Chapter 98

Sparring time came again.
Jeok-hyeon and Jin Mu-seong appeared with grim looks.

“This time will be different.”

Jeok-hyeon’s low voice was full of confidence.
It seemed he’d taught him some incredible moves.
Maybe because of that, Jin Mu-seong’s gaze was more intense than before.
He wasn’t like that even yesterday, so how did he steel his mind like this?
My question was soon answered.
Jeok-hyeon looked at Jin Mu-seong.

“What did I say?”
“Th-that if I lose again, for ten days I have to eat, sleep, and crap inside the sack…….”

……So that was why.
Suddenly, I got curious.
What did that sack mean to Jeok-hyeon for him to be so obsessed with it?

The spar began.
It didn’t take long for Jeok-hyeon’s face to turn red like it would burst.

“What in the world is that! Is that all a descendant of the Great Mount Hua can do!”
“That’s not Mount Hua’s sword! That’s Mount Ha’s sword!¹ Do you want to descend from Mount Hua right now?”

I deliberately eased up.
Because I was curious what he’d prepared.
But Jin Mu-seong couldn’t get going at all. It seemed that because he’d lost to me every time so far, he couldn’t use a bold move.
There was no way Jeok-hyeon wouldn’t see through that.
He let out a sigh.

“Hoo! The gap has widened even more. Is this worth jumping off some cliff over? This won’t do.”

The glance Jeok-hyeon shot held resolve.

‘Is he finally going to make him use what he prepared?’

I figured I’d finally see why he’d been so confident.
But at Jeok-hyeon’s next words, I couldn’t help doubting my ears.

“From left to right diagonal, Single Line, No Sound!”

Jin Mu-seong, who had only been pushed back the whole time, unleashed a threatening sword strike for the first time.
It was the perfect move for this situation, so I had no choice but to step back.

“That’s it. Form-Severing Flash!”
“No, what.”

I was so dumbfounded that my words got stuck.
So this was what he’d prepared?

‘That’s way too petty.’

We still had about ten days to go before the Demon Cult.
And I still had nearly thirty spars left with Jin Mu-seong. There was no need to go this far.

“Cut low!”

Jeok-hyeon kept giving pointers.
No, ‘pointers’ wasn’t enough to describe it. “Commands” was more accurate.
Because of that, the tide turned in an instant.
Jeok-hyeon was filling in Jin Mu-seong’s lacking combat sense and experience.

“You must not be pushed back! The Great Clarity Qi Art is on the line!”

No matter how much you didn’t want to hand it over, this was too much.
Was I fighting Jeok-hyeon, or Jin Mu-seong?

‘Do you think I’ll just take it?’

I dodged several strikes with movement arts, then surged toward Jin Mu-seong like lightning.
I formed a hand blade and chopped down toward his Jianjing point.
It was an acupoint that loosened stiffness in the shoulder and neck, but if struck hard, a stinging pain would shoot down to the wrist and he’d drop the wooden sword.
And the spar would end there.
But then.

“Non-Plum Sword Art!”

‘Hm?’

A strange sense of discomfort I couldn’t describe washed over me.
The moment the thought brushed my mind, I twisted on instinct.
Shyook!
A wooden sword swept into where my jaw had just been.
My blood ran cold.
I almost got knocked out in one hit.
But it wasn’t over. The wooden sword that had been charging in fiercely vanished from my view.

‘Where did it go?’

The moment the question rose, a chilling pressure of wind brushed my temple.
At some point, Jin Mu-seong had gripped the sword in reverse and was swinging the end of the hilt into my side.
I quickly burrowed in closer to him.
If I opened distance, I’d get caught helplessly by the follow-up linked moves.
But if I stayed close, at least I wouldn’t get overwhelmed one-sidedly.

Jin Mu-seong looked flustered when I closed in, but he didn’t withdraw his attack.
Instead, he swung the hilt like he meant to smash my ribs.
I was the same.
I pulled back the hand blade, turned it into a fist, and drove it hard toward his sternum.
Hwoong!

“Stop!”

Right before our attacks landed, Jin Mu-seong and I stopped at the same time.
A soft force blocked between us. Jeok-hyeon had intervened.
I had barely managed to draw with him.

“M-master! I, I finally!”

Jin Mu-seong turned toward his master.
He looked thrilled to have drawn, but Jeok-hyeon looked like he’d bitten dirt.
He avoided his disciple’s gaze and spoke to me.

“You, what are you really? How did you think, in that brief moment, to burrow in and force a draw?”
“I just didn’t want to lose. Even though you did something unbearably petty, Dao Master, and it was a situation where losing would’ve been natural.”

I packed thorns into my words.
Not just thorns, but thorns so sharp it would hurt if it pierced.
Jeok-hyeon coughed with an awkward expression.

“Ahem, that brat was so frustrating that I ended up doing that. Then it seemed like we had gained the upper hand, and I got greedy, is all. I offer my modest apology.”
“Did you think I’d accept it if you won like this?”
“It’s just, I got caught up without me realizing…… Heh, how embarrassing.”

Tsk, I clicked my tongue.
He was extremely irritating, but pushing further wouldn’t do any good.
He wasn’t an enemy. We were in a relationship that could benefit each other.

‘And he’s also the Heavenly Demon’s acquaintance.’

Just as I decided to let it go nicely.
Jeok-hyeon said something out of nowhere.

“As an apology, I won’t take the instruction fee I was going to receive from you.”
“……What fee?”
“Instruction fee. It feels like you’re bleeding me dry.”

What was he talking about now?
When I stared silently, Jeok-hyeon added an explanation.

“Don’t I analyze your openings every day and teach Mu-seong so he can break through them? But that created an unexpected side effect. Through Mu-seong, you’re correcting the weaknesses you unconsciously had. Thanks to that, you’re essentially training as if you’re receiving private instruction from an Absolute master.”

At first I didn’t understand, but listening closely, Jeok-hyeon was right.
If it wasn’t this, I couldn’t explain my recent growth.
I nodded and accepted it readily.

“That makes sense.”
“You’re quick to admit it.”
“Because it’s true. So, you were going to demand an instruction fee?”
“That’s right.”
“You should’ve talked about that with my master, not me.”

Jeok-hyeon frowned.

“You’re the one getting stronger, so why would I ask Dao-friend Seol?”
“A disciple’s growth is a master’s joy. For you too, it’s broadly for the sect’s future, but in the small sense, you’re enduring this hardship to enjoy that joy as well. Am I wrong?”
“…….”

Jeok-hyeon was left speechless.

“And strictly speaking, I should be the one receiving the instruction fee.”
“And what reason is that?”
“Because your disciple is steadily improving too. Haven’t you seen how those dead-fish eyes have been filling with venom lately? If I weren’t here, would that have been possible?”
“It would’ve been ……impossible, I suppose.”
“You’re quick to admit it. So, how much will you pay?”

I held out my palm toward Jeok-hyeon.
He quickly waved his hand.

“Let’s pretend this talk never came up.”
“I can’t do that.”

At my firm reply, Jeok-hyeon blinked.
I threatened him.

“Forget the instruction fee. Don’t ever do something like this again. If you do it again, I’ll really charge you an instruction fee.”
“Gnh, fine. I promise.”

Jeok-hyeon left with his shoulders slumped.
He tried to remove a lump and ended up adding one. He’d feel complicated.

‘Who do you think you’re trying to scam?’

I smiled faintly.
Talking about instruction fees in front of me.
It was probably to smooth over his mistake, but it didn’t work on me.

“You’re not coming along?”
“Huh? Y-yeah.”

Jin Mu-seong stood there blankly, then followed after Jeok-hyeon.
Why did it feel like it’d been a while since I’d seen him walk on his own feet?

After the annoying senior-junior pair left, I sank into thought.
It was about the two techniques Jin Mu-seong had used at the end.

‘He said Non-Plum Sword Art, right?’

Yeah. He definitely said that.
It meant a sword art that wasn’t Plum Blossom Style, but no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t feel like Mount Hua’s martial arts.
Because there was no way Mount Hua, obsessed with plum blossoms, would have a sword art with a name like that.

‘Did he create it because of me?’

I suspected it was highly likely.
In the flow of luring an attack, creating an opening, and landing a decisive blow, I could feel he’d referenced my fighting style.
He must have melted the most reliable method to bring me down into a sword art.

‘How do I break this?’

Nothing came to mind.
No matter how much combat experience I had, it was too much to instantly break through a sword art created by an Absolute master.
After thinking for a long time without finding a clean answer, I moved to the abandoned house.
It was where we’d be staying tonight.
I felt like I should drink some water here and cool my head.

“Huh?”

Inside the abandoned house, the Heavenly Demon had his eyes open for once.
He sat still and stared at me.

“You’re not circulating and regulating your Qi? What are you doing?”
“I was thinking.”
“About what?”
“About a disciple whose carelessness has soared to the edge of the sky.”
“Huk.”

I sucked in a reflexive breath.
How did he know what happened outside when he’d been circulating and regulating his Qi all day?

“Even an ordinary cook holding a kitchen knife can kill you.”

The cold words meant something clear.
Don’t overestimate my abilities.
My face burned.
I’d clearly underestimated Jin Mu-seong.
Even though Jeok-hyeon was giving real-time commands, I’d judged that I could end the spar in a single move.
But I’d almost gotten caught by the opponent I’d looked down on.

“Your expression is something to see.”
“I just found my original intention again.”

The corner of the Heavenly Demon’s mouth moved faintly, barely visible.

“Good. If there is someone who belittled this cult’s martial arts, no matter who it is, you must not lose.”

It seemed he’d heard everything Jin Mu-seong had said when provoking me.

‘Wait. Then did he hear my conversation with Jeok-hyeon too?’

In an instant, cold sweat rose.
Hadn’t I put the Demon Cult’s inner cultivation method on the table as a bargaining chip behind the Heavenly Demon’s back?
If it was discovered, no matter the fact that I was a little demon, it would be hard to get away with this safely.
So I glanced at the Heavenly Demon’s reaction, but he didn’t look like he was going to make an issue of it.
But you never know.
I needed to keep my distance.

“I’ll cool my head over in that corner for a bit. You should stop thinking too much and circulate and regulate your Qi, Master.”
“You’re not asking for advice?”
“Master, I’m Heuk-Slaying Little Demon Baek Su-gyeong. I’ll find the answer with my own abilities.”
“Is that so?”

The Heavenly Demon nodded faintly. Somehow, he seemed satisfied.
I sat in the corner of the abandoned house and sank into thought.
The Heavenly Demon had struck the core.
The problem was that I’d let my guard down.

‘My opponent isn’t just one person.’

I’d thought Jin Mu-seong was nothing.
Even though it was basically no different from fighting master and disciple at the same time.

‘But there’s something important.’

The defining trait of Mount Hua sword arts was illusory swordplay.
It created dazzling changes and hid the real in the false, deceiving the opponent’s senses.
The Non-Plum Sword Art clearly touched the principles of Mount Hua sword arts.
There were two major ways to break illusory sword arts.
Crush it with overwhelming force, or create even more complex changes and swallow it whole.
Right now, both were impossible for me.
My internal energy was below Jin Mu-seong’s, and I had never learned illusory sword arts.

‘Is there only one option left?’

Rather than a counter for a specific martial art, there was a method to overcome any powerful martial art.
Stop them before they can execute it.
In a case like this, I had to block it before the changes began.

Sparring time came again.
Jeok-hyeon and Jin Mu-seong were very quiet.
Without any conversation, I faced Jin Mu-seong.
At the same time, we charged at each other.
Pakak!
My palm and the wooden sword collided.
My hand stung, but I ignored it and stuck close to him.
Jin Mu-seong stepped back in panic.
Whether it was the Non-Plum Sword Art or anything else, he needed minimal space to swing the wooden sword.

‘Go on. Try backing up as much as you want.’

As he backed up, Jin Mu-seong thrust the wooden sword in. It wasn’t an attack, but a feint meant to keep me off.
I roughly blocked or dodged and followed like a shadow.
That was all I did, but Jin Mu-seong’s hands and feet got tangled.
A martial artist with little experience lacked the ability to respond to unexpected situations.
The gap in experience between us was vast.

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

Jeok-hyeon was dying to give pointers.
He even started pounding his own chest.
Then, as if he couldn’t bear it anymore, he finally shouted loudly.

“Hey, that’s not it! If you’re only driven on the defensive, how can you kill the enemy!”

Enemy?
That’s a bit much.

“Somehow, you have to bind the villain’s feet!”

In an instant, I was demoted from “enemy” to “villain.”
I was willingly being Jin Mu-seong’s training tool, and yet he had no limit to what he’d say.

‘I should wrap this up.’

I had dragged it out too long just to block him from executing the Non-Plum Sword Art.
I decided to finish with a simple method that would give an equally huge sense of despair.

“G-gh!”

Jin Mu-seong weakly jabbed the wooden sword out.
I didn’t follow further. I stood still and waited for the moment the wooden sword entered my range.

‘Now.’

A split second.
With both palms infused with Perfect Demonic Qi, I gently clamped the wooden sword.
At the same time, I twisted both palms in opposite directions. One up, one down.
The thrusting force converted into rotational force.

Hwiriririk!
The wooden sword spun wildly in Jin Mu-seong’s hand.
He held on to avoid dropping it, but he couldn’t resist the flow that had already been created.
At last, the wooden sword slipped free from his grip and shot up into the air.

“Ugyak!”

Jin Mu-seong let out a weird scream. His palms had probably peeled from the friction.
I thought through the next sequence.

‘When it rises and falls, kick it up with my instep, catch it with my right hand, and point it at his throat.’

A so-called perfect victory.
Flash!
That was when it happened.
With a dazzling flash, something flew in like the wind. The wooden sword that was about to fall disappeared.

“I can’t take it anymore!”

I couldn’t grasp what was happening in the moment, but Jeok-hyeon was sweeping through the air and rushing at me.
The wooden sword was in his hand.
Was he trying to attack me?
Himself?

‘This crazy bastard.’

“Watch carefully!”
“What are you doing right now?”

Jeok-hyeon ignored me and swung the wooden sword.
With no time to dodge, I reflexively raised my arm to block.
Maybe he hadn’t loaded it with internal energy, because it didn’t hurt much, but it didn’t feel good.
It looked like he’d jumped in directly out of frustration, but even so, was it okay to attack someone who wasn’t even his disciple like this?
A Taoist, at that?

‘If I endure this, I’m not me.’

I used the Soul-Extinguishing Flash Step to open distance.
In the brief space I gained, I drew my cold-iron dagger from inside my robe.
Kang!
The wooden sword flew in at once.
I blocked it with the cold-iron dagger.
The shock that traveled to my fingertips felt like I’d collided with an iron club.

Kang! Kakaang!
In an instant, dozens of exchanges passed.
Sword strikes made only of thrusts and cuts.
Even defending was hard.
Because countless changes were contained within the simplicity, it was hard to block each one.
Attacking was out of the question.

“This is Mount Hua’s sword! Each sword, each sword must carry will!”

Jeok-hyeon kept pressing Jin Mu-seong without pause.
It was closer to venting than teaching.
And I was being used again on top of it.

Frowning, I tightened my grip on the cold-iron dagger.
Even if I looked like this, I had used a sword in my past life.
No matter how mastered Jeok-hyeon was with the sword, I wouldn’t just take it helplessly.

Kakaang! Kakakaang!
Through the constant clanging, Jeok-hyeon let out an exclamation.

“Hoo, to think you had skill in swordsmanship as well!”

The wooden sword grew faster.
The pressure was so intense I couldn’t even open my mouth.
The wooden sword swung sideways and pressed down on my dagger, then in an instant burrowed into my side, and the moment I twisted to dodge, it cut at my upper body again.
As dozens of exchanges passed like that, my soul nearly left my body.
I couldn’t tell whether I was swinging the cold-iron dagger, or the cold-iron dagger was swinging me.

I clenched my teeth.
Even while being pushed back one-sidedly, I focused all my senses on Jeok-hyeon.
What principle lay in the trajectory Jeok-hyeon drew, how his wrist angle and shoulder rotation moved, when he inhaled and when he exhaled.
I wanted to grasp all of it.

But what was this?
From some point, I started to see the flow of the sword strikes pouring out.
The most orthodox path a sword could take, a trajectory close to perfection.
So Jeok-hyeon was showing a sword path that was paradoxically easy to read for someone who’d stepped into a higher realm.

‘This sensation?’

A very familiar feeling.

‘Lower left?’

I brought the dagger to the lower left.
It wasn’t that I intended to block something, just the feeling of guarding the path the wooden sword would pass through.
Chang!
That alone changed the sound of the clash. The shock that rattled my grip decreased like it was a lie.
Because I’d claimed the route the wooden sword would move through, Jeok-hyeon’s sword was deflected at an angle.

‘Middle right?’

The second was easier.
Without hesitation, I moved the cold-iron dagger and guided the strike aside.
I prepared for the third attack at once.
But there was no third.
Instead of pouring out a fierce attack, Jeok-hyeon had his mouth hanging open.
His whole face stained with shock.