A Contest of Respect
A howling sandstorm swept across Cheon-saek Castle, its boundary touching the vast Dabcheon Desert. Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples scoured the ground while clutching a massive bundle.
“According to my memories… this is where she once lived…”
Cheongmun Ryeong’s gaze followed the path toward a narrow alley.
Inside the alley stood the array node we had seen before—the White Lotus Array Node.
“There it is.”
*I wonder if this was the woman…*
I let out a small sigh, lost in thought.
“By the way, Elder Ryeong, aren’t there other clan disciples gathered in this alley?”
“Indeed.”
Cheongmun Ryeong nodded, his voice echoing.
Around the alley, countless sahuja—many bearing the aura of Foundation Establishment—stood guard.
Even a few seemed to hover at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
“Those pitiful fools chasing after a woman’s skirts. We’ll take her from the Cheongmun Clan in the most spectacular way possible.”
“Agreed.”
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples leaped from their flying artifact down into the sandstorm.
“Sahunbeopjae requests an item from the main family! We’ll retrieve it from the Cheongmun Clan!”
“W-what…?”
“Excuse me…?”
The thunderous announcement made the surrounding sahuja jolt and look up.
No one dared to challenge the mid-stage Foundation Establishment aura of Cheongmun Ryeong’s group.
Even a sahuja with the aura of early Foundation Establishment frowned but stayed silent.
The moment Cheongmun Ryeong unfurled the bundle, a white qi wave exploded outward.
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples crossed their arms, barely holding back the surging energy. The qi twisted into the form of a massive tiger and confronted them.
Both parties retreated upward to observe from above.
Kugugugu!
This… is late-stage Foundation Establishment!?
The white qi tiger leaped into the air.
It dispersed, and a young man in a pure white robe emerged from its core.
He wore a pristine white robe, a blue ring dangling from his neck like a necklace, and countless glass artifacts adorned his wrists and every inch of his body.
“I am the guest elder of the Gongmyo Clan, Buk Jung-ho, also known as the Northern Central Tiger. I do not know what the Cheongmun Clan seeks from my daughter, but if you have any orders, please make your requests properly rather than through such violent means.”
“Ah, the guest elder of the Gongmyo Clan.”
“So you’re the one responsible for managing Cheon-saek Castle.”
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples stepped back a pace, their faces grave.
I recalled him from my memories.
*The sahuja who once tried to recruit me into the Gongmyo Clan…*
He was her father.
“Reason for our visit…”
Cheongmun Ryeong explained the purpose of their arrival with careful words.
After listening for a while, Buk Jung-ho nodded.
“So that is why you tried to kidnap my daughter. I am somewhat displeased, but I will overlook it for the sake of the Cheongmun Clan’s face. After all, my daughter is currently in a difficult situation because of the other clans…”
He frowned for a moment, then spoke again.
“However, even if I wished to allow my daughter to go to the Cheongmun Clan, she would not agree.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Cheongmun Ryeong looked at him in confusion.
Buk Jung-ho pressed his fingers to his temple with a troubled expression.
“It is due to my wife’s dying wish. She told me to wait at Cheon-saek Castle until the betrothed promised to her comes with a token. That is why my daughter refuses to leave Cheon-saek Castle, for she wishes to honor her mother’s final words.”
“Hm…”
Cheongmun Ryeong furrowed his brows.
“Is there no other way? This is a command from the head of the clan. It is important…”
“If it were a few days, perhaps my daughter might consider it, but to leave Cheon-saek Castle for months over something so crucial? She wouldn’t. And if you forcibly kidnap her without her consent, you will have to fight me.”
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples sighed softly.
“Very well. We will abandon the idea of investigating the castle’s arrays. How about you, Seo?”
“I have no objection.”
“Excellent. Then it is settled…”
Cheongmun Ryeong looked toward the young disciples of the other clans gathered in the alley and shouted.
“You lot! There is a matter the Sahunbeopjae has requested from the Cheongmun Clan—something to be handled by the clan’s name! It will take years. Anyone who interferes with the array master from now on will be treated as an enemy of the Cheongmun Clan! Leave at once!”
Most of the late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples frowned at the threat.
At that moment, a sahuja who appeared to be of similar age to me floated up and bowed politely to Cheongmun Ryeong.
“It is a great honor to meet Cheongmun Ryeong, the Third Sage of the Cheongmun Clan.”
“Likewise, it is an honor to meet Baekmunseong, the Third Sage of the Baekga Clan. You barely missed the Grand Alliance Tournament, didn’t you?”
“Haha, it is shameful.”
Wearing a brown robe, Baekmunseong brushed his long braid aside and continued.
“However, there is something I must say to Elder Ryeong. Even if it concerns the Cheongmun Clan, the disciples from various other clans and I are currently engaged in a wager. The Cheongmun Clan’s affairs come first, but the wager is only temporary. Could you wait just a little longer?”
“A wager?”
Cheongmun Ryeong frowned.
Baekmunseong smiled widely.
“If any of us Foundation Establishment disciples can fully wield one of the arrays my daughter created, she has promised that once she masters array refinement, we can travel abroad.”
“Ha! So because the Cheongmun Clan’s matter is urgent, you intend to bring the array master on a trip?”
The Cheongmun disciples glared at Baekmunseong with murderous eyes.
Even though Baekmunseong possessed only early Foundation Establishment aura, he offered an awkward smile and stepped back.
“That is not what I meant. We only wish to set the terms of the wager. The Cheongmun Clan’s affairs must be resolved first.”
“Hm… Elder Baek, your daughter is leaving with young men from somewhere? You do not object?”
Buk Jung-ho spoke slowly.
“I approved it. My daughter has been too confined to Cheon-saek Castle due to her mother’s dying wish. I wish for her to have some freedom. Of course, I will accompany her.”
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples turned to me.
“Seo, are you alright with this?”
I looked at Baekmunseong.
“How long do you think this wager will take?”
“Ah, that is…”
At that moment.
A brilliant light erupted from within the White Lotus Array Node.
“Ah! The arrays have completed! Please wait just one hour, and the wager will end…”
I nodded.
“Very well. That is fine…”
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples also nodded, and we decided to watch the wager unfold for an hour.
After a while, space fluctuations rippled through the interior of the White Lotus Array Node.
*That feels like the fluctuation of a spatial array… Was an array superior to the outside used inside?*
I remembered when we once fought the Emperor of Yeon Kingdom. Even an early Qi Condensation Emperor hid inside a pavilion larger than the outside.
*So this array node is itself a pavilion-like array?*
The door of the array node opened. Baekmunseong led the gathered Foundation Establishment disciples inside. Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples obtained Buk Jung-ho’s permission and entered as well. I also received permission and followed.
Hwaaak!
Uuuung!
The spatial array itself activated. The interior of the array node had completely changed from our previous visit.
Countless artifacts—flags, spears, mirrors, bells, scrolls, wheels—floated above a massive dais.
In the center stood the woman in white, looking down upon us.
“Haha, the arrays of the Northern Young Miss are truly unique. Their very aura is different.”
Baekmunseong gazed at the artifacts with admiration.
“According to the wager, if anyone here can fully control one of these arrays, the Northern Young Miss must fulfill her promise to travel with the sage.”
“Do not worry, Elder Baek. As I said earlier, I am the one who decides what ‘fully controlling’ means.”
“Understood. I look forward to your judgment.”
She lifted a bell-shaped array and infused it with her spiritual energy.
Paaaat!
A brilliant blue light erupted from the bell, illuminating the surroundings and forming a translucent water curtain around her.
Ten striped patterns rose above the curtain.
“These arrays I created will produce one stripe per ten percent of power I infuse. If you can pull even six-tenth power from any one of them, the wager is won.”
“Hahaha! Six-tenth?”
Baekmunseong laughed loudly.
“How presumptuous. Even if the Northern Young Miss’s arrays are wonderful, I doubt these young disciples of prestigious clans can reach even six-tenth.”
Laughter echoed from every direction.
“So everyone here will try to pull six-tenth. The winner will be determined by who pulls the most power.”
A Gongmyo Clan disciple chuckled.
However, she regarded him with cold eyes.
“Honestly, six-tenth already seems too high. How many of you here can even pull two-tenth power from these arrays?”
“Wh-what…!”
The Gongmyo disciple’s face turned scarlet.
“You are ignoring me!?”
“I am not ignoring you. You were the ones who spoke first, were you not?”
A shiver ran through her.
Her gentle expression vanished. Her eyes blazed with fury, overwhelming the crowd.
“Creating arrays that anyone can pull six-tenth from? Did you think my arrays were so easy?
If any of you who dismissed my previous failures as simple now stand before me, leave immediately. I have no desire to speak with anyone who cannot even understand the true value of my arrays.”
The Gongmyo disciple trembled, then stepped forward, chest puffed out.
“Very well. I will be the first to test them! Arrays are just arrays—what could be so extraordinary!”
He climbed onto the dais and grabbed the flag-shaped array.
Uuuung!
After a moment, the array flickered, then died with a pathetic hiss.
“Eh…?”
“You boasted so much, yet you cannot even activate it.”
“Ah, no… I simply wasn’t familiar with the flag type!”
The Gongmyo disciple wandered among the other arrays, shoving spiritual energy into them.
Just as before, none produced even a flicker of light. The only one that briefly glowed was the mirror he claimed to be most familiar with—but even the mirror failed to produce even a single stripe.
“This is fraud! What kind of ridiculous arrays are these! They were supposed to be created for use!”
He roared at her.
She only laughed faintly.
“If you lack skill, at least show some manners. Now come down. None of the arrays you can control exist here.”
“Grrgh…!”
A foul qi surged around the Gongmyo disciple.
I glanced at Buk Jung-ho.
“Shouldn’t you stop him?”
Buk Jung-ho clicked his tongue and crossed his arms.
“No need. My daughter’s arrays are notoriously difficult to draw power from…”
Kwaaang!
One of the Gongmyo disciples could not hold back and unleashed a technique.
Kururur…
It vanished instantly, blocked by the water curtain she had created.
Ten stripes floated above the curtain.
“If you can pull even a little, you will possess considerable power… In truth, even I can only pull eight-tenth from my daughter’s arrays at most.”
Pride shone in Buk Jung-ho’s eyes.
“A piece of trash who lacks both manners, skill, and dignity. Leave at once.”
Uuuung!
With a wave of her hand, four artifacts rose into the air, each emitting ten stripes, and pointed at the Gongmyo disciple.
The youth’s face flushed red and blue, but under the jeers of the other clans, he was forced down from the dais.
“Hahaha, I knew that idiot couldn’t do it.”
“He thinks he can handle any array?”
“Even the famous Gongmyo Clan has someone known for being unable to control arrays.”
She rearranged the arrays once more and asked the crowd.
“Next?”
She began challenging the disciples one by one.
“A truly outstanding array master.”
Cheongmun Ryeong stroked his goatee and murmured.
“I can entrust it to him.”
“He seems like a genius with arrays. None of you seem able to pull even two-tenth power.”
That was true.
Countless Foundation Establishment disciples tried, yet the highest anyone achieved was two-tenth.
Cheongmun Ryeong remained unimpressed.
“Excellent, but an upper-level Dharma Refiner could do that much. And compared to Gongmyocheon-saek, this is still far behind. He occasionally visits me boasting about his own arrays, but even those are inferior to this one.”
Cheongmun Ryeong evaluated her coldly.
“The circuits seem deliberately complicated. Gongmyocheon-saek’s arrays are elegant and simple.”
He studied the arrays from a distance with clear expertise.
“Complicated circuits can produce powerful arrays even with ordinary materials… but I wonder if these are truly good arrays.”
Buk Jung-ho nodded bitterly at Cheongmun Ryeong’s words.
“You are correct. My daughter still has much to learn compared to Lord Gongmyocheon-saek. But she has her reasons for using complicated circuits. Please understand.”
“Very well. I will handle the main family’s requests properly.”
Cheongmun Ryeong nodded.
Soon the faces of the many sahuja gathered inside the array node darkened.
Most could barely reach two-tenth power, let alone six-tenth.
Some even gave up before trying.
“This is fraud!”
“What kind of nonsense!”
The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile, yet Buk Jung-ho, Cheongmun Ryeong, and the Cheongmun disciples suppressed any outburst with their overwhelming presence.
At that moment, a figure stepped forward, cutting through the crowd.
“The sage has entered!”
“So be it. Even Foundation Establishment…”
It was Baekmunseong, who had gathered the Foundation Establishment disciples.
“Indeed, the reputation precedes the man. I have seen the Northern Young Miss’s arrays. But is it truly so easy to pull only six-tenth? You think six-tenth is too low a condition?”
He climbed onto the dais with a smug grin and examined the artifacts.
“When one reaches Foundation Establishment, one naturally sees how to wield arrays. Even if I set the condition at nine-tenth, it would not have been enough…”
Baekmunseong lifted a flying sword technique.
“Witness the skill of a Foundation Establishment sahuja!”
Uuuuung!
His pure qi rushed into the sword.
The sword gleamed, and one stripe appeared.
One… two…
Three!
“Ooh… three stripes!”
“It is a Foundation Establishment sahuja!”
“He pulled three-tenth!”
The stripes continued.
“Four stripes!”
“Four-tenth!”
Yet a chill crept over Baekmunseong’s face.
*How far will this go…?*
Paaaat!
Spiritual energy exploded from Baekmunseong. A fifth stripe appeared.
“Five-tenth!”
“The sage has already reached the threshold?”
Cheongmun Ryeong, the Cheongmun disciples, and Buk Jung-ho all clicked their tongues or sneered.
Baekmunseong was clearly struggling.
“Tsk tsk, simply pouring in power without understanding. I could pull seven-tenth myself…”
Cheongmun Ryeong muttered, and the words spread like lightning, drawing numerous glares.
Many who recognized the Third Sage of the Cheongmun Clan turned away in shame.
And then…
Flicker… flicker…
Six stripes faintly appeared.
Then—
Pi siiit!
The flying sword’s light died.
“It… it is done! Look, Elder Buk. The flying sword pulled six-tenth power!”
Her expression remained cold.
“Six-tenth? Is what you showed truly six-tenth?”
“Three stripes appeared!”
“Hm…”
She paused, the entire crowd holding its breath in anticipation.
I muttered under my breath in frustration.
“Why does he handle the sword like that?”
Swaaak!
I flinched.
Countless eyes turned toward me.
Unlike those toward Cheongmun Ryeong, the gazes did not vanish quickly.
Baekmunseong had heard my words and looked at me.
No one dared speak casually to a Foundation Establishment sahuja, yet everyone’s faces were filled with discontent.
After a moment, Baekmunseong wiped sweat from his brow.
“Haha, you seem to be of similar age to me, yet you speak so boldly. How presumptuous.”
“Ah, I apologize if I sounded rude. I simply blurted out something because I am used to handling swords.”
“Ah, a sword cultivator, then. But I am also a sword cultivator. How dare a stranger belittle my way of cultivation?”
“Sword cultivator?”
He meant someone who trained in flying sword techniques, no doubt.
“So you are a sword cultivator who has entered Foundation Establishment by mastering flying sword arts?”
“That is correct. I am the one called a genius of Baekga Clan’s sword dao. You, stranger, seem to be at the peak stage of Foundation Establishment. Even at early Foundation Establishment, I do not believe your understanding of swords matches mine. Do not speak so carelessly.”
“…!”
I stayed silent.
*He questions my understanding of the sword? Before me?*
I walked to the dais with a stern expression.
“Wha—”
I selected a sword-shaped array from the dais and infused it with spiritual energy.
“Watch closely. The sword…”
Uuuung!
“is used like this.”
Spiritual energy poured in. The sword blazed with light.
Stripes appeared—one, two…
They multiplied, reaching three, four, five…
“Haha… if that is all…”
Then the sixth stripe appeared.
“!”
Everyone in the crowd, including Baekmunseong, widened their eyes.
A clear sixth stripe!
I continued infusing spiritual energy.
My pure qi was inferior to Baekmunseong’s, yet my understanding of the sword alone was sufficient to draw power.
Kuuuung!
The seventh stripe appeared.
Baekmunseong stared at the sword in my hand, eyes wide, his own gaze filled with genuine interest.
The eighth stripe.
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples were visibly startled. Baekmunseong’s smile froze.
The ninth stripe.
Buk Jung-ho, watching from behind, was shocked and leaned forward intently.
Then—
Kugugugu!
Spiritual energy surged into the sword array, forming the tenth stripe.
The array’s power reached ten-tenth completely!
“Haha…”
Baekmunseong staggered back, face pale with defeat and humiliation.
Clap clap clap…
She clapped warmly.
“Amazing. No one but the creator has ever pulled the full power of these arrays…”
Uuuung!
Ignoring her words, I continued infusing spiritual energy.
*He dares question my understanding of the sword before me?*
I will show you!
What it means to be a sword cultivator!
Forget everything else!
Kugugugugu!
The sword vibrated wildly. A single additional stripe rose above the ten.
Eleven stripes!
“Wha—!”
Her expression changed.
“H-how…?”
But I paid no attention, gazing at the sword.
Inside the sword, hundreds of spiritual energy circuits unfolded.
I ignored the unknown circuits.
What mattered was the sword’s essence.
The weapon that cuts, pierces, and swings.
How to push its power to the absolute limit.
That is swinging it until it becomes one with my arm.
Danak Sword Art—First Form—Wolrak!
Paaak!
The sword flashed. Twelve stripes rose above it.
She lost all composure and stared at the sword with wide eyes.
“H-how? This output was never set… Twelve-tenth? What did you do?”
“…Thirteen, fourteen may be possible.”
Uuuung…
I withdrew my pure qi.
“Then the sword may break. Twelve-tenth seems to be the maximum for this array. A wonderful array.”
I returned the sword and stepped down.
Baekmunseong’s face was blank with rage as he avoided my gaze.
Cheongmun Ryeong and his disciples sighed in admiration. Buk Jung-ho looked at me in bewilderment.
“…The winner is decided. What is your name, sage?”
She looked at the sword I had returned.
“I am Seo Eun-hyun. Please call me Seo, but… I was never supposed to participate in the wager.”
“You participated the moment you entered the array node. Is there anyone among the others who can pull power comparable to yours?”
No one answered.
“So, according to Elder Baek, I grant the choice to this sage.”
“…Do as you please.”
Baekmunseong spat the words and left the array node.
Many Foundation Establishment disciples followed him. The Cheongmun Clan disciples tried to follow but were seized by the Cheongmun disciples and forced into a corner for a beating.
“Since you have proven you can wield my arrays properly, these will all be given to you, sage.”
She pointed at the artifacts above the dais.
I looked them over for a moment.
“I’m sorry, but I have no need for them.”
“…Eh?”
“I do not use arrays…”
There is the overwhelming superiority of the Formless Heart Sword. Why would I use something like an array?
“By the way, Young Miss, do you remember me…? The one who gave you water and clothes…”
“Are you ignoring my arrays?”
Her intent changed.
She was feeling ashamed.
“No, that is not it…”
“You called yourself a sword cultivator, did you not? Refusing to use my arrays means you find them lacking, does it not?”
*What…? Does she possess the same madness as Goe-gun?*
I tried to explain, but she replied coldly.
“Wait a moment. If these flying swords do not please you, I will show you my best works…”
“Ah, no…”
Whish!
She leaped into the array node. Buk Jung-ho clicked his tongue and approached.
“My daughter is usually kind and gentle, but when it comes to arrays, her personality changes. She is proud of the arrays she creates. Understand that.”
“No… that is an overreaction…”
“It is… because only you, a sage who pulled twelve-tenth power, could do it. As the first person to see it, her pride would not allow her to admit defeat.”
The array node door opened again. She returned carrying an armful of completed sword arrays and laid them before me.
They all radiated excellent spiritual energy. Merely looking at them made one’s mind go blank.
“These are the sword arrays I am most proud of. Try one and decide!”
Pride filled her face.
I could not resist and grabbed one.
Uuuung!
The sword’s aura blazed. Multicolored spiritual energy filled the array node.
No stripes appeared, yet I felt the array’s power exceeded its set limit.
She noticed and gazed at the sword in my hand with an ecstatic expression.
“…I apologize, Young Miss. I do not particularly need arrays.”
“…Eh?”
I flinched from the icy aura that brushed my skin.
Her proud smile cracked. A vein pulsed on her forehead.
“Hahaha, how dare you trample upon the pride of an array master, Seo Eun-hyun.”
Cheongmun Ryeong flew onto the dais and spoke.
The two Foundation Establishment sahuja faced each other. She erased her cold expression and turned her face.
“Seo Eun-hyun and I wish to develop a certain array. We need your help in creating the array techniques for it.”
“…What kind of array?”
“We are developing an array. Could you assist?”
She nodded without hesitation.
“Of course. But developing arrays is a lengthy field.”
“That is so. Therefore, Elder Ryeong and I will stay in Cheon-saek Castle with you to develop the array. It may take years.”
She nodded, then looked at me.
“So, while developing the array techniques, we will also create arrays that will satisfy you, sage.”
“No, I really do not need them…”
Cheongmun Ryeong poked my waist to silence me.
A voice whispered in my ear.
—How far are you going to crush the pride of an array master, Seo Eun-hyun? If you have arrays, there is no harm in accepting them. Just receive them.
“…Then I accept. I have no means to pay for the arrays the Young Miss gives.”
“Since you found the wager’s reward unsatisfactory, this is compensation. It is also my pride at stake. Since you showed me a new possibility for my arrays, I will present them to you without charge.”
“…I see.”
I stared at a spot on the array node, at a loss for words.
“From now on, I will trouble you. My name is Buk Hyang-hwa.”
“…I am Seo Eun-hyun. Please take care.”
* * *
“Cheer up, Baek.”
“The elders of our clan say that the talent of the Northern Young Miss ranks her among the Four-Gate Dharma Refiners. Four-Gate Dharma Refiners begin to display demonic talent from the One-Gate stage. The Four-Gate stage is considered merely outstanding talent. You should not be so disappointed.”
Baekmunseong received comfort from the Foundation Establishment disciples.
“Haha, thank you for the words. Seo…”
“Then, though it was unfortunate this time, if there is anything interesting later, please summon me, Baek.”
“I will visit again!”
Once Baekmunseong’s face brightened, the Foundation Establishment disciples each mounted their flying artifacts and returned to their clans.
After a while, Baekmunseong’s expression twisted.
“Fools… She is not a mere Four-Gate Dharma Refiner… Why did I bring you all here to annoy her and make her angry…!”
Kwaaang!
Baekmunseong stomped his foot in rage and gritted his teeth.
“I cannot lose her to some unknown young man… If I claim her as mine, the one with demonic talent like Goe-gun, I could become clan head…!”
He bit his lip and entered the alley.
“I will wait until she leaves for the wager. I still have my chance…!”
* * *
“Bongmyeong Castle…?”
Inside the array node’s conference room.
Buk Hyang-hwa, holding the array structure diagram, was shocked.
“The legendary artisan created this…?”
“Correct. You must create the array that will promote the growth of the Jangsaengwa inside it, and then create the array techniques suitable for that array.”
I, Cheongmun Ryeong, and Buk Hyang-hwa sat at the table, studying the diagram.
After a while, she asked seriously.
“May I enter Bongmyeong Castle? If I can see its spiritual veins and aura with my own eyes, I believe I can create a more suitable array.”
“Hm…”
“Moreover, I have heard that Bongmyeong Castle is itself an array treasure. If I borrow its power, I can create even more effective arrays.”
Cheongmun Ryeong shook his head.
“Bongmyeong Castle appears only once every four hundred years. It will be at least a few hundred years from now…”
“Ah, I know a way to enter secretly.”
“!”
Cheongmun Ryeong’s eyes widened in surprise. A smile bloomed on Buk Hyang-hwa’s face.
“W-what is that method?”
“I will ask my friend.”
I took out a communication talisman that connected to Seo Ran.
* * *
The day had fallen.
I contacted Seo Ran and discussed the array with Cheongmun Ryeong, continuing to draw the structure diagram.
Buk Hyang-hwa said she would prepare the foundation of the array techniques and entered her workshop.
“Ugh…”
I finished discussing with Cheongmun Ryeong and stepped out of the conference room for a moment.
*She asks an astonishingly large number of questions.*
Cheongmun Ryeong was a question machine.
He always accompanied his questions with “Why do you think so?” and applied the same habit during array discussions.
Even when his sharp questions pierced me painfully, I found myself smiling at the familiar feeling of returning to the past.
*It is the past I can no longer see…*
Time never returns.
Not even for a regresor.
While lost in melancholy.
Kkang, kkang!
Suddenly, the sound of a hammer striking drifted from Buk Jung-ho’s workshop inside the array node.
*The Northern Young Miss is truly remarkable.*
Even with a woman’s body, she hammered metal beside a roaring forge to create arrays.
I stealthily approached her workshop and peeked inside.
Kkrik, kkiriirrik…
She was carving something into an array flag.
Then she hammered again, shaping it.
Suddenly, I saw something blooming on her face.
Pa-tsu-tsu…
It was the pattern of four colors.
The branch-like pattern held gold, purple, light pink, and black.
The black and purple patterns intertwined, half-blended.
*She is a Four-Gate Dharma Refiner…*
Her figure, forging arrays while carrying four colors among sparks, continued to draw my gaze.
Then—
She looked up and met my eyes.
“Ah, Seo sahuja. You are here? I had something to ask you.”
“Something to ask?”
“Here.”
Kwoong!
She went inside the workshop, returned with a large box, and placed it before me.
Kkiik…
When I opened the box, countless unfinished sword arrays filled it.
“The arrays I made after seeing you earlier.”
*In just one hour, she created all of these?*
Buk Hyang-hwa displayed a confident smile.
“These are specially made for you, sage. They are not yet complete, but they will be difficult to pull six-tenth from. Try infusing power.”
I smiled and picked up a sword.
Spiritual energy surged into it.
As expected, the sword blazed with more than twelve-tenth power.
*Is she disappointed…? Sorry to break your expectations.*
Just as I opened my mouth to speak—
“Hm?”
Buk Hyang-hwa stared at the sword, her expression dazed, output beyond its limit.
Her lips moved constantly, muttering about the array. Her eyes were entranced by the array.
*Has she gained inspiration…?*
Uuuung!
Four colored patterns reappeared on her skin.
*Although she is said to be merely a genius, she seems to possess talent far superior to ordinary array masters…*
I flinched.
The purple and black patterns.
The two intertwined patterns were slowly merging.
---
*Note: All system notifications, comments, letters, status windows, and special in-universe content MUST use styled blocks with inline CSS from the templates. Never output them as plain
text.*