## Ch-114.
—
He had stepped forward out of fear of the fist blatantly being clenched at him, but seeing Yuri’s utterly miserable state made Gongsun Myeong wonder if this was truly appropriate.
As far as Gongsun Myeong knew, the Young Three Heroes had been brought to Yicheon Mountain by Calamity Star only yesterday.
Until that afternoon, the three young heroes had been touring Yonghwa Lake and enjoying themselves at Yonghwa Inn like youths their age—only to be swept up by Calamity Star when she descended upon the lake.
In a single day, their appearances had deteriorated so badly that they could have sworn brotherhood with Beggars’ Sect vagrants without raising suspicion.
“Is it truly acceptable to do this right now?”
Gongsun Myeong asked with visible concern.
Cloud Dragon standing before him was caked in dirt and dried blood from head to toe, face included. The awkward way he stood suggested not only bruises but internal injuries as well.
“I’m not sure myself.”
Yuri replied, parting lips crusted with dried blood.
He did want to see Yicheon Sword Sect’s Sword Control—but not now. His body barely moved properly. How was he supposed to fight?
“We will be staying at least a month. Perhaps after the young hero has fully recovered—”
“There is no need to worry about that!”
The bright voice, utterly at odds with everyone’s attempts to dissuade, made them all flinch and look up.
Visibly, Lorellia wore the benevolent expression of a saint.
“You are all forgetting something quite significant. This Lorellia is among the highest-ranking priests of the Order Church!”
She was indeed the most famous priest of the Order Church—but that fame stemmed from her martial reputation.
“Surely… you can use divine magic?”
Estor, face swollen beyond recognition, stared in disbelief.
Divine magic—especially miracles of healing—required overflowing compassion toward others and profound faith. Even within major churches, only select priests could perform such miracles.
Haryeong’s expression turned uneasy.
Having suffered equal violence, maintaining her usual blank composure was not easy.
*Compassion toward others? Does such a thing truly exist within that demon-like priest?*
It was not something she could say aloud.
At the center of everyone’s doubtful gazes, Lorellia sighed with regret.
“Alas, as the Goddess of Order has fallen into a sleep without promise of return, the priests of our church can hardly use divine magic at present.”
They had heard this before in the grand hall.
“But! That does not mean this Lorellia has lost all means of healing! Do you know what this is?”
From within the cape of her vestments, Lorellia produced a vial filled with shimmering golden liquid.
“…A potion?”
“No! This is holy water!”
Unlike potions concocted by alchemists from monster blood and various materials, holy water existed on an entirely different level.
Its effectiveness varied depending on which priest had bestowed the blessing—but even low-grade holy water surpassed most potions.
“Yuri! Come here!”
He stepped forward as instructed, and she handed him the vial.
Though most miracles were now lost, in the past that would not have been the case. It seemed likely this was holy water stockpiled by the Order Church.
“……”
Yuri’s eyes trembled faintly as he examined the vial.
Engraved upon it were two crossed swords.
There was only one church that bore that symbol.
“This is the emblem of the War Church.”
Estor blinked in surprise, and everyone’s gaze shifted to Lorellia.
“Why are you all staring? It is a legitimate spoil of war earned by granting them the war they so dearly love!”
Decades ago, when the War Church had led the decision to expel the Order Church from the Union, Calamity Saint had rampaged through their temple, leaving it half-destroyed and Tu-seong half-dead. It was a famous tale marking the rise of Calamity Star’s infamy.
*So she looted it then…*
Yuri wore a complicated expression, glancing between the holy water and Lorellia.
“Will holy water obtained through plunder still work?”
“Holy water is the materialization of a miracle itself. There is no issue whatsoever! For injuries of Yuri’s degree, three or four drops will suffice!”
His bones were neither fractured nor shattered; his organs were not crushed. It was not severe enough to be called grave injury—but still, only a few drops? It must be of high grade.
“Th-thank you.”
Should he be thanking Lorellia for this? She was distributing holy water from another Church—why had she emphasized her status within the Order Church first?
Yuri set aside such complicated thoughts and opened the vial.
Though he had consumed holy water while unconscious before, this was his first time doing so fully aware.
As Lorellia instructed, he let three or four drops fall into his mouth.
Instantly, warmth spread through his entire body—and the pain vanished.
“Is there truly reason to spar immediately, even using such costly holy water?”
Gongsun Myeong remained reluctant.
For the leader of a great sect to personally instruct an outsider was rare enough. Moreover, he had no particular desire to spar with someone so much younger.
“Yuri ascended to Sixth Rank just yesterday. At such a crucial time, when his vision is expanding, directly experiencing your Intent-based swordsmanship—so different from mine—will be of great benefit!”
Lorellia’s gaze then shifted to Haryeong and Estor, who had quietly hoped for a share of holy water.
“The same applies to you two, standing before the wall! Keep your eyes wide open and observe!”
Even if entirely different from the Orsia family’s Sword Saint style, the blade of Yicheon Sword Sect was no less than a supreme art.
Furthermore, Sword Control involved manipulating blades with Intent rather than gripping them directly—a principle that could benefit Haryeong’s concealed weapon techniques rooted in Silent Killing lineage.
“It seems you have taken quite a liking to the Three Heroes.”
Sixth Rank alone was astonishing—but Sword Dragon and Dark Flower also stood before the wall.
Gongsun Myeong composed himself.
A true senior must open the path for juniors.
He would step forward himself.
It was absolutely not because he feared the fist Lorellia held.
“Use Skyborne Flight as well.”
“Must I?”
“You must properly demonstrate Intent martial arts!”
The fist she had clenched rose slightly higher.
“So you wish me to show the realm beyond the ordinary. Should I use a real blade as well?”
“If you use Myriad Heaven Infinite Sword, even wooden blades will suffice.”
“You ask me to use the sect leader’s secret art? That is excessive.”
“When I spar with you, I will restrain my strength but use proper martial arts. You must do the same!”
“…Very well. I too shall restrain my strength. I will use the minimum of six swords for Myriad Heaven Infinite Sword.”
Gongsun Myeong sighed deeply and nodded.
“……?”
Before everyone’s eyes, his body rose gently into the air.
It was unlike levitation magic, yet not quite like aerial movement techniques such as Soaring Emperor or Void Treading either.
Yuri’s eyes widened as he stared at the figure suspended in the sky.
Full-Moon Play allowed one to run across the sky—but what he saw now was different from what he had seen before.
It was the result of supreme movement technique fused with Intent.
The Intent radiating from Gongsun Myeong acted upon the surroundings, defying the natural law that humans must walk upon the earth.
“To make the impossible possible for humans—that is the realm of Seventh Rank.”
Gongsun Myeong spoke calmly.
A tree some distance away suddenly sliced itself apart repeatedly—forming six wooden swords on the spot.
“The Myriad Heaven Infinite Sword of Yicheon Sword Sect is performed with at least six blades. Two I wield in my hands; the remaining four I control through Sword Control. Have you ever experienced Sword Control?”
“No, I have not.”
“Let me offer advice in advance. Do not think of the four controlled swords as merely two dual-wielding swordsmen.”
The wooden swords—impossibly well-crafted for something made on the spot—floated around him.
He took two in hand and continued.
“Ordinarily, when sparring with a junior of lower rank, it is proper to concede the first move. However, I do not believe that necessary here. What do you think?”
He did not sugarcoat it.
The gap was too great; conceding the initiative would be meaningless.
Lorellia said nothing.
Yuri nodded.
“I will learn from you.”
“Prepare yourself.”
Yuri spread his feet wide and raised his fists.
*Can I really use Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique?*
As he hesitated for a brief moment, a transmission from Lorellia reached him.
[Your Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique has already taken a path different from mine. Even if he sees and experiences it, it will be difficult for him to sense any resemblance.]
If he were struck by Blazing Burst Fist and had his entrails and internal energy burned, he might sense some similarity.
But that was impossible right now. No matter how desperately Yuri struggled, no matter how heaven favored him, there was no chance Blazing Burst Fist would land on Gongsun Myeong.
Fwoosh.
The flames of Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique surged upward.
Taking the opening stance of Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist, Yuri spread the lightning energy of Gate Sealing Thunder.
He could now cast it farther and weave it denser than before—but he deliberately restricted it. He was still unaccustomed to the expansion of his senses.
Though restricted, it was not weaker than when he had been Fifth Rank. His detection was far more precise, his reactions faster.
Steadying his breath, Yuri said,
“I am ready.”
Gongsun Myeong still hovered about a meter above the ground. The four wooden swords floated slightly apart from him, standing upright in the air.
“Then I shall begin. I will adjust so that you can see. Try to respond.”
Naturally, the first to move were the four wooden swords.
A master of Sword Control had no need to move his own body.
The swords shot forward in an instant.
Yuri could barely follow them with his eyes. Gate Sealing Thunder detected the first approaching blade, and his body moved at once—
“?”
The trajectory of the swinging sword completely deviated from Yuri’s prediction.
It traced a path no human hand could produce.
That, of course, was natural.
The blade was not moved by a hand, but by Intent.
*What is this?*
Yuri twisted his body urgently.
Pak!
The controlled sword barely grazed his protective aura—and instantly reversed its trajectory.
*I can’t read it…!*
To read a blade’s trajectory, one must observe not only the sword but also the swordsman: gaze, muscles, joints, feet.
From all that information, one predicts the path.
But against Sword Control, there was no information to gather.
Reading the path of a blade moving freely through empty air was this difficult?
Gongsun Myeong was regulating the speed, and Yuri had Gate Sealing Thunder—so he could barely react—
*They’re already tangling…!*
And it was not just one sword.
Before he realized it, he was surrounded by four.
Only one attacked at a time, but the other three drifted around him, slight movements alone tangling the perceptions of Gate Sealing Thunder with his actual senses.
Then Gongsun Myeong moved.
Above.
Yuri snapped his bloodshot eyes upward.
Gongsun Myeong, who did not touch the ground, was bringing a wooden sword down.
Simply by not stepping on the earth, the movement of the body was far freer.
It was fast, yet not light.
Even that simple downward strike was weighted like Mount Tai with added Intent.
Kuuung!
The instant Yuri blocked with both arms, his knees buckled.
Gongsun Myeong rose higher, swinging in concert with the Sword Control blades.
Before Yuri could read it, another sword was upon him. He leapt backward.
*My consciousness can’t keep up.*
He could not discern the movements.
How was Gongsun Myeong controlling four swords simultaneously?
Had he imbued each blade with separate Intent?
Six swords were the minimum for Myriad Heaven Infinite Sword.
Gongsun Myeong’s epithet was Hundred Swords.
If that epithet reflected his true martial art, did that mean he could control a hundred swords at full power?
*Is that even possible?*
It was wrong to think so.
He had said it himself.
To make the impossible possible—that was the realm of Seventh Rank.
The extraordinary was that which transcended common sense.
The moment one fully opened the Upper Dantian, one stepped beyond the bounds of humanity.
*What about me?*
Paak!
Another Sword Control blade grazed his protective aura.
Gongsun Myeong himself had not even approached yet. He stood in place, manipulating only the blades, and his expression was not even one of deep concentration.
*It’s impossible for a human. It’s impossible for me. I can barely handle the expanded senses of Gate Sealing Thunder.*
That was the old him.
The him lingering at the edge of Fifth Rank, unable to fully open the Upper Dantian.
*My consciousness is stuck in yesterday.*
That would not do.
The Upper Dantian had already opened fully beyond a mere crack.
He was Sixth Rank now.
If Seventh Rank was the realm of transcending the ordinary—making the impossible possible—then Sixth Rank had to be the state of becoming that.
If he dismissed it as impossible, as absurd, how was that any different from Fifth Rank?
*Expand your awareness.*
Red veins surfaced in Yuri’s eyes.
Thud, thud, thud!
The internal energy surging from his Lower Dantian became a pillar of flame, pierced through the Middle Dantian at the heart, and raced toward the Upper Dantian in his head.
*Don’t separate the senses. The lightning energy is something I created. The web is merely the result of conceptualizing and manifesting it. In the end, it is all mine.*
He connected his expanded consciousness and Gate Sealing Thunder as one.
*Don’t just read the sword’s path. It’s not moving alone. It’s moved by Intent. See the Intent. Read the Intent.*
He focused his vision and honed his senses further.
He could faintly feel the Intent dwelling within the blades.
Of course, sensing Intent did not mean he could perfectly discern the trajectory.
But it allowed him to glimpse the changes within it.
He also realized fully what Gongsun Myeong meant when he warned him not to think of the four swords as two dual-wielding swordsmen.
In the sky’s open space, those four blades could be one person—or dozens.
*Did he divide his Intent and inject it into them? No… no. He poured himself wholly into each blade. That very recognition was sublimated into Intent.*
As his thoughts advanced, flashes of light burst repeatedly within Yuri’s mind.
His field of vision expanded. His consciousness broadened.
Gradually, his body began to evade the Sword Control blades.
*Excellent.*
It had indeed been wise to have him spar with Gongsun Myeong.
Sword Control, the quintessential Intent martial art—if one experienced it blindly, one felt only absurdity.
But if one could see even a little, one began to understand Intent rapidly.
*Though it also brings despair.*
Gongsun Myeong was a warrior of higher caliber than even Frenzied Slaughter Saber of the Four disasters, suspected of being a possessor.
Had there been an opening in the orthodox faction, he would have borne the title of Martial Zeniths.
*You must not despair. Observe, feel, learn. You must, Yuri.*
Pak!
Two Sword Control blades thrust in, brushing Yuri’s hand.
In that instant, he tried to seize them—but they bent their trajectories fluidly, shooting upward above his head.
The spacing changed at will.
Even sweeping them with unleashed aura was ineffective.
*How do I counter this?*
Rantian Flowing Cloud Fist, Storm-wind Step, Violet Thunder Flash Art, Heinderga’s spell formula, Crimson Blood Flowing Kick, Gate Sealing Thunder.
He used everything he had—but none could properly counter Sword Control.
At best, he barely evaded.
Blazing Burst Fist?
He could not use it.
This was not a life-or-death duel.
Even if he tried, he could not get close.
*What more must I do?*
What more could he possibly do?
*You idiot.*
He was consciously acknowledging that he was not yesterday’s self—yet the foundational martial art remained unchanged.
*All my martial arts are rooted in Evil-Quelling Heavenly Principle Technique.*
The internal energy that had first taken root in his Dantian—
The once tiny spark had already become a roaring flame.
*I am the fire that carries out heavenly punishment, the asura who eradicates evil, the apostle who sets right the principles of heaven. My hands uphold holy flame, my feet tread upon demons.*
Go further.
*I swallow the holy flame and burn it within myself.*
The flame that had raced toward the Upper Dantian now merged into his protective aura.
*I step forward and illuminate the holy flame.*
Kuuung!
Yuri’s foot stepped forward from within the encirclement of Sword Control blades.
The fiercely burning aura surged violently, staining the surroundings red.
“Mm…?!”
The four Sword Control blades trembled slightly.
Intent had collided with Intent.
Gongsun Myeong could not help but be greatly astonished.
He had ascended to Sixth Rank only yesterday—yet he was already imbuing his aura with Intent and colliding against Sword Control? Even with restraint, enough to shake the blades?
*Impressive.*
His excitement genuinely began to rise.
Smiling faintly, he was about to continue—
Then abruptly stopped and halted the Sword Control blades.
“It would be better to stop here.”
At first he had intended to end it quickly, but now there was genuine regret in his voice.
“You have overexerted yourself. You might leave lasting aftereffects in your head.”
Blood streamed from Yuri’s nose, half his face soaked crimson.
Only then did Yuri blink, startled, and wipe his face.
“Uh… ah…”
As his accelerated and expanded thoughts dulled, dizziness flooded his vision.
Lorellia’s voice reached his ears.
“The Upper Dantian of the head is the most delicate and mysterious of the three. Deviation arising from overloading it is exceedingly fatal.”
“Then… why…”
“This Lorellia was careless! I did not expect Yuri to use his Upper Dantian so skillfully in this battle! But you used it too well—that itself became poison!”
“Ggh…”
“Lose consciousness!”
He had been about to do so anyway.
Yuri’s eyes rolled back—and he collapsed.
