Chapter 104: Show Them Properly
“For the next two weeks, the young Taoists of both sects will put their heads together and complete the final version.”
The moment Sect Leader Wonmyeong finished speaking...
I cheered inwardly.
Then immediately raised my voice.
“Spending two whole weeks completing something like this seems like a waste of time.”
The moment the words left my mouth...
silence fell around us.
A short while later...
cold gazes from the Mount Hua Taoists poured toward me.
I pretended not to notice.
In truth...
I had deliberately provoked them.
Elder Hyeoneom had told me last night to prove my qualification.
So I intended to show Mount Hua exactly what that qualification looked like.
Sect Leader Wonmyeong looked at me with open curiosity.
“Then how long do you think it would take?”
I answered confidently.
“There's no need to drag it out.”
“I think we should finish it right now.”
And from that moment...
all hell broke loose.
The Mount Hua disciples immediately erupted into whispers.
Most of them were insults aimed at me.
And it wasn't just them.
Even my companions beside me looked stunned.
“Martial Uncle... I think you should take back what you just said....”
“Mujin, I think it'd be better to step back for now.”
Hyeongwon and Myeongjeon openly tried to stop me.
Then Jin Gwangung's sound transmission reached me.
What the hell do you think you're doing? This is an official exchange between sects. This isn't a place where you can just say whatever comes into your head!
I immediately answered through sound transmission.
Master. Don't worry. I'm confident.
Confident? Are you telling this old man to blindly trust whatever nonsense comes out of your mouth?
His voice carried clear rebuke.
I answered again.
Master. I didn't say it lightly.
I said it because I really can do it.
"..."
A brief silence followed.
Then Jin Gwangung's voice came again.
...You really can?
You're confident you can take responsibility for what you just said?
I answered without hesitation.
I'll prove it myself.
Trust me, Master.
"..."
Another short silence.
Then—
...Fine.
I'll trust you this once.
His voice turned threatening.
But if you smear Kunlun's name with your nonsense... you'd better be ready for what comes afterward.
That will never happen.
Once I gave him a firm answer...
Jin Gwangung raised his voice toward Sect Leader Wonmyeong.
“Sect Leader, don't worry.”
“Kunlun always follows through on its words.”
One sentence from a master who trusted his disciple.
That alone made me feel even more confident.
I immediately accepted the scroll containing the Five-Step Sword Art from Sect Leader Wonmyeong.
Improving and completing an incomplete martial art...
was obviously not an easy task.
To everyone else, my declaration that I would finish the Five-Step Sword Art right here and now must have sounded completely insane.
But...
I wasn't worried at all.
There was a very clear reason I'd stepped forward with this much confidence.
And that was—
[New martial art information has been transmitted to the Awakened.]
[Martial Art: True Five-Step Sword Art]
[Analyzing martial art contents.]
[The incomplete verses of the existing ‘True Five-Step Sword Art’ are being supplemented through the Awakened's analysis ability.]
There it is!
The martial arts analysis ability I'd been counting on activated again.
[Analysis Result: The incomplete final verse can be corrected into a fully completed sword art.]
[Would you like to correct and learn the sword art?]
I made my decision immediately.
Learn the Five-Step Sword Art.
[The Awakened's intent has been confirmed.]
[‘True Five-Step Sword Art’ is being optimized and acquired by the Awakened.]
[The Awakened has completely mastered the ‘True Five-Step Sword Art.’]
Everything about the True Five-Step Sword Art surged into me like a flood.
Its complete structure...
was perfectly engraved into my mind and body.
I turned toward Sect Leader Wonmyeong.
“It's done.”
Apparently irritated by my confidence...
Cheongbaek, head of the Martial Training Institute, snapped at me.
“Don't speak nonsense!”
He'd been glaring at me for a while now...
and every word out of his mouth had been unpleasant.
To be honest...
his attitude had already gotten on my nerves.
But I didn't bother arguing.
There's no point wasting words on someone like this.
Showing him was better.
I drew my sword immediately.
After a short breath...
I raised the tip.
“True Five-Step Sword Art, First Form...”
“First Walking Step.”
“The first step opens the path.”
The first form unfolded from my hand.
The tip of my sword glided forward.
My feet moved along with the sword path.
It was the first time I'd ever performed the form...
yet the transition felt completely natural.
I moved immediately into the second.
“Second Form, Turning Road Step.”
“Turn the path, but do not lose the flow.”
Unlike the first form, which extended in a straight line...
the second created countless sword paths.
My body moved together with those shifting trajectories.
As I continued...
I glanced toward Cheongbaek.
I could clearly see surprise on his face.
A strange sense of satisfaction rose within me.
So I pressed forward.
“Third Form, Layered Connecting Step.”
“Overlap and connect, leaving no opening.”
Countless transformations burst from the sword path.
Those transformations continued...
and overlapped.
I let my body sink into the countless flowing trajectories.
At some point...
I had begun performing the sword art with my eyes closed.
“Fourth Form, Returning Current Step.”
“Return, but do not rewind the flow.”
The countless sword paths that had been extending forward...
shifted under my control.
The spreading trajectories gathered together...
creating yet another path.
And then...
the final moment arrived.
I drew in a short breath.
Then began completing the last chapter that the True Five-Step Sword Art had failed to finish.
“Fifth Form, Returning-to-One Step.”
