Chapter 56
Contest (4)
The opening exchange unfolded much like their previous duel.
The two swordsmen drew their blades simultaneously and struck toward one another.
The two arcs of sword light met and merged into one.
Would it break this time?
Or would it be received and countered?
The first form of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes left a streak of blue light across the arena floor.
Younger Brother... you've become even faster.
Watching the fierce sword path unfolding from Namgung Jun's hand, Baekri Cheong could not help but marvel.
But Namgung Jun was not the only one who had grown.
Baekri Cheong turned his blade sideways and swept it horizontally.
It was the ideal trajectory for fully utilizing the force carried within the sword.
The ultimate art of the fallen Baekri Clan.
Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
The clean and refined movements characteristic of a prestigious lineage firmly intercepted the straight-rushing sword strike.
Kkeoong!
The first clash shook the stone arena and sent dust flying.
As their blades trembled while extended diagonally apart, faint smiles appeared on both swordsmen's faces.
The sharpness cutting through the air.
The impact transmitted through the blades.
Neither needed words to understand.
Both could clearly feel how much the other had progressed since their first match.
Satisfied smiles appeared on their faces.
They had personally witnessed the brilliance of one another's relentless growth.
Baekri Cheong withdrew his sword first and settled into a ready stance.
“Younger Brother. At last, I can properly show you my sword.”
“Come.”
Namgung Jun adjusted his stance as he answered.
Kkeoong!
The two swords that had briefly separated collided once more.
This time with even greater ferocity.
The shockwave produced by a single clash rose like wildfire, teasing the hems of both swordsmen's robes.
Baekri Cheong's sword maintained a steady flow.
Namgung Jun's sword, meanwhile, became progressively faster and heavier.
Even so, the eldest son of the Baekri Clan was not easily pushed back.
His sword speed and sword force lagged behind Namgung Jun's.
Yet the profound elegance hidden within his techniques maintained perfect balance.
After watching Baekri Cheong receive five consecutive slashes, Namgung Jun nodded slightly.
The strength of a great clan.
The refinement accumulated through generations supported Baekri Cheong's sword.
After naturally diverting the incoming blue sword strike downward, Baekri Cheong immediately lifted his blade again.
The calm and methodical techniques of the Hundred Gleams Sword Art attempted to force Namgung Jun backward.
Yet Namgung Jun did not easily surrender the distance.
Instead, he smoothly unleashed a move from the Heavenly Wind Sword Art, applying crushing pressure in return.
Jjeojeojeok!
Cracks spread across the arena floor beneath Baekri Cheong's feet as he received Namgung Jun's heavy strike.
What a heavy sword.
Baekri Cheong refused to yield.
Twisting his waist and hips naturally, he unfolded the technique Returning Wings Across the River.
Spinning in a graceful arc, his blade guided the torrent of sword wind harmlessly behind him.
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
A tremendous explosion sounded as the diverted sword wind smashed into a distant wall.
Baekri Cheong paid it no attention.
Instead, he drove forward powerfully.
“Haaaah!”
For the first time throughout the entire contest, Baekri Cheong released a battle cry.
Namgung Jun simply raised his sword into a high stance.
Jjeojeojeong!
The two swordsmen collided and separated repeatedly.
Sparks scattered like flower petals.
Dozens of exchanges passed in the blink of an eye.
Every collision generated violent gusts that whipped their sleeves.
The atmosphere was saturated with sword intent so sharp it could sting the skin merely by brushing against it.
Yet neither swordsman retreated.
Even amidst such violence, neither sword stance wavered.
Instead, the distance between them gradually shrank.
Their clashes grew increasingly intense.
As though both wished to feel the other's sword more deeply.
Their footwork struck the arena floor repeatedly.
Dust clouds rose only to be shredded apart by the savage sword strikes passing through them.
Suddenly, Baekri Cheong's vision filled with clear blue light.
The Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes thrust toward him with overwhelming force.
His feet began to slide backward little by little.
It was an extraordinarily straightforward quick-sword art.
A sword that charged forward like lightning without ever looking back.
Receiving the technique head-on, a slight smile appeared on Baekri Cheong's lips.
That's right. This was the kind of sword art it was.
Back then, his own abilities had been insufficient to fully experience it.
Now things were different.
The savage slashes descended in succession like a storm of lightning.
Yet instead of fear, excitement filled him.
The direct thrust aimed at his chest was met head-on.
The strike curving in from the side was avoided with a retreating step.
Amazing. Truly amazing.
Watching Namgung Jun maintain his unwavering stance, Baekri Cheong could not stop admiring him.
Namgung Jun's sword was strange.
And sublime.
Little by little, it was wearing away the sturdy defense of the Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
The depth of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes itself was already remarkable.
But what was truly terrifying was Namgung Jun's perception.
It was as though he was not merely reading techniques.
Rather, he seemed capable of seeing through the martial art itself.
Younger Brother is looking toward a much farther horizon.
Baekri Cheong had already witnessed this quality many times before.
He had admired it then.
But experiencing it personally was entirely different.
If one judged solely by the sword before him, it would be impossible to believe its wielder was younger than he was.
Namgung Jun's sword force and sword speed were extraordinary enough.
Yet the most chilling aspect was the swordsmanship itself.
It carried an indescribable weight of years.
A young swordsman unleashing devastating strikes like bolts of lightning.
How brilliant.
How wondrous.
I still cannot produce a sword like that.
Yet Baekri Cheong did not become discouraged.
He too had diligently built the foundations of his swordsmanship.
His sword was not extraordinary.
But he was confident that it would not break easily.
Wuuung!
The aura radiating from Baekri Cheong suddenly grew even sharper.
Namgung Jun looked into Baekri Cheong's eyes.
An unwavering determination shone within them, and the path of his sword grew even sharper.
The Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
A sword art that was fundamentally orthodox.
That was precisely why it was powerful—and why it possessed limitations.
To surpass those limits, one had to step beyond the path one had originally defined for oneself.
Baekri Cheong is one of the finest talents around. If he continues to grow, he'll become a swordsman worthy of representing the Azure Sky Society.
For Namgung Jun, this duel with Baekri Cheong had become, knowingly or not, an opportunity to offer guidance.
Jjeojeong!
Their swords crossed, releasing a translucent shockwave that forced both men apart.
At first glance, the exchange appeared equal.
In reality, it was not.
While Baekri Cheong had endured the impact with his body, Namgung Jun had completely neutralized the recoil through the principles of the Heavenly Pillar Resolute Advance Body Art.
Sensing this at close range, Baekri Cheong's eyes widened.
Feeling the subtle flow of aura within the technique taught him much.
But Namgung Jun did not stop there.
To quickly deepen one's mastery of a sword art like the Hundred Gleams Sword Art, the orthodox method is to temper it through illusion swords and transforming swords.
Until now, Namgung Jun had primarily employed the Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes and the Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
Suddenly, his sword style changed completely.
The destination of his blade became ambiguous.
The sword paths tangled and twisted unpredictably.
The strikes became chaotic.
Facing attacks that coiled like thorny vines, Baekri Cheong's sword hesitated ever so slightly.
Each time it did, Namgung Jun pressed him harder.
With skillful manipulation of his blade, he pushed Baekri Cheong's abilities toward their limits.
Do not waver. Maintain your center. The sword art you've learned must be wielded that way.
As Namgung Jun's body spun, his sword followed in a curved trajectory.
It was as though he wielded a flexible sword rather than a rigid blade.
Through technique alone, he reproduced the advantages of entirely different weapon types.
It was a level of talent that defied common sense.
Swaaaah!
Sword shadows split apart endlessly behind his sweeping strikes.
They scattered in all directions like raindrops caught within a violent gale.
The chaotic attacks followed paths impossible to predict.
Watching them, Baekri Cheong narrowed his eyes.
He can embody the principles of illusion and transformation in his sword to this extent?
Despite being physically smaller than himself, Namgung Jun seemed immense.
Overwhelming.
At the same time, Baekri Cheong noticed something strange.
Though they appeared evenly matched, Namgung Jun possessed an unmistakable sense of ease.
It wasn't merely confidence.
There seemed to be a clear reason behind it.
It's as though a senior master is conducting a teaching match.
After a moment's thought, Baekri Cheong deliberately exposed an opening.
Namgung Jun ignored it.
Instead, as though telling him to focus properly, he unleashed a blast of sword wind from the Heavenly Wind Sword Art straight at him.
KWAAAANG!
“Urgh!”
Baekri Cheong instinctively raised his sword vertically.
Even so, he was driven back five full steps.
A little more force and his grip might have torn apart.
Swaak!
Namgung Jun's sword sliced through the air and stopped directly before Baekri Cheong's solar plexus.
His eyes widened.
An overwhelming pressure climbed up from his knees.
The sharp whistle of the blade.
The impact resonating through the sword.
The tingling aura.
All of it combined to magnify Namgung Jun's presence.
I still can't surpass him.
Yet Baekri Cheong smiled.
Alongside frustration, he felt exhilaration.
After joining the Azure Sky Society, his revenge against the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult still seemed distant.
Rebuilding his destroyed clan remained far beyond his reach.
And yet, he had found a companion younger than himself who was already walking ahead.
Rather than despair, he felt grateful.
Namgung Jun could become both his rival and his whetstone.
Someone who would drive him even farther forward.
Therefore...!
Baekri Cheong poured his renewed resolve into a single strike.
Wooooong!
Pure white sword qi erupted from his blade.
It flared outward like a pair of magnificent wings.
Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
One Feather, Hundred Wings.
The sword qi extended far to both sides before sweeping forward like beating wings.
The atmosphere split apart as the attack converged upon Namgung Jun from both flanks.
One of the ultimate techniques of the Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
The strongest move Baekri Cheong could currently perform.
Excellent.
Namgung Jun carefully observed the sword qi stretching across both sides of the arena.
Then he nodded.
The sharpness of the sword qi.
Its structure.
Its aura control.
There was nothing to criticize.
Beyond that, Baekri Cheong had maintained enough composure and judgment to use the technique at exactly the right moment without overextending himself.
Namgung Jun adjusted his grip.
Baekri Cheong was a talented swordsman with the proper mindset.
As such, Namgung Jun wished to give him a slight push forward.
Wuuung!
Blue sword qi surged violently along the blade like living lightning.
Drawing the sword qi upward, Namgung Jun held his sword at mid-level.
Then he showed him.
The direction Baekri Cheong should pursue.
The sword Baekri Cheong himself should one day display.
A blade laid horizontally.
Charging directly forward.
The atmosphere split apart along the graceful path it traced.
No—
It was more accurate to say the air fled from the blade, scattering upward and downward to escape it.
An extraordinarily simple.
Extraordinarily clean.
Sword strike.
The horizontal slash surged forward and tore through the twin streams of sword qi created by One Feather, Hundred Wings.
KWAAANG!
Because Baekri Cheong had committed every ounce of strength to the technique, the backlash from its destruction was devastating.
Unable even to steady his sword, he stumbled backward repeatedly.
Silence descended.
For a long moment, Baekri Cheong merely stared blankly at the sword in his hand.
Only after some time did he raise his head and look at Namgung Jun.
“That sword path just now...?”
“I merely displayed the optimal sword path.”
“The optimal sword path...”
The trajectory Namgung Jun had shown would not leave Baekri Cheong's mind.
It shimmered before his eyes like a lingering beam of light.
He felt certain that he would spend the future pursuing that very sword path.
It's as though I've seen another road for the Hundred Gleams Sword Art.
He repeated Namgung Jun's words to himself again and again.
Then he lowered his head.
“Younger Brother... I have lost.”
Baekri Cheong's admission of defeat signaled the end of the contest.
And everyone present realized the same thing.
The true greatest junior talent of the Azure Sky Society had been decided.