Chapter 550
Swish!
The man drew a folding fan from his sleeve and flicked it open.
But it wasn't an ordinary bamboo fan—it was a metal-ribbed iron fan.
Whirr!
As he swung the iron fan, intricate martial forms unfurled like waves, effortlessly deflecting the barrage of sword strokes Bu Eun-seol unleashed.
Shhk—!
Bu Eun-seol shifted his sword technique mid-motion, releasing over a dozen streaks of Sword Qi that coiled around Mu-gyeol's body.
Without resorting to True Void, he sought to gauge Mu-gyeol's martial prowess through the subtleties of the Formless Beyond Forms Principle.
"How composed."
Mu-gyeol seemed to have read Bu Eun-seol's intent. With a light flick of his wrist, the iron fan danced through the air.
Every stance, every technique—he redirected them all with the fluidity of flowing water, as though wielding the iron fan to execute a new variation of the Iron Sword Thirteen Forms.
'As expected of the Divine Calculator's disciple.'
The Iron Sword Thirteen Forms was a martial art refined by the Divine Calculator himself. Naturally, he would have passed it down to his student.
In applying the intricacies of Deflect Flowers and Receive Jade, even Bu Eun-seol couldn't match Mu-gyeol's mastery.
Whirr—! Crrk!
With every swing of the iron fan, every attack Bu Eun-seol launched was effortlessly neutralized, dissolving into nothingness.
Shhkk—!
The Ink Soul Sword resonated with a keen, piercing hum.
Finally, Bu Eun-seol began weaving the Formless Heavenly Flow.
Yet Mu-gyeol's Fan Technique stood unyielding—an indestructible, supple shield.
Deflect. Deflect. Deflect.
No matter what was thrown at him, he rebuffed it all. Even for Bu Eun-seol, it was proving futile.
"Good."
Mu-gyeol's defensive tactics might have held firm against countless formidable opponents.
But not against Bu Eun-seol.
He possessed multiple forms of Internal Power capable of dismantling even the staunchest defenses.
'No need to stall. No need to hold back.'
While posing as Seon-u Jin, he had been forced to restrain himself—unable to unleash True Void freely, his Internal Energy tightly leashed.
But now, there was no such constraint.
Oooom—!
A swirling vortex of white and crimson light erupted from Bu Eun-seol's hands.
He was simultaneously channeling the Glacier Thousand Streams Art and the Great Stillness Heat River True Qi.
Hwiiing—!
Before long, the white light deepened into azure, while the crimson darkened into a mingled violet.
As he unleashed the full might of the Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang martial arts, Water Essence Divine Qi and Thunder Essence Divine Qi instinctively manifested to shield his body.
Fwooosh—!
The moment Bu Eun-seol released the combined forces of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang, Mu-gyeol's eyes widened.
Not only was there no one in the Murim who could wield such opposing forces simultaneously—
The sheer scale of the energy surging forth was vast enough to engulf the entire Guan Shrine vicinity.
Ooom—!
With no means to evade, Mu-gyeol erected a massive Astral Energy Barrier to block Bu Eun-seol's assault.
The mere act of conjuring such a barrier proved his Internal Energy surpassed three centuries of cultivation.
Yet, regrettably, it still fell short of Bu Eun-seol's level.
"Ghk—!"
And as the perfectly harmonized forces of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang crashed down, his Astral Energy Barrier was breached without resistance.
Zzzzt—!
Just as his body was on the verge of being incinerated, a sudden white light spilled from Mu-gyeol's eyes.
Simultaneously, he closed the distance, pressing flush against Bu Eun-seol.
Then—he deliberately drew the surging energy into his own body, forcing a contest of Internal Energy.
'Amusing.'
Bu Eun-seol smirked, recognizing Mu-gyeol's ploy to shift the battle into a clash of Internal Power.
'Very well. Let's play your game.'
Ooom—!
The moment the Internal Energy struggle began, Bu Eun-seol's overwhelming power bore down on Mu-gyeol's body.
But the disparity in Internal Power wasn't a mere numbers game.
The higher the cultivation, the more pronounced even the slightest gap became.
Mu-gyeol's Internal Energy far exceeded three centuries—yet Bu Eun-seol's surpassed five.
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, it was no different from a child arrogantly charging at him, only to be swatted aside.
But then—something strange happened.
Crack.
Suddenly, from Mu-gyeol's body surged a True Qi eerily similar to Bu Eun-seol's own Reverse Polarity True Qi.
And just like that, Bu Eun-seol's Internal Energy vanished without a trace—like a stone swallowed by the Vast Open Sea.
Because the True Qi Mu-gyeol emitted—
Mimicked the very origin of Reverse Polarity True Qi, enveloping Bu Eun-seol's Internal Energy as though it were its progenitor.
'So he really is Jeong Cheon-je's disciple.'
Mu-gyeol had deliberately lured him into an Internal Energy battle.
Then, using the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, he replicated a True Qi nearly identical to Bu Eun-seol's Reverse Polarity True Qi.
When two energies share the same origin, they cannot harm each other—rendering any advantage in cultivation level meaningless.
'So the Heavenly Robe Mind Art can be used like this.'
He had assumed it was merely a tool to discern others' Internal Energy secrets.
But it could also mimic the foundational energy of a stronger opponent, nullifying the very concept of superiority in Internal Power.
"Why did Jeong Cheon-je teach the Heavenly Robe Mind Art so recklessly?"
It was known that the Heavenly Robe Mind Art, created by Jeong Cheon-je, had never been passed down to anyone.
Yet, his grandfather had mastered it, and now the man before him, Mu-gyeol, wielded it freely.
"Moreover, there is no such figure as Mu-gyeol in the murim."
In fact, despite claiming to be the Divine Calculator's disciple, Mu-gyeol was entirely unknown in the martial world.
"Which means—"
A chilling thought struck Bu Eun-seol.
Mu-gyeol.
What if this man was not Jeong Cheon-je's true disciple? What if he had never been formally acknowledged anywhere?
Like the blue-eyed man he had once seen in the Martial Alliance—was he merely being treated as expendable?
Shiik!
At that moment, Mu-gyeol's initial stance shifted.
Realizing the futility of an internal energy clash, he transitioned seamlessly into close combat, launching attacks designed to overwhelm Bu Eun-seol.
A folding fan, wielded like a dagger, held an advantage over a longsword in tight quarters.
Swish! Swish!
With each flick of the fan, hundreds of shadowy afterimages coiled around Bu Eun-seol's body like serpents.
As he blocked the dizzying onslaught of iron fan, a strange realization dawned on him.
Mu-gyeol's tactics—nullifying the internal energy struggle and immediately shifting to close combat—were not improvised. They had been honed over years.
If so, then the Heavenly Robe Mind Art...
Could it have been devised by Jeong Cheon-je specifically to counter opponents with superior internal power?
An eerie thought took root.
"Is there truly anyone in the current murim with internal energy surpassing Jeong Cheon-je's?"
In sheer depth of internal power, the orthodox sects' mental cultivation methods surpassed those of the Demonic Path.
And Jeong Cheon-je was said to have mastered countless orthodox advanced techniques to an unfathomable degree.
By internal energy alone, he was unrivaled.
So why would he create such a technique and pass it down to his disciples?
Unless... it wasn't for himself, but for his disciples' safety?
But then, why wouldn't Mu-gyeol be recognized as a true disciple?
Pat!
In that instant, a gust from the iron fan grazed Bu Eun-seol's cheek, drawing blood.
"Am I such an easy opponent that you can afford to lose focus?"
Mu-gyeol's taunting expression hardened as he saw Bu Eun-seol—smiling.
His eyes gleamed with a bloody light, his grin akin to a beast locking onto prey.
"Let me show you."
Srrrk!
Bu Eun-seol swung Ink Soul Sword once more.
"The greatness of Langya Pavilion."
Shiiing!
Once again, he wielded his sword without fixed forms, this time reproducing the Carefree Sect's White Rainbow Thirty-Six Hands.
The Carefree Sect's martial arts, like the Wave-Treading Steps, specialized in deflecting all attacks.
Yet Bu Eun-seol's current assault had no discernible form—only the inverted principles of Mu-gyeol's own counterattacks.
He withdrew when expected to deflect, shifted direction the moment a reversal was attempted.
If Mu-gyeol retreated, Bu Eun-seol pursued; if he advanced, Bu Eun-seol clung like a water ghost.
"Tch."
A frustrated exhale escaped Mu-gyeol's lips.
Bu Eun-seol had instantly grasped the essence of the White Rainbow Thirty-Six Hands and turned it against him, making it impossible to fully redirect the force.
Swish! Swish!
With no other choice, Mu-gyeol abandoned defense and clashed head-on.
Clang! Clang!
The Ink Soul Sword and iron fan collided in rapid succession, ringing with a clear metallic resonance.
Though the iron fan was as durable as a treasured sword, they were no match for Mokhon.
Each block damaged the fan, its teeth breaking off one by one.
"So this is the martial art of Langya Pavilion."
Pat.
Suddenly, Mu-gyeol activated his movement technique, leaping back over 300 feet in an instant.
Tzzzt!
Yet Bu Eun-seol was already chasing his retreating shadow.
"Did you think your movement technique surpassed mine?"
Before Mu-gyeol could react, Bu Eun-seol was beside him, a frosty smile playing on his lips.
"Not even close."
Mu-gyeol grinned and stretched out both hands.
"I was saving this."
Swish!
As his arms spread, dozens of swords erupted from the ground near Guan Yu Temple.
Myriad Swords' Ancestor.
The name referred not just to a sword technique, but to an advanced sword study—controlling countless blades through gestures and internal energy, akin to the Hand-Controlled Sword Art.
In that critical moment, Mu-gyeol revealed his trap—dozens of swords, hidden in the Guan Yu Temple in advance.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
As Mu-gyeol stretched both hands into the air and moved them erratically, over forty treasured swords shot toward Bu Eun-seol.
They did not simply rain down in straight lines—each blade moved at different speeds, angles, and trajectories, carrying within them profound techniques and formations.
'Impressive.'
This single move of Mu-gyeol's carried the force of forty peerless swordsmen attacking Bu Eun-seol simultaneously.
To counter such a technique, one would either have to unleash swordplay of equal might—
Or swiftly escape the range of the Hand-Controlled Sword Art.
And Bu Eun-seol chose the former.
Whoooosh—!
In that instant, dozens of Sword Qi manifested around Bu Eun-seol's body, matching the exact number of blades raining down upon him through Myriad Swords' Ancestor.
All of them were dyed black, brimming with Internal Power capable of annihilating everything in existence.
He had used the Willful True Binding to materialize his overflowing Internal Energy into tangible swords of True Qi.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
As the swords forged by the Willful True Binding clashed against Mu-gyeol's Myriad Swords' Ancestor, an unending metallic cacophony erupted.
No matter how formidable the Willful True Binding was—
It could not compare to the might of Mu-gyeol's Myriad Swords' Ancestor, which channeled Internal Energy into real blades.
Thud-thud-thud!
In the end, the Hand-Controlled Sword Art unleashed through Myriad Swords' Ancestor shattered the swords formed by the Willful True Binding—
And began pouring down in a straight line toward Bu Eun-seol's mid-chest pressure point.
Shwaaak!
There was no dodging this. Bu Eun-seol was on the verge of being skewered by dozens of blades.
Bzzzzzt—!
But the swords lined up in formation could advance no further.
The moment their tips were about to pierce Bu Eun-seol's skin—
The Internal Power controlling Mu-gyeol's Myriad Swords' Ancestor shifted toward Bu Eun-seol's body instead.
Heavenly Robe Mind Art.
By applying this ancient secret technique, which allowed synchronization with an opponent's Internal Energy, Bu Eun-seol had used the extended line of swords as a medium to disrupt the force behind Mu-gyeol's Myriad Swords' Ancestor.
"How...?"
Mu-gyeol's eyes widened in shock, bulging like saucers.
Could it be that Bu Eun-seol had already mastered Langya Mind's Eye, just like Ak Mu-ryeong—
And had instantly stolen and comprehended even an esoteric art like the Heavenly Robe Mind Art?
Thud.
As the force controlling Myriad Swords' Ancestor failed to sustain itself—
Clatter-clang!
The treasured swords, lined up against Bu Eun-seol's chest, all collapsed to the ground at once.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol did not waste the opportunity. He immediately closed the distance and thrust his sword toward Mu-gyeol's throat.
Sssk!
Even before the blade made contact, its sheer sharpness split Mu-gyeol's veil cleanly in two.
At the same time, the face of a dignified, clear-eyed middle-aged man was revealed.
Surprisingly, the shape of his eyes bore a striking resemblance to Bu Eun-seol's.
However, his angular jaw and large ears emphasized a far more masculine aura.
Click.
Instead of piercing through Mu-gyeol's face, Bu Eun-seol halted Ink Soul Sword just above his philtrum.
"Do you admit defeat?"
Mu-gyeol glanced at the blade pointed at him and shook his head.
"At this level, I won't die."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"My master said that if someone could break Myriad Swords' Ancestor, I should inform them."
"What kind of drivel is this?"
"Returning Dragon Mountain. Ten Thousand Immortals Peak."
Mu-gyeol spoke with an indifferent expression.
"That is where the Sword Sovereign resides in seclusion. And... he possesses a single Gratitude Coin."
In an instant, flames flickered in Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
"So you're saying... I must bring a Gratitude Coin to meet the Divine Calculator?"
"Correct. Weren't you planning to ask my master something anyway?"
Mu-gyeol shrugged.
"One question per Gratitude Coin. That's the rule."
"You'll have to repeat your answer."
A chilling Killing Intent flashed in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"Unless you intend for those words to be your last."
"There's nothing I can do."
Mu-gyeol shrugged again.
"Just as sects have their laws, the Gratitude Coin is a rule set by my master. If an outsider tries to break it, I have no choice but to defend it with my life."
Every faction had absolute laws, and they guarded them with their lives.
Because if those rules collapsed, so too would the sect's prestige and pride.
"So without a Gratitude Coin, there's no way to meet the Divine Calculator."
"That's right."
Crunch.
Bu Eun-seol tightened his grip on Ink Soul Sword.
Murim warriors were prideful beings who guarded their sect's laws as fiercely as their own lives.
Especially someone like Mu-gyeol—no amount of torture would make him talk.
"Fine."
Click.
As Bu Eun-seol sheathed Ink Soul Sword, his eyes churned with Killing Intent sharp enough to tear the heavens apart.
"If you dare spout nonsense despite bringing the Gratitude Coin..."
His voice and gaze carried the finality of the King of Hell's ultimatum.
"I will sever your head without fail."
"Such bloodthirsty words."
Mu-gyeol responded with an unshaken smile.
"Save your worries and just find the Gratitude Coin."
Meeting Bu Eun-seol's gaze with composure, he continued:
"Come to Heavenly Escape Ridge once you have it. I'll be waiting."
"Fine. But if this is another trick..."
Crimson light flickered in Bu Eun-seol's eyes as he stared at Mu-gyeol.
"You may look forward to the consequences."
Then he turned away.
Mu-gyeol merely smiled serenely without reply—as if silently guaranteeing there would be no deception.
The ravine of Returning Dragon Mountain in Shanxi stretched over seventy li.
Upon arrival, Bu Eun-seol immediately ascended toward Ten Thousand Immortals Peak without pausing his movement technique.
After climbing relentlessly, a sheer cliff of crimson rock rose before him, towering hundreds of feet high.
Pausing briefly to observe the precipice, Bu Eun-seol resumed his ascent.
When he finally reached heights that seemed to scrape the heavens, a flat plateau unfolded before him.
Wildflowers and strangely shaped boulders dotted the leveled ground where small cultivated plots surrounded a solitary thatched cottage.
An aura of transcendent seclusion permeated the area—as if an immortal resided here.
If Mu-gyeol spoke true,
the greatest swordsman in all Murim dwelled within.
Creak—
As Bu Eun-seol approached the cottage, the door opened to reveal an elderly man with hands clasped behind his back.
The Sword Sage, Heonwon Dam-cheong.
The peerless swordsman who once placed the entire martial world beneath his feet through Myriad Forms One Style now lived in secluded retirement, far removed from worldly affairs.
"Honored Elder."
Bu Eun-seol pressed his palms together in respect.
Though theirs was no favorable connection, he bore no ill will toward Heonwon Dam-cheong.
True, the old man had attacked him in petty vengeance for the Heavenly Sword's death.
Yet upon realizing his error and shame, he sought only to sever one arm in atonement.
Moreover, when learning of Bu Eun-seol's ties to the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, he immediately ceased hostilities and departed.
Others might deem such actions dishonorable,
but Bu Eun-seol, himself driven by vengeance, recognized the tremendous restraint it required.
Furthermore, their clash had allowed him to grasp the profound Sword Principles within Myriad Forms One Style—knowledge that proved invaluable during subsequent crises.
From Bu Eun-seol's perspective, theirs was not entirely an unfortunate bond.
"You."
Heonwon Dam-cheong frowned deeply upon seeing Bu Eun-seol's gesture of respect.
"Why have you come?"
"I've come to pay my respects, Elder."
"This old man has left Murim behind."
Without even inquiring his purpose, the Sword Sage issued an expulsion order.
"I no longer involve myself in worldly matters. Leave."
"I heard you possess a Gratitude Coin."
"A Gratitude Coin?"
The unexpected statement made Heonwon Dam-cheong blink in bewilderment.
"And so?"
"I have urgent need of it."
"Ha ha ha!"
He erupted in laughter tinged with disbelief.
"So. You came to wrest it from this old man's hands?"
"How could that be? Only that I require it to—"
Bu Eun-seol began explaining his circumstances—
how the coin was essential to uncovering his origins.
But Heonwon Dam-cheong waved him off before he could finish.
"Whatever your circumstances, they concern me not."
"Elder—"
"Go back."
Bu Eun-seol exhaled deeply.
He couldn't forcibly take what belonged to the man called Sword Sage.
Nor would pleading move such a person to generosity.
That left only the final method he'd contemplated during his journey here.
"In your youth, Elder, you devised new sword techniques and wandered the martial world seeking someone capable of deciphering their forms to complete them."
Bu Eun-seol spoke rapidly before the rejection could solidify.
"Yet failing to find a master who matched your vision, you ultimately overcame that sword art to create Myriad Forms One Style instead."
"That was merely the wanderings of youthful folly."
The Sword Sage's icy tone cut through Bu Eun-seol's ploy.
"I've left Murim behind. Even the need to complete those half-formed techniques has faded."
"Are you afraid?"
Bu Eun-seol stared unblinking into Heonwon Dam-cheong's eyes.
"Afraid I might decipher those sword forms?"
"An amateurish provocation strategy."
The old man's laugh held winter's edge.
"You think such taunts would make this old man acquiesce?"
"You once spared me out of respect for your connection to the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade."
Bu Eun-seol invoked that very bond.
"Might you reconsider for my grandfather's sake?"
"Grandfather?"
When Heonwon Dam-cheong blinked in surprise, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
"I am his grandson."