The First Stance
Namgung Suryeon’s prodigy had caused quite a stir at the Hao Clan, yet Baekri Hyeong returned to the guest quarters in silence. He had slipped out in the dead of night, certain no one would notice. As he eased the door open like a mouse, a voice cut through the darkness.
“Where have you been?”
“…Sister?”
Baekri Hyang stood there, eyes blazing, staring straight at him. He had no idea how long she had been waiting, but instinct told him one thing: if he failed to explain himself properly, it would all be over.
“Sister, about where I went—”
“There’s no need to stain your hands with blood.”
“..!”
“If it’s too much, lean on your family. You went out and killed someone, didn’t you? Because there was work to be done?”
Baekri Hyeong flinched as though struck. He had wiped away every trace of blood from his body, yet Baekri Hyang already knew everything. Her eleven-year-old brother had crept out in the middle of the night, taken a life, and returned. In any ordinary household, such an act would have sparked horror and furious reprimands. But Baekri Hyang was different.
She had long understood that her brother was unlike anyone else. From the moment she realized he possessed the Heavenly Martial Body, she had known he was extraordinary. Watching him grow stronger with each passing day, she had often cursed her own talent in comparison. Yet she felt no anger, no jealousy—only joy at his progress. What kind of sister would resent a brother she was so proud of? Because she had always seen him through different eyes, she could embrace him even after he had taken a life.
“You’ve worked hard. Still, don’t push yourself like this again. Killing should be the last resort. Understand?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Baekri Hyeong was grateful that she accepted him without harsh scolding. She, too, was a martial artist who had taken lives; that was why she could comfort him without lecturing on the ethics of killing. An ordinary person might have grown numb to death after such words, but Baekri Hyeong was no ordinary person—and perhaps that was why Baekri Hyang had spoken as she did.
Wrapped in his sister’s arms for the first time in a long while, Baekri Hyeong felt the tension in his chest ease, if only for a moment. From a distance, Baekri Hyeok watched the siblings in silence.
**********
The day of the duel dawned. Baekri Hyeong, the greatest rising star of the Hubei Alliance, and Namgung Suryeon, the finest prodigy of the Namgung Clan under the Murim Alliance, would clash before an audience of both factions, each side staking its pride.
Baekri Hyeong loosened his body as usual. Namgung Suryeon closed her eyes and focused on circulating her inner energy to calm her nerves.
“Alliance Leader, how do you see this duel ending?”
“He will win. And by an overwhelming margin.”
“We are of one mind. With Baekri Hyeong… no other rising star in the world could possibly stand against him.”
Baekri Hyeong showed not a hint of tension. Nearly every gaze from both the Hubei Alliance and the Murim Alliance was fixed on him. As a result, few eyes lingered on Namgung Suryeon, and she preferred it that way. Concentrating alone in meditation was far better than having her nerves pulled in every direction.
She had originally intended a light spar with Baekri Hyeong, but with the stakes this high, she could not afford to hold back. She still could not quite grasp how a simple rivalry between the two alliances had escalated into this formal duel, yet a duel was a duel. She would give it everything she had.
“Baekri Hyeong of the Hubei Alliance and Namgung Suryeon of the Murim Alliance, ascend the stage!”
At the command of Unso, the Mount Hua Sect Leader serving as referee, Baekri Hyeong and Namgung Suryeon rose and stepped onto the dueling platform. The once-noisy stands fell into absolute silence. The two exchanged words through sound transmission.
[Are you confident you can win?]
[I wouldn’t have come if I weren’t.]
[You’re going to get crushed. Try not to cry.]
[I’ll return those words right back to you. I’ve got a trump card of my own.]
[I’m counting on you, ma’am.]
[I told you not to call me that, you little brat!]
Namgung Suryeon’s brow twitched at the word “ma’am,” her composure briefly shaken. But the petty provocation ended there. The wind itself seemed louder than any other sound.
“Begin the duel!”
At Unso’s signal, Baekri Hyeong and Namgung Suryeon drew their swords and leveled them at each other. Both blades hummed, each testing the other’s aura. Given the occasion, caution was necessary. They circled the stage with light yet dazzling footwork, probing for openings while concealing their own.
No one in the crowd urged them to attack. Both fighters were utterly focused.
“Here I come.”
“..!”
Baekri Hyeong’s eyes sharpened. In an instant he closed the distance and thrust his sword. Namgung Suryeon admired the natural flow of his strike, yet the first attack missed entirely—she had already leapt into the air, kicking off the ground. His opening move spent, it was now her turn.
She soared upward, then kicked through the air layers and dove toward him. Her charge was crude and reckless, but the inner energy behind it was immense. Baekri Hyeong hurriedly deflected her strike with his blade, then frowned as an unfamiliar force seeped into his body. Namgung Suryeon had used an infiltration technique.
“Starting with that already?”
“If I don’t, you won’t fight seriously either.”
“…Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll oblige.”
Baekri Hyeong drew a deep breath. Namgung Suryeon steadied her stance and watched his movements. The air around them seemed to grow clearer. The sharp aura he had been emitting vanished, replaced by a gentle inner energy that spread softly through the surroundings.
“Here I go.”
“..!”
With a piercing whistle, Baekri Hyeong activated the Azure Dragon Qi and charged without hesitation. His speed was on an entirely different level from before. Namgung Suryeon was forced to unleash the Thirteen Thunderbolt Sword Forms, thrusting her blade into the path of his sword.
“What?!”
Electricity crackled. Baekri Hyeong, who had been trying to press her with the Azure Dragon Sword Art, recoiled in shock. What had just happened? He had been executing the technique properly, yet in the tiny gaps between each move, Namgung Suryeon had stabbed her sword and completely disrupted his flow. As a result, he had been unable to even complete the first stance and had been forced to retreat.
So she possessed a sword art that could interfere with an opponent’s path.
‘Murim Alliance Leader… so this is why you arranged this match.’
While observing Namgung Suryeon, Baekri Hyeong glanced at the Murim Alliance Leader. The man wore a satisfied expression; clearly, he had known about this ability. Namgung Suryeon possessed the mysterious power to read and predict sword paths.
“Isn’t that a bit much? Cutting off my sword path midway?”
“I know that wasn’t your full strength. So come at me with everything you have.”
“I can’t. My body can’t handle my full power.”
“What?”
“So instead, I’ll show you the best I can do.”
Baekri Hyeong closed his eyes and assumed the middle stance. At the same moment, the refreshing energy that had filled the area disappeared. Closing his eyes in the middle of a duel? Namgung Suryeon tilted her head in confusion.
“Suryeon! Don’t let that sword technique complete!”
“..!”
Namgung Hayeon, who had been silently watching from the stands, shouted and jolted Namgung Suryeon’s senses. Feeling the vast natural energy gathering around Baekri Hyeong, Namgung Suryeon was horrified.
“This is bad!”
Baekri Hyeong was preparing something. If that sword strike finished, she was certain she would not survive. Its path was impossible to predict. In other words, the technique he was readying was… a flawless strike with no discernible path at all.
“Haaaaah!!”
Realizing the danger, Namgung Suryeon desperately unleashed the ultimate form of the Thirteen Thunderbolt Sword Forms and hurled lightning at Baekri Hyeong. But just as the bolt was about to reach him, the corner of his mouth curved upward.
“Too late.”
With a deafening crash, the first stance of the Hundred Heavens Three Stances—Devastating Slash—tore Namgung Suryeon’s sword apart.