Whose Sword is the Fastest? (2)
Behold the Demon Sword Sect, now ushering in its second golden age with open arms.
The man at the center of it all—the young leader not yet thirty, the one everyone's talking about, Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon—was erupting in rare, booming laughter.
"Hahaha!"
As Hyeon Yucheon doubled over in mirth, the stunning beauties like So Jaun and Jeong Se-in gazed in awe at his godlike handsomeness. The others, meanwhile, were dying of curiosity. He so rarely let loose like this—what could be so funny?
"Sect Leader. What has you laughing so hard?"
Unable to hold back, Plum Death Gentleman Jeong Inheon asked.
Swoosh!
Without a word, Hyeon Yucheon simply held out the letter he'd received.
......(excerpt omitted)......
I have heard that you claim to wield the fastest quick sword in the Kangho Murim.
Thus, I propose a peculiar duel to you, the master of your sect, Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon.
How about we compete purely with sword forms, excluding the use of internal energy, to determine who has the fastest quick sword in Kangho?
A duel decided solely by the speed of pure sword forms, no internal energy allowed.
That was the gist.
"What the hell!"
The moment Jeong Inheon read the challenge letter, a curse slipped out unbidden.
He was known as the Plum Death Gentleman for his calm, upright demeanor uncharacteristic of a Sapa elder. For him to swear like that meant he was furious.
"Banning internal energy is basically sealing the Formless Flash Quick Sword, isn't it? And without it, it's a massive disadvantage for us Sapa martial artists..."
It was a blatantly one-sided condition against Hyeon Yucheon.
Orthodox masters built their strength on deep, refined forms rooted in ancient traditions, even if their internal energy grew slowly.
Sapa masters, by contrast, exploded with raw power but lacked depth, their forms honed for killing intent alone.
Without internal energy, Sapa experts were at an even greater disadvantage.
And the Formless Flash Quick Sword relied on channeling internal energy into invisible blades—it was a fatal handicap.
"The challenger is from the Namgung Family."
Eum Ji-myeong, reading over his shoulder, nodded.
"The Namgung Family is famed for the Crimson Sky Sword King Swordsmanship and Emperor Sword Form. Their sword speed is top-tier."
Ga Jinuk chimed in.
"Exactly. Especially the current family head, Crimson Sky Sword King Namgung Ungwang. They've said he was obsessed with speed even as a junior. 'The fastest sword is the strongest.'"
He was right.
Namgung Ungwang's philosophy owed much to the era's supreme master, Demon Sword Ghost Lord Cheon Baeksang.
While others fixated on his invisible formless sword, Namgung saw deeper.
—Even peak masters can sense and dodge invisible strikes with their heightened perception. The Demon Sword Ghost Lord's sword is strong because it's the fastest in the world.
That conviction drove him. After becoming family head and mastering the Emperor Sword Form, he relentlessly pursued speed.
A decade later, he was hailed as the Orthodox world's fastest swordsman.
"He's no pushover even in a straight fight. If he pulls out the Emperor Sword Form..."
Ga Jinuk trailed off ominously.
Among countless Orthodox sword arts, the Emperor Sword Form was an absolute pinnacle.
Its perfection went without saying.
Without internal energy, pitting pure speed against the Emperor Sword Form? Namgung Ungwang was confident he'd win.
"But why issue the challenge now?"
Gyeon Jong-o, training harder under Danlibyeok lately, voiced the question.
The whole sect was baffled. What was the angle?
"Obvious, isn't it? A while back, some trash from the Five Great Families got crushed by our elders. They're salty and targeting the Sect Leader."
The blunt, biting words came from Haomen leader So Jaun.
True to her role, she'd nailed it.
Interesting.
Hyeon Yucheon wasn't offended by the challenge. If anything, it chased away his boredom.
"What's the plan, Sect Leader?"
Cheonu, eldest of the Black Wolf Three Swords, asked.
"I'll show them whose sword is faster."
No Formless Flash Quick Sword. Unfavorable terms all around.
What was he thinking?
—The Orthodox world's top quick swordsman versus the Sapa world's—dueling purely on form speed!
—Namgung Family head or Demon Sword Sect Leader: whose sword is faster?
—Crimson Sky Sword King Namgung Ungwang vs. Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon! Who will win?
The rumors spread like wildfire, for two reasons.
First, Namgung Ungwang, brimming with confidence, had boasted to the Nine Great Sects and Murim Alliance that he'd personally crush Hyeon Yucheon.
Second, Haomen leader So Jaun.
She'd broadcast the duel date, time, and place far and wide.
Time to show everyone who's the fastest sword in Kangho.
She even saw it as support for her beloved Sect Leader.
She was falling hard for Hyeon Yucheon.
"Ooooh! The Demon Sword Sect crew's already here!"
The crowd roared in admiration as Hyeon Yucheon and his entourage arrived.
Rumors hyped his skills, but in person? Drop-dead gorgeous, sleek perfection.
Flanked by stunners like So Jaun and Jeong Se-in, he had the whole world green with envy.
His elite subordinates and disciples followed with imposing dignity, outshining even the Murim Alliance.
Ooooh!
This was Murim Alliance's world, yet neutrals and rebels still cheered.
How long had they waited?
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A resonant voice boomed from the opposite side.
A handsome middle-aged man in flowing blue robes strode forward.
This was the Namgung Family head, Crimson Sky Sword King Namgung Ungwang—a shoo-in for Heaven's Five Venerables if there were a sixth seat.
"Crimson Sky Sword King!"
"The Namgung head's here!"
"Pillar of the Five Great Families!"
The massive crowd, drawn by the spectacle, chanted his title.
The Five Great Families owed their survival to him.
Fittingly, he'd come with their heads.
"Sorry for the wait."
Namgung tried a subtle glare to assert dominance.
But Hyeon Yucheon ignored him completely.
"Pang Family Head. Long time no see."
Somehow, Hyeon Yucheon spotted Heaven King Axe Pang Cheonhu of the Hebei Pang Family, sweating bullets behind the others.
"Eh, heh heh. Y-yes, good to see you."
Pang, massive as he was, panicked like prey before a predator.
Onlookers might've smacked his back for chickening out.
"Indeed. I thought after Hebei Castle, we'd buried the hatchet with no hard feelings... but you don't see it that way?"
Hyeon Yucheon's words dripped thorns.
Translation: The Beggars' Sect fell that day, and Hebei's Pang and Jinju Yeon surrendered to Demon Sword Sect. So why show up as one of the Five Great Families? Why not stop Namgung?
"N-no, not at all! What kind of misunderstanding... I tried to talk them out of it, really..."
Pang flailed desperately, axe at his side, drenched in sweat. Pure comedy gold.
"Ahem! Pang Family Head—are you one of the Five Great Families, or a Demon Sword Sect underling?"
Sichuan Dang Family's Thousand Blood Poison Maniac Dang Bijan stepped in.
With the crowd watching, he even shot Hyeon Yucheon a defiant glare.
"Ugh... anyway, please understand my position, Sect Leader Hyeon."
Pang was dragged back behind Namgung, pleading pathetically at Hyeon Yucheon all the way.
"Ahem, enough preamble."
Namgung, known for his dignified Orthodox gravitas, pressed on.
"I sent you that letter to prove which is superior, faster—the Orthodox or Sapa quick swords..."
After the snub, he stayed unruffled—until!
"You sent a challenge letter, not some polite note. And why? Because a fair frontal fight would leave you smashed flat, so you're pulling tricks."
Hyeon Yucheon unleashed Sapa Sovereign swagger.
Woooah!
The crowd exploded.
Who dared speak so boldly to the Namgung head?
"Wh-what?!"
The usually composed Crimson Sky Sword King nearly lost it.
He almost cursed in front of everyone.
"Did I lie? We're both beyond a certain level. Who duels without internal energy?"
Hyeon Yucheon's words stabbed like a spear.
"I'll poison that filthy mouth!"
Even Dang Bijan raised a hand in rage.
Swoosh!
The Black Wolf Three Swords glared murderously—move, and die.
"What did you say? You mean it?"
Namgung felt cold sweat trickle down his back.
"Asking a Formless Flash Quick Sword master to fight without internal energy? It's like Go without capturing stones or chess starting with me down four pieces."
Namgung flushed, conscience pricked despite his denial.
But he doubled down.
"Ahem! To truly test the fastest sword art, it must stand on sword and form alone—no internal energy crutches."
Classic Orthodox bluster, self-deluding to the end.
Hyeon Yucheon despised the hypocrisy, the fake righteousness.
"Hmph. Think you can beat the Formless Flash Quick Sword without internal energy?"
Namgung staggered but brazened through.
"Enough whining like a petty fool. True swordsmen let their blades speak."
Just what Hyeon Yucheon wanted.
"Fine. Let's see whose sword is faster."
Today decided Kangho Murim's fastest quick swordsman.