Chapter 102: Dancer (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 102: Dancer (2)
A lone dancer stood at the center of the performance troupe, beginning a sword dance.
As Namgung Jun watched the sword move in harmony with the melodies flowing from the troupe's instruments, his eyes gradually widened.
He couldn't help it.
"Something is different."
The thought slipped past Namgung Jun's lips as a quiet murmur. Fortunately, his voice was barely a whisper, and no one nearby paid it any mind.
Everyone was already captivated by the sword dance.
And how could they not be?
The trajectory traced by the dancer, who wore a ridiculous mask, was so profound that it naturally drew every eye.
Swoosh!
The ornately decorated curved sword swayed, swimming gracefully through the air.
Though it seemed to have no great force behind it, the air rippled gently along the sword's path, parting to make way.
The dancer's movements, which had at first followed the melody, began to shift unpredictably.
Gradually, the dancer seized the initiative, and soon the musicians were the ones adjusting their tempo to match the sword dance.
The dancer was now performing something entirely different from what had begun.
Moving in tandem with the dancer's joyful, swaying gestures, the curved sword was astonishingly free and beautiful.
Just when it seemed the blade was being swung at random, it would trace an elegant arc, as if playing with the sunlight.
Beams of light, split long like strands of silk, wrapped around the gleaming, rising blade.
Perhaps because the sword dance was so wondrous, the sunlight lingering on the blade did not scatter but instead seemed to gather around the dancer.
Droplets of light dappled the dancer's already colorful attire.
It was as if the dancer were using the curved sword to draw the sunlight pouring into the clearing toward them.
'How is that possible? It's not like the sword dance is speeding up.'
No matter how artistic a sword dance was, it still had to have a set form.
Yet, the performance before him easily transcended such conventional boundaries.
Though it was his first time seeing this dance, Namgung Jun could be certain of one thing:
'They are simply thrusting the blade as their heart pleases.'
A fleeting thrust became a stepping stone for the next movement, and the exaggerated, joyful gestures invited even more brilliant variations.
The brilliance and trajectory radiating from the dance.
The whistle of the blade splitting the air and the metallic rings that enhanced and harmonized with the melody.
The endless variations that had finally reached the level of myriad transformations.
These various elements blended around the dancer, giving rise to a completely new flow.
Whoosh!
With every minor movement of the dancer spinning around the clearing and wielding the curved sword, the very nature of the dance transformed in a flash.
It was like a sudden shower from a cloudless sky.
Like the myriad phenomena of nature, it was impossible for the human eye to predict.
Shifting multiple times in the span of a single breath, it was impossible to look away.
He was completely spellbound.
He even stopped circulating the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura, something he normally maintained without a second thought.
Thump!
How long had he been watching?
He had completely lost track of time.
A powerful resonance erupted within Namgung Jun.
His heart pounded violently.
Before he knew it, the villagers in his field of vision began to fade away one by one.
The clamor of the instruments filling his ears vanished without a trace.
The only thing left in his senses was the dancer.
No—to Namgung Jun, it wasn't a dance at all. It was no mere performance, but a phenomenon of creation itself, brought to life by the curved sword.
"Ah!"
A soft gasp escaped Namgung Jun's lips.
The breath that followed was deep and hot.
Namgung Jun's hand, gripping his scabbard tightly, trembled slightly.
Surprise, awe, exhilaration, admiration, and curiosity.
The various emotions swirling within him clashed and sublimated into a single, overwhelming desire.
'I want to cross swords with them.'
Just as his pride as a swordsman heated his Mindscape to a boil, Namgung Jun's gaze suddenly shifted to the dancer's mask.
Through the two eyeholes, he saw a pair of dark, intense eyes.
Those joyful eyes curved into crescents. At the same time, the tip of the sword, pointed toward Namgung Jun, bobbed up and down in a clear invitation.
Understanding the gesture, Namgung Jun took a step forward.
Unlike his usual steps, which were always primed to unleash Sword Force at a moment's notice, this stride was infinitely light.
Like a child stepping carefully so as not to leave footprints in fresh snow.
Shring!
Drawing his sword mid-stride, Namgung Jun spun and slashed.
Their blades seemed destined to clash, only to stop a hair's breadth apart before pulling back.
It was a sudden intrusion.
Yet, no one in the clearing tried to stop him.
Even with Namgung Jun's arrival, the dance did not falter. If anything, it became more vibrant and profound.
Though they had not rehearsed, the curved sword and the Eternal Righteous Sword harmonized beautifully, as if they had planned it all along.
Swoosh!
Namgung Jun began to match his rhythm to the dancer's.
They did not speak, nor did they exchange glances.
He simply felt the curved sword's movements with his entire being, letting raw intuition guide his own blade.
The two blades fluttered like a pair of butterflies, toying with the air and sunlight.
The weapons never clashed, each maintaining its own distinct character.
Their trajectories never disrupted each other's flow, instead enhancing one another.
It was as if two brushes were sweeping through the air, painting a landscape together.
The rhythms of the dancer and the swordsman were distinctly different, yet they did not clash.
Their differing footwork coexisted, chasing each other in circular patterns, while their fluttering hand gestures highlighted one another.
'This is...'
Namgung Jun did not try to copy the dancer's movements.
Instead, he sought to infuse his sword with the natural flow of all creation that he had glimpsed through the dance.
Change and stagnation.
All of creation possessed both qualities.
Faced with these two absolute truths, the countless Sword Paths, forms, and stances cluttering Namgung Jun's mind felt utterly redundant.
'It is so vast and distant… there is no end.'
Namgung Jun emptied the clutter from his mind as he danced.
As he cleared his Mindscape, the concept of Boundless at a Glance that had settled at its depths drifted up like smoke, brushing the edges of his consciousness before vanishing.
He forgot form, forgot his insights, and ultimately, forgot himself.
Stripped of everything, he became entirely one with the dance.
He swung his sword again and again.
Forgetting his Mindscape and even himself—this was the Selfless State.
With nothing to block or hinder him, he was without obstacle.
And yet, the vastness flowing through his blade was endless, making it truly Boundless.
Within that infinite vastness, Namgung Jun loftily raised his sword.
'Huh?'
A sudden realization struck him.
He felt as though the sword in his hand was fading the further he thrust it forward—as if the blade were dissolving into thin air.
It was a bizarre sensation he had never experienced in all his years of wielding a sword.
It was utterly ecstatic, yet overwhelming.
But the boy did not resist; he embraced it.
By now, he could no longer tell if he was holding the sword or if he had let it go.
Yet, Namgung Jun continued to manifest his will, guided entirely by his body and mind.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring suddenly filled his head.
Only then did Namgung Jun snap back to reality.
"Huff."
Namgung Jun exhaled a ragged breath.
Just how long had he been swinging his sword? His entire body was drenched in sweat.
As he struggled to catch his breath and looked around, he saw torches glowing warmly throughout the clearing.
Night had fallen without him realizing it.
The sword dance that had begun at noon had only just concluded in the dead of night.
After taking in his surroundings, Namgung Jun finally looked forward.
His Eternal Righteous Sword was held in check by the dancer's angled blade. The sharp clang of their steel meeting must have shattered his Selfless State.
The dancer withdrew the curved sword with a playful flick of the wrist.
"I'd say that's plenty of dancing. Let's call our first performance a wrap."
A cheerful, elegant voice drifted from behind the mask.
It was a soft, slightly high-pitched voice for a man, giving the impression that he was a multi-talented performer who could probably sing beautifully as well.
'To think such a master existed.'
For a moment, he wondered if this was the Heaven-Reliant Sword Lord in disguise, but even at this close distance, he could sense absolutely nothing from the man.
Even if one completely concealed their presence or Qi Wave, the transcendent aura unique to a Peerless Expert could never be fully hidden.
'The world is truly vast.'
Namgung Jun quickly sheathed his sword and bowed respectfully.
"I have learned much."
"No, no. At times like this, the proper response is to say you had fun, isn't it? Our first performance was a beautiful success."
The masked dancer tilted his head slightly and added, "It has been a long time since I had this much fun. Even the village chief can't keep up with my freestyle sword dancing like you did."
Shrugging his shoulders in an exaggerated manner, the dancer turned and walked away without a backward glance.
It was a shame the dancer never removed the mask, leaving his face a mystery.
Namgung Jun stared at the dancer's receding figure for a long time.
Though the lingering emotions ran deep, Namgung Jun immediately sat cross-legged in the clearing.
'That sword dance... was a truly immense fortuitous encounter.'
He immediately sat and entered meditation, seeking to preserve the precious martial insight he had gained from this unexpected encounter within his Mindscape.
* * *
Following his chance encounter with the dancer, Namgung Jun stayed in Suyeon Village for seven days and nights.
He held onto the hope that he might cross paths with the dancer once more.
But whether they had simply missed each other or the troupe had left the village for another performance, he never got the chance to meet him again.
'Searching for him by force would only be a nuisance.'
The clearing, bustling with its usual vitality, now felt strangely empty to Namgung Jun.
Yet, to desire anything more would be pure greed.
'It is enough. Gaining the insight of Boundless at a Glance is already an immense fortune.'
Even now, the insights of the Vast and Empty Sky and Boundless at a Glance swirled and intertwined within his mind.
He would need to find the time to properly refine and integrate these two insights.
Letting out a wry sigh, Namgung Jun turned around.
He could not stay in Suyeon Village forever, so he resolved to return to the clan's main estate.
As he made his way down the mountain path and prepared to descend a steep valley, Namgung Jun suddenly froze.
A group of people was climbing up the valley, fighting their way against the rushing torrent.
The attire of these martial artists was all too familiar.
'The Sun-Moon Demonic Cult!'
The Demonic Practitioners also stopped in their tracks and looked up, having spotted Namgung Jun standing at the edge of the cliff above.
'Is their target Suyeon Village?!'
In that brief instant, Namgung Jun's mind raced.
There could only be one reason why these cultists had ventured so deep into these remote mountains, laboring to climb this treacherous valley.
They must have finally discovered the hidden Closed-Door Cultivation site of the Heaven-Reliant Sword Lord.
'There is no way to warn Suyeon Village, and no time to evacuate the villagers.'
Having swiftly assessed the situation, Namgung Jun placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.
"A martial worlder in a place like this? Capture him!"
At the middle-aged Demonic Practitioner's command, the cultists at the front leaped off the wet rocks, executing their Lightness Skills in unison.
In the blink of an eye, they surrounded Namgung Jun, thrusting their weapons toward him.
At that exact moment, a surge of blue Thunder Qi erupted violently from Namgung Jun's scabbard.
Perhaps because he had channeled more Internal Energy than necessary, the moment he drew his blade, blinding streaks of blue light erupted in all directions as a deafening thunderclap shook the entire valley.
CRACK-BOOM!
The cultists who had lunged at him were instantly sliced into dozens of pieces, their remains raining down into the gorge.
Their blood quickly stained the rushing waters of the valley.
Looking down at the blood-red water churning below, Namgung Jun shook his head.
"Don't come any further," he said, his voice cold. "You're fouling the water."