CLS-Chapter 187

Chapter 187

“Is that really my son?”

Wei Jeong-han couldn’t close his gaping mouth.

No matter how much Sima Cheon-se had been careless, that crazy bastard who had forced his surrender with a single strike was indeed his son.

Careless?

Could a rabbit bite a tiger to death just because the tiger was careless?

What could pierce through that carelessness was skill.

The explosive speed and magnificent internal energy that Wei Yan-ho had shown in the process of cornering Sima Cheon-se, along with the sword technique that could split apart the power filled with authority, was something that Wei Jeong-han at his level couldn’t even dream of.

“My goodness…”

Wei San-ho also couldn’t contain his shock, unable to continue his words.

If you’re incubating an egg and a lizard comes out, a person can laugh it off with a chuckle, but if you’re incubating an egg and suddenly a dragon the size of a house bursts out, you’re bound to be at a loss for words.

That was exactly how the two of them felt right now.

“No, but that…”

It was good that he had become stronger.

Of course it was good that his son had become stronger.

But even if a person becomes stronger, they should become stronger to a reasonable degree—how does this even make sense?

“Did the Alliance Leader go easy on him?”

Han Sang-ah, who couldn’t grasp the situation at all, asked, but Wei Jeong-han couldn’t answer.

How could he answer something he didn’t understand himself? The person who answered Han Sang-ah’s question wasn’t Wei Jeong-han but Gong Mu-jin.

“No.”

“…Then?”

“Wei Yan-ho is stronger than you all think. While it’s natural that the Alliance Leader didn’t use his full power, he definitely didn’t go easy on him.”

“What does that mean?”

Gong Mu-jin answered with a bitter smile.

“Wei Yan-ho was ten times stronger than the Alliance Leader initially thought.”

Even as he answered, Gong Mu-jin’s gaze was fixed on Sima Cheon-se.

‘He must be bewildered.’

This was probably the first time in his life he had experienced such an absurd situation. Who would encounter such an unbelievable event? When he himself first experienced that, he felt so dumbfounded that his soul seemed to fly away.

So among the people here, only Gong Mu-jin could even guess at Sima Cheon-se’s feelings right now.

Wei Yan-ho and Sima Cheon-se positioned themselves and faced each other. At that moment, a storm-like internal energy began pouring out from Sima Cheon-se’s body.

“Kyaak!”

Yi Seol-hwa couldn’t withstand the storm of internal energy that burst out instantaneously and was blown backward.

“Hup!”

Gong Mu-jin flew over to catch Yi Seol-hwa and set her down on the ground.

“Th-thank you.”

“Don’t take your eyes off this.”

Gong Mu-jin whispered to Yi Seol-hwa.

“The martial contest that’s about to unfold might be a sight you’ll never see again in your lifetime. Don’t miss a single breath, a single gesture—engrave it all in your mind.”

“Yes, Master!”

Wei Jeong-han was also holding Han Sang-ah while saying something to Wei San-ho. The Jang-il group also hardened their expressions as they kept their eyes fixed on the two men.

Watching absolute masters fight with their full power was not something that could be seen easily. Everyone was on edge about what would happen next.

Soon, Gong Mu-jin’s mouth slowly opened.

“My goodness…”

Gong Mu-jin looked at the arena with a horrified expression.

‘What is that, exactly?’

He too was a disciple of Mount Hua.

Mount Hua also had martial artists who could match Kwon-geuk Sima Cheon-se. Among the elders he knew, there were swordsmen who could sufficiently compete with Sima Cheon-se.

But Gong Mu-jin was forced to realize one thing.

When the strongest swordsmen of Mount Hua that he knew sparred with him, did they need to use their full power?

That couldn’t be.

‘I thought I knew, but I was ignorant.’

He had heard until his ears were callused that martial artists who had surpassed the peak and reached the Hwa-gyeong realm transcended the human domain. But this was definitely the first time Gong Mu-jin had seen it with his own eyes.

The internal energy that poured out was swirling around Sima Cheon-se’s body like heat haze.

At first, it looked like just a few strands of energy flowing out, but soon those heat hazes created a series of flows and completely covered Sima Cheon-se’s body.

‘The internal energy is naturally materializing.’

It wasn’t forcibly creating Kwon-gi or Kwon-gang.

The energies that flowed out while operating internal energy naturally materialized and began to envelop Sima Cheon-se’s body.

It was an unprecedented strange phenomenon.

“…You’ve become even stronger.”

But Wei Jeong-han seemed to have seen this sight before.

“Senior, what exactly is that?”

“He can’t contain all his internal energy within his body. That’s how magnificent his internal energy is, flowing out of his body. Think of each of those heat hazes as having the power to destroy a mountain.”

“…”

After hearing the explanation, it became even more incomprehensible.

How could a person produce such power?

Gong Mu-jin’s gaze fixed on Wei Yan-ho. Even he himself was feeling this much pressure, so how much pressure must Wei Yan-ho be feeling, receiving that energy head-on?

A distorted expression on Wei Yan-ho’s face came into Gong Mu-jin’s view.

“…This is no joke?”

Wei Yan-ho gritted his teeth against the pressure that seemed to crush his body.

‘Is this the power of internal energy?’

Although Wei Yan-ho had achieved unbelievable accomplishments in a short time through Baek Mu-han’s infinite affection and violent teachings, internal energy was something that couldn’t be filled with enlightenment alone.

If he could absorb all the internal energy contained in Baek Mu-han’s Internal Core firmly fixed inside his body, he might be able to overwhelm Sima Cheon-se with internal energy as well, but for now, that was a distant prospect.

Therefore, Wei Yan-ho could properly experience the power that strong internal energy provided.

Baek Mu-han could have pressed down on him with even greater internal energy if he had wanted to, but Baek Mu-han was someone who didn’t need to utilize the advantage of internal energy when dealing with Wei Yan-ho.

“Ouch!”

Wei Yan-ho’s body began to be pushed back little by little. The tremendous pressure was pushing his body back.

What should he do at times like this?

All answers lay in his master’s words.

“Even if your enemy has aspects superior to you, there’s no need to be afraid. You’ll surely have aspects superior to your enemy as well. Don’t face the enemy with the enemy’s strengths. Military strategy and martial arts are no different. Strike the opponent’s weakness with your strength. That’s martial arts.”

“That doesn’t seem very helpful…”

He’d have to take back his words about all answers being in his master’s teachings. Most answers were there, but sometimes there were cases where there were no answers.

Wooooooong!

The stone floor, unable to withstand the pressure from Sima Cheon-se’s internal energy, flipped over and shot up into the sky. Like dust being swept up in a massive storm, large pieces of stone were whirling up into the sky.

Wei Yan-ho’s expression became sullen.

“Hey! Even if I lost one round, this is a bit much! You should maintain some dignity!”

No answer came.

Well, with all that chaos, it would be stranger if this voice could be heard.

“Ugh.”

Wei Yan-ho sighed and gripped his sword tightly.

‘I made a losing deal.’

If he was going to face this head-on, he should have received more.

Don’t be careless, he had said, yet Wei Yan-ho had been careless. Who would have known that old man would be such a master?

Though he couldn’t be certain, it seemed like he was meeting the strongest person since he had emerged into the martial world.

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho’s cheeks began to puff out.

Though he was lazy and hated fighting, once he entered a match, he never thought of defeat. It was both a natural trait and the result of Baek Mu-han’s constant teachings being drilled into his head.

No matter who the opponent was, once he drew his sword, he must never lose.

“My sword is invincible.”

“I know.”

A smile formed on Wei Yan-ho’s lips.

No matter how strong Sima Cheon-se was, he had already seen the end of the sword. Having faced his master’s sword, there was no way he couldn’t handle this much.

Wei Yan-ho slowly raised his sword.

A gentle arc.

It was merely a sword being lifted from bottom to top, yet it felt majestic.

With not a single wasted movement, drawing the most natural arc possible, Wei Yan-ho’s sword slowly came to rest in front of his head.

Overhead Strike.

It was the basic stance of all swords.

“Now, let me show you.”

He had to tell those who had forgotten.

That his master’s sword was here, that the martial art that dominated the world to a degree that no other sword in the world could dare compare had come back into the world through Wei Yan-ho’s body.

“…That is?”

Sima Cheon-se’s eyes widened slightly.

It was just a common Overhead Strike. But it was different from a typical Overhead Strike.

He had simply raised his sword and taken a stance, yet his internal energy that had been pressing Wei Yan-ho until now couldn’t push forward.

‘What kind of sword is this…’

His knowledge of martial arts wouldn’t be inferior to anyone in the current martial world. He had seen that many martial arts and experienced them directly with his own body. But Wei Yan-ho’s sword now was a type he had never seen before.

“I’ll know once I experience it.”

A competitive spirit surged up.

Thinking about how much that sword, which would emerge from that utterly natural stance, would delight him made his fingertips tingle with excitement.

He abandoned any contemptuous thoughts.

He didn’t even consider his superior position.

The person here now was not the Alliance Leader of the Orthodox Alliance.

He was the once-in-a-generation fist master who had roamed the world with his fists alone, Kwon-geuk Sima Cheon-se.

“Now! Let’s see you receive this!”

How real are you!

The heat hazes that had been flowing around Sima Cheon-se’s body instantly gathered into his right hand.

Sima Cheon-se brought both hands together in front of his chest.

Paaaaaang!

Instantly, a sharp sound of splitting air burst out, and Sima Cheon-se’s left foot stepped forward with intense force.

Kwaaaaang!

With his left foot, which had dug into the ground as an axis, Sima Cheon-se’s body rotated.

“Su-surely not!”

Wei Jeong-han’s eyes bulged as if they would tear.

“This is a sparring match! Alliance Leader!”

But his cry didn’t reach Sima Cheon-se.

Sima Cheon-se, having twisted his body to the limit, snapped his waist and thrust his right hand forward like lightning.

Woong.

A very small sound flowed out, making the loud roaring that had been heard until now seem insignificant.

But the result was terrifying.

The fist power that burst from Sima Cheon-se’s right hand was initially only fist-sized. But that fist power gradually grew larger, soon becoming bigger than a person, and finally inflated to the size of a massive mountain.

‘Cheon-wang Hyeon-se (Heavenly King’s Manifestation)!’

Wei Jeong-han’s eyes bulged as if they would tear.

How many demon heads had fallen before that immortal Kwon-gang, leaving not even their bodies behind?

The ultimate technique representing Kwon-geuk Sima Cheon-se was now revealing itself in the Orthodox Alliance’s training ground.

“Yan-hooooooo!”

Without realizing it, a tearing scream burst from his mouth.

But Wei Yan-ho in his sight was just looking at the fist shadow flying toward him with a relaxed expression.

Sima Cheon-se’s fist was certainly impressive.

But…

“My sword is invincible.”

“I know.”

Wei Yan-ho slowly gripped his sword and extended it forward.

And…

Dazzling white light began pouring out from his sword. Auspicious and radiant pure white light illuminated the entire world.

And then it finally filled the entire world with pure white light.