Chapter 86: Chapter 86
“A sword discussion match……?”
Disappointment settled on Cheon-hwi’s face.
“Why don’t we just spar instead?”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint was dissatisfied with the answer.
Calling it a match was just making it sound nice.
A sword discussion match meant verbalizing martial arts and techniques, imagining each other’s martial arts.
It was embarrassing to even call it a match.
‘It’s best to exchange swords directly.’
However, the Zhongnan Sword Saint was firm.
“You want to keep it simple.”
“Tsk.”
He felt regretful, but swallowed it down.
It made sense, as the Zhongnan Sword Saint, whose eyes were already sparkling, seemed to have come with the decision to hold a sword discussion and showed no intention of backing down.
‘It’s not great, but it’s still better than doing nothing.’
Eventually, he answered with a reluctant expression.
“Tsk. Fine.”
At Cheon-hwi’s reluctant answer, the Zhongnan Sword Saint laughed softly.
A moment later, the two sat on chairs.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint, who had been looking down at the dusty table, fixed his gaze on Cheon-hwi.
“I’ll yield the first move, so come.”
“Sure.”
Cheon-hwi immediately raised his index finger.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s eyes sparkled as he watched Cheon-hwi instantly take a martial artist’s stance.
‘His stance passes.’
Usually, one would be tense when sparring with an expert of a vastly higher generation.
Even if it was a sword discussion.
However, Cheon-hwi in front of him now was different.
He was confident.
Fearless? It was different from that.
It was the image of a martial artist overflowing with confidence in his own martial arts.
Right then.
Swish…
Cheon-hwi’s index finger drew across the desk.
A clean, flawless straight line parted the dust on the desk.
In an instant, the Zhongnan Sword Saint’s eyes shone.
“Is that your first move?”
“Yes.”
What Cheon-hwi executed was Mount Tai Crushing the Summit.
It was an easy and simple technique of just slashing down from above.
It was a simple sword technique that even a third-rate martial artist would never use as their first move.
But the fact that he used this meant.
‘He wants to feel me out.’
Realizing Cheon-hwi’s intention, he made a light hand gesture as if deflecting the rapidly descending Mount Tai Crushing the Summit, and said.
“Then I shall execute Heaven and Earth Densely Packed to trap Mount Tai Crushing the Summit.”
“How so?”
In an instant, his hand gestures moved in all directions, becoming as dense as a spider’s web.
The hand gestures, as if grasping the empty air, instantly sucked up the dust on the desk.
A moment later, the Zhongnan Sword Saint stopped his hand gestures and added an explanation about Heaven and Earth Densely Packed.
“Heaven and Earth Densely Packed is a chaotic sword technique (亂) that occupies the Eight Directions.”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s hand stopped.
“The Mount Tai Crushing the Summit, which simply slashes from top to bottom, will be trapped inside it.”
“And you’ll counterattack, too.”
“……!”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s eyes widened.
‘How did he know that? Has he seen it before?’
Heaven and Earth Densely Packed was the most heterogeneous technique among the Thirty-Six Swords of the World, and very few had grasped it.
‘Are you saying he figured it out in that instant!’
As his thoughts deepened, his eyes also grew deeper.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi recalled the Heaven and Earth Densely Packed he had seen in the past.
‘Heaven and Earth Densely Packed. It has indeed improved.’
A very long time ago, the chaotic sword technique wildly unleashed by an unnamed old Daoist of the Zhongnan Sect was a technique that protected the Daoist like the claws of a beast.
‘Back then, it was a defensive technique, but now it does both offense and defense simultaneously.’
Cheon-hwi recalled the hand gesture the Zhongnan Sword Saint had executed just now without a single trace of internal energy.
It was a lightly swung hand gesture.
‘But if he held a sword, a technique that absolutely could not be ignored would have been executed.’
In his mind, he pictured the Zhongnan Sword Saint executing Heaven and Earth Densely Packed against martial artists rushing at him from all directions.
Flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
And the Zhongnan Sword Saint standing alone there without a single drop of blood on him.
Cheon-hwi, who had been thinking, nodded.
“Then I will do this.”
“How so?”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint stared at Cheon-hwi, who spoke calmly.
He knew dozens of techniques that could destroy Mount Tai Crushing the Summit.
There was no need to go as far as superior sword arts.
However, he intentionally executed Heaven and Earth Densely Packed, the most heterogeneous and unique among the Thirty-Six Swords of the World.
His intention was simple.
Heaven and Earth Densely Packed looked like a technique with perfect offense and defense, but executing it properly required considerable internal energy.
A clear weakness.
He intentionally showed it to gauge if the other party could grasp that.
‘A peak expert would try to break Heaven and Earth Densely Packed and end up collapsing instead. However, an expert in the Limitless Realm would avoid a head-on clash and try to wage a battle of time…….’
As the Zhongnan Sword Saint calmly waited for an answer, Cheon-hwi parted his lips for a moment.
‘What choice will he make?’
He waited for the words to come out of his lips.
To see if he was truly a peak expert or an expert in the Limitless Realm.
But then.
“Then I’ll execute the Dark Fragrance Footwork to dig inside and then execute Shooting Star Descent (落) to counterattack.”
Cheon-hwi’s response was neither of the two.
He stepped on a footwork that neither broke nor avoided it, and then counterattacked.
‘A counterattack?’
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s eyebrows twitched.
“Do you think you can counterattack after dodging the sword technique of Heaven and Earth Densely Packed?”
“Definitely.”
As the Zhongnan Sword Saint frowned, Cheon-hwi immediately went into an explanation.
“Heaven and Earth Densely Packed looks dense, but looking closely, the Eight Directions are everything. Therefore, if I time it with when you swing from the upper right, step on the Dark Fragrance Drift to quickly twist my body, and deflect the empty space here…….”
As Cheon-hwi’s explanation continued, doubt settled on the Zhongnan Sword Saint’s face.
The theory was perfect.
Aiming for the opening by timing it with when the true form of Heaven and Earth Densely Packed, the Eight Directions, is swung.
However.
‘It’s an impossible method.’
He could say it flat out.
To execute it according to the theory, one had to master speed-oriented footwork and also master a heavy sword that matched it.
It was a fairly complex condition.
‘One who has mastered a heavy sword would not master elusive footwork like the Dark Fragrance Drift.’
The heavy sword was a sword that took a completely different path, focusing solely on power.
Conversely, the Dark Fragrance Drift was footwork that dealt with speed, so the two could not mesh well.
To execute a heavy sword, one would usually give up elusive footwork and execute it together with footwork like Thousand Catty Fall, which puts power into weight.
‘Of course, it could be mastered, but…….’
It was close to a waste of time.
Because the two were incompatible.
Even if one were to master it, they would only suffer for at least several years to several decades.
And who would buy such suffering.
‘Still, there’s room to think about it.’
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s gaze changed.
He had thought Heaven and Earth Densely Packed had perfect offense and defense until now.
But it had a weakness.
It was nearly impossible right now, but you never knew.
‘An absolute expert might be able to execute it.’
As he thought, he flinched.
‘Don’t tell me…….’
His eyes wavered slightly as he looked at Cheon-hwi.
‘Is it a coincidence? Or…….’
Staring intently, he shook his head vigorously and raised his index finger.
“Then I shall do this.”
His voice grew heavy.
“I will withdraw Heaven and Earth Densely Packed here and execute Cloud Dragon Footwork. If I aim right for your side, you won’t have a chance to counterattack immediately.”
Cheon-hwi looked at the suddenly serious Zhongnan Sword Saint and twisted his lips.
‘Is he going to do it properly now?’
Knowing that the Zhongnan Sword Saint had not properly engaged in the sword discussion, he intentionally chose an intense method to break it among numerous ways.
And that choice was correct.
‘I guess I’ll have a proper sword discussion now.’
Cheon-hwi immediately raised his index finger and said.
“Then I will block it like this.”
“Ho ho. Like that?”
“Then I’ll do this.”
“Hmm. I’ll dodge and counterattack.”
The continuous exchange of offense and defense.
The Zhongnan Sword Saint kept letting out exclamations of admiration every time Cheon-hwi spoke.
‘How did he think of this method?’
Vast and systematic martial theory.
It could be said to be broader and deeper than anyone he had met so far.
‘His martial arts are already complete.’
He clicked his tongue.
The number one in the world of the later generation?
It wasn’t at that level.
If he had internal energy and martial prowess.
Wouldn’t it be possible right now!
Confirming the source of the confidence Cheon-hwi had shown earlier, the Zhongnan Sword Saint’s forgotten blood of a martial artist began to boil.
‘It’s not a level where I can teach him.’
Acknowledging him as an equal in martial learning alone, he raised his index finger again and attacked.
“Cloud Heavy Azure Dragon Footwork…….”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint’s attitude, which had been speaking as if yielding until just before, changed to being serious.
Because of that.
‘Now he’s executing it without hiding anything.’
Cheon-hwi’s smile deepened.
A moment later, the heat of the two deeply engrossed in the sword discussion swallowed the room.
The continuous sword discussion.
They kept exchanging each other’s techniques without even knowing how much time had passed.
How long had it been.
The moon set and the sun rose.
The world that had been buried in darkness slowly revealed itself, and presently, sunlight also cast into Cheon-hwi’s room with the window open.
“……Ho ho. Has the sun risen?”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint quietly parted his lips.
He hadn’t realized the time passing.
‘Ho ho. I meant to look at his character. But I unknowingly got engrossed in the sword discussion.’
He shook his head slightly.
His blood as a martial artist had boiled for the first time in a long while, making him intoxicated with excitement.
‘Still, it’s not bad.’
He felt refreshed.
Even though it was a sword discussion without directly exchanging blows, he had executed everything for the first time in a long while.
“Let’s end it now.”
“Already?”
At Cheon-hwi’s slightly regretful question, the Zhongnan Sword Saint laughed softly.
“I also want to have more sword discussions, but wouldn’t it be better to stop at this point for now.”
“It’s a shame.”
“Ho ho. There are always lingering feelings no matter what it is.”
“Then let’s do it again when we meet later.”
“Next time, huh…….”
The Zhongnan Sword Saint chewed on the word ‘next time’ as if he felt good, and smiled brightly.
“Good. But instead of a sword discussion, let’s exchange swords directly next time.”
* * *
The afternoon of the day after the Zhongnan Sword Saint left.
Cheon-hwi, Cheon Yu, and Gu Gyeom-wi were standing in a large backyard that couldn’t even be compared to the backyard of the pavilion they were in before.
“Come.”
Cheon-hwi flicked his finger and said to Gu Gyeom-wi and Cheon Yu, who were standing tensely in a starting stance on the opposite side.
“Here I go!”
“I’m coming!”
Gu Gyeom-wi and Cheon Yu immediately rushed at Cheon-hwi.
Perhaps thanks to having sparred with Cheon-hwi several times, Cheon Yu and Gu Gyeom-wi launched a combined attack as if they were one person.
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
“Alright!”
The moment the two nodded.
Tap! Tap!
The two simultaneously split to the sides.
Cheon Yu, who had closed in on Cheon-hwi in a breath, lowered his body to Cheon-hwi’s waist as he stood, and thrust his fist, aiming for a blind spot.
Right then.
“Not bad? You’ve improved quite a bit.”
Cheon-hwi grabbed Cheon Yu’s head.
Cheon-hwi’s palm, which had opened up before he knew it, encroached on Cheon Yu’s vision and began to steal even his consciousness.
“Ah, not yet…….”
Cheon Yu, who barely held onto his consciousness, grabbed Cheon-hwi’s wrist and shouted loudly.
“Junior Brother Gu!”
At that moment, a sharp wind shot out from behind Cheon-hwi’s back.
A sword wind like surging waves.
It was precisely Surging Plum Blossoms.
“Oh. Now you’re using your heads.”
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
Giving flesh to cut bone.
The technique of yielding flesh to sever bone that Cheon-hwi liked was executed by their hands.
‘They wouldn’t have even thought of this in the past, but they’ve grown a bit.’
Cheon-hwi swung his left hand.
Pow!
With the sound of air bursting, the rushing Gu Gyeom-wi’s body flew backwards.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Gu Gyeom-wi, who bounced like a skipping stone several times, soon lay spread-eagled on the floor.
Gurgle…
He foamed at the mouth, showing just how great the shock had been.
“Ha, haha.”
Cheon Yu, who watched Gu Gyeom-wi through the gaps of the fingers holding him, laughed awkwardly.
“Ha, haha. Wasn’t that pretty good, Junior Brother?”
“It was a quite good combined attack. First, Gu Senior Brother’s combined attack, which drew attention to force my hand and then hid his presence.”
“R-right?”
“But you need to properly hide your presence.”
Cheon-hwi put strength into his fingers.
“Kk-kkugh!”
Cheon Yu, who had been struggling, gradually lost strength in his body, and presently went limp on the floor.
“Still, you’ve improved quite a bit…….”
With those words, he brushed off his hands.
Considering that he had fainted immediately without landing a single hit when they first sparred, he showed quite rapid growth.
“Still, he is the Eldest Senior Brother, so he is different.”
His gaze turned to Cheon Yu.
His growth had been slow at first.
No, he was still on the slow side even now.
However, Cheon-hwi, who observed Cheon Yu closely, knew of his change.
‘Is he hiding about thirty percent?’
He was trying to hide it, but Cheon-hwi already knew everything about him.
‘His internal energy cultivation method seems to have stabilized now, too.’
Cheon Yu’s internal energy cultivation method was different from the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen. No, the Mount Hua Sect’s disciples.
It made sense, as he was Mount Hua’s Eldest Disciple.
It was because he had learned the Purple Cloud Divine Art.
‘I hastily changed the Purple Cloud Sword Art into a fist art for now, and it suits him quite well.’
Cheon-hwi recalled the fist art Cheon Yu had executed just now.
Purple Cloud Fist Art.
It was a new fist art re-created to suit Cheon Yu from the Purple Cloud Sword Art.
‘I roughly taught him just two techniques for now, but even with that much, it’ll be enough to be evaluated as a top-tier art in the Jianghu.’
It wasn’t called the Absolute Sword Art for nothing, as it took time to re-create even a single technique.
‘I haven’t been able to make a few techniques yet, but he’ll be more proficient than with the Purple Cloud Sword Art.’
Cheon-hwi, having lost interest, looked around.
Besides the fallen Cheon Yu and Gu Gyeom-wi, there were Plum Blossom Swordsmen lying around who had already lost consciousness through sparring beforehand.
“Now all that’s left is martial arts training and physical conditioning?”
There was nothing more to teach.
In the end, all that remained was effort.
He was just accelerating their achievements through actual combat.
Just as he was about to move to wake them up, Hyeon-jin rushed over hurriedly.
“Cheon-hwi!”
He tilted his head at the urgent appearance, which was different from his usual calm demeanor.
“Did something happen?”
Hyeon-jin, who rushed over frantically and stood in front of Cheon-hwi, handed over the scroll in his hand.
“A, a letter has arrived from the main sect.”
“A letter?”
The moment Cheon-hwi grabbed the scroll abruptly thrust in front of him and unrolled it.
“Huh?”
He frowned slightly.
“Return immediately?”
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