He Resembles His Master Too Much, Especially That Beggarly Tenacity
Yeop Hyeon was flustered. To suddenly declare friendship and then hand over treasures like these!
Yeop Hyeon turned to the old man.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Just as I said—to forge a bond. No need to be so guarded."
Yeop Hyeon fell silent, and the old man continued with a smile.
"If you don't want it, that's fine. Another chance will come someday."
Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"Elder, that's not it at all. It's just..."
Yeop Hyeon glanced at the items in Mu Yun Qi's and Ji An Zhi's hands.
"Why give them something and leave me with nothing?"
"Hahaha!"
With a snap of his fingers, a sword flew toward Yeop Hyeon.
Top-grade spirit sword!
Yeop Hyeon caught it, his eyes widening. Just then—
"Old timer, what about me!?"
"Bah, you greedy fool!"
Bai Ze brushed off Mu Yun Qi's scornful glare and stared at the old man.
"Hmm... You're an external arts cultivator, so I'm not sure what to give you. How about this—a bottle of dan pills!"
A white jade bottle floated before Bai Ze. He grabbed it with a beaming smile. It looked priceless just from a glance!
"Haha, that should satisfy you all. We'll be off now. Swing by Cho Country when you have time."
With those words, the old man, Bong Il-hyu, and the woman in black martial robes vanished in an instant.
Yeop Hyeon shouted urgently.
"C-Come back anytime!!"
Hearing that, the old man's body wobbled mid-flight through the sky.
"Master, why give away so much?"
To Bong Il-hyu's question, the old man replied.
"Just as you didn't stake your life against Yeop Hyeon, I have no desire to become enemies with his master."
Bong Il-hyu nodded in understanding.
"Besides... master and disciple, both incredible bastards... That beggarly tenacity of theirs..."
The unexpected windfall left Yeop Hyeon and his group grinning ear to ear.
At the dirt-poor Canglan Academy, they could barely afford three square meals. Treasures like these were beyond their wildest dreams.
Spirit devices and dan pills were like rain in a drought—a true stroke of fortune.
And not just any spirit energy—these were top-grade!
Yeop Hyeon sheathed his new sword.
"Everyone, gather round."
The three clustered around him.
"How are your wounds?"
"Just some superficial stuff. Nothing major," Mu Yun Qi replied.
Yeop Hyeon nodded and had them all sit.
The three sat on the ground, waiting eagerly for his words.
"We won the alley fight. But we can't call that last one a win!"
No one could argue.
"Those two battles today likely leaked our strength and intel. Next time, our foes will be even stronger!"
Mu Yun Qi jumped in.
"Not scared at all! We'll just smash 'em!"
"And if we can't?"
Mu Yun Qi went quiet. Yeop Hyeon pressed on.
"Our enemies will only grow fiercer. Maybe even masters beyond our imagination—like An Ranxiu's level."
Their faces darkened.
Given Changmok Academy's bounty, even that caliber of expert would be tempted.
Bong Il-hyu alone proved it.
He wasn't even on the Mubang rankings!
More shocking: a powerhouse like him ranked near the bottom.
What if a top Mubang warrior showed up?
The mood turned oppressively heavy.
"One more thing: Changmok Academy will pull out all the stops to kill us now. With our academies under the same sky, no ruthless tactic is off-limits if it means our deaths."
Yeop Hyeon stood.
"We're on the edge of a cliff. No retreat. The path ahead might be blocked too. Dean Ji is strong, but even he has limits against hordes. To survive, we rely on ourselves. Let's push harder—ruthlessly!"
With that, Yeop Hyeon started climbing the mountain.
Watching his back, Mu Yun Qi muttered low.
"Damn, that guy's scary..."
Bai Ze halted and eyed him.
"...If you die, I'll bury you in a sunny spot."
"......"
At the Canglan front gates.
Yeop Ryeong, waiting as always, rushed into Yeop Hyeon's arms.
She'd clearly seen his fight with Bong Il-hyu.
She didn't grasp the full situation, but she sensed more people would come seeking him.
Yeop Hyeon smiled, stroking her hair.
"Ryeong, I'm fine."
Yeop Ryeong hugged him tighter, wordless. Her eyes burned with unease.
Soon after, back in his room, Yeop Hyeon locked the door and entered the Gyeok Ok Tower.
Seated in lotus position, three spirit swords lay before him.
Yeop Hyeon closed his eyes and recited the Invincible Sword Body Art. Moments later, he pointed, and one sword dissolved into sword-light, merging into his body.
His frame shuddered violently.
The Spirit Water Sword inside him began vibrating wildly.
Soon, the spirit sword transformed into qi and fused with it.
Suddenly, countless sword-threads burst from his body in all directions.
In this instant, Yeop Hyeon was a sword!
His tremors intensified, the aura radiating from his flesh growing fiercer.
About an hour later, Yeop Hyeon absorbed another spirit sword.
Boom!
Sword-threads exploded outward as it vanished inside him, but they dissipated harmlessly against the tower walls.
Inside, the Spirit Water Sword thrashed in resistance.
Absorb!
No—devour was more apt.
The sword itself lacked this power; Yeop Hyeon had imbued it via his technique—devouring other blades to grow stronger!
As his dantian surrogate, a mightier Spirit Water Sword meant higher realms for him.
If this unique method leaked, the uproar would be massive.
Finally, the last sword entered him.
Boom!
Mighty energy swirled around him.
Yeop Hyeon slowly opened his eyes. A sword-thread flickered in his pupils before vanishing.
Invincible Sword Body Art—forge the sword with the body!
He drew a deep breath, savoring the overflowing energy. Reaching out, the Spirit Water Sword flew to his hand like a magnet, quivering with a faint whine.
High-grade famed sword!
Famed swords ranked common, high, and supreme. After devouring the three spirits, he'd hit Soaring Realm. The Spirit Water Sword had evolved to high-grade.
His own power—and the sword's—had leaped a tier. Yeop Hyeon was confident he could kill Bong Il-hyu with seventy percent odds in a rematch!
He hedged at seventy because no expert that level lacked a hidden trump.
His gaze drifted to the second-floor door. Standing before it, Yeop Hyeon stared, then snorted softly.
Crack!
A eardrum-shattering boom—he blasted through the Gyeok Ok Tower door.
Moments later, he stirred, groaning upright. Touching his face, he grimaced wryly. At Soaring Realm, he figured he'd dodge at least once.
But the result was the same!
'Can't get cocky yet!'
Exiting the tower, he tidied his room and headed to the back mountain.
Soon, he reached his usual training peak. He leaped skyward, landing atop it.
Soaring Realm!
Ascending granted free flight!
For a sword cultivator like him, the ultimate was sword-flight.
Sword-flight!
Imagining soaring on his blade, Yeop Hyeon could hardly wait!
Peak to base: about twenty zhang. A touch of vertigo hit.
'Too high? What if I fail sword-flight on the way down?'
As he moved to descend, the Spirit Water Sword appeared, as if sensing his wish.
It hovered horizontally. Yeop Hyeon gingerly stepped aboard. But it buckled under his weight and plummeted.
"What now?"
Frowning in thought, he recalled the Heavenly Maiden. She'd explain, but she slumbered deeply.
No way he'd ask the second-floor creep.
'It'd slap me first!'
He had to figure it solo.
Staring at the sword, inspiration struck.
"It shatters boulders—why not bear a man's weight?"
Idea: strengthen the sword.
Grabbing it, the blade trembled, erupting in dazzling sword-light.
He released slowly, maintaining their link.
Cautiously, he stepped on again.
It wobbled but held!
His face lit up.
'Yes!'
Calming his thrill, he willed the sword beneath his feet. It stirred, then inched forward!
His lips curved skyward. Joy bubbled uncontrollably.
He pressed on, pace a leisurely stroll—but he was flying on a sword!
Soon, he reached the waterfall. A mere hundred zhang took half an hour.
And his altitude? Barely an adult's height.
There, training below, Bai Ze locked eyes with him.
"Y-Yeop... Brother Yeop..."
Yeop Hyeon swiftly clasped hands behind his back, striking a majestic pose overlooking him.
"Ahem! From now on, address this lord as Yeop the Sword Immortal!"
"......"