The pretext was a guidance spar.
A guidance spar.
In truth, it was a pretext that could be applied anywhere and still hold up.
A high-level master sparring with juniors as if bestowing instruction.
In a way, it was nothing more than an honor and a stroke of luck for the juniors.
If a swordsman of the White Lotus Sword's caliber offered a guidance spar, people would flock from across the nation to join.
But whether a situation like the present one could truly be considered appropriate was questionable.
The White Lotus Sword, Murong Biyeon, looked at the three people before her with an intrigued gaze.
She had been curious to see how they would react the moment she released her fighting spirit.
Would they cower in fear? If not, would they panic?
She had judged that they wouldn't stray far from these two possibilities.
'Wow.'
Her expectations were beautifully off the mark. The children neither cowered nor panicked.
On the contrary.
Srring.
The moment they sensed her fighting spirit, they simply raised their stances and composed themselves.
The two who appeared to be swordsmen were especially superb.
'Not even the slightest tremble?'
The child of the Tang Clan was certainly excellent for her age as well.
But she couldn't be compared to those two.
Should one say it was a level that made one hesitate to call them late-stage experts?
They had already crossed the wall and reached the Pinnacle long ago, so they could no longer be called late-stage experts.
'So this generation is exceptionally outstanding. That saying was true.'
She could now truly feel what she had only heard in rumors.
The young man named Ouyang Cheon was so overwhelmingly superior that it was ambiguous to call him the generation's average.
So he was set aside. Wasn't what she should be looking at right now these children?
Interest began to fill Murong Biyeon's pupils.
In her eyes, this journey to Sichuan led by the Poison King was not merely unusual; it was at a level more than sufficient to pique her interest.
There were unusually many late-stage experts from different families.
And yet, each and every one of them possessed extraordinary levels.
The boys, including the three before her and Ouyang Cheon, were dazzling as well.
The young Taoist of Wudang, called the Hidden Dragon, had already reached not just the Pinnacle but a state of maturity.
The large young man of the Pae Family remained at first-rate, but his level was by no means low.
Most surprising, the late-stage expert with the lowest realm turned out to be her own nephew.
'Outstanding to a strange degree.'
Watching them, Murong Biyeon harbored a slight question.
Only the delicate-looking boy, who was said to be from the Cheol Family, seemed a bit problematic.
That child was at a level barely worth calling a martial artist, so he was passed over.
If each and every one of them had been from her generation, it wouldn't have been strange for them to rank among the top late-stage experts....
'Ah.... That wouldn't have been the case.'
First place would have been too much.
Because back then, 'that person' had been standing at the very end of the late-stage realm.
However, here gathered an abundance of people who could easily be called geniuses.
'Is it a coincidence?'
Had such people merely gathered by chance?
If not, had they 'gathered' around something?
If they had been drawn together by something.
Then what could be called the center.
'It would be that child.'
A young man's face flashed through Murong Biyeon's mind.
If that were the case, she could somewhat understand.
Just as they had back then, when one saw something shining so brightly, one naturally gathered toward it.
Since the one who appeared to be this generation's greatest light happened to be here, none of this could be seen as mere coincidence.
Because she had experienced this firsthand in the past, Murong Biyeon could view this as natural.
Even so.
Murong Biyeon had to let out a hollow laugh as she looked forward.
'Even so, isn't this a bit much?'
The moment Murong Biyeon let out a breath of disbelief.
Sshh-!
A sword tip brushed past Murong Biyeon's cheek. Sensing the faint lightning qi upon it, Murong Biyeon slightly retreated.
No, as she tried to create distance, something dug in beside her.
Two throwing knives flying in at high speed.
Glancing, Murong Biyeon gauged the angle and twisted her body.
Hwooong-! The moment she moved, wind pressure arrived, altering the angle of the knives.
Thud-! The flying knives passed Murong Biyeon and embedded themselves in a tree.
Then, surprisingly, the tree could be seen rotting around the embedded knives.
This meant the knives had been coated with poison arts.
'Look at these kids?'
Seeing that, Murong Biyeon assessed the one who had thrown the knives.
Being from the Tang Clan, it wasn't strange for her to use poison arts, but to think she actually knew how to use them.
When she had suggested they spar, Murong Biyeon had demanded a level equivalent to actual combat.
Of course, she had intended to hold back moderately and observe the children's state.
'This is more than I expected....'
Weren't the children's levels extraordinary?
Drrrrrr-!
"...!"
As if not intending to let her think for long. The moment she dodged the knives, a feast of lightning qi flew toward her.
Murong Biyeon had to admire this.
'Amazing.'
There were easily dozens of strands of lightning qi, each showing different movements as if possessed of its own will.
This meant the caster was tuning each and every one of those lightning branches individually.
If it had simply been that, one could get by calling her a genius.
But the owner of the lightning qi was controlling all of that while simultaneously performing a sword dance.
She was commanding that much lightning qi while moving her body as well?
The face of the Nangong Patriarch flashed through Murong Biyeon's mind. Because the owner of that lightning qi was of the Nangong bloodline.
'That bastard with his garbage personality ended up spawning a monster, huh.'
A chill ran down her spine.
Her feet felt heavy and slow to raise her senses.
Her shoulders felt heavily pressed down; that was surely the martial art of that household.
Imperial Sword Form.
That damn martial art of that uncomfortable bastard.
Dodging the pouring lightning qi every which way, Murong Biyeon surveyed her surroundings.
What was flying at her from the front was solely lightning qi.
Then where were the rest?
Murong Biyeon raised her senses.
Zzt-! As expected.
She felt beings rapidly burrowing into her senses.
Both left and right.
The moment she noticed, flashes of white and golden light arrived from both sides.
There was no hesitation in the thrusting sword tips.
Moreover, judging by their trajectory, they were aiming for Murong Biyeon's throat.
'Wow.'
Feeling this, Murong Biyeon realized.
It seemed she had been mistaken.
About having viewed them merely as late-stage experts.
Thinking so, Murong Biyeon immediately changed her grip on her sword and swung it with a handful of apology.
Then.
Hwooooooo-!
A bluish sword aura, imbued with the symbol of the Murong family, burst forth in all directions.
"...!"
"Ugh...!"
Startled by the energy erupting just before the sword touched them, Nangong Bia and Wi Seola were pushed back.
The lightning qi pouring after them like a tail was swept away by Murong Biyeon's sword aura and vanished.
The two, who had flown far away and barely landed where Tang Soyeol had been waiting, looked at Murong Biyeon in surprise.
What was whipping around the surroundings like a whirlwind was unmistakably sword aura.
But permeating it was a heavy, weighty energy entirely different from what a Pinnacle martial artist could express.
From within it, an awkward voice flew toward the three.
"Sorry. It seems this noona was a bit mistaken."
Murong Biyeon was smiling faintly, her unique aura wrapped fully around her sword.
"I thought I could go easy on you. I shouldn't have entertained such thoughts."
Given the situation, she had intended to treat them to some extent as juniors.
But these children were martial artists before they were juniors.
Meaning they were not in a state to be handled playfully.
Murong Biyeon looked at the three with peculiar eyes.
'Was that how she felt?'
The day she and the current Sword Empress, Soi, had faced the previous Sword Empress.
Hadn't that been the same gaze with which she had looked at them?
If there was anything slightly different from back then.
It was that the Sword Empress of that time had judged them as martial artists on equal footing from the very beginning and faced them sincerely.
Whereas today's Murong Biyeon had not.
'Damn.'
Recalling that, Murong Biyeon rebuked herself.
At the same time, she thought it fortunate.
That Soi was the one in the position of current Sword Empress.
Because she surely wouldn't have made the same mistake.
Though Murong Biyeon had never been interested in the position of Sword Empress to begin with, she still thought it a relief.
Because no matter how she looked at it, she wasn't close to fitting the image of a Sword Empress.
"Huu."
Regulating her breathing, Murong Biyeon slowly gathered her energy.
Having realized she had been mistaken until now, she would simply do differently from here on.
Her gently settled eyes took in the three who now appeared tense.
She raised her sword.
"Here I come again."
Perhaps they had realized the meaning contained in her voice.
The auras of the three changed.
They must have noticed that Murong Biyeon was different from before.
Seeing that, Murong Biyeon smiled inwardly.
Because she could feel herself getting excited by it.
'Ah, this is bad.'
She had only intended to help her nephew and check on the pretty girls chasing after Ouyang Cheon.
What was she going to do, getting excited herself?
She suddenly recalled her younger brother begging her to please act her age.
'Sorry.'
Murong Biyeon apologized faintly to her younger brother.
No matter how she looked at it, she didn't think she could grow out of this.
The energy that had been crashing gradually subsided. When a brief silence arrived.
Murong Biyeon slightly moved her toes.
Then her form disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At this, Nangong Bia widened her eyes and spread her senses.
Wi Seola also furrowed her brows, raising her sword to survey the surroundings.
Tuk-!
Murong Biyeon appeared in the small gap between the two.
At that moment.
A typhoon began to rage in the forest once more.
A typhoon far greater than the first.
******************
Thick internal energy gradually filled the air.
It was brimming with fighting spirit that made martial artists shudder.
Boom-! Boom, boom-!
The deafening sounds repeated endlessly, as if some gigantic monster had appeared in the forest.
Countless people gathered, following the sound.
Since all those departing on the journey to Sichuan were martial artists.
They couldn't possibly pass by the sensation of such intense and fierce internal energy.
Gradually, people gathered one by one and formed a crowd.
The more they did, the clearer the fact became: at least these sounds were not made by a monster appearing.
A martial artist of the Pae Family watching the center of the sound whispered.
"Wow.... Amazing? How can they do that?"
His voice was full of admiration.
"For three people's combined attack to be so clean. They all seem to use different martial arts, too."
The two swordsmen coordinated and engaged up close.
Whenever an opening showed, delicate throwing knives imbued with poison arts flew in.
Though their blades swung without rest, they didn't interfere with each other's movements.
It was something only swordsmen who had coordinated for a long time could do.
So it was only natural they were amazed, seeing late-stage experts who didn't even seem fully grown displaying such skill.
A junior listening to such admiration asked the man with strange eyes.
"Is that really so amazing?"
"Goodness. You rough fool, you can't tell even after seeing that?"
Though the junior's expression twisted at being called rough, it was a fitting remark.
Each martial art possessed different characteristics.
And the energies used to wield them were all different as well.
Since the energy used for martial arts mostly had aggressive tendencies.
They had a tendency to try to devour one another.
So if they were expressing it while being enemies, that would be one thing.
But when martial artists combined their attacks, various problems were bound to occur.
Their energies would clash and cause problems in using their martial arts.
The more violently they moved, the more their movements would get tangled, so problems would mostly occur in the movements themselves.
"Those children are moving as if of one body."
No matter how compatible their martial arts were, moving in a way that didn't hinder each other at all was a different story.
Hearing his words, the junior nodded slightly, as if he understood.
However, there was still something he couldn't understand.
"It is amazing, but.... Still, none of the attacks are landing."
He understood that their combined attack flowed as naturally as water.
He also understood that they had reached outstanding realms for their age.
But even taking that into account, their opponent was too overwhelming.
The women's attacks couldn't touch her at all, and they were often pushed back instead.
The man spoke at the junior's words.
"That can't be helped.... Because the opponent is the White Lotus Sword."
The opponent was bad. That was the most accurate statement.
The man's gaze turned to a woman.
To the woman who was moving as if nothing was wrong while receiving the combined attack of three people.
The White Lotus Sword.
One of the heroines who had been a candidate for Sword Empress.
That explanation was sufficient.
Among the many martial artists gathered here, those who could touch that woman were few enough to count on one hand.
"I'm a bit envious."
"Huh?"
Mixing swords with the White Lotus Sword itself would be no different from a tremendous stroke of luck.
The man felt a bit envious of those late-stage experts.
The problem was.
'For a guidance spar, it's rather intense.'
Though it was full of fighting spirit, it didn't seem to have killing intent, so he knew it wasn't a real battle....
Even so, it felt quite extreme.
To the point he wondered if he should intervene.
While the man watched the spar with slightly uneasy eyes, the junior continued as if fascinated.
"Even amid all that, Dokbong is holding her own."
"Hm?"
"There were rumors her skills fell short of her nickname, but it doesn't feel that way, does it?"
"Hmm...."
The man's gaze turned to the woman throwing knives from behind.
She certainly was.
The daughter of the Tang Clan, who was rumored to be inferior to other Dragons and Phoenixes in skill.
Contrary to expectations, she was showing a decent form within the storm of internal energy.
The proof was that her flying knives remained unshaken even in such a situation.
Furthermore, her intention to occasionally stop the White Lotus Sword's feet from a distance depending on the situation stood out.
"Certainly. Compared to the rumors, she seems much more outstanding."
"Thank you for looking upon her favorably."
"It's praise for Dokbong, not something you should thank me for.... Huk!"
The man was continuing his words when he suddenly sensed something strange and turned around.
Because it had sounded somewhat different from his junior's voice.
As expected, it was not the junior's voice.
The junior had turned deathly pale, looking terrified at the one who had suddenly cut in.
The man had to swallow dry saliva as he looked at him.
"T-Tang Patriarch...."
The one who had cut in on the man's words was none other than the Tang Patriarch.
He was the Poison King.
Realizing this, the man broke out in a cold sweat.
What had he just said? He couldn't easily calm his pounding heart.
Though he hadn't known, he had spoken about Dokbong right in front of the Poison King; if it displeased him, the Poison King might well be angered.
"I-I'm sorry...!"
When the man hurriedly bowed his head and apologized.
The Poison King waved his hand, indicating it was all right.
Fortunately, the Poison King did not get angry at the man.
Rather, the Poison King simply smiled faintly and expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for viewing my daughter's efforts favorably."
At the Poison King's words, the man repeatedly bowed and slipped away with his junior.
The Poison King, who had been glancing at this, sighed as he looked at his daughter.
'...What on earth.'
Right in the midst of fighting spirit intense enough to make even the Poison King feel a chill.
His own daughter was in there.
He had rushed here immediately upon receiving the report.
He had tried to stop the spar right away upon seeing the state of things.
'...Damn.'
But he hesitated for a moment upon seeing his daughter's face.
Because it was the first time he had seen his daughter trying so hard.
Though her energy indicated a fairly dangerous state, the spar with the White Lotus Sword could be a stroke of fortune for Tang Soyeol.
The Poison King didn't think his daughter's face, bearing the appearance of such a martial artist, looked bad.
So he had been watching the spar for a moment.
'This can't go on for long.'
No matter how he looked at it, this spar had many problems.
Leaving aside that it was a spar his daughter was engaged in. The state was far from good.
Because the heat the White Lotus Sword was emitting was no ordinary matter.
Watching this, the Poison King gripped his throbbing forehead.
'...White Lotus Sword.'
She had been famous since long ago as a woman who could snap in any direction.
Setting aside why such a woman was sparring with those children. He wondered if this was something to get so invested in.
If the stronger side was in such a state, it was a situation where problems could arise at any moment.
'If worst comes to worst.'
The Poison King intended to intervene before things got out of hand if the situation didn't calm down.
Because he thought that in a situation like this, only the Pae Family Patriarch and himself would be able to jump in and stop the spar.
To stop such an intense spar, one would have to be at least a martial artist who had reached the Transcendent Realm.
Among the martial artists gathered here now, if the Pae Family Patriarch wasn't present, only he could do such a thing.
If the others had eyes, they would all know this.
Precisely because it was such a situation, the Poison King watched the spar with utmost tension.
As the spar progressed, the fighting spirit grew thicker.
Originally, it should have ended before long, but the reason such a prolonged exchange continued.
Was precisely because it was a guidance spar; the White Lotus Sword wasn't trying to kill.
In other words, if she had truly intended to kill her opponents, the situation would have ended long ago.
While watching the spar with such uneasy eyes.
The Poison King's eyes watching the White Lotus Sword grew as wide as fire bowls.
Because a fierce energy began to gather at the tip of the White Lotus Sword's blade as she blocked the combined attack.
'That's...!'
That was dangerous.
As if intoxicated by fighting spirit, the White Lotus Sword seemed ready to cross a line.
The moment he felt it, the Poison King raised his internal energy.
He intended to immediately jump in and stop the spar. If that power erupted as is, it would be quite dangerous.
Just as the Poison King bit down hard and was about to leap.
Someone moved before him.
Hwarreuk-!
Sparks flew from somewhere.
"Huh?"
"What the...."
Not only the Poison King, who had been raising his internal energy, but also the onlookers let out exclamations of surprise.
Because a young man they had never seen had appeared in that brutal place where flashes of light danced wildly.
"...!"
At this, those engaged in the spar also seemed to try to turn their blades in surprise, but they had already committed their strikes. It was far too late to change their sword paths.
Just before sword tips flying from all directions were about to mince the body of the suddenly appeared young man.
Tsk-
A short tongue-clicking sound was heard from somewhere.
Hwoooook-!
"Wha...!"
"Ugh!"
"Ack!"
"Hik...!"
Suddenly, the women engaged in the spar were flung high into the air and began rolling on the ground.
At this, the onlookers had to struggle to understand the situation as if dazed.
What had just happened?
Where had the ferocity from moments ago gone; the situation had become silent in an instant.
In that silence, the young man stood firmly in the center, pinching his brow with two fingers.
"Haa."
He let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth toward the women who were barely getting up.
"...I'm dying of exhaustion. What the hell is this you're doing first thing in the morning?"
His voice contained considerable irritation.