Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 16: Jaseung, Competes in the Preliminary Rounds

The butterfly took off again. After fluttering briefly in front of his eyes, it flew to a flower quite far away.

It was clear the butterfly was aware of Lee Jaseung’s presence, but it seemed to ignore him.

At that moment, Lee Jaseung realized.

The reason the butterfly had not flown away before was not because he was in perfect harmony with nature.

Instead, his Qi had instilled fear in it. The butterfly hadn’t chosen to stay, it simply couldn’t leave.

But now, it was different.

The butterfly was moving around freely.

Lee Jaseung once again approached and extended his hand. The butterfly flew away even farther, as if it was annoyed.

He realized after watching that happen. After learning the new martial art from the metal box he opened and increasing his inner Qi, the nature of his Qi changed.

It wasn’t simply an increase in the amount.

He didn’t know if this was a good or bad change.

As his doubts began to turn into anxiety, Lee Jaseung took a deep breath and calmed himself down.

It didn’t matter if it was good or bad. What’s done is done. Like always, he’ll train hard and overcome it.

At the very least, Lee Jaseung thought differently from most people in something like this.

Where others rested to find peace, he found peace through training.

There was one thing he learned in his life.

When you give half effort, you always feel like you’re being chased.

But if you push beyond your limits, you could find peace of mind.

By training to death, he gained the breathing room to look around and take in the world.

It was going to be the same this time. He would overcome it with effort.

No matter what anyone says, hard work overcomes everything.

Feeling his heart at ease, Lee Jaseung opened his eyes again.

Butterflies, harmony, new Qi…

As those thoughts faded, he finally saw the flowers in front of him.

“...It’s already spring.”

Thinking about it now, he had even forgotten about what season it was.

It had been a long time since he looked at flowers like this.

He had been rushing forward, only looking at what was ahead of him.

Ma Young-gi silently watched Lee Jaseung’s back from a short distance away.

He was recalling the first time he met Lee Jaseung a long time ago. The words he spoke back then, echoed in his mind vividly as if it happened yesterday.

“So what do you say, do you want to entrust that dream to me?”

Back then, Ma Young-gi had been clumsier with the world. In darkness and gloom, he had walled himself off. But Lee Jaseung had reached out to him.

That one reply he gave that day changed his life. Had that not happened, his life would have been completely different.

Just then, Mujin walked out of the inn.

“Why don’t we have a drink to loosen up?”

Then, Dan Woobin poked his head out the third-floor window and spoke.

“Drunkard! Don’t use Senior Brother as an excuse to drink.”

Mujin looked up and replied.

“Don’t overestimate him. He’s human too, you know.”

Dan Woobin looked speechless. He knew that Mujin just wanted to drink with Lee Jaseung, but the things he says sometimes echoes in his mind.

Especially now.

Lee Jaseung being human, that sounded strangely new to him.

The thought had never occurred to Dan Woobin.

Lee Jaseung was always so strong and perfect. He had never once disappointed him.

Dan Woobin looked down again and shouted with a bright face.

“Senior Brother, don’t give into that devil’s tempt- …huh?”

Lee Jaseung had already disappeared from the courtyard. Ma Young-gi, who was following him inside the inn, gave a slight shrug and disappeared through the door.

Dan Woobin chuckled and spoke.

“He’s already given in huh.”

He looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set.

“Well, a big event like this does need a proper prelude.”

* * *

The martial arts tournament proceeded with remarkable efficiency.

Six hundred temporary arenas had been set up for the preliminary matches across all of Heaven’s Gate.

Of course, one of the participants included Lee Jaseung. He was assigned to arena number nineteen.

Each arena had twenty stages, allowing for twenty matches to take place simultaneously.

There were thirty arenas like this.

The Northern Sky Clan had distributed well-known martial artists across the arenas to ensure that every location had strong competitors.

If lucky with the bracket, they could survive longer. If not, they’d fall early. Still, just passing the preliminary rounds and making into the top thirty was a chance to become famous.

Like the others, arena nineteen was packed with people.

Spectators were one thing, but the sheer number of participants and their companions was overwhelming.

Soon, Lee Jaseung’s name was called.

“Seop Mu-pyeong of the Flying Dagger Sect.”

His first match was about to begin. His opponent was Jin Bung of the Yangui Sect.

The two climbed onto the stage at the judge’s call.

“Begin!”

The two rushed at each other as soon as the signal went off. After about twenty intense exchanges-

Thwack!

Jing Bung was thrown off the stage after Lee Jaseung landed a clean blow.

The judge announced loudly.

“The winner goes to Seop Mu-pyeong of the Flying Dagger Sect!

Lee Jaseung used ordinary techniques to avoid drawing attention. He obviously could’ve ended the match in a single move, but he intentionally prolonged the fight.

He stepped off the stage as the spectators gave him an applause.

Dan Woobin was waiting for him below.

“Well done, Senior Brother.”

“It was light work.”

The next match had already begun as they spoke.

“There are seriously so many people. If someone planted explosives here, the Orthodox Faction would suffer massive losses huh?”

Dan Woobin spoke lightly, but the implication was chilling. Lee Jaseung asked in a careful tone.

“Do you sense such a threat?”

He asked while thinking of the Demonic Cult, and Dan Woobin fully understood what he meant.

“No visible movements yet. The Northern Sky Clan has taken thorough precautions too.”

But of course, that didn’t guarantee the Demonic Cult wasn’t present in this area, just like how he was disguising as a man from the Orthodox Faction.

“Where is the Captain of the Divine Sword?”

“He said he would go out to look for potential threats…”

Dan Woobin scoffed for an instant.

“Figures. Old habits die hard.”

Mujin was chatting with a female warrior in the distance. Her face was full of smiles.

“What do they even see in him?”

“He’s charming, no?”

Dan Woobin looked speechless after hearing Lee Jaseung.

“Charming? More like he just has a smooth tongue.”

“...”

“...I look jealous, right?”

Lee Jaseung spoke with a smile after Dan Woobin let out a sigh.

“I get jealous too.”

“Really?”

“When I see someone stronger than me.”

Dan Woobin smiled.

“I don’t get jealous of Mujin either. I do get jealous when I see someone smarter than me though.”

“That kind of jealousy is fine.”

After patting Dan Woobin’s shoulder, Lee Jaseung changed the subject.

“Where is Captain Ma?”

“He said he’d get some air.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you going to scold him? He’s just strolling out there while you’re sweating in battle.”

At that moment, a voice came from behind Dan Woobin.

“Your overzealous loyalty might be a bigger problem.”

Dan Woobin turned around in shock, and Mujin was standing there.

“Make some noise, will you!”

“Haha, I’m sure my footsteps felt like an earthquake to our Lord.”

That wasn’t necessarily true. Even Lee Jaseung had to tense if the second-in-command, Mujin were to get serious.

Especially in a crowd like this, it wasn’t going to be easy to detect his presence.

“So? Did you find anyone that would potentially be threatening to our Lord?”

“I did.”

“Who?”

“You.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“You just called our Senior Brother a Lord.”

“Oh, right.”

Dan Woobin realized his mistake. They were disguising as disciples of the Flying Dagger Sect, so he should’ve said Senior Brother.

He had been cautious up until now, but forgot about it for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Senior Brother. I’ll be extra careful from now on.”

“It’s fine.”

Despite Lee Jaseung’s reply, Dan Woobin lowered his head and acknowledged his mistake.

“No, I should’ve been more careful.”

It was fine now, but a mistake like this at a crucial moment could end in a disaster.

Watching Dan Woobin’s dedication to become perfect, Lee Jaseung smiled happily.

Lee Jaseung staked everything on this tournament.

This was his first step toward unifying the world.

From the last war to claim the Black Way Alliance, he had learned many things.

This was one of the things he learned.

No matter the situation, the first step must be taken correctly.

That was why he had brought all the people he trusted.

He had brought three groups along.

First, the Guard Hall who always followed Lee Jaseung closely.

Second, the Three-Eyed Pavilion who always operated alongside Dan Woobin.

And Third, the martial artists of the Divine Sword Regiment.

Because of their sheer numbers, the warriors of the Divine Sword Regiment were divided into dozens of squads and scattered across nearby villages. Of course, they were stationed close enough to assemble within an hour if an order was given.

The Iron Cavalry Regiment remained in the Black Way Alliance. Ma Young-gi was absent, but there was nothing to worry about as they were extremely loyal.

Due to the nature of the units, the Iron Cavalry was better suited for large-scale battles, while the Divine Sword was ideal for secret operations.

Mujin spoke with a serious expression.

“I checked everything, and there wasn’t anyone to worry about.”

Dan Woobin scoffed at his words and replied.

“Oh, is that so? You really managed to check all that while flirting with the female warriors?”

“I have a third eye too.”

It was a pun on the Three-Eyed Pavilion, and Dan Woobin looked speechless.

Just then, Ma Young-gi approached them.

He spoke with a little tense expression.

“You may need to come to that arena over there.”

Though he had claimed to go out for fresh hair, he had actually been observing the tournaments, checking for any suspicious individuals.

Given his personality, he wasn’t going to mention anything that wasn’t a big deal.

With everyone tense, they all headed toward the distant corner arena, where an unusual roar of excitement echoed.