The golden sword aura flickering from Seo-jun's blade caused the Black Tiger Sect leader to grit his teeth.
“I thought it was just a mistake, but he really is at the pinnacle level?”
His panic was brief, and he quickly began to think. The sword aura, though powerful, would undoubtedly consume a significant amount of internal energy. His best strategy now would be to use their numbers advantage and wear Seo-jun down in a prolonged fight.
“Don’t confront him head-on! Conserve your energy and keep your distance!”
As soon as the leader finished speaking, Seo-jun kicked off the ground.
The golden sword aura traced an arc through the air. Seo-jun’s eyes locked onto a sect member who was slowly retreating, and with a swift strike, his sword cut through both the blade and the man’s body, slicing him in half.
“You bastard…!”
Enraged, the leader charged at Seo-jun. The dull sword aura emanating from his blade suddenly brightened.
“This is sword and body as one.”
Reaching a state where the sword becomes an extension of oneself, a harmony where the sword and the wielder are one. Typically, one would first grasp this understanding before being able to wield sword aura, but in Seo-jun’s case, it was the other way around.
“So this is what it feels like.”
By mastering qi, Seo-jun had created sword aura, and now, through that experience, he was retracing the steps to reach the true understanding.
Watching the leader’s blade, Seo-jun’s heart pounded.
A technique he hadn’t been able to perform until now. But with this newfound fragment of understanding, perhaps…
“I can do it.”
The first technique of the Divine Cloud Sword Technique that he had learned.
“Flowing Clouds Over Clear Waters.”
Like clouds flowing over a clear river, the technique guided the sword with fluid grace. As the leader’s blade approached, Seo-jun’s sword intercepted it, flowing softly like untouchable clouds, and sliced through.
Slash!
Blood spurted as the leader’s side was slashed open, his eyes turning a furious red.
“Grr…!”
“Leader!”
The Black Tiger Sect members, showing some semblance of loyalty, charged at Seo-jun. He took a deep breath as he watched the sword aura flowing steadily along his blade.
“More efficiently…”
There was no need to cover the entire sword. A thin layer of aura along the edge would suffice.
Swoosh!
The sect members rushed in from all sides. As Seo-jun tightened his grip on his sword, he suddenly felt an intense connection.
“The sword is me, and I am the sword…”
The sword felt like an extension of his hand. Wherever his intention led, the sword followed.
The sword traced a breathtakingly graceful arc, leaving no resistance in its path.
“Gah…!”
“Aaahhh…!”
Everything in the path of that seamless strike was cleaved apart without the slightest hesitation.
The heat from the spilling blood made Seo-jun’s body burn with energy. As he turned his head, his eyes met the leader’s, who bit his lip in frustration.
“Damn it…!”
The leader leaped, but not towards Seo-jun—instead, he aimed for the tall wall behind him.
“L-Leader…!”
“You coward!”
Leaving his men to fend for themselves, the leader made a run for it. Seo-jun gave chase, and as the leader landed atop the wall, Seo-jun followed, leaping up after him.
“Get out of my way!”
The leader swung his sword at a small child who suddenly appeared in his path.
‘Wait a minute. A child? At this hour?’
Just as the leader realized something was off, the child dodged the sword and tripped him.
“Ugh…!”
With the injury to his side, the unexpected situation, and the psychological pressure of being pursued, even a first-rate martial artist could stumble and fall.
Thud!
The leader quickly lifted his head, only to see a golden sword aura aimed directly between his eyes.
“W-Wait…! You wanted medicine, right? I’ll give you everything I have, just spare my life!”
But Seo-jun, who had his foot planted firmly on the leader’s chest, wasn’t even looking at him.
“Chun-bong, what are you doing here?”
“…Did you expect me to stay at home and pray?”
“What if you get hurt?”
“Look who’s talking.”
Chun-bong pouted, her lips jutting out.
“I’m still stronger than you, you know?”
“That’s dangerous talk, kid. You use your strength like that, and you’ll end up dead.”
“Mind your own business.”
Seo-jun sighed deeply and then calmly plunged his sword into the leader’s forehead. With a soft thud , the leader died.
What am I going to do with this kid?
After wiping the blood off his sword and sheathing it, Seo-jun hoisted Chun-bong onto his back and leaped back over the wall. The remaining sect members had already fled.
“Hold on tight. I’m going to run.”
Chun-bong tightened her grip on his shoulders instead of responding.
Worried that some of the fleeing members might have stolen the medicine, Seo-jun quickly returned to the leader’s quarters and looked around.
“I think I have a good feeling about this.”
Judging by the leader’s earlier words, it seemed there really was medicine here. Plus, something about this place was subtly nagging at his senses.
“Could it be here?”
Seo-jun approached a bookshelf and kicked it hard.
Crash!
The bookshelf shattered, revealing a hidden safe behind it.
“Steel?”
“Looks like it.”
Chun-bong, having dismounted from Seo-jun’s back, tapped the safe. It was so thick that even the sound barely resonated.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have killed him?”
Scratching his head, Seo-jun drew his sword again. Chun-bong quickly tried to stop him.
“Hey, hey! Your sword might break!”
“I’ll just buy a new one.”
“Ugh…”
Feeling awkward, Chun-bong stepped back. She seemed embarrassed by the situation, which was caused by her own condition.
“Chun-bong.”
“What?”
“Call me oppa just once.”
“…Why? Why should I?”
“If you do, I think I’ll be able to break this.”
“…Stop being ridiculous.”
After a brief pause, Chun-bong quietly added, “…Oppa.”
Seo-jun couldn’t help but chuckle at the title.
“Alright then, like I can’t slice through a simple safe.”
Seo-jun raised his sword high into the air.
‘From the sky to the ground.’
Though the Three Elements Sword Technique was often dismissed as a basic martial art, Seo-jun had always thought it was underrated.
The techniques of the Three Elements Sword Technique were simple fundamentals. But the imagery contained within the mental framework of the technique could make one’s heart race with excitement.
For this moment, he cleared his mind of the idea of sword and body as one and of any formal techniques.
His talent, his will—these would be channeled into a single drop of qi.
Thwack!
The sword came down swiftly and cleanly struck the ground. After letting out a soft breath and sheathing his sword, Chun-bong blinked in surprise.
“What… What’s going on? That wasn’t how it was supposed to work…”
Seo-jun lightly pushed the seemingly unscathed door of the safe, and it fell inward, sliced cleanly in half.
He reached inside and unlocked the mechanism, removing the remaining half of the door to reveal the contents of the safe.
“You always said my talent for handling qi was unmatched, right? That’s what it is.”
Seo-jun grinned as he pulled out a small wooden box from the safe. He ignored the pile of silver bars next to it and carefully opened the lid of the box. A refreshing scent wafted through the air, invigorating his senses.
“Black Muxin Pill.”
Chun-bong identified the pill, and Seo-jun looked up at her.
“Black Muxin Pill?”
“Yeah. It’s a pretty good medicinal pill. You should take it.”
“Why should I take it? You need it more.”
“Forget it.”
Chun-bong smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“You know I need yang energy, right? The Black Muxin Pill has strong wood energy, but it focuses on balance, so it’s useless for me.”
Seo-jun fell silent. He closed the lid of the box and tucked it into his clothes, then swept the silver bars into a sack and slung it over his shoulder.
“Let’s go home.”
Back at home, Seo-jun casually tossed the sack of silver into a corner and immediately stepped out into the yard.
“Yang energy… Yang energy…”
He wrapped the qi around his right hand and raised it. The faint golden light shimmering around his hand was like the moon in the night sky.
“Divine Cloud Qi Technique… Hm…”
Muttering to himself, Seo-jun was lost in thought, and Chun-bong sighed as she watched him.
“Seriously, just take it yourself. It’s not like I’m going to drop dead tomorrow. If we find something better later, I can take that.”
“Chun-bong.”
“What?”
“Just shut up.”
Chun-bong bristled and charged at him.
“You little—!”
But Chun-bong was just a small, weak girl. There was no way she could overpower a first-rate martial artist.
“Easy there, just stay still.”
Seo-jun calmly pinned her down and stared intently at the qi flowing from his fingertips.
“This is yang energy, after all.”
The goal of the Divine Cloud Qi Technique was to achieve the ultimate balance of yin and yang, but that was a long way off. For now, it was safe to say that the internal energy produced by the Divine Cloud Qi Technique leaned heavily toward yang energy. After all, that’s why Chun-bong had chosen to practice the Azure Cloud Qi Technique instead. Women naturally had stronger yin energy.
“Let’s see…”
Seo-jun placed his left hand on Chun-bong’s back and closed his eyes. A cold energy crept up through his palm.
So, this is yin energy. More specifically, this must be the cold yin energy that’s causing her illness.
With his left hand on her back and his right hand radiating the energy of the Divine Cloud Qi Technique, Seo-jun spent several minutes contemplating.
“…Hey, you’re getting heavy. Can you get off me now?”
Just as Chun-bong began to grumble, Seo-jun opened his eyes and nodded.
“I think I’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Seo-jun lifted her up under her arms and carried her into the house, setting her down in the center of the room. Chun-bong glared at him with sharp eyes.
“Do I look like an object to you?”
“Shh.”
He pressed a finger to her lips. Her lips were cold—her condition was serious.
Seo-jun opened the wooden box from earlier. The refreshing scent filled the room again as he carefully removed the Black Muxin Pill.
The dark, glossy medicinal pill lay in his hand.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he suddenly pushed the pill into Chun-bong’s mouth.
“Mmff…!?”
“Swallow it!”
“Mmff…!”
“Come on, it’s already in your mouth! If you keep fussing, the medicinal effects will fade.”
Alright, here goes.
Yin energy, yang energy—it’s time to show that none of that matters in the face of unmatched talent.