Reincarnated Sword Ghost-Chapter 29 : Light-Flowing Sword

Light-Flowing Sword
The training hall at Blue Scale Hall was very spacious.
This meant that there were just as many people using it.
"That's the Annihilating One-Slash."
"This time's special test's rank 1."
"I haven't heard of such a rising star in Shaanxi."
"I vaguely heard he's a named disciple of Mount Hua."
Many passed by, throwing out a remark or two, and even if he tried to let it go in one ear and out the other, it wasn't easy.
It was especially true since he had never received this much attention before the mission.
'... This is too much.'
He had an appearance like a noble and unknown internal power, yet he had entered through the special test selection.
That, too, as the top scorer among numerous candidates.
The terrifying nickname "Annihilating One-Slash", awarded from the recent mission, was just a bonus.
All of them were warriors who carried keen rivalry like swords in their hearts.
It was only natural that he attracted attention.
'It's burdensome.'
When at the training hall, he received duel requests several times a day.
They were all warriors with a single stripe; at first, thinking it would be helpful, he accepted them all.
However, he gradually realized that fighting in duels did not always necessarily lead to improvement.
'If they're weaker than me, it's no help.'
Eventually, to at least gain some inspiration, he imposed restrictions on himself such as not drawing his sword.
Some warriors even got angry, accusing him of not even drawing his sword.
When he finally refused all duels, people commented that he was as cold-hearted as the rumors said.
'Even now...'
Jeong-un stared at someone who was fanning such rumors.
"It's truly strange. Just by looking at how he handles a sword, you'd think he's known it for decades, but he's only been training in martial arts for a short time...?"
Leisurely sitting in one corner of the training hall and observing him was Baek Sang, a two-striped warrior from the Blue Scale Corps and a 2nd-generation disciple of Mount Hua.
From time to time, Baek Sang would come like this, making light conversation before leaving, which caused the rumor that Jeong-un might have some connection with Mount Hua.
"What are you doing?"
"Hmm?"
When Jeong-un asked quietly, Baek Sang opened his eyes wide and answered.
"Well, I'm just watching you train, right?"
"..."
At his nonchalant answer, Jeong-un hesitated for a moment.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt he was right, so he asked again.
"Usually, isn't it rude to peek at another warrior's training?"
"That's true."
"..."
As Jeong-un stared with intent, Baek Sang shrugged his shoulders.
"If you cared about that, wouldn't you have gone to a private training hall? Instead, you come here every day for all to see."
"A private training hall? There's such a place?"
"...?"
Baek Sang's eyes widened.
"Annihilating One-Slash, don't you think you don't know too much?"
"Just call me by my given name, please."
"Even if all that matters here is training and completing missions, still..."
Baek Sang easily ignored Jeong-un's request and shook his head.
"If you leave the front gate of Blue Scale Hall and keep walking toward the center of the complex, there's a private training hall. That's where one would practice martial arts or secret techniques they don't want others to see."
"There must be a lot of warriors in Heavenly Martial Hall; is there always space?"
At that, Baek Sang chuckled.
"You're saying there's a shortage of training halls in Heavenly Martial Hall? Nonsense. The General Affairs Department would make a spot even if there wasn't one."
Srrrng—
Jeong-un sheathed his sword immediately. He had heard all he needed to.
Baek Sang opened his mouth with a rather regretful look.
"Leaving right away?"
"That place seems more comfortable."
"Sorry if I bothered you."
He apologized right away, so Jeong-un flinched instead.
The truth was he wasn't exactly bothered.
His martial arts training, after all, was the repeated practice of the Three Talent Sword Technique, and on top of that, he simply mixed in the wonders of Moonlight Swift Steps to move his body.
Besides, he'd never attempted to manifest true ki like Cheong Jin or Yeom Baek in the training hall in the first place.
Since it wasn't a private space, it could have interfered with others' training.
"You weren't a bother. It's just..."
"Yes, I get what you mean."
Baek Sang smiled lightly and rose to his feet.
Dusting off the dirt clinging to his trousers, he spoke.
"They say warriors live on sword rice, but nowadays? There are times I think everyone just lives off being noticed. Seeing how uncomfortable you are being watched, sometimes I reflect on myself."
"That's too much praise."
Baek Sang fastened the sword case lying beside him to his waist.
Seeing that, Jeong-un spoke faintly.
"I thought you, young hero Baek Sang, would challenge me to a duel."
"What?"
Baek Sang stared at Jeong-un for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"You're sharp. Actually, my body was itching for it."
"Then why were you just watching?"
"Heavenly Martial Hall has an unspoken rule. Warriors of different ranks shouldn't duel, unless it's for instruction."
"Why?"
Jeong-un, too, had anticipated a duel with Baek Sang.
He had yet to cross swords with a two-striped warrior.
Even a light spar among those in the residence made it clear they were on a completely different level from the one-striped warriors.
Some seemed to have stepped onto that so-called realm of ascension, only spoken of in words.
And Baek Sang was just such a warrior.
"Two-striped warriors have been recognized for superior martial arts and achievements and given command authority. But if they lose in a duel to a one-striped warrior, that could cause problems for missions."
"Isn't that failing to distinguish between public and private matters? Regardless of duel results, commands during missions should still be obeyed."
"Heh, from what I hear, you didn't exactly follow Lee Si-geon's orders tamely during the mission, either."
"... It wasn't because I thought I was stronger than Lee Si-geon."
"Yes, yes. I know. Just kidding. You're not that kind of person."
Baek Sang truly sounded like he was joking, waving his hand with a smile.
But Jeong-un took the words deeply to heart.
'Not wrong, though.'
Jeong-un's feat of defeating a group from the Evil Faction solo was already famous among the residence's warriors.
On top of that, he moved alone at night, disobeying orders from a two-striped officer.
The part that became especially talked about was how he returned with the head of the strongest among them and presented it to Lee Si-geon.
'I only wanted to explain my solo actions, that's all.'
But instead, rumors went around that he'd brazenly proven the error of a two-striped officer's judgment with his own actions.
Watching Jeong-un, whose face had grown a touch clouded, Baek Sang smiled faintly and said,
"Warriors rarely obey those weaker than themselves. Maybe it's instinct. Moreover, here you're formally supposed to be cut off from your sect for five years. It's the place where disciples of countless taoist sects finally shake off that shackle. Some even show sides you'd never see outside."
"Do they really cut off ties with their sects completely?"
"Are you joking? If that were so, there's no way I'd have heard of you ahead of time. If anything, they've created even more intimate lines of communication."
"..."
Jeong-un looked at him quietly.
'How unusual.'
Mount Hua was also a true taoist sect, counted among the greatest of the Central Plains.
As a disciple from there, he'd have been strictly taught about behavior from a young age.
But Baek Sang didn't show a hint of that.
In fact, at a glance, he seemed even more free-spirited than Jeong-un, who came from a humble background.
'Is it his innate character?'
He made no effort to hide even how his sect ignored rules and kept close contact with the disciples within Heavenly Martial Hall.
'Doesn't seem to dislike his own sect, though.'
A man who reminded him of a wind brushing over wild grass.
That was Jeong-un's impression of Baek Sang.
It wasn't just because his words and actions felt light; there was something about his clear eyes.
That was why he was curious what kind of sword Baek Sang would show.
"I'll be off, then."
"Go. I hear that friend's sword is an 'absolute quick sword'. I know you're skilled, but don't let your guard down. Everyone here grew up being called a prodigy at least once."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Jeong-un bowed formally and turned in the direction Baek Sang indicated.
Baek Sang murmured, watching his back quietly.
"He's got extraordinary talent and a noble side, yet doesn't even know how precious he is."
A duel challenge, huh.
As if realizing it, Baek Sang idly tapped the sword guard at his waist with his fingers as he walked away.
His footsteps were heavy with regret.
* * *
The private training hall was not far.
Surprisingly, it was not outdoors; inside a large pavilion, it was made up of several large rooms without doors.
Instead of doors, long white curtains hung down to lightly shield vision, and the sight of curtains waving on either side of the long hallway from the sword winds inside was quite striking.
"Annihilating One-Slash."
As he walked down the corridor searching for an empty room, a warrior greeted him with a light nod.
Judging by his unfamiliar face, he seemed to belong to a different corps, not the Blue Scale Corps.
'Yet he knows my face?'
Regardless of the rumors, he wondered how others even recognized him.
Especially since everyone wore the same uniform.
Setting aside his curiosity, he chose an empty room.
'Quick sword, huh.'
There were all sorts of weapons among warriors, but the most common by far was still the sword.
And among swordsmen, it was rarer still to find one who was not confident in his speed.
Jeong-un was no exception.
Once, back in Danghyeon, he had even managed to land a strike escaping the opponent's perception.
'Still, he's on a different level from me.'
That was his honest feeling. From what he heard, the man was nicknamed the "Light-Flowing Sword".
A sword flowing like light. With "light" in the name, he couldn't even imagine how fast it would be.
'Will I be able to react?'
From a few real battles, he learned that he must not drag out a fight.
Even compared to other one-striped warriors, his energy reserves were notably weak.
Though he had created One Illumination Movement Technique and opened all the energy-meridian networks in his body, his internal energy was still slow to increase.
One Illumination Movement Technique, in particular, only accepted the most pure ki.
Like its creator, it was an uncompromising mental technique that shaved away anything impure.
Still, Jeong-un himself could feel its capabilities.
Even the Evil Faction group from just recently had been terrified just by the clash of swords.
Srrrng.
He drew his sword and took his stance. All his idle thoughts melted away at once.
It felt as if he were being sucked into the sword guard in his hand.
'Well, whatever. In any case...'
The only things he could do were, as always, that as-yet-unnamed sword technique—which it was now awkward to even call the Three Talent Sword Technique—and Moonlight Swift Steps.
There was nothing left to debate.
'It's a rare opportunity anyway.'
He accepted the duel with Light-Flowing Sword regardless of any traditions at Heavenly Martial Hall.
It was purely because it would be a duel with a strong opponent.
In fact, Jeong-un himself might just have been the first to issue the challenge.
A duel between the regular test's top and the special test's top being called a tradition.
Anyone could tell what the real reason was.
Besides, he wasn't even from a background worthy of representing the special test.
Honestly, when he thought about it, it was a bit ridiculous.
Hwooong—
His horizontally swung sword sliced through the air.
His stepping ankle became the axis as his waist rotated, and true ki coursed through his blood like a lightning strike.
With the rebound of that surging ki, his sword strike was now so fast that even most seasoned warriors would struggle to follow it with their eyes.
This was now his most confident strike.
'... So what if it's fast, how fast can it really be.'
It wasn't that Jeong-un lacked a competitive spirit.