Just a moment ago, I was thinking about maintaining courtesy, but when the opponent suddenly started picking a fight so blatantly, I suddenly didn’t know how to respond.

With a suddenly sour mood, I stared at him blankly, and he burst into laughter, somehow interpreting my gaze.

“Even so, I won’t go easy on you, so you’d better be prepared. My sword doesn’t discriminate against opponents.”

“Ah, I see…”

Is this the kind of greeting one usually gives when stepping onto the dueling platform?

‘Probably not.’

Is he just saying whatever comes to mind because he thinks I’m easy, or is he trying to provoke me psychologically because he doesn’t underestimate me?

I’d prefer to think it’s the latter, but judging by his eyes, it seems to be the former.

‘Right.’

I forgot that it’s difficult to expect everyone to think like me.

Having struggled through the preliminaries without being from the Nine Great Sects, if his first opponent in the main round is a woman with a smaller build than him, even if she’s from the Nine Great Sects, he might get excited.

So he might want to throw in a few words.

‘…Let’s just think of this as a good thing.’

As it is, I’m in a situation where I have to point a real sword at a person.

Even though I’ve been trying to let go of hesitation since last year, I did need to steel my resolve once again.

“Are you ignoring my words?”

“No.”

“But once this duel is over, you won’t be able to act like that anymore!”

I said I wasn’t ignoring you…

At that moment, the gong sounded loudly.

“Begin the duel!”

Simultaneously, the opponent quickly thrust his sword towards me.

It wasn’t a bad speed, but it was slower than Ha Hyun. Since there was sword energy (劍氣) riding on the opponent’s blade, I also imbued my sword with energy in an instant, and while taking a step to the side, I lightly deflected his sword.

“Ugh!”

It wasn’t enough force to need to be deflected, so I chose to parry it, but it seemed to have dealt quite a blow to his wrist. I could see his face gradually turning red as he glanced down at his wrist with a frown.

He glared at me and muttered.

“This time, you won’t be able to deflect it so easily.”

The opponent immediately readjusted his posture and pointed his sword gravely. The sword energy was a bit more distinct than before.

‘Well, whatever.’

It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties at most, and seeing that he could use sword energy quite stably, it meant he had reached a peak level at an early age. He must have been told many times that he had talent.

‘On top of that, coming up from the preliminaries, he probably felt directly how unfair the preferential treatment towards the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families is. Even I feel it’s a bit off, so from his perspective, it goes without saying.’

Perhaps, just as I had briefly thought earlier, this person too had dreamed of becoming a hero by defeating the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families after advancing to the main round.

In such a situation, when his first opponent in the main round is from the Huashan Sect of the Nine Great Sects but doesn’t look particularly strong, he might have let his mouth run a bit, only to have his first attack easily deflected and even take damage himself.

I swallowed a sigh.

‘It feels like the first match is flowing a bit differently from what I had imagined.’

I didn’t have great expectations for the Dragon Phoenix Gathering itself.

I even felt skeptical earlier.

However, since both my master and Sa Baek had emphasized that I should do my best, and I had been determined to do so, I had been thinking of something at least more serious than this. Perhaps that’s why I feel somewhat deflated…

‘Enough. I should stop these useless sentiments.’

I could ‘match’ my level to his here, but that would ultimately be disrespecting him as well. I silently pushed inner force into my sword.

Soon, the materialized sword energy began to wrap around and sway above the sword like threads.

Seeing this, the opponent’s expression changed.

“…Sword threads (劍絲)?”

He seemed bewildered, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.

Similarly, a sudden increase in murmuring could be felt from outside the dueling platform.

“Is, is that sword threads?”

“Sword threads! Has that young lady even come of age?”

“I don’t know about that, but even if she’s past coming of age, it doesn’t make sense that she’s reached the supreme level!”

It’s not entirely impossible, but it is rare to see.

‘They said there are almost no one my age who can do this.’

When saying that, both the Great Master and my master praised my talent. Of course, I’ve felt every day since breaking the curse that was affecting my mind that the talent this body possesses is truly extraordinary.

But it must also be due to the inner force accumulated through the Spiritual Core. After all, this body is only nineteen years old at most.

Moreover, even among those at the supreme level, not all martial prowess can be considered equal.

If it were a seasoned martial artist of the same realm as me but older and with more practical experience, or even one of a lower realm but able to utilize wisdom gained from experience… I would likely lose with high probability.

‘But that doesn’t apply in a duel like this.’

The other side was not of the same realm as me, nor was he particularly more experienced than me.

Even if I was determined to do my best and approach this seriously, what I would ultimately show on the dueling platform was, to put it bluntly, simply which of us was more extraordinary.

‘Regardless of the irrationality, once you’ve stepped onto the dueling platform, you have to prove yourself.’

Thanks to the insight I gained last winter, I’ve grown quite a bit, and if I concentrate with all my might while wrapping the sword threads more densely like this, I could create something that resembles a sword river in form. Though that doesn’t mean I’ve entered the Flower Realm.

But it’s not skillful enough to use in a duel, and it would be like going all out for something that’s just for show.

Naturally, this level that I can use as naturally as my own limbs is my best.

“I’ll go first.”

I rushed in without waiting for a response.

“Eek!”

The opponent swung his sword with a pale face. Due to his panic, there were many openings, and I could parry it with just the basic moves of the Six Harmonies Sword.

Our swords clashed, and a sharp, explosive sound echoed all around.

Hair and clothes fluttered widely as if spread by the shockwave. I realized that the force of my opponent transmitted through my sword had disappeared in an instant.

And almost simultaneously, the blade of the sword, broken in half, spun around and flew outside the dueling platform.

The opponent’s sword had broken.

“Watch out!”

“Kyaaak!”

As the civilians in the path of the flying sword screamed and fled, the judge leapt down from the dueling platform before the commotion could grow. He deflected the falling sword blade with his own sword, making it fall where there were no people.

After confirming this, I approached my now weaponless opponent, tripped him to make him fall, and placed the tip of my sword against his neck. Looking back at the judge, he shouted loudly from outside the dueling platform.

“The duel is over! The winner is Ha Heun of Huashan!”

So this is my first victory.

Hearing the cheers coming from all around, I let out a small sigh and sheathed my sword.

‘I didn’t intend to break someone else’s sword right from the start.’

But this was truly unavoidable. I can’t exactly reattach a sword that’s already broken. I turned to look at my opponent, who had a blank expression.

“It was a good duel.”

There’s no need to pick a fight now that it’s all over. Ignoring the gazes piercing my back, I got off the dueling platform first, where Ha Hyun, whose turn hadn’t come yet, greeted me.

“Well done, young lady.”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve captured everyone’s attention right from the start.”

I looked up at him. Ha Hyun was smiling faintly, and when he spoke to me with such a face like now, he sometimes felt more adult-like despite his age.

“…I guess so.”

Ha Hyun was right. Unlike before I stepped onto the dueling platform, I could now feel almost everyone nearby glancing at me. Eyes sparkling with curiosity. As I rolled my eyes to check my surroundings, Ha Hyun asked via sound transmission.

As if he had expected this, he slightly turned his body to block the gazes pouring towards me. Then, glancing at the dueling platform, he opened his mouth again and said.

“Still, I don’t think it was excessive. He was the one who picked a fight first, wasn’t he?”

“That’s true, but…”

Was it really not too much?

“What did he say?”

“Well, something about me not looking suited to hold a sword, that he wouldn’t go easy on me because I’m a woman, and that his sword doesn’t discriminate against opponents, so I should be careful.”

Saying it out loud myself, they were rather peculiar statements from the person who had been my opponent. Did he really say these lines seriously?

“Well, since it ended up like this… I’m just trying to think positively that it was a failed attempt at psychological warfare.”

“So the person who indiscriminately disrespected others has become a martial artist who knows how to use strategies.”

Ha Hyun looked a bit displeased, but what could be done about a match that was already over? I lightly shrugged my shoulders.

During this time, the duels of others continued.

After about two hours, it was Ha Hyun’s turn.

‘Hmm.’

I stared intently at Ha Hyun, who had stepped onto the dueling platform with large strides, and at the martial artist facing him, who somehow maintained a very polite expression and attitude.

‘Well, I suppose when someone much taller and bigger than others looks down at you coldly, you’d have to be polite out of fear if nothing else.’

Come to think of it, apart from being a woman, I might look a bit easy to deal with in appearance too.

I remembered the impression I had when I first saw ‘Ha Heun’s’ face in the mirror shortly after possessing this body, thinking that she didn’t look like a villainous supporting character. Having grown up without much change from her childhood face, she still had features that generally gave the impression of someone who would live righteously.

I furrowed my brow at the sudden thought that occurred to me.

‘Surely I won’t face similar provocation in the second match?’