Chapter 88
Deficiency (2)
Namgung Jun's dignified bearing left Geomsima momentarily speechless.
Narrowing his eyes as he studied the young swordsman, Geomsima finally let out a sinister chuckle.
"So it's true. A man burdened with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Seems you've lost a bit of your mind along the way."
He strode forward toward Namgung Jun.
"You really intend to face me alone? It doesn't seem like you're waiting for some hidden variable."
Despite the continued mockery, Namgung Jun merely toyed with the hilt of his sword.
Geomsima, on the other hand, sharpened his senses to their utmost and carefully examined Namgung Jun's aura.
He wanted to understand where such confidence came from.
Hmm...
Although Namgung Jun was not openly releasing his aura, neither was he completely concealing it.
Since Geomsima had already heightened his perception to the limit out of caution for the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, he could gradually discern the strength hidden beneath the surface.
As a great master of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, Geomsima meticulously evaluated Namgung Jun's true capabilities.
It's astonishing even now.
According to the intelligence reports, Namgung Jun should have been at the mature stage of Peak Realm.
Even accounting for extraordinary growth, reaching the verge of Peak Realm's pinnacle would have been the most reasonable prediction.
The harmony of essence, energy, and spirit—the hallmark of Peak Realm's ultimate stage.
It was not an achievement attained lightly.
How many martial artists spent their entire lives without ever reaching such harmony?
And Namgung Jun bore the Nine Yin Severed Meridians in a male body, making the accomplishment even more unbelievable.
How in the world? Even with Changcheon Society's full support, this exceeds all reason.
No matter how exceptional his talent, reaching such a level in so short a time was shocking.
Had I met him any later, I would have been facing a great master.
For the first time, Geomsima felt fortunate.
If their meeting had been delayed even slightly, the boy might already have entered the realm of Three Flowers.
And then the entire plan would have fallen apart.
"With Cloud-Wandering Playful Sword present, this isn't the time for caution."
The instant his evaluation was complete, Geomsima moved.
THUD!
He closed the distance in an instant.
His sword naturally flowed from its sheath and thrust toward Namgung Jun's shoulder.
It was a vicious attack aimed at the slightest gap in his breathing.
Namgung Jun neither twisted away nor withdrew his shoulder.
Instead, he moved forward.
Given the distance between them and Geomsima's level of cultivation, retreating recklessly would mean surrendering the initiative in a life-and-death duel.
Leaning his shoulder diagonally against his upright blade, he intercepted the thrust.
Then he used the impact.
Tilting his waist and shoulder slightly to the side, he rotated his body and infused the sword tip with the principle of Jeonsagyeong, redirecting the force into a counterattack.
SHWAAANG!
His blade swept diagonally through the air.
A strike from the Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders.
Wrapped in crackling lightning, the sword strike vibrated briefly before instantly splitting into five trajectories.
A feint executed through sheer sword speed—so fast that even martial artists of the same realm would struggle to react.
CLAAANG!
Yet Geomsima casually raised his sword vertically and blocked them all.
The unique perception granted by the unification of essence, energy, and spirit had provided him enough time to react.
Even so, his eyes narrowed.
The altered sense of time possessed by Three Flowers masters stretched even the briefest instant into something longer.
And despite that, Namgung Jun's sword still appeared astonishingly fast.
Had he reacted even slightly slower, the blade would have carved into his shoulder.
Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders... It's even more impressive than the rumors claimed.
One could easily believe it was the ultimate technique of a master who had spent his entire life pursuing swift swordsmanship alone.
The depth of Namgung Jun's fast sword was both extraordinary and dangerous.
As Geomsima deflected the sharply curving attack from the side, he knew something important.
Lightning Thirteen Sword Thunders was only one of Namgung Jun's primary sword arts.
WHOOOOM!
No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than a heavy sword wind descended.
A deep blue gale struck his right flank and thigh in succession.
Layer upon layer of compressed sword wind crashed toward him.
It felt as though invisible walls had suddenly appeared around him, restricting his movement.
BOOM!
The right sleeve of Geomsima's robe fluttered violently, but it was not torn.
Having retreated through a bizarre footwork technique, his sword flashed sharply and split apart the incoming sword winds.
A savage sword strike that shredded the air into dozens of fragments.
But Geomsima was not content merely to neutralize the Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
A dark-blue sword arc surged forward.
It aimed to cut Namgung Jun in half at the waist.
The exact same body part Namgung Jun had targeted moments earlier.
To respond carelessly would be to become trapped in an entangling web of sword strikes.
Geomsima's swordsmanship was that chaotic.
That dangerous.
THUD!
Yet instead of retreating, Namgung Jun stomped firmly forward.
From his planted left foot, a straight and unwavering aura flowed outward, surrounding his entire body like a pillar.
Using the principles of Heavenly Pillar Immovable Body, he advanced directly.
Holding his sword upright, he met the dark-blue attack head-on.
SHRRRK!
Eight streams of blood burst forth as his azure robes were sliced apart in several places.
Sword wounds appeared across his body.
Yet Namgung Jun did not flinch.
Minimizing the damage through Heavenly Pillar Immovable Body, he curved his sword in return.
His steadfast strike advanced relentlessly and knocked Geomsima's horizontal slash aside.
Geomsima immediately followed with another series of sword techniques aimed at the upper body.
By then, Namgung Jun was already drawing a twisted half-circle.
Using a single movement of Cloud-Layering Wall Stance, he redirected the entire assault.
Then he immediately executed Boundless Steps, retreating as though turning his body inside out.
Geomsima gave him neither distance nor breathing room.
His sword chased relentlessly until the blade was beneath Namgung Jun's chin.
Dense dark-blue sword qi poured from the weapon.
A characteristic trait of Sun Moon Demonic Cult experts, who unified yin and yang demonic energies into a single force.
"I've heard the stories," Geomsima said.
He extended his sword and smiled darkly.
"They say your talent for sword techniques is extraordinary."
The smile widened.
"Let's see how you handle my sword."
Geomsima's blade suddenly multiplied.
Twenty sword strikes split apart and covered the space before Namgung Jun.
Then they fragmented further.
And further.
Countless sword trajectories scattered like falling petals.
In an instant, the collapsing network of sword strikes filled Namgung Jun's entire vision.
If I lose focus for even the briefest moment... it's over.
Namgung Jun observed Geomsima's technique in its entirety, yet his attention was never fixed on any single point.
At the same time, he boldly thrust his sword forward, relentlessly targeting the key trajectories responsible for the technique's transformations.
CLANG!
The sword that had been weaving erratically through the middle range suddenly stalled.
The Eternal Tranquility Sword had slipped in and disrupted the flow of the technique.
Geomsima twisted his wrist and deflected the blade away.
Yet Namgung Jun's sword immediately followed.
Its own transformations were already unfolding.
The techniques of the Drizzling Rain Sword Art had begun.
Sword strikes resembling a raging rainstorm spread in all directions.
SHAAK!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
His bamboo hat and robes were shredded in several places, yet Namgung Jun did not move an inch.
Instead, he began severing Geomsima's attacks one after another from the front.
He forcibly inserted the transformations of the Drizzling Rain Sword Art into the battle.
The technique that had seemed ready to swallow him whole gradually slowed.
Its transformations became simpler.
Against the chaotic storm of sword strikes, Namgung Jun responded with equally sophisticated variations.
Geomsima could feel it.
The sword paths Namgung Jun interfered with were steadily causing his techniques to collapse.
Meanwhile, the Eternal Tranquility Sword drew ever closer.
Watching the blue sword light surge forward like a rainstorm, Geomsima narrowed his eyes.
This brat!
He instantly realized what Namgung Jun was doing.
The arrogant young swordsman was dismantling his techniques.
He's versed in Transforming Sword and Illusory Sword principles as well? There was no intelligence indicating he'd studied such arts!
Namgung Jun's clear eyes locked onto Geomsima as the Drizzling Rain Sword Art unfolded in earnest.
He's trained his sword quite well. Then perhaps it's worth trying.
Whoosh.
The grip that had been constantly shifting through unpredictable transformations changed again.
Along with it, his sword stance transformed.
It became faster.
Then heavier.
Then suddenly slower.
The blade twisted unpredictably before drawing graceful circles.
Countless different principles erupted from Namgung Jun's sword.
He had begun displaying every sword art he had learned in this life within a single blade.
Until now, he had practiced numerous sword arts to master numerous paths.
Now, he focused on harmoniously melting those many sword arts into one.
Techniques.
Trajectories.
Intent.
Insights.
Everything differed.
As a result, the transitions between sword arts were not yet perfect.
There were tiny interruptions.
Tiny breaks.
Watching those minute discontinuities, Geomsima became furious.
He could not fully understand what Namgung Jun was attempting.
But one thing was obvious.
The boy was daring to experiment while fighting him.
"How arrogant!"
Naturally, Geomsima targeted the openings created by the imperfect transitions.
Yet Namgung Jun was not so easy to exploit.
Do you think I don't know about the openings you've discovered?
Every weakness Geomsima noticed was already known to Namgung Jun.
The moment he executed a technique, he felt its flaws firsthand.
Rather than avoiding them, he turned them into feints and traps.
Gradually, Geomsima found himself leaning forward.
Being drawn in.
"Ghh!"
His breathing grew rough as he desperately attacked Namgung Jun's apparent weaknesses.
Something's wrong!
He was focusing precisely on the flaws created by Namgung Jun's reckless experimentation.
Yet somehow, he was the one being dragged along.
At first, during the opening thirty exchanges, the advantage had clearly belonged to him.
Then Namgung Jun revealed a sword art absent from the intelligence reports.
From that moment onward, the flow of the duel began changing.
Namgung Jun stopped taking hits.
Slowly, steadily, he seized the advantage.
And now—
As Geomsima fought him, he felt an indescribable depth.
The more their swords crossed, the more it felt like sinking into an invisible swamp.
A vast, unpleasant abyss.
"What exactly are you doing?!"
"I've seen enough."
"What?"
Geomsima stared into Namgung Jun's eyes.
Those were not the eyes of someone facing a mortal enemy.
This brat... what in the world is he thinking while looking at me?
CLANG!
For a brief instant, Geomsima's concentration wavered.
His sword was violently knocked aside.
To Namgung Jun, Geomsima was merely a training dummy.
A very fast one.
A very powerful one.
A very well-made one.
A perfect opponent for blending together the sword arts he had accumulated.
Nothing more.
WOOONG!
Powerful waves of energy erupted from Namgung Jun's body.
Heavenly Thunder True Yang Art.
And Azure King Blue World Qi.
The aura generated by these two internal arts surged vigorously.
For now, the two cultivation methods coexisted without conflict, amplifying one another's power.
But even that was not enough.
Someday, these two cultivation arts must become one as well...
The thought flashed through his mind.
Then he returned his focus to the sword.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Judging by the exchange of blows, the duel appeared even—or perhaps slightly tilted in Namgung Jun's favor.
Considering the gap between their cultivation realms, such a thing should have been impossible.
BOOM!
Swift Sword transformed into Illusory Sword.
Then Heavy Sword descended like a crushing weight.
And throughout it all flowed the principles of the Flowing Sword.
THUD!
A heavy impact echoed.
Geomsima's body sank downward.
He had barely managed to block Namgung Jun's attack.
Yet his posture had completely collapsed.
For a great master, it was a devastating mistake.
"Urgh!"
Namgung Jun poured even more strength into his wrist and drove the blade downward.
Looking down at Geomsima, his eyes held only quiet disappointment.
"So this is all?"
The young swordsman's heated breath escaped slowly.
"You are not enough."
The words were not spoken with arrogance.
They were simply the truth.
The opponent before him was no longer capable of taking him any further.