麻豆工作室

 Mok Riwon drew his sword in a secluded area on the outskirts of the city.

 And then he looked up.

 ‘The moon sure is bright tonight.’

 The moon was sitting on a blanket of soft clouds watching over him.

 Beside the moon, Mount Huang soared high into the sky, standing firm like a general protecting his emperor.

 Mok Riwon smiled to himself and took on a stance, thinking that it would be a sin not to train under such a magnificent scene.

  Whoosh–

 Closing his eyes, he felt the wind blow.

The cool night air touched his skin and seeped into his lungs.

 Mok Riwon spread the clean, fresh air throughout his body, laying it on top of his qi which was as vicious as ever.

 A dark sword qi arose, and soon, his sword moved.

 It was the daily routine he hadn’t skipped since the first day he learned to wield the sword.

 He began his sword dance under the moonlight.

  Swish–

 His movements, slicing through the air, were incredibly slow.

 Almost still, enough to make one question whether this was even a sword dance, but this was Mok Riwon’s method of training.

 He endlessly improved upon the sword dance he had once seen Mok Seon-oh perform, concentrating on every movement to deconstruct the essence of his form.

 Then, he would reassemble the taken-apart form to suit his own body, fully assimilating the martial arts known as the Starfall Seven Swords within himself.

 ‘Namgung Woon.’

 Blue Sword Namgung Woon.

The Supreme Realm master he had met earlier that day.

 He imagined a duel with him.

 A middle-aged man appeared vividly in his mind, a man whose mere presence seemed to crush him with overwhelming pressure.

The man drew his sword and unleashed his sword qi.

 ‘The Sword of the Namgung Clan.’

 He needed to overlay the man in his imagination with that, but Mok Riwon didn’t know the Namgung’s martial arts.

 So, he substituted them with the Three Principles Sword Technique, which could be considered the foundation of all sword techniques, cutting vertically, horizontally, and stabbing.

 That was enough.

  Swish–

 Mok Riwon moved his sword towards the imaginary opponent.

 Then, Namgung Woon executed a vertical cut called the Weight of Mount Tai.

  Thud–

 Mok Riwon’s sword which clashed against his, fell to the ground after being overwhelmed by Namgung Woon’s qi.

 Some might say it was impossible to judge an unseen opponent’s sword, but that wasn’t the case for Mok Riwon.

 He had felt that overwhelming qi in person and could tell the weight behind that vertical cut with a mere glance.

 ‘So far away.’

 The distance between them was too great.

 Between him and Namgung Woon was a colossal wall.

 Even a single vertical cut had crushed him; if Namgung Woon were to unleash the full Namgung Sword Technique, he wouldn’t even be able to breathe.

 Mok Riwon opened his eyes. 

 The gap between them was truly despairing, but nevertheless, he had a smile on his face.

 ‘So that’s what they call the Supreme Realm.’

 His eyes were filled with longing.

 Having acknowledged all there was to acknowledge, it was time for him to look upon the path he had to take to reach that place.

 ‘It’s not an unsurmountable wall.’

 The wall to the Supreme Realm was high, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be able to surpass it.

 Why wouldn’t he?

 He had spent his childhood with Mok Seon-oh and Ma Il-seok.

 When he thought of countless extraordinary displays of qi he had seen several times before, the seemingly high qi level of Namgung Woon now appeared reachable.

 ‘The Supreme Realm corresponds to the fifth star of the Star God Technique.’

 His third star was currently in its late stages.

 The fifth star was a stage that could be obtained after mastering all of the martial arts of the peak realm and realizing their true nature.

 ‘Of course, I’ll need my inner cultivation, but…’

 Well, he wasn’t the slightest bit worried about that part.

 Mok Riwon’s martial talent and efficacy of the Star God Technique were so excellent to the extent that one of the parts Mok Seon-oh and Ma Il-seok had been most concerned about in his growth was ‘qi suppression’.

 ‘Master, the martial world is indeed vast.’

 Mok Riwon happily raised his sword again.

 As he prepared to continue his sword dance, a curious sense of anticipation emerged in him.

 What was this anticipation for?

 It was obvious.

 ‘The banquet is in two days.’

 The young rising stars called the Dragons and Phoenixes of this generation.

 He was looking forward to using them as stepping stones to ascend to a higher realm.

 The martial artist he met during the day, Fist Dragon Il-woon, had been around the same cultivation level as him.

 From what he had heard, most people with the title of Dragon or Phoenix should at least be at that stage.

 But that wasn’t all.

  –Namgung Jincheon. As expected, I don’t think anyone but Brother Namgung will be the winner. 

 Zhuge San had confidently stated that among the young rising stars of this generation, Namgung Jincheon stood unrivaled.

 It meant there existed an insurmountable wall between him and the others.

 ‘Brother Zhuge, you never know.’

 Mok Riwon denied his words with a grin as he started his sword dance.

 ‘I haven’t stepped onto the tournament stage yet.’

 The desire to win and aspiration for improvement.

 Finally seeing the martial world in its true light, Mok Riwon continued his sword dance, along with a thirst befitting a true martial artist.

* * *

 Two days passed by in the blink of an eye.

With sparkling eyes, Mok Riwon entered the courtyard where the banquet was being held.

 Of course, he was dressed in his usual gray martial attire.

 “Are you sure that outfit is appropriate?”

 “Naturally! What could suit a martial artist’s banquet better than my martial attire?”

 ‘Only you would think that.’

 Tang Hwa-seo held back her words and smiled awkwardly, while another thought crossed her mind.

 ‘…Well, wouldn’t dressing him up only make him stand out even more than he already does?’

 Mok Riwon was handsome.

 Seriously, distractingly handsome.

 Even in his shabby martial attire, he still shined brightly; had he dressed up, he would have undoubtedly attracted the attention of everyone at the banquet.

 Tang Hwa-seo shuddered as she recalled the black robes he had worn as a disguise during their escape from the city.

 ‘Right, handling the aftermath of him wearing that would have been a nightmare.’

 There would definitely have been people drooling all over him had that happened.

 That thought gave her a headache and only irritated her further.

 There wasn’t really any reason Tang Hwa-seo should feel so annoyed by him drawing attention, but she didn’t think about that.

 Or perhaps, she was just deliberately trying to avoid thinking about such things, unconsciously turning a blind eye to the uncomfortable truth she might find out in the end.

 “Ah, people have already arrived. Brother Mok, do you see that man over there?”

 “Hm? The one in the Taoist robe?”

 “Yeah, that young Taoist over there. He’s the face of this generation’s Wudang Sect.”

 Mok Riwon looked at the man in the white Taoist robe sipping tea.

True to Zhuge San’s words, there was a calm, lake-like ripple emanating from him.

 “Immortal Dragon Hyungong. He’s a swordsman practically second only to Brother Namgung in this generation.”

 “Wow, if the word ‘immortal’ is part of his name…’

 “Oh, that’s because that Taoist has a forlorn personality. They say he acts just like one of those immortal Taoist hermits so they gave him that nickname.”

 “Ah, I see.”

 Indeed, he appeared completely unconcerned about everything going on around him, as if he were all alone in another world.

 Mok Riwon watched him with fascination, and as he did, their eyes met.

 “Ah.”

 Hyungong looked at Mok Riwon for a moment.

 He made a small grin and then looked away.

 Mok Riwon who had been staring blankly, came to his senses at Zhuge San’s chuckling.

 “Look at him. Isn’t it like he’s saying, ‘I have no interest in worldly affairs~’?”

 “Haha…”

 Mok Riwon felt perplexed.

 “Do you mind if I go talk to him?”

 “I wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve tried talking to the Immortal Dragon several times, but he wasn’t listening at all. I thought I was talking to a wall.”

 “Hm… That’s a pity. His qi feels unusual, I really want to talk about martial arts with him.”

 “That can wait for the martial arts tournament, can’t it? Come on, instead of that, look over there.”

 Zhuge San pointed in another direction.

 As Mok Riwon’s attention shifted, Tang Hwa-seo clicked her tongue.

 “Eh? Young Lady, what’s wrong?”

 “Nothing. Just saw an unpleasant face.”

 Zhuge San laughed and said to him.

 “Ah, sister probably isn’t too happy. Brother Mok, over there, the fair-skinned woman is none other than the Emei Sect’s White Phoenix, Hyeun. Sister and her always end up fighting whenever they meet.”

 “What kind of fighting?”

 “Sister acts like she doesn’t care, but actually does. After all, they were both from Sichuan and similar ages among the rising stars. The martial world would always compare those two to discuss who is superior…”

 “Do you need your mouth torn open to keep quiet?”

 “…”

 Zhuge San‘s mouth snapped shut.

 Mok Riwon flinched at her chilling demeanor.

 ‘Hm, best to avoid mentioning the White Phoenix.’

 Mok Riwon took the hint and glanced at Hyeun one last time.

 At that place.

 ‘Huh?’

 He saw her staring directly at him with a vacant expression.

 “Young Hero Mok.”

 Tang Hwa-seo’s voice rang out sharply, and Mok Riwon quickly looked away from Hyeung and towards her.

She glared at Hyeun and her companions with eyes full of anger.

 “Don’t look around. Strange women will start flocking to you again.”

 “Strange women is a bit…”

 “You may not know, but the monks of the Emei Sect, despite their religion, are crazy about sex. Some of them even grind against each other. Don’t even look, it’s better not to associate with them.”

  Gulp–

 Mok Riwon swallowed dryly.

 ‘W-Woman together…’

 As his lewd imagination made his cheeks blush, Tang Hwa-seo scoffed and glared at him with contempt.

 “Gonna die from excitement?”

 “N-No way! I wasn’t even thinking anything!”

 His eyes firmly shut.

 Tang Hwa-seo was feeling even more annoyed after glaring at him angrily for some reason, then clicked her tongue while looking away.

 “Anyways, if that Sex Phoenix approaches you, run straight to me.”

 “Sex Phoenix is a bit…”

 “It’s accurate. Every year that bitch comes here looking to eat up a man.”

 “Hmm… I’ve heard those rumors from an acquaintance.”

 Even Zhuge San chimed in, so Mok Riwon couldn’t help but sigh.

 ‘T-The Emei Sect I knew wasn’t supposed to be like this…’

 Mok Seon-oh had definitely told him that.

 The monks of the Emei Sect were said to be genuinely great women with deep Buddhist faith and a righteous cultivation.

 He had even heard that one could be struck with awe at the depth of their martial arts when exchanging swords with them.

 ‘Master wouldn’t lie…’

 Mok Riwon’s face turned sullen.

 …In fact, strictly speaking, Mok Seon-oh wasn’t lying.

 At that time, the martial world was sharply divided fighting against the Blood Cult, and the female monks who emerged to truly confront the villains were indeed brave heroes.

 The change in the current behavior of Emei’s rising stars could be attributed to them following the lead of the White Phoenix Hyeun.

 Of course, Mok Riwon was unaware of all this and could only tremble from the sense of betrayal.

 “It’s so disappointing…”

 “Don’t be too disappointed. Well, apart from that Sex Phoenix, there might be other outstanding heroines.”

 Tang Hwa-seo watched him pout with a satisfied look.

 As their small continued, Mok Riwon suddenly realized something odd.

 “…Ah, now that I think about it. There’s quite a few people gathered, but no one is coming our way.”

 There were indeed a lot of people.

A myriad of martial artists from renowned sects and clans had begun talking to each other.

Yet, no one approached them.

It was so bizarre that when Mok Riwon voiced his observation, the man and woman fell silent.

 “…”

 “…”

 “Young Lady? Brother Zhuge?”

 Mok Riwon asked again with an innocent face, but both were at a loss for words.

 Naturally.

 Tang Hwa-seo had always been sharp-tongued, so she had no friends.

 Zhuge San was known for his frivolous attitude throughout the martial world, so no one wanted to talk to him first.

 To be straightforward,

They were a group of social outcasts at this banquet.

 How the most innocent questions always seemed to dig deep into the wound.

 Tang Hwa-seo and Zhuge San continued to be flustered for quite some time by their own circumstances. They didn’t know what to say, and as the uncomfortable silence seemed to stretch into an eternity, a lifeline appeared as if sent by the heavens.

 “Oh, Monk Il-woon!”

 Mok Riwon called out to Fist Dragon Il-woon, who was entering the banquet.

 Upon hearing his voice, he saw Mok Riwon and the two, a man and woman, then greeted them with a beaming expression, putting his hands together.

 He quickly made his way towards them.

 Tang Hwa-seo and Zhuge San felt truly relieved by his approach, but if they had known his true intentions, those sentiments would have quickly faded.

 ‘I must keep Young Master Zhuge’s mouth shut.’

 From the moment Il-woon entered the banquet, he had only one goal.

To prevent Zhuge San from revealing anything about the incident from two days ago.

 “Oh, Kind Benefactors! It’s been two days since we’ve met.”

 Il-woon mustered a forced calm smile.

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