"Heh, you bitch. How about letting me say something, you bastard?"

With that one sentence, it was as if a silence spell had been cast over the entire room. The main hall of the sect fell dead silent.

As Seo-jun locked eyes with the sect leader, engaging in a fierce staring contest, the sect leader’s face turned a deep shade of red as he shouted in fury.

"You insolent fool! How dare you speak so disrespectfully? Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?"

"Do you want me to just go for it? Huh? Should I just go ahead and—bam!"

Seo-jun raised his hand threateningly, and perhaps spurred on by the challenge, the sect leader leapt from his seat, shaking his clenched fists angrily.

"Hey, old man. If you’ve got that much of a problem, why don’t we just settle this with a fight instead of acting like a sissy?"

"Sissy...?" Chun-bong tilted their head, puzzled by Seo-jun's choice of words, but the sect leader was too enraged to pay attention to such details.

"Fine! If you insist on rejecting a peaceful solution and opting for punishment, then so be it!"

At that moment, Cheong-woon, who had been standing frozen in place, finally snapped back to his senses. His face twisted with anger, making him look almost demonic.

"Sect leader, there's no need for you to trouble yourself! I’ll deal with this arrogant brat myself!"

"No, that won't do! How can I maintain my dignity as a sect leader if I let such words go unanswered?"

"But, sect leader!"

It was like watching a well-rehearsed play. Seo-jun, who had been observing with amusement, nudged Chun-bong in the side.

"They’re really putting on a show, huh? All this drama when they could just fight."

"Mm... yeah, I guess."

"What’s with that reaction?"

"It’s nothing. Just... yeah."

Chun-bong nodded with a sigh, as if to say it was all ridiculous.

"Anyway, be careful. If this sect is even somewhat reputable, the sect leader is probably at the pinnacle level."

It was unlikely that he was at the ultimate pinnacle. If there were someone at that level in such a remote area, there would be no way to keep it a secret.

It was surprising enough that they had a martial artist at the pinnacle level, but it was within the realm of possibility.

"Pinnacle? I’ll chew that up."

"...Now I’m starting to feel nervous. Should I handle this instead?"

"No way. You just watch and enjoy the show."

Seo-jun chuckled as he stepped forward.

Around that time, the sect leader must have made up his mind, as he reached for the sword hanging behind his chair.

"Follow me, you scoundrel!"

"No way, scoundrel!"

"...You’re truly out of your mind!"

"Not out of my mind... Ow!"

"Please, can we stop with the nonsense? I’m seriously embarrassed right now, oppa," Chun-bong pleaded, even going so far as to call Seo-jun "oppa," a clear sign of how desperate they were.

Realizing that pushing further would likely lead to something unpleasant, Seo-jun nodded meekly.

"Alright, let’s go."

•  

The sect leader led them to a training ground within the sect.

It wasn’t large enough to be called grand, but it seemed well-equipped. For a sect in such a remote area, it was quite substantial. And a powerful sect leader often meant a strong sect.

Chun-bong tried to hide their worry, setting their mouth in a firm line.

'Even if he loses, it’s not the end of the world...'

This wasn’t the lair of some black path criminals, so there was little chance Seo-jun would be killed outright.

If it came to it, Geum Hee could reveal her true identity to defuse the situation.

"He always finds a way to stir up trouble."

Chun-bong sighed, watching the two martial artists facing off.

The sect leader was furious, while Seo-jun was smiling as if he was having the time of his life.

Chun-bong suddenly had a suspicion.

'Is he doing this on purpose?'

Seo-jun was not stupid. He might seem a bit lacking at times, but he wasn’t dumb. In fact, he had a sharp mind.

After all, no one who was truly stupid could excel in martial arts.

'Maybe he just enjoys fighting.'

Just as this thought crossed Chun-bong’s mind, Cheong-woon shouted loudly.

"Begin!"

The duel started.

By now, several of the sect’s disciples had gathered around to watch. Chun-bong kept a close eye on the duel, their eyes wide with focus.

Bang, bang, bang—!

Seo-jun made the first move, launching his specialty, the Qi Blasts, while charging at the sect leader.

The sect leader seemed quite surprised by the attack.

"Qi Blasts? How can someone like him use that?"

Seo-jun was so adept at controlling his energy that it was difficult to gauge his true level. The sect leader likely had no idea that Seo-jun was at the pinnacle level.

So, with the sect leader caught off guard, now was the perfect opportunity.

Knowing this, Seo-jun wrapped his sword in a murky golden aura and slashed downward.

Crash—!

The sword surged forward with the force of a raging river. However, the sect leader remained surprisingly calm.

Woooong—!

The sect leader’s sword hummed. With a gentle motion, he parried Seo-jun’s attack, guiding the sword downward with a flowing movement.

The two streams of force merged seamlessly, and the sect leader smoothly deflected Seo-jun’s strike.

"Hmm..."

This wasn’t good.

Chun-bong’s brow furrowed.

The sect leader’s sword, which had been flowing gently, suddenly turned aggressive, pushing Seo-jun back.

Seo-jun continued to swing his sword with one hand while launching Qi Blasts with the other, but he was gradually being overwhelmed.

It was an inevitable difference in skill. The gap in swordsmanship was just too wide.

In fact, it was remarkable that Seo-jun was holding his ground as well as he was.

But just because it was understandable didn’t mean Chun-bong could accept it.

Chun-bong gritted their teeth. No big deal if he loses? No way. I can’t stand the thought of him losing.

"Oppa...! Hang in there...!"

If you lose after this, I swear, I’ll make you pay, Lee Seo-jun.

•  

Swords clashed in a whirlwind of movement.

The sect leader’s swordsmanship was... natural, for lack of a better word.

At times, it was soft; at other times, it was fierce.

Like rain and wind, the flow of the river changed with the weather. The essence of the river’s movement was contained within the blade.

"Where did all that bravado go? Why don’t you say something now!"

The sword, pouring down like a waterfall, aimed for Seo-jun’s head.

Seo-jun fired off a Qi Blast with his left hand while loosening his grip on the sword in his right.

Flowing Stream, Clear Sky.

Using a move from the Golden Cloud Sword Art, he managed to deflect the attack.

'Natural flow. I see.'

That must be the essence of the Azure Stream Sword. Or perhaps it was an even higher form of swordsmanship.

As he continued to observe, something began to click in Seo-jun’s mind.

'This swordsmanship forms a world of its own.'

Rain falling, wind blowing, the river changing with the seasons, dew forming on leaves, and thick fog rolling in.

Coincidentally, it felt similar to the Merged Origin Divine Art. And it probably wasn’t too different from the Golden Cloud Divine Art, either.

'It creates a world of its own.'

All the martial arts I’ve seen so far have had this in common. Even the Three Talents Sword Art aimed to create a world by uniting heaven, earth, and man.

Perhaps this is the ultimate goal of martial arts.

A vague understanding he had was now crystallizing into a clear realization.

The imagery of the Golden Cloud Divine Art—golden clouds flowing under a sunset—was like a canvas. And painting the rest of the picture was up to the practitioner.

"Oppa...! Hang in there...!"

Chun-bong’s cheer reached his ears. What a cute kid.

With such encouragement, I can’t afford to lose.

With a grin, Seo-jun knocked the sect leader’s sword aside and stepped back. The sect leader, slightly pushed back, gazed silently at his intermittently humming sword before speaking.

"As I thought, it’s not the Azure Stream Sword. It’s similar, but not the same."

"What did you say?"

"That’s enough. The duel is over."

The sect leader stared intently at Seo-jun.

"Your martial art, no matter how one looks at it, is not something of the black path. It’s clearly from a prestigious sect. You didn’t steal the Azure Stream Sword Art. Is there any reason to continue fighting?"

"Ah, so you were provoking me from the start to see if I was using the Azure Stream Sword?"

"Why keep up this pretense of vulgarity? Or do you have a reason for pretending to be part of the black path?"

The sect leader shook his head as he sheathed his sword.

"Let’s stop here. Reveal the name of your sect. I doubt it’s an unknown one, and there’s no need to escalate this further."

"Hey, old man."

Seo-jun raised his sword. A clear, golden light began to flow along the blade like a river.

It was originally a technique from the Golden Cloud Sword Art called Golden Clouds Descend.

Seo-jun had altered the technique as he pleased, incorporating what he had observed from the sect leader’s swordsmanship.

Softly at first, but with a fierce conclusion.

"Who said you could decide when this fight is over?"

Seo-jun charged forward. The sect leader’s eyebrows twitched as he drew his sword again to meet the attack.

Boom—!

With a thunderous crash, a cloud of dust spread out from the point of impact.

The sect leader’s eyes widened as he looked down at his trembling hand.

"What the...?"

"I’m starting to understand now."

Seo-jun’s understanding of the Golden Cloud Divine Art had deepened. This realization extended to his grasp of martial arts as a whole.

The Merged Origin Divine Art.

The martial art he had created was beginning to take on a life of its own.

‘A river flowing turbulently, a sky alternating between light and dark. I thought I had created a world, but it was just a mere model.’

It was nothing more than a lifeless picture.

But now, with this new understanding, a breeze blew through Seo-jun’s mindscape.

‘A breeze that brings change.’

Seo-jun moved as if he were pulling the ground along with him, smoothly circling around the sect leader.

The sect leader attempted to entangle him in close combat, but Seo-jun parried the attack with an upward slash.

‘A fierce storm borne from the wind.’

With the sword pointed skyward, Seo-jun caught the heavens on its tip. The sky, caught on the sword, began to descend like a storm.

With each clash of swords, Seo-jun’s movements grew increasingly unpredictable. The sect leader couldn’t help but exclaim.

"How...! How could you have absorbed my swordsmanship so completely?"

Absorbed completely? That’s not quite right. Seo-jun had only incorporated a small part of the sect leader’s technique into his own mindscape.

Smiling brightly, Seo-jun swung his sword with wild abandon.

Day and night. River and wind. Rain and cloud.

He breathed life into the now more vibrant pieces of his mindscape.

It’s still rough around the edges. But someday, when all these elements come to life, the Merged Origin Divine Art will be complete.

"Old man, you should feel honored. You’re about to be the first person to taste the first technique of the Merged Origin Divine Art."

Seo-jun gripped his sword firmly. He had found his direction. The Merged Origin Divine Art was a Qi technique.

The sword was merely a brush for painting the picture.

"Merged Origin."

The blade became enveloped in a murky, sticky golden aura.