The first duel of the second day in the Round of 16 featured Hye-un of Shaolin versus Peng Do-jin of the Hebei Peng Clan.

The victor was Hye-un.

Though Peng Do-jin was a formidable martial artist, his skill did not surpass Hye-un’s. As expected, Hye-un claimed victory without much difficulty.

And then came the second duel.

Chun-bong versus Mu-hye.

As Seo-jun adjusted his posture, Huh Do-jin approached casually. Naturally, a few others close to him also gathered around. They joined in conversation with figures who were already familiar with Seo-jun, such as Hong An-gae, Pae Jin-gwang, and Eun Yu-do.

Watching this, Seo-jun thought to himself:

"So, this is how factions form?"

The Yongbong Gathering wasn’t just a tournament for late-stage disciples—it also seemed to serve as a social event for their guardians, the supreme martial artists who accompanied them.

Seo-jun, uninterested in socializing, focused all his senses on the martial arts arena, where Chun-bong was about to appear.

"Kim Hee of the Divine Sword Golden Family...!"

At the referee's announcement, Chun-bong stepped onto the arena.

As always, she was dressed in the ceremonial robes of the Divine Sword Golden Family. The sight was endearing, as if a daughter had borrowed her mother’s clothes.

"Mu-hye of the Wudang Sect...!"

Opposite her stood Mu-hye.

Mu-hye, wearing a blank expression, performed a polite salute toward Chun-bong.

"I look forward to learning from you."

"Yes, I’ll do my best to learn," Chun-bong replied in her polished “social mode,” returning the salute.

Seo-jun chuckled at the sight, and Huh Do-jin asked:

"By the way, Jin Gi-jae-cheon, what are your plans for the future?"

"Huh? Plans for what?"

"You're currently with the Namgung Family as an elder, but as the heir to the Divine Sword Golden Family, won't your position become ambiguous when it’s rebuilt?"

"I don’t think it’ll be that complicated. The Namgung Family and the Divine Sword Golden Family are practically like family. They’ll likely get along just fine."

"It may seem simple for individuals, but matters involving groups rarely unfold so smoothly."

Seo-jun paused to consider Huh Do-jin’s words.

The future. The Namgung Family. The Divine Sword Golden Family.

His deliberation didn’t take long.

"I don’t think it’ll be an issue. My father-in-law is pretty laid-back."

"Laid-back? Ah, right. The current head of the Namgung Family certainly has a bold and decisive personality."

Huh Do-jin briefly envisioned the future.

Namgung Jin-cheon, the man closest to being the world’s greatest martial artist. Jin Gi-jae-cheon, who had achieved unimaginable feats at a young age. The relationship between the Namgung Family and the Divine Sword Golden Family…

"The orthodox factions will experience a major upheaval."

If the Namgung Family and the Divine Sword Golden Family were to grow as close as one unified clan, their combined power would be vastly superior to the present.

For now, the Divine Sword Golden Family had little influence due to its downfall. But would that remain true in the future?

With Jin Gi-jae-cheon, a martial arts prodigy, and an authentic heir to the Divine Sword Golden Family at its helm, the family's power would undoubtedly grow exponentially once they regained their footing.

"This is the bottom point," Huh Do-jin concluded, drawing on his lifetime of experience.

"Let’s be friends."

"Huh?"

"Begin!"

There was no time to respond, as the duel had already begun.

"What’s with him all of a sudden?"

Seo-jun redirected his focus to the match.

Mu-hye, holding her sword in one hand, stared at the woman before her.

The successor of the Divine Sword Golden Family. Jin Gi-jae-cheon’s cherished younger sister.

Pushing aside distractions, she quickly reviewed Chun-bong’s previous duels in her mind.

"The greatest threat is that phantom sword."

Though the exact technique was unknown, it was a supremely skilled martial art capable of confounding even the royal family’s Ju Yang-il. To seize victory, she would have to neutralize it.

From the outset, Mu-hye unleashed her ultimate technique.

Tai Chi Wisdom Sword (Taeguk Hyegom): Swirling Currents.

With a crash, Mu-hye’s black internal energy flowed like water, filling the space of the arena. Simultaneously, her sword traced smooth, circular arcs.

Swish—!

Tai Chi begins and ends all things. It encompasses everything and expands endlessly to form all things anew.

Many mistakenly believed Wudang swordsmanship was merely reactive. A grave misconception.

To be caught in Tai Chi is to become part of Tai Chi itself.

Wudang’s swordsmanship was no different.

The flowing sword energy spread, enveloping Chun-bong.

"Hup…!"

But Chun-bong wasn’t intimidated. Wudang? Tai Chi? It was only at the level of a late-stage disciple.

Moreover, the technique relied on manipulating energy.

For Chun-bong, who had trained alongside Seo-jun, it was laughable.

Swish—

Chun-bong’s sword split the Tai Chi in two.

Yin and yang. The harmony of Tai Chi fractured into pure yin and pure yang.

Charging forward, Chun-bong infused her sword with the power of Azure Cloud Divine Art. The yin energy cleaved from Tai Chi coursed along her blade.

"How…?"

Mu-hye’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she met Chun-bong’s charge head-on.

Chun-bong’s sword, taking the form of a blue dragon, surged toward her.

Mu-hye, mindful of the phantom sword, adjusted her stance and wielded her blade to sever not lines but entire planes.

Crash!

Their swords clashed.

Then, Chun-bong’s blade drew a small circle.

"Huh?"

Mu-hye’s sword, its flow disrupted, veered out of control. Chun-bong’s sword maneuver, Azure Stream of the Heavenly Cloud, had stolen its momentum.

Mu-hye watched in stunned silence as Chun-bong smirked.

"Were you too focused on Chun-bong Divine Art, perhaps?"

Chun-bong’s true strength lay not in Chun-bong Divine Art but in the Azure Cloud Sword.

Though Mu-hye twisted her body to recover, Chun-bong’s blade was already at her neck.

A hollow conclusion.

Yet one born of a meticulous mental battle. Mu-hye’s mistake was overestimating Chun-bong Divine Art.

But it was inevitable.

Both Chun-bong Divine Art and the Azure Cloud Sword were peerless martial arts.

Focusing on one left her vulnerable to the other.

And Chun-bong wielded both.

"The winner… Kim Hee of the Divine Sword Golden Family!"

Before the audience could even process what had happened, the duel was over.

Unfazed, Chun-bong sheathed her sword, raised her hand high, and declared:

"The glory of the Divine Sword Golden Family shall be eternal!"

"Waaaahhh!!!"

The spectators erupted into deafening cheers.

A woman who had defeated a Wudang late-stage disciple with a single move!

Given Mu-hye’s prior performances, the crowd was ecstatic.

"The Divine Sword Golden Family really is as incredible as they say!"
"Could they take the championship this easily?"
"Not so fast! Don’t forget the Namgung Family’s disciples!"

Watching the spectacle, Seo-jun marveled.

"Wow…"

No matter how he looked at it, Chun-bong’s victory seemed effortless.

Perhaps he had underestimated her all along.

And yet…

"Our Chun-bong’s a total superstar now, isn’t she?"

She had the charisma of a natural-born idol, rousing even a subdued audience with ease.

Had she been born in the modern era, she might have become the world’s greatest idol.

Seo-jun chuckled as Huh Do-jin murmured beside him:

"Hmm… She still hasn’t fixed her habit of losing focus when excited."

"She’s still young."

Though Seo-jun suspected Chun-bong might be older than him, by martial arts standards, she was indeed young.

"True. Maybe it’s better she learns this now."

Huh Do-jin nodded, his expression tinged with regret.

He wasn’t the only one disappointed.

The nearby elders also lamented the abrupt end to the duel.

"What a shame. If they fought again, it’d be an excellent match."
"We didn’t even see Wudang’s specialties. But mistakes are part of one’s skill."

Regardless, the Divine Sword Golden Family had claimed victory.

And Chun-bong took another step toward realizing her grand ambitions.

 

Seo-jun celebrated Chun-bong’s victory in every way he could.

He bought her delicious food, gave her a piggyback ride, and ruffled her hair playfully. Satisfied, Chun-bong fell into a deep and contented sleep that night.

Under the high moonlit sky, Seo-jun climbed onto the roof.

In hindsight, the rooftop in the middle of the night might just be the perfect spot for inspiration to strike.

"Let’s see….”

Seo-jun gazed at the towering moon. A full moon hung in the sky, its soft glow spilling across the earth.

Stretching his hand toward the moon, he spread his index and middle fingers, aiming at it as he recalled the essence of Shooting the Sun (Sa-il).

"Bang."

In his mind’s eye, a circular hole appeared in the moon.

At this rate, perhaps it should be called Shooting the Moon (Sa-wol) instead?

Laughing to himself, Seo-jun followed the surge of inspiration coursing through him, dispersing his mental image.

Now, having reached the peak of transcendence and solidified his internal world over time, every element in his universe scattered and coalesced at the tips of his fingers.

Shooting the Sun represents humanity’s yearning to bring the unattainable down.

Its speed rivals light itself, piercing through even the most distant targets in an instant.

Eun Wi-ryong might think of it differently, but Seo-jun found this version more fitting.

After all, if he could ascend to the heavens, why not also bring others crashing down beneath his feet for convenience?

Seo-jun stripped away the unnecessary and held only the essential elements within his grasp. Bit by bit, his reconstructed mental image supported him.

"Piercing the Heavens (Gwanchun)."

Its foundation was Inverse Sun and Moon Art, where yin and yang formed a reverse Tai Chi, launching upward into the sky.

Riiipppppp—

Seo-jun silently smiled, admiring the spectacle he had created.

The sky within his mental image had been pierced.

And as if transplanted directly from his mind, a massive hole now gaped in the night sky.

"I’ve touched it. The heavens."

Darker than the night sky itself, the hole swallowed even the light of the stars. From the abyss, shards of the shattered heavens fell weakly.

Even the damned heavens, which once seemed unreachable, had been broken beneath him.

"Today, I’ve taken another step forward."

Until he placed those heavens beneath his feet, his strides would not cease.

*

"It’s good to be passionate about martial arts, but you should consider other people once in a while."

"Yes… I’m sorry…."

He was scolded.

Despite the late hour, countless martial artists gathered at the Namgung Family villa.

It hadn’t been long since the Imperial General was assassinated, and now there was a gaping hole in the heavens themselves.

It was no surprise that warriors came rushing in a panic.

The head monk let out a heavy sigh.

"At least it wasn’t anything serious. For a moment, I thought it was some lunatics again."

"But, aren’t you a monk…? Calling them lunatics seems a bit…."

"What did you say?"

"N-nothing…."

Seo-jun grumbled, but the head monk clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to Chun-bong, who had rushed out amidst the commotion. His eyes deepened as he observed her.

"So, it wasn’t an attack targeting the Divine Sword Golden Family…."

The mysterious force that had annihilated the Divine Sword Golden Family—no one, not even the head monk, had a clear understanding of them.

While the Black Shadow Alliance (Sa-heuk-ryeon) seemed to be involved, something about attributing it entirely to them felt off.

"Perhaps…."

No, the head monk shook his head. Premature conclusions wouldn’t help.

"In any case, be more careful next time."

"Yes, sir."

Vigilance could not be relaxed.

In the depths of the head monk’s golden eyes, a brilliant radiance flickered intensely.