Chapter 742

Countless flames began to shatter.

Clicking his tongue, he watched the scene unfold.

“Tsk.”

Was this too much to handle? He had hoped otherwise, but reality confirmed his doubts.

The old man’s gaze turned toward him.

His eyes seemed to ask—

Is that all you’ve got?

Is this the end?

Even while moving with such deadly precision, the old man still had the composure to taunt him?

It was ridiculous.

“Hah.”

He let out a short laugh and focused his strength.

He didn’t stop forming the flames. It had to be done simultaneously.

Only then could he at least restrain the old man’s movements.

Fwoosh—!

Attempting to do both at once, his energy nearly tangled. It was dangerously unstable, but he managed to pull through.

Pouring out flames, he gripped the Flame Spear tightly.

Two martial techniques—used simultaneously.

If he made a mistake, the energy flow would twist, and he’d end up suffering from Qi deviation.

But so what? If he feared such things, he had no business fighting this battle in the first place.

Thud—!

His foot stomped down, splashing ink across the ground.

“Huff—!!”

With all his strength, he hurled the spear forward.

Screeeech—!!

The spear tore through the air with a deafening noise.

Just as the spear’s tip was about to reach the old man—

Swish.

A faint sound emerged from somewhere.

The scent of flowers brushed past his nose.

And he saw it.

Whoosh—!

Plum blossoms bloomed from the old man’s body.

Petals scattered, floating gently in the air.

Thin and delicate plum blossoms.

They seemed fragile, swaying powerlessly in the wind.

Thunk—! Thunk-thunk-thunk—!

“…!”

His eyes widened at the scene before him.

The spreading petals blocked the raining flames.

How could such fragile petals block that barrage of fire?

‘So that’s possible, too.’

Even though the old man could do this, he had chosen to swing his sword instead.

Was he holding back on purpose?

It was infuriating.

Slash—!

While the petals held back the flames—

The old man sliced the spear in half.

The severed halves of the spear flew past him.

Cutting through the spear so effortlessly—it was absurd.

‘But this is part of the plan.’

He had already accounted for this.

‘Explode.’

Boom—!!

The split spear detonated immediately.

It was a trap that triggered an explosion unless bound by mental force.

The old man was engulfed in flames.

Seeing that, his legs gave out.

Thud—!

“Huff… Huff.”

He gasped for breath.

Even his Qi was running out.

No matter how much Qi one had, after releasing so much, depletion was inevitable.

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he stared straight ahead.

The scene was a mess, but the ground, now covered in ink, looked undisturbed.

And then—

Swish… Swish…

Petals drifted down from the site of the explosion.

Some petals had been scorched by the flames, slowly crumbling away.

He frowned at the sight.

A barrier made of plum blossoms had spread out in a circle.

Had that been enough to block the explosion?

[How impressive.]

The old man’s voice echoed.

Swish—!

As the barrier disappeared, the old man stepped out.

He looked no different than before.

[If I’d been a little slower, that might have worked. I’ll admit it. You’re strong, boy.]

His surprised expression felt more irritating than satisfying.

It hadn’t worked anyway.

“...”

[Using martial techniques like that… Who taught you?]

“…Would it matter if I told you?”

[Ah, right. They’re probably long dead, so it’s pointless to ask.]

That smirk—he hated it.

He’d probably know if he were told.

‘You’re the one who taught me, so how could you not know?’

Even if Paejon had taught him hand-to-hand combat, everything else had come from this old man.

He had never called him master, but in his heart, he thought of him that way.

He brushed those thoughts aside.

What business did someone who wasn’t even part of Mount Hua have playing the role of a disciple?

That title belonged to Yung Pung—or rather, the disciples of Mount Hua.

“Hoo…”

He steadied his breath and lifted his head.

‘So that’s it.’

Now, with a clear mind, he finally realized.

‘I was jealous.’

He had been jealous of Yung Pung.

Ever since he heard that Yung Pung had become the successor of the Mount Hua Sword.

Ever since he learned that Yung Pung had inherited the old man’s legacy.

It had bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Understanding this made him laugh.

‘How pathetic.’

It was ridiculous.

‘What’s a non-Mount Hua disciple getting jealous for?’

He’d never learned the sword.

He was a martial artist, so Mount Hua’s sword techniques were meaningless to him.

He hadn’t learned their internal arts either.

While he had benefited from some tools, Mount Hua’s techniques remained a mystery.

In his past life, he had even erased Mount Hua from existence.

How could someone like him inherit that old man’s legacy?

Swish.

Despite knowing all this, he clenched his fists.

‘Know your place.’

Once again, he reminded himself.

‘I can’t win.’

That old man was unbeatable.

He had known this from the start.

So why?

Why had he thought he could win under these conditions?

No.

He’d known he couldn’t win the moment he saw the old man.

He had just been angry at how Yung Pung was treated as the true successor.

So he charged in.

Even though he thought it was fake, hearing it spoken aloud had enraged him.

After all the struggles he’d endured, how could this happen?

It was sheer pettiness.

‘Honestly, I’ve been fighting desperately just to survive.’

While his goals mattered, Shin Noya was also involved.

The old man had said it himself—

That he was entrusting what he couldn’t finish to him.

So—

‘I deserve at least this much.’

He had to walk away with something.

Let Yung Pung inherit Mount Hua’s legacy and continue its traditions.

It's not mine anyway.

But—

‘I’ll take just one thing.’

I don’t care about the Mount Hua Sect’s Sword Saint or its so-called hero.

The successor of that foul-tempered old man — will be me.

That much, I had to make certain.

[Boy.]

“Yes?”

[The tenth exchange is over.]

“Is that so? What a shame. How about giving me ten more rounds?”

[Do you think it would change anything?]

“No.”

Even if I had a hundred more attempts, I wouldn’t win.

I just laughed.

It was the same kind of laugh the old man had worn earlier.

[What will you do now?]

“What else?”

I raised my clenched fist.

“I’ll keep going.”

[Ho…]

Ssshhk—

At my words, the old man’s weapon moved.

The chilling aura brushed against my shoulder.

[I don’t know who you are. But I apologize for calling you a spy for the Blood Demon.]

—Don’t let your eyes get caught on the sword.

—Sword masters thrive on deception. It’s not the sword you need to watch, but the master behind it.

I remembered the words Shin Noya had once told me.

[You can tell from exchanging blows.]

[You’re a warrior.]

His words struck my chest like a hammer.

Coming from that grating voice made it hit even harder.

[What a pity. If only someone like you had been born in Mount Hua.]

“…”

It was quite the compliment.

‘But someone like me doesn’t belong in the Dao.’

If someone like me had been raised in Mount Hua, it would have been complete chaos.

Suppressing my emotions, I replied,

“You really do have a sharp tongue.”

[True. But didn’t I also give you time to recover?]

He had a point.

Even that short pause had let me catch my breath.

[So don’t forget our promise.]

His voice echoed.

But I couldn’t see him.

I squinted.

It wasn’t a problem with my eyes—his form was genuinely blurred.

Beyond the haze, what appeared wasn’t human.

‘A tree?’

It was a tree.

A massive, radiant tree stood before me.

Most likely an ancient plum tree from Mount Hua.

Perhaps even the largest one.

Whoooosh—

Though the wind was still, the tree swayed.

Leaves scattered.

Branches danced.

My gaze was stolen by the sight.

It was so overwhelming I forgot to breathe.

[This is your reward.]

[A gift, because I enjoyed this fight—if only a little.]

As his voice faded—

Thud.

The movements ceased.

[Plum Blossom Annihilation.]

Flowers bloomed on the branches.

I could even hear the sound of the petals blossoming.

Shhiiing.

Clang—!

The sound of blooming flowers was heavier than I expected.

[…Huh?]

A surprised exclamation.

I opened my eyes at the sound.

The old man’s fierce face filled my vision.

His sword was aimed straight at my neck.

He looked ready to cut me down in a single stroke.

But his sword didn’t reach my throat.

[Boy… you—?]

His blade had been blocked by something.

It was my weapon.

The very artifact he wielded—Eternal Bind—now wrapped protectively around my neck.

An indestructible treasure.

I had used its nature for defense.

The old man’s eyes wavered.

At that moment—

Snap—!

I grabbed his wrist.

[…!!]

I could feel his strength immediately.

He was already struggling to free himself.

I spoke.

“Bind.”

Sssshhhk—!!

[What?!]

The Gui-jeong (Eternal Bind) around my neck unraveled and bound our hands together.

And that wasn’t all.

Sssshhhkk—!!

The Eternal Bind wielded by the old man slipped out of his grip and wrapped itself around my arm.

It solidified into the form of gauntlets.

The fabric shifted colors, turning from crimson to deep blue.

[What the…!!]

The old man’s eyes widened in shock at the betrayal of his own artifact.

Of course, it was unbelievable.

His precious weapon had switched allegiance.

But what could he do?

“A living master is better than a dead one.”

The martial exchange had ended after those ten clashes.

Now—

‘It’s time to fight my way.’

I never intended to win by being lenient.

From the moment I set the conditions, this was calculated.

If you can’t beat someone in a fair fight, you have to abandon fairness.

Crack—!

The old man tried to break free.

His strength was monstrous.

The Eternal Bind wrapped around his arm felt like it might tear apart.

But that was fine.

Didn’t I say it earlier?

Once someone grows accustomed to patterns, they adapt.

Which meant this was the perfect moment to throw a curveball.

“Stop.”

The old man’s body stiffened.

Only for an instant.

It was Dragon Speech.

Against someone stronger than me, it wouldn’t last long, and it came with a heavy recoil.

Pain surged through me.

Cough—!

Blood welled up in my mouth.

I swallowed it.

Gulp—!

Even if it only stopped him for a moment—

That was enough.

Rumble—!!!

The Tua Pacheonmu surged through my body, sending energy rippling outward.

I concentrated it into my fist.

[You—!]

The old man’s voice broke out as he struggled to move.

Dragon Speech alone wasn’t enough to keep him restrained.

But that didn’t matter.

I had another way to hold him down.

“Did you know? The Tang Clan’s leader is actually a woman.”

[What? What does that—?]

The old man hesitated for just a second.

And in that brief opening—

Tua Pacheonmu.

Fourth Form—Azure Sky.

I drove my fist straight into his chest.