“Oh.”
Tang Do-yeon had pride in her skills. It wasn’t a baseless delusion. Her sword techniques were highly praised even within the Tang Clan, and among the peak experts, Tang Do-yeon was considered quite strong.
As she watched the scene before her, she thought, this duel was far beyond the typical peak stage.
Boom!!
No matter how strong the Qi was around them, Zhang Jiang was wielding it with his palm, while the sword’s Qi was reinforced with iron, making the difference in intensity clear.
Even though those handling the sword usually avoided direct confrontation, in this battle, it was the opposite: Miss Yeo Il-ye hurriedly withdrew her blade.
Crack!!
Part of Miss Yeo Il-ye’s sword Qi, which had clashed with Black Cat’s Qi, froze before shattering into pieces. The longer the contact lasted, the more the Qi solidified.
However, Black Cat also couldn’t push Miss Yeo Il-ye around easily.
Boom!!
It was all due to the overwhelming experience swirling around Miss Yeo Il-ye. Even if she unleashed a technique composed of Nine Yin, the flow of experience was so overwhelming that it could be broken instantly.
“Truly impressive.”
Tang So-yeol, who was watching the matches from a safe distance with Sara in her arms, exclaimed. Though her mastery was at its peak, her natural affinity for the Qi allowed her to fully perceive the exchange of techniques and the flow of energy between the two.
Just observing the techniques being exchanged showed that any ordinary peak expert would likely fall within a few moves.
Miss Yeo Il-ye showcased an incredible amount of inner energy, unfathomable for just one individual, while not losing delicate control. Black Cat, fully handling a nonsense characteristic of freezing energy, was equally impressive.
Though both practiced their martial arts at a peak level, the true power they exhibited already surpassed the limits of peak stages.
Every time Miss Yeo Il-ye’s Qi clashed with Black Cat’s, the entire training hall reverberated. The immense concentration of energy forming Miss Yeo Il-ye’s unique array of star-like Qi and the powerful flow of energy not hindered by the freezing nature of Nine Yin collided ferociously!
With every clash of their energies, thunderous sounds echoed, and waves of power and frost erupted.
Tang So-yeol glanced down, noticing Sara nestled in her arms. Every time the two energies collided, Sara flinched, prompting Tang So-yeol to gently touch her cheek.
Sara showed no reaction even when Tang So-yeol fondled her cheek. No, it might be more accurate to say she was too shocked to do so.
She was anxiously watching the duel, worried both might get hurt. Seeing Sara, Tang So-yeol couldn’t help but offer a wry smile.
After all, intervening in the affection between men and women rarely ended well. Although this was a way to repay Black Cat’s kindness, Tang So-yeol felt it unnecessary to lecture herself.
Sara had already paid enough for her actions. That spirited girl would surely learn some lesson.
As Tang So-yeol thought this, her gaze shifted forward. The flow of energy between the two, which had been whipping their weapons back and forth, suddenly changed.
The shift began with Miss Yeo Il-ye.
The wonder that seemed to control the training hall condensed within an instant. Black Cat seized the opportunity, unleashing Nine Yin while simultaneously pouring more energy into the torrent.
“What would the inner energy condense for?”
It was because an extravagant technique was about to strike.
‘No matter what comes, be prepared in advance.’
Black Cat’s hands moved busily. The sword techniques of the Four-Finger Saber Technique were incredibly swift. However, this meant that the paths could be predicted with some accuracy.
Anticipating the trajectories of the sword moves, Black Cat’s energy painted the air.
In an instant, Miss Yeo Il-ye’s inner energy exploded, and her blade shot forth.
Four-Finger Saber Technique. First Strike. Illumination of the First Moon.
A streak of light dashed forward. An overwhelming speed gave the flash its trajectory. As Miss Yeo Il-ye observed Black Cat’s energy and the Nine Yin emanating from it, she thought, ‘What a fitting response.’
The space filled with the brilliance of Nine Yin. It wouldn’t be an easy task to pierce through that space with just a single thrust to cut Black Cat.
However, without hesitation, Miss Yeo Il-ye thrust her sword.
Unyielding.
The unbending straightness of the sword of Jeomchang pushed through the air, and Miss Yeo Il-ye plunged into the energy.
Crack!!
Like a lightning bolt, Miss Yeo Il-ye’s sword pierced through the radiant energy. The sword’s Qi cut through Nine Yin’s energy initially, yet layers of Nine Yin settled upon Miss Yeo Il-ye’s body. In an instant, the energy solidified, and frost accumulated on her skin.
But the sword still managed to pierce through the layers laid by Black Cat.
Boom!!
Their energies clashed directly. Dust, waves of inner energy, and frost kicked up as Tang Do-yeon, Tang So-yeol, and Sara widened their eyes in shock.
Moments later, the wind kicked up by Miss Yeo Il-ye cleared the mist and revealed both combatants.
“Ha…!”
Miss Yeo Il-ye straightened her sword and brushed away frozen shards clinging to her cheek. Despite raising her Qi, the ice clinging to her body refused to come off easily, indicating she’d allowed Nine Yin to infiltrate.
Black Cat wasn’t unscathed either.
Her left hand, raised higher than usual, was stained with red blood. She had done her best to suppress it, but she couldn’t perfectly counter the First Strike of the Illumination.
Both took a moment to catch their breath. Black Cat pulled her injured left hand back for protection, while Miss Yeo Il-ye bought time to expel the Nine Yin that had seeped inside her body.
As both assessed their states and the damage their opponent had taken, they raised their swords and prepared to lower their stances.
“Enough.”
Tang So-yeol interjected. Both turned to Tang So-yeol and noticed Sara silently weeping in her arms.
“Hu! Hic! Hu! It’s all Sara’s fault! So please, don’t fight!”
Following that, Sara wailed loudly. Tang So-yeol, startled, looked at the two frozen in shock with wide eyes while gently stroking Sara’s head.
“How can you bear to see your favorite sisters get hurt and bleeding because of your actions?”
“But, um…”
“Sara! I’m sorry!”
The two hurried toward Sara. Miss Yeo Il-ye exaggeratedly shook off the frost from her clothes.
“Look, look! It’s just my clothes that got frozen! I’m not badly hurt, so stop crying!”
As Sara sniffled and glanced at Miss Yeo Il-ye’s wound, her Qi stung, but Miss Yeo Il-ye pretended as if nothing were wrong, shaking off the ice. Perhaps from the heartfelt act, Sara’s cries gradually dwindled, turning into soft sniffles. With a sigh of relief, Miss Yeo Il-ye patted her chest.
Sara’s gaze drifted towards Black Cat’s arm. Black Cat momentarily flustered before delicately controlling her Qi to stop the bleeding, then smiled and extended her arm.
“See, see!? The bleeding has stopped! It’s nothing serious!”
“Wahhh!!!”
Sara began wailing again, and Tang So-yeol placed his hand on his forehead. Unlike Miss Yeo Il-ye’s subtle internal injury, Black Cat’s was a deep gash running from her palm to her forearm, making it hard for any child to feel reassured.
“I’m sorry!! I shouldn’t have done that!!”
By the time Black Cat dashed over for treatment and emerged wrapped in bandages, Sara’s lament echoed on.
—
The impurities were melting away.
Every time the pure energy of the pond swirled through my body, it carried away impurities, transformed into murky energy, and flowed out. It felt somewhat strange as if I had become the culprit of the water pollution, thinking that what should be clear was turning murky…
But I had to live first.
I felt a slight cooling in my Qi pathways. Even the flow of Qi began to open up a little.
While it wasn’t as rapid as during the operation of the helical formations, I could feel the energy flow gradually moving through any gaps it could find.
My body was gradually refreshing, resembling the way the water I expelled treated the impurities within me.
As the impurities floating in my blood vessels melted away, my body’s purification accelerated. The smaller the impurities blocking my Qi pathways became, the faster the pure energy circulated throughout my body, absorbed more remnants.
It was truly a virtuous cycle.
However, this virtuous cycle did not persist indefinitely. The flow of energy, which had felt sluggish like a stream, improved, becoming substantial enough to resemble a creek or river but no further.
The reason was the impurities. The impurities that had merged with the pond’s pure energy seemed to have stopped diminishing at some point.
It was as if the parts that had once dissolved in the pond’s pure essence were merely the shell, and what remained was claiming to be the ‘real’ part.
Haa.
I sighed to express my frustration. These impurities were neither onions nor anything else to keep peeling away at them.
It felt like I peeled the soft flesh off a peach, only to find a hard pit waiting.
I tried to suppress my disappointment.
They say human greed has no end, and my current state was a perfect example.
What was my Qi like when I first entered this pond? If I hadn’t operated the helical formations, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain a cool flow due to the impurities clogging my pathways.
But now, the impurities had diminished enough for me to unleash my energy without needing to rely on the formations.
While contemplating my body, this thought struck me.
Limit.
When my level was low, I merely accepted the system message that the limit was first or peak without much thought. However, as my level gradually increased, I began to feel the reason behind it.
I realized this after awakening the sword Qi.
Once I became a bit accustomed to forming sword energies, I naturally began thinking.
No matter how skillfully I operated the double helical formations, it would be impossible to expel the amount of inner energy needed to form strong Qi through these narrow pathways.
So my current limit was peak.
As I contemplated my body, that realization struck me.
There was no need to turn the system message back on; my limit had already expanded to peak stage.
A clear passage had opened up to allow for the expulsion of vast amounts of energy, enough to wield strong Qi, while my previously strained mental energy now had enough leeway for other tasks.
While a deep regret lingered for not entirely rooting out the problem of impurities, I still felt joy in having made progress from the helpless situation regarding the purplish blood.
Having taken all I could, it was time to leave.
I ceased my exercises, unraveled my crossed legs, and stepped back out of the pond.
“Cough, cough!”
After expelling all the water within me, I turned back to look at the pond.
…The crystal-clear water, once transparent like glass, was now nowhere to be seen, replaced by murky water reminiscent of the muddy sea.
Unlike before entering the pond, all the lotus buds that had been closed tightly were now fully bloomed, as if responding with a scolding, “Look at what you’ve done!”
I picked up the clothes I had set aside.
As I put them on, I could feel the changes in my body.
Was it that my five senses had expanded? Or could I feel the flow of Qi throughout my skin?
Ultimately, the double helical formation merely created a gap in the wall that had been sealing me off from the outside.
Now that wall had collapsed, I could finally communicate with the energy between heaven and earth in a true sense.
This time, I drew my sword.
Swoosh!!
Even without operating the double helical formations, the sword energy surged quickly.
Seeing the sword energy made me feel a pang of injustice.
Had there been no purplish blood, I could have felt this flow of energy long ago; I would have reached peak stage immediately after witnessing Jaso-gyeong’s martial arts and would have been able to grasp the essence of objects with far greater ease.
…Well, in reality, things wouldn’t unfold so simply.
If there hadn’t been any purplish blood, I might not have experienced such lasting reverberations after seeing Jaso-gyeong’s martial arts, nor could I have predicted how grasping the essence of objects would have fared.
Swish!
With a clear sound, the familiar weight pressed down my belt. Finally, I felt a sense of stability. It seems I have truly become a martial artist, needing a heavy object hanging from my belt for comfort.
Finally, after lightly bowing in appreciation to the Barley Lotus Pool for its generosity, I returned to my lodging with a light heart.
“I’m here!”
It seemed that my timing coincided with something Sara was involved with, as my companions gathered around her. All their faces lit up with joy while Sara broke away and dashed to me for a hug.
“Heh heh heh.”
Wow, I finally understand why people become doting parents.
As Sara ran up without a second thought and embraced me, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Did Sara worry about me this much? I wasn’t quite sure how long I’d been in that pond, but to think Sara cared about me to this extent…
“I like Magician Ho Cheon-an!”
“Aha~ I really like you, too, Sara.”
Grinning widely, I patted her back. While still nestled in my arms, Sara glared at the rest of the group.
“I really hate the sisters!”
…Huh?
What on earth happened this time?
