Kwaduduk—!
Friction rang out as qi scattered through the air.
The sight of manifested qi shattering looked almost like fragments being blown apart.
Kkigigik—!!
Protective qi clashed against protective qi, producing a harsh, grating sound.
The clash was fierce and rugged, as though neither side would yield even an inch—and yet, paradoxically, delicate as well.
Thud—! Thud-thud—!
Despite that countless energy exploding outward, not a single bit of it was wasted needlessly.
Every point had meaning.
Even where it seemed to be cast away lightly, intent was woven into it.
Ssak—!
The tip of a sword split through the opponent’s protective qi.
A golden flash burst forth, momentarily filling the air with light.
His vision was obscured.
At once, Yuyeon spun his body.
Fwoosh—!
Even with his vision blocked, his instincts remained sharp.
By a hair’s breadth, the sword’s tip grazed his shoulder.
Then, using the recoil, he immediately swung his fist.
Thud—! Pressure was applied to his dantian.
He thinned out his protective qi and converted his energy into power for his fist.
Baekbo Singwon.
Shaolin’s supreme technique poured forth into the air.
Kugagagagang—!
“!”
It was close.
It was too late to evade. Wi Seol-ah narrowed her golden eyes and gripped her sword hilt differently.
She could neither avoid nor block it.
Then she had to deflect it.
Wi Seol-ah also withdrew the protective qi wrapped around her body and imbued it deeply into her sword.
Kkigigigigigik—!!!
Baekbo Singwon veered slightly off the back of Wi Seol-ah’s sword and shot up into the air.
Kwoong—!
The rising shockwave looked as though it might pierce the heavens.
The spectators’ gazes were stolen for an instant by its overwhelming majesty, but—
The two people on the dueling platform immediately continued their stances.
Before long, both had once again wrapped themselves in protective qi.
Then flashes began bursting forth one after another.
Boom—! Boom-boom—! Boom—!
To those who were not martial artists, only blurred afterimages and deafening explosions remained.
It was a battle they could barely see, and yet even in such circumstances, they could clearly tell one thing.
The duel between those two was taking place on an astonishing level.
“What an unbelievable sight.”
“I can’t even see it properly.”
“…What in the world is happening…?”
The martial artists reacted with something close to shock.
They were barely twenty years old.
For a duel between members of the younger generation—moreover, those among the youngest of the later generation—their level was absurd.
It was a life-and-death struggle fought in earnest by one of the Hundred Greatest Experts.
Even at that level, it would be difficult to witness a duel of such value.
“Insight born from a children’s fight.”
It was a somewhat bewildering state of affairs.
While the martial artists were still confused—
“Contact the merchant guild master immediately.”
“We must recruit the Sword Venerable’s successor.”
The news of Wi Seol-ah, a martial world newcomer still acting independently, the Sword Venerable’s successor and granddaughter, began spreading rapidly.
Those who had carelessly judged her to be merely disciple-level—or assumed that her position came solely from being the Sword Venerable’s granddaughter—came to their senses.
She was not at that level.
Perhaps…
“The Sword Venerable’s reincarnation…”
The Gale Sword, who had ruled over an era and left his mark like a storm.
The presence of someone who might have become the greatest under heaven had emerged once more.
It was only natural that this alone drew everyone’s attention.
Of course—
“Hoo…”
“…”
The two actually engaged in the duel were not concerned with any of that.
Sssss—!
After finishing a bout of combat, the two briefly put some distance between themselves.
Heat hung thickly in the air, while fragments of the dueling platform scattered in every direction, turning to dust and enveloping the surroundings.
Their shoulders rose and fell.
An enormous number of movements had passed in an instant, and their breathing had grown ragged because of it.
“Hoo… huff…”
They calmed their breathing by circulating qi.
At the same time, Wi Seol-ah glared at her opponent through narrowed eyes.
The Divine Dragon, Yuyeon.
The young man known as Shaolin’s hope was looking back at Wi Seol-ah as well.
Seeing that, Wi Seol-ah let out a low groan.
‘I’m being pushed back.’
She was losing ground.
It was an objective assessment.
Wi Seol-ah could feel her strength gradually failing.
Her sword had grown somewhat heavier, and the sweat running down her face had soaked her hair.
Her throat was parched from her slightly ragged breathing.
Though only a few exchanges had passed, they had exhausted her this much.
Yuyeon, however, was in comparatively better condition.
His breathing had become disordered, but not severely.
He still seemed like a tranquil lake.
Looking at him, Wi Seol-ah examined her sword.
Wooooong.
The sword hummed.
Yet something foreign could be felt within that trembling.
She had taken a powerful recoil while deflecting Baekbo Singwon moments earlier.
It was not an internal injury, but it had certainly placed a strain on her.
‘…’
A tingling sensation spread through her hand.
She did not let it show.
Wi Seol-ah raised her head and looked at Yuyeon again.
Only then did the reality of it truly sink in.
‘He’s strong.’
Her opponent was strong.
Far stronger than Wi Seol-ah had expected.
It was like standing before a heavy wall.
Perhaps it was a wall that would not be cut even if she slashed it dozens of times.
But—
‘So what?’
Wi Seol-ah’s expression remained the same as it had been at the beginning.
That changed nothing.
If dozens of strikes were not enough, she would strike hundreds of times.
If that still was not enough, she would keep cutting until it could be cut.
That had been her only thought from the start.
Wooooong—!! The sword hum rising from her blade began to intensify.
She might not be able to win.
Even so, it did not matter.
‘Just a little more.’
Wi Seol-ah’s eyes gradually became unfocused.
It was an indescribable sensation.
The strength holding her center together slowly loosened.
The hum of her sword grew deeper.
Yuyeon’s expression faintly tightened when he saw it.
‘What is this?’
He could clearly feel that he held the advantage.
And yet the atmosphere felt strange.
Even though he was winning, it did not feel as though he was winning.
What should he call this peculiar sensation?
He did not know.
He raised his fist.
If he did not know, he could find out from this moment onward.
With that thought, they moved their bodies, and once more, an impact erupted across the dueling platform.
Thud—! Rumble—!
A thunderous roar, as though the heavens themselves were rumbling.
It was far more intense than before, and faster as well.
Sensing the flow of qi, Yuyeon aligned his body.
The increase in speed had not been Yuyeon’s intention.
‘…She raised the speed.’
Wi Seol-ah had increased the intensity, and Yuyeon was following her.
‘How?’
Her exhausted body should be reaching its limit.
Why was she forcing herself this far?
As Yuyeon dodged the sword and wondered—
Swish—!
“…!”
Sensing something behind him, Yuyeon kicked off the ground and leaped.
Then—
Screeech—!!
A sword passed through the spot where Yuyeon had been standing.
Yuyeon’s eyes widened like lanterns at the sight.
It was not an ordinary sword.
Telekinetic sword control.
More precisely, it was something that had taken the form of telekinetic sword control.
An energy that emitted a golden glow and drifted through the air.
What was that?
Yuyeon’s expression briefly filled with confusion, but—
Swish—!
“…Kugh!”
Amazingly, it was not a single sword.
Two more.
A total of three telekinetic swords stabbed toward Yuyeon.
And he was in midair, of all places.
That meant he was in a difficult position from which to evade. Realizing this, Yuyeon immediately thrust out his hand.
Baekbo Singwon. He detonated it in the air, using the recoil to shoot his body backward.
Kwaaang—!
He barely dodged the telekinetic swords and landed on the ground.
But the swords continued to pursue Yuyeon, as though they had no intention of letting him escape.
The telekinetic swords chased him relentlessly, leaving golden trails behind.
Someone who saw them whispered quietly.
“…Wolseon Eogeom!”
“The Sword Venerable’s martial art… It really is!”
Wolseon Eogeom.
A martial art based on the Sword Venerable’s internal cultivation method, Wolui Simgong.
The beautiful sword paths of Wolseon Mugeom, along with the countless telekinetic swords wielded through that internal art, had been the very identity of the Sword Venerable.
And Wi Seol-ah was now displaying them.
It was said that the Sword Venerable in his prime had controlled forty telekinetic swords, whereas Wi Seol-ah had shown no more than three.
Even so, merely seeing them caused the spectators to grow excited.
“She truly is the Sword Venerable’s successor.”
“…Who would have thought she could drive the Divine Dragon that far? Could that young lady also have reached the Transformation Realm?”
“If she has not reached the Transformation Realm, then what else could she be? No matter how one looks at it, that is not the ability of a Peak Realm martial artist.”
“She reached the Transformation Realm at that age…? What in the world is with this generation…!”
Swish—!
The telekinetic swords attacked with nimble precision.
Dodging them this way and that, Yuyeon shifted his gaze.
Wi Seol-ah was waving her hand with a faintly furrowed expression.
Watching her, Yuyeon thought—
‘She can’t move while using telekinetic sword control.’
He reached a decision.
He kicked off the ground once more. There was not much time to think.
This time, he did not leap into the air but charged straight ahead.
His foot, wrapped in powerful qi, immediately closed in on Wi Seol-ah.
Swish—! Two telekinetic swords followed from behind, while one stabbed toward him from the front.
Seeing it, Yuyeon thrust out his hand.
Crack—! He seized the telekinetic sword before him.
Shaaak—! His palm split as the sword pierced through his protective qi.
Pain flickered across his face, but he ignored it.
Crunch—! He gripped the sword hard, shattered it, and charged onward.
He moved too quickly for the swords behind him to keep up.
In an instant, Yuyeon arrived before Wi Seol-ah.
At that moment—
Shing.
“…!?”
Wi Seol-ah moved her sword as though she had been waiting for him.
He expanded his sensory perception to confirm.
The telekinetic swords were still coming.
Only then did he realize.
‘A feint…!’
A feint meant to lure him here from the beginning.
Yuyeon realized it too late.
It was already too late.
Shaaak—!
“Krgh!”
Wi Seol-ah’s sword cut across Yuyeon’s upper body.
Blood sprayed into the air.
He hurriedly widened the distance between them.
Drip—! Drip—!
Blood ran down his chest.
Yuyeon furrowed his brow from the pain.
Fortunately, the cut was not deep.
“Huff…!”
He wrapped his body in qi and staunched the bleeding.
Seeing him injured, the referee widened his eyes and approached.
Yuyeon calmly spoke before he could say anything.
“…I can continue. I’m fine.”
“…”
Hearing that, the referee stepped back again.
Wooooong.
The telekinetic swords drifted through the air, circling lazily around Wi Seol-ah.
Between the two swords, energy gathered and formed another sword.
The telekinetic sword Yuyeon had destroyed earlier had reappeared.
‘…This is difficult.’
Her speed had increased, and the appearance of the telekinetic swords made approaching her difficult.
Had she been hiding her strength?
Yuyeon looked at Wi Seol-ah with weary eyes.
‘…What is this?’
Then he sensed something strange.
The woman’s eyes seemed hazy, somehow.
‘Could it be…’
Yuyeon realized Wi Seol-ah’s current state.
The Realm of Selflessness.
It referred to a martial artist entering a state of enlightenment, and the woman appeared to have reached that state now.
‘Has she touched enlightenment while fighting?’
It was absurd.
How could she attain enlightenment in a battle like this?
‘If something goes wrong while she’s in that state, she’ll suffer qi deviation.’
Even if it was regrettable, the proper thing would be to withdraw from enlightenment during a duel.
Knowing that, the woman was still attempting it.
‘…Did she think I would wait for her?’
Had she judged that Yuyeon would yield to her?
No. Yuyeon did not think that was the case.
The woman simply did not care.
It seemed to mean that even if she fought after entering the Realm of Selflessness, it made no difference to her.
“…”
His fist clenched.
He did not think he had been looked down upon, but he did not feel particularly pleased either.
The blood had stopped flowing.
Facing the dazed Wi Seol-ah, Yuyeon shifted his stance.
“Sssss…”
He steadied his breathing and released his energy in a different manner.
Shaolin’s internal cultivation method, Yijin Jing, rapidly circulated his qi.
A yellow haze gradually began to rise from Yuyeon’s body.
An immense amount of qi enveloped him, taking on a form like armor.
Yijin Jing’s Fifth Art.
Hwang’a Gangram.
Shaolin’s supreme technique descended upon Yuyeon’s body.
“…Ohhh…!”
“How could he…!”
Those who saw Yuyeon’s state—particularly the older martial artists—reacted with extraordinary astonishment.
Over the past several decades—
Since the generation before the current Shaolin Abbot, Cheonan.
Since the former abbot, Gyeongseungja—
It was a Shaolin supreme technique that no one had succeeded in performing.
The energy wrapped around him like armor possessed defensive power akin to the legendary Invulnerable Vajra Body.
And it was said that the yellow-glowing fist was a martial art capable of crushing Mount Tai with a single blow.
Grgrk… grrk…!!
Cracks spread beneath Yuyeon’s feet as he enveloped himself in qi.
The ground looked as though it were being crushed under an immense weight.
Everyone trembled before that overwhelming majesty, but—
‘I have to end this.’
Yuyeon’s condition while clad in it was far from good.
Hwang’a Gangram was a power his vessel was not yet suited to contain.
Having reached the Transformation Realm, he could barely imitate it.
Even wearing it and enduring its burden placed a tremendous strain on his body.
‘At most, ten seconds.’
The moment the count passed ten, he would collapse.
The tremendous expenditure of qi would empty his dantian, and before that, his body would give out and he would lose consciousness.
It was a martial art that was dangerous to that extent.
And yet, how had Wi Seol-ah used it?
‘It has to end.’
He had to end this bout somehow.
Dragging it out would be meaningless. It was frightening, too.
‘That woman is still growing, even now.’
She was stronger than when they had first met.
And she would only become more so as time passed.
There was no other way to describe her but an absurd existence.
“Whew.”
Yu Yeon assumed his stance and drew in a breath.
Seeing this, Wi Seol-ah calmly moved her hand.
“…Hm?”
Yu Yeon’s eyes widened as he watched.
The flying swords circling around them scattered when Wi Seol-ah moved her sword.
The qi of the flying swords fluttered through the air.
Then, it began to gather around her blade.
“…!”
The qi dyed the edge of the sword with color.
The surroundings were soon flooded with golden light, as though they were glowing.
Hwaaaaaak—!
‘...’
Though the light made him squint, Yu Yeon thought.
So that was it.
Even after entering a state of egolessness, she was still expressing her intentions.
It seemed that this time, she was trying to match him.
Amid his boiling fighting spirit, a strange gratitude and an emotion he could not identify began to well up.
He had finally encountered an equal opponent.
For Yu Yeon, it was an entirely unfamiliar sensation.
For some reason, he felt at ease.
Was it merely an illusion?
The qi weaving together Hwang-a Gangnim seemed to have grown a little stronger.
If he continued like this, could he reach the place he wished to attain?
As he voiced that hazy sentiment—
“...”
“...”
The two moved.
Instead of driving his fist forward, Yu Yeon slammed his palm down toward the ground.
Tathagata Divine Palm.
Kuuuuuuung—!!!
A tremendous crack burst across the dueling platform along with the impact.
Wooooooong—!!!!
In the air, qi gathered and descended upon Wi Seol-ah.
A palm-shaped mass of qi.
It was large enough to cover the entire dueling platform.
The attack descended rapidly.
At the same time—
Shrring.
Wi Seol-ah also brought her sword down in a smooth motion.
The movement was neat and delicate.
Her sword traced a semicircle, leaving an afterimage in the air.
Wolseon Birwon Slash.
Guuuuuuuu—!!
A great crescent moon born from the sword advanced to cut apart the Buddha’s palm.
The two martial arts collided.
Vwoom—!
With a small vibration—
Kuuuuuuuuung—!!!!
A tremendous explosion erupted.
The shock was fierce, as though an earthquake had struck.
With power of this magnitude, the spectators might be caught up in it, beginning with the dueling platform.
“…Th-this is!”
The referee hurriedly looked toward the stands in alarm.
“…Huh?”
Amazingly, the stands had not been affected by the shock in the slightest.
The reason was a qi barrier.
A blue qi barrier had spread around them at some point, preventing them from being swept up in the explosion.
What was that?
The referee wondered, but as though it had completed its role, the barrier soon vanished.
Saaaaaaa—!!
After the explosion subsided, the dueling platform was filled with nothing but clouds of dust.
Every spectator watching held their breath.
The silence had begun the moment Yu Yeon used Hwang-a Gangnim.
Time passed, and the dust gradually settled.
Ssssss….
Yu Yeon and Wi Seol-ah stood upon the dueling platform.
Was it not over yet?
Just as everyone was staring at the two of them—
“Cough.”
Someone spat out blood.
It was Yu Yeon.
Ptui—! Blood poured onto the ground.
Yu Yeon clutched his chest and dropped to one knee.
“Huff… cough….”
He repeatedly expelled ragged breaths, as though he were nearing his limit.
Seeing this, the referee hurried toward him.
It seemed that Yu Yeon had lost.
“The winner is…!”
Just as the referee was about to declare Wi Seol-ah the victor—
Thud—!
Movement came from Wi Seol-ah’s side this time.
When the referee looked over—
She had collapsed face-first onto the dueling platform, seemingly unconscious.
Clang.
The sword she had been holding also fell to the ground.
The only one still conscious on the dueling platform was Yu Yeon.
“Uh….”
The referee froze for a moment, caught off guard despite himself.
But he soon grasped the situation and shouted.
“N-number two hundred nine. Victory!”
The Divine Dragon had seized the victory.
Not long after Yu Yeon’s number was called and his win was confirmed—
Waaaaaaaah—!!!
A tremendous cheer erupted from the stands.
“Huff… huff….”
The cheers burrowed into his ears, and Yu Yeon nodded tiredly.
He had won.
He had truly won.
His consciousness was gradually growing hazy because of the wound in his chest.
Even so, heat rose within him.
It would not matter if he lost consciousness like this.
Yu Yeon struggled to catch his breath, trying to suppress his smile, when—
Vwoom.
“…?”
Suddenly, he saw Wi Seol-ah’s body rise into the air.
Had he lost so much blood that he was seeing things?
He doubted his eyes for a moment, but it was no illusion.
Wi Seol-ah was definitely floating upward.
Not high, but just above the ground.
While everyone was cheering, Wi Seol-ah slowly rose and began to move.
The people rushing over with a stretcher and the physicians had to stop in surprise.
Wi Seol-ah then flew through the air and came to rest in someone’s arms.
When Yu Yeon recognized the person, his eyes widened in shock.
The Little Yama.
The one holding Wi Seol-ah beneath the dueling platform was the Little Yama.
He held the unconscious Wi Seol-ah in his arms and stroked her head.
The Little Yama gazed at her quietly, then soon turned his head and met Yu Yeon’s eyes.
His eyes revealed nothing of what he was thinking.
They were cool and detached, yet seemed to possess a dry, burning heat.
Everyone else was cheering, but when Yu Yeon met his gaze, he could hear nothing at all.
Then—
—I’m sorry.
The Little Yama’s voice reached his ears through telepathy.
—I apologize. You’re the real thing.
What did he mean?
Yu Yeon could not ask.
He was too exhausted even to send a telepathic message.
—I look forward to it.
As though he had finished speaking, the Little Yama turned around and walked away with Wi Seol-ah in his arms.
“Ah….”
Watching him go, Yu Yeon finally reached his limit and collapsed unconscious.
History would later say that this was perhaps where it all began.
The point at which the stars known as meteors began to bloom, and the Central Plains truly began to change.
They would say that it began on this day.
It was the beginning of the day that countless people would speak of in that way.