‘It might be because of me.’

Chun-bong was sinking deeper into gloom.

The thought suddenly struck her—maybe Seo-jun was constantly facing danger because of her.

It was the same with the elder from Mount Hua, and now this. Their targets hadn’t been Seo-jun; they had been after Chun-bong herself.

More specifically, they wanted Geum Hee of the Divine Sword Gold Clan, the inheritor of Divine Blood—her.

Maybe she should leave Seo-jun’s side.

But even as the thought crossed her mind, Chun-bong couldn’t bring herself to let go.

She panicked if he wasn’t within sight.

So she held his hand, clung to his back, or curled up in his arms, staying by his side for several days.

“Alright, Chun-bong. Ddu-ttya-tta!”
“….”

But then again, maybe he was just an idiot.

*****

Seo-jun had been busy.

After witnessing Shihyeol Mancheon and the Sword Saint firsthand, he felt the need to act quickly and internalize what he had learned.

Over the past few days, he’d met frequently with Pae Jin-gwang to discuss insights.

“So you planted Qi and Spirit in the ground of your Essence?”
“Exactly.”
“…Are you serious?”

The new realm Pae Jin-gwang had achieved was intriguing even to Seo-jun.

The traditional Transformation Stage relied on amplifying Spirit.

Since Spirit (Shin) was connected to consciousness and self-awareness, enhancing it solidified one’s existence and left an imprint on the world.

But Seo-jun’s breakthrough had been different.

By amplifying Qi, he had fused Essence (Jeong) and Spirit (Shin), making his very existence blend with nature. It had blurred his sense of self.

So how had Pae Jin-gwang avoided that problem?

“I call this realm Hamcheon Stage—it means ‘Embracing the Heavens.’”

“…But isn’t Essence closer to earth? Why ‘heavens’?”
“Because I said so.”
“…Ah.”

Seo-jun humored him for a moment before asking the real question.

“So how did you avoid losing your sense of self?”
“I didn’t have that issue.”
“…What.”

No real answers.

The only conclusion Seo-jun could draw was this:

Essence and Spirit were things humans inherently possessed and cultivated.

But Qi was something absorbed from the world.

Maybe that difference was the key.

“…This is pissing me off.”

Seo-jun grumbled as he scribbled down notes on paper.

Chun-bong peeked over his shoulder from where she was clinging to his back.

“What’s this?”
“Names.”
“Names?”
“For the new realm. It’s easier to make sense of things once it has a name.”

A realm achieved by refining Qi, replacing the body, and merging Essence and Spirit to become one with nature.

“Transforming Qi Realm? No, Qi Body Realm sounds better.”
“Both sound lame. Compared to something like Transformation Stage or Hamcheon Stage, they’re weak.”
“…What.”

Seo-jun sighed. It wasn’t his fault he was bad at naming things.

“Fine. Let’s just stick with Qi Body Realm for now. We can change it later if something better comes up.”

For now, it was Qi Body Realm.

*****

After finally getting Chun-bong to sleep, Seo-jun left the room and climbed onto the roof.

A rooftop at night—the ultimate source of inspiration and a martial artist’s study café.

‘I can reach the Qi Body Realm anytime.’

The only question was how to deal with the aftermath.

Seo-jun recalled the fragmented memories of when he touched that realm before—

Swords controlled through Qi, bursts of Reverse Celestial Sun and Moon Art fired like endless arrows, spells unfolding at his command.

‘Maybe I should refine Reverse Celestial Sun and Moon Art a bit.’

He had started using it when he first reached the Peak Level.

Now that he was nearing the Transformation Stage, there were probably ways to improve it.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find anything to fix.

‘It’s already perfect.’

There was nothing to tweak.

Back when he touched the Qi Body Realm, he had fired hundreds of bursts of Reverse Celestial Sun and Moon Art—smaller but just as destructive.

Now that he thought about it, it was ridiculous.

That technique could hold its own even in the Transformation Stage.

And he had fired hundreds of them? It was a miracle Shihyeol Mancheon had lasted as long as he did.

‘Actually… that’s a good thing.’

Next, he needed to refine his Qi-Controlled Swordsmanship.

“Oppaaaaa—!!”

A terrified scream pierced the night.

Seo-jun immediately sprinted back inside.

“Huff… Huff…”

Chun-bong was drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath. She scrambled toward him, clinging desperately to his leg the moment their eyes met.

“W-where were you…?”
“….”

Seo-jun’s face darkened.

Shihyeol Mancheon, that bastard. He should’ve shredded him into even smaller pieces.

Suppressing a sigh, Seo-jun scooped Chun-bong into his arms and jumped back up onto the roof.

“Chun-bong.”
“…Yeah.”
“Hey.”
“…Why are you acting all serious?”
“…What?”
“…Never mind. Just keep acting serious.”
“Okay.”

Seo-jun chuckled, tightening his arms around her as he gazed up at the thin crescent moon.

Focusing his Qi, he gently expanded the connection between Essence and Spirit.

Woom—

The night trembled.

‘The Qi overflowing from his body resonated with the Qi of the world.’

Seo-jun carefully projected his will into it.

It rippled like a leaf floating on a rushing river.

Seo-jun meticulously guided that flow into his sword.

Srrng—

The sword unsheathed itself. It was Qi-Controlled Swordsmanship.

“Wha—?”

Chun-bong’s eyes went wide. Qi-Controlled Swordsmanship was practically the hallmark of a Transformation Stage master. She gawked at Seo-jun, who simply smiled.

“I’m not at the Transformation Stage yet, but I can manage this much.”

It wasn’t the perfected version of the technique. Compared to how he’d wielded it when he brushed against the Qi Body Realm, it was nowhere near as fluid.

But for just one strike—

“Watch closely, Chun-bong.”

Seo-jun recalled the Sword Saint—the divine presence that had cut down the very sun in the Central Plains.

He couldn’t recreate that feat. But impressing Chun-bong? That was well within his reach.

Crack—!!!

As his desire took form, the Qi within the sword roared violently.

Woom—!

The demonic sword let out an ecstatic cry, resonating freely within the technique.

“I’m not weak enough to get beaten up anywhere.”

Holding Chun-bong with one arm, Seo-jun extended his other hand toward the sky.

And the sword followed.

Boom—!!

A chaotic, swirling beam of energy tore through the heavens. Seo-jun grabbed hold of the sky with his sword and dragged it down.

Rumble—!!

Fragments of the shattered night sky rained down like stars.

Cradling Chun-bong, Seo-jun grinned.

“See? Still don’t trust me?”
“…It’s not that….”

Chun-bong buried her face in his chest. Seo-jun slipped his hand under her arms and lifted her high.

“Then there’s no choice.”
“…Huh?”
“You’ll just have to protect me instead. Get stronger than me. You’re Chun-bong, the legendary genius. You can do it.”
“…That’s….”

Chun-bong’s thoughts drifted back to the past.

She remembered something similar happening once before—back in the alleyways.

Voices from long ago echoed in her mind:

—‘Look at all these idiots around here.’
—‘Compared to them, you’re amazing. Seriously, you’re incredible.’
—‘They call you a prodigy, right? You’ll fix your severed meridians one day. Then you can work hard to catch up. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one to take care of me.’
—‘Not that it’ll happen—I’ll probably hit the Peak Level by then.’

Even back then, she’d thought it was the dumbest thing she’d ever heard.

Who says something like that in the middle of a crowded street?

But now, looking back…

Her meridians were completely restored.

She hadn’t expected to survive this long. If not for Seo-jun, she would’ve died ages ago.

It was thanks to his unwavering, almost foolish dedication.

And now, Seo-jun wasn’t just at the Peak Level—he was on the verge of entering the Transformation Stage.

What he’d once said as a joke had turned out to be anything but.

‘Seriously….’

It was ridiculous.

That nonsense he spouted had somehow become reality—except for one part.

She hadn’t been the one to take care of him.

‘What am I even doing?’

Chun-bong let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh and looked up at Seo-jun.

As always, his gaze was warm.

That same gaze that made her heart melt.

“…You’re right.”
“Huh?”
“I’m Chun-bong.”

Chun-bong puffed out her chest confidently, her eyes glinting as Seo-jun held her high in the air.

If every other part of that promise had come true, there was no reason this couldn’t as well.

“I’ll get stronger than you.”
“Wow, really?”
“I’m serious. I’ll get stronger and make you run errands for me all the time.”
“I can already do that, though?”
“Shut up.”

Chun-bong pouted, and Seo-jun laughed, finally setting her down on the roof.

“So… you’ll sleep alone from now on?”
“…Not happening.”
“…What.”

Seo-jun smirked and placed a hand over his chest. He could feel the concentrated Qi core left behind after absorbing Shihyeol Mancheon’s energy.

Swish—

With a flick of his wrist, the demonic sword slid smoothly back into its scabbard.

Seo-jun pulled a portion of the core’s energy from within and shaped it into a golden orb.

Fwaaah—

The orb radiated a brilliant light as he handed it to Chun-bong.

“Here. It’s from your big brother.”
“…What’s this supposed to mean?”
“I’ve got more than enough. Take it. It’s close to your own Qi, so it’ll be easy to absorb.”
“That’s not what I meant—”

Before she could finish, Seo-jun stuffed the orb into her hands.

“Eat it right before you use the Life-and-Death Resonance Technique.”

Chun-bong stared blankly at the orb in her hands, running her fingers over its smooth surface.

Now he was even making medicine for her?

After a long pause, Chun-bong suddenly lifted her head.

“Hey.”
“Yeah?”

Seo-jun tilted his head. Chun-bong bit her lip, hesitating, before finally speaking.

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”
“I always listen carefully to Chun-bong’s words.”
“…I love you.”
“…What?”
“Marry me. I’ll treat you well.”