"Hahaha."
Gao Jingzi, the elder of the North Hengshan Sect who had easily won this match, let out a laugh.
It was a very small laugh, but that alone was enough to irritate the spirits of those sitting nearby.
The first to break the suddenly stiffened atmosphere was Wu Yingzi, an elder of the Taishan Sect.
"The future of the North Hengshan Sect looks promising."
"Fortunately, luck was on our side."
Tai Jingzi, who had been watching the congratulations from the two sword sects that had defeated the Huashan Sect, hardened his face.
As the only elder from the Songshan Sect to have lost, he couldn't bring himself to lift his head.
'All of them except our sect ground their teeth to defeat Huashan.'
He who had been blaming himself soon relaxed his stiff expression. After that, with a bitter smile, he offered his congratulations to Gao Jingzi.
"……Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Gao Jingzi replied with a smile.
However, the pupils hidden behind his curved eyes held mockery.
'The Songshan Sect has passed its prime too.'
Due to the results of the Five Sacred Mountains Gathering four years ago, the North Hengshan Sect had been treated as little more than the lowest among the Five Sacred Sword Sects.
But now their positions had changed.
"Hmm……"
The Sect Leader also had a poor expression.
The relaxed smile that had lingered at the corners of his mouth had vanished without a trace, and even his complexion was gradually darkening.
'I didn't expect Jikjae to lose.'
The prediction had been completely off.
One win, two losses.
If they lost even once more, a catastrophe could occur where the sword sect hosting the Five Sacred Mountains Gathering for the first time in twenty-eight years would be defeated.
'I was truly arrogant.'
His mouth tasted bitter.
The situation he had thought would be an easy victory was flowing in the exact opposite direction.
The skills of the disciples from other sword sects, which he had thought would be similar to before, had risen to an incomparable level.
As the face of the Sect Leader, who had been smiling all along, gradually darkened, the elders of the victorious sword sects, on the contrary, brightened in expression.
'Tsk tsk, past their prime.'
'The ranking of the Five Sacred Sword Sects might change in the future.'
Just as the two were falling into thought, anticipating the bright future soon to come—
Swish—
A boy wearing a blue-white daoist robe came up onto the sparring platform with a flashy movement.
"Changyun Meiliubu……!"
"H-How can a young child……"
Everyone erupted in shock.
Changyun Meiliubu was one of the ultimate techniques of the South Hengshan Sect that few had mastered.
"I am Jiang Yun, the second disciple of our sect."
Chi Yuzi, the elder of the South Hengshan Sect, spoke calmly as if he had been waiting for this.
As if he had aimed for everything.
'That old fox!'
'He's been hiding it all along!'
'As expected of the South Hengshan Sect.'
The three elders bit their lips.
Somehow they thought he had just been quietly watching, but he had been aiming for this all along.
Chi Yuzi smiled faintly, seemingly satisfied with their reactions.
"It's already the last match, isn't it."
His eyes suddenly grew cold.
Depending on the result of this match, the direction of the Five Sacred Sword Sects would clearly change.
Chi Yuzi's eyes gleamed.
'Not as good as before.'
A young man of about twenty, wearing the Huashan Sect's daoist robe, came up onto the sparring arena.
"Senior brother!"
"We're counting on you!"
"Do your best!"
Cheers poured in from all directions.
Chijian, the second disciple of the Huashan Sect who received such cheers, was frozen with tension.
'I must win.'
He had thought his turn would come comfortably, but the situation was far from easy.
'I absolutely cannot lose.'
He swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth with a gulp.
Chijian was the most promising rising star among the second disciples, receiving all kinds of expectations not only from the Huashan Sect but also from his family, the Feifeng Trading Company.
'Hahaha! A daoist from the Huashan Sect has emerged from our family!'
He recalled his father, who had admired martial artists but lacked talent and couldn't learn martial arts.
When he said he had become a disciple of the Huashan Sect, how overjoyed he was, how he threw a feast.
And that wasn't all.
The Huashan Sect had also helped him in every possible way.
He felt the weight on his shoulders.
'Everything depends on me.'
The tense Chijian approached Jiang Yun, who was standing in the center, and respectfully performed a hand salute.
"I am Chijian of the Huashan Sect."
"I am Jiang Yun of the South Hengshan Sect."
After lightly exchanging greetings, the two turned around and took an appropriate distance.
Shring—
After drawing their swords, they faced each other.
Tianhui instantly predicted the outcome.
"He's going to lose."
No, from the moment he saw Chijian, the result of this match seemed obvious.
Tiangao, puzzled by Tianhui's sudden remark, asked.
"……Who do you mean will lose, junior brother?"
"Chijian."
Looking at Tianhui who answered as if it were obvious, Tiangao narrowed his brow and asked softly.
"Why do you think so?"
"Can't you tell by looking at that?"
"By 'that,' what do you mean to look at?"
"His sword, his sword."
Looking at Tianhui who replied in an annoyed tone, Tiangao's gaze moved quickly.
Soon his eyes hardened when he saw Chijian.
Just as he said, the sword was trembling.
So severely that it could be seen even from here.
"I didn't think he'd be that tense."
"If the tip of his sword is shaking that much, it seems he's lost his composure from tension. Can he even properly execute his martial arts?"
Tianhui, who was speaking, stared at Chijian.
His posture was a complete mess.
He was that tense.
From the fingers gripping the sword, everything was shaking.
Squeeze—
There wasn't even any focus in his eyes.
Which meant his vision wasn't clear, and he would definitely be slow to react to the martial arts his opponent would wield.
"When you're tense, you can't see what you could normally see, and you can't do what you could normally do. On top of that, with his muscles stiffened, even the sword he used to swing so well won't move exactly as he intends, even if only by a very slight margin."
At Tianhui's explanation, Tiangao nodded, then naturally let out a comment.
"Still, the tension will ease as time passes."
Those who had been secretly listening nearby nodded slightly at Tiangao's rebuttal.
Tianhui looked at them with pity.
'Sigh, even after seeing that, they still think that way? If Malko Daoshi, who made the Huashan Sect stand above Wudang and Shaolin at that time, were to hear these words now, he'd throw a fit.'
As he said, Chijian's tension would eventually ease.
It would be after this match ended, though.
Tap!
The two who had been staring at each other on the sparring platform stomped the ground simultaneously.
Then the two swords clashed in midair.
Clang! Chaeng!
The air burst open.
"Hmm."
Tiangao, who was watching, let out a groan.
Chijian's sword technique bent in a strange direction, and eventually a blood mark appeared on his cheek.
It was exactly as Tianhui had said.
"It's just as you said, junior brother."
Tianhui, looking at Tiangao who had creases on his forehead, added.
"It's because his Mingjing Zhishui was broken. When the sword he swung didn't move as he intended, his composure was shaken, and then even the principles of the sword art he already knew got tangled up."
Tianhui said matter-of-factly.
To properly execute a sword art, the mind and body had to be stable.
But losing one's composure?
It was bound to collapse.
Whoooosh!
At that moment, Chijian explosively released his internal energy.
The trembling, falling plum blossoms soared into the sky with an explosive momentum.
"Hah!"
Right on cue, Chijian swung his sword.
His figure executing the Luoying Sword Art was different from before—destructive.
Chaeng! Chaeng!
Seeing Chijian pressing forward, Tiangao swept his chest and smiled lightly.
"It seems his tension has finally eased."
"It doesn't seem like it."
Tianhui flatly denied it.
Tiangao's face stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
"He's not looking at his opponent at all."
"Not looking……"
"He's not watching at all what kind of sword art his opponent is executing, what footwork he's using. He's just focusing entirely on executing his own sword art as if he's practicing martial arts."
Tiangao's gaze turned toward the sparring platform.
Just as he said, Chijian was executing the Luoying Sword Art regardless of what Jiang Yun was doing.
"Still, he's pushing forward."
"Does that really look like pushing forward to you?"
"……"
Tiangao closed his mouth.
Actually, he too thought it was a bit strange.
Chijian was continuously pressing forward while executing the Luoying Sword Art, but Jiang Yun, who was stepping back, was composed.
Tianhui continued speaking immediately.
"You have to know well who your opponent is and what kind of martial arts they're executing. Only then can you grasp when your opponent reveals an opening, and how they'll react to your attacks, so you can target their weaknesses."
He spoke of the attitude of one who fights.
Zhi Bi Zhi Ji Bai Zhan Bu Dai.
It was the saying that if you know the enemy and know yourself, you will never be in peril even in a hundred battles.
Yet right now, his opponent Jiang Yun was taking that attitude.
'While the opponent is examining things so carefully, this kid named Chijian is just blindly swinging his own techniques.'
A sigh escaped him involuntarily.
Chijian's skill was clearly superior to his opponent's.
But what did that matter?
He was so stiff that he couldn't even display thirty percent of his ability.
Because of that, his judgment was also clouded, and mistakes he would never normally make occurred one after another.
'Lack of experience.'
Tianhui, who had been thinking, added.
"He'll be pushed into a defensive position from now on."
The moment those words ended, the gazes of Tiangao and those who had been secretly listening nearby turned toward the sparring platform.
"Hah!"
Chijian, who had drawn up all his internal energy, pressed forward relentlessly without even giving a moment's respite.
From the first stance Luohua Liushui, to Luoying Qilü, and more.
Chijian continuously executed various stances of the Luoying Sword Art, pressuring Jiang Yun.
Step.
Soon Jiang Yun was driven to the corner of the sparring platform, and Chijian raised his sword high.
Whoooosh!
With his internal energy explosively released, he infused it directly into his sword and swung it down swiftly.
It was the Luoying Jiangtian, a stance his master had strictly forbidden him from executing unless his life was in danger.
At that moment.
Flash!
Jiang Yun's eyes gleamed.
Immediately changing his sword grip, he dove into Chijian's exposed stance—his abdomen and shoulder laid bare as he executed Luoying Jiangtian.
Clang!
The Luoying Jiangtian that couldn't be properly swung was intercepted midway and deflected to the side.
Then a sharp aura emanated from the sword of Jiang Yun, who had been desperately defending.
Swish—!
It was swung like a flash of light.
In an instant, the tide turned.
"……"
Those who had been secretly listening opened their eyes wide at the situation flowing exactly as Tianhui had just said.
At that moment, Tianhui clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, he lost."
The moment those words ended.
Clang!
The sword soared into the sky.
After the sword fell to the ground, the disciples of the South Hengshan Sect erupted in cheers.
"Waaaaah!"
On the contrary, the disciples of the Huashan Sect watched blankly, unable to grasp the situation. After a while, as they gradually understood what had happened one by one, they let out sighs.
"Ah……"
"Senior brother……"
Losing one's sword was more shameful than death for a swordsman.
In shock, Chijian's pupils shook.
'M-My sword……'
At that moment, Jiang Yun, who had been wearing a troubled expression, approached and performed a hand salute with both hands gathered together.
"It was a good match."
Squeeze!
Chijian clenched his fists tightly.
The Jiang Yun in front of him was certainly not an easy opponent, but if he had properly executed the martial arts he'd learned, he should have been able to win.
'You fool! You were so tense you couldn't even properly execute your martial arts and lost so miserably! You idiot!'
He was angry at himself.
More than anything, at the fact that he had succumbed to pressure and couldn't even properly execute his martial arts.
He bit his lip and unclenched his fists.
Trickle—
His fingernails had dug into his palms so tightly that blood flowed from them.
With those blood-soaked hands, Chijian slowly performed a hand salute.
"……I've learned a lesson."
The disciples of the Huashan Sect swallowed their breath.
Until they came to Daolinping.
No, until the first match, they had thought of the Five Sacred Mountains Gathering as a celebration they would naturally win.
But what about now?
A continuous string of shocking defeats.
Those who faced the results one by one lost their words, and eventually the place where they had gathered fell silent in stillness.
* * *
The Five Sacred Mountains Gathering had come to an end.
From the Huashan Sect's perspective, it was a completely unfavorable result, but it couldn't be changed.
A short while later, Xuanxiang, the Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect, slowly walked up onto the sparring platform.
'Our sect's reputation will fall.'
Though his heart ached from the Huashan Sect's defeat, he had no choice but to step forward for the sake of conducting the Five Sacred Mountains Gathering.
"All victors, come up."
As if they had been waiting for those words to end, four boys immediately came up.
Seeing the situation where, except for Chi Yun, all were disciples from other sword sects, a bitter smile lingered at the corners of the Sect Leader's mouth.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
The four bowed their heads deeply at the same time.
Looking at the four paying their respects, the Sect Leader looked behind him, and a middle-aged daoist holding a bundle of swords came up.
The swords he brought were the rewards that had been specially commissioned to be made for the victors of this Five Sacred Mountains Gathering.
They were swords made of Bailian Jinggang, which was quite difficult to obtain.
While they couldn't be ranked among the famous swords, they were swords that any swordsman would dream of at least once.
And there were four of them.
The middle-aged daoist respectfully handed the four swords to the Sect Leader.
"Thank you."
After receiving the swords from the middle-aged daoist, the Sect Leader approached those lined up.
Scanning the faces of the four, he first approached Chi Yun of the Huashan Sect, who had been the first to win, and spoke.
"Your Tianliu Sword Art was good. However, your grip still loosens when swinging the sword. If you supplement that and accumulate internal energy, you'll be able to execute an even better sword art than now."
"……Thank you."
At the Sect Leader's advice, Chi Yun's throat tightened.
"Haha, why the long face on such a good day?"
Speaking gently, the Sect Leader handed swords one by one along with advice following Chi Yun, and those who received them rejoiced.
Finally approaching Jiang Yun, the Sect Leader handed the sword and said softly.
"Your footwork and sword art are quite light and swift. However, if you had loaded a bit more internal energy into the final sword technique or taken one more step forward, it would have been much better than now."
"Thank you for the advice."
Jiang Yun received the sword and bowed his head.
Just as the Sect Leader was about to turn around.
"Would it be alright if I said a word to you, Master?"
The Sect Leader stopped his body from turning.
Then he looked at Jiang Yun and asked.
"What words?"
"I have admired the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of the Huashan Sect for a long time."
The Sect Leader's eyebrows twitched.
The South Hengshan Sect admires the Plum Blossom Swordsmen?
There was something off about those words.
"If it's alright, please give me the opportunity to witness the Twenty-Four Stances Plum Blossom Sword Art executed by the Plum Blossom Swordsmen."
"……!"
The faces of the Huashan Sect's veterans hardened.
There were no Plum Blossom Swordsmen in the Huashan Sect right now.
And that was a fact that everyone who had come here knew.
So what did it mean to say such a thing?
It was looking down on the Huashan Sect!
The Sect Leader stared directly at Jiang Yun.
"The Plum Blossom Sword Art, you say?"
"That's right."
Despite the silent pressure, Jiang Yun held his ground.
Just as the two's gazes were intertwining—
'That back is……'
Beyond Jiang Yun's shoulder, a small back trying to leave Daolinping could be seen.
The Sect Leader immediately smiled gently.
"Very well."
This time it was Jiang Yun's turn to be flustered.
Seeing that reaction, the Sect Leader half-opened his eyes and added.
"However, unfortunately, there is a matter and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen are not staying at our sect."
"Then……"
"Would it be acceptable if it's someone among the first disciples who can perfectly execute the Plum Blossom Sword Art instead?"
Cutting off Jiang Yun's words, the Sect Leader said firmly.
Jiang Yun's face subtly hardened.
"Among the first disciples, you say?"
"Hahaha, do not worry. The one I speak of is of the same age as you."
The disciples of the Huashan Sect murmured.
"Someone who isn't a Plum Blossom Swordsman but can perfectly execute the Plum Blossom Sword Art?"
"They're here?"
"Who on earth?"
At that moment.
Swish—
The Sect Leader slowly moved his head.
At that gesture, everyone's gaze moved in the direction the Sect Leader was looking.
At that moment, the Sect Leader's mouth opened.
"Isn't that right, Tianhui?"
The moment those words were said, the young daoist who had been trying to leave Daolinping stopped walking and turned around.
The young-faced daoist, with all the attention focused on him, furrowed his brow and pointed at himself with his finger.
"……Me?"