Chapter 212: Arrival (10)

From the roof of the detached cottage, the enormous estate of the Namgung Household was clearly visible in the distance.

Beneath the moonlight, an overwhelming presence radiated from that distant estate, a presence that bordered on the path of supremacy.

Soyak sat on the roof, quietly watching it.

“...Soyak, what are you doing?”

Cheongak poked his head up through the roof.

The attic had a window that opened directly onto it.

Of course, having already reached Transcendent Apex, Cheongak could have climbed onto a roof without a window easily enough.

“I'm watching the Namgung Household.”

“Is there something interesting going on over there?”

“No. Nothing in particular.”

Cheongak pursed his lips.

Then he climbed out and sat down beside her.

Soyak regarded him for a moment before turning away.

“Is Young Master Tang asleep?”

“Yeah. He's sleeping.”

Having the entire detached cottage to themselves meant that they had been given a small house, complete with a couple of bedrooms.

“Young Master Tang will be using one of the bedrooms, so you should take the other, Brother.”

“What about you?”

“I don't mind sleeping in the living room.”

Cheongak's expression turned decidedly strange.

It was almost as though he were thinking, How could I possibly do something so outrageous?

Soyak paid him no mind. She continued gazing toward the Namgung Household.

Two tremendous waves of energy were colliding intermittently.

Perhaps Namgung Seon would cross the wall and enter the Transformation Realm tonight.

“Soyak.”

“Yes, Brother?”

“I'll sleep in the living room. You take the bedroom.”

“Understood.”

Once again, Cheongak's expression turned rather strange.

Soyak had accepted his offer without so much as a token refusal.

She glanced at him, then let out a small chuckle.

“If you're going to look at me like that, Brother, wouldn't it be better for you to take the bedroom?”

“No... That's not what I meant, all right? Just sleep in the bedroom.”

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

Only then did Cheongak's face brighten.

Apparently, all he had wanted was that simple, ordinary expression of gratitude.

“I've always been pretty good at looking after people!”

“That's definitely not true.”

“...Definitely?”

“Yes. Definitely not.”

But Soyak was unmistakably smiling as she repeated her denial.

And at that very moment—

From somewhere deep within the Namgung Household...

An enormous collision of energy erupted, powerful enough for even Cheongak to sense it from where he sat.

“...What the hell was that?”

“That's what happens when someone first crosses the wall. They don't yet know how powerful their newly perfected Sword Force is.”

Namgung Seon had crossed the wall.

******

“...I see. Yes, the Heavenly Martial Body is no empty title.”

The Sword Sovereign stood with his sword held upright.

Naturally, not a speck of dust had settled on so much as a single hair of his beard.

One thing, however, was certain.

A portion of his sleeve had been cut away.

A very, very small piece.

But Namgung Seon had managed to cut it.

Which meant that he had finally managed to reach the Sword Sovereign.

It was proof that he had attained the minimum standing necessary to cross swords with him.

“So this is...”

“You have only just entered the Transformation Realm, so your Sword Force is still wavering and unstable. Steady yourself, Seon. You must continue to hone your skills.”

“...Yes, Grandfather.”

“From now on, every step forward will be like facing another wall. That is the nature of the Transformation Realm.”

The Sword Sovereign gave his longsword a casual swing.

Then he returned it to the sheath at his waist.

Shhhh. Click.

The sound marked the end of the night's training.

The moment Namgung Seon heard it, he sank to the ground.

Steam rose from his shoulders.

His forehead and the back of his neck were already soaked with sweat, glistening beneath the moonlight.

The cold night air repeatedly washed over him, but even that was not enough to cool his body.

“Was it difficult?”

“Grandfather, have you ever felt this way?”

“What way?”

“Like you're drowning under an impossible weight of pressure... struggling desperately just to keep your head above it.”

The Sword Sovereign chuckled.

Then he lightly tapped Namgung Seon's forehead with the end of his scabbard.

“Have you forgotten that your grandfather was the one who killed the Heavenly Demon?”

“...Was the Heavenly Demon really that terrifying?”

“Terrifying indeed. Of course, countless friends and comrades gave their lives driving their blades into that monster. But even with blood pouring from all seven of his bodily openings, he kept moving. You cannot imagine how frightened I was.”

Namgung Seon's eyes widened.

It was rare enough for the Sword Sovereign to speak about the Heavenly Demon at all.

But perhaps no one had ever heard him admit that he had been afraid of the Heavenly Demon.

“You were afraid?”

“How could I not have been? Even with blood pouring from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, he was still stronger than I was. There he stood, drenched in blood, with six or seven weapons sticking out of his body, and he kept coming toward me. His eyes were bloodred, his hair was wild, and he looked like some monstrous fiend that had crawled straight out of hell.”

That made sense.

Namgung Seon nodded.

Anyone would have been horrified to see an already formidable man approaching in such a state.

And if that man was still stronger than you despite those injuries, horror would give way to outright terror.

“But I was the only one left. I was the only damned bastard who survived on the summit of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, Seon...”

“Even so, you managed to kill him, didn't you?”

The Sword Sovereign silently raised his eyes to the night sky.

Then, slowly, he looked back at Namgung Seon.

And in his grandfather's eyes, Namgung Seon saw something that should never have been there.

It was...

Fear.

Fear that still lingered within him, even after all these years.

******

Morning came.

Soyak dressed in her clean white martial uniform and secured the Falling Blossom Tranquil Edge at her waist.

Then she opened her bedroom door and stepped outside.

“...Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Did you sleep comfortably, Young Master Tang?”

Tang Uwon looked rather taken aback.

Soyak was being, well, excessively polite.

Of course, she had been just as polite from the moment they met, so one might wonder why he was only finding it surprising now.

But there was a world of difference between the time before he knew she was a Transformation Realm master and now.

He had seen it with his own eyes.

The distinct Sword Force gathering along that slender longsword.

Under the pressure of her overwhelming presence, the Azure Sky Cloud Sword Unit warrior who had been acting so insolently had fainted on the spot.

Ordinarily, an incident of that magnitude would have become a dispute between sects.

The Namgung Household had mistreated a disciple of Mount Hua.

And that disciple had responded with a show of force at the Namgung Household's main gate.

There was only one reason the matter had not escalated into a major conflict.

Neither Soyak nor the Namgung Household wanted it to.

Young Master Tang understood that as well.

“Miss Cheon.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. You've shown me just how vast the world is. There really is another sky above the one we know.”

He was referring to what had happened yesterday.

Soyak quietly shook her head.

“There is still another sky above me as well. A gilded sky.”

“A gilded sky...”

“Yes. A shining, unchanging sky, hardened beneath a coating of gold.”

Tang Uwon narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

He understood what she meant.

He was the second son of the Sichuan Tang Family.

Although he might not be as politically adept as the First Young Master, who had already been designated heir, he was naturally familiar with political calculations and the language used to express them.

“...You mean the Sword Sovereign.”

“Yes.”

“You don't like the Sword Sovereign?”

“I find it difficult to like him.”

Tang Uwon narrowed his eyes and surveyed their surroundings.

He could detect no one nearby with his sense for energy.

Soyak, of course, had already thoroughly scanned the area before speaking.

After all, not even the Night-Heaven Hall could deceive Soyak's sense for energy.

“So there's something going on.”

“Yes. There is.”

Of course, she could not tell him the details just yet.

He, too, was someone she could not easily trust.

But Tang Uwon simply shrugged and took a seat.

“I suppose it's something you can't talk about.”

“...That's right.”

“Is that also why someone in the Transformation Realm is entering the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”

“Yes. And I don't believe I'll be the only Transformation Realm master participating in this year's Gathering.”

Tang Uwon tilted his head.

Then he looked toward Cheongak, who was sprawled across the wooden porch, fast asleep.

“Cheongak hasn't reached the Transformation Realm yet, has he?”

“Brother still has a long way to go. However... I believe the Namgung Household's heir crossed the wall last night.”

Tang Uwon narrowed his eyes.

Then he let out a deep sigh.

“Two Transformation Realm masters competing in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”

“Yes.”

“What a mess. What a complete mess. There'll be more than enough shrimp getting their backs broken when those two whales start fighting...”

He wasn't wrong.

Even if a master had only entered the Transformation Realm the previous night and was still at its earliest stage, the gulf separating that master from someone at Transcendent Apex was almost unfathomable.

Unless they suddenly lost an arm or a leg, it would be difficult for such a master to lose.