Chapter 310
As Jeungchil charged at Jamyungjin, Baekgol Goema Hongchu and Jin So-eun followed, a step behind, rushing toward their respective foes.
Hongchu faced off against the Hyeongsan Sect’s renowned swordmaster, Mo Dong-ju, while Jin So-eun confronted Jaegangjin.
Mo Dong-ju, a formidable swordsman of the Hyeongsan Sect, welcomed the challenge against Baekgol Goema Hongchu. Killing a notorious Sapa (heretical sect) demon like him didn’t weigh on his conscience.
Without hesitation, Mo Dong-ju clashed fiercely with Hongchu.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The skull necklace hanging around Hongchu’s neck rattled loudly as their weapons—Hongchu’s skeletal club and Mo Dong-ju’s sword—exchanged blows like a raging storm.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But more than the clash of weapons, the sound of their taunts filled the air.
Mo Dong-ju swung his sword and shouted, “Baekgol Goema! Truly the villainous face of the Sapa! I’ll carve your flesh piece by piece to release the grudges of those whose skulls you wear!”
Hongchu cackled, “Ha ha ha! You sound like a righteous hero! The skulls around my neck belong to hypocrites like you—no need to worry about their grudges!”
“Hypocrites? You ugly bald fool!”
“Who else? The Sapa’s swordmaster who only creates broken families!”
“Swordmaster? You octopus-like bastard dare say that?!”
“Octopus? You think your head will last forever? You dog who kidnaps and rapes!”
The insults flew back and forth, loud and chaotic.
Meanwhile, Jin So-eun and Jaegangjin clashed silently, exchanging no words, but their battle was no less intense.
The sound of Jin So-eun’s staff striking Jaegangjin’s sword rang sharply.
Kakang! Kakang! Kakakang!
Recently, Jin So-eun had upgraded her weapon. Usually wielding a simple wooden staff, she had, on Sun Woo-jin’s recommendation, acquired a unique weapon—a steel staff that could be assembled from two short rods into a long staff.
Sun Woo-jin had crafted it for her, melting down the sword of Jaekyungjin, which had been infused with rare metals, to forge this lightweight, resilient silver staff with the help of Mukrang.
The silver staff gleamed with a pure white radiance, swirling around Jin So-eun’s body as if alive.
Whirrrrr!
The silver staff, emitting a white aura of energy, looked like a legendary divine weapon.
It danced around her like a divine dragon, deflecting every strike from Jaegangjin’s sky-blue sword.
Kakakakakang!
Until now, Jin So-eun had managed to hold her own against sword energy with her simple wooden staff.
But now, with this proper weapon, her natural staff technique showed an unexpected and tremendous improvement.
Seeing that his opponent was a young woman who still seemed inexperienced, Jaegangjin launched a fierce assault, hoping to end the fight quickly.
But when all his attacks were blocked as if hitting an iron wall, he glanced down at his sword blade in surprise.
“Huh?!”
He quickly stepped back, shocked to see dozens of spiderweb-like cracks spreading across his blade after only a few breaths of combat.
‘Damn…’
The reason was the steel staff, wrapped in energy, had struck his blade dozens of times in an instant.
What had been mere defense with a wooden staff had now become an offensive move capable of damaging his sword.
And Jin So-eun didn’t stop at defense.
“Haah!”
Shuak!
The silver staff, its energy sharpened like a spearhead, pierced through the air in an instant.
This was a thrust Jin So-eun rarely used.
Jaegangjin tried to parry the lightning-fast strike with his sword, but his expression quickly changed as he retreated hastily.
“Ugh!”
The white, needle-like energy grazed his collar, scattering it to dust.
It was right beside his neck.
He swallowed hard.
He couldn’t block the staff’s thrust because it spun like a whirlwind.
Moreover, it didn’t come straight.
It danced unpredictably on the wind, making its trajectory impossible to anticipate or block.
This technique was actually the specialty of Gamjak-hyung, the master of the three-pronged spear.
After struggling against the bandits last time, unable to cut through their iron nets, Jin So-eun had been pondering how to counter this very technique.
She had tried to sharpen her energy into a spear-like edge, and then, by chance, had observed Gamjak-hyung’s fight.
She had adapted and internalized the technique for herself.
Though her thrust lacked the wide range of Gamjak-hyung’s three-pronged spear, the spinning, wavering motion was even more unpredictable.
It perfectly matched her natural staff technique.
Struggling to evade Jin So-eun’s newly developed thrust, Jaegangjin felt a chill run down his spine.
Despite her youth, she was no opponent to underestimate.
But he didn’t miss the moment her attack grazed past him.
Clenching his teeth, he charged forward.
He thought her missed thrust would leave an opening.
“This ends now!”
Sshiiik!
Jaegangjin’s sword flashed like a ray of light, aiming to pierce Jin So-eun.
But contrary to his expectations, the silver staff continued moving fluidly even after the rapid thrust.
Whirrrrr!
Spinning, it circled back toward Jin So-eun, wrapping around her body as if alive.
Then it struck the side of the sword that had just attacked like a beam of light.
Kkaang!
“Ugh!”
Jaegangjin had to exert all his strength to control the sword that seemed to slip from his grasp.
At that moment, Jin So-eun’s thrust pierced the space again.
Shuaak!
“!”
Jaegangjin’s eyes widened.
He couldn’t block that attack.
There was no choice.
“Haah!”
With a desperate shout, a blue protective barrier erupted from his body.
It was his defensive energy.
Thud!
The spinning, needle-like thrust embedded deeply into Jaegangjin’s barrier before bouncing off.
Jin So-eun didn’t resist the force and stepped back.
Then she swung her silver staff again, ready for his next move.
Whirrrrr!
Jaegangjin withdrew his barrier and steadied himself, facing Jin So-eun once more.
‘What is this?’
He couldn’t understand the situation.
No matter how he looked, the young woman before him hadn’t yet reached the pinnacle of mastery.
Yet, instead of being overwhelmed, he felt as if he was the one being dominated.
Even now, her hands barely moved, but the silver staff swirled around her body like a living thing.
He couldn’t find a single weakness.
It was like facing an impenetrable fortress.
Meanwhile, Jin So-eun’s heart pounded relentlessly.
Her body felt light as if she could fly, and a refreshing sensation made her feel as if she were soaring through the sky.
Her vision was clearer than ever, and the invisible veil that had clouded her senses felt like it was about to break.
She asked herself, thrilled by the feeling.
‘Is it because I’m using the staff Sun Woo-jin made for me?’
Maybe.
Or maybe it was just her mood.
Perhaps nothing had changed, and she was simply feeling good.
But at that moment, a memory surfaced.
‘Yes, when I fought the Blood Brotherhood alone.’
When she had been separated from Sun Woo-jin and fought the Blood Brotherhood, leaping through the rising dust clouds, she had felt exactly like this.
That tingling sensation, as if the invisible veil was about to break.
Back then, she had broken through her limits and survived against the Blood Brotherhood’s top masters.
And now, this feeling seemed eerily similar.
‘Right. So if this feeling is the same as back then…’
It meant she was standing at the threshold of another breakthrough.
And if she crossed this wall, the place she’d reach would probably be…
‘The pinnacle?’
With that thought, Jin So-eun’s eyes flashed sharply as she lowered her stance.
If her conclusion was right, she couldn’t afford to miss this chance.
She had to keep pushing her limits.
Using the swordmaster before her as the stepping stone.
The kind, gentle woman everyone knew was now radiating the fierce fighting spirit of the strongest warrior in the Jin family of Guangdong.
At that moment, Jaegangjin was only focused on how to break through her defense.
So when Jin So-eun suddenly lunged like an arrow, his reaction was a beat too slow.
Pak!
“Ugh?!”
Jaegangjin was caught off guard.
No matter how impressive her defense had been, he never expected someone of her lower rank to strike first.
Shuaak!
The steel staff spun like a dragon’s claw, dancing wildly as it thrust toward him.
The movements were as tricky as before—so unpredictable that it was impossible to tell where the sword would strike next.
But Ja-gang Jin-in was an unparalleled martial artist.
No matter how complicated the attack, he wouldn’t fall victim again to a strike he’d already faced once, especially from someone less skilled than himself.
“Hmph!”
Gritting his teeth, he sneered and swung his sword with all his internal energy.
Suddenly, his sword’s aura exploded forward, splitting apart like a burst of blue flames—the signature move of the Hyeongsan Sect, the Yeonhon Palgeom’s first technique: the Changyeom Geomhwa.
Fwoooosh!
Clang!
The sword aura spread out in all directions, forcing Jin So-eun’s silver iron cudgel to bounce off.
Ja-gang Jin-in’s intention was clear: if defense was difficult, he’d simply overwhelm her with superior energy.
And it seemed his plan was working perfectly.
“Of course!”
He let out a fierce laugh.
Not content with just deflecting the cudgel, he continued to extend the blue sword flames, the blazing fire seeming ready to consume Jin So-eun whole.
Fwoooosh!
Just as the blue flames were about to engulf her, the silver cudgel—bounced away moments before—whirled back naturally around her body, colliding with the blue flames.
Clang clang clang!
It was like a silver shield.
The white glow swirling around Jin So-eun formed a barrier that blocked the blue fire.
And in the next instant, the silver cudgel, having fully suppressed the flames, shot straight at Ja-gang Jin-in.
A piercing strike that cut through the space between them.
Shu-shaak!
But Ja-gang Jin-in just sneered again.
“Hmph!”
He had already figured out how to counter that thrust.
With a swing of his sword, he unleashed the next technique of Yeonhon Palgeom: Manjeong Cheoncheon.
“Haah!”
The sky-blue sword aura transformed into hundreds of spear-like points.
Ignoring the incoming cudgel, they rained down as if to cover Jin So-eun’s entire body.
His response made it clear: he didn’t care about a thrust that was inferior in energy.
Clang!
Once again, Jin So-eun’s attack was helplessly deflected.
It seemed her energy alone couldn’t pierce Ja-gang Jin-in’s sword techniques.
But neither could he break through her natural cudgel.
The bounced cudgel returned smoothly, swirling around her body to form a shield once more.
Clang clang clang!
And then the attacks continued.
Ja-gang Jin-in and Jin So-eun exchanged blows in rapid succession, like a storm raging at breakneck speed.
Amid the chaos, Jin So-eun felt her mind growing calm.
Like a clear lake reflecting the starlight of the night sky without a single ripple, the entire world seemed to project itself onto her serene heart.
Suddenly, Jin So-eun reached out her hand.
The cudgel, not held but controlled, spun forward in tandem.
Ja-gang Jin-in responded with his sword again, the blue flames of the Changyeom Geomhwa rising to meet the cudgel.
Seeing the fiercely burning flames for the second time, Jin So-eun thought to herself,
“Why is this so slow?”
She moved her hand slightly.
Like a living fish, the silver cudgel suddenly darted along an inexplicable trajectory, striking hard against a crack on Ja-gang Jin-in’s sword—the deepest fissure she could see.
Kaang!
The moment the two weapons clashed, Jin So-eun knew the outcome immediately.
It’s breaking!
In the next instant, Ja-gang Jin-in’s sword shattered into pieces in midair.
Just as she had imagined.
Snap!
Jin So-eun’s vision caught his eyes widening in shock, almost popping out.
His face was filled with panic at losing his weapon in an instant.
Seizing the moment, Jin So-eun thrust the cudgel into his chest.
The very same thrust that had been blocked so many times before.
Pfuuk!
This time, the cudgel slid smoothly into his body without any resistance.
She realized then—the fight was over.
And that she had once again broken through a wall.
The wall of the absolute peak.
Meanwhile, Sun Woo-jin, Gam Jak-hyung, Baek Gi-ryang, and Cho Ha-gon—who hadn’t joined the fight—watched cautiously from rooftops and walls around the area.
At that moment, Muk-rang spoke inside Sun Woo-jin’s mind.
—“Ho! Jin So-jeo has broken through another wall.”
Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly and replied,
“Indeed. I’m happy, but I can’t help feeling a bit jealous at how easily she’s surpassing these walls. Truly, a genius is a genius.”
Muk-rang was silent for a moment, then said with a hint of disbelief,
“…I always say this, but Jin So-jeo is older than you. Don’t go around saying things like that, or you might get stoned for being obnoxious.”
Sun Woo-jin shook his head and countered,
“Well, I’ve received a lot of help from the elders, and still do. My situation is a bit different from hers.”
Muk-rang sighed at Sun Woo-jin’s stubbornness and said,
“I’ve helped many in my lifetime, but I’ve rarely seen anyone rise through the ranks as quickly as you. So stop pretending to be humble. You’re starting to annoy me.”
Sun Woo-jin chuckled softly.
Having met true geniuses like Hae Cheong-yeon and Lee Geon of Cheongseong, he thought that without Muk-rang, he could never compare to them.
But…
That wasn’t really the point.
Muk-rang asked again,
“So, do you plan to remain behind the scenes as the true power in this fight against the Hyeongsan Sect?”
Sun Woo-jin had defeated countless formidable opponents but never revealed his identity to build his reputation.
Thus, the martial world only knew Bi-cheon Heuk-rang Sun Woo-jin as a warrior who had, by luck, reached the peak without truly mastering it.
Muk-rang was asking if he intended to keep his name hidden in this battle as well.
Without hesitation, Sun Woo-jin answered,
“Of course. This fight against the Hyeongsan Sect is solely for Brother Seol-pung. There’s no need for me to share the glory in building a reputation to become the next Sa-wang. Besides, it’s better to keep my existence unknown for the upcoming battle with the Blood Sect.”
Muk-rang laughed wryly, as if he couldn’t help himself.
“You’re something else. I never cared much for wealth or other desires, but I never shied away from building my reputation. You don’t even care about that? You must be more mature than me.”
Sun Woo-jin gave a bitter smile.
“It’s not that I dislike gaining fame. I just think it’s more advantageous to stay hidden for now. You, who have watched over me all this time, know better than anyone that I’m not that great.”
Muk-rang didn’t respond.
He chose not to say that if Sun Woo-jin weren’t exceptional, he wouldn’t have broken the seal of the Muk-rang Sword after a hundred years, nor reached such a level at the young age of twenty-two.
Nor would he have outwitted countless powerful sects.
To Muk-rang, the most remarkable thing about Sun Woo-jin was that he genuinely didn’t think of himself as special.
“Because he doesn’t get arrogant, he never slacks off. It’s truly amazing.”
And for that reason, Muk-rang felt hopeful.
He believed that Sun Woo-jin would be the one to finally complete the Mang-a Gong that Muk-rang himself had never been able to pass on.
Of course, if that happened—or if Sun Woo-jin used the last remaining third possession—Muk-rang would have to disappear from his side.
That was the rule Muk-rang had set when forging the Muk-rang Sword.
If that came to pass, Muk-rang would finally be freed from his long, long wait and could at last rest in peace.
“A hundred years… it’s been so long.”
Of course, it was a little sad that he wouldn’t be able to watch over his admirable and beloved disciple forever.
“If only I could see him defeat the Blood Sect… or even better, marry a good lady and have children…”
Still, Muk-rang thought it was alright.
The joyful times spent watching over him were enough to make up for the century-long wait.
Muk-rang had no intention of telling Sun Woo-jin that he would be leaving.
He wanted to prevent his kind disciple from holding back the use of the third possession or refusing to master Mang-a Gong in a desperate attempt to keep him around.
Yet, Muk-rang found himself quietly hoping—
That Sun Woo-jin would defeat the Blood Sect without needing the third possession.
And then, complete the Mang-a Gong.
It was the first small wish Muk-rang had held in over a hundred years, ever since he’d longed for a worthy successor.