Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special
Chapter 143: Counter (2)

Chapter 143: Counter (2)

0% Elder of the Namgung Clan and Successor of the Divine Sword Geum Clan.

The people who had gathered at news of the sudden duel whispered upon hearing the man’s introduction.

It was already hard to believe that this young-looking man was an elder of the Namgung Clan, but what did it mean that he was the successor of the Divine Sword Geum Clan?

However, seeing the golden dragon glowing softly over his black martial robes, none doubted his words.

Rather than his status, that divine technique was even more astonishing.

To materialize and fix such intricate patterns over thin clothing...

“I am Ju Cheoryak, Heavenly Yang Great General of the Imperial Family.”

The middle-aged man standing opposite him was actually a Great General of the Imperial Family.

People murmured.

The Abbot of Shaolin walked through the air to stand high above.

“I am Deokseong, Abbot of Shaolin.”

The Abbot? The Abbot of Shaolin Temple itself?

The Abbot rarely showed himself, and even overseeing this Dragon Phoenix Tournament had been handled by one of Shaolin’s elders.

But why was the Abbot here?

The spectators’ minds began struggling to understand the situation.

“The scheduled matches have been postponed by one day. However, I advise all junior disciples to observe this coming duel with utmost attention. Whenever you may wander in this world, martial displays of this magnitude are rarely witnessed twice.”

Those words of his lit a fire in their eyes.

Chunbong, Namgung Suah, and Namgung Myeong also focused on the upcoming duel without further words.

“Then begin when ready.”

The Abbot finished speaking and looked down at the arena from the air.

Though it seemed perfunctory, this was natural.

For martial artists of their level, a starting signal was meaningless.

Naturally, neither Seojun nor Ju Cheoryak had any complaints.

Schwing— The two of them drew their swords and observed each other.

Ju Cheoryak made the first move.

THUMP!

His heavy steps etched into the ground as he swung down the sword he had silently raised.

The distance between them became meaningless as sword force like the sun itself burst from Ju Cheoryak’s blade, pressing down on the arena.

CRASH────────!!!

An explosive heat filled the entire arena.

“AHHH...!”

“We-We’re... going to die...!”

As the terrified crowd screamed, the Abbot silently pressed down on the air with his right hand.

RING.

Buddhist qi descended, extinguishing the flames that had spread beyond the arena.

The crowd sighed in relief.

Instead of paying attention to them, the Abbot watched the duel without blinking even once.

BOOM!

Ju Cheoryak’s offensive continued.

His sword carried a tyrannical force, endlessly overwhelming his opponent.

“A bastard of this level dares to run his mouth...!”

With each swing of his sword trailed blooming embers, forcing his opponent to swing their sword to parry.

CLANG!

Seojun deflected his sword, then leapt into the air and thrust downward.

Ju Cheoryak sneered. This was all he amounted to.

THWANG! He turned his wrist to swing his sword wide, deflecting Seojun’s strike away.

Ju Cheoryak immediately pressed forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

WHOOSH!

The flames blazed horizontally, Seojun quickly blocking them again.

CLANG!

The sword bounced back, its path shifting slightly, but that wasn’t quite enough.

Then once more.

CLANG!

It happened in an instant.

With another clash of their swords, the sounds overlapped into one.

After deflecting twice, Ju Cheoryak’s sword finally deviated greatly from its path.

But Ju Cheoryak smiled.

Because he had seized the flow itself.

He hadn’t once lost that flow since the duel began.

Those watching them thought the same.

“It seems he was still too young to face the Great General.”

“It’s such a shame to see such a promising talent broken.”

Kneeling and apologizing before everyone.

For a proud Transcendent Realm martial artist, this could be a fatal wound.

To reach great heights, one needed confidence in oneself above all else.

Several people worried that today’s experience might become an inner demon that would break this young man.

Pae Jingwang frowned in confusion.

What the hell is he doing?

While Ju Cheoryak’s skill was excellent, that little rascal shouldn’t be getting pushed around this much.

He didn’t even seem to have any intention of counterattacking.

He would normally thrust his sword first even if it meant his heart would be pierced.

Well, he was always a hard one to read anyway.

There was a solution for times like this.

The Geum Clan’s daughter. Check the reaction of the child that rascal called Chunbong.

Using his discerning eye to examine her expression among the crowd, indeed...

Seems like he’s up to something.

Half worry, half exasperation.

Chunbong was looking at Seojun strangely.

As he expected, she had grasped his intention.

That expression...

It was the look he had when utterly toying with an opponent.

To others, it would just look like a serious expression, but Chunbong knew the truth.

That bastard was definitely planning to cause a big scene.

“Stop running around like a rat!”

He stomped his foot and thrust his shoulder forward. The armored shoulder was a weapon in itself.

As Seojun retreated, Ju Cheoryak twisted his waist.

He firmly planted his foot using it as a pivot, power transferring through his waist, arm, and finally to his sword.

The Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art unleashed at full power as Ju Cheoryak’s entire body blazed like the sun.

RUMBLE──────────

This strike contained tremendous power, enough to engulf Seojun.

Some martial artists who could capture that scene in their eyes gasped.

“Oh no...!”

A direct hit would be fatal.

That’s when the unexpected happened.

WHOOSH!

Seojun lightly swung his sword, sending Ju Cheoryak’s sword flying away in the opposite direction.

That wasn’t all. The sun that had manifested through the Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art flickered out pathetically.

“...!”

The moment those eyes widened, Seojun smiled.

“Guess Imperial martial arts ain’t anything special.”

A golden sword force blazed over his sword.

“Nonsense!”

Ju Cheoryak quickly pulled back his sword and spun around. With his planted foot as the axis, he thrust once more.

A sun rose at the tip of his straight thrust.

It was a strike that couldn’t be avoided or parried.

Ju Cheoryak calculated the subsequent sword exchanges as he thrust, but it was all useless.

FIZZLE—

The sun faded without a trace.

In that instant, Seojun’s sword that was wrapping around his opponent’s suddenly rotated.

SCREECH! Sparks flew as the two swords ground together, and Ju Cheoryak’s arm shot skyward.

The strike had been perfectly deflected.

“That’s...!”

A Wudang elder shot to his feet.

“A counter...! A counter technique for the Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art...!?”

He hadn’t simply deflected the sword.

He had seen through the martial art’s principles and collapsed it from its foundation.

What did all sects fear most?

The moment a sect’s martial arts were countered, that sect’s power would plummet.

Paradoxically, this was also something most sects didn’t worry much about.

Because creating counter techniques was practically impossible.

To create a counter technique, one must first know that martial art inside and out, and the person using it must deeply understand their opponent.

It wasn’t impossible against weaker opponents. If you could see through a martial art’s form, breaking it down and neutralizing it wasn’t unthinkable.

However, as the level increased, martial arts became more than simple sword strikes. Even knowing the form, one could only block or dodge.

That was normal.

Martial arts and the mental imagery within them varied depending on the practitioner.

Counter techniques couldn’t be created just by crossing swords a few times.

“What sorcery did you use...!”

Ju Cheoryak also instinctively knew that his last strike had been perfectly countered.

Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art at maximum power.

A sword filled with massive flames swung from top to bottom.

“Sorcery that someone like you couldn’t use even if taught.”

Seojun responded calmly.

He wrapped his sword in a golden dragon and struck upward.

Ju Cheoryak’s inner qi surging through his body, the path of his sword, his mental image, the abilities manifested by the Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art.

He had already seen through it all.

Ju Yangil and Ju Cheoryak had shown their martial arts too many times.

Others may not have known. That they shouldn’t have done that in front of Seojun.

Yellow Dragon Splits The Heavens.

A golden dragon with its jaws wide open devoured the sun.

As his arm was sent flying upward once more, Ju Cheoryak made a bewildered expression.

SMACK!

A burning pain spread across his cheek.

Ju Cheoryak looked at Seojun tremblingly.

“You, insolent bastard...!”

Slapped? Ju Cheoryak couldn’t allow such disrespect to himself.

His rage made him break through his limits.

Correcting his disheveled posture, he immediately continued attacking.

He swung with greater momentum than ever before.

This is it...!

He sensed it. Of every stroke of his sword he had ever displayed throughout his life, this was the finest.

With this, he would sever that bastard’s neck.

The sword swung in a perfect arc towards his opponent’s neck.

Then, a sneer appeared at the corner of Seojun’s mouth.

“Not happening.”

His empty left hand reached out, fearlessly blocking the sword and grabbing it directly.

CLACK.

It caught in his hand, Ju Cheoryak staring blankly.

Seojun’s mouth split into a wide grin.

“Dumbass.”

SMACK!

Ju Cheoryak staggered from another slap.

SMACK!

And another one.

He immediately corrected his posture and stopped swaying.

“AAAHHH...!”

His eyes rolled back as flames from the Heavenly Sun Emperor Supreme Fire Divine Art burst forth from his entire body.

He didn’t even care about internal injuries.

Kill that bastard.

With that single thought, he overworked his dantian.

“I’ll kill you!”

The heat flowing outwards converged perfectly into his body.

His eyes burned red as a sword glowing bright crimson descended with the dignity of a ruler.

“...Same old same old.”

Seojun clicked his tongue.

“Not even fun anymore.”

The figure of a golden dragon emerged over Seojun’s body. The dragon with its long body wrapped around Seojun opened its jaws, and—

CRUNCH!

It bit through and shattered Ju Cheoryak’s sword.

“H-how...”

Instead of answering, Seojun grabbed Ju Cheoryak’s hair.

“Pathetic bastard.”

CRASH!

His body was sent crashing into the ground, driven into the arena floor, shaking.

Seojun put strength into his leg and stepped on his head, before smiling coldly and saying.

“Farewell.”