Book 24 Chapter 14

Sword of Angles

-Body Memory

'Even if she forgets everything else, she can't forget this first meal!'

As Na Yerin took the Han Sangjade Spirit Sword, she thought to herself, the ceremony she was about to perform with all her might was one that had special meaning to the two of them.

This herbivory was one giant wall for them. If they couldn't break through it, they were just sun chicks. When they worked hard to master it and earned a passing grade, they could become birds of a feather, able to fly on their own wings. It was a grade with meaning and weight.

I thought back to the "Hanbing Sumo" of the Han Shangjing Spirit Sword Wu, where the two of them had to spend months learning together, struggling together, enlightening together. How many failed attempts had been made to master the technique. Usually, when you focus on the speed of a sword formula, you lose the sophistication and complexity, and when you pursue sophistication and complexity, you lose the speed. However, the Cold Ice Seal was a formula that maximized speed while maintaining the sophistication of the formula. Only those who could create the perfect balance of speed and sophistication could master it, and it was not as easy as it sounds, requiring countless repetitions and endless challenges. It was a gateway, and those who failed to master it would forever lose the chance to inherit the Han Shangjing Spirit Sword. It was a notoriously difficult test within the Sword Sect, stretching a person's abilities to the limit and causing them to cry out that they could do no more, hence the nickname "Wailing Wisdom".

Na Yerin thought back to the times she and Dokgo Ling had worked together in the past to learn the wailing language. The relationship between them had become very estranged after the incident with his left eye.

"Rin, why are you alone?"

"I am comfortable alone, Master."

"Tsk, tsk, you seem to have opened up a bit, but then you're back to square one. How's Ling'er?"

"The Dingo lion doesn't care about me, his mind is full of dark things right now."

"Did you ask them directly?"

"……."

"You used your powers again."

"……."

"Hah, so I guess neither of you are going to be able to master that herbivore."

"Why?"

"Can you make a clapping sound with one hand? That's a skill you can't master alone. Not unless we are each other's springboard!"

Snapped back to reality, Na Yerin gripped her sword with all her might, then realized she was tensing up too much and let go slightly.

"Master, give me strength!

Cold Jade Spirit Godsword Righteousness.

Cold Ice Gemstone (寒氷閃玉).

A dazzlingly colorful sword qi, like the wings of countless waterfowl, streaked toward the spirit with overwhelming power. Stunned by the power of the sword qi rushing toward her, the spirit desperately unleashed the Reverie Command Sword Technique to block the flying herbivores. Na Yerin's sword herbs seemed to have her opponent's number, making very precise and intricate changes, pressuring the spirit little by little. The spirit continued to stumble backwards as Na Yerin's sword force pushed it back. Realizing for the first time that he was in a life-and-death situation, the spirit felt a chill run down his spine.

"Now, can you stop me? My swordsman?"

Na Yerin cried out as she pressed in, relentlessly pressuring the spirit. A winter chill that seemed to freeze the heavens and earth flowed relentlessly from her intricate and exquisite swordplay.

Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it? Can I stop it?

The spirit's backside ached. The buzzing in his ears became loud and insistent. Something flashed through his mind quickly. He couldn't tell if it was just the tension that comes with being on the edge of life and death. But my head ached like it was going to crack.

"Ouch!"

A loud scream erupted from the spirit's mouth, and at the same time, the spirit's blade that blocked Na Yerin's blade force changed.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

A flash of sword Qi, incomparably faster than before, tore through the splendor of the Han Shangjing Spirit God Sword, propelling it forward like a fish against the turbulent waters. It wasn't an unconventional sword Qi, but no one could deny that it was fast.

"Is that, um, is that, is that okay?"

Yun Mi exclaimed in surprise, but Yun Bi remained calm. It seemed that he had no intention of wavering in his faith in Na Yerin just yet.

"I think I'm actually doing what Lean is supposed to do."

"Really?"

"Nine times out of ten, look at that, he's getting hit back like that and he's still smiling?"

The Yeonbi point was spot on. Na Yerin had been waiting for this change. This was the "past," the "history" of the spirit body. Even if one's mind forgets, the body remembers the achievements one has worked so hard to accumulate.

"Dokgo Lion, do you remember when we were cultivating this Frostbite Jade? Even then, I was trying to subdue speed with sophistication, and you were trying to subdue sophistication with speed, just like now. Even if our memories have been reversed, your body still remembers that blood and sweat history! Are you still going to deny that you're not a disciple of the Sword Sect? The only people who know this cultivation method are the 'Initiates of the Divine Sword' among the Sword Sect's disciples, and it's a cultivation method that the Dreaming Spirit of the Dreaming Mountain Hall could never know!"

Na Yerin's words shook the spirit's mind and body like a thunderbolt.

"Who am I?

For the first time, I questioned myself.

It took two people to master the Han Shangjing Spirit Sword Wu's "Hanbing Thunderbolt". One would attack speed with sophistication, and the other would attack sophistication with speed. In the process of trying to subdue the opponent with their different qualities, they would realize "balance" and "harmony".

It was the most difficult meal, the one they almost gave up on, the one that gave them the feeling of despair when they thought there was an insurmountable wall in front of them, the one that contained the most memories, and the one that brought their friendship back together after it had almost fallen apart.

Once again, Na Yerin was hoping that the Hanbingsumok would restore a friendship that was in danger of disappearing.

Hope was shining through now, but for Na Yerin, hope was despair for the spirit, and she grew more and more afraid every time her body moved against her will.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, that can't be right!"

The person who lied is the one who gets angry. When something sticks in your craw, you panic and try to ignore it. The problem is when they try to deny what's going on, and even more so when they say the opposite. It's a real headache. And there aren't many answers.

"No, I'm not a disciple of the Sword Gak, I'm the Dream Spirit of the Dream Mountain!"

The spirit cried out in an almost feral voice. Na Yerin looked at her with very sad eyes.

"And what is that blade on your sword now?"

Startled, the spirit looked at her sword, disbelief dawning on her face. There it was, etched in white, the proof that negated everything she'd ever said. The sword energy on the blade was a cold chill. It was an invisible sword energy that had been missing from the spirit sword when he had practiced the Phantasmal Command Sword Technique.

"That's the Han Sang Jade Spirit God Sword, which is an arcane sword of Sword Kak's sole practitioner and master, Sword Hu, and it takes at least ten years of training to achieve that level of coldness. It's not something that happens overnight."

Before she knew it, tears were welling up in her eyes. Na Yerin's conviction was confirmed when she saw the sword.

"Ryeong sister……."

I called it by its affectionate name.

"Look at yourself. Even if you've lost your memory, your body still remembers our Gumgak. Are you still going to deny that you're not one of our Gumgak?"

Tears formed in the corners of Na Yerin's eyes as she cried out in desperation. If she could just reach out a little further, she could get her precious sister back.

"No, that can't be right, that can't be right……."

But unlike before, her sword was trembling as much as her voice. She denied it with her mouth, but in the back of her mind, she was beginning to think it might be true.

"See? You're starting to think it's true, aren't you?"

"But…… I… I… I… I… I… I… I… I… I… I even have memories……."

I was so flustered that I could barely speak.

"That's a false memory, someone took it from you, and the memory you have now is fake."

"But to me, it seems that he is…… that he is……."

That's when I heard a loud shout from the waiting area.

"Don't be fooled, young lady, you're being tricked, it's them who are casting the evil 'illusion', we can't see the chill on your sword, so don't fall for the trick, you have him…… Kuck."

Suddenly, something flashed, sliced through the air, and struck Mongmu directly. The culprit was Yan Bi, said Yan Bi, tossing two small stones into the air like air stones and playing with them.

"Oh, don't worry, I just shut him up for a while because he was being loud, he'll pass out and wake up."

Yanbi said in a calm voice. She also reminded him to talk calmly, as it seemed like he wasn't done yet.

But things didn't go as planned. The problem was that Yunbi's hands were weak. It was a distance across the entire arena, but the Yeonbi wasn't in the best shape right now, having overdone it earlier. This led to a slight control error, and that error spelled tragedy.

"Ugh."

A groan escaped Mongmu's mouth as he lay on the floor.

"Are you okay?"

The equally collapsed Huan Mu asked, not even bothering to lift his face.

"It's not okay."

"Then it's all good."

Huanmu said, interpreting the words.

"How do you interpret that?"

Mongmu protested.

"I'm sure you have a 'red flute' [blood flute] than that."

"Seriously, you want me to use that?"

Mongmu's face flashed with anger, but he didn't raise himself to his full height for fear of another rock flying at him, and neither did Huanmu.

"The situation is urgent. At this rate, the 'ban' may be lifted. You haven't forgotten Confucius' injunction, have you?"

"Of course I remember."

Separate orders given to two people without their knowledge. Extreme measures, just in case. It was clear that now was the time to enforce those orders.

"We're running out of time. Get it out. You know how to use it, right?"

Mongmu quickly pulled out the blood foe from his stash. Fortunately, there was no damage.

"Blow!"

Huanmu exclaimed.

"Ha, but……."

Mongmu hesitated a bit.

"Come on, it's Confucius!"

Huanmu urged again.

"Eight!"

Mongmu squeezed his eyes shut and blew on his red flute. But there was no sound. No wonder. The red flute was a flute that played sounds inaudible to the human ear. This inaudible sound had an effect on the human mind.

Hearing the sound of the red flute, the spirit's eyes began to glow red. Sensing something was amiss, Na Yerin called out in an urgent voice.

"Sis, what's wrong, wake up, Sis!"

But even Na Yerin's pleading voice could not restore the lost spirit.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

Without a word, the spirit swung his sword frantically, as if his only instinct was to attack. A sharp crackling sound filled the arena.

"Why, why is he doing that?"

Yunmi exclaimed, startled by the sudden change in the situation.

"……."

Instead of talking back, Yunbi kept an eye on the situation.

'This is not good…….'

Even sitting here, a few pages away, I could tell that the spirit's mind had been shaken to the core just a few moments ago. To suddenly go on a rampage as if there was nothing in sight? It didn't make sense, no matter how I thought about it. People were most dangerous when they suddenly acted irrationally, and looking at those red eyes, I didn't see any sign of reason.

"I'm sure you've heard of it in class, it's a kind of psychic prohibition."

Without removing his mask, Yeonbi said.

"If you mean class, you mean that mandatory liberal arts class, 'Types of Sai and their defenses,' which doesn't teach anything about martial arts at all?"

Because the subject was far from martial arts and contained many techniques, it was a very boring course for the students of the Heavenly Martial Academy.

"Exactly, that kind of thing is probably a form of 'puppetry' where you put someone under deep hypnosis and then manipulate them with special signaling tools or special words."

"So all we have to do is find that control tool?"

That was pretty quick thinking for Yunmi.

"Correct. There's got to be someone around here who's sending a signal, and we need to 'ack' it."

"Oh, is that it?"

Yoon Mi was surprised to hear such a bold statement.

"Yeah, that sucks."

At that moment, Yan Bi's eyes caught sight of a sobered up Monkey Pair and a red flute in Monkey's hand. It was obvious that the red flute was a psychic control tool. Realizing that he had been too merciful, Yan Bi lamented, but it was too late.

"How dare you!"

A roar erupted from Yun Bi's mouth, and the force of it made Yun Mi jump out of her seat.

It's a bit late now that the ban has already been triggered, but what we need to think about is how to lift it.

"What should I do?"

Yunmi, who saw them later, asked.

"We'll just have to break that one."

If I left now, I could be disqualified. Even if I tried to throw a rock like I did before, I wouldn't get the right angle if I crouched down like that. He's preparing for an attack that could come at any moment.

"If only I had a lightning rod in my hand right now!

If that was the case, then killing an enemy of that size was no small feat. Keeping your head down and hiding was never going to cut it. It was a shame there weren't any left in the water now, thanks to that damned master of yours. I had to find another way. I didn't have a hobby for whining about things I didn't have.

Ever since the spirit's eyes had turned red, Na Yerin had been pushing against it. It was Na Yerin's turn to back away, worried for the spirit's well-being, because she had rushed in without regard for her own life. Her resolve had been disturbed. It was Na Yerin who would get hurt if she left it like this.

The red-eyed spirit sword emitted a steady stream of pure white sword energy. With each swing of the blade, cold frost scattered, freezing the surroundings. Even with his eyes open, the spirit was unable to see the spectacle. The obvious evidence was completely useless now. Yun Che racked his brains to come up with a plan B.

"If a straight line doesn't work, there's a curve.

To do that, I first needed a tool.

"I'm sure he's got one.

Lately, I've been in the habit of making assumptions. It's not a good habit to have. It's not a good habit, because it only means that I'm not prepared. I look around afterwards.

Then something caught my eye. It was that useless thing my damn master had given me to use, the Strike Awakening Spirit Rod.

"First, get the materials.

Yun Bi lifted her spirit rod and held it out in front of Yun Mi.

"Yun Mishouzer, this iron rod, cut off one hair, quickly."

Yunmi hesitantly swung her sword.

A scourer.

The steel rod was cut cleanly by the single-edged sword.

"Good job."

Yunbi praised Yunmi's workmanship, then began to curl the rod into a ball with her trembling fingers, then took it between her palms and began to comb it in a circular motion. Yun Mi's eyes widened at the sight.

"What are we building?"

"Butterfly."

"Butterflies?"

"It's not a cat, for one thing."

Yunmi began to unfold the rolled iron ball like a dumpling again. The iron ball became thinner and wider. Sweat beaded up on her forehead as she tried to do this laborious task in her poor physical condition. If I made a mistake, I could end up killing myself before I could save Na Yerin. But this job required dexterity, and I couldn't leave it to Yunmi. If I didn't do it myself, it wouldn't come out right.

"Done!"

In her hand, she held a disk that was as thin as a cicada's wing. She shook it slightly. The disk fluttered and fluttered and fluttered. She smiled with satisfaction.

"That…… doesn't look like a butterfly no matter how I look at it."

Then the Yeonbi chuckled.

"We'll see."

Yun Fei glared at the Dreaming Twins, who were still blowing their red flutes from the other side. A part of him wanted to smash her, but there were only two choices: death or dough. They didn't look kindly on women. A man must take responsibility for his own mistakes. But killing two people now could get him a foul, and he couldn't afford that. Yunfei clasped the hastily forged disk between his second and fourth fingers, with his third finger down, and sent it flying with a graceful flick of his wrist.

Pah-pah-pah-pah.

There was no lightning speed, no lightning movements, no such thing. The thin, round ticket flew slowly and gracefully, like a butterfly, to the other seat.

"Sashimi, sashimi (回蝶)?"

The technique Yan Bi had just demonstrated was a highly memorized technique called "huaiqing" or "butterfly flying," a pinnacle of memorization that few, if any, even in the Sichuan Tang Family, the masters of memorization, had mastered. It was a graceful yet powerful technique that could be used to kill an opponent silently by flying slowly and silently, and its movements were said to change depending on the caster's air power. Yun Mi swallowed hard and watched the iron spear fly into the distance.

As the iron butterfly flew through the air to the opponent's seat, a sudden change occurred. The butterfly, which had been flying gracefully, began to spin slowly, and its speed gradually increased.

Para la la la la!

With a loud crash, it plummeted downward. Mongmu and Huanmu, sensing something was amiss, tried to dodge, but the iron butterfly didn't miss its target and flew into a parry, wounding Huanmu's arm before lunging for the red flute in Mongmu's hand.

"No, no, no!"

Mongmu rushed to save the red flute, but the iron butterfly's wings had already swept across its body. The blood flute snapped in half in Mon Mu's hand with a snap. A look of dismay appeared on Mon Mu's and Fang Mu's faces. Both of their faces turned pale, as if the blood had been drained from their bodies.

At the same time as the blood bond was broken, the spirit's body came to a screeching halt.

At the change in the spirit, Na Yerin stopped her retreat and asked.

"My sister……?"

There was no answer. The spirit stood as still as a statue, unmoving. His hand still held the sword. Its head hung low, its expression unreadable. Na Yerin approached cautiously.

One step, two steps.

The spirit remained unchanged as they approached to within half a pace of each other. Yun Mi watched the scene nervously. Yun Bi remained silent, staring at the spirit. In her heart, she wanted to shout and stop them, but she knew Na Yerin's desire to save the poisonous spirit. It was a task that required a great deal of patience. I was frustrated that I couldn't do what I wanted. But as long as I trusted her, I had to watch over her.

"Dingo, are you okay, lion, sister?"

Flash!

At that moment, the spirit's hand, still as a statue, moved. A lightning-fast stab pierced Na Yerin.

Red blood slowly smeared across Na Yerin's pure white robes.

'Riiiiiiiiiiiiiin!'

I squirmed in my seat as the Yeonbi screamed.

"Yelp!"

Bai Xiaochun, whose eyes were tearing up, and Ye Qing, the Ice Moon Master, jumped to their feet. There was no way they could remain calm now that their daughter had been stabbed. Bai Xiaochun didn't care if it was a competition or not, he was going to jump into the arena right away. If it weren't for the old man, he wouldn't have been able to tear anyone apart. At least the old man's eyes were sharper than anyone else here.

"Calm down. Your daughter isn't dead, and the match isn't over yet."

"It's not over yet? Don't say that horrible thing, I have to stop you right now, you need to get medical attention!"

"No, it's not over yet, your daughter hasn't given up yet, look!"

At that moment, Na Yerin's body turned white and turned into a blizzard. Red flowers were mixed in with the raging blizzard.

The two commentators were stunned, as were the spectators. Like a mirage, Na Yerin's new form vanished in an instant, and how could they not be surprised? The new form of Na Yerin appeared behind the spirit's back.

Cold Jade Spirit Godsword Righteousness.

Non-snowboarding.

Her instinctive leap saved Na Yerin's life. But it didn't save her from being wounded: her side was cut and bleeding, but the battle was far from over.

"I have no choice but to press with overwhelming force!

Otherwise, the poisonous beast would continue to attack frantically. In that state, it would deplete his Qi and kill him. The tools to control it were broken, and since he couldn't control himself, all that was left was a rampage. It had to be subdued. It was impossible for him to last more than a second in his current state.

"Do I have to write it?

Na Yerin hesitated for a moment.

"Never use it in a fight until it's finished. If you do it wrong, you could hurt yourself. It's a technique that doesn't allow for the slightest mistake."

But what was needed now was a technology that was unknown to the spirits of the present, as well as to the solitary spirits of the past.

"Well, it's actually impossible to be at your best in a fight, to be at your best all the time, although it's always good to be prepared. A fight is a living thing, you never know what's going to happen, right?"

"So what do we do, Ryuyeon?"

"You just have to go into it with the conviction that you're going to succeed, and if you've been building up to it, it's going to pay off. Anyone can do well when they can afford it, and when they can't afford it, when they're sinking to the bottom, their true worth is determined by whether or not they can hit that bottom and rise again. Or maybe it's the future that's determined, because the bottom of the pit is the crossroads of life, the crossroads of destiny, that everyone comes to once in a while."

Na Yerin stopped hesitating.

'It's still unfinished, but…….'

I was bleeding profusely from my side, my mouth was watering, and I was starting to feel dizzy. I was in the worst shape I've ever been in because I'd overdone it.

"If now is the limit……."

Na Yerin gripped her dagger as hard as she could. And she cried out.

"I'm going to push the envelope!"

He gripped the hilt of his sword with all his might and declared.

"And the future I want, with my own two hands!"

Na Yerin's sword emitted an aurora borealis-like five-colored light, enveloping her body like a mirage. At the same time, a white icy phoenix began to dance a sword dance.

Cold Jade Spirit Godsword: Secret Righteousness.

Sea Birds of Prey (海上飛鳥千斬切).

The snow-white sword in his hand emitted a beautiful, dazzling sword energy. It wasn't as fast and powerful as the sword Hu had unleashed on the volcano, but instead, it was exquisitely beautiful and noble. Na Yerin's newest weapon moved as if it were treading on air as it glided through the dazzling sword light. The sword emitted a cold blizzard. Red flowers scattered across the white snow. But Na Yerin's expression did not show any pain; she was now completely absorbed in the sword dance.

Everyone's mouths were agape at the beauty of the scene, as if a celestial fairy had descended.

It wasn't just the spectators who were intoxicated by the swordplay. Even the spirits who had been rampaging in a frenzy had stopped and watched the spectacle. The sword in his hand hung limp. His eyes, which had turned red as the dazzling blade approached, slowly regained their color. Before he knew it, a word escaped from his mouth.

"Master……."

The next moment, a sword Qi like the wings of a thousand birds swiftly enveloped the spirit's body.

Na Yerin stood alone in the place where the sword dance, like a white phoenix's wings, had passed. The crowd watched in silence. No one spoke, confused as to whether what they had just seen was an illusion or reality.

Na Yerin's towering body buckled and collapsed. Yeon Bi ran like lightning. Yun Mi's hair, which was only making an 'uh-uh' sound, was whipping in the wind. She rushed over and quickly picked up the falling Na Yerin in her arms.

"What happened, lion?"

Na Yerin asked in a strained voice, still in Yunbi's arms.

"You did what you had to do, so you can rest now. Good job, Yerin."

A smile spread across Na Yerin's lips. Slowly closing her tired eyes, Na Yerin replied unconsciously.

"Thank you… Liu Yeon……."

The words stunned him, and when he looked again, Na Yerin was already unconscious. She had used up so much Qi, not to mention the blood loss, that she had passed out.

"You're not going to get caught, are you?

Telling herself that it couldn't be, she picked up Na Yerin in her arms and walked slowly to the waiting area.

Behind her, she heard the shouts of their victory, but it wasn't their victory, it was hers.

They won, and there's no changing that fact. But it was an incomplete victory. The spirit was still in the hands of the enemy. Moreover, she was unconscious, and there was no way to tell if her memories had returned. It was tempting to bring him back by force, but it would have caused an even bigger uproar if he hadn't regained his memories.

And they still had one last battle to fight.