Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 290
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Episode 290. When You Take a Step Forward, I Will Have Taken Ten
Namgung Cheon, the Blue Cloud Swordsman.
There was a time when his name set the hearts of the people of Murim ablaze.
The firstborn of the Namgung Family, the most prominent among the Murim Families, and the best among the young masters.
However, his name lost its luster with the rise of the Yoomyung Cult.
In the midst of the crisis, interest in the young masters shifted to the Ten Great Masters of the World.
But that wasn’t all.
The fame of Namgung Yeon, the Incomparable Among Ten, grew, and Namgung Cheon began to be seen merely as “the older brother of the Incomparable Among Ten.”
Finally, when he volunteered to join the exploration team, he was rejected and treated as a novice.
One could say it was a never-ending decline.
And now, that same Namgung Cheon had declared war on Peng Gakmyeong and the other young masters of the Peng Clan.
Namgung Cheon left the restaurant without looking back. He didn’t want to cause harm to the other customers or the owner of the establishment.
“He’s crazy.”
Peng Gakmyeong cursed under his breath. If he had only challenged one of them, it would have been understandable, but he had provoked all the young masters of the Peng Clan present in the restaurant. Clearly, he wasn’t in his right mind.
Peng Mandu, his face red with anger, said, “Brother, Namgung Cheon has insulted us all. We must teach him a lesson.”
Peng Iljin added, “He’s right. He said we are of a different class. This isn’t a duel. He insulted us, so we must punish him.”
He was suggesting they attack him together. Peng Gakmyeong didn’t hesitate long.
The first thing was to defeat Namgung Cheon.
Would it be shameful for the young masters to unite against one? No, it was better to win with help than to lose and be humiliated.
“He insulted us all, so it’s only fair that we fight together. As Iljin said, this isn’t a duel; it’s punishing a criminal.”
He explained loudly for everyone to hear, justifying the joint fight. Then, he stepped forward.
The young masters of the Peng Clan went outside, and the restaurant customers hurried to the windows to watch the fight.
Peng Gakmyeong, Peng Mandu, Peng Iljin, and Peng Miryeo lined up in front of Namgung Cheon, ready to attack him together.
Namgung Cheon drew his sword without saying a word.
Peng Gakmyeong swallowed hard. He felt a strange energy in Namgung Cheon, beyond his usual aura.
‘Was Namgung Cheon always this impressive?’
Despite the numerical advantage, he had a bad feeling.
“Namgung Cheon, if you apologize now for your words…”
“I’m the one who should be saying that. If you don’t want to see blood, apologize to Miss Jin.”
“Nonsense!”
“Brother, there’s no need to talk anymore! Let’s teach him a lesson.”
Peng Mandu and Peng Iljin interjected. Realizing that words wouldn’t resolve anything, Peng Gakmyeong slowly drew his sword.
Ching!
The young masters of the Peng Clan drew their swords almost in unison.
The street in front of the restaurant filled with onlookers.
Namgung Cheon took a deep breath, calming his agitated heart.
‘I admit this is a difficult fight.’
Fighting one or two was one thing, but facing four was beyond his abilities.
The Peng Clan, like the Namgung Family, was an elite family in Murim.
Even so, he didn’t feel fear. The thought that these men had made Jin Seolha cry infuriated him.
Not even when he fought alongside Yeon Jeokha at the Nokrim camp did he feel such rage.
Namgung Cheon truly wanted to defeat them.
This fight wasn’t for his honor or his family’s; it was for Jin Seolha. He had to win.
‘I will win, even if I die.’
His determination awakened his will, which in turn unleashed a latent power.
Without realizing it, Namgung Cheon activated the Great Art of the Blue Sky Gods.
It was the effect of “where intention goes, qi follows,” something he had longed for.
But this was only the beginning.
His body quickly passed through the stages of “where qi goes, blood follows” and “where blood goes, strength follows.”
The barriers that had held him back for years crumbled in an instant.
Namgung Cheon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Sigh, haaa…
The power of the Great Art of the Blue Sky Gods coursed through his body. His limbs filled with energy the moment he thought of it.
Thinking of his sword, the power flowed into it.
Woom!
The sword hummed, a sound only masters in the Divine Transformation realm could produce.
The young masters of the Peng Clan widened their eyes in surprise.
Especially Peng Gakmyeong, who was stunned.
He had believed Namgung Cheon was only slightly ahead of them, but now he was in the Divine Transformation realm.
Even so, he didn’t want to admit the reality, blinded by jealousy.
“Attack!”
At Peng Gakmyeong’s command, the young masters of the Peng Clan charged at Namgung Cheon.
Overwhelmed by the sound of the sword, the young masters of the Peng Clan began with the “Tiger’s Path” technique.
The “Tiger’s Path” was a fierce and dominant technique, mimicking the movements of a tiger.
The four swords swooped down on Namgung Cheon like a storm.
Although Namgung Cheon had reached the Divine Transformation realm, he was just at the beginning. He seemed like a leaf in the middle of a storm.
But Divine Transformation was still Divine Transformation.
Clang, clang, clang!
Namgung Cheon deflected three swords and lunged at Peng Gakmyeong.
Surprised, Peng Gakmyeong tried to slash Namgung Cheon with his sword horizontally.
However, Namgung Cheon parried the attack with a slight movement of his sword and struck Peng Gakmyeong’s forehead with the pommel of his sword.
Crack!
Peng Gakmyeong fell backward with a scream.
Namgung Cheon used the Shadowless Steps technique to quickly move around Peng Mandu, Peng Iljin, and Peng Miryeo, striking their foreheads one by one.
Finally, only Peng Miryeo remained.
“Brother Cheon, please stop!”
Peng Miryeo, humiliated, didn’t want to be struck and faint in front of everyone.
“I told you, if you apologize to Miss Jin, I’ll forgive you.”
“Is all of this for Miss Jin? Is the Peng Family less important than the Changin Clan?”
“I don’t care about the Peng Family or the Changin Clan. You wronged Miss Jin, so apologize to her.”
“Brother Cheon, really? I’m Peng Miryeo.”
Peng Miryeo looked at Namgung Cheon with reproachful eyes.
After all these years, was she going to be humiliated just because of Jin Seolha?
“I already told you, it doesn’t matter who you are. If you offended Miss Jin, you must apologize.”
“…”
Peng Miryeo, with tears in her eyes, finally sheathed her sword.
“Fine, I apologize! But one day, you’ll regret this.”
“I don’t think so. When you take a step forward, I will have taken ten.”
“…”
Peng Miryeo sighed. Though Namgung Cheon was relentless, she felt he was right.
Namgung Cheon had been known for his martial talent since his youth. At thirty-two, he had already reached the Divine Transformation realm, while it would take the disciples of other clans twenty or thirty more years.
Peng Miryeo approached Jin Seolha, passing by her cousins who lay on the ground.
“Miss Jin, I’m sorry. We made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
“…”
Jin Seolha, with her lips pressed together, only listened in silence.
Since Namgung Cheon appeared, everything felt surreal to her.
Peng Miryeo, seeing that Jin Seolha didn’t respond, shrugged and returned to her cousins.
Peng Gakmyeong, Peng Mandu, and Peng Iljin began to wake up, with large bumps on their foreheads. Together, they quietly walked away.
With the fight over, the street cleared, and people returned to their business.
Namgung Cheon approached Jin Seolha, who was staring at the ground.
Unable to lift her head due to the embarrassment of having cried in front of him, Jin Seolha fiddled with her fingers.
“Why are you so good to me?” she asked softly.
“It’s not about being good. Do you want to see what being truly good is?”
“What?”
Jin Seolha lifted her head, surprised. Namgung Cheon, with seriousness, responded.
“I asked if I could be truly good to you.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then, from today on, I will treat you with all my heart.”
“You don’t have to try so hard…”
Jin Seolha’s face turned red down to her earlobes.
After being despised by the young masters of the Peng Clan and winning Namgung Cheon’s heart, she felt it had been a blessing in disguise.
On the Way to Muchuhyeon.
Yeon Jeokha, walking beside Namgung Yeon, said, “I wonder what Brother Cheon is doing now. He wanted to come with us.”
“He’s probably with someone special.”
“Who?”
“Miss Jin.”
“The one I know? The disciple of the Changin Clan in Zhengzhou?”
“Yes.”
“Does Brother like her?”
“It seems so.”
“Wow! How did I not notice?”
Yeon Jeokha, surprised, shook his head. From behind, Old Shim chimed in.
“The young master isn’t very observant about these things.”
“What? Did you know about this, Old Shim?”
“I didn’t know either, but I’m not as surprised as the Young Master. Young Master Namgung was too kind to her.”
“We did well to leave Brother behind. He was very disappointed not to have been chosen as an explorer.”
“Hehe. Young Master Namgung must have been quite surprised that day too. The elders of the Seven Great Sects foamed at the mouth saying no.”
“Honestly, it’s better that he didn’t go. What’s so great about going to Five Peaks Mountain?”
“That’s true, but it must have hurt his pride. He heard in front of all the heroes that he couldn’t go because his martial skill was insufficient.”
“Inadequate, my foot. Brother Cheon is very strong. Right, sister?”
But contrary to expectations, Namgung Yeon said something unexpected.
“That’s true, but he could have been better. It’s been over ten years since his progress stopped. Although he’s improved in technique thanks to you, his internal energy hasn’t advanced.”
“What’s wrong with his internal energy? He’s still one of the best among the young masters.”
“Originally, his internal energy should have been much greater. When he was young, the Elders gave him a special herb, but that turned out to be a problem.”
“A problem?”
“His internal energy grew rapidly, but he neglected the refinement process. As one becomes a true master, the body, energy, and spirit must be in balance. In his case, his body and energy are strong, but his spirit is weak. Our father said his overly cheerful personality was the cause. He hoped the Namgung Family tragedy would awaken his spirit, but it doesn’t seem to have done so.”
“Ah!”
Yeon Jeokha understood what she meant. Having gotten used to an easy path from a young age, he hadn’t sharpened his spirit like a blade.
“Wow! Namgung Cheon’s energy didn’t seem as strong as someone who took a special herb…”
Namgung Yeon nodded.
“That’s right. There’s still energy accumulated in his meridians. Someday he will be able to unlock his full potential. Someday.”
Namgung Yeon spoke with sadness. It was painful to see her only brother wasting his innate talent as he aged.
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