Chapter 752: The World's Greatest Swordsman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 752: The World's Greatest Swordsman
Boom!
Sword clashed against sword.
A thunderous roar erupted, followed by a massive shockwave that rippled outward, shaking everything in its path.
"Aaaargh!"
"Ugh!"
The crowd caught in the shockwave began to scream in agony. The impact was so immense it felt as if their entire bodies were being electrocuted.
Boom!
Another shockwave exploded.
Heaven and earth trembled once more. It was the result of the blades meeting again.
"Hahahaha! You are strong! Truly strong!"
The Sword Man let out a boisterous laugh, his voice filled with pure exhilaration. He was enjoying himself. The mere act of trading blows with the man before him was a delight.
Jang Sun-woo was powerful—incomparably so, compared to when he had been receiving instruction. Unlike the past, when he had been unilaterally suppressed, he was now parrying the Sword Man’s blades with ease. Not only that, but he was also launching incredibly threatening counterattacks.
The one-sided dominance of the past was gone. They were now equals. They were rivals, sharing the dance of the blade.
How could he not be joyful?
"Jang Sun-woo! Show me your sword! Show me your will!"
Swept up in the excitement, the Sword Man began to swing his blade with frantic energy.
Boom!
Boom!
Sun-woo rapidly parried the Sword Man's strikes. Soon, the sound of clashing steel filled every corner of the lecture hall.
After an indeterminate amount of time...
"Haah... haah... haah..."
"Haah... haah... haah..."
The two men backed away from each other, breathing heavily. In a span of time barely longer than a heartbeat, they had exchanged thousands of strikes. Even for martial artists who had reached the Half-Immortal Stage, such an exchange was enough to leave them breathless.
"...This is... wonderful... junior... How could you have become this strong?"
Having caught his breath, the Sword Man looked at Sun-woo with a proud expression. He was truly impressed. Sun-woo, who had once been a mere novice at the entrance of the Transcendent Realm, now stood on equal footing with him.
It had only been a year. How could anyone grow this powerful so quickly?
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Sun-woo couldn't find the breath to answer. Unlike the Sword Man, he hadn't fully recovered his composure yet.
'...He's strong.'
As he steadied his breathing, Sun-woo could feel it. In terms of pure swordcraft, he was clearly lagging behind. Though they had exchanged the same thousands of blows in that split second, the Sword Man had recovered his composure much faster.
This was proof that the Sword Man had expended far less physical energy to execute his techniques. With clean, waste-free movements, he had achieved maximum efficiency with minimal effort.
"......Compared to you, senior...... I am still lacking."
Finally catching his breath, Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
"Hahahaha... You are too humble."
The Sword Man gave a playful smile and continued.
"You aren't lacking at all."
He looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of conviction.
"You are strong. Strong enough that even I felt a sense of danger."
The Sword Man’s voice was firm. Sun-woo’s sword was threatening—threatening enough to make a man who lived and breathed for the blade feel a chill of peril. To call that "lacking" was preposterous.
"................I am still far from reaching your level of swordcraft."
"In a real fight, swordcraft is merely a means to an end."
The Sword Man dismissed the comment with a nonchalant expression.
"If your swordcraft is insufficient, can you not simply use other means?"
".........Are you trying to impart a lesson even while our swords are drawn?"
"Wouldn't that be more interesting?"
A deep smirk played on the Sword Man's lips.
"Senior, you are insane."
Sun-woo stared at him and spoke his mind. He truly believed the Sword Man was out of his mind.
"Then I suppose I should try being a little insane as well."
Vroom...
Sun-woo activated the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art. Immediately, the vast amounts of Nature Qi in the surroundings began to converge upon his body. It began to stimulate his senses and revitalize his physical form.
Sharper. Stronger.
Next, he accelerated his blood flow. His already heightened senses and physical capabilities became even more acute, reaching a level incomparable to before.
"Oh?"
Seeing this, the Sword Man’s smile deepened. The thought of Sun-woo coming at him with everything he had made his heart race with anticipation.
"Come."
The Sword Man raised his weathered iron sword. He leveled it at Sun-woo and waited.
Flash!
The moment the Sword Man finished speaking, Sun-woo’s figure vanished from sight.
Flash!
A split second later, he reappeared right in front of the Sword Man's nose. He had used the Transposition Technique, the pinnacle of movement arts, to close the distance instantly.
Whoosh!
Appearing right before the Sword Man, Sun-woo thrust his sword forward. He intended to pierce the Sword Man’s heart in a single strike.
Seeing this, the Sword Man hurriedly extended his own blade to block the incoming thrust.
C-c-crash!
Screeeech!
The swords collided, and the Sword Man’s body was ruthlessly pushed back. He simply couldn't withstand the combination of the extreme speed generated by the Transposition Technique and the physical power Sun-woo had pushed to its absolute limit through the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art.
"Ugh."
For the first time, a groan escaped the Sword Man's lips. He had felt a significant shock from that powerful blow.
Whoosh!
The sword flew at him again.
Boom!
Screeeech!
Another roar erupted, and the Sword Man was pushed back once more. He was struggling to endure the unprecedented sword force contained in every single one of Sun-woo's strikes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sun-woo’s offensive grew even more ferocious. Ear-splitting explosions rang out incessantly across the grounds.
After several more exchanges...
".........Did you take a bath in a lake of Stalactite Fluid or something!?"
The Sword Man, who had been pushed out of the lecture hall and into an empty lot, spoke with a look of disbelief. He was bewildered by Sun-woo’s state, having pushed his physical capabilities to their absolute breaking point.
Even with an abundance of internal energy, this was an incredibly inefficient way to fight. Generally, the total amount of internal energy a person possessed was finite. Martial artists managed that total carefully, using it efficiently to ensure they didn't run dry.
But the man before him was different. He was pouring every ounce of his internal energy into his physical body and his sword without any regard for efficiency. It was baffling. It defied everything the Sword Man knew to be common sense.
Even if he had a massive reservoir of energy, how could he maintain such an irrational output?
"You might be overwhelming me now, but you'll be at a disadvantage once your internal energy runs out."
The Sword Man offered this advice because he didn't want to see Sun-woo collapse before they reached the end of their duel.
"Haah... haah... That won't happen."
Sun-woo replied, catching his breath slightly. It wouldn't happen. There was no way he would run out of internal energy.
"...........Are you that confident you can defeat me before you run dry?"
"I am saying that I will not run out of internal energy."
Sun-woo glared at the Sword Man with burning intensity.
"You won't run out of internal energy?"
The Sword Man looked puzzled. For a martial artist, internal energy was not infinite. In the end, it was nothing more than using what had been accumulated in the Dantian. While the capacity might differ depending on the size of the Dantian, it could never be infinite. As long as one was human, there was a limit to how much a Dantian could hold.
So how could he claim with such certainty that he would never run out? It was a mystery.
'Is it a bluff?'
The Sword Man wondered if he was just posturing.
'No, that's impossible.'
He quickly shook his head. The Jang Sun-woo he knew wasn't the type of fool to rely on empty bluffs. The Sword Man pondered deeply, trying to grasp the truth behind those words.
'Could... could it be!?'
Suddenly, an unthinkable possibility flashed through his mind. There was one case—one way a person could use internal energy infinitely.
It was the completion of the Ethereal Body, also known as the Body of the Immortals.
'That's impossible.'
The Ethereal Body was a legendary state that could only be achieved upon reaching the Life and Death Realm, the realm of the gods. How could Sun-woo, who was only in the Profound Realm, have completed such a body? It was nonsensical.
"It's impossible. How can a human possess infinite internal energy?"
The Sword Man tried to deny Sun-woo's claim.
"Didn't you say that the Profound Realm is about defying the natural order?"
Sun-woo replied calmly.
"I have simply defied the natural order, senior."
He slowly raised his sword. His blade was saturated with a terrifying, monumental amount of internal energy.
"..............."
The Sword Man stared at the sword in silence. He looked at the blade brimming with power.
"You're serious."
He realized then that Sun-woo wasn't lying.
"You were telling the truth...."
A wide grin began to spread across the Sword Man's face. His heart swelled with an overwhelming emotion. A fight against a monster with infinite internal energy—how could he not tremble with excitement?
He could die here. He, who had spent half a century pursuing nothing but the way of the sword, could meet his end.
It was thrilling. This moment, standing on the precipice of death, was an honor. The fact that he could fight a life-and-death battle against such a magnificent warrior was a privilege.
The Sword Man slowly lowered his weathered iron sword. Then, he locked eyes with Sun-woo, his gaze like that of a predatory beast.
"It seems taking Lee Jae-won with me might be more difficult than I thought."
The Sword Man spoke with a faint, warm smile.
"You can always give up. If you do, there will be no reason for us to fight."
"I cannot do that."
The Sword Man’s voice was resolute.
"How could I walk away from the moment the World's Greatest Swordsman is decided?"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Sun-woo asked, puzzled.
"You are stronger than any swordsman I have ever seen. The Sword Emperor, the Sword Sovereign, the Sword Artisan, even the First Sword of the Imperial Palace—none of them could compare to you as you are now. I would wager you are stronger than any swordsman in the Central Plains."
The Sword Man stared at Sun-woo with burning eyes.
"You are strong. Strong enough to stake a claim to the title of the World's Greatest Swordsman. That is why I cannot walk away. How could I flee when the most glorious position a swordsman can hold is right before my eyes?"
The Sword Man slowly raised his lowered sword.
"Take up your blade. Let us settle this. Let us see who truly deserves to be called the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Whoosh!
The Sword Man’s figure blurred as he lunged toward Sun-woo. He began to swing his sword, each strike imbued with immense, overwhelming power.
Sun-woo hurriedly raised his sword to block the onslaught.
C-c-crash!
Thunderous roars erupted. But this time, neither man was pushed back. They were locked in a dead heat, perfectly matched.
"How!?"
Sun-woo looked bewildered. He was shocked that the Sword Man was able to withstand his strikes.
"Hahahaha! Let's play!"
As if delighted by Sun-woo's reaction, the Sword Man let out a manic laugh and continued his assault.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, the empty lot was filled with the deafening sound of their clash.
*
Boom!
'I don't understand.'
Sun-woo was filled with doubt. He couldn't comprehend how the Sword Man was able to trade blows with him on equal terms. Unlike himself, who had maximized his physical capabilities with infinite internal energy, the Sword Man did not have such a luxury.
So how could he be his equal?
Slash.
Suddenly, a blade grazed Sun-woo's shoulder.
"Ugh!"
A groan escaped Sun-woo's lips. He had been cut.
'Damn it!'
Cursing under his breath, Sun-woo quickly swung his sword to create distance. With a grim expression, he looked down at his shoulder. Fortunately, the wound didn't seem deep.
'This is insane.'
But he couldn't ignore the sense of crisis. It was a light wound now, but it could easily become a fatal one later.
'This is dangerous.'
Sun-woo realized the situation was dire. Now that their strength and speed were matched, the difference in their level of swordcraft was starting to show.
Whoosh!
The sword lunged at him again, relentless and urgent.
Boom!
Sun-woo quickly raised his blade to parry the Sword Man's thrust aimed at his chest.
Whoosh!
The Sword Man instantly retracted his sword and thrust again with fierce intensity.
'Wait.'
Something felt off to Sun-woo. Usually, the Sword Man's style was more relaxed, more composed, and sharper. But now, his movements were frantic, and they felt less sharp than usual. It was as if he were desperately trying to end the fight as quickly as possible.
'You crazy bastard!'
Sun-woo cursed inwardly as he realized the truth. The Sword Man was burning through his Primordial Qi—his very life force—to keep up.
He was prepared to die just to win.