Chapter 67
Like the Clouds (1)
People gathered around the sparring arena prepared atop Jungeuk Peak.
They were the sect leaders and rising experts participating in the Songshan Gathering.
Yet not a single one of them was permitted to step onto the arena.
As everyone raised their heads and looked toward the platform, a lone youth stood at its center.
“So that is the Rising Star Sword?”
“His aura has certainly been refined to an impressive degree.”
“Even so, he doesn't appear capable of overwhelming disciples of Huashan and Wudang. I wonder what he's hiding.”
The leaders of the major sects could not take their eyes off Namgung Jun.
The same was true for the younger generation gathered behind them.
More than one rising expert was defeated by that boy.
To think the Changcheon Association had such a young master hidden away.
No one had expected Namgung Jun to obtain the greatest number of iron tokens.
Everyone had assumed that the star of this gathering would emerge from either the Three Sects and One Gang or the Five Great Sword Sects.
The Changcheon Association had been regarded merely as a participant filling a seat.
No one viewed it as one of the gathering's main players.
Yet Namgung Jun had completely overwhelmed the other rising experts during the Iron Token Contest.
In the process, he defeated Samgyeong and Yeongil in succession, the representatives of the Three Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Sword Sects respectively.
As they looked at Namgung Jun, every martial artist present thought of the same phrase.
The Greatest Rising Expert of the Orthodox Path.
There was no room left to doubt that Namgung Jun now stood at the pinnacle of the younger generation of the orthodox sects.
Just as everyone's attention was focused on him—
An old man suddenly appeared before Namgung Jun.
Like a tuft of downy cloud settling gently upon the earth, he appeared naturally at the center of the arena.
As though he had always been standing there.
“I heard that you sought out this poor Daoist.”
Only after the old man spoke did the younger generation flinch and turn their gazes toward him.
Until that moment, they had not even noticed his existence.
“What?!”
“When did he—?”
“The Wudang Sect Leader!”
Despite the old man's appearance being as sudden as though he had emerged from the ground itself, Namgung Jun showed no surprise whatsoever.
He merely folded his hands respectfully and bowed.
Though still young, he carried a composure greater than that of most veteran masters.
The rising experts all fell silent.
Comparing themselves to Namgung Jun made the difference painfully clear.
“I greet the Sect Leader of Wudang.”
“It is good to meet you.”
The Sect Leader of Wudang, Jeong Chong.
The Foremost Sword of Wudang, revered as the greatest sword of the southern martial world.
Also known as Sword Truth, one of the Five Supreme Masters Under Heaven.
A peerless swordsman counted among the five greatest experts in the martial world.
He may very well be the strongest among all the supreme masters gathered here.
Namgung Jun fixed his gaze upon Jeong Chong.
He could not accurately read the aura of a supreme master.
Yet the instincts that remained from his previous life pointed directly toward the Wudang Sect Leader.
What a shame.
A trace of strength entered Namgung Jun's clenched fist.
This was the perfect opportunity to cross swords with a peerless swordsman.
Yet he himself was not sufficiently refined to force Jeong Chong to reveal his full strength.
The clear blue light in his eyes burned even brighter, using his fighting spirit as fuel.
Watching Namgung Jun's gaze, the corners of Jeong Chong's lips curved upward.
“I heard that you wished to spar with this poor Daoist. I am curious why.”
“As a swordsman, I wish to witness the sword of Southern Wudang.”
"Of all swords that illuminate the myriad phenomena, Wudang stands supreme."
It was a saying often used throughout the martial world to praise Wudang's swordsmanship.
As a swordsman, Namgung Jun had always wished to experience Wudang's sword.
Yet in his previous life, the opportunity had never come.
Thus he intended to seize the chance presented by this gathering.
If he could experience the sword of Southern Wudang, it would be more valuable than any spiritual medicine or reward.
“I am grateful that you hold our sect's swordsmanship in such esteem.”
Standing with his hands behind his back, Jeong Chong raised a sword engraved with pine patterns to the center position.
It was Wudang's Pine Pattern Ancient Sword.
“Come at me as you wish.”
Namgung Jun's brow twitched.
His eyes had never left Jeong Chong.
Yet he had not seen the process of the sword being drawn.
As though he had been holding it from the very beginning.
For a moment, his heart wavered.
But a single exhalation restored his calm.
His right hand extended steadily and wrapped around the hilt of his sword.
The cold sensation of the grip became vividly clear.
“I am coming.”
Namgung Jun boldly stepped forward with Infinite Step and launched the first attack.
As he closed the distance, his sword traced a curved trajectory.
The blade gently parted the air, drawing one uninterrupted arc after another.
Cloud-like aura accumulated layer upon layer behind the slow-flowing strike.
Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance.
A soft sword style founded upon the principles of softness overcoming hardness and transformative force.
“Oh?”
Interest appeared in Jeong Chong's eyes as Namgung Jun displayed a soft sword.
After all, Wudang's martial arts were also rooted in the principles of Taiji and overcoming strength through softness.
Jeong Chong slowly waved the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword.
A natural sword path flowed forth, as though dissolving directly into the atmosphere itself.
At that moment—
Something strange occurred.
The two swords had not touched.
There was still a considerable distance between them.
Yet Namgung Jun's blade, which had been drawing smooth arcs, suddenly veered off course.
It moved awkwardly, as though an invisible hand had seized it and was dragging it away.
Namgung Jun's eyes widened.
Immediately, he twisted his wrist.
This is—!
Calmly drawing his sword back toward his chest, he instantly understood what had happened.
The sword path spreading from the tip of Jeong Chong's Pine Pattern Ancient Sword was influencing his own sword trajectory.
Had he failed to comply with the flow established by Jeong Chong, he would have lost control of his blade entirely.
Yet he could not allow himself to be dragged along by Jeong Chong's sword path forever.
He needed to find a solution.
Increasing my sword force won't help.
This was not a problem that could be solved through strength.
As expected, there is only one way.
Watching the sword strike slowly spreading toward him, Namgung Jun realized the answer.
If he wished to wield his sword freely, he would have to bring forth the true essence of the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance.
My current mastery of the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance is only seventy percent complete.
The vast and leisurely sword intent of Jeong Chong did not appear threatening.
It felt as natural and harmless as an old man casually moving his walking stick while taking a stroll.
Yet no one could dare invade its domain.
And that domain continued to expand.
If Jeong Chong so desired, it could easily encompass not only the sparring arena but the entirety of Jungeuk Peak's summit.
Whoooosh—
The air.
The trees.
The grass.
Though no wind was blowing, all things in the surrounding world resonated with an invisible flow and trembled faintly.
Everything beneath heaven moved around Jeong Chong as its center.
Namgung Jun, too, had become caught within that boundless current.
Depending on his choices and judgment, he could either extend his sword—
Or lose it completely.
What will you do?
It was a test posed by Jeong Chong.
And if he overcame it, he would gain enlightenment worthy of the challenge.
Boom!
Planting his foot heavily, Namgung Jun pushed the Heavenly Lord's Immoveable Body to its limit.
He needed to endure the flow emanating from Jeong Chong's Pine Pattern Ancient Sword for as long as possible.
But this was not the answer.
It merely bought time.
Make the sword path longer. Freer.
The sword that had been angled downward slowly rose into the air.
Namgung Jun did not switch to another sword art.
He responded solely with the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance.
Again and again, he refined the technique that had remained stalled at seventy percent mastery.
Using every insight he had accumulated until now, he revisited the essence of the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance.
Hummm—
He extended his sword once more.
Yet the two swords never actually met.
Again and again, the blades seemed destined to collide, only to separate widely at the last moment and pass one another.
Whenever that happened, violent aftershocks like wind and rain tore across the arena.
Not a single true clash of swords occurred.
It almost looked as though an old man and a youth were performing a sword dance together.
The younger generation watched blankly.
They could not fully understand what was happening.
But they could grasp the general situation.
And that only made Namgung Jun's performance more astonishing.
Most of all, Samgyeong's eyelids trembled.
He's enduring it for that long?!
Samgyeong had sparred with the Sect Leader numerous times and received guidance from him.
Thus, this sort of exchange was familiar to him.
The longest he had ever lasted was fourteen exchanges.
Beyond that, his sword could no longer keep up.
The test imposed by the Sect Leader's sword became increasingly vast and profound with every passing exchange.
One small mistake was enough to be completely swept away.
Like a single flower petal falling into a raging torrent.
That was the twentieth exchange.
Yet Namgung Jun had endured this far without even practicing Wudang's martial arts.
Before he realized it, Samgyeong was no longer focused on his Sect Leader's sword.
His attention had shifted entirely to Namgung Jun.
What is different?
How can Young Hero Namgung endure this despite never learning Wudang's swordsmanship?
Even though he was not participating in the sparring match, Samgyeong found himself becoming increasingly absorbed in Namgung Jun's sword.
“Truly extraordinary.”
“To use a soft sword against the Wudang Sect Leader...”
“I heard his specialties were swift swordsmanship and heavy swordsmanship.”
The leaders watching the match could not hide their admiration.
Though this was fundamentally a teaching spar, who would dare choose a soft sword style against the Sect Leader of Wudang?
One wrong step would result in nothing but humiliation.
Yet the boy seemed unconcerned.
Instead, he was devoting himself completely to the match in pursuit of progress.
Jeong Chong saw it clearly as well.
His competitive spirit and desire for improvement are remarkably strong.
The situation was utterly helpless.
He could not even properly cross swords.
It would not have been strange for his spirit to break.
Yet Namgung Jun's clear eyes only shone brighter, filled with azure lightning-like brilliance.
Whoosh!
Once again, the two swords crossed without touching.
But something had changed.
Previously, even without contact, tremendous shockwaves had swept through the arena.
Now?
Only a gentle breeze, like a spring wind, brushed against the skin.
The gap between the two swords—which had seemed impossible to close—had narrowed ever so slightly.
The child is catching up.
Jeong Chong immediately understood.
The mysteries of the soft sword contained within Namgung Jun's blade were deepening.
With every exchange, his mastery advanced.
Even in this gathering of geniuses, it was a rare sight.
Step.
Namgung Jun's feet, which had repeatedly stamped the ground to generate force, suddenly became smooth and fluid like flowing water.
His body twisted gracefully.
At the same time, his rotating sword traced a great circle.
As he redirected a sword strike spreading like dawn mist, realization struck him.
Ninety percent.
His mastery of the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance had advanced dramatically in a short period.
Yet Namgung Jun was not satisfied.
His heart tingled.
If he could take just one more step forward, it felt as though he would glimpse what lay beyond the technique.
The enlightenment he gained from the Stacked Cloud Barrier Stance spread into Infinite Step as well.
His footwork became freer.
Softer.
More natural.
True to the name Infinite, there was nowhere his steps could not reach.
Breaking apart the distinctions of direction and speed, I simply walk along the flow.
A new insight settled into his footsteps.
The profound principles of ascension infused both of his feet.
Even beneath an infinite sky, there shall be nowhere beyond my reach.
Namgung Jun understood.
At last, Infinite Step had become worthy of its name.
It was still called Infinite Step.
Yet it had transformed into something entirely different.
Step.
The first step of the new Infinite Step.
At that very moment, Namgung Jun's eyes turned a deep azure.
The focus within them faded.
Impossible...
Jeong Chong did not miss the change.
The State of Selflessness!
Selflessness.
The realm where one forgets oneself.
When a moment of enlightenment drenches the entire body, all restraints fall away and the self is forgotten.
Any martial artist pursuing higher realms might experience it at least once.
At such a young age!
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared in Jeong Chong's eyes.
Taking incomparably free steps with his newly transformed Infinite Step, Namgung Jun's sword extended toward him.
The moment when the distance between the two swords became infinitesimally small had finally arrived.