Chapter 127

• Bi Ryu-yeon's Bombshell Declaration

What is a proverb?
It is a short phrase containing a lesson or satire,
and in it is contained the wisdom of our ancestors,
who wittily made even trivial things into warnings.

There is a proverb related to the generosity(?) of time, that even a rat hole has its sunny day. (Is that so?)

Time is gold. Of course, there is also the saying to treat gold like a stone, but let's set this aside for now. It is a word that shows the preciousness and high value of time.

But around us, there are many who ignore the preciousness of time. We are startled by the fact that there are so many who do not recognize the golden value and non-returnability(?) of time, which, like a lover who has worn their rubber shoes backwards, does not return once it is gone. But...

Completely unrelated to this (surprisingly, it is not related even by a half-sliver of an eye booger), as if to prove the infinite continuity of time, that time does not stop, the promised date for the Vermilion Bird Squad was approaching every moment.

But the severe pressure that the day of the decisive battle was approaching was nothing more than a drop in the bucket compared to the pain of the special training, where bones were worn down and flesh was roasted, which continued every day.

The Vermilion Bird Squad were all facing each other with tense faces. Due to the special training of the hot-blooded Yeomdo, where bones and flesh were bruised and their whole bodies were covered in wounds every day, they were now connected by an invisible bond, more than anyone else, mentally and emotionally. They had now reached a realm where they could communicate with just gestures, without even speaking.

It could not be otherwise, because the only way to survive under the fierce heat emitted by the ruthless and merciless beloved saber of Yeomdo, the Crimson Flame, was to exert the virtues of cooperation and mutual assistance.

The autumn of falling leaves had passed at some point, and it had not been long since the first snow had fallen, covering the world in white along with the cold north wind.

As the early winter of falling trees and cold weather began, the day of the decisive battle was just around the corner. In inverse proportion to this, the royal beating disguised as Yeomdo's special training was gradually increasing in intensity. But since the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad were already trained to the point where they were like a sword that had been refined by thousands of hammer blows on an anvil, they were now able to endure it in their own way. They were inwardly proud that they were not saying they were dying.

Whether it was because of Yeomdo's unique Fire Spirit Divine Art, or because of the Sword Flame Ki, or because of the sweat that would surely be three buckets, which had been shed in the hard training, the training ground after the training was always filled with a hot heat. It was the same even if it was now a winter with a cold north wind blowing.

Although the first snow that had piled up here and there was left without melting, there was no trace of snowfall to be found anywhere around their training ground. It was proof that they had devoted themselves to training that much. It was easy to see how much Yeomdo had pushed them.

After the hard and strict special training, the sudden one-sided notification of Bi Ryu-yeon to those who were holding their sweat-drenched bodies and aching bodies was enough to shake their minds.

"Huk!"

"Huh?"

"I... is that really true?"

The Vermilion Bird Squad, without exception, all asked each other in a friendly manner whether there was a problem with their hearing function.

"Are you deaf? I told you clearly!"

Bi Ryu-yeon's tone was full of irritation, as if he did not want to say it twice.

"But the content is very suspicious, so that's the problem!"

Namgung Sang represented the Vermilion Bird Squad and spoke for their hearts.

"Hoho! Your faith is lacking. I did not teach you so..."

Bi Ryu-yeon spoke like an old master of the Jianghu who had gone through all sorts of hardships, mountain battles, and water battles.

One had to understand the current feelings of the Vermilion Bird Squad.

A group battle!

It was a group battle in name, but if one looked at it from a slightly different perspective, it was no different from a gang fight.

Bi Ryu-yeon's one-sided notification was as follows.

The main point of the notification was that the Vermilion Bird Squad and the Azure Dragon Squad would fight as a group of 32 people, regardless of gender, according to the agreement of the old masters in charge of both sides. To put it difficultly, it was a group battle, to put it simply, and to summarize it briefly, it was a gang fight.

"D... did Old Master Yeomdo really agree to such a thing?"

He did not want to believe it. Namgung Sang asked again, wanting to confirm that he was dreaming now. But his wish was very simply abandoned by Bi Ryu-yeon.

"Why, it's simple and convenient, isn't it? How nice it is to finish it in one go without having to fight sixteen times annoyingly."

16 versus 16!

It was a tone that suggested that he had pushed for a group battle just because it was annoying. And for his own convenience. (If you open the lid and look at the background, that's the truth...)

"But then it won't look good, will it! A group battle..."

Bi Ryu-yeon's merciless scolding fell on Namgung Sang, who was hesitating and holding back his words.

"You foolish thing! Are you still not in your right mind and only care about appearances? What's important is not appearances, but substance, substance! We will not fight sixteen times. We will end it in one go. Why? Because we despise tediousness and trouble!"

In fact, the only one who disliked trouble here due to personal preference was Bi Ryu-yeon.

In fact, even if a group and a group were to have a duel, it was the custom, the standard, and the 'common sense' to have one person come out at a time and fight one by one, and to play a numbers game according to the wins and losses. But now, a group battle without any precedent...

In a word, it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. To utter such a thunderbolt-like statement so calmly and without any guilt...

As always, one could only admire Bi Ryu-yeon's insensitivity. So, there was no other choice for everyone but to make a face as if they were having a seizure at Bi Ryu-yeon's words, which had Yeomdo as a background.

Of course, just because they did not believe it, or did not want to believe it, did not mean that reality would change.

Until this time, the Vermilion Bird Squad had not realized how advantageous a position they had occupied.

---

• The Morning Sun Rises Even on the Day of the Decisive Battle

-The Beginning of the Decisive Duel

On the day of the decisive battle!
Bi Ryu-yeon, in an undoubtedly coercive and threatening tone,
looked around at the Vermilion Bird Squad kids and said.
Today, for some reason, on Bi Ryu-yeon's unusually serious face,
a stream of tragic determination was flowing like a river.

"I believe in you."

"Yes! Leave it to us, Great Senior Brother!"

The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, moved by the trust that Bi Ryu-yeon had shown after a long time, like a bean sprouting in a drought, answered with an energetic voice. Bi Ryu-yeon, as if wanting to express his trust more, continued to speak.

"I have always watched you with a warm gaze from the side as you have been grinding your teeth and striving to face the Azure Dragon Squad."

Come to think of it, what was the reason why the Azure Dragon Squad and the Vermilion Bird Squad had come to have an unavoidable one-on-one match? (It seems that there was a strong feeling that there was the influence of a certain Mr. Bi at that time...)

"So, to prove my extreme love for you and my trust that is higher than the peaks of Mount Tai, I have bet my entire fortune on you..."

Unlike the dignified and loud beginning, the end was in a passing tone. But in the ears of the Vermilion Bird Squad, that voice sounded louder than thunder. Why did the smile he made when he was saying the thing he wanted to say the most at the end look so detestable... It was as clear as looking at a fire that the final part of the long speech was the most core content of the story they were listening to now.

"Then... if you lose, I'll lose money! Right?"

Now, cold sweat was flowing down the bodies of all the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad like rain.

"If that happens, I'll become a penniless beggar who no one even glances at and will be kicked out onto the street... Then I might have to fight with the kids of the Beggars' Sect over a bowl of rice later... Then I'll be very sad, right?"

It was Bi Ryu-yeon, who was already making a sad and sorrowful expression, as if the misfortune of being riddled with poverty had come upon him as a reality.

"If that happens, my reason probably won't remain. I don't know what will happen then, and you don't know either! It's not a big deal, right?"

Bi Ryu-yeon finished his words with a bright smile, but it was by no means a statement to be taken lightly.

If it were Bi Ryu-yeon, they knew for sure what would happen to them if such a situation were to occur.

If such a situation were to occur, it was certain what would happen to them.

Then there was only one conclusion! There was only the absolute proposition that they must not lose in this duel, that they must win. Even if their flesh was cut and their bones were broken!

"So, you must win! But if you're curious about what will happen if you lose, I'm willing to pay my respects to that curiosity and solve that question in the grandest way after you've been defeated. You can look forward to it."

It seemed that Bi Ryu-yeon had said it as an encouragement, but the feelings of the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad who were listening to it were very bad. It was an encouragement that they never wanted to accept, and every word was adding a burden of a thousand pounds to their hearts.

They were keenly aware of the great senior brother Bi Ryu-yeon's extraordinary and excessive obsession with money. In other words, it was no different from a warning that he would not leave them alone if they lost. The one word that the great senior brother's money was at stake in their victory or defeat had plunged them into fear more than any warning or threat. At the same time, a stubbornness and belief that they could never lose welled up in their hearts.

Bi Ryu-yeon was now doing this as a mental education.

"Release it!"

"Yes!"

Jeolgeo-reong!

Teolseok!

At Bi Ryu-yeon's words, the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, one after another, unfastened and put down the ink rings that had been fastened on their hands and feet.

"It's light!"

"It feels strange?"

"Wow! I feel like I could fly!"

As they unfastened the ink rings, which were like the Five Elements Mountain, the 35 million pound shackle that had crushed Sun Wukong for 500 years, their bodies became as light as a feather, and strength welled up from their dantian. Their courage was a hundred times greater, and an infinite confidence that they had nothing to fear welled up.

"Go! And clash with all your might!"

"Yes! We'll be back, Great Senior Brother!"

The answer of the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad was dignified and loud. Finally, it was time to test the results of their training so far.

Around the special duel stage, which had been specially ordered so that 32 people could fight at the same time, people, regardless of whether they were monks, Taoists, or laypeople, were swarming.

They say that the most interesting things to watch in the world are a fire and a fight.

As long as their own bodies and their surroundings were not harmed, humans were equipped with a broad generosity that could enjoy the misfortune of others from a safe place, that is, that could establish the formula that the misfortune of others is my joy.

Even if it splattered, it was not their own blood, and even if it was cut, it was not their own flesh. Since humans were generally insensitive to the pain of others, it was natural to think of it as watching a fire across the river.

Especially for those who had no particular hobby in developing and cultivating their own abilities, the fight that had come after a long time since the Three Sages Martial Festival was a very exciting festival and a beneficial use of leisure time.

As if to show how many people were in the Cheonmu Academy, the hall was a crowded mess with no room to even set foot. All the people who had gathered here were pouring all their attention into the duel between the Azure Dragon Squad and the Vermilion Bird Squad, which would take place in a moment, with very interesting eyes and with a great deal of eye candy.

Especially the eyes of the people who had emptied their pockets at the urgently opened Insight Evaluation Meeting were particularly intense.

This duel was all a public match, and it would take place in front of everyone. Since a confrontation that was held secretly in a secluded place could not expect fairness and external credibility, it was held publicly in front of everyone.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

With a roar like thunder, the main characters of the day finally appeared through the swarming crowd. It was the 15 members of the Azure Dragon Squad, led by the Azure Dragon Squad leader, the Thousand Hands Dragon, the Jade Dragon Divine Sword, Maeng Yeon-ho, and the 15 members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, led by the Vermilion Bird Squad leader, the Thunderbolt Sword Dragon, Namgung Sang.

Yeomdo and the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, along with the head of the academy, the Invincible Iron Fist, Ma Jin-ga, looked at the students who had received their teachings from a special viewing seat with eyes filled with complex emotions.

Finally, the decisive battle, on which the pride of two peak masters and the large sum of money of one student depended, had begun.

The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, with a determined resolve, clashed head-on with the Azure Dragon Squad leader, Maeng Yeon-ho, and a few others whose names did not need to be remembered. There was no room for tricks or petty tricks to intervene here. Only true strength and skill, and an understanding of martial arts, were recognized as a useful measure to gauge the level of skill.

The strength and strength, the technique and the technique, which had been done with all their might, clashed grandly in one place.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!"

A cheer that seemed to shake the place erupted.

Although it might be a blood-curdling decisive battle for the parties involved, for those who were watching, it was just an exciting one-on-one match.

The essence of the martial arts that were clashing on the vast special duel stage, which was fifteen times larger than a normal duel stage, was nothing short of a spectacle. Sword light was rampant, and saber light soared to the heavens.

The swords of the Azure Dragon Squad, who had been taught the sword by the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, were surprisingly accurate and precise. Their forms were as sharply honed as a razor, and they were also that refined. In other words, they were approaching the perfection of form.

On the other hand, the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, who had been taught by Yeomdo, were free and not bound by a mold, and they were also ruthless. And above all, they were explosively fierce.

It was a confrontation of extremes. And it was a confrontation of pride that was taking place at the edge of a ten-thousand-zhang cliff, where no one was backing down an inch.

And for Bi Ryu-yeon, 'money', the highest value on earth, which was more precious than anything else, was at stake.

Not only martial artists, but everyone valued actual combat.

Everyone would know that actual combat was more important than anything else. But Bi Ryu-yeon's thoughts were different.

In his dictionary, there was no such word as actual combat. He would rather die than have an actual combat. How could he even think of being punished for losing money...

For Bi Ryu-yeon, although there might be death, the deplorable act of losing money, which was the act of losing the very precious and unparalleled value of money, was an unacceptable act.

The confrontation was clearly showing.

The skills that the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had shown in the beginning were dazzling. Unlike the Azure Dragon Squad, which had focused on improving the skills of each individual, the Vermilion Bird Squad had always learned to fight in cooperation.

Not only recently under the ruthless blade of Yeomdo, but also from Mount Emei to the bloody return journey, they had always cooperated with each other, caring for each other. So, the Azure Dragon Squad, which had focused on improving the skills of each individual, had no choice but to be pushed back.

The other members of the Azure Dragon Squad were not a problem, but the problem was the last five remaining.

Although they were quite great people, that was now just a thing of the past. It was no different from history being rewritten from today.

As expected, the skills of the Azure Dragon Squad, which they had faced directly, were beyond imagination. They were clearly showing through the precision of the forms they were showing today that they had not just been playing under the Ice Sword, Gwan Cheol-su, one of the five great swordsmen of the world. But even so, the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, who were facing them and fighting them, had no intention of being pushed back at all. They had also been trained by Yeomdo, one of the five great saber masters of the world, in a training that was reminiscent of actual combat, where their bones and flesh were shattered.

And they had one more reason why they could never lose, a life-and-death reason. It was the encouragement that the great senior brother Bi Ryu-yeon had given them, which was more burdensome than a thousand pounds, and which they did not want to remember.

When the pride that the members of the Azure Dragon Squad had became arrogance, the price they paid was great.