Chapter 37: Breaking Namgoong (6)

It's overwhelming.

That was what everyone thought after watching Han Seojin's match.

At first, he defeated an opponent who used a sword with a sword.

Then, he defeated an opponent who used a spear and shield with a spear.

"Hehe."

In the stands, the person known as the Sword Saint stroked his chin.

Catching Namgoong Hyeok was something he could do as well.

But if asked whether he could do it as cleanly…

'It's possible.'

But it would require some effort.

Because his trait is [Violence], he must see it through to the end once used.

However, that's not the real issue.

That man.

'Used only the basic sword techniques.'

He subdued a warrior of the Namgoong family using the Namgoong family's basic sword techniques.

There was nothing else added to it.

The basics.

Yet, those basics were shockingly effective.

Applying the basics to the extreme, could result in that?

That was the feeling.

'Could it?'

With just the basics, he dominated the upper ranks among the intermediates.

Using a trait that is stronger than those in the higher ranks.

And to subdue such a person with basic swordsmanship and a wooden sword,

That's just impossible.

That was his immediate thought.

To suppress him, one would have to push oneself, too.

He is a being in the higher ranks and is praised as a Sword Saint.

Yet, Han Seojin faced his opponent with basic swordsmanship.

There was no sign of him using any special traits.

'He's a remarkable person.'

And an extraordinary one at that.

"…What in the world?"

"Isn't his talent limited to [Education]? How can he have such skill at his age?"

"Truly terrifying. It's not possible to acquire such skills overnight. All the rumors spreading from the Iron-Blood Sword Clan were false!"

Those who appeared to be scouts were all contacting someone somewhere.

Others were observing with interest.

From that extent, one could understand why he became the head professor.

They already thought his talent was in [Education], but it seems related to knowledge.

'That too, a memory related to [Lost Heritage].'

Lost Heritage.

It's also why the magical and Murim worlds cannot exert their power properly.

Once every thousand years, one or two geniuses would appear and carve a path, but because of this overreliance on geniuses, both the martial and magic worlds have repeatedly experienced setbacks for over 100 years.

The Sword Saint glanced briefly, turning his eyes towards another direction.

There, the head of the Iron Blood Sword Clan was sitting upright.

The Sword Saint approached the head of the Iron Blood Sword Clan.

As the Sword Saint approached, someone tried to stop him, but…

"…Stop."

"Yes."

Ignoring the guard, the Sword Saint sat next to the head.

"You've raised him well."

"…Heh, he grew up on his own."

"Still, it must be because he learned from the Iron-Blood Sword Clan that he's able to perform so well."

"….That might seem to be the case."

The head of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan remained silent.

Sword Saint could read one emotion in his eyes.

Confusion and embarrassment.

Sword Saint smiled inwardly.

The head of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan—that sly and trashy person showed confusion for the first time.

The Sword Saint looked his way after Seojin finally subdued the professor using martial arts with basic techniques.

There, Han Seojin is smiling brightly.

To anyone else, it might seem like a normal father-son relationship.

But Sword Saint could read the hostility in Han Seojin's eyes.

'Interesting.'

Sword Saint felt as if he had gained an unexpected benefit.

He had come out for a drink because of the fuss about that Han Seojin, but it felt like he had discovered a weapon to stab in the back of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan.

"…Sometimes I think our master is just too exceptionally skilled, don't you think?"

Yoo Eunchae first spoke.

Her words are without her usual frivolity, just pure admiration.

Wi Gunak nodded in agreement.

"Basic swordsmanship, basic spearmanship. And basic fist techniques."

"All were orthodox, but he pinpointed the opponent's weaknesses so well. It was like he unintentionally entered at the perfect time. There was also the fact that the opponent underestimated him at first for using basic swordsmanship."

However.

There's no one here who could easily defeat an opponent of a similar level like that.

'No, could there be?'

Seon Woohyeon thought hard.

The transcendent, the Blue-Eyed Martial Emperor.

With his martial prowess, it seemed possible. After all, he's a transcendent who caused the Bloodshed of Mount Hua.

Those in the upper echelon, and three transcendent beings.

He bore enough power to erase all those figures from the world.

It was a significant event in the martial arts world.

But lately, he's begun to wonder whether that man was truly superior to Han Seojin?

And regarding that…

At that moment.

Nam Hyerin was quietly meditating.

She had no worries about her master.

The Emperor Sword Form.

By learning it, she came to know a bit more about Han Seojin.

'He's a person like the sea.'

He is like the sea.

On the surface, a person whose depth one dares not measure.

The Emperor Sword Form he showed made the training room floor look as if a bomb had exploded, something they could barely manage to scratch,

With just a single sword strike.

A feat impossible for her even if she were to be reborn.

He unfolded it as if it was nothing.

Sreung.

She drew her sword.

Sword.

The shape of the blade seemed to ripple.

'It's different.'

It's different from any sword she's touched before.

A sword adjusted for her. A sword made by Han Seojin himself.

He crafted it with such exceptional skill that even the nearby ironworkers were amazed.

'I can't see the end.'

He has too many talents.

She liked that about him.

Because it meant he had much to teach.

Nam Hyerin swung the sword.

The sword fits perfectly in her hand. It's the kind of sword you'd want to swing immediately.

But she held back.

Because the one she will swing it at is Namgoong Miryeo.

However, she thought deeply.

'One strike.'

There's no need to think about anything else.

With her own Emperor Sword Style, she will defeat Namgoong Miryeo.

That was the only thought.

To do so, she suffered for a month.

She carried an iron weight similar to Han Seojin's, climbing up and down cliffs.

At night, I studied the internal arts and contemplated the sword.

There were times when she fainted in the middle.

Each time, Han Seojin forcibly revitalized her.

Nam Hyerin, being human, had moments of resenting Han Seojin.

But the results were sweet.

"Student Nam Hyerin. Get ready."

"Yes."

She will fight soon.

An entity that wants to suppress the existence of Nam Hyerin tries to do so again.

'It's okay.'

She recalls a nightmare.

The most difficult memory in her life.

It was the month spent with Han Seojin.

There was no time to sleep, with her climbing cliffs every day, receiving swordsmanship training at night, and practicing internal arts.

And when she collapsed, she was fed medicine to boost her energy.

That life was dreadful.

But there were results.

Nam Hyerin moved forward.

"Is it a duel of the Namgoongs?"

"Sword Monster, Nam Hyerin, and Lightning Sword Namgoong Miryeo. Both are individuals we need to watch."

"The swords of the Namgoong clan are a bit troublesome. They're not as significant as the Five Great Clans, but they're a powerful noble family in the provinces."

"Both Nam Hyerin and Namgoong Miryeo are promising, but there's no need to fight within the Namgoong clan to the point of making enemies with each other."

Gossiping could be heard from the audience, but Nam Hyerin went up on stage, paying no attention.

Namgoong Miryeo had still not revealed herself.

Nam Hyerin calmly closed her eyes.

Sharpening her sword in her mind.

Click-clack.

The sound of shoes was heard. Nam Hyerin realized she was more focused than she thought at that sound.

'I thought I was nervous.'

Her physical condition is better than she thought.

By releasing the iron ring.

By taking a pill that dispels the fatigue accumulated so far.

Those are also some of the reasons, but,

'No.'

That's not it.

It's because she has arrived.

Nam Hyerin opened her eyes.

Namgoong Miryeo was in sight, standing with Namgoong's sword.

The sound of Miryeo's footsteps to how she moves her body.

Integrating all those things, Hyerin arrived at one conclusion.

That she could win.

"Don't you think the world has become a better place? Even those of low birth can come here."

Namgoong Miryeo looked at Nam Hyerin.

From the beginning, their relationship wasn't broken like this. Namgoong Miryeo and Nam Hyerin used to get along quite well.

Something happened that changed them both.

Namgoong Miryeo deliberately provoked Nam Hyerin.

However, Nam Hyerin was silently preparing to fight.

"You know, we…"

"Quiet. No idle talk before a match."

Namgoong Miryeo looked at the instructor.

An instructor who doesn't yield to external pressure. It's okay to be at odds, but the remaining six months could be bothersome.

Namgoong Miryeo made a resigned expression and prepared to fight.

They took distance from each other.

Judging that enough distance had been created, the instructor announced the start of the match.

"Begin!"

Neither moved.

Namgoong Mireo displayed confidence feigned as arrogance.

Nam Hyerin sized up her opponent.

Sleek.

The first to move was Nam Hyerin.

She drew her sword and focused on her opponent.

She infused her sword with qi.

The qi extended. The qi that circled the sword once stayed at the handle, then circulated again.

And then it accelerated.

The subtlety of Azure Heaven Cosmic Godly Technique.

Circulation.

A technique that endlessly circulates energy to amplify pure internal energy.

As she continuously rotated circulation and acceleration.

Woooo!!

The sound of a swarm of bees could be heard. Her hands trembled from the enormous force she felt from the sword.

Emperor Sword Form.

It is a Heavy Sword and a Defeating Sword.

The Heavy Sword begins with understanding the opponent, and the Defeating Sword begins with knowing oneself.

This was the knowledge Han Seojin had instilled in her.

It was still a world too profound for her to understand.

But even knowing that, she could still use the Emperor Sword Form's Eclipse.

Kwoong.

The qi disperses through her feet. The qi injected into the sword force encircles in all directions.

It must take the form of an emperor.

'I'm still far off.'

The shadow of the emperor that person showed was not merely this.

"Huup."

She steadies her breath.

The Emperor Sword Form is infinitely close to the defeating blade, but its original form begins with the Heavy Sword.

The Heavy Sword starts with understanding the opponent.

'How much do I know?'

Namgoong Miryeo.

Lightning Sword, left-handed, uses the Blue Dragon Qi, and has no Unique Traits.

She can only use traits related to the sword.

No, that wasn't what was important.

Whether she could win or not was what mattered most.

Nam Hyerin looked at Namgoong Miryeo.

'I can win.'

Such a conviction came to her.

'…What?'

Namgoong Miryeo stopped in her tracks.

Something was pressing down on her.

'What is it, what's pressing down on me?'

She looked ahead.

She can see Nam Hyerin.

She was exuding an aura.

Nam Hyerin's sword was buzzing and shaking. That's why it was perplexing.

Her sword is a Swift Sword.

It's not a sword that is crudely infused and circulated with energy.

She hasn't learned the proper internal arts.

She couldn't even learn the Seven Dragon Internal Art because it didn't suit her.

She only learned the basics from the Namgoong family.

But is such circulation possible?

'I don't know what trick she used.'

Namgoong Miryeo cannot lose here.

Because there's a lot at stake this time.

Swoosh!

She drew her sword. Immediately, she infused it with the Blue Dragon Qi.

Crack!

Blue lightning wrapped around the sword, and then she leaped.

Thud!

She quickly approached Nam Hyerin with the Lightning Dragon Step. She assumed a stance to swing her sword.

It was dangerous, but the tide of battle had turned at this point.

Her rapid swordsmanship that, the Namgoong boasted, was not something the current Nam Hyerin could handle.

But then.

'…Something.'

She was suddenly out of breath.

As if a massive mountain was blocking her path.

Then, she felt an enormous momentum.

But was that possible?

In terms of realms, they were similar.

However, even within that, strength differs.

And she was stronger than Nam Hyerin.

Yet.

'It doesn't make sense.'

The momentum she felt from Nam Hyerin now seemed to be from a higher realm than her own.

Whoosh.

Nam Hyerin took her stance.

Stepping forward and bending her waist, she aimed her sword downward.

And suddenly, the sky was visible.

It seemed like the endlessly high and blue sky, the azure heaven, was draped above.

Below that, Nam Hyerin's shadow was cast.

Her shadow seemed endlessly large.

Twisting the heavens like an emperor who embraced it.

It seemed like the emperor's shadow, which appeared capable of blocking everything despite all efforts, stood behind Nam Hyerin.

It took a stance, the same stance as Nam Hyerin.

And then.

A single strike.

Whooosh!!

A blue sword, seeming capable of cutting through everything, descended towards her.