Entering the office, Jeong Cheon let out a deep sigh as he looked at Dam Yuyeon.
“I came because I heard someone completed a three hundred thousand tael contract… but it seems there was more to it.” With his keen hearing, he appeared to have overheard the entire conversation from outside the door.
“Young Master Seol, I’m sorry,” Jeong Cheon said, clasping his hands respectfully toward Bu Eunseol. “The Crystal Hall Master made a grave mistake. Allow me to apologize on her behalf.”
“I don’t need apologies,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“I figured as much,” Jeong Cheon said, nodding with a smile. “Very well, let’s step outside.”
“Brother Cheon!” Dam Yuyeon interjected, blocking his path. “The Mysterious Physician said you shouldn’t use martial arts for three years! If you exert your inner strength again…”
“Hall Master… no, Yuyeon,” Jeong Cheon said softly, smiling gently at her. “There won’t be any more seizures. Don’t worry.”
Seizures?
Bu Eunseol’s eyes glinted as Jeong Cheon pointed toward the door with a smile. “Come, let’s have a match.”
***
Near the southeast of the Red Sky Veil.
The reeds, reflecting the crimson sunset, appeared stained with blood. As a desolate wind swept through the reed field, Bu Eunseol and Jeong Cheon stood facing each other.
“You’re truly unique,” Jeong Cheon said slowly, brushing the breeze with an outstretched hand. “To think there are still martial artists like you in this day and age.”
When Bu Eunseol gave him a puzzled look, Jeong Cheon chuckled. “I mean someone who burns themselves without hesitation, like a flame.” He smiled faintly. “A flame is beautiful but short-lived. Only its radiant light lingers briefly in memory.”
“Everyone pursues different things,” Bu Eunseol said, shaking his head. “Some live their entire lives to burn brightly.”
“That may be true. But I could never live like that,” Jeong Cheon replied, straightening up and looking at Bu Eunseol with admiration. “You’ve grown another level since we last met. Your presence is even more refined now.”
It was likely due to his duel with the Purple Spear Technique. Even grasping a single principle of martial arts could elevate one’s skill.
Clang.
Jeong Cheon drew the long sword from his waist. Not only was he exceptionally tall with long limbs, but the sword he wielded was also unusually thin and long.
It’s about a foot longer than Seomun Kyung’s deformed sword.
Jeong Cheon’s sword resembled the one Seomun Kyung used in the martial tournament, but the aura he exuded was entirely different. If Seomun Kyung seemed capable of cutting everything around him, Jeong Cheon felt like he could swallow everything into darkness.
“Are you ready?” Jeong Cheon asked, casually lowering his sword to the ground with a relaxed expression. “Strike first.”
Bu Eunseol didn’t hesitate and drew his Black Blade. Jeong Cheon was a master of the highest order, allowing no room for carelessness.
Clang.
As he infused energy into the Black Blade, the polished blade shed its rust, emitting a mysterious dark glow.
Jeong Cheon nodded at the sight. “A fine sword.”
“Be careful!” Bu Eunseol warned.
Flash!
With a brilliant burst of light, the Black Blade reached for Jeong Cheon’s throat.
“Impressive technique,” Jeong Cheon remarked, swiftly stepping back as if he had anticipated the move.
At the same time, a chilling sword aura burst from his slender sword, slicing through the surrounding reeds.
Swish!
A thin streak of light grazed past, and a line of red blood trickled down Bu Eunseol’s cheek. For the first time since entering the martial world, he had been wounded by an opponent’s opening move.
Whoosh!
Before Bu Eunseol could counter, Jeong Cheon’s sword spun through the air, aiming for his throat again. Bu Eunseol dodged with ease, but Jeong Cheon’s sword pursued like a specter.
“Tch!” Bu Eunseol shifted to the left, and as if waiting for it, Jeong Cheon’s sharp sword thrust forward, perfectly timed with his evasion.
It was as if the sword materialized from thin air, ignoring the constraints of distance.
This is the real combat swordsmanship of the Blood Blade. If Bu Eunseol hadn’t mastered the Beast Way, that single move would have pierced his throat.
If I keep dodging, I’ll die. Spinning diagonally to evade, Bu Eunseol’s Black Blade unleashed a streak of sword aura.
Clang!
As the Black Blade clashed with the slender sword, a bone-chilling sword aura spread in all directions. Their blades locked, the inner strength infused in their weapons clung like magnets, initiating a test of power.
“…!” Jeong Cheon’s eyes widened slightly. Astonishingly, Bu Eunseol’s inner strength matched his own without yielding an inch.
“Your inner strength is impressive,” Jeong Cheon said, pushing the Black Blade back and resuming his swordplay.
With a single thrust, the space three yards around Bu Eunseol filled with formidable sword aura. The speed was so otherworldly that there was no time to dodge.
Clang!
The Black Blade and slender sword clashed again. Sparks flew, and this time Bu Eunseol stepped back. The force behind Jeong Cheon’s sword had grown even stronger.
He’s strong. Each clash sent shivers through Bu Eunseol’s body. Jeong Cheon was truly formidable—too strong to guarantee victory even with everything on the line.
Flash!
A blinding white light poured from Jeong Cheon’s sword. The sword aura, dancing like waves, enveloped Bu Eunseol from all directions.
Whirr!
But as Bu Eunseol spun his Black Blade behind him and raised the blade, the incoming sword aura scattered. Using the Heavenly Tyrant Sword Momentum, he disrupted the enemy’s sword techniques and inner strength with the flow of energy and stance alone.
“The Sword Momentum?” Jeong Cheon chuckled softly, swinging his sword again. “But such techniques lose out in terms of moves.”
Easily shrugging off the pressure of the Heavenly Tyrant Sword Momentum, Jeong Cheon unleashed twenty-five sword auras in an instant. As the shimmering white light spun and surrounded him, Bu Eunseol thrust his Black Blade forward with force.
Flash!
A dazzling glow erupted, and the mass of light from the Black Blade obliterated Jeong Cheon’s sword aura in one stroke. It was the Unmatched Thunderbolt of the Heavenly Cloud Light.
“What a deadly sword,” Jeong Cheon said with a grin, lowering his sword to the ground again. “Shall we get serious now?” He already knew. Bu Eunseol had been holding back his true strength, deliberately staying on the defensive to study his swordsmanship.
“I’d like to see your swordplay now,” Jeong Cheon said.
“Very well,” Bu Eunseol replied.
A brilliant sword aura poured from his Black Blade. He unleashed the Supreme Heavenly Flow, the culmination of all the sword techniques he had mastered.
Whoosh!
The Black Blade, drawing in the surrounding air, released a beam of radiant light.
Clang!
A blue spark flashed in the air, and Jeong Cheon’s body slid back three yards.
“It’s like a blend of swift and heavy swordplay,” Jeong Cheon remarked briefly before being interrupted.
Buzz.
The tip of the Black Blade trembled, unleashing a black whirlwind that enveloped Jeong Cheon’s body.
Crack! Crack!
Caught in the black-tinted wind, Jeong Cheon’s clothes tore like rags, and he slid back another three yards. A line of red blood trickled down his cheek. Bu Eunseol could have aimed for his chest or side but chose to target his cheek, as if repaying the earlier wound.
“Heh heh,” Jeong Cheon chuckled, staring at the blood on his cheek.
At the same time, a dark red haze rose in his once-calm eyes. “It’s been a while.” Straightening up, Jeong Cheon slung his sword over his shoulder, baring his fangs in a grin. “Since I’ve fought with my full swordplay!”
With a shout, his body became a streak of red clouds, charging at Bu Eunseol.
Swish!
Sword auras spread like an open fan, enveloping Bu Eunseol. The speed was so overwhelming that he couldn’t find a chance to dodge and began parrying directly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew as the Black Blade and slender sword clashed, scattering in all directions.
“Hahaha!” Jeong Cheon laughed boisterously, swinging his sword rapidly.
His usual gentle demeanor was gone, replaced by a frenzied warrior brandishing his sword like a demon.
So fast! Bu Eunseol summoned his full strength and resumed his swordplay. The tip of his Black Blade precisely struck the incoming slender sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Unable to nullify Jeong Cheon’s sword techniques instantly, Bu Eunseol adapted the Return to Origin into his swordplay.
“Got you!” Jeong Cheon closed the distance until their faces nearly touched, capitalizing on the moment the Black Blade deflected his strike.
Swish! Swish! Swish! His long sword condensed, unleashing countless sword auras in all directions.
Chaotic Sword?
Jeong Cheon’s true skill was a sword technique that sealed both the opponent’s retreat and attacks at close range—a chaotic sword style.
An unexpected technique!
Bu Eunseol bit his lip as the sharp chaotic sword surged like a tidal wave. He hadn’t anticipated Jeong Cheon using such a style with his long sword.
Whirr!
Jeong Cheon’s blade condensed further, and his techniques grew faster. The distance between them shrank to less than six steps. His once-gentle eyes now blazed like burning coals.
“You’re holding up well!” he shouted, his bloodshot eyes brimming with killing intent, like a wild beast unleashed.
Crack! Crack!
Bu Eunseol’s clothes tore like rags, blood splattering. No matter how he tried to deploy the Supreme Heavenly Flow, Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword enveloped all directions, leaving no openings.
Moreover, his sword seemed intent on taking Bu Eunseol’s life, unleashing only brutal killing techniques.
“Don’t worry. There won’t be any more seizures.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol understand the meaning behind Jeong Cheon’s words to Dam Yuyeon. He’s amplifying the chaotic sword’s power by unleashing his latent killing intent.
Jeong Cheon was using his killing intent to push his physical abilities to their limit with this unique chaotic sword style. But such a method risked losing his rationality, turning him into a frenzied madman.
In that case! Biting his lip, Bu Eunseol suddenly released his grip on the Black Blade and closed his eyes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Black Blade began to dance, deflecting Jeong Cheon’s unstoppable techniques one by one. He had unleashed the Lightning Flash Sword, a mysterious sword art that reacted to killing intent.
Clang! Clang!
As Jeong Cheon’s relentless chaotic sword was blocked repeatedly, an even denser killing intent emanated from him.
“You dare block my sect’s chaotic sword?” he roared, his eyes rolling back, dripping with murderous intent.
His face, consumed by killing intent, was unrecognizable from before.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Bu Eunseol poured everything into the Lightning Flash Sword. A single mistake could shred his flesh and blood body to pieces.
“Hahaha!” Jeong Cheon’s killing intent surged, his techniques accelerating.
But as it did, Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew colder. The faster and stronger Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword became, the less he could control it, and its precision began to falter. This was a realization gained from facing the Purple Spear Technique.
At this level, I can see it. As the chaotic sword’s intricate techniques shifted to raw speed, their finesse vanished, and the sword paths became visible.
The Lightning Flash Sword gave Bu Eunseol a sliver of opportunity by enduring the attacks of a superior opponent.
Now it begins!
Continuing the Lightning Flash Sword, Bu Eunseol summoned his full strength and unleashed the Supreme Heavenly Flow once more, deploying a technique he had held back until now.
Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin!
The fifth technique of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, a practical martial art that mimicked an opponent’s sword techniques—Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin—was unleashed.
Whoosh!
Hundreds of sword auras burst from the Black Blade, scattering in all directions and clashing with Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword.
