"Where did you learn that? Cough!" Blood gushed from Lee Song-baek's mouth.
Seeing this, Cheong-myeong sighed and released his grip on Lee Song-baek's collar. 'I went a bit overboard.' From Cheong-myeong's perspective, no matter how the heavens might fall, he could not accept such a thing, yet the fault could not lie with Lee Song-baek.
He simply did not have the ability to cause such trouble.
"Tsk."
Cheong-myeong opened his hand and gave Lee Song-baek's back a light pat.
Thud! As Cheong-myeong's energy swept through Lee Song-baek's body, the turmoil within him began to settle.
Soon, Lee Song-baek exhaled deeply, his face relaxing.
Confirming that Lee Song-baek had calmed down, Cheong-myeong straightened his posture and gazed at the sky.
After staring at the heavens for a while, Cheong-myeong sighed heavily.
"Is that the new martial art of Jongnam?"
"…Yes."
"Seolhwa Twelve Techniques?"
"That's correct."
Cheong-myeong couldn't help but chuckle. 'At least change the name a bit.' It was practically a provocation, as if to say what could Hwasan do if they found out. 'No, that's not it.' They must have been confident that even if they did such a thing openly, Hwasan would no longer recognize this sword.
This was mockery.
If Cheong-myeong had not appeared, Hwasan would have remained oblivious while the Jongnam fellows brazenly wielded the sword that had been lost in Hwasan.
The malice of the one who created this sword was scratching at Cheong-myeong's insides.
"Who learned this sword?"
"…."
"Why are you hesitating to answer something so trivial?" Lee Song-baek nodded.
"From the second generation disciples."
"From the second generation disciples, huh? So, the first generation disciples, the second generation, and the elders know this sword?"
"I heard that the elders have never learned this sword. The ones currently practicing it are from the second and first generations."
"Never learned it…."
Cheong-myeong's eyes glinted ominously.
If one of the elders had created the Seolhwa Twelve Techniques, it would have naturally been passed down starting from the first generation disciples. 'Then it means the one who completed this sword is still in Jongnam?' That was somewhat better news.
If the one who did such a thing had already died and been buried, they would have no way to find and punish the guilty party. 'I don’t know who it is, but I will make them pay dearly for daring to do such a thing!' Cheong-myeong ground his teeth.
There was no need to find out what had happened.
When chaos erupted in Hwasan, Jongnam must have come to help.
It would be a disgrace for a neighboring sect to simply stand by and watch while the demonic sect invaded.
'But they only pretended to help while actually stealing Hwasan's martial arts.' Not everyone would have acted that way.
But there were those who took advantage of Hwasan's burning turmoil to do what should not have been done.
Or perhaps… 'It’s possible that Hwasan's burning was also the work of the demonic sect.'
Cheong-myeong's teeth clenched involuntarily.
The more he thought about it, the more unbearable it became.
"These damned bastards…."
Cheong-myeong had risked his life to save the martial world from crisis.
Yet these fellows had repaid that grace with enmity against Hwasan? Moreover, this was not just the greed of one person.
People make mistakes.
They sometimes commit sins.
Let’s say someone from Jongnam, who had come to Hwasan, was blinded by greed and made a mistake.
But isn’t it the duty of the sect to correct that mistake? Instead of sternly admonishing the sin and returning the stolen secret arts, they create a new martial art based on it? And to mock Hwasan by naming it Seolhwa (Snow Flower)?
They were truly outrageous.
Cheong-myeong turned to Lee Song-baek with burning eyes.
"You!"
"Me? Ah… yes!"
"Do not practice this!"
"Why…?"
"When I say do not practice, do not practice! You brat!" Cheong-myeong slapped the back of Lee Song-baek's head.
Watching Lee Song-baek clutch his head and whimper, two emotions crossed Cheong-myeong's mind.
On one hand, he felt a desire to beat him to death for being from Jongnam…
"Tsk."
Cheong-myeong clicked his tongue in annoyance and said to Lee Song-baek, "This is a martial art that cannot achieve greatness."
"…."
Lee Song-baek looked at Cheong-myeong with blank eyes.
But Cheong-myeong was only speaking the truth.
If Lee Song-baek had not come to him seeking a duel and had not shown him that Seolhwa Twelve Techniques, Cheong-myeong would have remained completely unaware of this matter for years.
In a way, Lee Song-baek had helped Cheong-myeong.
Cheong-myeong, who repaid kindness when possible but never forgot a grudge, found this kindness too significant to overlook.
"The martial arts of Jongnam are based on balance. At first, it may seem slow and heavy, but the more you hone the sword, the stronger it becomes. But this is not it. This does not fit with Jongnam's martial arts. If you want to achieve greatness with a sword, throw this away immediately."
"But the elders said this sword has advanced beyond the existing Jongnam sword."
"Of course."
No one had yet achieved greatness with the Seolhwa Twelve Techniques.
The flashy ones advance quickly.
When those who diligently lay the foundation clash with those who learn dazzling techniques at a shallow level, the flashy ones tend to win overwhelmingly. 'No, why doesn’t Jongnam understand that…'
"Ah…" A sigh escaped Cheong-myeong's lips. 'I hit too hard.'
He understood.
Cheong-myeong's overwhelming grip on Jongnam's swordsmanship was the root of all this trouble.
It was not an overestimation or a misjudgment.
From Jongnam's perspective, it was a natural occurrence.
They must have taken pride in their own sword.
But then Cheong-myeong appeared in the neighboring sect, and for decades, he had never lost to Jongnam, even to the point of dying in battle against the demonic sect.
Was Jongnam weak? Absolutely not.
'If Jongnam were weak, they would not have held a position in the Nine Great Sects.' Rather, it was an unprecedented time when geniuses were pouring out in Jongnam.
It would be hard to find another time in Jongnam's history when so many talents emerged.
And those geniuses happened to be born in the same era as Cheong-myeong, only to be completely crushed by his hands… 'It would not be strange if they had fundamental doubts about what they possessed.'
Fools.
If Cheong-myeong had been from Jongnam, would he have been buried without being called the Sword Sovereign? No. The important thing is not the martial arts.
No, the martial arts are important, but who wields them is even more important.
"Um…" At that moment, Lee Song-baek cautiously glanced around before speaking.
"Did you say not to practice the Seolhwa Twelve Techniques?"
"Yes."
"Then…"
As Lee Song-baek hesitated, Cheong-myeong looked at him and spoke in a serious tone, different from before.
"Your own path cannot be determined by others."
"…."
Lee Song-baek looked at Cheong-myeong with slightly changed eyes.
"Some decisions can benefit from the advice of others, but the real decisions must be made alone. The words of the elders of the sect and my words will not help you. Think alone, ponder alone, and decide alone."
Cheong-myeong turned around and began to walk towards the Eunha Mountain Sect without a word.
"Wait a moment!" As Cheong-myeong walked away, he turned his head slightly.
Lee Song-baek bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for your guidance."
"Ah, it’s nothing."
Cheong-myeong waved his hand lightly and continued on his way.
As Lee Song-baek quietly watched Cheong-myeong's retreating figure, he let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.
"I truly feel like I’ve met an immortal."
Meanwhile, Cheong-myeong's face flushed red and then cooled repeatedly.
"The more I think about it, the angrier I get at these bastards!" How dare they steal the Seolhwa Twelve Techniques? And then copy it? He felt like rushing to Jongnam right now to cause a ruckus.
"Oh dear. Brother, this is the state of the world. These bastards are doing such nonsense instead of repaying kindness. Should I really endure this?"
- If you don’t endure it, what will you do? It felt as if Cheong-myeong was being questioned by the heavens with a smirk.
"Ah, if only I were as strong as before…" If he were the Sword Sovereign now, the elders of Jongnam would have to shout that they were dead, but unfortunately, he was not the Sword Sovereign now; he was merely the third generation disciple of Hwasan. 'I need to get stronger faster.'
He realized once again that the martial world is a place where the powerless can ultimately do nothing.
Even if the sect leader and elders of Hwasan knew about this, could they protest against Jongnam? No, they could not.
Protesting and pointing out the faults of others is a privilege reserved for those with power.
Hwasan currently lacked the strength to condemn Jongnam's wrongdoing.
"Right now…" Cheong-myeong ground his teeth.
"But it won’t be long."
In the end, Hwasan would reclaim its former glory.
As long as Cheong-myeong was there, it was inevitable.
If there was one thing confirmed today, it was that Hwasan and Jongnam could not coexist.
Since Jongnam had ultimately done what should not have been done, it would be impossible for Hwasan to thrive while Jongnam thrived as well.
Even if others wished for that, Cheong-myeong would no longer allow it.
"I need to get stronger faster."
A fierce determination glinted in Cheong-myeong's eyes.
He needed to grow stronger, but the entire strength of Hwasan also needed to grow.
If Hwasan could not grow stronger as Hwasan, its limits would become painfully clear.
Cheong-myeong did not want to create a Hwasan that relied solely on him.
Hwasan needed to stand tall as the number one sword sect in the world, even without him.
Only then could they punish those reckless ones.
'Seolhwa Twelve Techniques, huh…' It was well made.
It was a clumsy imitation of the Seolhwa Twelve Techniques, but it was clear that they had deeply contemplated how to integrate it into Jongnam's martial arts, not just stopping at mimicking the form.
There were traces of reducing the flashiness as much as possible and adjusting the sword techniques to fit Jongnam's internal energy, and it was evident that they had controlled the speed to harmonize with Jongnam's other martial arts.
It was not merely a copy of the Seolhwa Techniques; it contained the will to completely transform it into Jongnam's martial arts.
"But that’s why it will become extremely poisonous."
A mischievous glint appeared on Cheong-myeong's face, which he could not hide.
"For now, I can just leave it be, and it will slowly fester."
However, watching that unfold did not suit Cheong-myeong's temperament.
If they were wronged, Cheong-myeong was the type to strike back.
Waiting and praying for their downfall was not his way.
"You've touched the wrong person."
Cheong-myeong's gaze turned southward.
Looking at the towering Jongnam Mountain in the distance, he clicked his tongue.
"They will definitely pay the price for touching Hwasan without knowing gratitude. Jongnam."
And he walked briskly back towards the Eunha Mountain Sect.
However, at that moment, Cheong-myeong did not know.
He did not realize that the opportunity to punish Jongnam, which he thought would come far in the future, would arrive so quickly.