Chapter 34

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The Italian scholar Fibonacci observed the reproduction process of rabbits and discovered a sequence in which the next term is created by adding the two preceding terms.

An arrangement of numbers where the sum of the first 1 and 1 becomes 2, the sum of 1 and 2 becomes 3, the sum of 2 and 3 becomes 5, and the sum of 3 and 5 becomes 8.

Such an arrangement was efficient and beautiful at the same time.

It was said that the arrangement of plant leaves and flower petals frequently followed this Fibonacci sequence.

Above all, the ratio between the terms of the Fibonacci sequence was also the famous ‘golden ratio.’

‘One to one point six one eight…’

I predicted the shape of the changing sword path,

‘Next is thirteen.’

And grasped the number of the next variation of the Plum Blossom Sword according to the Fibonacci sequence.

Thanks to that, the sword path was drawn in my mind of its own accord.

However, the problem was that because nature was whole and perfect, it was difficult to find a gap.

But.

‘Humans are different.’

Behind the sword light that completely covered my front, the excited man’s eyes cast a red glare.

I did not know whether I should admire that his sword path remained unshaken despite losing his composure, or sneer at an opponent who lost his cool during a duel, but what was certain was that his glare was advantageous to me.

I raised my internal power.

Following the force-release formula of the Obscure Dust Accumulated Clouds, a thread-like internal power unraveled from the center of my palm, gathering the surrounding true qi.

Thump.

As the inner core formed in my Danzhong acupoint added vitality to the muscles and veins of my limbs along with my beating heart, the weight of the space made heavy by the light pink sword qi of the Plum Blossom Sword was no longer felt.

Rustle.

My toes stepping on the soil twisted strangely.

While firmly holding the load on the quadriceps, the calf muscles twisted, applying stress.

It was the first Brownian step of the Slender Willow Flutter reacting to the Plum Blossom Sword’s qi.

My body, reacting to the dense internal power of the Elixir Condensation Stage, naturally slid back, and I entrusted myself to that flow.

Eight of the thirteen variations flowed past to the side.

However, five sword forms still remained.

I twisted the accumulated palm force of the Obscure Dust Accumulated Clouds and struck the side of the sword.

With a ringing sword hum, the Plum Blossom Sword’s petals scattered.

The opponent’s eyes wavered.

However, because the Plum Blossom Swordsman had lived twice as long as I had,

“Hap!”

He immediately regained his composure, took a step back, and deployed his sword forms once again.

That gap gave me the leisure to deploy the second form of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm.

As the internal power of the Obscure Dust Accumulated Clouds condensed in my right hand raged along the meridians and transferred to my left hand, I shifted my center of gravity to my left foot and took a step forward.

With a thudding stamp, a small cloud of dust rose beneath my left foot, and the smoothly bending stance of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm’s second form, Cloud Mystery Primal Chaos, scattered the rising petals.

The blue-glowing force waves of the Cloud Mystery Primal Chaos’s true qi, like evening clouds, eroded the pale pink sword qi carried in the Plum Blossom Sword forms.

Kiiiing!

The moment the blade vibrated violently, the Plum Blossom Swordsman’s foot gently stepped on the ground, and as if without any sound or trace, his body seemed to disperse in an instant.

Only the deep fragrance of the true qi’s afterglow remained in the place he left.

‘Dark Fragrance Flutter!’

The profound meaning of Mount Hua’s secret footwork force was not inferior to that of the Slender Willow Flutter at all; in fact, there were parts where it even surpassed it.

Simultaneously, the opponent’s sword also began to strike fiercely for a counterattack.

“Hap!”

With a shout of spirit, the tip of the sword spiraled, drawing a vortex.

‘The Golden Spiral!’

Since the golden spiral derived from the Fibonacci sequence formed a shape with a constant angle between its center and tangent line,

I spun my internal power once again.

The palm force of the Four Symbols Wind and Thunder Palm’s third form, Primal Chaos Producing Infant, contacted the sword drawing the spiral at a specific angle.

“Hup!”

A look of disbelief flickered in the Plum Blossom Swordsman’s eyes.

As the sword’s rotation deviated from its path,

The golden spiral was hideously distorted.

The whole and perfect sword path was shattered.

“How do you know the weak point of ‘Plum Shadows Become a River’??”

Without even realizing it, the Plum Blossom Swordsman even shouted the name of the sword form he had deployed. The guess that his moniker Plum Shadow had originated from that sword form meant, in short, that the opponent’s mind was crumbling.

“Aaaaargh!”

With a bizarre scream, the blade trembled violently.

The blade, which had been light pink, heated up as if it were about to burn red.

At the same time, the Plum Blossom Swordsman’s sword struck chaotically.

Deviating from the golden ratio and the sequence formulas he had maintained until now, the tip of the sword vibrated randomly, scattering red sword qi.

It was a killing strike that placed the vital points of the entire body within the sword domain.

On top of that, the steps he took were the Dark Fragrance Flutter.

‘The footwork force of the Dark Fragrance Flutter erased the sense of distance.’

Only when the distance at which the sword tip would touch the body could be predicted would evasion or counterattack be possible, but the Dark Fragrance Flutter disrupted that very sensation.

A moment of crisis.

Thump.

As the true qi of the inner core cooled my head along with my pulsating heart, the footsteps of the Dark Fragrance Flutter, which I had seen twice in a row, imprinted on my retina.

Rumble!

A bolt of lightning struck down upon the ground of my upper dantian’s mental imagery. It felt like footprints left behind by someone.

I layered my own feet directly over those tracks.

At the same time, a wave of inspiration surged.

The principles of the Dark Fragrance Flutter, which had not clicked when I first saw them, filled my head.

‘Assimilating with the same frequency as the true qi to minimize friction. What if I apply the upper dantian study of the Mysterious Void Stride from the Secret Arts Pavilion senior brothers?’

The Mysterious Void Stride was a Taoist secret technique that used the repulsive force against the ground as its motive power. On the other hand, this one hid one’s own traces through assimilation with natural qi.

Although the effects were opposite, the basic principles were the same.

The variables of each chaotically striking sword form rallied into a single path of survival, clearing the way.

Principles, inspiration, and experience became the materials to move my steps.

A second step was added on top of the pollen-like, cloud-like steps of the Slender Willow Flutter.

‘Actionless Walk.’

Just like the newly given name.

Just as the natural qi directed, I moved forward, swaying yet never stopping.

**

Looking at Yeon Baek-jung escaping the sword domain of his full-powered sword form, Plum Blossom Blood Rain, Plum Shadow Sim Won felt as if he were looking at a phantom.

‘How?’

Because Yeon Baek-jung’s appearance was just like walking through the rain without his clothes getting wet.

No, it was not that they did not get wet.

Moment by moment, as the tip of the Plum Blossom Blood Rain’s blade grazed his collar along with his twisting gestures, the upper garment of his Wudang Sect Taoist robe did indeed turn to rags. However,

“Haah… Haah…”

Standing before Sim Won, whose internal power was severed shred by shred due to utilizing a sword form that surpassed his own realm, Yeon Baek-jung’s body did not have even a single minor scratch.

The bluish true qi tangled and rotated like a dust cloud directly over Yeon Baek-jung’s extending palm, creating a comet-like tail along with his reaching gesture.

Squeezing out his last breath, Sim Won tried to deploy the Plum Blossom Sword form, Plum Blossoms Falling in Profusion, to cover his front. However, before he could even deploy half of it,

Clang!

Sim Won’s sword, which failed to load internal power properly, snapped in two.

The Plum Blossom Sword, the symbol of the Plum Blossom Swordsman, was broken.

“Cough!”

Immediately after the sword broke, Sim Won vomited blood.

It was the aftermath of internal injuries caused by excessive deployment of sword forms and internal power manipulation.

Above the back of Sim Won’s head as he vomited blood, a young yet cold voice rang out.

“Now, Wudang Sect will have the authority to handle the corpse of the specter here. You agree, do you not?”

Although he did not even have the leisure to nod due to vomiting blood,

“Then, I shall take that as an agreement.”

In that way, the Wudang Sect did not take a single benefit from the monster’s corpse, but simply incinerated it.

During that time, the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect could not take any action. They merely watched.

Until the Wudang Sect disciples, who had chanted detoxification spells even for those among the poisoned slash-and-burn farmers who could be recovered, left the spot, they merely watched the Wudang Sect disciples’ actions in a daze.

And when they had all disappeared,

A lingering ember flickered in Sim Won’s chest.

‘What have I been doing?’

Becoming ashamed of himself for being unable to answer his own question, Sim Won lowered his head.

On the ground, the Plum Blossom Sword, which had become unsightly after being broken in two, lay scattered.

Because that sight resembled a plum blossom that once emitted a deep fragrance and beauty only to wither in an instant, it was sorrowful beyond measure.

However, he could not wallow in depression.

He was the leader in charge of the Mount Hua disciples.

Grabbing his legs, which felt as heavy as a thousand geun, he forced himself to stand up.

“Senior Brother…”

Only when Sim Won stood up did his junior brothers finally approach him. Smiling bitterly at the sight, Sim Won peeled off the dried blood scab from his mouth and spoke.

“I am fine.”

It was a failed mission.

There was no way he could avoid responsibility.

Since even his Plum Blossom Sword was broken, his status as a Plum Blossom Swordsman was practically over.

In the eyes of his junior brothers, sympathy or greed—thinking whether they could take his place instead—could be seen.

He had thought he would not be able to bear receiving such looks, but Sim Won was actually surprised by his own unexpectedly calm heart,

And turned his head to look in the direction where the Wudang Sect disciples had disappeared.

While watching the duels with Wudang Sect disciples Myeong-hun and Yeon Baek-jung, he had seen the look in the eyes of the other Wudang Sect disciples in both instances. It was a gaze filled with affection and trust. Even when their fellow senior brother was defeated.

‘On the other hand, Mount Hua is…’

Even he himself had thought, before his Plum Blossom Sword broke, that such feelings actually ate away at martial arts. However,

‘Unless I saw it wrong… that was a trace of the Elixir Condensation Stage, Sword Qi Materialization.’

The blue comet tail stretching along Yeon Baek-jung’s palm force was still vivid in his eyes. He had never even heard of someone who had not reached the age of twenty reaching the Elixir Condensation Stage, yet the young disciple of the Wudang Sect had accomplished it.

‘They say that monsters and spirits appear in the Jianghu from time to time.’

He recalled the backs of other geniuses who had broken his spirit in the past. Could that young boy surpass them? At the very least, it seemed no one of the same age had been equal to Yeon Baek-jung. But if he met them right now? The outcome of the match could not be certain.

‘It is not my concern anyway.’

For geniuses had their own realm.

Mount Hua Sect swordsman Sim Won calmed his bitter stomach and carefully took his steps.

“Let us return.”

The Mount Hua Sect thus left Hubei.

**

The Beggars’ Sect disciples Sang-won and Yi-so shook their heads as they followed behind the Wudang Sect disciples.

Even as they did so, they conversed with each other through eye signals.

-Does it make sense? Reaching the Elixir Condensation Stage at that age?

-If it is the Elixir Condensation Stage, there must be some among the hall leaders who have not reached it… It is truly terrifying.

-Leaving aside dragons and hidden dragons, that is a monster.

-That must be why they call him Bringer of Chaos. The person who first named him should be promoted.

-Are you flattering?

-Hehe.

Although they were always bickering, the two had no choice but to reach an agreement this time. The fact that the boy currently showing them his back and leading the way was the future of the Wudang Sect.

Or rather, it was almost certain that he might be responsible for the Wudang Sect’s present.

**

“What was that footwork?”

“It was a footwork I had never seen before.”

At the questions of my senior brother and senior sister, I deployed my footwork force and replied.

“I tried mixing the principles of the Mount Hua Dark Fragrance Flutter with the Mysterious Void Stride training of the Secret Arts Pavilion senior brothers. I believe it is worthy of being the second step of the Slender Willow Flutter, but what do you think, Senior Brother and Senior Sister?”

“……”

“……”

I spoke to break the awkward silence.

“Uh… I think we should go this way. A gamey smell is vibrating.”

At my words, the playful silence shattered, and a serious energy settled on the faces of my senior sister and senior brothers.

“Hmm, these are the footprints of the Qiuer.”

Senior Brother Myeong-ryun of the Secret Arts Pavilion spoke as he pointed at the hollowed indentation.

“The Qiuer left footprints? This is a bit strange, is it not?”

At the words of Senior Brother Myeong-ha, who belonged to the Secret Arts Pavilion, Senior Brother Myeong-jeong also nodded.

“For a swift fellow like the Qiuer to leave footprints… It means either the injury is severe, or it has lost its reason. It must be one of the two.”

“When surrounded by the Mount Hua Sect, the Mount Hua swordsmen refrained from attacking to secure the Qiuer’s inner core intact.”

“Which means?!”

“As well as the fact that the demonic qi was blocked. This is truly…”

Tension began to set in the eyes of my senior brothers.

“Why?”

At my question, as I was a martial arts disciple and a layman in such matters, the Secret Arts Pavilion senior brothers spoke.

“It means a spell or a formation that interferes with the spreading of demonic qi has been formed, and that in turn means a sorcerer who performed such sorcery must be nearby.”

“Moreover, for a high-level spell that thoroughly blocks demonic qi to this extent to be applied, it is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill sorcerer.”

“Although Qiuers and Penghous can occur naturally, the fact that traces of such sorcery and formations are sensed… suggests that monsters might have been artificially created against the laws of heaven.”

“Meaning the Empty Gate was forced open.”

My senior brothers poured out explanations like a skilled archer rapid-firing arrows.

In any case, what was certain was,

“It is dangerous. Here.”

“With this level of spell and to the point of summoning the Qiuer… the possibility of a sorcerer from the Ghost Immortal Valley appearing cannot be ruled out.”

“Ghost Immortal Valley?!”

At the mention of the Ghost Immortal Valley, the Beggars’ Sect disciple Sang-won let out a cry of alarm. And with good reason, as the Ghost Immortal Valley, like the Chaotic Heaven Green Forest, was one of the six most powerful unorthodox evil sects under heaven, the Six Great Evils.

“It would be best to approach cautiously from now on. The fact that they blocked the demonic qi means the flow of natural qi might also not be smooth.”

According to what my senior brothers said, that place was close to a land of death. To utilize high-level martial arts, resonance with natural qi was essential. Furthermore, neither Senior Brother Myeong-hun nor Senior Sister Yi Chae-yang had reached the Elixir Condensation Stage yet, so resonance with natural qi was desperately needed.

One of my senior brothers pulled out a circular plate engraved with the Eight Trigrams pattern and softly chanted an incantation.

“Heaven and earth Five Elements, color, movement, will, image, form; having form yet formless, perceive the Five Elements, swiftly in accordance with the laws!”

While chanting the incantation, the senior brothers closed their eyes and brought their hands to the Eight Trigrams plate. The telekinetic power of their upper dantian’s spirit was lightly resonating with the plate.

Soon, the center of the plate emitted a faint light.

‘Low frequency.’

A wave of qi with a very minute amplitude and a low frequency leaked from the plate. Meanwhile, we maintained a quiet silence, knowing instinctively that it was a device that detected subtle true qi.

After about fifteen minutes had passed in that manner, one of the Eight Trigrams symbols on the plate glowed.

From that sight, I was able to grasp the principle of the treasure tool the senior brothers used. It was the same principle with which I had overheard the sound transmissions of the Sichuan Tang Clan members previously.

‘Are they capturing the subtle vibrations of true qi and calculating the position backward?’

I thought that technique studies were not much different in their basic principles, only differing in the source of their power.

“Let us head this way first.”

“Before facing the specters, smashing the formation that blocks the detection of demonic qi is our priority.”

This time, the senior brothers led the way, and we followed.

Just how far did we travel like that?

I lightly grabbed the shoulder of a Secret Arts Pavilion senior brother.

“The smell has grown stronger.”

It meant there were multiple Penghous nearby.

Which meant,

“The cursed object forming the formation must also be close by.”

Following those words, the senior brother scrutinized the plate. The further they went in the direction indicated by the Eight Trigrams, the stronger the light emitted by the patterns became, and Senior Brother Myeong-ryun soon stopped his steps and spoke.

“Here it is.”

In a carefully excavated space, an iron stake plastered with talismans was driven deep into the ground.

At that moment,

With a cracking sound, the glass bead in the center of the Eight Trigrams plate shattered.

“Hup?!”

The senior brothers immediately scanned their surroundings. I also scanned the surroundings along with them. Then, the men standing on the mountainside caught my eye.

“Hehehe, you have walked right into it, Wudang Sect.”

Three men in gray scholar robes were holding dark red tablets that exuded an ominous feeling.

“Ghost Immortal Valley Scholars?!”

“Scholars summoned this many specters?”

“There is one more behind them.”

Just like the words Senior Brother Myeong-hun added behind the startled cries of alarm from the Secret Arts Pavilion senior brothers, a man in an outfit drawn with complex patterns in red cinnabar revealed himself behind the gray scholars.

“Even a Master Scholar (Master)?!”

At the titles that were somehow familiar yet made a corner of my chest ache, I clenched my fists tightly. An unknown anger surged from a corner of my chest.