Episode 58
Cheon Joo-eun was well aware that she was the weakest member of the Seventh Squad.
She knew that every other member was far beyond her in skill and talent.
It wasn’t just about Seol Poong, Hae Cheong-yeon, or Na Seo-yu, who had been top-tier warriors from the moment they met.
Even Sunwoo Jin Gongja, who had started out as a second-rate warrior just like her when they first arrived at the front lines, had developed at a terrifying pace—as if they were a different species altogether—and had become an absolute master.
Then there was Bi Sa-yeong Gongja, who, though not quite at Sunwoo Jin’s level, had also grown at lightning speed to become an excellent first-rate warrior, even surpassing Seol Poong in terms of their unique inner energy techniques.
And Baek Jong-kwan Gongja, who was on par with her in martial skill but, unlike her—who couldn’t even handle a single Gan-ghost—could casually sweep through dozens of them as if they were mere toys.
There wasn’t a single person she could catch up to.
She was the only mediocre one among a group of geniuses.
“No, mediocre’s too generous. I’m more like a complete dunce.”
That’s why it had been so hard.
In the Seventh Squad, where everyone was comrades, she alone was the one who needed protecting.
She had often thought she was useless, that everyone would be better off without her.
But still, she never stopped trying.
She clenched her teeth and struggled, always pushing herself to move forward, even if only a little.
She couldn’t put in more effort than Seol Poong or Sunwoo Jin, but she refused to be someone who tried less than them.
And every member of the squad supported her.
On the day she first cried out of frustration at her own uselessness, as if by some unspoken agreement, people came to her one by one in secret.
The first was Seol Poong, the squad leader.
He barely met her eyes but said, “Miss Cheon, I think your family’s inherited sword technique, Cheon-eun Do, isn’t quite suited for a woman. If you don’t mind, I could help you improve it.”
For her, whose father Cheon Ga-sang had died early in the Wu Huang Chong bloodline and hadn’t been able to properly pass down the family martial art, and who was small and short-limbed even for a woman, making it difficult to perform martial arts, this was like rain in a drought.
The second to visit was Sunwoo Jin.
“Hey, Miss Cheon. I happened to find this internal energy heart method on the road. It’s designed for women, so I can’t learn it myself. If you’re interested, why not give it a try? It’s called Sang-eum Simbeop.”
This was exactly what she needed, having never properly learned internal energy heart methods because of her father’s early death.
The third was Bi Sa-yeong.
“Hmm, hmm. You may not know, but our Bi clan’s Cheonpoong Shinbeop is truly the best in the martial world. Even the squad leader and Jin acknowledge it. Normally, I’m not supposed to teach outsiders, but since I’m practically the head of the Bi clan, if you really want to learn, I could make an exception. Hmm, hmm. You understand what I mean, right?”
Beyond these, every squad member never hesitated to offer advice, always treating her like a beloved youngest sibling—embracing and encouraging her.
Because of that, Cheon Joo-eun could confidently say she was the collective project of all the Seventh Squad members.
And today was the day she would show them the first fruits of their efforts.
She could not afford to disappoint them.
More focused than ever, Cheon Joo-eun’s sharp eyes fixed intently on her opponent.
On the other side, Ji Sang-im, the third sister of the Ji Sword Trio, sneered inwardly as she saw Cheon Joo-eun poised in a ready stance.
“With that posture, all you can do is a full-power sword draw. How foolish to reveal your intentions so openly.”
Clearly, she thought the girl was inexperienced.
Sword techniques emphasized delivering great power in each strike, especially the sword draw technique, which was a one-hit, kill-or-be-killed move.
But that also meant that if the strike missed, it left a huge opening.
Knowing this well, Ji Sang-im planned to confuse her opponent using sword illusions.
Her clan’s flashy sword technique, Ji Geom Sanjang’s Yoran Sword Method, was renowned even in Sichuan Province, making it more than enough to unsettle a rookie like Cheon Joo-eun.
Ji Sang-im immediately unleashed her sword illusions.
“Hah!”
Ssshhh!
Her sword split into three shimmering blades flashing around Cheon Joo-eun.
All three were illusory swords, designed to bait Cheon Joo-eun into drawing her sword, exposing a weakness to be exploited.
But contrary to Ji Sang-im’s expectations, Cheon Joo-eun didn’t draw her sword.
She simply crouched low and nimbly slipped through the sword illusions.
“Huh?”
Ji Sang-im was taken aback.
Dodging swords by moving the body?
It sounded simple, but few could do it.
No matter how skilled, even masters of the new techniques couldn’t move their bodies as fast as a sword’s speed.
And even if they could, without eyes sharp enough to see through the sword illusions, it was impossible.
Yet this underdeveloped little girl didn’t retreat but moved sideways to evade the illusions.
Ji Sang-im’s pride was wounded.
“How dare you!”
Forgetting even to bait a weakness, she gritted her teeth and unleashed more sword illusions.
“Hah!”
Babababap!
Now five sword beams flashed, sweeping around Cheon Joo-eun.
The dazzling display drew gasps from the warriors watching on both sides.
“Whoa!”
“Such sword illusions!”
“Truly the flashy sword method of Ji Geom Sanjang!”
But unlike the admiring warriors, Cheon Joo-eun’s eyes showed no emotion.
She coldly pierced through the flashing sword beams.
“What on earth is she doing?”
That was Cheon Joo-eun’s honest thought.
If she was going to attack, why was she just swinging her sword in the air like that?
Could it be she was really casting sword illusions?
At first, she thought it was just a way to probe her.
But now, it didn’t seem so.
Wasn’t she really trying her best?
Watching the duel from the shadows, Bi Sa-yeong sent a secret message to Sunwoo Jin.
Sunwoo Jin smiled faintly as he watched Cheon Joo-eun’s fight.
It seemed there was no need to worry.
The warriors of the Jeonghyeop faction were still cheering.
“Yeah! Miss Ji!”
“Such amazing sword illusions!”
“Now finish it… huh?!”
But the warriors supporting Ji Sang-im froze in place.
Cheon Joo-eun, who had been deftly dodging the sword illusions, suddenly moved aggressively.
Wham!
Her small body darted through the five sword beams in an instant.
Ji Sang-im couldn’t react despite seeing it with her own eyes—it was too fast and sudden.
Then, like a gust of wind brushing past Ji Sang-im, Cheon Joo-eun’s sword flashed cold white for the first time.
Shhhhk!
But the ordinary warriors on both sides couldn’t even properly see the sword draw.
All they saw was Cheon Joo-eun standing behind Ji Sang-im, slowly sheathing her sword again.
Click!
The moment Cheon Joo-eun’s sword disappeared into its scabbard, blood spurted from Ji Sang-im’s stomach.
Pffft!
“Ahhh!”
Ji Sang-im screamed and collapsed, and the stunned San Geommun warriors erupted into cheers.
“Wow!”
“She really won!”
“To defeat her with a single strike! Incredible!”
“Cheon Joo-eun, you’re the best!”
Cheon Joo-eun smiled again, bowed politely to both sides, and called out with inner energy toward the Jeonghyeop faction.
Warriors rushed forward to carry Ji Sang-im away.
Then Ji Sang-im’s second sister, Ji Sang-yeon, burst out with a fierce glare, shouting at Cheon Joo-eun.
“How dare you do that to my sister! I’ll avenge her!”
But she couldn’t get past her eldest sister, Ji Sang-hwa.
“Sister?! Why…?”
Cutting off Ji Sang-yeon, Ji Sang-hwa said firmly, “You’re no match for her. I’ll take this one.”
The Ji Sword Trio were sisters with a significant age gap.
The youngest, Ji Sang-im, was in her late twenties; the second, Ji Sang-yeon, in her early thirties; and the eldest, Ji Sang-hwa, in her late thirties.
So for Ji Sang-hwa, who looked like she was in her late thirties, to face Cheon Joo-eun, who still looked barely in her early twenties, was a blow to her pride.
Ji Sang-yeon frowned and shouted, “Sister! You’re the one who should be—”
But Ji Sang-hwa cut her off again, scolding firmly.
“I’m the one who should face her! How can you step up without even knowing your opponent’s skill?”
Yet, even as she scolded her sister and stepped forward, Ji Sang-hwa couldn’t face Cheon Joo-eun.
Someone else blocked her path.
Cheon Joo-eun bowed politely and introduced herself.
“I am Seo-yu, the third of the Five Eagles.”
Instead of Cheon Joo-eun, it was Na Seo-yu who stepped forward.
Seeing her appear, Seon Woo-jin and Bi Sa-young exchanged glances and smirked quietly.
Unlike when Cheon Joo-eun had come out, there was no trace of unease.
After a brief exchange of formalities, the duel began.
Ji Sang-hwa’s sword split into a dozen shimmering blades, dazzling the empty air with a brilliant display, while Na Seo-yu’s sword moved with the fluid grace of flowing water, swirling elegantly as if performing a sword dance.
It was an exquisitely beautiful duel.
The warriors watching, unused to such a high level of skill, couldn’t help but be thrilled.
“Wooooah!”
Ji Sang-hwa, the eldest of the Ji Sword Sisters, was clearly on a different level from the youngest, Ji Sang-im.
She was a fully-fledged top-tier warrior, and her phantom sword strikes were so sharp that it was impossible to tell real from illusion.
But unfortunately for her, Na Seo-yu was an elite warrior of the highest caliber.
Moreover, having dueled Seon Woo-jin dozens of times, she was experienced in adapting to phantom swords.
Watching Ji Sang-hwa’s phantom sword, Na Seo-yu thought, ‘Seon Woo-gongja’s phantom sword wasn’t just indistinguishable between real and fake strikes — everything you saw was real.’
Na Seo-yu’s swordsmanship, as smooth as flowing water and refined to the extreme, rivaled even the Taiji Sword style of the Mudang Sect, showcasing the ultimate mastery of the “Yunhe Je-gang” technique.
In the end, Ji Sang-hwa had no choice but to drop her sword and sigh in defeat, staring blankly at Na Seo-yu’s blade pointed at her throat.
“Wooooah! Another win!”
“Seo Sojeo is the best!”
“She’s like a goddess!”
With two consecutive victories for Sangeommun, Hwang Jang-gon of Jeonghyeopbang wore a sullen expression, while Heo Kyung, the head of Sangeommun, burst into loud laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha! This is great! Wonderful!”
Heo Kyung’s earlier assumption that a fight between women wouldn’t mean much had been proven wrong.
The Sangeommun warriors, buoyed by the stunning victories of their young heroines, were shouting and cheering nonstop, their morale soaring as if it had never dipped.
In contrast, the warriors of Jeonghyeopbang watched silently with grim faces.
But moments later, the cheers from Sangeommun’s warriors froze in place.
Jeonghyeopbang’s warriors did the same.
Slowly, their frowns softened, and with mouths agape, they all turned to look in the same direction.
It was because she was walking toward them.
The woman who seemed to have just descended from the heavens—Hae Cheong-yeon—finally made her appearance.
At that moment, Bi Sa-young, who had been searching for the top-tier warriors at Jeonghyeopbang’s rear, smirked and sent a private message.
Seon Woo-jin chuckled quietly in response.
He decided not to point out that he was just as guilty.
Glancing briefly at Hae Cheong-yeon’s stunning figure, he urged Bi Sa-young on.
Hurry up and find them. We need to finish this while Cheong-yeon Sojeo is drawing their attention.
Tch, got it. Huh? Could those be them over there?
While Seon Woo-jin and his companions searched for the top-tier warriors at Jeonghyeopbang’s rear, Hae Cheong-yeon deliberately walked slowly toward where Na Seo-yu and Cheon Joo-eun stood, issuing a formal challenge toward Jeonghyeopbang and introducing herself.
Only after hearing her voice did many regain their senses.
It felt as if they had been dreaming.
Time itself seemed to have stopped as she walked forward.
She continued.
But even after a moment passed, no one stepped forward to face her.
Jeonghyeopbang had other female warriors besides the Ji Sword Sisters.
Yet none of them wanted to challenge Hae Cheong-yeon.
They had already witnessed the formidable skills of the women from the Five Orphans, and more than that, they feared that stepping up beside Hae Cheong-yeon would only mark them as the next loser.
‘I absolutely don’t want to stand next to that woman!’
That was the unanimous thought among Jeonghyeopbang’s female warriors at that moment.
The seasoned master Hwang Jang-gon was the first to sense the mood.
He also realized that continuing these female duels would only harm their side, offering no benefit.
Stepping forward, he issued a formal challenge to Hae Cheong-yeon.
Hearing this, Heo Kyung laughed heartily.
Returning the earlier jab in kind, Heo Kyung felt a rush of relief, as if a long-held burden had been lifted.
It was an exhilarating sense of catharsis.
Meanwhile, Hwang Jang-gon ground his teeth to suppress his anger.
He had indeed considered sending out a male warrior.
But seeing the atmosphere among the warriors, he realized no young fighter could truly face Hae Cheong-yeon in earnest.
Everyone was already looking at her with reverence, as if worshipping the Sojeo named Yeon-hae.
He sighed.
‘To think such chaos could arise just because of a woman’s beauty—it’s absurd.’
Yet even he couldn’t help but admire Hae Cheong-yeon’s breathtaking allure that had caused this situation.
Reluctantly, Hwang Jang-gon raised his voice to apologize to Heo Kyung.
By apologizing, Hwang Jang-gon subtly emphasized that duels among women held no real significance.
Heo Kyung understood his intent but chose not to press the matter further.
She felt a sense of satisfaction that he had apologized and agreed that the real contest was among the men.
“Then we’ll take our leave now,” Hae Cheong-yeon said.
Na Seo-yu and Cheon Joo-eun began walking slowly alongside her toward Sangeommun.
Though this was meant to buy time for their comrades infiltrating Jeonghyeopbang, the slow retreat—especially Hae Cheong-yeon’s—drew a collective sigh of regret and intense focus from both Sangeommun and Jeonghyeopbang warriors.
“Ahhh…”
“Sojeo Yeon…”
“Please don’t go, Sojeo…”
But no one knew the truth.
While everyone’s attention was fixed on Hae Cheong-yeon, Seon Woo-jin and his team had finally located the top-tier warriors whose identities had remained a mystery.
Sak Mu-heun sent a private message to Seon Woo-jin.
Ready?
Yes, just give the signal.
Then we’ll start on the count of three. One!
The two top-tier warriors stood arrogantly at Jeonghyeopbang’s rear, watching the situation unfold.
It was unclear whether they were Ma-du (demonic) disciples of the Blood Sect.
No outward signs of demonic energy were visible, but many Blood Sect techniques could conceal such energy.
But it was clear they were not righteous allies.
They had been eyeing the dueling women’s weapons even before Hae Cheong-yeon appeared.
After her arrival, they didn’t even bother hiding their greedy gazes, practically drooling.
So even if they weren’t Blood Sect disciples, there was no need to hesitate.
From the shadows of the two top-tier warriors, Seon Woo-jin and Sak Mu-heun’s figures slowly emerged.
Thud!
“Hup!”
“Ugh!”
Focused entirely on Hae Cheong-yeon, the two had no idea what had just pierced the back of their necks.
As Hae Cheong-yeon exited toward Sangeommun, no one noticed that the two top-tier warriors had been quietly eliminated from the world.