Chapter 234

Even the Drake Fang Blade alone was a force to be reckoned with. But to deploy additional Igi-eo Swords alongside it?

Julius gave everything he had to deflect the attack.

Slash!

Though he managed to repel the brunt of the assault, he couldn’t entirely dispel the shockwaves.

Fsshh...

By the time he regained his senses, he was already standing outside the boundary line.

“This… I didn’t see this coming at all.”

Julius let out a bitter laugh, to which Theo responded with a grin.

“Unpredictability is the most important weapon on the battlefield.”

“I couldn’t agree more. This round goes to the Young Patriarch.”

Roar!

The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, their voices reverberating throughout the arena.

***

Even the Drake Fang Blade alone carried immense destructive power, but adding other Igi-eo Swords to the attack?

Julius had poured all his strength into deflecting the onslaught.

Slash!

Though he managed to redirect the brunt of the attack, he couldn’t neutralize the residual shockwave.

Fsss...

When Julius came to his senses, he found himself standing outside the boundary line.

“I really didn’t see that coming.”

Julius let out a bitter chuckle as Theo responded with a grin.

“Unpredictability is the most critical weapon on the battlefield.”

“I can’t argue with that. This match goes to you, Young Patriarch.”

Roar!

The arena erupted in deafening cheers, the sound of the crowd’s excitement shaking the air.

"Did you see that?!"

"Of course I saw it! You think you’re the only one?"

"That was insane! Absolutely insane!"

Julius wasn’t just anyone.

He was a man even Kyle Ragnar hesitated to face directly.

The Maehwa Palace Lord sparred with him only in theoretical exchanges, avoiding full duels whenever possible.

Julius earned his reputation as the Battle Demon—a swordsman undefeated on the battlefield.

His swordsmanship, brutal and relentless, was feared even by his allies.

Yet Theo had stood against that ferocity without faltering.

Step.

Amidst the now-ravaged arena, the second of the Nine Dragons ascended to the platform.

"It’s the Sword Dragon!"

"The Maehwa Palace Lord is stepping in!"

The Maehwa Palace Lord had discarded her usual elegant robes for a practical training outfit, though her inherent grace remained undeniable.

“What I will test today is your swordsmanship,” she announced.

Theo bowed respectfully.

“I humbly ask for your guidance.”

“Follow this sword.”

The Maehwa Palace Lord lowered her blade, taking a steady breath before her eyes widened slightly.

Swish-swish-swish!

“...!!”

It was just a simple swing of her sword, yet Theo felt utterly overwhelmed by the sheer presence it exuded.

Blossoming petals, drawn by the blade, seemed to grow larger until they formed a dense forest that filled the space around them.

What shocked Theo the most wasn’t the ethereal beauty or the overwhelming aura—

“A single strike...”

She had achieved all of that in just one move.

It felt as though he had returned to the moment he first pursued Dragon Slash, standing before an insurmountable challenge.

“Phew—so? Can you follow that?”

The Maehwa Palace Lord smiled faintly, a single bead of sweat on her brow.

"What just happened?"

"It felt like I was standing in a lush forest."

"I could swear I even felt a cool breeze."

While the audience couldn’t fully comprehend the intricacies of her technique, they could instinctively tell it carried immense meaning.

"It seems the Sword Dragon is putting her full effort into this match."

"To think she’s been searching for a successor for so long, and now it’s clear she’s chosen the Young Patriarch to inherit her legacy."

"But showing this technique in front of so many people... is that wise?"

"It’s not like anyone else could learn it. She’s confident in that."

Even the other Nine Dragons, seated among the senior officials, were deeply astonished.

They understood better than anyone the significance of what the Maehwa Palace Lord had just demonstrated.

She wasn’t merely one of the Nine Dragons; she was a successor of the Celestial Wood Sword Lineage—a martial tradition as legendary as Ragnar itself.

Long ago, this lineage had begun to flourish around the same time as Ragnar, though unlike Ragnar, it had mostly faded into obscurity.

The Maehwa Palace Lord was one of its few successors and had earned the title Northern Supreme Sword for her unparalleled mastery of swordsmanship.

Rumors had always circulated that her marriage to Kyle Ragnar was a deliberate move to find a suitable heir for her martial legacy.

Though she had guided many promising talents over the years, she had never officially taken a disciple—until now.

The Maehwa Palace Lord’s technique, called Celestial Wood, combined her own philosophy with the teachings of her lineage, resulting in a new, profound sword art.

“May I have a moment?” Theo asked.

“As much time as you need.”

Theo closed his eyes, and inspiration flowed through him like a rushing stream.

In his mind, the intricate petals of her technique unraveled, deconstructed and reconstructed repeatedly.

"Such a clever boy."

The Maehwa Palace Lord smiled softly, realizing what Theo was doing.

She knew better than anyone that merely mimicking the form of her technique would never suffice.

True mastery required an understanding of the essence behind it, interpreting the meaning and transforming it into something unique.

"What she showed me wasn’t just ‘blossoms.’ It was a ‘tree.’ But why a tree?"

The Maehwa Palace Lord had always favored drawing plum blossoms with her sword, creating vivid and beautiful imagery. But this time, it was different—dense, overwhelming.

"Because blossoms grow on trees? No... That’s too simplistic."

Theo’s thoughts raced as he delved deeper.

"The trees she showed me weren’t solitary. There were dozens... no, hundreds. She wasn’t showing me a single tree—she was showing me a forest."

Suddenly, a memory struck him like lightning.

It was the wisdom of the Ancient Dragon he had encountered within the mana stream:

“Life and death are but cycles within nature. True immortality lies in that eternal flow.”

"When blossoms fall, they give way to fruit. The seeds, carried by birds or scattered by the wind, grow into new trees. Leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds—all part of an endless cycle. And through that cycle, the forest grows denser, more vibrant."

Even the knowledge left by the Sorceress Empress had touched on this concept:

“Time is not a straight line but a revolving circle, where the past, present, and future spiral into one another endlessly.”

A circle.

An infinite cycle with no beginning or end.

Theo’s eyes snapped open.

To him, the time spent in thought had felt like mere moments.

But to the audience and the senior officials, it had been nearly two hours of silence and waiting.

Finally, Theo swung the Drake Fang Blade.

Slash!

A large circle materialized before him.

It was simple, vastly different from the intricate artistry the Maehwa Palace Lord had shown moments before.

“Pass.”

The Maehwa Palace Lord nodded, satisfaction clear in her expression.

Theo bowed deeply, a gesture of respect and gratitude.

Thanks to her, he had once again stepped beyond his previous limits and glimpsed the threshold of a new domain.

***

"This place... it wasn’t just meant to test me."

Theo finally grasped the true meaning behind this promotion trial.

The spectacle to surprise him, the event to showcase his skill to the world—these were secondary purposes at best.

"They’re educating me as the Young Patriarch."

The Nine Dragons were not just Ragnar’s strongest warriors; they were also mentors tasked with shaping the Young Patriarch.

Their role was to give back to Ragnar what the clan had once given them.

Julius had instilled in Theo the will to fight.

The Maehwa Palace Lord had imparted her swordsmanship.

So, what lesson would the third trial hold?

“Is this the first time we’re crossing swords directly?”

“Yes, it is. Please take care of me,” Theo replied respectfully.

The third opponent was none other than the Black Dragon.

"Is he going to show me some of the Black Snow Division’s stealth techniques?"

To Theo, who had once worked in the intelligence division in his past life, seeing the Black Dragon—a former unapproachable superior—now standing before him as a warm and approachable uncle felt surreal.

“There is only one thing I will test you on.”

Swish.

As the Black Dragon stepped forward, a gust of wind swept through, and his shadow vanished.

"Wind Movement!"

Theo recognized it as a technique similar to Wind Thunder Form, the secret art of the Wind Master he had once encountered.

However, this seemed far more advanced, leaving no trace at all.

“This is Black Thunder Form—an evolved version of a technique I inherited from an old brother I once had to kill with my own hands.”

The voice echoed from all directions.

Theo sharpened his senses to their peak, but even his heightened awareness couldn’t locate the Black Dragon.

What kind of technique was this?

“Find me. If you fail—”

Shhhk!

A black lightning bolt pierced through the space, targeting Theo’s blind spot.

He barely twisted his body in time to evade, the blade embedding itself in the ground where he had just been standing.

“You’ll die.”

"He’s serious about this."

Theo tightened his grip on his sword.

From that moment, the assault began.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Black lightning rained down relentlessly, striking from every direction.

Theo swung the Drake Fang Blade and the Igi-eo Swords in rapid succession, deflecting each strike.

But as time passed, the bolts multiplied, their frequency and intensity increasing.

“What are you doing, wasting time? Find me. The longer you delay, the worse it will get for you.”

Theo ignored the Black Dragon’s taunts.

He knew that the Black Dragon’s stealth technique was beyond what he could counter with his current abilities.

So, he needed an alternative approach.

"Celestial Circle."

Theo visualized the understanding he had gained from the Maehwa Palace Lord and formed a great circle.

This time, he gave it a new name:

"Heavenly Circle."

As he wielded the Drake Fang Blade, the flow of air followed, creating the illusion of space twisting and bending.

The black lightning bolts were also drawn into the circle, and Theo sensed the subtle disturbance in the air behind them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A perfect circle highlights even the smallest imperfections.

Spotting the irregularity, Theo drove his sword into the point of disturbance.

Clang!

As the space rippled, the Black Dragon revealed himself, sword in hand.

Through the mask he wore, his eyes curved into a smile.

“Correct.”