The Fierce Flower Blooms
Before the crowd could fully recover from the shock of Yeon So-o's arrow-swift duel, the next competitor was called.
"Next up, Seo Ryeon, the Fierce Flower of the Hainan Sect! Step forward!"
As Seo Ryeon, widely considered the strongest martial artist among the Five Flowers of the Martial World, stepped forward, the spectators focused their attention once again. Having witnessed the Sword Flower display such an incredible level of skill, they were filled with anticipation to see what the Fierce Flower would show them.
The moment her name was called, Seo Ryeon strode out of the waiting room with supreme confidence. As cheers erupted from all corners of the arena, she waved and nodded, effortlessly capturing everyone's attention with her natural charisma. To make things even more striking, the sun shone brilliantly in a cloudless sky today, making Seo Ryeon's healthy, copper skin gleam. Captivated by her radiant, athletic beauty, the crowd cheered in wild excitement.
"Whoaaaaaa!"
Amidst the roaring cheers, Seo Ryeon stepped onto the stage with a majestic stride. As the overwhelming applause continued, her opponent's name was called.
"Jin Jong-gang of the Guangdong Jin Clan! Step forward!"
The waiting room door opened, and Jin Jong-gang emerged, carrying a heavy wooden crescent-moon blade on his back. Seeing the massive weapon, the crowd's expectations rose. However, as the eldest son of the Guangdong Jin Clan, Jin Jong-gang was widely rumored to be inferior to his younger brother in both martial arts and character, so the reception he received was lukewarm at best. Knowing this all too well, Jin Jong-gang was determined to use this opportunity to shatter those preconceptions.
Unfortunately, his opponent was the worst possible match. Of all people, he had to face Seo Ryeon, the woman feared as the 'Witch' among pirates and Japanese raiders. He should have been prepared to fight to the death, but instead, Jin Jong-gang stepped onto the stage and began spouting nonsense.
"Sister Seo Ryeon, my apologies. I won't go easy on you just because you're a woman."
"...?"
Hearing this, Seo Ryeon tilted her head, thinking to herself:
'What is this dumbass?'
Normally, one would only say such things to someone weaker than themselves. Seo Ryeon let out a scoff of disbelief, then spoke in a low, calm voice.
"You'd better give it everything you've got. Otherwise, you're going to be in serious trouble."
"You should be the one to watch out, Sister. The crescent-moon blade techniques of the Guangdong Jin Clan are not to be taken lightly."
"Haha... You really haven't snapped out of it, have you?"
After their brief war of words, the referee signaled the start of the match, and Seo Ryeon immediately fell into her stance. Jin Jong-gang also began spinning his wooden crescent-moon blade, performing a series of threatening flourishes.
"Once our clan's crescent-moon blade technique begins, it never stops. Consider this your last chance to yield, Sister."
Indeed, the crescent-moon blade techniques of the Guangdong Jin Clan were famous for their relentless continuity. By continuously unleashing heavy, sweeping strikes with the massive weapon, they would overwhelm their opponent's defense and crush them. Even if an opponent was exceptionally agile, it was incredibly difficult to close the distance against a Jin Clan warrior wielding such overwhelming reach. Because of this, their martial arts were highly versatile and effective, whether in large-scale chaotic battles or one-on-one duels. It was not considered a first-class clan's martial art for nothing.
Of course, like all martial arts, it was meaningless if the practitioner's skill fell short. Such was the case with Jin Jong-gang. While reaching the Peak Realm meant he was by no means a weakling, his capabilities were nowhere near enough to defeat Seo Ryeon. Even though they were technically in the same Peak Realm, he could not match her in combat experience or the sheer depth of internal energy.
Seo Ryeon prepared to spring forward. Her stance was similar to Chang-gung's, but the level of refinement was on an entirely different level. Through countless battles and rigorous training, she had perfected her posture to near-flawless precision. And such a flawless stance naturally translated into overwhelming power and speed.
The moment Seo Ryeon's feet left the ground, she glided toward Jin Jong-gang in a smooth, fluid arc. The combination of her elegant trajectory and blinding speed made it look as if multiple afterimages of her were advancing at once. Startled, Jin Jong-gang frantically swung his crescent-moon blade. A fierce wind pressure erupted from his weapon, slowing Seo Ryeon down ever so slightly. But that was all. Seo Ryeon lowered her center of gravity, accelerated even further, and slipped right through the gaps of his chaotic swings, completely dismantling his offensive trajectory.
"What?!"
Panicking as she effortlessly bypassed his strikes and closed in, Jin Jong-gang hastily retreated. While the Guangdong Jin Clan's crescent-moon blade techniques offered both versatility and power, they possessed one fatal flaw: vulnerability in ultra-close-quarters combat. This was a common weakness for heavy polearms, especially spear-like weapons, but it was even more pronounced for the crescent-moon blade due to its immense weight and size. Jin Jong-gang desperately tried to back away to regain a comfortable distance, but the moment he allowed her to get close, the match was already decided. There was no way Seo Ryeon—the most outstanding rising star of the Hainan Sect, renowned for her incredible footwork—would miss such an opportunity.
She accelerated even further, thrusting her sword forward like a spear, forcing Jin Jong-gang to desperately parry with his heavy weapon.
Clack!
Clack!
The sharp sound of wooden swords clashing echoed across the arena. It seemed like he was managing to block her attacks with his heavy blade, but this was exactly what Seo Ryeon intended. She possessed a rather sadistic streak, enjoying the sight of her opponents slowly crumbling before her. Seeing the smirk on her face, Jin Jong-gang realized with a jolt of horror that she was merely playing with him.
"Dammit...!"
Unable to accept the reality of the situation, he swung his crescent-moon blade in a wide circle, attempting to force her back so he could retreat. However—
Tap!
Seo Ryeon leaped into the air, dodging the sweeping strike, and landed gracefully right on top of his blade. Startled by the sudden weight pressing down on his weapon, Jin Jong-gang accidentally let go of his grip. Seizing the opening, Seo Ryeon instantly closed the distance and drove her wooden sword straight into his abdomen.
Thwack!
The wooden sword struck his stomach with brutal force. His eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as he let out a choked gasp and collapsed onto the floor, rolling in agony. Ultimately, he could not get back up from the shock and pain, and the duel ended in Seo Ryeon's victory. Witnessing the overwhelming gap in skill between the two, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Whoaaaaa!"
"Fierce Flower! Fierce Flower!"
It was immediately clear to everyone why she was considered the strongest martial artist among the Five Flowers of the Martial World. Without sparing a single glance at the fallen Jin Jong-gang, Seo Ryeon turned and walked back toward the waiting room. Having been defeated so effortlessly, Jin Jong-gang barely managed to push himself up, his mind completely blank. He had been toyed with and defeated without even getting a chance to properly show off the crescent-moon blade techniques he had spent his entire life honing.
"Th-this can't be..."
To make matters worse, being eliminated on the very first day left him with an indescribable sense of emptiness. Having genuinely believed that his crescent-moon blade techniques were enough to win the entire tournament, the despair he felt was immense. Watching this from the stands, the Patriarch of the Guangdong Jin Clan slapped his forehead in frustration.
'Now, my only hope lies with my second son.'
Of course, the mood was entirely different for the Sect Leader and elders of the Hainan Sect. Both of their disciples had participated and proudly secured victories on the first day—how could they not be proud? Seo Ryeon shrugged her shoulders with an air of supreme confidence, as if her victory was only natural. Meanwhile, an interesting debate began to brew among the spectators.
'The Sword Flower, who delivered the most shocking performance among the Five Flowers, versus the Fierce Flower, who displayed overwhelming strength. If those two were to clash, who would win?'
Until now, the consensus was that the Fierce Flower was the strongest of the Five Flowers of the Martial World in terms of raw martial prowess. However, after Yeon So-o's spectacular display, public opinion had split down the middle. Naturally, the spectators began to debate the topic heatedly.
"Did you not see the Sword Flower's incredible speed?"
"The Fierce Flower's speed wasn't lacking either. In fact, her fluid offensive trajectories were far more impressive to me."
"But isn't she still slower than the Sword Flower?"
"We don't know that for sure. Honestly, the eldest son of the Jin Clan wasn't even a proper opponent to test her limits."
In this manner, the crowd fueled their excitement by debating who would emerge victorious. Hearing about the rumors, Seo Ryeon let out a smirk.
"To be honest, I'm looking forward to it too."
Even from Seo Ryeon's perspective, Yeon So-o's single-strike victory had been highly threatening. She acknowledged that, in terms of pure speed, she was indeed inferior to Yeon So-o. However, according to her analysis, achieving such extreme speed required a certain amount of preparation time, making it impractical to use repeatedly in actual combat. If she could unleash such lightning-fast attacks consecutively without any drawback, it wouldn't make sense for the Jeomchang Sect to be ranked at the very bottom of the Nine Great Sects and One Union. Having analyzed Yeon So-o in her own way, Seo Ryeon concluded that she had a solid chance of winning, and she found herself eagerly anticipating their future duel.
"Let's see just how much our little So-o has grown."
In the past, Seo Ryeon had defeated her with an overwhelming gap in skill. But now, feeling that So-o had somehow caught up to her, she felt a surge of intense interest. A fierce, predatory light flickered in Seo Ryeon's eyes.