There were two times when Jeon-hyeon had been shocked while learning martial arts so far.

The first was when he had witnessed the skills of the sect leader of the Zhongnan Sect.

Even now, when he recalled that time, he got goosebumps.

‘He was overwhelmingly strong.’

A brilliant realm of martial arts that he could not even look at.

He was overwhelmed.

He was literally overwhelmed by that martial art, which he felt he could not even reach, and could not even breathe.

The second was when he had met the famous eccentric of the martial world, the Tea-Drinking Old Eccentric.

‘Rather than strong, he was scary.’

He had not felt that he was overwhelmingly strong like the Zhongnan sect leader.

But what he had felt was fear.

Actions and martial arts that were impossible to understand, what kind of moves he would use, what kind of person he was.

Common sense and actions that were beyond the realm of understanding.

A feeling as if he were looking at a complete madman.

That was why he had felt fear.

And now Jeon-hyeon was shocked for the third time.

‘Did I see it?’

He had not seen it. Not a single thing.

He had not seen Cheon Mubaeck’s movements, how Sa Jeok-yu had fallen, or any of that scene.

He had just seen what had happened after the wind had messed up his hair and a heavy sound had been heard.

‘Did I feel it?’

He had not felt it.

Nothing.

If you are a martial artist, if you are a person who has learned martial arts, your internal energy is bound to be in every gesture, every movement. The fact that internal energy is in it means that a flow is contained.

Internal energy flows.

Then it should be felt. At least, Jeon-hyeon, who was an elder of the Zhongnan Sect and who prided himself on being stronger than the Plum Blossom One Sword here, should have felt it.

Did he feel it?

No, he had not felt it.

Those two clear truths had shocked Jeon-hyeon. A cold sensation seemed to freeze his heart.

What was the emotion of being shocked this time?

The overwhelming strength like the Zhongnan sect leader?

The fear that came from the unknown, like the Tea-Drinking Old Eccentric?

No.

‘It’s both.’

Overwhelmingly strong, and scary.

It was the honest feeling that Jeon-hyeon had felt.

That was why, paradoxically, Jeon-hyeon had no choice but to forcefully deny that feeling.

To feel strength and to feel fear.

Because he had to admit that the opponent’s martial arts level was far superior to his own.

It wasn’t just that he was superior.

A realm that was hard to even look at. Since he had to admit that he had reached that level, Jeon-hyeon had denied it without even realizing it.

“What is this!”

“It’s just that I hit a guy who had no manners and had interfered when the adults were talking.”

“Adults? Heo.”

Jeon-hyeon was dumbfounded.

Although Sa Jeok-yu was much older than him, wasn’t Cheon Mubaeck a guy who was not even of age yet?

Jeon-hyeon, who had thought that he was being made fun of, his hostility towards Cheon Mubaeck became even more severe.

“Alright. Since it has come to this, let’s settle it at the duel.”

“Hmm. Whatever.”

“This is!”

When Cheon Mubaeck still reacted nonchalantly, Jeon-hyeon bit his lip, took care of the fallen Sa Jeok-yu, and immediately went back.

Gukbo, who had been watching the situation, sighed.

“The format of the duel has not been decided yet. But it will start in seven days. So please prepare.”

“I understand. Are you also participating?”

Gukbo smiled bitterly.

“In the elder rank, perhaps Cheonghyeonjin will participate, and I cannot be left out in the first-generation disciple rank.”

Cheon Mubaeck nodded his head.

It meant that Mount Hua would not give up the Primordial Root Scripture easily.

Although the Guardian Sword, Cheonghyeonjin, had not received the rank of a great elder, everyone knew that he was a skilled person who was worthy of being included in the five great elders.

So Mount Hua was clearly going to do its best.

Then…

“This side will also do its best.”

The moment Cheon Mubaeck said that.

Gukbo’s chest felt cold on one side.

* * *

“Neung-heo.”

“Yes.”

“You’re also participating.”

“Me? Why don’t you just do it all by yourself?”

“Are you going to play and eat while I’m fighting?”

Neung-heo shouted as if he were being wronged.

“No, the person who needs the Primordial Root Scripture is you, my lord. I don’t need that kind of thing.”

“Neung-heo, what do you think I’m going to say?”

When Cheon Mubaeck stared at him, Neung-heo soon answered nonchalantly.

“I also really wanted to participate in the duel.”

“Right?”

“Yes, yes. If not now, when would I have a duel with Mount Hua and Zhongnan? Yes.”

Cheon Mubaeck looked at Gwak Cheon-hu, who was standing blankly on one side.

“You’re also participating, right?”

“Me?”

“Even if it’s not five people, you have to at least make it look like you’re matching the numbers.”

“Even if I participate, it’s only three.”

“If I defeat both the Mount Hua Sect and the Zhongnan Sect by myself, how sad would the kids be?”

Gwak Cheon-hu was at a loss for words.

Although it was a strange statement, since Cheon Mubaeck had said it, it seemed really plausible.

“An appropriate defeat gives the opponent a desire to win and motivation, but an overwhelming defeat gives pain. You know that well, don’t you?”

Gwak Cheon-hu narrowed his brow.

Hadn’t he also been overwhelmingly defeated?

“I’m feeling a desire to win. My goal is to defeat you.”

“It’s still a long way off.”

He honestly admitted that part.

Gwak Cheon-hu keenly felt that he did not have the skills to defeat Cheon Mubaeck yet.

“Moreover, you like to fight. To be able to compete against the first-generation disciples of Mount Hua and Zhongnan. It’s impossible in Chongqing.”

That’s right.

There were no large sects like Mount Hua or Zhongnan in Chongqing.

Although Gwak Cheon-hu was clearly the best successor in Chongqing, the Central Plains was wide.

Gwak Cheon-hu was surprised at the momentum of Gukbo and Jeon-hyeon, whom he had just met.

‘Can I win?’

To be honest, he could not give a definite answer.

He wouldn’t know unless he fought.

The depth of the internal energy that was felt from the outside was on a different level from his own.

‘As expected of a prestigious orthodox sect.’

The depth and weight of the internal energy was something that a small sect like the Flying Sword Sect could not compare to.

“After winning the duel, if you reveal your identity and ask the sect leader for help, it will be enough, won’t it?”

Moreover, if he asked for help after showing his skills, Mount Hua would have no choice but to respond.

Moreover, wasn’t Zhongnan also here?

Gwak Cheon-hu nodded his head.

“I understand. I will participate.”

Cheon Mubaeck turned his gaze to Neung-heo again.

“Neung-heo.”

“What.”

“It’s special training.”

“Huh?”

“You’re the most unstable.”

“No, if I lose, isn’t it enough if your side wins?”

Although Neung-heo asked back as if he were dumbfounded, Cheon Mubaeck shook his head.

But Cheon Mubaeck was firm, as if he would not tolerate any refutation.

“If you lose, you’ll be saying ‘please kill me’ to me.”

“Special training, I’ll do it.”

Neung-heo’s expression became determined.

* * *

In fact, although Neung-heo had said it was special training, he had not expected much.

The time left until the duel was only a week.

Even he, who was a black-way member, knew well that it was impossible to achieve a remarkable growth in just a week.

Unless he ate a tremendous elixir.

So he had taken Cheon Mubaeck’s words as the usual joke.

Of course, Neung-heo soon regretted that fact bitterly.

When he saw Cheon Mubaeck’s indifferently sunken eyes, he got goosebumps for a moment.

Neung-heo, without even realizing it, shouted.

“I’ll have a duel with Cheon-hu.”

“No. This is not a duel.”

Seureureung.

Cheon Mubaeck drew his sword.

It was a real sword.

“It’s a real battle.”

“No, a real battle? I want to live a long life.”

“Yes. The effort you put in now is the way to survive a long time in the martial world later.”

Cheon Mubaeck said that and put his right hand behind his back.

Neung-heo’s eyebrows twitched.

“I’ll also seal one of my hands.”

“Eum!”

“And I will not move from this spot.”

“Heo?”

“Why, do you feel like you can do it?”

“Do you think I’ll fall for that? But well…”

Neung-heo trailed off.

To be honest, he did not think that he would win even if he did that.

But still.

Can’t I at least get one hit in?

“But is this special training?”

Unlike before, there was nothing that special.

When he had first trained the Neung-heo’s Left Sword, hadn’t Cheon Mubaeck beaten him up under the pretext of a duel?

“Is there anything special about special training…”

“Taat!”

Neung-heo let out a surprise shout and rushed in.

A will was visible in his glittering eyes.

‘I’ll just get one proper hit in!’

Cheon Mubaeck smirked and dodged Neung-heo’s sword just by twisting his body.

“Hmph!”

But Neung-heo had also had numerous duels with Gwak Cheon-hu and his realm had become quite mature.

The stabbed sword, as if it were being withdrawn, was swung wide to the left and right.

Although it was a sword technique that specialized in stabbing, it did not mean that he did not use other sword forms.

The variation hidden in the stab was the cut.

A sword form that omitted the action of stabbing and withdrawing and immediately twisted the wrist to cut the opponent.

‘Not bad.’

A strange light appeared in Cheon Mubaeck’s eyes.

‘If he had learned a proper martial art and internal energy from a young age, he would have become a pretty good guy.’

It wasn’t that he had no talent at all.

From the perspective of Cheon Mubaeck, who had raised the Sword Master in his past life, to receive this much of an evaluation was so great that it was hard to see Neung-heo as just a black-way person.

But that fierce attack had not once dealt a direct effective blow to Cheon Mubaeck.

With one foot on the ground, he had dodged all the attacks just by moving his other foot back and forth, left and right.

It was more like watching a well-choreographed sword dance than a duel.

‘He’s grasping all the movements, huh.’

Gwak Cheon-hu, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.

Grasping the opponent’s actions was a basic of a martial artist. But you can’t grasp all the movements.

Moreover, Neung-heo was not a martial artist of the orthodox sects. It meant that he was not a standardized martial artist. He was an unpredictable and irregular martial artist.

He was a martial artist who had rolled and rolled in the brutal black-way. Every single sword form was full of a terrible practicality and killing intent. If he had a chance, he would swing his fists and feet at any time to confuse the opponent.

In a word, an unpredictable and irregular movement would pop out at any time.

But Cheon Mubaeck dodged all of it lightly, as if he had expected it.

As if they had promised each other and were dancing a sword dance.

‘He’s reading the sword path by looking at the shoulder line, and he’s reading the movement by looking at the distance between the feet… is that what a guy who is not even of age is doing?’

Gwak Cheon-hu felt admiration and at the same time, a sense of emptiness.

He keenly felt the gap between Cheon Mubaeck and himself.

“Keup!”

Neung-heo twisted his body greatly at Cheon Mubaeck’s counterattack, which had come in from the right.

No, he could not block it just by twisting.

He hurriedly withdrew the sword in his left hand, which had been stabbing, and forcefully twisted to the right.

Kkagang!

Then Cheon Mubaeck’s sword moved like a snake and once again pushed Neung-heo back.

Neung-heo clenched his teeth and blocked the attack.

He could not dodge the attack, which was so cunning. He had to block it. If not, it was natural that a hole would be pierced in his body.

But surprisingly, Cheon Mubaeck’s attack could not pierce Neung-heo’s sword at all.

Although Neung-heo, who was busy blocking, did not feel it, Gwak Cheon-hu, who had been watching, noticed a strange change.

‘Center of gravity?’

Neung-heo’s posture had become more stable than when he had been on the offensive.

Gwak Cheon-hu also knew well, having fought with Neung-heo several times.

Because he was one-armed and had a terribly offensive appearance, his biggest weakness was his stability.

In other words, it was Neung-heo who often launched a mutual-destruction-style attack, disregarding his own life.

If that worked, he wouldn’t know.

But wasn’t it that it didn’t work at all, even for Gwak Cheon-hu? So the fact that he would collapse in an instant was Neung-heo’s weakness.

A feeling like a tightrope walk.

But now it had changed.

In order to block Cheon Mubaeck’s attack, Neung-heo had forcefully twisted his body.

He had abandoned his existing offensive forms.

Could he maintain his forms when the opponent’s attacks were pouring down like crazy?

In a situation where his body would be cut if he was not careful?

In that crisis situation, Neung-heo had fought, abandoning all his forms with his reflexes and his ability to adapt.

‘Moreover, he’s inducing the defense to one side.’

Gwak Cheon-hu let out a cry of admiration.

He was correcting all the weaknesses that had been pointed out as Neung-heo’s weaknesses until now.

And with just a simple attack and defense.

‘My goodness…’

The best master in the world is not the best teacher.

To teach others, regardless of one’s own martial arts level, is a different dimension.

‘I can’t believe it…’

Gwak Cheon-hu’s gaze, full of admiration, was fixed on Cheon Mubaeck.

(End of Chapter)

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