‘You bastard…’
｢Could you please stop cursing? How can a Taoist be so foul-mouthed?｣
‘You really take the cake when it comes to shamelessness… It’s astonishing that your face doesn’t even flinch despite leaving this old man with this absurd task.’
｢You haven’t paid rent in a while; isn’t it reasonable that you lend a hand now and then?｣
‘I just want you to drop dead…’
Elder Shin’s complaints were endless. Despite his grumbling, he eventually picked up the sword.
‘Remember, I’ll definitely be taking this body away from you this time.’
｢Are you some sort of generous thief? Why give me a heads-up?｣
The control of my body naturally passed back to Elder Shin.
According to him, he had said he couldn’t do this often.
But looking at it now, that didn’t quite seem right.
‘I wasn’t lying; it’s just that I really can’t stay in your body for long periods.’
My stance while wielding the sword and my breathing shifted.
This was quite an extraordinary experience.
Like before, I could feel a range of sensations I hadn’t before.
Could this also be enlightenment? If so, what was I supposed to acquire from all this?
‘You could’ve fought without holding the sword. Is there a particular reason you’re handing this over to me?’
A reason?
｢Well, I’m not sure.｣
I chose a more extreme option and spoke out to create a sense of carelessness.
No one in this world knew that Elder Shin was residing in my body.
‘It’s not like you thought you had slim chances of winning since you’re a fist fighter. I’m sure you’re not that blind.’
｢I know.｣
I needed to engage in a duel without the use of Qi. To provoke Namgung Jin, I figured picking up a sword would be the best tactic.
Everything flowed as I predicted, yet there were things I found somewhat disappointing.
‘You’re lamenting because you can’t fight, huh, just when it was time to push all the work onto me… Should I let you back in right now?’
I mean, I am a martial artist at heart. I got greedy wanting to see a clash of strong warriors. But I know this isn’t the right moment, so I’ll hold it together.
｢No need, thank you. I wish you luck.｣
‘Tsk…’
Elder Shin stood there, glaring at Namgung Jin. He seemed furious, and the scowl on his face showed no signs of dissipating.
“How did I end up with some kid like you… It’s evident that God has passed away.”
Elder Shin drew his sword slowly. Namgung Jin’s eyes lit up at the sight.
He quickly asked, “Have you ever trained with a sword?”
Did he feel something just from seeing Elder Shin’s stance? He truly earned the title of Sword King.
Not wanting to leave him hanging, I whispered to Elder Shin.
｢In the past…｣
“…In the past?”
｢I messed around with it a bit, Lord.｣
“I just, j, juggled with it a bit, Lord.”
｢Elder Shin… your way of speaking.｣
‘Do I really need to use honorifics with this little brat?!’
Elder Shin’s pride was refusing to allow that, but fortunately, nothing went wrong in the end.
In fact, it seemed to make Namgung Jin even angrier. His expression twisted into an even more dangerous one.
“Still playing around until the end, huh?”
｢He looks quite furious.｣
‘…And you think that’s my fault?’
“I’m just curious how long you think you can keep acting like this in front of me. Fine, let me make sure to take your arm if that’s what you want.”
– Riiiing-!
The sword Namgung Jin drew emitted a calm yet powerful sound. This was called Sword Sound.
They say once someone reaches a certain level of swordsmanship, they begin to harmonize with their sword. This isn’t a technique that relies on the use of Qi.
Harmony.
As the sword and its wielder become increasingly in sync, the sound produced grows louder.
Thus, Sword Sound represents the startup of every swordsman’s dream of achieving unity between themselves and their sword.
‘Not a bad sound it has.’
Even as Namgung Jin’s sword chimed vigorously, Elder Shin stood as if observing something fascinating.
‘If I compare this to that Myung fellow, the difference seems like heaven and earth; yet, he’s fit and well-trained.’
｢Myung?｣
‘He was just a character. A guy from the Namgung family, the type chasing after women.’
…Was he referring to Namgung Myung just now?
If it’s the Thunderous Sword Namgung Myung, he was one of the five heroes who defeated the Blood King alongside the other heroes.
It seemed I wasn’t mistaken; Elder Shin clicked his tongue and continued.
‘Tsk, instead of enjoying a drink in death, I’m stuck sparring with that bastard’s descendant.’
Suddenly, I felt guilty listening to him. It wasn’t something I’d normally feel.
‘You rotten piece of shit.’
｢By the way, will you be okay?｣
‘…What are you on about?’
｢Even if you don’t use Qi… the opponent is quite formidable.｣
‘Wow, you’re worried after handing off the task to me?’
Elder Shin’s surprise was evident in his tone. I didn’t underestimate his skills, but he wasn’t utilizing his own body; he was using mine, which still had plenty of flaws. I was right to be concerned if he was okay.
‘Stop worrying about useless things.’
As Elder Shin spoke, Namgung Jin aligned his sword and said arrogantly, “Come on then, brat. I’ll give you ten seconds—”
Namgung Jin couldn’t finish his arrogant sentence…
– Riiiing-!
It was because the sound piercing his ears was too loud for him to finish. It was considerably louder and far more profound than the sound coming from Namgung Jin’s sword.
It was like a giant bell ringing nearby; the resounding auditory blast was emanating from Elder Shin’s sword.
Elder Shin then said to me, ‘Hey, kid, remember who I am.’
Namgung Jin’s astonished expression didn’t capture my attention.
The entire area became suffused with Elder Shin’s imposing presence. How could he radiate such an overwhelming atmosphere without even needing to use Qi?
I doubted I could display even a fraction of this kind of overpowering demeanor, even if I were to summon my past life’s peak here.
I had no idea the gap in levels could be this staggering.
While admiring the aura of Elder Shin, a curious thought appeared in my mind.
‘As long as time does not stop, no one can hold me back.’
Just how high had Elder Shin reached his martial prowess? More importantly,
How was someone of his level trapped as a mere wandering spirit inside a treasure? This was one of the biggest mysteries haunting me.
‘I am the Divine Sword from Mount Hua, Shincheol.’
– Riiiing!
Now, the current rising stars in the martial world were called the Generation of Meteors.
However, there were those from the past who held a similar moniker.
Geniuses do not abide by time, for the stars always shine up in the night sky, no matter the season.
Namgung Jin was among those luminaries.
Becoming the Sword Dragon, it didn’t take him too long to earn the title of Sword King.
That was a rather obvious course back then.
The title of Sword Dragon was essentially a trademark of the Namgung Clan.
Similarly, the Sword King title belonged to them as well.
Had an extraordinary talent like Yung Pung not appeared in the martial world, there was no way Namgung Cheonjun wouldn’t have become this generation’s Sword Dragon.
Namgung Jin had never doubted he would scale the heavens.
His grandfather may not have gained the title of Sword Emperor, but he was known as the Lord of Heaven, implying he had reached the skies and transcended beyond.
Namgung Jin never thought he wouldn’t reach it either.
His innate arrogance matched his profound abilities— he thought he would one day possess a title of his own.
He predicted he would eventually stand above the heavens as time went by. It was a self-affirming belief of his worthiness carved in stone. That was the outlook of the young Namgung Jin.
If that unbearable ‘man’ hadn’t existed, that is.
‘…Your remnants haunt me even here.’
The chill of autumn nights remained intact. The white mist from his breath was proof of that reality.
With that exhalation, Namgung Jin stifled his churning emotions.
He carefully scrutinized the boy standing before him. A boy who strikingly resembled Gu Cheolun from the past.
Namgung Jin had already compiled some intel on him.
He was Gu Cheolun’s son, which was enough to pique his curiosity about the boy.
The boy had minimal talent and was generally lethargic. He even had a vicious temper that made him hard to deal with.
Sure, he’d birthed the prodigy, the Sword Phoenix, yet the boy had no fortune.
The thought led Namgung Jin to indulge in solitary drinks on that fateful night a year ago.
But, who was this monster standing before him now?
Namgung Jin couldn’t grasp the situation.
– Riiing… Riiing…
“Unthinkable…!”
That was definitely the Sword Sound resonating.
Hearing it made it hard for him to believe it.
‘That’s impossible.’
Even if he had reached an advanced level, the resonance of a sword was a different story. For even the intensive training of a swordsman, this was immensely difficult.
Moreover, Gu Yangcheon was primarily a fist fighter. The way he walked, how he breathed, and how his Qi was utilized were fundamentally distinct from that of a swordsman.
But what of now?
‘…Everything has changed.’
Both the breathing and movement were transformed. It was so ingrained it felt like he was truly meant to wield a sword.
Was he concealing his real strength? But why on earth would a boy like him do that?
He was too young to even have that sort of strength to conceal in the first place.
Namgung Jin speculated if he had done something to the sword, but the sword belonged to the Namgung clan.
He had directly witnessed Gu Yangcheon pick it up from the ground, the sword belonging to a martial artist of the Namgung clan, with clear sight.
“You said you’d give me ten seconds?”
Namgung Jin staggered in his breathing upon hearing Gu Yangcheon’s voice.
“I have no intention of turning this down. Think well before you regret your choice.”
His tone was curiously altered now, but Namgung Jin had no time to ponder.
Ten seconds? Normally, he shouldn’t have even had three seconds to block in the first place.
The gap in levels was one factor, yet their realms of enlightenment differed as well.
They stood from entirely different points within the martial world.
Even without a wager, their situations held equivalence.
What they could perceive and feel was inherently different. That was how it was supposed to be.
But now? What of now?
Namgung Jin felt an awkwardness in his inability to trust his judgement.
– Crack.
A grating sound erupted from Namgung Jin’s mouth. Was he trembling? All against a boy younger than his offspring?
The Azure Heavenly Sword himself?
‘That can’t be true.’
He denied it vehemently. No, it was simply impossible.
“You’re weaving tricks, aren’t you?”
The look on Gu Yangcheon’s face shifted uneasily at Namgung Jin’s words; the disappointment evident on his visage.
“No, it’s nothing; Myung was simply a different story. This is quite tragic.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing, really. It’s just that with time, things must change.”
The advancing steps were resolute. The posture with which he held his sword remained awkward, yet Namgung Jin’s mind reeled from the executed movements.
Gu Yangcheon took a single step forward.
“At the very least, that guy wouldn’t have wanted something like this, so I guess I’ll clean up his mess. How ludicrous; this was never supposed to be my burden.”
“You…”
As Namgung Jin’s shattering self-esteem began warping into fury, something sliced past his neck.
He pulled back while clutching his throat. Contrary to what he discerned with clarity, his neck was still intact.
“It would be wise for you to concentrate. You will regret it if you do not.”
Right as those words ended, Gu Yangcheon’s sword cut through the air again.
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