Chapter 138
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: Formless Blade Energy
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Nothing was visible, no energy could be felt. Even sounds were utterly absent, except for the whoosh when the blade swung.
But Seol Hwa-un was certain that something overwhelmingly powerful was hurtling toward him.
There was only one thought that came to mind.
‘Formless Blade Energy?’
It wasn’t as if he had never seen a master unleash something akin to formless sword qi.
Yet he had never witnessed anyone wield formless blade energy as perfectly as the Blade King.
‘To refine it to this level with a mere blade!’
He could vaguely grasp the realm the Blade King had attained. And then, in an instant, the formless blade energy vanished as if it had been a lie.
“……!”
To an outsider, it might have looked like the Blade King was just playing around.
But Seol Hwa-un stood there blankly for a moment, a strange expression on his face. The Blade King gazed at him steadily.
‘Ah……!’
A beat later, Seol Hwa-un snapped out of it and cupped his fists in a respectful bow.
“My deepest thanks for the valuable lesson.”
“Hahaha.”
Seol Hwa-un bid farewell to the two men and left the office.
“As expected of the North Heaven Dragon. Looks like he gained far more than anticipated.”
“Alliance Leader, wasn’t that lesson a bit too much?”
The Blade King shrugged at Zhuge Mun’s question.
“Was it?”
Zhuge Mun’s expression turned serious.
“The North Heaven Dragon already stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the heads of most sects. If he grows even stronger, he might become unmanageable…….”
The Blade King fixed him with an odd look as he trailed off.
“Interesting. Do you see the North Heaven Dragon as an enemy?”
Zhuge Mun flinched.
“N-no, of course not. But who knows what the future holds? He could become one someday…….”
“By that logic, your own family and this old man could be considered potential enemies as well.”
Zhuge Mun frowned at the Blade King’s words.
“Alliance Leader, that’s stretching it!”
“You stretched it first. Can you really afford to be so wary of an ally we’ve already pledged to join forces with?”
“…….”
“Shall I be more direct? Isn’t it because he’s from the Outer Realm that you’re so uneasy about the North Heaven Dragon?”
Zhuge Mun fell silent.
“I know full well. Forming an alliance with the North Sea Ice Palace is a strategic move, a way to leverage the North Heaven Dragon’s fame.”
“…….”
“But what do you think will happen if they catch wind of such thoughts?”
“It would backfire.”
The Blade King smiled faintly.
“Now you’re thinking like Chief Inspector. This alliance is built on mutual interests. Even if you think that way inwardly, you mustn’t show it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And what I showed him was merely a glimpse into the essence of the ‘blade.’ Compared to the realm he’s reached with fists, it’s nothing remarkable.”
“Then why go to the trouble…….”
“I like the North Heaven Dragon. Wouldn’t it be a good thing if a talent like him took more interest in blade arts?”
“Ah.”
“Who knows? This might inspire him to switch to blade arts as his primary discipline. Given his aptitude, it’s entirely possible.”
The Blade King had offered the lesson precisely because a famed warrior like the North Heaven Dragon adopting blade arts as his mainstay would be immensely satisfying in itself.
Zhuge Mun remained somewhat pessimistic at those words.
‘Would the North Heaven Dragon really switch to blades?’
Truth be told, the Blade King harbored the same doubts.
“Haha, it’s just a faint hope, of course. If not, so be it.”
* * *
Seol Hwa-un recalled the Blade King’s formless blade energy as he headed to the guest hall.
‘It wasn’t mere blade energy. It was the blade itself.’
What he had gained went beyond the Blade King’s ‘understanding of the blade.’
‘True severing in the absolute sense.’
The foundation and pinnacle of blade arts was ‘severing.’
‘That said, both the Undying Divine Victory and now the Blade King—they’re both so eager to impart their teachings.’
In truth, Seol Hwa-un understood their mindset.
Back in his days as the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor, he too had always sought to teach one more move to any promising junior talent he spotted.
‘Jeong-ho followed best. Though he stubbornly refused to become my disciple.’
Experiencing the reversal of roles now, he could somewhat empathize with Mun Jeong-ho’s position.
As idle thoughts threatened to pull him in, Seol Hwa-un refocused on his martial arts.
‘Fist, sword, blade.’
The three disciplines he cultivated each had distinct characteristics.
They seemed utterly unrelated at times, yet organically linked at others.
‘All rivers return to the sea, was it?’
No matter the path, all reached the same ultimate source.
With his understanding of blade arts—the weakest of the three—now deepened, Seol Hwa-un felt his overall martial foundation had advanced to a new level.
‘I need to organize this.’
Lost in thought as he walked, he soon arrived at the guest hall. Hong Gwang greeted him as if he’d been waiting.
“Benefactor Seol!”
“Ah, Monk Hong Gwang. You’re up?”
Hong Gwang looked embarrassed at Seol Hwa-un’s question.
“Amitabha. I’ve been awake for a while.”
“I see.”
Since arriving at the Martial Alliance, Hong Gwang had been incredibly lazy.
He had holed up in the guest hall, fearing pointless squabbles with the Righteous Heaven Alliance’s juniors if he wandered about.
It wasn’t fear of needless fights. Word of his spar with the Dragon Rider had already spread, deterring casual approaches.
Still, he avoided going out, unwilling to deal with the hassle.
This led to laziness and sleeping in becoming routine.
But hearing Seol Hwa-un pinpoint it so neatly left him mortified beyond excuse.
“Benefactor Seol, where have you been?”
“I met with the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader.”
“Gasp! A private audience?”
“No, the Chief Inspector was there too.”
Hong Gwang’s eyes widened further.
“You met the Chief Inspector and the Alliance Leader? Isn’t that even more impressive?”
“Is it?”
“Amitabha. I forgot amid our travels, but you truly are a heavyweight, Benefactor Seol.”
Hong Gwang asked with a subtle expression.
“If it’s not rude, may I ask what you discussed?”
Those in the know had already guessed.
But since entering the Righteous Heaven Alliance’s domain, Hong Gwang could no longer access Beggars’ Sect intelligence—he was as good as blind.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un hesitated briefly, but since it wasn’t secret and would soon be announced, he shared freely.
“We discussed the alliance between the Righteous Heaven Alliance and our palace.”
“An alliance?”
“Indeed. It benefits our palace too, so it’s decided.”
“……!”
Hong Gwang’s expression shifted repeatedly. Seol Hwa-un could guess his thoughts.
‘The Crimson Forest Temple must have been assessing if our palace posed a threat to the Central Plains. They’d have considered force depending on the outcome.’
But declaring an alliance with the Righteous Heaven Alliance out of nowhere made any rash action impossible, even if they deemed it a true threat.
Hong Gwang shook his head once, then spoke with a resolved, relaxed expression.
“Amitabha. This humble monk has already made his judgment. May your palace enjoy boundless glory ahead.”
His tone held no regrets. A glint appeared in Seol Hwa-un’s eyes.
“……Planning to leave?”
“Indeed. I’ve gotten a sense of who you are after traveling together. The Alliance Leader’s inauguration is over…… There’s no point in continuing as companions.”
“…….”
“Thanks to you, I’ve seen all there is to see in the Righteous Heaven Alliance. I owe you much.”
“Why not travel with us when we depart?”
Hong Gwang shook his head with a smile.
“Amitabha. I appreciate the offer, but if I stay longer, this monk might grow too lazy…… No, I have other matters to attend to.”
Seol Hwa-un smiled faintly.
“Then I won’t press.”
Hong Gwang packed his belongings at once, bid farewell to Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won, and left the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
Dong Ho-won, who had grown close to him, felt regretful but was satisfied with Hong Gwang’s promise to visit Shaolin someday.
‘I wonder what judgment the Crimson Forest Temple will make.’
Hong Gwang seemed favorably inclined toward the North Sea Ice Palace, but the decision rested with its leadership.
‘In any case, it’s not something they can touch.’
He didn’t know how much power the Crimson Forest Temple had amassed over two centuries, but with an alliance to the Righteous Heaven Alliance now in place, there was nothing to fear.
Besides, Seol Hwa-un had more pressing concerns than them at the moment.
“Dong Ho-won, Eom Mu-hwi. Guard the entrance.”
“……!”
With that, Seol Hwa-un entered the guest room.
“Another insight?”
“Who knows. All he did was meet the Alliance Leader and see off Monk Hong Gwang…….”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi exchanged glances. They could guess by now.
“The Blade King.”
“Exactly.”
“Tch, how much stronger is he planning to get?”
Eom Mu-hwi chuckled at Dong Ho-won’s grumbling.
“It’s a good thing. The stronger the Young Palace Lord gets, the stronger our palace becomes.”
“I know that much. It’s just burdensome chasing after him from behind.”
“……Can’t argue with that.”
Meanwhile, Seol Hwa-un emerged from the room only at dinner time. His face was beaming.
“You’ve worked hard. Go rest.”
The two instinctively knew he had achieved something significant.
“Young Palace Lord, did you gain another breakthrough?”
Seol Hwa-un smiled faintly at Dong Ho-won’s question.
“Who knows.”
“Please tell us. We’re dying to know.”
“Very well. I’ll show you at the training grounds after dinner.”
“……!”
The two flinched involuntarily.
“How much are you planning to torment us this time…….”
“Haha, it’s all for your benefit.”
“Ugh.”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi couldn’t deny it. Sparring with Seol Hwa-un was genuinely helpful.
“Then let’s head to dinner, Young Palace Lord.”
“Alright.”
The trio—back to three—descended to the first-floor dining hall. But it was packed with warriors eating, no seats available.
“Hmm.”
“Shall we wait in the room and come back later?”
“Probably…….”
Just then, someone entered the dining hall. All eyes turned that way, and Dong Ho-won froze solid.
“Gasp!”
It wasn’t just him.
Every warrior in the hall whipped their heads around without exception.
“Ah!”
Some let out soft exclamations. Small wonder—the newcomer’s beauty was breathtaking.
It was none other than Go Hye-ryeong, the pampered jewel of the Sky-Shattering Army.
“The top beauty of the Evil Path.”
“Her looks are suffocating.”
“Careful, or you’ll lose your head.”
The men stole glances but dared not approach.
Go Hye-ryeong strode forward confidently, stopping right in front of Seol Hwa-un’s group.
Smitten by her beauty, Dong Ho-won flashed a suave smile.
“Hahaha, what a stunning young lady. Might I have your name……?”
But Go Hye-ryeong ignored him, fixing her gaze on Seol Hwa-un.
“Nice to meet you, North Heaven Dragon. Remember me?”
Dong Ho-won’s head drooped.
‘Damn! Even this woman judges by looks!’
He already missed Hong Gwang, who had complimented his appearance.
Eom Mu-hwi sent a subtle transmission.
[Idiot, it’s the woman from yesterday. Don’t you recognize her?]
[Huh? Who?]
[The Sky-Shattering Army’s daughter.]
[Gasp! Really?]
Preoccupied with the Sky-Shattering Army, Dong Ho-won hadn’t noticed his surroundings and thus didn’t remember Go Hye-ryeong.
Seol Hwa-un replied calmly.
“Indeed. You were beside the Sky-Shattering Army yesterday.”
Go Hye-ryeong’s eyes rounded.
“Huh? That’s it? You don’t know who I am?”
“Should I?”
She furrowed her delicate brows.
“Hmm, not one to underestimate from the start. As expected of the North Heaven Dragon.”
“……?”
Go Hye-ryeong’s beauty was indeed the sort to stun anyone. Yet Seol Hwa-un remained utterly composed throughout.
‘A truly peculiar man. How can he look at me and not waver in the slightest?’
Seol Hwa-un was accustomed to Bing Su-hye’s beauty, which rivaled hers, but Go Hye-ryeong had no way of knowing that.
“Well, fine. Young Master Seol?”
“Speak.”
“You’re here for dinner, right?”
“Correct.”
She glanced around and continued.
“Looks like no seats. Want to go out and eat together?”
“……!”
“Just the two of us.”
The hall fell deathly silent at her provocative words.