Chapter 52

Honed and Forged (4)

It was two days before the tournament for the Songshan Gathering.

The Hall Masters of the Ten Halls had finalized the lists of younger talents they would send and submitted them to the Ink Fragrance Department.

Among them, Lee Seha had decided on her selections the fastest.

Representing Heavenly Sword Hall would be Namgung Jun, Heo Il, and Man Yewon.

Even before Namgung Jun had joined, Heo Il had already been considered one of Heavenly Sword Hall's promising younger talents.

Man Yewon, meanwhile, was a recent recruit, but her martial arts were exceptionally outstanding.

It was the strongest lineup Heavenly Sword Hall could field.

Lee Seha paid close attention to all three participants.

Of them, Man Yewon possessed the weakest martial skill and thus became the focus of her attention.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The swords of the two women intertwined rapidly.

Naturally, both were practicing the Great Flame Sword Art of Heavenly Sword Hall.

Though Man Yewon had originally focused on the Great Wind Sword Art, Lee Seha's careful instruction had elevated her mastery of the Great Flame Sword Art to roughly sixty percent.

Even so, it was not enough to satisfy Lee Seha.

The sword in Lee Seha's hand accelerated further.

Though they were using the same sword art, the difference between them was overwhelming.

Tiny sparks danced above the gourd hanging at Heo Il's waist.

Whenever he exhaled, the faint scent of alcohol drifted from him.

And each time it did, the sword in his right hand seemed to move even more fluidly.

Shing!

Man Yewon drew a deep breath and launched an attack.

Instead, she was driven backward.

Without showing the slightest mercy, Lee Seha stepped forward again and pressed the attack.

As a result, Man Yewon had no choice but to endure through sheer determination.

"Faster!"

"Hall Master! Any more than this—"

"You're lacking stubbornness! Draw out every bit of your internal qi! You still have strength left to swing your sword!"

While Lee Seha relentlessly hammered every variation of the Great Flame Sword Art into Man Yewon, Namgung Jun and Heo Il were engaged in their own sparring match.

Clang! Clang!

The swords of Heo Il and Namgung Jun collided sharply.

The sword paths of both swordsmen were cold and razor-sharp.

It looked less like a spar and more like a duel to the death.

A thrust shot straight toward Namgung Jun's chest.

Namgung Jun curved his sword and redirected the attack.

Executing a movement from the Cloud-Weaving Wall Stance, he immediately stepped forward and raised his sword high.

The sword wind of the Heavenly Wind Sword Art erupted.

The pressure generated merely by the appearance of the sword wind weighed heavily upon the body.

The surrounding air became strangely sluggish and sticky.

'As expected of Young Hero Namgung. Exquisite.'

He had smoothly redirected the technique and disrupted his opponent's rhythm.

Then he had immediately driven a powerful strike into the opening he created.

Inserting an attack into the tiniest gap in an opponent's breathing was a feat difficult even for seasoned masters.

One misstep could easily disrupt one's own rhythm.

Yet Namgung Jun exploited the weakness flawlessly.

Recovering from the slight disruption in his breathing, Heo Il pulled back his right hip.

'It's too late to respond with my sword.'

Had his attack merely been blocked, it would have been one thing.

But after being redirected by the Cloud-Weaving Wall Stance, his sword had been forced significantly off course.

Instead of moving his hands, Heo Il moved his feet.

Since joining Heavenly Sword Hall, he had devoted most of his effort to swordsmanship.

Even so, his legs remained more familiar than his hands.

His heel trembled slightly.

Then, while maintaining a stance with his left foot slightly forward, he had already retreated.

Seeing Heo Il evade the sword wind with apparent ease, Namgung Jun smiled.

"Every time I see it, I'm amazed by Senior Heo Il's movement art."

"Heh. It's nothing more than a minor trick."

With a wry smile, Heo Il immediately closed the distance he had just created and raised his sword.

This time, rather than using his unique movement art, he employed footwork recorded within the Hall's martial archives.

His gaze sharpened once again.

Whoosh!

Namgung Jun unleashed six consecutive thrusts before lowering his sword and drawing a semicircle near the ground.

The blue blade swept across the floor.

Yet Heo Il lightly kicked off the ground and avoided it.

For a brief instant, Heo Il's body became airborne.

At that very moment, Namgung Jun's trouser legs fluttered violently as the qi generated by the Infinite Step exploded forth.

In an instant, Namgung Jun closed the distance.

His palm rapidly pushed through the air toward Heo Il.

It was just before Heo Il's feet touched the ground again.

BOOM!

Barely managing to raise his sword in time, Heo Il blocked the Heavenly Thunder Palm Art and staggered backward several steps.

His posture had been disrupted.

Yet he had no time to recover.

Namgung Jun's figure was already shooting forward like an arrow, sword held upright before him.

A streak of sword light followed the sound of tearing air.

Heo Il's thrust was extremely sharp.

Its speed alone ranked among the finest in Heavenly Sword Hall.

'Purely in terms of sword speed, it's not inferior even to the Thirteen Flashing Lightning Sword Thunders.'

Planting his foot once more, Heo Il swept his sword upward horizontally.

His vision suddenly turned azure.

The light was so brilliant that his eyelids twitched.

Then a deep blue flash flickered five times in succession.

Thirteen Flashing Lightning Sword Thunders.

Fifth Form. Five Arrows.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

'We only collided once!'

Yet five impacts struck his blade.

It felt as though he had blocked five consecutive sword strikes.

Heo Il was driven backward.

His rear foot slammed into the ground, cracking the training arena beneath him.

His posture had already been unstable.

Now he was forced to endure an overwhelming impact on top of that.

His balance collapsed completely.

Whoosh!

Namgung Jun did not miss the opportunity.

In another breath, Heo Il would recover.

Therefore, Namgung Jun accelerated even further.

The propulsion generated by the Infinite Step's footwork blasted him forward as he swept his sword.

By the time Heo Il adjusted his center of gravity and attempted to raise his sword again—

Namgung Jun's blade was already resting at his neck.

Just a fraction faster.

In the end, Heo Il could only smile.

"Well. I've lost."

"It was a good spar."

Namgung Jun lowered his sword.

Heo Il offered a respectful salute, bringing the spar to an end.

"Young Hero Namgung, your movement art has improved."

"I'm glad to hear that. I've devoted quite a lot of time to it lately."

The two swordsmen exchanged faint smiles.

Then they immediately began reviewing the spar they had just completed.

More often than not, it was Namgung Jun who offered the advice.

"At a moment like that, you should have closed the distance. With your footwork, Senior Heo, you should be fully capable of controlling the range."

"Penetrating deeper than the reach of the swords themselves... it's harder than it sounds. It feels as though the sword naturally gets pushed into a secondary role."

"That's true. But breaking free from the shackles of distance can become another path toward a higher realm."

Namgung Jun spent most of his time helping Heo Il and Man Yewon improve their martial arts in preparation for the upcoming tournament.

When Lee Seha focused on one of them, Namgung Jun would watch over the other.

As a result, nearly all of Heo Il and Man Yewon's time was filled with intensive guidance.

They were not seeking dramatic breakthroughs.

Rather, their training focused on correcting weaknesses.

After all, even patching a few shortcomings could produce meaningful improvements in a short period of time.

"What do you think about changing your sword, Senior Heo?"

After reviewing their spar and carefully examining Heo Il's weapon, Namgung Jun finally spoke.

"Changing my sword?"

"Most of your attacks revolve around thrusting. The Summer Glory Sword Art you practice isn't actually a sword art centered on thrusts, is it?"

Heo Il thought for a moment before replying.

"For some reason, thrusting simply feels more natural and comfortable. No matter what sword art I learn, I end up emphasizing thrusting techniques."

"Then all the more reason to change your sword. A narrow-bladed sword designed specifically for thrusting could make much better use of your strengths."

Heo Il seemed hesitant.

"The tournament is only two days away. Is it really all right to change weapons now?"

"More than enough time. The increase in your thrusting power will be far more noticeable than any unfamiliarity with a new sword."

After thinking quietly for a while, Heo Il twisted his lips into a smile.

"In that case, I'll trust you and make the change."

Man Yewon, who had just finished training, walked over and joined the conversation.

"Namgung Jun, is there anything I should change too?"

"You don't need to change anything. Just keep training. Come over here. It's your turn."

"Got it!"

Namgung Jun immediately began sparring with Man Yewon.

Whoosh—

The sound of air splitting sharply through the night was followed by Heo Il's faint exhale.

Judging by the aroma drifting around him, he had already taken a few drinks from his gourd.

Under the yellow moonlight, his blade gleamed.

Long and narrow, it radiated an agile and elegant impression.

The sword he had chosen based on Namgung Jun's advice.

Since Heavenly Sword Hall housed swords of every imaginable variety, finding a suitable blade had been easy.

The only task remaining was becoming familiar with it.

'Light and narrow. But the blade is much longer. I need to adapt to the increased reach.'

Every thrust still felt slightly awkward.

As he practiced, Heo Il repeatedly recalled Namgung Jun's advice.

"Are you ready?"

A heavy voice sounded from ahead.

Heo Il raised his gaze slightly.

A gigantic figure stood before him, so enormous that even the moonlight seemed unable to conceal his presence.

Gong Junam had planted his greatsword into the training ground like a pillar.

"I'll begin again."

As Heo Il assumed his stance, Gong Junam gripped the hilt of his greatsword.

The muscles on both swordsmen's hands swelled.

Clang!

Their swords collided in an instant.

Facing Heo Il's fierce thrust, Gong Junam merely tilted his greatsword and used it like a shield.

Despite the power behind the strike, Gong Junam's feet did not move in the slightest.

That was only natural.

When it came to defensive swordsmanship, there was virtually no one who could rival him.

There was a reason his Jianghu title was Wall-Defying Sword.

That did not mean his offense was lacking.

KRAAAK!

The greatsword split the stone floor apart and surged upward in a massive arc.

Fragments of rock flew like hidden weapons.

Amid the shower of debris, the enormous blade descended with a terrifying whistle.

'Distance. If it were Young Hero Namgung...'

Heo Il's heel twitched.

Ordinarily, he would have retreated and waited for an opportunity.

But this time he advanced.

He plunged directly into Gong Junam's range.

With his greatsword, Gong Junam possessed a clear advantage in distance.

Yet entering that range meant sacrificing the convenience of sword movement.

However, Heo Il faced the same problem.

Compared to before, his sword was significantly longer.

The unfamiliar reach threatened to hinder him.

Then his feet gently pushed off the ground.

The distance was adjusted with exquisite precision through the movement of his toes.

At the end of that adjustment stood a perfectly horizontal sword strike.

'So this is what he meant.'

A question that had resisted all understanding suddenly began to unravel through direct experience.

By controlling and dictating the distance himself, Heo Il found the optimal range.

The sword prepared at his waist erupted with a pale sword light and pierced through the moonlit night.

BOOOOM!

Heo Il's thrust slammed heavily into the flat of Gong Junam's greatsword.

Even now, Gong Junam stood firm.

Yet Heo Il could not stop himself from smiling.

For the first time, Gong Junam—

Who had always stood immovable like a divine general—

Took a single step backward.

It was a result Heo Il could never have achieved before.

Even Gong Junam seemed slightly surprised.

Ripples appeared within his calm eyes.

"Have you already adapted to the new sword?"

"No. Not the sword. I think I've finally begun to understand distance."

"Hm."

Gong Junam nodded and lowered his greatsword.

"The tournament is tomorrow. Go rest."

Heo Il promptly lay flat on the training ground.

"I don't even have the strength to walk back to the pavilion. I'll just sleep here and head straight to the tournament tomorrow."

"Do as you please."

After Gong Junam departed, Heo Il gazed up at the waxing moon slowly climbing across the night sky.

"Just like Young Hero Namgung."

Not dazzling or ostentatious.

Yet quietly noble, steadily illuminating the way forward.

Because of that presence, even while walking a martial path as dark as the night sky itself, he had been able to continue moving forward without losing his way.

Heo Il realized something once again.

Meeting Namgung Jun had been a true stroke of fortune.

'I should show him something worthy in return.'

He did not want Namgung Jun's advice to go to waste.

A sudden desire arose within him.

Even if he could never become the moon beside Namgung Jun—

Perhaps he could become one of the small stars scattered throughout the night sky.

Gazing at the star shining beside the waxing moon, Heo Il slowly closed his eyes.

And so, the morning of the tournament finally arrived.