Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Future
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-Zheeeeeeng!!
The blazing form of sword energy stretched out long, morphing into a single arrow.
The golden arrow soon turned into a flash like morning sunlight, piercing the enemy right before his eyes.
It was Starpoint Sect's fastest technique, overwhelming all the world's foes with sheer 'swiftness'—and without a doubt, the primary move most frequently employed in the Shoot the Sun Sword Art.
Shoot the Sun Sword Art, First Form
Sun Arrow's Initial Emergence
Any First-Generation Disciple who had even slightly learned the Shoot the Sun Sword Art would recognize that form instantly. Those watching were struck with shock all at once.
"W-What the hell is that...? An Initiate Disciple using the Shoot the Sun Sword Art!? It hasn't even been taught yet...!!"
"Baek Hyun... Yeah, Baek Hyun! Isn't that the kid? The one who retrieved the ancestor's manual a year ago and earned access to the Scripture Pavilion! It's not impossible then... but mastering the Shoot the Sun Sword Art in just one year!?"
"Hold on—if that flame burst from before was Blazing Sun Arrow, then... No way, that insane flame was just Blazing Sun Arrow!?"
"That's not all. What we just saw was sword energy! An Initiate Disciple—not even a Third-Generation—reaching the pinnacle stage...!!"
While the Initiate Disciples reeled in astonishment for a multitude of reasons,
the Starpoint Sect elder Mok Seon—who grasped it all with his sharp insight—saw even beyond that.
Normally, even a Sun Arrow's Initial Emergence from a pinnacle realm warrior wouldn't inflict major damage on Chaos.
For a being with near-immortal vitality like Chaos, having its body pierced was hardly a grave wound.
However.
-Gr...grrruk...
Chaos, impaled by Baek Hyun's sword, writhed in agony, letting out a groan.
Not the bizarre noise from before, but a normal cry one might expect from a living creature.
'Chaos's... mouth has been pierced.'
Realizing this, Mok Seon couldn't help but shudder.
The boy had pinpointed Chaos's weakness from the start and struck it precisely.
A feat impossible without prior knowledge of Chaos, exceptional insight, and the skill to back it all up.
'The Solar Body was just a side benefit.'
This child was a genius even without relying on the Solar Body.
-Gruk... grraaaaa-!!
Inflicted with an unexpected fatal blow, Chaos bellowed in rage as it sought its attacker.
But Baek Hyun, who had grazed past Chaos with his strike, was already out of its reach.
All that remained was the single sword lodged in its wound.
Having safely created distance from Chaos, Baek Hyun approached the stunned First-Generation Disciples gazing at him and spoke.
"Chaos truly is a formidable opponent. I got lucky with that hit, but my sword's stuck in it now."
"If I pull it out, it'll heal the wound... So in this situation, I suppose I'll need your help, Senior Brothers."
Baek Hyun spoke in a calm voice, utterly devoid of any sense of crisis.
The First-Generation Disciples, hit with this attitude so at odds with moments ago, suffered a moment of cognitive dissonance.
"Would you kindly lend me your sword?"
Baek Hyun singled out one of the First-Generation Disciples overseeing the trial and requested his sword.
To a martial artist, a sword was their pride—their very life.
"M-My... sword?"
"Yes. There's no rule against switching swords during the mountain entry trial. If you lend it to me, it would be a tremendous help to this unworthy junior."
The First-Generation Disciple was flustered by the bold request for such a precious item.
-Graaaaaahhh-!!!
But seeing Chaos charging ferociously from behind Baek Hyun, he let out a sigh and drew his own sword.
He felt a bit like he was being used by this young grand-disciple, but the boy treated his seniors with proper respect.
And he didn't seem lacking in skill or character to the point of mishandling the sword.
'Honestly, I'm curious. What will this kid show us?'
Above all, he was intrigued by what this once-in-a-generation talent would do with his sword.
Thus, though hesitant, the First-Generation Disciple handed his sword to Baek Hyun.
"Thank you so much for indulging my impertinent request, Senior Brother."
-Thudquaang!!
The moment he took the sword, Baek Hyun whipped around and blocked Chaos's incoming attack.
Before Chaos's terrifying claw could unleash its full power, he preempted with a thrust, nullifying the strike.
A neutralization using Starpoint Sect's signature overwhelming sword speed.
'! He nullified Chaos's attack that easily...!?'
The First-Generation Disciple watching up close was aghast.
Chaos's greatest weapon was its near-immortal vitality, no doubt.
But its unimaginable superhuman strength was equally terrifying.
Even without sword energy or aura, an attack infused with Chaos's monstrous power could shatter a transcendent warrior's protective aura.
Yet he neutralized it so effortlessly...
Like an ant dodging a human finger.
-Kwaang-!! Boom!! Kwararararak-!!!
Overwhelming strength like a natural disaster poured out mercilessly.
Yet amid the shattering earth and tearing air, the boy—no bigger than an ant—remained unscathed.
Because he had wings.
Not ordinary wings, but radiant wings of the sun.
-Thung!!
After a few exchanges to read Chaos's attack patterns, Baek Hyun used the recoil from one to instantly widen the gap.
He had endured close-range only to analyze those patterns.
No matter how easy to dodge or block, trading blows head-on was foolish.
Starpoint Sect's style was fundamentally hit-and-run.
Like an outboxer in boxing, they dominated unilaterally with superior mobility and attack speed. That was their specialty.
Mid-range—beyond the enemy's reach—was thus a Starpoint martial artist's preferred distance.
It minimized exposure while securing first strike advantage.
Shoot the Sun Sword Art, First Form
Sun Arrow's Initial Emergence
From mid-range beyond Chaos's reach, an invisible flash shot out once more.
Freely entering and retreating from close to mid-range, forcing one-sided damage with this unreasonable combat style.
Baek Hyun's foolproof strategy—which had frustrated countless veterans—was now unleashed against the worst of malevolent spirits.
-Zheeeeeeng!!!
Starpoint's fastest thrust struck Chaos's weakness again.
A speed so overwhelming, evasion was inconceivable.
Before secluded training, it was unusable in real combat, and even if forced, carried heavy burden.
But through a year and a half of seclusion, he had forged a vessel sturdy enough for that speed and built a towering edifice of martial knowledge.
Still feeble compared to his peak game specs, perhaps.
But in this moment, he was unequivocally the 'Sun'.
-Grwaaaaaah...!!
Struck in its weakness again, Chaos screamed in pain, gasping through its newly formed nostril.
Chaos, little more than a natural disaster despite being alive, now burned with creaturely rage toward Baek Hyun.
Baek Hyun leisurely observed, then approached the First-Generation Disciples once more and spoke.
"Oh dear, the sword you lent me is stuck in it again."
"To slay it and retrieve the sword, I'll need a new one... Despite my impudence, may I ask for your help one more time?"
At Baek Hyun's nonchalant return and renewed request, the First-Generation Disciples could only chuckle wryly.
It seemed their monstrous grand-disciple planned to take out the remaining five weak points this way.
An attempt so audacious it bordered on arrogance.
Yet for some reason,
the First-Generation Disciples found themselves not angry, but wanting to hand over their life-precious swords.
They wanted to see more.
How far this boy—clearly destined to lead Starpoint Sect—would soar.
Where his limits truly lay.
They wanted to witness it here and now.
"Use my sword. I want to see how much you've grown with my own eyes."
"Senior Brother Hyun-gang, I've been in your debt from Azure Cloud Pavilion until now. I'll live up to your expectations."
At that moment, Hyun-gang—who already knew Baek Hyun—handed him the third sword.
Baek Hyun accepted it politely, then turned to face the enraged Chaos charging at him.
And once more, he became a flash and shot forward.
-Zheeeeng!!
The third Sun Arrow's Initial Emergence exploded.
Its speed still defied reaction, but after three repetitions of the same attack, Chaos was no longer helpless.
-Grwaaaaaah-!!!!
The instant it witnessed Baek Hyun's body gleaming like a flash, Chaos hurled itself sideways without hesitation, swinging its forepaw through the air.
Not a reaction to seeing—but a near-predictive counter.
Lacking proper sensory organs, Chaos compensated with astonishing instinct and combat sense.
From the battles so far, it had instinctively grasped that the piercing attacks came only in straight lines.
With that alone, its innate battle sense guided it to near-perfect movement.
-Tszipaaaang-!!
The ultra-compressed sword energy thrust grazed Chaos's fur.
In turn, Chaos's strength-laden paw swung toward Baek Hyun's face.
The Shoot the Sun Sword Art's transcendent speed was a double-edged sword.
Once it allowed a counter, that speed became a spear piercing its user mercilessly.
High risk, high return.
Just as Baek Hyun's head was about to shatter,
-Shiiik, puuuk!!
The sword's straight trajectory abruptly curved, and the thrust—clearly a miss—pierced Chaos's weakness.
It was the technique unanimously voted the worst in Dominating the World by countless veterans.
Shoot the Sun Sword Art, Third Form
Coiling Horse Drawing Bow
-Guwaaaaaak!!?
Caught off-guard by the unforeseen strike, Chaos let out a bewildered scream. But its hollow eyes were already filling with fragile pupils.
The Shoot the Sun Sword Art was indeed a sword style laden with immense risk.
Yet Baek Hyun wielded this perilous art to maintain a 90% win rate among veterans.
The reason for this miraculous rate, inexplicable by control alone.
The effect of 'Coiling Horse Drawing Bow'—turning a horse's head to draw the bow—was profoundly simple.
A sharp directional change during high-speed movement.
With this single form's straightforward effect, Baek Hyun had nullified the Shoot the Sun Sword Art's massive risks.
For most, altering course to dodge an incoming attack mid-high-speed dash was near impossible.
But Baek Hyun made it possible.
A divine feat even First-Generation Disciples, with decades of training in the art, dared not attempt.
"I... I have no idea what we're witnessing."
Leaving his dazed peers, Hyun-gang spoke again, his face a mix of awe and joy.
"What else?"
The future of Starpoint.