Book 20 Chapter 25

The duel of destiny, the curtain rises.

—If you don't see through it, you die.

Clang!

Namgung Sang's beloved sword, Seom-roe (閃雷), which shone with a bluish light like the frost of a winter dawn, emitted a blinding glare. His tense gaze was directed at a beautiful woman in her thirties, one of the great pillars of the martial world.

"That's a fine sword."

"Thank you."

Her name was Jin So-ryeong. Though as beautiful as a celestial fairy, she also possessed the dignified majesty of a Chilcheon Hyon-nyeo of Yochi. Everyone who knew her bestowed upon her the moniker "Amisin-nyeo" with respect for her beauty and, even more so, her superior swordsmanship.

The sword drawn from its sheath was her extension and her very being. Jin So-ryeong's beloved sword, Ok-hyeon (玉玄), emanated an intangible sword energy from its serene form, pressing down on Namgung Sang's mind and body as it shimmered faintly. No one could stop this duel now.

"We've finally come this far."

Namgung Sang murmured with emotion, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice. Jin So-ryeong felt a similar surge of emotions.

"It's only now that I get to cross swords with you."

Namgung Sang nodded in response.

"That's right. There were far more events than I imagined to get here."

And not just anywhere.

"But I never expected you to die and be resurrected. You seem to possess more skills than I thought."

"Th-that was also an unforeseen event for me, Aunt."

Namgung Sang replied in a polite voice. His will, reflected in that event, was too weak to change the flow.

"You call me that again. As I've told you numerous times, I am not yet your aunt. So, it's best to save those words. Until you defeat me."

Jin So-ryeong warned calmly and with dignity.

'So, it's not going to work out just by winging it?'

Well, if it were someone who would fall for such tactics, he wouldn't have reached this point.

Ever since receiving that cursed, damned letter of despair, he had to live with the scene of hell laid out before his eyes every day. Whether today would be the day of liberation from that hell or the final day that would swallow him into its depths, only time would tell.

One thing was certain: if he lost this duel, his senior disciple would not let him off, and exceptionally, this time, there was a possibility that Jin Ling would react exactly like his senior disciple.

"Are you ready?"

Jin So-ryeong asked in a low voice.

"I am ready. Please proceed."

Namgung Sang tightened his grip on his beloved sword.

"We promised to only use swordplay with qi, didn't we? Since that's the agreement, I won't refuse."

This duel had restrictions, and since both had agreed to them, they had to abide by them.

"Of course, there's no need to refuse."

Actually, that was a lie.

"I already know your secret technique. So, you'd better take that into consideration."

The realm of 'super-senses' that Namgung Sang had obtained and Jin So-ryeong had admired. This was the secret technique she was referring to.

"Of course. Don't worry."

Namgung Sang replied bravely.

Emei Sect's unique sword technique.

Scattered Flower Sword.

Secret technique.

Technique of controlling the sword with qi.

"Flying Lotus!"

*Swoosh!*

Jin So-ryeong's sword soared towards the sky like a leaping silver fish, then began to draw a dazzling picture in the air. Her ability to wield the sword freely after releasing it from her hand meant her sword control had already reached the Harmony Realm.

"Ooooh!"

Her outstanding sword energy was enough to elicit gasps of admiration from the crowd. However, while infinitely beautiful to the onlookers, it contained a terrifying power that felt like a kiss of death to the person involved.

"Wow! He's dodging so well!"

Watching the exchange between the two on the dueling stage, Namgung San-san exclaimed in admiration.

"Indeed. It seems his training wasn't in vain."

Hyeon-woon, who was watching with her, replied.

*Poke!*

At that moment, a finger sharply poked her side.

"Ouch! Wh-what?"

It was Jin Ling.

"I can't watch because I'm so nervous. San-san, how is it now?"

Jin Ling asked, covering her face with both hands.

"Eung! Amazing!"

"Wh-what?"

"He's still alive! Sang-ssi!"

Namgung San-san replied emphatically.

"Are you serious!"

Still with her eyes covered, Jin Ling yelled.

"Why are you yelling so loudly? It hurts my ears. If you're so curious, watch it yourself. Will reality disappear just because you turn away from it? Wouldn't it be better to face it directly rather than fret and worry so much?"

"No!"

Jin Ling yelled back.

"Tsk tsk, poor Sang-ssi too."

Namgung San-san clicked her tongue and said.

"Why?"

Jin Ling couldn't help but ask.

"Even your one and only lover doesn't believe in you. If she trusted you, why would she be so afraid? Right? So, how pitiful is my sister?"

"No! I believe him!"

Jin Ling yelled again. Her hands, which had been protesting, had lowered by themselves.

"Whooooaaa!"

Just then, another cheer erupted. Jin So-ryeong's sword, which had been persistently targeting Namgung Sang, suddenly split into two.

'Two-spirit split!'

Jin Ling directly witnessed the two separated swords creating a threatening change towards her lover.

"Danger!"

Her eyes widened.

Her Flying Lotus technique was dazzling.

As she extended her sword horizontally, calmness and silence settled at the sword's tip. In the oppressive silence, the gazes of many people stopped at her sword's tip.

A moment later, a rain of flowers began to fall from the sky. At some point, her sword's tip trembled faintly. The next moment, twelve streams of light exploded outwards. Namgung Sang, unsure how to counter, hurriedly raised his sword and deflected the sword energy flying towards him.

"Careful, behind…!"

Before the warning could even finish, a sword appeared from behind Namgung Sang's head. The scattered snow flowers and the exploding sword energy were merely feints to conceal the sword's movement.

He hurriedly swung his sword repeatedly, creating a sword barrier to barely block it. But it wasn't over.

It was the sword-splitting illusion of 'Two-spirit split' flying in.

'I won't fall for this technique anymore!'

He had experienced this technique hundreds of times over the past two weeks, to the point of being sick of it and having it etched into his body. His body already knew the most appropriate footwork to evade this technique. Calmly, he stepped into the footwork, evading the two swords flying towards him.

Jin So-ryeong was surprised that Namgung Sang skillfully received her secret technique.

"Amazing. To receive this move so easily?"

Namgung Sang replied with a wry smile.

"If this were my first time, I probably wouldn't have been able to receive it. But after repeating it about a hundred times, I gained some skill even though I didn't have any before. Human adaptability seems formidable. I succeeded in receiving it without dying."

"Ho ho? You seem to have trained under a famous master!"

No matter how vast the martial world, there weren't many who could perform the two-spirit split of sword control with qi.

"Master, my ass!"

Yeom Do, hearing that, gritted his teeth and said.

"If you're envious, just say so."

Bing Geom said with a blunt tone, offering a sarcastic remark. However, a small sense of victory was evident on his cold face.

Jin So-ryeong's expression became even more serious.

"Indeed, your skill is commendable. But it's too early to be complacent. You can be complacent after receiving this."

Her skill had not yet revealed its depths. It was only just beginning.

"That friend has gotten faster!"

Hyeon-woon, who was watching, let out a gasp. He felt a sense of unease, as if the gap between them, both supposedly among the Nine Dragons, was widening.

"You're right! I almost missed it."

Tang Sam was equally surprised.

"For a sword to be fast, the feet must also be fast. If the sword is fast but the feet are slow, it's still slow."

Bing Geom nodded with a satisfied expression, seeing that his training had borne fruit.

"It's useless if you can't close the distance with the opponent. I've repeatedly emphasized drawing the distance within yourself, and you haven't forgotten it."

"Hmph, are you picking a fight now?"

Yeom Do, standing beside him, scowled and said.

"Ah, come to think of it, you were always told by the master that your feet were slower than your sword!"

Why did he only remember this now? Bing Geom spoke with a tone of great regret, wishing he had remembered it earlier so he could have teased him for a much longer time. His expression remained blunt.

"You, you ice-cold bastard!"

Yeom Do's face turned beet red.

"Hmph! But the terrifying aspect of sword control with qi is the immense area of attack. Can simply dodging solve it?"

"We'll have to wait and see."

Jin So-ryeong's index finger moved upwards again.

"Can you receive this too?"

*WHOOOSH!*

Jin So-ryeong's swords, floating in the air, split into two again. In other words, they combined to a total of four.

"Now, can you receive this too?"

Namgung Sang's eyes widened.

"Gasp, four-spirit split!"

Even Bing Geom couldn't help but be surprised by this unexpected turn of events.

"How about it, ice-cold one? Do you have any countermeasures for this situation?"

"……."

"Why aren't you answering?"

"No! I don't have any countermeasures for the four-spirit split."

Bing Geom's voice was filled with seriousness.

"Then I'm going!"

Jin So-ryeong declared.

"No, you, you don't have to."

Namgung Sang replied.

However, Jin So-ryeong seemed not to hear his answer.

Emei Sect's unique sword technique.

Scattered Flower Sword.

Secret technique.

Technique of controlling the sword with qi.

Flying Lotus, Four Lotus Shadows.

Four lotuses embroidered the sky, blooming into a dazzling flower.

"Bloom, four lotuses!"

The scattered petals from the four giant lotuses flew towards Namgung Sang, carried by a strong wind.

"That looks dangerous!"

Tension crept into Bing Geom's voice. He had not anticipated Jin So-ryeong's skill to be this high.

'I should have made him able to handle more difficult situations…….'

Bing Geom reflected on whether his training had been too lax.

"See! Complacent measures lead to terrible consequences. If you lose, it's your responsibility."

Yeom Do pointed out.

"Will he be alright, Young Master Namgung?"

Na Yerin asked.

"He must be."

Bi Ryu-yeon replied.

'I can see it!'

Even in this desperate, life-threatening situation, Namgung Sang stared at the fatal petals flying towards him without a single blink. His senses, having just entered the initial stages of the Mind's Eye, had become extremely sharp. His previous investments had not been in vain. If so…

'There's only one problem!'

Could his body move faster than that speed?

'Hold on! My body!'

He moved his body at the fastest speed he could muster.

Namgung Family's unique footwork.

Lightning Shadow Step, Secret Technique.

Scattered Thunderous Light.

Namgung Sang's figure instantly blurred, drawing a long zigzagging tail as he moved backward in an instant.

It was a footwork called Lightning Shadow Step, as fast as a lightning shadow.

"Such speed!"

Hyeon-woon, who had underestimated his friend's level, was forced to question his judgment with shock.

"I, I can't believe it!"

A sense of crisis, that he would be left behind if things continued like this, overwhelmed him.

'As they say, no pain, no gain….'

Suddenly, his chest felt tight and suffocating.

"Is this the difference between one who risks danger and one who doesn't…."

In the past, he had looked at Namgung Sang, who was suffering and being bullied during his training, with moist eyes and a compassionate heart, thinking him pitiful. But now, he found himself in a position where he needed to pity himself.

"I can't believe it. To dodge that!"

Jin So-ryeong was astonished that her trump card had been rendered useless.

"It's nothing. I was lucky. Honestly, I wasn't confident this time."

Jin So-ryeong shook her head at Namgung Sang's modesty.

"No, you dodged this technique with your own skill. It's magnificent."

"Ah, no… I still have a long way to go."

He said, still humbly.

"If that's the case, I have no choice but to acknowledge you."

"Th-then, do you permit it?"

Namgung Sang asked, his face lighting up.

"Very well. Receive this last one, and I will acknowledge you."

"The last one… what do you mean?"

"It's one of my most recent achievements. I'm very happy to show it to you. This is its first public demonstration, so please understand if there's any clumsiness."

'Not again?'

Namgung Sang's expectation of "it can't be" was utterly shattered.

Jin So-ryeong's sword, which had rejoined, split into two again, then into four, and then into eight.

As a total of eight swords flew through the air, eight beautiful lotuses bloomed in the sky.

"Eight-spirit split…."

It was the final transformation of Flying Lotus, the ultimate technique of sword control with qi, the culmination.

She seemed to be saying with her sword that even with the same sword control with qi, the level could vary greatly depending on the wielder.

"What do you say? Will you surrender? If you admit defeat now, you might be able to save your life."

Namgung Sang shook his head.

"I will not give up. Even if I surrender with my hands up now, I will still die. Therefore, I think fighting destiny until the end is not a bad choice."

Namgung Sang said confidently, his eyes shining with determination.

"That's good courage. Then, receive it."

Emei Sect's unique sword technique.

Scattered Flower Sword.

Secret technique.

Technique of controlling the sword with qi.

Flying Lotus.

Four Lotus Shadows, Scattered Flowers Filling the Sky.

The eight lotuses that bloomed in the sky scattered brilliantly, filling the blue sky with sword light.

"Now what, ice-cold one?"

Yeom Do asked.

"I suppose I should buy some incense."

Bing Geom replied indifferently.

"Why incense?"

"Shouldn't I pray for your soul?"

Even the Lightning Shadow Step, known for its lightning-like speed, was useless amidst the blizzard of flowers filling the dueling stage. It was like running in the rain; no matter how fast you ran, you would still get wet.

'Then, a sword barrier….'

Namgung Sang hastily performed the life-saving ultimate technique, the dense curtain of stars.

However, each seemingly light petal contained immense power, and Namgung Sang's sword barrier could not act as a sturdy umbrella in this rain of flowers.

Clang!

"Kuh!"

Namgung Sang's only sword, held desperately, flew into the air spinning like a pinwheel, with the impact tearing at his grip.

Seeing that sight, Jin Ling's face turned pale. Despair filled her two lakes of eyes. A scream erupted.

"Nooooooo!"

It was a death cry.

"It's over!"

Someone shouted. Everyone nodded. There were no more moves left. Everyone thought so. Except for two people.

"Not yet!"

Bi Ryu-yeon shouted, jumping up from his seat.

Namgung Sang's sword, forcibly thrown into the air, was now moving as if it had a will of its own. Namgung Sang was desperate. He pushed himself to his limits, prepared to die. And he surpassed them.

"Do you know the greatest utility of sword control with qi? It's unpredictability. Surprising the opponent, an unseen move! A move beyond imagination!"

"Wooooooooooh!"

Namgung Sang stretched out both his hands towards his sword. Firmly believing there was a bond between that sword and his arms, he threw his arms forward as if casting a fishing line. His beloved sword Seom-roe rewarded his faith.

*Whoooooosh!*

Like a living arrow, like a silver smelt swimming upstream in a valley, the sword, traversing the vast and expansive sky, spun, swerved, accelerated, and then stopped abruptly at the back of Jin So-ryeong's neck. Then, leaving only a symbol, it exhausted all its power and plunged to the ground.

"Hah, hah, hah!"

Namgung Sang's body, from which all strength had ebbed like the tide, was like dry sand. His legs, which could no longer bear any strength, collapsed like sand on a beach swept by waves. At the same time, his body gave way.

"Sang!"

Jin Ling, startled, rushed forward. Jin Ling would later recall the situation, thinking he had died. That's how completely Namgung Sang's appearance was, as if he had burned everything, leaving nothing behind.

Bi Ryu-yeon, watching that scene, had a smile form on his lips.

"He's only just overcome one hurdle. A barrier he created and reinforced himself for twenty years. When will he overcome the next one?"

To his disciple and junior apprentice, who had just finished one task, he seemed to want to say that this was only the beginning. Fortunately, the unconscious Namgung Sang couldn't hear those words. However, his subconscious seemed to be awake even in his deep slumber, as Namgung Sang's body, held snugly in Jin Ling's warm embrace, trembled for a moment. It happened so quickly that no one could guess why.

"How… could this happen…."

Jin So-ryeong's face flickered with disbelief, like stars in a cloud-filled night sky, as she gazed at the pale yet somehow relieved, defenseless face of Namgung Sang sleeping soundly in her beloved nephew's arms—or rather, unconscious.

It was understandable, as this was an outcome she had never predicted even in her hypothetical duels. Namgung Sang's actions had surpassed her imagination.

Bing Geom answered on her behalf.

"Young Lady Jin, no matter what it is, the best way to know what it is is to experience it firsthand. If you thought experiencing it meant merely facing sword control with qi, meaning just receiving the technique, you were greatly mistaken. That's merely skimming the surface; you can't reach the essence of sword control with qi that way. There is no more effective countermeasure than to learn sword control with qi yourself. That is the true experience of directly diving into it."

"Did you teach him directly?"

"It's far from the commendable high level you possess, creating eight sword-splitting illusions, but… yes."

"Truly amazing. To prepare to that extent to defeat me, I am truly surprised. One side's moves were read, and the other side's moves were not read to the end, so it's natural that the one whose moves were read would lose."

"That is incorrect."

Bing Geom shook his head.

"Why is that?"

"It would have been impossible to defeat a peak master like you merely by reading your moves. That's why we focused on creating a body that could embody the possibility of victory gained through reading."

"We… Mr. Bing Geom, who was always alone like a winter orchid, saying such a thing? I'm curious about who transformed you so."

Bing Geom's face stiffened slightly.

"That is not something that Young Lady Jin need concern herself with. It's a trivial matter that would only waste precious mental energy. It's better not to know."

Bing Geom replied with a serious expression. Jin So-ryeong found this reaction even stranger.

"At any rate, I must admit that I have lost."

Jin So-ryeong looked up at the sky.

"To have overestimated myself… While I was shut away in the mountains, I momentarily forgot that there is another sky above the sky."

It was at this moment that Namgung Sang regained consciousness.

"Sang, are you awake?"

"Wh-where…."

"You're still on the dueling stage."

"Huh? On the dueling stage? How did the match end?"

With a sudden burst of strength from somewhere, Namgung Sang asked, jumping up.

"…You won, Sang!"

"I won?"

Namgung Sang pointed to himself, still seeming to disbelieve it.

"Yes, you won."

At that moment, Jin So-ryeong approached Namgung Sang with quiet steps, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said.

"Namgung Sang, you won. Jin Ling… please take good care of her."

"Th-thank you, Aunt!"

Jin So-ryeong no longer pointed out the title.

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the spectators, as if the dueling stage would be blown away.

Jin Ling finally burst into tears.