Chapter 122: Completing the Absolute Formation (2)

Yong Hwarin returned to his quarters, deeply troubled by various thoughts.

Of course, even amidst all that, he did not neglect his martial arts training.

In particular, he had been experiencing a new level of enlightenment through the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

He spent most of his days either figuring out how to earn money or training with the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

Late at night, while contemplating ways to earn a large sum, Yong Hwarin suddenly remembered the treasure ship incident that had caused quite a stir around this time in his past life.

A treasure ship from the Song Dynasty had been discovered at Sammun Gorge, located on the border between Henan and Shanxi, leading to a massive bloodbath in the region.

Naturally, Yong Hwarin had refrained from acting on that news in his previous life.

It was because the area had drawn too many martial artists, leading to rampant killings.

‘Even just taking a portion of the treasure from there would be enough.’

That thought brought him some peace of mind.

If he could find the treasure ship within half a year, he wouldn’t have to worry about funding.

As he continued mulling over money-making plans, he felt a desire to stretch his body.

Taking the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm, he headed to the rear garden.

What Yong Hwarin had been most absorbed in recently was the fusion of the Azure Bamboo Sword and the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword.

The distinct characteristics of each sword technique made them difficult to combine.

The Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword specialized in offense, while the Azure Bamboo Sword was tailored for defense, resulting in many movements that were hard to merge.

However, the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm complemented the execution of both sword techniques with uncanny harmony.

Until now, switching from the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword to the Azure Bamboo Sword during combat had been difficult, so he had to choose either offense or defense beforehand.

But with the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm, that wasn’t necessary.

The reason it had been impossible to execute both techniques simultaneously with a regular sword was that the Azure Bamboo Sword, modeled after the supple and resilient nature of bamboo, emphasized smooth, fluid movements which did not mesh well with the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword.

Yet when he infused internal energy into the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm and used it like a whip-sword, then slightly eased the energy when switching to defensive moves, it harmonized beautifully.

The transitions between offense and defense became seamless, and the weaknesses of both techniques were mitigated.

As Yong Hwarin swung his sword, he gradually felt the two sword techniques fusing into one.

The sword traces followed one another naturally, as if the two techniques had originally been one.

Then Yong Hwarin paused to catch his breath and stopped moving.

“I didn’t know you had a habit of secretly watching others.”

Rustle.

A person emerged from behind a neatly trimmed shrub.

It was the Three Chivalrous Sisters of the Jeong Family.

The three women had come to speak with Yong Hwarin, but upon seeing him training, they had silently observed for a moment.

But watching him wield the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm as though it were a long-used personal weapon had captivated them, and they ended up watching until he finished.

Since secretly watching someone’s martial training was a taboo in the martial world, they had revealed their presence to apologize.

They had been so drawn into his performance that they hadn’t even noticed how long they had stood there.

“We apologize for unintentionally interrupting your training.”

“What brings you here?”

Just as Jeong Minji was about to answer, Jeong Suji quietly stepped forward and spoke.

“Would you spar with us using that sword technique you just demonstrated?”

Yong Hwarin frowned.

They were guests of the main household, and engaging in a spar felt inappropriate.

However, they were suitable opponents to test the sword technique he had just used.

If he sparred with disciples of the Heavenly Central Sect, he wouldn’t be able to fully assess the power of the combined sword technique.

“As fellow martial artists, I respectfully ask for this.”

When Jeong Suji bowed with a polite fist-salute, Yong Hwarin turned to Jeong Minji.

Jeong Minji smiled and added her own salute.

Now that it had come to this, the Three Chivalrous Sisters also wanted to confirm whether Yong Hwarin truly deserved to possess the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

When Jeong Minji and Jeong Daji followed suit with firm expressions, Yong Hwarin nodded.

“Very well.”

As Yong Hwarin agreed, Jeong Minji spoke up.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way. From now on, the three of us will be fighting at our full strength.”

Yong Hwarin had long sensed that the strength of these Three Chivalrous Sisters far exceeded the force they usually projected.

He had already realized to some extent that they had not shown their full power before.

“I’ve also recently achieved a breakthrough and don’t wish to hold back in this test.”

Jeong Minji nodded at Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji. Jeong Daji stepped between her two sisters.

Then Jeong Minji rapidly struck pressure points on Jeong Daji’s front, while Jeong Suji struck the points on her back.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Dozens of pressure points were struck with dazzling speed.

Moments later, Jeong Minji and Jeong Suji also released their own seals.

‘So they’ve been restraining themselves with internal seals all this time. Let’s see what the Three Chivalrous Sisters of the Jeong Family are really capable of.’

Thinking that, Yong Hwarin watched them—and his eyes widened in astonishment.

It was different. Their aura had completely changed from before.

Their previously gentle energy, shaped by the nature of their Cloud Flow Sword Technique, became fierce and razor-sharp.

The surge of their energy sent a cool breeze through the once-still rear garden. The leaves did not rustle, yet a chill wind could be felt.

‘Good heavens. Each of these Three Chivalrous Sisters is at the Master Level.’

Only at the peak of mastery could one manipulate the surrounding air at will.

If three masters combined forces, even the sect leader of a major martial clan would struggle to stand against them.

The sisters possessed such skill.

Jeong Daji suddenly vanished, then reappeared right in front of Yong Hwarin’s nose.

Until that moment, Yong Hwarin hadn’t even moved a finger.

He waited until Jeong Daji made her move, and then only after Jeong Minji followed did he finally act.

Rather than responding to each strike individually, he instantly visualized a method in his mind to simultaneously observe and block all three of their attacks efficiently.

Yong Hwarin stepped toward Jeong Suji, extending the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

As if expecting this, Jeong Suji struck it with her sword, infusing her sword qi into the blow.

She hoped that if she could slightly disrupt Yong Hwarin’s internal energy, it would give Jeong Daji, coming from behind, an opening to attack.

However, the moment the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm touched Jeong Suji’s sword, it unraveled with a slippery motion and wound around her hand.

At that moment, Jeong Daji’s sword silently slid in toward his right side.

Yong Hwarin yanked the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm back.

Clang!

Jeong Suji’s sword intercepted Jeong Daji’s.

Yong Hwarin slipped between the two of them with agile steps.

As he moved to the precise space between them, Jeong Minji, who had been charging in, flinched. Her strike would endanger her two sisters as well, making it too risky to attack full force.

In that instant, Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji didn’t even think to avoid him.

Taking advantage of that brief moment, Yong Hwarin retreated three paces away.

After what amounted to only a short bout, the Three Chivalrous Sisters could only feel a sense of futility.

“Let’s stop here.”

At Yong Hwarin’s words, their pride was provoked, and they unleashed their ultimate techniques.

But they couldn’t properly defend against the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm, which transformed between a sword, a whip, and a chain-like weapon at will.

Only now did they realize that Yong Hwarin had fully grasped the mysterious applications of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

They were overwhelmed with frustration.

To wield the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm like that, one needed at least Master Level internal energy and the ability to manipulate true qi with complete freedom.

The method of injecting qi into it to use as a sword, then releasing the qi to turn it into a whip and break the opponent’s balance—it was a technique so crafty that facing it firsthand was infuriating.

Moreover, mastering such control over the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm required an advanced degree of internal energy cultivation.

They themselves had trained endlessly trying to achieve that.

But lacking Master Level internal energy, they couldn’t even transform the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm into the Black Celestial Silkworm Sword-Whip form.

That’s why it had become a family treasure— not because of its rarity, but because there was no one capable of wielding it.

And yet now, an outsider—someone not even of the main household—was handling it in a way they had only dreamed of. It was humiliating and enraging.

Yong Hwarin, on the other hand, was elated to see that the fusion of the Azure Bamboo Sword and the Soaring Dragon Emperor Sword using the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm could even fend off their joint assault.

Because of that, unlike the three Jeong sisters, he became completely immersed in the sparring.

He was using them to practice the flow and linkage of his newly fused techniques.

Of course, the Three Chivalrous Sisters had not gone all out to defeat him.

Their true killing techniques carried far too much lethal intent to reveal casually.

Still, the fact that they couldn’t defeat him even after releasing their internal seals meant they had effectively lost.

The Jeong sisters stepped back five paces.

Yong Hwarin looked at them with a hint of regret.

He wanted to continue practicing, but he couldn’t ask them to keep being his sparring partners.

“I’ve learned much from this exchange.”

As Jeong Minji gave a polite fist-salute, Yong Hwarin returned the gesture.

“It was an enjoyable spar.”

The three Jeong sisters walked away, looking dispirited, but Yong Hwarin had no intention of heading back indoors.

He was so captivated by the joy of performing martial arts with the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm that he continued wielding it until the first light of dawn.

Yong Hwarin assumed that the three Jeong sisters, with their particular personalities, would eventually leave—but they made no move to go.

From his perspective, that was ideal.

If they left, he would likely have to return the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm, so he hoped they would stay as long as possible.

Yong Hwarin also began contemplating what weapon could replace the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm.

But no such weapon existed.

Then one day, the three Jeong sisters came to visit his residence.

Thinking they had returned for another spar, Yong Hwarin was secretly pleased.

“Young Master Yong, we have something to tell you.”

Seeing Jeong Minji speak so softly, Yong Hwarin guided her inside.

After bringing out simple refreshments and sharing a few sips of tea, Jeong Minji finally opened her mouth.

“There is something we haven’t told you until now.”

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