Namgung Ji-hwan gazed at Namgung Geom with eyes full of admiration.
"The Eldest Young Lord's martial arts are truly remarkable. I concede."
He accepted his defeat without reservation.
Had Namgung Geom simply crushed him with the brute force of his inner arts, it would have been difficult to accept.
But the Celestial Wind Sword Art merged with his ice arts had been astonishingly powerful.
Blending ice arts into the Celestial Wind Sword Art was not as simple as it sounded.
Forcing ice arts in could shatter the harmony between inner arts and swordsmanship.
Yet Namgung Geom had harmonized the extreme cold and celestial wind as if they had been one from the start.
That was impossible without a high level of achievement and enlightenment in both inner arts and swordsmanship.
Namgung Geom held the advantage in both inner arts and swordsmanship.
That was why losing to Namgung Geom did not feel the least bit unpleasant.
If anything, the thought that the Namgung Family's future looked bright put him in good spirits.
"Your sword was not bad either, Third Captain."
Even among pinnacle-level masters, many had failed to acquire the Celestial Wind Spiral.
Having obtained it alone was a considerable feat.
Moreover, Namgung Ji-hwan had conjured four spirals simultaneously.
"Though it would have been even better had you been able to wield all four spirals freely."
Namgung Ji-hwan had conjured four spirals, but could not fully control them.
If he ever gained the ability to wield all four at will, his sword would become far more formidable.
"I am grateful for the Eldest Young Lord's advice."
"My words hardly qualify as advice. If you ever need my help, do not hesitate to seek me out."
Given Namgung Geom's age, the offer could have come across as presumptuous.
But Namgung Ji-hwan did not see it that way in the slightest.
Namgung Geom's mastery and martial prowess more than entitled him to say such things.
"Your words alone are more than enough. Thank you."
Namgung Ji-hwan offered a respectful clasped hands greeting and descended from the sparring stage.
'Fortunately, I don't seem to have earned any ill will.'
From Namgung Ji-hwan's perspective, losing to Namgung Geom was a blow to his dignity.
Namgung Geom had worried that Namgung Ji-hwan might harbor resentment.
But contrary to his concerns, Namgung Ji-hwan accepted the result with grace and showed no particular hostility.
If anything, he seemed impressed by Namgung Geom's martial arts and had, to some degree, developed a favorable impression.
That was fortunate for Namgung Geom.
To compete for the Young Lord's seat, the support of the Three Great Sword Corps was paramount.
Without the backing of the Namgung Family's core military force, one could not become Young Lord.
He needed to build goodwill with the Corps Masters and Captains of the Three Great Sword Corps.
In this bout, Namgung Ji-hwan had been deeply impressed by Namgung Geom's martial arts.
That would help when the time came to earn his support.
Namgung Geom suddenly felt a gaze upon him and turned his head toward the observation platform.
The Corps Masters and Captains of the Three Great Sword Corps were watching him with stunned expressions.
The Hall Masters of the Three Halls, seated a row above, were no different.
They had known Namgung Geom practiced ice arts.
But they had not imagined he could harmonize ice arts and the Celestial Wind Sword Art to this degree.
Above all, Namgung Geom's mastery had heightened their wariness even further.
Namgung Geom's mastery was at the upper pinnacle level.
For someone only twenty years of age, it was a staggering level.
Worse still, Namgung Geom had only been formally training for five years.
Reaching the upper pinnacle level in five years was something virtually without precedent.
He was no longer an opponent who could be dismissed for his youth or lack of a power base.
Their first priority had to be preventing Namgung Geom from obtaining a sword company.
One might wonder what fewer than thirty Azure Dragon Pavilion cadets could accomplish, but as the saying went, getting started was half the battle.
Once the sword company was formed, it would find ways to replenish its numbers.
And the more Namgung Geom and his sword company distinguished themselves, the larger it would grow.
The seedling had to be crushed before it could grow.
It would have been ideal if Namgung Geom and the cadets had lost the sparring match, but that ship had sailed.
However, one condition still remained.
An external mission.
They needed to assign a mission that Namgung Geom and the cadets would struggle to complete.
That said, they could not assign an overtly difficult mission.
If they did, they would face accusations of persecuting a young nephew.
They needed a mission that was difficult enough to be plausible yet hard to accomplish—one that would not invite criticism.
But finding such a mission was no easy matter.
The Hall Masters of the Three Halls found themselves deep in thought.
Meanwhile, the Azure Dragon Pavilion cadets erupted in cheers at Namgung Geom's victory.
They had always known Namgung Geom was strong.
But his opponent had been Namgung Ji-hwan, the Captain of the Celestial Wind Sword Corps' Third Sword Company.
They had thought that even for Namgung Geom, defeating Namgung Ji-hwan would not come easily.
But from the moment the bout started, Namgung Geom had overwhelmed Namgung Ji-hwan in a single breath.
They realized something.
Namgung Geom was far stronger than they had imagined.
That realization deepened into trust.
The cadets had committed to walking with Namgung Geom, but a part of them had remained anxious.
Could Namgung Geom truly prevail in the competition against his uncles?
Might they suffer for having taken Namgung Geom's side?
But watching him overpower Namgung Ji-hwan in an instant, they found their conviction.
His talent and martial prowess were the real thing.
He might trail his uncles in martial arts and influence for the time being, but with his talent, it was more than possible to overturn everything.
Joining Namgung Geom would certainly bring no shortage of hardship.
But after enduring that hardship together, glory would be waiting.
Though they did not say it aloud, the cadets were steeling themselves to stake their lives on Namgung Geom.
Namgung Geom approached his peers.
"Well done, all of you. Namgung Chang, especially—if not for you, we wouldn't have won this sparring match."
Namgung Geom gave the credit to Namgung Chang.
"That's right. We won the match because of your victory, Namgung Chang. Thank you. You lifted a weight off my shoulders."
Namgung Cheol-ung expressed his gratitude.
Had they lost the sparring match, he would have tormented himself, blaming his own failure.
But Namgung Chang's victory had brought the score back to level, enabling them to win the overall match.
"I didn't win just to lighten your load. You don't need to thank me."
"Just say 'you're welcome' and be done with it. No need to be shy about it."
"Who's being shy?"
Namgung Chang stared at Namgung Cheol-ung in disbelief.
"Never mind, then."
Namgung Cheol-ung said with a shrug, and Namgung Chang shot him an irritated glare.
Namgung Geom sighed and stepped between the two.
"Both of you, enough. Now that I've beaten the Third Sword Company's Captain, let's hear your decision."
Namgung Geom said to Namgung Chang.
"I think my winning the bout was answer enough."
Namgung Geom smiled faintly.
"If you hadn't intended to join the sword company, you wouldn't have tried so hard to win in the first place, would you?"
Namgung Chang nodded at Namgung Geom's reading of the situation.
"That's right. If the sword company is formed, I'll join as well."
Namgung Chang stated his position clearly.
He had agonized at length between Namgung Byeok and Namgung Geom.
But watching Namgung Geom up close had taught him something.
Namgung Geom's talent surpassed anyone in the Namgung Family.
As much as he hated to admit it, the gap between himself and Namgung Geom was not merely a matter of degree—it was a difference in kind.
At first, Namgung Chang had viewed Namgung Geom as a rival.
He had done everything in his power to surpass him.
But now, he knew full well.
No matter how hard he tried, he could not surpass Namgung Geom.
That was how overwhelming his talent was.
And his effort matched his talent.
Among the Azure Dragon Pavilion cadets, no one trained harder than he did.
His mastery and martial prowess had not come from nowhere.
Namgung Chang respected his father.
But in terms of talent, his father was no comparison to Namgung Geom.
The same was true of the other uncles.
Of course, exceptional talent alone did not necessarily mean one should become Young Lord.
But overwhelming talent was a different matter entirely.
Namgung Geom's talent would elevate the Namgung Family to even greater heights.
Setting everything else aside, for the good of the Namgung Family, Namgung Geom should become Young Lord.
"Your second uncle may oppose this."
"That's not something you need to worry about."
He would handle it himself, so Namgung Geom should not trouble himself over it.
Namgung Geom said no more and turned to face all his fellow cadets.
"Today's sparring victory fulfills the first condition. But we still have the second condition ahead of us. That is the external mission."
"It won't be an easy one, I'm sure."
Namgung Cheon-sang spoke with a worried expression.
"You're right. So we need to build our strength as much as possible before then."
"How are we going to build our strength?"
One of the cadets asked.
Namgung Geom smiled faintly and spoke.
"We'll be doing intensive training until the external mission comes down. Fair warning—it's going to be extremely grueling. So everyone should brace themselves."
The cadets' expressions stiffened at Namgung Geom's words.
The expressions of the four who had already endured intensive training before the sparring match were especially grim.
Hell training.
That was the other name for Namgung Geom's intensive training.
Namgung Geom and the Azure Dragon Pavilion cadets launched into intensive training the very next day.
***
Meanwhile, the results of the sparring match spread throughout the Namgung Family in less than a day.
The bout between Namgung Geom and Namgung Ji-hwan was, without question, the talk of the family.
The news that Namgung Geom had defeated Namgung Ji-hwan left the Namgung Family's martial artists unable to contain their astonishment.
And with that astonishment came rising expectations for Namgung Geom.
Since Namgung Pae, who held a seat among the Six Venerables, the Namgung Family had failed to produce a talent of overwhelming caliber.
Namgung Il, who had been expected to surpass Namgung Pae, had died young, and the Hall Masters of the Three Halls, while capable, had not lived up to expectations.
In that landscape, a talent of overwhelming caliber had arrived in Namgung Geom.
The Namgung Family's martial artists resolved to watch and see just how far Namgung Geom could grow.
Their attention naturally shifted to the mission that Namgung Geom and the cadets would be assigned.
Meanwhile, Namgung Pae instructed the Hall Masters to decide on a mission.
The Hall Masters deliberated at length over what to assign Namgung Geom and the cadets.
But nothing suitable came to mind.
In the midst of their deliberation, a dispatch arrived from the Yi Family Manor of Mount Huang, requesting support.
The Yi Family Manor of Mount Huang was a martial house under the Namgung Family's banner.
It had once dominated the southern reaches of Anhui Province, though its influence had greatly diminished since.
Even so, its name still carried weight throughout the Mount Huang region.
Though a martial house, the Yi Family Manor was more famous for its tea than for its martial prowess.
They owned vast tea plantations on Mount Huang.
The Mount Huang Maofeng produced there was of such exceptional quality that it was supplied even to the imperial household.
The Yi Family Manor reaped enormous profits from the production and distribution of Mount Huang Maofeng.
But problems had arisen recently.
During the transport of Mount Huang Maofeng, their shipments had been raided by unidentified assailants.
And not just once—several times.
The Yi Family Manor had deployed a large number of escorts, but they could not withstand the raiders' martial arts.
The raiders were not mere bandits. They were trained in martial arts.
Realizing that a murim faction was behind the attacks, the Yi Family Manor immediately requested help from the Namgung Family.
The Hall Masters of the Three Halls decided to assign this matter to Namgung Geom and the Azure Dragon Pavilion cadets.
Namgung Pae did not object and accepted their decision.
He then summoned Namgung Geom and issued the mission.
"Go to the Yi Family Manor of Mount Huang."