Chapter 217
Jin So-eun’s eyes locked onto the man.
For some reason, it felt like she had to.
There was something about him—a strange, magnetic pull that drew her gaze.
And then, in the next instant, his figure atop the mast suddenly vanished as if erased.
Whoosh!
Startled, Jin So-eun blinked, feeling as if she’d just seen a ghost.
“?!”
But it didn’t take long to confirm he wasn’t a ghost.
The man who had disappeared from the mast now stood on the ship’s railing, right where she was.
As if materializing out of thin air, he quietly asked,
“Are you the pirates of Baekgyobang?”
Only then did the Four Heavenly Kings of Baekgyobang, who had been watching him warily, realize his presence. They hastily brandished their swords and shouted,
“Who are you?!”
“What do you want?!”
He smiled coldly and asked again,
“Didn’t I just ask if you’re the pirates of Baekgyobang?”
Jin So-eun stared at him blankly.
Under the darkening sky, he wore a dazzling white robe that seemed to glow, and his handsome face shone even brighter than the fabric.
‘Baekgyobang?’
She repeated the name silently.
The four top-tier masters before her looked unsettled just hearing it.
Judging by the man’s words, they must indeed be from Baekgyobang.
‘Baekgyobang… that name sounds familiar.’
It was a name her younger sister, Jin Ga-in, had mentioned just yesterday.
A sect that had recently grown rapidly, becoming the second strongest force in Gwangju after Jin Ga-jang.
But Ga-in had dismissed them lightly.
“They’re rumored to have gotten pretty strong, but it’s nothing special. They’ve never clashed with us while building their power. It means they’re afraid of Jin Ga-jang.”
If these really were Baekgyobang, then Ga-in’s words seemed completely off.
Their lack of conflict was probably because they were hiding their fangs and keeping a low profile—like a tiger stalking its prey.
The four men, Baekgyobang’s Four Heavenly Kings, ground their teeth and shouted,
“Who are you?! You know we’re Baekgyobang, yet you dare interfere with our affairs?!”
“Did you sink that ship too?!”
The young man in white smiled faintly, his composure in front of four top masters almost unfathomable.
“I interfered because I knew you were Baekgyobang.”
“W-what?!”
“How dare you!”
It seemed the Four Heavenly Kings realized there was no avoiding a fight.
They lowered their stances and surged forward, ready to strike.
At that moment, the man in white spoke again.
“Dogs of Jintae-do.”
The four masters froze mid-leap, startled.
For some reason, Jin So-eun sensed those words carried great weight.
Then the man moved first.
Flash!
His technique was astonishing.
The moment he moved, he was already standing right before the four men.
It was as if he had teleported through space.
Jin So-eun recalled the name of such a technique.
“Yi-hyeong… Hwanwi?”
At that moment, the man’s white sword flashed.
Shuuaak!
As he drew it, a brilliant white afterimage streaked through the air—a devastating sword strike.
Jin So-eun’s eyes caught four glowing crosses etched in the void.
Cha-cha-chang! Puhak!
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
“Gah!”
“Maknae!”
Jin So-eun barely managed to take in the scene.
Three of the masters barely raised their swords in time to block his strike.
But the youngest, Posiham, who had fought her earlier, wasn’t so lucky.
His right arm, holding the sword, was severed cleanly, tumbling across the deck.
Jin So-eun couldn’t believe it.
The top master who had given her such a hard time was cut down in a single move.
And the man in white didn’t stop there.
Swish!
With a casual flick, he sliced off Posiham’s left arm and both legs in an instant.
Like pruning branches from a tree—his strikes were cold and effortless.
Puhak!
“Ahhh! My arm! My legs!”
Now reduced to just a torso, Posiham writhed on the deck, screaming in agony.
The remaining three masters roared in fury and charged.
“Maknae!”
“You bastard! Die!”
“Kyaaah!”
Their attacks were ferocious, fueled by desperation.
Far more savage than when they had faced Jin So-eun.
But the man barely glanced at them, his expression as indifferent as before, and took a step forward.
“!”
Swish!
Then something incredible happened.
His form flowed like petals drifting on the wind, effortlessly evading their strikes and weaving through their ranks.
Swish!
“C-could this be possible?!”
Jin So-eun gasped in shock.
But her astonishment paled compared to the three masters’.
They watched in disbelief as their combined, all-out assault was dodged like air.
Now, the man in white stood inside their formation, eyes blazing.
His handsome face curved into a faint smile.
And the white gleam of his sword flashed again.
Swish!
There was no way to block his strike now.
He had slipped past their defenses, evading every blow, and was poised to strike from a blind spot.
Like with the youngest, their limbs were no match for his blade, passing through them effortlessly.
Puhwaaak!
“No!”
“Argh!”
“My arm!”
Jin So-eun stared blankly at the scene before her.
The four top masters, who had seemed so fierce moments ago, now lay on the deck, their limbs severed.
The fight was so one-sided it almost made her pity them, knowing they’d likely never use martial arts again.
She looked up at the man responsible for this carnage.
He was already watching her, his radiant face now wearing a gentle smile, completely different from before.
He spoke softly to her.
“You must be the young lady of Jin Ga-jang. Your staff technique is impressive. Is that the Natural Staff Style?”
Jin So-eun answered absentmindedly.
“Y-yes? Ah, thank you. But it’s still immature to call it Natural Staff Style. It’s just an imitation.”
It seemed ridiculous that someone who had so overwhelmingly defeated those masters would praise her technique.
She suspected he was teasing her.
Yet, strangely, she didn’t feel offended.
His smile was simply too beautiful.
In Mukrang, Sunwoo Jin marveled in his mind.
Sunwoo Jin chuckled quietly to himself and replied,
‘Natural Staff Style’s originator, Jin Ji-in, was a contemporary of the Southern Sea Sword King, Injeong-ho. He was a late bloomer, so he probably hadn’t perfected the style during your lifetime, Mukrang elder. But… is her staff technique really that extraordinary? I thought it was impressive, but I’m not sure it’s enough to make you so amazed.’
Her staff style, seeming to move with a life of its own, was certainly unique and striking.
But was it really so powerful that even four top masters couldn’t stand against it?
Could it truly impress the Sword Spirit, said to be the greatest of all time?
Mukrang let out a dry laugh.
‘Ah, right… I guess that’s true.’
Sunwoo Jin realized he had only recently reached the pinnacle himself.
And it had been even less time since he could easily handle four top masters.
Mukrang’s voice softened with a smile.
‘Lack of leg strength? Oh, that makes sense.’
Sunwoo Jin immediately understood what Mukrang meant.
Her level was high enough to be considered top-tier now.
But she hadn’t reached the pinnacle because her internal energy was still lacking.
A late bloomer with great skill but insufficient energy—that made her all the more interesting.
Mukrang frowned.
Hearing that, Sunwoo Jin’s eyes flicked over Jin So-eun’s short hair and worn clothes.
There had to be some reason.
‘Maybe Jin Ga-jang failed to recognize her worth and didn’t treat her properly.’
And if that was the case…
Sunwoo Jin smiled knowingly and said to her,
“Miss, these Baekgyobang men planned to capture the children of Jin Ga-jang here as hostages, then attack Jin Ga-jang itself. They’re hiding troops nearby, waiting for their return.”
Jin So-eun was shocked.
“W-what?! Then what about Jin Ga-jang now?!”
“It should be fine for now. They wouldn’t move until they’ve taken you.”
“Ah…”
Sunwoo Jin had learned this plan from the Baekgyobang group they’d met crossing the Ju River.
So that’s how we managed to get here without delay.
“But we don’t have much time. If they don’t return, they might take matters into their own hands. So, in my opinion, the best course of action is for the Jin family’s shipmaster to set a trap first and wait for them.”
That’s when someone stepped out of the cabin and cut in.
“If you want to talk about that, speak with me, hero. I’m the shipmaster of the Jin family.”
It was Jin Gye-gun, the shipmaster and Jin So-eun’s half-brother.
He approached Sun Woo-jin with a confident smile.
But Sun Woo-jin frowned slightly as he looked at him.
There was nothing about him that felt reassuring.
His arrogant demeanor seemed ingrained, and unlike Jin So-eun, his flashy clothes caught the eye first.
‘And now he casually shows up, saying to talk to him about this? Somehow, he reminds me of the brothers from the Sun Woo family.’
Jin Gye-gun glanced at Jin So-eun and said, “This girl just recently came down from the mountains. She doesn’t hold much influence in the family.”
Sun Woo-jin easily caught the disdain in his eyes toward Jin So-eun.
It was the same look the half-brothers from the Sun Woo family often gave him.
Sun Woo-jin felt he was starting to understand this man.
He swept him with a cold gaze and suddenly asked, “You say you’re the shipmaster of the Jin family. Then why didn’t you intervene while this lady was fighting against four peak masters?”
Jin Gye-gun was momentarily taken aback but quickly masked it and replied, “Ah, I was inside fighting enemies…”
Sun Woo-jin chuckled dryly and retorted, “Ah, so the enemies inside were so formidable that you couldn’t help your sister fighting four peak masters? Sounds like there was an ultra-peak master inside, huh?”
“Th-That’s…”
Sun Woo-jin’s voice turned icy as he said, “For now, why don’t you take care of the remaining scum from Baek Gyo-bang on those ships? If they escape and alert their base, things will get complicated.”
Right now, the remaining Baek Gyo-bang members were hastily fleeing Jin family’s ship, trying to escape to their own vessels.
Their leader, the Four Heavenly Kings, had been so easily defeated that they seemed to have lost the will to fight.
The ships that had surrounded them on three sides, except the sunken one, were preparing to depart.
Jin Gye-gun looked around at the ships following Sun Woo-jin’s gaze and asked with a troubled expression, “…You expect us to handle this alone?”
Sun Woo-jin gave a hollow laugh.
He was looking at him as if to say, “Can’t you do something?”
It was astonishing that someone like this, with such arrogance, was the famed shipmaster of the Jin family, known for his fierce spirit and passion in the martial world.
Just then, Jin So-eun, who had been dazed, suddenly shouted toward a nearby ship.
“Ah! Ga-in, Ga-in!”
On the Baek Gyo-bang ship drifting away from the Jin family’s vessel, her half-sister Jin Ga-in was tightly bound, looking over with helpless eyes.
She was probably too scared of the overwhelming numbers around her to cry out.
“Ga-in!”
Without hesitation, Jin So-eun tried to leap toward that ship.
But Sun Woo-jin grabbed her shoulder.
“Hey!”
Startled, Jin So-eun turned to him, and he sighed.
“I’ll go rescue her. You focus on your breathing technique first.”
“Breathing technique? But I’m fine,” Jin So-eun said, confused.
She checked herself—her clothes were torn, but she didn’t seem injured, no internal wounds either.
So she didn’t think she needed to do the breathing technique.
But Sun Woo-jin didn’t answer and rummaged through his pack.
He pulled out a small pill emitting a faint fragrance and handed it to her.
“What’s this?” she asked, puzzled.
Sun Woo-jin smiled gently. “It’s a spirit pill. Top quality. It should grant you about twenty years’ worth of internal energy.”
“A spirit pill? The scent… Wait, what?!”
Jin So-eun was shocked.
Why would he give her a spirit pill? Especially one that could boost internal energy by twenty years—this was the highest grade.
Since coming down from the mountains, Jin So-eun had never been properly welcomed at the Jin family.
Her father, Jin Gong-mu, was indifferent to the family, and her stepmother, the matriarch who was also Jin Gye-gun and Jin Ga-in’s mother, had always treated her coldly.
Probably because the matriarch, now the real power since Jin Gye-gun became shipmaster, had hated Jin So-eun and her late mother.
So she had never even been offered a warm meal, let alone a spirit pill.
Jin So-eun couldn’t understand why this man, whom she had just met today and who had even saved her life, was showing her such kindness.
Sun Woo-jin pressed the pill firmly into her hand and said, “I want to see that impressive natural energy of yours fully unleashed. If you fill your internal energy to the level of a peak master, you’ll see a whole new world.”
Then he shouted toward the side of the ship.
“Master Son! Could you please protect this lady for me?”
An elderly man with a ruddy nose and a robust build quickly jumped up beside the railing.
“Protection, you say? Leave that to me, Master In.”
Alongside him, a teenage girl, about fifteen, jumped up with a haughty expression and said to Sun Woo-jin, “Master In, you’re awfully kind to that lady, huh?”
They were Son Dae-su, a wandering guest from the Hap-san faction who had agreed to accompany Sun Woo-jin, and his granddaughter, Son I-rang.
Their sudden appearance startled Jin So-eun.
She hadn’t sensed their presence at all, even though they had been hiding by the ship’s side.
For someone like Jin So-eun, who had always lived hunting wild beasts in the mountains, this was a very unfamiliar experience.
At that moment, Sun Woo-jin entrusted Jin So-eun to Son Dae-su and without hesitation, launched himself forward.
Smack!
Though he had told the Jin family’s shipmaster to handle the cleanup, Sun Woo-jin didn’t expect much from him.
Besides, since he planned to wipe out Baek Gyo-bang anyway, it was better if he took care of it himself.
“Whoa!”
Jin So-eun gasped at how effortlessly Sun Woo-jin soared with his divine technique.
She had seen many masters of divine techniques before, but none moved as swiftly as a gust of wind like him.
Meanwhile, Jin Gye-gun frowned and scoffed.
“Hmph!”
He was displeased that the white-clad man didn’t show him the respect due to the Jin family’s shipmaster.
He had already pushed aside the memory of how that man had saved his life.
When Sun Woo-jin flew toward a different ship than the one where Jin Ga-in was held captive, Jin Gye-gun muttered quietly with a sneer.
“His divine technique may be excellent, but his head isn’t. He doesn’t even know where the person to save is…”
But as he spoke, Jin Gye-gun’s mouth dropped open in shock.
Sun Woo-jin swung his sword on the other ship.
Swoosh!
“!”
“No way!”
It was a sight impossible to believe even with one’s own eyes.
With a single sword slash midair, a large ship was cleaved cleanly in two.