In that moment, Jeong Cheon’s frenzied eyes faltered.
The sword techniques Bu Eunseol unleashed were gradually becoming eerily similar to his chaotic sword style. Trapped within Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword, escape was impossible. Unable to properly dodge or block, the only option was to mimic his sword techniques to counter them.
He’s mimicking my sword techniques? So astonished was Jeong Cheon that he snapped out of his frenzy, his eyes returning to their original clarity.
Unbelievable! How could anyone visually observe and replicate a chaotic sword style that moved with lightning speed and contained twenty-four variations in a single move?
This can’t be! Gritting his teeth, Jeong Cheon unleashed even more of his latent killing intent, altering his sword techniques.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But the result was the same. No matter how he changed his techniques, Bu Eunseol quickly mimicked them, neutralizing each move. It felt like fighting a mirror.
He was hiding his skill! Matching an opponent’s sword techniques on the spot was something only a master several times superior could achieve.
In truth, Bu Eunseol was using the Lightning Flash Sword to endure the attacks, creating openings in the chaotic sword fueled by killing intent. Then, with the Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin technique, he mimicked Jeong Cheon’s moves. It wasn’t a matter of superior swordsmanship.
If he had unleashed his full skill from the start, he could have severed my arm within three moves.
But Jeong Cheon mistakenly believed Bu Eunseol was holding back out of consideration for him. Yet Bu Eunseol was equally astonished.
I can’t… hold on much longer. Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword was truly peerless and unparalleled. Defending with the Lightning Flash Sword and attacking with the Supreme Heavenly Flow, Bu Eunseol was barely holding on, but this method was rapidly depleting his inner strength and stamina.
If this continues…
Finally reaching his limit, Bu Eunseol instinctively lowered his Black Blade toward the ground. At the same time, Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword lost its power. As his killing intent waned and rationality returned, the strength of his swordplay diminished significantly.
Clank.
As both Bu Eunseol and Jeong Cheon’s swords pointed downward simultaneously, a brief silence fell over the reed field. The two stared at each other with expressions of incomprehension.
Jeong Cheon was the first to speak. “You’ve been hiding your true skill all along. I’m ashamed.”
He’s misunderstanding. In truth, Bu Eunseol had been fighting with all his might to counter the chaotic sword. Jeong Cheon, inheritor of the sword essence of the Blood Blade, one of the Ten Demonic Heroes, was undeniably a master above him.
“I merely mimicked your chaotic sword,” Bu Eunseol said. “With my current swordsmanship, I couldn’t block it otherwise.”
“Mimicking an opponent’s sword techniques on the spot means you’re the superior,” Jeong Cheon replied.
“That’s… because my sect’s martial arts are designed to pursue such techniques.”
Clank.
Sheathing his Black Blade, Bu Eunseol said calmly, “This duel is a draw.”
“A draw,” Jeong Cheon echoed, taking a deep breath and gazing at the distant sky. “I haven’t been active in the martial world, but I prided myself on having the greatest martial arts among my peers.”
Sheathing his sword, he continued in a low voice, “There’s at least a ten-year age gap between us. Yet you matched me evenly… Your potential will only grow boundlessly.”
With a bitter smile, Jeong Cheon added softly, “This duel is my loss.”
Without hesitation, he turned away.
***
A few days later.
Having concluded his duel with Jeong Cheon, Bu Eunseol temporarily left the Red Sky Veil to retreat to a secluded valley. Jeong Cheon’s chaotic sword was the first supreme sword technique Bu Eunseol couldn’t fully counter. He needed time to process the insights gained from that intense battle.
Meanwhile, Namgung Un, fully recovered, stayed at the Great Small Inn with Black Leopard, waiting for Bu Eunseol.
“It’s about time we take on another job,” Bu Eunseol said upon his return, leading Black Leopard and Namgung Un back to the Crystal Hall of the Red Sky Veil.
The atmosphere inside the Crystal Hall was unusual. Unlike usual, a large number of mercenaries had gathered, and on one side, warriors in black martial uniforms stood solemnly in formation. Dam Yuyeon, who should have been in her office, was engaged in a serious conversation with a middle-aged man.
“Why are so many mercenaries gathered?” Namgung Un asked.
Black Leopard answered promptly, “It seems a sect is hiring a large number of mercenaries.”
“A large number…” Bu Eunseol stroked his chin with interest.
Black Leopard, after speaking with nearby mercenaries and the Crystal Hall staff, returned and said, “The Heavenly Tremor Sect is recruiting and contracting high-ranking mercenaries in bulk.”
Namgung Un tilted his head. “The Heavenly Tremor Sect? The one fighting tooth and nail with the Blade Tyrant Sect?”
“Yes,” Black Leopard confirmed.
“Huh, so after all that fighting, they’re resorting to proxy battles with mercenaries?”
Black Leopard shook his head. “No, it’s because the Blade Tyrant Sect spent a fortune hiring assassins from the Valley of Hidden Death.”
The Heavenly Tremor Sect and the Blade Tyrant Sect, both orthodox sects, had been fiercely competing for dominance in the Sangyang region for over a decade. The Blade Tyrant Sect’s leader had suddenly spent millions to hire assassins from the Valley of Hidden Death, using them to repeatedly ambush the Heavenly Tremor Sect’s rear by crossing Hamchi Mountain, their backdoor.
Mercenaries against mercenaries!
As the tide turned against them, the Heavenly Tremor Sect was now hiring mercenaries from the Red Sky Veil to counter them.
“Perfect,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding after listening silently. “Let’s take the Heavenly Tremor Sect’s job.”
“Uh… it’s already over,” Black Leopard said, scratching his head awkwardly. “They’ve already paid and selected eighty high-ranking mercenaries.”
“There’s no reason to refuse skilled mercenaries willing to work,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“It won’t work,” Black Leopard said in a low voice. “They probably don’t have the funds to hire a top-tier mercenary like you.”
Among mercenaries, top-tier ones with first-class skills numbered only about twenty even in a large market like the Red Sky Veil. Their fees were ten times those of high-ranking mercenaries, far beyond what the Heavenly Tremor Sect could afford.
“No matter,” Bu Eunseol said, removing the red token signifying a top-tier mercenary and replacing it with the purple token of a high-ranking mercenary.
He then approached Dam Yuyeon, who was turning away after finishing her conversation with a master from the Heavenly Tremor Sect.
“Hall Master Dam.”
“Young Master Seol,” Dam Yuyeon said, blushing as he approached. She had schemed to prevent his fight with Jeong Cheon, only to have her feelings for the great master exposed. But seeing Bu Eunseol treat her as usual, she relaxed and asked, “Do you have something to say?”
“I have a request,” he said, his gaze fixed on the Heavenly Tremor Sect’s master in black.
***
Hamchi Mountain.
Known as the back alley to the Heavenly Tremor Sect, this rugged terrain was filled with jagged peaks and strange rock formations. After climbing the steep mountain path endlessly, a vast clearing emerged from the dense forest.
There, temporary barracks set up by the Heavenly Tremor Sect stood, with eighty mercenaries and warriors in martial uniforms lined up solemnly. On a rock in the clearing stood a man with twin swords strapped to his back.
It was Mun Kwang, the leader of the Human Sword Corps, one of the three great corps of the Heavenly Tremor Sect—Heaven, Earth, and Human.
“We will now strike the Bear Family Manor, the stronghold of the Valley of Hidden Death’s assassins,” Mun Kwang declared.
Tension flickered in the eyes of the gathered mercenaries. The Heavenly Tremor Sect wasn’t hiring them to defend Hamchi Mountain but to launch a surprise attack to eradicate the assassins’ stronghold. Mun Kwang continued issuing stern orders to the high-ranking mercenaries. The mercenaries murmured among themselves.
“It’s been a while since we’ll see some blood.”
“A surprise attack is good. Less risk for us.”
“With the hefty pay, maybe I’ll splurge at a brothel after this.”
“Any questions?” Mun Kwang asked.
At that moment, Black Leopard, standing at the back of the mercenary group, raised his hand. “What should we do?”
Mun Kwang’s brow furrowed. Who’s that boy? Behind the boy in black stood a young man who looked like a street ruffian and another man with an ordinary appearance, staring blankly.
The Heavenly Tremor Sect had provided uniforms for the eighty selected mercenaries, so why were these three dressed differently?
“Who are they?” Mun Kwang demanded.
“My apologies. I forgot to report…” his aide, Mak Hong, quickly answered. “They’re additional high-ranking mercenaries provided by the Crystal Hall Master.”
“Additional high-ranking mercenaries?”
“Yes.”
Mun Kwang’s frown deepened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well… Lady Dam said no payment was needed, just to take them along…”
“Take them along? High-ranking mercenaries?”
“Yes. Since they were offered, it felt wrong to refuse…”
Mun Kwang eyed them suspiciously. High-ranking mercenaries with extensive martial world experience were typically in their thirties. But these three—a boy barely sixteen and two young men just past twenty—lacked the look of seasoned fighters. In a large-scale battle, they’d likely only cause chaos.
“You lot…” Mun Kwang began. With their small number and no clear role to assign, he smacked his lips. “Stay here.”
“What?”
“The remnants who ambushed our sect might still be around. This barracks is our stronghold, so you’ll stay and guard it until we return.”
Black Leopard’s expression was one of disbelief. To come all this way to fight, only to be told to guard the barracks like a dog?
But Bu Eunseol stepped forward and nodded. “Understood.”
With an immediate response, Mun Kwang turned away, disinterested.
***
Deep into the night.
Chirp, chirp.
The faint sound of insects filled the quiet mountain air.
Bu Eunseol’s group remained alone at the barracks set up on the mid-slope of Hamchi Mountain. Black Leopard scanned the surroundings with a tense expression, while Bu Eunseol gazed at the night sky like a statue. Namgung Un, lying on his back with his hands behind his head, stared at the Munlight without a hint of tension.
“Brother Seol,” Namgung Un said. “Not taking payment is one thing, but is there really a need to get involved in another sect’s fight?”
Despite hiding his name and identity, Namgung Un was a scion of an orthodox noble family and had little interest in getting entangled in the grudges between orthodox sects.
“If you don’t like it, you can leave now,” Bu Eunseol said coldly.
Namgung Un shook his head. “I’m just saying.”
As he continued to grumble, Black Leopard cautiously spoke up. “Young Master.” Glancing at Bu Eunseol, he continued carefully, “Are you sure this is alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“You came to fight without payment, but now you’re stuck guarding the barracks.”
“A battle will come,” Bu Eunseol said, shaking his head calmly. “The Blade Tyrant Sect surely knows the Heavenly Tremor Sect hired mercenaries. At the very least, they’ll send scouts to check the stronghold’s location and the barracks’ size.”
He glanced at Namgung Un with a faint smile. “And with your current skills, joining a full-scale battle would mean losing your lives instantly.”
