Irresistible Advance (2)
Time rewound to the moment when Ok Jangcheon unleashed his ultimate technique at the peak of its ferocity!
Creak!
Ok Jangcheon grinned as he struck.
He was utterly confident of victory deep down.
Whoosh!
In truth, his sword had pierced right through Hyeon Yucheon's brow, and the thrilling feedback of that strike vibrated through his hand even in that split second.
Just as he was reveling in his certain triumph!
'Huh?'
Suddenly, he noticed something off.
Hyeon Yucheon's face, where the brow had been pierced, was blurring.
That's right.
What Ok Jangcheon had skewered was merely Hyeon Yucheon's afterimage.
To his astonishment, Hyeon Yucheon had used his swift movements in that fleeting instant to induce the illusion.
And one more thing.
'My master once said: The very moment you think you've won for sure! That's when the seeds of reversal take root.'
Hyeon Yucheon never forgot the memories and teachings passed down intact from his master.
He, too, stayed ever cautious and launched his counterstrike.
-Formless Gas Sword!
The result was crystal clear.
Ok Jangcheon, brimming with overconfidence, was struck squarely in his vital points by the invisible sword qi, his body tilting as he collapsed forward.
"Grrr..."
He had even foamed at the mouth, completely knocked out.
"Ok Jangcheon, your arrogance left you wide open, neglecting all defense—your entire upper body exposed."
Thus, Hyeon Yucheon had precisely targeted multiple acupoints on his torso, and the outcome lay right there on the ground.
Ok Jangcheon had suffered a crushing defeat and lost consciousness.
Speaking to Ok Jangcheon, who was unconscious but whose hearing remained intact and would remember later, Hyeon Yucheon declared:
"The Quick Sword Hall's sword is slower than the Demon Sword Sect's."
That single statement said it all.
Roooaaar!
The match had been decided in the blink of an eye, and with Hyeon Yucheon's victory confirmed, the spectators erupted in a frenzy.
"Hahat! Haha! It's like seeing old man Cheon in the flesh!"
"Who could deny it? The Demon Sword Old Fiend has returned!"
"That insane speed and invisible sword qi—there's only one: the Formless Flash Quick Sword!"
No one could deny now that Hyeon Yucheon was the true incarnation of old man Cheon.
Anyone could see it—this was the handiwork of the Formless Flash Quick Sword, and no one could match that mad swordsmanship.
"My goodness."
Even Seon Yeojin, the only daughter of the Dark Rock Valley Lord—who had been watching the duel with keen interest—gazed at Hyeon Yucheon with eyes full of admiration.
'He's just so... so perfect.'
Seon Yeojin was nearing twenty years old.
At the prime age for dreams, the handsome Hyeon Yucheon, boasting such insane martial prowess, looked every bit the prince of a kingdom, flushing her cheeks red.
"Victory to Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon!"
Bong Ilwol, too, called out his win with eyes wide in genuine surprise.
'I knew he'd win.'
But ending it so overwhelmingly? That was unexpected.
He'd figured it would take at least dozens of seconds, exchanges of moves and techniques, before victory.
Winning with a single sword strike? This wasn't a proper spar.
It was more like a peak master instructing an inferior in a training bout.
"Well fought!"
Already smitten with Hyeon Yucheon, Seon Yeojin set aside her famously fiery temper and offered him a soft silk cloth.
Meant for wiping away any sweat or blood.
The real Hyeon Yucheon would have ignored the gesture or brushed it off curtly, but today was different.
"My thanks. I'll gladly accept."
Not a drop of sweat or blood on him, yet Hyeon Yucheon cherished the silk she gave.
Not because he had feelings for her.
'She's undoubtedly stunning.'
Her innate beauty was a given, and the seductive curves she'd flaunted since youth were enough to shake any man's heart.
But Hyeon Yucheon valued her background more than her looks.
'Truth be told, Master couldn't unite the Five Great Sapa Sects.'
Cheon Baeksang had been a stubborn warrior, lacking in handling people and sects.
But Hyeon Yucheon was different.
He planned to unify not just the Five Great Sapa Sects, but all of Sapa Murim.
The reason was simple.
Only then could he exact revenge!
Only then could he stand toe-to-toe with the Murim Alliance, Heaven's Five Venerables, and the Seok Family.
Thus, he couldn't treat Seon Yeojin—the only daughter of Dark Rock Valley, one of the Five Great Sapa Sects—lightly.
Especially since she seemed drawn to him; he'd use his charms if needed to secure Dark Rock Valley's support.
"You're up next."
Hyeon Yucheon shook Seon Yeojin once more with his gentle demeanor.
He then turned to the man who'd been watching him: Gu Jin-ak of the Blood Dragon Room, hailed as Sapa's strongest late-generation talent.
"You have business with me?"
The seemingly taciturn Gu Jin-ak finally spoke.
He was a man of few words, dark and quiet—known even as the Silent Young Master.
His reaction to Hyeon Yucheon stemmed from one thing.
'An incredible powerhouse!'
Powerhouses recognize powerhouses; the real deals spot each other.
"I do. I'm the lord of the Demon Sword Sect—and Master Demon Sword Old Fiend's final disciple. Naturally, I'm curious about my senior brother's whereabouts, no?"
Gu Jin-ak nodded thoughtfully at those calm words.
"Fair point."
Put himself in those shoes, and he'd be curious too.
Besides, Brilliant Light Demon Sword Ga Jinuk was an irreplaceable figure and advisor to him.
"You must have many questions for me."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded at Gu Jin-ak's words in turn.
Then he dropped a bombshell.
"If I win my next match, I'll face you in the semifinals. Should you fall to me..."
Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak was the opposite of his quiet speech: once fired up, he burned with ferocity.
"Then I'll tell you everything."
At the same time, Gu Jin-ak felt profound interest in Hyeon Yucheon.
-I'm a failure of a warrior, not even half the man my master is.
Those were the words of Ga Jinuk, the man Gu Jin-ak trusted and followed more than anyone in the Blood Dragon Room.
Thus, his mind was filled with the Demon Sword Old Fiend and his peerless unique arts.
With his disappearance, he'd thought those dreamlike techniques lost forever.
Yet here was the old fiend's successor—how could he not be thrilled?
As a natural-born martial fanatic, his competitive spirit ignited.
"Ha, straight to the point—I like it."
Was that why?
Hyeon Yucheon took a liking to Gu Jin-ak too.
After dealing with petty schemers, this straightforward type felt refreshing.
"Very well. I'll be waiting."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded.
It was a proposal with no downside for him.
Tough opponent, but he'd crush Gu Jin-ak—and that might open the path to his senior brother.
"Won't take long."
Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak boldly declared as he ascended the arena.
"Blood Dragon Room's Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak versus Blue Garment Building's Blue Garment Flying Body Je Cheon-eon—please take the stage!"
At Bong Ilwol's call, the two moved.
Gu Jin-ak went without question, and Je Cheon-eon of the vast Blue Garment Building—though not one of the Five Great Sapa Sects—was one of its members.
His epithet "Flying Body," meaning swift movement, hinted at his specialty: rapid lightness skills and mobility.
Gulp!
Je Cheon-eon wasn't some pushover, but facing Sapa's undisputed top late-genius had him on edge.
His instincts screamed it.
One solid hit, and it was over.
"Please, go easy."
Gu Jin-ak merely nodded at Je Cheon-eon's words.
"Spar begins!"
With Bong Ilwol's resounding call, the straightforward brute clashed with the mobility expert.
-Clear Listening Prolific Body!
Je Cheon-eon unleashed his lightness skill madly from the start.
Outmatched in power and destruction, his only shot was to dazzle the eyes, lure, and finish.
'Good tactics—self-aware objectification.'
Hyeon Yucheon inwardly approved of Je Cheon-eon's skill.
Victories weren't decided solely by martial art superiority or realm.
Unless the gap was third-rate versus super peak, outcomes hinged on condition that day or matchup.
That's why Je Cheon-eon didn't forfeit against the worst matchup.
Pa-ba-bat!
Je Cheon-eon even scattered daggers—rare in formal spars—to widen the gap.
Right then.
Swish!
Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak, gripping only his sword hilt like his sparse words, had been observing.
At last, he drew.
The Blood Dragon Room was famed for fists and staff arts over swords.
Yet Gu Jin-ak, their strongest late-genius, chose the sword.
For he was a born sword demon.
-Blood Dragon Fierce Strike!
The instant he drew, Gu Jin-ak went berserk.
A transformation from the outwardly quiet, timid-seeming man.
His epithet Blood Dragon Ghost Sword came from turning mad the moment he gripped a blade.
Kwa-ga-ga-gang!
One sword!
One move, and Gu Jin-ak shattered all of Je Cheon-eon's daggers.
It was the Blood Dragon Room's signature, the Blood Dragon Fierce Sword Method crafted with invited experts—a initial form pulsing with untamed beastly wildness, incredibly fast.
Kwa-jik!
The follow-up slash gashed Je Cheon-eon's thigh lengthwise, drawing blood from the swift mover.
If Je Cheon-eon fought with wits and tactics, Gu Jin-ak battled on pure instinct.
Binding the foe's feet in one go—that was the result.
"Agh!"
Deeper than expected, Je Cheon-eon panicked and halted.
Pu-ung!
Before his mad instincts could whisper to behead him, Gu Jin-ak smashed Je Cheon-eon's forehead with his sword flat.
Knocking him out cleanly.
"Victory to Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak!"
Bong Ilwol shouted as if she'd foreseen the one-sided beatdown.
Curiously, only two had shown such dominance.
Gu Jin-ak and Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon.
Creak!
Hyeon Yucheon didn't shrink or fear Gu Jin-ak's overwhelming win.
He even grinned in delight.
Because he seemed easy? Far from it.
'His swordsmanship carries no trace of the Demon Sword Sect.'
Meaning his senior brother Ga Jinuk hadn't betrayed them by joining the Blood Dragon Room.
Not certain, of course.
One style couldn't confirm all, or absolve Ga Jinuk of killing Master.
Kwak!
As Gu Jin-ak's blood boiled watching Hyeon Yucheon's bout, so did Hyeon Yucheon's.
That instinct-driven, mad skill stirred the Demon Sword Young Master's fighting spirit.
"Fine, let's settle it here. Who's Sapa's true top late-genius."