"What?!"
The members of the Nangong Clan sitting all around kicked off their chairs and sprang to their feet.
Speak of righteousness, and it was the Nangong Clan. Speak of the Nangong Clan, and it was righteousness.
Yet what? Ungrateful?
The faces of those glaring at Cheon Hwi were flushed with anger, veins bulging in their necks.
"You brat! How dare you spout such nonsense, not knowing whose domain this is!"
"It seems you've become blind to your surroundings after gaining some petty fame recently!"
"To dare insult our Clan...!"
Their voices, screaming at the top of their lungs, were thoroughly agitated.
Since a mere Taoist of the Huashan Sect had insulted the Patriarch of the Nangong Clan, and inside the Nangong Clan estate no less, the anger of the onlookers pierced the heavens.
But then.
"Did I give anyone permission to speak?"
Nangong In put an end to the commotion.
The rampaging crowd clamped their mouths shut and suppressed their anger like dead mice with a single word.
Nangong In, who grasped the atmosphere of the Nangong Clan with just a single word, turned his head.
"Did you say ungrateful?"
Nangong In's gaze pierced through Cheon Hwi.
It was a frigid and sharp gaze that would make anyone who met it shrink back and avert their eyes, but...
'What are you glaring at?'
Rather than shrinking back and avoiding his gaze, Cheon Hwi met it head-on.
"I thought you were deaf, but you heard me well this time."
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The retainers of the Nangong Clan couldn't say a word due to Nangong In's command, but killing intent was slowly billowing from them.
Soon after, a violently blooming murderous intent, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, simultaneously assailed Cheon Hwi.
The moment the atmosphere turned unpredictably ferocious in the blink of an eye.
"I am sorry, Patriarch Nangong. Could you please calm your anger for a moment?"
Hyeonjin stepped in between the two.
Reading that the flowing atmosphere was unusual, he hastily apologized.
"I apologize."
"My junior brother is still ignorant of the murim, which led to this situation."
"He committed a breach of etiquette."
Starting with his apology, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen also urgently chimed in one by one.
Their bodies were trembling slightly.
'A-as expected of the Nangong Clan...'
'I-I can't breathe!'
They had stepped forward to prevent a fight from breaking out, but they felt like they would suffocate from the murderous intent pressing in from all sides.
'...It's dangerous.'
Hyeonjin, who was relatively fine, noticed the Plum Blossom Swordsmen turning pale and once again respectfully bowed.
"Our sect's disciple is still young and lacks judgment..."
But his words were useless.
"Words carry heavy responsibility."
Nangong In ignored Hyeonjin's words.
No, Hyeonjin wasn't even in his eyes.
His gaze was solely on one person.
He was silently staring at the foolish young Taoist behind Hyeonjin's shoulder, who was meeting his gaze directly.
"A single misspoken word can create long-lasting enmity, and sometimes the rise and fall of a sect hinges on it. Especially in the murim, you should know that you must not open your mouth carelessly if you lack the power."
"Does that mean if I have great power, I can open my mouth however I please?"
As Cheon Hwi answered brazenly, Nangong In's eyebrows twitched greatly.
"...Are you saying you have the power to take responsibility against our Clan?"
Cheon Hwi moved his head and swept his gaze over everyone inside the Cangtian Great Hall.
At this level...
"More than enough."
The air sank in an instant.
Nangong In looked at Cheon Hwi with tranquil eyes, then let out a frigid voice.
"You are audacious."
"It's more natural than audacious."
"Natural?"
Just as Nangong In glared at Cheon Hwi, who spoke as if he wouldn't yield even a single word.
*Swish—*
A young man appeared in front of Nangong In and Cheon Hwi, employing a flashy movement technique.
"Father. I will make him take responsibility."
"You?"
"Yes."
The young man, the Second Young Master of the Nangong Clan, Nangong Jinjing, whirled around.
Who is this guy?
As Cheon Hwi looked at Nangong Jinjing, who was staring straight into his eyes, the latter suddenly brought his hands together and performed a fist-and-palm salute.
"I request a duel with you, young brother."
"No, that is not..."
The panicked Hyeonjin tried to refuse, but Cheon Hwi answered slickly, faster than him.
"That sounds good."
* * *
Above the Nangong Clan's training grounds.
When Cheon Hwi and Nangong Jinjing stood facing each other at a distance, the surroundings of the training grounds filled with fervor.
"Please fix his ill-mannered behavior!"
"Second Young Master!"
Of course, since it was the Nangong Clan, it was a one-sided fervor of support for Nangong Jinjing.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"Ah, junior brother."
Hyeonjin and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen shrank back at the deafening cheers.
"Martial Uncle. Will he be alright? Junior brother was sick until recently..."
"Martial Uncle, we must stop the duel at once!"
Hyeonjin's expression darkened at the restless voices of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Every single word represented his own feelings.
However.
"It's too late."
The moment Cheon Hwi accepted the duel, there was no justification to stop it, nor could they intervene.
'Haa. He must be truly furious.'
He could understand the Nangong Patriarch's feelings.
A young Taoist had spat belittling words directly at him, the Patriarch.
And in a place where all the Clan's retainers were gathered, no less.
If he put himself in the Patriarch's shoes, he would have been angry too.
'Still, isn't this too much, Patriarch Nangong?'
His gaze turned toward Nangong Jinjing.
Cangtian Sword Dragon, Nangong Jinjing.
His broad shoulders and the muscles glimpsed between his clothes had a solidity like condensed steel.
His height wasn't exceptionally tall, but his large physique made him look more massive than Cheon Hwi, who was actually taller.
'That's not all.'
Sweat formed on Hyeonjin's forehead as he watched.
'To have such a level of aura.'
It wasn't for nothing he was called one of the Five Dragons and Four Phoenixes, the top talents of the Bicheon Society.
The aura he exuded was fierce and overflowing with power, truly living up to his reputation.
'The Nangong Patriarch must have called him on purpose.'
Wrinkles formed between Hyeonjin's brows.
A duel to take responsibility, they call it.
The current situation seemed to be flowing exactly as the Nangong Patriarch desired.
"The opponent is none other than the Cangtian Sword Dragon. Can your junior brother even hold his ground..."
Hyeonjin snapped at someone's remark.
"I know that too!"
Seeing Hyeonjin, who had never wavered no matter what happened, lose his temper, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen couldn't hide their bewilderment.
"Martial Uncle?"
"I know full well it will be hard for Cheon Hwi to hold his ground against the Cangtian Sword Dragon. But what can we do about it? Didn't Cheon Hwi accept the duel!"
Hyeonjin, who had been suppressing his emotions all along, burst out and thumped his chest.
He, too, was anxious and suffocating to death, even if he didn't say it out loud.
Whatever they were about to say, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen instantly fell silent and dropped their heads.
"All we can do now is hope nothing happens..."
Covering his face with his hands, Hyeonjin muttered in despair.
"...Let's just wait for the duel to end in silence. Still, just in case..."
Trailing off, Hyeonjin blinked once and whispered to the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
"If it seems like something will go wrong during the duel, prepare to intervene."
"...!"
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen snapped their heads up.
Energy returned to their eyes.
It was the words they had been waiting and waiting for.
Soon, with stiff expressions, they readied themselves to draw the swords at their waists at any moment and replied.
"Understood."
"We will be ready to move at any time."
Meanwhile, Cheon Hwi took in Nangong Jinjing, who was standing opposite him holding a wooden sword.
'I didn't expect to see the Nangong Clan's martial arts before the Nine Great Sects and One Faction.'
The situation was flowing strangely.
The reason he came all the way to the Murim Alliance was to observe the orthodox sects' martial arts.
But what was this?
He was getting to observe the martial arts of the completely unrelated Bicheon Society, specifically the Nangong Clan, rather than the martial arts of the sects belonging to the Murim Alliance.
'What kind of martial arts will he display?'
He vaguely recalled the Nangong Clan's martial arts from his memories.
Many martial arts came to mind, but the most anticipated were, as expected, the sword arts.
Including the Cangqiong Wuya Sword Art, as well as the Dayan Sword Art and the Tianfeng Sword Art...
'They were quite decent sword arts back then, too.'
A slow smile full of interest crept onto the lips of the pondering Cheon Hwi.
'The Nangong Clan hasn't fallen like the Huashan Sect, so they must have developed it further, right?'
Just then, Nangong Jinjing performed a fist-and-palm salute.
"I am Nangong Jinjing of the Nangong Clan."
"Ah, I am Cheon Hwi of Huashan."
Receiving the greeting, Nangong Jinjing released his salute and drew the sword at his waist.
*Shing—*
He wasn't the Second Young Master of the Nangong Clan for nothing; his sword revealed a sharpness that made it feel like a famous sword at a glance.
"I intend to use the Shandian Shisan Jianlei in this duel."
Speaking in a stiff tone, he took a step forward with his left foot and raised his sword.
At that moment, Cheon Hwi's eyes sparkled.
Shandian Shisan Jianlei? A new sword art?
It was a martial arts name he had never heard of in either his past or current life.
What is it like? If it's Shandian (Lightning), is it a fast sword art?
Just as Cheon Hwi, excited by the prospect of seeing a new martial art, was beaming.
"What martial art will you use to face me, young brother?"
"I haven't really thought of anything, but..."
After pondering, Cheon Hwi drew his sword.
"Well, I'll just use the Liuhe Sword Art."
"Liuhe Sword Art...?"
Nangong Jinjing's left eyebrow twitched.
The Liuhe Sword Art was a third-rate sword art that even the children in the streets knew.
And he's going to face him with the Liuhe Sword Art?
"Are you not planning to use any other superior sword arts? I heard the Plum Blossom Sword Art is famous in the Huashan Sect."
"I'll use it if I need to."
Nangong Jinjing's expression distorted.
"You insolent brat. I will fix that ill-mannered behavior of yours today."
As his spat-out tone changed, his sword flashed simultaneously.
The speed at which he swung it was so fast that the sonic boom like thunder erupted only after an afterimage appeared.
However, Cheon Hwi lightly deflected the trajectory of the descending Shandian Shisan Jianlei by merely moving his sword slightly.
"...!"
Nangong Jinjing's eyes shook, not having thought it would actually be deflected.
However, he quickly regained his senses.
He immediately retracted his sword and ruthlessly struck down towards Cheon Hwi again.
Ten exchanges of offense and defense unfolded in a short instant.
'Did he split the air to generate lightning qi?'
Cheon Hwi deflected the sword and quietly appreciated the sword art Nangong Jinjing was displaying.
It was a sword art that appropriately utilized the lightning qi, which was too rough and difficult to control.
'Hmm. Should I watch a few more times?'
Cheon Hwi deliberately deflected the swinging sword precariously and stared intently.
"Heok!"
"Cheon Hwi!"
Meanwhile, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who had no way of knowing Cheon Hwi's intentions, jolted every time Cheon Hwi deflected the swung sword.
"...Hah! D-did he dodge?"
"Phew—."
They swept their chests in relief when Cheon Hwi dodged.
But that was only for a moment; the string of tension only grew tauter.
Because Nangong Jinjing's sword was growing even more fierce.
"W-will he be alright?"
"The opponent's offensive is getting faster. He's barely dodging right now, but if this continues..."
Cold sweat was already beading on their foreheads as they watched the duel.
The sword art Nangong Jinjing was displaying was astonishingly fast and outstanding.
To the point where it would be overwhelming even if they were facing it.
Yet Cheon Hwi, while looking precarious, was somehow deflecting the opponent's sword.
"As long as he doesn't get stabbed in a vital spot..."
"Dodge!"
When everyone was watching the duel, rejoicing and grieving at every single one of Cheon Hwi's actions.
"Martial Uncle! I can't stand it anymore. Wouldn't it be better to make the first move rather than waiting for an incident to happen?"
Gu Gyeom-wi, who couldn't stand watching any longer, brought it up.
Although Cheon Hwi barely deflected and dodged the sword, Nangong Jinjing's sharp fast sword looked like it would pierce Cheon Hwi at any moment.
"We cannot do that. Stepping in first will only provoke the Nangong Clan."
Hyeonjin said with a hoarse voice.
He also wanted to step in right now.
But if they did, it could escalate from a duel to a life-and-death war.
In the end, while they waited for the right time.
"Hmph! You dodge well like a flying squirrel."
Nangong Jinjing, who had been watching Cheon Hwi who was only frantic in dodging, sneered.
"But how long can you keep dodging?"
Nangong Jinjing's sword became even more fierce.
*Swish— Swish—*
Sword strikes faster than before.
However, Cheon Hwi dodged them lightly with a bored expression.
'At this level, there's nothing more to see.'
The Shandian Shisan Jianlei was definitely an outstanding sword art, but the opponent wielding it, Nangong Jinjing, was at too low of a level.
Shandian and Shisan, and Jianlei.
If executed as the name implied, thirteen Jianlei like Shandian should pour down.
But what was this?
It was absurdly slow to be called Shandian, and far too lacking to be called thirteen.
Let alone Jianlei.
There were only flailing sword strikes, thrashing about just to swing quickly.
'If someone who properly executed the sword art did it, it would have been quite strong, but...'
Cheon Hwi, whose interest had completely cooled, countered the swung sword head-on and struck it away for the first time.
*Kaang!*
At that, with a sharp sound like shattering bronze, Nangong Jinjing's sword and body were bounced backward.
"H-how did you deflect the Shandian Shisan Jianlei...!"
Just as Nangong Jinjing was panicking because Cheon Hwi, who had been frantic in dodging, not only suddenly confronted him but also repelled him.
"Since this is a duel, I can't kill you."
Cheon Hwi, who had been muttering, planted a stomping step.
"It can't be helped. Bite down hard."