A sparring match doesn't necessarily have to be between martial artists of similar levels. If the gap in levels is large, it's still possible to have an instructional sparring match where the stronger one teaches the weaker through direct swordplay.
Of course, for a friendly sparring match meant to build camaraderie by showcasing each other's martial arts, it's proper to send out someone of a similar level, but…
That's something I can easily be mistaken for, since I don't usually flaunt my Aura in everyday life.
Elder Sam had given them a hint that I'd be far stronger than I appeared, but my Aura didn't seem impressive, and I wasn't young either.
They must have thought I was at best a first-rate beginner. Jin Baek, who came out as my sparring opponent, was at the tail end of Second-Rate, so in terms of martial level he wouldn't be at a big disadvantage, and as a Third Generation Disciple of similar age, they must have thought he was the perfect choice.
Elder Sam wore a slightly troubled expression, but on this matter, while the expectations from the previous sparring match had grown and this was unexpected, it wasn't to the point of feeling dissatisfied or finding it hard to accept.
However, what surprised me was that Jin Baek was a face I recognized.
"Hmm. Young hero, it seems my explanation was lacking…"
"It's fine."
I shook my head at Elder Sam, who had carefully broached the topic, and then offered a fist-and-palm salute to my opponent.
"I am Cheon Hwi. Please take care of me."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Jin Baek, who had been glancing around as if something felt off, bowed his head and drew his sword, settling into a stance.
Why would he return the greeting when I had already saluted first? That slightly clumsy manner of his would, surprisingly, remain with him even as he approached thirty, until the point where calling him a rising talent no longer fit.
Drawing my sword in turn, I studied Jin Baek before me. His features were younger than the ones in my memory. Yet, because the contours of his face were the same, I found myself involuntarily recalling memories of the past.
Before the regression. The era when, one by one, the Five Great Families and the Nine Great Sects and One Gang crumbled under the Demonic Cult's invasion, and the Murim Alliance hurriedly joined hands with the Black Alliance.
At that time, I was still merely within the fence of the Black Alliance, not belonging to any particular faction inside it.
After the Iron Blood Faction collapsed and I lost Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin. I managed to succeed in my revenge, and in that process reached the Transcendent Peak realm and earned the alias of Sword Demon, but.
I led no Martial Force Unit, nor did I receive any important post within the Alliance.
Just as Seomun Hwa-rin, in the past, had received the title of Iron Blood Faction Leader and performed only the minimum duties without deeply involving herself in the Black Alliance.
Except for a few tasks the Lord of the Black Alliance personally ordered, my days were spent buried solely in the training of the sword.
To me back then, nothing remained but the sword, just like my alias.
Though the Lord of the Black Alliance continued to keep Seomun Hwa-rin, and me and Seol Ri-hyang who belonged to her, in check… regardless, when the Iron Blood Faction was attacked, it was also the Lord of the Black Alliance who came running first.
He was a man who, while wary of anyone who might challenge him, dealt with those who did more decisively than anyone else.
Though Seomun Hwa-rin was a potential rival, she was still a member of the Black Alliance, and she was faithful to her role.
And though it was a personal grudge, he could not forgive the Black Heaven Sword Emperor and the martial artists of the Black Heaven Sword Gate for invading and slaughtering the Iron Blood Faction, which was clearly under the Black Alliance.
They had also helped me when I had fallen into Qi Deviation and was half-mad.
The Lord of the Black Alliance could never be a good man, but he could be a good superior. That was probably why he was able to create the first alliance of Unorthodox Sects.
In any case, the point is that at that time, I had lost Seomun Hwa-rin and Seol Ri-hyang, and had yet to meet Tang So-wol.
In other words, it was a time when I was sharpening my blade against everything around me.
It was then that I met Jin Baek. He was one of the Zhongnan Sect martial artists who had scattered in all directions when Zhongnan was exterminated.
He was also a martial artist who had volunteered for the demonstrative alliance with the Unorthodox Sects, which still harbored grudges, in response to the Murim Alliance's summons.
His martial level at the time was the early stage of the Peak Realm. Plenty of people spend their whole lives stuck at first-rate, so considering his age, it was a rather impressive talent.
However, that alone was woefully insufficient to achieve the revenge of the Zhongnan Sect, which had suffered Clan Extermination, and conveniently, there was me—someone of a similar age who had reached the Transcendent Peak and was called the Sword Demon.
Jin Baek began to beg me to teach him the sword. Sometimes he would follow me around all day, persistently, and sometimes he would even kneel and plead.
The problem was that I was in a period of sharpening my blade at the time. I couldn't hold anything in my heart except for a single sword.
I lived obsessed with the sword, and it was obvious that even if I died someday, I would die obsessed with it—hence the alias Sword Demon. That says it all.
Naturally, I ignored Jin Baek's request. I would rather swing my sword one more time than spend time teaching someone else.
Even if I did teach, my martial arts only displayed their full power because they were mine alone. I also thought that if someone else learned them, their effectiveness would drop drastically.
Above all, the biggest problem was that there was nothing I could learn from Jin Baek's sword at the time.
Of course, Jin Baek had his own desperate reasons, so he didn't give up.
It was because the Zhongnan Sect had been suddenly wiped out, and most of the divine arts called secret arts had been lost.
The martial art Jin Baek had mastered was a decent advanced martial art, but it was far from the few divine arts that symbolized Zhongnan.
Therefore, in order to one day defeat the Heavenly Demon, topple the Demonic Cult, and achieve his revenge—in order to once again raise his sect's name across the world—he believed he needed a new divine art to replace the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.
Jin Baek had bowed his head to many swordsmen, not just me, asking for their teachings.
The results were not very good.
Not only were there few who would give away their sword arts, but he himself, unable to abandon his roots as a Taoist, swung a sword stained with killing intent and anger—how could he possibly develop properly?
Jin Baek's plans were grand, but his abilities and circumstances were not.
In the end, he continued his research with no answers in sight, swinging a martial art that was neither one thing nor the other.
Then, the Murim Alliance and the Black Alliance formally joined hands, and most of the remaining Harmony Realm masters from the righteous sects dug a trap to catch the Heavenly Demon.
I, too, was one of the martial artists who took part in that plan. Our task was to block the other Demonic Cultists so that no interference would come while the others faced the Heavenly Demon.
It wasn't a difficult mission. The Demonic Cultists other than the Heavenly Demon were nothing special, and I thought that no matter how powerful the Heavenly Demon was, he couldn't withstand a combined attack from eight Harmony Realm masters.
But well. Isn't that just how the world works—things never go the way you think they will.
The Heavenly Demon struck back and killed every single Harmony Realm master. And we found ourselves in a situation where we had to face the Demonic Cultists from the front while dealing with the Heavenly Demon approaching from behind.
As we fled, surrounded from all sides, there came a moment when there was no longer any path of escape, and I steeled myself for death.
Jin Baek burned his True Origin Vital Energy and broke through the Demonic Cultists, creating a chance for me to escape.
I had treated him harshly all this time, yet when I asked why he would risk his life for me, his answer was simple.
Because I was stronger. If I lived instead of him, the chances of avenging the Demonic Cult would only grow.
So he asked that, in return for surviving here, I must surely carry out the revenge in his place.
In the end, I failed to withstand the Heavenly Demon's onslaught and was defeated, but it was true that I had been granted my life once.
I had incurred a debt I could not repay. It was one of the things that weighed on my mind… and now, an opportunity to repay at least a little of it had come.
Shrrk-
I drew my sword slowly and took my stance. Feet spread shoulder-width apart, arms centered. And I aligned the tip of my blade with the edge of my gaze.
The most basic stance. But it's enough.
From now on, the sword I show will carry no complex skill, no grand mystery.
I don't know what level Jin Baek is at now, but regardless of how strong he was before the regression, our swords had reached a point where neither was of much help to the other.
But things are different now, aren't they?
Jin Baek, who had been watching me with a face half-tension, half-expectation, charged the moment I completed my stance.
"Haah!"
His speed was neither particularly fast nor slow. But his steps themselves were quite light. As I'd seen in the earlier sparring match, he kept himself ready to change direction at any moment.
Watching the sword swing in from a diagonal, I drew a horizontal line.
Clang!
The sword was knocked away in a single strike. His arm and shoulder twisted from the force, collapsing his stance—but that didn't mean he was neutralized.
Jin Baek barely managed to twist his waist and swung his sword again. For a strike launched from such an unstable posture, it carried considerable power.
It was a sight I'd seen once before and recognized. Jin Baek had probably also mastered the Nine Palace Divine Walk Sword Art.
This time, Jin Baek's sword came down vertically toward my head. But I noticed the tip trembling slightly—he was still shaken from having his sword knocked away so easily a moment ago.
So I slowly raised my sword and gently met his strike.
Screech!
The two blades froze in midair with the sound of scraping steel. But what followed was no contest of strength.
"…Huh?"
He was simply stuck to Jin Baek's sword. When the brat tried to thrust, he pulled back at the same speed; when he tried to withdraw, he pressed forward, maintaining the close contact.
That said, this didn't mean Jin Baek could swing his sword as he pleased.
Whenever the brat tried to move his blade, the natural contact with Cheon Hwi's sword twisted its trajectory off course.
It was the Principle of Adhesion. If he added internal energy to this, he could even launch a counterattack… but he decided not to go that far.
"Eek! Eiiit!"
As Jin Baek flailed his sword, desperate to break free, Cheon Hwi spoke.
"For a vertical slash, it's better to drive in with overwhelming force in a single stroke than to add half-hearted variations. However, no matter how flustered you are, letting your sword tip tremble is unacceptable."
"What?"
For a moment, Jin Baek wore a puzzled expression. Cheon Hwi let out a soft chuckle as he continued.
"It's the same now. If you try something once and it doesn't work, don't cling to it stubbornly—find another way. Don't panic, stay calm. And never stop thinking about how to turn the situation around."
"Uh… what?"
Jin Baek asked back, not understanding the meaning, and Cheon Hwi chuckled again.
"What's the point of keeping your footwork in reserve? If the sword won't do it, you should widen the distance entirely."
"Ah."
With a look of sudden realization, Jin Baek leaped backward.
After that, things continued much the same as before. Jin Baek swung his sword at me, and I deflected it while pointing out his shortcomings.
I didn't know much about the Nine Palace Divine Walk Sword Art that Jin Baek had mastered, but I could tell it wasn't merely light and flashy.
At first, Jin Baek seemed somewhat displeased, but as we exchanged more moves, his expression began to grow serious.
Because he realized that I wasn't looking down on Zhongnan's martial arts, but was genuinely trying to offer advice.
It was just past forty exchanges when I decided to end it. I had already pointed out everything visible, and Jin Baek himself seemed to be gradually tiring, so I swung my sword one last time with great force.
Clang!
With a clear metallic ring, Jin Baek's sword flew through the air and landed far away.
"Ah."
Jin Baek stared blankly at his empty hand for a moment. Then, as if just waking from a dream, he spoke in a dazed voice and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
"I have lost. Thank you."
"It was a good sparring match."
With that, I had at least fulfilled the bare minimum of courtesy.
I hoped so.