Chapter 86 Hwashan War (3)

Sword King, Apprentice, Trinity of the Sky Sword, King of Four Wheels, Sword Dragon, Crescent Sword of the High Wind

Starting with Firmament Sword Chul Namgoong, he learned of nicknames in the chat room. It wasnt to the point of a false reputation, but several nicknames felt way too exaggerated and inflated. However, perhaps it was because he wasnt impressed when he heard the old mans nickname

Sword Saint?

In direct translation, it was closer to the god of the sword. He wasnt sure if it was valid or just a bluff. But the moment the old man lifted the sword, and purple energy was manifested from it. That old man became a being somewhat between human and a monster.

Countdown is starting.

With one hand behind his back, he quietly lifted the sword with his remaining hand. His flaws vanished as if they had never been. The absolute perfection hed been looking for while training with the Heavenly Devil Sword. It was as if he had a glimpse of that realm.

Was I too rash?

He wasnt regretting the choice of challenging. However, there was no denying that he was sloppy in judging his opponents based on their levels. But

I wouldve done it even if I knew this would happen.

After reaching the tenth floor, the Coins disappeared, so the death faced in the future would be real. But that was the test the Tower assigned. The moment you were scared, you would fall behind. It may not be obvious right now, but one day there would be a moment when a past choice came back to haunt him.

If the Heavenly Devil, the King of Steel, or any other challenger, had defeated Sword Saint in this duel and received additional rewards

Then it meant he was lacking.

Life? As long as you take the easy path, you will slowly be culled. And one day, there would be a time when you could no longer survive. Furthermore, hed been waiting for a chance like this. An opponent whom he could fight with all his might.

I even had my stats increased. Maybe that might not be the case before that, but for now, he might not be an unbeatable opponent.

After the countdown, the restraint disappeared. But unlike the duels he experienced so far, it was quiet on the field.

Hohoho. What are you doing? Without rushing in like before.

The old man asked while laughing loudly. The comfortable voice made the moment of confrontation feel like a lie, but

Yoon-seok could feel it. His suppressed anger was burning.

Chul Namgoong, what the hell did he do in his past life?

Perhaps the Chul Namgoong he saw on the seventh floor had become a future figure since this incident going forward. Otherwise, he wouldnt have had a match against him who could use Sword Manipulation freely. Well, he wasnt so curious about Chul Namgoongs story, nor was it important right now.

What should I do?

What should I do?

He could think of two things at once using Yin and Yang, but he didnt have a solution. In the end, he had no choice but to explore the options one by one to find out. If he was sloppy, then the battle might be over in an instant. So hed have to put all his energy in even if he was testing the water.

Avatar.

When Yoon-seoks appearance changed, the hall roared.

Ive heard rumors that you went looking for black magic, but youve gone so far to get anything in your hands.

The old mans eyes turned icy. It wasnt personal, but should he say that it was looking like it was his public duty to execute him? A firm determination to kill Yoon-seok crossed his face. He didnt know if it was a good thing or not, but

Twelve swords are being used. Increases magic stats by +1.

Yoon-seok first made the Bloodseeker Swords and had them hover around him. Once King of All Swords was activated, he planned to actively use Bloodseeker Sword depending on the situation.

Its not an Amorphous Sword, but its an unusual tactic.

He said the same thing as Chul Namgoong. What was an Amorphous Sword? He had no clue.

The old man nodded slightly as if he would let him have the first offense, and Yoon-seok quietly adjusted his breath.

Its too bad the Judgement Sword or gloves arent activated.

The gloves would be invoked on monsters or other species except for humans and beast-people. Unfortunately, neither was the case for this elderly man.

Lets use Ladys Commandment when a chance comes

It was time to get started. Yoon-seok used b Trajectory Enhancement} to launch the Bloodseeker Sword from afar. To be honest, it was quite a burden to get into close contact with that scary old man

Boom, boom, boom!

The moment Bloodseeker Sword was fired, his purple energy reacted. The fixed S+ stats also increased the power of b Bloodseekers Ultimatum}, b Azure Dragon Energy}, and b King of All Swords}. Nevertheless, the sword streaming through the air were offset, regardless of their superiority.

Yoon-seoks brow furrowed.

Am I wrong?

The opponent didnt have b Trajectory Enhancement}. Nevertheless, the sword energy still flew far.

Come to think of it; its just like the skill I saw before that.

The sword that stretched out from the tip of the sword was divided into thousands of pieces. And now, a question came to mind. It was possible to manipulate the energy from the outside to make a sword, but why couldnt he extend his sword without the help of the skill?

As if to answer his question, the old man rushed in.

Look carefully.

It was a normal sword-wielding movement, but when it clashed with Yoon-seoks sword, the purple energy divided into several strokes.

This is Falling Flowers.

The tactic used by the first opponent, an illusion that benefited from hiding a thread of hardness inside the soft. But

The old mans tactic was different.

No illusion?

Everything was real as if the principle of Shifting was assimilated into the sword technique.

Ah

Only then did Yoon-seok realize Shifting itself was a method that combined the essence of both, and Falling Flowers was originally invented with that method. It just seemed to be different because his first opponents level was low. It wasnt that type of tactic in the first place.

Whoooooooooosh!

Yoon-seok wasnt flustered. It was a tactic based on Shifting? Then the answer was also simple. He could just respond with the same tactic. Following the purple energy, which was divided into several branches, Yoon-seoks sword was also divided into several branches.

But then.

This is Plum Blossom Domination.

Thousands of petals flew. It was the tactic that the second opponent demonstrated. However, he just found out that the name was Plum Blossom Domination, and he realized it wasnt just about glamour.

The real thing was different. It wasnt weak enough to be swept away like before. Does softness overcome Hardness? It was disadvantageous to attack by force.

Then theres another way.

Yoon-seok looked at the scattered petals again. Plum Domination was a martial art made by manipulating energy from the outside, similar to the principle of Bloodseeker Sword. However, it was hard to imitate it immediately because he had a different Inner Qi.

It was impossible to create Bloodseeker Energy or Azure Dragon Energy in such a small form due to its nature. If Bloodseeker Energy was dominance and strongness, and Azure Dragon Energy was strongness and gentleness. That purple energy was pursuing softness and strongness.

Yoon-seok manifested b Azure Dragon Energy} into the sword, but it wasnt shaped in the form of a sword. It was just radiating off the air.

Swaaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

Soon a blue thread was spread out from the tip of the sword and exploded into thousands of petals. Nevertheless, the old man calmly spoke.

This is the Hwashan Sword.

There was no tactic or technique, just a sword. Yoon-seok took it as a sign of putting his whole heart into it, drawing his attention forward.

Whoooosh!

Swords wielded through the petals falling in full bloom. Mysteriously, the sword moved around places where the petals didnt touch. The energy from the sword seemed to push the petals away, but

Upon closer inspection, that wasnt the case.

Is that a tactic that abandons hardness?

All previous tactics were all about glamour. But, what about this? There was no change, just smoothness, but straight to the goal.

No, not to give up change, but rather.

Does it look rather normal at its extreme? It wasnt a tactic that gave up on change. On the contrary, it looked crude since too many changes were happening during the attack.

How is it done?

He didnt just give up because there was no way. Ladys Commandment, Vajras Step, and Enhanced Speed. There were as many as three solutions. However, theyd only exchanged three attacks. Yoon-seok decided to save a little more and wait for a better opportunity.

Swaaaaaaaaaaaa-!

The Heavenly Devil Sword. A tidal wave hit Yoon-seoks sword. But

Its broken?

A sword penetrated the tidal wave. As if Yoon-seok had cut it, aiming for the flaw that the Heavenly Devil had intentionally shown in the past. The old man pinpointed the place where it was mixed incongruously and poked his sword in. But it wasnt without any effect.

The old mans sword tip, which came out of the tidal wave, shook and began to show a subtle change. The normal-looking trick reaching an extreme was reduced to one of the normal changing tactics. The old mans sword was divided into twelve directions and aimed for Yoon-seoks vital points.

How many were there originally?

He didnt know. Coincidentally, the numbers matched. Yoon-seok used his dual swords to block the ones aiming for his neck and heart while using the levitating Bloodseeker Swords to stop the following attacks.

Boom, boom, boom!

A total of twenty-four swords collided at the same time.

Tadak.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Yoon-seok widened their distance. Of course, it was possible because the old man allowed it. The old man opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something.

I heard that a rookie appeared and called himself Sword Master, and now I see that he deserved it.

It was Chul Namgoong. He didnt know what happened to him, but it was true that he was still a rookie and probably hadnt challenged this old man.

He wanted to live, so he escaped, and then later he was called to the Tower.

However, it would be ridiculous to say that he wasnt Chul Namgoong in this situation.

I dont know, but I dont think youre good enough to be called a Sword Saint.

Surely that old man was a great swordsman. If the stats hadnt been fixed at S+, he wouldnt have even reached a tie with the previous tricks. But if you asked him if he was enough to attain the nickname of Sword Saint

He could say it firmly. He wasnt at that level. The evidence was that he could withstand three exchanges.

Hohoho. What a bold guy.

Despite Yoon-seoks provocation, the old man remained calm. He just lifted the sword he had lowered for a while. And

Early Plum Blossom, Winter Plum Blossom, and Snow Plum Blossom. The names depended on when the plum blossoms bloom. And with White Plum Blossom and Red Plum Blossom, the name changes depending on the color of the petals.

He suddenly went on about plum blossoms. What the hell did he want to say? He was even more confused after hearing the following explanation.

My master was enlightened after looking at the changes of plum blossoms and founded this place.

Now he was talking about the history of Hwashan. What was wrong with him all of a sudden? Yoon-seoks eyes were full of questions, but the old man continued regardless.

The disciples of our clan have wielded their swords thousands of times under the plum tree since they were young. It is to capture the changes of plum blossoms. Splendor, and infinite freedom when petals fly in the wind.

I wanted to show you what a real sword is. But the decision to save face has rather hurt the reputation of the clan.

Thud.

The old man took a step. For some reason, Yoon-seok felt a great tension.

Ill tell you now. What Im going to show you from now on is not the Hwashans swordsmanship.

He says he was the leader of their clan, but it wasnt their sword? Did he learn martial arts from other clans?

That thought flashed across his mind, but soon he could tell that wasnt the case. Purple energy formed on the old mans sword. However, it wasnt as soft or glamorous as before. The energy was threatening, and it seemed somewhat light but also mixed with a heaviness.

Whose sword is it? The old man did not give a clear answer, but Yoon-seok didnt ask. He could tell even if he didnt.

Gama.

It was the Sword Saint Lee Hyun-haks sword.