Flames roared—!!!!

A body consumed by fire poured down like a falling star, invading the space.

The body that had soared through the air plummeted straight down, crashing onto the ground.

Thud—! Fwoosh—!!

Sparks burst upon impact, and the ground beneath began to melt. Hurriedly, I pulled a vial from my robe and poured its contents over my body.

The ridiculous part was that even the glass bottle in my grasp had melted away.

“Phew...”

I steadied my disoriented mind and took a step forward. At that moment, my vision shifted.

The alien sky of Mangye disappeared, replaced by the familiar sky I knew.

I was at the entrance of Mount Hua.

Feeling the reality of my return, I gathered strength in my legs once more.

Whoosh—!

Again, my body ignited into flames, propelling me forward as I soared through the sky.

I scanned my narrowed vision to find my bearings. Everything looked blurry.

At this rate, I was bound to crash again. What should I do? Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“...Tsk, tsk.”

I heard a clicking tongue nearby.

And then—

“Every time you go out and come back, you put on a damn spectacle.”

A familiar voice, laced with irritation, accompanied a sharp impact to my head.

Boom—!!

With a violent shock, my body was slammed down to the ground.

Boom—!

I tumbled across the ground, bouncing twice before finally managing to stop.

“Cough.”

I coughed dryly as I lifted myself up. It didn’t hurt. My muddled mind and body simply refused to register pain.

Squinting my eyes, I lifted my head.

Standing there was the person I had been looking for.

“What a laughable bastard.”

It was Shin Noya.

He let out a small scoff, looking down at me.

“You left as if you were ready to conquer the world, yet you return looking like this. What the hell happened?”

“...Noya.”

“This is ridiculous.”

Noya said as he inspected me from different angles, as if amused.

“...What’s going on? It didn’t seem like the time was right yet... Something’s off.”

“...What is this? Something feels wrong...”

At my words, Noya asked,

“What feels wrong?”

“Just... everything.”

“...Wow, that’s an amazing explanation. What am I supposed to do with you?”

I wanted to explain properly, but I had no words.

Everything just felt... strange.

I felt weightless.

Euphoria surged through me, as if I could accomplish anything.

But intertwined within it was an insidious sensation—something was pulling me away from my rational mind.

Burn everything insignificant.

Don’t waste time. Submerge yourself in the lake you saw.

An uncontrollable desire boiled inside me.

Seeing my reaction, Shin Noya tilted his head, scrutinizing me.

“It’s usually not this extreme. There must be something else at play.”

“...Do you know what this is?”

“Of course I do... You should know it too.”

“What...?”

“How should I put this? Maybe I should congratulate you first?”

Congratulate me? I frowned at the incomprehensible words.

“Young brat.”

Noya looked at me and spoke.

“You have finally reached transcendence. How does it feel?”

“...!”

My eyes widened at his words.

I had reached transcendence?

‘This... is transcendence?’

The realm beyond mastery.

The ultimate state that one could only reach after perfecting martial arts.

The final stage—where one becomes one with martial arts.

Had I really reached that?

I should have been in shock at Noya’s words.

Was this truly transcendence?

Fwoosh—!

I turned my hand into flames.

The flickering embers burned in a controlled, rhythmic pattern.

“This is...”

Was this the realm I had yearned to reach?

My dazed mind sharpened slightly.

As I stared in awe—

“You left to finish something, and yet here you are, looking like this. I should be the one asking questions.”

Clang.

The sharp sound made me lift my head.

At some point, Noya had drawn his sword from his waist.

“Judging by your condition, there’s something we need to take care of first.”

“...Noya?”

“You really are the best at making an old man suffer.”

From the tip of Noya’s foot, plum blossoms scattered into the air.

As always, they were breathtakingly beautiful.

But within them, I felt an overwhelming killing intent.

The moment I saw it, my body reacted instinctively, unleashing hostility.

Its intention was simple.

How dare you reveal hostility before me?

The flames within me did not take kindly to such provocation.

What should I do?

Arrogance and exhilaration surged again. I tried to suppress them, clenching my fists.

“Don’t bother holding ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) back for no reason. Do you really think I can’t handle a brat like you?”

At Shin Noya’s calm declaration, my mind oddly settled.

“Show me what you can do. I expect something better than last time.”

Fwoosh.

The moment flames engulfed my body—

Clench—!

Noya’s hand gripped my throat.

Just like that—

Boom—!!

With a burst of speed, Noya accelerated.

We instantly shot past the boundaries of Mount Hua, breaking through the barrier I had painstakingly constructed.

The aurora-lit night sky spread out before me.

As soon as we were outside, Noya tightened his grip and hurled me with all his strength.

My body was flung through the air at incredible speed.

The violent pressure pressed down on me. Instead of resisting, I let my body go limp.

Fwoosh.

The sound of embers igniting filled the air.

My flying body transformed into flames.

And then—suddenly—it was as if I had hit an invisible wall, stopping me midair.

My eyes rolled as I searched for Noya.

But—

Srrng.

A cold sensation brushed against my neck.

My body, wreathed in flames, instinctively darted away. In that instant, a sword cleaved through the space where I had just been.

It was Noya.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak—!!!

The sword that tore through the air split everything behind it. It was as if the entire world had been severed in a single strike.

Why the hell am I fighting Noya all of a sudden?

The thought flickered through my mind, but instinct moved faster than reason. Noya’s hostility triggered my battle instincts first.

Giiiing—!!!

A circular ring of energy spun rapidly behind me.

Flames surged down my shoulders, forming into condensed spheres.

A sea of flame engulfed the surroundings.

I swung my fingertips.

Guaaaaaaa—!!!

The firestorm rushed toward Noya.

Like a meteor shower crashing down in the night sky, countless azure fireballs flooded toward him.

But—

“Hooop!”

Noya took a deep breath and slashed his sword in a cross.

With just two swings—

Pababababang—!!!

The inferno exploded and was obliterated.

I froze for a brief moment, staring at the detonating flames. Had he destroyed them with just wind pressure?

How was that possible?

Back during the Martial Festival, when I fought Yeong Pung in a sparring match—

The Noya I met in the mental realm had needed thousands of precise cuts to slice through my flames.

But now, he ended it with just two.

The difference was staggering.

But—

“Is this the time to get lost in thought?”

This wasn’t the moment to be stunned. His voice came from right in front of me.

Hwaaaah—!!

Plum blossoms scattered across the sky.

Beautiful.

The thought surfaced involuntarily.

It was so mesmerizing that I wanted to stand still and admire it.

But my body reacted differently, erupting in flames once more.

Because I knew.

I knew just how terrifying that plum blossom swordplay was. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Nine Flames Firewheel.

The raging fire grew larger, swallowing everything around me.

Trees, rocks, grass.

Nothing was spared; everything was consumed.

But this was no ordinary burning—it melted away.

The sheer heat had become overwhelming enough to dissolve all matter.

Even the plum blossoms Noya had unleashed vanished beneath the inferno.

And yet, my eyes never left Noya.

It was trust.

A firm belief.

That Noya would never be defeated by something like this.

As if responding to my unshakable conviction, I could feel Noya’s presence within the flames.

“I get that you’re excited, but you’ve gotten needlessly large. Did you already forget what I told you when you lost your damn mind last time?”

With those words—

Chwaaaak—!!!

A blade descended.

My body was split open.

A sword falling from the sky sliced through me.

I managed to retreat a step and avoid a fatal wound, but if I hadn’t moved, I would have died on the spot.

I glanced at the blade embedded in the ground.

A Mind Sword.

He had the audacity to criticize me for my excessive size, yet he had just dropped a sword large enough to crush an entire house.

It was absurd.

But at the same time, the sheer size of the Mind Sword reflected the depth of the wielder’s mental image.

The fact that Noya could manifest something of this scale so effortlessly...

More importantly—

‘Noya never uses just one Mind Sword.’

I lifted my head toward the sky.

And there it was.

A radiant sword piercing through the night.

A blade that stood in stark contrast to the so-called ‘lowly blade that saved the world’—this one was divine, overwhelming.

I inhaled deeply at its majesty.

How could one’s mental image be projected so vividly and powerfully?

The soaring exhilaration and arrogance that had filled me wavered.

The vast lake within me began to shrink.

“What are you doing?”

Noya’s voice snapped me back to reality.

I turned toward him.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at me.

“You’re not supposed to be coming to your senses just yet. I dragged you out here, so you should at least do better than last time, don’t you think?”

“...”

Last time... Was he talking about our duel?

The day I first succeeded in wielding Cheonma Divine Art?

“Young brat. If this is all you’ve got, I’m disappointed. I’ve spoon-fed you more than enough. Are you really going to let me down with this pathetic display?”

Despite his scolding, Noya smirked.

“...Ah.”

A short exhale escaped me as I saw that grin.

“Show me. I know you can do more.”

What could I possibly do?

Why did he have that unshakable belief in me?

I didn’t understand.

But my body was already moving.

Transcendence, was it?

Had I truly reached that realm?

Then—

There was only one thing for me to do.

Sssss—

I stretched out both hands as if grasping something unseen.

No one had ever taught me.

I had only observed.

I had merely taken it in with my eyes—so what did I even think I knew?

It was ridiculous, even to me.

I had never learned it, but I had longed for it.

I had always resented him, yet always wanted to be like him.

This was the embodiment of that yearning.

My body overlapped with the image of my father.

Nine Flames Supreme Mountain Five Forms.

“Nine Flames Supreme Mountain Five Forms.”

My voice layered over my father’s.

Snap.

The sound of embers bursting rang through the air as blue flames ignited.

Paaaat—!

Light erupted, flipping the night sky into pure white.

And within that brilliant new landscape—

“Well done, you damned brat.”

I heard Noya’s praise.