Chapter 2
Master and Disciple (1)
The demonic cultists slaughtered the wandering martial artists without mercy.
On the chests of their pure white robes was an embroidered emblem of a black sun overlapping a crimson moon.
It was an emblem Mumyeong knew all too well.
Those are definitely the robes of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult!
The aura wrapped around their bodies churned like filthy mud.
Dark, ominous energy.
It was unmistakably demonic qi.
The veins on the back of Mumyeong's sword hand bulged.
"So I must look upon those demons once again."
In his previous life, the Sword Emperor and the Southern Heavenly Palace had sacrificed everything to destroy the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.
He had been certain they had perished together.
Yet the cult still existed within the martial world.
How?
"AAAHHH!"
"S-save me!"
The sight of wandering martial artists and sword attendants being torn apart by the cultists was vividly reflected in his eyes.
Step!
Mumyeong strode forward.
He did not know why the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult still remained.
But one thing was certain.
Those creatures should not be allowed to exist beneath heaven.
"Mumyeong! What are you trying to do?"
"We have to abandon them! We need to run!"
"If you go any farther, you'll die!"
The other sword attendants cried out in shock, trying to stop him.
Mumyeong gently removed the hands gripping his shoulders.
His gaze remained fixed on those who could neither flee nor resist, dying meaningless deaths.
"If you've taken hold of a sword, you must know when it is time to draw it."
And now was precisely such a moment.
"Mumyeong?"
The anxious voices of the sword attendants gradually fell silent.
They could not understand why he was suddenly saying such things.
Yet they could feel the unwavering determination contained within his words.
And they realized something.
No one could stop him.
Mumyeong's eyes slowly settled.
My body may have changed, but my martial path has not.
He adjusted his grip on the sword properly.
The body was weak enough to struggle with a single blade, but the memories of his previous life showed him the correct answer.
From the way he planted his feet, he used every part of his body with maximum efficiency.
"Ah."
A sigh of admiration escaped his lips.
The hilt fit into his hand as naturally as though it had been coated in oil.
When he lightly moved the blade, it felt as if his arm had suddenly extended by the sword's length.
Freedom.
Exhilaration.
Both surged through him.
Yes. This feeling.
Holding a sword.
For a moment, joy filled him.
Then he calmly suppressed it.
Instinctively, he assumed the opening stance of the Three Talents Sword Art.
He had no internal energy.
His body was frail.
Facing demonic cultists in such a condition was tantamount to walking to his own execution.
I am different.
Because in his previous life—
He had been the Sword Emperor.
His steps toward the cultists were steadfast.
The blade pointed at them was unwavering.
Once more, Mumyeong began walking the martial path that was his own.
His breathing changed.
His posture changed.
Even with a frail body, the Sword Emperor's understanding allowed him to swing and thrust efficiently.
The pure principles of the sword spread from his grip throughout his entire body.
Whoosh!
The refreshing sensation of the wind parting around both sides of the blade.
A certainty filled him that his sword strikes would flow without obstruction.
Trusting both instinct and the memories of his previous life, Mumyeong stepped forward.
Step!
The moment he decided to move, his entire body responded.
As he advanced with firm steps, the surrounding scenery vanished, and his vision turned white.
Mumyeong knew this phenomenon well.
His senses had sharpened to the extreme as the Baihui acupoint heated up.
Three on the left. Four on the right.
Black shadows flickered on either side of the worn sword held upright before him.
The movements of the cultists rushing forward with killing intent appeared crystal clear in his eyes.
Even borrowing the memories of my previous life, this body has limits. They must all die in a single strike.
If the number of exchanges increased even once, his body would not endure.
Should he reach the limits of his flesh, even the memories of the Sword Emperor would be useless.
Boom!
Mumyeong stomped forward powerfully and raised his sword.
Sunlight shattered along the edge of the blade as it rose high overhead.
"Heaven."
The Heaven form of the Three Talents Sword Art.
A vertical slash.
The downward stroke came naturally.
As though this was how a sword was always meant to be swung.
Swoosh!
Though he exerted little force, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
"Earth."
The Earth form of the Three Talents Sword Art.
A horizontal slash.
The blade naturally flattened into the next movement.
The air itself split above and below the path of the sweeping strike.
Not even the slightest obstruction. It feels wonderful.
Each time he felt the sensation of cutting through the atmosphere itself, one truth became clear.
He was alive.
His slightly parted lips drew in the surrounding air.
"Human."
The Human form of the Three Talents Sword Art.
A thrust.
A colorless sword strike launched from his waist and pierced a single point.
"Ghk—?"
A groan brushed past his ears.
His brightened vision flickered before returning to normal.
In that instant, six cultists had already been cut down.
His sword was embedded in the chest of the seventh.
"M-monster..."
The cultist's eyes were filled with terror, as though he had witnessed some supernatural horror.
Splurt!
Mumyeong casually pulled the sword free and flicked away the blood.
The entire sequence looked so natural that it resembled the actions of a veteran swordsman.
"Impossible!"
"Mumyeong killed them all!"
"He cut down Deoksam in one strike too. Was he really hiding his martial arts all this time?"
The surviving wanderers and sword attendants whispered among themselves before quickly falling silent.
More cultists had emerged from beyond the forest.
"What is this?"
"The entire first squad was wiped out?"
"Don't tell me they were killed by wandering martial artists."
Fear gripped every wanderer present.
Only Mumyeong radiated fierce sword intent.
Naturally, the cultists' attention focused upon him.
Just as Mumyeong was about to step forward again—
Hm?
A chill crawled up his spine.
An overwhelming cold spread from his lower abdomen, causing his entire body to stiffen.
His body trembled violently.
A freezing agony spread through him as though icicles were piercing his flesh.
The pain grew stronger and stronger, and his consciousness began to blur.
Suppressing a groan, Mumyeong immediately understood what was happening.
This body was said to possess blocked meridians...
And of all times, the attack has to occur now...
There was something strange about it.
The symptoms of the attack closely resembled those of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Confusion immediately arose in Mumyeong's mind.
Wasn't the Nine Yin Severed Meridians a condition only women were born with? Why would a man's body possess it?
Meanwhile, the cultists noticed something unusual about him.
Their expressions changed.
"Could that be him? The boy born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?"
"Yes. His appearance matches the description."
"Capture him. Unharmed."
Three cultists charged from different directions.
Just as Mumyeong gritted his teeth and raised his sword—
A streak of azure lightning suddenly pierced across his vision from the side.
His head slowly turned.
Slash!
A swordsman who had appeared out of nowhere cut through the cultists.
Sword strikes like bolts of lightning erupted one after another.
Even while mercilessly cutting down the cultists, the eyes beneath the swordsman's bamboo hat remained fixed on Mumyeong.
At that moment, Mumyeong's eyes narrowed.
The swordsman's footwork looked familiar.
Infinite Step?
Infinite Step .
One of the movement arts of the Southern Heavenly Palace.
How is that possible...?
As he watched the swordsman move through the Infinite Step, Mumyeong's eyelids slowly lowered.
***
Leaping over mountains with qinggong, the swordsman finally located the group of wanderers whose traces he had been following.
Using the keen eyesight of a supreme expert, Lee Seha examined the faces of the wanderers and sword attendants.
Then her gaze stopped.
That child must be the boy with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Mumyeong, was it?
The Azure Heaven Society had obtained intelligence that the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult intended to abduct a boy born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
Lee Seha had been dispatched as one of the society's masters to prevent it.
Although she had found the boy, she did not immediately intervene.
An unexpected situation had unfolded.
Mumyeong was beheading a wandering martial artist.
"One who does not take responsibility for his own martial path has no right to wield a sword."
Though she stood atop a distant hill, his voice carried clearly to her ears.
For a moment, Lee Seha's eyes widened.
Those words echoed one of the core beliefs emphasized within the Azure Heaven Society.
She unconsciously replayed the sword strike he had just performed.
It had been beautiful.
Even experts who had trained for decades could not draw such elegant sword trajectories.
I heard he had never learned martial arts.
Boom!
Her thoughts were interrupted.
The cultists had arrived sooner than expected.
Lee Seha, who had been about to reveal herself, could only laugh helplessly.
Before she knew it, Mumyeong had already rushed out and instantly cut down seven cultists.
A single sword.
Every one of them had died to a single strike.
And he had done it using the most basic of all sword arts—
The Three Talents Sword Art.
A sword prodigy. A born sword prodigy.
A boy blessed with terrifying talent for the sword despite possessing the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
If properly trained, he would one day become a renowned swordsman.
His talent is impressive, but...
What Lee Seha liked even more was his mindset.
Unlike countless blade-wielders in the martial world.
He carried righteousness in his heart.
If it's a boy like him...
A smile appeared on Lee Seha's lips as she looked at Mumyeong.
Then the second wave of cultists arrived.
At the same moment, Mumyeong's attack began.
"I suppose it's time to move."
The moment to intervene had finally come.
Lee Seha immediately descended from the hill and thrust out her sword.
Splurt!
The faces of the cultists, who were moments away from completing their mission, twisted in alarm.
"Azure Cloud Wandering Fairy?! How is she here?"
"The Azure Heaven Society must have obtained intelligence!"
"Buy time!"
Despite the sudden situation, the cultists reacted efficiently.
The squad leader immediately used qinggong to secure the unconscious Mumyeong, while the remaining cultists charged Lee Seha.
Though more than a dozen attacked simultaneously, Lee Seha remained completely at ease.
Blue lightning spread across her blade.
"Take your filthy hands off him."
SLASH!
The heads of every cultist flew into the air.
Lee Seha smiled brightly.
"I happen to like that child."
***
"Hm."
When he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.
"You're awake?"
The voice was clear and refreshing, like a jade bead splashing into a pond.
Turning his head, Mumyeong saw the swordsman standing beside his bed.
The figure still wore a bamboo hat covered by a veil, concealing both face and physique.
There was only one thing Mumyeong knew for certain.
She definitely uses the Infinite Step.
Yet the swordsmanship she had displayed was not a martial art of the Southern Heavenly Palace.
Just what was going on?
"You should be feeling better now. I suppressed the yin-cold energy of your Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Pretty impressive, right?"
Mumyeong looked at the swordsman differently.
Suppressing the yin-cold energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians was not something ordinary internal energy could accomplish.
Judging by the voice, she sounds no older than a member of the younger generation, yet her martial attainment is remarkable.
Perhaps she noticed his suspicious gaze.
The swordsman removed her bamboo hat.
Silky black hair cascaded down like the night itself.
Her sharply slanted eyes were as keen as blades, yet her pupils contained a pleasant warmth.
She was a beauty with a cold appearance, but her lively expression overflowed with vitality.
Coldness and warmth coexisted within her features.
It was a strangely captivating beauty.
Wearing a triumphant smile, the swordswoman abruptly made a proposal.
"My name is Lee Seha! Would you like to come with me? I'll help you find a way to cure your blocked meridians!"
She clenched both fists confidently.
After staring at her for a moment, Mumyeong asked,
"Why would you show me such kindness? It seems rather sudden."
It was a perfectly reasonable question.
He was nothing more than a lowly sword attendant.
There was no reason for a stranger to help him.
Although the question was filled with caution, Lee Seha's smile only softened further.
"I saw your swordsmanship. It was straightforward and beautiful. And before your attack started, I saw how you faced those cultists without retreating."
Lee Seha continued chatting excitedly.
But the real reason she was so interested lay elsewhere.
His talent is impressive, but even more than that, I like the beliefs he carries.
She recalled his words.
"One who does not take responsibility for his own martial path has no right to wield a sword."
Lee Seha was convinced that the boy before her was exactly the kind of talent she had been searching for.
"By the way, do you have any name besides Mumyeong?"
Mumyeong paused.
Mumyeong, 'Nameless'... What a carelessly chosen name.
Thinking of the lazy way Deoksam had named him, he nearly sighed.
After a brief moment of thought, he decided to choose a new name.
In this life as well, I should carry on the righteousness of the Southern Heavenly Palace.
To honor the Southern Heavenly Palace and his disciples, he chose the surname Namgung .
And this time, I will exterminate the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.
To signify that he would finish what he had failed to complete in his previous life, he chose the given name Jun, meaning to complete.
"Namgung Jun."
With that name, the boy set the goal of his new life.
His eyes became even clearer as he revealed his determination.
Lee Seha murmured the name several times.
Then she clenched her fists again and made another offer.
"If you become my disciple and join the Azure Heaven Society, you'll be able to learn martial arts—and there may even be a way to cure your Nine Yin Severed Meridians."
After a brief moment of thought, Namgung Jun spoke.
"I would like to know the method for curing the Nine Yin Severed Meridians."
As if she had been waiting for the question, Lee Seha raised one hand.
"It's this."
Namgung Jun's eyes immediately shifted to her hand.