Chapter: 15
Ten days in Hefei.
After the uproar of the martial tournament came to an end, silence finally returned to Namgung Cheon’s life for the first time in a long while.
He still lived in the family’s oldest and most secluded residence—his original quarters.
Although the maids Zhuge Hwa had sent had decorated the place and replaced some of the worn-out furniture, the lonely, weathered atmosphere remained unchanged.
For the residence of the man who had defeated the World’s Ashen Extinction Sword just the night before, it was an unbelievably shabby place.
But Namgung Cheon did not care.
Within the Namgung Clan, aside from a few halls such as the Azure Dragon Pavilion, the rest held little meaning to him.
‘What’s important isn’t the residence… it’s my martial arts.’
Standing by the window, he quietly reviewed everything that had happened over the past ten days.
Ten duels.
Starting with Gwak San, then the Blood Ghost Sword Gal Mu-seong, the Falling Blossom Sword Jin Hyeon, and finally the Ashen Extinction Sword Mu Jin.
Each of them had been masters who ruled over Hefei, and every one of them had genuinely reached an impressive realm.
‘But none of them truly threatened me.’
Except for one.
Mu Jin.
Namgung Cheon carefully replayed every moment of their final battle.
The gray sword aura that reduced everything to nothingness.
And the desperate fighting spirit that had not hesitated to stake both their lives on mutual destruction.
Without question, he had stood in the same Transcendent Realm.
‘If judged purely by cultivation, he was my equal.’
Then what had decided the outcome?
Namgung Cheon looked down at his hand.
Not Namgung Cheon’s hand.
The Heavenly Demon’s hand.
He could vividly remember the countless lives that hand had taken.
In the end, that was the difference.
‘Experience… and instinct.’
For decades he had stood at the pinnacle of the Demonic Path, wagering thousands upon thousands of lives in battle.
As the Heavenly Demon, he had developed an overwhelming instinct that allowed him to read an opponent’s next move from a single breath or the slightest flicker in their eyes.
Mu Jin was strong.
Whether it was the depth of his internal energy or the subtlety of his swordsmanship, there were countless reasons for his strength.
‘But that is only the strength of a pure martial artist.’
He was different.
He had been not only a martial artist, but also a ruler who had stood at the summit.
That was why he knew.
Strength alone could never carry someone to the very peak.
‘What matters in the end… is winning the fight.’
He had calmly accepted Mu Jin’s suicidal attack and shattered his composure.
That had been the true turning point of the battle.
‘It would be fair to say I’ve recovered much of my martial instinct.’
Ten life-and-death duels had restored the battle sense he once possessed.
‘As for my cultivation…’
He had already advanced beyond the initial stage of the Transcendent Realm and entered a mature level.
Namgung Cheon slowly shook his head.
‘Compared to my previous life… it is nowhere near enough.’
He was not satisfied.
If anything, his battle against Mu Jin had revealed his greatest flaw.
Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.
The peerless sword art that had established the Namgung Clan as the greatest sword family beneath heaven.
By itself, it was already a supreme martial art that could rival any technique in the martial world.
Now, after reinterpreting it through the principles of the Demonic Path, it had become something on an entirely different level.
But…
‘It is still incomplete.’
Mu Jin’s final words resurfaced in his mind.
“The changes within that sword… they are not the Namgung sword that I know.”
He had been right.
Namgung Cheon had already woven the philosophy of the Demonic Path into the very framework of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.
Yet it remained immature.
The two different paths had merely been forced together.
They had not truly become one.
It might work against someone like Mu Jin.
But against those whose realms surpassed his—
Against the true masters who roamed beneath heaven—
It would not be enough.
‘I must complete it.’
Not simply mix the two paths together.
He had to melt them into one perfect whole.
A sword that united the Namgung Clan and the Demonic Path.
His own sword.
‘Thinking alone will not bring the answer.’
Namgung Cheon cast aside his thoughts.
To merge two completely opposite paths, there was only one solution.
He had to swing his sword.
He reached for Changcheon, which hung upon the wall.
Then, opening the door to his residence, he stepped outside to begin training.
At that very moment—
“Oh, Young Master. Good morning.”
A man who had been lazily strolling toward him from the distance stopped directly before him.
His wounds had evidently been treated, leaving him looking far neater than before.
Yet his expression remained as shamelessly relaxed as ever.
It was Mu Jin.
At Mu Jin’s greeting, Namgung Cheon’s brows furrowed.
He had just been about to leave for training when this uninvited guest appeared.
Naturally, he wasn’t pleased.
“You seem to have plenty of free time this early in the morning.”
Hearing the cold remark, Mu Jin chuckled and lightly patted his chest.
It was the very place where blood had poured out only yesterday.
“Thanks to you, I met an excellent physician and received proper treatment. The Namgung Clan truly lives up to its reputation. They certainly don’t hold back when it comes to precious medicine.”
“I doubt you came here just to brag about that.”
“Come now, don’t be so cold. Weren’t we trying to kill each other just yesterday?”
As he spoke, Mu Jin shamelessly stepped closer.
Namgung Cheon folded his arms and silently stared at him.
Feeling slightly awkward under that gaze, Mu Jin glanced around the residence instead.
“So… this really is your residence?”
His eyes wandered around the worn surroundings.
“No matter how I look at it, it’s hard to believe the world’s Sword Ghost lives here… Honestly, it’s even shabbier than my master’s place. He chooses to live in a straw hut on purpose, but this place genuinely feels poor.”
Namgung Cheon’s gaze sharpened.
Mu Jin hastily waved his hands.
“No, that’s not what I meant… Yesterday, when I was at the main gate, it looked like you were staring at that magnificent hall—what was it called? The Azure Dragon Pavilion? Naturally, I assumed you’d moved there by now. Not yet?”
“What concern is that of yours?”
“How could it not concern me?”
Mu Jin suddenly answered with complete seriousness.
“From now on, I’ll be your retainer. Doesn’t that make this my future home as well? Hmm… by the way, where will I be staying?”
As though it were the most natural thing in the world, he asked the question.
Namgung Cheon looked him over before silently pointing toward a corner of the property.
There stood a tiny, dilapidated wooden building.
“…Isn’t that a storage shed?”
Mu Jin asked in disbelief.
“It used to store firewood. It’s empty now. Do you have a complaint?”
Mu Jin stood speechless for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Hahaha! No, not at all. As long as I have somewhere to sleep, that’s enough. I rather like it!”
Before anyone could stop him, he walked over to the shed and began inspecting it as though it already belonged to him.
The sharp swordsman from yesterday had vanished.
In his place stood a carefree wanderer.
“What is it that you want?”
At the question, Mu Jin grinned.
“Didn’t you tell me yesterday to do whatever I pleased?”
“I meant you should leave on your own. It seems you misunderstood.”
“The interpretation belongs to the listener, doesn’t it?”
Mu Jin simply plopped himself down in front of the door.
Then he thoughtfully repeated the question to himself.
“What do I want…”
After gazing at the sky for a moment, he smiled.
“For now, I’d appreciate a meal. I lost too much blood yesterday, so I’m starving. Since I’ve become a member of the Namgung household, surely you’ll at least feed me?”
Seeing Mu Jin remain completely unfazed, Namgung Cheon let out a faint chuckle before calling for a servant.
Not long afterward, a simple but elegant breakfast for two was laid upon the old wooden table.
Mu Jin devoured the food as though it would disappear if he slowed down.
For quite some time, the only sound filling the room was his enthusiastic eating.
Finally, after emptying every bowl, he patted his stomach with satisfaction.
“That was excellent, Young Master.”
“Then you may leave.”
At those words, the easygoing smile disappeared from Mu Jin’s face.
The solemn eyes he had shown during yesterday’s duel returned.
“My request to become your retainer… I meant every word.”
His voice became quiet.
“Young Master, I don’t wish to become a retainer of the Namgung Clan.”
“I wish to become the retainer of Namgung Cheon.”
His eyes settled on Changcheon hanging at Namgung Cheon’s waist.
“Yesterday’s duel showed me the limits of my own sword. But in yours… I saw a completely new path. That’s why I want to see with my own eyes where that sword, which breaks every established framework and forges its own road, will ultimately lead.”
His eyes burned with pure determination.
It was the sincere admiration of one seeker of the martial path toward another who walked ahead of him.
Namgung Cheon remained silent.
At first, he thought it would only be troublesome.
Yet at the same time…
The proposal was not without merit.
To perfect his own sword, he needed a sturdy whetstone capable of enduring everything he could unleash.
And at present, there was no one better suited than Mu Jin to receive his sword head-on.
Clack.
Instead of answering, Namgung Cheon stood up, gripped Changcheon, and walked into the courtyard.
Mu Jin stared blankly for a moment before realizing his intention.
A broad grin spread across his face as he followed.
The two men stood facing each other in the center of the empty courtyard.
Namgung Cheon slowly pointed the tip of his sword toward Mu Jin.
A bright smile, as innocent as a child’s, appeared on Mu Jin’s face.
“Now that’s quite the enthusiastic welcome.”
Shing—
Mu Jin also drew the sword at his waist.
“Since it’s just a welcome, I assume you won’t be as serious as yesterday.”
“I am always serious when it comes to the sword.”
Mu Jin chuckled.
“Excellent. So am I.”
The atmosphere between them tightened once more.
Their sword intent collided, stirring the dust in the courtyard into a swirling vortex.
Then Namgung Cheon made the first move.
The moment Mu Jin saw that sword, his pupils shrank.
‘This is…!’
Only a single day had passed.
Yet the sword now carried an even deeper aura.
‘…What a monster.’
By instinct, Mu Jin drew out his full strength to receive Namgung Cheon’s strike.
Boom!
And just as their swords were about to collide once again—
They stopped.
As though they had made a promise beforehand, both blades froze in midair.
Namgung Cheon and Mu Jin turned their heads simultaneously.
Toward the direction of the clan’s main gate.
“…This presence?”
Mu Jin muttered in disbelief.
An enormous, overwhelming aura descended upon the entire Namgung Clan as though crushing everything beneath it.
The instant Namgung Cheon recognized whose aura it was, his eyes trembled.
At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from the distance as a man rushed toward them.
It was Baek Heon, Namgung Cheon’s personal guard.
For a brief moment he hesitated at the strange sight of the two supreme swordsmen standing motionless with their duel halted.
Then he hurried over and shouted,
“You must come at once!”
Swallowing hard, Baek Heon continued,
“The Clan Head has returned!”
The only rival he had ever acknowledged in his previous life.
The Sword Emperor—
Namgung Mu-gang had returned.
