The White Tiger's Dominion
At the end of the sparring match, Baekri Hyeong swallowed a bitter smile. “I wanted to keep things moderate.” When the energy of the Taecheong Divine Art swept across the training ground, he realized his original plan had become impossible. He had intended to win by the narrowest of margins, just enough to show a difference in skill without humiliating the Wudang disciple. But with the White Tiger’s aura now fully revealed, such restraint was a luxury he could no longer afford.
“Should I just go all out?”
Above all else, he wanted to keep the Black Tortoise technique hidden. No martial artist worth their salt would reveal every weapon they possessed, especially not against someone who was no mere novice. He planned to conceal both the sword art his father had taught him and the Black Tortoise technique, for both carried paths that could utterly destroy an opponent.
“Then what remains…”
He drew a deep breath.
“..!”
Cheonghwang, who had been dominating Baekri Hyeong with the Taecheong Divine Art, frowned at the sudden shift in the boy’s presence. Until moments ago, each step had felt like the dignified advance of a king. Now the aura was crisp, beautiful, carrying a gentle fragrance that teased the senses. Once again, Baekri Hyeong was emitting an entirely different energy.
“I will proceed in earnest.”
“What?”
“I may not be able to control my strength, so I suggest you defend yourself properly.”
It was an arrogant statement. How dare the young master of a noble clan speak so boldly to a first-generation disciple of Wudang? Cheonghwang was about to rebuke him when he felt the Taecheong Divine Art filling the training ground tremble violently. His eyes widened in shock, and he charged forward.
Chaeng-aeng!
Yet Baekri Hyeong blocked the strike with his eyes closed. The Taiji Sword was a technique that dazzled the opponent’s vision with countless illusory paths, each capable of inflicting real damage. It could also redirect an attack with fluid grace or turn the opponent’s force against them. It was the prerequisite art one had to master before learning Wudang’s supreme sword technique, the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
Its only weakness was that if the opponent abandoned their sight, the illusions lost all meaning. Why waste internal energy on phantom swords when the enemy refused to look? Most martial artists would never commit the madness of closing their eyes in a duel. Baekri Hyeong was doing exactly that, accepting the risk of injury in the process.
“Tch!”
Cheonghwang abandoned the Taiji Sword and switched to the Three Calamities Sword Art, a technique even third-rate warriors used. He had been forced to rely on the Taiji Sword because Baekri Hyeong’s strength exceeded expectations, but he soon regretted the choice.
“Haaaaah!”
The moment Cheonghwang withdrew the Taiji Sword, Baekri Hyeong sensed it instantly and launched a ferocious assault. Whenever Cheonghwang lowered his stance to guard his legs, Baekri Hyeong would rise into the air and smash down with the Thousand Pound Weight technique. If Cheonghwang stood firm, the boy would relentlessly target his lower body with his smaller frame. Cheonghwang began to suspect this was exactly the situation Baekri Hyeong had intended all along.
The Azure Dragon Sword Art accelerated the body’s metabolism even while swinging the blade, boosting vitality. Baekri Hyeong was steadily drawing Cheonghwang’s breathing toward himself through their exchanges. Cheonghwang noticed at once. If this continued, he would be the one reversed. With a burst of internal energy, he flung Baekri Hyeong away.
“You planned this from the very beginning?”
“Yes.”
“Then I shall play along with your intentions. Show me your true resolve.”
“…Understood.”
Cheonghwang gathered the Taecheong Divine Art into his sword. Baekri Hyeong responded by shifting from Azure Dragon energy to White Tiger energy, radiating a savage aura. A low rumble filled the air.
“W-what is that…?”
“Wasn’t the young master of the Baekri Clan only eleven?”
“How can he emit such an aura?”
“A genius… is simply a genius.”
The first-generation Wudang disciples stared in disbelief. Baekri Hyeong’s presence was slowly devouring Cheonghwang’s, like a massive tiger tearing away flesh piece by piece. The influence Cheonghwang had held over the sparring platform was being stripped away entirely.
“Tremendous power. The sect leader’s words were not wrong.”
Facing Baekri Hyeong directly, Cheonghwang let out a wry smile. It was not joy, but disbelief. He had gathered his energy for a final strike to overwhelm the boy, yet Baekri Hyeong only answered with an even fiercer aura, steadily stripping away Cheonghwang’s momentum. It felt as though he stood before the open maw of a colossal tiger.
“But I will not yield.”
The sword of Wudang never admits defeat. He could not afford to hold back simply because his opponent was young. One strike. He would end it here.
Kwaaaang!
Cheonghwang shattered the training ground and charged. The Taecheong Divine Art that had been cowering before Baekri Hyeong’s aura answered its wielder’s will, swelling bit by bit before condensing into a single sword. The final form of the Taiji Sword, Taiji Under Heaven, shot toward Baekri Hyeong.
Baekri Hyeong exhaled slowly, baring his teeth in a satisfied grin despite the crushing pressure of Cheonghwang’s vast internal energy. Yes. This was what he needed. Only this level of power would justify using his full strength in such a small body.
Crack!
Baekri Hyeong anchored both feet to the ground with White Tiger energy. Pure white sword qi blazed along his blade as the colossal form of a white tiger materialized behind him. The instant Cheonghwang reached him, Baekri Hyeong unleashed the final form of the White Tiger True Sword with all his might— Tiger King Opens the Heavens.
Kwaaaaaang!!
The explosion shook the entire training ground. The first-generation disciples were forced to retreat a step under the overwhelming pressure. They knew the match had been decided, yet the billowing smoke made it impossible to see who had won.
“Kh!”
“I can’t see!”
“Who won?!”
“It has to be Cheonghwang. There’s no way a first-generation disciple would lose to the young master of the Baekri Clan.”
“I’m not so sure. That last sword the young master showed… I don’t think even I could have blocked it.”
“Wait! The smoke is clearing!”
As the haze thinned, the disciples stared at the platform with bated breath. When the smoke finally vanished, they saw the victor holding a sword to the loser’s throat. A collective gasp escaped them.
“Heavens!”
“Cheonghwang lost?”
“How is this possible…”
The victor was Baekri Hyeong. What made the outcome undeniable was that Cheonghwang’s sword had been knocked from his hand. To disarm an opponent and press a blade to their throat spoke of a clear gap in skill. An eleven-year-old young master of a noble clan had defeated a first-generation disciple of Wudang.
“It was a fine match. I have learned much, Young Master.”
“I too have learned a great deal from you, Daoist Cheonghwang.”
With the two exchanging formal bows, the sparring match came to an end. Yet Cheonghwang could not bring himself to leave the platform. He could not believe what he had witnessed in those final moments.
“That was… like gazing upon a sacred beast.”
He could not tell if it had been an illusion. Baekri Hyeong’s sword qi had been so refined that it overwhelmed him. The colossal white tiger, its body beyond description, had smiled the smile of a victor as it raised its paw toward its prey. Cheonghwang had gritted his teeth and swung to cleave the beast in two, but the tiger’s paw had struck first, sending him tumbling. Even then he refused to yield. Realizing his lack of power after a single exchange, he had tried to counterattack, certain that Baekri Hyeong would be immobilized by the recoil of his own technique. Instead, the boy had surged forward with white light in his eyes, deflected the sword, and placed his own blade at Cheonghwang’s throat—slowly, as if savoring the declaration of victory.
In that moment, Cheonghwang understood. Baekri Hyeong had won completely. From the very start, the boy had been holding back. He possessed even stronger, sharper techniques than the one that had just defeated him. And so Cheonghwang accepted his defeat with grace. Further resistance would only have made his loss more unsightly.
Thus the deal between Jinryeong and Baekri Hyeong was sealed. Baekri Hyeong had proven his strength through the match, and Jinryeong had placed his trust in the boy’s words, forging a connection between Wudang and the Baekri Clan. Naturally, Baekri Hyeok welcomed the Wudang faction. After all, Wudang had always maintained neutrality within the Murim Alliance.
Thanks to Baekri Hyeong’s swift decision, preparations for the Hubei Alliance centered around the Baekri Clan were now complete. The moment he felt the time was right, Baekri Hyeok declared the alliance’s formation in the very heart of the Murim Alliance. A turbulent era that would shake the martial world had begun.