The Strongest Junior Martial Artist
“Then first we need to draw up the bracket. Is there anyone you’d like to test yourself against?”
At Namgung Taeseong’s question, Huryu answered at once.
“I’d like to go against the North Sea Divine Dragon.”
I wanted to knock that overconfident attitude down a peg.
“That works for me, too.”
“Then the two of you will spar first.”
I was going to win, no matter what.
My chance for revenge had come quickly.
I didn’t want to keep looking at that smug face any longer.
I climbed onto the sparring stage at once.
“Come up.”
At my taunt, Huryu huffed through his nose as if I were ridiculous, then followed me up.
“If I become the extermination force’s representative, you’d better be ready.”
He was already acting like he’d won the right to represent them.
“Then begin the spar,” Namgung Taeseong said.
The moment he finished, I lowered my stance and twisted my waist.
You’re really going to end this in one stroke.
Just winning wasn’t enough anymore.
I wanted an overwhelming victory.
I wanted to crush that expression on Huryu’s face.
With that single-minded resolve, I drew more inner power than usual.
The cold breath spilling from my mouth began to freeze the air.
Huryu must have been startled by my momentum, because he fumbled and drew his sword in a hurry.
But it was already too late.
Draw Sword.
Because I had driven my inner power higher than usual, my blade was already wrapped in qi the instant it left the scabbard, glowing a deep blue.
The qi, thick with chill, rippled along the sword edge as it followed the blade.
Ice Dragon Sword Dance First Form
Before Huryu could even show his opening stance, I cut straight through his sword itself.
Where the blade passed, cold air swept through, and the broken tip of his sword froze slightly.
By the time I slid my sword back into its scabbard, Huryu was so numbed by the cold that he didn’t even twitch.
“Ahem... the winner is the North Sea Divine Dragon, then...”
Only after Namgung Taeseong gave him a warning look did Huryu finally move.
He stared at me in a dazed silence, then at his broken blade, and quietly stepped down from the stage.
When I came down as well, I saw Paeng Hoyeon in the distance, pumping a thumb in the air with her face lit up with excitement.
I descended slowly, and by then Huryu was nowhere to be seen.
Did he run off because he was embarrassed?
I felt immensely satisfied.
The second match was soon prepared.
It was Namgung Hyeongeom versus Cheongpung.
“Then let’s begin the spar.”
I had already fought Namgung Hyeongeom and knew roughly how powerful his swordsmanship was, but I was deeply curious what Cheongpung’s true level looked like.
Namgung Taeseong announced the start, but neither of them moved first.
They kept measuring each other until Cheongpung made the first move.
With a dazzling burst of motion, he reached Namgung Hyeongeom’s face in an instant.
Plum Blossom Sword Art Third Form: Blooming Chaos.
Cheongpung’s sword danced brilliantly, and plum blossoms bloomed from its tip, filling the surrounding space.
Not only did the sword whip through the air, but the blossoms themselves scattered and drifted around Namgung Hyeongeom, throwing him off balance.
Boundless Sky Sword Art Second Form: Gale.
When Namgung Hyeongeom swept his sword upward, the wind born from the blade grew stronger and stronger, dragging the surrounding plum blossoms away in its wake.
Both of them were using inner power in a way that put the other junior martial artists present here on a completely different level.
“This still isn’t enough, huh? Was your name Namgung... Hyunsung?”
At Cheongpung’s words, Namgung Hyeongeom’s brow twitched.
“It is Namgung Hyeongeom.”
Cheongpung grinned playfully and nodded.
Then he poured inner power into his sword again.
As soon as he did, the blade was dyed pink.
Namgung Hyeongeom refused to be outdone and sent his own inner power into his sword.
It shone brightly, like a clear blue sky.
He swung that sword at Cheongpung.
From the surge of qi behind it, I could feel that he had grown much stronger since the martial tournament ended.
Soon, the two swords rang out with sharp clanging sounds as they collided again and again.
Their skill and momentum were evenly matched.
“The world really is wide, isn’t it?”
“There are a lot of interesting sword arts outside Mount Hua.”
Cheongpung said, glancing at me briefly.
Then he widened the distance for a moment before charging Namgung Hyeongeom again.
Plum Blossom Sword Art First Form: Blooming.
Namgung Hyeongeom answered in kind, bringing his sword down.
Boundless Sky Sword Art First Form: Falling Thunder.
The outcome was decided in an instant.
Cheongpung’s thrust and Namgung Hyeongeom’s downward strike crossed paths.
Namgung Hyeongeom’s blow was powerful, but it never reached Cheongpung.
Because Cheongpung was faster than the descending sword, he slipped past and lightly stabbed Namgung Hyeongeom’s abdomen before moving on.
The proof was the plum blossom-shaped mark left on Namgung Hyeongeom’s stomach.
“I’ve lost. I learned something from that.”
“That was an enjoyable match for me as well.”
“The winner is Cheongpung. Then the last match will decide the representative.”
Since Namgung Hyeongeom had lost, Namgung Taeseong looked a little disappointed.
I climbed onto the stage where Cheongpung was waiting.
“At last I get to fight you. North Sea Divine Dragon! You’re supposed to be the strongest of the junior martial artists, right?!”
“Haha... not exactly the strongest...”
“I heard Namgung Hyeongeom couldn’t beat you either. I’m looking forward to this!”
At Cheongpung’s innocent words, Namgung Hyeongeom shot him a glance.
“Now then. Let’s begin the spar to determine the representative of the final extermination force.”
I lowered my stance and took a deep breath.
Cheongpung adjusted his own posture as if preparing for me in return.
Draw Sword.
Plum Blossom Sword Art First Form: Blooming.
The two blades collided at incredible speed.
Cheongpung kept up with my draw, striking just before the sword had fully cleared the scabbard with a precise thrust.
Because of that, I couldn’t unleash my draw slash with its full force, and instead had no choice but to use it merely to shove his sword away.
“Phew. I barely blocked that.”
I was a little thrown off by how intelligently he responded.
But I quickly recovered and drew the dagger at my waist as well.
“Wow! That’s the famous prize from the martial tournament!”
Cheongpung smiled so broadly that it seemed he was just enjoying the spar.
Seeing that, my own mood shifted too, and unlike when I’d fought Huryu, I found myself enjoying the match more and more.
I closed the distance quickly and began swinging the White Moon Blade and the dagger together.
Ice Dragon Sword Dance Third Form: Dance of Chaotic Ice Blossoms.
Cheongpung responded to my sword strikes with supple movements.
Plum Blossom Sword Art Third Form: Blooming Chaos.
On the sparring stage, ice blossoms and plum blossoms flew in every direction, colliding in a storm of motion.
Whether it was because of the compatibility of our inner power or simply the difference in depth, the moment the ice blossoms and plum blossoms struck each other, the plum blossoms froze and shattered.
As time passed, the blossoms around us vanished, and only ice pellets remained, whirling through the air.
Ice Dragon Sword Dance Fourth Form: Ice Rain.
I released inner power and fired countless ice pellets toward Cheongpung.
In response, Cheongpung lowered his stance, gathered his inner power, and then swept his sword upward violently.
Plum Blossom Sword Art Second Form: Great Tree.
As Cheongpung’s sword rose, the shape of a tree seemed to grow faintly along the path of the blade, made visible by his qi.
The grown tree blocked all my Ice Rain.
“You really are strong! This is so fun!”
“I’m enjoying myself too.”
The spar was thoroughly enjoyable, but I was starting to think about how I should actually beat Cheongpung.
Cheongpung seemed to be running out of tricks too, because he began attacking with nothing but sword techniques wrapped in inner power.
I did the same, wrapping the White Moon Blade in inner power and meeting him head-on.
“You’re the strongest person my age I’ve ever fought!”
“That makes two of us!”
Following Cheongpung’s bright smile as he swung his sword, I kept swinging mine as well.
For a long while, our exchanges continued like that.
Just when my inner power and stamina were both starting to run dry, a good idea came to me.
I can’t keep dragging this out forever.
Ice Dragon Sword Dance Fifth Form: Soft Flow Sword Dance.
As I locked blades with Cheongpung, I suddenly sent my inner power not into the sword edge but into the back of the blade, letting his sword slide away.
“Huh?!”
Cheongpung looked startled by the sudden change.
At the same time I redirected his blade, I twisted my body and spun along the path of the motion.
Spinning Slash
Its force was far weaker than when chained to a draw slash, but my opponent had been thrown off by the sudden irregular attack.
Cheongpung’s violent swing cut through empty air, and my White Moon Blade came to a stop beside Cheongpung’s neck.
“The winner is the North Sea Divine Dragon!”
At Namgung Taeseong’s declaration, the long spar came to an end.
“Hoo... that was a good match.”
It was the first time I’d ever fought someone my own age for so long and so fiercely.
“Wow! That was amazing! What was that at the end?”
Cheongpung widened his eyes and stuck close to me.
“Don’t you want to come to Mount Hua? I think our master would like you!”
“Haha... joining a sect is a little...”
His sudden enthusiasm left me flustered.
“I knew my big brother would win.”
When I turned at the voice, Sohui was smiling at me. She must have come while the spar was underway.
“Then no one objects to the North Sea Divine Dragon being the representative?”
Paeng Hoyeon chimed in with an amused laugh.
I looked around, and no one seemed inclined to object.
“Then with the representative of the extermination force decided, I’ll explain the plan.”
When Namgung Taeseong spoke, Jegal Jinhyeon unfolded a map he’d apparently brought from somewhere.
“Our destination is a mountain in Qinghai. With help from the Kunlun Sect, we’ve been keeping up reconnaissance there. So far, there have been no reports that the Blood Demon has moved elsewhere.”
“The plan is this! We surround the mountain where their hideout is, defeat every jiangshi, and bring down the Blood Demon!”
Namgung Taeseong looked oddly pleased, as if he’d just laid out some brilliant strategy.
That’s just a straightforward all-out assault.
The plan wasn’t complicated at all, and that made me wonder all at once why they had bothered choosing a representative in the first place.
“Any questions?”
There was no reason for me to have any.
The plan was that simple.
“Then the operation begins now! Everyone, depart for Qinghai!”
---