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“Cheongeun-chu?”

Ilma asked me with a bored expression. I nodded my head.

“Yes.”

“Why’s that?”

“I’ve heard a few things during my time in the Martial Alliance. Things like Saryangbalcheon-gun or Sammaejinhwa are considered symbols of a master…”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just nonsense.”

Ilma drew his sword from its sheath with a snap.

“All of that is just empty talk. Cheongeun-chu? Anyone who knows how to wield a sword can imitate it. Sammaejinhwa? Burning things like paper is a simple trick! Skills like Gyeoksan-tau or Chimpugyeong… those who boast about such things have no real substance.”

“…….”

“They’re just skeletons. Without essence, there’s no strength, and it’s merely flashy martial arts that mean nothing. Just look at Saryangbalcheon-gun. What is it?”

“I understand it to be a key skill that penetrates the Taiji Sword of the Mudaung, redirecting an enemy’s attack with little strength…”

“Put your sword on my sword.”

I did as Ilma said.

“Now move.”

I tried to move.

But the sword wouldn’t come off the tip of his blade.

“What…?”

“There are some subtleties you naturally come to understand as you learn to wield a sword. It’s a simple principle. Saryangbalcheon-gun? A skill like that can be mimicked by other martial arts. The type of sword you wield is certainly important. Each martial art emphasizes different subtleties, so the martial artist and sword cannot be separated. However, those who only talk about the subtleties while neglecting the sword are like an empty nut.”

Ilma flicked his sword.

In an instant, my body was slammed down into the ground.

“Touching (착) skills. Bouncing (탄) skills. All of that is just a stage that you reach naturally while learning the sword. That’s why it’s nonsense. What matters is what’s at the end of the staircase, not the staircase itself.”

“…I understand.”

“Your expression says you’re surprised. However, even you now can easily do this. The style of sword you’ve learned is the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword, which emphasizes the ‘heavy’ principle. But that doesn’t mean your sword only has weight. To grasp that character, you must also support it with other things.”

“…….”

“You’ve already learned. You just haven’t figured out how to use it. Since we’re on the subject, it’s a good thing. I was going to teach you later, but it won’t be bad to teach you now.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I am the first Mage of the main school. The number of martial arts I haven’t learned is less than those I have. There is no sword technique I cannot handle. I can encapsulate everything within the fluttering tips of the sword.”

Ilma slightly nodded his sword sheath.

“I’ll teach you a few techniques that can be applied to the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Sword. To be precise, it’s not teaching you; it’s awakening what you already know. Practically, nothing will change. But…”

“But…?”

“These kinds of nonsense tactics can be quite helpful at times.”

Ilma patted my head gently.

“Your martial arts are mostly external arts, so use them whenever you can. Techniques can be expressed purely through sword movements, not the movement of internal energy.”

…

Saryangbalcheon-gun.

A technique that uses the enemy’s strength to strike back at them.

The opponent’s sword intent was sharp. But that was all it was.

Everything about its direction and application was utterly straightforward.

With my enhanced perception from reaching the Huaxing stage, I could predict the movements of most who were below me.

—Crack.

I forcefully added the power of the opponent who resisted my original strength.

The one who barely stood and swung his sword ended up smashing into the wall.

“Khuh!”

He coughed up blood. The sword that rolled away clattered on the floor.

I sheathed my sword again in front of him.

I never intended to kill him. I just wanted to subdue him.

Standing before him as he bled, I said, “You… what kind of sorcery are you… cough…!”

“If you had focused on your sword, you would know this isn’t sorcery.”

“How dare you… insult the Kunlun!”

“Kunlun, huh.”

Baek Domeong gritted his teeth.

“They will not let this… go easily!”

“That’s right. So I’ll go straight to them.”

“…What?”

“The wronged have seen blood, so shouldn’t the responsibility fall upon us? Even if Kunlun is rotten, not everyone is.”

I grabbed Baek Domeong’s clothes and started dragging him along.

“I’ll ask. Every single one who claims to be from Kunlun.”

“You’re walking into a tiger’s den… You must be out of your mind…!”

“I’m completely sane. More so than ever.”

I glanced back at Narin and Gwangyang. I also confirmed the bandit in their hands.

“Things have gotten tangled up, so I have no intention of leaving it be. Follow me, Gwangyang. Narin.”

“Y-yes?!”

“D-Daimyo… what on earth are you planning?!”

Kunlun faction was not too far from Cheonghae Castle.

So we walked. All the way there.

“Who are you… Baek, Baek Sasuk?! What’s going on?!”

“Stop! You scoundrel!”

The warriors of Kunlun blocked my way, and they drew their swords without hesitation.

So I let go of Baek Domeong and drew my sword once more.

“You rude… ugh!”

“You’re no ordinary guy… ugh!”

I knocked down the two.

I also knocked down three who rushed in.

Subduing the Kunlun warriors without restraint, I made my way inside, and only then did I encounter a voice that shook the entire large estate.

“How dare you! What kind of trouble are you causing in Kunlun’s domain?!”

“I am Jeok-un, a warrior of the Martial Alliance.”

“A warrior of the Martial Alliance or whatever, explain the situation!”

I threw Baek Domeong before him. At the same time, Narin forced the bandit she had brought to kneel.

“Sit.”

“M-me?”

“Both of you.”

Gwangyang and Narin hurriedly sat beside him. The elder master looked bewildered as he rubbed his eyes.

“Explain! Who are these two?!”

“Two who have been wronged and two who have wronged them.”

“What?!”

I first threw the token that represented the identity of a warrior of the Martial Alliance at him. The elder master’s eyes narrowed at the token.

“State your name.”

“Jeok-un.”

“…Alright then. Jeok-un. Explain. What’s all this ruckus? If you mix a lie in here, you won’t leave this place alive.”

“That’s all I’ve said.”

I pointed at the kneeling bandit.

“I subdued the one who tried to kill me. He was a bandit. Yet he was dressed like an ordinary man and attempted to frame me.”

“What…?”

“These two took the blame for me and were beaten by that Kunlun warrior over there. Do you see the wounds? This wasn’t done from the back; it was done in plain sight! In the middle of Cheonghae Castle, on a street where even passersby could see, they tied me up and beat me.”

“Cough…!”

“My companions were the ones being beaten. Even when I told them to stop, they didn’t. I could do nothing but stop that person. I tried to persuade them, but they drew their sword first. There are many witnesses. There were plenty of eyes watching, so they’ll all testify that I did not draw my sword first.”

The elder master’s eyes twitched.

“Nonetheless, your actions against Kunlun cannot be erased. You should wait for a time to resolve this properly. Why did you force your way in?”

“I’m busy with a path I must take. I am in the process of returning to the Martial Alliance after completing a search related to the Demon Cult, so I aimed to resolve this as quickly as possible. I intended to talk with the guards, but they attacked me first.”

“You scoundrel! You’re saying that, but in reality, you just barged in!”

“Insult? I just heard that earlier, but I don’t see why I need to justify that. It seems the man named Baek Domeong over there and this bandit here are closely connected…”

I wanted the turmoil to grow.

Not just here, but even louder.

Loud enough that any leftover conscience in Kunlun might hear.

“Does a sect that steals from others have the audacity to have any sort of honor?”

“You’ve crossed the line!”

The elder master’s furious energy filled the estate, shaking the entire large estate as if it were a village.

He wasn’t an ordinary master. The clear remnants of energy could be seen at the torn ends of his feet.

Sword intent.

A sparkling energy like stars.

Yet the form was incomplete. Was it the peak of a great master? Something of that level.

“For insulting the sect in front of this Elder! I shall repay it with both arms!”

People began to gather behind him, as if he would charge at me at any moment. I tightened my grip on the bandit’s shoulder.

It’s a simple trick that can be performed if you know a few techniques. Ilma had expressed it that way.

He had taught me how to use something I was already familiar with.

One of those was the famous technique that separates bones and flesh, known as Bungee and Dislocate (분근착골).

I slowly began to apply pressure on the bandit’s shoulder. And I whispered into his ear, which was starting to emit silent screams.

“Do you know what Bungee and Dislocate is?”

“…Huh… Huh…!”

“I have but one desire. You must tell the truth here. That is all I wish. But know this. If you refuse to do even that…”

With a twist of the shoulder I held onto, the sound of muscles and bones contorting filled the air.

In a fleeting moment, the bandit’s eyes turned white as his body trembled violently.

“Even if I die, I’ll tear you apart and send you to hell.”

He was someone who had tried to kill me twice.

Of course, I had no intention of showing mercy.

“Scoundrel! What are you doing!? You won’t be able to stand soon…!”

“Ahhh! Y-yes! Yes! I’m with that Baek Domeong over there!!!”

I released my grip on his shoulder. The panting bandit quickly began to spill words.

“Please spare me! Daimyo! I’ll tell you everything! That scumbag! That scumbag said he would look out for me! Not just me, I know there are several bandit dens connected to that guy!”

“This guy… shut up…”

“He threatened to kill me if I didn’t bring the payment every month! Daimyo! Please spare me! I did nothing but follow their orders! They told me to rob the village to cover the insufficient payment, and also told me to catch people and sell them for money! I was just following orders…!”

“Looks like I need to see blood to snap back to reality!”

As the enraged elder master charged in, his hand moved swiftly. But at the same time, I also extended my leg.

The Black Pearl I had drawn let out a low hum. Inside that, I received the incoming hand with the edge of the sheath.

—Boom!

In an instant, my body jolted backward.

Since I hadn’t infused any energy into it, that was only natural. But I wasn’t merely pushed back.

Saryangbalcheon-gun. The principle of using small strength to utilize large strength.

I planted my feet firmly into the ground. In one breath, I assessed the incoming force, transferred it from my fingertips down my spine, and let it reach my lower body.

The roots of an unyielding tree.

The strength entwined within my body was once again released through the sheath.

“What?!”

—Boom!!!

With a thunderous explosion, the elder master was launched back, sliding across the floor.

“Th-this guy is no ordinary person!”

Having absorbed the energy with my bare body, I felt a little internal damage. But Cheongeop healed it in an instant.

It was familiar pain. I simply spat out the blood pooling in my mouth onto the ground to dissipate the aftereffects.

“What value does truth hold if everything is overwhelmed by force?”

“This scoundrel still…!”

The bandit gritted his teeth, distressed.

“Baek Domeong! Baek Domeong has colluded with us! And that’s not all! The entire Kunlun is using us for their livelihood! Son of a b*tch!!”

“Shut your mouth! How dare you insult me!”

“Insult?! How can I not when you hit me first! You scumbag! The one who has been paying regularly! You think I just stood by and laughed while you pulled this crap on me?! At this rate, I’ll die no matter how I do it, so let’s just die together! You son of a b*tch! You’re the same kind of scum as me!”

“This… this bastard still…!”

At that moment, the atmosphere stiffened.

“Enough.”

From an unseen place, waves of energy rolled in. A colossal force pinned everyone to the ground.

Excluding me, who could resist that wave, everyone else trembled like aspen trees. I opened my eyes slightly to face the approaching master.

“What ruckus is this?”

A middle-aged swordsman with his hair tied up.

His calm eyes locked onto mine. At that moment, I felt an invisible force trying to intimidate me.

He was trying to suppress me. Simply with his energy.

I endured it silently, placing my hand on my sword.

Strong, but not beyond what I could resist.

Instead… it felt weak.

From the energy I sensed, he was at least a notch below me.

“…Hoh?”

—Tap.

The man who stepped in front of me looked up at me.

“Who are you?”

“I’m here to resolve a misunderstanding.”

“Resolving a misunderstanding. But it seems you have drawn more attention than the misunderstanding itself.”

The warrior scanned me briefly and nodded slightly.

“I am Hyun Do-gwang, the first elder of Kunlun. State your name.”

“I am Jeok-un, a warrior of the Martial Alliance.”

“Jeok-un. Explain. What is this uproar? If you cannot clarify it to my satisfaction…”

Hyun Do-gwang.

The one who introduced himself whispered.

“You and your party will bear the full weight of Kunlun’s name.”

…Kunlun. Kunlun.

What the hell does that name weigh so heavily?

The ones who committed the wrong are clear. Anyone with an ounce of awareness should see it.

Isn’t the blood shed without guilt so vividly present? Wasn’t there the testimony from earlier as well?

If a master of that caliber had come, he would have heard everything on the way here.

And yet, that name of Kunlun is being invoked again…

“Can Kunlun truly handle this?”

“What?”

“I’ve seen you oppress the innocent and even attempt to silence the one who tried to divulge the truth…”

I didn’t like it.

Everything in front of me.

“I ask whether you can endure the edge of my sword that will no longer tolerate this!”

 

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