It was only after a full shichen had passed that the carriage carrying the group finally left Bicheonhui's territory and entered the domain of the Murim Alliance.
"I can finally breathe a little."
"Phew, that was exhausting."
Cheon Yu and Gu Gyeom-wi slumped in their seats.
Perhaps because the tension they had maintained for nearly four days had loosened, both of their demeanor became languid.
Hyeonjin smiled at the sight.
It was because he understood their feelings.
During his stay at the Nangong Aristocratic Family, he too had suffered so much mental anguish and pressure.
"You all worked hard."
After that, he glanced at Cheon-hwi.
Leaning back against his seat, Cheon-hwi was calmly reading a martial arts manual as if he were in a world of his own.
'Haha. Junior disciple, are you watching well? The disciple you brought, who was so frail back then, has become a master who defeated the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon.'
Even thinking about it now, it was astonishing.
The Azure Heaven Sword Dragon was one of the top rising stars in Bicheonhui, yet he had been defeated.
And overwhelmingly so.
Pride welled up involuntarily.
'The future of our sect is bright!'
Then a question suddenly occurred to him.
"But Cheon-hwi. Who was that person? Given how polite the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon was, they didn't seem like an ordinary person..."
"He said he was the Supreme Family Head."
The inside of the carriage froze in an instant.
"S-Supreme Family Head?"
"Supreme Family Head?"
"Junior disciple, is that true?"
"Yes."
Cheon-hwi answered casually, but.
"That person was the Lightning Sword!"
Hyeonjin belatedly exclaimed in shock.
"I thought I had heard that name somewhere before..."
He then swallowed dryly.
The Lightning Sword was one of the Five Great Swordsmen Under Heaven, an absolute master whose name he had heard ringing in his ears since he was a child.
'To think I forgot that!'
He felt pathetic for having forgotten such a thing.
'But...'
"Why would the Supreme Family Head of the Nangong Aristocratic Family give a gift to Cheon-hwi..."
His thoughts spilled out as spoken words.
"He said he was repaying a favor because I gave him some advice on creating a martial art."
The more Cheon-hwi spoke, the more the expressions of the three listening were enveloped in shock.
"Y-You gave advice on creating a martial art?"
"To the Supreme Family Head of the Nangong Aristocratic Family?"
".........!"
Even in the most exaggerated legends, could there be such a tale?
The opponent was the Lightning Sword, a master of the previous generation.
And he gave advice on a martial art he was creating?
It was hard to believe.
"Is that really true?"
"Why would I lie?"
It was then.
"Junior disciple!"
Gu Gyeom-wi, who called out to Cheon-hwi in a booming voice, glared with wide eyes.
"C-can I also receive advice on martial arts?"
Cheon-hwi frowned.
"Advice? If it's something like that, can't you just ask Fourth Senior Brother Hyeonjin?"
Annoyed, Cheon-hwi tried to pass it off to Hyeonjin.
"Well..."
Gu Gyeom-wi, who had been speaking, made an awkward expression and turned his head while scratching his cheek.
Seeing that, Hyeonjin laughed.
"Hahaha. I suppose I am rather clumsy at teaching."
"N-no."
Gu Gyeom-wi hastily waved his hands, but.
'...Is that the extent of it?'
Just by seeing the two's actions, Cheon-hwi could already fully understand.
"So you want to receive advice from me?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because I want to become strong like you, junior disciple, and stand proud."
Gu Gyeom-wi clenched his fists tightly.
"I don't want to stay silent anymore when our sect is being disrespected."
At those words, Hyeonjin and Cheon Yu flinched.
It was a statement that applied to them as well, who had stayed quiet at that time.
They were not just empty husks.
A faint smile appeared on Cheon-hwi's lips.
He thought they had no pride, hearing those words and still staying quiet.
But that wasn't the case.
They were people who could endure.
'On top of that, if he's willing to ask for teaching from me, his junior disciple, then he certainly has the zeal to become stronger...'
Cheon-hwi, looking at the three suppressing their anger as if recalling that time, parted his lips.
"Then I'll make it happen."
* * *
Around the time when the group, who had decided to camp for the evening, were all making preparations.
"Let's go somewhere quiet for now."
Cheon-hwi left the spot.
Hyeonjin, Cheon Yu, and Gu Gyeom-wi followed behind, and they soon arrived at an empty clearing.
"Then let's do a sparring match."
"Phew. A sparring match, huh."
Gu Gyeom-wi, fully tense, drew his sword.
"Then please come."
A short while later, Hyeonjin and Cheon Yu, who were watching the sparring match from a distance, gaped in astonishment.
"He's completely toying with him."
"I think Junior Disciple Cheon-hwi should be the First Senior Brother instead of me?"
Cheon Yu said with a smile, but his back was drenched in cold sweat.
'Was Cheon-hwi's martial prowess at that level? I thought he was extraordinary during the duel with the Azure Heaven Sword Dragon, but that was nothing.'
Although he hadn't received the title of Tiger because he had to inherit the family, Gu Gyeom-wi had skill comparable to his own.
But what about the current situation?
It hadn't been long since the sparring match started, yet he was being completely overwhelmed by Cheon-hwi.
Cheon-hwi hadn't moved a single step, whereas Gu Gyeom-wi was moving all over the place, running away.
It was clear enough to feel just how massive the difference in their skill was.
"Cheon-hwi's skill has already far surpassed the level of rising stars."
Hyeonjin also couldn't hide his admiration.
But that was only for a moment.
"However, the techniques are too flashy."
As the duel continued, the more it flowed, the deeper Hyeonjin's frown became.
The sword art Cheon-hwi and Gu Gyeom-wi were displaying was the Falling Blossoms Sword Art.
It seemed Cheon-hwi was using the same sword art to give him instruction.
"This isn't right."
Hyeonjin denied it.
While the Huashan Sect's sword arts were said to be flashy, the Falling Blossoms Sword Art was different.
It was a heavy and practical sword art.
But what was this?
Wasn't the way Cheon-hwi displayed it light and flashy, like a sword dance performed by dancers?
"...Because his talent is so outstanding, he ended up making a mistake, didn't he?"
Hyeonjin pressed his hand against his forehead.
Since the Sect Founder had created it, it was a sword art that predecessors had refined and perfected over a long period of time.
Yet he changed it as he pleased.
Was this not the grave sin of destroying the ancestors' ways?
Meanwhile, Gu Gyeom-wi also noticed that the sword art Cheon-hwi was displaying was strange.
"...Junior disciple. What have you done?"
Gu Gyeom-wi, who had quickly backed away, opened his mouth with a deeply furrowed brow.
"The Falling Blossoms Sword Art is not that kind of sword art."
"Why? It should be concise and sharp, but it's too light and flashy?"
"Y-yeah... that's right."
Seeing Gu Gyeom-wi stammering in confusion, Cheon-hwi chuckled.
"Originally, it's not."
Along with his words, he raised his sword again.
"Then I'll demonstrate the Falling Blossoms Sword Art that Senior Brother Gu displayed earlier."
Unlike before, Cheon-hwi moved concisely and quickly.
It was the technique Gu Gyeom-wi had displayed.
Clang—
Gu Gyeom-wi, who had blocked Cheon-hwi's technique, spoke as if asking why he didn't do this earlier when he could do it like this.
"If you can properly execute it like this, why did you do it like that earlier?"
"Earlier, you were in such a hurry to dodge that you couldn't block, but now you're blocking easily."
"What...?"
"Then try blocking again."
Cheon-hwi moved his sword once more.
"Hah! Hah!"
Gu Gyeom-wi, barely lasting less than six moves, scurried backward again.
"Do you understand now?"
Gu Gyeom-wi's mind went blank.
The Falling Blossoms Sword Art Cheon-hwi displayed was so light that it seemed like it could be dodged, yet he was barely managing to run away.
But what about the original Falling Blossoms Sword Art?
Gu Gyeom-wi gulped.
"Rather than that, I'll properly execute the techniques, so watch carefully."
Before Gu Gyeom-wi could even answer, Cheon-hwi raised his sword and swung it wide.
It was a different form from the Falling Blossoms Sword Art that had been known until now.
Gu Gyeom-wi's eyes became hazy.
The swinging sword was so light and flashy that it seemed as if it would fly away with a single breath.
Wasn't that appearance just like the falling petals, exactly as the martial art's name 'Falling Blossoms' suggested?
"I clearly learned that it was a fast and practical sword art..."
Gu Gyeom-wi, who had been muttering, closed his mouth.
He had learned it like that from the beginning.
The Sect Leader and the Elders too.
Everyone in the Huashan Sect was the same.
Except for Cheon-hwi, who was swinging his sword in front of him.
At that time, Cheon-hwi, who had demonstrated all the techniques, rested his sword on his shoulder and asked.
"How is it?"
"It was an amazing sword art... Hah."
Gu Gyeom-wi, who was about to answer unconsciously, hastily swallowed his remaining words.
If he acknowledged it, things might become complicated.
But more than that.
"...W-what was that?"
Hyeonjin, who had been watching their sparring match, couldn't hold back and ran over breathlessly.
His face had turned pale.
It was a method he had never heard of or seen before.
Could something so light be this strong and outstanding?
"It became a little lighter and flashier than the original, but isn't it easy to recognize?"
"A little...?"
Hyeonjin was aghast.
How was this a little?
The concise and practical techniques of the Falling Blossoms Sword Art no longer existed.
'But it's stronger...'
His head ached.
If it were weaker, he could have said something.
But the changed Falling Blossoms Sword Art was far superior to the existing one.
To the point that even he, who had initially thought it was the grave sin of destroying the ancestors' ways, had to admit it.
'What should I do about this.'
Hyeonjin stood at a crossroads.
Should he acknowledge it as correct?
Or should he deny it?
Unable to choose an answer in the end, he asked Cheon-hwi.
"Why did you perform it like that?"
"Because that's how it's originally done."
Hyeonjin stiffened at the brazen answer.
"It is not a light and flashy sword art."
"No. I think this is correct."
"What?"
Looking at the bewildered Hyeonjin, Cheon-hwi continued speaking.
"If it's a sword art of the Huashan Sect."
"What does that have to do with..."
"Most of the martial arts created by the Sect Founder were flashy, weren't they? Or is that not the case?"
Hyeonjin nodded his head.
The reason the Huashan Sect became famous was naturally also greatly due to its unique characteristic of having flashy sword arts that were rare to see.
"But what does that matter?"
Cheon-hwi felt frustrated.
'Even when I tell them like this, they don't understand.'
"Who created the Falling Blossoms Sword Art?"
"The Sect Founder..."
Hyeonjin, who was speaking, realized what Cheon-hwi was trying to say and narrowed his brow.
"Are you saying that since the Falling Blossoms Sword Art was also a martial art created by the Sect Founder, it should be flashy like the other martial arts?"
"That's right."
Now he finally understands what I'm saying.
Cheon-hwi made a refreshed expression.
"But the Falling Blossoms Sword Art has had practical techniques for a long time..."
"What's the use of being practical?"
Cheon-hwi grinned as he cut off Hyeonjin, who was explaining in great detail.
"This is far superior."