Chapter 136 – I’m Stronger

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Cho Yu-gyeong momentarily doubted his ears.

This was the guy who’d already crippled the Peng family’s eldest son’s arm, saying what now?

Whether Cho Yu-gyeong’s eyes bulged or not, Ju-seong went down to the arena where cleanup was underway and started collecting the scattered teeth.

“Red Beggar! Red Beggar!”

When Ju-seong cupped his hands and shouted, the bandage-wrapped Red Beggar came out from the waiting room, grumbling.

“Why are you calling, Brother!”

“Hey… You were beaten up technically, so you’re not even that hurt. Why are you all wrapped up like that? Come pick up these teeth. He sure lost a lot for someone with no self-control.”

“…Whose are they?”

Red Beggar apparently hadn’t seen the match while receiving treatment.

Ju-seong shook his head without answering. Red Beggar’s expression darkened as he picked up the teeth on the arena. They looked like scattered rice grains.

“I’m heading to the Martial Alliance infirmary first, so bring those and follow. Don’t wash them with alcohol or anything. Things could get worse.”

“Got it.”

* * *

One reception room of the Martial Alliance infirmary.

The room had been commandeered by a sudden outside visitor.

The goateed young physician sat with a sullen face, arms crossed, in a corner.

Mad Dragon had arrived first, bringing Fat Fist. Then he’d made a huge fuss demanding milk.

Then some beggar came carrying fifteen-odd teeth wrapped in a white cloth.

Mad Dragon dumped them all into the milk and was now carefully replanting them one by one with a serious face.

On top of that, he was dripping some unfamiliar medicine drop by drop. As a Martial Alliance physician, it was infuriating.

‘When teeth fall out, you either live without them or just stick them back in and pray they reattach…’

While replanting teeth, Ju-seong’s mouth never stopped.

“Fat Fist, you got beaten quite pathetically. No need to feel ashamed. Living in jianghu, you get beaten sometimes. I’ve been beaten a lot too. Now, open wide… That’s it.”

He precisely adjusted each tooth’s position with small metal tweezers, dripping medicine onto the gums moment by moment.

“So, getting your spirit broken by something like this is more embarrassing. Let’s be honest, you can’t keep winning forever, right? You were bound to lose to someone, and your opponent just happened to be an asshole. Open wider?”

Ju-seong kept running his mouth while continuing treatment.

White Pig’s powder mixed with painkillers and various other ingredients… Ju-seong’s special wound medicine.

If he had Fat Fist gargle with this once the wounds healed, there’d be no problem. No teeth, though.

Just smooth pink gums remaining.

Experiments showed White Pig’s wing powder only healed flesh wounds and couldn’t regenerate bone.

So Ju-seong was painstakingly fitting teeth back in place, dripping medicine only on those spots.

“Oops, almost put a front tooth where a molar goes. Hey, don’t cry. I didn’t actually do it. Hmm, is this an upper tooth?”

“Aeugh!”

“Ah, a lower tooth? Sorry. Your lower teeth are big. No wonder you chew meat so well.”

“Aeuuh, aeuh…”

Fat Fist flailed with a tearful face.

“Don’t worry, I said. Why are you reaching for the physician? I’m telling you I’m better. Hey, I studied under the same teacher as the Best Doctor of Sichuan.”

Fat Fist gaped and thought all sorts of things.

My whole body is a mess with nowhere intact… is starting with teeth even the right order?

Where did Mad Dragon learn medicine? What if he never learned and is just winging it?

Why is he doing the treatment instead of the physician?

Why does he talk so much during treatment? What if he slips up?

Amid his turmoil, the humiliation and shame from the recent match had scattered far away.

“There, all done. You’ll only be able to eat porridge for three days since the teeth won’t set properly, but anyway.”

“Uh, um… Thanks, Ju-seong. But are you sure they’re replanted right?”

“Ah, just wait three days. You’ll be gnawing on beef bones.”

At Ju-seong’s bold claim, Fat Fist finally looked relieved.

Only then did he remember that Ju-seong also had his match scheduled for tomorrow.

“Is it okay to be doing this? Shouldn’t you go meditate or something?”

“Ah, the match tomorrow?”

Ju-seong shook his head as if it were no big deal.

“We’ve both already sorted through whatever insights we needed. I felt it as soon as I saw him today. We’ve both grown considerably from the recent fight. And you know what I realized?”

“What is it?”

Ju-seong smiled slightly and continued.

“I’m still stronger.”

* * *

At last, the two dragons met on the arena.

Both were undoubtedly the most watched participants in this Ascending Dragon Assembly.

Both had unclear backgrounds, and the martial arts they used were things the jianghu people had never seen before.

On top of that, Ju-seong even used independently developed hidden weapons. Though still at the level of crude tricks for now, observers noted his rapidly improving skill with each match.

In fact, discerning martial artists and Martial Alliance hobbyists predicted Ju-seong’s hidden weapon techniques would soon attain proper martial art status.

And so, the two met on the arena.

The dragon that had been coiled far in the southern sea, and the mad dragon that had stretched awake in Sichuan.

Cho Yu-gyeong, as he had in all his previous matches, politely offered his fist in salute.

“I look forward to learning… ”

“Don’t play hero, you penny-pinching bastard!”

Ju-seong’s roar cut right through Cho Yu-gyeong’s greeting.

Normally, such violent language would have silenced the audience as if doused with cold water.

But the same act was received differently depending on who did it. The spectators, having gradually absorbed Ju-seong’s madness since the preliminaries, were too busy screaming to realize his words were inappropriate.

“That’s it, damn it! The momentum is different already!”

“A guy with absolutely no manners! You crass bastard! I like you, Mad Dragon!”

“Ugh, this shameless fool! Today the Sleeping Dragon will pulverize you!”

Interweaving and tangling cheers and jeers flew at them. Ju-seong felt his blood boiling. Frankly, he enjoyed being the center of attention.

Ju-seong cackled, then spread his arms wide and arched his back, bellowing.

“Everyone who bet money on this performer winning, holler with me… !”

“WOOOOOAAAAAH!!!”

“Good… ! You sly, despicable Sleeping Dragon, come at me!”

A ridiculous, childish provocation, but Ju-seong had the power of numbers behind him. With all those people responding to him, Cho Yu-gyeong couldn’t help but feel small.

And as aggressive people often did, he charged forward when cornered.

“I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Cho Yu-gyeong’s eyes flashed as he drew his sword and rushed in.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! That’s more like it!”

Ju-seong bared his white teeth and charged to meet him.

The first clash came hard. The spectators roared at the explosive energy wave.

Ju-seong felt that Cho Yu-gyeong’s swordsmanship was even more fearsome when faced directly. Watching from the stands, analysis had been possible… but being engulfed by oddly tilted sword strokes was quite disorienting.

His swordplay was like waves.

Even the greatest cliff would crumble after millennia of waves.

‘His swordplay too would eventually break me if I only defended.’

-Clang! Thunk!

Ju-seong deflected sword strokes with his gauntlets, then slapped away the blade face on the next stroke, thinking.

The bizarrely tilted strokes took mental energy to read precisely and defend against.

-Boom! CRASH!

Before he knew it, the sword strokes crashing against his defense were growing fiercer.

As waves overlapped, riding the flow increased their power endlessly.

To overcome this, he’d have to ride the wave and surf over it, or else cut through it.

Normally, Ju-seong would have executed a powerful technique like Red Lotus Palm to seize the fight’s tempo.

‘That would cost internal energy from the start.’

But now, he’d substantially absorbed the combat method shown by the Taowu disciple.

Heavenly Silkworm Silk, hidden weapons, kicks, palm and fist techniques, grappling…

The boundaries between different martial arts crumbled, and his thoughts melted fluidly, flowing freely.

-Flutter!

Ju-seong deliberately held his sleeve against the blade.

The tightly bound martial robe sleeve was sliced and fluttered.

When Ju-seong snapped his wrist, the sleeve suddenly wound around the blade.

“What the… !”

Cho Yu-gyeong frowned and swung his sword downward to shake it off.

Ju-seong’s arm was pulled limply downward with it, while simultaneously, a thin silver flash shot from his hand.

A needle.

Ju-seong had been holding a needle in his palm, using the force of Cho Yu-gyeong’s shaking motion to fire it.

‘Damn!’

Cho Yu-gyeong noticed the needle was aimed at his big toe.

Time slowed.

Cho Yu-gyeong barely pulled back his weighted front foot, accepting a slight backlash of reversed internal energy.

‘There’s no guarantee you won’t use poisoned needles.’

His energy briefly went awry, but no major damage.

He’d seen Ju-seong use poisoned needles while fighting together before.

He probably wouldn’t use poison on the arena, but you never know.

Cho Yu-gyeong thought it was his turn to continue the attack now.

But…

-Ping!

The needle he thought would hit the floor ricocheted at an angle and shot up at his chin.

‘Insane!’

Cho Yu-gyeong was startled. Could this have been the trap all along?

He barely tilted his head to dodge, but couldn’t prevent his earlobe from being pierced.

No poison, minor injury. Not an acupoint.

Resume attacking.

But Ju-seong’s assault wasn’t over. When Cho Yu-gyeong tilted his head, a blind spot opened and his stance inevitably broke.

Letting him recover was orthodox style. Two men without roots fighting… there was no such thing.

Ju-seong’s palm heel slid along the blade face, and his middle finger hooked under the guard.

He pulled on the guard with that finger.

Strengthened by Samadhi Body Refinement training, Ju-seong’s muscle power was enough to startle Cho Yu-gyeong with just one finger.

Cho Yu-gyeong yanked hard on his sword to avoid losing it.

Ju-seong didn’t resist… pulled along, he spun a full rotation.

‘What? Is he using the Heavenly Silkworm Silk?!’

Cho Yu-gyeong’s mind raced even in the chaos, remembering that tangling with the silk Ju-seong wielded like a ghost could mean getting bound.

But the attack that came was disappointingly simple.

-Thwack!

An elbow strike using the rotational force.

No martial art to speak of… just an instinctive street move… but placed perfectly, it became excellent combat technique.

Even tilting his head to deflect the power, he felt his cheekbone cave in.

“Gaaah!”

He screamed, slashing his sword with internal energy wrapped around it, scattering it forward. Similar to Mount Hua’s sword energy but different.

Mount Hua’s sword energy fluttered like petals; Cho Yu-gyeong’s scattered like wave spray.

Apparently his best quick technique. Even Ju-seong had to step back and defend.

Only then could Cho Yu-gyeong catch his breath, escaping that hellish combo.

“Heh… Hahaha.”

Cho Yu-gyeong tightened his trembling grip on his sword, hard enough to crush the hilt.

“Fine, I get that you’re strong. I can’t even fathom how many moves ahead you’re seeing. I’d rank you in the top five talents under heaven.

Ju-seong tilted his head.

“You’re pretty good too. Maybe top… however-many if I count all my fingers and borrow some from the guy next to me.”

“Hah… You absolute piece of shit.”

Finally, a crude curse escaped Cho Yu-gyeong’s lips, and a strange light gathered on his sword.

Not wavering like sword energy.

A stable aura, like still water, like heavy mist.

“…Blade Aura Materialization?”

In the silence that fell, one spectator mumbled in a dazed voice.