Chapter 231: Negotiation? (2)

The Young Palace Master of the Solar Palace, Hwa Jinmyeong, who was to shoulder the next generation of the Scorching Flame Solar Palace.

He was a warrior worthy of being called a genius. Even Seo Ryeom and Mak Yawol, powerhouses of the White Nothingness Society who had already made their names known in the Central Heavens Martial Realm, couldn’t fully grasp the extent of his abilities.

Hwa Jinmyeong believed he was the best. Among the famed elites from the Ten Sects and Three Clans, he thought there were few who could truly rival him.

The secret weapon of the Solar Palace.

Having just completed a long period of secluded cultivation, his current goal was to reach the apex of the martial world—the Seventeen Lords. And beyond them, the Ten Thrones and the Six Great Heavens.

Among those poised to inherit the Ten Sects and Three Clans, he considered himself the strongest. He believed that unless they were ancient elders or sect leaders, no one would be a match for him.

‘I am the best.’

That was what he believed.

But then, a name that had suddenly popped up began to gnaw at his pride.

Leader of the Annihilation Squad—Cheonrin Sword Alliance, Jang Woo-hyun.

A newly risen master who first made his name known at the Assembly of the Ten Sects. His name had rapidly spread in recent days.

Jang Woo-hyun had slain the Six-Thousand-Demon of the Demon Pavilion and now commanded Seo Ryeom and Mak Yawol from the White Nothingness Society. Even more unbelievable were the rumors that the Great Demon Beast of the Demon Realm, the Wind-Passing Great Sage, was accompanying him.

Yu I-geon, who had met Jang Woo-hyun personally at the Assembly of the Ten Sects, claimed those rumors were exaggerated—but Hwa Jinmyeong wanted to see for himself.

And today…

He got the chance to meet him.

Standing face-to-face with Jang Woo-hyun, Hwa Jinmyeong made a vow—to finally reveal the power he had long kept hidden from the martial world.

He believed that the Young Palace Master of the Ice Palace was no match for him, and that even the famed Jang Woo-hyun would fall short of his prowess.

Boom!

The moment he activated True Step, a massive wave of flame once again surged in all directions.

Hwa Jinmyeong’s true power was different from before.

This was no ordinary fire. It couldn’t be easily parted or deflected. The flames gave the impression of being heavy and solid, like a tidal wave capable of smashing an island to pieces.

Riding that wave of fire, Hwa Jinmyeong charged at Jang Woo-hyun, confidence blazing across his face.

It was an impressive display, but Seo Ryeom and Mak Yawol looked at him with pity.

‘No chance.’

Hwa Jinmyeong was strong. They wouldn’t deny that.

But his opponent was the problem.

The one he was facing couldn’t be defined by the word “genius” alone—a monster beyond comprehension.

The brilliant flame of a genius would be devoured here today by that monster.

‘Hmm?’

Jang Woo-hyun’s brow lifted as he clashed with the wave of flame. Strangely enough, the flame had physical force behind it.

It didn’t feel like ordinary fire—it felt like crashing into a solid wall.

Caught off guard by this unfamiliar energy, he couldn’t help but laugh.

An opponent with new martial techniques. Exactly what he needed to further his own strength.

‘I’m still far from done.’

He had grown incomparably stronger than before, yet it still wasn’t enough.

He wanted to be stronger—he wanted to go further.

For someone like him, an opponent like Hwa Jinmyeong was both a great teacher and a lesson in itself.

Confronted by a new martial technique, Jang Woo-hyun would learn something again today.

Pushed back by the wave of flame, Jang Woo-hyun accelerated his perception. He sought a way to counter Hwa Jinmyeong.

Without drawing his sword, he focused power into his hands and split the wall of flame apart.

Behind that wall, Hwa Jinmyeong’s fist came hurtling toward him.

Jang Woo-hyun stepped with True Step and threw his own punch.

Crash!

A pillar of flame erupted upward as shockwaves exploded in all directions. The remnants of already burned-down buildings scattered through the air.

“Everyone fall back!”

Seo Ryeom and Mak Yawol pushed their subordinates back and stepped forward to shield them.

Hwa Jinmyeong’s Will-Form Qi turned into flames that scorched everything around. In response, a five-colored ring rose behind Jang Woo-hyun.

Why hadn’t he drawn his sword?

Jang Woo-hyun intended to confront Hwa Jinmyeong using the Five Elements Qi.

Flame pillars surged from all directions, moving like fingers to strike at him. The heat was so intense that even Seo Ryeom, who stood at a distance, furrowed his brow.

Wuuung—

Encased in the flames, Jang Woo-hyun activated his Five Elements Qi.

The Five Elements Cycle could amplify force through the principle of generation, but it could also be used in other ways.

As the five-colored ring rotated, the fire Qi surrounding him was instantly sucked in.

Then came the elemental transformation:

Fire to earth, earth to metal, metal to water.

Jang Woo-hyun stopped at Water Qi and drew out its energy.

Boom!

The Qi emitted by Hwa Jinmyeong was transformed into Water Qi and clashed against his own force.

The Scorching Flame Divine Art, the pride of the Scorching Flame Solar Palace, was nullified by Jang Woo-hyun’s Five Elements Qi.

“W-what…?”

Caught off guard, Hwa Jinmyeong forgot he was even in a fight.

He had no choice—his entire outpouring of energy had just vanished.

Hwa Jinmyeong, who could wield only a single element, was powerless against Jang Woo-hyun, who could control and cycle through all five.

Even as he tried to muster more Qi in his panic, the fire Qi kept getting erased by the Five Elements Cycle.

“…What kind of sorcery is this?!”

Hwa Jinmyeong tried to deny the reality in front of him.

But unlike the flustered Hwa Jinmyeong, Jang Woo-hyun calmly slipped into the opening.

That panic created a small gap—and in a battle between masters, even the smallest gap was fatal. Jang Woo-hyun instantly closed the distance and thrust out his fist.

“You bastard!”

Hwa Jinmyeong hastily activated his defensive technique—the Flame Shield Divine Armor—but Jang Woo-hyun’s fist was faster.

Boom!

With an explosive sound, Hwa Jinmyeong was hurled nearly 200 jang away and smashed into the ground.

Immediately after, Jang Woo-hyun used Extreme Radiance to traverse that same distance in a single step, appearing right before Hwa Jinmyeong.

And again, he reached out his hand. Since the man had picked a fight first, Jang Woo-hyun planned to break at least an arm or a leg.

Just as he was about to grab the barely standing Hwa Jinmyeong—

The ground beneath them turned red. A wave of searing heat swept up, and the ground began to melt under overwhelming flame.

Jang Woo-hyun quickly tried to nullify the fire Qi using the Five Elements Cycle.

‘Huh?’

But it was different from Hwa Jinmyeong’s earlier Qi.

The energy itself was unstable. Like someone adjusting a dial, its power swelled and ebbed in unpredictable pulses. It was as if it were actively disrupting the Five Elements Cycle.

For a brief moment, Jang Woo-hyun was shaken.

And before he could properly react, the next attack came.

From the crimson ground, a blade of fire surged upward.

Jang Woo-hyun used his Will-Form Qi to sever all the attacks coming toward him. The flames that were slashed and burst scattered in every direction like drifting petals.

Within the scattering petals of flame—

A hand covered in black fur appeared before Jang Woo-hyun.

Clang!

Jang Woo-hyun drew the Black Wilds Sword and blocked the black hand but was pushed backward. A writhing energy, like a living snake, coiled around the Black Wilds Sword.

Jang Woo-hyun imbued the Black Wilds Sword with energy and slashed to the side.

Boom!

The flames that had surrounded the sword exploded away in a massive blast.

His gaze turned forward.

Between him and Hwa Jinmyeong, who had been pushed back, stood a Flame Nation Being, completely covered in black fur like a beastkin.

An elder of the Solar Palace—Cheok Hwa-hong.

He had blocked Jang Woo-hyun’s attack.

“Even calling this surprising wouldn’t be enough.”

Cheok Hwa-hong, having clashed with Jang Woo-hyun, was deeply shocked by his skill.

It was worlds apart from when he had fought Yu I-geon. Even then, he had considered him an exceptional warrior—but now, it was hard to even gauge him.

‘He’s beyond the realm of common sense. No… trying to define him with common sense is the problem.’

That was how unbelievable Jang Woo-hyun’s growth had been.

“It’s been a while.”

“It certainly has. Judging by your skill, it feels like centuries have passed.”

A realm that would take most hundreds of years to reach, Jang Woo-hyun had attained in mere years. Truly remarkable.

‘I can’t even be sure I’d win.’

Even as he marveled inwardly, Cheok Hwa-hong did not drop his momentum.

“May I ask what exactly is going on right now?”

“Oh, the Young Palace Master of the Solar Palace picked a fight with me, and we were in the middle of a duel.”

“He picked a fight?”

Cheok Hwa-hong squinted. Though his expression was hard to read under all that fur, Jang Woo-hyun could tell he was flustered.

“……”

Just as he suspected, Cheok Hwa-hong didn’t know how to respond.

That a successor of the Ten Sects and Three Clans had picked a fight was odd enough—but to be beaten down like this was even stranger. Even in all his long years, Cheok Hwa-hong had never encountered such a situation.

“Cheok Hwa-hong, are you going to interfere too?”

“Where’d you learn to jump into a one-on-one duel, anyway?”

While Cheok Hwa-hong hesitated, Seo Ryeom and Mak Yawol landed beside Jang Woo-hyun.

“Heaven-Sealing Eyes and Threefold Blade Ring. Hah, so those rumors were true.”

They were well-known names, so he recognized them immediately.

“True or not, if you interfere, then so must we.”

“Captain, this is why I told you we should’ve just crushed these disrespectful brats.”

“Crush what? We’re here to negotiate.”

“Negotiate? What are you talking about?”

Just as Jang Woo-hyun was about to explain, Division Leader of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion, Woo Il-do, approached.

“Master Jang, Elder Cheok—please, both of you stop. We’re not here to fight.”

“Woo Division Leader? It’s been a while. Don’t tell me you came with them?”

“Yes. Master Jang said you had ties with him, so I joined. And then…”

Woo Il-do trailed off and glanced toward Cheok Hwa-hong. From his expression, Cheok Hwa-hong could guess what had happened.

“Looks like our Young Palace Master was out of line. My apologies. It seems this happened while I stepped away. Please, wait just a moment. Could you do the same?”

“Wait? Wait for what? You people attacked first. You really think we’re pushovers?”

Mak Yawol stepped forward, twirling his chain scythe like some alley thug.

“Senior Mak, fall back.”

“We’ve come this far—let’s just fight. If you don’t crush scum like this early, they’ll keep coming back to bite you later.”

“I said we’re not here to fight!”

“We were literally just fighting a minute ago—what are you even talking about? Let’s finish this. I’ll deal with this one, you finish off that Young Palace Master.”

At Mak Yawol’s words, Jang Woo-hyun’s brow furrowed. Seeing this, Seo Ryeom smiled faintly and took a step back.

“Hey now, the Captain is speaking, and you’re still doing this?”

As soon as Seo Ryeom spoke, the warriors of the Annihilation Squad behind them joined in.

“Step back already!”

“Yeah, back off!”

“Can’t believe he’s ignoring the Captain like that.”

“It’s all backward—totally backward. Why’re you even in the Annihilation Squad if you don’t listen? Just go fight on your own.”

Once the target was clear, the pack of wolves known as the Annihilation Squad pounced.

“Tsk tsk.”

Seo Ryeom sheathed all his weapons and took several steps back, shaking his head with a click of his tongue.

“You…”

“Just listen, will you? You’re not four years old. What is wrong with you?”

Beset on all sides by scolding voices, Mak Yawol could only grit his teeth in frustration.

Inside the depths of Thunder Fortress.

In a space usually used as a training arena, the Wind-Passing Great Sage sat facing Jin Ha-un. After some time spent talking, the Wind-Passing Great Sage tilted his head.

“Hmm?”

Feeling a sudden shift in energy, the Wind-Passing Great Sage smacked his lips and looked back at Jin Ha-un.

“Not going out there?”

Seeing the lingering curiosity in his expression, Jin Ha-un asked.

“It’s fine. Jang Woo-hyun can handle it.”

“You seem curious, though.”

“I just sensed some heat—that’s all. Not even that strong. Doesn’t seem interesting. Let’s get back to it. So what’s next again?”

“Great Sage, why are you learning from me anyway? There are plenty of others.”

There were many warriors in the Annihilation Squad more skilled than him, yet the Wind-Passing Great Sage insisted on learning from Jin Ha-un.

“Kid, it’s because you’re the most diligent. Next, I’m going to learn from Sturdy. His fighting style should suit me better.”

“…Why do you keep calling me ‘kid’?”

“Because you’re a kid with a hole in your chest.”

The healing Dharma Treasure he’d received in the Nation of Mechanical Marvels was still slowly restoring Jin Ha-un’s body, and to the Wind-Passing Great Sage, the hole in his chest was still plainly visible.

“I’m old enough, you know.”

“How old? You three hundred?”

“Hmm… not quite.”

“Not even that? Then how old are you? Two hundred? Two-fifty?”

“I haven’t even hit a hundred yet.”

“See? You’re a kid.”

In the Lower Realm, that might have been considered long-lived, but this was the Central Heavens Realm.

Here, it was normal for people and species to live several centuries—so Jin Ha-un didn’t really have a counterargument.

“Hurry up and show me the next move. We don’t have time.”

At the Great Sage’s urging, Jin Ha-un resumed his demonstration, continuing his explanation.

Having failed to acquire a high-grade Dharma Treasure to serve as a summoning medium, the Wind-Passing Great Sage sought another path to strength. After some thought, he decided to learn martial arts.

Though he wasn’t human and couldn’t fully master martial arts, he aimed to copy the forms and flow.

‘Jang Woo-hyun mimicked me once. No reason I can’t do the same.’

Just like how Jang Woo-hyun had once copied his movements.

“Stop. Show me that last move again.”

“This one?”

“Yeah, that part.”

The monkey-like monster, in Projection state, was learning martial arts from a human to draw out even greater power.

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