Tricking the Unconscious
The process of becoming an unconscious expert and ascending realms is essentially the same as expanding the domain of the unconscious.
Those who have just learned martial arts perform every action consciously. From how to grip the sword to the placement of a single foot—if they don't focus on it, even the proper stance won't form. No wonder their skills are a mess.
As they train like this, the range of actions they no longer need to think about gradually expands. Their movements become more natural, and the options available to them multiply. Once the parts handled by conscious thought shift to the unconscious, their thinking deepens as well. They call this imagery; when one can infuse imagery into their sword, that's when they can be called a 1st Rate master.
So, how much of their technique does a Peak realm expert leave to the unconscious? Roughly nine-tenths of their forms. Their body reacts to the opponent's movements first, then flows naturally into response.
On top of that, the endless stream of imagery and strategy from their mind—that's why 1st Rate warriors can't touch Peak experts. Sword qi aside, of course.
Anyway.
This unconscious mind usually acts as a tremendous advantage for most martial artists. It's only natural that the one superior in imagery and strategy holds the edge.
But Namgoong Juhee doesn't belong to "most" in most cases. Her personality alone sets her apart. Who in their right mind treats the world like a game because they can't accept reality? Her deliberate weird speech patterns, her excessive cheerfulness, her fearlessness toward death—her behavior is one of a kind in the world.
And her swordsmanship is no different. Namgoong Juhee has almost no strengths in swordplay. She'd only just comprehended the Three Calamity Sword Method and grasped its fundamentals, so purely in terms of power, she's barely reached 2nd Rate.
Yet she managed to cut down powerhouses like the Whirlwind Ghost and the Steel Dancer one after another. The reason? She exploited their unconscious minds. From the flick of an eye to the tiniest twitch. Warriors facing Namgoong Juhee responded to her movements on instinct, one by one. That's why they couldn't handle her.
"Okay, from above down. Luk Hap Sword's third form: Falling Petals on Flowing Water."
"Wait! Hold on!"
"What? I told you."
Namgoong Juhee's wooden sword naturally arced upward. Just as she'd announced, preparing for a downward strike.
But Hwangbo Un couldn't respond smoothly. Because his unconscious was screaming through his entire body that Namgoong Juhee was swinging horizontally from left to right. A rare glitch born from his well-developed unconscious at the Peak realm.
Clang!
"Damn it—!"
"Told you. Downward strike from above."
"No! That's not…."
"Okay, again. This time, left to right. Luk Hap Sword's second form: Flying Petals Beckoning the Distant Moon."
This time, Namgoong Juhee's wooden sword took the horizontal slash stance. But somehow, her aura blazed with the intent of a downward chop. So what was he supposed to do? His unconscious prepped for the horizontal, while his conscious worried about the overhead—there was no room for imagery in his sword.
Thwack!
A brutal sound echoed across the training ground. The clash of Hwangbo Un's sturdy skull and the wooden sword.
"Guhhh…."
Hwangbo Un swallowed a groan of agony. Eerily identical to the noise Yi Hayeon had made earlier.
"Surrender?"
"……."
"Oh? Not surrendering?"
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Normally, striking a fallen opponent in sparring was taboo, but Hayeon hadn't taught her that far. And she had no intention of doing so now.
"I surrender! I surrender!"
In the end, Hwangbo Un declared surrender just before his bones might break. Protecting his pride meant nothing if he was dead first.
"There we go. Should've done that from the start."
Namgoong Juhee withdrew her sword with a refreshing grin. Then beamed innocently at the two of them.
"Got to thinking—if I just say it out loud, I can use killing blows in sparring all I want, right?"
"……."
"And as long as the result matches what I said, it's fine? So I can spam feints too, yeah?"
"In this world, only Namgung Sojeo would say something like that."
"If that's praising my genius, thanks. If not, time for more hits. You know I don't accept surrender, right?"
"……There are plenty who don't accept surrender. Though they'd be from the unorthodox sects or Blood Cult, of course."
Thwack!
The wooden sword flew into Hwangbo Un's head once more. The price of upholding his beliefs.
"So, what do you two think? Can I use this at the Hobuk Branch?"
"……Yeah, it should work."
"It's feasible, but…."
"Good enough then. Sparring training was definitely fun. Learned a lot too."
Hwangbo Un and Yi Hayeon bowed their heads deeply. Who could've guessed she'd turn sparring into a near-death ordeal with such an outlandish method? With this, Namgoong Juhee was guaranteed to win the Hobuk Branch bet.
"……But, Namgung Sojeo. Just one thing to keep in mind."
"Hm? What?"
"That sparring style is bound to stir up controversy. Even if we win the Tae Cheong Dan, it might harm the Namgoong clan's and Sojeo's reputation."
Namgoong Juhee smirked at Hwangbo Un's words.
"Don't worry. I don't give a damn about either."
What a scorching line.
. . .
Before they knew it, seven days had passed since Namgoong Juhee grasped the flaw in sparring. During those seven days, the training ground of the Lianhua Sect echoed nonstop with male and female groans. Not the kind from pleasure. If it were, they wouldn't be begging to be killed.
And there was another place near Lianhua Sect where the groans didn't stop: the peak of Wudang Mountain. Only two days remained until the Hobuk Branch tournament. The time when organizers were tearing their hair out. Accordingly, Cheongmyeong of the Cheongjae generation's senior disciples began to whine.
"Hyung, kill me please."
"No. If I kill you, my workload just increases."
"……That's your reason? Doesn't losing your cute junior make you sad?"
"Tch, cut the nonsense. At least you'll get a good night's sleep the night before the Hobuk Branch."
"And after sleeping well, I'll roll around half-dead in the matches."
"If you have time to flap your mouth, get back to work."
Cheongmyeong pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Have we sent out all the invitations properly?"
"Yes, and now we're confirming. If even one is missing, we're dead."
"Ha! As if. I still vividly remember sending invites to declining sects like the Namgoong clan."
"Watch your mouth."
"Why? Did I say something wrong?"
The one called hyung didn't bother responding to Cheongmyeong. Because he wasn't wrong, as Cheongmyeong said.
The Namgoong clan was indeed steadily marching toward destruction. Their business earnings were lackluster, their influence shrinking. With major clans like Hwangbo pressuring them, it would take a meteor strike for Namgoong to rise again. That was his view—and the world's.
"Didn't the Single Evil Sword recently behead the Whirlwind Ghost in Wuhu?"
"Pfft, what can one Single Evil Sword do? It's all hype anyway."
"There was a weird rumor too. That it wasn't the Single Evil Sword who took down the Whirlwind Ghost."
"Oh, that female swordswoman from Namgoong? Heh, to believe that—hyung, you're surprisingly naive."
"Tch, I'm just saying the rumor exists. Insulting others carelessly comes back to bite you, so better not."
Cheongmyeong ignored him and rummaged through the papers in front of him. Then he lifted something up and shoved it in front of his hyung.
"See this, hyung?"
"……What is it."
"Right here. Namgoong Juhee. Daughter of the Namgoong clan."
"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"If we're going by what you said, doesn't that mean the Namgoong female swordswoman could be this Namgoong Juhee?"
"I told you not to spout useless crap."
Cheongmyeong grumbled, displeased with his hyung's reaction. Then he slowly approached the bracket chart in front of them. A massive chart with the names of 128 men and women.
"Let's see…."
In an instant, Cheongmyeong located Namgoong Juhee's nameplate and his hyung Cheongjin's.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. Since you keep dissing the Namgoong clan, I thought I'd step in."
"When did I ever diss the Namgoong clan…! You're the one doing it!"
"Dunno about that. Why don't you face off against this Namgoong Juhee, hyung? Who knows? Maybe she's the one who beheaded the Whirlwind Ghost, like you said."
Cheongjin rubbed his temple. Come to think of it, Cheongmyeong had skill but these quirky sides too. That's why he'd competed for top senior disciple right up to the end, even as Cheongjin just entered Peak.
"You're pranking that young lady over your joke."
"Well… yeah. Facing a Peak master in the first round? Poor thing. Back to normal…."
"Tch, then you're screwing over whoever you pit against me instead? That's why you always need to be careful with your actions."
The two bickered at length over what to do with the bracket. Not even realizing who the real victim was.