Chapter 4: Battle 2

Kang Yeop’s movements as he attacked Baek Moo-jin were rough, as if he was determined to draw blood. The cold stares of the crowd pierced Baek Moo-jin.

‘He’s courted disaster.’

Some observers wondered if Baek Moo-jin’s intentions lay elsewhere.

‘Could he have mastered a sword technique utilizing the draw?’

But Baek Moo-jin neither drew his sword nor counterattacked. He retreated, evading Kang Yeop’s blade. Yet the margin by which he avoided Kang Yeop’s sword was perilously narrow.

To the spectators’ eyes, it seemed as if the blade had grazed his collar. Yet Baek Moo-jin’s movements remained consistently nimble. Anyone could see he possessed lightness skills that Kang Yeop could not easily match.

As Baek Moo-jin continued to narrowly evade seven or eight rapid attacks in succession, the onlookers realized that in terms of lightness skill alone, Baek Moo-jin was at a level where he could overwhelm Kang Yeop.

Moreover, Baek Moo-jin seemed to anticipate Kang Yeop’s attack direction and move accordingly. His previously gentle expression had vanished, replaced by intense light pouring from his eyes.

Kang Yeop gritted his teeth, his composure beginning to fray.

‘Just let me land one hit. Let’s see how long you can keep running.’

But Baek Moo-jin, as if reading Kang Yeop’s thoughts, immediately counterattacked. It wasn’t even a formal move. Blocking Kang Yeop’s sword with his own scabbard, Baek Moo-jin thrust his hand toward Kang Yeop’s chest with a thrusting strike, then slid backward.

It all happened in an instant.

A cool breeze spread from Baek Moo-jin’s robes, brushing the faces of the supervisors. Had Baek Moo-jin put any force into that palm strike moments ago, Kang Yeop would have suffered serious injury. But while his movements were swift, they seemed utterly devoid of power. Perhaps that was why some people hadn’t yet realized the duel was over.

“Huh? Is it over?”

“It’s over?”

Only the representative of the supervisors thought the duel had ended.

But even Kang Yeop, his opponent, couldn’t believe Baek Moo-jin’s attack was light enough to be considered a defeat.

Kang Yeop, momentarily bewildered, stroked his chest before breathing out and charging forward like an arrow.

This left Baek Moo-jin, who had been standing there blankly, startled.

‘What? It was clearly over. Why is he charging?’

Baek Moo-jin, of course, hadn’t let his guard down. He immediately dodged Kang Yeop’s follow-up attack and gave a slight nod.

‘Does it only end when the opponent falls? Then I’ll grant you that.’

It wasn’t that he lacked strength and had struck lightly. Baek Moo-jin prepared his White Flower Palm.

2.

Kang Yeop was stubborn. Deep down, he knew Baek Moo-jin was stronger than him. But weren’t there spectators watching?

‘He doesn’t seem like a young master from a prominent family, and he clearly has the aura of a newcomer to the martial world…’

The thought that he couldn’t back down like this only made his heart race. In an instant, over ten exchanges had passed. This time, for some reason, Baek Moo-jin was deflecting Kang Yeop’s attacks with his sword hilt. Baek Moo-jin kept his sword hilt pressed against Kang Yeop’s blade, following its trajectory. In the process, he was pushing, pressing down, and deflecting Kang Yeop’s sword, blending with his movements.

Baek Moo-jin was gauging Kang Yeop’s internal energy.

Baekhwajang is powerful.

Deciding he couldn’t seriously injure Kang Yeop here, Baek Moo-jin assessed Kang Yeop’s strength and resolved to reduce the power he channeled into the White Flower Blade.

Moreover, the reason the exchange was prolonging itself was because Baek Moo-jin was captivated by the thrill of fighting someone.

The feeling of practicing martial arts alone and actually engaging in combat was worlds apart. Thanks to this duel, Baek Moo-jin felt a refreshing sense of freedom, as if soaring through the sky.

‘So this is the feeling I longed for at Seolui Peak…’

Moreover, seeing Kang Yeop’s fierce expression made Baek Moo-jin’s own blood boil.

‘He is not an enemy. Control yourself and finish this quickly.’

Before they knew it, the supervisors were watching the duel without uttering a single word. Some had even risen from their seats to observe.

‘Baek Moo-jin isn’t just a fourth-rank martial artist. He’s got something special.’

At that moment, Baek Moo-jin murmured softly.

“I’m going.”

Where exactly is he going?

Suddenly, Baek Moo-jin leapt into the air, slashed at Kang Yeop’s sword, struck the back of his shoulder with a white-hot blade, and landed lightly.

A thud echoed through the annex.

Kang Yeop, struck by the blow, stumbled forward, crashing to the floor and rolling several times with a clatter.

Kang Yeop let out a pained cry.

“Guhh…!”

The supervisors gasped in shock.

“Ah!”

But Kang Yeop grimaced and got back up. Having already forgotten this was a martial arts trial, Kang Yeop charged toward Baek Moo-jin once more.

At that, the representative supervisor leapt to his feet and shouted.

“Kang Yeop! Stop!”

Baek Moo-jin stared blankly at Kang Yeop charging toward him. He showed no intention of dodging.

Ignoring the representative’s words, Kang Yeop charged forward. Just a few steps away from Baek Moo-jin, he suddenly staggered and collapsed onto the floor. Kang Yeop lay sprawled in an awkward position, his body shaking violently.

“Kang Bu-dae-ju!”

The supervisors leapt to their feet. Some ran out, glancing back and forth between Kang Yeop and Baek Moo-jin.

Those struck by the Baekhwajang of the Seolsan Baekga felt their movements slow as if crushed by heavy snowballs, and a chill gripped them. Trying to forcefully overcome that effect had led to his current state.

“Are you all right?!”

Several supervisors quickly ran over and surrounded Kang Yeop.

But at that very moment, Baek Moo-jin, having witnessed the true power of the White Flower Arrow, was overcome by a completely different emotion.

The sight of Kang Yeop’s back on the ground instantly conjured a vision of countless martial heroes lying defeated around him.

‘The Snow Mountain White Clan has only just begun. And I too…’

3.

Kang Yeop was having trouble getting up.

Baek Moo-jin added to the supervisors, who were looking worried.

“I infused it with enough force for him to resist using his internal energy. He should recover soon.”

Baek Moo-jin had gauged Kang Yeop’s internal energy when he had deflected his sword hilt and injected the White Flower Technique accordingly. Therefore, Baek Moo-jin judged there would be no major injury.

More than that, Kang Yeop must have been utterly shocked.

It wasn’t the internal injury, but the peculiar agony of the White Flower Technique—an experience he’d never faced before—combined with the mental shock of being defeated by a young, inexperienced challenger. That was why he had fainted momentarily.

The representative supervisor approached and said.

“Support him to the Black Sword Pavilion… No, wait. That could cause misunderstandings. Move him directly to the treatment room and report properly to the Black Sword Pavilion Master. Make sure there are no misunderstandings. It was a legitimate duel. It did go on longer than expected given the difference in skill.”

“Understood.”

As the two men helped Gang Yeop out, the representative supervisor finally introduced himself to Baek Moo-jin.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Yi Yeon-seong of the Enforcement Bureau.”

“How should I address you?”

Baek Moo-jin also bowed lightly before approaching Lee Yeon-seong. Lee Yeon-seong smiled faintly and said.

“Just call me senior. By the way, you clearly gave him a pass on the first strike, but Gang-yeop charged again, so you must have been flustered.”

Lee Yeon-seong knew the match had ended long ago. Baek Moo-jin replied.

“Not at all.”

“Kang Yeop must have realized the outcome was decided long before that, if he thought about it carefully. He’s a man without grudges, so you needn’t worry. You can visit him later if you wish.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Lee Yeon-seong, who had maintained a stiff expression throughout, spoke at length for the first time, looking at Baek Moo-jin.

“The reporting procedure remains, but he’ll pass regardless. The North Heaven Alliance has gained a fine talent.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Yeon-seong’s eyes gleamed as he asked.

“Your martial arts technique is quite unique. Surely it’s not the martial arts of Hanbing Valley?”

“Hanbing Valley? I’ve never heard of it. It’s my family’s martial art.”

Baek Moo-jin deliberately smiled faintly as he met Lee Yeon-seong’s gaze. It reminded him of the saying that the White Path was surprisingly intolerant of differences. Lee Yeon-seong left a pointed remark.

“Well, if it were a forbidden martial art, you wouldn’t have been able to display it so openly before us. But it’s so unique it could easily be misunderstood.”

Baek Moo-jin responded honestly to Lee Yeon-seong’s words.

“I see. If misunderstandings arise, how should I respond?”

Faced with the question, Lee Yeon-seong found himself at a loss for words, trying to see things from Baek Moo-jin’s perspective.

‘Huh, there really is no excuse. The moment it’s mistaken for demonic arts, the situation is as good as over. Such a sensitive issue…’

After a moment’s thought, Lee Yeon-seong offered an answer.

“Just say you ate a snow ginseng doll.”

Of course, Lee Yeon-seong knew Baek Moo-jin couldn’t possibly have eaten that precious snow ginseng. But Baek Moo-jin liked the answer and smiled as he replied.

“Ah, I see. That’s a simple and good answer. Thank you.”

“Why?”

“Because I actually did eat it.”

“You’re joking. Take a break for a moment. I’ll organize some documents and we’ll talk again later.”

As Lee Yeon-seong returned to the table, Baek Moo-jin shook his head slightly.

‘Anyway, these people just don’t trust what others say.’