Fortunately, when Namgung Jincheon said he would do his best, he didn’t mean he was going to use all his strength to kill Seo-jun.
It simply meant that he was going to take the sparring match seriously.
"Phew."
Seo-jun finally let out a sigh of relief.
No matter how brave he was, he had no intention of fighting to the death with a martial artist in the Flowering stage just yet.
Although he wasn’t sure about other Flowering stage warriors, Namgung Jincheon’s aura was on a completely different level than the martial artists Seo-jun had encountered so far.
His aura was like the deepest part of an endless sky, akin to an abyss. Even Seo-jun felt it was too early for him to challenge such power.
“Come at me…”
Namgung Jincheon took the opening stance of the Heavenly Void Swordsmanship , waiting for Seo-jun to make the first move.
Seo-jun scratched his head, reminding himself that giving it his best would benefit him as well. He drew his sword.
“I’m coming.”
What should his first strike be against this potential father-in-law?
Though he would give it his best, he couldn’t use his demonic energy. He didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.
So, one of the orthodox martial arts he had learned would have to do. Most of what he had learned was from the orthodox schools anyway. After a brief moment of contemplation, he let his instincts guide him.
Swish!
Seo-jun slid forward like he was gliding on the ground. The energy of the Yellow Dragon imbued his sword as he moved with the Yellow Dragon Crossing .
Yellow Dragon Breaks the Sky .
His sword, which had been aimed at the ground, soared upward toward the heavens.
Boom!
As the dragon's maw opened wide, Namgung Jincheon responded effortlessly.
Clang!
His upward block twisted the trajectory of Seo-jun’s sword. The skewed path caused Seo-jun’s sword to cut through the air, and with a light flick of his wrist, Namgung Jincheon thrust his sword.
Swish!
Seo-jun dodged by tilting his head to the side, his eyes widening in surprise. It was fast. And concise. In just two simple moves, not only had his technique been neutralized, but a counterattack had been delivered.
As expected, he couldn’t match Namgung Jincheon in swordsmanship.
Seo-jun leaned into his fall, using the opportunity to summon plum blossoms at his feet.
He stepped on the blossoming flowers to put some distance between them, then brought his hands together, merging yin and yang.
Heaven and Earth Unified Technique .
He directed the energy toward Namgung Jincheon and unleashed an explosive blast.
“Hoo…”
Namgung Jincheon murmured in admiration, calmly raising his sword.
The sky. The line drawn by his sword extended endlessly outward.
As Seo-jun blinked, his mind snapped back to reality, and he quickly corrected his stance.
Thud!
The force of his foot hitting the ground left him aching. As his heart raced, Seo-jun focused on Namgung Jincheon.
“That was…”
“The Heavenly Void Swordsmanship …”
It was completely different from Namgung Sua’s version. Seo-jun finally understood what had just happened.
Namgung Jincheon’s sword had suppressed the entire area, and Seo-jun had nearly lost consciousness and collapsed.
Even now, the weight of Namgung Jincheon’s sword still bore down on the space. Seo-jun took a deep breath, gently touching the energy around him.
“Hoo…”
The pressure lifted. Namgung Jincheon’s eyes gleamed as Seo-jun suddenly twisted his body.
Roaring Spirit Technique . Seo-jun forcefully unleashed his internal energy, spinning his body as he swung his sword. The technique carried the essence of the Wang Family Swordsmanship .
Boom!
Namgung Jincheon blocked the strike with a single swing of his sword, tilting his head slightly.
“Swordsmanship…?”
In the brief moment when Namgung Jincheon swung his sword, Seo-jun had closed the distance between them.
It was neither too close nor too far. His sword didn’t reach, but it wasn’t far away either.
“Hup!”
Seo-jun exhaled, and plum blossoms bloomed around him.
Whoosh!
The red and blue plum blossoms filled the space.
Just like that time when Namgung Sua had filled the sky with plum blossoms, Seo-jun covered Namgung Jincheon’s sky with his own.
With his vision obscured by the flowers, Seo-jun raised his sword.
The sky. He took what he liked from Namgung Sua and Namgung Jincheon’s techniques and added it to his own sky.
Sky Crushing .
Lightning imbued his sword.
Namgung Jincheon’s eyebrow twitched. No way… It couldn’t be. It was impossible. There was no way anyone could imitate a martial technique after seeing it once, let alone capture its intent. That was something only a god of martial arts could do.
At the same time, the carefully calculated plum blossoms merged and exploded.
Boom!
Everywhere but where Seo-jun stood was engulfed in explosions. In the midst of the destruction, Seo-jun brought his sword down.
Rumble!
The massive pressure didn’t just concentrate the explosion in one place but added a crushing force with the descending sword.
It was a merciless attack that would reduce most martial artists to ashes. But Seo-jun wasn’t worried. If anything, he was more concerned about his own safety.
Flash!
Look. The sword that cut through everything soared to meet Seo-jun’s.
Woong—
A strange vibration resonated, and Seo-jun felt his sword lighten.
“This is…”
At the same time, Namgung Jincheon’s sword gently spun upward.
Boom!
The shockwave from the two swords’ clash ricocheted into the sky.
Seo-jun stared at the shredded clouds above, his mouth hanging open.
“This is insane…”
This was the head of the Namgung family. And his sword.
Even in the midst of such an assault, Namgung Jincheon’s clothes hadn’t been touched.
Seo-jun chuckled dryly and touched his cheek. The last impact had slightly grazed it, leaving a faint cut. His hand came away with a smear of blood.
“Do we need to continue?”
“No…, that’s enough.”
Namgung Jincheon gripped his sword with both hands and lifted it above his head. Seo-jun flinched.
“Uh… you said that was enough…”
“It is enough… This sword is merely for you to see…”
Slowly, Namgung Jincheon’s sword descended.
Seo-jun, who had been startled for a moment, closely observed the sword. But there was nothing particularly extraordinary about it.
When the sword finally stopped, Seo-jun felt a warm breeze brush against his cheek.
“……!”
His eyes widened as he touched his cheek. The wound had healed. It was as if it had never existed. Even though Seo-jun had incredible regenerative abilities, this wasn’t something he could have done himself. He stared at Namgung Jincheon.
“Did you feel anything…?”
“ Living Sword …, is it?”
“You could call it that…”
Namgung Jincheon sheathed his sword. Despite not breaking a sweat during their sparring match, his forehead was drenched.
“The Heart Sword … I’ve only grasped a fragment of it…”
“…I don’t think that’s something you should say ‘only’ about.”
“No, it’s just that much…”
Namgung Jincheon gazed absentmindedly at the sky.
The clouds that had been torn apart by their clash were now scattered, re-forming into separate clouds.
“It has become a meaningless sword… It’s too late… It’s all because I wasn’t good enough…”
After a while, his gaze shifted from the sky to Seo-jun.
“Your sword is lacking… Pure swordsmanship alone cannot follow the path you’ve achieved thus far…”
“Yes.”
“But in terms of controlling energy, you’re exceptional… When you reach the Flowering stage, your potential will fully blossom…”
The Flowering stage—where one could control the natural energy around them. If Seo-jun reached that level, he would be able to wield a form of martial arts that surpassed that of other martial artists.
“But no one knows when that time will come… You may be too late, just like me…”
Namgung Jincheon’s empty gaze met Seo-jun’s, and for a moment, Seo-jun felt his mind growing distant.
High. Seo-jun was certain. Namgung Jincheon stood at the very edge of the Flowering stage.
“I will teach you swordsmanship… Though it’s a mere commoner’s swordsmanship… as a senior who has walked this path ahead of you…”
Woong—
Just as Seo-jun was about to respond, Namgung Jincheon listened to his sword’s hum, tilted his head, and asked,
“Husband, how long have you been practicing martial arts…?”
“Uh…”
Seo-jun roughly calculated the time.
“It’s been over a year, but not yet two.”
“Two years…?”
“Yes.”
“Not twenty years…?”
“Right.”
“Hmm…”
Woong—
Namgung Jincheon nodded as he pressed his ear to his sword.
“Husband…”
“Yes.”
“Forget what I just said…”
“Huh?”
“A mere commoner tried to teach a genius… You’re progressing well, so don’t worry about my words…”
“Uh, okay…?”
Namgung Jincheon shook his head.
“A genius walks their own path… If you want, I can still teach you…, but it doesn’t seem necessary…”
“You said my swordsmanship was lacking, didn’t you?”
“At your level after two years, your swordsmanship is not lacking…”
“Ah.”
Still, having the head of the Namgung family offer to teach swordsmanship wasn’t something Seo-jun could easily pass up. He made a mental note of it.
After observing Seo-jun for a moment, Namgung Jincheon glanced at Namgung Sua before turning away.
“I apologize, but I need to rest… If you need anything, just ask Sua…”
Shhh—!
A sword flew from Namgung Jincheon’s waist and floated in the air.
As he sat atop the sword, Namgung Jincheon spoke with a sigh.
“Sua…”
“Yes, Father.”
“Myeong was looking for you…”
“I see…”
Namgung Jincheon glanced briefly at Chunbong, gave a small nod, and then vanished. It was as if different frames had been spliced together—he disappeared in an instant.
He had flown away on his sword with incredible speed, so fast it seemed like he had simply vanished.
Could Seo-jun block a sword flying at that speed?
As he pondered this, Seo-jun chuckled dryly and looked at Namgung Sua.
“Your father’s really strong.”
“Yes, he is…”
Namgung Sua smiled weakly.
Seo-jun, surprised, exchanged a glance with Chunbong. Do you know something? Chunbong shook her head—she didn’t know either.
As Seo-jun was contemplating what to do, he sensed someone approaching quickly.
Since this was the family head’s private training ground, it had to be someone important.
Glancing at Namgung Sua, he saw that she looked slightly flustered.
“Sister! You’re back!”
“Myeong.”
A young man landed gracefully in the training ground, greeting Namgung Sua warmly.
His face bore a striking resemblance to Namgung Jincheon’s.
“Could it be…?”
Seo-jun tilted his head in question, and Namgung Sua nodded.
“This is Myeong, Namgung Myeong.”
“He’s your brother?”
“Yes.”
When Seo-jun gave Namgung Myeong a slight nod, the young man immediately bent at a ninety-degree angle.
“Oh! I’ve heard about you, Brother-in-law!”
“Uh, right…”
At the word “brother-in-law,” Chunbong’s expression twisted into a scowl. Seeing this, Namgung Myeong quickly bowed again.
“I’ve also heard about you, Sister-in-law! Please take care of me!”
“Uh… right…”
Chunbong exchanged glances with Seo-jun, then quickly sent him a message.
[What’s up with him? Is he really her brother?] [She said he is.]
In any case, he was completely different from Namgung Jincheon.
“Myeong, everyone just arrived today, so they’re probably tired. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”
“Oh! Of course! I’m sorry! Please rest well!”
Namgung Myeong bowed at a ninety-degree angle again before swiftly disappearing.
Seo-jun let out a dry laugh.
“What a fascinating family.”
“Right?”
Namgung Sua smiled as usual, her earlier weariness completely gone.
But that only made Seo-jun more concerned.
Was something bothering her?
Seo-jun scratched his head.
“So, where should we stay for the night?”
“Oh, I’ll show you right away.”
As he watched Namgung Sua lead the way, Seo-jun bit his lip, deep in thought.
‘This feels strange.’