Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

The duel commenced.

On the duel stage, two young bladesmen faced off, blades pointed at each other. Sunlight glanced off their weapons, casting brilliant reflections that scattered in all directions.

Some in the audience squinted against the sudden glare, yet no one uttered a word. The tension that hung over the arena silenced any complaints, leaving the crowd to shield their eyes with raised hands as they strained to see.

Hyonwon Kang and Seonwoo Jin circled each other slowly, moving clockwise as they searched for openings in each other's stances.

"You sure went all out," Seonwoo Jin remarked dryly, trying to maintain his composure amidst the weight of so many eyes upon him. "Now that I think about it, this whole duel was part of your plan, wasn't it? I walked right into your trap."

Now that he stood here, Seonwoo Jin realized he had fallen for Hyonwon Kang's deception. As long as he didn't do anything, he would have easily won the election. However, in a fit of anger, he threw all reason aside and initiated the duel, giving Hyonwon Kang the perfect chance to turn the tide in his favor.

But what upsets me the most… is the fact that Hyonwon Kang laid this trap fully believing that he would win the duel.

Suppressing his growing killing intent, Seonwoo Jin smiled. "Fine. If you beat me, the President's seat is yours, and to hell with the election. How about that?"

"Sounds great to me," Hyonwon Kang replied coolly.

"I heard you're going around saying you'll compete in the Heavenly Martial Festival and defeat Peng Sahyuk in the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament?" Seonwoo Jin sneered disdainfully, hating both Hyonwon Kang's expression and his reply. Unlike himself, there was no hint of anxiety on the delinquent's face at all. If no one had been watching, he might have tried to kill him right there and then.

"So?" Hyonwon Kang retorted sharply, seemingly triggered by the mention of Peng Sahyuk's name.

Seonwoo Jin caught the change in tone and smirked, seizing the moment to turn their conversation into a psychological battle before the real fight. Laughing, he taunted, "Aren't you dreaming a little too big? It's barely been two months since you knelt before Peng Sahyuk, crushed in less than ten exchanges."

"……"

"Before Peng Sahyuk left, I exchanged over fifty moves with him. It was a close fight, and I only lost because I had less inner qi. I take pride in the fact that I wasn't lacking in any other aspect," Seonwoo Jin boasted confidently. This duel might have been set up by Hyonwon Kang, but he was confident that in the end, it would become a showcase of his own strength.

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Hyonwon Kang narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You exchanged over fifty moves with Peng Sahyuk?"

"Now do you see the difference between us?"

"Eh, that prick went easy on you."

"What?"

"I said he went easy on you, dumbass. Do you really think Peng Sahyuk needs over fifty exchanges to deal with trash like you? It's obvious he wasn't serious," Hyonwon Kang snickered, casually flicking his blade tip and deliberately revealing an opening. At first, he had intended to fight cautiously given the stakes of the duel, but now he realized that it didn't matter even if he was a little lax.

Roughly slinging his blade over his shoulder, he continued gruffly, "Listen up, you pathetic excuse for a bladesman. You think losing to Peng Sahyuk is some kind of achievement worth bragging about? Did you expect me to be impressed because you lasted fifty exchanges? As a martial artist, you should be ashamed of yourself. One should always strive to win, not wallow in defeat. Honestly, you disgust me. I don't think I can stand talking to someone who takes pride in losing to a Young Master from one of the Five Great Clans any longer, so shut up and come at me. I'll even give you the first move."

Hyonwon Kang's bold challenge left the spectators stunned. Among them were distinguished local figures and seasoned martial artists. In three days' time, not only would the outcome of the duel spread throughout the murim, but so would the reputations of the two young prodigies… meaning Hyonwon Kang had no way to take back his words now.

From the VIP seats, Noh Goonsang, the Principal of the Azure Dragon Academy, cleared his throat and said, "Ahem. Both of you, please keep it civil."

Humiliated before even trading blows, Seonwoo Jin's face flushed red. "Don't get cocky!" he snapped, stomping hard on the ground. A massive dust cloud billowed up, and he surged forward like a cannonball.

Keeping a careful eye on his opponent, Hyonwon Kang swung his blade.

CLANG!

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The instant their blades collided, a sharp pain shot through Seonwoo Jin's wrist, and his eyes widened.

He blocked that so easily?

He had poured every ounce of his strength into the strike, fully intending to cut down Hyonwon Kang with a single, decisive blow. However, just as his swing began to gather momentum, Hyonwon Kang intercepted it with pinpoint precision, effortlessly stopping the attack and dispersing its force.

Their blades locked, metal grinding against metal. Meeting Hyonwon Kang's gaze, Seonwoo Jin saw a fierce light burning in his eyes.

"If that's all you've got, it won't be enough to beat me," Hyonwon Kang taunted.

"Shut up!"

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Twin blades sliced through the air in wild, unpredictable arcs, weaving together in a tempest of relentless slashes. The two fighters' movements blurred with incredible speed, but neither gave an inch, meeting each stroke with unyielding ferocity.

"Wow, they're incredible!"

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"Both of them have considerable mastery in swift blade techniques."

Some of the watching martial artists nodded in recognition, while others applauded. The speed with which the two bladesmen exchanged blows was astounding, but underneath their rapid attacks, their styles were very distinct. Seonwoo Jin's attacks were precise and razor-sharp, while Hyonwon Kang's were brutal and savage.

Both Hyonwon Kang and Seonwoo Jin wielded one-handed daos, leaving the other hand free. Thus, they also clashed with palm techniques, then with their fists, and then with their fingers curled into claws as they tried to grab each other's weapons. Moments later, their hands spread open again, and the relentless exchange of palm techniques resumed.

BOOM!

After a huge clash of palm techniques, the two boys used the recoil to widen the distance between them and took a second to catch their breath.

"It's been a while since my eyes were treated to such a spectacle."

"This has gone way beyond the level of a kids' fight. Are all prodigies this strong nowadays?"

"This is truly a battle between a dragon and a tiger! They're evenly matched!"

The crowd's chatter grew louder, fueled by the intense duel unfolding before them. Nonetheless, the true martial masters in the crowd shook their heads, disagreeing with those who called it a stalemate.

One particularly fierce-looking middle-aged man even jumped up in agitation, shouting at the top of his lungs, "How are they evenly matched? Are you blind? Open your eyes wide and look closely! Whose breathing is more regular? Whose balance is more stable? Whose footwork is more agile? Observe properly before you judge, idiot!"

The fierce-looking man's outburst instantly silenced those who had been calling the duel a tie. They had known all along that their ability to observe martial arts was lacking and that they were just babbling nonsense.

Still, Hyonwon Su couldn't hold himself back. "Watch carefully! My son is obviously the stronger one!" he yelled.

"Please sit down. You're making a big fool of yourself," Baek Muheun muttered as he gently tugged at Hyonwon Su's clothes, feeling embarrassed for the man.

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Hyonwon Su stared at him with a dazed expression. "This is real, right? You can see it too, right, Baek-hyung? My son… He's…"

Baek Muheun chuckled and nodded. "Of course I can. Not only me, but any decent master can see that Hyonwon-hyung's son is completely overpowering his opponent right now. No, it's more accurate to say that he's toying with him."

"I can't believe it. When did my little Kang learn such high-level bladesmanship…"

Amazingly, Hyonwon Kang was not only matching his opponent's skill, he had also taken control of the flow of the battle, dictating its tempo, pacing, and distance. As if that wasn't impressive enough, Seonwoo Jin hadn't even noticed that he was being led around.

One by one, the martial arts masters invited to the duel began to murmur among themselves.

"Only an expert several levels higher can dominate his opponent so completely like that."

"That prodigy's name is Hyonwon Kang, right?"

"So he's from the Hyonwon Clan, huh?"

"Wow! To think that we'd see the famous bladesmanship of the Hyonwon Clan today. What a feast for the eyes!"

"That child might revive the Hyonwon Clan."

Hearing everyone singing his son's praises, Hyonwon Su clenched his fists, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. Still, despite his blurred vision, he never took his eyes off his son, not even to wipe away the tears.

If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.

Kang, I can't believe that you achieved in one day what I couldn't do in decades.

It didn't matter how Hyonwon Kang had learned such exquisite bladesmanship. His son had restored the family's honor where he had failed.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Hyonwon Kang whipped his head around and stared blankly in Hyonwon Su's direction.

Shaking his head, Hyonwon Su burst out laughing, "Hoho, you rascal. Don't look at me! Focus on your opponent!"

As if on cue, Hyonwon Kang immediately grinned and sharpened his movements.

Hyonwon Su blinked in disbelief. Is it just a coincidence? He didn't actually hear me from that far away, did he?

"Whoa!"

"That's…!"

The subsequent spectacle left the martial artists, who had been enjoying the show leisurely, gaping in astonishment.

When did it start? When did I stop looking at him?

At some point during the duel, Hyonwon Kang had ceased paying attention to his opponent, Seonwoo Jin. Their blades still clashed at incredible speeds, but that was it. Seonwoo Jin was the only one who was still swinging his blade single-mindedly. Hyonwon Kang, on the other hand, had let his instincts completely take over, deflecting every attack mindlessly.

What a strange feeling.

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Right now, Hyonwon Kang felt as if all his senses were extremely heightened. He could see the exact paths Seonwoo Jin's blade would take, anticipate where his opponent would step, how he would channel his qi, and even catch the slightest twitches of his muscles. It was like playing a game of Go with complete knowledge of his opponent's every move.

I feel like I could win with my eyes closed right now…

Even when Seonwoo Jin's blade missed his ear by a hair, he didn't feel at all threatened. He had no doubt that it would miss him.

Lost in a trance, his senses expanded more and more, until suddenly, he detected a very familiar presence.

…Father?

Confused, Hyonwon Kang turned around to stare at Hyonwon Su and tilted his head. "Huh? Why is Father here?"

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"How dare you look away from me?!" Seonwoo Jin shouted angrily, seizing the opening that Hyonwon Kang had carelessly presented to press the attack.

Despite being distracted, Hyonwon Kang easily dodged Seonwoo Jin's slash and absentmindedly pushed him away.

BOOM!

Seonwoo Jin staggered back nearly ten steps, almost losing his balance before catching himself at the last moment.

Cold sweat beaded on his brow.

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Something's wrong. I'm exhausted and soaked in sweat, but Hyonwon Kang still looks fresh and isn't even breathing hard.

Gritting his teeth, Seonwoo Jin reluctantly asked, "You bastard… Are you going easy on me?"

Hyonwon Kang briefly looked around at the spectators who had come to watch the duel. All of them were staring at him with wide-eyed disbelief, stunned that a delinquent from a fallen clan could so completely overpower the heir of a prestigious house.

"I was, but not anymore. I think I've shown off enough," he replied.

Seonwoo Jin's eye twitched. "What?"

Hyonwon Kang grinned broadly. The only reason he'd dragged out the fight was because of Baek Suryong's insistence.

"Don't end it in one blow. Word of your duel won't spread unless the audience gets a good show."

He glanced toward Baek Suryong. Mr. Baek, is this enough?

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The meaning was conveyed even without the need for communication. Baek Suryong met his gaze, grinned and nodded.

Hyonwon Kang finally turned his attention back to Seonwoo Jin. "Now, all that's left is to show Father who the world's greatest son is."

"What nonsense are you…"

RUMBLE!

An immense wave of energy erupted from beneath Hyonwon Kang's feet. Dust spiraled around his body, rising high into the sky like a mighty dragon coiling itself around him.

BOOM!

Cracks spread across the thick floor of the duel stage as Hyonwon Kang stomped heavily on the ground and shot forward in a straight line.

CLANG!!

This time, the impact was vastly more forceful, so much so that Seonwoo Jin almost dropped his blade. Barely managing to block the first strike, he braced himself to counter when the second attack came right at him.

"Ugh!" Seonwoo Jin groaned. He felt as if the bones in his wrist had fractured, while his waist and knees throbbed from the strain.

In just two exchanges after Hyonwon Kang got serious, he was backed into a corner.

Damn it, I can't block a third hit!

Seonwoo Jin gritted his teeth. If he tried to block another one of Hyonwon Kang's powerful swings, he might lose a limb or even die.

"Surrender. Unless you want to get hurt," Hyonwon Kang warned.

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Seonwoo Jin glared at his opponent with snake-like eyes. "…I lost," he whispered in a barely audible voice.

Upon hearing Seonwoo Jin's declaration of surrender, Hyonwon Kang lowered his blade and relaxed his stance.

Seonwoo Jin's eyes lit up with a sudden, malicious glint. In the brief moment when Hyonwon Kang let his guard down, he seized the opportunity and slashed at Hyonwon Kang's right arm with every ounce of his strength.

You fool! I'll at least take one of your arms!

The howling wind drowned out his words, making it impossible for anyone in the audience to hear them. Even Hyonwon Kang would have had a hard time catching them.

"Ah!"

"Why all of a sudden!"

Cries of alarm erupted from the audience. To them, it seemed as if Hyonwon Kang had suddenly let his guard down for no reason.

"No!" Hyonwon Su yelled, rushing onto the duel stage to save his son.

Unfortunately, Seonwoo Jin's blade was already an inch away from Hyonwon Kang's shoulder. He wouldn't make it in time.

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TWANG!

Hyonwon Kang twisted his body and struck Seonwoo Jin's blade with his elbow, slightly changing the angle of the attack with his solid arm muscles fortified by the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest.

However, this only bought him a fraction of a second. His skin was already cut and bleeding, and it was impossible for him to block a weapon with his flesh. Unless he could completely knock the blade aside, killing its momentum, it would definitely slice through his arm cleanly.

And there was only one way to do that.

"You asked for it," Hyonwon Kang growled, switching his blade to his left hand. Then, with a swift motion, he swung it outward in a reverse grip, aiming for Seonwoo Jin's arm.

SWISH!

With a blinding flash, Seonwoo Jin's blade fell to the ground, along with the arm holding it.