The Peak Expert (3)
I stared at the sword thread I had awakened.
Sword Thread, or as some called it, Sword Net—this was the realm.
Materializing sword qi was a dream all swordsmen chased.
Of course, there was the overwhelming upper stage, Sword Gang, but only those who had reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown could truly wield it, making it half-legendary in the wulin.
Yet the far easier-to-master Sword Thread was what many coveted.
As I watched my sword thread, the assassin’s momentum faltered in shock.
I seized the opening and clashed with him again.
Blue and red lines crossed in the void.
My intent and his were testing each other.
The assassin’s dagger shot toward me.
At the same instant, five red threads of sword qi erupted from its tip.
Five follow-up sequences from that single strike.
But I held the sword.
In the world of peak experts, my blade had become as flexible as thread.
Even the assassin’s eyes would see my sword as a thin red line.
Turning sword qi into sword thread meant more than raw power.
Whist!
From the fiery tip of my sword wrapped in blue thread, multiple blue threads shot out, marking paths.
Far more than I had created before.
Simultaneously, I twisted my wrist slightly to adjust the tip.
The blue threads followed, shifting position.
Those fixed paths now moved.
The assassin’s eyes widened.
Back then, when I fought Young-hoon, he hadn’t reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown yet—thank the heavens.
If I had realized he fought the same way, I would have lost immediately.
My paths were endless and free-flowing.
He had only deflected my sword briefly, but the routes he had to calculate outnumbered mine.
His calculations faltered, and he gradually fell into defense.
Mountain Lord Wu.
Pressuring him with the force of the mountain lord.
Yue Yue Step.
Starting from the first form again, I chained techniques without pause.
Drying his blood dry.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
For a while our swords and daggers rang against each other.
The assassin fought to the end.
But I had grown far more skilled at wielding sword thread and intent.
In the end he lost the clash and gave me one fatal blow.
Thud!
My leg struck the assassin’s waist.
He staggered sideways, dropping his dagger, and the mask was torn off.
“Ho, what a familiar face.”
The assassin was one of the Emperor’s imperial spies recently recruited.
I looked at the twenty-something spy and couldn’t help a small sigh.
“At that age, a peak expert. If he lives long enough, he’ll surely reach Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.”
“…My brother had even greater talent. But… because of that Emperor…”
“Oh? You’re appealing to my emotions?”
“You’re the Infinite Twin Ghost? You’re wrong. The Emperor’s orders—common people are dying! He’s…”
Slash!
I cut off his words and severed his neck.
“Sorry, but this place isn’t one where you should be talking too much.”
I felt a small pang of regret at snatching such talent with my own hands, then gathered the bodies with the help of my comrades.
Earlier, loud voices had echoed from outside, but the Emperor remained motionless in his chamber.
It was said that a Daoist had cast a soundproofing spell specifically for the Emperor, who slept with a light sleeper’s ears.
Thanks to that, the imperial guards received no punishment even when clashing with assassins in noisy fights.
But that Daoist wasn’t the one who cast it— the Emperor himself did.
Actually, not a single person in the imperial guard didn’t know the Emperor was a Daoist.
Peak experts’ eyes could plainly see the Daoist’s aura.
They simply followed the given orders to guard him without complaint.
But… has assassination attempts on the Emperor become this frequent lately?
Actually, the very creation of the imperial guard was a recent development.
From what I heard, sending assassins to the Emperor had become more common only recently.
Information I never knew when I was Wulin Alliance strategist or leader of the Shadow Pavilion.
Of course, the Imperial Court had no reason to advertise such things.
Why have assassination attempts on the Emperor increased so much recently?
Recently, the Yeon Kingdom had enjoyed absolute peace under heaven.
Of course, those who couldn’t eat still couldn’t, but at least no one was starving in the streets or turning into bandits.
And compared to medieval China, this was quite civilized.
Moreover, the Yeon Kingdom’s nobles bowed their heads in submission before the overwhelming imperial power of the Daoist Emperor, creating a strong central authority.
So if any mad organization dared to attempt the assassination of the Emperor, it could only be…
A wulin sect?
It had to be a faction with poor relations with the government.
Yet there was something strange: when I was Wulin Alliance strategist or leader of an information group, I had never heard of such a thing.
If not wulin sects, who were sending these assassins to threaten the Emperor so steadily—and so many of them? And the assassin just now even knew my alias.
He also spoke Yeon Kingdom’s language quite fluently.
From that, he wasn’t a Byeokra Kingdom or Seong Empire spy.
He’s from Yeon Kingdom. A Yeon Kingdom person is here to assassinate the Emperor, sending spies periodically.
I wanted to interrogate the spies, but they would be executed on the spot before they could speak.
…Well, I’ll find out slowly.
I would stay in the palace, slowly win the Emperor’s trust, gather the needed information, and one day I would learn what I wanted to know.
I melted back into the darkness and sorted my thoughts.
***
I had guarded the Emperor for ten years.
During that time I steadily earned his trust.
With that authority I learned information from every corner of the palace.
Of course, I couldn’t access the core secrets, but I learned plenty of things only government offices knew.
For example.
Year 33 of the Haiyan Calendar. Thanks to Your Majesty’s virtue, the number of orphans and beggars has greatly decreased, and thus no more bandits are flooding in from them. As a result, throughout the Yeon Kingdom the people ceaselessly praise Your Majesty…
Government household surveys.
These surveys were directly tied to taxation, so only government offices controlled the information.
When I was Wulin Alliance strategist or leader of an information group, I couldn’t access them properly.
But now that I was in the imperial guard, I was granted permission to read the household survey records.
Beggars, of course, and even the number of poor farmers has decreased.
In my previous life I never looked into the numbers of orphans, beggars, or poor farmers.
But when I saw the records of household surveys inside the palace, I sensed something wrong.
No… how can the number of orphans, beggars, and poor farmers have decreased?
They weren’t just given relief to create livelihoods.
Countless people simply vanished.
Did they starve to death?
Yet the numbers listed in the registers were far from small.
If a large group had starved, I would have heard about it in my previous life.
It wasn’t starvation. They simply… were deleted.
There was no record of bandits entering, and I had never heard of information groups sending ruthless killers to eliminate the starving.
If there had been such brutal groups, I would have known.
I gathered a few more pieces of information and carefully compiled my previous life’s records.
When the Wulin Alliance strategist, I and Young-hoon eliminated wicked sects across the Yeon Kingdom and achieved the world of right.
Also, when I established the Shadow Pavilion, I quickly crushed other dark information groups in underground battles.
The common point in both lives was that the later the life, the faster I could eliminate wicked sects.
And in the later parts of those lives, many sects suddenly transformed from demonic to righteous, such as the Hwajeong Sect.
Wicked sects were, by nature, illegal organizations—bandits or river bandits.
And such sects mostly began by poor, orphaned, or landless farmers who turned to robbery when hunger became too great.
When river bandit or mountain bandit groups grew larger through experience, power, and funds and infiltrated the capital, they created true demonic sects.
Perhaps in my previous life I could eliminate demonic sects so easily because…
According to the household survey, the poor who would have become new blood for demonic sects were suddenly deleted in large numbers, shrinking the sects and allowing us to suppress them.
If that’s the case…
Where did all the deleted poor go?
I compiled the information and suddenly felt a dark premonition.
The Daoist clan.
This event was connected to the Daoist clan.
From a few years ago, the number of spies aiming at the Emperor suddenly increased. And the imperial guard was created…
It felt related to the deletion of the poor.
Like the female assassin I met a few years ago, some assassins hadn’t received proper training and died after spilling everything at the end.
And those assassins all died saying the same thing.
Do you know how many common people the Emperor has killed?!
It was strange.
The current Emperor was not a sage, but at least an average ruler.
His rule hadn’t made the Yeon Kingdom suffer, and no one had died in large numbers.
The country had been at peace without wars, so why were assassins saying such things?
Daoist clan. This… is related to the Daoist clan.
No matter how deeply I dug, the answer only pointed to the Daoist family.
Perhaps this investigation beyond…
It seemed I would have to leave it to Young-hoon.
***
The retirement ceremony of the first Wulin Alliance Master, Kim Young-hoon, was held.
He stepped down from the position of Wulin Alliance Master amid cheers and regrets from many.
Many expressed sadness at his retirement, but Young-hoon himself looked refreshed.
Of course he would.
Stepping down meant he had fully understood all six volumes of the Six Steps of Understanding the Sword and even the final key.
“You look refreshed?”
I waited for Young-hoon in his room and greeted him when he arrived.
“Hey, who snuck in? I thought it was an assassin. But it’s you. You’re in the imperial guard now, but your presence is getting more like one of them.”
“Well, assassins naturally become more like us. By the way, since you’ve retired from being Wulin Alliance Master, what will you do now?”
“You already know the answer. Since I’ve understood the Six Steps of Understanding the Sword, I need to go find Daoist bastards and spar with them to harvest enlightenment.”
“Hmm. Have you achieved everything in the Six Steps of Understanding the Sword?”
At my words Young-hoon shook his head.
“Not yet. The Six Steps of Understanding the Sword isn’t a martial skill, but rather a kind of martial theory. It isn’t called ‘martial skills’ at the third, second, first, or peak levels. It’s a standard and stage for martial skills.
The Six Steps of Understanding the Sword is a theory book that explains the ‘next stage’ beyond Five Qi Consorting with the Origin. It details what to do to reach that next stage and what training is appropriate in the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin realm.
And I have understood all of the Six Steps of Understanding the Sword, but I haven’t yet embodied it to move beyond Five Qi Consorting with the Origin. From now on I will fight the Daoists and gain battle experience, then head toward the realm beyond Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.”
“I see.”
I nodded and asked him.
“Actually, working in the palace lately, I’ve seen some very suspicious things.”
I told him the information and conclusions I had gathered.
“…So I believe the Daoist clan behind the palace is using the palace and government offices to kidnap or massacre the poor and landless.”
“Hmm…”
“But I hold the position of imperial guard, so unless I apply for leave like I did today, I can’t even leave the capital. And even if I do, I can’t freely investigate the Daoist clan. So… I’d like you to investigate the Daoist clan, Young-hoon.”
“That sounds worth investigating. But I don’t know where Daoist-like bastards even live…”
“I’ll tell you about those places.”
I could learn certain locations where the Daoist clan I hadn’t known from my previous life lived, while working in the palace.
“I’ll give you the information. Go find them and get what you can from the bastards.”
“Alright. We should check what they’re really doing…”
Through Young-hoon, I decided to properly dig into the Daoist clan’s schemes.
***
Recently the number of assassins has decreased a little.
For nearly ten years assassins kept coming without interruption, but recently the trend had slowly declined.
The assassins who did come were mostly first-rate or below, their strength greatly reduced from peak expert level.
First-rate experts are enough—let them fight newbies as sparring partners…
Yeah, when I thought about it, the side sending assassins couldn’t possibly mass-produce infinite peak experts.
Now that they were killed the moment they arrived, their usable techniques would inevitably decline.
After fifteen years as imperial guard, I had risen in rank to squad leader.
When the current squad leader retired due to old age, I was to become the next.
But if only low-level assassins keep coming, the imperial guard will become useless…
That was when I felt a disturbance in the darkness far away.
An assassin.
What level is this one… if first-rate, I’ll have him spar with the newbies…
Thinking that, I stepped into the world of peak experts to gauge the assassin’s skill level.
“…”
Red light filled the space in a stable circular pattern.
An intent shaped like a circle was slowly approaching from the other side.
A Daoist! These crazy bastards…
When peak experts fall, they send Daoists as assassins!
Pa-ba-bat!
Recognizing the Daoist’s aura, the entire imperial guard gathered instantly in front of the Emperor’s chamber.
“It’s a Daoist! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
The imperial guard squad leader raised his polearm in a tense voice.
Despite the name, the Daoist’s stealth arts and perception techniques were a mess by wulin standards.
Techniques that obviously hadn’t been learned properly.
Yet I felt even more tense watching him.
How did he sneak into the palace with those half-learned arts?
There was something he was hiding.
At that moment the Daoist who had been approaching us halted, sensing the imperial guard.
“Hmph, all peak experts. Annoying. Peak experts all claim their stealth arts don’t work. Is it because of that annoying vision of yours?”
Sssr—
The Daoist, sensing us, didn’t even bother to hide and walked straight out.
“Even so, with those eyes you’ll recognize me, won’t you? I’m a Daoist. If you want to live, get lost.”
No one reacted, and no one answered.
“Tch, you think you can fight me? Relying on numbers? You’ll just die. I’ll give you one last warning. The limit of what you peak experts can fight is the first layer of Qi Condensation Daoists. I’m a full second layer.”
Uwoong—
He pulled out an amulet, and the surrounding air surged.
“Just as first-rate and peak have a huge difference, so do first and second layer of Qi Condensation. If you don’t get lost…”
Pa-bat!
We didn’t let him talk more and rushed toward him at speed.
Thick!
My thrown blade struck the empty space in front of the Daoist and bounced off.
He had already cast a defensive spell.
Starting with my attack, the peak experts charged and unleashed blows on him.
“Hmph, bugs. Do you know how many amulets I received as support for today’s assassination?”
Chwaak!
But the Daoist tossed dozens of amulets into the air, and a powerful rebound force hit us.
I and the squad leader blew sword qi into our blades and polearms, cutting the rebound and enduring it, while the other guards were all knocked flying.
“Hmm, you’re the strongest among you?”
Again the Daoist pulled out an amulet.
Whirrk!
Hot flames rose above his hand.
Hit it and you’ll turn to ash!
I ignored the survival instinct warning and retreated outside the Daoist’s aura range.
Inside that range I couldn’t read his intent, so I couldn’t predict his attacks.
Piit!
From outside the Daoist’s aura, a red thread shot out.
Soon a flame followed the thread and shot at me.
Damn it!
I dodged the flame without blocking.
If I approached, I would enter his consciousness range and couldn’t predict the trajectory.
If I retreated at distance, the Daoist’s barrage of long-range attacks would be advantageous.
He’s forcing a fight that suits him.
The compatibility between wulin people and Daoists was extremely one-sided.
Poop!
The flame I dodged struck a pillar behind me, but the fire didn’t spread far and simply died out.
The Daoist canceled his spell. He doesn’t want this to blow up big either.
I signaled a few agile members of the imperial guard.
They understood and slipped behind the Daoist to call for more guards.
“Where are you going? You can’t escape.”
Pa-at!
The Daoist drew an amulet with faint light, and pitch-black shadows burst out, forming a barrier that trapped us and the Daoist.
“No sound can leak outside. Not even light. After I kill you all, I’ll kill the Emperor and that family branch bastard.”
The Daoist pulled out dozens more amulets from his pocket.
Damn, this bastard is no joke.
He boasted about being second-layer Qi Condensation, but if it was his true strength, we could have killed him with a coordinated charge.
Even I and the squad leader together could have dispatched him easily.
But the flood of amulets he brought forced him to wield far beyond his normal level.
If only he had reached Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
If he could use Sword Gang, I could have shattered his defensive spells in half.
But I was only mid-peak expert.
I still couldn’t sense Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
…No, maybe…
“Squad Leader, I have something to report.”
“What is it?”
“Please give me just one moment to close in on him. Just one moment, and I’ll wound the Daoist severely.”
“…I trust you.”
The squad leader nodded and charged at the Daoist, polearm in hand.
I took the poison elixir bottle from my waist, squeezed out the juice onto my sword, and wiped it with a cloth.
If I break his defensive spell and just graze this sword across him…
This victory would be mine.
Thud!
I joined the imperial guard’s attack and charged at the Daoist.
The Daoist scattered amulets into the air and chanted, turning them into white-glowing blades that shot at us.
I rushed toward the Daoist’s chest.
And a white blade came flying toward my brow.
Whoong!
Kak!
The squad leader’s polearm spun and knocked away the incoming blade.
Whirrk!
The Daoist shot flames at me with his flame arts.
“Haap!”
One of the new recruits, wielding twin blades, crossed them and unleashed sword qi toward the flames rushing at me.
The flames twisted trajectory in the sword qi.
Now the distance between me and the Daoist was only three zhang.
Now I’m entering the Daoist’s aura range.
I couldn’t guarantee my life inside that.
Everything around me was red, so I couldn’t see his intent.
“Hmph.”
Fwoosh!
The Daoist flicked his hand, and a fierce wind blew, trying to knock me down.
Danak Sword Art.
Yue Yue, Deng Mai.
I overlaid two forms onto my sword and swung it, slicing a cross-shaped gap in the wind and slipping inside his consciousness range.
I couldn’t see the enemy’s intent.
Then…
Kiiing—
I maximized my senses to the limit—touch, sight, hearing, smell, and even spatial awareness from my previous life—to calculate the enemy’s attacks indirectly.
I pushed that sense maximization to its extreme.
Left and right.
I felt air waves from both sides.
Something was coming.
“Squad Leader, go!”
“Catch the bastard!”
One of the guards rushed to the left-side spell, blocking it, while the squad leader threw his polearm, shattering the right-side spell.
And…
Front!
I sensed movement directly ahead.
The temperature and humidity in front had changed.
With the Daoist’s intent, white frost condensed in the air, forming arrows.
Danak Sword Art.
Ha-dan-se!
I quickly switched to Ha-dan-se, barely dodging, then thrust my sword forward.
However, right in front was the defensive spell the Daoist had cast.
Amazingly, even while I launched my sudden strike, the Daoist maintained a bored expression.
Absolute composure!
I’ll wipe that lazy look off your face.
But I grinned and added another form to the insertion technique.
Danak Sword Art.
Yong Mai, Gi San Sim Chun, Dan Ae!
The sword’s flow accelerated and strengthened through Yong Mai.
Gi San Sim Chun briefly opened all my meridians, further strengthening the sword.
Dan Ae instantly sped up the sword’s momentum.
And…
I squeeze every drop of internal energy from my body at once!
As a doctor, I focused on the eight extraordinary vessels and pulled every last drop of internal energy from my body.
My foolishly stored internal energy—enough to consume hundreds of years of fermented golden pill—entered my sword.
Pa-aaat!
The sword thread instantly evolved.
Blink!
Sword Gang!
Instant.
It barely lasted a second.
In that short moment, the light condensed on my sword pierced the Daoist’s defensive spell like a needle through tofu.