Chapter 136
'There's something here.'
Sensing something amiss, Yeo Hwan-jin halted his attack and momentarily distanced himself.
Drip, drip.
In that brief pause, blood trickled from Bu Eun-seol's body, sliced all over by the Flowing Cloud Sword.
This was the first time since unleashing the Ultimate Speed Shadowless that he had failed to evade an attack completely. Yet, the fire in Bu Eun-seol's eyes burned like an active volcano.
"You're quite composed," Yeo Hwan-jin remarked, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips as he noticed the blazing fighting spirit in Bu Eun-seol's gaze.
"Is it because the wounds aren't fatal?"
In response, Bu Eun-seol, who had been glaring at him with smoldering intensity, smirked.
"Then let's begin."
Those were the very words Yeo Hwan-jin had spoken before unleashing the Flowing Cloud Sword.
Until now, Bu Eun-seol had deliberately played defensively—observing his sword techniques all along.
"Hohoho. So it was I who was being observed."
Even as he realized this, Yeo Hwan-jin's smile remained.
"Pointless. Even if you studied it a hundred times, it wouldn't matter."
From the beginning, his Flowing Cloud Sword had no fixed sequence—it was a sword art unraveled through the Formless Beyond Forms Principle.
Even if Bu Eun-seol spent three days and nights analyzing it, he would gain nothing.
"The Flowing Cloud Sword is a blade like a single gust of wind."
Swish!
Yeo Hwan-jin thrust his sword again, lightning-fast, aiming for Bu Eun-seol's throat.
Clang!
Yet, with a metallic ring, his longsword was intercepted by the Ink Sword, sparks flying from the clash.
'What?'
For a moment, Yeo Hwan-jin couldn't hide his surprise.
'How did he block it?'
The essence of the Flowing Cloud Sword was like a leaf swaying in the wind.
That is, when the enemy attacked, it would yield and flow away, exploiting openings—a Flowing Sword of the Extreme Realm.
Even if an opponent launched a hundred fierce strikes, the sword would only be pushed back—never clashing head-on.
"A lucky hit!"
Yeo Hwan-jin unleashed the Flowing Cloud Sword once more, this time weaving in the subtle principle of Floating Shadow Shifting Form.
Clang! Clash!
Yet Bu Eun-seol's Ink Sword struck his blade with precision, like a bee homing in on the scent of flowers.
'Am I fighting a ghost right now?'
Flustered, Yeo Hwan-jin withdrew his sword and retreated.
Though Bu Eun-seol had seized the perfect advantage, Bu Eun-seol only grinned, making no move to pursue.
"What in the world is going on?"
Yeo Hwan-jin furrowed his brow, his expression one of utter incomprehension.
"The Flowing Cloud Sword, which should be pushed aside by even the lightest breeze...?"
In response, Bu Eun-seol pointed at Yeo Hwan-jin's sword-wielding hand.
"A sword long wielded bears the habits of its master."
After exhaling deeply, Bu Eun-seol continued.
"And I merely listened to it."
"Hahaha."
Yeo Hwan-jin, still dazed, burst into laughter as if the idea were absurd.
"What nonsense are you spouting? That a sword retains its wielder's habits? Does it have a mouth to speak?"
This reaction was perhaps natural.
If one could discern a swordsman's habits just by examining his blade, then no martial artist in all of Murim would ever entrust their sword to another for repairs.
"You don't believe me."
Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly, as if Yeo Hwan-jin's skepticism was expected.
The faint traces left on a blade—invisible to the eye, intangible to the touch—
Only Bu Eun-seol, whose Way of the Beast had honed his senses to their extreme and aligned them with his Spirit and Mind, could perceive them.
"When you wield your sword with the Floating Shadow Shifting Form, you raise the nails of your thumb and index finger to channel True Qi—likely to grip the sword more lightly."
Bu Eun-seol spoke leisurely.
"And when transitioning between Sword Strokes, you habitually form the Sword-Formula Finger Gesture with your left hand. Probably to guard against openings in that brief moment."
Yeo Hwan-jin stared at him as if seeing a ghost.
'Could this disciple of the Demonic Path truly possess the ability to commune with a sword?'
"You... how did you—"
"I told you. The sword told me."
Yeo Hwan-jin felt as though he was being toyed with.
After a moment of deep contemplation, he suddenly burst into a dry chuckle, as if realizing something.
"Foolish."
"..."
"Even if what you say is true, why would you reveal all the tells you've discovered right in front of your opponent?"
Yeo Hwan-jin smirked, looking at Bu Eun-seol with amusement.
"Someone of my caliber can change such habits in an instant. Meaning you've just thrown away your only advantage."
Masters who had reached the Transcendent Realm, like Yeo Hwan-jin, had complete control over their bodies through their Spirit and Mind. In other words, trivial habits could be corrected immediately.
"Hohoho."
Bu Eun-seol, however, only laughed softly in response.
"Hahahaha!"
"What's so amusing?"
"Do you truly believe that what I just mentioned constitutes all of your habits?"
"What?"
"Surely you don't think that after twenty years, the few things I pointed out are the only unconscious habits you possess."
At that moment, the smile on Yeo Hwan-jin's lips froze into something cold.
'So that's it.'
A meticulous master like Bu Eun-seol would never reveal all of his insights.
There must still be countless habits Yeo Hwan-jin himself remained unaware of.
And any one of them could become a noose tightening around his neck at any moment.
'Unbelievable!'
Gripping his sword tightly, Yeo Hwan-jin drew it once more and unleashed the Flowing Cloud Sword.
Clang! Clang!
But each time he executed it, the Ink Sword intercepted his strikes. Bu Eun-seol, having already discerned his habits, had preemptively seized control of the Sword Path.
As every wild swing of the Flowing Cloud Sword was blocked without fail, a chill ran down Yeo Hwan-jin's spine.
'So he truly knows habits even I'm unaware of.'
Having his mannerisms and idiosyncrasies laid bare, it was as if the martial techniques he had honed for twenty years had been sealed away.
Clang! Clash!
In the meantime, the Ink Sword and the longsword collided repeatedly in mid-air. With each impact, the edge of Yeo Hwan-jin's blade chipped away.
Had he not infused his entire sword with surging internal energy, the razor-sharp Ink Sword would have already shattered it.
Clang!
When the two blades clashed once more with tremendous force, both fighters simultaneously retreated.
The composed smile that had lingered on Yeo Hwan-jin's face had vanished, replaced by a grave expression.
It seemed he had finally acknowledged Bu Eun-seol as an opponent capable of threatening his life.
'So I've managed to close the one-year gap to some extent.'
By deciphering the traces and habits embedded in the swordplay, Bu Eun-seol had effectively sealed the Flowing Cloud Sword and could now fight on equal footing.
The real battle was only just beginning.
Click.
As Yeo Hwan-jin straightened his longsword, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Ten Demonic Heir. You truly are a demonic seed who cannot be allowed to live."
A formidable energy, unseen until now, erupted from his body as he raised his sword.
The more his energy surged, the taller he seemed to grow, as though transforming into a giant reaching for the heavens.
'This is his true strength.'
Just standing there, Bu Eun-seol felt an oppressive force bearing down on him.
Whirling energy transformed Yeo Hwan-jin into something entirely different.
"Interesting. A successor of the Daoist Sword Studies, yet exuding such killing intent."
At Bu Eun-seol's murmur, Yeo Hwan-jin's eyes flashed.
"Killing one great evil can save ten thousand innocent lives."
A faint glow emanated from the longsword in his grip.
"Die!"
In an instant, Yeo Hwan-jin closed the distance, launching himself into the air to cleave Bu Eun-seol's skull.
Zzzing!
Time seemed to freeze—then Yeo Hwan-jin's body multiplied into dozens of copies mid-air.
The attack was too sudden, too fast. In response, the Beast Path activated instinctively.
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's blood circulated several times faster, his dynamic vision and reflexes expanding dozens of times.
This was an extreme sensory state he hadn't even been able to access before.
'Is this also due to the connection between the Beast Path and the Anti-Extremity Divine Art's spirit and mind...?'
Pushing aside his astonishment, Bu Eun-seol scrutinized Yeo Hwan-jin's blade in the frozen moment.
Each of the dozens of copies was performing a different motion.
This was less orthodox swordsmanship and more akin to the bizarre Demonic Sword Arts.
'Even if I use Swift Shadowless, I won't be able to evade this completely.'
Whoooosh!
Then, time resumed its flow, and the countless sword strokes from Yeo Hwan-jin's multiplied forms swallowed Bu Eun-seol whole.
"This is the end."
Just as Yeo Hwan-jin began to smile in triumph—
Clang-clang-clang!
Amid the relentless clashing of steel, a radiant light spilled from Bu Eun-seol's body, still engulfed by the storm of sword energy.
"Impossible!"
Yeo Hwan-jin's eyes widened.
There, crouched low, Bu Eun-seol was deflecting every single one of the hundreds of sword strokes raining down upon him.
'This defies all logic.'
The sheer number of simultaneous attacks, each with a different trajectory, was impossible to count or analyze in such a short time.
Yet Bu Eun-seol was parrying them all—as if he had long since deciphered every single stroke.
The Heavenly Sword Society's Peerless Defense Form—a technique capable of blocking any sword form that responded to killing intent.
The Fluorescent Sword Control had manifested.
Clang-clang-clang!
Finally breaking free from the storm of sword energy, Bu Eun-seol shot toward Yeo Hwan-jin like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Yeo Hwan-jin, who had been certain of his flawless victory, had never anticipated a counterattack.
He was completely defenseless.
"Ugh!"
In desperation, he swung his longsword to guard.
Flash!
But the lightning-like brilliance erupting from the Ink Sword was faster.
The Peerless Thunderbolt Form had been unleashed.
For this fleeting opportunity, the instantaneous killing sword of the Peerless Thunderbolt was more fitting than the Formless Heavenly Flow.
Shhk!
With the sound of rending flesh, the Ink Sword—like a demon's tongue—pierced straight through Yeo Hwan-jin's chest.
Click.
As Bu Eun-seol withdrew the blade—
Gush.
A thick line of blood spilled from the corner of Yeo Hwan-jin's lips.
"Ugh..."
Too weak to stand, he staggered and collapsed against a nearby tree stump.
"Huff... Huff..."
With each labored breath, more blood seeped out, draining the color from his face.
"A single... lightning-like sword technique."
Even as death loomed, Yeo Hwan-jin did not lose his smile.
"But the technique that countered my Hundred-fold Linked Ring Technique is even more astonishing. Is it a sword art of Langya Pavilion?"
Bu Eun-seol gazed at Yeo Hwan-jin's dimming eyes and replied quietly.
"Fluorescent Sword Control."
"Fluorescent Sword Control? I've never heard of it."
"A defensive sword form devised by the Thousand Swords Society. It reacts to killing intent and deflects sword strokes."
"Reacting to killing intent... Ah, I see."
Yeo Hwan-jin shook his head ruefully.
"In my final moment, I abandoned my sect's swordplay and used the Hundred-fold Linked Ring Technique he taught me. That was my mistake."
"Hundred-fold Linked Ring Technique?"
The name was unfamiliar.
Bu Eun-seol swept a sharp gaze over him.
"Was that the technique you used just now?"
"Yes."
Blood trickled from his lips as he gasped for breath.
"Each of the Great Righteous Experts was entrusted with a single sword form capable of destroying Demonic Path Martial Arts. The one I inherited was..."
His words trailed off.
Having lost too much blood, his eyes widened—then froze in death.