The cold wind whipped the hems of the two men’s robes with brutal force.

Thud!

Mad Dragon slammed into the ground and sent a fierce tremor through the earth.

Mo Yong-woo clicked his tongue again at the oppressive pressure radiating from Mad Dragon.

“I thought it the last time I saw it too, but the fact that you can actually grip and swing a weapon like that is incredible.”

“Once you get used to it, there’s nothing better.”

“You said it weighs more than eighty geun, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s like grabbing a whole person and swinging him around.”

Yeon Hojeong had been smiling as he looked at Mo Yong-woo, but in an instant his expression turned indifferent.

HOOOOOOONG.

A heavy wind shoved aside the bitter winter air.

That’s it.

Mo Yong-woo felt it at once. The texture of the wind had changed.

It was sharp, yet heavy. There was a bold openness in that wind, and within it, the fangs of a beast flashed.

“The martial art you learned. You said it was the Four Spirit Martial Art?”

“That’s right.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“There are plenty of peerless arts from ancient ages that vanished without ever winning fame.”

“That’s true enough.”

Srrrk.

Mo Yong-woo lowered his stance.

Not by much. He merely bent his upper body slightly and drew his left foot back by about one step.

HWAAAAAA.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes gleamed.

He changed.

The stance changed, and so did the disposition. A moment ago, his aura had resembled that of a lofty scholar. But the instant he lowered his posture and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, it transformed into something hard and cold as steel.

And that change in temperament had been incredibly smooth. If Yeon Hojeong had not been paying attention, he might not even have noticed it.

He’s different from me in every way.

When Yeon Hojeong changed, the shift was not merely abrupt. It was almost flamboyant.

Just like his weapon and his own temperament, the Four Spirit Martial Art pressed down on the opponent with fast, overwhelming force before the fight had even properly begun. Because of that, his martial art could look rough at first glance.

Mo Yong-woo was different.

Calm and smooth.

And yet, in sheer ferocity, he was second to no one.

Mo Yonggun’s martial art isn’t the clan lord’s discipline. Not in my previous ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) life, and not in the martial art he showed when he helped fake my death this time either. It wasn’t one of the Mo Yong Clan’s publicly known arts.

A martial art that manipulated lightning qi was hard to find even if one searched the entire martial world.

That was exactly the kind of martial art Mo Yonggun had learned. It wielded destructive lightning qi to unleash power as fast as a flash of lightning and as devastating as thunder.

Which means this is the perfect chance to test myself against the true orthodox martial art of the Mo Yong Clan.

The corner of Yeon Hojeong’s mouth curled upward.

This is fun.

He had not even drawn out Vermilion Bird Qi, yet his heart was already pounding.

The martial art of the Mo Yong Clan. And not just that—the clan lord’s discipline itself.

“Well then.”

Yeon Hojeong stepped forward with his left foot.

“Shall we begin?”

“Any time.”

PAAAAAK!

The moment the words left his mouth, Yeon Hojeong charged.

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes shook.

Fast! And...

Threatening.

He came on like a beast that had locked onto its prey, yet despite that terrifying speed, his expression was the very height of indifference.

His eyes were clear, like those of a predator. At that gaze, gooseflesh prickled across Mo Yong-woo’s entire body.

Before he knew it, Yeon Hojeong had already closed to within one zhang.

He’s here!

Flash!

It was a drawing strike launched from an advancing step.

A divine-speed sword draw powered by the formidable Inner Qi of the Heaven-and-Earth Eight Extremes Heart Method. The heavy Demon-Sweeping Greatsword tore through the air faster than any swift sword.

Then it happened.

KWAAANG!

An explosive shockwave erupted beneath the feet of Yeon Hojeong, who had been charging in at terrifying speed.

He dodged?!

Saaaaak!

The sword strike he had unleashed with the drawing motion sliced through empty air.

Having detonated a shockwave with a heavy Stamping Step, Yeon Hojeong had already evaded Mo Yong-woo’s sword strike and launched himself high into the air.

From the very first move, it was a motion beyond common sense. In a spar like this, the normal thing was to exchange light probing blows. Instead, he had rushed in with his full strength from the outset, then avoided a frontal clash and leaped skyward.

And on top of that...

Mo Yong-woo raised his head.

He isn’t using the axe!

Yeon Hojeong thrust out his left palm.

Puhng!

Mo Yong-woo dropped his stance even lower.

What a terrifying palm art!

The weight behind the descending palm force was absurd. It had clearly been unleashed in a split second, yet if he had not blocked it, it would have been strong enough to break bone.

The first move had been a feint, and the attack that followed the feint had not been with the axe either, but with palm force.

Only then did Mo Yong-woo understand the nature of this fight.

This was not an ordinary spar. It was a real fight, one that closely resembled actual combat.

PABABABAK!

Yeon Hojeong flowed naturally past Mo Yong-woo’s rear.

Astonishingly, in the brief instant it took him to slip behind him, he launched three kicks. Even while off-balance, the sharpness of those kicking techniques as they drove toward vital points was close to the level of a divine skill.

PUH-PUH-POONG!

Mo Yong-woo’s hand techniques were every bit as nimble. He knocked away all three kicks in the impossible three-stage assault.

Simply understanding the nature of a fight changed the speed of the body’s response. Yeon Hojeong was Yeon Hojeong for a reason, and Mo Yong-woo was Mo Yong-woo for a reason.

KWAANG! TUH-UH-UH-EONG!

The instant he landed, Yeon Hojeong surged forward with elastic footwork.

HWAAAAAAK!

Their bodies had not even fully closed, nor had their weapons yet met, but it felt as though everything from the collarbone to the ribs was being torn open. It was a monstrous force of presence, the Killing Intent of a beast.

Mo Yong-woo swung the Demon-Sweeping Greatsword.

JJEOOOOOEONG!

The shaft of Mad Dragon and the Demon-Sweeping Greatsword crashed together, releasing a deafening roar that shook the ears.

Heavy!

The shock left by that single collision was unbelievable.

For an instant, he nearly lost the Demon-Sweeping Greatsword. If he had poured in even a little less Inner Qi, the webbing of his hand would have split open.

It’s not because of the axe’s weight. Brother Yeon’s raw strength itself is on another level!

Then Yeon Hojeong unleashed a storm of savage blows.

JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEONG!

Mo Yong-woo retreated again and again, spreading a curtain of sword-light.

The delicate, fluid sword curtain shattered the instant it touched the blade of Mad Dragon. The intangible curtain of sword-light scattered in sparks, and thick veins stood out across Mo Yong-woo’s forehead.

Damn it!

Kwarururung!

The axe blade tore up the ground and rose from low to high.

This was no time to stand around admiring it, but truly, the motion of that axe lay in a realm beyond understanding. How strong did one’s arms have to be, and how deep did one’s Inner Qi have to run, to swing a heavy weapon weighing more than eighty geun like a swift sword? He could not even begin to guess.

Mo Yong-woo brought his sword down with force.

JJEOOOOOOOEONG!

Kh!

Mo Yong-woo’s body was hurled into the air.

Terrifying!

No matter how heavy the weapon, Yeon Hojeong had attacked from below and swung upward. Mo Yong-woo had answered with a cleaving strike poured with every ounce of strength he had, yet not only had he lost in power, his entire body had been lifted into the air.

It was a monstrous martial art of brute strength created by aggressive advancing footwork.

HWAAAAAAK!

At last, Mo Yong-woo saw it.

Flash! Flash!

The moment a white wind wrapped itself around Yeon Hojeong’s entire body, his eyes gleamed yellow like those of a real tiger.

KWAANG! KWAANG! KWAANG!

The three-step advance of White Tiger Monarch-Step.

With every single step, it felt as if heaven and earth themselves shook. Each step was no different from a Stamping Step in itself. Even though Mo Yong-woo was suspended in the air, the impact made his insides churn.

KHUUUUUNG!

The faint roar of a great tiger echoed out.

The White Tiger Art—Tiger King’s Nine-Wall Breaker—opened its brutal jaws.

JJEOJEOJEOJEONG! KWAANG!

“Ugh!”

A groan finally escaped Mo Yong-woo.

Damn it!

Had everything up until now been nothing but warming up?

He had only blocked a single move of Tiger King’s Nine-Wall Breaker, yet the shock made it feel as if every joint in his body had slipped out of alignment.

It was such a vicious martial art that simply meeting it head-on was a loss. If he blocked even slightly wrong, it felt as if he would suffer internal injury on the spot.

But...

Mo Yong-woo retreated far back.

HOOOOOOONG.

Blue True Qi gathered over the Demon-Sweeping Greatsword and released a vast, majestic aura-wave.

The time for one single breath. That precious span at last gave him room to draw out the Mo Yong Clan’s clan lord’s sword, the Heaven-and-Earth Hundred-Eight Sword Resolution.

Flash!

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.

He had closed three zhang in a single step of White Tiger Monarch-Step, yet before he knew it, Mo Yong-woo had approached even faster than that.

The two weapons collided head-on.

JJEOJEOJEOJEONG! KWARURURUNG!

The shockwave blasted from the clash of axe and sword tore up the ground and carved hideous wounds into the nearby trees.

JJEOEONG! JJEOOOEONG! JJEOOOOOEONG!

Mo Yong-woo gritted his teeth.

Using Willow Qi Manifestation, a sword form of the Heaven-and-Earth Hundred-Eight Sword Resolution, he neutralized the power of Mad Dragon.

For an instant it seemed as if Mad Dragon’s cleaving force had weakened, but this terrifying younger brother of his immediately abandoned the linked barrage and switched straight to single-strike killing blows.

KWAAANG!

It was an unbelievably heavy strike.

It was nothing more than a simple downward chop from above, yet somehow, it could not be dodged.

If not for the Heaven-and-Earth Inner Qi drawn to its absolute limit, the peerless Demon-Sweeping Greatsword forged by a master smith with soul poured into it, and Mo Yong-woo’s thoroughly tempered body, he would have been split in half on the spot. That was how savage the force was.

And that was not all.

JJEOOOEONG! KWAANG! PUH-UH-UH-EONG!

Even while wielding a style built on large, threatening, single-strike killing blows, Yeon Hojeong changed forms from moment to moment and revealed subtle variations.

The attacks were already oppressive enough that defending was a burden in itself, but it was so confusing that it was difficult even to tell what exactly needed defending in the first place.

It was the kind of bizarre assault that would make even a veteran of a hundred battles click his tongue in disbelief. Had he completely made the forms his own? Even while executing Tiger King’s Nine-Wall Breaker, he wove in palm arts and kicking arts at intervals to disrupt the senses, then at the decisive moment used a devastating axe strike to wear down his opponent’s strength.

Amazing.

Mo Yong-woo was driven backward without pause.

Forget counterattacking. It was all he could do just to hold on. Yeon Hojeong’s martial art, once he resolved to fight in earnest, was just that formidable.

He said he wanted to see Heaven-and-Earth Martial Resolution, but he’s not even giving me room to unfold it in the first place.

He was not resentful. If anything, he found himself admiring Yeon Hojeong’s combat style.

A genius of battle... and on top of that, he’s striking my weaknesses with exquisite precision every moment. Even if I try to recover my breathing, I can’t.

JJEOJEOJEOJEONG!

The black shaft and dragon-shaped axe blade danced through the air.

The accumulated shock was numbing his limbs. Thankfully, he had not suffered internal injury, but even in his current state, enough impact had stacked up to leave him bedridden for a full day.

Mo Yong-woo closed his eyes.

Flash! KWAAANG!

Mad Dragon struck the ground half a chi to the left of Mo Yong-woo’s foot.

“...Hmph.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes narrowed.

“You closed your eyes and dropped your stance... What, is that it? Giving up?”

Mo Yong-woo opened his eyes again and shook his head.

“Giving up or not, this is completely a loss that does not count.”

“I thought you’d manage a counterattack somehow.”

“Brother Yeon. You didn’t even leave me the room to defend, let alone counterattack, and you can still say that?”

“I figured if I pressed hard enough, you’d pull out some unbelievable trick.”

“...Sorry to disappoint you.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not disappointed. I just thought, so even you’re human after all, Brother.”

“Hm?”

Rrrk!

Yeon Hojeong pulled Mad Dragon out of the ground and stroked his chin.

“You’re definitely strong. In terms of sheer weight behind the attack, I was obviously above you, but in terms of sharpness in an instant, you’re not beneath me at all, Brother.”

“That doesn’t sound like praise, no matter how I listen to it.”

“Your speed during the initial approach was excellent too. Honestly, that moment really caught me off guard.”

“You mean that?”

“I do. Which is why it’s unfortunate.”

“...?”

Yeon Hojeong let out a faint chuckle.

“You reached the Wall of Martial Arts, but you still haven’t fully gathered your own martial art into your hands yet. That’s why, despite having that level of ability, you were pushed into a one-sided defensive battle.”

Mo Yong-woo’s eyes shook.

Yeon Hojeong turned around.

“I was going to drink some more, but it looks like you need some time to yourself. Let’s meet again later if there’s time.”

“B-Brother Yeon!”

“Just remember this. When the butterfly sheds its shell and spreads its wings, and when the beast catches its prey and becomes certain it has crushed the last breath out of it—that’s the most dangerous moment.”

“...!”

“If you don’t properly gather in what you already possess, you could rot for years at the entrance to the Wall of Martial Arts.”

Yeon Hojeong had already started walking away in a lazy saunter, but then stopped as if something had just occurred to him.

“Brother.”

“...Go ahead.”

“Mo Yonggun will be back soon.”

“...!”

“Make sure you look carefully at what he brings back with him.”