Supreme Swordsmanship
The Martial Alliance's military office.
Jegal Jigang reviewed the report submitted by Sak Muhun.
It stated that Hae Cheongyeon had been dealt with, but due to her powerful comrades, all other unit members were lost.
In particular, the report highly praised Seolpung, the Seventh Captain of the Thirteenth Division.
"Hm, Seolpung. They say he killed two Pinnacle-entry experts and seven top-class first-rate warriors all by himself?"
He then examined the regular reports from the frontlines.
One report mentioned that Cheongyeon had been abducted by the Blood Cult. Jegal Jigang read it, nodded, and turned his attention back to Seolpung.
"No records of his origin or sect. He, too, is marked for elimination after discharge. A shame… not easy either."
Jegal Jigang briefly considered whether a man of such caliber could be persuaded to switch sides.
It might even be worth visiting the frontlines himself again—to see if Seolpung could be recruited, and to confirm Hae Cheongyeon's fate.
But he didn't have time to deliberate further.
A servant rushed in with an urgent report.
"Sir! The Sword Saint, Hae Unbaek, has arrived to see you."
Jegal Jigang's eyes flickered in surprise.
"The Sword Saint? For what reason?"
"I don't know, but his face was filled with rage."
…Could it be?
Feigning composure, Jegal Jigang said,
"Whatever the matter, show him in."
"Yes, sir!"
Moments later, the Sword Saint stormed in, his face burning with fury.
"Jigang!"
Jegal Jigang smiled politely.
"What brings the great Heavenly Sword Saint here in such anger?"
The Sword Saint shoved a crumpled letter at him, shouting:
"My daughter! Cheongyeon has been abducted by the Blood Cult's demon lord!"
A letter?
Jegal Jigang glanced at it and quickly asked,
"Cheongyeon, abducted by the Blood Cult's demon lord?! What on earth do you mean?"
The Sword Saint, seething with rage, explained.
A comrade in Hae Cheongyeon's unit, one who knew she was his daughter, had immediately used a security courier token to send him a letter the moment she was taken.
Jegal Jigang felt both relief and regret.
Relief that the Sword Saint did not yet know the whole truth—but regret that someone in her unit knew her identity.
He had thought no one else would know, relying solely on Hae Cheongyeon's word. He had not considered that a letter might be sent through the courier system. That had been his mistake.
The Sword Saint roared,
"I will go to the frontlines at once! And I shall take the White Tiger Unit with me! You are hereby informed!"
The White Tiger Unit consisted of warriors most loyal to the Sword Saint.
Its leader, the Gentleman Sword of the White Tiger, Dongbang Muguk, was a fervent devotee, and the others followed suit.
Jegal Jigang tried to dissuade him with a troubled face.
"If that is true, then it is a tragedy. But Unbaek, you know the Alliance Lord signed a non-aggression pact with the Blood Demon. Surely you don't intend to break it?"
The Sword Saint, lacking in political sense, usually followed Jegal Jigang's advice in such matters.
But this time, Jegal Jigang realized he had gravely miscalculated—he had underestimated a father's fury over his missing daughter.
The Sword Saint sneered, eyes blazing.
"Hmph! A non-aggression pact, is it? If an investigation proves that Cheongyeon trespassed into Blood Cult territory first, I will hold my peace. But if their demon lords came here and abducted her, then they have broken the pact! Such treachery cannot be forgiven! I will go at once and bring Cheongyeon back! Don't you dare stop me!"
With that, he stormed out like a hurricane.
Jegal Jigang was left clutching his head in frustration.
There was no stopping him now.
Of course, even if he went to the frontlines, he would not find Hae Cheongyeon. But…
With his heart consumed by grief, would he stop at merely searching for her?
Impossible.
He would overturn the entire front.
Just imagining it was a headache.
And worse, he planned to take the White Tiger Unit with him. Among them, there were surely warriors who had once belonged to the Shadow Unit.
If he discovered the Shadow Unit's existence….
Jegal Jigang rushed out toward Mancheonggak, headquarters of the Intelligence Division—and unofficially, the Shadow Unit's base.
At the very least, he had to prevent those former Shadow Unit members from accompanying the Sword Saint.
For a moment, Jegal Jigang considered the possibility of eliminating the Sword Saint himself.
Could it be done? He is counted among the fifteen strongest in the world.
Coldly, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
There were many ways to kill a man.
But regardless of feasibility, the Sword Saint's prestige within the orthodox factions was enormous.
To the common warriors, he held more influence than even the Alliance Lord himself.
And with the White Tiger Unit marching alongside him, even more eyes would be upon him.
An assassination would be far too risky.
Jegal Jigang clicked his tongue bitterly.
How troublesome this had become.
He even wondered if all of this was a deliberate plot.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Neither the Sword Saint nor those around him had the cunning for such schemes.
To him, Hae Cheongyeon had only been his daughter's unusual friend.
Shiiik!
The sharp spear tip slithered like a serpent, drawing arcs as it struck.
It looked like the heads of many snakes lunging together.
I swung my sword rapidly, deflecting the thrusts to either side.
Titing!
With a shout, the spear-wielder redirected his weapon upward—then smashed it down like an axe.
"Got you!"
Buaaaang!
The spearhead descended with brutal force, as if to split me in two.
But my gaze remained calm, fixed upon it.
At the perfect instant, I nudged it aside with my sword and shifted one step.
The blow flowed harmlessly past me, like a river diverted—such was the subtlety of Cheonpoong Footwork of the Bizong Sect.
Kwaaang!
The spear smashed into the ground with tremendous force.
And I was already closing in like the wind, seizing the opening left by his heavy strike.
Startled, my opponent spun himself and his spear like a top, trying to block my approach.
Whiiing!
But I had already entered striking range.
Lifting myself lightly, I flowed past his defense, descending upon him like a hawk with my blade.
Seonu Thirteen Swords, Third Form—
Divine Hawk's Descent!
Shiiik!
His eyes widened in shock.
It seemed this was the end.
"Ghhhk!"
But the strike I thought decisive was blocked.
In desperation, he spun his spear, its shaft writhing like a serpent to parry my blade.
Whiiing!
Titing!
As expected of the Cheongseong Sect's secret art—Serpent Shadow Spear Technique.
Of course, it had been a hurried defense, so victory was not yet lost.
If I pressed the attack, I could overwhelm him.
But I did not.
Instead, I frowned once, then stepped back, giving him time to recover his stance.
The spear-wielder, Captain Dok Sugwang of the Fifth Unit—a Cheongseong Sect disciple—glared at me angrily.
"That expression—what does it mean? Are you scowling because you couldn't defeat me in one strike?"
I quickly smoothed my face and explained.
"No, nothing like that. I only frowned at myself, for failing to land a strike even after I thought I had created the perfect opening. Please don't misunderstand me, Captain Dok."
But he still spoke with a face full of anger.
"So you frowned because you failed to land a strike on me, isn't that what you're saying?! You've grown arrogant just because you've earned a nickname!"
Then, as if he had no desire to continue the spar, he glared at me one last time and turned on his heel, storming off.
I was momentarily flustered, then let out a bitter smile and cupped my fist toward his retreating back.
"Thank you for the good spar, Captain Dok."
"Hmph!"
Lately, during our unit's evening sparring sessions, many people from other units would come and request to spar with us.
Naturally, it was a good thing to spar with various people, so we gladly accepted them.
That's how today's match with Captain Dok Sugwang of the Fifth Unit, a Cheongseong Sect spearman, had come about. But in the end, it had finished like this.
"Tch."
As I watched his retreating figure with a sour expression, Lady Na approached to console me.
"Don't mind it too much. It couldn't be helped. Even if you hadn't made that expression, I think he already intended to pick a quarrel. In fact, the way he stormed off like that—it might even be because he realized he couldn't win and fled."
Bi Sayoung also stepped in to say,
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Captain Dok may be from Cheongseong Sect, but unlike Captain Han Gyoseong of the First Unit or Captain Won Cheongwon of the Sixth, he's an awfully rigid and authoritarian man."
"Right. Thanks."
Indeed, the disciples of the Cheongseong Sect were notorious even among the Nine Great Sects for being eccentric.
It just so happened that among those in our Thirteenth Division, most weren't like that.
Of the three Cheongseong Sect disciples in the Thirteenth Division—Captain Han Gyoseong of the First Unit cared little for anything besides the sword, while Captain Won Cheongwon of the Sixth was such a genial man that he treated everyone warmly.
So they had never caused much conflict with others.
Only Captain Dok Sugwang of the Fifth Unit was sensitive and authoritarian. But even then, compared to some of the truly arrogant and insufferable disciples from the Nine Great Sects, he wasn't that bad.
Lady Na nodded in agreement and added,
"That's right. Besides, he's also notorious for disliking Captain Seolpung. I think the whole reason he suddenly came to spar with Seonu Gongja today was to try and humiliate our unit somehow. He probably thought he couldn't beat Captain Seolpung, but someone like Seonu Gongja, who's become famous only recently, would be easier prey. Well… it was a miscalculation."
Smiling brightly, she then looked at me with a new expression.
"By the way, you didn't even give it your all just now, did you? To overwhelm a Cheongseong Sect disciple and a unit captain like Dok Sugwang so one-sidedly, even while holding back… Seonu Gongja, your growth is truly astonishing."
I smiled awkwardly at her praise and shook my head.
"I wasn't exactly holding back. I just… had something I wanted to test."
I hadn't told even my teammates yet, but since stepping into the Pinnacle Realm, my physical abilities and reaction speed had risen drastically.
And as soon as I reached the Pinnacle, I had filled my dantian with seventy years' worth of inner strength using elixirs.
So, when fighting someone like Dok Sugwang, who was still only top-class first-rate, I had deliberately limited myself to first-rate power.
Of course, even though I hadn't revealed I'd reached the Pinnacle, Captain Seolpung and Lady Cheongyeon had likely already sensed it.
Both had sent me meaningful smiles and whispered through sound transmission:
— "Congratulations, Jin."
— "Congratulations, Seonu Gongja."
It was only in that moment that I realized Lady Cheongyeon had already reached the Pinnacle herself.
Come to think of it, I should have realized it earlier—after all, the way she had so effortlessly handled me when I was still at the peak of first-rate.
I was late to notice.
In any case, the reason I had deliberately restricted myself against Dok Sugwang was because I wanted to compare the Cheongseong Sect's Serpent Shadow Spear Technique with the Seonu Thirteen Swords—purely as martial arts, not as a test of cultivation.
And in that match, I had obtained a clear answer.
The Seonu Thirteen Swords suffered a complete defeat.
I had half-expected it, but realizing so clearly that my art was inferior still left me hollow.
Just earlier, even when his guard was fully open, I had failed to end it.
Throughout the match, every time an opportunity arose, I couldn't seize it. I had been forced to rely on improvisation to cover the shortcomings of my techniques.
Once again, I felt the limits of the Seonu Thirteen Swords—the same limits I had realized when fighting Ma yugyeom.
Though considered one of Guju Province's foremost sword arts, compared to the ultimate techniques of the Nine Great Sects, it fell short in many ways.
Of course, if I could fully master the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Forms, it might be different. But even at the Pinnacle, those forms were too taxing to use regularly. They could only serve as trump cards, not daily techniques.
I fell deep into thought.
Memories of my fight against Ma yugyeom resurfaced.
That one-sided match, despite us both being at Pinnacle-entry.
The only reason I had survived was sheer luck.
And if I were to face him again, the result would be no different.
No… next time, I would certainly die. Even if I reached equal cultivation, his martial art would still overwhelm mine.
The thought struck me with desperation.
I needed a supreme-level martial art.
One that could stand on par with the Sa-il Sword Art, the supreme technique of the Jeomchang Sect.
But such a thing would not simply fall into my lap.
Leading her unit back to their quarters, Tang Yeoeun stopped to watch Seonu Jin's spar.
She saw how Dok Sugwang lashed out at him, how Lady Na and he laughed together, and how he fell into silent thought.
It was strange.
He was clearly not Myung Sahyeon, nor did he seem to love her the way Myung Sahyeon once had. And yet, watching him made her heart pound, just like it had when she looked at Myung Sahyeon.
And once again, she wanted to lean on him.
To take off the cold mask she always wore before others.
From behind, she heard the voices of her unit members.
"That Seonu Jin is incredible. To even surpass Captain Dok Sugwang now… how can he be growing so fast?"
"Well, probably because he trains like a madman. The Seventh Unit's training regimen is famous even in our division. And not just him—look at Bi Sa-yeong. He's become a solid mid-tier first-rate by now."
"Not just mid-tier. If you consider his movement skills, he can already handle high-tier first-rate opponents. And it's not only him—Bae Jonggwan and Lady Cheon Jueun are both wielding sword-qi now. Lady Na Seoyu has reached the peak of first-rate too."
"What? Seriously? Then that means the entire Seventh Unit is first-rate or above?"
"More than that. Even without Captain Seolpung, they already have four captain-level experts—Lady Cheongyeon, Seonu Jin, Lady Na Seoyu, and Bi Sa-yeong. They're practically the strongest unit in the Thirteenth Division."
"Wow, that's amazing. How is that even possible? Is it all thanks to Captain Seolpung?"
"I don't know. I once asked Bae Jonggwan about it, and he said it was Seonu Jin. Apparently, whenever he speaks, the whole unit feels compelled to train harder."
"What do you mean?"
"Probably that he motivates them. Remember, before he came, the Seventh Unit wasn't highly regarded at all."
"True enough. That Seonu Jin really is something."
Hearing her unit members praise him, Tang Yeoeun smiled faintly before addressing them in her usual cold voice.
"How long will you waste time envying them? Shouldn't we push ourselves harder too? I think it'd be good for us to set aside regular time for joint training, like the Seventh Unit. If you need help, just ask me—I'll do my best to support you."
Her unit members' eyes widened, then they grinned broadly and answered in unison:
"Yes, Captain!"
"We'll do our best!"
For the disciples of the Third Unit, who practically worshiped Tang Yeoeun, training alongside her was the greatest motivation possible.
Tang Yeoeun, too, smiled faintly at their spirited reply.
"Good. Then let's discuss it as we walk—what we should train, and how to make it most effective."
And as she walked off with her unit, chatting with them, one person watched her closely.
Hae Cheongyeon.
For some reason, Tang Yeoeun had been bothering her lately.
Until recently, she hadn't felt this way. Even when people gossiped that Seonu Jin admired Tang Yeoeun, she hadn't cared.
But now… something was different.
Specifically, ever since the day Seonu Jin saved Tang Yeoeun from Ma yugyeom.
Since then, whenever Seonu Jin glanced at Tang Yeoeun, there was a weight and meaning in his gaze.
And what unsettled Hae Cheongyeon even more was that Tang Yeoeun now returned that same gaze.
Just earlier, though she kept her usual cold expression while watching Seonu Jin's spar, Hae Cheongyeon alone could tell her eyes were not cold at all.
It felt strange.
When she realized Seonu Jin had feelings for Na Seoyu, she hadn't felt this way.
Back then, she had thought it was enough simply to watch him from afar.
But now… she wasn't so sure.
Perhaps she had only been so calm because she believed he and Na Seoyu would never truly be together.
The thought weighed on her.