The justification for the challenge was "Guided Sparring."

Guided sparring.
It was a plausible pretext, suitable for almost any situation.

It involved a superior martial artist sparring with weaker opponents, offering guidance along the way.
To the less skilled, it was an honor, even a rare opportunity to learn.

If someone as skilled as Baekryeongeom Moyong Biyeon offered to guide sparring, martial artists from across the land would eagerly flock to participate.
But was this current situation really appropriate under that same banner?

Moyong Biyeon gazed at the three young women before her with an intrigued look in her eyes.
She was curious to see how they would react when she unleashed her aura. Would they be frightened? Or perhaps they would be taken aback?

Moyong Biyeon had expected one of these two outcomes.
But—

"Well, look at that."

Her expectations were pleasantly shattered. The young women neither cowered in fear nor showed signs of confusion.
Rather—

Schring.

The moment they felt her aura, they immediately steadied themselves and took up combat stances.
The two sword users were particularly impressive.

"Not a single sign of hesitation, huh?"

Although the girl from the Tang family showed remarkable promise for her age, she couldn't compare to the other two.
It felt almost unfair to call them simply "rising stars" of the younger generation. They had already crossed the threshold of mastery and were now firmly at the pinnacle.

"So, this generation really is extraordinary."

She was beginning to understand the rumors she'd heard.

While the young man Gu Yangcheon stood far above the rest and couldn’t be used as a representative of his generation,
these young women were more accurate indicators of the current martial landscape.

Moyong Biyeon's eyes gleamed with increasing interest.

This journey to Sichuan, led by the Poison King, had piqued her curiosity more than she had expected.
Not only were there many talented youths from different martial families, but each one seemed to possess extraordinary skill.

Including the three before her and the young men traveling with them, including Gu Yangcheon, all were outstanding.

The young Taoist from Wudang, said to be a "hidden dragon," had already reached an astonishing level of mastery.
The large young man from the Pa family, while still only considered a first-class martial artist, was by no means a pushover.

Ironically, the least accomplished among this group of prodigies was her own niece.

"This is... unusual."

Moyong Biyeon felt a strange sense of intrigue as she observed them.

The fragile-looking boy from the Cheol family appeared to be the only weak link, but his level was too low to even consider as a martial artist, so she dismissed him.

Each of these individuals, had they lived in her generation, would have easily been considered top-tier prodigies.

"...Ah, but perhaps not the very best."

That, she admitted, was an exaggeration.
During her time, he had already established himself as the ultimate genius at the peak of their generation.

Still, there were more than enough geniuses here who could be considered exceptional.
And Moyong Biyeon couldn't help but wonder:

"Is this a coincidence?"

Did these talents merely happen to gather here by chance?
Or had something drawn them all together?

If there was something that had served as the focal point of their gathering, then surely—

"It must be him."

A young man’s face flashed across her mind.

If that were the case, then it all made sense.
Just as they had been drawn to something so dazzling in the past, people would naturally gravitate toward such a figure.

And since the brightest star of this generation happened to be here, it wasn’t entirely a coincidence that so many had gathered.

Having personally experienced something similar in the past, Moyong Biyeon saw this as an inevitability.

Yet—

She couldn't help but let out a quiet, exasperated laugh.

"No matter what, though. Isn’t this a bit much?"

As Moyong Biyeon let out a breath of disbelief—

Swoosh!

The tip of a sword grazed her cheek, the faint crackle of lightning accompanying it.
Moyong Biyeon instinctively stepped back, but at the same moment, something else came at her from the side.

Two daggers flew through the air with precision.
Moyong Biyeon quickly adjusted her stance, twisting her body at just the right angle.

Whoosh! As she moved, the force of her movement redirected the daggers.

Thud! The daggers embedded themselves into a nearby tree.
To her surprise, the tree immediately began to rot around the impact site.

"They coated the daggers with poison?"

Moyong Biyeon’s eyes locked onto the culprit—the young woman from the Tang family.

It wasn’t unusual for a member of the Tang family to use poison, but it was still impressive that she could do so so effectively.

When Moyong Biyeon had suggested a sparring session, she had expected it to be a somewhat relaxed exercise.

She had intended to go easy on them while observing their progress.

But—

“These kids...”

They were far more skilled than she had anticipated.

Rumble.

“...!”

There was no time to dwell on her thoughts.
As soon as she dodged the daggers, a barrage of lightning surged toward her.

Moyong Biyeon couldn’t help but be impressed.

“Remarkable.”

Dozens of threads of lightning moved toward her, each one behaving independently, as if they had a will of their own.

This meant that the one controlling the lightning was individually guiding each strand with precise intention.

Had that been all, it could have been dismissed as a display of genius.
But the person controlling the lightning was simultaneously moving their body and wielding their sword with perfect coordination.

To manipulate such an array of lightning while also engaging in swordplay?

Moyong Biyeon’s mind flashed to the face of Namgung Jin, the head of the Namgung family.
The one wielding the lightning was clearly a member of the Namgung family.

"That insufferable man must have produced a monster of a child."

A chill ran down her spine.

Her feet felt heavy, and her energy flow sluggish.
The weight on her shoulders confirmed that it was indeed the Namgung family’s swordsmanship—Emperor’s Sword Style.

That damned, troublesome martial art.

Dodging the barrage of lightning with swift movements, Moyong Biyeon surveyed her surroundings.

The only thing coming at her from the front was lightning.

So, where were the others?

She heightened her senses, reaching out with her energy.

Zzt! Just as she expected.

She sensed two figures closing in on her from both sides.

The moment she became aware of them, flashes of white and gold streaked toward her from either side.

There was no hesitation in their strikes.
Judging by the trajectory of their swords, they were aiming for her neck.

"Well, I’ll be damned."

Moyong Biyeon realized her mistake.

She had underestimated them, viewing them simply as "rising stars."

With a sigh, she adjusted her grip on her sword, a hint of apology in her movements as she swung her blade.

In that instant—

Whoosh!

A brilliant cyan sword aura, emblematic of the Moyong family, erupted from her sword, sweeping outward in all directions.

“…!”
“Ugh…!”

Before their blades could reach her, Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah flinched, forced back by the sudden burst of energy.

The lightning that had been closing in on her was consumed by her sword aura, disappearing entirely.
The two young women landed beside Dang So-yeol, who had been standing at a distance, and looked at Moyong Biyeon with shock.

The swirling energy around her was clearly sword aura.
But it wasn’t the light, refined aura of a peak martial artist—it was heavy and oppressive, a weight that felt almost suffocating.

Amidst the whirlwind of energy, Moyong Biyeon spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone.

“Sorry about that. I think I might’ve misjudged the situation.”

With her sword still radiating power, she smiled softly.

“I thought I could take it easy, but it seems that was a mistake.”

She had planned to treat them as juniors,
but these young women were not simply juniors—they were martial artists in their own right.

They were far beyond the point where she could playfully toy with them.

Moyong Biyeon’s eyes took on a more serious glint as she looked at the three of them.

"I wonder if she felt the same."

She recalled the day when she and Soi, the current Sword Empress, had faced the previous Sword Empress.

Had she looked at them the same way back then?

The only difference now was that—

Back then, the Sword Empress had treated them as equals from the very beginning, fighting them with her full strength.
Whereas Moyong Biyeon had not done the same.

"Damn it."

Realizing her mistake, Moyong Biyeon berated herself.

At the same time, she felt a sense of relief.

It was a good thing that Soi was the one who had inherited the title of Sword Empress.
Soi wouldn’t make the same mistake.

Though Moyong Biyeon had never been interested in becoming Sword Empress herself, she was glad it had turned out this way.

She never would have suited that role, after all.

“Hoo…”

Moyong Biyeon took a deep breath, slowly gathering her energy.

Now that she realized her mistake, she would have to approach this differently from now on.

With her eyes on the three tense young women, she raised her sword.

"Let’s go again."

Understanding the intent behind her words, the three of them readied themselves.
They had sensed the shift in Moyong Biyeon’s attitude.

Watching them, Moyong Biyeon smiled inwardly.

She couldn’t help but feel excitement bubbling up within her.

"Oh no, this isn’t good."

She had only intended to support her niece and check on the young women chasing after Gu Yangcheon.
But now she was starting to enjoy this situation far too much.

For a brief moment, she recalled her younger brother begging her to act her age.

“Sorry.”

Moyong Biyeon offered a silent apology to her brother.

It was becoming increasingly clear to her that she was never going to grow up.

As the energy swirling around them subsided and a brief calm settled over the scene,
Moyong Biyeon subtly shifted her stance.

In the blink of an eye, she disappeared.

Namgung Bi-ah widened her eyes, immediately spreading her senses.
Wi Seol-ah, frowning, raised her sword, scanning the area.

Tap.

Suddenly, Moyong Biyeon reappeared in the small gap between the two of them.

And in that instant—

The forest was engulfed by a much larger storm than before.

   ******************
   

Dense internal energy (naegi) filled the air, accompanied by a murderous aura that could make any martial artist shudder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderous sound reverberated continuously through the forest, as if some enormous monster had emerged.

Drawn by the noise, many martial artists gathered. After all, everyone on the journey to Sichuan was a martial artist.
It was impossible to ignore the intense and ferocious energy that pervaded the area.
As more and more people gathered, they began to form a crowd, watching in awe.

One thing quickly became clear: this was not the sound of a monster.

One martial artist from the Pa family, watching the scene unfold, whispered in amazement.

"Wow... that's incredible. How are they doing that?"

His voice was full of admiration.

"Their combined attacks are so seamless. And their martial arts styles seem different."

Two swordswomen were working in close quarters, while from time to time, hidden daggers coated in poison flew through any openings that appeared.

Their blades swung continuously, but never interfered with each other's movements.
It was the kind of coordination usually seen in elite sword squads who had trained together for years, yet here it was being executed by youths who hadn’t even reached full maturity.

Listening to this praise, a younger martial artist asked with a puzzled look:

"Is it really that amazing?"

"You dense fool, can't you see it?"

The younger man’s face twisted in embarrassment, but the comment wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

Each of their martial arts styles had distinct characteristics, and the internal energy required to use them was also different.
In most cases, the aggressive nature of internal energy led to conflict between users, as their energies sought to devour one another.

So unless the martial artists were enemies, combining their techniques often caused various issues, such as internal energy clashing or movements becoming chaotic due to overlapping trajectories.

"But these kids... they're moving like one body."

Even if their martial arts styles were well-suited for each other, the way they avoided interfering with one another was something entirely different.

The younger martial artist, now beginning to understand, nodded slightly.
Still, there was one thing he couldn't wrap his head around.

"It is impressive, but none of their attacks are landing."

Though their teamwork was fluid and they had clearly reached a high level of skill for their age, their opponent was completely unfazed.

The women's attacks didn’t even graze their target, and instead, they were the ones being pushed back.
The older martial artist responded with a knowing grin.

"Well, that can’t be helped... they're up against Baekryeongeom, after all."

The real problem was their opponent.
That was the simplest explanation.

His gaze shifted to the woman standing at the center of the conflict, effortlessly handling the three women’s combined assault.

Baekryeongeom.

A woman once considered a candidate for Sword Empress.
That title alone was more than enough to convey her strength.

Among the many martial artists gathered here, only a handful could hope to match her.

Although Baekryeongeom hadn’t been active for over a decade, those who had witnessed her prowess during her prime still remembered it vividly.

"I must admit, I'm a bit envious."

"Sorry, what?"

Being able to cross swords with Baekryeongeom was in itself an extraordinary opportunity, something akin to a rare chance encounter with destiny.
The older martial artist felt a twinge of jealousy toward these younger talents.

But there was one issue.

"This is a bit intense for guided sparring, don’t you think?"

While the lack of killing intent indicated that it wasn’t a life-or-death battle, the sheer intensity of the energy made it feel far more dangerous than a simple sparring session.

It felt like someone should step in to stop it.
The older man watched with increasing unease, while the younger martial artist spoke again, this time in surprise.

"Look at that, even the Poison Phoenix is holding her own."

"Hm?"

"They say her skills don’t live up to her title, but it doesn’t seem that way to me."

"Hmm…"

The older martial artist shifted his gaze to the young woman throwing poisoned daggers from the backline.

He had to agree.

The Tang family daughter, often rumored to be less skilled than the other prodigies, was actually performing quite well amidst the storm of energy.

Even in this chaotic situation, her daggers flew true, without any sign of faltering.
Moreover, her strategic timing in attempting to hinder Baekryeongeom’s movements was noticeable.

"Indeed. She seems to be doing better than the rumors suggested."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"What—?"

The older martial artist froze, his heart skipping a beat.
The voice that had responded wasn’t his junior’s.

He turned, only to find his junior pale and trembling.
Standing beside him, with a faint smile, was none other than the Poison King.

"T-Tang Patriarch..."

The older martial artist stammered, his voice dry and weak.

Realizing his mistake, a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
He had been speaking about the Poison King's daughter right in front of him.

Though he hadn’t intended any disrespect, he knew that offending the Poison King was dangerous.

"I-I apologize!"

He quickly bowed his head in a deep apology, but the Poison King waved his hand, indicating there was no offense taken.

Fortunately, the Poison King showed no signs of anger.
In fact, he even smiled slightly, offering a word of gratitude.

"Thank you for recognizing my daughter’s efforts."

With that, the older martial artist and his junior quickly excused themselves, vanishing from the scene.
The Poison King sighed softly, his gaze returning to his daughter.

‘…What in the world is this?’

Even the Poison King himself was astounded by the intensity of the energy swirling around the sparring match.

His daughter was right in the thick of it.

The moment he had received the report, he had rushed over, prepared to intervene immediately.
But—

‘…I see.’

He found himself hesitating after witnessing his daughter’s determined expression.
It was the first time he had seen her so focused and determined in a fight.

Although the situation was dangerous, this sparring session with Baekryeongeom could be a rare opportunity for Dang So-yeol.

The Poison King had never seen his daughter fight with such resolve.
As a father and a martial artist, he couldn't help but feel proud.

Still, there was a limit.

‘This can’t go on much longer.’

No matter how proud he felt, the sparring session was far too dangerous.

Baekryeongeom’s aura was becoming increasingly alarming, and if things continued like this, the situation could escalate into something far more serious.

Gripping his forehead in frustration, the Poison King muttered under his breath.

‘…Baekryeongeom.’

She had always been unpredictable, but why was she engaging in such an intense sparring session with these girls?
There was no reason for it to become this heated.

While it wasn’t a life-or-death battle, there was a real possibility of serious injury or worse.

‘If it comes to that…’

The Poison King was ready to step in and stop the fight before things got out of hand.

Aside from the head of the Pa family, only the Poison King himself had the strength to intervene in such a fierce battle.

To stop a fight of this magnitude required a martial artist who had reached the level of the Hwagyeong (flowering realm).
Among those present, the only one capable of doing so was the Poison King, given the absence of the Pa family head.

The martial artists gathered knew this as well, which is why they were all watching the fight with bated breath.

As the sparring continued, the atmosphere grew even more intense.

It should have ended already, but the fight dragged on because, as a "guided sparring session," Baekryeongeom was holding back from delivering any killing blows.

If she had intended to kill them, the fight would have ended long ago.

Watching with increasing anxiety, the Poison King’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.

Baekryeongeom, who had been easily deflecting the combined attacks, was now channeling a powerful surge of energy into her blade.

‘That’s…!’

It was dangerous.

Whether it was the heat of the moment or something else, Baekryeongeom seemed to be crossing a line.
Sensing the imminent threat, the Poison King gathered his energy, preparing to leap into the fray and stop the fight before it spiraled out of control.

Just as he gritted his teeth and prepared to intervene—

Someone moved before him.

Fwoosh!

Out of nowhere, flames burst forth.

"What...?"
"What’s going on…?"

Not only the Poison King but also the onlookers murmured in confusion as a young man appeared amidst the flashing blades.

“…!”

The women engaged in the sparring match were equally stunned, trying to adjust their blades, but it was too late.
Their swords had already been drawn, and they were moments away from slashing the mysterious young man.

Just before the blades could tear into his body—

Tsk.

A short, dismissive sound echoed, and—

Whoosh!

“Wha—!”
“Urgh!”
“Ah!”
“Eek!”

Suddenly, the women were flung backward, tumbling across the ground.

The onlookers stood frozen in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

What had occurred in that brief instant?
The violent clash from just moments ago had vanished, leaving an eerie calm in its wake.

In the middle of it all, the young man stood with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Haaah."

With a deep sigh, he turned to the women, who were slowly getting back on their feet, and spoke in an irritated voice.

"...I'm exhausted, and you're pulling this nonsense first thing in the morning?"
His voice was filled with annoyance.