Ideals and Reality
Pang Su-bin had loved blades ever since she could walk on her own two feet.
Her father, Paeng Su-gwan, was horrified by the extent of it.
How could he bear to watch, when he doted on his late-born only daughter so fiercely?
"Su-bin, no! What if you cut your hand?"
But he couldn't stop her.
The moment he looked away, she'd be cradling and stroking a blade.
The amazing thing was, she never did anything reckless enough to hurt herself.
Seeing her handle a sword despite lacking the strength to even lift one properly softened Paeng Su-gwan's heart.
Maybe I should start teaching her early.
And that's exactly what he did.
Pang Su-bin blossomed alongside her blade.
As time passed, she fell deeper into its allure.
Her skills grew in leaps and bounds.
She had the talent, and she put in the effort—it was inevitable.
Thus, she became a true blade master, harboring dreams of one day grasping the pinnacle of the dao.
But then, one day, a young man appeared out of nowhere and shattered everything.
"...I'm not suited for martial arts?"
Always calm beyond her years, she couldn't hold back this time.
"That's ridiculous! Who are you to say that?!"
"Hyeokryeon Hu."
"...Haa. Take it back. Right now."
"It's true."
"..."
As her anger swelled, Pang Su-bin's heart sank instead—cooling into ice, not mere calm.
"What makes you say I'm unsuited for martial arts?"
"Ah, was I too curt?"
"...?"
"I meant you're unsuited for the Paeng Clan martial arts."
"...!"
Pang Su-bin could bear it no longer.
For the daughter of the Paeng Clan head to be unsuited for Paeng Clan techniques? What nonsense was this!
Her cold-forged rage condensed into something solid.
Originally, Jeong Gwang had critiqued Pang Su-bin's aptitude because her conversation with Jao was dragging on too long and noisily.
He'd brought up martial arts to distract her, but...
Oh? She's charging at me again?
With such a chilling aura billowing around her, no less.
She's dumber than I thought.
Jeong Gwang decided to explain simply.
Childishly simple, like for a kid her age.
"Paeng Clan arts revolve around overwhelming power and chaining strikes. Relentless barrage with brute force. Right?"
The words landed just as she was gathering her inner energy.
She glared at him, silently affirming.
"But that doesn't suit you, Lady Pang. That's why your blade keeps veering off course."
"...!"
"It'll get worse over time. Better to show you."
Before she knew it, Jeong Gwang held her blade.
Pang Su-bin startled, staring at her empty hand.
A cry of astonishment burst from her lips.
"H-how?!"
"Cloud Dragon Seizing Hand."
He said it casually, but amid her shock, she was dumbfounded.
Who asked for the technique's name?
How could anyone snatch a blade from her grip so easily!
Ignoring her bewilderment, Jeong Gwang pressed on.
"Watch closely."
The blade in his hand began to move.
Identical to the form she'd just demonstrated—not a hair's breadth off.
Fierce in execution, fluid in transition.
He finished the full sequence and turned to Pang Su-bin, whose mouth hung wide open.
"That was your form, right, Lady Pang?"
"...Y-yes!"
"Now watch. This is Paeng Clan style."
The blade moved again.
Utterly different.
Chops and slashes split the heavens; transitions carried the momentum unbroken.
A bit rougher than before, but a relentless storm of ferocious strikes.
Pang Su-bin felt chills race across her skin.
Impossible! It really feels like true Paeng Clan swordsmanship!
It embodied the essence of Paeng blade arts.
Fierce yet elegant! Wild yet stylish!
Could even her father, Paeng Su-gwan, wield something like that?
Honestly, she doubted it.
Now she understood why her brother Paeng Gang-hwi held this man in such high regard—why he'd urged her to form ties with him.
An unfathomable master!
Accepting Jeong Gwang quelled her rage, stirring other emotions instead.
Too complex for a child like her to handle.
Unsuitable for Paeng Clan arts...
Just then, Jeong Gwang's demonstration ended.
"Here."
He offered the blade, but Pang Su-bin couldn't twitch a finger.
She just stared at him with trembling eyes.
Misreading it, Jeong Gwang clicked his tongue.
"Didn't get it?"
"..."
"Ah, shoulda left you chatting with Jao."
Shaking his head, he decided to explain fully.
"Your temperament doesn't mesh with the one-note ferocity of Paeng arts. No—the blade style itself doesn't suit you. Its strengths are power and pressure, but if those don't fit..."
"..."
"That's why it keeps pulling elsewhere. Your instincts demand it."
Pang Su-bin forced her lips to move.
"...What if I keep training in Paeng blade arts?"
"Your growth hits a ceiling."
She squeezed her eyes shut at his blunt words.
I vowed to reach the pinnacle of the blade... but no matter how hard I train, a limit?
Her tangled emotions unraveled limply.
Tears spilled from her eyes.
"Eh? Are you crying?"
Pang Su-bin wiped her eyes with her sleeve, feigning composure.
"No."
"Those are tears, though?"
Prodded again, the dam broke—tears poured freely.
Precocious or not, she was still a child. How much longer could she hold back?
As Jeong Gwang opened his mouth again, Baek Seung-mu could take no more and stepped forward indignantly.
"Sae-hyung! Enough! What are you doing to a little girl?!"
"What'd I do?"
"Hoo... Fine. What can I expect from you, sae-hyung."
"Hey, this is ridiculous. What'd I do wrong? Jao, back me up."
Jeong Gwang protested his innocence, but even trusted Jao turned on him.
"This time, Young Master Hyeokryeon went too far. It looks like nothing but a mistake."
"What mistake?"
That question was Jeong Gwang's true blunder.
Jao launched into a rapid, rambling explanation.
Pang Su-bin, quietly sobbing, even stopped her tears in sheer disbelief.
Jeong Gwang shook his head—and vanished in an instant.
Crack!
"Ack!"
"Urk!"
One sound, but Baek Seung-mu and Jao both clutched their heads.
"S-sae-hyung. Why?!"
"Young Master Hyeokryeon. What was that?!"
Tears still trickling, they gaped in confusion.
"Sae-hyung?"
"Y-Young Master Hyeokryeon?"
Not just him.
Scanning the room, Baek Seung-mu and Jao realized Pang Su-bin was gone too.
And one more thing had vanished with them:
The sword Paeng Gang-hwi had prepared as a gift for Jeong Gwang.
Jeong Gwang decided to wrap it up quickly.
With actions, not words.
"What're you doing? Take it."
He proffered Paeng Gang-hwi's sword, but Pang Su-bin just blinked.
She couldn't comprehend standing in the training hall in the blink of an eye.
"H-how did we get here...?"
"Cloud Sea Flying Shadow."
"I-I'm not asking the technique name—how is this even...!"
"Anyway, if you want something suited to you, take the sword already."
Pang Su-bin snatched it instinctively.
Those words—"suited to you"—had hooked her without realizing.
Heavier than it looks.
But her efforts weren't wasted.
Heavy as it was, she could wield it.
Yet Jeong Gwang wagged a finger at her one-handed grip.
"Not one hand—use both."
"...Don't swords usually use one hand?"
Central Plains swordsmanship prized speed and variability, mostly one-handed—her doubt was natural.
But Jeong Gwang had his reasons.
"For you, two-handed swordplay fits."
"...?"
"No time to waste."
Pang Su-bin didn't get it but obeyed.
Gripping a blade or sword was much the same.
True to her noble upbringing, she gripped it with proper form.
Jeong Gwang nodded approvingly.
"Perfect fit, since you're still young."
The hilt wasn't long—designed for one hand—but ample for her small ones.
"Then I'll..."
He faced her squarely and drew Yunryong.
Its hilt was long enough for his two hands comfortably.
Custom-ordered for such occasions.
Now, just craft the sword style...
Mix Paeng ferocity with Kunlun grace—should turn out nice.
In his mind, Paeng blade forms he'd observed blended with Kunlun arts.
Discarding the unfit, gathering the apt—a shape emerged swiftly.
Now refine it.
But first, a question.
"What was your goal?"
"...Pardon?"
"How far did you want to go? What for?"
Her eyes shimmered, then dimmed.
"...I wanted to see the pinnacle of the blade."
"Whoa. Ambitious."
"..."
"Change it to sword pinnacle."
"...!"
"Tough road, so I'll just lay the foundation."
He polished the mental form meticulously.
No rough edges.
To reach pinnacles, no bias—one cannot lean too far.
A balanced swordplay centered on power was born.
And unfolded from his hand.
Fierce strikes woven into softness.
"Ah!"
Pang Su-bin's eyes widened to tearing.
Such power and beauty in one art!
The sword-black Yunryong trailed golden light, dancing through the air.
Jeong Gwang taught not just the forms, but the accompanying inner arts chant.
Pang Su-bin absorbed it like a trance—her talent shone.
Memorization down pat, at least.
Jeong Gwang praised her.
"Smarter than you look."
"...Thank you."
She bowed politely, then gazed at him glumly.
"Why the long face?"
"...No talent for blades, so maybe none for swords either..."
"You have sword talent."
"..."
Her expression stayed downcast.
Finally, Jeong Gwang caught on.
"Ah, you mean wanting one thing but talented in another. Ideals and reality clash. I get it."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Did that happen to you too, Young Master Hyeokryeon?"
"Liked another weapon but trained sword 'cause of talent?"
"Yes."
"Nah."
"...Then...?"
"Don't particularly love any, but good at all."
"..."
As she gawked, Jeong Gwang grinned.
"Don't rush. You're still young."
"...What were you learning at my age, Young Master Hyeokryeon?"
"How old?"
"Eight."
"Hmm. Supreme Pure Unsurpassed Divine Art."
"...Supreme Pure Unsurpassed Divine Art?"
"The inner art our sect elders train."
"...!"
Pang Su-bin was genuinely stunned.
What nonsense is this!
Her youth limited her knowledge—no idea of Kunlun arts.
But the name screamed supreme, and elders-only at eight?
But...
Having witnessed him, it made sense.
He's not human...
This enigmatic being taught her swordplay.
Gazing at the sword in her hand, she recalled his teachings.
It had captivated her blade-mad heart in an instant.
Abandon the blade for this?
Easy to dream lifelong goals, hard to discard.
Lost in turmoil, a calm yet forceful voice reached her.
"Pinnacles connect across weapons."
"...?"
"Reach sword pinnacle, and blade's will follow."
"...!"
While she reeled, Jeong Gwang pondered elsewhere.
"But what to name the style?"
"...You just made it now?"
"Yeah. Any preferences?"
Pang Su-bin had no shock left.
"Name it as you wish, benefactor."
"Benefactor, my foot."
Serious-faced, she bowed deeply.
"Truly grateful. This grace—I'd spend a lifetime repaying, but I'll give my all."
"Ah, great idea. Go for it."
Encouraging her, Jeong Gwang muttered.
"Hmm. Paeng Clan, so maybe Overlord Sword in there."
"..."
"Su-bin Overlord Sword—thoughts?"
Gratitude lit her face.
"You put my name in it..."
"You like it. Now the meaning. What's your name mean?"
"'Su' for outstanding excellence, 'bin' for shining splendor."
"Shining excellently?"
"Yes."
Jeong Gwang nodded.
"Perfect. Shining Overlord Sword. What do you think, sae-je?"
Baek Seung-mu peeked sheepishly from behind the training hall door.
"Unlike you... no, very you. Spot-on name."
"Jao?"
Space split; Jao dropped down.
"Splendid name. Lady Pang's temperament and talent, fused with Young Master Hyeokryeon's earth-shaking arts into perfect harmony..."
As Jeong Gwang debated smacking Jao's head again, another voice called.
"Young Master Hyeokryeon!"