Seol Ri-hyang suddenly grabbed Bing Yerin's hand, and the cold energy she had been emitting swelled up like crazy.
It was enough to make one feel as if this place were the North Sea rather than the warm Guangdong Province.
Perhaps it was because this wasn't just cold — it was cold infused with internal energy. The rampaging energy of the great disciple, surrounded and pressured by Seol Ri-hyang's energy, visibly shrank in force.
Deciding that this was enough to cut him down, I swung my blade at his neck and then turned around.
"Seol Ri-hyang? What is this… Did you do this?"
"Mm. How is it? I was pretty helpful, wasn't I?"
Seol Ri-hyang, looking slightly tired but proud, clasped her hands behind her back and giggled. All I could do was stare blankly at her and nod.
Was it just my imagination? Or had she gained some kind of Enlightenment? Seol Ri-hyang's presence seemed a little different from usual.
It was like standing before a snowy plain that was cold, yet not entirely cold… Wait, surely not?
It was still a bit weak, but… it was a sensation I'd only felt when facing absolute masters of the Harmony Realm. The moment I realized it resembled the unique atmosphere that arises when one's Intent naturally takes hold of the surroundings, my eyes flew wide open.
"Gahk."
A single cry, and Bing Yerin collapsed limply. Seol Ri-hyang shook her head with a troubled look at the sight of her sprawled across the floor, stained white with cold energy.
"My, my. Bing Yerin's broken down."
"Young Miss Seol…?"
"Well. She's served her purpose for a long time."
"…!"
As Bing Yerin's mouth fell open in shock, Seol Ri-hyang giggled and grabbed the fallen woman's hand.
It looked like she was taking a pulse, and Cheon Hwi tilted his head and asked.
"What are you trying to do? More importantly, why did Bing Yerin collapse in the first place?"
"It's nothing, Cheon Hwi. Just exhaustion from a lack of inner qi. Give her a little energy and she'll be fine in no time."
Seol Ri-hyang shrugged and closed her eyes, beginning to concentrate.
For simply channeling internal energy to restore the body's vitality, she seemed to be focusing far too hard…
"What the hell… What are you really doing, Miss Seol?! I knew you'd take my internal energy without asking, but I never thought you'd give it back without asking either."
Bing Yerin was fiddling with her lower abdomen—no, her Dantian—wearing an expression as if possessed by a ghost.
She still looked somewhat tired, but at least she was no longer at the point of collapsing and wheezing from sheer exhaustion.
But what was this about taking internal energy and then giving it back?
I blinked in bewilderment and looked at Seol Ri-hyang. Catching my gaze, she gave a deliberately haughty tilt of her chin.
"It's nothing much. I needed Bing Yerin's help, so I borrowed some of her internal energy, and this time it seemed like Bing Yerin needed help, so I just filled her back up."
"So you're saying you took someone else's internal energy, used it as if it were your own, and then poured your own internal energy straight into her Dantian in return?"
That was a level of madness beyond Qi Deviation—the kind of thing that could easily kill someone. And yet Bing Yerin was perfectly fine.
At my shock, Seol Ri-hyang gave an awkward nod.
"Well, that's roughly it, but it's not as impressive as it sounds. It's not something just anyone can do."
"So there are certain restrictions or limitations."
"Yes. First, the person has to genuinely want to help me. And they don't need to practice the exact same martial art as me, but at least it has to be similar in nature… they need to have trained in Yin-Cold Energy Cultivation."
"I see. I think I roughly understand what you mean."
It's only upon reaching the Harmony Realm that one can begin to use Intent in earnest, but everyone possesses Intent to begin with, and everyone uses it, whether consciously or unconsciously.
The killing intent I so often employ is one such example, and even a commoner who has never trained in martial arts will radiate a distinctly different aura when their emotions reach their peak.
After all, Intent is will and thought. In other words, it's what we call the mind—so it's only natural that any being with a mind possesses it.
It seems the Enlightenment Seol Ri-hyang gained is of the sort that allows her to approach another person's Intent.
It is an Intent that clearly exists, merely not outwardly revealed. Reaching out one's hand toward it.
If the opponent accepts Seol Ri-hyang's Intent… wouldn't that allow her to handle their internal energy as well?
Since Intent arises first, and internal energy follows after, it is not an impossible feat.
After all, rare as they are, Intent techniques that interfere with another's Intent do exist.
It's an example that would make Seol Ri-hyang wear a strange expression if she heard it… but among the Harmony Realm martial artists I've met recently, the Lust Demon is exactly such a case.
It's more forceful, and every conclusion leads to lust, but regardless, isn't that also touching upon another's Intent?
However, such methods mostly end up either crushing the opponent's Intent with one's own, or dyeing it in one's own color.
"How peculiar."
"Is that so? I thought you, Cheon Hwi, were the one displaying more absurd martial arts."
"The fundamental difference lies there. Intent is the power that makes the impossible possible. Naturally, those who champion it are bound to have strong convictions."
That's why there is no ordinary person among Harmony Realm martial artists. How stubborn must one be to paint over the world, even partially, with their own will?
It's merely a matter of direction—some are more conspicuous than others.
"However, Seol Ri-hyang, your Intent isn't particularly impressive on its own. Its true value only reveals itself when someone else embraces it."
"Isn't that how life works for everyone? No one can do everything alone. We live by helping each other."
"…Hah. Is that so. It's fitting that someone like you would awaken such an Intent."
I chuckled softly and patted Seol Ri-hyang's shoulder.
"You're a bit late, but congratulations on your Enlightenment."
"Yeah."
"If any of us were to reach the Harmony Realm, I thought it would be Tang So-wol first. I never expected it to be you, Seol Ri-hyang."
"Yeah…?"
"I wonder if people will accuse us of jumping the line later."
"…"
"I'm joking."
"…No, jokes that can't be laughed at are against the rules."
I chuckled at the sight of Seol Ri-hyang trembling and continued speaking.
"By the way, can you use Aura now? If Aura is added to Seol Ri-hyang's martial art… it should be a more spectacular sight than most Force Qi Skills."
"Hmm. That's the thing… I'm not sure myself. I haven't tried to shape Aura yet, so I think I'll need to get a feel for it by trying it out."
That made sense. What Seol Ri-hyang had done this time was simply concentrate her massive internal energy to strongly pressure the internal energy around her.
The process of drawing in that massive internal energy used Intent, but using the drawn-in internal energy was done the same way as usual.
Just as I had used Aura immediately upon reaching the Harmony Realm, but was only able to execute a sword strike that cut through space by applying Intent later.
Seol Ri-hyang could now draw on others' internal energy using Intent right away, but refining it into Aura would take some time.
"I'll teach you a few tricks on the way. Aura is a versatile skill used by any Harmony Realm Martial Artist, so you'll be able to use it soon enough."
"Thank you. But what are we going to do from here?"
"First, we need to finish things up. We've dealt with the ones sent after us, but there are still quite a few Demonic Cultists who invaded left to take care of."
"True. Haomun has racked up quite a bit of bad karma."
Haomun's first principle is survival. Profit comes second.
That is to say, they will sacrifice anyone who seems unlikely to cause trouble, all for the sake of their own lives and their own gain.
It's gotten a bit better since the martial world stabilized, but… they're still probably within the top five of the Demonic Cult's most hated.
Naturally, plenty of people would have volunteered for this attack.
As I briefly reviewed my plan in my head and nodded, Seol Ri-hyang let out a deep sigh.
"But what I meant was something a bit more immediate than that."
"Hm?"
"I was asking what you plan to do about this."
"Now, now. Calling a person 'this' is a bit much, don't you think?"
"Ah, no, no. This is more than enough for me. Yesss."
The voice answered with a strangely servile tone. It came not from eye level, but from the floor itself.
That's right. For whatever reason this time, the Haomun sect leader was prostrate on the ground, watching Seol Ri-hyang's expression as he spoke.
It was a sight that embodied the very nature of the Unorthodox Sects—bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
But I understood. After all, just moments ago, even if the Haomun people might have survived, the building itself had been on the verge of being blown to pieces.
A perceptive man, the Haomun sect leader had likely figured it out as well—if luck had been against him, he would have died.
If I were to flee with someone, it would be Seol Ri-hyang and Bing Yerin, not a man who bore a grudge as the Blood Flame Fist Demon's chief disciple.
Besides, Seol Ri-hyang had reached the Harmony Realm, so there was no harm in keeping a low profile.
His position had nearly been destroyed, his life had hung by a thread, and his martial power had declined—if he still held his head high here, that wouldn't be very Haomun-like after all…
I let out a hollow laugh and helped the prostrate sect leader to his feet.
"Enough, get up first. I don't know the geography or layout around here, so I need your help."
"Yes. Tell me anything. What do you need me to do?"
"I will help those who are still fighting. And on my way here, I encountered an assassin inside… it seems they want something from within Haomun. If you have any idea what that might be, I'd appreciate your guidance on that matter as well."
"Ah… the former is one thing, but the latter concerns the secrets of Haomun, does it not? I think it might be better if I went alone to check it out…"
"I won't stop you. However, I'll tell you this much—the assassin I faced was no ordinary thug. He was a first-rate assassin from Assassin Valley."
Surely they wouldn't deploy just a single first-rate assassin to bring down Haomun, one of the greatest organizations under heaven. They must have placed a top-tier assassin at the head, with several first-rate assassins under his command.
Facing an assassin of similar martial level who had deliberately infiltrated, while exhausted… for the sect leader of Haomun, it would be nothing short of suicide.
Having finished his calculations, the sect leader of Haomun bowed his head.
"On second thought, if I can receive the aid of the White Moon Sword Lord, the Great Hero, that would be for the best. Where would you like me to guide you first?"
"First, let's put an end to this damn battle."
Though the perceived time wasn't that long, having watched the Heavenly Demon's memories of endless battles until he was sick of them, he woke up to find that he actually had a real fight on his hands.
What's more, the madmen of the Demonic Cult were so blindly devoted that dealing with them tired the mind more than the body.
Even for someone like me, it was inevitable that I wanted to finish things quickly and sleep with both legs stretched out comfortably.
The sect leader of Haomun guided us toward places where the enemies might attack, where the commotion continued. Watching her back, I asked something I'd been curious about.
"By the way, do you have any idea what grudge the Blood Flame Fist Demon's head disciple holds against Haomun?"
"…Actually, there is one thing."
"What is it?"
"Before I say it, let me make one thing clear: this happened during the time of the previous sect leader, not me."
"You're making me even more curious by saying that."
What is it, then.