There are things you can only see after reaching the peak.

Even though it was just a matter of surpassing one wall, the view was entirely different from before.

One of them.

The first realization was just how shallow his martial arts truly were.

Chunbong's swordsmanship flowed freely like clouds. Namgung Sua’s sky was infinite, and Jong-in’s plum blossoms, though rough, were full of vitality.

But his own Golden Cloud Divine Art was not as free as Chunbong’s, his sky was not as infinite as Namgung Sua’s, and his plum blossoms still remained as lifeless as paper.

“So what?”

In exchange, he had painted a far broader landscape in his mind.

The heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the wind and the river, the plum blossoms and the lightning.

Constantly cycling, these elements continued to shape his immature world.

That was the Merged Origin Divine Art—his martial arts.

Whoooosh!

Stars descended and settled within the internal energy that enveloped his fist.

Those stars were the image of his mind, and the world he had constructed within.

Baekhagwi-yang (One Hundred Rivers Return to the Ocean).

He twisted his waist and extended his fist.

Like a turbulent river, a powerful energy surged forth.

“What…!”

Jong-in thrust his sword out, astonished.

It was beyond comprehension. Had he crossed over to a new realm in such a short moment?

Even if all the conditions were met, breaking through the barrier typically required time.

Suddenly, one word flashed in his mind.

Talent.

That damned talent bestowed by the heavens!

Jong-in’s eyes turned bloodshot. The torrent of energy surged like a tidal wave, tearing apart the plum blossoms he had manifested.

“I will, without fail, use you to stand atop the heavens!”

Jong-in’s robe billowed as plum blossoms burst forth from him.

He leaped high, stepping on the very plum blossoms he had created.

Though limited, his technique allowed him to move through the air. Seojun couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

A Thousand Plum Blossoms.

Plum blossoms formed from lightning bloomed in the sky.

Seojun stepped on them and pursued Jong-in into the heavens.

The overwhelming energy pressed down on both spirit and mind. What he had achieved was not balance but a solitary dominance.

The stars within Seojun’s internal energy began to fade. In their place, a feeling of omnipotence surged within him, as if he could accomplish anything with sheer energy.

Zap!

A sword made of lightning formed in Seojun’s hand.

“A sword made of energy…!?”

Jong-in’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Ignoring him, Seojun only glared.

Now, to bring him down.

Standing atop the plum blossoms, Seojun pierced the heavens with his sword.

Changgungabjeong (The Vault of Heaven Presses Down).

The tip of his sword pierced the sky and drove it into the earth.

Boom!

Jong-in, staggering under the immense pressure, began to fall.

Seojun immediately dispersed the lightning sword and clasped his hands together.

Smack!

Between his palms, Yin and Yang converged, forming a misaligned Taiji symbol.

In the center, a star shimmered before disappearing.

That marked the beginning as the Taiji reversed its spin.

He couldn’t maintain it for long. Even though he had ascended to the peak, it still wasn’t enough to fully form the Taiji.

But for a brief moment—it would reach.

Yeokcheon Ilwol-gong (Heaven-Reversing Sun and Moon Art).

The reverse-spinning Taiji, which had begun to collapse, suddenly shattered, releasing a straight burst of power.

“You…!”

Twisting his body in midair, Jong-in swung his sword hundreds of times.

Plum blossoms piled upon one another, forming a wall.

He couldn’t die like this. He couldn’t die with such injustice.

He hadn’t come this far just to watch some nobody effortlessly cross the barrier.

“I will…!”

Swooosh

The Heaven-Reversing Sun and Moon Art pierced through the wall of plum blossoms and Jong-in’s shoulder.

“Gaaaah…!”

Jong-in fell to the ground. Thud! Amid the cloud of dust, Seojun landed softly.

“O-Oppa…!”

Chunbong rushed over, her face pale. Seojun sighed and placed a hand on her cheek.

“My heart feels like it’s going to tear, Geum-ssi.”

The Yang energy in Seojun’s hand neutralized the Yin energy surging within her.

Her complexion quickly recovered, and Seojun lightly patted her head before nodding at Namgung Sua, then turned his gaze to where Jong-in had fallen.

“Aaaaagh…!!”

Jong-in, his eyes bloodshot, tore at his punctured shoulder.

Then, channeling his energy into his teeth, he bit into his arm, gnawing it down before letting out a maniacal laugh.

“Hahaha…! To the very end! The heavens continue to block my path!”

From his robes, he pulled out an unknown pill.

There was no time to stop him. Jong-in immediately swallowed the pill, and a chilling aura exploded from his body as his internal energy surged.

“That’s…!”

Recognizing it, Namgung Sua’s eyes widened in shock.

“Sasahheukryeong-hwan (Black Spirit Pill of the Serpent)!”

“What is that?”

“It’s a pill made by grinding people! I had a suspicion, but why… why would he have it!”

Namgung Sua’s eyes trembled violently.

Had the elder of the Huashan Sect been a spy for the Black Lotus Sect all along? When had he been corrupted? From the start, or somewhere along the way?

She glared at Jong-in as if she would kill him.

But Jong-in, lost in the omnipotent euphoria that surged within him, paid her no mind.

“Yes…! I can see it!”

Crunch! From his torn shoulder, bone began to regenerate. Tendrils of bone grew and intertwined, forming a substitute arm.

He glared at Seojun with gleaming eyes.

“You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to live without talent! But today, I will break those limits and ascend to the heavens!”

The immense surge of internal energy caused Jong-in’s body to float into the air.

He looked down at the others from above and continued laughing.

“I will kill you all, receive the Black Lotus Sect’s grand technique, and extend my lifespan! With the added time and a few human sacrifices, I too can reach the Hwagyeong level!”

“……”

“And finally, I will ascend to Hyeongyeong and live forever, clutching onto everything I have achieved!”

Jong-in rambled on about his plan, which honestly didn’t interest Seojun at all. He must have suffered greatly from keeping it all bottled up, but that wasn’t Seojun’s problem.

“Hwagyeong? Is that supposed to be hard? I mean, I hit the peak after just learning martial arts for a year or so.”

Snap

Jong-in’s laughter stopped abruptly.

His face twisted in rage, resembling a demon, and he spread his arms wide.

“Oh, is that so…! If you want to die so badly, I’ll gladly kill you now…!”

As he willed it, plum blossoms exploded from his body.

The sky filled with plum blossoms, which coiled together like a writhing dragon and shot forth, taking the form of a massive beast.

The plum blossom dragon loomed above, descending to crush the insignificant humans below.

The sheer pressure froze Chunbong and Namgung Sua in place.

Jong-in had already been overwhelming, but now he was in a realm they couldn’t even dream of reaching.

The dragon, formed of plum blossoms, seemed to stare down at them from the heavens, and they could feel the touch of death clearly upon them.

“Tsk.”

But Seojun clicked his tongue as if he found it boring.

“He always chooses the most idiotic moves.”

“Your arrogance knows no bounds! Then take this!”

The plum blossom dragon opened its gaping maw and fell toward them.

Its twisting body scattered petals in its wake.

Facing the massive dragon, Seojun calmly extended one hand.

“Oppa…! Don’t do something crazy, just dodge…!”

“This young man…!”

Their worried voices made him chuckle.

Grateful, yet feeling a bit sorry, Seojun stepped into the heart of the plum blossoms and lightly waved his hand.

Whoosh

At his gesture, the plum blossoms danced.

Though Jong-in’s power had indeed grown after taking the Black Spirit Pill, there was no strength in power that he couldn’t control.

The dragon, haphazardly woven together from raw energy, was pitiful.

Its inner essence was weak, and the will guiding it was lacking.

So in the end, it scattered so easily at a single wave of Seojun’s hand.

“Unbelievable…!”

“Honestly, it was better before.”

Seojun drew a large circle with both hands.

Within him, his internal energy sphere regained its presence, balancing his energy, mind, and spirit.

As his energy, mind, and spirit aligned once more, three plum blossoms bloomed behind his head.

Seojun gathered the scattered plum blossoms into one place.

In line with his circular motions, countless plum blossoms coalesced into a massive orb, as large as a human head.

“Now then, it’s time for you to truly join your parents.”

Smack!

With his palms pressed together, he released a flurry of petals, which showered down on the space where Jong-in stood.

“This can’t be…! This cannot be…!”

Jong-in swung his sword desperately until the end, but Seojun raised his hand toward the sky, indifferent.

Whooosh

The rain of petals surged upwards. Jong-in, now reduced to nothing more than a mass of blood, was swept away by the torrent, his very existence vanishing into the storm.

Shaaah

Plum blossoms scattered in the night sky.

Looking up at the scene, Seojun chuckled softly.

“Happy New Year.”

Not that it was actually New Year’s.

 

After the battle, the group quickly moved from the area.

Given that it was now clear the Huashan elder had aligned himself with the Black Lotus Sect, Seojun wouldn’t be surprised if the leader of the Huashan Sect showed up out of nowhere to capture them.

“That wouldn’t be a surprise, but if even the Sword Master of Plum Blossoms had joined the Black Lotus Sect, we might as well start walking the dark path ourselves,” Chunbong said.

Namgung Sua gave an awkward laugh, clearly uncomfortable.

“Even so, that seems a bit much…”

“You’re excluded. It’ll just be me and him,” Chunbong declared.

“That’s also a problem,” Namgung Sua replied.

Seojun, holding Chunbong in his arms, chuckled and patted her on the back.

“You, just sleep. Stop talking.”

“No.”

Chunbong, who had rejected him flatly, burrowed deeper into his embrace, holding him even tighter.

“Oh dear.”

Seojun smiled and recalled memories he had pushed to the back of his mind.

‘What was she, really?’

That woman he thought he’d killed before he fell into the martial arts world. In the memory he’d recovered after reaching the peak, the woman, with her head shattered, had laughed gleefully.

“You’ve matured well! I’ll be looking forward to it.”

And on the day his mother had stabbed his father. That same woman had looked at him clearly and said:

“I found it. The seed of the Demon Lord.”