Return of the Heavenly Sword

Chapter 9. Azure Sword Sect (2)

Jin Yuseong followed the sect leader to the training yard.

“From now on, I will have a duel with this young master, so step back for a moment.”

At the sect leader's command, the ten disciples of Azure Sword Sect moved in perfect order.

Observing their faces, Jin Yuseong belatedly realized something.

‘They weren't all disciples.’

There were three men mixed in who resembled the sect leader. They were in their mid-twenties, around twenty, and about the same age as Jin Yuseong, respectively.

‘Are they three brothers? Hmm. Excluding his sons, there are only seven disciples.’

It would be different in a backwater village like Heavenly Sun Village or Limhwa Village, but considering the size of Immortal Spirit, it was a number that was too ambiguous to be called a sect.

‘Is this why the Azure Sword Sect was devoured by the Iron Dragon Sect?’

Such a question came to mind, but he soon lost interest.

As Jin Yuseong turned his head to look at Sect Leader Cheong Daejin in the center of the training yard, he asked.

“Shall we use real swords? Or wooden swords?”

“Let's use real swords.”

At Jin Yuseong's answer, the sect leader nodded his head without adding any further words.

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin, who had calmly drawn his sword from its scabbard, assumed a starting stance and said.

“Although it is a duel, the years we have spent learning martial arts are different, so it would not be fair to just fight. If you can endure ten exchanges, I will consider it your victory.”

At Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's words, which could seem slightly arrogant, Jin Yuseong did not bother to argue.

After all, he only needed to clear up the misunderstanding. There was no need to subdue his opponent. And in addition to that.

‘…It might be different in a life-or-death battle, but a duel won't be easy.’

Just by looking at Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's stance, he could tell that he was not an easy opponent.

He was in a different league from the unorthodox ruffians he had faced so far.

His appearance, having taken his stance, was like a heavy rock that had stood its ground in one place for a long time.

A rock that does not waver in the face of harsh storms.

Jin Yuseong felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘Just like me in my past life.’

He was like himself in his past life, during the time he had shut himself away and only practiced the sword, before roaming the Jianghu.

Come rain or shine, whether his body was well or he was sick with illness.

A body forged through endless days of training, and a posture that had become completely second nature.

The sect leader, standing firmly with his two legs rooted to the ground, spoke.

“I will yield the first move. Come at me.”

Jin Yuseong willingly accepted the courtesy.

He quickly moved his legs to approach Sect Leader Cheong Daejin, and the moment he reached the exact distance where his sword could reach, he boldly thrust his sword.

In response to Jin Yuseong's attack, Sect Leader Cheong Daejin, who had been standing still like a rock, took half a step forward with his left foot and swung his sword.

Towards the sword Jin Yuseong had swung.

At that clean motion, Jin Yuseong instinctively had to retract his sword and forcefully twist his body.

Swiiish!

Immediately after, a chilling sound of air being torn apart echoed right next to his ear.

‘…If we had clashed, my grip would have been torn right off.’

The gap in internal and external energy was far too great.

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin also knew that, which was undoubtedly why he had tried to clash swords instead of dodging or counterattacking.

“Hoh.”

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin let out a very faint sound of admiration.

‘To think he would dodge this.’

It seemed that although his years of learning martial arts were short, the boy's reflexes were quite outstanding.

“Then, try dodging this as well.”

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin, who had yielded the first move, began to move in earnest.

While retracting the sword he had swung towards Jin Yuseong's sword, he unleashed a clean thrust aimed at Jin Yuseong's head.

Swish!

As Jin Yuseong dodged by a hair's breadth by twisting his upper body to the right, Sect Leader Cheong, who had unleashed the thrust, turned his stance as if in a single motion and brought his sword down from the upper left to the lower right.

‘A solid strike.’

Every time Cheong Daejin swung his sword, a clean and honest silver sword path was drawn in the air.

It was fast and powerful, with no superfluous techniques mixed in.

It was an orthodox sword art that had been built up from the basics.

However, it was not impossible to dodge.

‘It's excellent, but too straightforward.’

It was fast and powerful because it was free of superfluities, but conversely, it was obvious where he was aiming.

Thanks to that, he was able to somehow dodge it even with his slow body.

Swish!

As Jin Yuseong continued to dodge his sword strikes, Cheong Daejin looked at Jin Yuseong with a strange gaze.

‘Hoh. Not only his reflexes, but his eyes also seem to be excellent.’

In fact, he had been attacking Jin Yuseong with only basic sword techniques.

With the mindset of giving a lesson to a boy with a chivalrous spirit.

However, if he ended up fulfilling the promised ten exchanges like this, he would have to let the boy go.

‘I cannot let a child with such excellent talent die before he has a chance to bloom!’

Cheong Daejin's aura changed.

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's sword, with even more internal energy drawn from his dantian, became much faster and more powerful, and he also began to use feints in earnest.

It wasn't a shabby feint of senselessly swinging the sword in the air.

The same stance as before, when he had thrusted at Jin Yuseong's head. Cheong Daejin's eyes also stared at Jin Yuseong's head, but.

Swiiish!

The place his sword was actually heading was Jin Yuseong's abdomen.

And at a speed that the current Jin Yuseong could not dare to react to.

Slice!

However, what the sect leader's sword pierced was not Jin Yuseong's abdomen. The cutting sound was the sound of his martial arts uniform being torn.

Perhaps because of the sect leader's skill, which was on a different level from the unorthodox ruffians, Jin Yuseong's mind was sharpened despite it being a duel and not a life-or-death battle, and his eyes had opened.

Thanks to trusting the trajectory embroidered in the air along the sect leader's sword and throwing his body, Jin Yuseong was able to dodge the attack by a hair's breadth.

Even though his first full-powered strike had been nullified, the sect leader did not panic and unleashed his next technique.

Watching the trajectory embroidered in the air, Jin Yuseong thought.

‘This is troublesome.’

He could clearly see a sword path that could strike Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's vitals. The problem was this wretched body.

‘Mutual destruction seems possible…’

Against Sect Leader Cheong Daejin, who was not a villain, and in a duel that wasn't even a life-or-death battle, he couldn't attempt a mutual destruction just to win.

Swiiiiish!

Following the guidance of the trajectory, he dodged Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's sword by a hair's breadth several times.

‘Is there no other way besides killing?’

As soon as Jin Yuseong had that thought, a change occurred in the trajectory embroidered in the air.

It was not a trajectory that aimed for the enemy's vitals as always.

It was a trajectory that advanced towards the trajectory drawn by Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's sword.

Moreover, even the trajectory of them twisting after clashing was harmonized together.

Jin Yuseong willingly swung his sword along the trajectory.

Clang!

A metallic sound echoed as the swords clashed, and Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's sword path was distorted.

However, the result was not satisfactory.

Even though he had deflected it along the optimal path shown by his eyes, an intense pain as if his sword hand would be torn apart washed over him.

Not only his hand, but his wrist, elbow, shoulder, and other joints screamed.

No matter how much it was a deflecting sword path, it was because Jin Yuseong's internal and external energy were far too lacking.

Therefore, Jin Yuseong willingly let go of his sword and rolled his body.

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin's sword, its path slightly askew, plunged down next to Jin Yuseong, who had rolled on the ground using the Lazy Donkey Rolls on the Ground.

Immediately after completing the move, which could be considered shameful for a swordsman—rolling on the ground and even throwing away his sword—Jin Yuseong spoke with a joyful expression.

“Sect Leader. The promised ten exchanges have passed.”

He wasn't smiling because he had met the promised condition.

‘Hehehe. I didn't know the eyes could be used for this purpose.’

It was because he had learned something in this duel that he had never noticed before, as he had been so focused on killing.

‘I can do more diverse training with these eyes! Then I should be able to get stronger faster.’

As he got stronger faster, he could eliminate the wicked faster, so how could he not be happy?

‘Yes, this is the true charm of a duel. Of course.’

Jin Yuseong spoke with sincerity as he performed a clasped hands greeting.

“Thank you for the lesson, Sect Leader.”

Cheong Daejin, who had been looking at Jin Yuseong with a complicated expression, soon sheathed his sword with a sigh and returned the clasped hands greeting.

“I admit my defeat.”

“Then, can you tell me about the Iron Dragon Sect now? No matter how I look at it, I don't understand why you have left those bastards alone until now.”

At Jin Yuseong's question, Cheong Daejin replied with a troubled expression.

“At first, I didn't know they were such people. They started their business in a seemingly legitimate way.”

He explained that when Byeok Cheollyong first came to Immortal Spirit, he came with a few of his ruffian subordinates and a few women who appeared to be courtesans.

Using those women as bait, he made a contract with the owner of one of the brothels, and from then on, he gradually expanded his influence within Immortal Spirit.

“At first, the brothel owner was actually on his side. He was pleased that his profits increased because they stopped drunkards from causing trouble and even brought in courtesans.”

The explanation of the Azure Sword Sect leader was that since the brothel owner, a village resident, was on their side, there was no pretext to strike them.

“After that, the brothels and inns of Immortal Spirit began to hire them one by one, and once their power grew to a certain extent, they seized the brothels and inns by force and began to engage in unorthodox activities in earnest.”

Having said that, the sect leader let out a faint sigh and added.

“Their numbers have already grown to nearly fifty, so it has become difficult to attack them rashly now. The best we can do is to build up our skills and keep them in check so they don't cause any more trouble.”

“Did they bring in additional ruffians from outside?”

For some reason, at this question, the sect leader couldn't answer and momentarily fell silent.

Even the surrounding disciples showed signs of discomfort.

As Jin Yuseong tilted his head in confusion.

The sect leader, as if having made a decision, let out a deep sigh and answered.

“When the Iron Dragon Sect bastards first came to this Immortal Spirit, there were five in total, including the leader. Half of the remaining forty-odd members are idlers from Immortal Spirit who were just wasting time doing nothing. And the other half are guys who gave up while learning the sword at our Azure Sword Sect, or guys who switched over while they were still attending.”

Switched over while learning the sword at Azure Sword Sect, out of the blue?

Jin Yuseong, who was looking at the sect leader with a puzzled expression, soon figured out what had happened.

Given the sect leader's temperament, and the way the disciples and the sect leader treated each other, the sect leader must have taught his disciples very strictly.

Also, he was not the type to extort money through force or take bribes. Naturally, there would be no wealth to share with his disciples.

Just as the saying goes, ‘where the water is too clear, there are no fish’ there were not many who could endure under a strict and upright man like Sect Leader Cheong Daejin.

In such a situation, if unorthodox bastards came with temptations, most would have been swayed.

The ways of the Iron Dragon Sect, which gave pleasure and wealth, would have been more appealing than Azure Sword Sect, which only scolded them strictly and didn't give a single coin.

‘So that's why Azure Sword Sect was devoured, and Immortal Spirit completely fell into their hands.’

This was why unorthodox bastards had to be nipped in the bud before they grew larger.

These damn unorthodox bastards were an even bigger problem because they always tainted their surroundings.

Perhaps because he had revealed his own shame, an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere flowed through the training yard.

Sect Leader Cheong Daejin let out a dry cough to clear the air and then opened his mouth again.

“Ahem. Having lost the duel, I know I have no right to tell you what to do. However, if possible, just leave Immortal Spirit. As I just said, the numbers of the Iron Dragon Sect bastards are considerable, so if you recklessly charge at them, it will be difficult to preserve your life.”

Unfortunately, the sect leader's warning was a wish that could not be fulfilled.

It wasn't because Jin Yuseong had already made up his mind to execute the Iron Dragon Sect.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The presence of dozens of people flocking beyond the walls of Azure Sword Sect was felt.

“I am Byeok Cheollyong, leader of the Iron Dragon Sect!! If the Sect Leader of Azure Sword Sect is guiltless, come out right now!”

From the entrance of Azure Sword Sect, the voice of the Iron Dragon Sect leader was heard.