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In the Dark Heaven Village, the Fire Dragon Incarnate burst forth with a blinding light and dashed outside. In the blink of an eye, she compressed dozens of layers and soared into the battlefield, intercepting Gongsun Byeok’s attack aimed at Jang Gwa-ro.

Ka-KLANG!!

Gongsun Byeok realized that the one who blocked his attack was the powerless boy who had just been next to Jang Gwa-ro. He looked puzzled, but as his sword was wrapped by the Fire Dragon Sword, powerful flames latched onto him, leaving him astonished.

“Krrgh!!”

He quickly withdrew his hand from his long sword, trying to expel the flames with his internal power, but the fire clung to his fingertips and wouldn’t go out. With no other choice, Gongsun Byeok gritted his teeth and severed two of his fingers with a palm strike, finally shaking off the flames. As he injured himself, Lee Gun-ak, who was beside him, was startled.

“Gongsun Clan Leader!!”

“Krrgh… Who are you?”

As Gongsun Byeok shouted in anger, the Fire Dragon Incarnate moved Yeodong-bin’s body and proclaimed:

[You cowardly ones! You will perish in this Mount Ye!]

She charged in rapidly, this time targeting Lee Gun-ak. As the Fire Dragon Incarnate unleashed her sword force, Lee Gun-ak calmly raised his spear to take a defensive stance. In an instant, the range of their attacks unfolded, and tensions rose between their exchanges.

But soon, Lee Gun-ak realized that his clever maneuver hadn’t escaped the notice of the Fire Dragon Incarnate, and he wore a shocked expression.

Bang!!

After just three seconds, the overwhelming aura released by the Fire Dragon Incarnate sent Lee Gun-ak soaring into the sky. He wasn’t mortally wounded, but the backlash from the forceful duel caused blood to drip from his mouth.

“Ugh.”

The Fire Dragon Incarnate didn’t stop there and elegantly danced into the attack against Gongsun Byeok. Gongsun Byeok focused his internal power to draw his dual swords from his waist, countering the swordplay of the Fire Dragon Incarnate. This time, maybe due to the perfect synchronization of their energies, the flames didn’t cling to Gongsun Byeok’s sword, and they normally faced their basic techniques.

KAA-KLUNG!!

Gongsun Byeok, unlike Lee Gun-ak, utilized an exquisitely refined basic technique that didn’t falter against the Fire Dragon Incarnate’s Absolute Slash. As I watched him execute the Gongsun Sword Technique, I noticed something different.

‘Yes, that’s right… This is different from what Zhuge Yulong showed with the Gongsun Sword Technique!’

In theory, the Gongsun Sword Techniques used by both Zhuge Yulong and Gongsun Byeok should be the same. Even if time has passed, it’s still the Gongsun Sword Techniques.

But it’s different.

From the perspective of an expert, anyone would feel the difference.

The Gongsun Sword Technique executed by Zhuge Yulong was near-perfectly peerless, yet Gongsun Byeok’s Absolute Slash felt distinctly different. I tried to figure out what that feeling was, but I couldn’t come up with an answer. It was obvious something was different, so why did it feel different? Feeling the frustration of my own lack of talent, I sighed.

But Gongsun Byeok couldn’t hold out against the Fire Dragon Incarnate for long either. Just over twenty seconds later, he revealed a critical weakness, and the Fire Dragon Incarnate inflicted a devastating blow with a single kick.

SWISH!

Blood sprayed as Gongsun Byeok staggered back, clutching his chest in disbelief.

“Kuh… Ha… This can’t be… My martial art is the top in the martial world…”

At his words, the Fire Dragon Incarnate sneered.

[How dare you claim to be the best in the world while still unable to reach the Absolute Realm? You are mistaking the brilliance of the Peerless Sword Technique for your own strength, but your skill is far inferior to Lee Gun-ak.]

“…Kuh… This is… not…”

SLUMP! Gongsun Byeok, full of rage, fell to the ground, spitting blood. He wasn’t dead yet, but he would no doubt perish soon. When the Fire Dragon Incarnate glanced at Lee Gun-ak, he unexpectedly looked down at Gongsun Byeok with a calm expression.

“Gongsun Clan Leader’s plans have failed…”

[What? You speak as if it’s someone else’s business? I’ll take care of you too.]

“Let’s stop this.”

[What?]

Lee Gun-ak crossed his arms and said, “I’m here under the Sect Leader’s orders to support Gongsun Clan Leader as much as possible, but personally, I have no reason to intervene further, nor do I wish to fight anymore.”

[Who decided that?]

SWISH! Lee Gun-ak suddenly pulled something from his robe. When I saw the small artifact in his hand, I instantly knew what it was.

‘Vajra?!’

BRRZZZZT!

“If you refuse to stand down, then I, Lee Gun-ak, can only utilize my full strength as a member of the Thunder God Lineage…”

An enormous thunder surged from the Vajra. The Fire Dragon Incarnate watched and shortly commented.

[It possesses tremendous hidden power. Is that a treasure?]

“No. This is the essence of the Four Great Families… and the Vajra, a symbol of our Thunder God lineage.”

Responding to the Fire Dragon Incarnate’s question, Lee Gun-ak continued, “If I use this Vajra, I can summon the powers of the Thunder God, and neither of us will escape unharmed. I request that we retreat.”

[Hmph, very well.]

Surprisingly, the Fire Dragon Incarnate, who seemed like she would kill Lee Gun-ak at any moment, retreated smoothly. It appeared that she sensed the Vajra’s power was extraordinary.

As Lee Gun-ak reached out to take Gongsun Byeok away, the Fire Dragon Incarnate shot him a piercing glare, and Lee Gun-ak retreated, speaking awkwardly.

“I must treat Gongsun Clan Leader.”

[Let him die.]

“…Got it.”

With no other options, Lee Gun-ak left alone. Soon, the Fire Dragon Incarnate treated the fallen Jang Gwa-ro and Zhongli Quan, who both appeared surprised when they met her. Without waiting for who would go first, they immediately bowed deeply and greeted in reverence.

“We meet the Immortal!”

“We meet the Immortal!”

[Rise.]

Having been taken aback, Jang Gwa-ro spoke up.

“I heard this mission was of great importance in the Celestial Realm, but I never expected you, Fire Dragon Incarnate, to be with the Divine Sword.”

Jang Gwa-ro clearly showed respect towards the Fire Dragon Incarnate. She coldly replied to Jang Gwa-ro’s statement.

[The Celestial Realm remains the same. You, Jang Gwa-ro, treat a Earth Immortal like a mere pawn without a word of explanation.]

“What brought you, Immortal, from the Celestial Realm to the Earth?”

[…]

The Fire Dragon Incarnate gave no answer to that question and changed the subject.

[What do you plan to do with this boy, Yeodong-bin?]

“I intend to adopt him into a good family of commoners and ensure he has a peaceful and happy life. He has suffered long enough as an orphan…”

[Do not speak nonsense.]

“What?”

As Jang Gwa-ro questioned, the Fire Dragon Incarnate folded her arms and said.

[This child has already experienced countless deaths on the battlefield, and the Demon Mask is engraved into his soul. He possesses excellent traits to become a warrior, but it’s a double-edged sword. If he were placed in a family of commoners, he’d either be overwhelmed by his own abilities and become evil or get tainted by the wicked path. His destiny is not to live a normal life. Your actions will only spoil the world further.]

“What do you intend to do?”

[I will raise this child, Yeodong-bin, as my disciple.]

“……!!”

Jang Gwa-ro and Zhongli Quan exchanged surprised glances. Zhongli Quan scratched his head and said.

“I…I’ve never heard of such a thing. In the Celestial Realm, the Fire Dragon Incarnate holds a practically supreme rank, yet you would take an ordinary human boy as a disciple, not the Great Immortal?”

[Hah! What supreme rank? Everyone but the Queen Mother of the West fears me, the incarnation of the Shenglong.]

“But…”

As Zhongli Quan lost words to the Fire Dragon Incarnate’s sneer, Jang Gwa-ro spoke calmly.

“Zhongli Quan’s words bear truth. If this child becomes your disciple, his ranking will soon elevate to that of an Earth Immortal, allowing him to learn countless powerful sorcery techniques from the Celestial Realm without constraints, but at the same time, he would attract immense jealousy.”

[Jealousy?]

“Even now, countless Taoists across the Central Plains are working tirelessly to ascend, and they wouldn’t tolerate the fact that an Immortal’s disciple came from a nobler lineage. The Great Immortals would also envy Yeodong-bin, for you are far above any ordinary Great Immortal.”

[Hmm…]

“That’s not the road for the boy…”

The Fire Dragon Incarnate seemed to consider Jang Gwa-ro’s words. Then Zhongli Quan suggested, “What if we take Yeodong-bin as your disciple temporarily? He could receive basic foundational training in the Dao Vein for a while.”

[What do you mean?]

“For a year or two, we observe his inherent nature and talent while he prepares to become your disciple. If I report to the Celestial Realm regarding my close watch of Yeodong-bin, I believe they will acknowledge him as your disciple.”

[Hm? Who are you to say that?]

Immediately, the Fire Dragon Incarnate sharply questioned Zhongli Quan, making him flustered.

“Ugh… Even though I may look unassuming, I’m the foremost apprentice of Dao Xing Tian Zun among the Ten Great Saints of Kunlun. While still not ascended, I’ve already received treasure. If I speak to Dao Xing Tian Zun, he will surely grant it.”

[Got it.]

Thus, the situation was momentarily resolved. Then, the Fire Dragon Incarnate headed to the depths of the cave before departing, appearing in front of Yeodong-bin as a spirit body and speaking.

[Yeodong-bin. I feel a sense of unease leaving you with that weirdo. In ordinary times, it wouldn’t matter, but in this chaotic era, where heavenly fate is disordered and numerous demons roam, you must learn to protect yourself.]

“Thank you for your concern.”

[Therefore, I shall pass on the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique to you.]

After a moment of silence, the Fire Dragon Incarnate continued.

[I came to Earth to wander and devised the Fire Dragon Sword while aiming to vanquish demons. While traveling, I discovered the tomb of the Overlord Xiang Yu, where I obtained the ancient sword technique he once practiced.]

“The First Overlord!”

[That sword technique was the finest I’d ever seen, likely due to its royal lineage from the Chu dynasty. However, due to Xiang Yu’s overwhelming natural strength, the sword technique remains incomplete.]

Upon catching the context of the conversation, Yeodong-bin remarked, “So, you’ve developed Xiang Yu’s ancient sword techniques.”

[Correct. It took me about a hundred years to organize it into what I now call the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique.]

The Fire Dragon Incarnate replied proudly.

[But before the swordplay reached its completion, I met an incredibly powerful demon. I managed to defeat it, but my spirit sustained injuries, thus I could only rest inside my sword for a while. In that time, the legends of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique seem to have morphed oddly.]

“I see.”

[The Heavenly Escape Sword Technique consists of a total of 96 moves. This is the Sword Technique of Earth that can overawe the heavens and is the sword of the Overlord! If you master this, you’ll have no equal among the Jianghu.]

And so the Fire Dragon Incarnate taught Yeodong-bin the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique for three days. To regain her strength, she began to re-enter the Fire Dragon Sword and fell asleep, while Yeodong-bin left Mount Ye accompanied by Zhongli Quan.

For the next two years, Yeodong-bin attempted to cultivate his sorcery techniques under Zhongli Quan. However, he had almost no talent for them, and oddly enough, he was constantly involved in incidents. In just two years, he had fought for his life more than twenty times against demons, held five life-and-death showdowns with martial groups, and rescued hostages and commoners dozens of times, leaving him with seemingly no time to train.

One day, Zhongli Quan lamented, shouting.

“Dong-bin, what misfortune star were you born under? Why do incidents never cease? No matter how skilled I am, I am still just the disciple of a Great Immortal, and I haven’t even ascended! I might just die like this!”

“Still, Master always helps me.”

“Damn it…”

However, in that extraordinarily fierce period, Yeodong-bin survived by honing the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique in real combat and utilizing his innate skills and the reflexes granted by the Demon Mask. Eventually, as Zhongli Quan developed a spell of calmness called “No Trouble, All Peace,” it seemed like he finally found some leisure time.

I was astonished as I examined Yeodong-bin’s memories.

‘Goodness… In just two years, has his martial arts skill skyrocketed from null to that of a peak expert level?’

It was a growth that defied common sense. In fact, Yeodong-bin evolved his Heavenly Escape Sword Technique over ten times during battles.

The only other time I witnessed such high-level growth was with Jin So-cheong. No, while Yeodong-bin might not possess Jin So-cheong’s innate talent, he was certainly a formidable Sword Demon. Although his training period was short and he lacked internal power, the sheer superiority of the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique allowed him to emerge victorious in battles against strong opponents, often achieving unexpected victories due to his tremendous fighting instincts.

As the promised period concluded, Yeodong-bin officially became the disciple of the Fire Dragon Incarnate. From that time forward, he began his formal training in the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique, accelerating his growth even further, to the point where every time he woke up after a sleep, he felt strengthened.

And three years later, upon realizing that his skills were no longer inferior to the world’s peak experts, he prepared to set out to capture the demons that were disrupting the peace. The night before departing on his demon-hunting expedition, Yeodong-bin expressed to the Fire Dragon Incarnate.

“Though I leave for a demon-hunting expedition at your request, my goal is to make a name for myself. I’ll capture several major demons to stabilize the world, and thereafter, I will proceed as I wish.”

[As you wish? How do you wish to live?]

“I will create the Heavenly First Door and become the strongest in the martial world, take the most beautiful woman as my wife, and enjoy wealth and fame in happiness.”

Indeed, despite facing numerous hardships, Yeodong-bin’s aspirations remained unchanged. He still yearned to use his strength to enjoy wealth and fame in this chaotic world. His confidence and calmness seemed to amuse the Fire Dragon Incarnate.

[Hahaha. Go ahead, you might just pull it off.]

The Fire Dragon Incarnate added lightly, [But… your heart will likely change.]

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