Chapter 102
Dancer (2)
The dancer stood at the center of the troupe, performing his saber dance.
As Namgung Jun watched the blade move in harmony with the melodies flowing from the troupe's many instruments, his eyes gradually widened.
He could not help it.
"This is different."
The words slipped from his lips before he realized it.
Fortunately, his voice was so soft that no one around him noticed.
Everyone was already completely absorbed in the performance.
And understandably so.
The trajectory traced by the dancer in the comical mask possessed a strange allure that naturally drew the eye.
Shwaaak!
The elaborately decorated curved saber drifted through the air as if floating on water.
No visible force was infused into it, yet the surrounding air rippled gently in response to its movements, parting before the blade.
At first, the dancer's movements followed the rhythm of the music.
But before long, that relationship began to change.
Gradually, the dancer seized control.
Eventually, the musicians found themselves adjusting their music to match the saber dance.
The performance had become something entirely different from what it was at the beginning.
The dancer's swaying body guided the saber with astonishing freedom and beauty.
One moment, the blade appeared to be swinging aimlessly.
The next, it traced elegant lines through the air, teasing the sunlight itself.
Long ribbons of sunlight seemed to drape around the gleaming blade.
Perhaps because the dance was so mysterious.
The sunlight lingering along the saber's edge appeared not to disperse, but to gather around the dancer instead.
Countless motes of light shimmered across his already flamboyant attire.
It was as though he were drawing the descending sunlight toward himself through the medium of the curved saber.
How is this possible? The speed of the dance isn't even increasing.
Even a saber dance should possess a defined form.
Yet the dance before him easily transcended such conventions.
Though he had never seen this dance before, there was one thing Namgung Jun knew for certain.
He's simply moving the blade wherever his heart desires.
Every casual swing became the foundation for the next movement.
Each exaggerated extension of his limbs invited even more dazzling transformations.
The radiance and trajectories born from the dance.
The whistles of wind and ringing of steel that harmonized with the music.
The endless variations that ultimately reached the level of limitless transformation.
Countless elements converged around the dancer, creating an entirely new current.
Whiiish!
As he circled the square, twirling and swinging the saber, every tiny movement subtly altered the nature of the dance.
Like rain suddenly falling from a cloudless sky.
Like the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth beyond human prediction.
The dance changed several times within a single breath.
It was impossible to look away.
Namgung Jun was completely captivated.
For a moment, he even forgot the rhythm of the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art and the Spear King's Azure Epoch Technique that he habitually maintained.
Thump!
How long had he been watching?
At some point, he had even lost track of time itself.
Then a tremendous tremor erupted within him.
His heart pounded violently.
One by one, the villagers disappeared from his vision.
The noise of countless instruments filling his ears faded away.
The only thing remaining within his senses was the dancer performing the saber dance.
No.
It no longer looked like a mere dance.
What he saw was not swordplay, nor performance.
It appeared instead as a manifestation of the countless phenomena of the world, brought forth through the curved saber.
"Ah!"
A small gasp escaped his lips.
The breath that followed was hot and heavy.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sheathed sword, trembling faintly.
Surprise.
Inspiration.
Admiration.
Awe.
Curiosity.
All those emotions merged together and transformed into a single feeling.
I want to cross blades with him.
The pride and dignity of a swordsman burned within his heart.
Then his gaze drifted toward the dancer's mask.
Between the two eyeholes, he caught sight of a pair of deep, expressive eyes.
Those seemingly cheerful eyes narrowed slightly.
At the same time, the saber directed toward Namgung Jun dipped up and down ever so slightly.
Understanding the meaning immediately, Namgung Jun stepped forward.
Unlike his usual stride, which carried enough power to unleash sword force at any moment, this step was incomparably light.
Like a child unwilling to leave footprints upon fresh snow.
Shrrk.
At the same moment he moved, he drew his sword.
His body spun, and the blade swept outward.
Sword and saber seemed on the verge of colliding.
Yet they stopped at the very last instant before separating once more.
It was a sudden intrusion.
But no one in the square attempted to stop it.
Even with Namgung Jun joining the performance, the dance did not lose its harmony.
Instead, it became even more intricate and sublime.
Though no prior agreement existed between them, the curved saber and the Yeongjeong Sword blended together beautifully, as if they had rehearsed together for years.
Shwaaaaaa!
Namgung Jun began matching the dancer's rhythm.
They exchanged neither words nor glances.
He simply felt the movement of the saber before him with his entire body and guided his sword wherever instinct led him.
The two blades fluttered through the air like a pair of butterflies, teasing the wind and sunlight alike.
Neither sought to overpower the other.
Each pursued its own individuality.
Their trajectories did not interfere.
Instead, they strengthened and elevated one another's flow.
The sword and saber moved through the air like two brushes painting a magnificent landscape across the sky.
The dancer and the swordsman followed entirely different rhythms, yet neither rejected the other.
Their distinct footwork intertwined like circles chasing one another's tails, coexisting in perfect harmony.
The gestures of their hands drifting through the air only served to accentuate one another.
This is...
Namgung Jun made no effort to imitate the dancer's blade dance.
Instead, he sought to infuse his own sword with the naturalness of the myriad phenomena he had perceived within it.
Change and stillness.
The myriad phenomena of the world contained both qualities.
Before those two immutable truths, the countless sword paths, forms, and techniques filling Namgung Jun's mind seemed unnecessarily complicated.
It is endlessly distant and immeasurably vast.
As he danced with his sword, Namgung Jun gradually emptied away that complexity.
As the clutter within his mind dispersed, the realization called Ilmangmuae—Boundless Freedom—lingered briefly like smoke before brushing against the edges of his consciousness and fading away.
He forgot form.
He forgot understanding.
He forgot himself.
Namgung Jun cast everything aside and immersed himself completely in the sword dance.
He swung his sword.
Then swung it again.
Forgetting even himself, he entered a state of selflessness.
Nothing obstructed him, and nothing bound him—thus it was freedom.
Yet the vastness flowing through his sword remained endless—thus it was boundlessness.
Within that infinite expanse, Namgung Jun quietly raised his sword.
"Huh?"
At some point, he could no longer tell whether he was holding the sword or had already let it go.
Yet he simply expressed his will as his body and heart guided him.
Jjeeeong!
Suddenly, the sharp sound of clashing steel filled his mind.
Only then did he regain awareness.
"Haaah..."
A strange sensation seized him.
The farther the sword extended from his hand, the more indistinct it seemed.
As though the blade itself were dissolving into empty space.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
Overwhelming.
Exhilarating.
Magnificent.
But the young swordsman did not resist it.
He accepted it completely.
Namgung Jun exhaled heavily.
How long had he been swinging his sword?
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
As he steadied his ragged breathing and looked around, he noticed torches illuminating the square with gentle light.
Night had fallen.
The sword dance that had begun at noon had not ended until deep into the night.
Only then did Namgung Jun turn his gaze forward.
His Yeongjeong Sword was blocked by the dancer's saber, which stood diagonally before it.
Apparently, the sound of steel striking steel had shattered his trance.
The dancer casually withdrew his saber with a playful gesture.
"That's enough dancing for one day. Let us conclude our first performance here."
A lively voice, elegant despite its cheerfulness, emerged from behind the mask.
It was slightly higher-pitched than expected for a man.
For some reason, Namgung Jun felt that the dancer was probably an excellent singer as well.
So such a master exists...
For a moment, he wondered if this man might actually be the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven hiding his identity.
Yet even while standing this close and matching breaths with him, Namgung Jun sensed nothing extraordinary.
No matter how thoroughly someone concealed their aura, a supreme master's transcendent presence could not be completely hidden.
The world truly is vast.
Namgung Jun hurriedly sheathed his sword and offered a respectful salute.
"I have learned much."
"No, no. In times like these, one should say they enjoyed themselves. Wouldn't you agree? Our first performance was successful—and quite beautiful."
Tilting his masked head slightly, the dancer continued,
"It has been a long time since I enjoyed myself this much. Even the village chief cannot keep up with my saber dance when I move however I please."
Shrugging dramatically, the dancer turned away without a trace of hesitation.
It was unfortunate that he never removed his mask.
Namgung Jun watched his retreating figure for a long time.
The lingering impression was profound.
Yet rather than pursuing him, Namgung Jun immediately sat cross-legged in the square.
That sword dance... what an incredible stroke of fortune.
Determined to preserve the precious insight he had unexpectedly gained, he entered meditation on the spot.
****
After his chance encounter with the dancer, Namgung Jun remained in Suyeon Village for seven days and seven nights.
Part of him hoped he might meet the dancer again.
But whether their paths simply failed to cross or the dancer had left the village with a traveling troupe, another meeting never came.
It would be rude to seek him out by force.
The square remained as lively as ever.
Yet to Namgung Jun, it felt strangely empty.
Still, wishing for more would be greed.
It's enough. Gaining insight into Ilmangmuae alone is already a tremendous fortune.
Within his mind, the realizations of Changgung Yohwak and Ilmangmuae were continuously intertwining and colliding of their own accord.
Someday, he would need to devote time to refining them both.
With a faintly amused sigh, Namgung Jun turned away.
He could not remain in Suyeon Village forever.
It was time to return to the headquarters.
As he descended the mountain path and approached the steep valley below, his steps suddenly halted.
A group of people was making its way upstream against the powerful current.
Their attire looked all too familiar.
The Sun Moon Demonic Cult!
The demonic martial artists had apparently noticed Namgung Jun standing at the end of the valley.
They stopped and looked up.
Is their target Suyeon Village?!
In an instant, Namgung Jun's thoughts raced.
There could only be one reason for Demonic Cult members to struggle through such a remote mountain valley.
They had finally discovered the hidden location where the Sword Lord of Righteous Heaven was undergoing secluded cultivation.
There's no way to warn the village. No time to evacuate the villagers either.
The moment his right hand settled upon his sword hilt—
"A martial artist in a place like this? Capture him!"
At the command of a middle-aged cultist, the front ranks launched themselves forward with lightness skills.
They surged into the air and surrounded Namgung Jun in an instant.
Just as swords and sabers were about to descend upon him—
Blue lightning erupted violently from his scabbard.
Perhaps because he had poured in far more internal energy than necessary.
The moment he drew his sword, a brilliant azure flash exploded outward, and a thunderous roar shook the entire valley.
KWA-RRRRBOOOOM!
The cultists who had rushed him were sliced into dozens of pieces before they could even react.
Their severed remains rained down into the valley below.
Blood spread through the rushing stream.
Glancing briefly at the water, now stained murky red, Namgung Jun shook his head.
"Don't come any closer."
His cold gaze swept across the remaining cultists.
"You're dirtying the water."