Chapter 109

Chapter 109

The Four Monks of Shaolin (1)

The first match of the Yongbongji Conference had just concluded.

Out of the thirty-two contestants who advanced to the main tournament, sixteen had progressed to the second round.

This was an expected outcome. However, outside the venue of the Yongbongji Conference, a significant topic of conversation was circulating.

“No one expected all the Shaolin disciples to win in the first round.”

“They call it the Thousand-Year Shaolin for a reason; its reputation is well-deserved.”

There were sixteen contestants in the second round. Combining the Nine Great Sects and the Five Noble Families, which were regarded as the pillars of orthodox martial arts, there were a total of fifteen contestants.

Logically, each sect should have only one outstanding late-stage disciple making it to the second round of the Yongbongji Conference.

For any sect, having two contestants in the second round was already a tremendous achievement. Conversely, it was a disgrace for a sect not to have a single contestant advance.

However, Shaolin had managed to send four contestants to the second round.

Because of this, several sects like the Hwasan Sect and the Hwangbo Family failed to advance any contestants to the second round.

“In twenty years, it might be the era of Shaolin.”

Thus, many predicted that in twenty years, when the late-stage disciples reached their prime age to be considered true masters of martial arts, Shaolin might reclaim the title of ‘Supreme Sect of the World.’

However, not everyone shared this sentiment.

“What does it matter if many contestants reach the second round? Ultimately, the most outstanding one will become the ‘Supreme Martial Artist.’ The sect of the ‘Supreme Martial Artist’ will be the ‘Supreme Sect of the World.’”

“Ahem. Indeed, we can’t ignore Young Hero Namgung Jincheon and the Qing Shui Dojang.”

Despite Shaolin’s resurgence after living in seclusion from the secular world, the strongest candidates for victory remained Namgung Jincheon and the Qing Shui Dojang.

Moreover, with both the Namgung Family and the Wudang Sect still standing strong, if either won, they would undoubtedly be called the ‘Supreme Sect of the World.’

And there were some who were quite displeased with such evaluations.

This sentiment was shared among the sects whose disciples had advanced to the second round, just like the disciples of Namgung Jincheon, the Qing Shui Dojang, and the Shaolin Temple.

“Tsk. Whi-il, pay no mind to the ignorant words of the common people.”

“There’s no need to worry, Master Uncle.”

Whi-il’s confident response made the elder of the Jeomchang Sect smile with satisfaction.

Whi-il was among the youngest of the second-class disciples in the Jeomchang Sect. He was only a few years older than some of the senior third-class disciples.

As the lowest-ranked among the second-class disciples, no one expected Whi-il to become the head of the Jeomchang Sect, but all the elders of the sect shared the same thought.

They believed this boy would become the greatest swordsman of the Jeomchang Sect and bring the title of ‘Supreme Swordsman’ from the Namgung Family and the Wudang Sect to Jeomchang.

Indeed.

Whi-il was the secret talent nurtured by the Jeomchang Sect to surpass Namgung and Wudang.

This Yongbongji Conference was the opportunity for Whi-il, who had been meticulously trained, to shine.

And to trample over Namgung Jincheon and the Qing Shui Dojang in the process.

‘If Whi-il wins the grand prize, the goal of him becoming the ‘Supreme Martial Artist’ in the future would not be a mere fantasy.’

While thinking about the tremendous item the Murim Alliance had put up as the prize for the Yongbongji Conference, Il-hwi, with a confident expression, spoke to the elder.

“I am just disappointed that I haven’t yet met Young Hero Namgung Jincheon or the Qing Shui Dojang. The sooner I meet them, the sooner I can correct the common people’s ignorance, don’t you think?”

“Hahaha. That’s an excellent mindset. Don’t worry, you’ll meet them soon enough if you keep winning in the martial arts matches. The Shaolin disciples are merely stepping stones.”

Moreover, Il-hwi was scheduled to duel a Shaolin disciple in the second round.

“Was it Mu-gung...?”

Il-hwi briefly recalled his opponent’s dharma name for the second round but soon erased it from his mind.

After all, he was not a worthy opponent to concern himself with.

* * *

Thanks to all four members of the Muja Group advancing to the second round, the atmosphere in the hall where the Shaolin disciples resided was subtly elated.

However, despite the surrounding excitement, the Muja Group spent their time as usual.

They spent their time strengthening their muscles at the Cheonryu Sangdan sub-branch and honing their martial arts skills in the halls of the Shaolin Temple.

“Hmm?”

Amid this consistent atmosphere, Mu-jin sensed something strange.

“Is there something on your mind?”

Mu-jin asked, looking at Mu-gung, who seemed different from usual.

Mu-gung, who looked and had the build of a bandit but was surprisingly vain, had been acting stiff and rigid over the past couple of days.

Normally, he was already stiff due to his build and nature, but this was different. It wasn’t his body that was stiff, but his actions and movements seemed unnaturally rigid.

“Ahem. It’s nothing.”

Mu-gung responded with an uncharacteristically stern expression, claiming it was nothing, despite having trained in the Immovable Heart Technique for four years.

“Don’t put on a tough act. If you have something on your mind, just say it. Often, when you talk about your worries, they turn out to be nothing.”

However, this didn’t work on Mu-jin, who had decades of social experience.

‘And Mu-gyeong aside, this guy is beyond comparison.’

Moreover, Mu-jin was not someone to be jealous of in the first place.

In the early days, he had thought his own talent lacking, but now he knew better.

Not only had Mu-jin easily won against Cheong-su Dojang, one of the most prominent upcoming martial artists, but now, as a mere third-class disciple, he was sparring on equal footing with first-class disciples.

This guy was not just exceptional among Shaolin’s third-class disciples or even within Shaolin. He was a phenomenal monster by the standards of the entire Central Plains.

Ironically, Mu-gung had received significant help from him. Hadn’t Mu-jin taught him training methods that even the thousand-year Shaolin did not possess? Not only to him but also to Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul.

Thanks to this, he was now counted among the strongest of Shaolin’s third-class disciples.

He had even reached the second round of the Yongbongji Conference, where the best of the rising stars across the continent competed, ranking among the top sixteen.

Therefore...

“You’re stating the obvious. Of course, I don’t regret coming to Shaolin.”

He did not have the slightest regret left.

At Mu-gung’s now-confident answer, Mu-jin chuckled and replied.

“Right. You’ve thought it through. The past is the past, and now is now. Besides, you’re stronger, so why worry about someone like Il-hwi?”

“I’m stronger?”

Mu-gung’s lips trembled at the question. He tried to maintain a neutral expression, but his face clearly showed his joy.

Had someone else said it, he might have dismissed it as mere words. But coming from Mu-jin, it held a different weight.

Mu-jin had reached a level where the term “upcoming martial artist” was laughable. Compared to the so-called genius Il-hwi Dojang from the countryside, Mu-jin’s words meant that he truly might be a superior martial artist.

‘Right. Compared to Mu-jin, Il-hwi Dojang is nothing.’

The presence of Il-hwi Dojang, which had been gradually growing in his mind, rapidly shrank.

“Hmph, of course, I’m stronger. I was just reminiscing for a moment.”

Mu-jin smiled lightly at Mu-gung, who now acted boastful.

“Right. Since you’re the stronger one, if you lose, it means your mind wavered. So, if you do lose, I’ll make sure to tell Master Uncle Hye-dam.”

“...You’ll tell Master Uncle? What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell him that your Immovable Heart Technique training seems lacking. If it’s Master Uncle Hye-dam, he’ll probably give you one-on-one special training for a month or so.”

“...”

The color rapidly drained from Mu-gung’s face, which had just brightened up.

Despite his bulky appearance, Mu-gung craved attention and was overly concerned with outward appearances. The thought of having a silent, intensive one-on-one session with the extremely taciturn Hye-dam was nothing short of a nightmare for him.

* * *

The next day.

To participate in the second round of the Yongbongji Conference, the Shaolin disciples headed to the location of the martial stage.

The procession included not only the four members of the Muja Group but also Master Hyun-hyeon, the second-class disciples, and the disciples who had been dispatched from the Murim Alliance.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the martial stage, Mu-jin scanned the crowd surrounding the area and muttered.

“It looks like the Hwasan Sect has gone back?”

“I guess they felt it wasn’t worth staying. They were all eliminated in the preliminaries and the first round.”

“Hmm. But over there, the Hwangbo family seems to be mingling?”

Where Mu-jin pointed, Hwang Bo-ung, who had been defeated by Mu-jin and eliminated, was sitting with several others.

“Did they stay to socialize? Their outfits are all different.”

Indeed, as Mu-gyeong noted, their attire didn’t seem uniformly coordinated.

‘There were rumors about a noble family alliance, and it looks like they’re maintaining their connections.’

Upon closer inspection, the outfits of the Five Noble Families were mixed together.

While observing the noble families, Mu-jin accidentally made eye contact with Jegal Jin-hee, who subtly greeted him with her eyes.

Mu-jin returned her greeting with a simple nod before looking around again.

‘With the Hwasan Sect gone, there doesn’t seem to be any other group clustering together.’

Unlike the Five Noble Families, the martial artists of the Nine Great Sects were scattered and had taken their own positions.

As Mu-jin pondered the power dynamics of the orthodox factions based on their positions around the martial stage, the time for the second round of the Yongbongji Conference approached.

Mu-gung, who was to fight first in the second round, paid his respects to the highest-ranking master present, Master Hyun-hyeon.

“I’ll be back.”

“Don’t be nervous, and do your best. Amitabha.”

“Yes, Master of the External Affairs Department.”

Watching this, Mu-jin smiled faintly.

‘It looks like he’s let it all go.’

As Mu-gung headed toward the martial stage, there wasn’t a trace of tension left on his face.