A Year Has Already Passed
A year has already passed. The Sun Moon Demonic Cult is divided into three major branches. First, the demonic sects centered around the Eight Families. Second, the administrative institutions under the Sun Moon Palace and the Divine Maiden Palace, such as the Guardian Bureau, the Gyomaguan, and the Saengsa-won. And finally, there are the ten groups that serve as the personal armed forces of the Demon Sovereigns—or rather, the Holy Sovereigns—which also function as sects in their own right.
Among them, the Forest of Ten Thousand Swords—the territory governed by the Sword Holy Sovereign—was no exception. It is a place that any demonic swordsman who has dedicated their life to the blade, or any follower of the Sword Sovereign, would desperately wish to enter. As the name suggests, it is a place where one can be taught and learn ten thousand—that is, a vast variety—of sword techniques. And today, as always, the sound of loud shouts and clashing blades echoed from one of the training grounds in the Forest of Ten Thousand Swords. Though, the shouts were perhaps a bit... more "impure" than usual.
"Dieeee!! You devil!!"
At the sound of a young boy's shout from afar, two Black-Sword disciples of the Forest exchanged glances, their lips curling upward as if they were used to it.
"Has it already been a week?"
"Indeed. Judging by that familiar, scream-like shout, it seems so."
"What shall we do?"
"What do you mean, what shall we do? I’m fine. I don't have the hobby of enjoying watching juniors suffer like you do."
With that, one of the Black-Sword disciples headed off to see the new spectacle of the Forest of Ten Thousand Swords, as he did every day. When he arrived at the training ground where the sound originated, a massive crowd had already gathered, buzzing with activity. Most of them were wearing white or blue robes.
As the Black-Sword disciple approached, the White-Sword and Blue-Sword disciples parted like the sea, stepping back in unison. Soon after, a Red-Sword disciple approached him.
"You've come, Senior?"
"Move aside, you brat. I can't see. And has anything happened so far?"
"What could happen? It's the same as always. The Young Sword Saint is beating the two Blue-Sword disciples as if she's going to kill them... and the two Blue-Sword disciples are rushing at her as if they're possessed by spite..."
"My, it seems they couldn't land a single blow today either."
"I suppose that will be impossible for their entire lives, won't it?"
The Black-Sword and Red-Sword disciples laughed heartily as they watched the three martial artists on the sparring stage. There, a beautiful woman in fluttering black robes was conducting a guided sparring session with two young twins, a boy and a girl, dressed in blue robes.
In truth, it wasn't particularly rare for senior disciples to conduct such guided sparring for their juniors. Yet, the reason so many White-Sword and Blue-Sword disciples had gathered was simple...
'Because it's the Young Sword Saint's guided sparring.'
It was the guidance of the Young Sword Saint, who had raised the twins—who were White-Sword disciples—to the rank of Blue-Sword disciples within just half a year of starting their training. Of course, it was likely possible because the twins possessed an absurd talent, having entered the Forest at the young age of thirteen... but the fact that the twins, who hadn't shown much progress, had been promoted from White-Sword to Blue-Sword after receiving guidance from the Young Sword Saint, who had reached the Red-Sword rank, was worth noting. That alone was reason enough for the White-Sword and Blue-Sword disciples to flock there.
Then, why were a few Black-Sword or Red-Sword disciples watching this sparring session? The Black-Sword disciple shifted his gaze. The reason he had come to this place:
'The Young Sword Saint...'
To see the sword of the Young Sword Saint. She possessed a monstrous talent that would make it unsurprising if she were a master who had achieved ban-ro-hwan-dong (rejuvenation), having been promoted from White-Sword to Red-Sword in half a year, and then to Black-Sword just last month. When the Sword Sovereign, whom all disciples respected, took an outsider as a disciple, she had proven all opposition wrong with her talent and silenced them, suppressing them with the handiwork of a true demon.
'My spine went cold back then, too.'
That was when a Black-Sword disciple, unable to believe she had reached the Red-Sword rank in half a year, had picked a fight with her, only to leave the Forest of Ten Thousand Swords with his limbs crippled after their duel.
'It was a technique that carried the spirit of a demon...'
It seemed that was when it started. Everyone in the Forest began to acknowledge Jin Seo-ah as the next Sword Holy Sovereign, and she earned the title of So-geom-seong (Young Sword Saint).
'Hmm... nothing special today either.'
Unfortunately, even while watching the Young Sword Saint's sword, the Black-Sword disciple didn't gain any particular enlightenment today. He was a Black-Sword disciple who had reached the Peak Realm, and this was merely a simple guided sparring session. He had come just in case, so he wasn't disappointed. And besides...
'It's also entertaining.'
It was amusing and cute to see the twin juniors, who kept getting up with spite no matter how many times they were knocked down. It reminded him of his past self. It was a passionate sight that couldn't be found in the jaded, worn-out versions of themselves now.
'They're counterattacking.'
The twins began to launch a full-scale joint attack against the Young Sword Saint, who was swinging her sword lazily with one hand behind her back. The Red-Sword disciple remarked,
"That's impressive. Such a joint attack... Haha. I'd have to be a bit careful with that myself."
"Indeed... such a perfect joint attack mixed with illusionary sword techniques would be threatening in a real battle."
"Hmm... I feel a bit of impatience, too. That such outstanding juniors are beneath me. I think I was about thirty when I reached the Blue-Sword rank..."
"I agree. I'm a bit worried myself."
Having one's cultivation level caught up to by someone else was never a pleasant feeling. Even if that someone was the Young Sword Saint...
Thud!
With the sound of the two twins being struck by the Young Sword Saint's blade and collapsing, the sparring ended.
"It's over."
Unfortunately, the Black-Sword disciple still couldn't grasp how the Young Sword Saint broke her opponent's sword, even after seeing it with his own two eyes today.
***
After the guided sparring ended, Seo-ah roughly slung the twins, who were sprawled on the floor, over her shoulders and headed to the medical hall. After tossing them onto their beds as usual, she asked,
"Are you two okay?"
Baek-ak answered with a wail...
"Ae-ee... U-ee-ee..."
Baek-ran groaned in pain.
"It's too much... I felt it even before fighting Jin Geuk... but Big Sister, you teach us too roughly..."
"But it's effective, isn't it?"
"That may be so, buuut..."
Seo-ah waved her hand dismissively and continued,
"Anyway, since you both look fine, I'll tell you what you did wrong, like always. First, Baek-ak. How many times do I have to tell you not to scream when I attack..."
For half an hour, Seo-ah reviewed the sparring for the twins, who were half-out of their minds. Soon, the twins fell into a sleep that looked like a faint, and Seo-ah returned to her quarters as usual, suddenly looking into the mirror.
'A year has already passed...'
Over the past year, Seo-ah had undergone many changes. Her body, which had been so thin and sickly that it was hard to call it the body of a martial artist, now possessed a healthy glow. And above all...
Half of her hair had turned stark white. It meant that her mastery of the Ash Dust Heart Art had reached the sixth stage, the Ash Realm, from the Connection Realm. According to the old master, it would take a long time to reach the Living Realm, the Great Completion, from the sixth stage, but...
'There's no need to be impatient.'
I'm still young. Also, by consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng and various fifth and sixth-grade spiritual elixirs, I have accumulated sixty years of internal energy, enough not to fall behind the successors of other prestigious sects, and I have mastered various supreme sword techniques. Seo-ah thought she would likely reach the Peak Realm before she turned twenty.
'Is this... enough?'
In the upcoming Divine Maiden competition, the level of a mature First-Class master could hardly be called high. Countless masters of the Peak Realm would be participating in the competition. She was trying not to be impatient because she was still young enough, but it was human nature to always want the best results, so it wasn't easy.
However, it wasn't entirely hopeless. The cards she held were more unique than anything else. Seo-ah sat down to finish her day and took a book out of the drawer. On the cover of that book... or rather, that secret manual, it was written:
[Sun Moon Divine Art - Moon]
***
How much time had passed since then? For a while, Seo-ah's mind had been completely captured by the Sun Moon Divine Art. The one who woke her from that state was So-so's voice.
"Young Lady! Young Lady! I've brought a late-night snack."
"Hmm? Has it already been that long..."
Seo-ah said that and looked out the window. The sun was already setting outside. Whenever she immersed herself in the Sun Moon Divine Art, such things often happened. Today must have been one of those days. And every day like this, one thought crossed her mind:
'I think I've got a feel for it... but I'm not sure.'
Unfortunately, as a supreme art known as the martial arts of the Hwa-gyeong (Transformation Realm), she realized that she had gained some enlightenment with her current level, but she couldn't know the content. She had only intuited it. That's right. For the past year, Seo-ah had not been able to enter the Sun Moon Divine Art. However... the effort she put into the process of entering it was not in vain. If she could just grasp the clue and enter it, she would be able to achieve rapid progress.
'Is that all for today...'
Seo-ah closed the manual, finished a simple meal, and began to check the letters that had arrived for her. The pile of letters on the left, which were "unreasonably" thick, were from So-yul, and the pile on the right, which were "reasonably" stacked, were from Jin A-rin. Seo-ah picked up Jin A-rin's letter first.
Seo-ah, there is less than a month left until the main tournament of the Divine Maiden competition. I wonder if you are preparing well. The reason I sent this letter is that I would like to see your face at the preliminary round this time...
Next, she picked up Shin So-yul's letter. It was a letter as usual, filled with dense black characters, but summarized, the point was this:
Boss. I'm participating in the Divine Maiden competition. I'm taking the preliminary round this time, are you coming?
Seo-ah began to write replies to the two children who wanted her to cheer them on. The next day, Seo-ah descended the mountain with the twins, the old master, and So-so.