Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

CLANG!

The two swordsmen clashed once more. This time, Wiji Cheon was outmatched in raw power and ended up being knocked into the air.

SWISH!

Wiji Cheon quickly tilted his head to the side. A few strands of his hair fell to the ground, severed by Cho Yeonil's sword qi. Had he been a little slower, his face would've been cut.

"I'll start by tearing that mouth of yours apart," Cho Yeonil growled, unleashing a barrage of strikes aimed at Wiji Cheon's face.

At first, he had only planned to cut off an arm, but his pride was wounded. Now, the veteran swordsman had no qualms about killing.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks rained down each time their blades collided. Fueled by a newfound ferocity, Cho Yeonil swung his sword with brutal force, but Wiji Cheon somehow managed to block and parry the attacks despite his precarious footing.

Wiji Cheon directed every ounce of concentration toward his foe. There was no time for hesitation. Sparks crackled and flickered nonstop each time their blades met.

I can't beat him in a match of physical strength.

The difference in their builds was enormous. No matter how hard he practiced the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest, there was no way to overcome this gap in raw strength.

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Moreover, ever since he was little, he had always been smaller than his peers. That was a natural weakness, and the veteran swordsman Cho Yeonil was not about to overlook it.

CLANG! CLANG!

Cho Yeonil poured even more power into each swing, adding the subtlety of a master swordsman to his blazing speed, aiming to completely overwhelm Wiji Cheon. Although his attacks slowed down a little, each strike now contained a crushing force.

"Ugh…" Wiji Cheon groaned, blood trickling from his mouth. With every collision, his hands felt like they were going to be torn apart.

Seeing Wiji Cheon cornered, the onlookers started to whisper among themselves.

"Wiji Cheon's no match for the Soul-Seeking Swordsman now that he's fighting seriously."

"It's already a miracle he's lasted this long."

"That boy was too arrogant. He should've ended it while his opponent was still underestimating him."

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"Tsk tsk. The tide has turned. The end is near."

"Isn't the Soul-Seeking Swordsman being too harsh on a mere child…?"

Since it was almost impossible to reverse the flow of a battle between masters, especially against a seasoned swordsman, everyone believed that Wiji Cheon was doomed.

SWISH!

Cho Yeonil's sword grazed Wiji Cheon's chest.

Wiji Cheon had tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack completely. Fresh blood seeped through his martial arts uniform. If he had reacted a second slower, his heart would have been cut in half.

"…Hah."

A cold chill ran down his back. He had narrowly escaped death several times in those last few moments. It felt like he was walking a tightrope between life and death. Still, in the midst of that desperation…

"Ha… Haha!" Wiji Cheon broke into laughter, and his eyes glittered with deranged delight.

"…What's so funny?" Cho Yeonil asked, frowning even as he continued attacking.

Deflecting the blade aimed for his neck, Wiji Cheon replied, "I'm happy!"

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He wasn't bluffing. He was genuinely overjoyed. His opponent's life-threatening sword, the intensity that pushed him to his limits… all of it brought a smile to his face.

If this goes on, I might die.

His instincts screamed at him. He was so focused, his mind felt like it was burning. Every cell in his body felt alive. To survive, he had to push past his limits and squeeze out every last drop of his strength.

"Hup!" Wiji Cheon tightened his grip on his sword. The skin on his palms had been torn as he blocked Cho Yeonil's attacks, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

The pain was agonizing, but the smile never left his face.

"I see. You're a madman obsessed with the sword," Cho Yeonil chuckled softly. He too had been through something similar. No, perhaps all swordsmen had shared that feeling once.

But you will die here.

The Soul-Seeking Swordsman's eyes gleamed with killing intent. He could feel it. This boy would surely become a formidable opponent in the future.

No, not even in the future. This young swordsman could pierce his heart right now if he showed even the slightest opening. He had to nip this potential threat in the bud.

WHOOSH!

Cho Yeonil's gray martial arts uniform rippled as he channeled all his qi into his sword.

You won't be able to withstand my swordsmanship with that immature body!

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As they fought, he had figured out all of Wiji Cheon's weaknesses. First, the boy was quite a bit smaller than his peers. He was as swift and nimble as a squirrel, but he lacked the strength and speed to execute his techniques properly.

Second, he was better in both the outer and inner arts. Wiji Cheon was more dexterous, but all he had to do was overpower the kid with brute force to prevent him from leveraging his edge.

This was the Soul-Seeking Swordsman's strategy, honed through countless battles.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Every time their swords clashed, Wiji Cheon's stance wobbled. The boy's ghastly pale face showed how badly he was hurt, and it was incredible how he was even managing to hold out.

A little more and he'll break. Cho Yeonil's lips curled into a smirk. He had assessed the situation correctly.

However, he failed to foresee one thing—Wiji Cheon's astounding talent with the sword.

"…Your sword techniques won't work on me anymore," Wiji Cheon suddenly declared, brimming with confidence.

Cho Yeonil scoffed. "What nonsense…"

Before Cho Yeonil could finish speaking, Wiji Cheon vanished. Or rather, he seemed to vanish.

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Alarmed, Cho Yeonil spun around. Sensing a razor-sharp killing intent on his left, he instinctively swung his blade in that direction.

CLANG!

For the first time since the start of the duel, he staggered backward, having lost his balance.

Wiji Cheon reappeared from Cho Yeonil's blind spot, smiling faintly. "Now it's my turn, right?"

The boy's counterattack began.

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CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of their swords clashing was different now. It was lighter, and the tempo was faster. It seemed as if Wiji Cheon's movements had suddenly accelerated.

Cho Yeonil glared at Wiji Cheon. Was he hiding his true abilities?

It was absurd. There was no reason for Wiji Cheon to hold back and suffer so many injuries.

Then why had Wiji Cheon's movements suddenly become faster?

Did he learn some kind of demonic art?

Cho Yeonil gnashed his teeth and thrust his sword, channeling all of his qi into the strike. It was one of his fastest attacks ever, like a bolt of light.

SWISH!

However, his sword only cut through the air. The blade did not even graze Wiji Cheon's sleeve.

He tried again and again, but none of his attacks landed. Everything was either blocked or deflected.

"I told you, the same moves won't work on me again," Wiji Cheon said coldly.

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"Don't tell me…" A chilling realization washed over Cho Yeonil.

Wiji Cheon's movements hadn't sped up. He was simply predicting each strike ahead of time.

He's reading all of my attacks!

It should have been impossible. They had only crossed blades around a hundred times. This was not a slow spar but a lethal duel. Yet, somehow, the boy had used that short span to comprehend his opponent's swordsmanship?

"This is ridiculous!" Cho Yeonil snarled.

He didn't want to believe it, but this was the reality before him. His life's swordsmanship was being completely unraveled by a little boy.

"Don't mock me!"

Cho Yeonil swung wildly, but his attacks only cut air. He felt like he was fighting all by himself.

"What's going on?"

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"Why aren't any of the Soul-Seeking Swordsman's attacks landing?"

The audience also noticed that the flow of battle had shifted. Even though many of them were masters in their own right, they stared at Wiji Cheon in awe as if he were some kind of freakish phenomenon.

"…I can't believe it."

"Did he really grasp his opponent's swordsmanship in such a short time?"

"He doesn't have the best physique for martial arts, but he's definitely gifted in swordsmanship."

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"Hoho, can there be anyone more talented than this kid?"

"Well, I heard that there's a similar genius at the Heavenly Martial Academy…"

Everyone was of the same opinion, that Wiji Cheon was a genius beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"The Azure Dragon Academy has found a true genius swordsman," Wang Son, Branch Manager of the Beggars' Gang Jiangxi Branch, muttered in admiration.

The other masters in the crowd nodded in agreement.

"Kraaah! How dare you! A mere child who still reeks of milk!"

Only Cho Yeonil still refused to accept his defeat. Though it was pointless, he kept slashing at Wiji Cheon, but the more frantic he became, the easier it was for Wiji Cheon to read his movements.

Conversely, Wiji Cheon started to lose interest. Eventually, he lowered his sword and said, "Accept your defeat and apologize to Mr. Baek for your rudeness. If you do, I'll stop here."

"Apologize? Did you just tell me to apologize?" Cho Yeonil shook with rage. Losing to a kid half his age was humiliating enough, but having to apologize in front of this crowd pushed him over the edge.

Wrath clouded his mind.

"Puny brat…" he snarled, eyes bloodshot as his killing intent won over his reason.

Wiji Cheon was the first to notice the change.

The Killing Sword!

It was the inner demon that had once tormented him.

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"Fufufu…" Laughing maniacally, Cho Yeonil lunged at Wiji Cheon, angling his sword unnaturally to aim for Wiji Cheon's throat.

SPLURT!

Wiji Cheon reacted a fraction too late, and blood spurted from his shoulder as he dodged the fatal blow.

"What?"

"No!"

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The crowd, who had assumed the battle was over, gasped in horror.

"Kufufufu! Die!" Cho Yeonil roared.

The Killing Sword had taken over him.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"Kuku… Kahahaha!"

Crimson arcs stained the air as Cho Yeonil trapped Wiji Cheon in a whirlwind of attacks. He swung his sword in a berserk frenzy, surrendering his body completely to the Killing Sword.

A violent cloud of dust and blood rose around them, blurring the audience's vision.

"S-Shouldn't we stop them?"

"I think he's lost his mind…"

Despite their concern, however, the martial artists surrounding the two swordsmen backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Wang Son watched the two swordsmen gravely. Although he couldn't clearly see what was happening, he could sense how perilous the fight was.

They won't stop until one of them dies.

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Sighing, he slowly approached them, intending to stop the duel, when someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Let's wait a little longer."

"!!" Alarmed, Wang Son spun around. He was skilled enough that no one should have been able to sneak up on him.

Just who was it… Oh.

Recognizing the man behind him, his tension vanished.

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"Azure Dragon…"

"Shh!" Baek Suryong, his face hidden beneath a bamboo hat, placed a finger over his lips.

Wang Son frowned. "Shouldn't we stop them? If the Soul-Seeking Swordsman dies here, then the Azure Dragon Hero's… I mean, your reputation will be damaged. Rumors always get exaggerated."

Of course, Baek Suryong knew this too, but he still shook his head. "I won't interfere in my student's duel just because it might affect my reputation. There are ways to manage that afterward… and most importantly, Cheon won't kill him."

"……"

Baek Suryong turned his gaze to the boy caught in the violent vortex. Wiji Cheon's compact frame was definitely a disadvantage. Despite eating well and training hard, he was still smaller than most boys his age.

But small doesn't mean weak.

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The boy's body was as flexible as a reed in a violent hurricane. He might seem fragile on the outside, but here was something unbreakable inside him. He wouldn't be defeated by someone like the Soul-Seeking Swordsman.

He was confident that this fight would help Wiji Cheon grow even stronger.

"Oh?" Baek Suryong grinned.

CRACK!

A sharp sound echoed through the chaos, and the violent storm slowly came to a stop.

The swirling dust settled to reveal the two swordsmen.

THUD!

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The Soul-Seeking Swordsman fell to the ground, unconscious. His body was covered in wounds, but he was still breathing.

"Huff… huff…" Wiji Cheon stood before his opponent, panting heavily.

There was silence for a moment, then the audience erupted in cheers.

"An unknown boy defeated the Soul-Seeking Swordsman!"

"His name is Wiji Cheon, right? What do you think about calling him the Sword Wonder?"

"Isn't a title like 'Sword Emperor' too excessive for a child?"1

"Not Sword Emperor (劍帝), Sword Wonder (劍才). Hoho! Maybe someday he'll earn the title Sword Emperor though!"

The Sword Wonder Wiji Cheon.

This was the moment a swordsman who would shock the world received his title.

1. Sword Wonder (劍才), Sword Emperor (劍帝): Both are pronounced "Geomje", but with different meanings. ↩