Boom—!
A thunderous explosion erupted in the air.
Swish—!
A sharp sound sliced through the silence. My head had already turned toward it; my body reacted before the sound reached me.
Swish—! Slash—!
Though I twisted quickly, the sharp aura of the Hermit’s blade narrowly grazed my hair. A few strands of black hair floated through the air.
Seeing this, I raised my qi pressure further.
Vroooom—!
Qi surged from my heart, spreading through my meridians and expanding into every corner of my muscles.
As my senses heightened, my field of vision expanded, and movements became far clearer than before.
Something was coming toward me.
A sword aura.
I channeled heat through my back, and my heart pounded as a surge of heat burst from my spine.
Boom—!
A short but fierce explosion erupted from my back, boosting my speed.
Gu Yangcheon’s body shot forward into the air.
Barely avoiding the sword aura, he reached right in front of the Hermit in an instant.
“Hah…!”
The Hermit exhaled a surprised breath, taken aback by the speed that surpassed his expectations.
He adjusted his sword skillfully, maintaining inner composure despite the outward startle.
The fluid path of his blade extended rapidly.
So fast that, though he wielded only a single sword, it seemed as if multiple blades were striking at once.
Amidst the storm of sword strikes, Gu Yangcheon extended his hand.
He twisted his body, navigating the eye of the hurricane-like vortex.
His gaze remained sharp, continuously tracking the sword’s path while he adjusted his movements.
‘This kid…?’
Watching him, the Hermit was stunned. Dodging the blade right in front of him was one thing, but how could he move so seamlessly?
Each action was executed without the slightest hesitation.
Even with the risk of a fatal wound from a mere graze, Gu Yangcheon approached relentlessly, showing no fear.
A martial artist at the level of Hwa-gyeong would naturally possess such mental strength.
‘But he’s too young for that.’
The boy in front of him hadn’t reached an age to have developed this level of resilience.
Could this also be the result of raw talent?
If so, then it was a curse from the heavens.
Was such a monstrous figure placed on this earth solely to plunge countless other martial artists into despair?
The Hermit felt a blend of exhilaration and chilling fear.
Twisting his body, he shifted the path of his sword.
He admitted his mistake in testing Gu Yangcheon.
The Hermit infused his blade with dao energy.
Swoosh—!
The distinct herbal scent, characteristic of Wudang’s dao practitioners, rose from his sword.
But unlike its fragrance, the qi embedded in the blade was fierce.
With a single stroke, the Hermit slashed through the air, leaving a lingering trace, as if he had torn through empty space itself.
Gu Yangcheon had already gained some distance, but—
Hum.
A faint vibration resonated from the Hermit’s blade.
“Tch…!”
Boom—!
Dozens of sword energies shot out in every direction.
Seeing this, Gu Yangcheon quickly spun the ring of the Gu Flame Wheel Art.
Whoosh—! Flames appeared at his waist, the ring expanding swiftly.
The Hermit’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
‘Blue flames?’
The flames were blue.
Unlike the deep crimson flames his father, the Gu Family Head, used to display.
For some reason, Gu Yangcheon’s flames were blue.
And along with them…
‘What is this?’
An unexplained shiver ran up the Hermit’s arm as he looked at the flames.
It was an instinctual intimidation.
Boom—!
Gu Yangcheon stomped the ground forcefully.
Whoosh—!
The ring surrounding his body expanded instantly, spouting flames.
Roar—!
The flames shot into the air, morphing into various shapes.
They resembled ferocious beasts with gaping jaws.
Dozens of flame beasts swallowed the sword energies.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The energies collided, causing explosions to erupt like fireworks in mid-air.
‘This is insane.’
Watching this, the Hermit couldn’t help but laugh.
Though his own qi was denser—
The overwhelming energy within Gu Yangcheon’s flames simply smothered and erased it.
How vast must his dantian be to hold such qi?
‘It’s not just talent, then.’
For him to unleash such monstrous talent, his foundation was equally solid.
Was he showing off his skills on purpose?
In that dazzling display, the Hermit’s attention wavered momentarily.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a wave of intense heat rushed toward him from right in front.
‘Damn…!’
He quickly turned his gaze.
Gu Yangcheon had already breached the Hermit’s defensive sphere.
A radiant blue orb was in Gu Yangcheon’s hand.
The Hermit recognized it instantly.
He knew how much energy was compressed within that small orb.
This was dangerous.
Creak—!
He forced an immense amount of qi into his sword.
Simultaneously, Gu Yangcheon made it clear he had no intention of waiting.
“Flame Orb.”
The compressed energy detonated right in front of the Hermit’s face.
A bright light engulfed his vision, and then—
Boom—!
A massive explosion swallowed the Hermit.
Energy burst forth, creating a vast shockwave.
A sandstorm whipped across the ground, temporarily obscuring everything from view.
In the midst of the storm, Gu Yangcheon furrowed his brow.
He looked around as if something displeased him.
Then, as if spotting something, he twisted his upper body and extended his hand.
Flames encircled his clenched fist.
Boom—!
Something struck the side of his fist, bursting apart upon impact.
Gu Yangcheon gritted his teeth from the sharp pain.
What had just grazed him was undoubtedly a sword aura.
‘Just as I expected.’
With a knowing frown, Gu Yangcheon narrowed his eyes.
Whoosh—!
The sandstorm that had been obscuring his view suddenly shot up into the sky.
A mysterious gust from below had surged upwards, lifting all the surrounding dust and clearing his field of vision.
With the area now clear, Gu Yangcheon looked straight ahead.
There, standing completely unscathed by the force of the attack, was the Hermit.
“…I really don’t know what to say to that.”
The Hermit laughed helplessly, scratching his head.
Even after taking the brunt of a direct attack, he appeared completely unharmed.
Or rather, since he already looked somewhat disheveled, calling him unharmed wasn’t quite right.
‘That’s not the issue.’
What mattered was that my attack hadn’t affected him at all.
That fact left Gu Yangcheon visibly unsatisfied.
‘I should have detonated it a bit closer.’
A split-second decision.
If he’d taken just one more step closer, it might have worked.
This left him with a feeling of regret.
Sensing this, Shin Noya’s voice echoed in his mind, sounding exasperated.
[If you’d done that, your chest would have been slashed open.]
He knew that.
That was precisely why he hadn’t acted on impulse.
[Yet here you are, regretting it?]
‘I thought it might have been worth risking my chest.’
[Nonsense.]
‘Yes. Nonsense.’
That’s why he hadn’t done it.
Not too long ago, he might have, but…
‘…Now, I have to restrain myself a bit.’
It was time to change his combat style.
Not out of fear.
It was simply that…
‘My life has become a bit more valuable.’
With so much left to accomplish, he felt the need to protect himself more carefully.
And, after all…
‘…Paejon advised me to.’
Paejon had often warned him about the limitations of his approach.
So, even now, he was trying to change his ways.
But it wasn’t easy.
To fight with this understanding in mind was challenging.
Especially when facing someone stronger than himself.
‘I didn’t expect him to be completely unharmed.’
He thought some of his attacks might have landed, but…
The Hermit was too intact.
As Gu Yangcheon began to realize the extent of the Hermit’s strength, he felt a slight twinge of surprise. Meanwhile, the Hermit himself was having similar thoughts about Gu Yangcheon.
“…Is the Gu family a den of monsters or something?”
“Excuse me?”
“Your father is impressive, but you’re something else entirely.”
“You know my father?”
“Not well. I only caught a glimpse of him once.”
The image of that monster he had once seen overlapped with the young man before him.
Recalling the force of the recent attack, the Hermit took a deep breath, feeling the lingering tension.
‘Finally.’
At last, any remaining emotions faded.
While his mind told him to see Gu Yangcheon as an equal warrior,
deep down, he had still regarded him as his disciple’s friend, a junior.
With this recent exchange, all of those feelings had been washed away.
Feeling a calm settling in his chest, the Hermit relaxed his stance.
Shhh.
His posture loosened slightly. Was he stopping? Gu Yangcheon tilted his head at the sight.
Sssss…
“…!”
A chill ran down his spine, and Gu Yangcheon sharpened his gaze on him.
Was this the Hermit’s true self?
The presence he felt now was entirely different.
[This one’s the real deal.]
Shin Noya’s voice took on an eager tone.
While the old man seemed excited, Gu Yangcheon couldn’t help but grimace.
‘This is going to be tough.’
It seemed like the Hermit was truly ready to fight now.
Just sensing the surface of his seriousness was enough to tell him.
‘He’s strong.’
He had underestimated the Hermit, thinking him quirky and nonchalant.
But seeing this, he immediately corrected his impression.
This man was real.
Though he couldn’t gauge exactly how strong the Hermit was,
‘At the very least, he’s stronger than the current Sword King.’
And probably stronger than the current Namgung Family Head.
‘Where was someone like him during the Blood Demon War?’
Had he died back then?
All he knew was that Mageomhu held the Thunder Fang.
But as for what happened to the Hermit afterward, he had no idea.
Hum.
The energy lingering in the air vanished.
Gu Yangcheon knew what that meant.
Watching the Hermit grip his sword tightly, he thought to himself.
‘There’s no other choice.’
[Young one?]
‘I’m going to use “that.”’
Shin Noya sounded surprised.
[…Are you sure?]
‘I’m not sure… but if I don’t, things could get bad.’
[…]
Perhaps Shin Noya agreed, as he didn’t respond further.
Taking the silence as assent, Gu Yangcheon cautiously moved his hand.
At that moment, the Hermit spoke.
“You probably realized it already, but from here on, it’s the real deal. Be careful.”
Gu Yangcheon chuckled.
“You’re considerate.”
“It’s a sliver of guilt. It’s embarrassing to go this far against a junior.”
The Hermit’s face openly showed his dissatisfaction.
He gently swung his sword, taking a step forward.
In that instant—
Flash.
“…!”
The Hermit vanished from Gu Yangcheon’s sight.
Seeing this, Gu Yangcheon immediately focused his heart, releasing his qi.
Using his heart as the foundation, he poured energy outward.
He sent all of it into his senses, expanding them in every direction.
Once.
All he needed was to sense him once.
With that thought, Gu Yangcheon pushed his sensory field to its limits.
Meanwhile, the Hermit…
‘I’m sorry.’
He had already moved to Gu Yangcheon’s left.
A speed beyond Gu Yangcheon’s ability to perceive.
The Hermit intended to knock him out with a single strike.
He couldn’t afford to escalate this further.
If he did, he’d go too far and there’d be no turning back.
Even now, his temper was flaring too much, so he knew he had to stop here.
Tap.
His foot touched the ground.
Even at that moment, Gu Yangcheon hadn’t sensed him. It wasn’t a matter of perception; the speed was simply beyond him.
The Hermit adjusted his sword to strike at his back.
Since he couldn’t slash him directly, he changed his approach.
This would slightly reduce his speed, but it would suffice.
Just as the Hermit was about to swing his sword—
At that moment, Gu Yangcheon’s gaze met his.
‘What?’
Had he spotted him?
At this speed?
The absurdity of the situation stunned the Hermit.
‘You keep surprising me until the end.’
Right up until the last moment, he displayed impossible abilities.
But even so, he couldn’t avoid this.
The Hermit poured all his astonishment into his swing.
Whoosh—!
The blade extended toward Gu Yangcheon with incredible speed.
Too late to react.
That’s what the Hermit thought, but…
Clang—!
“…?”
A clear, ringing sound.
What was that?
The Hermit turned his gaze toward the unexpected sound.
“Huh…?”
The sound came from none other than Gu Yangcheon.
The reason being that Gu Yangcheon had blocked the Hermit’s sword with his arm.
“What the…?”
It was surprising enough that he’d noticed him at that speed.
But to actually block it?
And why did it make that sound?
That clear sound wasn’t something you’d expect from a blade meeting flesh.
It was the kind of sound only heard when metal clashed with metal.
Just as the Hermit’s face filled with confusion, another unexpected turn of events unfolded.
Sssshh—!
“…What!?”
The bandages around Gu Yangcheon’s left arm loosened slightly.
Then, they quickly wrapped around the Hermit’s sword, binding it tightly.
Stunned, the Hermit tried to pull his sword back.
Creak—!
But the bandage held firm without tearing, gripping his sword tightly.
At that moment.
“Got you.”
Gu Yangcheon’s voice, full of a confident grin, reached him.
And right before the Hermit’s chest was another of those blue orbs.
“This damn…”
With the Hermit’s short curse—
Boom—!
The Flame Orb exploded.