Yi-gang understood.

It was as though a voice was telling him.

「Heh heh, there’s no gravity in the descendant’s sword. Instead of moving rashly, you should cleave a mountain with a single strike.」

If it were the Immortal Divine Sword, that’s what he would have said.

「Is that the best you can do with the Heavenly Thunder Bell? If it were me, I’d have already taken the heads of all three.」

Yi-gang would likely have retorted, “How can you just cut off their heads?” but if it were the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, that’s exactly what she would have said.

「Once the priest fully masters the telekinetic sword technique, you need not even hold the sword in your hand to display the same skill.」

If it were Zhang Sanfeng, he would have gently advised so.

But right now, there was no one by Yi-gang’s side.

It had been a long time since he last enjoyed a moment of silence and stillness.

At the secluded temple, Yi-gang spent his days in solitude.

Though Beop Jin was a bit talkative, there was still ample time for introspection.

Yi-gang reflected on himself.

Certainly, refraining from using internal energy and devoting himself to physical labor proved beneficial.

He could feel his breathing growing ragged.

Even though he had trained himself to be strong, he remembered that, in the end, humans still found it hard to move a log the size of their own body.

Despite having progressed considerably, he still observed the twisted state of his own meridians.

He recalled his past life.

A life from a previous existence, now a distant memory.

The moment he accepted his fate as one born sickly, destined to die.

His reincarnation as the ailing eldest descendant of the Baek Noble Clan.

And the time he resolved to survive and seek revenge after Sohwa’s death.

The beginning of a new path, accompanied by the spirits, including the Immortal Divine Sword.

“Yi-gang! You’re truly remarkable!”

The eyes of Hwa Mu-cheon, who stood as his opponent, were filled with exhilaration.

What could make that young man so joyful?

Perhaps it was his reverence for martial arts.

After all, martial artists of the martial world are often obsessed with swinging their swords and cutting others down.

“How did you come to possess such a sword?”

That’s why even in the midst of crossing swords, he could smile so brightly.

Yi-gang, however, was not smiling.

He had never felt a sense of camaraderie with such martial artists.

And with good reason, as the family he was born into and the spirits who accompanied him were martial artists to the core.

Individuals with the will to burn their very souls for martial arts.

It was through such resolve that they ascended to become the best in the world and transcended human limits.

Now, even within the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque, Zhang Sanfeng spoke to Yi-gang.

「That won’t do. Even if you can push to the extreme, you won’t be able to surpass it.」

When Yi-gang asked what he should do, he replied.

「Become a martial artist.」

A martial artist.

For Yi-gang, the sword had originally been nothing more than a tool.

A means to grow stronger and protect himself and those around him.

That’s what he thought… but was that still true now?

Kaang!

Yi-gang blocked Hwa Mu-cheon’s sword.

At the same time, he twisted his neck to avoid a spear thrust aimed at his face.

The momentum of the spear brushing past him was fierce.

When he glanced sideways, So Woon’s eyes were wide open.

So Woon was surely a martial artist. Despite his usual innocent demeanor, he changed completely once he gripped a spear.

The same boy who used to follow Yi-gang around calling him “Brother” was now targeting his face without hesitation.

Having grown accustomed to fighting without his arms, Yi-gang boldly bit down on the spear.

Crunch–

His teeth dug firmly into the wooden grain of the spear.

It’s difficult to endure a person’s arm strength with just bite force, but it would be stronger than grip strength.

“Urgh!”

So Woon gritted his teeth and pulled on the spear.

Unless Yi-gang opened his mouth, he was bound to be dragged along.

However, instead of resisting that force, Yi-gang utilized it.

His body spun like a top.

Thanks to that, Jeong Myung’s fist, which had been aiming for Yi-gang, momentarily lost its target.

And just as quickly, Yi-gang’s spinning hand grabbed Jeong Myung’s sleeve.

Like a vine climbing a tree.

The Azure Forest’s Wisteria Hand wrapped around Jeong Myung’s pulse point.

“Hup!”

Startled, Jeong Myung immediately tried to withdraw his hand.

If Yi-gang had used all his internal energy, he could have sent a dangerous dark meridian through that arm.

Snap–

When withdrawing wasn’t an option, Jeong Myung surprisingly dislocated his wrist joint by force.

Thanks to that, he managed to escape Yi-gang’s grip.

“Ahhh!”

As if waiting for this opportunity, So Woon, who had nearly lost his spear, charged at Yi-gang with ferocious momentum.

Because of this, Hwa Mu-cheon, who had been about to intervene, took a step back.

However, an unknown force pushed against So Woon’s back as he charged forward.

So Woon did not realize that this was the practical application of telekinesis.

Yi-gang used telekinesis to push So Woon toward Jeong Myung.

“Ugh!”

Jeong Myung tried to deflect So Woon’s body, but his dangling right arm interfered.

Crash!

Helplessly, So Woon and Jeong Myung tangled and tumbled to the ground.

Yi-gang had created a one-on-one situation with Hwa Mu-cheon.

However, this did not mean Yi-gang now had the advantage.

Hwa Mu-cheon had not been idly watching.

“Congratulations on fixing your arm. Is it fully healed?”

“No, not completely.”

“I heard Young Lady Tang helped. She’s truly remarkable.”

Though excruciatingly painful, Tang Eun-seol’s assistance had proven effective.

Condensing demonic energy to the very tips of the fingers as she did was a feat he found difficult.

In fact, during the process, the demonic energy had even spread to his neck.

However, as he focused his mind, he could now push the demonic energy down to both hands.

The sensation in his hands temporarily returned, allowing him to wield his sword.

“However, it seems that it’s still not fully healed.”

“…Yes.”

“In that case, this is as far as you can go.”

Hwa Mu-cheon’s tone was not arrogant.

His sword radiated a brilliant light.

The cherished flower of the Mount Hua Sect—its red glow resembling a plum blossom…

“You have no means to block my Sword Aura. Admit your defeat.”

“…”

Yi-gang remained silent.

Soon, he let his sword drop.

It seemed as though Yi-gang was acknowledging his defeat, causing a faint smile to appear on Hwa Mu-cheon’s lips.

“…What are you doing?”

But that expression quickly turned into confusion.

The sword Yi-gang had dropped did not hit the ground. Instead, it floated in the air.

Then, with a slight bend of his knees, Yi-gang assumed a stance as though he were cradling a round ball with both hands.

It was reminiscent of the starting pose of Taiji Fist, but his revealed hands were distinctly black.

His expression was far too focused for someone who had given up.

Hwa Mu-cheon’s face turned red, as if he had been insulted.

“Are you joking with me right now?”

“Come.”

“What… the sword…”

Hwa Mu-cheon, who had been about to tell Yi-gang to pick up his sword, suddenly closed his mouth.

Around Yi-gang, who had his hands clasped together, the Shooting Star Fang was slowly rotating.

Though it was unclear how advanced the technique was, it was undoubtedly the telekinetic sword technique.

‘Fine, I’ll play along as you wish.’

With such a look, Hwa Mu-cheon made up his mind.

Yi-gang gazed into Hwa Mu-cheon’s eyes.

They were the eyes of a martial artist enthralled by the brilliance of his own Sword Aura.

「Become a martial artist.」

And what about Yi-gang himself?

He didn’t need to touch his lips to know.

He too was smiling by now.

It couldn’t be helped.

The Immortal Divine Sword, the Blue-Eyed Mad Demon, Zhang Sanfeng, and the Heavenly Demon.

Every martial artist he had faced had achieved a profound level of mastery.

Witnessing and experiencing the divine might they displayed, it was impossible not to be captivated by their martial arts.

Yi-gang imitated Zhang Sanfeng’s Non-Act Daydream, which had blocked the Heavenly Demon’s strike.

He created a void between his outstretched hands.

If that worked, no matter how radiant the Sword Aura was, it could be scattered.

Swoosh—

Yi-gang did just that.

Though he couldn’t scatter even Hwa Mu-cheon’s killing intent like Zhang Sanfeng had.

However, Hwa Mu-cheon’s sword, which passed between Yi-gang’s blackened hands, lost its brilliance.

Hwa Mu-cheon shouted in shock, “Wait…!”

But the duel didn’t end there.

Jeong Myung and So Woon charged in like a thunderstorm.

The Shooting Star Fang, which had been aiming for Hwa Mu-cheon’s neck, immediately returned to defend against the threatening attacks aimed at Yi-gang.

Boom! Bang!

The Shooting Star Fang blocked two spears at once, while Yi-gang used his forearm to block Jeong Myung’s hand.

Yi-gang endured the considerable impact, standing firm on his two legs.

The raft, already heavily strained, couldn’t hold out any longer.

Crack—

The raft split with a loud snap under Yi-gang’s feet.

The ropes binding the planks came undone, and the raft began to sink.

“Damn…!”

All four of them leaped into the air, startled.

“Ha-haha.”

“What in the world…”

The successors, watching the one-against-many duel from the edge of the pond, let out dry laughs.

Some couldn’t even laugh, standing stiff and bewildered, lost in shock.

Noh Shik muttered with a startled expression, “That’s… already…”

It had surpassed the level of the ‘successors.’

There was no other way to explain it.

Those who had considered Yi-gang a competitor were left stunned, their mouths agape.

Who among them would dare cross to that raft to fight like Hwa Mu-cheon, So Woon, or Jeong Myung?

Yet Yi-gang was holding his ground against all three without faltering.

Was it just that he didn’t falter?

“Clearly, my brother won.”

Ha-jun’s murmuring rang distinctly in the silence.

Had the raft not shattered into pieces, Yi-gang’s sword would have surely subdued Hwa Mu-cheon.

If so, only Jeong Myung and So Woon would have remained. Could the two of them have handled Yi-gang?

Even after the raft broke, Yi-gang displayed extraordinary divine might.

“Stepping Duckweed Crossing the River!”

Nothing else could describe it—he was running on pieces of wood or lotus leaves floating on the water.

Even Hwa Mu-cheon had only stepped on hollowed water buckets to stay afloat, yet Yi-gang’s movements were no different from walking directly on water.

Although the Azure Forest’s Cloud Treading was said to be as light as stepping on clouds, even in the Azure Forest, few could demonstrate such mastery of light footwork.

Yi-gang ascended back onto solid ground.

“Phew…”

Then, he let out a sigh.

By now, the demonic energy had crept back into his arms and up to his neck.

His arms hung limp as if he could no longer use them.

With a slightly furrowed brow, Yi-gang scanned the audience.

No one dared to speak to him.

The pressure they naturally felt was due to seeing Yi-gang face a Supreme Peak master and two successors of comparable level all by himself.

‘I feel nauseous.’

In reality, Yi-gang only felt discomfort from recklessly depleting his internal energy to perform his light footwork.

As Yi-gang stood there, someone parted through the crowd and approached him.

“You rascal!”

It was the Divine Monk.

He was grinning widely, clearly pleased.

“You’re like a temple bell!”

“…A temple bell?”

“Yes! Doesn’t it resonate with a ‘Deng’ that startles the entire world?”

As the Divine Monk said, everyone was still in shock.

He was likely the only one who had anticipated the outcome of this duel.

“Those hot-blooded ones have already lost their will to fight.”

The successors appeared utterly drained, showing no desire to continue battling.

“Let’s wrap it up here for today.”

“As you wish.”

Yi-gang handed over all the red beads he had to Grand Master Hyun Gak.

The successors’ gazes were fixed on the red beads.

“Come, let’s have a chat.”

“Please give me a moment.”

At Yi-gang’s request, the Divine Monk nodded.

Yi-gang approached Ha-jun, who was standing absentmindedly next to Grand Master Hyun Gak.

Ha-jun was still the only young successor to have obtained a red bead.

“Well done.”

Yi-gang smiled at Ha-jun.

Ha-jun finally brightened with a radiant smile of his own.

“It’s been a while; let’s have dinner together.”

“Sure…!”

Yi-gang greeted Peng Mu-ah and Moyong Jin before following the Divine Monk away.

“So, did you gain anything?”

The Divine Monk personally brewed tea for Yi-gang.

It was rare for him to be this openly generous, so Yi-gang raised his guard.

“Now that I can use my hands, I’m able to drink tea like this.”

“…”

Yi-gang controlled the demonic energy in his right arm to drink the tea.

It wasn’t ideal to manipulate the demonic energy for such trivial tasks, but the Divine Monk insisted he drink.

He swallowed the hot tea and savored its aroma.

“How is it? The taste of the tea.”

“…Not great,” Yi-gang replied honestly.

To his surprise, the Divine Monk seemed pleased.

“A monk shouldn’t drink expensive tea, should he? Still, I’ve heard it helps clear the mind.”

The tea was bitter and astringent.

The Divine Monk, appearing satisfied, loudly slurped his tea.

Then, he declared, “You’ve proven yourself worthy. Even without fully healing your body, you’ve done remarkably.”

“Worthy, you say?”

“Yes, worthy. Once you’ve fully assimilated the Great Recovery Pill and healed completely, even the old monsters won’t dare look down on you…”

“By ‘old monsters,’ you mean…”

The Divine Monk had often spoken about going somewhere together.

“The so-called world’s Ten Grandmasters.”

The place the Divine Monk intended to take Yi-gang was a venue for a “gathering.”

“I’ve sent the invitations, so it’s about time we get going.”

“…Why should I go there?”

“Would competing with those weaker than you help you improve?”

The Divine Monk planned to take Yi-gang to the location of the Ten Grandmasters.

If that was the case…

“Are you telling me to face the Ten Grandmasters?”

“Well, not quite… That would be unlikely.”

The Divine Monk chuckled awkwardly and sipped his tea again.

“Where is the location?” Yi-gang asked with a clearly reluctant expression.

The Divine Monk replied casually, “Mount Tai!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep