“Next match will resume in one hour!”
At Paeng Jong-heon’s shout, Bu Eunseol swallowed a single recovery pill, returned to his seat, and waited silently.
‘Now it comes to the end.’
All that remained was the duel between himself and Baek Museong.
The problem was that he absolutely could not win.
He had to put on a performance worthy of the Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord position—and then lose.
‘This won’t be easy.’
As Seon Woojin, he had to display a level of martial prowess that the mid-level elders of the Martial Alliance would find acceptable and how that played out would depend entirely on the extent of Baek Museong’s current martial attainment and what techniques he chose to employ.
‘Will he come at me with everything he has? Or does he have another plan?’
If Baek Museong likewise had no intention of becoming Martial Heaven Commander, then this spar would become considerably more difficult.
“The match will now resume!”
After one hour had passed, Paeng Jong-heon’s booming voice once again rang across the sparring platform.
“Hall Leader Baek, Captain Seon. Come forward.”
Two figures appeared once more on the platform.
Both wore pure white robes.
The only difference was that Baek Museong’s garment bore the ornate embroidery symbolizing a Hall Leader.
Though both held Hall Leader rank, Bu Eunseol still officially remained Supreme Corps Captain.
—Ooooh.
The moment the two faced each other, exclamations rose from the crowd.
Baek Museong looked like a white dragon descended from the heavens in human form—tall and heroic, with strikingly handsome features.
Seon Woojin, by contrast, had an ordinary and calm appearance, yet an aura flowed from him like a vast, gently spreading river—deep and unhurried.
Both had astonished the world at a young age.
Both had reached the level of young grandmasters, where distinguishing superiority was impossible.
Truly, no one could predict the victor of this fight.
“Begin!”
At Paeng Jong-heon’s command, Bu Eunseol and Baek Museong stepped toward each other and clasped their hands.
“Hall Leader Baek.”
“Supreme Corps Captain Seon.”
Bu Eunseol’s gaze was complex and tangled.
Baek Museong’s eyes, however, burned purely like clear flame—nothing but fighting spirit blazing within.
He had already swept away all emotional residue and focused solely on the contest.
‘I see.’
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
What he needed to do now was not to gauge Baek Museong’s emotions, but to prove martial prowess worthy of being recognized as Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord.
“Huu.”
Exhaling turbid breath, Bu Eunseol’s eyes too turned emotionless.
Baek Museong had gritted his teeth, recovered his body, and returned to the Martial Alliance with dignity.
Moreover, having been presumed to have thrown himself into the Three Realms, he must have reached terrifying heights of power.
He was absolutely not an opponent to be taken lightly.
“I’ll take the first move.”
As Bu Eunseol drew the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Baek Museong extended a hand.
“Anytime.”
Baek Museong’s expression remained relaxed.
He already displayed the bearing of a new-generation grandmaster who had stepped into the Supreme Heavenly Realm.
Swish!
The Silent Tiger Soul Sword sliced through empty air, sending a sharp sword-qi streaking vertically toward Baek Museong.
Outwardly it appeared a swift strike, but in truth it was merely a preparatory form to close distance.
Shuuk.
Bu Eunseol closed in and condensed the blade, unleashing a storm-like barrage.
This was a variation of the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms—each move carrying the momentum of a single decisive killing strike.
Moreover, he had poured massive inner energy into it, so that even a glancing touch would scorch meridians with searing qi.
Paang!
In an instant, strands of Baek Museong’s hair shot skyward. He appeared to have raised at least eighty percent of his power; thick veins bulged on his forehead and temples.
Ssshh!
When he swung his greatsword, a misty airflow filled the platform and waves of inner energy rippled outward.
Flash! Bang bang bang!
Through the hazy currents, dazzling light and sharp metallic clangs erupted in succession.
The two were clashing ferociously at extreme close range.
Shuuu.
When the thick airflow finally dissipated, the two figures reappeared.
Both Bu Eunseol and Baek Museong remained in exactly the same postures they had held before the clash.
Thus the watching martial artists could not tell who had gained the advantage or suffered a loss.
—What in the world just happened?
Buzz buzz.
Most of the spectators blinked in confusion.
At that moment, Baek Museong lifted the corner of his mouth in a thread-thin smile.
Pat!
At the same instant, crimson blood flowed from Bu Eunseol’s shoulder.
In this exchange, Baek Museong had come out ahead.
He had skillfully parried the razor-sharp onslaught at close range, then sliced Bu Eunseol’s shoulder with keen sword-qi.
Fortunately, thanks to thick Protective True Qi, Bu Eunseol’s arm did not fall off—but a deep gash remained.
‘Brother Baek’s swordsmanship has advanced to this degree.’
Bu Eunseol inwardly let out an admiring gasp.
Even the same sword art varies wildly in power depending on the wielder.
Bu Eunseol’s swordsmanship was at an extremely high level but even when using his best forms, finding an opening was no easy task.
Moreover, the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms specialized in defense.
Yet Baek Museong had instantly spotted a gap and wounded him?
‘I’ll lose in spectacular fashion.’
As Baek Museong displayed superior swordsmanship, Bu Eunseol instead smiled faintly.
Defeat was predetermined anyway; he simply needed to present a spar that would satisfy the elders.
He decided to reveal a few of Seon Woojin’s signature techniques and go down in a blaze of glory.
Hoooo.
When Bu Eunseol extended his index finger, a soft glow flowed out, soon turning into a raging gale.
Tung!
He flicked his finger and cannonball-like compressed air shot toward Baek Museong’s face.
Bang!
Baek Museong immediately blocked the finger-wind with his greatsword.
A metallic clang rang out as storm-like winds exploded outward in all directions, pushing him back five full steps.
“Hm.”
Baek Museong nodded as he noticed the mark left on his blade.
“The Bullet King's Inner Qi .”
In truth, it was not genuine Bullet Qi; Bu Eunseol had merely imitated it using overwhelming inner energy.
Outwardly, however, it was indistinguishable from the Bullet King’s technique, and the power was comparable.
Tung! Tung!
Without using stones, Bu Eunseol continued flicking compressed air with his left hand. At the same time, his right hand unleashed the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms together with sword techniques he had learned from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword Manual.
Combining Bullet Qi and swordsmanship simultaneously, the resulting power seemed capable of splitting the earth and collapsing the sky.
Moreover, offense and defense were in perfect harmony, leaving Baek Museong unable to counter easily.
Ssshh ssshh ssshh!
Baek Museong, unperturbed, whirled his greatsword like a windmill to protect himself.
Each sweep of the blade turned its trajectory into hundreds of lightning strands, accompanied by continuous rumbling thunder.
Paat!
Unable to break through Baek Museong’s defense, Bu Eunseol withdrew the Bullet Qi and once again closed distance.
As though waiting for exactly that, Baek Museong also advanced, condensing the greatsword’s range.
Strong against strong.
Such head-on clashes were tactics martial artists avoided whenever possible.
When both sides poured every ounce of strength into close-range combat, mutual destruction became highly likely.
Clang! Clang!
Each weapon collision produced metallic sounds akin to massive explosions. The platform trembled as though about to collapse and waves of true energy rose like storms into the sky.
Yet something strange occurred.
The frenzied exchange of swordsmanship grew heavier and slower with each passing moment.
From a distance, it almost looked as though they were leisurely sparring.
—What magnificent swordsmanship!
But the Martial Alliance mid-level elders watching this scene could not suppress their admiration.
Their techniques had accelerated beyond the eye’s ability to follow, entering a realm of ultra-high speed.
Yet precisely because the speed of the moves surpassed what ordinary eyes could track… to most spectators it appeared as though the two were calmly displaying swordsmanship with perfect leisure.
Clang!
With another explosion, Bu Eunseol was pushed back two steps.
Both were using roughly three hundred years of inner energy.
However, compared to the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, Baek Museong’s greatsword was far heavier and more massive.
Because of the weapon’s weight, Bu Eunseol had suffered a slight disadvantage in the clashes.
Sssik!
As Bu Eunseol was forced back, Baek Museong seized the opening.
Sweeping his greatsword like wind over falling leaves, he pressed Bu Eunseol’s lower body.
‘This kind of technique?’
Even while defending, Bu Eunseol felt puzzled.
Techniques that specialized in attacking the lower body did not exist in the orthodox sects; they belonged to unorthodox or demonic schools.
Even accounting for the fact that he had supposedly learned the diverse Wind and Cloud Sword Manual in advance, to use such tactics without hesitation?
Ssshh!
At that moment, Baek Museong once again caught an opening and thrust toward Bu Eunseol’s throat in an instant.
Whirrr!
Instead of dodging, Bu Eunseol spun the Silent Tiger Soul Sword at high speed, precisely striking the tip of Baek Museong’s greatsword.
Ziiing!
Lightning-like shockwaves exploded outward in all directions, bending the tip of the heaven-splitting greatsword like a bow.
A greatsword was heavy and destructive, but it lacked the agility of an ordinary long sword.
Bu Eunseol had deliberately exposed an opening to seize the sword path first, then used intense rotational force to try to shatter the thrusting greatsword’s tip.
Crack!
In the end, the greatsword’s tip snapped.
Realizing that continuing would result in total destruction of his weapon, Baek Museong halted his technique like lightning and retreated three jang in an instant.
……
A deathlike silence enveloped the area around the platform.
Their duel was like a dragon and tiger fight—too evenly matched to determine superiority.
With every technique unfolded, hair-raising tension continued without pause.
The watching martial artists held their breath, gripping their hands so tightly that sweat poured.
Weaker martial artists sat rigid with tension, unable to even blink as they stared at the platform.
‘Not yet, huh.’
Despite the fierce battle, the eyes of the mid-level elders watching from the tent remained calm. Could it be that even a clash of this level failed to satisfy them?
‘They want me to show my foundation.’
Bu Eunseol’s gaze turned cold.
‘The Martial Emperor’s martial arts.’
Seon Woojin was known to have obtained the Martial Emperor’s true inheritance.
Naturally, they assumed that to become Martial Heaven Commander and defeat Baek Museong, he would use the Martial Emperor’s techniques.
‘Brother Baek will ultimately unfold the Divine Sword Sect’s swordsmanship.’
Baek Museong could naturally use the Seven Blood Tear Forms, but the secret arts he learned in the Three Realms could not be displayed here.
When he returned to the Alliance, he had deliberately worn the greatsword and claimed to have obtained the Divine Sword Sect’s legacy. In other words, the ultimate technique he planned to reveal here was the Divine Sword Sect’s swordsmanship.
‘But I have no intention of revealing my full foundation here.’
Even if he ascended to Intelligence and Secret Affairs Division Lord, until the Martial Alliance’s power was perfectly divided into three, he would have to continue shuttling between Majeon and the Alliance, handling various tasks in daily life.
And in that process, he would inevitably clash with endless powerhouses—including Three Realms experts hidden within the Alliance.
He had absolutely no intention of easily exposing the Martial Emperor’s martial arts in such a place.
‘Heon Won Bright Sword.’
Then, as Seon Woojin, the greatest art he could display—Heon Won Bright Sword Style—would have to conclude the match with Baek Museong while satisfying the eyes of the mid-level elders.
Ssshh!
In the meantime, Baek Museong’s greatsword once again embroidered sharp light across empty air.
Hundreds of sword-qi strands poured toward Bu Eunseol’s face at once.
He had overlapped multiple forms into a single strike and the meaning was clear.
—Enough of this tedious buildup. Show your true killing move already.
That was what Baek Museong was saying.
But Bu Eunseol did not fall for the provocation; he calmly unraveled the assault with the Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
From the beginning, Bu Eunseol had never won against an enemy through superior martial level or power alone.
In every moment of combat he developed his martial arts further, absorbing the enemy’s subtleties or striking at unexpected angles to seize victory.
‘I cannot use my true sect’s martial arts, but I can use its tactics.’
Like a turtle, Bu Eunseol steadily received Baek Museong’s attacks, deliberately provoking his patience.
‘Brother Baek is not the type to reveal his true killing move first.’
He had always possessed strong pride, and since throwing himself into the Three Realms, his gaze had grown icy enough to freeze the air, turning arrogant and overbearing.
For such a man to reveal his final card first—when Bu Eunseol had not yet shown his true move—was unthinkable.
‘Go ahead and show your hand, Brother Baek.’
A flash passed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
‘Do you truly desire the Commander position? Or do you have your own ulterior motive?’
It was unlikely, but perhaps Baek Museong too had no intention of becoming Commander and instead planned—with the Three Realms—to seize some other position.
Thus Bu Eunseol intended to discern what Baek Museong truly wanted from this fight: victory, or something else entirely.
“Only petty exchanges.”
After more than a hundred exchanges in the renewed clash, an irritated voice finally burst from Baek Museong.
“Did you think enduring like this would make you Commander?”
After hundreds of exchanges, both men’s fighting spirit and momentum had reached their peak.
All that remained was for each to unleash their ultimate martial art and decide the outcome.
Yet because Bu Eunseol deliberately avoided it, Baek Museong finally lost patience.
‘Got him.’
In the end, Baek Museong did desire the Commander position.
There was no longer any need to prolong the drawn-out exchange.
“Very well.”
Paat!
Stepping back briefly, Bu Eunseol raised the maximum inner energy level known for Seon Woojin—roughly three hundred and fifty years.
“Now let us finish this!”
Paang!
The true energy pouring from Bu Eunseol’s body soared to the edge of the sky.
Hoooooo.
Baek Museong likewise raised his power to the limit; hazy heat mirages rose from his entire body.
Click. Gripping the greatsword with both hands, he assumed a thrusting stance as though ready to pierce at any moment.
It resembled the sword posture of the East.
Taak!
Bu Eunseol leaped into the air.
Over the past three days, he had not only planned the match that would drop Yuk Jangcheon into the abyss, but also researched a way to lose to Baek Museong while still earning recognition of his prowess from the elders.
And the result was what he now unleashed:
Using one hundred and eighty variations of the Heon Won Bright Sword Style to pour out what could pass as the essence of orthodox swordsmanship.
Heaven Beyond Flying Immortal.
Ziiing.
A mysterious radiance flowed from the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, and endless sword-qi formed around him.
“Haaap!”
When Bu Eunseol let out a battle cry, each strand of sword-qi moved like a living creature, each carrying its own distinct martial principle as they poured forth.
—Aah…
The martial artists watching the match gaped in astonishment.
How could a human unleash so many sword-qi strands in a single move?
How could he vary the speed and angle of each one so differently?
‘Rest easy, Brother Baek.’
Bu Eunseol inwardly wore a faint smile.
In truth, the Heaven Beyond Flying Immortal he had unfolded could not defeat a powerhouse like Baek Museong.
Because this technique was incomplete.
The chaotic shower of sword-qi did not all target the enemy—many simply scattered wildly of their own accord.
‘Hm?’
But Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed.
It was clearly an incomplete form he had deliberately left unfinished yet when unleashed in actual combat, his extreme focus caused body and soul to become one… and every single sword-qi now poured precisely toward Baek Museong.
‘Oh no!’
Bu Eunseol had made two mistakes.
First, he had failed to realize just how much his own swordsmanship had improved.
Second, even in real combat he continued to develop instinctively, advancing his martial arts on the fly.
After exchanging hundreds of moves with Baek Museong and grasping his movements and characteristics, he had unconsciously completed the unfinished Heaven Beyond Flying Immortal and directed it exactly at Baek Museong.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
As the meteor shower of sword-qi rained down, divine light flashed in Baek Museong’s eyes.
Ssshh!
At the same instant, his body became a single streak of light, shooting toward Bu Eunseol who was still pouring sword-qi from midair.
Paaaa!
The moment the streak of light touched Bu Eunseol’s body, it exploded like fireworks, filling the entire world with razor-sharp brilliance.
—Is that… martial art a human can perform?
The watching martial artists burst into exclamations.
Bu Eunseol, who had poured hundreds of meteor-like sword-qi from the air.
Baek Museong, who had transformed into a single beam of light and pierced straight through the downpour.
The martial arts the two displayed looked exactly like a mythical clash between gods.
Paaaaaaaa!
When the two collided, hundreds of fragments of light scattered across the entire sky.
Taak.
At the same moment, Bu Eunseol and Baek Museong landed on the platform.
A long silence followed.
Pssht!
Blood suddenly sprayed from Baek Museong’s shoulder.
Crack. Clang.
At the same time, the greatsword’s blade snapped in half and fell to the ground.
In the end, even his final technique had been unable to completely block Bu Eunseol’s Heaven Beyond Flying Immortal.
‘This is bad.’
Seeing Baek Museong’s increasingly pale face, Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened.
If he won like this… not only would it break his agreement with the Martial Venerable, he would be forced to ascend to Martial Heaven Commander with no way out.
‘Even after reducing power and force, the technique itself displayed overwhelming might.’
“Huu… huu…”
Baek Museong’s body was drenched in blood.
Moreover, perhaps due to being shaken by the inner energy contained in the sword-qi, thin blood threads leaked from the corner of his mouth.
‘It’s over.’
Focus vanished from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
If he became Martial Heaven Commander, he would lose freedom of movement, have to meet the mid-level elders constantly, and be buried in administrative duties.
Moreover, this was not Majeon; he could not keep Seo Jinha by his side as a constant shadow within the Alliance.
In this situation, he would have no choice but to leave the Martial Alliance entirely.
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