Chapter 8 Organizing everything.

Chapter 8 Organizing everything.

‘This is different from what I expected.’

Namgung-woo was quite taken aback by the reaction, as they had assumed a blade would simply fly at them. They had expected the Leader of a Faction that dominated at least one county to step forward and defend their pride.

“Then you’ll abide by the terms of the Martial Arts Duel, won’t you?”

While Namgung-woo was speechless, Song Chae-ji filled the gap.

Pay a fair price, not a ridiculously low one.

This was Song Chae-ji’s demand for victory.

“Of course.”

Hwang Mu-tak had been about to speak informally out of habit to Song Chae-ji, but after a quick glance at Namgung-woo, they added the honorific.

“I heard it’s like that for the entire surrounding area…”

Namgung-woo subtly dropped a hint. It was a provocation. If you don’t want to accept this, then let’s have a Martial Arts Duel, the pressure seemed to say, and cold sweat trickled down Hwang Mu-tak’s forehead.

“…I will take measures to provide them with appropriate compensation.”

If they truly did that, it would mean paying an enormous sum of money, but there was no other choice. Hwang Mu-tak swallowed their pride and obediently accepted Namgung-woo’s words.

One must live first, mustn’t one? Hwang Mu-tak wasn’t foolish enough to pick a Dispute with a Peak Transcendence Grandmaster. That was a choice only for those suffering from liver hypertrophy or emotional dysregulation.

“The Hengshan Sect will verify this later.”

“Do so.”

With this acceptance, Namgung-woo had no further leverage to press. So, Namgung-woo decided to openly state their demands.

“And finally…”

Hwang Mu-tak cursed inwardly. They’ve already extorted this much; what more could they possibly want? The fact that Hwang Mu-tak completely disregarded their own past exploitation showed they were truly an Unorthodox Sect to their very core.

“Let’s have a Sparring Match.”

“A sparring match, you say…?”

It was different from a Martial Arts Duel. A Sparring Match was a form of training conducted with the Killing Blows largely excluded, aimed at improving one’s skills. At least, one wouldn’t lose their life in such an encounter.

“Yes, a sparring match.”

Namgung-woo grinned.

“Ah, by any chance, does the Black Bear Faction have a Sword? I’d like to borrow one.”

At Namgung-woo’s words upon arriving at the Training Ground, Hwang Mu-tak cautiously replied.

“I apologize, but the Black Bear Faction is a Faction that only uses Blade Arts, so we have plenty of blades, but…”

Blade Arts, they thought.

Namgung-woo recalled the Blade Arts they occasionally used for fun. Namgung Mae used to suggest fighting with something other than their Main Weapon, so they’d oblige.

‘It’s not unusable, I suppose.’

However, if possible, Namgung-woo wanted to test the Sword Art they had mastered as their primary martial art.

‘Should I wield a blade like a sword?’

Namgung-woo’s dilemma was evident on their face. They didn’t bother to hide it.

“Use my Sword.”

“Young Lady Song?”

It was said that a Martial Artist’s Weapon was like their very life. Entrusting such a weapon to another was tantamount to a sign of deep trust in that person.

“Ahem, because I received a grace.”

No one had asked for a reason, but Song Chae-ji offered one herself. Namgung-woo chuckled, watching Song Chae-ji playfully punish Yang So-dang, who was giggling again, and gladly accepted the goodwill.

“I will use it carefully and return it.”

“…It might be a bit small.”

“It’s fine. This is enough. It’s a good Sword.”

These were not empty words.

Indeed, Song Chae-ji’s Sword, clearly custom-made for them, felt a bit short for Namgung-woo. However, the way it fit snugly in their palm and its well-balanced feel indicated it had been forged by the hands of an excellent Blacksmith, even without swinging it.

With a sense of stability quite different from bare-handed combat, Namgung-woo took a deep Respiration.

As they breathed according to the Heavenly Thunder Emperor’s Divine Art, the Heavenly Thunder Qi in their Lower Dantian began to stir in response.

‘Which Sword Art would be best? The Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes, which suits the Heavenly Thunder Emperor’s Divine Art the most? The basic Great Evolution Sword Art would also be fine. The Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art seems too excessive…’

The various Sword Arts of the Namgung Clan, stored in Namgung-woo’s mind, flashed and faded.

And the decision Namgung-woo made was a return to origin.

‘Indeed, the Iron Sword Ten Forms will be the most suitable.’

The Iron Sword Ten Forms was a Basic Training Sword Art. It only dealt with the most fundamental methods of Internal Energy manipulation. It could be called an Introductory Sword Art for the stage of becoming familiar with the Sword.

It was also the first Sword Art Namgung-woo had learned in Chullok Murim.

Namgung-woo had not yet achieved unity between their Game Senses and Reality Senses. They needed to approach the Sword as if learning a Sword Art anew from the beginning.

‘Is this a kind of rehabilitation training, then?’

Taking the Starting Stance of the Iron Sword Ten Forms, Namgung-woo calmed the Thunder Qi of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor’s Divine Art in their Lower Dantian. Instead, they focused on the Internal Qi in their Middle Dantian’s Okdang Acupoint.

This was the Internal Energy of the Azure Sky Great Evolution Divine Art. If Heavenly Thunder Qi leaned towards extreme Yang, Azure Sky Qi was the energy of Wuji. Achieving the Harmony of Yin and Yang to approach the inherent Wuji made it suitable for residing in the Middle Dantian, which governs emotions from the body’s center.

It was unlike Heavenly Thunder Qi, which was incomparably fast but felt uncontrollable. Azure Sky Qi was profound. Moving leisurely like the endlessly unfolding sky, the Azure Sky Qi circulated throughout Namgung-woo’s entire body, flowing through their Twelve Main Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

From the moment the Internal Energy circulated, an Aura began to emanate from Namgung-woo’s entire body.

Hwang Mu-tak’s palms became damp.

‘What kind of Aura is that…?’

It was an Aura they had never seen in their life. They had activated Internal Energy to complete a Grand Cycle, yet merely that caused a Protective Skill-like Aura to leak out. It was impossible to even guess the depth of their Internal Energy Cultivation Level.

Though they had never actually seen it, Hwang Mu-tak thought that the Gate Master of the Shadowless Gate, known as Shanxi’s Foremost Expert, might be like this.

“Shall we begin?”

Namgung-woo took the Starting Stance of the Iron Sword Ten Forms.

The movements were familiar, having been repeated countless times in Chullok Murim, but now it was different from simply mimicking the motions.

The Mental Image contained within each Form was etched into Namgung-woo’s mind.

A total of ten Sword Forms. These referred to the ten basic Sword Paths of how to wield a Sword.

Horizontal Cut. Vertical Cut. Left Diagonal Cut. Right Diagonal Cut.

The Eight Directions Slash, consisting of these four basic cuts and their four inverse forms.

And the Thrust and Defensive Form.

These ten Sword Paths combined to form the ten Forms of the Iron Sword Ten Forms.

Though these movements were incredibly simple, the Iron Sword Ten Forms Namgung-woo performed at this moment was vastly different from before, when they had merely followed the motions.

It wasn’t for nothing that simple Vertical Cuts and Horizontal Cuts were grandly named Mount Tai Crushing the Summit or Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies.

It was because the True Qi followed the Mental Image befitting such names.

The True Qi imbued with Intent, directly connected to the Sword Strike, displayed an efficacy worthy of its name.

The Sword Namgung-woo wielded now was precisely that.

“Hup!”

Hwang Mu-tak gasped as they blocked the Upward Diagonal Cut of the Iron Sword Ten Forms, Eighth Form: Soaring Eagle’s Ascent, which pierced their blind spot.

An Upward Diagonal Cut was inherently a heaven-defying form, so its power should have been weak. Yet, Namgung-woo’s Sword Force felt like a full power downward strike.

If this had been a Life-and-Death Duel, where Internal Energy could be poured out freely, rather than a Sparring Match limiting Internal Energy to the minimum for forms, this single strike would surely have decided the victory or defeat.

Namgung-woo swung the Sword freely. Even the Internal Energy Control, delicately infusing True Qi into the Sword to prevent damage, was a joy. They danced to their heart’s content, as if forgetting all other distracting thoughts.

Movements that had initially seemed somewhat awkward now flowed with utmost naturalness.

A Cultivation Realm where one moved the Sword as naturally as their own limbs.

Its name came from Song Chae-ji’s lips.

“Unity of Body and Sword…?”

Was it truly achieved so easily?

Song Chae-ji felt a sense of distant awe as they watched Namgung-woo’s Sparring Match, which was closer to a Sword Dance.

It’s too far. For me.

But…

‘I think I understand a little.’

It was a Fortuitous Encounter.

Song Chae-ji’s master, Eulju True Man, was also a Peak Transcendence Martial Artist whom the Hengshan Sect prided itself on, but they had not reached the Cultivation Realm of Unity of Body and Sword. Perhaps only the Sect Leader, Eulcheong True Man, the Hengshan’s Foremost Sword, had reached that Cultivation Realm? Since the Sect Leader rarely drew their Sword, this was the first time Song Chae-ji had witnessed Unity of Body and Sword.

Unaware of how the gazes around them were changing, Namgung-woo’s consciousness simply sank into their inner self.

‘It’s enjoyable.’

Wielding a Sword was this enjoyable.

The power of a transcendent body that surpassed human limits.

The formidable Internal Energy residing within their body spurred them on further.

Unity of Body and Sword? It was a natural outcome.

Namgung-woo’s body had already reached the Enlightened Realm and achieved the Five Qi Converging to the Origin.

Essence, which signifies the body.

Qi, which signifies Internal Force.

Spirit, which signifies the mind.

The Essence, Qi, and Spirit, having achieved Unity, forcibly pulled up the distorted realm of Spirit as Namgung-woo’s consciousness resided within it.

Namgung-woo’s consciousness, having ascended to a Higher Realm, had somehow begun to Contemplate their own situation beyond just the Sword Art.

‘I can figure out how to return to my original world slowly. For now, I’ll enjoy this world a bit more. As I train in martial arts and travel the world, a path will surely reveal itself.’

They clearly knew where they stood.

It was the moment Namgung-woo truly stepped into this world.

Jjeoeong!!

The moment Essence, Qi, and Spirit achieved Unity once more.

Namgung-woo’s Sword Force leaped to an even higher dimension.

Even without advancing beyond the stage of Qi-Infused Sword, the Internal Force wrapped around the Sword grew even larger, shattering the Greatsword Hwang Mu-tak was holding.

“Huh…”

Even if it was an ordinary greatsword made for training, it was still a greatsword crafted by a renowned Blacksmith in Pingyao County. To be shattered so completely…

Hwang Mu-tak looked down at their lightened hand with a dumbfounded expression.

“I have lost.”

And at Hwang Mu-tak’s voice, as they quickly bowed their head, Namgung-woo calmed their consciousness, which had been floating in ecstasy.

“…And I as well. It was a good sparring match.”

Namgung-woo had initially spoken with informal speech, harboring displeasure at the Black Bear Faction’s atrocities. But now, after exchanging swords, their tone had shifted to one of greater respect for their opponent.

Of course, they would still make them pay for the atrocities they had committed, but gratitude for accommodating a reckless Sparring Match was a separate matter.

Hwang Mu-tak felt similarly. Even in an era where the Righteous and Unorthodox Factions were clearly divided, respect for a Peerless Martial Artist transcended those boundaries.

Hwang Mu-tak offered a Cupped Fist Salute, not to curry favor, but with genuine respect.

“This humble Hwang feels as though his eyes have been opened by your Esteemed One’s Sword. I promise that our Faction will duly compensate those who have suffered harm from this incident, exceeding what is appropriate.”

“I will trust you.”

Namgung-woo read sincerity in Hwang Mu-tak’s words.

Even the Azure Serenity Eyes, which could perceive All Creation with ease, testified that their Sixth Sense was correct.

‘Is this the end of this matter?’

They could leave with a relieved heart. Namgung-woo was satisfied that they could repay those who had shown them goodwill before departing.

Sheathing the Sword they still held, Namgung-woo turned towards Song Chae-ji and Yang So-dang, who stood behind them with dazed expressions.

Seeing their posture, indicating they would not stay but leave, Hwang Mu-tak hurriedly asked.

“Your Esteemed Name! May I hear your Esteemed One’s Esteemed Name?”

An appearance that surely hadn’t surpassed the Age of Thirty.

Perhaps they were an Old Master who had achieved Rejuvenation, but Hwang Mu-tak had a vague feeling that Namgung-woo was truly the age they appeared to be.

If so, the existence of this young man would surely bring great Turmoil to the Jianghu.

A Peak Transcendence Grandmaster in their twenties.

Genius individuals, counted among the best Under Heaven, were always beings who brought great incidents with every step they took.

And Namgung-woo’s answer solidified Hwang Mu-tak’s conviction.

“Namgung-woo. It is Namgung-woo.”

At the name Namgung-woo, the very atmosphere seemed to shift.

That name was something special in the Current Martial World.

“Namgung…? Namgung, you say…?”

The moment Hwang Mu-tak stammered and mumbled the surname.

Song Chae-ji ran to Namgung-woo and shouted.

“Young Hero Nam! I knew it! Just watching Young Hero Nam’s Sword Art is a huge help!”