Martial Arts Are Too Easy (3)

Nam Yeon swung her fist, her mind racing.

'What fairy? What the hell!'

At first, she'd been overwhelmed by that beauty. But after clashing techniques over and over, it was crystal clear now.

This was a total noob. Just a noob with a ridiculously pretty face!

That weird inner energy? Had to be from her trying to practice some bogus cultivation method on her own, screwing up her meridians in the process.

"You dare try to steal my sword!? Fine, if you want it so bad, I'll give it to you!! You'll be the first prey for my blade!"

Nam Yeon abandoned the palm strikes she'd been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spamming and gripped the sword hilt hard, yanking it to draw the blade from its sheath.

But it failed.

It was like something inside was jammed—the sword simply wouldn't come out. The sword was refusing to be drawn by her.

"!?"

A wave of shock crashed over Nam Yeon.

'What the hell is this!?'

A message she'd never seen in her life.

And if she wasn't recognized... then what about that woman? That woman who couldn't even properly grip and swing the sword—she was the recognized owner?

Nam Yeon's shock intensified as the next message appeared before her eyes.

For ten years since the Gate incident, her status window had only ever spat out dry, emotionless notifications.

But now, for the first time, it was cursing her.

'Why...? What the hell is going on?'

She didn't know. Too many unknowns. Too much terror from the abyss of ignorance crushing her. Before the overwhelmed Nam Yeon, the peach-blossom fairy raised the sword straight up.

"—!!"

Nam Yeon desperately tried to drop into a stance to block the unidentified black mass coming down.

But what she actually did was raise one hand while still clutching the sword hilt with the other.

It'd be fine. That woman didn't know any sword arts anyway—just wild swings.

The peach-blossom fairy's sword pointed straight up.

True. Perfectly straight, like piercing the heavens.

Vertical. Aligned.

Muscles. Breath. Inner energy flow. Gaze. Direction. Grip.

Extremely simple, yes—but unmistakably a sword form.

'Why.'

The fairy brought the sword down.

'Why.'

Even as the blade claimed her life, Nam Yeon felt nothing but questions.

Cheon Do-yeon gasped for air, trying to steady her trembling body.

"Hah, hah, haaaah...!!!"

Nam Yeon's corpse lay before her. The bitch who'd tormented her since yesterday—yearning for her, beating her, inflicting pain—was dead.

By her hand. She'd gotten revenge herself.

"Ha...!"

A dry laugh escaped. Her body ached, but the relief was immense.

Who said revenge would just leave you empty? This felt so damn good.

If she'd shown remorse, maybe Do-yeon would've spared her midway.

She'd given Nam Yeon chances, over and over. Waited for hesitation.

Nam Yeon had thrown them all away herself.

Refreshing. Liberating.

That was her feeling. Cheon Do-yeon's feeling.

"Ha, ha, haha...!!"

Her heart pounded. A bizarre euphoria surged. Endless vengeful thirst boiled up.

Blood. Sliced innards. Nam Yeon's face, split vertically—delicious.

Aah. I want to kill.

More. Kill them all. Anyone. Slaughter everyone.

Stack the corpses. See them piled high.

This urge wasn't hers.

The heart image of the Black Darkness Apocalypse Palm was invading her.

Her mind knew it, but tasting blood once made the sensations hard to shake.

In her remaining eye, Dobongpa warriors trembled in terror.

Perfect—five humans right in front of her?

Turn them into five corpses, and the relief would be even sweeter—

Grind. She clenched her molars.

'Fuck...!!'

She couldn't let this happen. Couldn't submit. If she gave in to the martial art's heart image, she wouldn't be herself anymore.

She had to endure. But it was so strong. Could sheer willpower hold it back?

Then, a memory from that morning flashed in her mind.

—Take this at least.

The little girl she'd met, grabbing her wrist and infusing that refreshing energy.

Now she understood what she'd done.

Infused her with inner energy. Pure, pristine Daoist energy.

Even after her body changed, that energy lingered inside her.

Instinct told her: that pure energy could shield her from the demonic heart image trying to devour her now.

'Gotta find it...!'

Standing straight, she closed her remaining eye.

Breathe.

Drawing in a bit of natural qi, a handful of energy began flowing through her body.

She focused her mind on it.

Traced its exact path through her body.

Meridians. Like blood vessels for qi, a net spread throughout the body.

Unconsciously, instinctively, Cheon Do-yeon followed her meridians.

She didn't know the Twelve Standard Meridians or the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

But instinct and intuition moved the qi. From the Baihui at the crown to the Yongquan on the soles.

If a murim expert saw this, they'd freak: a kid starting cultivation that morning, already cycling the Great Heavenly Circulation on day one!

But Cheon Do-yeon didn't know how dangerous or amazing it was.

Just searching.

And she found it.

'Got it!'

Near her chest, a round lump like a pill—pure Daoist energy.

She coaxed it gently.

Cautiously moved it inside her.

"Hooooh... "

Exhale.

"Suuuuuup... "

Inhale.

Guided the Daoist energy to touch the rampaging demonic qi.

Miraculously, the demonic qi fled like a beast shocked by electricity.

'Then...!'

With a rough map of the meridians, she split the Dao qi, sending it opposite the demonic qi's escape route.

Cheon Do-yeon's ploy worked perfectly.

'Caught you, you bastard!'

Trapped, the demonic qi balled up into a sphere.

The slaughter impulse trying to erode her mind calmed.

But no relaxing yet.

She wove the Dao qi like a net around the sphere and moved the whole thing.

Destination: her dantian.

Then, a short post appeared in True Murim Gallery.

A post with nothing in it.

Normally, unless the OP was some major sect leader, it'd sink without a trace.

But spotting the OP as ㅇㅇ lit True Murim Gallery ablaze.