Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Chapter 51 : Dragon-Phoenix Gathering

Dragon-Phoenix Gathering

The sun and moon took turns in the sky several times.

During that time, Jeong-un focused solely on his training.

Jin Seoyeon came by a few times, but upon seeing his commitment, she would turn around with a look of regret in her eyes.

She assumed that, as his martial arts had not been perfected, he was simply throwing himself into training even harder.

Thanks to that, he was able to immerse himself fully without any major interruptions.

As always, One Illumination Movement Technique's martial principles refined nature's energy into pure true ki and accumulated it.

But the problem was the unfamiliar internal energy that almost completely filled his lower dantian.

The boundaries between the true ki he originally cultivated and the unfamiliar energy were blurred and tangled, making the circulation of his true ki somewhat difficult.

It was very different from before, when, with only a thought, he could easily stir true ki through his veins.

As expected, swinging his sword now felt different as well.

The internal energy that used to freely race along his meridians as he moved his body, now felt heavy, as if something bound his ankles.

One Illumination Movement Technique's true ki still moved according to Jeong-un's will, but caught by the unfamiliar internal energy, the heaviness in his meridians was obvious.

"Can I even execute a swift sword in this state?"

Jeong-un rarely grumbled out loud.

Even so, he did not let go of his sword and swung it again.

Swish!

It was, as expected, not the same as before.

The sword, once swift and light even when filled with internal energy, now carried a weighty gravity.

Kindly stated, his swordsmanship had grown stronger, but what swordsman would like a blade that had grown this much slower?

Whoom!

He tried gathering true ki in his veins again and infused the sword with it.

This time, he'd made up his mind and charged it with as much true ki as possible, swinging it in a vertical arc.

Slaaash!

A sound like tearing through the air erupted.

Thud!

The spot on the ground his sword pointed to was easily dug out by the sharp bursting energy.

An incredible swordsmanship, the likes of which he'd never produced before.

"..."

From the wreckage, Jeong-un recalled two unfamiliar characters in his mind.

'Destruction Blade.'

Ironically, the quality was similar to that of the sword wielded by the young head of the Hebei Peng Clan.

Their natures were entirely different, but if anything, Peng Mu-gyeol's was even slower.

'Wait a second.'

Then, inspiration struck him.

He could now easily imbue this much sword power?

Whatever the reason, he'd gained a capability he hadn't possessed before.

Some even deliberately train for this kind of weighty sword power.

'If I can use it well, maybe I can forge it into a sword move.'

The true ki circulating through his veins was as if it carried a heavy weight attached to it.

That meant that, even if not entirely his own, he could use that overflowing internal energy.

'It's all sword power.'

Soon, a new martial technique began to form in his mind.

Instantly, he controlled the flow and direction of true ki through the escape meridians and eight extraordinary meridians.

He drew the flow of true ki through the meridians with his mind's eye.

Traceless Flash was a move that, as the true ki coursed through the meridians, added rotational force from the body for an extremely swift extraordinary slash.

The sword move coming to him now was essentially the opposite: using the forward-driving center of gravity to create a sword move that poured down from above.

'I've done something similar before.'

The fist-and-palm art through which he grasped the principle of releasing energy by taking a single forceful stride.

However, he still considered it unrefined and had not named the technique yet.

He had devised it from the tremendous bursting energy caused by harnessing the force of falling from a height.

By maximizing the center of gravity when stepping, he could channel tremendous releasing energy into his hands.

Later, he wondered if, instead of moving his feet, he could release energy in an instant using just the movement of his joints.

'Why did I think it was possible only with the fist-and-palm art?'

It was strange he'd never thought to apply it to the sword before. After all, the sword was being moved by his hands.

As long as he had the knack for sending bursting energy not through his fingertips, but through the tip of his sword, it should work.

Clench.

He gripped the sword guard tightly.

Whatever it was, he'd only know if he tried.

He focused on the true ki he summoned.

Uuuuunng.

As expected, the unfamiliar internal energy followed One Illumination Movement Technique's true ki like a tail and circulated together.

The heaviness in the true ki running through his meridians was distinct.

Unbothered, he took one step forward, guiding the true ki to his Yongcheon point.

Thud!

The instant his foot landed, the ground cracked with an incredible rebound.

Seizing that rebound, he pulled it right into his sword hand.

'...!'

His muscles contracted instantly, throbbing.

But this degree of pain was nothing.

As he channeled the rebound from his stride through his wrist, an enormous pain ripped through his meridians.

If not for the flexible meridians well-honed through One Illumination Movement Technique, he might have been seriously injured already.

'I can endure it.'

He gritted his teeth.

When the true ki, carried by the rebound to his wrist, gathered completely—

Whooosh!

He swept the sword down from above as if pouring it toward the night sky.

The sword drew a clean trajectory through the air.

At the same time, the true ki he had packed tightly surged toward the ground.

Boom—!

A tremendous burst ripped the earthen ground asunder.

Exploded dirt and gravel shot up, scattering in all directions.

Ssssk.

Soon a cloud of dust settled around him.

At the center where his sword had descended, the earth was gouged out so deep it looked jet-black.

"..."

He didn't even think about sheathing his sword, simply taking in the spectacle before him.

He had perfectly embodied with his body the new sword move he'd envisioned in his mind.

No—it was more than he'd imagined.

As he expected, the unfamiliar internal energy filling his lower dantian unleashed an astounding wave of vital ki.

In that fleeting instant, it had moved exactly according to his will.

He stood there for a long time, quietly sheathing his sword as he worked to refine the new move he'd just invented.

'Maybe it's worth giving a name.'

No, better to see if it was actually useful in a real situation first.

Surely, an occasion to use it would come soon.

He muttered to himself, smiling unconsciously at the thrilling excitement filling his mind.

Then he looked down at the yard, now a complete mess from his training.

"..."

Come to think of it, this wasn't even his own house.

* * *

Wei Jinmyeong's promise to keep an eye on him had not been empty words.

He continued to drop by regularly, keeping tabs on Jeong-un.

Maybe it was because he'd accomplished his goal of having Jin Seoyeon participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

Unlike before, he no longer barged in and demanded Jeong-un leave.

Now, he merely glanced at Jeong-un with disapproving eyes from time to time, sometimes loudly complaining about his thick skin.

'Let them do as they wish.'

He'd received the homeowner's permission, after all.

Though he didn't know the reason, the Huayeon Gate Leader seemed to have taken a liking to him, even telling him to stay as long as he wished.

There was no need to feel self-conscious as an outsider living in this house.

Then, one day—

He was invited to dinner, for the first time in a while.

He was told that Wei Jinmyeong would be joining as well.

"I'm sorry."

Jin Seoyeon apologized with a very uneasy expression.

She worried Jeong-un might feel awkward.

"He suddenly insisted on joining us for dinner today. I declined multiple times, but he stubbornly persisted..."

"It's fine."

Jeong-un replied indifferently.

As a guest, refusing such an invitation from the master would be impolite.

All he had to do was attend.

Whoever came, it didn't matter to Jeong-un.

There was even less reason to receive an apology.

"It'll probably be uncomfortable, right? Maybe next ti—"

"It's really fine. It's not a difficult matter. I'll see you at dinner then."

As Jeong-un calmly replied again, Jin Seoyeon nodded, still looking a bit worried.

As she turned away, she seemed to recall something and spoke again.

"Ah, you seem to be very focused on training these days."

"...?"

"A few days ago, after the rain, a servant saw the guest wing's yard in complete disarray—it looked like the earth had just been sloppily covered over. I wanted to check you weren't inconvenienced by anything..."

"It's fine."

He cut her off quickly.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong."

"Ah, alright."

Jin Seoyeon nodded awkwardly.

* * *

The once-clear sun was now tilting, dyed in a crimson glow.

As the shadow of the sword he held grew long, Jeong-un returned to his room to tidy his clothes.

He was being invited by the head of the house.

He should present himself respectfully.

When he left the guest wing, a servant awaited him, bowing his head. Jeong-un returned the nod and followed him to the main building.

'I should confirm it again.'

What he'd said to Jin Seoyeon was the truth.

Regardless of who was present, all he planned was to sit quietly and eat.

Still, inside, he was a bit pleased Wei Jinmyeong would be there.

'I can check that energy again.'

He'd heard the Wei Sword Clan originally established itself in this region.

So even if they were now in collaboration with the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild, it was possible they were unaware of the true nature of their associates.

Being arrogant and rude wasn't a crime.

Otherwise, Yu Dong-ryong of the Yu household would have died multiple times by now.

The key was just how deeply entwined they were with the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild.

If, by chance, the Wei Sword Clan had aided or turned a blind eye to those vile deeds, then they too became targets for elimination.

So the dinner began.

"Ah, young hero."

The Huayeon Gate Leader, Jin Namjung, and Jin Seoyeon greeted him with warm smiles.

After exchanging greetings, Jeong-un looked across to see Wei Jinmyeong seated opposite Jin Seoyeon, with two guards standing behind him.

"Please, have a seat."

Jin Namjung naturally offered the seat next to Jin Seoyeon.

Wei Jinmyeong glowered at Jeong-un, but he sat down unperturbed.

"You actually came. You must have heard I'd be here."

"It's good to see you again."

"..."

He replied lightly.

"Well then, let's begin."

The meal commenced.

Mainly, the Huayeon Gate Leader Jin Namjung and Wei Jinmyeong led the conversation.

It was mostly about the recent status of martial sects in the area, rumors about merchant guilds and security bureaus.

These were unfamiliar topics for Jeong-un.

It seemed that Wei Jinmyeong was intentionally doing this, sneaking glances at Jeong-un now and then.

That suited him fine.

Jeong-un had all the time he wanted to observe his energy. He could sense no discordant energies in Wei Jinmyeong.

He certainly looked the part of a martial artist—a trivial one, Jeong-un thought as an afterthought.

'Maybe I've grown too used to the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Hall.'

The real issue was the guards behind him.

One was scanning the room with a tense face, while the other kept gazing off into the distance as if bored with the proceedings.

It was the second one that was a problem.

'He was there last time.'

That was one of the men standing behind Wei Jinmyeong the first time Jeong-un met him.

And this man had tried to conceal a sinister energy. He was doing the same thing now.

Their eyes met.

"..."

Though they were both present at his master's table, the man did not avert his gaze in the slightest.

Rather, he stared right at Jeong-un, as if to say, "what are you looking at?"

Jeong-un spoke up, almost casual.

"The guard accompanying you has quite a presence. Like a finely tempered sword."

Perhaps not expecting such direct words, the man's eyes darted aside in surprise.

Meanwhile, wei Jinmyeong snorted.

"You do have an eye for experts. He's an elite warrior of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild. He's been specially assigned to support me."

"Myriad Gold Merchant Guild?"

Jeong-un asked quietly, and Wei Jinmyeong nodded with pride.

"Our family and the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild are working together very closely. Soon, we'll make a name for ourselves throughout the Central Plains beyond Jinyang Prefecture."

"That's something to be celebrated."

Jeong-un replied indifferently.

He already knew the truth about the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild, so he kept his reaction distant.

His true thoughts were a little darker.

'Is he a spy planted in the Wei Sword Clan by the merchant guild?'

He took another covert look at the man, now completely turned away, looking as if totally uninterested in the gathering.

The suspicious aura came only from him.

Wei Jinmyeong and the other guard had completely different energies.

At that moment, wei Jinmyeong, who had been throwing Jeong-un disapproving looks, suddenly spoke up, seemingly having remembered something.

"Ah! Did you say you practiced martial arts?"

"...?"

Jeong-un looked back at him, puzzled by the abrupt change in topic.

Wei Jinmyeong wore a meaningful expression.

"What do you think about participating in the upcoming Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?"

"...?"