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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: 68
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Whoosh— Whoosh—
Seolhwa lightly swung her wooden sword.
While the real sword Seop Mugwang had gifted her was good, Seolhwa preferred the weight and feel of this wooden sword.
"Since I promised to show you, shall we start lightly with the Samjaegeombeop?"
"Very well. Come. The Samjaegeombeop consists of three forms, so I will grant you three moves."
"You'll regret saying that."
"Impossible."
Seolhwa shrugged and gripped her sword.
Slowly, she regulated her breathing, and in an instant, her eyes transformed.
'Samjaegeombeop First Form: Horizontal Slash.'
Whoosh— Swish—!
Seolhwa's sword cut horizontally.
The difference from when she faced the Jeokryongdan leader was that she didn't just swing from a distance, but charged directly at Ryeon while swinging.
Thwack—!
"…!"
Ryeon involuntarily gasped.
'Heavy!'
Namgung Seolhwa's sword carried a weight far beyond her expectations.
'How can a Second-Rate fighter...!'
Even without using internal energy, Namgung Seolhwa's sword was difficult to block.
Seolhwa parried Ryeon's sword and raised her hand.
'Samjaegeombeop Second Form: Vertical Slash.'
Whoosh—!
At that moment, Ryeon's eyes wavered.
She felt an oppressive sensation, as if the sky itself was collapsing over her head.
Ryeon instinctively dodged the downward strike and lunged towards Seolhwa's body, swinging her sword at Seolhwa's abdomen.
It was a movement born of pure instinct.
As mentioned before, her swordsmanship was for practical combat.
Her body, trained in real combat, had, without conscious thought, unleashed a fluid movement, having perceived an instantaneous threat to her life.
'Oh, no!'
As she aimed for the opening and swung her sword, Ryeon remembered her promise to grant three moves.
'I must retract my attack...!'
But stopping a sword already in motion was not easy. Just as Ryeon's sword was inevitably about to touch Seolhwa's abdomen—
Thud— Swirl—
"…?"
Seolhwa, pushing off the ground and leaping into the air, spun mid-air and immediately unleashed her third sword form.
'Samjaegeombeop Third Form: Thrust.'
Seolhwa's sword plunged precisely towards the center of Ryeon's forehead.
'I'm going to die.'
Ryeon felt her life threatened for the second time.
At that moment, a blue aura began to shimmer around Ryeon's body like a heat haze.
The Jeokryongdan members, who had been watching the spar with bated breath, gasped in unison.
"Sword Aura...!"
"It's Sword Aura!"
Sword Aura, which only those who had reached the Jeoljeong realm could wield.
For the emitted aura to be visible was impressive enough, but to shroud a sword with it was an incredible feat.
Namgung Jipyeong, a seasoned First-Rate master who could manifest Sword Aura for a brief moment, understood this even better.
How difficult it truly was.
Swish—
Ryeon parried Seolhwa's plunging sword with her own sword, now imbued with Sword Aura.
Clang—!
In an instant, a faint shockwave erupted as the auras clashed.
Seolhwa used that impact as a repulsive force, spinning in the air once more and distancing herself from Ryeon.
Ryeon was astonished.
'I definitely imbued it with Sword Aura...?'
The moment she imbued it with Sword Aura, she was certain. This would be the end.
Since she had struck with a sword imbued with Sword Aura, Seolhwa's wooden sword should have shattered into pieces.
Not just clash and bounce off like this.
"...."
Ryeon, who had been staring blankly at her own sword, raised her gaze to look at Seolhwa.
She saw the relaxed smile playing on Seolhwa's lips.
"And here I thought you were granting me three moves."
"Ugh... I'm sorry..."
Ryeon's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Well, it's fine. Shall we begin in earnest now?"
At that moment, Ryeon doubted her own eyes.
A red aura began to billow from Seolhwa's body like a heat haze, and a red aura started to flow luxuriantly from her sword as well.
"Sword Aura...?"
Was she not Second-Rate after all? But surely...
'Ha! No way...!'
'She was hiding her aura? Then, Transcendent Jeoljeong...?'
'No. It's impossible. How could someone reach that level at thirteen?'
The sheer unreality of the assumption made her feel dizzy.
Ryeon gripped her sword tightly.
'She told me to see for myself.'
Yes. If that's the case, then she would just confirm it herself.
'From now on, I will fight with my full strength.'
Vwooom—
Ryeon's wooden sword hummed.
Wooden swords were not ideal for containing aura. If concentration wavered even slightly, the sword would turn to dust.
Therefore, the skill of the one who won this precarious spar would be beyond doubt.
Whoosh—
Ryeon charged towards Seolhwa.
In her eyes, a blue aura flickered for an instant.
Bang—! Pow! Bang!
The sound of the wooden swords clashing was alien. It wasn't wood against wood, but aura against aura.
Ryeon's and Seolhwa's swords clashed at high speed.
The eyes of the Jeokryongdan members watching the spar darted about frantically.
'Fa-fast...!'
'Incredible aura...'
'This is it... a Jeoljeong master...!'
Following their footwork with their eyes was not easy.
It was impossible to even properly see.
The blood drained from Namgung Jipyeong's clenched fists. He gritted his teeth and strained his eyes.
Just as he felt the urge to give up, unable to keep up—
"Watch carefully! If you don't see, you won't gain anything!"
Seolhwa shouted.
At her cry, the five men snapped to attention.
As outer hall warriors, opportunities to witness battles between Jeoljeong masters were rare.
They knew Jeoljeong masters existed, but having never seen one, it was hard to imagine that realm in their minds.
Because it was hard to imagine, it remained distant, and what was distant could not even be contemplated.
For them, this spar was nothing short of a golden opportunity.
'Yes! I will see. I will see everything...!'
'If I can grasp it just by watching!'
'I will absolutely make this spar my own!'
Namgung Jipyeong and the four other members desperately followed the two's movements.
Though the spar was between two people, everyone in the training ground was fighting in their own way.
Ryeon's expression hardened.
'It's already hard enough to focus on the spar, but she's paying attention to the spectators too?'
Ryeon swung her sword with all her might.
No, there was no holding back. This was an opponent she couldn't face without using her full strength. And yet, she was doing so.
Whoosh....
Ryeon's aura grew even fiercer. Seolhwa's composure had pricked her pride.
Seolhwa also felt her aura intensify slightly. But Seolhwa did not raise her own aura further.
Bang! Pow! Bang!
Seolhwa countered Ryeon's deluge of sword swings by deflecting them.
Perhaps it was because Seolhwa's aura was comparatively weaker. Seolhwa began to be pushed back, step by step.
'Young Mistress...!'
Namgung Jipyeong and the Jeokryongdan members grew tense.
The Young Mistress is being pushed back! Even if it's against *that* opponent...! Our Young Mistress!
Bang! Pow! Bang!
Amidst the torrent of sword strikes, Seolhwa had been pushed back to the very edge of the spar platform.
One more step back would mean Seolhwa's defeat.
'End it!'
Ryeon put her final strength into a swing. At that moment—
Crrack!
'Crrack...?'
Ryeon looked back at her sword. And she saw.
Craaaack!
Her wooden sword, splitting lengthwise.
The sword, splitting and splitting, at a certain moment—
Snap—!
It completely burst apart.
As the sword split into two, the force Ryeon had imbued into it lost its axis and scattered.
Ryeon ultimately couldn't deliver that last swing.
Staring blankly at her shattered wooden sword, she sighed and lowered it.
"I lost."
"Indeed."
Seolhwa also lowered her sword and stood upright.
There was no sign of surprise, nor relief.
"How did you do that?"
"It's simple. As I deflected your attacks, I subtly infused my aura into the cracks that formed on your sword, making them widen."
Seolhwa pointed at Ryeon's sword.
"Wooden swords have limits when it comes to containing aura. Of course, it would be different for someone with exceptional aura manipulation, but usually, a wooden sword can't withstand it and shatters."
From the moment Ryeon amplified her strength, her sword had already begun to crack.
Instead of simply deflecting attacks, Seolhwa had guided her aura into the emerging cracks on the sword's surface, causing them to widen.
It sounded simple, but Ryeon knew how absurdly difficult it was.
Deflecting attacks, identifying cracks, and then infusing aura? If the roles were reversed, she wouldn't even have conceived of such a thing.
'That must be why I lost.'
"May I ask one more thing?"
Seolhwa nodded.
"Why do you hold back?"
"...."
"Young Mistress, you clearly possess the skill to easily defeat the Jeokryongdan leader, don't you? So why did you hold back?"
Ryeon's gaze was filled with anger.
It was a complaint directed at someone who possessed power yet stood by while injustice occurred.
It was frustration, and a sense of unfairness.
"Young Mistress, why do you not fight back?"
Seolhwa met Ryeon's gaze calmly.
If Ryeon's gaze was a blazing flame, Seolhwa's was a serene sea. That sea was so still that not a single breath of wind stirred to fan the flame.
Just by meeting her gaze, Ryeon felt the fire burning within her slowly subside.
"I am fighting back."
The voice of a young girl rippled forth, like waves on the surface of water.
"I am fighting back sufficiently. In my own way."
