The sudden attack on the Main Branch was felt by all the warriors inside, as they rushed out at the sudden loud noise and earthquake.
Lee Sungmin looked at the numbers of the fighters approaching his way.
There were no Transcendents. The best of them were at the Peak Realm, and most were even lower than that.
No matter how prestigious the Namgung Family was, not everyone was a master in the Peak Realm. This just went to show that having a good backing and high-level martial arts, did not in fact make you a good martial artist.
To become a master of the Peak Realm, you need talent first, and if you had martial arts, you also needed the environment and support as well as battles with one’s life on the line.
There were only a few talented and selected individuals who could receive this kind of support within any of the 5 Great Families, including the younger generation.
The Namgung warriors, who were not blessed with those kinds of surroundings and support, were only at the bridge between First-Rate and Peak Realm at best.
Even so, this did not mean Peak Realm martial artists were easily found. It was rare to even see this many people above the First-Rate level gather in one place.
Of course, it was funny to even compare them to how Lee Sungmin was currently.
Lee Sungmin formulated his spatial essence that only Transcendents could do, and did something similar to Guan Zun with his sword, only his weapon of choice being the Formless Spear.
The warriors of the Namgung, who ran out, rushed to Lee Sungmin in high spirits but immediately suffered internal injuries from the strikes thrown by Lee Sungmin’s Formless Spear, resulting in them throwing up blood and collapsing.
“What, who the hell are you? Do you know where you are……!”
“The Namgung Family’s Main Branch.”
Lee Sungmin knew where he was. Lee Sungmin passed by the man, answering questions he had asked whilst throwing up blood.
Lee Sungmin, who was heading toward the end of the hallway, stopped walking. The fighters that were near the higher stages of the Peak Realm stood there, blocking his path.
Lee Sungmin grabbed the spear on his back.
Lee Sungmin mixed and circulated his internal energy along with Heoju’s drawn out power inside of his dantian and internal circuitry. It was faster to overwhelm these people and more efficient on his mental energy to fight them with his martial arts and spear instead of using the Formless Spear attacks with spatial essence.
“What brings you to Namgung’s Main Branch?”
“I’m not old enough to be asked questions from the deceased.”
Lee Sungmin murmured like that, coating a strong surge of his dark violet and golden internal energy around the spear. The man who asked the question, while looking at the dark purple luster of internal energy that was ominously surrounding the spear, hardened his facial expression.
“Why are you resorting to such violence?”
Lee Sungmin did not even bother to answer. It was because he didn’t even think about trying to give some excuses to such underlings that were unaware of the corruption above them.
Instead of answering, Lee Sungmin lifted the spear forward, and the Namgung Family warriors, including the man speaking, pulled out their swords without further questioning.
The disturbance, which began at the main gate, was immediately reported to the Patriarch, Namgung Baek.
Someone had broken into the main gate of their Headquarters on the Main Branch. Namgung Baek asked with a look of absurdity at the words.
“Intruders? How many of them are there?”
“…there’s only one.”
“One person…?”
Namgung was even more irritated by the answer. They had to go catch Namgung Heewon, who had escaped him and was ruining his grand plans, but someone with a death wish had invaded their headquarters all by themselves.
Namgung Baek uttered in an irritating voice.
“If you can take them alive, then take them alive, if you can’t, kill them.”
“Well… that’s…….”
The man who delivered the report looked sad.
“The Changcheon Swords have already gone…. And they were completely overpowered.”
“……what?”
Namgung Baek’s eyes opened wide at the man’s words. The Sky Swords were one of Namgung Family’s representative armed forces.
The Changcheon Swords were the warriors with the highest cultivation base level among the armed forces in the Namgung Family, and they were completely overpowered. Namgung Baek looked at the elders and spoke,
“…… I’ll guess we shall settle this matter before we depart for my useless son.”
“Of course we should. I don’t know what a lunatic is doing something so brash and stupid, but they certainly must not know where they are… to invade our Namgung Family.”
One of the elders said, clicking his tongue.
Lee Sungmin left the fallen Changcheon Swordsmen throwing up blood and started walking again.
There were some Peak Realm martial artists that were at the pinnacle mixed in the group, and it was a bit annoying to attack them all at once. But regardless, it didn’t take long to overpower them all.
[If you had just killed them all without care, I wouldn’t have bothered to stay with you all this time. You’re getting even better.]
Heoju murmured. He was glad that he had chosen the right human being to travel with and pass down his power to.
Overpowering the warriors was a bit more difficult than outright killing them, and Lee Sungmin also paid special attention to not crippling their dantians.
‘Since you’re this excited, I’m guessing you’re predicting something might go awry.’
Lee Sungmin was not just being a defeatist this time. It was genuinely possible he might not be able to overpower the next group of incoming warriors. He could defeat them yes, but to not harm them pitifully and crippling them might be difficult. The people approaching were definitely Pinnacle Peak Realm Martial artists.
Lee Sungmin stopped completely without walking as he let the numerous presences approach him first. It didn’t take very long for the masters in question to be caught in his sight.
It was definitely a sight to see. Just because one had the same cultivation base of power, this did not mean they were able to execute power and martial arts befitting their level. But these men were definitely incredibly capable and Lee Sungmin could tell from a glance. Lee Sungmin stared at Namgung Baek and the 5 elders who landed silently with him from a bit of a distance.
“……Who the hell are you?”
Asked Namgung Baek. The fact that this man had walked through the main gate and traveled all this distance without so much as a scratch on him was appalling.
No blood, no scratches and not even a sign of fatigue. Of course Namgung Baek believed he could do at least that much by himself as well…
It felt different. Something strange and ominous could be felt from this mysterious man in front of them. It was a feeling of incongruity… that this man might not just be some Peak Realm martial artist like they thought.
Namgung Baek wasn’t the only one feeling it. The five elders, who gathered around Namgung Baek, were also feeling a strange energy from Lee Sungmin.
“You’re not answering. What kind of resentment do you have here?….”
“There is no real resentment that I have with you.”
Lee Sungmin opened his mouth. Silence lingered, and time passed them. Lee Sungmin was measuring out and calculating the flaws he could see within the group in front of him.
“If it is the Namgung Family, it is a prestigious Family with people who have mastered the martial arts of the Namgung Sword, which is considered one of the best in the world. I just wanted to see how great this Namgung Swordsmanship was, with my own two eyes.”
“……is that seriously the reason you came here and caused this fuss?”
“Yes.”
Lee Sungmin nodded his head. When he was younger in this life and staying at the inn with Wijihoeyon in Genavis, he had heard stories about the 5 Great Families and their prestigious martial arts.
He really did want to see that for himself now. For a reason similar to that one, Wijihoyeon crossed the city from city to the Temple of Shaolin by herself, and easily knocked down Jihak, who was told that it was the future of Shaolin just, so she could experience the Shaolin with her own two eyes.
He spoke those words because he remembered the memory of that time.
He came because he wanted to see Namgung’s Swordsmanship. However, the response was… not taken well.
[Of course they don’t think that way you damn idiot. From their point of view, some crazy guy suddenly came into their Family House and is breaking their dishes and furniture while beating up their own family members claiming they want to just meet the family!]
“You came here because you wanted to see Namgung’s swordsmanship.…?”
Inexplicable anger and rage was expressed in Namgung Baek’s voice.
Although the reaction was fierce, it seemed to work well for the intended purpose of a fight, whether intentional or not.
Namgung Baek drew his own sword from his waist. A fearsome fighting aura surrounded itself on Namgung Baek’s body as he coated himself with internal energy.
“What’s your name?”
“……Jung Hyun-soo.”
Lee Sungmin replied with the name written on the C-Class mercenary badge pinned to his shoulder. He did not announce his name by calling himself Lee Sungmin or Ghost Spear. Namgung Baek’s eyebrows twitched at the name of Jung Hyun-soo as he saw the clearly bullshit C-Class mercenary badge on Lee Sungmin’s shoulder.(T/N : Sometimes I swear to god, Lee Sungmin cracks me up so much.)
“Then do you know who I am?”
“Namgung Baek, the Heavenly Sword?”
Lee Sungmin tilted his head with an innocent expression and spoke with an unsure tone as if he might be missing something. Namgung Baek nodded at the words. A blue coating of internal energy rose from under Namgung Baek’s feet.
“You must be confident in your ability, but you will have to pay for your arrogance with your life.”
Namgung Baek shouted and walked towards Lee Sungmin.
Every time he took a step forward, a strong and increasingly murderous intent attacked Lee Sungmin.
The warriors of the Namgung Family, who were nearby, expressed their admiration.
Although he did not enter the Transcendent Realm, Namgung Baek’s fearsome aura was intense enough to shake the bodies of those around him and have them tremble with admiration.
“The martial arts of the Patriarch have advanced even further.”
One of the Elders muttered.
‘What the hell is he doing?’Lee Sungmin was a little embarrassed as he watched the approaching Namgung Baek and wondered why he was being such a fool. He was clearly not going to be overwhelmed by such a weak intent like that.
There were so many flaws, that Lee Sungmin could not even count how many there were.
The body of Namgung Baek, who was approaching with a sword in hand, was full of gaps.
Just looking at the angry Namgung Baek who was approaching with a confident expression, Lee Sungmin knew this would end with just approaching and stabbing the spear once. Was this really a Great Family’s Patriarch?
‘Seriously?’Lee Sungmin did not even bother to praise Namgung Baek for his martial arts. It deserved none.
‘Ah.’
Lee Sungmin understood at that moment what he was feeling. Namgung Baek was actually not weak. Namgung Baek’s skills were actually the highest among even the best of Peak Realm Experts. Those flaws were intentional.
If one crossed even the initial phase of the wall, you could always enter the Transcendent Realm. It seemed Namgung Baek, despite being so strong, did not even get a glimpse of enlightenment about how to even start climbing the wall. It was truly a waste to see such talent, go to waste like this.
Simply stabbing the spear once? That idea was wrong. There were little to no gaps in Namgung Baek’s body.
His coating of internal energy was strong enough to completely block most of the attacks dealt towards him, and the sword in front of his chest could either deflect the remainders or even exploit his opponent’s flaws.
There was only one slight miscalculation that Namgung Baek had made, and it was not his fault for not realizing that Lee Sungmin could tear or pierce through Namgung Baek’s coating of internal energy like a piece of paper at any time, and it was completely possible to kill him right then and there if he wanted.
In the end, there were still a lot of ‘real’ gaps and flaws that Lee Sungmin could exploit. There just seemed to be a lot more due to Namgung Baek showing a certain amount of them as bait. But Lee Sungmin had reached a Realm that could see flaws and gaps even when in reality… there weren’t any. That was what is meant to transcend the human limits.
‘I’ve become too strong.’
Could Lee Sungmin feel proud of his own accomplishments? No, he couldn’t. He could acknowledge that his power came through his own hard work for once. But, he still had to become much stronger. Not for himself, but for those he cared about.
Lee Sungmin lifted the spear. Lee Sungmin’s enemy, known as Namgung Baek, could die at any moment, and he wouldn’t even know.
“Do you think you can reach my sword in that condition?”
Namgung Baek shouted and questioned Lee Sungmin in a fierce and arrogant voice. Just as Lee Sungmin considered Namgung Baek to be full of gaps, Namgung Baek also considered Lee Sungmin to be full of gaps and flaws.
The difference in their skill……it was too much for Namgung Baek to even measure. That was why he couldn’t see it.
That Lee Sungmin was much stronger than himself. He didn’t know that his appearance was full of gaps and that his old looking and odd-looking spear was in fact made of orichalcum, and could completely tear apart his internal energy coating like a piece of paper.
“What a cheeky fellow!”
Namgun Baek shouted once more in a haughty tone, as if to incite the audience that he was far superior to this random idiot. Namgung Baek’s sword, which had been accelerating in an instant, fell to the top of Lee Sungmin’s head at the speed of sound.
Lee Sungmin looked up and slightly moved the spear in his hand.
Boom!
Namgung Baek’s sword bounced back. Namgung Baek’s eyes opened wide, who was scared since he thought the man was going to die right there, but in reality had forced an outcome that was never in Namgung Baek’s calculations.
His wrist is throbbing as if it were broken. No, he couldn’t panic. Namgung Baek chewed his lower lip, recollecting his composure. Namgung Baek grabbed the sword with both hands and swung his entire upper body with a fierce momentum….
Slow and light. Its trajectory was plain and obvious with little to no variation. Compared to the sword of Guan Zun, the sword of the Namgung Baek was so insignificant. Was this really the Namgung Family Swordsmanship?Lee Sungmin moved the spear again, feeling depressed with how brittle and old-fashioned the swordsmanship was down to its very roots. It carried little to no flexibility in terms of movement. Lee Sungmin knew that if Namgung Baek could at least apply some of what Lee Sungmin had found with his spear when he was at the same realm as him, he would be a much stronger opponent.
There was no need to spread the martial arts from the past generations in the newer ones. Lee Sungmin’s spear was faster and heavier than Namgung Baek’s sword without even fully extending it.
The sword of Namgung Baek, which collided with the spear, was completely deflected and rendered useless. Namgung Baek’s face turned pale white.
Lee Sungmin stretched his feet and narrowed the distance from Namgung Baek. Turning the spear facing the sword outwardly in a half-crescent using his Rana technique, which was one of the very basics of spearmanship. The body of Namgung Baek became completely exposed.
Lee Sungmin’s hand tapped Namgung Baek’s chest.
“Cough!”
Blood gushed from Namgung Baek’s mouth. It was an immediate internal injury.
The blood pressure was twisted and the flow of his internal circuitry had gone awry. Namgung Baek’s foot slowed down. Lee Sungmin held Namgung Baek’s shoulder with the hand that hit him in the chest. Then, he pushed him back.
Qudang. Namgung Baek fell on the ground and looked at the sky with incredible eyes.
It was ridiculous. All over Eria…… was there anyone who could easily deal with him, the Patriarch of the Namgung?
‘Ah.’
Namgung Baek thought of someone. A long time ago. When he was just an average Peak Realm martial artist, a man named Guan Zun came and visited him at the Namgung Family Residence.
The fight back then……was still vivid in his memory. Such an overwhelming defeat was due to the fact that it was the first time in his life he had met someone in the Transcendent Realm.
“Are you from Beyond the Heavens?”
Namgung Baek asked in a trembling voice. Lee Sungmin looked at Namgung Baek, surprised at the words.
“Do you know them?”
“Yes.I know them…”
Namgun Baek tried to lift himself up, his face distorting in pain. He suffered internal injuries, but not to the point where he couldn’t move.
“What the hell is wrong with you?…? It was thirty years ago that I met you guys. Why are you back now?…!”
“……I’m not from Beyond the Heavens.”
Lee Sungmin was roughly able to see what had happened with Namgung Baek and Beyond the Heavens. The fact that they would visit and try to recruit those who had a possibility of entering the Realm of Transcendence.
And… to fight and kill them if there was no possibility of them joining them.
If there was a possibility, keep them alive and wait for them to enter Transcendence and after that, they would formally enter their organization.
“I told you. I just wanted to see Namgung’s swordsmanship.”
Namgung Baek’s internal energy and dantian would be harmed if he had rejected them and had the possibility of transcending his human limits. But he was alive and just fine in front of Lee Sungmin earlier.
But, he was not crippled nor dead. Perhaps, Guan Zun saw the possibility of transcendence in Namgung Baek and was going to recruit him if he did enter the Realm of Transcendence.
But, Namgung Baek clearly stated it was thirty years ago…… and in that time he had not crossed the wall even an inch.
“Then you…… Who the hell are you…?!”
Namgung Baek asked, distorting his face in anger and confusion.
“You are a Transcendent…… I’m sure of that now. But, you really aren’t part of ‘them’.…?”
“No.”
“Are you really saying that the reason that you caused all this and come this way was to see the Namgung Swordsmanship?”
“Yes.”
Lee Seongmin answered and put his hand on Namgung Baek’s chest.
Namgung Baek opened his eyes wide in embarrassment. As soon as he tried to say something, the internal energy of Lee Sungmin pushed into the palm of his hand and hit the body of Namgung Baek. Black blood gushed from Namgung Baek’s mouth.
“I’ve been disappointed.”
Lee Sungmin left the fallen Namgung Baek alone and looked at the elders. He had caused quite severe internal injuries to Namgung Baek and a large portion of their forces, so they wouldn’t be able to move for a while.
Without the order of the Patriarch and their main militant forces, The Namgung Family would probably not move. And it was even more likely, since this was the main branch that was in question.
At this time, Namgung Heewon would be able to leave Belador and move to a position where The Namgung Family’s pursuit would not be able to follow.
But there was not quite enough done yet. Lee Sungmin saw the elders of the Namgung standing firm with stiff postures.
“Are you all really going to stay watching me when your Patriarch is in such a state?”
Lee Sungmin approached the elders with such questions.
First of all, he was going to have to make those who were considered masters in the Peak Realm within the Namgung Family, completely immobile.