A small spark of interest lit in Yeon Hojeong’s face.

“This is a pretty thrilling situation.”

“Is it?”

Pae Yul smiled. In that chill-tinged grin, the shadow of a sinister predator fell across him.

“I figured you’d understand. From what I can see, you and I aren’t that different.”

“You see it that way?”

“Of course. You’re not like those stale mountain hermits. Whether it’s the Nine Great Sects or the Six Great Clans, they all try to live like lofty cranes. But you—aren’t you a tiger that tears into prey without hesitation?”

“You’re giving me too much credit.”

“I don’t care how you see yourself. What matters is how I see you.”

Cheok Gang fidgeted awkwardly between them.

“M-Martial Uncle—”

At that moment, Yeon Hojeong lifted a hand to stop Cheok Gang.

At some point, his eyes had turned serious too.

“Are you serious?”

“Hm?”

“What you said—if you lose to me, you’ll follow my orders immediately. That if I tell you to die, you won’t pretend—you could really die.”

Pae Yul’s face hardened.

“When I was young, I heard plenty that I was a problem child, same as Kangie. But even the people who hated me admitted this one thing.”

“And what is that?”

“I don’t say two different things with one mouth.”

The corner of Yeon Hojeong’s lips lifted.

Strangely enough, his smile looked a lot like Pae Yul’s.

“You don’t One Mouth, Two Words... an important virtue.”

“So. Did it move your heart a little?”

“Were you starving for a match?”

Pae Yul snorted a laugh.

“You really are my kind. You could tell right away?”

“Even if someone isn’t the same type, anyone with eyes could tell.”

“Is that so.”

“If you were that hungry for a match, why didn’t you grab anyone and spar? You [N O V E L I G H T] don’t look like the type who worries about the other guy’s circumstances before drawing steel.”

Pae Yul shook his head.

“You’re wrong. I’m certainly not a man of manners, but at my age, with the title of Elder on my back, I can’t completely ignore the sect’s dignity.”

“But taking orders under a junior far beneath you is fine?”

“If you beat me.”

The air slowly heated.

Pae Yul’s smile deepened.

“You’ve got serious internal and external injuries. You should get treatment first and then—”

“Are there rules?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Do you want a spar to gauge each other’s level? Or a fight like real combat, where if you slip up your head goes flying?”

“Obviously the latter.”

“I see.”

Yeon Hojeong nodded.

“I’ll trust that you understand real combat clearly.”

“Of cour—”

That was when—

BWAAANG!

Pae Yul’s eyes went wide.

Yeon Hojeong had already closed the distance and slammed out a palm strike.

The heavy palm method drove forward like a battering ram, as if the air itself were being sucked in. It was the Yeon Clan’s secret art, Reverse Dragon Palm.

Hup!

THUD!

With a springy movement art, Pae Yul retreated and shouted.

“What the hell is this all of a sudden—?!”

In the same instant, Yeon Hojeong planted his foot hard.

KWAANG!

The palm force pouring out of his strike flew in at more than twice the speed of the first.

It was an unavoidable blow. If he couldn’t dodge, he had to block—but the weight of that rushing force made even blocking feel overwhelming.

No-thought!

There were too many thoughts. Pae Yul drew his sword immediately.

SHAAAAK!

The palm force of Reverse Dragon Palm split cleanly in two.

KWAANG!

The divided palm force stabbed into the ground and flipped the earth’s skin to the left and right.

Pae Yul’s furious voice exploded.

“What are you doing?!”

BWAAAK!

Yeon Hojeong didn’t answer.

Radiating overwhelming pressure with White Tiger Lording Step, he closed in and unleashed storm-like twin fists.

Pae Yul’s eyes widened.

Monstrous power!

The bending torrent of punches was perfection itself. Every punch was like it traced the fangs of a gigantic beast.

There was no room to hold back. Pae Yul’s sword spun at high speed, whipping up a murderous sword wind.

PABABABABAK! KWAANG!

“Ghk!”

It was brute force.

He’d unfolded it in an instant and couldn’t bring out even half its original power, but Whirling Wind, Dancing Willow Forty-Eight Swords was one of Azure Mountain Sect’s proud secret sword arts.

And its power had been constrained at the root. It wasn’t just dispersing the force—it was a fist art that read the pulse of the opponent’s martial art and ruptured it, ruthlessly practical.

BWAAANG!

It was sudden, but Pae Yul didn’t panic. His body spun fast, and in an instant he slipped out to Yeon Hojeong’s right rear.

It was exquisite movement. A mysterious step method—Azure Mountain’s Afterimage Step.

With the rear angle secured, Pae Yul chopped his sword down in one breath. The target was the center of Yeon Hojeong’s back. Even if the opponent dodged, even if he blocked, it was a line meant to drive in where severe injury was unavoidable.

That was when—

KAAANG!

Pae Yul’s eyes bulged.

He stopped it barehanded?!

Yeon Hojeong extended a hand without even turning around.

The sword strike was blocked in his hand. From that hand, a strangely dark blue-green energy overflowed.

It was Black Tortoise Qi. Its peculiar rebounding elasticity was so strong that Pae Yul’s sword—despite being the attacker—bounced back.

BWAAAK!

And it didn’t end there.

As if he’d expected it, Yeon Hojeong gathered his full-body strength, rotated, and snapped his foot up—so fast it was like lightning.

Speed was power. A kicking art as fast as a Fast Sword would have terrifying force.

I can’t meet it head-on.

He had to dodge. If he blocked, he’d be driven back. If he dodged, he could counter.

PUH-UNG!

The fired foot tore the air, and the hem of Pae Yul’s outer robe burst apart.

Here!

Pae Yul’s sword aimed for Yeon Hojeong’s throat. It was timely, and the angle was perfect—a sword strike anyone would struggle to evade.

In that instant, Yeon Hojeong’s eyes blazed.

Sssrrrk.

Horror settled into Pae Yul’s face.

The sword tip pierced empty air.

A strong attack inevitably created an opening. He’d aimed a strike at that gap—but Yeon Hojeong’s figure had vanished from in front of him.

W-where—?!

Then he felt a chilling Killing Intent curving up from low ground.

BWAAAK! PUK!

“Ghk!”

He dodged the instant he felt it, but he was a little late. A low, upward-driving kick exploded into his thigh.

BZZZZING.

Damn it.

The pain surging up from his thigh was immense. But this was luck, if anything. If he hadn’t dodged even a fraction and taken it clean, the bone would’ve broken and muscle and flesh would’ve torn and flown.

Terrifying destructive power. Pae Yul clicked his tongue at the opponent’s steel-hard body art.

That was a feint?!

He’d used a lightning-fast kick as a feint to make the enemy relax, then fired a lethal blow.

It was the fighting style of a veteran who’d survived a hundred battles. And even the feint alone carried enough power that taking it would’ve meant serious injury.

But!

This time it was real. Enduring pain like his thigh was being smashed apart, Pae Yul poured out elastic sword strikes.

Yeon Hojeong’s pupils dilated.

Pae Yul didn’t miss the change in his eyes. This time, the other side was clearly flustered.

Then Yeon Hojeong’s hand moved in a strange way.

...?

Pae Yul’s eyes widened.

What—?!

Woooooong.

Like a snake—or like a dragon.

Yeon Hojeong’s hand rotated in with impossible suppleness, as if it had no bones at all, and a blue-green radiance surged from it. That radiance wrapped around Pae Yul’s sword and hand in an instant.

PUH! TIIING!

It broke.

His wrist broke. The sword he’d gripped so tightly flew high into the air.

HUP!

Pae Yul immediately pulled back—and shuddered at the mysterious energy he felt from the rear flank.

His back had been taken. Even though he’d been staring right at him.

There was no flamboyant Killing Intent like fire, no heavy flow like water, no light movement like wind.

But it was soft.

Soft yet vast, fast yet wondrous. It was a step method terrifying enough to bleach his mind white in an instant.

The ultimate evasion ability—and a step method that created a thorough counterattack stance.

Azure Dragon Qi—Azure Dragon Treading-Cloud Step. With Pae Yul as he was now, it was impossible to pierce the essence of that bizarre, profound step method.

Seizing the attack point with Azure Dragon Treading-Cloud Step, Yeon Hojeong thrust out a fist.

Woooooong!

Around the swirling fist force, it felt like a strangely warm wind was settling. It was a clear strike, yet it radiated a savage menace, like layered destruction that would fling the opponent away.

The Azure Dragon’s technique—Dragon Legion Three Forms.

PUH-PUH-PUH-PUNG!

“Keuhk!”

With a groan, Pae Yul flew back and slammed into the wall.

Psssss.

Stone powder burst from the cracked wall.

Yeon Hojeong smiled. His complexion was somewhat pale, but there wasn’t even a hint of pain on his face.

“I won.”

“Khk—!”

Pae Yul dropped to one knee on the spot. His legs had lost strength; he couldn’t stand any longer.

What monstrous martial arts.

If Yeon Hojeong had truly followed through with intent, it wouldn’t have ended there. His martial arts were ruthlessly practical and overflowing with destructive power.

If he hadn’t pulled his strength back at the end, Pae Yul’s ribs would’ve been pulverized, his internal organs mashed, and his body—reduced to a lump of blood—would’ve smashed through the wall and flown another three jang.

Pae Yul’s face reddened.

So if he hadn’t held back... I would’ve died.

People tried to hush it up, but anyone who knew, knew. Yeon Hojeong was the greatest rising star in the martial world of this era.

Only now did Pae Yul feel those words in his bones. The ones who recognized Yeon Hojeong had seen his talent and the realm he’d achieved—but Pae Yul had just witnessed his real combat capability and masterful tactics in this spar.

Where the hell did he learn methods like this?!

With trembling eyes, he looked up at Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong was breathing hard. Forcing his power while already bearing serious internal and external injuries had deepened his internal injury even further.

“You’re incredible, Senior.”

“Khk! Kgh—!”

“Honestly, I thought it would end within the first three exchanges. You were letting your guard down so badly.”

“...Did it look like that?”

“Yes.”

Drip.

Yeon Hojeong’s nose bled. The mucous membrane had been injured from reckless power use and repeated acceleration.

Wiping the blood away, he said,

“Have you had a lot on your mind lately? It doesn’t feel like you even showed your full skill.”

Pae Yul’s eyes shook.

“Your sword tip wavers, and your movement is half a beat late. The methods you used to respond to my martial arts were all practical—but your body can’t keep up.”

“....”

“Honestly, I think you could’ve won even without the ambush.”

Cheok Gang—who’d been staring blankly at the sudden match—jerked in shock and spoke.

“U-Unit Commander! An ambush—how can you call it that?!”

Yeon Hojeong snorted a laugh.

“You said you wanted real combat. We can’t actually kill each other as Alliance members, so the only option was to suppress fast.”

“B-but!”

Then Pae Yul spoke.

“There’s no room for excuses.”

Yeon Hojeong and Cheok Gang looked at him.

Pae Yul, wobbling as he stood like he’d recovered a little strength, said,

“Whatever the reason, it’s my loss for failing to respond properly.”

“But Martial Uncle!”

“Ambush or a fair fight—if you die, it ends there. You know that too.”

“...”

Pae Yul let out a sigh. With that, the dangerously predatory atmosphere from before the fight was gone.

“With a body that isn’t even healed, you can do that much. You really are different.”

“Your martial arts were impressive too. You barely even brought out Azure Mountain Sect’s secrets.”

“You made it so I couldn’t.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled faintly.

A sharp eye. He’d lost, but his sense for martial arts was astonishing.

Pae Yul closed his eyes.

Suddenly, crushing exhaustion washed over him.

“I thought if I fought you, we’d be beating each other bloody for days.”

“Is that so.”

Pae Yul gave a bitter smile.

“I lost.”

“It was a good match.”

“I told you. I don’t say two different things with one mouth.”

“You did.”

“I’ll enter under your command.”

Cheok Gang stared at Pae Yul, shocked.

Yeon Hojeong said with a serious face,

“It’ll be very dangerous. Are you sure?”

“Could it really be more dangerous than your fist?”

Yeon Hojeong snorted.

“Congratulations. You’ll be serving under a junior so much younger than you.”

Pae Yul’s face crumpled like wrinkled rice paper.

“Congratulations. You get to command an Elder of Azure Mountain Sect.”