SHIIIIIIK!

The sword he swung was heavy, yet the sound of its blade cutting through the wind was terribly crisp.

SWISH! SWISH!

The blade was so massive and thick that it seemed far more suited to cutting than thrusting. It was a greatsword with the qualities of a single-edged blade, and it could also be used like a heavy spear—to thrust, then drive forward with force.

“Huff, huff!”

Gangryang’s body was soaked with sweat.

His breathing had completely fallen apart. Since his breathing had broken down, the strength carried into his muscles was all over the place, and even the footwork he had perfectly embodied was slowly starting to unravel.

Further training had no meaning.

Nine masters out of ten would have said so if they saw Gangryang now.

But Gangryang did not think so.

FLASH! THUD!

The thick blade buried itself into the trunk of a fairly large tree.

With Gangryang’s Inner Qi output, it was a thickness he should have been able to cut through with a single stroke, yet he had not even cut half of it. It looked as if a woodcutter had swung a dull axe.

“Haaah! Haaah!”

His final strike, made with all his strength. Because he used explosive breathing, his already violent breathing became even rougher.

No matter how stubborn he was, he could not endure any longer. Gangryang let go of the sword and sprawled flat on the ground.

“D-damn it.”

Drip, drip.

Both of Gangryang’s hands were torn and split open all over, and blood was steadily seeping out.

Panting for breath, he stared at the sword lodged in the tree.

The embedded sword, unable to withstand its own weight, was slowly beginning to slide out.

It’s insanely heavy.

That sword was a greatsword Yeon Wi had subcontracted to the smithy that had made a deal with the Alliance. Its length was close to five feet, and even the width of the blade easily exceeded half a foot.

At this level, simply lifting and swinging it was hard labor. It was a weapon even a master of the internal path would find difficult to handle easily.

Gangryang had swung such a sword for more than half a shichen.

“How the hell does Brother Yeon swing an eighty-geun axe like that?”

Gangryang himself had once lifted Mad Dragon.

And he had thought this: unless Yeon Hojeong insulted his parents or siblings, he should never, ever challenge him from now on.

He’s not human.

They said eighty geun like it was nothing, but swinging that thing around in flashes as if it were a swift sword was difficult even for a Transcendent Peak master.

Even if it were possible, if one kept using martial arts like that, no joints would remain intact later. Inner Qi was not omnipotent. It could maximize the body’s durability and flexibility, but it could not transform the structure of the human body or change its properties.

And yet Yeon Hojeong looked as if his joints and muscles suffered no burden even after using Mad Dragon for half a day or more.

It was simply absurd.

He must have gone through some tremendous training I don’t know about.

In the past, the Yeon Clan Lord had once told him about Yeon Hojeong’s old training schedule.

He had been extremely shocked when he heard it, but he had also not believed all of it. Because he thought it was not the kind of training a master who had not broken through the Wall of Martial Arts could withstand.

But now, he finally knew.

That training was real. No, it wouldn’t even be strange if he trained even more brutally where the Clan Lord couldn’t see him.

As he organized his thoughts, his breathing had returned to normal at some point.

Gangryang sighed.

“How pathetic.”

It was not only Yeon Hojeong.

He called her elder sister, but Mookbi was also extremely young in the martial world. And yet she had the Wall of Martial Arts right before her eyes.

It was not a realm that could be explained by talent. She, too, must have reached that level through effort that made her vomit blood and shave away bone.

And lastly.

He said his name was Yeon Jipyeong.

Gangryang’s eyes trembled.

He was incredible.

After returning to the Alliance, Gangryang had spent all his days eating and sleeping in these woods.

There was no other reason. It was because he had received a greater shock than ever before.

They said he’s younger than me. And yet he had that kind of martial art...

On the way back after escorting the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions, Gi Uhui.

The martial arts Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi had shown then could hardly be described as anything less than divine skill. When Yeon Hojeong fought at close range and held the enemies in place through battlefield command, Mookbi killed them with ranged attacks and displayed the essence of allied escort protection.

But the number of enemies pouring in was too great. Those who escaped the martial arts of those two monsters, Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi, attacked Mo Yong-woo, who was carrying Gi Uhui, countless times.

That was when Yeon Jipyeong stepped forward.

It was tremendous swordsmanship. Before even discussing the nature of the sword art, its level was already good enough to be called the realm of a master...

Yeon Jipyeong’s sword art was perfect.

No, he did not know if it was truly perfect, but at least in Gangryang’s eyes, it had seemed that way.

It was a sword art like an iron fortress nothing could pierce. He did not respond flexibly to the enemy’s attacks; he wielded an iron-wall sword art that blocked any attack outright.

To wield a sword art like that before even reaching twenty was something that would shock the whole world. Under the protection of Yeon Jipyeong, who was younger than him, Gangryang had been forced to return to the Martial Alliance without being able to do anything.

That shock was so great no one but the person involved could understand it. Even when Yeon Hojeong had shouted at him to face reality, he had not been shocked to that degree.

At first, he had thought this. Yeon Hojeong and Yeon Jipyeong were both truly monsters. Since the Yeon Clan Lord’s martial arts were outstanding to begin with, the talents of those two who inherited his blood could only be tremendous as well.

But such thoughts were nothing more than escape.

My father was strong too.

The master of the Ghost-Iron Sword Gate. The pride of a Dark Path sword gate.

The martial arts of his late father had also been counted among the finest even in the Dark Path. And Gangryang was that father’s child.

Gangryang closed his eyes.

Of course there’s talent too. There must also be a difference in teaching. But the most important thing is probably how much of one’s soul was devoted to acquiring strength.

Everyone made effort. What mattered was whether one knew something beyond effort.

And to learn what that was, Gangryang had swung his sword in the forest for several days.

The result?

“...I don’t know.”

Gangryang gave a bitter smile.

“Was I always this stupid?”

He had been called one of the most notable members of the younger generation in the Dark Path, but looking at it now, he was truly stupid beyond belief.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do beyond this. I don’t know, but...”

Still, there was one thing he had realized through these past few days of self-abuse.

“If I can’t do it, I just have to keep going until I can.”

Then a voice tinged with laughter came from nearby.

“That’s a good mindset.”

Startled, Gangryang shot to his feet and looked behind him.

There, though he had no idea when he had arrived, Yeon Hojeong was squatting as he looked down at him.

“B-Brother?”

“Yeah.”

“When did you get here?”

“Around when you started chopping at that tree with that overly dignified sword?”

Gangryang scratched his head with an awkward expression.

“You saw something shameful.”

“Shameful? It was quite impressive. That was a strike with soul in it.”

“What soul? I just swung it in desperation. I didn’t even split the tree.”

“That’s why it had soul in it.”

“What?”

Yeon Hojeong chuckled.

“Do you have to have a purpose to put power into something? Do you have to be angry or sad to put yourself into your sword?”

“...!”

“Sometimes, a single strike swung without any thought shows, in raw form, the direction you are heading.”

Gangryang looked at the tree.

The sword, which was still slowly slipping out, was only large and looked terribly unimpressive.

“Not the sword. Think back to the moment you swung that sword. Think back to yourself at that instant.”

“Myself at that instant...”

“At least in the strike I saw, your confused heart was projected exactly as it was, but the path the sword drew was extremely honest and clean.”

Gangryang’s eyes trembled.

Yeon Hojeong stood.

“My younger brother was strong, wasn’t he?”

“Yes. He was truly strong.”

“Even if you try not to compare yourself, you keep comparing yourself to him, don’t you?”

“I do.”

It was an honest answer.

At the hot-blooded age of his twenties, it would not have been easy to admit even because of pride. But while Gangryang might feel bitter and frustrated, he was extremely honest with himself.

“There’s nothing wrong with comparing. But because of that, you shouldn’t think the path you’ve walked until now was wrong, should you?”

“...?!”

“You were an outsider to me. Jipyeong is different. He’s my blood. But now, both of you are my younger brothers.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Gangryang’s eyes grew wide.

“Do you understand? You can be different. But neither of you is wrong.”

“I-I see.”

“I won’t tell you to broaden your vessel. But don’t stay trapped in delusion too long. You have your own path, don’t you?”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“And one more thing. At least when it comes to practical combat ability, you are still far ahead of Jipyeong.”

“...!”

Strength entered Gangryang’s fists on its own.

“When you enter a fight you cannot avoid, you can’t just obediently let yourself get cut because your opponent’s martial arts are better than yours. There is always a way. The key is how quickly you find that way, and to what extent you can maximize it.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s the same in martial arts training.”

Yeon Hojeong reached out a hand.

Gangryang took that hand and stood.

“That’s enough self-abuse. Pick up your sword and follow me.”

“Wh-where are you going?”

“Don’t you remember what I said at the beginning? I told you I would make you strong.”

A savage smile appeared on Yeon Hojeong’s face.

“A spar like real combat and splendid enlightenment in abundance are not the only things that make a person grow. If you want to regain your reputation as the strongest sword hero of the Dark Path, you need to broaden your field of vision.”

*****

After Gangryang washed clean and eased his hunger with rice balls, the place Yeon Hojeong brought him was none other than the strategist’s office.

Je Gal Munho’s eyes widened.

“Oh, Commander Yeon. You’ve come?”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“And the young man beside you is...?”

Je Gal Munho’s eyes gleamed.

“From Hunan?”

“That’s right.”

Gangryang cupped his fist with discipline.

“Gangryang greets Strategist Je Gal.”

It was an extremely manly greeting. There was no trace of prejudice in the voice he revealed.

Je Gal Munho had no choice but to admit that his first impression of Gangryang was better than expected.

“Indeed, he is a talent worth bringing back even while you dug your heels in.”

“Haha.”

“But I doubt you came to introduce this young man to me. What brings you here?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

“The Tang Clan Lord’s two sponsors. Their registration has been completed, correct?”

“Of course. Didn’t you personally bring the Divine Maiden of the Western Regions? I registered her immediately.”

“I see.”

“By the way, I wanted to ask right away, but the atmosphere was so vicious that I couldn’t bring myself to. What on earth did you say to Physician Gi? Physician Gi’s face looked like she was on the verge of fainting...”

“I’ll tell you about that later. First, I’ll tell you why I came.”

Je Gal Munho chuckled.

“You truly are something. I have no idea what kind of driving force you’re about to unleash, coming at me so aggressively again. Very well. Let’s hear it.”

“I intend to request a private meeting with the Mo Yong Clan Lord.”

“...!!”

Je Gal Munho’s face hardened.

“With Mo Yonggun?”

“That’s right.”

“...I won’t ask the reason. But what does that have to do with me, for you to come all the way here? You could simply go find him and ask to meet.”

“Please focus all of the Alliance’s intelligence network on southern Hubei.”

“Pardon?”

Yeon Hojeong pointed at Gangryang.

“I’m going to fleece Mo Yonggun with him. If we succeed, Mo Yonggun’s allies will come up from Hunan and head toward the Martial Alliance.”

“...!!”

“Anyone connected to Mo Yonggun, even slightly, among those coming to the Martial Alliance. Please identify every last one of them.”