Sweeping the Academy with a Wooden Sword

-We have arrived, Miss.

So Yueun narrowed her eyes at the voice coming through her smartphone.

It was a call saying that the 15 guild members sent by her father, Sword Emperor So Daecheol, had arrived.

“Wait on standby. In a place where the students can’t see you well. Everyone will be out today, so Lee Dojin won’t come until evening.”

So Yueun gritted her teeth as she ended the call.

‘There’s no turning back now, Lee Dojin.’

If her father seriously intervened, there was no way Lee Dojin could handle it.

So Yueun believed this without a doubt.

‘If you come back to my side again. Then everything will end well.’

Her father’s anger would end with Lee Dojin joining the Guild.

Because there’s no way they would let go of such an outstanding talent as the ‘new student representative’ just because of rudeness.

‘…Come back to my arms, Lee Dojin.’

Then everything would be resolved.
So Yueun’s eyes were tinged with greed.

‘I won’t let you go again.’

Baek Hwayeon held her real sword.

“Pour everything out. To Student Lee Dojin.”

Yoo Seol-ah’s voice echoed in the underground training room.
Lee Dojin held his wooden sword in his hand.

Baek Hwayeon grinned.

“Two years ago, that day. I know you went easy on me. Dojin.”

I didn’t go easy on you that day. Rather, I received help from Mistilteinn.

But saying such things now would only be deception and insult to Baek Hwayeon.

-Please defeat Hwayeon. Miserably, to the point where she fully accepts her defeat.

Well.
I wasn’t sure if I could do as the Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah wanted.

Because what I saw two years ago wasn’t Baek Hwayeon’s best.

“I’ll show you my sword.”

Baek Hwayeon gripped her sword with both hands. White plum blossom petals bloomed from the tip of the sword.

The shape of the sword energy (劍氣) seemed to radiate like plum blossom petals.

“Second Generation Plum Blossom Sword Master, Baek Hwayeon.”

…Were we supposed to introduce ourselves?

Colorless sword energy enveloped the wooden sword.

“Third Generation Successor of the Reverse Heaven Sword, Lee Dojin.”

Baek Hwayeon stomped the ground hard.
Plum blossom petals scattered from the tip of her shoes. Her sword lunged.

Swish!

There was no ferocious blade path.
But an elegance that could even shake that ferocious blade path stood out. White plum blossoms bloomed fully at the sword tip.

A white sword path stretched out in a straight line, scattering plum blossoms.

Just as Lee Dojin’s sword, which had read the sword path, was about to disrupt the plum blossoms, the plum blossoms bloomed once more.

The pinnacle of beauty.
And a phantom sword hidden within that extreme.

The sword path that had shot out in a straight line instantly twisted into a curve.

More precisely, it changed so elegantly that one couldn’t even perceive whether it was twisting into a curve.

‘So this is the essence of the sword you showed me two years ago.’

Even then, Baek Hwayeon’s sword employed swift swordsmanship and phantom sword techniques that confused the opponent.

‘You didn’t bring out the plum blossoms then.’

Lee Dojin grasped the essence of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique at once.
A sword technique that causes confusion by blooming sword energy in the shape of plum blossoms in succession.

But the power of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique lay in the fact that the dozens of blooming plum blossoms were not mere illusions.

White sword energy swirled around the sword in Baek Hwayeon’s hand.

Plum Blossom Profusion (梅花爛紛)

Whoosh!

And five streams of plum blossoms embroidered the space.
Snow-white plum blossoms, like snow crystals falling in midwinter.

‘This is the true form of that 5 consecutive thrusts from back then.’

The difference between imbuing with plum blossoms and not was stark. It couldn’t even be called simple thrusting anymore.

The profuse plum blossoms dominate the space.
However, Lee Dojin was not overwhelmed by this meaningful spectacle.

-Reverse Heaven tramples on the opponent’s sword path.

Dan Cheonwoo’s voice echoed in his mind.

-There’s no need for phantom swords. Honestly. As you’ve penetrated the essence of the sword path.

Colorless sword energy concentrated on the wooden sword.

-Clash head-on.

Baek Hwayeon’s whole body got goosebumps.
Because the aura of Lee Dojin before her eyes changed drastically.

Dozens of colorless sword energies extended out.

Slash!

The plum blossom stems were crushed by the rampaging slashes.
Cut plum blossom petals embroidered the training room.

Clang!

Over 30 exchanges of offense and defense continued.

Baek Hwayeon grinned and drew even more plum blossoms with her sword.

The fact that Lee Dojin’s weapon was a wooden sword no longer registered in her eyes.

That is just a sword.

A hundred plum blossoms flourishing in the air once again burned and vanished in colorless flames.

A single colorless spear pierced through the storm of plum blossoms.

Whoosh!

A chilling blade wind brushed past Baek Hwayeon’s head. Baek Hwayeon stepped back.

“…Ha.”

Pink hair cut off by the slash scattered along with distorted plum blossoms.

Baek Hwayeon realized.
That she had already died once, in a sense.

“Will you receive my best? Dojin.”

Baek Hwayeon grinned once more.

“Of course.”

Baek Hwayeon gripped her sword again.
She stepped forward strongly.

Lee Dojin saw.
The huge plum blossom tree rising behind Baek Hwayeon.
And numerous plum blossom trees lined up behind it.

Plum Blossom Full Bloom (梅花滿開)

The petals of fully bloomed white plum blossom trees poured towards Lee Dojin.

The petals flutter.
The plum blossom petals emitted light and bloomed once more.

Whoosh!

They approach.
Dozens of sword energies. In the shape of beautiful plum blossom petals.

Lee Dojin didn’t move a single step from his spot.
Everything was visible even if he stood still.

‘Still, clumsy.’

Unlike the name of the technique, Plum Blossom Full Bloom.
Baek Hwayeon’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique looked like half-closed flower petals.
To the extent that it could be broken even by simply thrusting out a ‘thrust’ as it is.

Nevertheless.
He didn’t want to give Baek Hwayeon, who was giving her all, a great sense of futility.

Pulling his right foot back.
He aimed at Baek Hwayeon while pulling back his right hand holding the wooden sword.

Thud thud thud!

Muscles scream.
Colorless radiance flowed from Lee Dojin’s body.
It looked like heat.

He thrust the wooden sword while stepping forward with his right foot.

Reverse Heaven Sword First Form
Soul Pursuit (追魂)

Baek Hwayeon saw light. Light in the shape of a huge sword.

The plum blossom trees started to crumble. They just disappear without a trace.

Plum blossom petals are torn to shreds.

Baek Hwayeon’s eyes widened at Lee Dojin’s sword path approaching like certain death, as if defying all natural laws.

‘It seems to be just a simple thrust.’

No method to break through this mere single sword strike comes to mind.

The forest of plum blossoms was annihilated.

Tap

The tip of the wooden sword stopped abruptly at Baek Hwayeon’s neck.

“…”

Baek Hwayeon stared at her right hand.
There was nothing where the sword should have been.

She couldn’t even grasp when she had lost it.

“A complete defeat.”

Baek Hwayeon grinned.
And her body slowly tilted backward.

Sword Empress Yoo Seol-ah, who had been watching, supported Baek Hwayeon’s body.

“Are you alright?”

Lee Dojin sheathed his sword in the scabbard on his back.

“Yes, she just fainted from rapidly depleting her internal energy.”

Yoo Seol-ah stroked Baek Hwayeon’s pink hair.

“She’s strong. Hwayeon.”

Yoo Seol-ah smiled bitterly.

“It’s not good to say such things after overwhelming such a strong child in one breath. She’s a smart kid, so she would have clearly realized the gap with Student Lee Dojin.”

The first 30 or so exchanges.
Were just clashing swords.

That Lee Dojin could have killed her with a single strike.

Baek Hwayeon had already realized this during the exchange.

“When Hwayeon fully blooms, that sword technique alone will be sufficiently frightening.”

Yoo Seol-ah had no intention of hiding the identity of the sword technique from Lee Dojin.

“It’s the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. We found a martial arts manual in a dungeon. I was lucky, it was a martial art from a prestigious sect called the Huashan Sect.”

“I thought that no matter how powerful a martial art is, it’s just a scrap of paper if the learner has no talent.”

Yoo Seol-ah smiled gently with her eyes.

“I’m lucky too. And this Plum Blossom Sword Technique is lucky too, I guess.”

A powerful martial arts manual met an owner who could utilize it.

Lee Dojin nodded in agreement with those words.
And then he opened his mouth again.
“I heard about Hwayeon’s past.”

Yoo Seol-ah’s eyes widened. It was a genuinely surprised expression.

“Oh, it seems she really opened her heart to you, Student Dojin. Hwayeon has never properly attended school until now. Even though she has had a few martial artist friends she’s interacted with, she’s never talked about her past.”

Yoo Seol-ah stroked Baek Hwayeon’s hair once more.

“Please be a good friend to Hwayeon.”

Lee Dojin nodded.

“Yes, I will.”

Because the sword exchange with Baek Hwayeon was quite enjoyable. Two years ago. And today.

Lee Dojin recalled something he thought he should ask.

“The Ten Venerables.”

Ten (十) Venerables.

Typically, the strongest individuals in South Korea are the 4 superhumans, including the Sword Empress before his eyes.

And the next strongest people are collectively called the Ten Venerables.
And among those Ten Venerables is this world’s ‘Sword Emperor’.
’s Guild Master Sword Emperor So Daecheol.

“Are the Ten Venerables strong?”

Yoo Seol-ah tilted her head.

“Some are strong. Some are less strong?”

“What about the Sword Emperor?”

“Well. The Sword Emperor actively participated in raids until 4 years ago. But now he doesn’t even do that much, so there’s not enough data. The Ten Venerables or the 4 superhumans rarely cross swords with each other.”

It was also something that shouldn’t happen.

“Do you perhaps have some business with Sword Emperor So Daecheol?”

“Maybe. There’s a possibility that they might misunderstand about me.”

Yoo Seol-ah recited her usual thoughts as advice.

“Be careful. There’s definitely a reason why the Ten Venerables are the Ten Venerables. Whether it’s individual combat power, leadership in commanding an organization, or wealth.”

And at the end of saying those words, she drew a conclusion in her mind.

‘Strangely, Student Lee Dojin, I don’t think you would lose to him.’

She didn’t voice that conclusion out loud, though.

Lee Dojin bowed his head.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Go back to Iroaz first. I think I’ll have to spend tonight with Hwayeon.”
Sword Empress, that could be misunderstood.

“…I understand.”

Lee Dojin left the villa and returned to Iroaz Academy.