Chapter 820: Everyone Who Wrote It Is Right Here

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Paecheon had a naturally domineering martial arts disposition. When the heavy yet incomparably clear energy of the Gentleman Sword was added to his own, he revealed a new spirit.

Hwa Mugi recognized the sword Jin Paecheon was holding. "Is that… the legendary Gentleman Sword?!"

He grew excited upon seeing the Gentleman Sword, feeling delight, not fear.

"So, you're not a scholar after all? You came here determined to kill me."

Hwa Mugi's eyes blazed with a single emotion, the instinctive greed he felt for the Gentleman Sword. He didn't hide it, so everyone could feel his greed.

"Do you want it?" Jin Paecheon asked.

Hwa Mugi answered, "Aren't a gentleman and a killer separated only by a single sheet of paper?"

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader couldn't help but interject. "Just how thick is that paper?"

Everyone smiled faintly at his words.

"Look at yourself. What's the difference between Chairman Jin and you?" Hwa Mugi laughed, but his laugh was filled with clear killing intent. "I'll pierce your heart with that sword."

It was a declaration that he would kill both Jin Paecheon and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader tapped his chest, as if daring him to try. "Even if I can't be a gentleman, I'm not a coward. Come at me anytime. No, you won't be able to, because you'll die at Chairman Jin's hands."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader successfully raised Jin Paecheon's morale. He was always the best at livening up the atmosphere, no matter the situation.

Jin Paecheon slowly aimed the Gentleman Sword at Hwa Mugi. "Now, whose martial arts will you unleash?"

Hwa Mugi made a cruel choice. "I'll kill you with the martial arts of the person you admire the most!"

Hwa Mugi intended to face Jin Paecheon with the Divine Sword Martial Emperor's martial arts.

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor's unique style was the Shining Sun Sword Technique, while Jin Paecheon's was the Royal Sword Style. Two supreme orthodox martial arts were about to collide.

The two men rushed at each other and thrust their swords.

TING!

Incredibly, the tips of their swords clashed perfectly. To collide with such precision while rushing at that speed was a display of divine might from the very first move.

SCHWIIIIING!

The blades scraped against each other as they flew toward their targets.

With a sharp whistle, the blades grazed past each other's ears. If they hadn't turned their heads to dodge, the swords would have pierced their faces.

When the two swords crossed, Jin Paecheon's face reflected on the blade in that fleeting moment. It was a black sword, but the reflection was perfectly clear.

For some time now, his reflection on a sword blade during a fight had been calm and composed. It was the face of a man so used to fighting that he no longer felt tense, a face weary of life. His reflection had only grown older with time, so he had stopped looking at it.

But today, Jin Paecheon's face was different. He was tense and excited, just like the day he fought his first real battle long ago.

His heart pounded like a war drum on a battlefield.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as their swords clashed and they relentlessly aimed fatal attacks at each other's vital points.

One might expect the legendary Gentleman Sword to break its opponent's weapon in a single blow, but Hwa Mugi's sword remained intact.

After all, that black sword was no ordinary weapon either. It was the Dark Heaven Secret Sword, the Dark Palace's greatest treasured sword.

Moreover, Hwa Mugi's powerful inner qi supported the treasured sword. Without that immense energy protecting it, the blade would have shattered long ago from their powerful clashes.

SWISH!

Hwa Mugi's black sword moved with incredible speed.

Jin Paecheon's eyes couldn't keep up, so he had to block by instinct alone. There were no feints to test his opponent's skill. To do so would be suicide. He could only endure by unleashing the absolute best move he could muster at every moment.

"That's a truly amazing sword!" Hwa Mugi praised.

The onlookers understood. Hwa Mugi's reaction revealed his greed while simultaneously provoking Jin Paecheon. His admiration was not for Jin Paecheon's swordsmanship, but for his sword.

This was a battle between two men who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Victory and defeat would be decided by the slightest mental wavering. If Jin Paecheon was affected by those words, it would have a disastrous effect on the fight.

However, it was a needless worry. Jin Paecheon had weathered countless storms and bloody battles to stand where he was today. Just the fact that Hwa Mugi resorted to provocation meant he felt it was necessary to win.

In other words, this is a fight worth fighting!

Jin Paecheon had reached a stage where he could interpret any provocation from his opponent in a way that benefited him in the fight.

The two men's swords flew relentlessly toward each other. Their blades carved trajectories that shifted between straight lines and curves, though all paths lead to death.

Jin Paecheon walked that path like a gentleman. He endured despite his inferior inner qi thanks to the Gentleman Sword, which was so powerful that even Hwa Mugi had to focus on preventing his own black sword from breaking.

SWISH! SWOOSH! SWISH!

Hwa Mugi's sword stabbed toward Jin Paecheon's neck, shoulder, and heart in succession.

Each time Jin Paecheon deflected an attack, a shockwave that felt like it would break his wrist shot up his arm. He couldn't believe such profound inner qi was embedded in such swift attacks. Each strike felt like a supreme master's ultimate move.

And yet, these attacks came one after another, as if they were nothing.

The onlookers all felt it at once.

It won't be easy for any of us to intervene in this fight.

A single moment's lapse in concentration would mean death. Intervening at the wrong time could do more harm than good to Jin Paecheon.

Besides, how could they intervene when such a perfect fight was unfolding? Or rather, they couldn't intervene precisely because Jin Paecheon was fighting so well.

Meanwhile, Geom Woojin wasn't watching their every move. The offense and defense were so fast that even he couldn't find an opening by following their techniques.

Instead, he followed the flow of the fight. He observed their eyes, their expressions, and listened to their breathing. He looked for signs of fatigue, fear, or an opening for a final move. He gauged the overall flow of the battle.

The fight became increasingly rough and ferocious. Once a calm lake, it was now a raging current plunging over a waterfall.

Jin Paecheon was completely immersed in the fight, fighting at the absolute peak of his ability. He saw and heard nothing else. Only Hwa Mugi and his sword existed.

Because he was so lost in the battle, the onlookers were actually more tense than he was.

Suddenly, Geom Woojin and Baek Jagang genuinely worried about Jin Paecheon, and it wasn't because they feared being next if he died. They were afraid of being unable to prevent his death and having to deliver the news to his son and disciple.

The mental exhaustion of the onlookers was immense.

SPLAAASH! SLICE!

Finally, with the sound of tearing cloth, the two separated.

A long gash was torn in Jin Paecheon's clothes. A little deeper, and it would have been a serious injury.

"Huff, huff…" Jin Paecheon panted, his breathing rough and ragged.

Hwa Mugi, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, his breathing smooth.

That was only to be expected. His strength didn't just come from the combined martial arts and inner qi of several souls. He was someone born as the Celestial Killer Star.

If that wasn't enough, he had the Heavenly Martial Body, the perfect body to learn martial arts. It was even said that someone with such a body practiced straight punches instead of making fetal kicks in the womb.

Therefore, Hwa Mugi was not just strong in inner qi. He could use martial arts more excellently than the masters of three hundred years ago.

"Those from three hundred years ago and you people now are the same," Hwa Mugi abruptly growled.

The fight paused. Hwa Mugi's anger was directed at everyone present.

"You consider me greedy for trying to possess a single sword?" Hwa Mugi continued, then turned to Geom Woojin. "When you people try to occupy this entire murim."

He looked at Baek Jagang. "You say my birth was a coincidence? I'm an inevitable existence! Created by you!"

Finally, his gaze returned to Jin Paecheon and approached him. "What about you? Isn't your justice built on a mountain of graves?"

Baek Jagang was about to step forward replace the exhausted old man, but Jin Paecheon looked at him, his clear eyes asking for more time.

Baek Jagang glanced at Geom Woojin, asking for his opinion.

Geom Woojin said to Jin Paecheon, "We should probably give him an answer to that question."

Understanding this meant giving Jin Paecheon more time, Baek Jagang stepped back.

Hwa Mugi asked Jin Paecheon. Red energy rippled in his eyes, a powerful killing intent he hadn't shown until now. "You defined yourselves and determined the value of your own existence. Are you truly righteous?"

Jin Paecheon sighed lightly and answered, "Like you said, perhaps we're only separated by a single sheet of paper."

He had once left the Alliance to kill those who murdered his child. What if he had gone through with it?

"So I've been searching for the answer to your question my entire life."

Sensing his sincerity, Hwa Mugi asked again, "Chairman, is the murim you're trying to protect worth sacrificing your life for?"

"Yes, it is."

There was no hesitation in that answer.

"Is this murim indeed worth saving?"

"Yes, it is."

Again, Jin Paecheon's answer was clear.

"Why?"

"Because people more outstanding than you or I will appear in this murim and protect its value."

Geom Mugeuk or his grandson Hagun would carry on. He believed they would create a better murim. Before, he had only worried, but now he believed.

Jin Paecheon declared confidently, "You might kill me, but you won't destroy that value."

Hwa Mugi snorted coldly. "Since you're being so stubborn, I think I'll destroy it after all."

The two clashed again. The others were worried by his exhaustion, but Jin Paecheon fought even better than before.

In an instant, dozens of moves passed.

CLANG!

Their swords locked in a cross. Beyond the blades, they saw each other's expressions. Hwa Mugi was smiling.

Jin Paecheon felt the impure intention in that smile.

Suddenly, Hwa Mugi's technique changed. He had been using the Divine Sword Martial Emperor's techniques, but he suddenly switched to the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord's martial arts.

"The Murim Alliance Chairman I couldn't kill back then, I'll kill today!"

Jin Paecheon was bewildered by the sudden change in style. His body was attuned to the Divine Sword Martial Emperor's martial arts, but now he faced a completely different swordsmanship.

Against an ordinary master, such a change wouldn't matter, but his opponent was Hwa Mugi.

The new style came at Jin Paecheon with extreme speed.

PAPAPAT!

Blood splattered from Jin Paecheon's shoulder and arm.

Hwa Mugi rushed in to finish Jin Paecheon, but he suddenly halted, spun around and swung his sword.

KABOOM!

The air exploded with the sound of enhanced qi. The Sword King had unleashed his formless enhanced qi and intervened in the fight.

After neutralizing the formless enhanced qi, Hwa Mugi shot toward the Sword King like a beam of light.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The Sword King was pushed back by Hwa Mugi's relentless assault. He was outmatched in speed and inner qi, but not in swordsmanship. If not for his skill, he would have been stabbed five times already.

KAKAKAKAKANG! SWOOOSH!

In an instant, Hwa Mugi backed the Sword King against a wall and struck from a bizarre, seemingly unavoidable angle.

SLICE!

The blade sliced through the Sword King's hair and cut a long gash into the tavern wall. He had dodged the attack by a hair's breadth.

SWIIISH!

Just as Hwa Mugi prepared to continue, Jin Paecheon's Gentleman Sword stabbed his back from behind.

Hwa Mugi twisted his body, knocked the sword aside, and dodged to the side. "What kind of gentleman stabs someone in the back?" he yelled mockingly.

Jin Paecheon didn't react to the taunt. Blood flowed from his shoulder and arm.

Hwa Mugi tried to provoke him again. "This is what happens when a gentleman hangs out with bad guys like them."

Geom Woojin and Baek Jagang said nothing. They hadn't intervened because the Sword King, whose position had been optimal for helping Jin Paecheon without getting in his way, had already stepped in at the critical moment during the earlier exchange.

"If I knew being bad was this interesting, I should've tried it sooner," Jin Paecheon replied, remaining calm despite his injury.

The Sword King said to him, "Thank you."

Because Jin Paecheon had rushed in, Hwa Mugi's follow-up attack never came. If it had, he would have been severely wounded, if not killed.

Jin Paecheon shook his head. "I'm the one who should be thanking you."

If not for the Sword King's formless sword qi, he would have suffered a fatal wound instead of a minor one.

"No, there was no need you to help him," Geom Woojin cut in.

Everyone stared at him, puzzled. No need? Did he mean there was no need to help Jin Paecheon?

Geom Woojin slowly raised his palm. It seemed he would aim at Hwa Mugi, but instead, he pointed toward the second floor of the tavern.

SWOOOOOSH! KABOOM!

His palm technique smashed the engraved wall, sending pieces flying. The wall that Jo Cheonbae cherished as much as his own life shattered and disappeared.

Everyone stared at him in surprise, not expecting him to smash it.

Hwa Mugi too blinked in shock. "Isn't that the masterpiece your son created?"

Geom Woojin looked at the Sword King. "You could've dodged by jumping up just now, but you didn't, right?"

He had seen it clearly. The Sword King could have dodged Hwa Mugi's attack much more easily a moment ago, but his instinct had told him not to jump up to the second floor.

The reason? He hoped that the historic achievement Geom Mugeuk left behind would not disappear.

Geom Woojin had read that hesitation in his fight, and he did not having like such restrictions in a difficult fight. As such, he chose to blow it away himself, telling everyone to fight without restraint from now on.

As for Jo Cheonbae, there was an alternative. They could build him a bigger, more awesome new tavern. And then…

"We can just write our names and messages on a new wall later. Everyone who scribbled on it is right here anyway."