"Have you lost your mind?" the strongest under the heavens, Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin, asked the man towering over him.

Dan Mok-Jin wasn't trying to be cheeky. Though the man in front of him wasn't quite as strong, the man's accomplishments were considerable. He could exchange at least one hundred attacks with Heavenly Demon effortlessly. Not even the Taiji Sword Immortal or Shaolin Divine Monk could do that with such ease.

"It wasn't enough for you to come knocking at my door all alone; now you dare challenge me to a battle to the death? I did not think you to be so dull as to miscalculate others' strength."

The bloodfire infused into his jet-black robes followed the flow of qi, causing the cloth to move like waves.

Any fighter as strong as the aforementioned Taiji Sword Immortal and Divine Monk would recognize what it was. No, it would be impossible for them not to recognize it. That was because it was visible to those who had not only attained full control over their body and qi, but also their psyche.

In an instant, heaven and earth melted into each other like a sunset, making all the colors blend together.

"Amazing," the man said. He could see it as well. "The Taiji Sword Immortal's Domain was only sixty meters in size, and the Divine Monk's was around seventy-five. I never thought I would see a Domain that spans over three hundred meters.

For third-class martial artists, the length of a weapon determined who had the advantage. Even first-class martial artists who could materialize their qi poured most of their time and effort into making their qi swords longer.

It was said that the more one fostered their martial arts skills, the less important the length of their weapon became, but that was because there were other aspects to consider.

Like Domains.

They were the highest technique one could achieve in martial arts, only available to those who had surpassed the threshold of the Creation Realm.

"Hmph. Save the flattery."

Dan Mok-Jin slowly scanned his opponent with his red eyes.

The bamboo hat was unable to hide the fire behind Yeon Mu-Hyuk's eyes. He seemed to be in perfect harmony with the sword in his hand, and the aura emanating from him seemed as if it could rise from the earth and pierce the sky.

He was a sword wearing the form of a human.

That was how Dan Mok-Jin would sum him up in one sentence.

"Sword Emperor, did you come here to die?"

"Indeed. Though, I do wish I could come out alive," Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk responded calmly. "I realized the flaws in my bloodline techniques and spent sixty years wandering murim to find something better. I have sought out the teachings of Daoism and pored over Buddhist doctrine. Thus, I tried to train and find answers in my own way, but strangely, there was still something I never figured out."

"And?"

"Neither the Ten Venerables nor the Yellow Lotus Temple's Seven Absolutes of the orthodox sects had the ability to give me an answer. You are the only one left to ask."

Dan Mok-Jin's face contorted. Yeon Mu-Hyuk talked about it rather flippantly, but the Heavenly Demon realized just how great an impact the man's actions would have on the world of martial arts.

"... How many have you defeated?"

Yeon Mu-Hyuk paused for a second, his face impassive. "The Lightning Blade lost their left arm. The Cloud Sword's meridians have collapsed, so they have gone into solitary training. The Greenwood King, Mountain-Shattering Axe, had their dantian ruptured and limbs cut off, so they should be dead by now. The Poison Blood Wolf and their disciples who were waiting in ambush are now fertilizer for the fields. The Phantom Wanderer is missing his head. The Sky Dragon Spear also sought me out, and I got his eye within fifty exchanges. But the Drunken Beggar interfered, so I was unable to see it through."

"And the rest?"

"Most of the Ten Venerables refused to spar with me unless it was through a martial debate or a private, unofficial match. The others rejected my offer. On the other hand, it seemed as if the Seven Absolutes would accept my offer graciously, but after I sent three of them to the afterlife, they shut their doors and failed to respond to my challenges."

"Ha! I can't believe this."

There had been very few times in Dan Mok-Jin's life when a person caused him to be surprised, but Yeon Mu-Hyuk's actions displayed madness like he'd never seen before.

Three of the Ten Venerables were seriously injured, and three of the Seven Absolutes were dead. These Creation Realm martial artists had been his greatest obstacles to his plans to dominate the world, and now they were either dead or out of the fight. If the Heavenly Demon Cult's strategist Wave Ripple found out, they would celebrate wildly.

"Sword Emperor, I am offering you the chance to join my cult. If you do, I will name you vice leader. As vice leader, you would rule over tens of thousands."

His proposal was astounding.

"I refuse," Yeon Mu-Hyuk replied.

"Well, I expected as much," Dan Mok-Jin said, looking unsurprised. He knew from the moment that the Sword Emperor barged into his abode that the Sword Emperor had no intention to surrender. As a martial artist, the only thing Yeon Mu-Hyuk cared about was getting stronger; he was the kind of truth-seeker one would find in the olden days. Even Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin felt that primitive hunger begin to grow in him like a wildfire.

"I accept your challenge. A duel to the death. I expect it should end within one hundred blows."

Though it wasn't Yeon Mu-Hyuk's intention, the fact of the matter was that his actions greatly benefited the cult. This would be a way to repay him on behalf of all the members.

"I pray you succeed. I advise you to make the first move. Or else you will perish without even having the time to react."

"Thank you." Yeon Mu-Hyuk accepted without hesitation and grasped one of his ring-pommel swords in each hand. In that very moment, a Domain expanded with him at its center, overtaking approximately 120 meters of Dan Mok-Jin's own.

Though he couldn't hold the earth and the sky in his hands like Dan Mok-Jin could, his sword Domain made him look like a sharp sword that could cut through anything. On top of that, the Domain changed shape from a sphere to a pointed blade and began piercing through Dan Mok-Jin's all-encompassing Domain.

"Impressive," said Dan Mok-Jin with admiration. It had been a while since he'd come across someone whose movements he couldn't follow.

One Origin Five Elements Sutra Sword

Azure Dragon's Slash

Yeon Mu-Hyuk's movements emanated five-colored augmented qi. Suddenly, the qi became a deep blue and shot out like lightning.

The Swift Sword technique could cut through a Creation Realm martial artist's defense as if slicing through paper.

In his pocket of space, even the clap of thunder was slow. Yeon Mu-Hyuk watched as his outstretched sword cut through the black-and-white world around him. In a space where everything was slowed down, his sharp blade was the only thing that moved with speed.

However, his sword stopped mid-swing.

"So you used the five elements as the foundation for your style. Very interesting."

What stopped the blade in its tracks was nothing more than Dan Mok-Jin's blackened finger. He had caught it at the precise moment that it came down.

Yeon Mu-Hyuk suddenly had a newfound awareness of just how strong Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin was, and he couldn't stop himself from shivering from the thrill.

One Origin Five Elements Sutra Sword

Five Element Style

Yellow Dragon's Thunder

Yeon Mu-Hyuk took two steps back and activated thirty percent of his cultivation quicker than usual, straining his internal qi and causing his eight extraordinary meridians to convulse. He felt blood rising from his throat, but he didn't seem to care.

The man in front of him was the strongest under the heavens.

He was a Profound Realm master! Those only came around once every few generations!

"Hahahaha! Yes, come to me! Try to touch me with that pathetic sword of yours!" Dan Mok-Jin yelled. It had been a long time since he'd cackled with so much joy.

The statue of a demon appeared behind him. It was the three-headed, six-armed Asura.

It wasn't an illusion; this Asura really existed, and it was made of augmented qi. The apparition hadn't even moved to attack yet, but the power it emanated was enough to cause the floor to break around Yeon Mu-Hyuk's feet.

"Ugh... Ahhhh!!"

Even then, Yeon Mu-Hyuk did not stop. His steps grew bigger, and he dashed forward like a ball of five-colored light.

But the difference between their power was all too clear.

He persevered like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, but no one in murim could mock him. Here he was, challenging someone stronger than him. At its core, martial arts was a path for the weak to topple the strong.

Booooom!

The ceiling rumbled.

Every time the Asura's six arms clashed with the blasts of light, the ground shook, the clouds parted, and dust filled the air.

The strongest under the heavens, Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin.

The second strongest, Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk.

The amount of time that passed was less than the time it took to enjoy a cup of tea. But the force of their blows was so great that they could have easily destroyed several Sects belonging to the Nine Great Sects.

Clang!

But like all things, their duel came to an end.

"... That was 127 attacks. I thought I would finish you in exactly one hundred attacks, but you have far exceeded my expectations."

The apparition of the Asura dissipated, and Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin removed his outer robe, which had been reduced to tatters. His robe was made of the fine silk of the Divine Silkworm, but it was unable to withstand the intensity of their battle.

Yeon Mu-Hyuk started to laugh uncontrollably when he saw it, but then he threw up blood. He'd lost both his legs, so he was unable to stand, and there was a hole in his chest where his heart should have been.

"Cough! Guh, cough! Urk, I couldn't reach you... to the very end."

He'd kept swinging his sword to the very end, but it had broken right at that very end, unable to withstand the final blow. The augmented qi that should have concentrated around it dissipated.

Even if Yeon Mu-Hyuk had managed to reach Dan Mok-Jin, it wouldn't have been enough to kill him. But still, the fact that all his efforts were futile in the end filled him with bitterness.

Dan Mok-Jin smirked and leaned down to meet his eyes. "You are about to die, but you still care more about the failed attack. I have never met someone this obsessed with martial arts."

"... How was... my swordplay?" The second greatest martial artist asked for the first's appraisal. He had no time to waste on small talk.

Dan Mok-Jin nodded. "It was decent. Both your swordplay and your cultivation, I mean. But you were too hasty. If it weren't for that, you would have had a chance to reach the Profound Realm."

"... Hasty? About... what?"

"If you wished to channel the five elements into one sword, you should have attempted it after surpassing the Profound Realm. If you used Flying Sword and Weapon Manipulation, you would have been able to wield five blades at once, no?"

As a master several levels above him, Dan Mok-Jin was able to evaluate Yeon Mu-Hyuk's martial arts in detail after just a single fight.

"There were also problems with the balance of the five elements. Compared to the fire qi and earth qi, the water qi, wood qi, and metal qi were lacking. When used correctly, there should be no openings, but this is what caused your augmented qi to be unstable."

"... I... see."

"My impression is that your training was skewed toward certain elements or that your understanding of harmonization was insufficient."

Was it? Yeon Mu-Hyuk's eyes widened, and he smiled.

The questions that had plagued him for so long were answered with just one battle. Sure, he was going to die soon, but he was still satisfied.

Those who chose a path in the morning could die happy in the evening. And because he had done so, Yeon Mu-Hyuk no longer had any regrets.

"As you may know, there are five principles that a martial artist can follow. Chaos Origin, Taiji, the Three Aspects, the Four Phenomena, and the Five Elements," Dan Mok-Jin continued even though Yeon Mu-Hyuk was dying. The man was a martial artist he respected, and he wanted to pass on as much knowledge as possible before the man was gone.

"The Six Harmonies cannot be handled by the living, the Seven Stars is granted by the stars themselves, and the Eight Trigrams uses martial arts by drawing from outside the body, not the inside, so it requires a different approach. The Nine Palaces relies on luck, and the Ten Directions is only a theoretical existence."

As Yeon Mu-Hyuk's vision grew darker and darker, Dan Mok-Jin's words began to spin in his head.

They said that getting closer to death brought one closer to the truth.

"If purity is the basis of the Chaos Origin, then balance is the basis of the Five Elements. If they are not in harmony, the manifestation will already be fragile. You laid the foundation for the Five Elements qi after you were able to achieve Sword Qi Transformation, causing the qi to become unbalanced. Your lack of understanding prevented you from reaching the next level.

"I do not know if you will be a martial artist in your next life, but I hope my words have reached you. May you rest peacefully in the afterlife, Sword Emperor."

At some point, Yeon Mu-Hyuk had stopped breathing. Dan Mok-Jin turned his back toward the body, unable to describe the feelings welling up inside him.

It had been a good fight.

His excitement had been roused, his fighting spirit stirred.

There had been a less than three percent chance of him losing, but if one thought about it another way, the Sword Emperor had a three percent chance of winning. Before the battle, Dan Mok-Jin had thought no one in the whole world could rival him, but he had been pleasantly surprised.

"I wonder if the remaining Ten Venerables and Seven Absolutes will also satisfy me."

He expected their encounters to end up as boring, one-sided massacres, but he might be able to derive some enjoyment from them after all.

Heavenly Demon Dan Mok-Jin opened his eyes with a thirst for battle and went down the mountain. Not long after, the Heavenly Demon Cult declared war on the Central Plains. The power vacuum left by the removal of six Creation Realm martial artists was so great that it allowed him to carry out his century-long plan ten years earlier than expected.

The legendary Great War of Good and Evil.

And like that, the Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk faded from everyone's memory.

***

In an infirmary, a delicate-looking boy around fourteen years old was lying down, his head wrapped in white bandages.

A man stood over the cot, studying him for a moment.

"How is Trainee No. 381 doing?" he asked.

For some reason, the medic's shoulders trembled, as if he was scared by the sound of the man's voice. He didn't understand what was going on either.

"As I told you before, these are just light external wounds."

"Then why is he still unconscious? It has already been four days. Even if he is not a direct descendant, he still has Cardenas blood in him. It makes no sense that he got brain damage from such a light blow."

"I-I'm not sure either..."

The man seemed to grow even more displeased with the medic's wavering response. He slapped his palm on his forehead, and his eyebrows furrowed.

The incident had occurred during a lesson on the fundamentals of swordsmanship. While practicing basic stances in their neat, orderly rows, a child had tripped and hit the back of the head of the trainee in front of him.

Even in the hands of a child, a wooden sword could have the same killing force as a real one if it caused blunt force trauma to a vital organ. But they had been quick to inspect the boy's wounds, and fortunately, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him other than he had fainted.

So why was he still unconscious?

"The child isn't even old enough to go through the Selection Ceremony yet. If he doesn't wake up... you and I will be forced to take responsibility."

"G-Goodness!" the medic exclaimed. He seemed to be on the brink of tears from the unfairness, but the House of Cardenas was that powerful.

The guardian sword of the Arcadian Empire!

For generations, the Cardenas and its countless branch lines had been producing the finest swordsmen in the world. Because of this, hundreds—no, thousands of children were gathered together in one place from a young age for training. At least half of them were born with the innate potential to become members of the Elite Guard, and every generation, three or four of them were granted the title of Swordmaster.

"I must inform the commander of this. You, follow me."

The man, who had decided to take responsibility, let out a long sigh. He was just a normal knight who had been leading the training session when the incident had occurred. The medic followed from behind, looking as pale as a ghost.

Like this, some time passed.

The boy on the bed suddenly opened his eyes. He carefully sat up and felt around his chest several times before looking distrustfully at his hand.

He slowly scanned the room, his face scrunching as he wondered if he'd been kidnapped.

"... What in the world happened?" he muttered.

The boy—or, rather, the body of the boy containing the soul of Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyuk—blinked in confusion.