The First Match

The spar began the instant Namgung Sol declared her full strength in the preliminary round. Contrary to the spectators' expectations of a fierce clash, both combatants moved with extreme caution.

Yang Geon-o had spoken dismissively of Namgung Sol, but that was merely a deliberate provocation. He wasn't letting his guard down. 'The Blue Sword Emperor secluded himself for only ten days. Given that he accepted her right after arriving in Luoyang, they must have had a connection from before. In that case, he would have taught her at least one hidden technique….'

'He's a Peak Realm expert. The feeling is similar to Young Master Yang Jeong. I can tell after sparring with him so many times.'

Both of them were deeply immersed in analyzing their opponent. And such analysis was taking place outside the arena as well.

"This might be a bit difficult," Paeng Ha-ryeong said. She had now reached a level where she could roughly gauge the skill of fellow Peak Realm experts.

While Jegal Seon-a, who still lacked such keen insight, remained silently observing, Paeng Ha-ryeong continued.

"Her opponent is incredibly composed. On the other hand, Sol seems emotionally shaken. It looks like his provocation worked."

"Y-you can see that? From what I saw, both of them looked calm and were just waiting for an opening…."

"Can't you sense it with your resonance?"

"Ah, my resonance gets overly focused on any overwhelmingly powerful presence nearby, so…."

When Namgung Woo was beside her, Jegal Seon-a's resonance ability struggled to function properly because of his overwhelming presence.

"It's more like the flow of qi. Sol's side is more unstable than her opponent's. Sol is quite mature for her age, but she lacks experience compared to him."

Paeng Ha-ryeong's assessment was accurate. Namgung Woo was seeing the exact same thing. While the finer details differed, their overall conclusions were identical.

"I picked what seemed like the weakest spot, but it's still not easy," Paeng Ha-ryeong said with a hint of disappointment.

Namgung Woo replied, "The weakest spot? No."

"Pardon?"

"You avoided the difficult ones. In that sense, it could be called weak, but it's hardly the weakest."

Everyone was carefully scouting for the weakest opponents. But the harder they all tried to find easy matches, the fewer easy matches there were. When information became uniform, so did the difficulty. However, there were clearly difficult spots—places where those brimming with confidence in their own skill openly displayed their strength.

There were oddballs like Geumsin who actively sought out such challenges, so those areas still filled up to some extent. But for Namgung Sol, they were genuinely difficult. That was why she had come to the southwest. Still, the southwest was by no means easy terrain.

"And even if there were completely weak spots, she wouldn't have gone there."

"…That's true. This isn't an environment where she can just take the easy path."

If Namgung Sol continued walking the same path as Namgung Woo, what awaited her would not be mere spars but true life-or-death battles. If she sought only comfortable routes even in spars—where the risk of death was extremely low, even if injury was possible—how could she possibly endure such a perilous journey?

"Besides, it's not as if Sol has no chance of winning."

"What? Ah… yes, that's true, isn't it? Just because someone's realm is lower doesn't mean they always lose…."

Paeng Ha-ryeong herself had once held her own against a Transcendent Realm expert while in the Peak Realm. She had ultimately lost, but if even the vast gap between Peak and Transcendent could somehow be bridged, then the difference between First-class and Peak could certainly be overcome with the right circumstances and luck.

"Beyond that, even in a pure contest of skill, she won't be overwhelmingly outmatched."

The biggest difference between Peak and First-class was whether one could manifest sustained sword qi. But if one never allowed that sword qi to touch them, the difference became largely meaningless. Of course, Peak Realm experts usually possessed far superior physical abilities compared to First-class martial artists, so this was only theoretical. Still, just because something was theoretically possible didn't mean it couldn't happen in reality.

"It's worth a try."

With his chin resting on his interlaced fingers, Namgung Woo predicted Namgung Sol's victory. She had a real chance. Although her realm was lower than her opponent's, when it came to total inner energy reserves, Namgung Sol possessed far more. If she used it well….

As Namgung Woo mentally simulated the fight between the two, Jegal Seon-a spoke up beside him, hesitant yet resolute.

"…Um, Great Hero… your leg is shaking…?"

It wasn't the agile footwork of the Swallow Flight Steps but the straightforward linear advance of the Thunder Rush Steps. As Namgung Sol charged forward, her sword flashed with brilliant light.

Yang Geon-o did not panic. Yielding the first move had been intentional. He poured inner energy into his blade and met her sword head-on.

Clang!

Both were amplifying their sword power with infused energy. The sound of their colliding blades was exceptionally heavy.

Yang Geon-o remained cautious. Since he could not yet wield sword qi freely, it was his hidden trump card. Moreover, with two more spars ahead, he could not waste it recklessly.

'I'll save the sword qi for a decisive moment and use it as a guaranteed winning strike.'

The instant their swords met, Namgung Sol instinctively understood his intention.

'In that case…!'

It was a battle of brute force. Namgung Sol stepped forward once more and pressed the attack. The swift blades of the Azure Sky Flight Swallow Sword Art shot toward Yang Geon-o.

A cut? Or a thrust? The preparatory movement was strangely blurred.

Thud!Clang!

'What is this? I'm blocking it properly, but the shock is traveling all the way to my wrist….'

Suddenly forced onto the defensive, Yang Geon-o was desperately occupied with blocking Namgung Sol's sword. This was the backlash of having yielded the first move. But had Yang Geon-o not anticipated this? He had prepared himself to endure a certain degree of pressure.

The only problem was that Namgung Sol's sword power was strong enough to completely negate the difference in their realms.

'Her inner energy is on par with mine.'

This was a familiar situation for Yang Geon-o. How could he not know how lavishly the disciples of prestigious sects were supported in their training? He had seen plenty of people younger than him who had reached far higher realms and accumulated far more inner energy.

However, the total amount of inner energy wasn't that important. If there was a gap in realm, no matter how much inner energy the opponent had, the power would still differ. A higher realm meant higher output. Having abundant inner energy but a low realm was like having a well full of water but only a tiny bucket to draw it with.

Yet for such powerful sword strikes to emerge….

'The difference in martial arts… it's a superior technique!'

Why were superior martial arts called superior? Why did martial artists classify ordinary and superior techniques differently, and why did actual gaps appear between them? It was because martial arts were not merely about physical movement but about handling far more profound qi.

The essence of martial arts lay in transcending the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠limits of the human body through qi. The depth of insight and secrets regarding how to handle qi determined the quality of a technique.

And Namgung Sol's martial arts were undoubtedly of a higher grade than what Yang Geon-o practiced.

'To think it was this advanced… Did the Blue Sword Emperor truly pass on his own techniques?'

Clang!

Namgung Sol's sword cut through Yang Geon-o's complicated thoughts. But his concentration had already been disrupted. He had wondered whether she was merely borrowing the name of the Blue Sword Emperor's disciple since she hadn't even reached the Peak Realm, but after experiencing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her martial arts, he realized he was wrong.

She was a true disciple. Even if he hadn't taught her all his genuine arts, it was clear he had accepted her as a disciple in earnest.

Namgung Sol read the wavering in Yang Geon-o's eyes. What he was seeing wasn't the sword technique her blade traced. He was looking at what lay behind it—the presence of Namgung Woo.

His decision to yield the first move had been similar. It wasn't out of fear of Namgung Sol herself, but of Namgung Woo who had taught her. He had handed over the initiative while worrying about traps that didn't even exist.

If he was chasing an illusion, then she would use that illusion against him.

Namgung Sol closed the distance even more boldly. It was as if she had become a moth blindly rushing into the flame, unable to distinguish ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heaven from earth before the power of superior martial arts.

That was precisely the decisive moment Yang Geon-o had been waiting for.

'Now!'

A grayish energy surged along Yang Geon-o's blade. His painstakingly developed method of controlling inner energy—to compensate for his insufficient reserves and lower-grade techniques—finally showed its true worth as it rapidly forged sword qi.

Screeech—!

Even the sound of the blade slicing through the air had changed. Yet the strike still contained controlled power. He could not kill her. While it wasn't unheard of for someone to die during a spar, doing so would earn him lasting enmity. The justification of a simple spar lacked the strength to suppress vengeful emotions.

The backing of the Blue Sword Emperor had left a sliver of hesitation in Yang Geon-o's sword. But even if he had gone all out, the outcome before his eyes would not have changed.

The air trembled. Yang Geon-o's sword sliced only empty space and finished its futile flight.

Swallow Flight Steps. With footwork that spun like a swallow, Namgung Sol had slipped out of the path of his sword.

Yang Geon-o urgently tried to retract his blade, putting strength into his arm. Even if it meant sustaining a minor injury, he would overcome this crisis. With that thought, he circulated his inner energy at the risk of damaging his own meridians—but Namgung Sol's sword was faster.

Azure Sky Flight Swallow Sword Art. The sword path whose trajectory was nearly impossible to predict struck at an angle Yang Geon-o had not prepared for, stopping at his throat.

A counterattack following evasion. It was a textbook reversal.

"I win."

She had even halted her sword at the final moment to avoid injuring her opponent. It was a perfect finish.

Yet Yang Geon-o, clinging to his final shred of pride, spoke words of criticism instead of graceful acceptance.

"…What a cheap victory. If I had swung my sword with the resolve to cut you without being conscious of the Blue Sword Emperor, you might have lost your life. Didn't you prepare this counterattack knowing that?"

"Is that so? Weren't you the one who mentioned that person first?"

Apparently unable to find any rebuttal to those words, Yang Geon-o lowered his head in defeat. To him, ending his final challenge with elimination in the first preliminary round was simply unacceptable.

But that was his problem alone. The world did not accommodate every individual's circumstances.

"The winner is Lady Jeong. Both of you, please leave the training ground. Lady Jeong, the winner, should rest and wait as there will be additional spars scheduled later."

Sang-geon, who had been watching the match with great anxiety in case anything went wrong, quickly stepped onto the training ground and wrapped things up. He swiftly declared Namgung Sol's victory and glanced subtly toward where Namgung Woo stood. His effort to make up for a previous mistake was truly admirable.

"I won! I really won! Did you see? Like this—with the fourth form of the Flight Swallow Sword Art, Shooting Star in the Evening Sky, exactly like that! How was it?"

Still riding high from her first victory, Namgung Sol came running, practically bouncing with joy. She even reenacted the decisive moment with exaggerated movements, savoring her triumph once more.

Seeing the expectant look in her eyes begging for praise, Namgung Woo swallowed the words he had been about to say and spoke gently.

"You did well. But didn't I clearly tell you? Prioritize not getting hurt over winning or losing."

"…I was confident. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew I could dodge it with the Swallow Flight Steps."

"Yes, the idea was good. You executed the Swallow Flight Steps perfectly too. Still, remember this. You shouldn't attempt truly dangerous moves unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Yes! I'll keep it in mind!"

Watching Namgung Sol answer with such vigor, Namgung Woo chuckled softly and patted her head.

"Good work. Go rest while circulating your energy. I'll stand guard for you."

While major decisions of the Murim Alliance were made in the Jungcheon Pavilion, a separate building existed for large assemblies. It was called the Muwon Hall.

Gak-won glanced over the thirty-three people gathered there, nodded slowly, and opened his mouth.

"Without further delay, I hereby declare the opening of the Alliance Conference."

The Alliance Conference, returning after five years, had officially begun.