Chapter 102
The matches that followed in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly unfolded more or less as expected.
As always, members of the Five Supreme Clans and the Nine Great Sects recorded the highest results, while one or two talented individuals from smaller sects or wandering backgrounds made a name for themselves…
Tang Sowol held her own impressively but was ultimately defeated by a promising young monk from the Shaolin Sect.
No matter how hard she trained in external arts, he still charged forward as if he were unaffected, even after taking a steel ball directly to the body.
Even if bladed hidden weapons had been permitted, he would have been a difficult opponent to beat.
Right. There were no real upsets to speak of.
Squeeze, squeeze.
“Cheon Hwi, is your internal injury all healed?”
“It’s healed.”
Seol Lihyang began kneading my shoulder the moment Tang Sowol and Tang Jincheon stepped out to take care of something. I slowly turned my head to stare at her.
“Huh? What is it?”
“I’m fine now. No need for the massage. And besides, massages won’t heal internal injuries anyway.”
“Hey! You’re always poking and pressing at me, huh?! You’ve done all that, and now I can’t even give you a simple shoulder massage?! No one’s even around right now!”
“I—This One is here.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin quietly raised her hand from the corner, but Seol Lihyang pretended not to hear and continued.
“It’s not like I’m touching weird places like you do! It’s just your shoulder! Don’t misinterpret my kindness and just stay still!”
“This and that are clearly different. And don’t call it a weird place. It was your back, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t care, I don’t care! If you’ve got nothing else to do, just sit still!”
Seol Lihyang shook her head with a stubborn attitude.
Indeed, while there may not have been any surprises in the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly itself, one unexpected development did occur afterward—
Namely, that Seol Lihyang now clung to me whenever she had the chance.
I knew why. After watching her match, how could I not?
It was only the addition of what Tang Sowol said to me via transmitted sound at the end that made everything all the more complicated.
I never thought there’d be a day in my life when I’d be tormented by such worries.
Perhaps realizing things weren’t going her way, Seol Lihyang stopped kneading and began lightly tapping my shoulder with a loosely clenched fist.
I gently grabbed her hand and pulled it away.
“I appreciate it, but I really don’t need it. Since I’ve recovered, I should check my condition by swinging my sword a bit in the training ground.”
“Tsk. Martial arts, huh... Fine. I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Seol Lihyang stepped back with a regretful sigh, then gave me a look that said, See how considerate I am?
“How about that? I knew you were itching to get moving, so I let you go right away. Aren’t I a thoughtful woman?”
“It would’ve been perfect... if you hadn’t said it out loud.”
I gave a dry chuckle and grabbed my sword as I rose from my seat.
The guesthouse provided by the Golden Flower Merchant Guild when we first arrived in Wuhuan City was excellent—aside from only having one room.
After I was kidnapped, the Murim Alliance insisted on preparing rooms for Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang in case anything else happened.
Naturally, with Tang Jincheon, myself, and Seo Mun-Hwarin also returning (with quite a few rumors in tow), we all ended up staying in the alliance’s quarters.
We practically monopolized one of the annex buildings designed to host important guests.
Not that I was complaining—it was warm, the food was great, and, more importantly, the training grounds were superb.
Well, of course they were. Most people staying at the Murim Alliance would be martial artists, so it made sense for the facilities to be proper.
I strapped the unfamiliar black sword to my waist, and as I did, I heard a small sigh behind me.
“Ehuu. Kids these days are truly something.”
“Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin. If you’re not too busy watching over the place, would you mind sparring with me for a moment?”
“Hmm?! With This One? Of course! Let’s go at once!”
Delighted that someone had finally spoken to her, Seo Mun-Hwarin bounced over enthusiastically.
Seeing this, Seol Lihyang narrowed her eyes. She seemed like she wanted to say something but ended up shaking her head and quietly following behind me.
No soft bedding, no creaky wooden floors—just solid, flat stone beneath my feet.
My internal energy was full, my meridians were clear, and after good rest and food, my body brimmed with strength.
But more than any of that, what truly made my heart stir was something else—
The hilt that fit perfectly in my palm. The solid weight that pressed from wrist to shoulder.
I hadn’t gone this long without holding a sword either before or after regression.
It felt like a missing piece had finally returned—like everything was finally functioning properly again.
“Now I feel alive.”
“You really are something else.”
“Normally, it wouldn’t be this bad. But after watching the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly... I just couldn’t hold it in any longer.”
“I understand. This One was also quite impressed by the finals.”
The final match had been between the young master of the Namgung Clan and a disciple of the Shaolin Sect.
The Namgung Clan had been annihilated before my regression—not a single direct descendant remained.
So I’d never seen their swordsmanship in its true form, which only heightened my curiosity.
After witnessing it in person, I finally understood why the Namgung Clan claimed to be the best swordsmen under heaven.
Their pride may have seemed arrogant, but their skill was worthy of it.
They won the championship, and though the Shaolin disciple had also performed brilliantly and displayed impressive martial arts...
It was fist and leg techniques, not swordsmanship—so it didn’t move me as much.
“Oh, but This One still finds you more astonishing, Cheon Hwi. I’ve lived long and experienced much, so I’ve seen many called geniuses. I dare say This One counts among them.”
“I’m well aware that I’m exceptional.”
“No, you misunderstand. A genius is someone who learns and comprehends quickly—who does what others can, but better, and sometimes what others cannot.”
“Right. I guess I’m that kind of genius.”
“In other words, a genius shortens the process and produces a unique result. But you... you didn’t have any process. It was as if you simply appeared one day.”
“I wasn’t expecting an interrogation, Senior.”
“Oh, I have no intention of pressing you. This One already peeked into your heartscape once, remember?”
“I do.”
Back then, I had to push myself to defeat the Lord of the Black Sky Sword Sect.
So I forced myself to draw out the buried memories and insights of my past life.
I won—but my body was ruined.
The uncontained force must’ve spilled everywhere, and those who were nearby, like Seo Mun-Hwarin and the Black Lotus Sect Master, likely noticed something.
“I know it wasn’t something built hastily. It was extreme, yes, but how could This One, of all people, deny such a path? However...”
“It’s alright. Please speak freely.”
“I was only going to say—don’t be too surprised.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head in confusion. Seo Mun-Hwarin extended a hand and beckoned.
“Some things are best explained through action rather than words. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
What was she talking about?
Well, if she wanted me to come at her full-force, I was more than happy to oblige.
As a Flowering Stage master, Seo Mun-Hwarin could handle anything—even me, now that I had regained much of my past prowess.
So I released sword energy from the start.
Wuuung—
The sensation of the sword becoming one with my hand.
My internal energy surged from my dantian, flowed through my widened meridians, and enveloped my sword.
A dark crimson shimmer—resembling both fire and blood.
Not quite sword flame, but close enough that I smiled with satisfaction and prepared to rush Seo Mun-Hwarin—
“Mn?”
Then I stopped. I sensed something was off.
I looked up—and Seo Mun-Hwarin, already nodding slowly, confirmed my suspicion.
I closed my eyes and turned inward.
My internal injuries were healed. My internal energy had grown. My meridians had expanded thanks to Divine Sword Unity, and I could now wield more internal energy in a single motion.
As a result, my sword energy output had also strengthened.
Everything seemed perfect. So what was this feeling?
There it was—a strange discord in the deepest part of me. I focused harder, and soon I understood.
“Killing intent...”
“Kuheum. It may have changed a little.”
The killing intent that had once naturally mingled with my internal energy.
It was that very intent that made my Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art so powerful, despite its many side effects.
But now—that killing intent felt different.
It hadn’t disappeared. It was still there, clinging tightly.
Nor had it weakened. Its poisonous edge was still sharp.
But this strange sense of dissonance...
“Ah.”
Only after much thought did I realize—
The killing intent was mine, but no longer matched me as I am now.
Originally, the source of my killing intent was the deaths of Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin in my previous life.
It was my personal hell, etched into my heartscape because I refused to forget.
So my time, my steps, had remained fixed in place.
The Lord of the Black Sky Sword Sect, whom I needed to kill, was already dead.
Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin—those who had died—were now alive and well.
The past could no longer be changed, and no matter how strong or happy I became in the future, I thought I would always carry that day’s hell within me.
But—
Who could have known I’d actually turn back time?
Seol Lihyang was alive, her limbs intact.
Seo Mun-Hwarin, though still shaky, was now stepping toward a normal life.
The one who caused their deaths—the Lord of the Black Sky Sword Sect—had already fallen by my hand.
I had truly changed the past.
That day’s memories still haunted me. The emotions I felt then—the surging killing intent—they were all undeniably mine. But now...
“This is troublesome.”
I was no longer standing in the same place.
My long mourning had ended with the completion of my aimless revenge.
Well, past or not, those memories and emotions were still mine.
My heartscape remained vivid, and manipulating the deep, lingering killing intent wasn’t difficult.
But... I could no longer walk the same path as before.
“Huhh…”
If rage and killing intent are no longer my path—then where do I go from here?
I don’t know the answer to that yet.
Well. That’s that. But this duel is still a duel.
“Here I come.”
“Eh?!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin’s eyes widened in surprise.