The Rising Martial Arts Genius

Cloud Sword Sect (3)

Sreung.

Mak Ya-jin, who had been standing behind, drew his sword and approached.

“You idiot. Still, you were useful. I knew that old man, Gal Yoon, was plotting something, but I only had suspicions and couldn’t act. But thanks to you, I dealt with it easily.”

‘As expected.’

They had roughly guessed Gal Yoon’s intentions as well.

Jang Woo-hyun had gotten caught up in the power struggle between the Sect Leader and Elder of the Cloud Sword Sect by chance.

“Since I owe you, I’ll make sure you die without pain.”

As Mak Ya-jin approached, Jang Woo-hyun frowned and bent his body, as if unable to bear the excruciating pain.

“You fool. You should’ve fled immediately…”

Jang Woo-hyun, who was staggering, gave a faint smile.

That expression sent shivers down Mak Ya-jin’s spine.

“You bastard!”

Mak Ya-jin tried to swing his sword quickly, but Jang Woo-hyun was faster.

He spat out the tea he had been holding in his mouth.

“Ugh.”

The poisoned tea was sprayed, and Mak Ya-jin reflexively turned his head away.

That was his mistake.

Jang Woo-hyun immediately kicked him in the groin.

“Ugh!”

A groan and the sound of something breaking occurred simultaneously, and Mak Ya-jin collapsed.

“Ya-jin!”

Jo Hwa-rip, who had noticed something strange when Jang Woo-hyun spat out the tea, stood up and quickly closed the distance.

He already had a sword in his hand.

Jang Woo-hyun, who had pretended to be poisoned, had not drawn his sword yet, but he didn’t back off.

Instead, he narrowed the gap.

‘One arm.’

It was unfortunate, but he had decided to sacrifice one arm.

There was no other choice at this point.

Jang Woo-hyun, who had trained in the offensive martial arts, Tiger Form Sword and Tiger Step, did not know how to evade.

Thus, if he lost momentum and retreated here, he would surely die.

Jang Woo-hyun took a step forward, launching himself at his opponent.

Then, he threw a punch.

Whether or not he could endure the pain of having his arm cut off was a problem for later.

Right now, he had to block this attack and draw his sword no matter what.

He gathered all his strength into his left fist.

The sword and the extending fist approached each other.

In a split second, the energy from his dantian surged and enveloped his fist.

Boom!

There was a burst of sound as the sword and fist targeted each other.

Suddenly, an aura had formed around Jang Woo-hyun’s fist, flickering like a mirage.

The two were thrown back by the impact.

Without caring about Jo Hwa-rip’s surprised expression, Jang Woo-hyun snatched the sword that was resting on the table.

As he infused energy into the sword in his hand, a faint aura like the one that had formed around his fist began to rise.

It was a materialized Qi.

The distinction between a second-rate and a first-rate martial artist.

It was the symbol of a first-rate expert, sword Qi.

From the first-rate level, one could infuse internal energy into their fists or weapons.

At the master level, one could release Qi at a distance, a technique known as Qi Projection.

Jang Woo-hyun had been prepared to lose an arm to draw his sword, but now he didn’t have to.

Thanks to the energy from the elixirs he had absorbed on his way here, Jang Woo-hyun had become a first-rate expert.

His dantian had grown immensely compared to before.

The vast power inside it was writhing.

There was a significant difference between first-rate and second-rate martial artists.

From the first-rate level, one was considered an expert in the martial world.

“How… how did you…”

Jo Hwa-rip spat out the words, unable to understand the situation.

Before arriving here, Jang Woo-hyun had definitely not been at the level of a first-rate expert.

The reason they brought him here was to handle him easily and discreetly.

If Jang Woo-hyun went on a rampage, the sect members could be killed.

They had already lost a martial arts expert like Gal Yoon, so they had to resolve this quietly somehow.

But the boy was far stronger than expected.

“Your skills were clearly lacking.”

“I grew.”

“What?”

“I grew while I was on my way here.”

“…”

Jo Hwa-rip’s face twisted at the ridiculous statement.

“You madman. Even so, it won’t change anything. You won’t be able to escape…”

“You bastard!”

While Jo Hwa-rip was muttering, Jang Woo-hyun stabbed Mak Ya-jin, who was still writhing on the ground, in the neck with his sword.

With a sickening sound, Mak Ya-jin’s life came to an end.

Jo Hwa-rip, now flustered, rushed forward.

Jang Woo-hyun kicked Mak Ya-jin’s body toward him.

Boom!

At the same time, Jang Woo-hyun kicked off the ground.

The Tiger Step and Tiger Form Sword techniques he had polished before arriving at the Cloud Sword Sect came to life in his hands once again.

Tiger Leaps Forward pierced through Mak Ya-jin’s side as his body flew through the air.

Thud!

Mak Ya-jin’s corpse was torn through the side, aiming for Jo Hwa-rip.

Jo Hwa-rip twisted his sword to block the attack.

Jang Woo-hyun quickly pulled his sword back and launched another strike with Tiger Hero Stance.

As he pressed in from all directions, the corpse flying through the air became more and more tattered.

“You insane bastard!”

Disgusted by the sight of his close aide’s body being torn apart, Jo Hwa-rip hastily grabbed Mak Ya-jin’s neck and pulled him back.

But Jang Woo-hyun wouldn’t miss the opportunity.

Crack!

The ground shattered as Jang Woo-hyun stepped forward, quickly closing the distance and swinging his sword downward.

It was the killing move, Mountain Lord Descends.

This was different from when he faced Gal Yoon.

With the power of a first-rate expert and a sword enveloped in Qi, Mountain Lord Descends was a truly lethal strike.

Clang!

The sound of a sword breaking rang out, and Jang Woo-hyun’s sword sliced through Jo Hwa-rip from his head to his dantian.

His body, split vertically, fell backward as his upper half opened up.

Blood gushed out, soaking the ground as a heavy silence fell over the area.

Jang Woo-hyun, who had been holding his breath for a moment, finally exhaled.

His breath carried tension and fatigue.

One body, repeatedly attacked and mangled, and another body cut in half.

Only then did the smell of blood hit him.

As the tension eased, the trembling in his hands became noticeable.

For a moment, he almost collapsed, but he forced himself to stand by putting strength into his legs.

‘I can’t rest yet.’

Although he had defeated strong opponents, he had yet to leave the Cloud Sword Sect.

There might still be people left inside.

He took a deep breath and began searching the office, hoping to find something useful.

It would’ve been nice if there were some martial arts manuals, but of course, there were none.

Just as he was pulling a small pouch from the desk drawer that seemed to belong to Jo Hwa-rip, a voice called out from outside.

“Sect Leader! Are you all right?”

At that, Jang Woo-hyun quickly stuffed the pouch into his robe.

As he spread his Qi sense, he could feel several presences waiting outside.

He couldn’t determine the exact number, but he guessed there were more than ten.

As expected, he couldn’t rest yet.

“Sect Leader? We’re coming in.”

At the sound of their voices, Jang Woo-hyun kicked the table with all his might.

The massive table, propelled by his strength and internal energy, flew toward the door.

Crash! Smash!

“Ugh!”

The door shattered, and the two warriors who had been about to enter were knocked down along with the table.

Step, step.

Jang Woo-hyun slowly walked out through the broken door.

Surrounding him were more than ten warriors from the Cloud Sword Sect.

Despite their sharp gazes, Jang Woo-hyun remained unfazed.

He swung his sword, shaking off the blood, and calmly faced their hostility.

“The Cloud Sword Sect’s Leader, the bodyguard Mak Ya-jin, and the Elder Gal Yoon are all dead. Do you still want to continue?”

“…”

Jang Woo-hyun spoke boldly, standing before more than ten people.

After the battle he had just fought, none of the warriors present could match his momentum.

As the Cloud Sword Sect members remained silent, Jang Woo-hyun assumed his stance.

He bent his knees slightly, raised his sword, and leveled the blade horizontally with the ground.

He prepared to execute the Tiger Hero Stance thrust.

No one moved in the overwhelming silence, neither Jang Woo-hyun nor the Cloud Sword Sect warriors.

Gradually, Jang Woo-hyun relaxed his stance and took a step forward.

Step.

When he took one step, those blocking his path stepped back.

Step, step.

After he took two steps, they retreated two steps.

Seeing that, Jang Woo-hyun began to gather his internal energy.

The energy from his dantian flowed up through his chest and arms, gathering in the sword he held.

Qi began to swirl around the blade.

The warriors of the Cloud Sword Sect recognized what it was.

“Sword Qi…”

“A first-rate martial artist.”

The Sword Qi, a symbol of a martial expert, could cut through even rocks or steel swords.

With their level of skill, the warriors before him would struggle to withstand even a single strike.

Having shown them his Sword Qi, Jang Woo-hyun raised his momentum even further.

Whoosh—

The aura thickened.

To the Cloud Sword Sect warriors, it felt like the presence of someone far beyond a first-rate martial artist.

Those who had been retreating now parted to the sides.

“…”

Though there were more than ten of them, not a single person spoke, and none of them dared meet Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze.

He had them completely under his control.

The Cloud Sword Sect warriors were all rationalizing the situation to themselves.

This was unavoidable.

If they charged at him now, it would only result in pointless deaths.

Whether they understood this or not, Jang Woo-hyun began walking through the gap they had made.

In a show of confidence, he sheathed his sword as he walked.

Until Jang Woo-hyun left the Cloud Sword Sect grounds, no one made a move.

* * *

“Hoo…”

Standing in front of the main gate of the Cloud Sword Sect, Jang Woo-hyun let out a deep breath, rotated his ankle once, and then kicked off the ground.

Since he didn’t know any light footwork techniques, he simply used his internal energy to burst through his Yongquan Acupoints as he ran like mad.

‘Get as far away as possible before they notice.’

He had used his internal energy to freeze the Cloud Sword Sect warriors in fear, allowing him to escape easily.

However, if they entered the place where Jo Hwa-rip’s body lay, the spell would be broken.

The mutilated body and the bisected Sect Leader would be more than enough to drive them into a frenzy.

Even if the warriors of the Cloud Sword Sect weren’t particularly skilled, their sheer numbers could lead to unpredictable variables.

He had bluffed his way out, but if they had all rushed him, who knew what could have happened?

Before the Cloud Sword Sect warriors could find Jo Hwa-rip’s body, Jang Woo-hyun ran with all the internal energy he had, as if his life depended on it.

***

It wasn’t until he had run until his dantian was empty that he could finally take a break.

Sitting under a large tree, he caught his breath and opened the pouch he had stolen from Jo Hwa-rip’s office.

Inside the heavy pouch were several pieces of silver and a few neatly folded sheets of paper.

When he unfolded the papers, on one side was written “Silver Flower”, and there was an unrecognizable symbol drawn on it.

On the other side, the number “100 Nyang” was written in large characters.

“A promissory note?”

A promissory note was like a type of paper currency or check used in the martial world.

Judging by the word “Silver Flower” written on it, it must have been issued by the Silver Flower Bank.

Growing up in a poor village, Jang Woo-hyun had never seen a promissory note in person before.

There were five promissory notes in total, each worth 100 Nyang, which amounted to 500 Nyang in silver.

Although he hadn’t obtained any martial arts manuals, 500 Nyang in silver was no small amount, so Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t help but feel pleased.

He packed the promissory notes and silver back into the pouch and stood up.

After walking for quite some time, he finally arrived at a village, where he bought some new clothes and shoes, ate at an inn, and then continued on his way.

For days, without resting, he passed through several small villages before finally arriving in a fairly large city.

‘This should be far enough.’

He had fled a significant distance, and since no one had followed him, he felt it was finally safe to relax.

After resting for an entire day, Jang Woo-hyun lay on the bed, thinking about what to do next.

He had gone to the Cloud Sword Sect to learn proper martial arts, but due to Gal Yoon’s schemes, everything had suddenly fallen apart.

Though he hadn’t done anything wrong, he had become a mortal enemy of the Cloud Sword Sect.

As he lay there, thinking about where to go next, one thing came to mind.

‘Yang Hyo-myung.’

He wasn’t sure if Yang Hyo-myung had known about this or if he was just another victim, but everything had started because of him.

To move forward, he felt he had to settle things properly.

With his destination decided, Jang Woo-hyun got up.

It was time to return to the place he had left.

The place where he had first set foot in the world of martial arts—the White Tiger Martial Hall.