Chapter 357

Chapter 357
What exactly is happening here?

Initially, I questioned whether Yong-so-a truly meant to take my life.

Experiencing such an alien and unsettling sensation made me wonder how I was even still breathing.

Besides, that guy had more than enough reasons to want me dead.

Chief among them was what transpired back at the Demon Spirit Plateau.

His own blunder there had dragged his reputation, as well as the prestige of the Wudang Sect, straight through the mud.

I had even picked up rumors that the Wudang Sect’s influence within the Righteous Way Society had taken a massive dive for a considerable period afterward.

On top of that, once I established close ties with the Hao-mun, I engineered the dissemination of highly damaging rumors concerning him.

I made sure those whispers kept circulating so the public backlash against him wouldn’t lose its heat.

The consequences were quite profound.

Anyone who secretly or overtly resented the rigid righteousness of the Wudang Sect seized the opportunity to lambast them, forcing Wudang to severely limit their public presence relative to the other factions in the Righteous Way Society.

Most importantly, the near-mythical reverence that people once held for Yong-so-a had completely dissolved.

Dang-seo-hui had mentioned to me that certain individuals went so far as to openly insult Yong-so-a to his face during the events of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

Faced with that kind of public humiliation, an ordinary man would either end his own life or desperately try to unmask the mastermind behind the slander.

To any rational observer, the unrelenting wave of condemnation clearly felt orchestrated.

It stood to reason that he would desire nothing more than to hunt down and execute the culprit behind those whispers.

And given the martial prowess of someone like Yong-so-a, he certainly possessed the strength to act on that desire.

He had absolutely no incentive to restrain himself.

Thus, it was perfectly logical for me to assume that Yong-so-a intended to end my existence right here.

Yet, something is off.

I couldn’t detect the slightest hint of murderous intent emanating from him.

There was an absolute absence of aggressive energy or adversarial pressure.

What is he playing at?

His expression betrayed nothing more than genuine inquisitive bewilderment.

“What sort of…”

That realization made the situation feel even more skin-crawling.

“…nonsense are you spewing?”

A brief glint sparked deep within Yong-so-a’s eyes, vanishing as quickly as it arrived.

A heavy, suffocating quiet settled between us.

The sole sound remaining was the crackle of the nearby torch, its flames dancing erratically against the breeze.

Cast in the shifting shadows of the fire, his features reverted to total indifference.

“For what reason.”

With that brief flicker of confusion gone, any trace of humanity left his face, and I felt as though I were confronting a soulless statue once more.

“My question was regarding how you are still among the living.”

And right then, a realization struck me.

The phrasing of his query was fundamentally warped.

Given how widely the tales had spread, he had to be fully aware that I had escaped the jaws of death on multiple occasions.

Normally, anyone learning of such miraculous survival would ask ‘What did you manage to pull off?’ or ‘How did you survive?’.

They wouldn’t demand to know *why* I was still breathing.

Yet this man…

“Does my continued existence bother you that much?”

He carried himself as though my demise was the only logical outcome.

I began circulating the internal energy of the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong.

Rather than the air growing still, the fabric of my martial robes started to billow outward gradually.

Should I utilize the White Moon Ascending Heaven Three Styles? The Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Formula? Or perhaps the Zhuge Three Styles?

I mentally reviewed the various techniques at my disposal to confront him.

Having survived countless life-or-death struggles, the prospect of facing any adversary no longer struck fear into my heart.

Yet, recalling what I knew of Yong-so-a, I couldn’t be entirely certain if any of these methods would prove effective against him.

Even though I despised every fiber of his being.

Based on my knowledge, he was an absolute aberration, possessing a monstrous nature that easily rivaled the vile fanatics of the Demonic Cult.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not thrilled that you are still drawing breath either, Yong-so-a.”

“You are completely misinterpreting the meaning behind my query.”

He shifted his stance with deliberate slowness.

He seemed relaxed on the surface, but I recognized it immediately.

It was his signature Sword Drawing Stance (*Chul-geom-se*).

This seemingly casual posture was a specialized quick-draw technique of Yong-so-a’s own invention.

By entirely masking his murderous aura and presence, he could cut down a foe before they even realized a strike was coming.

‘Is this lunatic seriously going to draw his weapon right here?’

Channeling the Tae-eul-jin-gyeong to its absolute limits, I dropped into my own quick-draw stance.

Regardless of how swift his draw might be, the Extreme Speed of my White Moon Ascending Heaven Three Styles was bound to outmatch it.

Watching him present an absolutely flawless defense while looking completely ordinary made cold sweat pool in my palms.

As I locked my unblinking gaze onto him, he glanced down briefly at his own posture and murmured.

“I see… you recognize this form?”

An expression of uncertainty crossed his features once more.

“Very few individuals are currently aware of the Sword Drawing Stance.”

He continued smoothly.

“And the majority of those who did are no longer in this world,” Yong-so-a whispered.

I had blundered.

Because of my profound hatred for the man, I had exposed my familiarity with his techniques prematurely.

“Did you expect me to remain unprotected after you practically threatened my life?”

I offered a casual justification, but he merely stared straight into my eyes, completely indifferent to my words.

“Jin-so-un. You represent… an unpredictable variable.”

“And unpredictable variables inevitably disrupt the established order.”

*Shhhring.*

He drew his treasured blade, the Seon-pung Sword.

Bathed in the faint moonlight, the silver edge appeared more pristine and translucent than any weapon I had ever encountered.

The memory of that exquisite blade tracking toward my throat flashed through my mind.

Furthermore,

“Are you aware? Your entire existence is a fundamentally flawed conclusion.”

I possessed knowledge of the grim timeline he was destined to bring about.

“Every path you selected invariably led to catastrophe.”

I was fully aware of the consequences wrought by his choices in his previous incarnation.

None of them could ever be considered correct.

And yet,

“I… am incapable of making an incorrect decision.”

The version of him standing before me now remained utterly oblivious to his own failures.

“Ha… piece of shit.”

His perfectly flat, monotonous tone sent a surge of pure rage coursing through me.

“Then what the hell do you call what happened at the Demon Spirit Plateau, you absolute bastard!”

The resentment I had tightly suppressed for so long finally burst at the seams, exploding outward.

White Moon Ascending Heaven Three Styles.

First Style.

Extreme Speed (*Geuk-kwae*).

My blade slashed forward.

*Clang—*

The ring of the blade lagged behind the movement itself.

Moving at a velocity that defied human sight, any opponent would inevitably be cut, no matter how minor the injury.

A strike swifter than thought, and keener than any edge.

For that was the very essence of the White Moon Sword’s opening form, Extreme Speed.

However,

*Schnitt.*

The distinctive blue and white fabrics composing the martial robes of the Wudang Sect were cleanly severed.

Yet the trail of crimson that should have immediately materialized…

“Hah…”

…was nowhere to be found.

“An incredibly precise and swift blade. Executed as an ambush, no less.”

From his tone, it was obvious he had never witnessed this technique before.

Even so, his reaction amounted to nothing more than a passing note of respect.

“Yet, it amounts to nothing more.”

*Shhhring—*

Utilizing the Cloud-Stepping Leap (*Je-un-jong*), he immediately unleashed the Dark Heaven Seven Stars Sword.

As seven distinct blade-images descended upon me all at once, I countered the onslaught by unleashing the defensive layers of the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

*Clatter-clatter-clatter.*

My blade generated a multitude of parries to neutralize the septet of incoming strikes.

It was common knowledge that the fundamental doctrine of the Wudang Sect rested upon Taiji.

Yet the sheer crushing force behind each of his strikes felt indistinguishable from the absolute tyranny of the Overlord’s Way (*Pa-do*).

For him to deliver such staggering momentum while fluidly seeking out structural vulnerabilities was terrifying.

The martial art mirrored the man perfectly.

I pushed the internal reserves of my Tae-eul-jin-gyeong to an even greater height.

*Boom-boom-boom.*

Amidst a violent eruption of pure sword-qi, the opponent’s Seon-pung Sword was forcefully deflected away.

Seeing his brows knit tightly together, it was evident that he was caught off guard by my strength.

“Do you honestly think I am still the same helpless Jin-so-un you knew at the Demon Spirit Plateau!”

A tempest of absolute sword-gang completely enveloped the space around Yong-so-a.

Each slash of my weapon unleashed a relentless wave designed to shred and obliterate everything in its path.

Even the hardened zealots of the Demonic Cult lurking within the Silent Forest had cowered when faced with this caliber of devastation.

*Crash-crash-shatter!*

The concussive shockwave from the massive blast sent the illumination torches tumbling into the dirt.

Scattered sparks erupted across the pitch-black night like swarms of glowing fireflies.

Positioned dead center, Yong-so-a remained perfectly composed, his figure brilliantly catching the stray glints of light.

Indeed, he had always been this way—shining with an insufferable nobility while standing in the absolute gutter.

While common soldiers perished as mere cannon fodder and bottom-tier martial artists bled just to survive until morning, he remained immaculate and exalted, completely detached from the horror.

Because of that, without question,

“You are the one who deserves to perish! Yong-so-a!”

*Swoooosh.*

I manifested an unprecedented torrent of illusions and phantom blades.

The surrounding space became so choked with flashing steel that it resembled a dense thicket of blades, leaving absolutely no avenue for escape.

*Shhhring—*

Right through that tempest of raging sword-gang and ethereal copies, a fluid, silvery edge glided effortlessly.

*Shhhring— Shhhring—*

Instead of the deafening metallic collisions that one would expect from clashing weapons, a smooth, continuous scraping sound—reminiscent of steel sliding along a sharpening stone—filled the air.

*Shhhring— Shhhring— Shhhring—*

Then, slipping through the impenetrable thicket of blades, the figure clad in the blue and white vestments of Wudang emerged with liquid grace.

‘How is this even possible?’

It wasn’t even respect for his martial attainment; it was utter bewilderment at a level of skill that defied logic.

No matter how swift a person might be, it was impossible to dodge every individual drop of rain or halt the passage of the wind.

Yet he had just achieved precisely that.

Even granting that he was Yong-so-a, this completely shattered common sense.

But I couldn’t afford to waste a single second overthinking it.

Had hadn’t the brutal lessons of the Silent Forest and the demonic territories hammered it into my head?

If an assault fails, you redouble your efforts until it pierces through.

If a defense refuses to shatter, you hammer at it until it crumbles.

*Whirrrr.*

I unleashed the Small Heaven Sword Art over and over in rapid succession.

Layering it atop the principles of the Great Heaven Sword Art and the Twin Heaven Sword Formula, I stacked the techniques one after another.

*Rustle—*

The blade whipped through the air, leaving behind a blur of ghostly afterimages.

Recognizing the rising danger, Yong-so-a shifted his weapon into a strict defensive posture (*Su-se*).

A swirling manifestation of raw Qi, perfectly mimicking the symbol of Taiji, coalesced at the very tip of his blade.

*Wuuuuum—*

Just as the concentrated energy fields of our maximum-effort strikes were on the verge of a catastrophic collision,

“What do you two think you are doing!”

A sharp exclamation cut through the air.

Forced into submission by a staggering wave of oppressive internal energy that demanded compliance, both of our blades ground to an instant halt.

The tip of my blade hovered right before his chest.

While his edge rested right against my throat.

“I demand to know exactly what is happening here right now!”

The voice was deep and laced with pure ice, belonging entirely to Dang-seo-hui.

Yong-so-a broke his gaze away from me, shifting his eyes toward Dang-seo-hui.

Following a tense moment, he smoothly withdrew his Seon-pung Sword.

“It is of no consequence. Simply a routine sparring match.”

Offering that hollow justification, Yong-so-a spun around on his heel and walked away.

Dang-seo-hui shot a burning glare at his retreating back, but he silently continued toward his lodging without looking back.

Next, her piercing stare locked onto me, silently ordering me to come clean.

Sheathing my Jeok-gwang Sword, I gave my reply.

“We were merely testing each other.”

There was no point in elaborating further.

The following morning.

As I was taking my morning meal, Dang-seo-hui walked over to where I sat.

“Yong-so-a has already departed ahead of us.”

Hwa-jeong-san also ambled over to my side.

“Hey, brat. Did you seriously trade blows with Yong-so-a last night?”

I pondered how best to frame my response before offering a noncommittal shrug.

“I was simply on the receiving end of a quick lesson.”

“Similar to the lessons I hammered into you?”

Hwa-jeong-san’s expression twisted into an annoyed scowl.

I shot back with an indifferent smirk.

“Though I must say, his edge lacked the distinct bite of the Huashan plum blossoms.”

“…Hmph!”

He let out a sharp grunt, though the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch upward ever so slightly.

With that settled, Hwa-jeong-san went back to focusing on his food, but Dang-seo-hui maintained her intense scrutiny.

“Are you really going to keep the reason behind that skirmish a secret from me?”

Truth be told, I wasn’t entirely certain of the root cause myself, nor why he had engaged me with such genuine lethal intent.

The singular impression I gathered while our weapons clashed was simple.

‘It felt entirely sterile, devoid of even a hint of hesitation.’

A distinct resolve to end my life was present, yet it carried absolutely no emotional weight.

Just like in my previous memories, his blade remained entirely detached, and his fighting presence held no personal malice.

Consequently, I had to come up with an alternative explanation.

“Well… he claimed that Senior Dang was acting like a fool by trying to play the righteous hero.”

Dang-seo-hui’s jaw dropped and her eyes went completely round, utterly staggered by the statement.

“So I countered by telling him that Senior Dang’s actions aren’t a performance but the true execution of righteousness, to which he called me an idiot as well. That’s how the fight broke out.”

After being frozen in disbelief for several moments, Dang-seo-hui’s face smoothed out into its usual mask, and she gently patted my hair with her petite hand.

“You speak wisely. You performed excellently. It is Yong-so-a who lacks true understanding.”

Standing nearby, Hwa-jeong-san shook his head at the sheer absurdity of the exchange, but Dang-seo-hui seemed entirely placated by the tale.

Dang-seo-hui then dug into her own food.

Knowing her aversion to greens, I deliberately piled some vegetable dishes onto her bowl; she shot me a venomous look, but proceeded to chew them up and gulp them down anyway.

“I… I don’t want to finish this…”

“You need the sustenance to grow properly.”

As I continued coaxing her to eat by sneaking food onto her plate every other bite, Hwa-jeong-san spoke up through a mouthful.

“Hey, what exactly is your game plan moving forward?”

“Regarding what matter?”

“The training masters, obviously. You don’t honestly believe you can skate by without consequences after stirring up such a massive mess, right?”

My jaw dropped slightly, mirroring Dang-seo-hui’s earlier look of absolute shock.

“Are you actually expressing concern for my well-being right now?”

Genuine concern, originating from Hwa-jeong-san.

It really goes to show that if you live long enough, you’ll witness the impossible.

I never imagined the day would come when this absolute rascal would stress over my fate.

“…What exactly do you take me for?”

“A total rogue.”

“…You petty bastard…”

While Hwa-jeong-san ground his teeth in frustration, Dang-seo-hui chimed in with her own assessment.

“Hwa-jeong-san is undeniably a rogue. Barging into an outside sect and actively provoking their grandmaster like that—he is the definition of a miscreant.”

“…Th-that was merely a trial! A pre-arranged duel! A formal review!”

“They gave him that exact assignment precisely because of his unrefined nature. A man’s true colors rarely shift.”

It appeared that Dang-seo-hui’s direct and unyielding reasoning completely shut him down.

Watching Hwa-jeong-san fall into a stunned silence left me thoroughly amused and astonished once more.

The Sahwal Unit remained at the headquarters of the Mandok-mun for three additional days.

Aside from their mastery over lethal toxins, the Mandok-mun excelled in profound healing techniques, much like the renowned Dang Family.

The young martial artists from the academy proved to be resilient patients, recovering rapidly under their care.

By the time the medical treatments wound down, every single individual had regained the ability to walk unassisted.

Virtually everyone was back on their feet.

Even so, the Mandok-mun generously supplied a fleet of wagons to ensure a smooth and pleasant journey back for those still mending.

Furthermore, they assigned a tactical detachment to escort the group securely to the regional headquarters in Kunming.

By restricting their travel to daylight hours and lodging only at prominent establishments, they easily avoided any potential surprise attacks.

Realistically, having safely broken out of the Silent Forest, they were largely out of the Demonic Cult’s primary crosshairs, but taking precautions was only logical.

The youth from the academy showed zero signs of anxiety regardless.

Their standard wounds had fully closed up, and the extended period of rest had thoroughly replenished their internal stamina.

If anything, quite a few were practically begging for an enemy encounter just to exact bloody vengeance.

Naturally, having heavyweights like Dang-seo-hui and Hwa-jeong-san marching alongside them provided an immense sense of security.

“Say, why are these youngsters marching in this particular fashion?”

Prompted by Hwa-jeong-san’s inquiry, I cast my gaze backward to observe the student body.

Well, from his point of view, the sight must have raised plenty of questions.

“Hey there, you stingy bastard from Jongnam! What’s your plan once we hit base?”

“I don’t know… are you planning to head back to your clan?”

“Personally, I was thinking about grabbing some liquor with the guys over at the Seocheon-mun.”

The traditional boundaries dividing factions such as the Righteous Way Society, the White Way Society, and the 12th Peak Stars had completely melted away.

It was only natural that the sight of an eclectic, unified column—completely ignoring original sect ties or gaps in martial prowess—seemed utterly bizarre to an outsider like him.

I glanced over at the bald monk… rather, toward Il-gak and Cheol-sun-jik, who flank me like a pair of personal bodyguards.

“Honestly, I can’t quite wrap my head around it either.”

For all intents and purposes, the Sahwal Unit’s operational mandate had concluded the moment they cleared the Silent Forest.

Once they arrived within the safe confines of the Mandok-mun, maintaining their strict evacuation formation became redundant.

And yet, the academy trainees voluntarily chose to keep stride directly alongside the core members of the Sahwal Unit.

By now, deep bonds of comradery had formed naturally, completely overriding their respective heritages and official duties.

This display struck Hwa-jeong-san as profoundly unnatural.

“Is it normal for an entire student body to turn out this eccentric just because their class leader is unhinged?”

“You have a real knack for being insulting.”

“Are you trying to tell me this looks ordinary to you?”

“Isn’t the foundational ideal of the Murim Alliance to build a coalition that moves past individual bloodlines and schools?”

“That’s just high-minded philosophy. Throughout the entire existence of the Murim Alliance, that benchmark has never been realized even once… and you’re acting like it’s routine?”

I simply gave a slight shrug, abandoning any effort to argue the point with him.

Given that this level of absolute solidarity within the Murim Alliance wouldn’t truly manifest until the desperate retreat to the North Sea, his utter skepticism was perfectly logical.

“Ah!”

Hwa-jeong-san smacked his palm with his fist, his eyes lighting up with a sudden revelation.

“You paid them off! Word on the street is you’re filthy rich! Of course! That explains everything!”

Right, I completely forgot for a second that this guy spent all his free time scheming alongside Gye-cheol-yeong.

The connection had temporarily slipped my mind.

“W-what’s with that expression? Why are you staring at me like that!”

I simply couldn’t conceal the deep sense of pity I felt for him.