Throughout the duel, Cheong-woon proudly watched as the sect leader dominated the arrogant black path scoundrel.

‘That arrogant fool. He’s paying the price for running his mouth!’

Every time the sect leader’s sword swung, seamlessly blending softness and strength, a refreshing breeze would blow.

This was none other than the Clear Flowing Sky Sword (청류청천검), a secret martial art passed down exclusively to the sect leaders of the Cheongha Sect.

Cheong-woon vowed that one day he would inherit that sword himself, and his eyes burned with determination.

‘But wait... wasn’t that guy supposed to be from the Black Tiger Sect?’

How could a mere black path thug exude such a pure aura?

Even as the duel between the sect leader and Seo-jun momentarily paused and the sect leader sheathed his sword, Cheong-woon couldn’t shake his doubts.

But then, just as the sect leader turned away, the scoundrel suddenly charged at him, even though the sect leader had already put away his sword.

“This is outrageous...!”

Cheong-woon leaned forward, ready to intervene, but a small figure stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“Don’t interfere. This is an important moment.”

“You...”

It was the kid who had been hanging around with that arrogant scoundrel. Cheong-woon, unwilling to harm a child, tried to reason with her.

“Listen, you should watch carefully what that man is doing. Staying with someone like him won’t do you any good. Why not consider joining the Cheongha Sect instead? If you work hard, you could even become a disciple—”

Cheong-woon suddenly froze as he felt a cold blade pressed against his throat. Without him noticing, the girl had drawn her sword and was now glaring at him with cold, piercing eyes.

“Be quiet. Just keep your mouth shut and watch.”

With a click of her tongue, Chun-bong sheathed her sword.

These righteous sect types are just as annoying as the others, she thought. Acting like they know what’s best without even understanding the situation.

As Chun-bong watched the resumed duel, she couldn’t help but smile.

‘That’s right.’

Seo-jun’s movements had changed, and he was now pressuring the sect leader with a newfound vigor, as if he had made a significant realization.

Sweat began to bead in her clenched fists as she focused intently on the duel, her eyes widening suddenly.

“...Huh?”

Seo-jun’s sword was now enveloped in a murky, sticky aura.

What is that? I’ve never taught him anything like that!

As Chun-bong’s mind raced, Seo-jun muttered a single word.

“Merged Origin.”

At the sound of that name, something clicked in Chun-bong’s mind. The Merged Origin Divine Art. He had mentioned it was a martial art that mixed the Golden Cloud Divine Art, the Azure Cloud Divine Art, and the Clear Flowing Sword...

‘But this... there’s no trace of those original techniques left.’

This wasn’t the half-baked Merged Origin Divine Art from this morning.

What Chun-bong saw now was a true martial art, fully formed and coherent.

‘Maybe... just maybe, it really will live up to its name someday.’

Chun-bong’s eyes lit up with excitement.

•  

Merged Origin.

This was the first technique of the Merged Origin Divine Art.

Though calling it a technique was a stretch; it was more of a foundation, a base upon which the rest of the Merged Origin Divine Art would be built.

“Watch closely. And don’t tell anyone about this.”

The faces of the dozens of sect disciples watching were filled with confusion, but Seo-jun ignored them.

It was time to get serious.

“Inhale...”

Seo-jun swung his sword, and the murky aura around the blade began to shift in shape.

Bang!

The sect leader, shocked by the sudden attack, twisted his body just in time.

Shhhk—

A spike of sword energy extended from Seo-jun’s blade, grazing the sect leader’s cheek.

“Where did you learn such a technique?!”

The sect leader quickly retreated, his sword trembling as he pulled it back. The sword aura surrounding his blade deepened, embodying the violent flow of a raging river.

Raging Torrent

The sect leader unleashed one of the core techniques of the Clear Flowing Sky Sword.

Seo-jun’s eyes carefully tracked the movement. He had seen many martial arts before, and this was within the realm of what he could predict.

“Sss...”

Inhaling deeply, Seo-jun angled his sword just so.

Then, just as two rivers merge into one, Seo-jun smoothly guided the sect leader’s sword downward with a graceful motion.

“What...!”

The sect leader’s eyes widened. The technique he had used earlier in the duel was now being used against him.

But he didn’t have time to be angry. The aura surrounding Seo-jun’s sword had turned a bright blue.

It was one thing for the golden energy to change hue, but for it to transform into a completely different color?

It defied logic. It was something that should be impossible.

No one person could wield two different internal energy techniques at once.

The Yang-Yi Divine Art of the Wudang Sect was revered as a divine art because it allowed a single body to harmonize two different forms of internal energy.

But how could this be?

Even the Yang-Yi Divine Art required someone at the ultimate pinnacle level to properly utilize it.

“Try to block this.”

Seo-jun’s eyes flashed blue as the sword in his hand became coated in frost.

The intense yin energy sent chills down the sect leader’s spine.

Seo-jun’s sword, now carrying the weight of the heavens, descended upon the sect leader. It was the Mount Tai Crushing technique of the Three Talents Sword Art.

The sect leader met it head-on, mustering all his strength to counter the strike.

BOOM—!!

A fierce wind erupted from the clash of swords.

The sect leader’s expression twisted in pain. His hand, half-frozen, had gone numb.

“What kind of sorcery is this...?”

“Sorcery? No, it’s divine art.”

Seo-jun pressed his sword down harder, the two swords locked in a tense struggle. Both combatants’ eyes narrowed in focus.

Then, a wicked grin spread across Seo-jun’s face.

“Getting used to it yet?”

The frost that had coated the sect leader’s hand began to melt. Whatever technique he was using, it seemed he was resisting the yin energy.

But as the sect leader remained on guard, ready for anything Seo-jun might throw at him, Seo-jun’s next move was something he couldn’t have predicted.

Yin-Yang Reversal.

The yin energy transformed into yang energy. The once blue sword aura burst into golden flames, radiating intense heat.

Sizzle—!

“Ugh!”

The sect leader recoiled, his skin burning from the sudden heat. Seo-jun pursued him, launching a series of Qi Blasts.

Bang, bang, bang—!

The sect leader hastily swung his sword to block the blasts.

“This... this is impossible...!”

As the cold from the Qi Blasts seeped into his sword, the sect leader realized that the yin energy had been mixed in with them as well.

“Is this the infamous Sun and Moon Demon Art?!”

The Sun and Moon Demon Art, also known as the Sun and Moon Divine Art, was a notorious martial art of the demonic sects. Only that art could explain how someone could control both yin and yang energies so freely.

“You’re just throwing out every martial art name you know, aren’t you?”

Seo-jun had closed the distance between them again, gripping his sword tightly.

The sect leader tried to block, but the combination of yang and yin energies had slowed his movements too much.

Confident in his victory, Seo-jun grinned and dropped his sword to the ground. Instead, he clenched his right fist tightly.

“Chun-bong...! Oppa’s won...!”

Thud—!

“Gah...!”

The sect leader doubled over, clutching his stomach where Seo-jun’s fist had struck.

Seo-jun stood over him, smiling brightly.

“Testing if I used the Clear Flowing Sword was one thing, but you still deserved a good punch for running your mouth.”

His fist ached with satisfaction.

•  

“Oh no, sect leader...!”

“Are you alright, sect leader?!”

“That... that scoundrel! We must kill him immediately!”

The disciples wailed and sobbed as they gathered around the sect leader, whose face was swollen and bruised, with a blue tint around his eyes.

Well, at least they seem to care about their sect, Chun-bong thought as she pouted and glared at Seo-jun.

“Hey, you. If you hit people just because they talk back, one day you’re going to get beaten to death yourself.”

“Ah, Geum Chun-bong. Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy that.”

Seo-jun playfully poked her in the side. Chun-bong tried to keep a straight face, but a smile quickly spread across her lips.

“W-what are you talking about! Anyway... good job. I didn’t think you’d actually win.”

“Of course. With someone cheering me on, I had to win.”

“Ugh, stop it.”

Pretending not to care, even though she clearly did, Chun-bong turned away with a laugh.

As they bantered, the sect leader approached them. After glaring at Seo-jun for a moment, he sighed and spoke.

“…Though it’s late, I should introduce myself. I am Cheong Mu-won, the 13th sect leader of the Cheongha Sect. I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”

"Oh, don't worry about it. I feel better now that I’ve gotten it out of my system."

Seo-jun waved his hand dismissively, a grin on his face, clearly satisfied with how things had turned out. The sect leader let out another deep sigh.

“Hah… But I must admit, your martial art is impressive. You called it the Merged Origin Divine Art, right? I’ve never heard of such a technique before, but it certainly deserves to be called a divine art.”

“I think so too.”

“Haha… Right.”

Cheong Mu-won chuckled dryly as he observed Seo-jun. Despite his rough demeanor and street thug-like behavior, Seo-jun’s aura was pure and refined. However, the intent within that aura was fierce and worldly.

He didn’t seem like someone from one of the established sects. If not, then perhaps he was from a powerful family...

As the sect leader pondered this, he finally decided to ask directly.

“Let me ask you plainly. Which sect do you belong to?”

“I don’t know.”

“…Alright, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“If you’re really curious, you can ask her. She’s my master, after all.”

“What?”

The sect leader’s eyes widened, as if he were about to shoot lasers from them, while Seo-jun gave a nonchalant expression.

“What?”

“What kind of way is that to speak to your master? Don’t you understand the concept of respect for your teacher? The relationship between a master and disciple is as sacred as that between a king and his subject!”

The phrase “군사부일체,” which means the grace of one’s lord, teacher, and father are the same, was meant to remind one to treat their master with the same respect as a king or father.

Even Seo-jun understood that much.

Feeling somewhat proud, Seo-jun nodded in agreement, which only made the sect leader’s temples throb with frustration.

“No matter how young you are, a master is a master! Show some proper respect immediately!”

“What?”

Seo-jun widened his eyes and turned to Chun-bong.

“Mom…?”

“Ugh… What am I going to do with this idiot?”

Chun-bong, massaging her forehead, turned to the sect leader.

“He’s not really my disciple, so there’s no need for formalities. He’s just a fool who likes to joke around, so please try to understand.”

“…But.”

“Besides, I really don’t want this idiot calling me ‘mom,’ so I’d appreciate it if you could just let it slide.”

With her words, which were both polite and a bit impudent, the sect leader reluctantly nodded.

“…Alright, if that’s how it is.”

•  

“Please, rest well during your stay.”

“Are you sure it’s okay? You seemed pretty angry earlier.”

“…What can I say? The loser has no right to complain. I was the one who acted rudely first, so I have nothing more to say.”

After summoning Cheong-woon to take charge of hosting them, the sect leader gave a polite farewell and headed back to his quarters.

His slumped shoulders and weary steps made him look thoroughly exhausted.

‘Ah, I wanted to ask him for a favor...’

I guess I’ll have to find him later.

Seo-jun smacked his lips and looked over at Cheong-woon.

“Uh… hello?”

“…Enough with the pleasantries. I’ll show you to the guest room.”

Judging by his sour mood, it was clear that Cheong-woon wasn’t too happy about his sect leader getting beaten.

So, Seo-jun decided to use his modern-day social skills to try and smooth things over.

“That Clear Flowing Sword… It’s a really impressive martial art.”

“Surely not as impressive as your own. The Clear Flowing Sword is just the basic technique of the Cheongha Sect.”

“Zigamotenoko no kimoitatsu.”

“What does that even mean…?”

“Ah, nothing. I just meant that the Clear Flowing Sword is a pretty solid martial art.”

Of course, I wasn’t saying it’s because you’re weak or anything.

Cheong-woon seemed confused by Seo-jun’s strange phrase, but he eventually nodded and continued leading them to the guest quarters. Meanwhile, Seo-jun smiled to himself, satisfied with how he had handled the situation.