Whenever Seo-jun saw Namgung Sua’s sword, he couldn’t help but marvel.
It wasn’t just because she handled that enormous greatsword like it was an extension of her own body, but also because finding any opening in her movements was nearly impossible. Lesser martial artists tended to think that wielding a heavy sword meant they had to put all their strength into a single, crushing blow. That was a foolish idea.
Even with a heavy sword, there are times when it should be light, and the wielder must not be swayed by the weight of the weapon.
Watching Namgung Sua’s swordplay made this crystal clear.
Her body moved in perfect harmony with the long blade, dancing with it. Even if her opponent managed to avoid one strike, her body would remain concealed behind the sword, making it difficult to counterattack.
It was truly a sword of unity between attack and defense.
And then came the finishing touch.
Boom!
A massive pressure bloomed out from her movement, weighing down on everyone present.
"This is… Namgung…" Chun-bong muttered, awe in her voice.
The essence of the Sovereign Sword Form was added to Namgung Sua’s swordplay, suffocating her opponent. The heavy sword gradually crushed them, forcing them to their knees, until they were ultimately overpowered by its sheer weight.
Namgung Sua wiped the sweat from her forehead and sheathed her sword. Seo-jun immediately jumped to his feet and clapped enthusiastically.
"Bravo!"
Her skill had improved significantly. Honestly, if it were a pure swordfight without inner energy, Seo-jun felt he’d be completely outmatched.
"Hehe, it’s nothing much," Namgung Sua said with a soft smile as she gracefully approached and leaned on Seo-jun.
In the past, she would have hesitated to get close to him when she was sweaty, worried about the smell. But now, she had realized that Seo-jun truly didn’t care, and she no longer held back.
It was a smart move.
Her body, heated from exertion, didn’t emit anything unpleasant. Instead, a gentle, pleasing scent surrounded her, something that no one would dislike.
As Seo-jun stroked Chun-bong’s head, who was pouting with her lips pushed out, he pondered.
‘At this rate… will Chun-bong reach Supreme Master first?’
Namgung Sua was a naturally talented martial artist, and her rapid progress was due to her relentless effort. In fact, reaching the Supreme Master stage before turning thirty was an unusual achievement in the martial world.
Even after scouring the entire martial realm, one would find very few cases like hers.
But Chun-bong… she was simply in a league of her own.
At seventeen, Chun-bong was already just one step away from reaching the Supreme Master stage, and Seo-jun could see it clearly.
"Why is our Chun-bong so strong?" Seo-jun teased.
"Hmph!"
Her chin lifted in pride, and Seo-jun found it endearing. As he lightly scratched under her chin, she purred with satisfaction, causing his heart to ache from how adorable she was.
"Ever since your blocked meridians were healed, you’re like a completely different person."
There’s a saying: Martial artists born with blocked meridians possess such overwhelming talent that, once healed, they leave a massive mark on the martial world.
Apparently, the same applied to those with acquired blocked meridians.
Though Chun-bong’s acquired blocked meridians didn’t grant her new talent, the yin energy that had previously blocked her blood vessels, combined with the elixirs she had consumed and the energy that had matured in her core, resulted in her extraordinary growth.
No joke, Chun-bong’s inner energy was probably twice that of Namgung Sua’s.
She had also undergone something akin to a complete physical transformation when her blocked meridians were healed, enhancing her life force and energy, making her truly exceptional.
"Our Chun-bong might reach the Supreme Master stage before turning twenty," Seo-jun mused, squeezing her soft cheeks.
Chun-bong’s nose shot up to the sky, full of pride.
"Of course! I’m Geum Chun-bong!"
"Aww, our little Chun-bong."
Seo-jun lifted her into his arms, and as he glanced down at Namgung Sua, who was leaning against his shoulder and gazing up at him, he spoke.
"From what I can see, your balance of energy, vitality, and spirit is already well-aligned."
That’s the advantage of orthodox martial arts—they grow while maintaining a certain level of balance. It was quite different from his own path, which was closer to unorthodox or demonic cultivation.
"But it still feels like you’re just a tiny bit short of reaching the Supreme Master stage. If you can grow just a little bit more, I think you’ll get there soon."
"Hehe, you’re really flattering me, aren’t you?" Namgung Sua laughed.
"No, I mean it."
It was just that the last bit of growth was always the hardest, but he wasn’t making things up.
Seo-jun closed his eyes and envisioned a few years into the future.
He imagined himself, Chun-bong, and Sua—all three of them at the Supreme Master stage—roaming the martial world together.
Three Supreme Masters laughing and wandering the martial world? That would be nothing short of a disaster for everyone else.
A walking catastrophe. A terrifying name indeed.
As Namgung Jincheon watched them quietly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
‘Is the new generation blooming…’
Even if he were no longer around, these children would lead the Namgung family well.
Sua was growing closer to Myeong-i as well, and most importantly, a prodigy cherished his daughter.
If his son-in-law reached the Hwagyeong stage, he’d have no regrets about following his wife.
A faint hum came from his sword, and Namgung Jincheon ran his rough hand along the blade.
‘I know… Don’t worry too much, my dear…’
The moon shone particularly brightly in the night sky above.
Seo-jun bid farewell to Namgung Jincheon and Namgung Sua, saying he’d see them tomorrow before heading to his room.
Namgung Sua asked if they could all sleep together, but that was out of the question—no way. If she were next to him, Seo-jun knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep properly.
"Hey, hey," Chun-bong called out excitedly as she ran ahead, then spun around to face him.
"What?"
"You’re all healed now, right?"
"Healed? From what? I’m not sick."
"Judging by your attitude, I’m not so sure."
"What?"
Seo-jun clamped his mouth shut, but Chun-bong continued without hesitation.
"I mean, your misogyny. You seem pretty fine even when Sua clings to you now."
"Oh, that."
Seo-jun paused for a moment. It wasn’t hard to come to a conclusion.
"It’s not as bad as it used to be."
Looking back, it had been more of a fear than anything else.
That mysterious woman—probably the one who had bewitched his mother and caused his father’s death.
It couldn’t have been hard for her to deceive his mother, who was just a normal person.
With simple soul manipulation, she could have controlled his mother like a puppet.
Even so, seeing the woman his father trusted most betray him was enough to make Seo-jun distrust all women. It was natural that he’d feel tense around anyone who resembled that mysterious woman, even slightly.
But now?
"Who am I?"
"A martial arts master, Lee Seo-jun?"
"No. I’m the Supreme Master martial arts master, Lee Seo-jun."
If they all got killed, that would be the end of it. He had the confidence now.
Even if that woman were an immortal, it wouldn’t matter. The fact that she hadn’t shown her face yet meant she was probably bound by some kind of limitation.
That meant all he had to do was get stronger and find her, then smash her head in.
It was a simple and clear conclusion.
"Besides, I never really had a problem with Sua in the first place. Why would I hate a kind and beautiful older sister?"
"…You bastard."
"Why? It’s true!"
"Die, you jerk."
"Hey, Geum…!"
Seo-jun snorted and followed Chun-bong into the room.
The room, which he hadn’t entered in quite some time, was a mess.
It wasn’t because the maids were neglecting their duties; Seo-jun simply didn’t like other people cleaning his space.
And if no one cleaned it for him, naturally, the room would get messy.
There’s something about entropy—the measure of disorder—that increases over time.
If time passes, the room naturally becomes more disorganized. It’s the way of things.
Now, if someone managed to keep their room neat without any help? That person must be a celestial being. If that’s not going against the natural order, what is?
And Chun-bong, not being a celestial being, kicked some clothes aside and flopped onto the floor.
"Hey, Geum. Why are you pouting? Come on, today’s a good day."
"Go sleep with Sua."
"Really?"
"……."
"Okay, okay! I won’t, so don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me."
Seo-jun timed it perfectly, sliding his hand under Chun-bong’s armpits and lifting her up.
Without even realizing it, Chun-bong was raised into the air, and her cheeks were promptly squished as Seo-jun forced her out of her sulking mood.
Chun-bong suddenly realized something.
‘What is with this guy?’
He’d always been like this, but it felt as though he knew her better than she knew herself.
It was as if he knew exactly when and how to act to make her feel a certain way, like he had her completely figured out.
‘Am I too simple-minded?’
As she stared blankly at Seo-jun, he gave her a sly grin.
Her heart skipped a beat. It must’ve been because it had been so long since they’d seen each other.
Annoyed, she grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked.
"Why is your hair such a mess again? Don’t you ever groom it?"
"I’m growing it out. Didn’t you know? You’re supposed to respect the body you’re born with."
"Who told you that nonsense?"
"Wh-"
"Never mind. Just sit still."
Chun-bong rummaged around, pulling out a dagger from the corner, then plopped down in front of Seo-jun.
Seo-jun blinked nervously.
"Hey, are you sure about this?"
"I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know."
"Chun-bong, wait. Can we reconsider for a moment?"
"No, I’ll do it. It can’t be harder than the Azure Divine Sword ."
"Hold on a sec-!"
Surprisingly, Chun-bong had a talent for hairstyling.
The next day, before starting his training with the Fist King , Seo-jun paused to collect his thoughts.
‘I’ve got way too much on my plate.’
First and foremost, there was the issue of Territory .
Even without reaching the Hwagyeong stage, every martial artist has their own territory.
Of course, when they say “territory,” it’s not a literal space.
It’s the range in which they can sense and control movements, the distance they can cover in a single breath.
This range varies depending on the weapon they use, their size, and how advanced their footwork is.
But could this territory have no connection whatsoever to the Hwagyeong stage’s true territory?
The lessons learned from the Giren Leader and blending them with his own pseudo-territory might just be the key to reaching the Hwagyeong stage.
So, for now, that was his top priority.
Next, there was Sorcery .
Even though he was dabbling in it, Seo-jun felt the need to get a proper grasp on it.
It seemed to suit him quite well, and it would be a waste not to explore it further.
However, sorcery was quite different from martial arts.
While martial arts rely on finding answers from within, sorcery is based on external elements.
At higher levels, the two might converge, but as things stood, Seo-jun couldn’t create something from nothing.
For example, he couldn’t use earth-based sorcery if there wasn’t any soil around.
And beyond that, there was a lot more to master.
The Reversed Heaven Sun and Moon Sword still needed practice, and he had to think carefully about the risks of demonization.
There was also the Sovereign Sword Form and the Golden Cloud Divine Sword —both needed constant attention.
He was probably forgetting a few other things too.
‘Why am I working so hard?’
For a moment, he questioned himself, but everything he was doing was necessary.
Relaxing could come later, once he reached the Supreme Master stage.
"Alright, let’s get started!"
Seo-jun looked up as Fist King Pae-jin-kwang called out with a beaming smile, flexing his muscles.
"First, we’ll figure out how much weight you can handle."
Should he just fake it with some makeshift muscles? He really didn’t feel like working out.