The Challenge
Su-a supported Mu Ryeong and brought her over to where Dang Ga-ryeo and Seo Bong-hwa were watching the non-lethal spar instead of the medical treatment area. After handing Mu Ryeong over, she stepped back briefly to observe the next match. Mu Ryeong looked puzzled for a moment, but soon understood why.
"Please stay still, Lady Mu Ryeong. Your chest wound needs attention, but your internal organs have been badly shaken as well."
With gentle, delicate hands, Seo Bong-hwa channeled her inner energy into Mu Ryeong’s internal injuries, soothing the turmoil within. Dang Ga-ryeo assisted her mother while beginning to treat Mu Ryeong’s external wounds. Since the Sichuan Dang Clan was renowned as the greatest in medicine throughout the world, Mu Ryeong obediently accepted treatment from the mother-daughter pair.
“You… you’re really something else. Honestly, I never imagined you’d be that strong. We’re the same age, yet you fought evenly with Sister Cindy like that.”
Hearing Dang Ga-ryeo’s sincere admiration, Mu Ryeong caught a particular phrase that caught her attention and asked a question.
“Um… Sister Cindy? You seem quite close with Lady Cindy…?”
“Why, are you curious?”
“Not really… it’s nothing like that…”
“Pfft~ No need to be shy. I lost to Sister Cindy in a spar too… At first I was angry, but eventually I came to respect her.”
At Dang Ga-ryeo’s words, Mu Ryeong felt embarrassed, as if her inner thoughts had been exposed. Yet she knew the other woman wasn’t wrong. Even as a woman herself, Cindy possessed a beauty and figure that inspired admiration and longing. On top of that, she wielded overwhelmingly powerful martial arts and still had the composure to defeat her. It was only natural to want to surpass her while simultaneously feeling deep respect.
An ordinary woman might have felt jealousy or inferiority, but Mu Ryeong’s character was not so small. Just as beautiful women tended to admire other beautiful women, Mu Ryeong was no different from Dang Ga-ryeo in that regard. However, unwilling to admit it, she turned the attack toward Dang Ga-ryeo and raised her voice to hide her true feelings.
“B-before that, what’s with your age that you’re suddenly speaking so casually? Just by looking at me, I clearly seem older…!”
“If you don’t like it, you can drop the honorifics too~ I don’t want to be polite to someone from the Demonic Cult!”
“What?!”
As the two bickered while treating and being treated, their strangely harmonious appearance made Seo Bong-hwa smile softly as she continued healing Mu Ryeong.
Meanwhile, on one side, Mu Ryeong’s mother Bang Se-hwa had been watching with concern. Once she saw that her daughter was safe, she let out a sigh of relief and turned her head. There, An Rok-san and Mu Gucheon were engaged in conversation.
“Elder An Rok-san, as we discussed beforehand, it is now the turn for my son Mu Seong-woo to spar with Lady Jung Su-a, the Jade-Faced Light Sword… Shall we begin immediately?”
“Of course, Cult Leader. However… it will not be Su-a facing Young Master Mu Seong-woo. It seems Hwa-ryun’s body is itching for a fight as well. Heh heh~”
“Hmm… Is that so? Then who will be Lady Su-a’s opponent…?”
To Mu Gucheon, who wore a puzzled expression at An Rok-san’s reply, Su-a gave an answer that left everyone stunned.
“Cult Leader Mu Gucheon. If you permit it, I would like to have a spar with you.”
“What?!”
At Su-a’s declaration, not only Mu Gucheon but every member of the Baehwa Cult present wore expressions of utter shock. They already knew Cindy was strong. The elders of the Baehwa Cult, Mu Seong-woo, Mu Gucheon, and Bang Se-hwa had all seen that Cindy’s martial prowess was far from ordinary and that she had held back a hidden technique even while fighting Mu Ryeong with ease. They had therefore assumed her companions were also powerful, but none of them had imagined she would directly challenge Mu Gucheon.
Who was Mu Gucheon? He was evaluated as the closest person to being the strongest under heaven, one of the very few supreme experts counted among both the righteous and demonic paths.
“What kind of rude remark is this, Elder An Rok-san!”
“Does she not know who the Cult Leader is, daring to challenge him as a mere junior?!”
“The Martial Alliance is mocking our Baehwa Cult!!”
When the elders of the Council of Elders began shouting in protest, Mu Gucheon’s heavy voice infused with inner energy resonated throughout the area.
"Silence."
Though it was only a single word, the sound echoed everywhere, and at the same time the elders felt an overwhelming pressure that forced them to close their mouths. Looking at them, Mu Gucheon continued in a fierce tone.
“You are saying strange things. Is it wrong for a martial artist to challenge another martial artist in the murim, elders? It is true that I did not expect this. However… there is nothing wrong with it. Especially not within the Baehwa Cult, where strength is everything. Why are you elders trying to dismiss a challenge directed at me? You all know it well. I have never once avoided a challenge that came my way.”
“C-Cult Leader…!”
“Ugh…!”
As the Demonic Cult elders groaned in distress, barely managing to stay on their feet, Mu Gucheon glared at them before turning a sharp gaze toward Su-a. Su-a met his eyes without the slightest hint of intimidation, standing tall and proud.
“…Lady Jung Su-a. It is certainly your right to issue a challenge. However… the price may be very high. What do you think?”
The aura that had been pressuring the elders instantly shifted toward Su-a, but she accepted Mu Gucheon’s pressure with her body as if it were nothing and spoke to him.
“I will accept it. I will take responsibility for the words I have spoken.”
“……”
For a moment Mu Gucheon stared at her with a stern expression, then released his aura and burst into hearty laughter.
“Kwa ha ha ha ha! What fine martial artists you are. Both Lady Cindy and Lady Su-a. Lady Hwa-ryun as well, haha. Seong-woo, come out now.”
“Understood, Cult Leader.”
“Very well. I accept the spar. However, it will take place after Lady Hwa-ryun and Seong-woo’s match.”
“Thank you for accepting my challenge.”
“It has been a while since I’ve felt this excited. Elder An Rok-san, you have raised truly remarkable disciples.”
At Mu Gucheon’s command, Mu Seong-woo ascended to the sparring platform, and An Rok-san naturally gave orders to Hwa-ryun and Su-a.
“Hwa-ryun, face your opponent. Su-a, prepare to spar with Cult Leader Mu Gucheon.”
“Understood, Lord An Rok-san.”
“I understand, Lord An Rok-san.”
For several months, Su-a, Hwa-ryun, and Cindy had spent every single day without rest by An Rok-san’s side, sharing both intimacy and rigorous training. Receiving commands from him felt completely natural to them. While traveling the murim, Su-a, Cindy, Hwa-ryun, Dang Ga-ryeo, and Seo Bong-hwa had not only shared physical relations with An Rok-san but had also received martial arts and combat training. In just a few months, their skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
Moreover, An Rok-san’s semen was connected to his inner energy cultivation method that strengthened women. While the NPCs Seo Bong-hwa and Dang Ga-ryeo had noticed their internal energy increasing, they were unaware of the existence of ability stats and thus did not fully realize the extent of their growth. Su-a, Cindy, and Hwa-ryun, however, were different. All of their stats had risen little by little. Through actual combat experience in spars and An Rok-san’s guidance, they had become incomparably stronger than when they first arrived on Earth. In particular, Su-a and Cindy had grown even stronger than they had been during their time in the Changcheon Murim. That was why Su-a could confidently challenge Mu Gucheon after receiving An Rok-san’s command.
But first, she moved to watch the spar between Mu Seong-woo and Hwa-ryun. Just as with Cindy and Mu Ryeong’s match, Mu Gucheon took on the role of both judge and announcer.
“The rules are the same as before. Are both of you ready?”
“Of course, Cult Leader.”
“I am ready, Cult Leader.”
“Good. Then let the spar begin!”
As soon as the match started, Mu Seong-woo drew his sword while Hwa-ryun gripped her spear, and the two began to probe each other. Unlike the explosive clash between Cindy and Mu Ryeong, the crowd watched the two carefully gauging each other’s strength and felt a different kind of tension.
However, a spar was still a spar. Mu Seong-woo, who had been observing, quickly closed the distance and began swinging his sword. True to his position as the son of Baehwa Cult Leader Mu Gucheon, every strike carried both power and speed. His sword moved so fast it left afterimages. An ordinary martial artist would have already suffered serious injuries, but Hwa-ryun was no ordinary martial artist—nor was she an ordinary user.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Mu Seong-woo was impressed by how Hwa-ryun blocked every single one of his strikes with her spear after watching them all directly.
‘I didn’t use my maximum speed, but to block them so accurately… She’s equal to me!’
Hwa-ryun was equally surprised.
‘This is not the level of a typical junior. As expected of the top candidate to succeed the first Cult Leader of the Baehwa Cult.’
Admiring each other’s skill, Mu Seong-woo finally began using the Red Soul Asura Sword technique that Mu Gucheon had personally created. His blade emitted a red aura and became dyed crimson. As heat began pouring from the sword, Hwa-ryun activated the ice attribute within her own spear.
Boom!!
The heat-emitting sword and the cold-radiating spear clashed endlessly, sending waves of hot and cold energy spreading outward. Mu Seong-woo and Hwa-ryun continued to block each other’s attacks while simultaneously launching their own, aiming for each other’s bodies. Since it was a spar, they avoided vital points, but small cuts gradually began to accumulate on both of their bodies.
However, as time passed, the spectators could see that Hwa-ryun was slowly being pushed back. No matter how much stronger she had become, unlike Su-a and Cindy, Hwa-ryun had spent her time in the Changcheon Murim acting as a strategist and advisor. She had focused more on tactics and strategy than on martial arts. Compared to Mu Seong-woo, who had trained for many years, she was inevitably lacking in pure combat experience.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
Mu Seong-woo struck Hwa-ryun with a powerful blow that sent her flying. As he concentrated his energy into his sword once more, an intense heat radiated from him—so hot that even Hwa-ryun, who was some distance away, could feel it. Mu Seong-woo began rushing toward her.
Yet Hwa-ryun did the opposite of everyone’s expectations. Instead of retreating, she charged toward Mu Seong-woo at the same speed. Even the man who had just sent her flying looked startled.
“What?!”
Hwa-ryun immediately activated her hidden trump card.
Ever since she began playing in the Omega Empire, Hwa-ryun had been steadily reinforcing the spear she received from Arpa in the early days. While Su-a and Cindy had also strengthened their equipment, Hwa-ryun had placed equal emphasis on both her character growth and item growth. The Ice Storm enchantment on her Orichalcum Spear had been greatly enhanced, along with the built-in skill itself.
Hwa-ryun had deliberately let herself be pushed back, only to close in at the decisive moment and launch her final attack.
Shwoooooooo!!!!
“Kugh!!!”
The Blizzard Storm, now far more powerful and longer-lasting than the original Ice Storm, engulfed Mu Seong-woo. Hwa-ryun did not miss the opening and poured on her attacks.
Clang!
“!!!”
The moment she saw Mu Seong-woo lose his grip on his sword due to her attack and the Blizzard Storm, Hwa-ryun was certain of victory and charged in. She failed to notice Mu Seong-woo’s final hidden move.
“…You’ve been caught, Lady Hwa-ryun.”
“?!”
Mu Seong-woo, who had lost his sword, narrowly dodged Hwa-ryun’s spear that carried all her strength and closed the distance. He struck her body with a palm strike. The opening created when her sure-kill strike missed was larger than expected, and in the end Hwa-ryun took the full force of Mu Seong-woo’s blow.
However, Hwa-ryun did not simply take it lying down.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Even as she received the palm strike, Hwa-ryun activated another skill—Ice Needles—driving ice spikes into Mu Seong-woo. He dropped to one knee from the attack, while Hwa-ryun was sent flying by his palm strike.
When the Blizzard Storm finally dissipated, both Hwa-ryun and Mu Seong-woo were kneeling on the sparring platform. The Baehwa Cult members watching from the sidelines wore expressions of pure shock.
“Oh my god… The young master…!”
Excluding the elders and Mu Gucheon himself, there was no one in the Baehwa Cult who could defeat Mu Seong-woo. That was why the sight of him on his knees was incredibly shocking to the cult members. As the most likely successor based on pure martial prowess and the one who enjoyed Mu Gucheon’s greatest trust, Mu Seong-woo’s position was that high.
“Haa… haa…”
“Huff… huff…”
Mu Gucheon, who had been watching the condition of both fighters, ignored the surrounding reactions and calmly announced the result.
“Both combatants are unable to continue fighting. If this were a fight to the death, it would be different… but this is only a spar. How about we call it a draw?”
At Mu Gucheon’s words, both Hwa-ryun and Mu Seong-woo had no choice but to agree. Although both were heavily injured, neither was confident they could definitely subdue the opponent before them.
“…I will follow the Cult Leader’s judgment.”
“…The same for me.”
“Good. The spar between Jung Hwa-ryun and Mu Seong-woo ends in a draw!”
With Mu Gucheon’s declaration, the second match came to a close. The members of the Baehwa Cult remained in a state of considerable shock from Mu Ryeong’s defeat and Mu Seong-woo’s draw as the second spar concluded.