The Illusion of Defeat
This was completely different from sparring with Dongnyong.
The difference in level.
It felt overwhelmingly vast.
I felt like I could win against Dongnyong if I just tried.
And indeed, I had won. But against Cheon Hye-in, I didn't feel that possibility at all.
Thud!
I dug my feet into the ground.
I channeled my qi into the sword as it soared upward. Since the tip of my blade was already pointed high, there was a perfect technique to use.
My posture was slightly off, but the angle was sufficient.
Darkness seeped into the raised sword.
I swung the night straight down.
Night Moon
The falling night cascaded down, hurtling toward Cheon Hye-in.
"Hmph."
Cheon Hye-in let out a soft hum at the sight.
Swish!
"...!"
She twisted her body with fluid grace.
She looked just like a snake. It even created the illusion that the sword in her hand was bending.
Her tangled blade deflected the trajectory of my Night Moon.
Thrown off course, the sword that had been aimed at Cheon Hye-in struck the ground instead.
Crash!
The wooden blade slammed directly into the sparring stage.
Normally, the impact should have sent the sword bouncing back up, but it didn't.
Uh-oh.
Cheon Hye-in was stepping on the spine of my blade.
Her pale calf pinned the sword firmly to the ground.
The moment I realized this, her foot lunged straight toward my face.
I whipped my head aside. Her toes grazed the tip of my nose.
I had barely dodged it.
I yanked my body back, freeing my trapped sword. But...
Crazy bitch.
Next, my Moon Eye caught an unbelievable sight.
As Cheon Hye-in closed the distance, countless paths unfolded from her.
There wasn't just one or two blue lines.
Every single one of them represented a potential strike she could unleash upon me.
...Shit.
I gritted my teeth.
And so, a fierce clash began.
No.
It was a pitiful struggle.
Clack! Clatter! Thud!
Dull impacts echoed without pause.
Whoosh! Boom!
Shockwaves erupted from the wind-splitting tips of their swords, and bursts of qi collided in midair, sending ripples through the atmosphere.
It was a relentless cycle of offense and defense.
The two wooden swords clashed fiercely, maintaining a continuous exchange.
At a glance, the duel seemed evenly matched.
But that was only at a very superficial glance.
Most of the onlookers present couldn't fail to see just how one-sided this battle actually was.
"...It's overwhelming."
"To think the gap would be this wide."
Whispers arose from the members of the Sowol Squadron who were watching.
"They kept calling him the Young Sword Saint, so I wondered if he was the real deal. But it seems he's no match for Lady Cheon."
"I heard he far surpassed the Seven Great Talents, but that doesn't seem to be the case either."
There had been rumors that the Young Sword Saint was formidable enough to easily defeat the Seven Great Talents, the seven geniuses of the current generation.
But now, they were realizing it was all hot air.
"Defeating Dongnyong might have been true, but Lady Cheon is on a different level."
"Indeed. No matter whose disciple he is, Lady Cheon is a genius compared to the Sword Saint himself."
"Well, you can't believe everything you hear."
The spectators watching the duel spoke in unison.
They had no choice.
The fight wasn't over yet, but the outcome was as clear as day.
"He can't even get close to her."
Clack! Tap!
The Young Sword Saint.
Bang Seong-yeon, the new youngest member of the Sowol Squadron and the rumored disciple of the Sword Saint, swung his sword tenaciously.
His wooden sword sliced through the air, tracing dozens of paths, and the power behind them was formidable.
In a way, his movements seemed unrefined, but the sheer force he packed into them made up for it.
His level was respectable enough.
"But his opponent is the problem."
The issue lay in who Bang Seong-yeon was facing.
Whoosh! Clack!
With light, nimble footwork, she dodged or deflected every single one of Bang Seong-yeon's attacks.
The moment he tried to establish a sword path, she cut it off.
She constantly disrupted his footwork, throwing him off balance.
She employed every trick in the book to keep him disoriented.
It was delicate, cunning, and terribly beautiful.
It looked like an exchange, but it was closer to one side playing with the other.
The Moon Dance Beauty of the Seven Great Talents.
Cheon Hye-in parried Bang Seong-yeon's sword repeatedly with an expressionless face.
The playful smile she usually wore had long since vanished.
Without even a change in her breathing, she kept her blade in motion.
"Whew!"
The only sound echoing was Bang Seong-yeon's ragged breathing.
It meant the gap in their stamina was also immense.
His sword couldn't touch her, and he couldn't even close the distance.
Watching this, the spectators all came to the same conclusion.
The Moon Dance Beauty was stronger than the Young Sword Saint.
And by an overwhelming margin.
It was the perfect duel to cement that perception.
And...
Just as expected.
Watching this, the Sowol Daeju did not hide his smirk.
Your arrogance ends here.
Seeing Bang Seong-yeon completely unable to touch Cheon Hye-in brought a natural smile to his face.
To think he dared to test me.
He recalled how Bang Seong-yeon had spoken to him so confidently.
The way he had traded banter with those characteristically lazy eyes.
What did he say again?
That he was going to become the Young Sect Leader, so I should lend him my strength?
How laughable.
The Sowol Daeju utterly despised the brat for speaking so boldly.
How dare he...
Did he even know what that position entailed before trying to climb up to it?
And to ask for my strength on top of that?
Out of the question.
It was absolutely impossible.
Besides...
There is absolutely no way I would choose him over Lady Cheon.
With such a brilliant prospect right in front of him, he would never choose an ignorant fool, not even if he died.
I don't know how he found out about that matter.
When he first heard that the disciple of the Sword Saint had appeared, the Sowol Daeju had contacted Gaebang to request a favor.
He had asked them to suppress the rumors until he could assess the situation.
Fortunately, Gaebang had complied.
Just as the Sowol Daeju had business with Gaebang, they also wanted something from him, which made the deal possible.
It had created an extra chore for him, but it was a small price to pay.
I cannot allow the Sword Saint's name to be tarnished.
Compared to bringing dishonor to the great Sword Saint's name, he could endure far worse.
The disciple of the Sword Saint? Ridiculous.
Even if it were true by some miracle, he could never accept that boy.
The Sowol Daeju could never acknowledge Bang Seong-yeon as worthy of inheriting the name of the great Sword Saint.
He is cunning and skilled at manipulating people.
Compared to the late master, who was revered as a hero and a gentleman, this boy was just a degenerate who bewitched people with his cheap tongue.
And what of his actual strength?
No matter if the Moonmaster acknowledged him, or if he defeated Dongnyong.
He could not be called the disciple of the Sword Saint.
Even if he used the master's martial arts and possessed his relics.
Even if every piece of evidence pointed to Bang Seong-yeon being the true successor.
The Sowol Daeju refused to accept it.
I will not acknowledge him.
He would never accept him, no matter what underhanded methods the boy had used to obtain the master's legacy.
They said he did great deeds in Sichuan.
That he saved the Tang family by killing an unorthodox master and earned the title of Young Sword Saint.
Did the Tang family conspire with him to fabricate this?
The Sowol Daeju didn't believe a word of it.
He seems to have grown stronger through some fortuitous encounter compared to before he left, but...
That was all.
Saving the Poison King with that level of strength? What a joke.
From what the Sowol Daeju could see, Bang Seong-yeon's current strength was nowhere near enough to save the Tang family and the Poison King.
He must have used some trick.
It couldn't have been pure martial prowess; he must have plotted something with that devious brain of his.
...All while hiding behind the Sword Saint's name.
It was utterly displeasing.
If the Sword Saint were still alive, he would have stepped forward proudly and proven himself through sheer strength rather than such petty schemes.
You are not worthy of that name.
The Sowol Daeju loathed Bang Seong-yeon for lacking the strength to back up the weight of the title.
The Moonmaster seems to favor him for now, but...
That would only last until today.
No, he believed even that favor would vanish once this duel concluded.
How could the Moonmaster not change his mind after witnessing this?
Crash!
"Ugh!"
Bang Seong-yeon's wooden sword was violently deflected.
Cheon Hye-in had struck upward once more, forcing his guard open.
And then...
Crack!
"Gah!"
The wooden sword struck his exposed chest directly.
Blown back by Cheon Hye-in's strike, Bang Seong-yeon rolled across the floor.
"Cough!"
He barely managed to steady himself, but blood was already trickling from his mouth.
It was a clean hit.
The only saving grace was that she hadn't infused the strike with full qi, minimizing the internal damage.
But in the end...
Even considering that, the conclusion of this duel was clear.
He couldn't even graze her.
Bang Seong-yeon's sword had never once reached Cheon Hye-in.
Saving the Tang family, killing an unorthodox master, defeating Dongnyong...
All those grand claims were disproven by this single result.
The position of Young Sect Leader belongs to Lady Cheon.
A vast, distant potential.
The anomalous talent that Cheon Hye-in possessed.
It was a brilliant potential that captivated everyone, yet occasionally struck them with dread.
The Moonmaster seemed to be harboring some doubts regarding Lady Cheon, but the Sowol Daeju believed the final decision would remain the same.
Even Bang Seong-yeon, who claimed to be the disciple of the Sword Saint, was helpless before Cheon Hye-in.
Now that so many had witnessed this, the future was obvious.
"Hmm."
Wolseongeom let out a low sigh.
A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.
Seeing this, the Sowol Daeju swallowed a laugh.
It's over.
The Sowol Daeju nodded in certainty.
Soon, Cheon Hye-in began walking toward Bang Seong-yeon to bring the match to an end.
He didn't know what Wolseongeom's expression was, but it was likely the same as Cheon Hye-in's.
For the face of Cheon Hye-in as she approached Bang Seong-yeon was filled with utter disappointment.
"...Is this really all?"
Her voice sounded hollow.
"You were so confident, yet... this is all you amount to?"
The emotion drained from her voice.
"...I don't know what I was expecting."
Disappointment furrowed her brow.
With a scowl, Cheon Hye-in raised her wooden sword.
Bang Seong-yeon pushed himself up, wiping the blood from his chin.
"Whew..."
He looked visibly exhausted.
The bloodstains were clear around his mouth, and the red liquid had seeped into his collar.
Then, he spoke.
"...Ah, this isn't working."
He muttered in a tone thick with regret.
"I guess it's still too much for me."
It sounded like acceptance and resignation.
Was he admitting defeat?
Bang Seong-yeon let his wooden sword droop.
Slide.
The tension drained from his body.
What is he doing?
The Sowol Daeju narrowed his eyes.
He's given up.
It seemed the boy had abandoned all hope and thrown in the towel.
Displeasing to the very end.
That was something the late master would never have done. Giving up?
There was no need to watch any further.
Just as the Sowol Daeju thought this...
Cheon Hye-in's wooden sword lunged forward to deliver the final blow.
The duel was about to end.
At the very moment everyone thought so—
"Ha."
Wolseongeom gasped.
Thud!
"Ack!"
Someone collapsed to the ground.
"What?"
"What in the...?"
The onlookers gasped in shock.
They had naturally expected Bang Seong-yeon to fall.
But the one who had collapsed was, shockingly, Cheon Hye-in.
Cheon Hye-in, who had been rushing in to finish the match, had suddenly groaned and collapsed.
"Ugh...!"
She even began to dry-heave in pain.
What on earth had just happened?
Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
The Sowol Daeju's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"What in the world...!"
What was this? What had just transpired?
He had completely missed the movement.
While the Sowol Daeju stared at the stage with uncomprehending eyes...
"Bwahahaha!"
Wolseongeom burst into hearty laughter.
"..."
The Sowol Daeju could only gape in renewed shock at the sight.