Slaaam-! The sky trembled.
Craaack-!
The Qi surrounding the area began to shift in color, consumed by an unknown force.
A dense, ominous blackness devoured the Qi meant to protect the students.
-Aghhh!
-H-Help me!
Screams could be heard from all directions.
Something wasn’t right.
The students had expected danger during their tests, but their screams weren’t from encountering demons.
Swoosh-! Qi stormed everywhere.
It wasn’t unusual for martial artists’ Qi to blend with the air, but this Qi carried a vile, unsettling aura.
It was the distinct, foul Qi of the Unorthodox Faction.
The foul Qi mingled with the air, spreading slowly but steadily.
The scent of blood clung to the forest trees, making it difficult to see beneath the blackened sky.
Then,
Swish-!
A flash of light cut through the darkness.
A sword, charged with Unorthodox Qi, flew straight toward a trembling student.
The student finally reacted by flinching, but they were too late.
The Qi-infused sword aimed directly at the student’s neck.
Splat!
Blood sprayed across the nearby trees.
Yet, it wasn’t the student who perished, but the mysterious martial artist who had thrown the blade.
As the student was sitting in shock, staring at the martial artist who died right in front of them,
Drip.
Blood trickled from a nearby sword, wielded by a figure scanning the surroundings.
She appeared to be searching for any remaining threats.
After a brief scan, she glanced down at the student and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes… I-I’m fine.”
The student’s gaze settled on the woman’s hair, brown with a subtle golden sheen, stained with blood.
Blood trickled down her pale cheek, yet there was an inexplicable allure to her appearance.
Even in fear, the student couldn’t look away.
“There should be an instructor if you take left.”
Ignoring his gaze, she pointed with a steady hand.
She was telling the student to run away.
The student scrambled to his feet and asked,
“A-Are you not coming as well… Young Lady?”
He wasn’t saying this out of fear.
Of course, he was scared about the fact that he almost died just now, but that wasn’t why he was saying this now.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
In response to the student, the lady only looked around with an expressionless face.
She remained silent.
“What… is going on right now?”
“I’m not sure.”
The lady shook off the blood on her sword after giving a short response.
The metallic scent of blood grew stronger.
She then checked the person she killed with her own hands.
There shouldn’t have been any pain since she struck his vital point.
She also killed another person before this, but she didn’t really feel anything from it.
It was the first time she’d killed since learning to wield a sword.
She stared at the lifeless body beneath her blade, yet she felt nothing.
“…I don’t like it.”
The lady wasn’t fond of it.
She knew there was nothing ordinary about this situation.
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Be cautious of your surroundings, if you don’t want to end up in the same situation as earlier.”
She turned to leave. The student hastily reached out, trying to grab her shoulder,
“…Hgh.”
But before he could touch her, she turned slightly, fixing him with a piercing gaze.
Her fierce eyes forced the student to step back.
“U…Um, I think you should come as well since it’s dangerous.”
The student knew who the lady was.
There wasn’t a single student at the Academy who didn’t recognize her.
She was one of the Academy’s most famous figures; it was impossible not to know her.
She was the descendant of one of the Heavenly Venerables, the Sword Venerable.
It was all but certain that she would demonstrate her exceptional talent and make a name for herself.
The student withdrew after hearing her cold tone.
“I’m fine.”
Then Wi Seol-Ah spoke.
“I have someone to look for.”
With those words, Wi Seol-Ah leapt lightly into the air.
She didn’t jump too high, but high enough for her to be able to see the surroundings.
It disappeared.
Wi Seol-Ah frowned as she scanned the surroundings.
Gu Yangcheon’s presence had vanished.
…What happened?
It happened in an instant.
She widened her senses, wary that Jang Seonyeon might attempt something harmful. She had detected Gu Yangcheon’s presence, but it vanished in an instant.
After that, something strange began to disturb the Qi around her.
Just the sensation of it gave her chills.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Ambush?
Some mysterious group appeared and started to slaughter the students.
That’s where the scent of blood came from.
Wi Seol-Ah scanned her surroundings.
It was filled with the scent of blood.
She had no idea why this ambush was occurring or what their goal might be,
…Where did he go?
But that wasn’t what was important for Wi Seol-Ah.
For Wi Seol-Ah, nothing mattered more than Gu Yangcheon’s safety.
I knew it. I should’ve followed him from the beginning.
She regretted her decision.
She had seen where he was headed, yet chose not to follow.
Grinding her teeth, Wi Seol-Ah directed her question at someone.
…Did you know that this would happen?
She asked a question, but no response came.
Sis.
She called again, but silence was her only reply.
Wi Seol-Ah had stayed away from Gu Yangcheon during this test because the voice had urged her to.
She told her to stay still if she wanted to help him.
She had questioned the voice’s reasoning, but its only answer was that it was for his sake.
In the end, Wi Seol-Ah held herself back, even as she sensed Jang Seonyeon closing in on Gu Yangcheon.
And now, this was the result.
This was for him?
How could this possibly help him?
If something happens to Gu Yangcheon,
Clench.
Wi Seol-Ah tightened her grip on her sword.
Her once innocent gaze sharpened, turning fierce.
Without him, she would lose her very reason for learning the sword.
I must find him.
Wi Seol-Ah leapt toward the spot where she had last sensed his presence.
It wasn’t too far from her.
Wi Seol-Ah quickened her pace, surging forward.
Screams still continued to echo around her, but Wi Seol-Ah didn’t turn away.
Where is it?
She ran tirelessly, searching for the right path.
His presence was especially noticeable, so Wi Seol-Ah was able to feel it even if he tried hiding it.
It was likely near the mountain’s peak.
Just as Wi Seol-Ah prepared to leap toward the mountain’s peak,
Slam.
“…!”
Wi Seol-Ah staggered, catching herself against a nearby tree.
Wi Seol-Ah winced from the pain coursing through her body and bit down on her lip as she reached into her pocket.
She pulled out a charm pouch, a gift from the Immortal Healer. With trembling hands, she opened it, took out one of the marbles, and popped it into her mouth.
Gulp.
Now of all times…!
She clenched her teeth.
She felt the medicine slide down her throat, but its effects were slow to take hold.
She tried desperately to channel her Qi, but her haste only brought more pain, making movement difficult.
“Huff… Huff.”
She wiped the sweat from her brow and forced herself to keep moving.
Finding him mattered more than the pain surging through her body.
However,
It’s dangerous.
It was hard for Wi Seol-Ah to move for a few minutes, and she knew that her surroundings were extremely dangerous right now.
Her Qi didn’t move.
Unlike before, when she could fully conceal her presence, she found herself exposed now that her vessel was sealed.
…Hghh…
She started to get hotter.
The medicine’s effect was slowly spreading, but her feet were still ensnared.
Then,
Rustle.
A noise came from the tall grass behind her.
WI Seol-Ah gripped her sword tightly, focusing.
Was it an enemy like before?
She didn’t know their identities and ended up killing them through an ambush, but they weren’t weak by any means.
They were around First-rate martial artists.
She pointed her sword toward the source of the sound, struggling to stay conscious.
She just needed to endure for a few more minutes.
I’ll endure it somehow, and…
“I had no intention of revealing myself, but I was curious about where you were headed.”
“…Ah.”
Wi Seol-Ah’s tense expression softened as she recognized the voice from beyond the tall grass.
It was a familiar voice.
“Considering your current state, I think it’s best I assist you.”
The figure emerged from the tall grass, dressed in black.
His expression was blank, his loosely tied hair distinctly recognizable.
“Are you okay?”
It was one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
The Dragon Warrior, Bi Eejin.
******************As the disaster unfolded,
“Aghhhh…!”
Cheol Jiseon’s screams echoed.
A grown man was being tossed around by his collar.
And that man was none other than Cheol Jiseon himself.
She leaped as if she was carrying a light baggage.
How was that even possible?
There was a gap in their skills, yes, but this seemed beyond reason.
The person who was leaping across places while carrying Cheol Jiseon around by his collar, was none other than the Sword Dancer, Namgung Bi-ah who he ran into earlier.
Outwardly, she appeared delicate, yet she handled Cheol Jiseon as if he were a mere toy.
H…Help me.
In this absurd situation, all Cheol Jiseon could do was scream.
“Y-Young Lady…! Please slow dooownnn…!”
Cheol Jiseon desperately asked, but Namgung Bi-ah didn’t even pretend to hear him.
If he had known it would come to this, he would have preferred she left him behind.
-Where did he go?
Namgung Bi-ah had appeared out of nowhere, demanded to know Gu Yangcheon’s whereabouts, and, without waiting for a reply, darted off in a specific direction, dragging him along.
She seemed to be in a hurry.
“Aghh…!”
Yet, despite carrying another person, her speed was astounding, almost unreal.
Cheol Jiseon hadn’t noticed it before, overshadowed by monsters like Gu Yangcheon and the Sleeping Dragon, but the Sword Dancer was just as formidable.
…I-I didn’t get to tell her about the True Dragon yet.
She didn’t exactly say who she was looking for, but Cheol Jiseon knew that the Sword Dancer was looking for none other than the True Dragon.
He had noticed that her gaze towards the True Dragon was different compared to others.
Besides, everyone at the Academy knew the two were engaged.
Everyone wondered how a scary figure like the True Dragon could be engaged with the beautiful Sword Dancer.
It got to the point that people started thinking that it was a forced engagement.
But those doubts vanished when they saw how the Sword Dancer treated the True Dragon differently.
Truthfully, the True Dragon was hated largely because of the Sword Dancer.
She wasn’t just called the greatest beauty of Anhui anymore, but the Zenith of beauty now.
That’s what one of the people watching her said, as she herself was busy training her sword without caring about others’ gazes.
Cheol Jiseon agreed as well.
All the women surrounding the True Dragon, the Sword Dancer and the Sword Venerable were especially captivating.
But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
“Y-Young Ladyyy…”
As Cheol Jiseon began worrying about his skin being ripped off to the rough wind he faced, the Sword Dancer suddenly let go of his collar for some reason.
“Uh… wait.”
Being freed was a relief, but the sudden release sent Cheol Jiseon tumbling across the ground.
“Aghhh!”
He rolled several times before finally coming to a stop against a nearby tree.
“…Huff… Huff… I’m saved.”
Cheol Jiseon barely managed to hold his dizzy consciousness and got up.
He wondered if the Sword Dancer accidentally let him go.
If it wasn’t, it meant she’d discarded him like a piece of baggage.
…I guess I am a baggage though.
As Cheol Jiseon felt fear from the fact that he almost died earlier, he looked around looking for the Sword Dancer.
Regardless of how she treated him, she was still his savior, and he had information about the True Dragon’s whereabouts.
Would I die if I tell her though?
Cheol Jiseon wondered.
The Sword Dancer’s face he saw from earlier was beautiful and all, but it was way too horrifying.
Despite that though, Cheol Jiseon decided that he will tell her.
He might have opened the gate under Jang Seonyeon’s influence, and even though the True Dragon had reassured him,
…No matter how much I think about it, this isn’t right.
Ultimately, it was Cheol Jiseon’s actions that led to this chaos.
As he looked around to search for Namgung Bi-ah,
Zaaap-!
He felt a sharp Lightning Qi from somewhere.
Cheol Jiseon recognized it immediately as the Sword Dancer’s Qi.
He learned from his background research that she used Lightning Qi.
However, doesn’t this mean that she is in a dangerous situation?
But didn’t that mean she was in danger?
Despite his fear, he forced himself toward the source of the Lightning Qi.
Even though it hasn’t been that long ever since he was separated from her, she was further than he expected.
She had moved so far in that short amount of time.
Cheol Jiseon gathered his Qi, gripping his sword tightly in his trembling hand as he made his way toward her.
As he approached where the Lightning Qi came from,
“…!”
He struggled to contain his shock at the sight before him.
“Oh no.”
As soon as Cheol Jiseon heard a heavy voice,
“Another disrupter, I see.”
Cheol Jiseon’s entire body began to tremble.
The Qi in their voice was too much for Cheol Jiseon to handle.
In the distance, he spotted a girl leaning against a rock, the Poison Phoenix of the Tang Clan. Beside her stood the Young Lady of the Peng Clan.
And there, facing off against an unknown figure, was the Sword Dancer, her Lightning Qi crackling in the air around her.
A middle-aged man with neatly tied hair, dressed in dark robes, stood with pale skin and eyes that glowed with a violet hue.
Cheol Jiseon knew immediately after seeing him.
It wasn’t someone he could even dare to go against.
The man cast a brief, dismissive glance at Cheol Jiseon before turning his attention back to the Sword Dancer, a hint of boredom in his expression.
“It’s been a while. I believe we’ve met before.”
“…”
The Sword Dancer’s face was filled with tension.
It meant that she knew this person as well.
The man’s brow furrowed slightly, his dissatisfaction evident as he asked,
“Do you remember me?”
The Sword Dancer nodded slowly.
“…I do.”
“Yet you still pull your sword out against me.”
It was as if he was talking down on her.
“Do I look like a joke to you?”
“…”
“Or maybe… you see me as a joke because of my defeat at the hands of the Flaming Demon that day?”
A dark, ominous aura began to seep from the man’s body.
“…Even though I am the Lord of the Black Palace.”
At the man’s words, Cheol Jiseon’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.