Chapter 619. Because it will become the sword that represents Mount Hua (4)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
It feels like his fingertips are curling up.
No, not just his fingertips.
His entire upper body, regardless of his arms and shoulders, was stiff as if he had a heavy bell (종(鐘)) on him.
That sword hasn't even reached the edge of Yoon Jong's sword yet.
It was an energy that had to be expressed as truly terrifying, and its power was so overwhelming that it could evoke even a sense of terror.
A completely different kind of pressure weighed on Yoon Jong than when he had faced from other strong men.
'It's definitely different.’
Although strong, he cannot be compared to the bishop of Magyo. The bishop's power was so powerful that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was literally a natural disaster.
But if there's anything else...….
'This is something I have to endure alone.’
It's not like when he was fighting together with Chung Myung. It's not a fight where Jo-Gol supports him and Baek Cheon and Yoo Iseol lead him.
Victory or defeat would be entirely up to Yoon Jong.
'That's why I can't lose!'
Uuuung!
The internal energy welling up from the Dantian circulated through his whole body, riding on the blood. Since the day he took Gongchong and Jasodan, Yoon Jong has been making constant efforts to make its energy his own.
The fruit of the effort was now clearly shown at the edge of his sword.
Chwaaak!
The moment the pushed sword energy met the edge of his sword, it split left and right.
"Keuk!"
Yoon Jong groaned.
His arm felt like it was about to break.
It was like standing in the middle of a flowing river and brandishing a sword to cut through the rushing water. It was impossible from the outset. But now, he had to make the impossible possible.
‘What if it were Jo-Gol?’
There was no need to think about it. As he has shown a while ago, he would have avoided the oncoming force like a flying squirrel and thrust his sword into the opponent's gap.
Yoon Jong did not have the sense to recognize the momentary gap and strike with all his might.
Udeuk! Udeudeuk!
The sound of bone echoed from his wrist. The sword felt heavy as if it were attached to a lump of iron the size of a rock.
‘What would he does if it was Sasuk?’
That’s obvious, too.
There is no way to retreat for Baek Cheon. If it were him, he would have pierced through the sword energy that surged like a river. He would have fought back with strength instead of dodging.
Right, like a hero in a story.
But Yoon Jong did not have such strength and genius.
"Cough!"
Something hot rose up through his throat.
It seemed that internal bleeding had occurred in some parts that could not withstand the pressure. The smell of acrid blood came over and stung his nose.
'I don't have it.'
Yoon Jong's eyes sank.
Yoo Iseol wouldn't have let such a slow sword touch her. Boldly, she would have even penetrated the way at the same time as avoiding it.
Chung Myung? If it were Chung Myung, he would have crushed the opponent's skull with a sword before the opponent could swing his weapons.
But Yoon Jong doesn't have one.
Such brilliant talents.
Yoon Jong's gaze turned slightly. He had a hard time just receiving the rushing energy, but he couldn't help but turn his gaze at it. He did not know how to ignore the third-class disciples who had been watching him so eagerly.
'So what do you want me to do?'
‘Lay down on the floor because I have no talent and just watch geniuses rampage?’
‘That's funny.’
"For me!"
He clenched his teeth and raised his energy.
"I have my own way!"
Humans naturally cannot go against a waterfall, nor can they stop a rushing river.
Therefore, in Baek Cheon's eyes, Yoon Jong's appearance now seemed too precarious.
The moment Baek Cheon looked like he was going to step forward, Chung Myung reached out and tightly grabbed his arm.
Baek Cheon flinched and looked back.
"Just keep an eye on him, you genius."
“…….”
Even then, Chung Myung's gaze never left Yoon Jong's side from the beginning. Baek Cheon said with frustration.
"He’s too reckless! To confront that power head-on...….”
“It’s okay for Sasuk, but not for Sahyung?”
“Why do you keep doing that!”
“That’s just what I’m thinking.”
Baek Cheon was speechless.
In fact, he knew it in his mind too. If he had been the one on that stage, he would have tried to pierce through that energy head-on. That was the most certain way to secure victory.
But…….
‘Am I really underestimating Yoon Jong?’
Chung Myung smirked as he glanced at Baek Cheon's serious face.
"You don't have to be so serious about jokes.”
“…….”
"It's only natural to think so. It's still a heavy burden for Sahyung."
“Then why?”
"However, that’s how Yoon Jong Sahyung is."
Chung Myung calmly watched Yoon Jong’s almost invisible figure being swept away by the sword energy and spoke.
“He’s the one who has to keep carrying that heavy burden.”
“…….”
Baek Cheon, who had been agonizing for a while, asked with a stiff face.
“Why does he have to do that? Can’t I, and others, help him? I understand what you said, but this is…”
"No. Sasuk doesn’t understand.”
Chung Myung shook his head.
"Sasuk is a man who will make Mount Hua's name known throughout the world. Sasuk should be the one who shines the most brilliantly.”
"That……."
"But Sasuk’s sword cannot be passed down."
The reason is simple.
Baek Cheon is a genius.
He doesn't even have to be a brilliant talent to make the world tremble. Just a talent that is slightly ahead of others. That alone is enough to disqualify him.
"Help him?"
"Yes."
“Can the guys over there fully understand and follow Sasuk’s sword?”
“…….”
Baek Cheon's eyes turned to the place Chung Myung had chinned. The third-class disciples were gathered looking at Yoon Jong with desperate eyes.
Baek Cheon did not readily answer.
He has been training the second and third-class disciples steadily. But that was only limited to the basics, stamina, and sparring. He had never really passed down proper swordsmanship to them.
Reason?
On the surface, it was because there are Un Gum and Chung Myung in Mount Hua.
But Baek Cheon knew deep down that it was just a show. He could not properly teach them. Because basic talent and understanding are different.
"Sasuk, Sago, and even Jo-Gol Sahyung are the same. You can only criticize why they can't do something so easily. Sasuk can't understand for the rest of your life how people who are gifted with mediocre talent master the sword.”
"…so it can't be passed down?"
"Well, to be precise, it shouldn’t be passed down.”
Chung Myung cut it in a cold voice.
“The martial arts of the sect should be tailored to those who have the least understanding among those who are new. The martial arts that only geniuses can learn will eventually dry out and vanish.” (xoxo: he means there will eventually be a generation where there’s no geniuses to learn the art and continue it down)
“…….”
“The prestigious sect is not a place to raise geniuses. It is a place to turn ordinary people into strong people, and only such places survive in the flow of history.”
The most important thing in a sect is not to raise geniuses.
It is to raise ordinary people who enter without a special talent.
The current structure of Mount Hua is abnormal. Chung Myung has focused on increasing the skills of the Five Swords in a short period of time to raise their reputation.
It is natural to make talented people stronger, but there are definitely counter-effects to this.
'Is there anyone among them who has the will to defeat Sasuk?'
Probably not. They would think that they are born different.
Neither Baek Cheon nor Yoo Iseol nor Jo-Gol is a reference to them, as their styles are too different.
It is Yoon Jong who will be the hope for those people.
A person who is called Five Swords without much talent. A man who overcame all the journeys along Five Swords without great strength.
A man who is simple, does not shine brilliantly, and does his part just by enduring.
That's why...
‘He shine brighter than anyone else.’
The answer to how to fill the lacking talent is right there. There is a milestone right there on what those who feel they are lacking should do.
Those who shine the name of the sect are geniuses, but those who lead the sect should never be geniuses.
‘Talent of Nagato (장문지재(長門之才)).’ (A person who possesses excellent leadership abilities and is capable of guiding others toward success)
The person who will be the Sect Leader should be the one who leads people like that.
It was for that reason that no one in Mount Hua tried to put Chung Myung in the position of Great Sect Leader, even though he was so strong in the past.
Because that place rightfully belonged to Cheon Mun.
The Sect Leader of a sect is the seat of those who can be the milestone of those who follow.
"Does Sasuk know what the biggest drawback of Yoon Song Sasuk is?"
"I don't know."
"He knows all too well.”
"…What does that mean?"
Chung Myung stared at Yoon Jong instead of answering.
'He knows too well what he doesn't need to know.’
Yoon Jong already knows all that. That only he can offer directions to other Saje. And that his defeat is tantamount to the defeat of other Saje.
The burden on that shoulders will be even heavier than Baek Cheon, who carries Mount Hua in the lead.
'Endure it.'
Chung Myung's eyes flashed with pity.
This was something even Chung Myung couldn't help. It's something that Chung Myung has never and couldn’t do.
This was the only thing Yoon Jong had to do on his own.
"There's nothing to worry about.”
Jo-Gol, who had been staring at Yoon Jong without saying a word, firmly opened his mouth.
"Sahyung won't lose."
The person who knows Yoon Jong best is Jo-Gol. While staring unwaveringly at the stage, that Jo-Gol said,
"Sahyung won’t lose to an opponent of that level."
Chung Myung knew that it was not a statement that came from logic but from faith. However for now, Chung Myung just wanted to believe in those words.
When a strong force comes in, it does not respond but spills or avoids it.
'It's easy to say.'
That's a choice that skilled individuals can make. He had no other choice but to desperately take the hit.
But.
'You can do anything as long as you endure.'
The feet must grasp the ground more firmly than the roots of a giant tree, and the lower body must support the body firmly. The waist is upright to maintain the power drawn from the ground, and the upper body is loosened to release the surging force as much as possible
Right. Just like a tree, like a plum tree that bloomed on Mount Hua.
‘So that's what it was.’
He finally realized it.
What was the basic posture that the Great Sasuk emphasized so much? What was the foundation that Chung Myung was talking about so hard as if to nail it in their ears.
‘I was a Taoist.’
A Taoist is one who resembles nature.
If you just follow the teachings that guide you, then at some point you become a tree and become nature itself.
It was the teaching that Mount Hua had accumulated for hundreds of years and the voice that they were passing on to its disciples.
'I know.'
His back is now watched by his Sahyung.
However, there won't be any miracle happening, such as the onlooker’s willpower becoming his strength. Willpower is willpower, and strength is strength.
This was a fight that he had to endure all alone.
Udeudeuk.
The pinky finger, which was firmly attached to the handle of the sword, finally twisted in a strange direction and fell. Pressure seemed to crush his whole body.
'What do I want to say to them?'
There was no such thing.
It was even too much for him to just keep his own body alive. How could he teach them how great he was?
He just struggles.
Desperately, pulling out every last drop of energy! Even if a fierce typhoon rages and sweeps the mountain, even if the branches are broken and all the flowers are plucked out, the roots planted in the earth will stretch out endlessly.
That's how trees live.
How many trees are there in the plum blossom forest? They are usually not exceptionally beautiful when looked at separately, and they do not bear uniquely beautiful flowers. However, when they bloom together, the mountain turns red and finally becomes magnificent.
Udeudeuk!
Even the ring finger was broken and twisted.
He felt vivid pain, but Yoon Jong's expression didn't change at all.
"Stretch out."
And finally.
At the end of the branch of the plum tree, which had been reeling from the typhoon, the pale red plum blossoms began to rise quietly.
|note
Ty for the chapter
Anyways, Thanks for the chapter!
As Chung Myung said, a sect and a sect leader raises ordinary people to be strong warriors. A person to follow. And Yoon Jong is that ordinary person who strives to be a strong person physically and mentally to encourage other ordinary people like him that even if he's not a genius disciple, he can still achieve great achievements that geniuses can do.
I really love the fact that this story is not only about Chung Myung. All the side characters have their own role and Chung Myung guides them for them to be able to stand in their own feet, so that Mount Hua can continue even if Chung Myung isn't there anymore.
Also, sadly, he quite feels as if he doesn't belong in the world for long