Only I Am A Reader

Soon after Leo's match had to come to an end, sunlight started to fade. Witnessing the scene of the sunset at the height of Mount Hua's peak was a magical sight that Leo got to experience for the very first time…

The mesmerizing view was more than enough for the competition to take a brief pause including the ongoing matches. Everyone stared at the golden sky as their mind reached a whole new level of clarity.

'This is conflicting…'

Before he knew it, Leo found himself tightly gripping Yeon's hand once he broke out from his trance. He wasn't even sure who grabbed whose hand first, but he didn't find it unpleasant in any way.

As Leo's thoughts drifted beyond countless possibilities, the sky turned completely dark. However, the competition wasn't affected by the impending nightfall. The pause of the ongoing matches was temporarily suspended as the students of Mount Hua quickly raised the night lanterns all over the field.

In a sense, the illuminated peak felt even more bright than it was in the morning. As long as they used Internal Energy, a Martial Artist's vision wouldn't be greatly impacted by the lack of light, but highlighting the stage brought it to focus!

"Cheon Yeon! Pung Miyoung!"

Once the resumed matches came to a close, the call for the next one came out even louder. It was finally time for the long-awaited rebound!

Hshshshshs…

The audience's whispers emerged once again. Everyone had been eagerly waiting for the Heavenly Strength Society's second match after being surprised by Leo's display of wealth, but almost no one could predict that the 'demon' girl would be matched with Pung Miyoung!

Namgung Pyung was a genius with quite a bit of renown within the young generation. However, Yeon's opponent was on a whole other level. Other than being acknowledged as the most talented sword user in Mount Hua's current third generation, Pung Miyoung also happened to be none other than the Sword Sage's sole student! To be matched with her wasn't that much different from being directly disqualified!

'This didn't change either.'

As his eyes parted from Yeon's departed figure, Leo casually glanced at the protagonist's childhood friend. Once again, 'history' was repeating itself.

Even after taking the lead in registering his name first in place of Yeon, they didn't exchange their opponents. It was very likely that the Mount Hua Sect had arranged it this way in order to close the door on any possible discriminatory comment.

"Nice to meet you, I hope we get along regardless of this match's result."

Unlike what one would expect from a fixed opponent, Pung Miyoung sincerely greeted Yeon. As the person who retained her relationship with Geochin even when he was considered a waste, her personality was too pure for schemes.

Demons or not, Miyoung believed that no one was beyond doing good. Rather than alienating a hostile force with contempt, maintaining friendship was the first step to guiding them in the right direction.

Naturally, she wasn't aware of the predetermined matching, but the one behind it wasn't worried as the Sword Sage's student was known for doing her best in every challenge she was met with!

"Mhm."

Yeon only nodded, her gaze turning to Leo before firmly taking hold of her eastern blade. A calming melody flowed out as the Black Heaven Jade revealed itself!

Wooooo… Swish!

Miyoung's Plum Blossom Dream also followed suit. As a member of Mount Hua's Pung Family, she didn't lack a great sword that suited her even if one was to disregard her relationship with the Sword Sage.

Whirr! Whirrr! Whir!

Both the ominous Black Heaven Jade and the vibrant Plum Blossom Dream were swords with slim blades. Rather than forcefully blocking the opponents' attacks, they relied on speed and swordsmanship to redirect them! The clashes between the two didn't even last for as long as a second, blows exchanged rapidly as the wind whistled in rhythm with their swords' dance!

Whissh!

The plum blossom petals that constantly flowed down everywhere on Mount Hua seemed to resonate with the Plum Blossom Dream as a lustrous pink aura engulfed the blade, creating a stream that kept accelerating Miyoung's speed. However, the Black Heaven Jade's momentum didn't show any sign of falling behind!

As the jet-black blade grew darker, a faint purple light outlined its sharp edge. As the Plum Blossom Dream sped up more and more, the Black Heaven Jade seemed to mirror it as it continuously adapted to its tempo, reflecting Miyoung's advantage into nothingness.

"Plum Blossom Full Bloom!"

Not discouraged by Yeon's frustratingly perfect countering, Miyoung's voice resounded in the field as an illusion of a plum flower materialized behind her. The sword's lustrous aura grew stronger as the flower approached blossoming, finally exploding into an endless stream of shining petals!

Yeon's Black Heaven Jade suddenly withdrew itself from the cycling storm, exiting the dance hall to perform one of its own. The crashing of the plum blossom petals was imminent, but Yeon closed her eyes as her blade sped from one form to another…

Just as everyone felt like the match was already decided, with some even feeling disappointed that they wouldn't get to see more of this exquisite sword exchange, the night illuminating lanterns flickered, dimming down as darkness seemed to swallow the whole field.

As if other grounds were overlapping with the stage, the footing under the two girls turned charcoal black as blades continuously emerged from the ground, turning the stage into a sword graveyard!

Without any further warning, the blades shot out from the ground to meet the plum blossom petal storm, both Yeon and Miyoung's Internal Energy flared as the barrier between what was illusory and what was real blurred. No one could have expected that a battle between 1st rate Martial Artists would reach that level!

'As expected of my Yeon.'

Leo subconsciously smiled as he witnessed Yeon's battle immersed complexion. Surpassing his expectations, the little girl from before had long grown up into a shining star. Without a doubt, Yeon had broken through the ceiling of strength that she should have only been capable of at this battle!