Chapter 65
Walking beside Dan Cheong was a middle-aged man with features so cold one wouldn't expect even a single drop of blood to spill if he were pricked by a needle.
The leader of the Wind Cloud Brigade, Baek Yeon.
"Who would dare stop So-jeon? We're just fortunate it ended without incident."
"Deputy Pavilion Master. Brigade Leader."
As Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply toward the two men, Dan Cheong let out a hearty laugh.
"To think you've grown into such a fine man in just a year!"
When Dan Cheong tossed out his praise, Baek Yeon stepped forward and spoke.
"You saved the daughter of the Demons-Control Department Director and even took down the Gong Twin Demons in the end?"
"How did you know?"
The missions of the Slaughter-Seeking Squad and the affairs of its members were all top secret. Even the Demon Hall's high command couldn't obtain such information unless directly involved.
Baek Yeon smiled faintly as he observed Bu Eun-seol's startled expression.
"Under normal circumstances, we would've barely managed to uncover such details."
With a cryptic smile, he continued.
"But thanks to you turning Yueyang upside down, every intelligence organization has taken notice of you."
Since Bu Eun-seol's arrival in Yueyang, the intelligence networks of the Righteous Faction operating in the Hunan region had been brought to the brink of collapse.
Because of this, not only the Demon Hall but even the Righteous Faction had become desperate to uncover the identity of the mysterious figure known as Eighteen, who had silently wreaked havoc in Yueyang.
"I had no idea."
A lie.
Bu Eun-seol already had access to all the intelligence flowing into the Yueyang Branch. Thus, he was well aware of not just the Demon Hall's movements but also those of the Martial Alliance to some extent.
But Baek Yeon, completely oblivious to Bu Eun-seol's feigned ignorance, curled the corner of his lips.
"Of course you wouldn't know. The Demon Hall's various intelligence organizations have been going all out to conceal your identity."
"So the Demon Hall has been helping me?"
"If your true identity were exposed, wouldn't those arrows turn toward the Demon Hall? Thanks to that, the Main Pavilion has been dispatching Wind Cloud Brigade members to Yueyang almost daily."
Dan Cheong, who had been listening to Baek Yeon, let out another hearty laugh, as if greatly amused.
"There were endless debates about which faction had sent Eighteen of the Yueyang Branch. When it was finally revealed to be you, the Demon Hall was utterly stunned. Heh heh heh."
"This is no laughing matter, Deputy Pavilion Master."
Baek Yeon sighed as he spoke.
"Because this boy stirred up the entire Hunan region as a Slaughter-Seeking Squad member, hasn't he drawn unnecessary attention?"
"Unnecessary attention, you say."
"The Demon Hall is beginning to mobilize the Ten Demonic Heirs in earnest. But if this boy keeps attracting notice, won't they just assign him increasingly brutal missions?"
"Hmm."
The Ten Demonic Heirs.
A program modeled after the Martial Alliance's Joint Heirs initiative, where individuals—regardless of sect—were generously taught the martial arts of the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
The problem was that, though they were called "heirs" in name, they were essentially treated as expendable tools meant to eliminate the Great Righteous Experts.
Most of the Demonic Path Ten Gates already had outstanding disciples and heirs of their own.
Given the Demon Hall's plan to hastily create the Ten Demonic Heirs from outsiders, the sects found it difficult to accept them as their own disciples.
"So you're saying the more exceptional this boy proves to be, the harsher the missions they'll assign him."
At Dan Cheong's words, Baek Yeon nodded.
"Even the existing successors of the Demonic Path Ten Gates view the Ten Demonic Heirs with disdain. After all, they've been granted their sects' Divine Arts and Supreme Techniques without reservation."
"No matter how outstanding the Ten Demonic Heirs may be, they're still seen as unwelcome interlopers."
"Exactly."
Baek Yeon shook his head as he looked at Bu Eun-seol.
"The existing disciples and factions of the Demonic Path Ten Gates are all hoping the Ten Demonic Heirs will perish alongside the Great Righteous Experts in one fell swoop. That's why they keep pressuring the Demon Hall to deploy them."
"Hmm."
Dan Cheong narrowed his eyes.
"Well, when we went to Hell Island, there were plenty of other impressive candidates besides this one."
"Unlike our Main Pavilion, the other Demonic Path Ten Gates are tangled in factional strife and power struggles over succession... So even if they've acquired an outstanding Ten Demonic Heir, they can't exactly celebrate."
As Baek Yeon explained, Dan Cheong chuckled.
"The higher-ups of the other Demonic Path Ten Gates must be nursing headaches."
Langya Pavilion operates solely on merit.
But that's a rare exception.
Fundamentally, a martial sect is a coalition of power and order. It's impossible to completely disregard the fractured factions within a sect and appoint an heir without resistance.
"By my estimate, the Demon Hall will summon the Ten Demonic Heirs within a year and a half—no, within a year."
"A year?"
"Originally, I predicted around three years, but with the factions of the Demonic Path Ten Gates applying such pressure... The Demon Hall will reach a decision within a year at the latest."
"I see."
Gathering all manner of intelligence from the martial world to predict future events—that was the duty of the Wind and Cloud Corps commander.
And Baek Yeon's predictions had never once been wrong.
"Good. I was planning to keep an eye on this child for a year anyway. The Main Pavilion has its pride too."
"So it seems."
Baek Yeon nodded, then abruptly remarked,
"Though... come to think of it, isn't he a bit too grown-up to be called a child now?"
"Ah, true."
Dan Cheong sighed as he observed Bu Eun-seol, whose bearing now exuded the dignity of a seasoned martial artist.
"He no longer looks the part of a child... and yet, to my eyes, he still seems like a scrawny kid."
Perhaps it was because Dan Cheong held affection for Bu Eun-seol. And Bu Eun-seol, aware of that sentiment, clasped his hands together.
"I am merely a disciple of Langya Pavilion. Please address me as you see fit."
"Hahaha. Your way with words has improved quite a bit in the meantime."
Dan Cheong let out a hearty laugh, then nodded and asked,
"Bu Eun-seol. Will you learn martial arts from this deputy pavilion master for a year?"
This was already the second time.
Dan Cheong had once before attempted to teach Bu Eun-seol. But back then, Eun-seol had refused, determined to pursue his own path of Practical Combat Martial Arts.
Yet now, under these circumstances, he would never refuse.
Dan Cheong was certain of it.
"Could you show me a demonstration first?"
But Bu Eun-seol's response was unexpected.
"Hm?"
"I wish to refine my own Practical Combat Martial Arts."
Dan Cheong chewed over those words for a long moment before his eyes widened.
"So you're saying this deputy pavilion master must prove himself worthy to teach you? Is that it?"
"No, I meant through actual combat—"
"Heh heh heh..."
Dan Cheong pressed a hand to his forehead, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into mad laughter.
"BAHAHAHA!"
After cackling for a while, he turned to Baek Yeon.
"I truly adore this kid. Do you know why? Because he's never once acted the way I expected!"
Baek Yeon, wearing a grave expression, spoke to Bu Eun-seol.
"Take back those words at once. Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"Let him be."
Dan Cheong grinned slyly.
"This boy's learning speed is monstrous. Rather than drilling him in martial arts for a year, it'd be better to let him experience and observe firsthand."
"Deputy Pavilion Master..."
Ignoring Baek Yeon's protest, Dan Cheong asked Bu Eun-seol with a chuckle,
"What would you have this deputy pavilion master teach you? Fist Palm Finger Art? The eighteen categories of weapons? It makes no difference."
"Teach me sword techniques."
"I knew you'd say that."
Shhhk.
Dan Cheong drew a flexible sword from his waist.
"Assume your stance."
Bu Eun-seol nodded and drew his own sword. Though he stood casually, not a single opening could be seen.
"Good posture."
"Thank you."
Dan Cheong, gripping his flexible sword, spoke plainly.
"This deputy pavilion master will execute but a single sword form. Defend against it as you see fit."
"Understood."
The moment Bu Eun-seol answered, Dan Cheong moved.
Instantly, Bu Eun-seol's vision turned white. No—the entire world was dyed white.
Shhhhhhh—
The light was as dazzling as the morning sun, then shifted into something gentler, like tens of thousands of stars illuminating the night sky.
That intense yet subtle radiance transformed into countless sword strokes, coiling around Bu Eun-seol's entire body.
"Deputy Pavilion Master, you're going too far—!"
Just as Baek Yeon cried out in alarm—
CRACK-CRACKLE!
The longsword forged from hundred-fold refined steel in Bu Eun-seol's hand shattered into dozens of fragments, clattering to the ground.
Simultaneously, fine sword marks etched themselves across every inch of his clothing.
Flutter—
Before he knew it, his robes had been shredded into tattered rags, fluttering in the wind—
SHIIING!
A massive boulder standing dozens of paces away split cleanly in two before crashing to the ground.
RUMBLE... CRRRRK...
As the sound of the boulder rolling echoed, Bu Eun-seol's chest trembled as though his own body had been cleaved in half.
"..."
His ever-calm, frozen pupils were now wide open, and cold sweat poured unceasingly down his back.
'This... is the martial prowess a human can wield?'
Even the martial arts of So-jeon, whom he had fought earlier, had felt like an insurmountable wall—yet he had believed that, someday, he could surpass it.
But the might Dan Cheong had just displayed was truly otherworldly.
The martial arts of Dan Cheong, a Peerless Grandmaster who stood above the martial world, had reached a realm Bu Eun-seol could never have imagined.
"This single stroke I demonstrated contains all the variations of sword arts under heaven."
Dan Cheong spoke indifferently as he observed Bu Eun-seol, who stood frozen.
"I deliberately performed it five times slower than usual. You must have grasped all the essential principles of the technique by now, no?"
At that moment, the corners of Bu Eun-seol's stiffened eyes trembled faintly.
A sword art as fleeting as invisible light—
And that had been performed five times slower?
'There's an entirely new realm beyond this.'
Truthfully, Bu Eun-seol had been somewhat arrogant about his martial prowess.
Until now, he had always grasped the essence of martial arts faster than anyone else, mastering techniques in record time.
He had believed that, given enough time, there was no martial art in this world he couldn't comprehend. But that conviction had been completely overturned.
'Even if I break through my limits again and again... I don't know if I'll ever reach that level.'
The Absolute Sword Art Dan Cheong had displayed was a boundless realm any martial artist would strive for their entire life.
Witnessing that sword technique reignited the passion and warrior spirit that had been cooling within him.
A vague, unseen goal—
That goal had finally taken shape, vast and clear as the heavens themselves.
'This kid...'
Baek Yeon clicked his tongue inwardly as he caught the blazing light in Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
'He's making that kind of expression after seeing just one sword stroke?'
This was the sword art of the Extreme Heaven Realm, surpassing even the Transcendent Realm—a level that had driven even lifelong sword masters to despair.
Yet Bu Eun-seol looked like a boy meeting his first love, unable to calm the pounding in his chest, his eyes burning with fervor.
'Heh heh heh.'
Meanwhile, Dan Cheong, watching this, stifled a burst of laughter.
Just how far would this kid go? What kind of figure would he become in ten years?
'This is going to be fun!'
There had been a time when he found life dull.
But ever since meeting Bu Eun-seol, it felt as though an entirely new world had unfolded before him.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"No."
As Bu Eun-seol shook his head, Dan Cheong turned away with an indifferent expression.
"If you study this for about a year, it will greatly aid your mastery of sword arts."
"Thank you."
When Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply, Baek Yeon placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Bu Eun-seol."
"Speak, sir."
"From now on, don't recklessly—"
Baek Yeon, who had been about to say something, let out a deep sigh instead.
"Never mind. Just work hard."
After shaking his head for a long moment, he turned away and followed Dan Cheong toward the rear garden.
What made a sword technique exceptional?
What increased a sword's might, and what determined the superiority of a sword art?
Bu Eun-seol found the answer in Dan Cheong's sword technique.
It was time.
'The Deputy Pavilion Master unleashed one hundred and eight sword shadows in a single stroke.'
At present, if Bu Eun-seol swung his sword as fast as possible without thought, he could produce twelve sword shadows in one slash.
But Dan Cheong had unleashed one hundred and eight, each with its own profound variation.
Even by simple comparison, Dan Cheong had stretched time more than four times longer than Bu Eun-seol could.
'And sword arts aren't just a matter of time.'
The single stroke Dan Cheong had executed flowed seamlessly, weaving one hundred and eight distinct sword shadows into a single, cohesive motion.
This was only possible because he had naturally incorporated every conceivable variation of martial arts into that one stroke.
"If I can link these one hundred and eight transformations as smoothly as flowing water..."
Bu Eun-seol tightened his grip on his sword.
If he perfectly mastered this single stroke, he would gain true command over the variations a sword could produce.
Once that happened, he would be able to wield his sword freely, unbound by the constraints of form and technique.
Swish!
Bu Eun-seol thrust his sword forward.
Though it was just an ordinary thrust, a fierce current of energy erupted from the blade's tip.
Swish! Swish!
As his sword strokes shifted midair, acceleration took hold, and the tip of his sword began spinning rapidly around him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The faster his strokes became, the more they stirred a massive whirlwind—
Crack!
Then, like a firecracker, they exploded, scattering millions of points of light. Though the sword strokes had unfolded in an instant, the shattered fragments of light lingered in the air for a long time.
"I can't use an ordinary sword for this."
The moment Bu Eun-seol muttered under his breath—
Crack. Thud.
The sword in his grip split apart, its blade shattering into pieces that clattered to the ground.
The sheer, overwhelming force contained within had utterly destroyed it.