Chapter 6
Flash of Lightning and Sword Thunder (2)
Namgung Jun's hand once again moved toward his sword hilt.
The demonic swordsman watched him with an interested gaze.
Caught awkwardly between the two, Muk Simjung finally came to his senses and hurriedly spoke.
“Senior Sword Demon! This child has only just joined the Society. He's a newly admitted Un!”
“A newcomer?”
Interest flickered in the eyes of the middle-aged man called the Sword Demon.
Namgung Jun was equally surprised.
Sword Demon? How could someone like that be in the Blue Sky Society?
Four black clouds were embroidered onto the Sword Demon’s ash-gray sleeve.
Judging by that, he was undoubtedly affiliated with the Blue Sky Society.
Yet Namgung Jun could not begin to imagine the circumstances behind it.
“You’re in the way.”
The Sword Demon casually pushed Muk Simjung aside and focused solely on Namgung Jun.
The burning intensity in his gaze was enough to make the hairs on one’s skin stand on end.
Yet Namgung Jun did not avert his eyes.
The Sword Demon’s gaze deepened further.
“A newcomer, you say? Interesting. What sword art was that just now? It wasn't a martial art I've ever seen in Gwonamu-go.”
“A sword art I am currently creating.”
Namgung Jun answered calmly.
But Muk Simjung, who had witnessed the entire process from beginning to end, unconsciously cried out in shock.
“You’re creating a new sword art?”
To him, Namgung Jun’s words sounded as though he had taken only the necessary insights and martial principles from various fast-sword manuals and woven them into techniques of his own.
As Muk Simjung stood there dumbfounded, the Sword Demon’s bloodshot eyes had already swept across the surroundings.
“So it wasn't a bluff.”
Is this what a supreme expert is like?
Simply by looking at the manuals scattered about, he seemed able to roughly reconstruct everything that had happened.
If anything, the fierce light in his eyes only intensified.
His gaze was now a chaotic mixture of excitement and anticipation, as though Namgung Jun were not a person but some mythical spirit creature.
Like a predator that had just discovered particularly delicious prey.
The Sword Demon slowly lowered the arms that had been folded across his chest.
Naturally, his right hand settled upon his scabbard.
“Show me this newly created technique. If it satisfies me, I'll reward you accordingly.”
“Senior Sword Demon! You're suggesting crossing swords with a boy who has only just learned a cultivation method?”
“You blind fool. If you don't understand what's happening, then stand there and watch.”
While Muk Simjung’s eyes darted anxiously back and forth, Namgung Jun simply nodded.
“And what sort of reward can you offer?”
“What do you want?”
“A spiritual medicine would be nice.”
“A spiritual medicine?”
The Sword Demon jerked his chin toward the outside.
It was an invitation to follow.
After staring directly into the Sword Demon’s eyes, Namgung Jun nodded as well.
“Then let us exchange a few moves.”
“I like that. Much more straightforward than most youngsters these days.”
Listening to the conversation, Muk Simjung’s hands trembled uncontrollably.
Things were unfolding in a way he had never imagined.
A newly admitted Un who had just entered the Blue Sky Society.
And the Society’s one and only demonic practitioner.
Who could have predicted that these two would engage in a duel?
Heavenly Sword Hall Master! Just where are you?!
Muk Simjung could only scream inwardly.
***
The Sword Demon stood with one hand behind his back while loosely gripping his sword with the other.
It was an incredibly careless posture.
“Come at me with everything you've got. I won't use a single shred of internal energy. I'll match myself to your level.”
“Then I shall refrain from using internal energy as well.”
Just where did such confidence come from?
Even the Sword Demon let out a crooked smile.
He's saying he'll face me with nothing but pure swordsmanship.
Twisting his left foot slightly outward, the Sword Demon replied,
“You're insane.”
Namgung Jun slowly placed his hand upon the hilt, enduring the Sword Demon’s violent aura with his entire body.
This is an opportunity.
He had managed to piece together some techniques, but they still contained too many imperfections.
More importantly, he had yet to discover the central concept that would define the sword art itself.
To cross swords with a supreme expert like the Sword Demon at precisely the moment when those techniques needed refinement—
It was no different from a heaven-sent opportunity.
The time required to shave away the flaws of his unfinished techniques and forge them into a complete sword art would be dramatically shortened.
“I am coming.”
Namgung Jun stepped forward.
The Sword Demon merely watched, making no move to respond.
When the distance narrowed to five paces, Namgung Jun’s sleeves snapped violently in the wind.
The opening move was a draw-cut.
A line of ultimate swiftness erupted straight from the scabbard, releasing a brilliant blue sword light.
The blade moved so smoothly that the air rippled faintly in its wake.
It looked as though an invisible sheet of silk were being sliced apart.
First Form — First Flash
“Huh!”
Muk Simjung involuntarily gasped.
Despite possessing advanced eyesight techniques from his years as Gwonamu-go’s librarian, even he could barely follow the strike.
More astonishing still was the fact that Namgung Jun had achieved such speed without using internal energy.
A monster...!
While Muk Simjung stood stunned, the Sword Demon knocked aside the strike aimed at his abdomen and immediately counterattacked.
His blade shot forward toward Namgung Jun’s chest.
If it landed, death would be instantaneous.
Screech!
Namgung Jun’s leather shoes cried out as he spun sharply.
At the same time, his center of gravity shifted diagonally.
Using the flow of force, he poured every ounce of strength into his sword.
A rising slash from below traced an oval arc and collided with the Sword Demon’s thrust.
BOOM!
Namgung Jun’s sword was violently knocked away.
Yet his posture remained perfectly intact.
In fact, it seemed as though he had intended it.
The rebounding blade surged upward before descending vertically in a second strike.
The succession of attacks was so rapid that it created the illusion of two moons overlapping in the sky.
Second Form — Two Moons
At the point where the sword path splits upward, borrow the martial principles from the Mountain-Slaying Twelve Swords...
Namgung Jun was not merely displaying techniques.
As he exchanged blows with the Sword Demon, he continuously recalled the insights recorded in the manuals and modified his techniques in real time.
He knocked away a horizontal slash aimed at his flank and retreated a single step.
Drawing upon the rebound force traveling through his blade, he unleashed an even faster thrust.
It was a direct response to the thrust the Sword Demon had just used.
The difference—
There were three thrusts instead of one.
Third Form — Three Fangs
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With a casual sweep of his sword, the Sword Demon intercepted the technique.
“You little brat... you're interesting.”
The corners of his mouth split into a fierce grin as Namgung Jun not only defended against his attacks but immediately launched counterattacks of his own.
At the same time, the Sword Demon took a step forward.
His footsteps carried a heavy, undeniable presence, yet the sword he wielded became blurred, dissolving into the air.
WOOOOSH!
A savage tearing sound followed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even with one hand still clasped behind his back, the Sword Demon unleashed a fast sword style of his own.
The two blades collided without pause.
Yet Namgung Jun refused to retreat.
Instead, he pressed in even deeper, drawing the insights he had gathered from Gwonamu-go's manuals to the forefront of his mind.
The fragments of understanding regarding fast swordsmanship that he had accumulated during his previous life also began taking shape.
Faster.
More precise.
The Sword Demon’s strikes, which targeted vital points all over his body, had been adjusted in strength.
Yet every single one remained a genuine killing move.
A duel where a single mistake meant death.
It was a sparring match only in appearance.
In truth, it was little different from a fight to the death.
And Namgung Jun loved it.
It felt as though he was gradually recovering the instincts of his previous life.
Every deep breath made his lungs scream.
Sharp pain coursed through every muscle in his body.
His frail physique, cursed with blocked meridians, cried out in protest.
Yet his sword only grew faster.
Increase the stride by another half step here.
As the battle continued, the newly assembled techniques shed their excess and grew more refined.
The Fifth Form.
The Sixth Form.
One after another, the techniques were polished.
The scattered fragments of fast-sword principles gradually gathered together and formed a complete shape.
***
Twelfth Form — Eternal Lightning Descent
Namgung Jun leapt into the air and swung his sword downward.
The sword strike split into twelve separate trajectories.
Like wildfire spreading in an instant, the attacks descended from different directions.
Then, at a single moment, they converged and battered the Sword Demon in succession.
Ratatatat!
Even as the lightning-fast attacks poured down relentlessly, the Sword Demon’s stance remained completely stable.
The fascination in his eyes only deepened.
And his sword became even faster.
As though challenging him.
Then keep up with this.
I can.
Namgung Jun gladly accepted the tempering offered by the Sword Demon.
***
As he began constructing the thirteenth technique—
The Baihui acupoint at the crown of his head grew scorching hot.
His vision turned completely white.
FWOOOSH!
The Sword Demon's figure, which had been slashing toward him only moments earlier, suddenly blurred like a fragment of darkness and vanished.
Its place was taken by a brilliant azure flash.
The tightly condensed mass of lightning bloomed.
Light filled his vision.
The countless streaks stretching in every direction resembled clusters of hanging lightning bolts.
Namgung Jun immediately understood what he was seeing.
Sword paths.
Countless sword trajectories centered around a newly born realization.
The future techniques of the sword art he was creating.
Sword forms that resembled lightning itself.
Namgung Jun followed those paths and swung his sword repeatedly.
His sword speed increased even further.
An exhilarating sensation surged through him, as though lightning itself were coursing through every meridian in his body.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
At last, after digesting every technique displayed within his mind—
A single concept naturally surfaced.
No matter how profound a martial art’s techniques and insights might be, it could never become a supreme martial art without a central ideal binding everything together.
And so Namgung Jun decided to embed the philosophy by which he intended to live this new life into the sword art itself.
A new conviction bloomed within his mind.
What I hold in my hand is tempered lightning.
Live brilliantly and fearlessly like lightning.
Strike forth with unwavering will like a thunderbolt.
Hummmm—
As Namgung Jun affirmed the path he would walk, that conviction finally reached completion.
One must become a righteous sword-thunder oneself and race forward without hesitation.
The moment that conviction fused with the sword art, the thirteen techniques he had created naturally linked together into a single whole.
BOOOOM!
The boundary of his mental world faded.
The Sword Demon once again appeared before him.
And with that—
The final technique unfolded.
***
Thirteenth Form — One Lightning Pierce
Namgung Jun transformed into a single bolt of lightning led by his sword and shot straight toward the Sword Demon.
KWAAANG!
A deafening metallic explosion rang out like a giant bell being struck.
Namgung Jun’s arm shook violently.
Drip.
Drip.
Blood flowed from the hand gripping his sword.
His palm had split open.
Yet he felt satisfied.
He had not let go of the sword.
For a swordsman, losing one’s grip was a disgrace.
That final technique...
Using a precise step to create explosive acceleration, he turned his entire body into a fast sword.
While analyzing the final move, the Sword Demon looked down at his own blade.
The impact had been considerable.
The sword was still vibrating.
My sword is still ringing after receiving a strike from a mere First Cloud?
Then the Sword Demon realized his mistake.
I used internal energy.
Only the tiniest trace.
Barely a speck.
But he had used it nonetheless.
Judging by the stare Namgung Jun was giving him, the boy had noticed as well.
Absurd.
Looking back, there had been no need to use internal energy.
He could have blocked the attack perfectly well without it.
Yet something within that final technique—
Some deeply rooted conviction hidden within the sword—
Had placed pressure upon him.
His body had reacted instinctively.
I felt threatened by that brat?
The Sword Demon's bloodshot eyes fixed upon Namgung Jun.
Granted, he had relaxed considerably and approached the match with a playful attitude.
Even so, this was not something that should have happened.
He had to acknowledge the truth.
The boy before him possessed talent that bordered on the supernatural.
***
“The techniques from earlier.”
The Sword Demon finally spoke.
“At some point, they became orderly and complete. They were enough to be called a true sword art.”
“All thirteen forms, I presume?”
Namgung Jun nodded quietly.
“What is the name of this new sword art?”
For the first time in this life, Namgung Jun considered the name of a martial art he had personally created.
There was no need for something overly profound.
The sword art itself was already straightforward.
Moreover, after cultivating the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art, it would be difficult to find a more fitting sword art.
“A name...”
After a brief moment of thought, the boy's eyes flashed sharply like lightning.
“Flash Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders.”
It was not merely a sword art.
It embodied the resolve with which he intended to live this new life.
Flash Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders
Swift as a flash of lightning.
Sharp as sword-thunder.
The thirteen forms would become the path along which lightning itself traveled.
Thus was born Namgung Jun's first personal martial art.