He froze.
But in the next instant, Do Cheonlin let his hand fall.
‘If I win by resorting to such filthy tricks, how could I ever reach the true Sword Dao?’
He had cast aside everything to become stronger. He had even abandoned the Blood Flame Blade Art he had trained in all his life and wandered the martial world.
Then he obtained the Illusory Demon Sword.
Thanks to its ability, even without entering the Supreme Heavenly Realm, he could manipulate moments of time. And one day, with his own strength, he wanted to reach the Supreme Heavenly Realm and once more cross blades with the man he had always dreamed of defeating: Bu Eunseol.
But if he won through such underhanded means?
Let alone attaining the ultimate realm of the Sword Dao, he would not even be qualified to face him.
Slash!
At that moment, a sharp sword qi flew toward Bu Eunseol’s back with a faint ripping sound.
The wielder of the Blood Battle Demonic Sword had unleashed a continuous volley of Blood Arrow Thunder Energy at Bu Eunseol.
‘He can still fire another wave of that magnitude?’ Do Cheonlin’s eyes widened.
The timing and angle were perfect, and that mysterious man was still deflecting the Blood Arrow Thunder Energy for his sake. At this rate, Bu Eunseol would be unable to dodge and would die.
‘Damn it!’ In that instant, Do Cheonlin threw himself forward without thinking and took the sword qi with his own body.
Papapak!
Sharp Blood Arrow Thunder Energy pierced into his flesh, and blood spurted forth in an instant.
Thud!
Having taken the full brunt of the Blood Arrow Thunder Energy, Do Cheonlin rolled across the ground in agony.
“Kuugh.” The pain felt as though his blood vessels were on fire. Even after forcing himself to his feet, his body trembled for a long while.
‘Why did I…!’
Do Cheonlin could not comprehend his own actions.
Was it to repay the man for saving his life?
No. Absolutely not.
‘The eyes.’ Suddenly, he understood.
It was because of those familiar eyes that he had avoided their first duel.
Because of those damned eyes.
His body had acted on instinct.
“Kugh.” Do Cheonlin groaned again.
The piercing sword qi of the Blood Battle Demonic Sword had torn through his Protective Body Energy and ripped open his shoulder and side. The wounds were deep, but the Blood Arrow Thunder Energy also carried tremendous inner force, inflicting severe internal injuries.
Sizzle! Shhhk!
In the meantime, Bu Eunseol deflected every last strand of the falling Blood Arrow Thunder Energy and leaped into the air.
Then he hurled the Silent Tiger Soul Sword toward the distant forest.
KURUUUM!
Purple lightning enveloped the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, and in a flash of light, the blade vanished into the trees.
Slash! Whirr!
Moments later, the Silent Tiger Soul Sword flew back from the opposite side of the forest.
When it finally returned to his hand, it was drenched in fresh crimson blood.
He had used sword control through qi, accompanied by Thunder Spirit Energy.
“Sword control through qi?”
Do Cheonlin’s jaw dropped as he watched.
The art of freely manipulating a sword with inner energy alone could be used without strain once one’s inner force exceeded three hundred years’ worth.
Yet even masters rarely employed it.
Once one surpassed the peak realm, sword control through qi could be blocked with ease. Flying a sword through the air with qi may seem convenient, but the attacks are predictable and difficult to imbue with profound martial principles.
Yet the sword control through qi Bu Eunseol had just displayed…
Not only had it crossed more than forty zhang in the blink of an eye with perfect accuracy, it had also woven mysterious sword forms as though the blade were alive.
“So you were a true master from the beginning. You have no need for the mere abilities of a demonic sword.”
All focus vanished from Do Cheonlin’s eyes.
After obtaining the Illusory Demon Sword, he had believed he could rival any expert in the martial world.
But that had been a grave delusion.
“Was I nothing more than a frog in a well?”
Extreme emptiness and despair filled his voice.
The martial world was vast.
And this man who appeared to be his age… had already climbed to a realm of martial prowess so high it could not be fathomed.
That meant…
Even if he defeated every demonic sword wielder, even if he trained with the sword for the rest of his life, he would never become one of the supreme masters who reigned over the martial world.
“So this is as far as I go.”
Without hesitation, Do Cheonlin gripped the Illusory Demon Sword in reverse and thrust it toward his own stomach.
Clang!
But with a clear metallic ring, the Illusory Demon Sword easily flew far away.
Bu Eunseol had instantly unleashed a finger wind to knock it aside.
“Why interfere?” Do Cheonlin glared at him with furious eyes. “Are you trying to savor the victor’s joy by showing me shallow mercy?”
“Victor?” Bu Eunseol spoke with slight bewilderment. “If you would end your life over a single defeat, there wouldn’t be a single martial artist left alive in the martial world.”
“It is not a single defeat.” Do Cheonlin gazed at the distant sky and spoke calmly. “I decided long ago. If I ever lost again, I would take my own life.”
“What are you saying? To kill yourself upon defeat?”
“Had I not made that resolve, I would never have abandoned everything and taken up this demonic sword.”
All this time, Do Cheonlin had run forward with the desperation of a man facing death. He had failed, fallen, and despaired countless times, yet he never gave up—he pressed on relentlessly.
Because that was the shortest path.
Someone had taught him that facing every trial head-on, walking the thorny road, was the fastest way to strength. And to defeat the very person who had taught him that lesson, he had left everything behind and stepped into the martial world.
By chance—or perhaps by fate—he had obtained the Illusory Demon Sword, whose engraved techniques perfectly complemented his shortcomings.
And he had sworn an oath.
“If I ever lose again even with this demonic sword, I would rather end my own life!”
With that vow, he laid his life on the line and challenged every strong opponent.
“Victory or death!”
With that mindset, Do Cheonlin had triumphed over every formidable foe he faced. As he felled countless demonic sword wielders, the demonic aura of the Illusory Demon Sword grew uncontrollably powerful.
Do Cheonlin was certain.
Now, he could defeat Bu Eunseol.
And once he had vanquished all the demonic sword wielders, he would march into Majeon and challenge him.
***
Having finished his story, blood trickled from the corner of Do Cheonlin’s lips.
The internal injuries from the Blood Battle Demonic Sword’s qi had worsened considerably.
“So you intend to die to keep that oath?”
“The oath matters, but there is a greater reason. After seeing you, I realized something.” Do Cheonlin spoke through the pain.
“That the gap between us can never be closed so easily.”
Only after witnessing the martial arts of this nameless wanderer did Do Cheonlin understand.
The man he had considered his lifelong rival, Bu Eunseol, had never once rested. He had surely advanced to a height that rendered Do Cheonlin’s own growth laughable.
That was the kind of man he was.
There had not been a single day he had not progressed.
“I was the only one who thought I was improving.”
Bu Eunseol walked a path of thorns, never avoiding hardship, forging his own way forward. He must now stand so far above that Do Cheonlin’s achievements seemed childish.
“I believed I could catch up. But every time I looked up, the wall only grew higher.”
In truth, this despair was shared by everyone who knew Bu Eunseol.
Had Yoo Unryong, Myo Cheonwoo, or Seo Jinha not become his sworn brothers, they too would have become another Do Cheonlin, still wallowing in despair.
“Well? Satisfied now?” Do Cheonlin snapped irritably at Bu Eunseol, who still held his pulse. “Or will you only release me after making me feel even more pathetic?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol gathered his inner energy and instantly poured the Ban-Geuk Method into Do Cheonlin’s meridians.
Hummm.
An immeasurable torrent of pure, refined true qi coursed through Do Cheonlin’s channels, healing his internal wounds.
“You have completely misjudged the situation.” As Bu Eunseol spoke while channeling energy, Do Cheonlin’s eyes widened.
The voice was somehow familiar.
And to speak so calmly while pouring forth true qi powerful enough to pierce every vital point in his body?
This man’s martial arts transcended imagination, and his inner energy was profound beyond measure.
“Desperation is admirable, but if everyone followed that logic, every master in the martial world would long be a wandering ghost in the nine heavens.”
“The martial world…?” Do Cheonlin’s pupils trembled like ripples on water.
“Who in the world are you?”
Crack.
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol released the Face and Bone Shifting Art.
Like moonlight emerging from behind clouds, a face of mysterious beauty slowly revealed itself.
Do Cheonlin’s mouth fell open as he stared.
The very man who had upended his entire life, his lifelong rival—Bu Eunseol.
“How… are you…?”
The youth who had shown him there was always a sky above the sky was none other than Bu Eunseol himself.
In the end, he had lost to the same person once again.
“When wandering the martial world, one needs a different identity.” Bu Eunseol answered curtly, then doubled his inner energy and began piercing Do Cheonlin’s acupoints.
His expression grew grave as he channeled.
‘This won’t be enough.’
Though the Ban-Geuk Method was pure energy, it was not omnipotent. Do Cheonlin’s meridians had been severely damaged by the Blood Arrow Thunder Energy so a simple infusion of true qi would not suffice.
Hummm.
After pouring in a considerable amount of Ban-Geuk energy, Bu Eunseol withdrew his qi and spoke.
“First, we need proper treatment.”
Do Cheonlin’s side, pierced by the Blood Battle Demonic Sword, was torn down to the bone.
“Don’t bother.” Do Cheonlin glared at Bu Eunseol with humiliated eyes. “Is it fun? Toying with me while hiding your identity?”
“Did it look like I was toying with you?”
“I need no pity. Get lost.”
Bu Eunseol merely shook his head. “It’s not pity, and I’m not trying to help you. Quite the opposite.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need your help.”
“My help?”
Bu Eunseol glanced at Do Cheonlin’s wound and shook his head.
“We’ll talk about that after you’re treated.”
“Nonsense.”
“How stingy. Isn’t it only fair—give and take?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I listened to your story. Now you have to listen to mine.” Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost seriousness. “If, after hearing my circumstances, you still wish to die, I won’t stop you.”
Wasn’t that the exact reverse of what Do Cheonlin had just gone through?
“Hmm.” Do Cheonlin’s brows twitched.
In the past, he had investigated Bu Eunseol thoroughly, yet all he had learned was that the man had lived an ordinary life as a minor official.
To think his lifelong rival would personally reveal his own past.
If he died without hearing it, curiosity alone would keep him from passing on peacefully.
“Fine.”
The place Bu Eunseol brought the wounded Do Cheonlin was none other than the Red Sky Veil.
In the Shaanxi region dominated by orthodox sects, this was the only place Bu Eunseol trusted, and the only place where someone like Do Cheonlin could rest comfortably.
Above all, Dam Yuyeon possessed the Soul-Returning Divine Needle Great Salvation Art, rivaling even the Needle King’s Golden Needle Technique. With her acupuncture, Do Cheonlin could be saved from losing his martial arts despite the severe damage to his meridians.
Red Sky Veil, Crystal Hall—Dam Yuyeon’s office.
“Treat him.”
Dam Yuyeon’s face turned cold with anger at Bu Eunseol’s request as he brought in the pale-faced Do Cheonlin.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“He was struck by vicious demonic sword qi; most of his Twelve Main Meridians are damaged. Only the Soul-Returning Divine Needle Great Salvation Art can fully restore him.”
“And why should I grant such a request?”
Bu Eunseol placed a silver note on the table.
“I’m not asking for free treatment. This is a mercenary market, after all.”
“You are gravely mistaken, Martial Soul Command Lord.” Dam Yuyeon did not even glance at the note and spoke in a low voice. “I know you did not kill Brother Jeong Cheon. But it is true that you forced him into a deathmatch.”
She glared icily at Bu Eunseol.
“After that day, Brother Jeong Cheon became obsessed with martial arts and eventually left the Red Sky Veil. In the end, you might as well have killed him.”
Dam Yuyeon still blamed Bu Eunseol entirely for Jeong Cheon’s death.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Bu Eunseol fully understood her feelings.
If there were no one to blame, her heart would break even more.
‘I suppose I’ll have to force my way to Mount Geumwang and seek out the Needle King himself.’
Do Cheonlin’s condition was dire.
By the time they reached the Needle King’s family, it might already be too late.
“Hahaha.” Yet Do Cheonlin, pale as a corpse, suddenly burst into laughter as he looked at Dam Yuyeon.
“You’ve got it all wrong.”
“What did you say?”
“Do you know what everyone whose life was turned upside down after meeting him has in common?” When Dam Yuyeon fell silent, Do Cheonlin continued immediately.
“They were all self-proclaimed geniuses who overestimated their own talent.”
Dam Yuyeon frowned but did not refute him.
Jeong Cheon had indeed been a prodigy—and he had been arrogant because of it. The only flaw was that he could not control his killing intent and had injured many people. He had trained in a secret art to suppress that killing intent, but afterward, he lost all interest in martial arts.
‘So everyone else is weak enough that I must fight while holding back my innate killing intent.’
Realizing there was no one on his level, he lost interest in martial arts and in life itself. Thus, he had been wasting away at the Red Sky Veil.
But after clashing with the man known as Seolso and drawing even, a martial soul he had never felt before ignited within him.
‘I will train until I can defeat him.’
Jeong Cheon wandered the martial world, honing his martial arts. Then he learned that Seolso was none other than Bu Eunseol, heir to Majeon.
Afterward, realizing he had been a frog in a well and could never catch up to Bu Eunseol, he fell into despair.
“And all of that was a path he chose for himself. Isn’t that right?”
“How dare you pretend to know anything!” Dam Yuyeon shot to her feet and shouted. “What do you know to butt in like this?!”
“I’m the same. After meeting him, I abandoned my clan and risked my life wandering the martial world.” Do Cheonlin spoke calmly. “But I have no regrets. If I can face him again, if I can become as strong as he is—even my life is not too high a price.”
“What a grand person we have here. So you think you’re on the same level as Brother Jeong Cheon?”
“I don’t know who this Brother Jeong Cheon is. But I doubt he was more famous than me.”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Do Cheonlin of the Blood Flame Blade Sect.”
Dam Yuyeon inhaled sharply. “The Ten Perfection Scholar?”
The greatest genius in Blood Flame Blade Sect history, yet after failing to become heir to Majeon, he was cast out and became a wanderer—a tragic figure.
To think this pale-faced man was Do Cheonlin.
He too had met Bu Eunseol, had his life changed, and now risked everything wandering the martial world.
Just like the Jeong Cheon she had loved.
“Now leave.”
Do Cheonlin turned away calmly. “It seems I won’t get to hear your story after all.”
Cold sweat covered his face.
His Twelve Main Meridians were already heavily damaged; he could no longer hold on.
“I see.” Bu Eunseol nodded gravely.
Do Cheonlin was a man of fierce pride who did not cling to life. Begging Dam Yuyeon to save him would only be an insult.
“Then let us at least share one last drink.”
Bu Eunseol gave Dam Yuyeon a light nod. “My apologies for the intrusion.”
As Bu Eunseol and Do Cheonlin turned to leave, Dam Yuyeon stared in disbelief.
“You’re really just going to walk away? In his state, he won’t last another hour.”
Bu Eunseol looked back and answered. “This friend foresaw a day like this the moment he left his clan.”
“……”
“He has already offered everything for the Martial Path.”
A refined, noble smile simultaneously graced both Bu Eunseol’s and Do Cheonlin’s lips.
It was the smile only a warrior who had transcended life and death could wear.
And that smile…
Overlapped perfectly with the one Jeong Cheon had worn the day he left the Red Sky Veil.
Tremble.
Dam Yuyeon clenched her fists tightly.
Why do the men of the martial world treat their lives so lightly?
Why do they throw away their entire existence for the worthless pursuit of the Martial Path?
“Wait.”
As Bu Eunseol supported Do Cheonlin and began to walk away, Dam Yuyeon bit her pale pink lips and shouted, “Is anyone outside?!”
She barked at the guards waiting beyond the door,
“Clear the Rejuvenation Hall at once! I must perform the Soul-Returning Divine Needle Great Salvation Art!”
“Lady Dam.”
Bu Eunseol turned in surprise, but Dam Yuyeon spoke coldly, “Don’t misunderstand.”
“……”
“I simply couldn’t stand the sight of you both putting on that noble face as if dying for the Martial Path makes you grand.”
Bu Eunseol gave a faint smile.
He bowed deeply, hands clasped with utmost courtesy.
“Thank you.”
The Martial Soul Command Lord of Majeon, the man who bowed to no one, had shown this courtesy because she was saving the life of another.
That is what a true man does.
He will not bend his pride for himself, but for the sake of another, he will kneel without hesitation.
*T/N: Baekri Muha actually appeared in the plot once before in ch 228 (Bu Eunseol just hears about him in passing but that's one heck of a foreshadow).
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