The preliminary round of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering began.
As for me and Tang So-wol, we simply left deep marks on the lump of black iron with a moderate level of Sword Qi, and that was that.
All that remained now was to wait for Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin's sparring match to finish.
"It ended quicker than I expected. What shall we do, young hero Cheon?"
"Quite a crowd has gathered over at the sparring matches, so it might still be a while before Seol Ri-hyang or Hwa-rin's turn comes up. It wouldn't be right to just head back to the inn without them, so how about we wait a bit and go together?"
"And we can watch the other preliminary participants' sparring matches while we're at it?"
"Well, that's a bonus, I suppose."
I shrugged my shoulders and turned to leave. Walking alongside Tang So-wol for a while, we soon arrived at the Murim Alliance's training ground.
It seemed the space had been built from the start to accommodate a large number of people—it was far more expansive than I had imagined.
The area was divided into several sections, where multiple participants were simultaneously engaged in sparring matches against Murim Alliance martial artists.
The clash of weapons rang out from every direction. Even louder than that were the cheers and the sighs of disappointment.
I let the shifting fortunes—already decided several times over in this short span—wash past me as I scanned the surroundings.
"As expected of the preliminaries, the overall level is a bit lacking. Still, it's enjoyable to see such a variety of martial arts… Hm?"
"I don't see Hyang-i or young miss Seo anywhere. I suppose with this many people, it's hard to spot anyone…"
I exchanged a glance with Tang So-wol, then casually changed the subject.
"I see. With this many people, it wouldn't be easy to find them."
"Yes. Setting aside the depth of the competition, being able to see such a variety of martial arts in one place is certainly a rare experience."
"…"
"…"
Once again, our answers had missed each other, and we exchanged awkward smiles.
"Shall we take a more careful look around?"
"I suppose that would be best. Hyang-i and young miss Seo stand out quite easily, so we should be able to find them soon."
Seol Ri-hyang, owing to her Pure Yin Constitution, not only had her beauty enhanced but also unconsciously exuded a Seductive Aura.
As for Seomun Hwa-rin, what was there to say? With hair that long turned completely white, she would be recognizable at a single glance.
How long did we keep wandering among the participants waiting for their turn and the gossipmongers who had come to watch from a distance?
The crowd was so thick that we couldn't easily find them, and eventually Tang So-wol let out a sigh and gestured for me to come closer.
"Young hero Cheon. Young hero Cheon. I have a good idea—would you care to hear it?"
"What is it?"
"It's simple: you'll give me a ride on your back."
"???"
As I blinked, unable to comprehend her sudden proposal, Tang So-wol giggled and added her reasoning.
"Wouldn't we see better from a high place? And conversely, Hyang-i or Lady Seo would be able to spot us right away."
"…Are you being serious?"
"I'm always serious."
"Ha! Fine. But know this—even if you get embarrassed later and beg to come down, I won't let you."
"Hmph. That's my line, isn't it? Young hero Cheon is surprisingly shy, after all."
Tang So-wol tilted her chin up with an utterly composed air. Her provocative look made my temper flare, and I immediately crouched down, lowering my stance.
"Go on, climb on…"
"Eigh."
No sooner had I crouched down than Tang So-wol climbed onto my shoulders, as if she had been waiting for exactly that.
The pressure of her thighs wrapping around both sides of my face, her warm body heat, and the distinctive scent of her that wafted over me.
I had thought it was a joke, but my body stiffened at Tang So-wol's audacity in actually riding on my shoulders. I could see the people around us who had spotted us also flinch in surprise.
Well, it made sense. Seeing a grown woman riding on someone's shoulders in front of so many people wasn't something you got to see every day.
They only kept their mouths shut because they saw the martial uniform of the Tang Clan, but their minds were probably just as confused as mine.
However, perhaps she was displeased that I, who had let her climb up so generously, was not getting up anytime soon.
Tang So-wol lightly patted the top of my head with her palm and whispered.
"What are you doing, young hero Cheon? You should get up quickly. At this rate, it's no different from standing."
"…"
"Or could it be… after speaking so boldly, you're backing out now that the time has come? Surely you're not that much of a coward?"
"What are you talking about? I simply didn't notice how light you were when you climbed on."
I rose from my seat reflexively, the flattery-laced bravado spilling out on its own. Tang So-wol tightened her grip on my thighs even harder, grabbing my hair to keep her balance.
"Let go of my head. It hurts more than you'd think."
Letting out a sigh, I grabbed Tang So-wol's thighs with both hands and held her firmly in place.
Only then did she release the pressure on my thighs and let go of my hair. As if apologetic, she silently tidied my disheveled hair, then began to look around.
All I could see were people staring at us as if we were strange, but from up there, she must have been able to see something different.
Tang Jincheon had said he would arrive slowly, timing it with the start of the main tournament. That was a relief.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly and resumed looking around, but only for a moment.
"Ah! Found it! Looks like they're just about to start!"
Tang So-wol's face lit up with delight as she pointed to the side. As we approached, people parted left and right as if they'd spotted a charging carriage.
I forced a layer of shamelessness over my face, which kept threatening to flush. Tang So-wol, meanwhile, smiled as if nothing were wrong at all and waved her hand.
"It's here, over here!"
"Wh-what?!"
At the sight of her, Seomun Hwa-rin flinched in shock and desperately began pretending not to know us.
Of course, even so, it seemed there was no hiding the fact that we were already traveling together.
In the end, Seomun Hwa-rin, her face flushed, prepared for the sparring match. The Murim Alliance martial artist who was to be her opponent let out a hollow laugh and took his stance.
"You seem to have a deep connection with the Tang Clan."
"It-it was merely a coincidence that we met on the road and traveled together."
"Making friends easily is the privilege of the young. I was the same in my day."
The examiner smiled fondly, reminiscing about the past. Of course, for Seomun Hwa-rin, whose actual age was anything but young, it seemed to have the opposite effect.
"…When does the sparring match begin?"
"If you wish, we can start right now."
The examiner nodded, his smile fading as he drew the spear from his back with a serious expression.
His waist stood straight. The spear was raised at a precise angle. His stance, heavy and unshakable like an old tree, seemed to speak indirectly of the years he had devoted to the martial arts.
Though lacking in talent, he had yet to break through the wall of the Peak Realm even as he approached forty, he was nonetheless a seasoned Martial Artist standing at the tail end of the first-rate.
More than enough to evaluate the rabble participating in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
But unfortunately, his opponent was an old monster hiding his identity… no, a Martial Artist of the Harmony Realm who had refused to give up his dream even at a late age.
Was it because she had decided to risk the danger and reveal the existence of a Martial Artist named Seorin, rather than Seomun Hwa-rin?
Or perhaps she simply felt too embarrassed by the current situation and wanted to end things quickly.
Seomun Hwa-rin had shown off her skills a little too much.
Pabat!
Seomun Hwa-rin shot forward with explosive speed. The footwork she used was similar to the one she had taught me, yet different… This was likely the unmodified original Thunder Step.
Kwang!
"Wha—?!"
Even with her internal energy restricted to first-rate level, her speed was startling.
No, the speed itself was fast, but it was only fast by first-rate standards—nothing to be shocked about.
What was truly terrifying was the acceleration itself—sudden, without any warning, like a bolt of lightning striking from a clear sky.
Until now, I had thought of it as merely a martial art that forcibly poured in internal energy to achieve a brief burst of speed, even at the cost of straining oneself…
After learning the name of the martial art from Gwiyeong Sin-tu the other day, my way of observing had changed somewhat. Thanks to that, I was able to perceive more.
The Thunder Step that Seomun Hwa-rin had just displayed shared the same foundation as my footwork. However, it was a method that didn't suit me.
It was fast, flashy, and intense. A remarkable martial art, and at the same time, one that seemed to show off the Martial Artist using it.
Among those qualities, the flashiness contained a Mystery that didn't suit me at all. Surely that was why, when it was passed down to me, it had undergone a Change.
Indeed, the variant of the Thunder Step I had learned was merely fast and intense.
Well. As a martial art of the upper ranks, it probably wasn't flashy for simple vanity or show.
Flashiness meant deceiving the eye. Yet the movements were too straightforward to say they contained the Mystery of Illusion or Change.
So what was the intent behind the flashiness in Seomun Hwa-rin's Thunder Step? The answer came to me immediately.
"Hup!"
The examiner instinctively gasped and thrust his spear as the distance between them suddenly closed.
But the startled examiner's stance was already broken, and the hastily thrust spear tip was trembling, however slightly.
"Ah."
It was only then that I understood. The flashiness had become a pressure that forced the examiner to make a hasty move.
Considering the path of revenge that Seomun Hwa-rin had walked in her youth, it was hardly surprising that her movements contained the Mystery of pressuring one's Opponent.
Seomun Hwa-rin dodged the examiner's clumsy spear thrust with a slight tilt of her head and closed the distance without pause.
The examiner desperately swung the spear shaft at Seomun Hwa-rin, who had come right up to his nose… but Seomun Hwa-rin's Golden Capture Technique was faster.
Her small fingers slipped in smoothly—one hand grabbing the examiner by the collar, the other twisting the wrist that held the spear and dropping it to the ground.
Seomun Hwa-rin lightly kicked the examiner's shin as his balance crumbled in an instant.
Thump.
"Oof."
The examiner staggered and toppled over with a thud.
His face was blank, as if he couldn't understand what had just happened to him.
Seomun Hwa-rin, who should have felt proud, instead wore a look of regret.
She must have realized that, caught off guard, she had revealed far more skill than she had intended.
But what could be done about it? The water had already been spilled.
Waaaaah—!
The loudest cheer yet. Not only the spectators, but even the participants waiting for their turns wore looks of admiration.
"Wow! Young hero Cheon! Did you see that? Lady Seo took down the examiner in a single move! She's clearly not lacking in skill, yet she felled him in one go… So that's why Lady Seo kept her sect a secret! It must be one of those mysterious sects passed down through a single disciple, right?"
"…Well, something like that."
The Seomun Clan had been wiped out, and the Unorthodox Sects bastards who had learned the leaked martial arts had also been exterminated by Seomun Hwa-rin's hand.
In all the Central Plains, Seomun Hwa-rin was likely the only one who had properly mastered the Seomun Clan's martial arts. At best, I could count myself in too, since I had learned the footwork.
With the clan destroyed so long ago that few remembered it, and with Seomun Hwa-rin as the sole survivor and the only one who had learned the arts—wasn't that exactly what made it a mysterious sect with a single disciple?
Seomun Hwa-rin picked up the spear that had clattered to the ground, looking a little embarrassed, while the examiner accepted it back with a dazed expression.
He glanced between his spear and Seomun Hwa-rin for a moment, then shouted in a loud voice.
"Passed! Next contestant, step forward!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Seol Ri-hyang, tense as a drawn bowstring, stepped before the examiner with stiff, creaking movements.