Beyond the Wall
A magic artifact specialized for short-range, high-speed movement. After watching Sounhwa in action, Jin Somyeong turned his attention back to the match.
Formations. They really are powerful.
Sansu, caught in Baek Yu-geon's formation, floundered like a drowning man, unable to escape. He even drove his spiritual power into a frenzy and struggled with everything he had, but no miracle occurred. The match ended just like that.
If my first attack doesn't work, this is going to be difficult.
Jin Somyeong returned to the waiting room, running simulations in his head of how the fight might unfold.
How long had he waited? Time seemed to flow swiftly, and before long, his next match arrived.
He stepped onto the stage that had grown familiar by now and faced Baek Yu-geon. Jin Somyeong had wondered what sort of personality the chief disciple of a renowned third-rank formation master would have. The answer came far too easily.
"For a sword cultivator like you to be born in our Gwangwon Sea Region—this is truly mankind's good fortune. However..."
Baek Yu-geon, who had been smiling brightly enough to show his teeth, now looked genuinely regretful.
"It seems your period of training has been rather short. A pity. I hope our next meeting will make for a better bout."
"...Next?"
The match had not even begun, yet he was already talking about next time. For a moment Jin Somyeong wondered if the man was trying to provoke him, but that was not it.
Baek Yu-geon was serious. There was not the faintest trace of mockery in his expression; if anything, he looked well-disposed toward him. He simply believed, from the bottom of his heart, that this fight was as good as over.
"Heh."
In truth, Jin Somyeong had already achieved his objective. Even if he lost here, his place in the Spirit Cleansing Pool was assured. In other words, there was no need to overdo it.
But that was no reason to give up.
The instant the match began, he detonated his dantian. Spiritual power surged upward like an explosion, and he poured every last bit of it into Sounhwa.
Whoosh!
The fierce heat that came rushing back through his meridians became a crimson cloud. Then, in the span of a single blink, the distance between them vanished.
In a world slowed by extreme concentration, his opponent's pupils dilated. The mouth beginning to part, the one brow rising—Jin Somyeong understood what those changes meant.
Somewhere between interest and astonishment.
Watching that, Jin Somyeong unleashed the Swift Sword Form, a motion he had repeated tens of thousands of times until it had been engraved into his body.
Shrrring...
The cool friction that tickled his ear was pleasant to hear. He felt the blade slide free of the scabbard in its entirety.
In that instant, the sword that had been nothing more than a cold lump of metal became wrapped in shimmering heat haze. Carrying a razor edge of Sword Qi, it alone moved through a world that had slowed almost to a halt.
It aimed for the exposed line of Baek Yu-geon's throat—and reached it.
A red line appeared across the pale neck.
Baek Yu-geon's eyes flew wide, and then he suddenly cried out in admiration and began clapping.
"Indeed! Tremendous speed! Those who lost to you weren't incompetent after all! But..."
Whoosh!
The figure that had continued moving even with its throat cut turned into flame. It split into twelve balls of fire, scattering in every direction.
"Unfortunately, you are still only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!"
Jin Somyeong ignored the sound transmission that rang inside his head.
He narrowed his eyes and focused. Of the twelve flames scattered around him, one had to be real. He had to chase it down and cut it apart.
Then the scenery of the arena abruptly changed. The plain square stage vanished, and in its place appeared a volcanic wasteland where lava seethed and bubbled.
The heat stinging his skin told him what had happened.
An illusion!
It was a Divine Sense attack. Baek Yu-geon had twisted his senses with the vast Divine Sense of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Wuuung!
Jin Somyeong immediately withdrew all his Divine Sense. He had already learned how to respond when he was at a disadvantage in Divine Sense back in the Red Cloud Secret Realm.
A radius of thirty meters.
He compressed his Divine Sense and seized firm control over his surroundings. He repelled every Divine Sense attack that tried to warp his perception, forcing his senses back into proper alignment.
The acrid volcanic landscape scattered like smoke, and just as the ordinary stage returned—
"A sword cultivator... Yes, you are certainly a powerful existence. But that doesn't mean you have no weaknesses. Sword cultivators are far too simple."
Baek Yu-geon's calm voice told Jin Somyeong, instinctively, that it was already too late.
The twelve flames that had scattered in every direction flared up and transformed into pillars plastered in talismans, driving themselves into the floor.
The formation had activated in the brief opening while he dealt with the Divine Sense attack.
"No matter how sharp a sword may be, it only has meaning if it can reach its target."
Boom!
Wrapped in crimson cloud, Jin Somyeong kicked off the ground. He moved to escape the formation that had just activated.
Sounhwa, the Wind-Riding Art, even the Ascending Dragon Step—he used every movement technique he possessed except the Lightning Escape Art at the same time, yet strangely, he could not break free.
He could not even draw closer to Baek Yu-geon. Each time he took a step forward, the ground stretched beneath him. Baek Yu-geon stood right before his eyes, yet felt as though he were receding endlessly into the distance.
"It is already too late. Once trapped inside the Eternal Illusory Maze Formation, someone at your realm cannot escape."
It was exactly as he said. No matter which direction Jin Somyeong moved, the earth stretched out and blocked him.
To install a formation like this in a single instant... It was a feat worthy of the chief disciple of a formation master.
"Fellow Daoist, why don't you stop here? Those shoes look like they carry severe side effects at a glance... Don't invite internal injuries for no reason. Surrender."
Surrender?
Originally, Jin Somyeong had intended to quit the moment his first strike was blocked. But hearing those words made a crooked impulse rear its head. The words I surrender simply would not leave his mouth.
Baek Yu-geon stood there in the air with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down as though everything were already over. Jin Somyeong wanted nothing more than to cut him down in the most satisfying way possible.
Reality, however, was not so forgiving.
The formation stood in his way, alive and breathing, growing stronger without cease even at this very moment.
Swish!
He scattered Sword Qi, but the result was the same. Under the pressure of the formation, it could not travel far before it dispersed.
...I lack both speed and the sharpness of my Sword Qi.
Then how was he supposed to break through?
He could do nothing about the sharpness of his Sword Qi for now, but there was a clear way to move faster.
Lightning Escape Art.
If it was a movement technique counted among the swiftest in the world, if it let him move along a bolt of lightning, then perhaps it could pierce through this formation.
The problem was that using lightning arts still bothered him.
Anything rare drew attention simply by existing. It naturally became an object of envy, jealousy, and greed.
Jin Somyeong looked at Baek Yu-geon, who was still urging him to surrender with a kindly smile, then touched the area around his dantian.
He felt spiritual power flowing according to the Five Elements Qi Refining Art, the disguise he was using, rather than his true cultivation method, the Cheonroedochegyeol.
...Since when did I start hiding myself this much?
Actions became habits, and habits eventually became nature. The saying fit him perfectly. At some point, he had begun hiding his appearance at all times, unable even to give his true name properly.
Of course, it was not without reason.
The world was dangerous; it could not be helped. To survive, it was advantageous to keep one's head down and reveal as little as possible. That was the wise course of action.
If survival alone was his only goal.
"..."
All at once, the sword in his hand felt heavy. He was not free, weighed down by every petty concern and calculation.
Then how long was he supposed to hide? Until the day he stood above the world as its unrivaled strongest? Was he to conceal himself from beginning to end?
A sword cultivator...
Why was it?
A phrase he had once heard suddenly passed through his mind.
A sword cultivator must look only ahead and advance. What seems foolish at first glance may be the only road to the Great Dao...
They were the words of the nameless Great Sword Sect disciple he had met in the Red Cloud Secret Realm. They struck him like a blow to the head.
"Ah."
What was right?
Which action was the correct answer? In the end, that was something one could only know upon reaching the end.
Fortune and misfortune were two sides of the same coin, and even the lightest breeze could flip them over.
So what if his actions were foolish? Everything else was secondary.
What truly mattered was what his heart desired.
As he stood there blankly with even his sword drooping down—
"Aaaaargh! Jang Sambong! Win just one more somehow! I bet my entire fortune on you making the semifinals!"
At that faint, desperate voice, Jin Somyeong let out a disbelieving chuckle.
Beyond the barrier, in the spectator seats, he saw a familiar tournament receptionist. His hair was disheveled, and his bloodshot eyes made him look every inch a gambling addict. It was an ugly sight.
What a ridiculous bastard. He really did bet his entire fortune.
Besides, the man had definitely said Jin Somyeong would probably place around tenth, yet now he was begging him to win one more match. How greedy had he gotten? After winning a few times at the start, it seemed his reason had been clouded.
As Jin Somyeong chuckled under his breath, Baek Yu-geon snapped at him, sounding offended.
"What is so funny? Are you mocking my goodwill?"
Jin Somyeong slowly shook his head.
"No. I just finally saw it."
"...Saw what?"
"Beyond the wall."
Spiritual power surged up from his dantian and raced through his meridians.
The moment he chose Cheonroedochegyeol over the Five Elements Qi Refining Art he had been using as a disguise, a single strand of lightning that had lain dormant within his inner world awakened.
Crackle...!
Because of the sudden change in cultivation method, uncontrolled lightning energy overflowed from him. Thunder rumbled, and arcs of discharge flickered through the air, but he did not hide it.
He had already made his decision. There was no hesitation left.
"...Lightning arts?"
Baek Yu-geon's expression grew grave.
At the same instant—
Kwarrrrung!
The blade, wrapped in light, drew a single line.
A moment sliced into smaller and smaller slivers.
The blade carrying Sword Qi arrived a hair's breadth from Baek Yu-geon's brow.
"...!"
It was fast. So fast that even the formation could not stop it.
The moment Jin Somyeong changed his mind, everything changed with him.
Vigor surged through his entire body as if he had been freed from shackles. The sword that had felt heavy now seemed to illuminate the path before him.
He understood instinctively. The Cloud-Severing Sword Art had shattered the wall blocking it and advanced another step.
Craaaack!
A defensive veil erupted from the scholar's headband on Baek Yu-geon's brow. It was clearly a top-grade second-rank defensive artifact, and it blocked the sword—but not for long.
The Sword Qi, now incomparably sharper than before, pierced even that protective veil.
"Kgh!"
Still, the slight delay created an opening. Baek Yu-geon, eyes wide, sprang backward and spun his hands like a windmill.
Boom!
A fierce pillar of flame roared upward, barring the way, but Jin Somyeong could see it all.
He knew where and how to cut to dismantle this spell.
Slice!
He cut down the core of the fire technique—the delicate spiral structure formed of spiritual power—with a single stroke.
The Sword Qi that had crossed the wall made it possible.
"What—!"
Baek Yu-geon seemed unable to believe that the pillar of fire had vanished so emptily. Gritting his teeth, he formed a complex hand seal.
A flock of palm-sized firebirds came hurtling down like a bombing run, but Jin Somyeong's response was the same.
He sliced them all apart with his Sword Qi-wreathed blade.
No matter how dazzling the spell, it could not withstand a single sword wrapped in heat haze.
Kwarung!
Becoming one with the lightning, Jin Somyeong pressed his assault without pause. He rained attacks down on Baek Yu-geon, whose doubt, shock, and composure had all been stripped away.
He had no intention of giving a formation master time. He did not let slip the one chance born from his opponent's carelessness.
How many more times did he swing his sword?
"Ah!"
With a sigh where all kinds of emotions mingled together, Baek Yu-geon, engulfed in light, was transferred outside the stage.
Silence.
When people witnessed something truly shocking, they stiffened. At that moment, every spectator became of one mind and found themselves unable to speak.
Jin Somyeong savored the heart-tickling stillness for a few seconds.
"Th-the Thunderclap Swordsman! A sword cultivator who commands lightning has appeared!"
"The rumors were true!"
"Baek Yu-geon lost...? W-wait, then what about my Spirit Stones?"
"Graaah! I won! I actually won! Waaaaaah!"
Along with a beastlike roar so distorted its words were barely clear, cheers came pouring down.
The applause and shouts were enthusiastic enough to feel burdensome, but Jin Somyeong smiled bitterly without regret.
If not for the choice he had made today, it would have been a truly distant future before the Cloud-Severing Sword Art reached the orthodox stage.
Clack.
Jin Somyeong slowly sheathed his sword and glanced aside.
"Jang Sambong! Thank you! Thank you so much! With these Spirit Stones, I'll go to the pleasure house first and... heheh!"
He met the eyes of the receptionist, who was laughing as though he had gone mad from winning his bet, and spoke.
"Hey."
"Huh? M-me?"
"My name is Jin Somyeong. Not Jang Sambong."
The top floor of the tournament hall.
The room where the Golden Core cultivators had gathered sank into silence. These mighty beings, each one powerful enough to dominate an entire city, could not tear their eyes away from a match between Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Huh."
"Impressive. He has trained in both the sword and lightning arts, yet neither is lacking in the slightest."
The moment Jin Somyeong drove Baek Yu-geon back and finally defeated him, everyone's gaze flicked in one direction.
Toward Hyeon Jin-ja, the third-rank formation master famed for never losing his dignity—and Baek Yu-geon's master.
"..."
One second? Or perhaps even less.
Hyeon Jin-ja had frozen as if broken. Then he flinched and smiled gently.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that? I told you from the beginning that I entered my disciple in this tournament to teach him how vast the world is. If anything, this is good."
"Er... are you all right?"
"Pardon? What do you mean? I am perfectly fine. Victory and defeat are common in war. Defeat is valuable. If one can learn from it, it is far more meaningful than victory—"
As Hyeon Jin-ja spoke rapidly, without even leaving room to breathe—
Thud!
A Golden Core sword cultivator rose so violently that his chair toppled behind him, then began striding away.
"...? Gwang Myeong. Where are you going all of a sudden?"
Even at someone's question, the Golden Core sword cultivator did not stop. He answered only briefly.
"To take a disciple."
"W-wait! The tournament is still going on!"
"That doesn't matter."