The martial arts competition hosted by the Huashan Sect held a rather ambiguous position.

Though many martial artists gathered for the event, given that it was hosted by the renowned Huashan Sect, those in a similar standing had little reason to participate.

That’s why none of the members from the Nine Great Sects or the Six Great Clans, apart from Namgung Sua, took part.

Of course, if Huashan had offered the legendary Zaha Divine Art, a technique passed down only to the head of the sect and their successor, as a prize, the clan heads of the Six Great Clans would have rushed in regardless of their pride. But Huashan wasn’t crazy enough to do that.

‘But still…’

Seo-jun scratched his head as he stared at Namgung Sua, standing on the other side of the stage.

The Namgung Clan surely had more than enough elixirs and swords, so was she just participating out of boredom?

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Namgung Sua giggled.

“I’m just trying to figure out where I can hit you so it’ll hurt less.”

“Oh my. If that’s the case, here.”

She rubbed her belly.

“Wouldn’t the abdomen be best?”

“Ah, I see.”

As expected, this woman was a little strange.

Shaking his head, Seo-jun glanced at the judge.

The judge, meeting Seo-jun’s eyes, also looked at Namgung Sua before raising his hand.

“Then….”

With the judge’s hand coming down,

“Begin!”

Boom!

Seo-jun stomped heavily on the ground and shot forward.

Namgung Sua reacted instantly, using her foot to steady the scabbard of her greatsword as she spun to draw it.

Fzzzzt—

A faint charge of lightning crackled along the blade of the massive sword.

It looked like she was trying to push Seo-jun back, but he simply grinned.

This was exactly what he wanted.

Unlike Chun-bong, Namgung Sua was confident in her power.

Clank!

Seo-jun, still charging forward, suddenly stopped, crouching low.

He slammed his feet into the ground and twisted his body.

The sword in its scabbard groaned under the weight of his immense internal energy, vibrating as if ready to burst.

Vwoooommmmmmm—

Now.

Seo-jun, sensing the perfect moment through the tips of his fingers, unsheathed his blade using the essence of the Wang Family Sword Technique.

BOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

With a thunderous roar, the stage shook.

Namgung Sua staggered, her body lifted off the ground as she spun midair.

Her greatsword, in sync with her movements, swung down in a massive arc.

Seo-jun swiftly pulled back his half-sword and coated it in a blue sword aura.

Plum Blossom.

Blue plum blossoms scattered in the wake of his sword.

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Namgung Sua smiled brightly.

At the same time, her aura exploded.

Seo-jun felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him.

The sky.

The sky seemed to stretch endlessly above, so deep and vast that it was impossible to face directly.

As Seo-jun looked up, a single bolt of lightning descended, aimed straight for him.

‘So this is the Limitless Sky Sword Technique.’

Underneath the sky, the plum blossoms scattered helplessly.

But even as Namgung Sua’s greatsword fell from above, Seo-jun grinned.

“This is what I’m talking about!”

Fwooooshhhh—

Blue plum blossoms bloomed all around him.

Though the plum blossoms appeared insignificant under the boundless sky, they bloomed more and more, until they completely enveloped it.

Surrounded by the scattering petals, Seo-jun raised his half-sword and slashed upward.

BOOOOOOMMMMM!!

“Ugh…!”

Namgung Sua’s body was flung backward, propelled by the force of her own sword.

Thud!

She twisted in midair and landed on her feet, but her body was covered in wounds. The blood that trickled down her body froze on her skin as Namgung Sua trembled.

Waaaahhhhhhhh!!!

The crowd erupted into wild cheers, though neither Namgung Sua nor Seo-jun paid them any attention.

“This is fun…”

Namgung Sua smiled.

Seo-jun also smirked silently, glancing up briefly at Jong-in’s seat.

‘No reaction, huh.’

He had deliberately shown off the plum blossoms, but there was no noticeable response.

Of course, the audience was going wild, but even Namgung Sua didn’t seem to place much significance on the blossoms.

Maybe martial artists aren’t as closed-minded as I thought?

Seo-jun chuckled to himself when,

Boom!

Namgung Sua charged forward.

Unlike her previous, more passive approach, she was now extremely aggressive.

Her greatsword raised high above her head.

The weight of the sky itself seemed to bear down on Seo-jun through her sword, but it was still just qi at the end of the day. Seo-jun lightly deflected the pressure, taking a deep breath.

“Sssss…”

He had seen enough now.

There was no way he could mimic the weight of the sky she wielded with her sword.

But the vastness and heaviness of the sky itself? That, he could infuse into his own sword.

With his eyes closed, Seo-jun raised his half-sword high.

‘Mankind is a creature that rises from the earth with the goal of reaching the heavens. Only when one touches the heavens and becomes a celestial being do they achieve the true meaning of humanity. The first step is to pull the sky down to the tip of your sword.’

He recalled the old verse from the Three Talents Sword Technique, then promptly discarded it.

He simply hooked the sky onto the tip of his sword and brought it crashing down.

The falling sky was as terrifying as a bolt of lightning.

As the plum blossoms bloomed beneath the sky, they embraced it.

Sky Plum.

The two swords fell and collided.

BOOOOMMMMMMM!!!

The shockwave from their clash obliterated the stage, sending waves of energy rippling out in all directions.

“Tsk.”

Jong-in intervened, drawing his sword with a graceful movement.

Plum blossoms bloomed from his sword as he moved like a dancer, diverting the shockwave that had been heading toward the audience. The energy transformed into a gentle breeze, lightly brushing the hair of the spectators.

Waaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

The crowd cheered as the dust settled.

Plum blossoms, infused with lightning, circled Seo-jun before dissipating into the air.

“This is… unbelievable…”

Namgung Sua staggered as she stared at Seo-jun.

How many martial arts does he know? Was the sky in the plum blossoms just a coincidence?

Her mind was racing, but the fight wasn’t over yet.

From Seo-jun’s half-sword, new plum blossoms began to bloom, this time burning red.

Sizzle…

Namgung Sua, her body strained from overusing her internal energy, forced out another burst of lightning.

Her meridians stung from the reckless flow of qi.

How can he continue to bloom plum blossoms like that without running out of internal energy?

She set aside the trivial question and gripped her greatsword tightly.

Seo-jun merely smiled.

The finishing move for this duel had already been decided.

Fwoosh—

Flames flared up from his half-sword, gathering more and more.

“Of course, when you think of Huashan, you think of flames.”

As the plum blossoms, now resembling embers, scattered in the air, Namgung Sua’s expression hardened.

“W-wait…”

She could feel the overwhelming force behind the attack.

All of his previous strikes had been strong, but this was on a completely different level.

If this hit, she’d die for sure.

Namgung Sua began to step back, but—

Boom!

Seo-jun was already right in front of her.

“Huashan Explosion!”

Volcano

Fwoooooooshhhhhhhhhh—

The crimson plum blossoms surged like a tidal wave, but they didn’t envelop Namgung Sua.

The blossoms, exuding a terrifying beauty, swirled around her and shot up into the sky.

“Ah…”

Namgung Sua stared blankly at the now red-tinged sky, letting her arms fall limply to her sides.

Thud.

The greatsword she had been holding touched the ground.

“The plum blossoms…”

“This is for Chun-bong!”

“Pardon?”

Whack!

Seo-jun’s fist drove into Namgung Sua’s abdomen.

“Guh…!?”

Clutching her stomach, Namgung Sua dropped to her knees.

Seo-jun looked down at her with a smile.

“Well, that should settle our score….”

“Guh…ugh….”

Wait… did I hit her too hard? I didn’t even use internal energy.

Seo-jun looked at her with a hint of concern.

“Are… are you alright?”

“Hnnngh… Uggh…”

Seo-jun quickly took a step back.

What the hell is that noise?

As he watched her from a safe distance, Namgung Sua eventually lifted her head.

“Hnnngh…”

Her face flushed red, her eyes unfocused.

“Haa… Haa…”

She breathed heavily, staring at Seo-jun with an odd look in her eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with her?”

Seo-jun panicked as Namgung Sua smiled more brightly than ever.

“Hnnngh… I lost…”

She licked her lips as her crimson tongue peeked out.

“Eek…!”

Seo-jun hurriedly looked to the judge.

“I won, right!?”

“Ah, yes.”

The judge cleared his throat before announcing loudly,

“The winner of the martial arts competition is Lee Seo-jun!”

Waaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

The crowd erupted into cheers.

And Seo-jun immediately ran off.

“Chun-bong! Help me…!”

That woman was seriously not right in the head.

Hiding behind the invincible Chun-bong shield, Seo-jun kept his distance from Namgung Sua as Jong-in delivered a speech that Seo-jun only half-listened to.

“Well done. There were some incidents, but I’m glad we were able to successfully conclude the competition.”

“Uh, yeah. When do I get the plum blossoms?”

“If you wish, I can give them to you right away.”

Nodding, Seo-jun extended his hand.

At Jong-in’s signal, a Huashan warrior standing behind him brought forward an ornate pedestal carrying several items.

A wooden box, two swords, and a martial arts manual.

Jong-in gestured toward them as he spoke.

“You may choose one of these as the victor. As for the others who were eliminated in the semifinals, they can either reach an agreement amongst themselves or challenge each other again for priority.”

According to the explanation, the prizes offered some flexibility.

If one wanted money instead, Huashan would offer silver of equivalent value. And if someone didn’t use swords, they could exchange the sword for a different weapon.

The martial arts manual was the Seven Plum Blossom Sword Art, and choosing it meant one could formally enter the Huashan Sect. If one didn’t want to join the sect, another martial art would be offered in exchange, though given the eager eyes of the other two contestants, it didn’t seem likely that this option would be chosen.

They might end up fighting to the death for the chance to join the sect.

But Seo-jun didn’t care about any of that.

He quickly picked up the plum blossoms and tucked them into his robe.

That left Namgung Sua with an obvious choice.

She picked up one of the swords and turned to Seo-jun with a fiery gaze.

“Master Lee?”

“Yes…?”

“Would you accept this?”

Namgung Sua offered the sword she had just received, and Chun-bong’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Why are you giving him that! And if you’re going to give it, do it somewhere else! This is rude!”

Indeed, handing over an award in front of Huashan like this wasn’t exactly proper etiquette.

“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

Namgung Sua bowed slightly and smiled.

“In that case, I’ll bring it to your inn later.”

“What…! How dare you…!”

Growl—

Chun-bong bared her teeth.

Meanwhile, the other two martial artists, having a heated argument over the Seven Plum Blossom Sword Art, eventually agreed to settle things with another duel.

The whole thing was a mess.

Jong-in also looked displeased, his brows furrowed.

Sensing that this was the perfect moment, Seo-jun quickly scooped up Chun-bong.

“Well then, I’ll be going now!”

And he ran for it.

‘Hmm…’

This is troublesome. If they leave Huayum Town like this, it’ll really be a problem.

Especially that girl.

Allowing the bloodline of the divine sword to survive was unacceptable.

‘The Sword God’s martial art…’

At this point, I may as well take this opportunity to gain a little extra.

Deep in Jong-in’s eyes, an insidious hunger stirred.

Back at the inn, Seo-jun pulled out the plum blossoms from his robe and stared at them with a troubled expression.

“Ah… Do I really have to make her cheeks thinner with my own hands…?”

Oh, heavens!

Seo-jun trembled as he reluctantly picked up the plum blossoms.

“Ugh…!”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Chun-bong sighed.