Just as I was about to start the fight with Samajak, a boy named Cheongsong from the Volcano Faction suddenly barged in.
I heard we were somewhat acquainted, but I couldn’t remember when we had met.
Then, unable to control his anger, he pointed at me and insulted me, even declaring that if he won this fight, he would take Dokgorin away from me—what a classic NTR declaration!
“Samajak, I’m sorry, but we need to postpone our fight for a bit.”
There are times when a man just has to fight.
Noticing my strange demeanor, Samajak replied with an “Um,” taking a few steps back.
I nodded slightly as a thank you and turned to look at Cheongsong, who was already taking a stance with his sword drawn.
“Finally ready to fight, huh!”
‘He said he’s from the Volcano Faction, right?’
When I think of the Volcano Faction, I usually think of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Techniques, but that’s a martial art only Plum Blossom practitioners can learn.
And considering he introduced himself as a third-generation disciple, he must have learned a martial art at a lower level than that.
“Look! This is the ultimate technique created by Master Haktaetong of the Volcano lineage! The Three Immortals Sword (三仙劍)!”
With that, Cheongsong showcased his flashy movements, swinging his sword like a showoff.
As expected, the technique Cheongsong used wasn’t the Plum Blossom Sword Technique at all but a completely different style.
His movements resembled an immortal frolicking in the clouds, making me understand why he was referred to as ‘Three Immortals’.
I thought about that as I raised my arms, adorned with the gauntlets given to me by Tang Hochang when I left his place. They were useful when facing someone wielding weapons, just like now.
“Stop the nonsense and come at me.”
As I said that, waggling my palm, Cheongsong shouted, “I’ll give you exactly what you want!” and charged in like lightning.
Clang!!
The clash of swords and gauntlets echoed with a clear metallic sound in the air.
As I naturally turned my arms, releasing strength outward, Cheongsong immediately kicked at my abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Just barely managing to block that attack, I tried to sweep Cheongsong’s ankle with a sudden move but he twisted in mid-air, escaping my grasp in a heartbeat.
It was a breathless exchange that lasted less than ten seconds.
The Cheongsong before me clearly had the skills to survive until the last seven.
…I still didn’t know who he was.
In the meantime, Cheongsong, holding his sword horizontally at chest height, shouted, “Here, take this!”
With that, Cheongsong charged at me with great speed.
Seeing that, I took a deep breath and activated the sixth technique of the Tang Sect, the Snail’s Spiraling Stance (蝸角之勢).
The ‘snail’ in Snail’s Spiraling Stance refers to the fact that just like a snail hides in its shell, this stance minimizes striking areas by curling the body, hiding vital points of the upper body with both arms.
Cheongsong’s lightning-fast sword sliced towards me, but now fully defensive, I didn’t go down easily.
Reading his unpredictable strikes with my eyes, I avoided what I needed to, parrying what I could, and swiftly counterattacked, capitalizing on the openings right after his attacks.
“Ugh! How long are you just going to block? Fight properly!”
Feeling perhaps a bit anxious, he shouted that, but I had no intention of falling for his obvious taunts.
If he was going to say such things, he should drop the sword and come at me barehanded.
After exchanging several rounds for about two minutes, we had been fighting for less than three minutes, but given that I had already fought several people to get here, my stamina was almost depleted.
And it seemed the same went for the boy Cheongsong before me, as his right hand holding the sword started to tremble slightly.
‘We both look relaxed, but that’s just on the surface.’
Thinking that, I decided it was time to go for the kill.
Prolonging this fight would only waste stamina, so it would be best to finish the battle while I still had some strength left.
With that thought in mind, I slightly shifted my feet to adjust my body’s central axis.
The technique I was about to use was called the Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup (盃中蛇影), a rather unique technique among the eight techniques of Tang Sect.
“Sss…”
I stepped forward while circulating my energy within.
If I had to compare it, it resembled the ducking maneuver in boxing, different from the forward-style footwork.
As I suddenly went on the offensive after being defensive until now, Cheongsong’s face showed shock.
But he quickly shouted with an overly confident expression, “You fool! I’ll take Dokgo Sojeo for myself!”
I could feel a massive energy emanating from the sword in his hand.
He must be planning to use a big technique.
But I had no intention of letting it happen.
‘Preemptive strike.’
By acting first, I would dominate the enemy.
According to that old saying, I unleashed the technique I had prepared, the Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup.
“!”
Cheongsong’s eyes widened in surprise.
Of course he would, as it appeared to him that I had split into multiple figures.
But the reality was I was, of course, only one person. The essence of the Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup was to exploit the opponent’s energy perception to confuse their vision.
The human brain heavily relies on sight, making it very easy to induce illusions.
Furthermore, as martial artists reach a certain level, they also gain the ability to sense energy, so if both are deceived simultaneously, a semblance of a clone technique becomes possible.
“You! What kind of sorcery is this?!”
Cheongsong, who looked greatly flustered, shouted that, but I had no obligation to respond.
Instead of answering, I charged towards the bewildered Cheongsong.
“Ugh!”
Cheongsong hastily swung his sword.
But all he struck was a clone; the real me was nowhere to be found.
To dismantle the Serpent’s Shadow in the Cup, he would need to stop sensing energy and rely purely on his five senses, but if he didn’t know that, he would be nothing more than easy prey.
Right now, I was akin to a spider laying traps in the dark.
A solitary spider, hidden among numerous clones, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
And that perfect opportunity came quicker than I expected.
“If I don’t know which one is the clone, I can just cut them all down!”
Perhaps realizing he would just be worn down, Cheongsong shouted that and suddenly sheathed the sword he held in his right hand.
‘Mental Sword Technique!’
It seemed this was the trump card he had been hiding all along.
Moments later, with a speed unseen by the eye, the blade cut through all the clones around him in an instant.
That move truly warranted being described as a master technique.
However—
‘The real body is behind me.’
Unless he had eyes on the back of his head, there had to be a blind spot somewhere.
Cheongsong cut down everything visible to him, but in the end, he couldn’t strike what lay outside his line of sight.
Thud!
As I launched a surprise attack, Cheongsong, realizing my existence too late, exclaimed “Ack!” as he tried to turn around, but it was already too late.
My arms and legs were tied in an instant by the silk thread shot from my sleeves.
“Damn it!”
Perhaps sensing his end, Cheongsong glared at me with a look of frustration, but honestly, I found it quite absurd.
“So who are you again?”
“Cheongsong! It’s Cheongsong! Two years ago, I was the one who spoke to Dokgo Sojeo while watching the carp by the pond!”
That’s when I finally remembered.
It was when I was feeding the carp with Dokgorin that he had cluelessly talked to me, only to be told to “scram” by Dokgorin.
“Ah, that guy who couldn’t read the atmosphere.”
“Ugh! Why does Dokgo Sojeo like someone like you?!”
Hearing that, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Guess I saved his life in a past life or something.”
*
Thus, Cheongsong of the Volcano Faction, the third-generation disciple, was retired.
I took out a bit of my frustrations by beating him while he was completely restrained but stopped just short of killing him.
After all, as long as he wasn’t flat on the ground, it was self-defense.
While I was having my fun with Cheongsong, I couldn’t help but notice that Samajak and Tang Sosu were having a duel out of boredom, ending in a draw.
Ultimately, only four of us remained.
Namgoong Ruby, Dokgorin, the monk Hyecheong, and me, Ichilbok.
Honestly, considering I had made it this far, it seemed unnecessary to fight any longer, and given the remaining three were likely upper-tier masters, I had no hope of beating them, so I decided to forfeit without regret.
Seeing that, the monk Hyecheong from the Shaolin Temple also expressed his reluctance, stating he couldn’t fight against the female competitors, and ultimately forfeited as well. This led to the finals of our team leader selection happening between Namgoong Ruby and Dokgorin.
Ace vs. Ace.
The showdown between a recommended new student and a regular one.
If Namgoong Ruby shone like the sun, Dokgorin had the temperament of the moon.
Indeed, this match was the ultimate clash of two individuals situated at opposite ends.
Even the eliminated participants had no choice but to swallow their spit, watching the tension rise in this once-in-a-century showdown.
