TL: FoodieMonster007

    CLANG!

    The two swordsmen clashed once more. This time, Wiji Cheon was outmatched in raw power and ended up being knocked into the air.

    SWISH!

    Wiji Cheon quickly tilted his head to the side. A few strands of his hair fell to the ground, severed by Cho Yeonil''s sword qi. Had he been a little slower, his face would''ve been cut.

    "I''ll start by tearing that mouth of yours apart," Cho Yeonil growled, unleashing a barrage of strikes aimed at Wiji Cheon''s face.

    At first, he had only planned to cut off an arm, but his pride was wounded. Now, the veteran swordsman had no qualms about killing.

    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

    Sparks rained down each time their blades collided. Fueled by a newfound ferocity, Cho Yeonil swung his sword with brutal force, but Wiji Cheon somehow managed to block and parry the attacks despite his precarious footing.

    He''s strong! Way stronger than I expected! Wiji Cheon thought. I can only see hazy afterimages of his sword... If I let my guard down, I''ll die.

    Wiji Cheon directed every ounce of concentration toward his foe. There was no time for hesitation. Sparks crackled and flickered nonstop each time their blades met.

    I can''t beat him in a match of physical strength.

    The difference in their builds was enormous. No matter how hard he practiced the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest, there was no way to overcome this gap in raw strength.

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    Moreover, ever since he was little, he had always been smaller than his peers. That was a natural weakness, and the veteran swordsman Cho Yeonil was not about to overlook it.

    CLANG! CLANG!

    Cho Yeonil poured even more power into each swing, adding the subtlety of a master swordsman to his blazing speed, aiming to completely overwhelm Wiji Cheon. Although his attacks slowed down a little, each strike now contained a crushing force.

    "Ugh..." Wiji Cheon groaned, blood trickling from his mouth. With every collision, his hands felt like they were going to be torn apart.

    Seeing Wiji Cheon cornered, the onlookers started to whisper among themselves.

    "Wiji Cheon''s no match for the Soul-Seeking Swordsman now that he''s fighting seriously."

    "It''s already a miracle he''s lasted this long."

    "That boy was too arrogant. He should''ve ended it while his opponent was still underestimating him."

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    "Tsk tsk. The tide has turned. The end is near."

    "Isn''t the Soul-Seeking Swordsman being too harsh on a mere child...?"

    Since it was almost impossible to reverse the flow of a battle between masters, especially against a seasoned swordsman, everyone believed that Wiji Cheon was doomed.

    SWISH!

    Cho Yeonil''s sword grazed Wiji Cheon''s chest.

    Wiji Cheon had tried to dodge, but he wasn''t fast enough to avoid the attack completely. Fresh blood seeped through his martial arts uniform. If he had reacted a second slower, his heart would have been cut in half.

    "...Hah."

    A cold chill ran down his back. He had narrowly escaped death several times in those last few moments. It felt like he was walking a tightrope between life and death. Still, in the midst of that desperation...

    "Ha... Haha!" Wiji Cheon broke into laughter, and his eyes glittered with deranged delight.

    "...What''s so funny?" Cho Yeonil asked, frowning even as he continued attacking.

    Deflecting the blade aimed for his neck, Wiji Cheon replied, "I''m happy!"

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    He wasn''t bluffing. He was genuinely overjoyed. His opponent''s life-threatening sword, the intensity that pushed him to his limits... all of it brought a smile to his face.

    If this goes on, I might die.

    His instincts screamed at him. He was so focused, his mind felt like it was burning. Every cell in his body felt alive. To survive, he had to push past his limits and squeeze out every last drop of his strength.

    "Hup!" Wiji Cheon tightened his grip on his sword. The skin on his palms had been torn as he blocked Cho Yeonil''s attacks, and blood dripped down between his fingers.

    The pain was agonizing, but the smile never left his face.

    "I see. You''re a madman obsessed with the sword," Cho Yeonil chuckled softly. He too had been through something similar. No, perhaps all swordsmen had shared that feeling once.

    But you will die here.

    The Soul-Seeking Swordsman''s eyes gleamed with killing intent. He could feel it. This boy would surely become a formidable opponent in the future.

    No, not even in the future. This young swordsman could pierce his heart right now if he showed even the slightest opening. He had to nip this potential threat in the bud.

    WHOOSH!

    Cho Yeonil''s gray martial arts uniform rippled as he channeled all his qi into his sword.

    You won''t be able to withstand my swordsmanship with that immature body!

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    As they fought, he had figured out all of Wiji Cheon''s weaknesses. First, the boy was quite a bit smaller than his peers. He was as swift and nimble as a squirrel, but he lacked the strength and speed to execute his techniques properly.

    Second, he was better in both the outer and inner arts. Wiji Cheon was more dexterous, but all he had to do was overpower the kid with brute force to prevent him from leveraging his edge.

    This was the Soul-Seeking Swordsman''s strategy, honed through countless battles.

    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

    Every time their swords clashed, Wiji Cheon''s stance wobbled. The boy''s ghastly pale face showed how badly he was hurt, and it was incredible how he was even managing to hold out.

    It was the inner demon that had once tormented him.

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    "Fufufu..." Laughing maniacally, Cho Yeonil lunged at Wiji Cheon, angling his sword unnaturally to aim for Wiji Cheon''s throat.

    SPLURT!

    Wiji Cheon reacted a fraction too late, and blood spurted from his shoulder as he dodged the fatal blow.

    "What?"

    "No!"

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    The crowd, who had assumed the battle was over, gasped in horror.

    "Kufufufu! Die!" Cho Yeonil roared.

    The Killing Sword had taken over him.

    CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

    "Kuku... Kahahaha!"

    Crimson arcs stained the air as Cho Yeonil trapped Wiji Cheon in a whirlwind of attacks. He swung his sword in a berserk frenzy, surrendering his body completely to the Killing Sword.

    A violent cloud of dust and blood rose around them, blurring the audience''s vision.

    "S-Shouldn''t we stop them?"

    "I think he''s lost his mind..."

    Despite their concern, however, the martial artists surrounding the two swordsmen backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

    Wang Son watched the two swordsmen gravely. Although he couldn''t clearly see what was happening, he could sense how perilous the fight was.

    They won''t stop until one of them dies.

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    Sighing, he slowly approached them, intending to stop the duel, when someone grabbed his shoulder.

    "Let''s wait a little longer."

    "!!" Alarmed, Wang Son spun around. He was skilled enough that no one should have been able to sneak up on him.

    Just who was it... Oh.

    Recognizing the man behind him, his tension vanished.

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    "Azure Dragon..."

    "Shh!" Baek Suryong, his face hidden beneath a bamboo hat, placed a finger over his lips.

    Wang Son frowned. "Shouldn''t we stop them? If the Soul-Seeking Swordsman dies here, then the Azure Dragon Hero''s... I mean, your reputation will be damaged. Rumors always get exaggerated."

    Of course, Baek Suryong knew this too, but he still shook his head. "I won''t interfere in my student''s duel just because it might affect my reputation. There are ways to manage that afterward... and most importantly, Cheon won''t kill him."

    "......"

    Baek Suryong turned his gaze to the boy caught in the violent vortex. Wiji Cheon''s compact frame was definitely a disadvantage. Despite eating well and training hard, he was still smaller than most boys his age.

    But small doesn''t mean weak.

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    The boy''s body was as flexible as a reed in a violent hurricane. He might seem fragile on the outside, but here was something unbreakable inside him. He wouldn''t be defeated by someone like the Soul-Seeking Swordsman.

    He was confident that this fight would help Wiji Cheon grow even stronger.

    "Oh?" Baek Suryong grinned.

    CRACK!

    A sharp sound echoed through the chaos, and the violent storm slowly came to a stop.

    The swirling dust settled to reveal the two swordsmen.

    THUD!

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    The Soul-Seeking Swordsman fell to the ground, unconscious. His body was covered in wounds, but he was still breathing.

    "Huff... huff..." Wiji Cheon stood before his opponent, panting heavily.

    There was silence for a moment, then the audience erupted in cheers.

    "An unknown boy defeated the Soul-Seeking Swordsman!"

    "His name is Wiji Cheon, right? What do you think about calling him the Sword Wonder?"

    "Isn''t a title like ''Sword Emperor'' too excessive for a child?"1

    "Not Sword Emperor (劍帝), Sword Wonder (劍才). Hoho! Maybe someday he''ll earn the title Sword Emperor though!"

    The Sword Wonder Wiji Cheon.

    This was the moment a swordsman who would shock the world received his title.

    Sword Wonder (劍才), Sword Emperor (劍帝): Both are pronounced "Geomje", but with different meanings. ?