Boom—!

With each of Hyeon’s stomps, the floor of the sparring ground quaked.

A shockwave so powerful that even a first-rate swordsman might lose their footing for a moment.

Tak, tatatat!

But for Seolhwa, it was no problem.

As if the tremors meant nothing, she charged straight toward Hyeon.

The moment Seolhwa rapidly closed the distance, a gleam flashed across Hyeon’s eyes.

Gone was the docile, almost daft demeanor from earlier. He looked like an entirely different person.

“Haap!”

Pak—! Papapapak!

Wooden sword and fist collided dozens of times in an instant.

Though she had not infused it with force, the strength behind Seolhwa’s wooden sword was anything but light.

Yet Hyeon parried every single blow without yielding an inch.

Heavy.

It felt like striking a giant boulder.

His fists, driven by the full force of his stomping techniques, were dense and solid.

Even when she tried to push him back, his legs rooted him like he was anchored into the ground, stabilizing the force and preventing his balance from faltering.

This is Shaolin, after all. Their external martial arts are no joke.

His physique was almost perfectly balanced.

With a mere wooden sword and no internal force applied, she wondered if she could even break through.

Hyeon’s level is Peak Realm.

Just gauging his inner strength gave that impression.

But having faced him directly, she thought he could likely hold his own even against Super Peak masters.

At the very least, he wouldn’t be helpless against one.

Now I understand why Shaolin emphasizes external arts so much.

That foundation allows one to surpass the limits of their current realm.

Even if his current level seemed low, through relentless training he would one day be able to wield power far greater than others of the same level.

But—

If Shaolin exalts external force, then Namgoong martial arts seek harmony.

Had she only trained internal force night and day, she might have been overwhelmed—but Seolhwa had never neglected her external techniques.

She might be outmatched in sheer physicality, but by raising her internal energy, she was confident she wouldn't fall short even at the same realm.

Huuuuu—

A red aura began to rise like heat shimmer around Seolhwa’s wooden sword.

It was a sword force powered purely by Peak-level inner strength, tuned in consideration of Hyeon’s realm.

“!”

Noticing the shift in her energy, Hyeon quickly adjusted his footwork and retreated.

Boom—!

Seolhwa’s wooden sword slammed into the spot where Hyeon had stood just a breath earlier.

The force rivaled the shock of Hyeon’s stomps.

The wooden blade—despite gouging the solid ground—did not splinter or snap. Hyeon stared at it in awe before speaking a beat too late.

“I had no intention of making this a violent match.”

A faint smile tugged at Seolhwa’s lips.

“I never said this would be a casual spar.”

“You could get hurt, Benefactor.”

“Shouldn’t you be more concerned for your own safety, Monk?”

“...I won’t hold back.”

Hyeon began to gather his energy as well.

A golden aura shimmered to life around him, rising in waves like heated air.

He steadied his stance, dragging the edge of his foot across the floor.

Seolhwa, watching him, adjusted her grip on the sword.

Been a while since I’ve seen golden inner strength.

In her previous life, Seolhwa had never directly crossed blades with Shaolin monks.

She had only watched from afar as their golden-hued forces clashed with the warriors of the Blood Demon Cult.

Shaolin—the ones even the Blood Demon had to personally confront.

Now this was getting exciting.

“Haap!”

This time, Hyeon launched the first attack.

The technique he used was Dragon Fist Tempering Spirit—Yonggwon Yeonsin—one of the Shaolin Five Fists, modeled after the form of a dragon.

Rather than relying on hardened muscle, Dragon Fist Tempering Spirit drew from the power of the dantian, and its movements were said to mimic a divine dragon.

So you’re saying you won’t lose in internal force either?

Until now, he had focused on defense, leveraging his strength and physique. But as soon as he drew upon his internal force, he shifted to offense.

A fascinating monk, truly.

Fwoosh—!

Hyeon’s right fist surged toward Seolhwa’s side.

In perfect resonance with its name, the strike resembled a golden dragon lunging to devour her.

Seolhwa blocked it with the hand gripping her sword’s guard, then twisted upward, slashing from below.

Hyeon met her blade with his left palm, deflecting the strike, then stomped down hard with his right foot.

Boom—! 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The quake from up close was enough to threaten Seolhwa’s balance.

Before her stance could be disrupted by the shock, Seolhwa kicked off the ground and flipped midair.

Hyeon didn’t miss the opportunity—his fist surged toward her once more, aimed at her midair form, where she had no place to dodge.

But instead of evading, Seolhwa twisted her body, letting the punch [N O V E L I G H T] slide past her frame—and in that motion, she stabbed her sword toward Hyeon’s chest.

“!”

Hyeon stepped his left leg back just in time to evade the thrust.

But then—Seolhwa let go of her sword.

Startled by the falling weapon, Hyeon only registered her movement a second too late.

By the time he caught up, her leg was already coming down toward his shin.

“Huup!”

Hyeon quickly tensed the muscle behind his knee.

Seolhwa, too, channeled full force into the leg she struck with.

Thwack—!

In that brief collision of strength, time itself seemed to slow.

It was a desperate battle between one trying not to fall, and the other seeking to bring him down.

And the victor of that contest—

Boom!

—was Seolhwa.

Because she had twisted midair before kicking, the momentum had added weight to her strike—more than Hyeon could endure.

Tap.

As she knocked Hyeon off balance and brought him to his knees, Seolhwa landed lightly on the ground.

She hadn’t even used thirty percent of her full strength, yet her breathing was slightly labored.

Catching her breath, she reached a hand out to Hyeon.

Hyeon looked up at her.

“Are you going to say that was unfair?”

Because a swordswoman had discarded her sword?

Hyeon took her hand and stood, a wry smile spreading on his face.

“Why would I say that? I’m impressed, actually. That you chose to let go of your sword in that moment.”

A martial artist only abandons their weapon when they are certain of victory.

Does that mean she knew she would win the moment I threw that punch?

Maybe even before that.

Hyeon bowed to her with a martial salute.

“I have gained valuable insight.”

Seolhwa returned the salute.

“It was a good match. Thanks to you, I now understand the true might of Shaolin firsthand.”

“That’s what I should be saying. You’ve shown me many things today, Benefactor.”

The greatest of those lessons was that his prejudice toward the sega had been wrong.

The martial clans were not weak.

Their famed techniques and reputations were not exaggerated.

Among disciples her age—even within the orthodox sects—there are few this strong.

Within the sects, such a thought was nearly heresy.

To think someone of her talent existed within a clan they had always belittled.

Their tendency to underestimate the sega was blinding them to the truth and dulling their judgment.

Hyeon was now certain of it.

If the sects continued in their arrogance, they would one day suffer dearly for it.

****

Shuffle, shuffle...

Someone’s footsteps approached.

Atop the roof of the Disciplinary Hall, where he had been seated before a towering Buddha statue in prayer, Beopseon slowly opened his eyes.

A curl of incense smoke floated up before him.

“Well. How was it?”

He asked the figure entering the hall without so much as turning his head.

The one who stepped closer was none other than Hyeon—the monk assigned to remain by Namgoong Seolhwa’s side.

“She was strong. Far beyond expectations.”

“I watched you spar with the Namgoong girl.”

“You did?”

“She was holding back.”

“!”

Shock overtook Hyeon’s expression.

In the match with Lady Namgoong, he had given his all.

Beopseon, who surely knew his true strength, wasn’t referring to him—he meant that Namgoong Seolhwa had held back.

“Her realm was the same as mine. She may have had more sparring experience, but if we fought again, I’m sure I could—”

“You would not win.”

“!”

“Seeing her as your equal is precisely the proof that she’s stronger than you.”

Hyeon didn’t understand.

He acknowledged that she was strong—but only slightly stronger. If they fought again, he believed he had a fair chance.

Yet he was being told he was weaker?

“That girl’s cultivation is at least Super Peak.”

“...What? At that level, wouldn’t she rival the Four Diamond Guardians of the temple?”

“Not the Guardians, perhaps, but at least the Overseer.”

Hyeon’s mouth fell open.

The Overseers were among the Eight Guardian Protectors who served as the Abbot’s personal guard.

The elite of the elite.

And the girl he had sparred with—just a visitor from the Namgoong Clan—was someone of that caliber?

“The Abbot himself said so. So it’s not likely to be wrong.”

“!”

The Abbot of Shaolin—Beopgong—was a master of the Hwagyeong level, one of the Ten Masters Under Heaven.

If such a man said it, there was no doubt.

“But even he couldn’t guess the true extent of the power she’s hiding.”

Beopseon recalled the earlier match between Hyeon and Seolhwa.

The red energy that had flared from her sword—

It resembled the power of those people, yet it was unmistakably the Namgoong Clan’s Azure Heaven inner force.

“Do you really think Lady Namgoong is connected to them? I didn’t sense any such aura from her...”

“Hyeon.”

“Yes, Master.”

Beopseon tilted his head slightly, casting a sideways glance at Hyeon.

A cold sharpness gleamed in his eyes.

“Have you already forgotten how cunning and meticulous they are?”

“...I haven’t forgotten.”

How could he?

It was the event that had robbed him of senior brothers he trusted with his life—lost in a single night.

“This concerns not just our Shaolin Temple, but the fate of the entire Central Plains. You must not take it lightly.”

“Yes, Master. I’ll keep it firmly in mind.”