Volcanic Age

"G-grandfather!"

Zhuge Xiang, who was waiting nearby, leaped forward to stop his grandfather, who was about to jump across the table.

"Let go. It seems I'm going to have to strangle him."

Huang Gou shook his head as he looked at Zhou Xuchuan. The other Martial Alliance elders reacted similarly, all appearing dumbfounded or offended by Zhou Xuchuan's words.

"Plum Blossom Order Sword. I've been understanding because of your merits, but don't try to humiliate us any longer," Jingren Shitai warned sternly.

Ah! What should I do?

Meanwhile, Zhou Xuchuan felt troubled.

He had chosen to burn the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic to prevent it from falling back into the hands of the Dark Heavens Association. However, he hadn't considered the consequences.

He had anticipated the Shaolin Temple's reaction, knowing they would be losing their chance to resolve their long-standing grudge. He had also planned how to handle it.

After all, weren't they known as the Strongest Shaolin?[1] As the greatest force of the Righteous Faction, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't afford to let their relationship fall apart, especially with what was coming.

The problem was that he couldn't carelessly reveal his solution here.

"Quiet."

As he racked his brain for a way to persuade them, Zhou Xuchuan heard a voice clear up the surrounding aura. The voice was truly intimidating.

Zhuge Zhonghu, who had turned crimson with rage and was shouting as if he was going to kill him, and the elders, who were whispering among themselves, froze.

It honestly felt like he had moved to another world when he saw them return to their seats as if nothing had happened.

"Fourth Generation Disciple of Mount Hua Zhou Xuchuan."

"Yes, Martial Alliance Leader."

Zhou Xuchuan answered while prostrating himself.

"Raise your head and look into my eyes."

When he did as the esteemed Martial Alliance Leader said, all he could see were Nangong Weiwu's eyes.

Completion Sword Nangong Weiwu…

That gaze was like a key that could open any lock.

The moment he saw those eyes, he felt naked.

One of the Ten Empyrean Overlords…

There were only ten of these absolute overlords, and this was Zhou Xuchuan's first time coming face to face with one.

A subtle shift occurred the moment their eyes met.

The people disappeared.

The table and chairs that had been in front of him disappeared.

The ground beneath him suddenly vanished, as if it had caved in.

The slight breeze that had felt somewhat chilly had stopped, leaving no trace of its presence.

Instead, a cloudless blue sky appeared around him.

The sky.

He was the sky.[2]

"Do you really have a way to handle this?"

A voice echoed from above the sky.

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't tell where it was coming from. However, the owner of that voice was definitely the Completion Sword.

The voice resonated widely, gradually closing in and pressing down heavily.

Starting from his shoulder, the tension spread through his entire body. Soon, even his soul, hidden deep within his chest, was dug out and pressed down.

Zhou Xuchuan did not reject the pressure.

He wasn't afraid.

He wouldn't avoid it.

He wouldn't resist.

He didn't care what was in front of him; he just stared straight ahead and answered the voice from above.

"Yes. I do."

The moment he finished speaking, everything returned to normal.

He didn't know what he had just experienced or how much time had passed.

However, the last image before he fell into the sky suddenly returned to his sight.

"Then, it's settled."

Nangong Weiwu's stiff expression softened, and he smiled kindly.

"Huh?"

"Let's postpone the rest of today's meeting until tomorrow. Also, if it's okay with you all, I'd like to take this child on a walk. Would that be okay?"

The other elders grew silent at Nangong Weiwu's question.

No one said anything. Or, to be more accurate, they were all speechless.

The one to finally break the silence was Zhuge Zhonghu, who couldn't hold back his anger any longer.

"What shit!"

***

The meeting that the leaders had been racking their brains for ended without any significant results.

Well, it wasn't over. Technically, it had been paused by the Completion Sword's absurd interjection.

"That old friend wasn't like that when he was young, but somehow, he's grown more impatient with age."

Nangong Weiwu smiled bitterly as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"No. To be frank, even I was offended, and I'm the one who said it."

Zhou Xuchuan scratched his head, laughing awkwardly.

By the way, where are we?

Nangong Weiwu had taken him for a walk.

After walking about half an hour north of the Martial Alliance Headquarters, they came across a bamboo forest similar to those found in the jungles of Nanman.

"It really is exhausting being the Martial Alliance Leader. No matter where I go, I can never rest properly with all these eyes on me."

"Is this, by any chance, a forest hidden through a natural formation?"

"Oho. Not only are you excellent at martial arts, but to think your intelligence is this extraordinary. You really are the Righteous Faction murim's boon," Nangong Weiwu exclaimed in admiration, laughing pleasantly.

Then, the old man and the young men walked in silence again.

After walking for about another half hour, the seemingly endless bamboo forest briefly broke away, and a quiet clearing appeared.

Although the bamboo still surrounded them, an opening above let sunlight shine down.

"Don't worry, there's no one here except this old man. Can you tell me now?" Nangong Weiwu asked kindly, turning to face him.

"Thank you for your concern. I'll begin right away, so..."

"Oh, rather than you telling me, let's start with you showing me!"

"Start by showing you?"

The moment he asked, a sword flew at him.

Zhou Xuchuan didn't even know when or how Nangong Weiwu had drawn his sword, but that didn't matter. He just had to react.

In the time it took for his brain to command his body and his qi to surge and circulate within his dantian, only a split second had passed.

He had never reacted like this before in his life.

When he came to his senses, he realized that he had unconsciously squeezed all of his qi out to form sword aura.

Clang!!!

The moment the swords collided, Tai'e, one of the Three Swords of the Spring and Autumn Annals, trembled like never before. It cried out as if it was in pain.

The shock traveled from the sword to Zhou Xuchuan's fingers, sliding through his flesh and into his brain. It was overwhelming.

"...!"

He couldn't make a sound, not even a scream.

His first thought was surprise.

His second was curiosity.

His third awe.

"What a good sword."

Nangong Weiwu glanced at Tai'e and smiled.

It was the same kind smile that he'd had on his face since they first met. However, Zhou Xuchuan was overwhelmed by that smile right now.

The sword in the old man's hand had no visible form. Normally, Zhou Xuchuan's sword aura should have cut through the air above Nangong Weiwu's hand and ultimately defeated him.

Questions led to speculation, and speculation became certainty.

"Formless Sword!"

A scream of astonishment burst out as Zhou Xuchuan's mouth fell open.

Finally, the silence brought on by utter shock faded. Earlier, his thoughts couldn't keep up with his body, but now, everything had caught up.

"Is this enough to surprise you?"

Nangong Weiwu tilted his head in confusion.

"What were you expecting from this?!" Zhou Xuchuan shouted as he hurriedly retreated. Sweat poured down from his entire body like rain.

"Your hidden cultivation."

"I didn't intend to hide it from you anyway, Alliance Leader."

Considering even the Sword Demon had realized it with just a glance, there was no way the Completion Sword, who was still ranked higher than he was for now as one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords, wouldn't notice.

Zhou Xuchuan had already accepted that he would be discovered when he heard that he was going to face the Martial Alliance Leader.

"Do you know how surprised I was after seeing you? Keke."

Nangong Weiwu let out a playful laugh, walking forward with dazzling steps.

Infinite Steps!

Zhou Xuchuan gave up trying to read Nangong Weiwu's steps.

Usually, one could guess what kind of movement an enemy was making by watching their feet, but the Infinite Steps technique was an exception.

The Infinite Steps took advantage of this 'usual' expectation.

It would draw the enemy's attention and, just when they thought they had read the user's intention, change direction completely.

It was called Infinite because it repeated this tactic several times.

"Hmm? So you know how to deal with the Infinite Steps, then."

Nangong Weiwu followed Zhou Xuchuan's gaze curiously. Even in the midst of this, his movements didn't stop.

His sleeves fluttered as his hands quickly approached Zhou Xuchuan, slicing through the wind.

The old man's hands were a danger that couldn't be ignored.

Even without a sword in his hand, Nangong Weiwu made Zhou Xuchuan's hair stand on end. Goosebumps prickled across his skin in warning.

Zhou Xuchuan moved quickly, pushing his footwork to its limits, barely dodging the old man's hand as it reached for his wrist.

"Oho!" Nangong Weiwu exclaimed.

Flutter!

What?!!

Zhou Xuchuan, intending to stop, moved again in a flash as a hand appeared where he had just been standing.

Nangong Weiwu connected the movement of his hand with the Infinite Steps after missing his target and stretched it out once again like flowing water.

The direction, strength, and even the use of momentum seemed similar to him, yet different.

"You even dodged up to the Eleventh Form of the Nineteen Forms of Vastness?"

Nangong Weiwu couldn't hide his surprise either.

"Hoho! It seems I've been too lazy with practicing it since I considered it a hobby!"

A hobby?!

Zhou Xuchuan bit back a curse.

He was desperately trying to avoid the neverending grabs, using every ounce of his strength. However, to hear that the almost unavoidable attacks were just a hobby…

He couldn't help but curse.

He's called the Completion Sword, but he's pushing me, a Harmony Realm Master, back with just a grappling technique?!

Zhou Xuchuan almost got angry at the world's absurdity.

"Ahem. This grappling technique contains my entire life's learnings, so don't feel too aggrieved."

Nangong Weiwu pulled his hand back and began to use a sword technique.

While the framework of the technique was the Boundless Heavenly Dome Sword Technique that he had seen Nangong Caiying use, for some reason, each and every move seemed more exquisite.

When Nangong Weiwu thrust his sword forward, it truly seemed to pierce the sky, and when he slashed, it seemed to split the heavens.

Its speed was like a bolt of lightning, and the power contained in the sword was as devastating as a natural disaster.

Zhou Xuchuan had to pour all of his energy into countering that sword.

When he came to his senses, he realized he had unleashed the entirety of the Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom in full force and was somehow blocking Nangong Weiwu's attack.

It wasn't the time to be holding back—to be using the Fourteen Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom for the sake of secrecy.

He could clearly see that if he tried to hide his full strength now, his body would be torn apart by the Completion Sword's technique.

Up until this moment, he had only ever shown the first fourteen, or at most, sixteen, forms. This was the first time he had ever had to use the technique in its entirety.

The Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom originally focused on its transformations. However, from the Fifteenth Form, the Consecutive Falling Plums, onward, the nature of Zhou Xuchuan's Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom changed.

"Hmm?"

Nangong Weiwu also noticed it.

At first, the tip of Zhou Xuchuan's sword shook. However, it quickly gained speed and left behind several afterimages, turning into an illusory sword.

From the Raining Plum Blossoms, it split into dozens of blossoms, increasing until it reached its peak with the Blossom's Shadow Become Rivers.

Soon, countless techniques followed, and multiple Sword Flowers[3] spread out in a wide arc before rushing at Nangong Weiwu at once, aiming for vital points.

In a way, it had become the pinnacle of change.[/ref]The word change in Korean is made of two characters, 변 (to change) + 화 (to become). The word for flower is also 화, which is why the Twenty-Four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom focuses so much on transformations.[/ref]

"A faint scent of plum blossoms with expressions of the illusory sword and the scattering sword, it must be the Twenty-four Sword Forms of the Plum Blossom. It seems you have hidden many things."

The Completion Sword, who didn't even allow a single one of Zhou Xuchuan's techniques to approach, smiled faintly.

There was no way that the Martial Alliance Leader wouldn't be able to recognize the Plum Blossom Sword.

"I've lost."

Though Zhou Xuchuan had realized that the Completion Sword was merely testing him, he had still unleashed his technique while maintaining his sword aura.

Even though he still had some qi left despite that incredible expenditure, the result was clear. There was no need to continue.

Having judged that he had shown everything he had to show, Zhou Xuchuan collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, stretching out as he took a deep breath.

This was the greatest defeat in his life—a complete defeat at that.

However, there was no shock at all. He had experienced this countless times in his previous life.

"Already?"

Nangong Weiwu looked down at Zhou Xuchuan, half regretful, half dissatisfied.

"Bring any of your grandsons and have them endure for more than three seconds. If they succeed, I'll cut off my hands."

As someone who wielded a sword, he had respected the Completion Sword. But that respect had all but vanished after the fight just now, leaving only the faintest traces.

Looking into Nangong Weiwu's eyes, who was still trying to tease him with a playful smile, Zhou Xuchuan's temper flared just as badly as Zhuge Zhonghu's.

"Kekeke. I couldn't believe it when I first saw you, but even after fighting you with my sword personally, I still can't believe it. To think you've reached the Harmony Realm when you're not even a fully-fledged adult yet. What a crazy talent."

Not even the Ten Empyrean Overlords had reached the Harmony Realm at the age of eighteen. No martial artist in history had.

"If it's okay, would you like me to arrange a meeting with my granddaughter?"[4]

"Please don't make senseless remarks."

"Ahem!"

1. 泰山北斗, or the Highest Peak in the Sky (literally Mount Tai North Star). ☜

2. A reference to the Nangong Family's foundational martial art, the Heavenly Dome Techniques. ☜

3. Same as An Aiyuan's title. ☜

4. To see if they are compatible for marriage. ☜