Once, while training, the Sword Venerable spoke to Wi Seol-a.
“Seol-a. You must always ponder not how to swing the sword, but what to put into it.”
Hearing those words, Wi Seol-a had to tilt her head.
It was because she could not understand them.
To put something into a sword.
A sword is not a vessel—what does it mean to put something into it?
The young Wi Seol-a could not know this.
No, it would be more correct to say she had not tried to understand.
At that time, she was too impatient to spare any thought for other things.
Thus, the time when Wi Seol-a realized her grandfather’s meaning was when she had already surpassed the Transformation Realm.
What sword dance to perform.
What sword path to continue.
Where to exert strength and how to wrap it in energy.
Before troubling oneself with such matters, one must think of what to put into the sword.
What thoughts to hold and with what mindset to face the blade.
The Heavenly Venerable, who was imparting teachings to Wi Seol-a, said:
“Murim experts can be divided by realm, but swordsmen cannot simply be divided by realm.
How much of yourself you can pour into the sword—that alone is more important for a swordsman.”
How much of yourself you can pour into it.
Truly difficult words, yet exact words.
They say, the unity of man and sword.
The dream of swordsmen to become one with the blade.
Even when she grasped a clue regarding it, only then did she understand those words a little.
But.
‘Pouring myself into the sword…’
Then, what is ‘I’ in the first place?
The reason it remained out of reach despite grasping a clue was perhaps because Wi Seol-a herself did not know what she was.
‘What am I?’
What on earth is she?
Wi Seol-a continued to ponder, but even so, she still did not know.
If she pondered in silence, would she come to understand someday?
And then, if she became certain of what she was.
Would that change something?
Wi Seol-a.
For some reason, it felt frightening.
“...”
Her closed eyes opened.
As she lifted her heavy eyelids, a slightly swaying field of vision entered her sight first.
A few seconds later.
Wi Seol-a realized she was being held in someone’s arms.
Surprised on one hand, she did not thrash about.
Because she instinctively knew in whose arms she lay.
“You're awake?”
The owner of the embrace, Gu Yang-cheon, addressed Wi Seol-a as he walked.
“…Yes.”
A powerless reply.
Her exhausted body naturally went limp.
Even in such a state, Wi Seol-a asked Gu Yang-cheon,
“…Did I lose?”
“Yeah. You lost.”
At his calm reply, Wi Seol-a nodded.
Seeing that, Gu Yang-cheon smirked and asked,
“Regrettable?”
It must be regrettable.
Because she had truly lost by the narrowest margin.
‘It was really close.’
By a single step.
If only Wi Seol-a could have used one more flying sword.
Or if only she could have put a little more intent into her final strike.
The victor would have been Wi Seol-a, not the Divine Dragon.
‘Hmm.’
Gu Yang-cheon suppressed a groan at the dull pain rising from within.
He had hastily deployed a qi barrier to block the shock.
He had blocked it all, but to the point of sustaining minor internal injuries.
The internal injuries themselves were not a problem. They were injuries that would vanish in less than a day.
The problem was.
‘That I sustained internal injuries at all.’
The clash between the two. The resulting aftershocks had penetrated even to him.
He was deriving a peculiar sentiment from the fact that they had reached such a level.
‘I can understand Wi Seol-a, but…’
She was someone who had climbed to the world’s pinnacle in her previous life.
Since he knew of the power she wielded at her prime, it was hardly surprising.
No matter how much he had wished she wouldn’t take up the sword, now that she had, he had known this would happen.
But.
‘What about the Divine Dragon?’
What the hell is that guy?
With every Hundred-Step Divine Fist he unleashed, intent was wrapped within.
It didn’t seem intentional, but the guy was pouring intent into his movements.
By comparison, that Punglim whatever-his-name-was could be defeated with ease.
And capturing Yutan Geom wouldn’t take long either.
‘And that’s merely the level of a youth?’
It’s absurd.
He himself had gained things thanks to regression.
But the guy was showing a position far superior to his previous life.
‘He’s weaker than he was during Guiseung’s time, but he’s changed too much from his previous life.’
The name of the Divine Dragon.
He was overflowing enough to bear it.
Moreover.
‘…I couldn’t even sense any Blood Demon energy.’
Not even the part he had been suspecting.
He had naturally thought that those Yu-seong bastards had gotten to him long ago.
But the guy showed no such signs.
‘Could it be that I just couldn’t sense it?’
That was possible, but Gu Yang-cheon judged otherwise.
It was truly the result of pure talent and effort.
The Divine Dragon had climbed to that point purely by his own strength.
Then… really…
‘Is he a madman?’
Could he be a madman? Gu Yang-cheon was convinced of it.
‘What the hell has he been doing in his life? This guy’s a total lunatic.’
He had seen it coming since the brat was stuffing his face with dumplings as a chubby kid.
He had to be someone who transcends imagination.
And this guy doesn’t even have hair.
The crystallization of talent. A genius bestowed from the heavens beyond the era.
Even if one slapped on all such modifiers, one couldn’t so easily reach that level.
That…
‘He must have truly whittled down his bones and flesh.’
One must devote an entire life to training while possessing talent.
Unless that was the case, it was impossible to reach that point with pure inner power at that age.
‘His inner qi is pure, so he must have eaten many Great Reversion Pills too.’
But would one’s realm rise just from stuffing down dozens of those?
Even that had its limits.
‘If that were possible, I would have transcended long ago.’
The Solitary Heaven Pill, said to rival the Great Reversion Pill.
Gu Yang-cheon had popped them into his mouth whenever he was bored.
‘…The guy is the real deal.’
The realest among the real.
Perhaps a talent on par with Wi Seol-a.
In the current Central Plains overrun by fakes, he was one of the few seeds of a true martial artist in his eyes.
That was why he let it go.
‘I was about to intervene and tear everything apart.’
He had been furious at the Alliance pulling underhanded tricks and was ready to burn them all if need be.
He had held back because the Divine Dragon was no fake.
It was also an apology for having inwardly disdained him.
‘Not bad.’
The Radiant Advent.
He had seen the ultimate secret art of Shaolin that he hadn’t seen even in his previous life.
Because Guiseung had never used Shaolin’s secret art, he had been unable to witness it.
‘…This life seems to have changed a great deal.’
Though weaker than the Guiseung of his previous life, the current Divine Dragon held infinite possibilities.
To the extent that Gu Yang-cheon—who was a martial artist yet the farthest removed from being one—vaguely felt passion upon seeing him.
The Divine Dragon was an extraordinary existence.
Thus, he pondered.
‘Will he be an obstacle?’
In the plans he had laid out for the future. Would the current Divine Dragon be an obstacle?
If he was, he would kill him in advance. He pondered over it carefully for that reason.
‘I don’t know yet.’
He was not certain.
He felt he needed to observe a little longer.
‘What on earth happened to him?’
What did he eat wrong for the Divine Dragon to change like that?
Was it dumplings? Are dumplings the problem?
Then did he not eat dumplings in his previous life?
A monk eating dumplings was problematic to begin with.
‘Which bastard fed him that?’
The Divine Dragon wouldn’t have gone around picking up dumplings to eat on his own. He wanted to see the face of whoever it was.
Surely, it couldn’t be a normal person.
Then.
“…I regret it.”
Wi Seol-a, who was being held, spoke.
What did she mean? Gu Yang-cheon thought for a moment before recalling.
‘Ah, I asked her.’
Right. He had asked if she regretted it.
Yes, of course it would be regrettable. Wi Seol-a would know she had lost by a hair’s breadth.
As the one who had fought the duel, she couldn’t be unaware. But.
“Ah… I don’t mean I regret losing the duel.”
At Wi Seol-a’s words, he had to express doubt.
“Hm? Then what do you regret?”
“...”
It wasn’t losing the duel she regretted? Then what was it?
Gu Yang-cheon asked again because he couldn’t understand, but Wi Seol-a did not answer.
She merely averted her gaze slightly.
“…What?”
What is it?
He couldn’t figure out why she would pique his curiosity and then not answer.
Even so, he didn’t ask twice.
Because he could tell at a glance that she wouldn’t answer anyway.
Wi Seol-a’s ears were subtly red.
He wanted to touch them but held back. He simply smiled lightly.
“Let’s get you treated and go eat. She’s waiting too.”
Namgung Bi-a had gone outside to wait some time ago.
“…Yes…”
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
“I want to eat meat.”
“Oh, yeah… Then let’s eat that.”
Gu Yang-cheon inwardly felt relieved at that sight, as if thankful.
It was the same Wi Seol-a as always.
That was enough.
For Gu Yang-cheon, that had always been enough.
******************
After the second day’s main matches ended.
The entirety of Henan was filled with stories.
Naturally, they were stories about the preceding duels.
“This time, would you believe it, the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua…”
“The duel displayed by the Blade King was also like a painting…”
“I never knew there were so many hidden experts in the Central Plains.”
Talk of the first day had already been tucked away.
At best, perhaps stories of when Dok Bong crushed Yutan Geom?
Amidst those accumulating stories, what was most vibrant was, naturally, already decided.
“They say he’s the youngest Transformation Realm expert in history. Truly, it was an incredible duel.”
“That alone befits the name Divine Dragon, and more.”
“Befits, you say? I daresay this Divine Dragon may be the most outstanding in history.”
“To think I would witness such a duel in my lifetime… It was like a dream.”
Most of the countless stories were about the Divine Dragon’s duel.
How could stories not pour out and multiply? It had been a sight so brilliant and intense.
“Could it be that the Radiant Buddha Venerable has reincarnated?”
The Radiant Buddha Venerable.
One of Shaolin’s heroes who had stopped the Bloody Calamity in the past.
Some came to believe that the current Divine Dragon would become a being comparable to him.
Indeed.
With that level of talent, nothing would be difficult.
Through this duel, the Divine Dragon had firmly imprinted his presence.
The hope of Shaolin and the strongest of the Five Dragons and Three Peaks.
He was recognized as one fit to lead the Central Plains hereafter.
Moreover, it wasn’t only the Divine Dragon who appeared so.
“What of the Sword Venerable’s descendant?”
“That young lady was incredible too! To think she was the Sword Venerable’s descendant. She was utterly flawless.”
“Beautiful flying swords soaring through the sky. To think martial arts could be so beautiful… I had only heard rumors, but they were true.”
“And that young lady’s appearance as well…”
The Lunar Immortal Sword.
The Sword Venerable’s unique martial art was already famously renowned.
The characteristic golden hue was one thing, and the beautiful sword path imbued with moonlight was another.
Particularly noteworthy was manifesting inner qi into flying swords.
Manifesting inner qi required delicate energy control, yet raising them into the air and using them as flying swords—just how delicate a movement was required?
It was only natural that others looked upon it with amazement, seeing such martial arts performed by a young woman.
Thanks to that, a nickname had inadvertently been attached to Wi Seol-a as well.
“The Toad-Moon Sword… She truly seemed as if the Sword Venerable had appeared again.”
“A nickname that fits perfectly.”
Toad-Moon Sword.
They had likely coined it after seeing the crescent moon-shaped sword strike Wi Seol-a had displayed at the end.
Hearing that, a thought came to mind.
‘Toad-Moon Sword… Compared to her previous life, it seems a bit lacking.’
Wi Seol-a’s previous life, when she had been called the Little Sword Saint.
Though it was a more disappointing nickname than back then, it wasn’t bad.
Gulp.
A high-class inn.
There, he took a swig of tea.
Listening to the sounds pouring in as he drank, the sensation was not bad.
He had deliberately not deployed his qi barrier.
It was to hear the stories about Dang So-yeol and Wi Seol-a.
While filtering through rumors and carefully stacking them in his ears.
“…The Emei Sect side isn’t making any particular moves. They seem to be lying low after the previous incident.”
Beside me, Cheol Ji-seon, who had been eating with me, continued speaking.
At a rather late hour of the night, we had deliberately come out into the city and entered an inn.
The reason was none other than to check how rumors were spreading among the people.
At those words, I turned my gaze to the guy.
At the same time, I moved my hand and deployed a qi barrier.
Hum-.
Now was the time to get to the main point.
“You mean the guys hanging around nearby have all disappeared?”
“Yeah, at least according to the reports.”
“That’s a shame. I was hoping they’d be a bit dumber.”
Was it proof that the Powder Immortal wasn’t completely incompetent?
Well, if she moved even after being openly warned, she should have stepped down from her position as sect leader long ago.
“Apart from that?”
“The Hwangbo Patriarch sent word. Preparations are complete, so he’s asking you to tell him whenever.”
“Good.”
It was good that things were moving quickly.
I could feel that the Hwangbo Patriarch was sharpening his blade.
‘He must want to ascend to his seat quickly.’
The position of patriarch of one of the Four Great Families that he had dreamed of so dearly.
The Hwangbo Patriarch’s desire to rise to that seat was starkly visible.
This wasn’t bad either.
Because it was easy to handle him precisely because he possessed such desire.
“Tell him to wait a little longer.”
“Got it.”
There were barely ten days left at most.
Since we had to make use of it at the most suitable time anyway, keeping him waiting was the priority for now.
‘Because the most important thing isn’t ready yet.’
It was about time for news to arrive. The moment I thought that.
“Ah, and… The Hwangbo family sent one more message.”
I perked up my ears at Cheol Ji-seon’s words.
The guy showed a slight hesitation as he spoke.
“Speak. It’s fine.”
“…They say the First Dragon Lord captured a martial artist in Hubei and is escorting him back.”
Stiff.
Hearing that, I stopped the teacup I was lifting.
“The martial artist is one of the members of the Demonic Cult who attacked Wudang…”
Each time Cheol Ji-seon slowly spat out words, I steadied my breathing.
“They say his name is Dang Deok.”
Clack.
I set down the teacup I was holding without drinking from it.
Cheol Ji-seon’s gaze as he looked at me that day was peculiar.
What would the guy ask me?
Would he ask if I was alright?
Or would he ask how to extract him?
In my eyes, it was neither.
At least, if it was the Cheol Ji-seon I knew, he would certainly ask like this.
-This.
“Yang-cheon. Did you do this…?”
“...”
At Cheol Ji-seon’s question, I slightly raised the corner of my mouth.
As expected, that guy was smart.
“That’s right.”
Because he had hit the mark immediately like this.