Chapter 156: Round of 16 (2)

The first match of the second day pitted Shaolin’s Hyeun against Hebei Peng Clan’s Peng Dojin.

Hyeun emerged victorious.

Though Peng Dojin was quite skilled, he couldn’t match Hyeun’s abilities. In the end, Hyeun secured an unsurprising victory.

The second match followed.

Chunbong versus Muhye.

As Seojun straightened in his seat, Sage Heo Do quietly approached from nearby.

Naturally, several other figures drew close as well, and Seojun found himself chatting with the Red-Faced Beggar, Pae Jingwang, Eun Yudo, and others he’d already connected with.

Watching this, Seojun thought to himself.

So this how factions form?

The Dragon Phoenix Tournament wasn’t just a competition for rising stars, it also seemed to serve as a social gathering for the Transcendent Realm martial artists who’d come as their guardians.

Since Seojun had little interest in socializing, he soon focused all his attention on the arena where Chunbong would appear.

— Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Clan…!

With the referee’s announcement, Chunbong stepped onto the arena.

She was still wearing the Divine Sword Geum Clan’s formal robes today, looking like a daughter wearing her mother’s clothes, which was absolutely adorable.

— Muhye of the Wudang Sect!

Muhye took her position across from Chunbong.

After studying her opponent with a blank expression, she cupped her fists.

“Please treat me well.”

“Yes, I’ll learn much from you.”

Social-mode Geum Chunbong returned the courtesy politely.

As Seojun watched with a grin, Sage Heo Do spoke up.

“By the way, Heaven-reaching True Qi, what are your future plans?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You seem to be a Namgung Clan elder now, but as the successor to the Divine Sword Geum Clan, won’t your position become awkward once the Geum Clan is restored?”

“It shouldn’t be too awkward. Whether it’s the Namgung Clan or Divine Sword Geum Clan, we’re all family anyway. I think the two clans were probably close from the beginning.”

“Personal relationships aside, when it becomes a matter of organizational politics, things don’t go so smoothly.”

At his words, Seojun briefly pondered.

The future. The Namgung Clan. The Divine Sword Geum Clan.

He didn’t think for long.

“I don’t think it’ll be an issue. My father-in-law is pretty laid-back about these things.”

“Laid-back? Ah, indeed. The current Namgung Family Head certainly has that straightforward nature.”

Sage Heo Do briefly envisioned the future.

Namgung Jincheon, the being closest to what one would call Unrivaled Under the Heavens, and Heaven-reaching True Qi, with all those impossible feats achieved at such a young age. The relationship between the Namgung and Divine Sword Geum Clans…

“The orthodox faction is going to be turned upside down…”

If the Namgung and Divine Sword Geum Clans maintained a close relationship, practically like a single family, their combined power would far exceed what it was now. This much was crystal clear.

For now, the Divine Sword Geum Clan had fallen and possessed no real influence, but would that remain true forever?

With their root as a Divine Clan and the martial arts master called Heaven-reaching True Qi, plus the legitimate heir to the Geum Clan, their influence would explode once they established themselves properly.

Right now is their lowest point.

Based on his years of experience, Sage Heo Do reached a conclusion.

“Let’s stay close friends.”

“Eh, sure?”

— Begin…!

Before he could respond, the match began.

What’s with the sudden buddy-buddy attitude?

For now, Seojun focused on the duel.

Muhye gripped her sword in one hand while observing the woman before her.

The heir to the Divine Sword Geum Clan. Heaven-reaching True Qi’s cherished younger sister.

Putting aside everything else, she quickly reviewed Chunbong’s previous matches.

What I need to watch out for most is that phantom sword.

She didn’t know what martial art it was, but it was certainly profound enough to toy with Imperial Prince Ju Yangil.

To claim victory, she’d need to counter that technique.

Muhye unleashed her ultimate technique from the start.

Wisdom Sword of Supreme Polarity: Maelstrom.

Rumble! Her dark inner qi flowed like water, claiming the arena’s space.

Simultaneously, her sword traced a gentle circle.

Swish!

The Supreme Polarity is both beginning and end, and through embracing all creation, it spreads endlessly to birth all anew.

To those who mistakenly believe Wudang’s swordsmanship excels at counterattacks is a grave error.

Once you’re caught in the Supreme Polarity, you simply become part of it.

Wudang’s sword is the same way.

The sword qi rippled towards Chunbong.

“Hup…!”

Yet she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Wudang? Supreme Polarity? At best, this was around the same level as the other rising stars.

Even putting that aside, this was still qi manipulation.

To someone who had trained with Seojun, it was laughable.

Slice.

Her sword bisected the taiji.

Yin and Yang. The harmonious taiji split into pure yin and yang.

Chunbong charged forward, wrapping her sword with the Blue Cloud Divine Art’s power. The yin qi separated from Supreme Polarity flowed along her blade.

“How?”

Muhye’s eyes sparkled with interest as she rushed to meet her.

Chunbong’s sword took the form of an azure dragon as it struck.

Wary of her phantom sword, Muhye unleashed her own swordplay. When facing an opponent whose movements she couldn’t read, her sword needed to change from precise lines into a devastating arc.

Clash!

Their swords collided.

Then Chunbong’s sword traced a small circle.

“Huh?”

With a slight rotation, Muhye’s sword lost its flow and spun out of control. This was the Blue Cloud Divine Sword’s Flowing Clouds over the Clear River.

As Muhye stared blankly at the scene, Chunbong grinned.

“You’re being way too conscious of the Chunbong Divine Art, aren’t you?”

Her main strength wasn’t the Chunbong Divine Art, it was the Blue Cloud Divine Sword.

Though Muhye quickly tried to recover, Chunbong’s sword was already at her neck.

It was an anticlimactic ending.

Yet beneath lay meticulous exchanges. Muhye’s mistake was being too wary of the Chunbong Divine Art.

It couldn’t be helped.

Both the Chunbong Divine Art and Blue Cloud Divine Sword were peerless martial arts.

Guard against one, and you’d fall to the other.

Having two such trump cards was simply unfair.

— Winner…! Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Geum Clan…!

The crowd hesitated. The match had ended before they could even get excited.

Chunbong didn’t panic. She sheathed her sword, then raised one hand high.

Her golden robes fluttered in the wind.

Then she shouted.

“The Divine Sword Geum Clan’s glory is eternal!”

WOOOOOOOO────────!!!

Only then did the crowd snap to attention, roaring until their throats nearly burst.

The woman who’d defeated Wudang’s rising star with a single move!

Given what Muhye had shown in previous matches, the crowd erupted in excitement.

“So the Divine Sword Geum Clan really is that incredible!”

“How could it not be! At this rate, won’t the Geum Clan win too easily?”

“Not necessarily! We still have to see how this plays out. Namgung’s disciple was impressive too!”

Watching this scene, Seojun marveled.

“Whoa…”

That easily?

Perhaps he’d been the one underestimating Chunbong.

By the way…

Isn’t my Chunbong a total superstar!?

She was clearly a superstar, possessing all the qualities and the ability to instantly ignite a quiet crowd.

If she’d been born in modern times, she’d definitely have become the world’s greatest idol.

As Seojun chuckled, Sage Heo Do let out a contemplative sound.

“Hmm… She still hasn’t fixed that habit of losing perspective when she gets excited.”

“She’s still young.”

Though Muhye was probably older than Seojun himself, by martial world standards, she was definitely young.

“…Yes, indeed. Perhaps it’s fortunate she’s learning this now.”

Sage Heo Do nodded, looking rather disappointed.

But he wasn’t the only one disappointed.

The surrounding elders also murmured about how the match ended too quickly.

“Shame. If they fought again, it would make for a truly excellent duel…”

“What can you do when it ended before we saw Wudang’s specialty? Mistakes are part of one’s skill as well.”

Regardless, the fact of the Geum Clan’s victory remained unchanged.

Thus, Chunbong’s grand ambition moved another step closer to reality.

Seojun celebrated with Chunbong.

He bought her delicious food, played airplane with her, and patted her head extensively, so she went to sleep completely satisfied that night.

Late at night, underneath the moon high in the sky.

Seojun climbed onto the roof.

Come to think of it, rooftops at midnight might be the perfect spot for inspiration to strike.

“Let’s see…”

Seojun gazed at the moon hanging high above. The perfectly round full moon cast a gentle light across the earth.

He reached toward that moon.

While extending his index and middle finger, aiming at the moon, he recalled the principle of Sun-Shooting.

“Bang.”

In his mind’s eye, a round hole pierced straight through the moon.

Would this be Moon-Shooting rather than Sun-Shooting?

Laughing, he followed the surge of inspiration and cleared his mind.

A world that had grown solid with time since reaching the Transcendent Realm. All creation within it scattered at his gesture, gathering at his fingertips.

Sun-Shooting—humanity’s desire to shoot down the sun itself.

As fast as the speed of light, piercing even the most distant targets in an instant.

Eun Wiryong seemed to think differently, but this approach was more convenient for Seojun.

Since he could ascend to the heavens anyway, why not simply drag others down first? So much more satisfying to trample them beneath his feet.

Seojun cast aside all the trivial thoughts, focusing only on what mattered. His reconstructed mental image guided him.

“Heaven-Piercing.”

Its foundation was the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art. Yin and yang drew a reverse taiji, shooting skyward.

CRACK──────────

Seojun smiled silently, watching the spectacular view he had created.

The sky he’d pierced in his mind’s eye.

As if manifesting it directly into reality, in front of him lay a night sky with a massive hole punched through it.

“…I’ve reached it. The heavens.”

A hole blacker than the night sky itself. Within that abyss where even stars couldn’t shine, fragments of heaven fell powerlessly.

He’d shattered even that damned unreachable sky.

I advanced again today.

Until the heavens lie beneath my feet, my steps won’t stop.

“Look here, being diligent in martial arts is admirable, but you should be considerate of others too.”

“Yes… I’m sorry…”

He got scolded.

Despite the late hour, countless martial artists had gathered at the Namgung Clan residence.

Not long after the Imperial Great General’s assassination, a gaping hole had appeared in the sky.

It was only natural for martial artists to rush over in alarm.

The Abbot sighed deeply.

“At least nothing serious happened. I was wondering what lunatics were at it this time.”

“But you’re a monk… calling people lunatics is a bit…”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing….”

Seojun muttered his complaints. While clicking his tongue, the Abbot studied Chunbong, who’d rushed out in alarm at the unexpected commotion, with penetrating eyes.

It wasn’t an attack targeting the Divine Sword Geum Clan.

Even the Abbot couldn’t properly grasp the identity of the unknown force that had destroyed the Divine Sword Geum Clan.

While Black Serpent was undoubtedly involved, there were too many suspicious aspects to simply attribute everything to them.

Perhaps…

No. The Abbot shook his head. Hasty judgments would serve no purpose.

“In any case, be more careful next time.”

“Yes.”

They couldn’t let their guard down.

Deep within the Abbot’s eyes, a golden light rippled intensely.