The Swordsman's Fingerprint
A swordsman's stance was like the fingerprint on his fingertips.
Unless one had undergone special training like an assassin, no matter how clumsily they assumed a stance to hide their sword style, it would inevitably show through in some way.
Just like Unam right now.
'Damn it, reacting to Jang So-cheon's sword strike and almost unconsciously unleashing the One Flash Return to Truth form...!'
One Flash Return to Truth was one of the forms from the Subduing Demon Sword Method that symbolized the Gongmu Sect—a sword strike that shot out sword qi in a single flash to pierce the enemy's openings.
It might look deceptively simple on the surface, but in reality, it didn't target just a single point.
The moment it captured the opponent's openings, the sword strike assaulted their front, sides, and even rear in rapid succession.
Depending on one's attainment in the Subduing Demon Sword Method, the number of seamless follow-up strikes varied, and Unam, who had reached the absolute peak, could execute up to seven flashes.
Had he used it, Unam could have passed the One Sword Six Strikes test with the same ease as Jang So-cheon.
But doing so would be tantamount to confessing his identity in front of everyone, so midway through thrusting his sword, Unam hurriedly circulated his internal energy.
Better to draw everyone's attention for a moment. He figured it was preferable to letting Jang So-cheon uncover his identity through the Subduing Demon Sword Method form.
Crack! Crunch!
The wooden dummy shattered beyond recognition.
"Mm."
In that instant, as Unam looked down at the wreckage of the pulverized wooden dummy, he let out a faint groan of bewilderment.
Even if he'd hastily overexerted himself to cover his mistake, he hadn't put in enough force to completely demolish a dummy carved from a log.
'What in the world...?'
Unam alternated glances between his hand and the dummy remnants, furrowing his brow slightly and tilting his head.
'It's not cleanly sliced like from a sharp blade—it's splintered like it was smashed with a hammer? Is that even possible?'
Infusing internal energy into the sword blade wouldn't turn the sword into a rigid iron club.
Besides, the strike he'd just executed was brimming with sharp qi.
Thus, the wooden dummy should have split cleanly in two, not exploded like this.
'Something's off here...'
As Unam began inwardly questioning the quality of the wooden dummy,
"Arrrghhh!"
From the opposite side of the training ground, someone bellowed a guttural roar and started savagely pounding the wooden dummies.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why the hell does it break at the last second?! What the fuck!"
The man, rage boiling over, went berserk as if the dummy before him was his arch-nemesis.
Watching this, Jang So-cheon shook his head pityingly.
"Releasing overall tension and relying solely on the explosive force from kicking off the ground and instantaneous wrist snap? Not even considering that, just blindly pouring in internal energy and brute-forcing the sword thrust. Tsk."
"......"
"Ah, don't mind it too much. That's just him losing his temper and throwing a tantrum... It happens more often than you'd think."
Jang So-cheon guided Unam to the seat beside him and continued.
"Squeezing every ounce of strength from your body in an instant to create explosive power. Most swordsmen think that's what makes a fast sword and keep making that mistake... Truly regrettable."
"......"
"What truly matters in this test isn't bullying your way to speed with raw power and internal energy. It's awakening that split-second breath and momentary sense to launch the sword elastically."
Split-second breath? Momentary sense?
The Gongmu Sect's arts were rooted in Taoism but had evolved into a domineering style through ages of harsh trials. For Unam, who'd honed them his entire life, grasping Jang So-cheon's theory of the fast sword in one go was impossible.
But having heard repeatedly that brute force would never pass the test, Unam dismissed his earlier suspicions about the dummy's quality from his mind.
'It's not just about swinging the sword fast—you have to control the power so it doesn't splinter the dummy. And he spells it out in such needless detail.'
Unam nodded slightly, as if he'd understood Jang So-cheon's advice.
Then, he calmly regulated his breathing again and slowly assumed his stance.
Of course, this stance blended the Subduing Demon Sword Method as its base with elements from the widely known Three Powers Sword Method and Six Harmonies Sword Method to create a convincing disguise.
To casual observers, Unam would seem like a Taoist master versed in some obscure, profound sword art.
'This time, I have to nail it perfectly without mistakes. Only then can I expose their scam to the world.'
Over the past five days, he'd gathered countless testimonies from victims swayed by Jang So-cheon's provocative incitement.
But Muryangja had dismissed them as insufficient to prove fraud—one-sided claims alone wouldn't justify an official challenge from the Gongmu Sect.
'You fool, did the Jeomchang Sect Luoyang Branch hold a sword to their throats and force the test? They all came running with bags of silver out of martial greed, didn't they?'
'However...'
'No dice. This only stokes a small fire. We need ironclad evidence. Like, say... they pass the test, but the Jeomchang bastards keep nitpicking and changing terms? Something that solid, and the sect might make a move.'
Muryangja had subtly gleamed with interest, pushing Unam forward.
'...Do I have to go again?'
'A real man sees a job through once he starts, right?'
'......'
'Head straight to the Jeomchang Sect Luoyang Branch—execute!'
'...Ex-execute!'
The moment he saw Muryangja's massive fist, Unam squeezed his eyes shut and bolted out of the branch.
Then, buying a bamboo hat from the marketplace and pulling it low, he'd kicked open the Luoyang Branch gates, posed as a silent swordsman, and made it to the test ground.
Now, if he just cleared this final hurdle cleanly, he could expose Jang So-cheon's gang's scam in detail...
Why was it that every time Unam's sword touched the wooden dummy, it went crack! crunch! and shattered?
'Why? Something's wrong. I'm completely relaxing my power, not even using internal energy—why does the dummy keep breaking?'
Once or twice, he could chalk it up to his own error.
But after five identical repeats, even a sage would naturally grow suspicious.
'These shameless scoundrels! For experts who seem likely to pass, they use defective dummies that shatter at the slightest wooden sword tap!'
Unam burned with fury at being toyed with by Jang So-cheon's cunning trick.
Yet recalling that he was hiding his identity precisely to gather evidence of the Jeomchang Sect Luoyang Branch's fraud, he inwardly cheered.
'No wonder no one passed in ten days. They pull low tricks like this!'
Unam clenched his fist as if he'd caught the scammer red-handed at the scene.
Watching him, Jang So-cheon smiled faintly, as if reading his thoughts.
"Priest, perchance you're thinking we're using defective products?"
Unam flinched!
"No need to worry. We wouldn't stoop to such lowly tricks."
Jang So-cheon continued in a tone that said he knew exactly what was on Unam's mind without being told.
"Once or twice, sure—you haven't got the knack yet. But what if it's three, four? No, five times and still no luck? 'This isn't my problem—they're messing around because they don't want to pass on their secrets!'"
Unam twitched!
"Not just you, Priest—everyone thinks that. Especially masters confident in their swordsmanship; they suspect even harder."
Was he truly seeing right through people's hearts?
How else could he pierce Unam's innermost thoughts so accurately?
'Unless he wandered gambling dens honing heart-reading skills, this should be impossible!'
Unam gaped in shock, eyes round like a rabbit's, lips twitching as he fought the urge to demand how he knew.
Jang So-cheon, accustomed to such reactions, merely smiled without adding a word.
Instead, he picked up an identical wooden sword and stepped to a wooden dummy...
Screeeech—thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Not only did he effortlessly achieve the One Sword Six Strikes that Unam had failed five times,
"Hmph!"
At Unam's faint exclamation, Jang So-cheon shrugged lightly—as if to say, what's the big deal?—then moved to another dummy.
This time, without even catching his breath, he drew the wooden sword.
Screeeech—thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Flawless success, no excess motion.
"Testing just one or two won't fully dispel your doubts, Priest, so let's keep going."
Screeeech—thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
Thus, Jang So-cheon succeeded five times in a row without pause.
The dummies bore only faint scratches, without the powerless cracks Unam's attempts had caused.
'I-is this really possible...?'
Unam had seen it with his own eyes, yet couldn't believe it.
He even approached, touched the dummy himself, tested its hardness by applying force. In the end, he had no choice but to acknowledge Jang So-cheon's skill.
'All those second-rate swordsmen agreed on the path forward after seeing his strike—and it wasn't empty talk after all...'
The riffraff would take nothing from Jang So-cheon's single sword.
But even first-rate swordsmen would sense its greatness.
Among them, the sharp-eyed—like Whirlwind One Sword, Night Rain Swordsman, Thousand-Mile Lone Wolf—would grasp the thread of enlightenment, buzzing with excitement as they left.
'Jang So-cheon, what the hell is this guy thinking?'
Not raking in fortunes, just pocketing a measly one or two hundred nyang while pointing people toward higher realms?
Such eccentricity was unheard of in Unam's life.
'Jang So-cheon, you bastard.'
I thought he was a con artist fleecing the naive, but he's actually some fool clueless about the world, bleeding his own funds dry to promote his martial hall...
Ha.
'I wasted five days buying into prejudices without questioning them.'
Unam sighed listlessly. Judging someone as vile without ever speaking to them, through colored glasses...
'I've been so focused on sword cultivation lately that I failed to temper my mind.'
Unam sincerely reflected on his rashness and was about to reveal his identity to Jang So-cheon, confessing his misunderstanding.
But then.
"Priest, once you get the knack, you could do this effortlessly too."
While he sorted his thoughts, Jang So-cheon beat him to it, gazing intently with a cryptic smile.
"Even if it's the domineering Subduing Demon Sword Method from the righteous sects—one of the most overbearing."