Chapter 131 - The Black Flame Dragon Who Proves Himself

"Hoo..."

When the man looked at Zhuge Somyeong with inwardly surprised eyes, Zhuge Somyeong silently shook his head.

"Is it true? Are you from the Alliance Leader's Pavilion?"

"Could you tell me why you think so?"

Fast swordsmanship seemed like the most efficient movement, but in reality, it possessed the exact opposite property.

Because one had to reach the shortest distance the fastest, a large number of muscles were used, and naturally, the movements became larger to exert explosive power. It was sacrificing efficiency for speed.

But on the contrary, the man's movements were small and without unnecessary motion.

That was why it felt faster than expected even though it was not fast swordsmanship.

It was not only his swordsmanship that possessed such a characteristic.

Even though there was barely a sound when he stepped on the ground with every step, he closed the distance in an instant.

There were two types of people in Jianghu who possessed such a characteristic.

'An assassin, or a shadow warrior.'

Since there was no way Zhuge Somyeong would have brought an assassin, it naturally meant he was a shadow warrior.

Furthermore, although it was hard to tell, his movements were similar to those of the White-Handed Divine Sword, Hyuk Mugang, as he unleashed a sword technique of unknown origin.

The conclusion was that he was a shadow warrior belonging to the Alliance Leader's Pavilion.

"You didn't give me an answer, so I can't be the only one answering."

The man nodded at my response.

"I suppose so. Shall we continue then?"

"No, wait a moment..."

I had tried to stall for time before thinking of a way to respond, but the man resumed the sparring match as if his pride had been hurt by something.

Perhaps thinking he no longer needed to hide his identity, his movements became larger and bolder than before, turning even more threatening.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH!

While the man poured out three forms in an instant, I retreated as many as eight steps backward, and small scratches had formed on both of my arms.

Even though I had desperately defended with the Twin Heaven Sword Art.

"You are ruthless toward a cute junior."

"You're too tall to be called cute. Your hands are fierce, too."

The man spoke while adjusting his parted front lapels.

"Are you not going to do this properly?"

"Can't you see I'm doing it desperately?"

"I mean, other than racking your brain. A warrior should prove himself with the power he possesses."

At this point, I also slowly started to get heated up.

It wasn't an unfair feeling about having a sparring match without knowing the reason.

It was the competitive spirit toward the strong that all warriors possessed.

Thinking about how I had been subduing opponents using the Destruction Form all this time, I realized that I had never actually measured my own skills.

'Should I think of this as a good opportunity?'

Furthermore, the opponent was a shadow warrior who had reached a higher realm than me and whose sword technique's origin was unknown.

He might be the best opponent to measure my skills against.

"Then I will go at it in earnest for once."

"Hearing those words puts me in a bad mood again, doesn't it mean you've been half-assing it so far?"

"Isn't disrupting the opponent's composure a basic tactic in a duel?"

I raised the Taiyi True Scripture and scattered the Great Heaven Sword Technique in all directions.

The space between the man and me, separated by a distance of two zhang, was filled with the sword shadows of the Black Dragon Sword.

"Don't you know that such phantom swords won't work on an expert of my level?"

"It is the sword technique of the legendary Taiyi Sword Emperor. I'd be sad if you compared it to other sword techniques."

Following that, I overlaid the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique among the sword shadows of the Great Heaven Sword Technique.

It was a method of using each sword technique separately rather than combining them into the Twin Heaven Sword Art, throwing the opponent into even greater confusion.

"!"

The man changed his complexion for the first time and quickly scattered his sword like a spreading fan.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

While the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique overlaid on the Great Heaven Sword Technique was entirely blocked, I thrust out the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist with my left hand.

Fist shadows wearing the Flying Dragon Claw bloomed in numbers no less than the sword shadows of the Great Heaven Sword Technique and aimed for the man's fatal acupoints.

SWOOSH.

The man, who had dismantled the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique, spun his body twice and dismantled all of the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist with the momentum of a fired arrow.

Since I had also expected this much, I immediately executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps and caught up to him.

He threw out a fist as if predicting that I would try to approach him, and just like his swordsmanship, it was a flawless movement that utilized efficiency to the extreme.

TAP.

"Hm?"

I grabbed his extended hand and slammed him to the ground using the profound principle of the Lotus.

However, right before his back touched the ground, he slipped out of my hand using the Iron Bridge technique and swung his sword once again.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to avoid the sword fiercely thrusting toward my fatal acupoints, and the gap widened to two zhang once again.

"..."

The man spoke while looking at his own fist as if reflecting on the technique he had just suffered.

"You use interesting martial arts. Is this also a secret art of the Taiyi Sword Emperor?"

"These are things I've learned here and there."

"Is that so? This is getting more and more interesting."

The man spoke while swinging his sword around.

I lost my words upon seeing the man's sword.

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Isn't that Sword Qi wrapped around your sword right now?"

"It is. What about it?"

"What do you mean, what about it? It's not a life-or-death battle, so why are you using Sword Qi?"

"Because I want to see how far you can go."

Before he even finished speaking, the man fired out three streams of Sword Qi.

Compared to ordinary Sword Qi, they were merely the size of a palm, but the energy contained within the Sword Qi was unusual.

Furthermore, because they flew in simultaneously aiming for three fatal acupoints, I couldn't even properly respond.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!

The floor of the training ground made of solid marble was gouged out, and black mounds of dirt wildly scattered in all directions.

"Is it alright to ruin the Murim Alliance's property like this?"

"Hoo, you still have some leeway?"

As if he were stimulated instead, the man wildly poured out continuous streams of Sword Qi.

I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to its peak to cause confusion through illusions, but as if the man had even predicted that, he sprayed Sword Qi toward the places where I would flee.

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

As the entire training ground, which was not small, was practically filled with Sword Qi, and thinking that I had nowhere left to dodge, I wrapped the Black Dragon Sword in Sword Qi and unleashed the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique.

BOOM, BOOM, KABOOM!

Every time the palm-sized Sword Qi struck down, the impact was transmitted entirely as if striking my whole body.

It meant that the magnitude of the power dwelling within each and every stream of Sword Qi was that immense.

Unless I was going to deal with him by borrowing the power of the Jade Dragon Bracelet, dragging out the time any further was meaningless.

STEP.

I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to its limits.

If I placed the afterimages too far apart, it would be seen through that they were fakes, so I narrowed the gap between them to the maximum to induce the Sword Qi.

"Hoo..."

Unlike letting out an exclamation, the man scattered threatening Sword Qi to find the real body among the afterimages, and I dashed forward while narrowly dodging the Sword Qi with a gap of a single finger joint.

The moment the distance of two zhang was narrowed down to a distance that could be reached with a single swing of the sword.

I poured out the Twin Heaven Sword Art while swinging the Black Dragon Sword containing Sword Qi.

WHOOSH!

The man stared at the phantom swords with a noticeably stiffened face.

As long as Sword Qi dwelled within them, distinguishing between the phantom swords and the real sword would become difficult.

The reason I had tried to close the distance was to not give him time to think.

BANG, BANG, BOOM, BOOM!

Sure enough, after he fired Sword Qi at a few of the phantom swords and realized they were fakes, the real sword struck his body.

SLASH.

The man desperately twisted his body and narrowly avoided a major injury, but he could not block the sword wound crossing his chest.

Furthermore, there were still up to ten phantom swords and three real swords hidden among them remaining in his field of vision.

Confident of victory, I continued to pour out the rest of the Twin Heaven Sword Art, but then.

CLATTER.

At that moment, along with the sound of a thin iron plate snapping flexibly, the Twin Heaven Sword Art began to be blocked one by one.

BANG, BANG, BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

I groaned at the repulsive force felt through the Black Dragon Sword and retreated two steps backward.

Considering the amount that reached a whopping one hundred and eighty years' worth of internal energy and the unparalleled characteristics of the Taiyi True Scripture, being pushed back meant that the opponent was a true monster.

When I stabilized my shaken insides and raised my head, a sword I had not seen before was newly grasped in his left hand.

An unusual sword with the hilt and blade connected as one, without a handguard or a pommel.

I spoke while deeply furrowing my brow.

"Isn't using a flexible sword cheating?"

Seeing that the sash wrapped around his waist had disappeared, it seemed it was meant to be worn like a sash normally and then used as a sword in emergency situations.

I had heard that escort warriors frequently used such a method, but it was my first time seeing a shadow warrior of this level of skill using the same method.

"Look here, I am not your master or your martial arts instructor. Strictly speaking, I am an enemy right now."

"Alright. Then I will also treat you as an enemy."

I extended my left hand and shot out the Flying Dragon Claw.

The man deflected the Flying Dragon Claw with the flexible sword held in a reverse grip, and the Flying Dragon Claw flew powerlessly behind him.

"Is this it...?"

As soon as his words ended, the Flying Dragon Claw, which had grabbed the largest piece among the broken marble of the training ground, retracted, and the marble flew toward him.

SMASH.

At the same time, I sent three flying swords flying while simultaneously executing the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to its peak to occupy his surroundings.

I scattered the Great Heaven Sword Technique like a spreading fan.

CLATTER-CLATTER-CLATTER.

"What in the..."

KABOOM, BOOM! BOOM!

The man, who swung his sword frantically, looked around to find my real body in the midst of it and thrust his sword in without fail.

I blocked his sword using the profound principle of swiftness of the Lesser Heaven Sword Technique, used the repulsive force transmitted to the sword as a stepping stone to retreat two steps backward, and then poured out the Twin Heaven Sword Art.

KABOOOOOOM!

Every time Sword Qi and Sword Qi clashed, the atmosphere rang out THUMP- THUMP- like a thunderbolt striking, and due to the mounds of dirt and sand scattered by the impact, the entire training ground was like it was covered in fog, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

Without resting, I circulated the Taiyi True Scripture and struck down with the Black Dragon Sword toward him, who was hidden in the dirt and dust.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

He miraculously found the real sword mixed with the phantom swords within the dirt and dust, but that was the end of it.

As if finishing it, I poured out the profound secret of the Twin Heaven Sword Art toward him, who was busy trying to defend.

[Twin Heaven Sword Art]

[Profound Secret: Twin Heavens Quaking the World]

Before the dirt and dust could even settle, the entire training ground was filled with phantom swords, and in between them, up to twenty real swords flew in aiming for his life while imbued with Sword Qi.

KABOOM! KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A massive noise that was enough to deafen both ears vibrated from the thunderbolts erupting as the Sword Qi clashed, and at that moment, an anomaly occurred.

-------!

------------!

Along with a massive explosion that could not even be compared to before, the man was walking out while pushing away all the dirt and dust.

"Haa, haa, haa, haa."

My brow was deeply furrowed as I looked at the man while catching my breath.

At the tip of the man's sword, a sword blade the length of a forearm was extending out long.

"Haha..."

Sword Force, to think it's Sword Force...

Even Namgung San, who had his younger brother's opportunity stolen, wasn't that cheap.

Could it be that my father or the seniors of my sect have some deep grudge against that person?

Unless it was to that extent, using Sword Force during a friendly sparring match was ridiculous.

"Fuck..."

"Did you just swear at a senior of Jianghu? What a wicked junior."

"Aren't you an enemy right now, not a senior of Jianghu?"

In the first place, such a thing as Sword Force did not exist within the teachings of the Taiyi True Scripture.

Furthermore, since no one among the people of the Taiyi Sect knew how to use Sword Force, this was perhaps a situation equivalent to witnessing my own limits firsthand.

If I forced myself to gather Sword Qi to create it, I could form something similar in appearance to Sword Force, but there was no way it could contend against that real Sword Force.

I pulled the flesh inside my mouth and bit down to regain my senses, then kicked off the ground.

"I see you intend to continue?"

"As the academy representative of the Murim Academy, I can't just run away with an enemy in front of me!"

"Still, lunging at me with the same method doesn't look very good."

I smashed in my internal energy and scattered the Twin Heaven Sword Art, but the dozens of sword shadows embroidering the empty air disappeared like dust with a single swing from him.

SWISH.

I executed the Taiyi Eighty Thousand Divine Steps to create eight afterimages, then moved in all eight directions around him and scattered flying swords.

The flying swords completely filled with Sword Qi embroidered the space above his head, but his sword instantly chopped the flying swords in half and dropped them to the ground.

"With something like this..."

He, who had been acting leisurely, soon opened his eyes wide like a rabbit.

As expected, once one became an expert of that level, did they instinctively know what the other side was preparing?

He, who had been swinging his Sword Force as if showing off without even moving, bent his knees and began to charge in like an arrow.

And I poured out the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art toward that man's face.

"This..."

Five Black Dragon Swords formed in the empty air.

The Dragon-Phoenix Summit did not know the difference between the Twin Heaven Sword Art and the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art, but he deeply furrowed his brow as if he had realized it immediately.

"..."

The five Black Dragon Swords executed the Twin Heaven Sword Art in the empty air, swinging dozens of phantom swords and up to twenty real swords.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

Explosions continuously erupted as if it were a New Year's event, and the real swords created by the phantom swords and the Ten Thousand Swords embroidering the empty air instantly disappeared.

However, the five Ten Thousand Swords were still aiming for the man.

The length of the man's Sword Force grew even longer, to the height of a person.

If I couldn't deal with him using this anyway, there was nothing more I could do. Containing a desperate heart, I fired out the rest of the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art.

"Die!"

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

At the same time as the entire floor of the training ground was destroyed, mounds of dirt rose like waves, scattering dirt and dust in all directions.

Startled by the impact, the birds in the nearby forest took flight simultaneously, and a few roof tiles of the quarters fell down in a shower.

"Huu, huu, huu, huu."

Because I had used my full strength, I had consumed most of my one hundred and eighty years' worth of internal energy, making even my Dantian feel empty.

I was looking at the dirt and dust while catching my breath like that, when.

"... Haa, fuck."

When the dirt and dust cleared along with a gust of wind, the man was walking out from within while maintaining his Sword Force.

"They said you were the rising star of the Underworld Murim, and sure enough, you have a foul mouth."

If it were normally, it was a joke that I would have smashed his jaw for, but I no longer had any energy left to respond.

"I have lost."

When I spoke as I lay flat on my back on the ground, the man, who had been looking at me for a moment, spoke.

"... I had quite a bit of fun as well."

With those words, the man vanished without a trace as if sinking into the ground.

I thought I had put up quite a good fight, but perhaps, it might not have even fazed that man.

'As expected, Murim is vast and there are many experts.'

I thought I had lived with all my might after getting to live a second life again, but the lethargy I felt once more made me feel even more drained of energy.

'Still, I should consider this as having improved a lot.'

When I was comforting myself like that while looking at the ruined training ground.

Zhuge Somyeong approached my side.

Normally, I should have sprung up like a dog waiting for food and shown my manners, but I wasn't really in the mood to do so.

In addition, the Chief Strategist also didn't seem to care much about me not showing my manners in this situation.

"Hmm..."

Zhuge Somyeong, who looked around the area for a moment, stared blankly at me.

While I was feeling regretful at the thought that the Demon-Subduing Divine Wood was gone, Zhuge Somyeong slowly opened his mouth.

"You."

"... Yes."

"Do you happen to have any thoughts of going to the Alliance Leader's Pavilion?"

"..."

Another incomprehensible story.

Was it a characteristic of geniuses to cut off the front and back and talk like this?

For some reason, I felt as if the favorable impression I had of him in my past life was being steadily chipped away.