Chapter 90

## Chapter 90: It Was a Good Match

“Phew……”

Gongsun Shou calmly took a deep breath as he climbed the stairs leading to the sparring arena.

Though he had tried to appear composed in front of his fellow students from the White Dragon Hall, he couldn't help but feel nervous at this moment.

‘Ha ha. So many people have come.’

He saw the audience seats filled with people.

Hardly anyone would be watching him closely, but even the casual glances weighed on him. The judges, who stared expressionlessly, were even intimidating.

Gongsun Shou forced his stiff legs to climb the stairs step by step.

At that moment,

“Hey? Isn't that the old man who was here a few days ago……?”

“Isn’t he the one who fought with that young punk?”

“Right. He won back then, but the loser sneakily attacked him……”

More people recognized Gongsun Shou than he had expected.

Some greeted him warmly.

“Old man! Hang in there!”

“Even at your age, you’re impressive. You look like my father……”

“Old man, hang in there! Show them what you’re made of and pass this test with flying colors!”

The middle-aged and elderly people in the audience raised their hands and cheered for him.

The young applicants projected themselves onto the only old man among them.

“Grandpa! You can do it!”

Children who had come holding their parents' hands waved their tiny hands.

“Ha ha……”

Surprised by the unexpected support from so many people, a smile bloomed on Gongsun Shou's tense face.

After scanning the surroundings, Gongsun Shou's eyes finally met Dugu Jun's.

As if to say there was no need to worry, Dugu Jun winked at him.

“Thank you.”

Muttering softly, Gongsun Shou ascended the sparring arena with a lighter step.

At that moment, his opponent was also climbing the stairs from the opposite side.

Gasps and sighs of admiration erupted from various places.

“...What an honor. I’m facing the Student Council President.”

Dugu Jun, the Student Council President.

The undisputed top junior at the current Azure Dragon Academy.

A young man with impeccable posture, clearly well-educated, stood before Gongsun Shou.

“Do you think it’s unlucky to face me?”

“On the contrary.”

Gongsun Shou smiled broadly and raised his sword. As he assumed the starting stance, he said,

“I think it’s very lucky. I even prayed to the heavens and earth that I would get to spar with you.”

He meant it.

He hoped to face the best opponent and have a match without regrets.

After a moment, Dugu Jun spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you should be admitted to the Azure Dragon Academy.”

“...Hmm?”

It wasn’t an arrogant or disrespectful statement.

Dugu Jun’s eyes were filled with sincerity, and his tone was polite.

So Gongsun Shou was curious about the boy’s intentions.

“Is it a personal grudge?”

“No.

“Then why?”

“...To be frank, you have no more potential to grow as a martial artist.”

He wasn’t the only one who heard this.

The nearby judges were surprised, and the expressions of Namgung Jixue and Luo Junshang hardened.

But the expression on Gongsun Shou’s face, the actual party involved, didn’t change much.

“Is that so?”

“There are many talented and promising friends. I believe they should be the new students at the Azure Dragon Academy.”

“Do you mean I’m too old to qualify? Should I give my place to the young because I’m old?”

“...I heard you received expensive private tutoring from Mr. Bai.”

Although it was odd for Mr. Bai’s name to come up suddenly, Gongsun Shou nodded since it was true.

“Right.”

“Perhaps you are wealthy and have achieved everything you wanted in life. Isn’t martial arts something you turned to later?”

“...”

Dugu Jun’s gaze was incredibly serious.

He knew his words could be considered rude to Gongsun Shou.

But he didn’t want to change his mind.

“To you, the Azure Dragon Academy’s admission test is merely a pastime. But to someone else, it’s a desperate goal.”

“...You seem to know a lot about me.”

“I don’t. But I know who is more desperate.”

Dugu Jun raised his sword to the middle, and a powerful aura emanated from him.

“Three seconds. I’ll give you that much. It’s the only consideration I can offer.”

It was the same words he had said to the young punk a few days ago, but the weight was entirely different.

A posture without a single flaw.

But Gongsun Shou didn’t try to find a flaw; he simply closed the distance.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Gongsun Shou’s sword slashed down from above, straightforward and honest.

Dugu Jun easily deflected the attack with a simple upward swing of his sword.

Clang!

‘Solid.’

That was the first thought that came to mind when his sword clashed with Dugu Jun’s.

Solid. Like a wall.

It seemed no attack could shake it.

“One second left.”

Dugu Jun calmly raised his sword.

There was no sign of complacency in his eyes, only the pride he had in his sword skills.

“Phew……”

After catching his breath, Gongsun Shou took a few steps back and then charged forward again.

‘In terms of internal energy, I should have the upper hand.’

The first attack was to gauge the opponent’s style.

The real fight started from the second attack.

Whoosh!

The sword, filled with internal energy, trembled.

Gongsun Shou’s thrust, his best effort, split the air like a ray of light.

‘He’s so confident, he won’t dodge.’

As Gongsun Shou expected, Dugu Jun didn’t dodge. He raised his sword and deflected Gongsun Shou’s sword to the side.

Clang!

The swords clashed, and the two men spun in opposite directions to dissipate the force of the attack.

Whoosh!

The wind made their martial robes flutter, and the dust on the ground was swept up by the whirlwind.

Amidst this, Dugu Jun said,

“One second left.”

“Try this one too!”

Gongsun Shou accelerated his spin and slashed at Dugu Jun in quick succession. It was a powerful attack.

Clang!

The swords clashed repeatedly, sparks flying. The two men spun like tops in the whirlwind for a while.

Then,

“Three seconds. It’s over.”

With a soft voice, Dugu Jun leaped into the air, pushing off the ground.

Thud!

Looking up, Gongsun Shou could see that

Not a single drop of sweat had formed on Dugu Jun’s forehead.

“Be careful.”

After kindly warning him, Dugu Jun honestly swung his sword downward.

Gongsun Shou hurriedly raised his sword with both hands to block the attack.

“Guh!”

It was heavy.

The attack was so heavy that it felt like he was blocking a hammer, not a sword.

Gongsun Shou pushed the sword away with all his might and retreated.

His legs trembled just from blocking one strike.

“...Surprising.”

Dugu Jun looked a bit surprised.

He thought he could make the opponent kneel with one strike, but Gongsun Shou had withstood it.

With a pale face, Gongsun Shou smiled.

“I trained like a madman. To the point where it’s excessive for a hobby.”

“...”

The second attack started without warning.

Dugu Jun closed the distance with his footwork and thrust his sword heavily.

Seeing this, Gongsun Shou thought,

‘He’s an honest young man, just as he looks.’

A simple thrust, without any feints or tricks.

But the force behind the thrust was beyond imagination.

Clang!

Gongsun Shou was pushed back several feet, his feet dragging on the ground. He barely managed to stay on the sparring platform.

If he had retreated a few more inches, he would have been pushed out of bounds.

“...Again?”

Dugu Jun’s thick eyebrows twitched.

He hadn’t held back much on the second attack.

He thought he could easily push the opponent out of bounds.

But despite his palms being torn and bleeding, Gongsun Shou managed to stand firm and charge again.

“Why...”

Dugu Jun’s face showed confusion.

Gongsun Shou was already in a mess.

Having withstood several attacks that could break bones and tear muscles with the slightest mistake, it was natural.

“Why don’t you give up?”

Some of the audience recognized Dugu Jun’s sword technique.

“Dugu’s Nine Swords!”

The sword technique that made the Dugu family famous.

A powerful martial art that, when mastered, can destroy an opponent along with their weapon, often mentioned when discussing heavy swords in the martial world.

But Gongsun Shou wasn’t the least bit afraid.

“Because I am as desperate as anyone.”

“...”

Dugu Jun was speechless.

He had thought it was just a pastime.

How seriously could an old man who started martial arts at his age take it?

But seeing Gongsun Shou’s desperate efforts, he had to admit his thoughts were shortsighted.

“I take back... all my previous statements.”

“Hmm?”

Dugu Jun is often described as stubborn and cold, but he wasn’t so narrow-minded that he couldn’t admit his mistakes.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to...”

“To apologize, I will show you my best strike.”

“...Why does it feel like I’m getting nothing good out of this?”

Gongsun Shou broke out in a cold sweat but soon chuckled and raised his trembling sword at Dugu Jun.

He had no strength left to wield the sword.

Gongsun Shou smiled brightly and said,

“Come on. I will also face you with all my heart.”

Nodding, Dugu Jun swung his sword.

Whoosh!

Gongsun Shou felt as if a giant sword had filled the entire front.

‘Impressive.’

He swung his sword in admiration. His full-strength strike was swallowed by Dugu Jun’s sword, and the sword, which had already developed some cracks, finally broke into two pieces.

Clank! Clang!

The broken sword fell to the ground.

Gongsun Shou looked at the half-broken sword in his hand with a bitter smile.

“Ha ha. I... lost.”

The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, but Gongsun Shou didn’t hear them.

Instead, he clearly saw the young man he had admired in his youth bowing to him.

“It was a good match.”

“I also had a good match. I will never forget today.”

Gongsun Shou looked up at the sky.

It was overcast, as if it was about to rain.

Thus, the short escapade of the sixty-five-year-old man came to an end.

...

[Get ready.]

The assassins began to move in unison.