Jo Yeon opened his eyes wide.
Kwaaang!
In an instant, 'her' spear trust shattered his defensive spell.
'Impressive.'
With a wide grin, he confronted her.
Both wielded spherical consciousness domains, but their methods of usage were completely different.
She used her consciousness domain to read the flow of air, spiritual energy, and the flow of spells to destroy the spells.
With graceful movements, launched an attack toward Jo Yeon.
Though Jo Yeon casted countless spells, few managed to reach her.
'She's reading me!'He could feel it.
She was reading the hues of his intent and evading all of his attacks.
'Should I try using that cultivation method I've been developing?'
Jo Yeon pondered for a moment.
But soon, he gave up.
'It's an incomplete method...it's still far from being finished. I can't use something so crude yet.'
Instead, he chose a more straightforward approach, the kind that cultivators used to defeat martial artists.
Overwhelming strength!
Crushing her techniques with sheer overwhelming power!
Kwaaang!
One side of the pavilion wall exploded.
At the same time, Jo Yeon's spell directly struck her body, and she was flung far into the distance.
'I got a bit too excited. I should save her. If she falls from that height...'
But Jo Yeon's eyes widened.
Paaaang!
She stepped onto the air and flew upward.
"What...!?"
Not even his friend, Wol Bi, could do such a thing.
Well, to be precise, he had heard that it was something Wol Bi could do with enough time.
But Wol Bi had simply said that he didn't want to waste time learning trivial tricks like stepping on the air.
However, just by looking, it was clear that she was younger than Wol Bi.
Vitality that looked like she just entered her twenties.
Putting aside the fact that she had already reached the same realm as Wol Bi at such a young age, she had even mastered stepping on the air that even Wol Bi needed time to learn!?
As Jo Yeon realized her talent was beyond imagination, he let out a bright laugh.
"Haha, ahahaha!"
'This is great, Wol Bi.'
Taaat!
He kicked off the pavilion and jumped onto his flying artifact, launching more spells toward her.
With two short spears enveloped in Spear Gang, she deflected and diverted his spells as she gradually closed the distance between them.
'You've got yourself a fine disciple.'
"Is this all you've got!!??"
Kwaaang!
Jo Yeon roared as he unleashed a spell of flame dragons toward her.
"Wol Bi wasn't done with just this! That guy coated the air with Gang Qi and sent it flying! Are you telling me that his disciple only learned trivial tricks like stepping on the air? Did you really learn anything properly!?"
"Kugh..."
"Show me more! Show me more of what Wol Bi taught you!!!"
He even pulled out a magic artifact from within his robes.
The horse-tail whisk magic artifact radiated intense heat as it surged toward her.
Kwaaang!
She cloaked her entire body in protective Gang Qi and swung her dual spears.
But it wasn't easy.
Jo Yeon remembered the spear techniques Wol Bi had once displayed and dodged her attacks, pressing her even further.
Before long, while fighting in mid air, the two of them had moved from the upper floor of Qi Spear Pavilion where they first clashed to an isolated forest.
"Wood (木)!"
As Jo Yeon formed hand seals, the trees rapidly grew and rushed toward her like tentacles.
She wielded her spear, slicing through the branches in the air as if dancing.
'She's gradually losing energy...'
Jo Yeon smiled as he watched her.
She wasn't on the same level as Wol Bi in his prime, but she was quite strong.
However, at that age and with that level of skill...
Given time, she might very well surpass Wol Bi.
Jo Yeon was truly delighted.
His friend remained alive within her.
In the form of Martial Arts!
Gradually, the distance between Jo Yeon and her closed.
At first, it was she who had approached Jo Yeon to wound him, but now it was Jo Yeon approaching her.
'Just a little more...'
Just a little closer.
Wol Bi.
So he could feel the traces of his first friend...
Kwaang!
Jo Yeon swung his whisk, sending a bird of fire at her before moving in close.
He didn't think it was dangerous.
Different from when he met Wol Bi at the early Qi Building stage, Jo Yeon had grown significantly.
He had now reached full completion of the early Qi Building stage, forming all seven stars of Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket.
With his body completely covered in pure spiritual force, he had no fear of being injured by something like Gang Qi.
He stepped into the range of her spear to feel Wol Bi's spear technique more deeply.
Just as Jo Yeon entered her proximity.
Chills!
He saw her fighting will beyond the mask and felt shivers down his back.
'Wait, this is...'
The spear was changing.
Wol Bi's Paired Wings Spear was beginning to evolve.
"No...!"
He was so shocked to the point of his eyes bulging out.
Pushed to her limits, she was evolving the Paired Wings Spear.
The technique was changing.
No, it was evolving!
Kwaaaang!
Her Spear Gang struck Jo Yeon's protective pure spiritual force.
Jo Yeon was shocked to the point his heart almost leaped out, but at the same time, he smiled with satisfaction.
A disciple with talent surpassing Wol Bi.
Though Wol Bi was no longer in this world, Jo Yeon felt he understood what Wol Bi must have felt in his final moments.
'To this child...he entrusted everything and then died.'
With talent like this, Wol Bi surely departed without any lingering regrets.
Freely and without burden.
Because this disciple clearly had the skills to repay all of his debts.
"Magnificent!"
Jo Yeon shouted.
From behind her mask, he could feel her labored breathing.
As expected, it seemed she was nearly drained of her internal energy.
Jo Yeon laughed heartily as he spoke.
"You've not only inherited everything from Wol Bi magnificently, but even evolved beyond it. You are..."
Just then.
Chills!
'Wait, what is this fighting will...'
"It's not over yet!"
She adjusted her spear stance.
Jolt!
For a moment, Jo Yeon felt her consciousness domain compress.
Paat!
“...Huh?"
He looked down in a daze at his chest.
A hole the thickness of a strand of hair had pierced through Jo Yeon's chest.
"Ke...keheok...!"
Jo Yeon coughed up blood.
"Th-This...wait..."
He realized what she had done.
A martial artist's Gang Qi couldn't normally pierce a cultivator's Protective Gang Qi.
So...
She compressed the Gang Qi into a thread, maximizing its power in a split second to pierce Jo Yeon's heart.
'My...my pulmonary artery is torn...!'
His heart wasn't shattered, but Jo Yeon could feel that his pulmonary artery had been ripped apart.
"Keheok!"
He lost focus and fell from his flying magic artifact.
And, absurdly enough, she too had exhausted all her strength and was falling.
'This reckless...! Both of us are in midair, what are we supposed to do...?'
Forcing himself to stay conscious, Jo Yeon grabbed a handful of elixirs from his storage artifact and swallowed them.
He then applied an emergency healing spell and a talisman to his chest.
Afterward, he grabbed her as she fell, pulling her into his arms, and cast a floating spell.
Cough!
Perhaps due to the injury she inflicted on him, the spell faltered, and Jo Yeon's floating spell was only half-completed.
'D-Dying is...'
Images of his life flashed through Jo Yeon's mind.
Kwaaang!
He crashed into an old tree growing at the edge of the forest, near a small path.
Crash!
Branches snapped, and the leaves, already withering and dying, fluttered to the ground.
But by some stroke of fortune, both Jo Yeon and the woman survived.
"Hah...hah..."
Jo Yeon, drenched in cold sweat, glanced around.
They were on top of a tree.
Crack!
And just as he realized this, the branch they were on broke, and the two of them fell to the ground once more.
"Kuhuk! Urgh!"
Jo Yeon coughed up more blood, trembling as he shakily grabbed another one or two pills, swallowing them before barely managing to sit up and circulate his energy.
Chiiii-
Even if he was a Qi Building cultivator, the heart is a dangerous area.
Until he reached the Core Formation stage, he was still bound by the fragility of human life.
'I almost died.'
If her spear had been aimed just a little closer to the center of his heart, Jo Yeon would surely have been the one to die.
He had narrowly escaped death.
Looking at the old tree with its pale pink flowers, Jo Yeon offered his thanks.
"Thank you..."
He leaned against the trunk and caught his breath.
Then, he began to laugh heartily.
"Ha, hahaha! Ahahaha!"
Jo Yeon cried.
He cried his heart out.
My friend.
Are you watching?
'The disciple who inherited your will has already surpassed you. The gift I was going to give you, you wouldn't mind if I gave it to your disciple, right...?'
He retrieved the short spear he intended to give to Wol Bi from his storage artifact and placed it next to the still unconscious her. Afterward, he checked her pulse.
She was still alive.
Jo Yeon looked at her face.
Somewhere along the fall, her mask must have flown off, as it was nowhere to be seen.
Her face was covered in pockmarks, perhaps from an illness in her childhood.
And above one of her eyes was a large burn scar.
Soon, she opened her eyes.
"Uh, uhhh!"
She met Jo Yeon's eyes, then hurriedly covered her face, looking around frantically until she found her mask.
Only after hastily putting on the mask to cover her face did she face Jo Yeon again.
"Hmm, I've treated your internal injuries for now. I also treated your other wounds using my healing talisman, so your body should be fine. However, you've completely depleted your internal energy, so you'll feel weak. And also..."
Jo Yeon pointed to the short spear he had placed beside where she had been lying.
"You won. That weapon is now yours."
At those words, she looked between the spear and Jo Yeon for a moment before asking,
"...Excuse me, but may I ask your name? Were you perhaps an acquaintance of my master?"
Jo Yeon smiled softly and said,
"Before I tell you my name...show me the Paired Wings Spear with that spear. I'll tell you after I see it."
"...Understood."
She nodded and took Jo Yeon's spear, taking her stance.
Then, like a graceful dance, the Paired Wings Spear unfolded from her hands.
Jo Yeon watched.
It was similar to Wol Bi's spear, yet different.
A spear more refined, but with Wol Bi's will (意) still intact.
He felt a momentary illusion, as if he had returned to the past when Wol Bi had demonstrated martial arts in front of him, explaining the moves with the weapons Jo Yeon had crafted for him.
Drip, drip...
Jo Yeon's eyes welled up again as he laughed.
"It's excellent. Wol Bi would surely be delighted, even in the afterlife..."
"Thank you, Senior."
"My name is Jo Yeon (早緣). What is yours?"
"Ah...I've heard of you."
She bowed to Jo Yeon and said,
"I am Wol Ha-eun (月下恩), the adopted daughter and disciple of the Number One Spear Under the Heavens, Wol Bi. It is my honor to greet my master's companion for the first ti—ugh!"
Wol Ha-eun, while offering her greeting, collapsed again mid-bow.
Jo Yeon chuckled.
"My apologies. You must have overexerted yourself showing me the spear while already exhausted."
"...Yes. It seems I've embarrassed myself."
"No...it's my fault for making such a request."
After finishing his words, Jo Yeon leaned back against the tree trunk and looked up at the tree that took them in.
"...Do you know what kind of tree this is?"
"Judging by the flowers, it seems to be a quince tree. It's the season when quince flowers should be in full bloom, but seeing how few have blossomed, it must be an old tree."
"This tree saved us."
Jo Yeon stared up at the tree for a moment before speaking to Ha-Eun again.
"Where is Wol Bi's body?"
"...Master asked to be cremated and for his ashes to be scattered where his vengeance is completed."
She took out a small wooden box from her chest.
Jo Yeon gestured toward the quince tree.
"Then let's scatter them here. Even if we scatter them where Qi Spear Pavilion stood, it will just be trampled on again by the martial sects that come later. Instead, wouldn't it be better to scatter them at the tree that saved our lives after we avenged him? If it's my request, that friend would surely agree."
"Mmm...that sounds good."
Ha-eun brought the box of ashes, and together, she and Jo Yeon scattered them beneath the quince tree.
On a day in that spring.
Wol Ha-eun and Jo Yeon exchanged their names for the first time beneath the quince tree.