Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 120: Dragon Phoenix Tournament (1)

Geum Chunbong’s declaration as Geum Hee.

According to Chunbong, she planned to reveal the name Geum Hee to the world at the upcoming Dragon Phoenix Tournament...

Naturally, with the Geum family name on the line, her only goal was victory.

Fueled by this determination, Chunbong threw herself into training. Seojun supported her with everything he had.

Help from a Transcendent Realm master who knows you better than you know yourself?

That wasn’t just rare, it was practically unheard of. And Geum Chunbong was a martial artist who constantly had access to such an advantage.

Under Seojun’s guidance, she sharpened her skills relentlessly. She rekindled the senses dulled during her period of blocked meridians and refined the Blue Cloud Divine Sword she had long neglected.

Perhaps her dedication was contagious?

Namgung Suah, who was already known for pushing herself to worrying extremes, intensified her training even further.

Seojun put his own training on hold to help them both.

But now, a new obstacle appeared.

“Hard at work again today, I see.”

Namgung Hyeok approached silently, scratching his chin with a sheepish smile.

“What is it this time?”

“Haha, do I need a reason to drop by? ...It’s nothing serious. Just wanted to ask when you’re planning to hold the wedding ceremony.”

Of course, he only showed up during breaks. Apparently, he didn’t want to interrupt their training even for something like this.

“Well...”

Seojun had nothing to say in reply and simply licked his lips. Then, sensing a searing gaze from the side, he turned his head and locked eyes with Chunbong, who was staring at him with wide-open eyes.

The veins on the back of her hand bulged as she gripped her sword tightly. He couldn’t be sure, but one wrong move and that sword might actually get swung.

As Seojun glanced away awkwardly, Namgung Suah approached, having just finished cooling down.

“Great Granduncle.”

“Oho, yes, yes.”

Namgung Hyeok’s face lit up with a bright smile.

Another blessing... one who had brought even more blessings to the clan.

Chuckling softly, Namgung Suah replied,

“We’re planning to get married a little later. It’s not too late to enjoy dating properly first, right?”

“That’s right, that’s right. You’re absolutely right.”

“Fufu, I’m glad you agree. Since you’re already here, please rest for a bit. This is just a training ground, so I can’t serve you tea... but we do have drinks.”

She handed him a sweet sugarcane drink. It was an item that Chunbong had stockpiled in bulk from the inn.

“Ah, sugarcane fragrance! I used to drink so much of this when I was young...”

Namgung Hyeok’s face softened with nostalgia as he took a careful sip, as if lost in the past.

“Yes, it was like that back then. When I was younger, I gave everything I had to reach the Unrestrained Realm quickly and elevate the Namgung Clan... I shouldn’t have gotten so consumed by it...”

“It’s thanks to people like you that the current Namgung Clan exists. You’ve made an enormous contribution, Great Granduncle.”

“Me...?”

“Of course. It’s not just your martial skill, but your memory too. How many people today can recall the past in such vivid detail? As much as progress matters, preserving tradition is just as important. Very few can walk both paths.”

“Ahem...”

Watching from the sidelines, Seojun couldn’t help but be impressed.

So that’s how she became the idol of the Namgung Clan...!

In mere minutes, Namgung Hyeok had gone from an elder to a nostalgic old man.

Even the fondness in his eyes shifted. He was no longer looking at Namgung Suah as a blessing, but something warmer, like seeing a long-lost grandchild return home after many trials.

“...Thank you for saying that. This isn’t the time to be reminiscing. I’m sorry for interrupting your training, but if it’s alright, would you mind if I watched your martial arts for a while?”

“Fufu, we would be honored.”

Namgung Suah managed to receive Namgung Hyeok’s guidance with just a few well-placed words.

Though his sharpness had dulled over the years, preventing him from showing his full strength during his spar with Seojun, he was still a martial artist with one foot in the Unrestrained Realm.

More importantly, he had reached that realm through the Namgung Clan’s martial arts. That made him far more helpful to Suah than a typical martial artist.

He could offer insight from a perspective different from Namgung Jincheon’s.

Seojun nudged Chunbong in the side.

“I’ll train my Chunbubbie with love and care~”

“Don’t poke my side, damn it...!”

“Oh? Has my Chunbong gotten a little softer? Your side’s kinda squishy.”

“...Say that again.”

“Hehe, sorry...”

Anyway, preparations for the Dragon Phoenix Tournament were steadily moving forward.

*Initially, they had thought they’d have plenty of time before heading to Henan for the tournament. But in the end, the group departed earlier than expected.

When asked about it, Namgung Myeong explained:

“For the Nine Sects One Union and the Six Great Clans, each sect or clan is allowed to send two members directly to the main tournament.”

“Ah, I see...”

“But since Miss Geum is competing under the Geum family name, she has to go through the preliminaries. Which means we need to leave early.”

So the Nine Sects One Union and the Six Great Clans could skip the preliminaries?

That definitely sounded like favoritism—and it was.

If it bothers you? Grow your own faction and rise to their level.

Not that there was much opposition from other martial artists. (And even if there was, it wouldn’t mean anything.)

After all, the younger generation from these top factions fought on a completely different level from your average martial artist.

Rather than getting crushed in the preliminaries by one of them, it was better to fight those closer to your level, and maybe luck your way into the main tournament.

At least then, you could walk away with a shred of honor.

A win-win setup.

Of course, those who did have complaints were members of major sects that weren’t part of the Nine Sects or Six Great Clans. But since they couldn’t openly protest, all they could do was grumble in silence.

“As such, we can’t just send anyone to the main tournament. If someone who received such preferential treatment were to lose easily, it would bring great shame.”

“Ah, so that’s why... Those privileged spots aren’t always filled?”

“Exactly. If no one suitable emerges, some sects choose not to participate in the tournament at all.”

I see.

Seojun nodded and leaned out of the carriage window. Another carriage followed closely behind. It was from the Namgung Clan.

In Seojun’s carriage were Chunbong, Namgung Myeong, and Namgung Suah, In the other carriage, there were Namgung Hyeok, Jang Geuk, and Pae Jingwang.

Even in the midst of war, the lineup was absurdly high-profile.

Three Transcendent Realm warriors close to reaching the Unrestrained Realm, and one full-fledged Transcendent Realm.

A squad strong enough to topple an average major sect with just a few gestures.

Adding guards and coachmen, the number of people was quite substantial.

But it didn’t feel excessive.

Namgung Myeong and Namgung Suah.

With two direct descendants of Namgung traveling together, if anything happened to them, it would be a major incident.

What was a bit unexpected was that both Namgung Hyeok and Pae Jingwang had insisted on coming as escorts.

Namgung Hyeok had apparently panicked the moment he heard the clan’s “blessings” were leaving and rushed to join them, while Pae Jingwang just followed Seojun out of boredom.

And Jang Geuk... well, Seojun brought him along for the ride.

“Hey! Aren’t you bored back there?”

Seojun shouted toward the rear carriage. A moment later, a large hand popped out the window. Then, it raised its middle finger.

“...Is that old man crazy?”

It was Pae Jingwang. He’d said he wanted to understand modern youth culture—but all he learned were things like that.

These days, he was no different from a child.

As the group made their way toward Henan, grumbling about this and that, they ran into an unexpected event.

A group of deranged bandit friends jumped out, demanding a toll.

“...Gotta admire their professional commitment”

Seojun muttered that as he activated his sorcery.

Five Elements: Earth—Release.

Stone pillars shot up from the ground, binding the bandits where they stood.

“Ugh...! What is this!”

“A-A master...!”

“Spare us, great hero...!”

Seojun could have wiped them out instantly, but his curiosity got the better of him. So he kept them alive for questioning.

“Can’t you see this?”

He pointed to the Namgung Clan emblem, prominently engraved on the carriage.

Looking at what Seojun was pointing at, the bandits blinked, confused.

“W-What is that...?”

“...You’ve got to be kidding.”

Bandits who didn’t recognize the Namgung Clan emblem of all things?

Seojun, whose patience had worn thin, turned to Namgung Hyeok.

“Did we change our emblem recently or something?”

“It’s been the same since before I was born.”

So the bandits were just that dumb.

When Seojun glanced at former bandit Jang Geuk, he only shook his head.

“Today’s bandits lack even the basics.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Well, they’re people who’ve cut ties with education... maybe these guys are bottom-tier even among bandits...”

“This job really isn’t easy.”

The bandit friends were tied up and hauled along until they reached the next city, where they were handed over.

The local sect who took custody seemed quite happy.

Whether they were executed, enslaved, or used however the sect pleased... so long as they weren’t ground into pills, no one would bat an eye.

Thankfully, no more bandits as dumb as those showed up again.

Instead, a heavy snowstorm hit one day on the road. They took shelter in a nearby city and spent the day at an inn, where they passed the time with a snowball fight.

The snowball fight was won by Seojun, pelting snowballs like a machine gun with his sorcery.

Chunbong, covered in snow, got mad and beat Seojun up. But Seojun accepted the beating like a badge of honor. He enjoyed it to the fullest as his reward for winning.

As time passed and the snow melted, fresh green sprouts began to peek through the thawing soil. And finally, the group arrived at Shaolin.

“Wow... Henan!”

It hadn’t actually been that long since his last visit, but somehow it felt like a nostalgic homecoming. Seojun hoisted Chunbong onto his shoulders and wandered around town.

After settling in at the Namgung Clan’s villa in Henan, Namgung Myeong gave a small smile.

“Since there’s still some time before the preliminaries, it might be a good chance to explore Henan a bit.”

The Dragon Phoenix Tournament was one of the few grand events in the martial world.

Naturally, people had already begun to flock to Henan. The markets buzzed with life, but it was still early enough that the streets weren’t yet unbearably crowded. Perfect timing for sightseeing.

“Then shall we visit the Hao Sect while we’re here?”

At Seojun’s words, Namgung Suah smiled softly.

“Yeah. Come to think of it, I had promised to listen to Chui-ryeong playing the zither.”

“Chui-ryeong? Who’s that?”

“You know, remember that time when we went boating? She was one of the courtesans.”

“Wait, you became friends with her in that short time?”

Seojun was shocked.

He’d always wondered where Namgung Myeong’s capybara-like friendliness came from, but seeing Suah now, he figured it might just be genetic.

It probably didn’t come from father-in-law’s side... Was mother-in-law super sociable?

While Seojun pondered, the group members began to scatter, each heading to their own destinations.

Namgung Myeong left to meet his friends in Henan. Pae Jingwang also disappeared to reconnect with acquaintances, since it had been a while since his last visit.

Namgung Hyeok had looked like he wanted to stick close to Namgung Suah, but Pae Jingwang grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away, saying that an old man joining would just kill the vibe.

The country bumpkin bandit, Jang Geuk, beamed as he vanished with a money pouch Seojun had tossed him, told to go have fun.

The Namgung martial artists split into two groups. One would guard the villa while the second would rest and vice versa.

Now that it was just the three of them again, Seojun got excited and grabbed Chunbong by the arm and dashed into the city.

“Let’s go, Geum Chunbong...!”

“Let’s go!”

“Yahoo!”

That was, until a dagger sliced through the air with a sharp whoosh.