a great roc?

He was nothing but a common man scattered across the wilderness.

But Sewoon was a dragon lying in wait, and a phoenix chick holding its breath, waiting to soar.

Thus, Tang Bi began to look upon Sewoon with a completely renewed mindset.

Even now, Sewoon watched over his subordinates without a flicker of expression.

Looking into those eyes, colder than cold, so chilling they seemed terrifying,

Boom! Boom!

The hearts of the warriors began pounding violently without reason.

The reason was clear.

As an enemy, he would be unimaginably terrifying.

But Sewoon was, in the end, the future master destined to lead their Sichuan Tang Clan.

Step.

At that moment, Sewoon stepped forward once more.

“Dark Flower Unit Leader, Clan Head, may I make a proposal?”

What was he about to say now?

Not just Tang Bi and the Dark Flower Unit, but everyone around fixed their eyes on the Young Master.

Then Sewoon opened his mouth.

“This has gone on long enough. Why don’t we settle it all at once, cleanly?”

With the spectators’ roar, the final group match was decided.