As Jeong Cheon entered the office, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply as he gazed at Dam Yu-yeon.
“I came here because I had heard the news about the handling of a Designated Contract worth three hundred thousand taels… but to think such a thing had actually occurred.”
With his exceptional hearing, it seemed as if he had overheard the entire conversation from outside the door.
“Young Hero Seol, I sincerely apologize,” Jeong Cheon said politely, clasping his hands toward Bu Eunseol. “The Hall of Receiving Scriptures Hall Master made a grave mistake, and I will apologize on her behalf.”
“No apology is necessary.”
“Is that so.”
Jeong Cheon nodded with a smile.
“Understood. Then, let us go outside.”
“Brother Cheon!”
At that moment, Dam Yu-yeon blocked his path. “The Divine Physician told you not to use martial arts for three years! If you raise your internal energy greatly again…”
“Hall Master… no, Yeon-ah.” Wearing a faint smile, Jeong Cheon looked at her gently. “This brother of yours will not have a seizure again. Rest assured.”
‘Seizure?’
Just as Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed, Jeong Cheon smiled, pointed to the door, and spoke, “Now, let us have a go.”
***
Southeast vicinity of Silent Heaven, Desolate Earth.
Reflecting the crimson hues of the sunset, the reeds appeared as if they had been dyed in blood. A desolate wind swept through the reed field, momentarily separating Bu Eunseol and Jeong Cheon as they stood facing each other.
“You are truly unique,” Jeong Cheon remarked, reaching out to caress the blowing wind. Slowly, he opened his mouth.
“To think a martial artist like you exists in this day and age,” he continued.
Bu Eunseol’s puzzled expression gave way to a chuckle. “Someone seemingly burning themselves without hesitation, like a firework,” he said.
Jeong Cheon smiled faintly. “Fireworks are beautiful, but they don’t last long. Only that brilliant light remains briefly in memory.”
“We merely pursue different things,” Bu Eunseol shook his head. “There are those who live their entire lives just to burn with brilliant light.”
“That may be so,” Jeong Cheon replied, straightening his back. “But I could never live like that.” With an impressed expression, he looked down at Bu Eunseol. “You have improved another step in the meantime. Your aura has become more magnificent than when I first saw you.”
Perhaps it was due to the duel with the Mother and Child Spear Art. Realizing that even a seemingly trivial principle of martial arts could serve as an opportunity to transcend one’s martial realm.
Wooong.
Jeong Cheon, a tall and lanky man, drew a slender and elongated sword from his waist.
‘It seems about a foot longer than Ximen Gyeong’s strange sword.’
Jeong Cheon’s sword bore a striking resemblance to the sword of Ximen Gyeong, whom he had clashed with in the Elite Martial Arts Tournament. However, the aura emanating from Jeong Cheon’s body was a stark contrast. While Ximen Gyeong exuded an aura of lethal force, capable of cutting down anything that came into contact with him, Jeong Cheon’s aura seemed to draw everything around him into an enveloping darkness.
“Are you ready?”
Resting the sword comfortably on the ground, Jeong Cheon spoke with a relaxed expression.
“Make the first move.”
Bu Eunseol drew his Dark Sword without declining. Jeong Cheon was a master a cut above, allowing not a speck of carelessness.
Wooong.
As he infused true energy into the drawn Dark Sword, the applied rust peeled off, and a mysterious dark light extended outward.
Seeing the Dark Sword, Jeong Cheon nodded.
“What a fine sword.”
“Be careful!”
Flash!
With a brilliant flash, the Dark Sword was touching Jeong Cheon’s neck.
“A splendid move.”
But as if predicting the sword stance, Jeong Cheon retreated swiftly. Simultaneously, a chilling sword energy erupted from his treasured sword, cutting down the surrounding reeds in swathes.
Spat!
A thin ray of light seemed to brush past, and red fresh blood flowed from Bu Eunseol’s cheek. For the first time since entering the Murim, he had been wounded by an opponent’s single move.
Whoosh!
Before Bu Eunseol could even counterattack, Jeong Cheon’s treasured sword spun in the air and stabbed at his neck again.
Bu Eunseol dodged leisurely, but Jeong Cheon’s sword pursued him like a ghost.
“Ugh!”
As Bu Eunseol moved his body to the left, Jeong Cheon’s sharp sword popped out abruptly, matching his evasion as if waiting for it. Ignoring the constraints of distance, the sword seemed to spring forth from empty air.
‘This is the practical sword art of the Untamed Sword Tide.’ If Bu Eunseol hadn’t mastered the Way of the Beast, this single move would have pierced his throat. ‘If I only dodge like this, I’ll die.’ As he rotated his body diagonally to evade the attack, a stream of sword energy surged from his Dark Sword.
Clang!
As the Dark Sword and the treasured sword clashed, a bone-chilling sword energy surged outward. Upon meeting, the internal energy within each weapon fused together, akin to magnets, initiating a fierce contest of strength.
“……!”
At that moment, Jeong Cheon’s eyes widened slightly.
Surprisingly, Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was evenly matched with his own, without tilting an inch.
“Your internal energy is substantial as well.” Exclaiming in admiration, Jeong Cheon pushed the Dark Sword away and unfolded his sword art again. He merely extended a single sword strike, but the three jang radius around Bu Eunseol was filled with grim sword energies. The speed was mysteriously fast, leaving no gap to dodge.
Clang!
The Dark Sword and the treasured sword clashed again. Sparks flew, and this time Bu Eunseol took a step back. The force carried in the treasured sword had become more powerful than before.
‘Strong.’
Every time the swords clashed, the fine hairs all over his body stood on end.
Jeong Cheon was truly strong.
To the extent that even if he poured out everything, victory could not be predicted.
Strike!
Pure white light poured from Jeong Cheon’s treasured sword.
The sword energy, stretching out as if dancing gracefully, wrapped around Bu Eunseol from all directions.
Ping!
As Bu Eunseol turned the Dark Sword behind his body and raised the blade edge, the sword energies poured out in all directions. He had executed the Heavenly Supremacy Sword Stance, disrupting the enemy’s sword stance and internal energy with just the energy and posture flowing from the sword tip.
“Sword Supremacy Stance, is it.”
Laughing low, Jeong Cheon swung his treasured sword again.
“But such techniques suffer a loss in the number of moves.”
Lightly shaking off the pressure of the Heavenly Supremacy Sword Stance, Jeong Cheon scattered twenty-five sword energies in an instant.
As the glittering white flashes spun round and round, surrounding the area, Bu Eunseol extended the Dark Sword forward with all his might.
Flash!
Blinding radiance poured out, and a cluster of light emitted from the Dark Sword instantly annihilated Jeong Cheon’s sword energy. He had used Cheon Woon-gwang’s Peerless Thunderbolt Form.
“A tremendous killing sword.”
Jeong Cheon grinned and lowered his treasured sword to the ground again.
“Shall we try for real now?”
He already knew. That Bu Eunseol was deliberately taking a defensive stance, hiding his true offense, and observing his sword art.
“I want to see your sword art soon as well.”
“Very well.”
Brilliant sword energy poured from Bu Eunseol’s Dark Sword. He had executed the Supreme Heavenly Flow, containing the essence of all sword arts he had learned so far.
Shoot!
Powerfully sucking in the surrounding air, the Dark Sword extended a ray of light.
Clang!
Blue sparks flew in the air, and Jeong Cheon’s body was pushed back three jang.
“It seems like a combination of Fast Sword and Heavy Sword.”
Jeong Cheon’s short exclamation could not continue.
Tremble.
Because the tip of the Dark Sword, bounced off in the air, trembled, and a black light created a whirlwind, wrapping around Jeong Cheon’s body.
Pa-pa-pat!
Jeong Cheon’s collar, caught in the wind mixed with black light, split like rags, and he was pushed back another three jang.
Trickle.
This time, red fresh blood flowed from Jeong Cheon’s cheek.
Bu Eunseol could have cut his chest and side, but as if repaying the earlier wound, he had aimed for his cheek.
“Huhu.”
Looking at the blood flowing from his cheek, Jeong Cheon let out a low laugh. Simultaneously, a dark red haze rose in his calm eyes.
“I don’t know how long it has been.”
Straightening his body, Jeong Cheon slung his treasured sword over his shoulder and laughed, baring his fangs.
“Unleashing sword arts with full power!”
With a short shout, Jeong Cheon’s body became a streak of red cloud and pounced on Bu Eunseol.
Chwa-ra-rak!
Sword energies spread like a wide-open fan surrounded Bu Eunseol’s body. The speed was so fast that Bu Eunseol couldn’t find a gap to dodge and began to block the sword as it was.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
As the Dark Sword and treasured sword clashed, sparks flew in all directions in the air.
“Hahahaha!”
Jeong Cheon burst into loud laughter and swung his sword rapidly. His usual gentle appearance vanished without a trace, and he seemed like a red-hot demon swinging his sword madly.
‘Fast!’
Bu Eunseol drew up his true power and unfolded his sword art again.
Tang, tang, tang!
The tip of the Dark Sword accurately struck down the tip of the thrusting treasured sword. Bu Eunseol, unable to neutralize the sword stance in an instant, had applied the technique of Returning the Spirit to Origin to his sword stance.
“Got you!”
Matching the moment the Dark Sword deflected the sword stance, Jeong Cheon closed the distance until his face was touching Bu Eunseol’s.
Swish, swish, swish, swish!
Simultaneously, Jeong Cheon’s long sword condensed shortly, and countless sword energies poured out in all directions.
‘Chaotic Sword?’
Now he saw that Jeong Cheon’s true offense was a sword art that blocked all the enemy’s retreat paths and attacks at ultra-close range. It was the Chaotic Sword.
‘A completely unexpected sword art!’
Bu Eunseol bit his lip as the sharp Chaotic Sword surged in like a tsunami. Because Jeong Cheon was using such a long sword, he had never expected him to use the Chaotic Sword.
Tremble!
Jeong Cheon’s blade became even more condensed, and the sword stance grew faster. Now the distance narrowed further, the gap between them less than six steps.
Furthermore, Jeong Cheon’s gentle eyes were now burning fiercely like charcoal fire.
“You’re enduring quite well!”
With red pupils where killing intent surged in bloodshot whites, he felt like a wild beast.
Pa-pa-pat!
Bu Eunseol’s clothes were torn like rags, and blood splattered. No matter how much he tried to deploy the Supreme Heavenly Flow, Jeong Cheon’s Chaotic Sword wrapped around all directions, giving no opening.
Not only that, but his sword was pouring out only cruel killing moves, as if his sole purpose was to take Bu Eunseol’s life.
—Do not worry. I will not have a seizure again.
Only then could Bu Eunseol realize the meaning of the words Jeong Cheon had said to Dam Yu-yeon.
‘He is exploding his inherent killing intent to increase the power of the Chaotic Sword.’
Jeong Cheon was unfolding a unique Chaotic Sword that used killing intent to draw out his physical abilities to the limit. And such a method could easily turn him into a madman who lost his reason if something went wrong.
‘If so!’
Biting his lip, Bu Eunseol suddenly opened the hand holding the Dark Sword and closed his eyes.
Clang, clang, clang!
Then the Dark Sword began to jump around, unraveling Jeong Cheon’s sword stances one by one, which had been impossible to block. The Strange Sword Art reacting to killing intent, Mastery Radiance Sword Control, was activated.
Cha-ra-rang!
As the Chaotic Sword, which had been slashing Bu Eunseol’s body with irresistible force, was blocked repeatedly, even thicker killing intent flowed from Jeong Cheon’s body.
“You dare block this sect’s Chaotic Sword!”
Jeong Cheon’s eyes had rolled back white as he swung his sword, and killing intent dripped from him. His face, covered in killing intent, bore no resemblance to his former self.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
Bu Eunseol unfolded the Mastery Radiance Sword Control with all his might. Because a single mistake would result in his flesh-and-blood body being shattered by the Chaotic Sword.
“Kuhahaha!”
In the meantime, Jeong Cheon’s killing intent intensified, and his sword stance became even more rapid. However, Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew colder as time went on. He noticed that as Jeong Cheon’s Chaotic Sword became faster and more powerful, he struggled to control it effectively, and the precision of his sword stance gradually declined.
This was utilizing the insight gained from fighting the Mother and Child Spear Art.
‘At this level, I can see it.’
As the sword stances of the Chaotic Sword, which had contained profundity, switched to pure speed, the subtlety disappeared, and the sword path began to show.
Mastery Radiance Sword Control.
This technique, which allowed one to somehow endure the attacks of an enemy a level higher, created a sliver of opportunity for Bu Eunseol.
‘Here I go!’
Bu Eunseol, who had been using the Mastery Radiance Sword Control, drew up his true power and cast the Supreme Heavenly Flow once more. And he deployed a sword stance he had never used before with full power.
‘Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Origin!’
Supreme Heavenly Flow, Fifth Form.
He had unfolded Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Origin, a sword stance of practical martial arts that mimicked the opponent’s sword stance.
Saaaa!
Hundreds of sword energies spreading from the Dark Sword scattered in all directions, clashing against Jeong Cheon’s Chaotic Sword.