“I declare the Phoenix Tournament open!”
At long last, the Phoenix Tournament had begun.
In the heart of the Martial Alliance, before the grand training arena.
Temporary structures and an immense maze had been erected there. In front of them stood the elite second-rank teams selected from various divisions, lined up in formation.
High above in the spectator stands of the grand arena, martial artists of the Martial Alliance had gathered in droves, filling the seats to capacity to watch the Phoenix Tournament.
Across from the arena, a tall platform had been constructed, where a beautiful woman clad in white stood upright, gazing down at the scene below.
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
The unprecedented sight of a young and beautiful commander caused the countless martial artists in the arena to buzz with excitement.
‘That beauty must be the newly appointed Commander Gongsun Dankyung!’
Formerly the head of the Great Forest Hall, she had rarely engaged in public activities beyond managing the branches.
As a result, few within the Alliance had seen her face.
Yet, her revealed appearance was so youthful and stunning that one might mistake her for Gongsun Dana, one of the three most beautiful women in the martial world.
‘I thought it was the Flower of Eloquence Gongsun Dana visiting the Alliance.’
‘She looks barely in her twenties, yet she’s said to be over thirty.’
As the crowd in the arena whispered among themselves, the higher-ups of the Martial Alliance gathered around the platform, engaging in light conversation with Gongsun Dankyung.
They were likely offering congratulations or words of encouragement.
However, Jo Cheonwang, who had stepped down from his position as head of the Martial Heaven Corps, was nowhere to be seen, nor were the Alliance Leader or Vice Leader in attendance.
In particular, the Alliance Leader, Shindo Mubi, rarely appeared at ceremonies or formal events.
The Heavenly Emperor.
He had once declared that, bearing such a title, his duty as the foremost figure of the righteous faction was to grow stronger. Thus, he devoted all his time to enhancing his martial prowess, sparing none for ceremonies or events.
‘What’s that over there?’
Yet, the teams participating in the Phoenix Tournament were frowning as they looked toward a certain spot. There, a group of unfamiliar peak-level warriors stood in formation, their faces and names unknown.
The teams attending the Phoenix Tournament were typically those who had achieved great deeds within the Martial Alliance or demonstrated exceptional skill. Yet, a newly formed peak-level team stood brazenly in their midst?
‘I heard they’ve made some contributions recently, but this is too much.’
‘Do they think the Phoenix Tournament is a game? So many teams undergo grueling training to win this event.’ Even among the higher-ups on the platform, murmurs of discontent arose. ‘I heard it’s a newly formed intelligence team. Participating in the Phoenix Tournament? Isn’t that too reckless?’
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
Due to the unprecedented situation, the grand arena buzzed incessantly. Yet Bu Eunseol and his team stood in formation with expressionless faces.
“I declare the first match, the Formation Offense and Defense Battle, to begin!”
Yong Myeong, the Dragon Coiling Hall Lord tasked with overseeing the Phoenix Tournament, announced in a booming voice.
“Teams called, step forward! Shinsu Team and Changcheon Team!”
The two teams in formation ascended the stage.
The Formation Offense and Defense Battle involved each team deploying their best formation techniques and attempting to break through their opponent’s formation. This contest tested the teams’ training, unity, cooperation, and the leadership of their captains.
The first team called would attack, so the Shinsu Team took the offensive while the Changcheon Team defended.
The Changcheon Team employed a modified version of the Heaven and Earth Formation, the Heaven and Earth Shadowless Formation, which the Shinsu Team ultimately failed to breach.
“We must defend at all costs!” As the roles reversed, the Shinsu Team deployed the Flying Heaven Golden Thread Formation to counter the Changcheon Team’s assault.
However, the Changcheon Team's captain skillfully directed his members, identifying flaws in the Flying Heaven Golden Thread Formation and breaking through it in one swift move.
“Changcheon Team, victory!”
At Yong Myeong’s shout, the Shinsu Team left the arena with their heads bowed.
The Phoenix Tournament consisted of three matches, and a single loss meant elimination.
With no second chances, every team fought with all their might. Under Yong Myeong’s direction, the relentless offense and defense battles continued fiercely.
Most of the victorious teams were long-established second-rank teams, veterans of the arena.
“Finally, Thunderbolt Team and Supreme Team, step forward!”
At those words, the surrounding teams and spectators sneered.
‘They’ll be eliminated in no time.’
The Thunderbolt Team was renowned among second-rank teams for its mastery of formation mechanisms. In particular, their commander, Cheon Taeseong, was the only son of Cheon Taegwang, a famed expert in formation techniques.
Yet a newly promoted second-rank team, known as an intelligence unit, was challenging the Thunderbolt Team in a Formation Offense and Defense Battle? It was unthinkable that they could win.
“No need to be nervous,” Bu Eunseol said calmly to his team as they ascended the grand arena. “Just follow the training we’ve done.”
He then addressed Tae Muryong and Jeong Jongdo. “You two, split the team into two groups and form the Shocking Heaven Dual Poles Formation. I’ll direct the defense from the outside.”
“The Shocking Heaven Dual Poles Formation… you say?” Tae Muryong asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
It was a formation specialized for attack, not defense.
“They underestimate us,” Bu Eunseol said with a smile. “They’ll likely try to overpower us with brute force rather than seeking flaws in our formation.”
He continued, “We must become a sharp sword to counter their pressure. Of course, I’ll keep adjusting the formation as needed.”
Sweeping his gaze over the team, he spoke with conviction.
“This match will prove that our training was not in vain. Can you do it?”
“We obey your command!” The team shouted in unison, clasping their hands together, and began deploying the Shocking Heaven Dual Poles Formation.
Not a single member faltered, aligning perfectly in formation and position.
‘They’ve trained quite well,’ Cheon Taeseong, the Thunderbolt Team’s captain, nodded in acknowledgment.
But he soon smirked. ‘Unfortunately, skill and unity aren’t built in a short time.’
He could tell at a glance that Seon Woojin was an extraordinary figure.
But the Supreme Team’s members were newly recruited warriors with limited training time.
The Thunderbolt Team, however, had held its second-rank status for five years. There was no way they could be bested.
“Begin!” Yong Myeong’s shout rang out.
Cheon Taeseong gathered his team and spoke in a low voice.
“There’s a gap in the Northeast position. Focus your attack there and break through.” With a thunderous cry, the Thunderbolt Team surged toward the gap in the northeast.
But something was strange.
The Supreme Team’s formation, which should have collapsed instantly, held firm, and the members’ expressions remained unshaken.
‘What’s going on?’ Cheon Taeseong’s eyes widened as he directed the formation from outside. ‘How can new recruits have such solid inner strength?’
Despite it being their first time at the Phoenix Tournament, the Supreme Team showed no signs of nervousness and executed their formation flawlessly. Moreover, every member possessed such robust inner strength that they withstood attacks without wavering.
“Hah!” The Thunderbolt Team targeted the gap perfectly, but they couldn’t break the Supreme Team’s sturdy formation.
“They’re not even budging!”
The Thunderbolt Team members were bewildered.
Despite exploiting the flaw and pressing their attack, they couldn’t penetrate the Supreme Team’s formation.
“Ugh.” After a quarter-hour of relentless assault, the Thunderbolt Team failed to break through.
“Switch roles!” Yong Myeong shouted.
The Thunderbolt Team retreated, visibly shaken.
“They must have trained extensively in formation techniques. No need to worry,” Cheon Taeseong reassured his rattled team with a confident voice. “They won’t be able to break our formation either. We’ll win by outlasting them.”
He raised his voice.
“Deploy the Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation!”
Cheon Taeseong chose the Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation, the Thunderbolt Team’s most impregnable defensive formation. The nineteen members formed a circular formation, with Cheon Taeseong directing from within.
“Open the formation!”
At his command, the circular formation began to shift chaotically.
The Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation redirected external force like the principles of Taichi, dissipating it in a circular flow. Unless an opponent wielded a lethal weapon with intent to kill, no ordinary force could break the formation.
“Breaking a formation is far easier than defending one,” Bu Eunseol said in a low voice. “No formation is perfect, as they’re created by humans with diverse builds and personalities.”
Having faced countless formations alone in the past, Bu Eunseol had long honed techniques to dismantle them.
“Follow my commands precisely.”
“Begin!” Yong Myeong’s shout echoed.
Bu Eunseol immediately took command.
“Three steps to the Northeast, five steps to the Southwest.” The Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation was exceptionally difficult to breach, but Bu Eunseol swiftly identified its weaknesses with his Beast Way technique.
“Wait there briefly. Now, three steps back to the Northeast.”
The team moved with the precision of a well-oiled machine, without a single error.
This was due to their unwavering trust in Bu Eunseol.
The team moved as one, following his commands with exact precision.
Each movement caused cracks in the Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation, gradually dismantling it.
‘What’s happening?’ Cheon Taeseong and his team were frantic.
They had executed the formation flawlessly, moving in perfect sync, yet every move by the Supreme Team exposed new vulnerabilities.
“We can’t hold any longer!” As the Supreme Team relentlessly exploited the flaws, the Diamond Thousand Spheres Formation warped into a distorted shape and finally collapsed with a resounding crash.
“Supreme Team, victory!”
At Yong Myeong’s shout, the Supreme Team members embraced and roared in triumph.
“Waaaah!” Even the usually stoic Jeong Jongdo clenched his fists and roared.
They had followed Bu Eunseol’s rigorous training without rest.
At times, they questioned it.
Was this necessary?
Was such grueling training required?
Would it even be effective?
Such doubts had lingered, especially in Bu Eunseol’s absence. But the answer came swiftly through today’s Formation Offense and Defense Battle.
‘Our training was not in vain!’ The team members silently shouted in their hearts. ‘Our relentless training has made us stronger!’
“They’re surprisingly skilled,” Commander Gongsun Dankyung said with a smile, looking at Yuk Jangcheon from the platform. “I heard they were newly formed, but they possess remarkable ability.”
“Well…” Yuk Jangcheon began modestly, but Jong Guryeong, the Flying Dragon Hall Lord seated beside him, interjected coldly.
“They only won the first match. We’ll need to observe further to judge their skill.” Jong Guryeong, vying for the Martial Heaven Corps Lord position, was Yuk Jangcheon’s rival.
Moreover, since the Thunderbolt Team was under his command, his pride was wounded.
“True enough,” Gongsun Dankyung nodded calmly.
At that moment, a crowd surged into the buildings and a maze was set up in the arena. They were martial artists from Commander Gongsun’s Hall, experts in formation mechanisms.
“I declare the second match begin!” Yong Myeong announced loudly. “Called teams, enter the Demon-Breaking Gate set up before the arena!”
The Demon-Breaking Gate was a massive structure and maze built in the grand arena, filled with various formations used by the demonic factions.
Inside, the Commander’s Hall martial artists had deployed formidable formation techniques favored by the demonic sects.
To prevent teams from using tricks or rare artifacts to break the formations, first-rank sword commanders monitored the process closely.
“The two teams that exit the Demon-Breaking Gate the fastest will advance to the final round!” Yong Myeong declared loudly.
“Baekcheon Team, begin!”
The Baekcheon Team's captain, Dokgo Seung, and his members clasped their hands in respect and entered the Demon-Breaking Gate.
After a long silence, they emerged from the opposite gate after over an hour.
“Baekcheon Team, one hour!” Yong Myeong announced, then turned to Bu Eunseol and the Supreme Team.
“Next, Supreme Team! Enter!”
The second team was Bu Eunseol’s Supreme Team.
Bu Eunseol and his team bowed respectfully to the higher-ups on the platform and entered the Demon-Breaking Gate.
An unexpected sight greeted them.
Unlike the building’s exterior, a vast forest landscape appeared, and a disorienting fragrance began to spread. At the same time, black-clad martial artists moved chaotically, deploying formations.
‘This is… unfortunate,’ Bu Eunseol chuckled inwardly upon recognizing the formations.
The formations in the Demon-Breaking Gate were ones he had consistently broken since entering the martial world—those of the White Horse Temple and Hell's Blood Fortress.
“Commander, I know a bit about breaking formations,” Jeong Jongdo stepped forward, but Bu Eunseol waved him off with a smile.
“No need.”
“What?”
“I’ll lead. Don’t look anywhere else—just follow the person in front of you. That’s all you need to do.”
“What does that mean?”
“These formations are ones I’ve encountered repeatedly while working with merchant caravans. They belong to the Ten Demonic Sects.”
Jeong Jongdo’s jaw dropped at Bu Eunseol’s words.
“Is that so?”
“There’s no time. Follow me. I’ll take the lead.”
Step, step.
Bu Eunseol walked into the formation as casually as if he were on a stroll. The stunned team members quickly followed.
Swoosh! Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The first formation was the Poison Eagle Formation of the Hell's Blood Fortress.
It was the same formation used by Ok Giryung, the Blood Hand Hall Lord, when Bu Eunseol had gone to be recognized as a successor candidate. Though the first-rank sword team members didn’t use the true Blood Shadow Poison Eagle Technique, the toxic mist they spread was enough to disorient the senses.
‘The Martial Alliance has studied demonic formations thoroughly,’ Bu Eunseol noted.
Aside from not using the Blood Shadow Poison Eagle Technique, the Poison Eagle Formation was executed with such precision that it could pass for one deployed by the Hell's Blood Fortress’s masters.
‘Is it that person in the Alliance?’ Bu Eunseol recalled a rumor from his time as one of the Ten Demonic Warriors.
It was said that the Martial Alliance had a mysterious master skilled in both righteous and demonic martial arts, capable of teaching techniques to counter demonic formations.
‘Otherwise, they couldn’t teach the Demonic Shadow Step, exclusive to the Hell's Blood Fortress, to this level.’
His thoughts were long, but his actions were swift.
Bu Eunseol pierced the Poison Eagle Formation’s flaw in an instant.
The sturdy formation collapsed rapidly.
In a real battle, the Hell's Blood Fortress masters would have used the Blood Shadow Poison Eagle Technique, but this was a test, so the formation was broken as is.
Next, Bu Eunseol faced the White Horse Five Poison Formation, used by Eum Wi, the Dark Jade Hall Master of White Horse Temple.
Finally, the Black Killing Chain Formation, deployed by Yang Myeong, the Blood Ghost Hall Lord of the Hell's Blood Fortress, appeared.
Creak.
As Bu Eunseol broke through all the formations, the Demon-Breaking Gate’s door opened.
Emerging, he was met with a silent grand arena.
“Supreme Team, a quarter-hour!” Yong Myeong’s shout rang out.
“…”
The waiting team members and the higher-ups on the platform stared, eyes wide as if they might tear.
A quarter-hour?
Unless the mechanisms were faulty, such a feat was impossible.
A commotion erupted in the arena and on the platform.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Yong Myeong entered the Demon-Breaking Gate and summoned the sword commanders inside. Together with the higher-ups, they listened to how the Supreme Team had broken the formations.
After a lengthy explanation, the higher-ups were left speechless.
The Supreme Team—no, Seon Woojin—had used a method so simple yet precise that even the Martial Alliance had never discovered it.
Unable to accept the explanation, the higher-ups summoned Bu Eunseol to the platform.
“Where did you learn such formation-breaking techniques?” Yong Myeong asked.
“They weren’t learned; they were deduced,” Bu Eunseol replied respectfully, clasping his hands. “While traveling beyond the borders, the ones extorting the most from honest merchant caravans were the Hell's Blood Fortress in Guizhou and the White Horse Temple near the Jade Gate.”
“You fought them?”
“Of course not. We paid hefty sums to pass through,” Bu Eunseol explained calmly. “But caravans unable to pay hire mercenaries to evade them secretly. Sometimes, they’re caught and slaughtered.”
“Hmm.”
“Surviving mercenaries sell information about the tactics and formations used by their enemies at high prices in the wanderer market.”
Yong Myeong nodded.
mercenaries sold more than just their services. Information, knowledge, even martial techniques—anything valuable was sold.
“But that doesn’t fully explain it,” Jong Guryeong, the Flying Dragon Hall Lord, frowned. “The Ten Demonic Sects’ formation-breaking methods, revealed in the wanderer market? I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“Of course not. I studied the materials I obtained from mercenaries on my own,” Bu Eunseol said, pulling a thin booklet from his robes.
It contained chaotic diagrams of the Ten Demonic Sects’ formation patterns, annotated densely with breaking methods and notes.
Though not perfect, it detailed the formations’ mechanics to a considerable degree.
When Bu Eunseol received the order to participate in the Phoenix Tournament, he had prepared for various scenarios and thoroughly investigated past tests. Knowing formation tests were inevitable, he had gathered materials to deflect suspicion if he broke formations too quickly.
“What’s this?” Yong Myeong asked.
“Research I conducted in my spare time,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Gongsun Dankyung examined the diagrams and nodded.
“Quite the effort. You have a talent for formations.” She continued, “It looks like at least two to three years of research, focused solely on demonic formations.”
Was it his imagination?
Her voice seemed to emphasize the word “demonic.”
“They don’t use righteous faction techniques or formations when attacking caravans,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Suddenly, a pair of beautiful eyes fixed on his face.
Bu Eunseol instinctively lowered his gaze.
It was a gaze unlike any he’d ever seen—deep and unfamiliar. The moment their eyes met, a serene stillness washed over him, as if he’d plunged into deep water, while a ray of light seemed to flash before him.
‘Dangerous.’
His instincts sounded an alarm.
Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes, which seemed to draw in his soul, undoubtedly held a mysterious power.
If that power was unstoppable, Bu Eunseol’s identity could be exposed right here.
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