Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Fist Aura Unleashed
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Hwangbo Seongwoo quietly raised the fist he was clenching. He watched Wi Seongcheon's movements closely while drawing up his internal energy from his dantian.
This guy's a tough opponent.
He acknowledged it fully. Until late last night, he had replayed yesterday's fight in his mind. That erratic movement. The bizarre sensation of striking something that didn't feel like it had been hit.
Honestly, he had no idea *how* to fight him. This feeling... it was unfamiliar. But it wasn't his first time. Defeat wasn't new to Hwangbo Seongwoo, nor were opponents who surpassed his abilities or were hard to counter.
Fine.
Hwangbo Seongwoo placed Wi Seongcheon's name among the formidable foes he had faced before.
And racking his brains in a battle of wits against such an opponent wasn't his style.
What he needed to do.
Was what he could do. What was familiar.
-Woooong...! Hwangbo Seongwoo's fists became wrapped in a brilliant glow. Bang Jun's face hardened upon seeing it. Fist aura. A technique possible only with profound internal energy, precise control, and supreme mastery of martial arts.
Bang Jun hurriedly checked Wi Seongcheon's expression. He had seen Wi Seongcheon's fight yesterday and understood that his martial arts were vastly different from ordinary fist techniques.
Wi Seongcheon's style focused on deflecting attacks and using joint locks to grab and twist the opponent's body directly.
What enabled that was his bizarre martial art that made it seem like he was taking hits with his body.
But could he take a fist wrapped in aura with his body?
*Impossible.*
That was a mass of condensed qi visible to the naked eye, enveloping his entire fist.
Hwangbo Seongwoo's bare fists could easily shatter large rocks, but wrapped in aura, they would pierce through stone like tofu.
*As expected.*
Wi Seongcheon gave a wry smile as he looked at Hwangbo Seongwoo.
*I picked... the wrong opponent.*
Gaining Hwangbo Seongwoo's recognition from yesterday's fight was gratifying. But he had hoped for a bit more underestimation.
* * *
"Shouldn't we stop this?"
Seo Il blurted out with an urgent expression. This was a training session based on real combat, not actual combat. Taking a hit from a fist wrapped in aura wouldn't end in a light injury.
"...We'll have to watch for now."
Hwangbo Gwang muttered. Using fist aura already? Did that mean the opponent was that serious? Just the sub-sect master of Cheonhwa Sect? Hwangbo Gwang wasn't free of anxiety either.
He sincerely hoped for Hwangbo Seongwoo's victory, but that didn't mean he wanted him to *kill* Wi Seongcheon.
The Uicheon Academy tolerated student duels, but if one student killed another, it would be a different story.
*Well... he wouldn't get expelled...*
Compared to the Hwangbo Clan's backing, Cheonhwa Sect was insignificant. But he'd at least face a grade retention. And the rumors wouldn't be good.
No matter how despised Cheonhwa Sect was, it was still affiliated with the Righteous Martial Alliance. And hadn't he enrolled with a recommendation from Grandmaster Wonkwang Bul?
If the young master of the prestigious Hwangbo Clan, a true noble house, beat the Cheonhwa Sect sub-sect master to death, it wouldn't reflect well.
*I wonder if we'll see it?*
Seok Ijin 's eyes gleamed with interest. During the entrance evaluation, Wi Seongcheon had backed off the moment he saw sword aura. The best way to gauge a bare-handed expert's prowess was to fight someone wielding a *weapon*.
Unlike the body, which required endless tempering to match or exceed a blade's sharpness, weapons threatened the human body from the start.
How to fight against such a blade. And how to counter *sword aura*.
*He's been given time.*
Hwangbo Seongwoo's foot lifted upward.
*Time to run.*
He formed the fist aura ostentatiously. He didn't charge immediately but stared at Wi Seongcheon. It was a silent pressure: admit defeat or flee if you lack the confidence.
But Wi Seongcheon didn't run. He didn't admit defeat. He smiled awkwardly, but he stood his ground, facing Hwangbo Seongwoo.
It meant he wouldn't avoid the fight.
Thus, Hwangbo Seongwoo kicked off the ground. For his massive frame, the leap was eerily quiet. But not slow. He closed the distance in an instant and swung his fist down at Wi Seongcheon.
Wi Seongcheon's movements were always a half-beat slow. Rather than dodging immediately, he evaded by a paper-thin margin.
That allowed clean counters. This time was no different. The moment Hwangbo Seongwoo's fist plummeted became the trigger for Wi Seongcheon's explosive response.
A half-beat delay. Linking it into a counter relied on Wi Seongcheon's absurd reaction speed.
The fist aura flickered as it grazed Wi Seongcheon's upper body by a hair's breadth. A surging palm strike flew toward Hwangbo Seongwoo's jaw.
Having fought yesterday allowed Hwangbo Seongwoo to anticipate this counter.
As Wi Seongcheon's palm shot up, Hwangbo Seongwoo twisted his upper body mid-air as if he'd expected it.
Kwaang!
The fallen fist pulverized the ground. Hwangbo Seongwoo's feet landed, while Wi Seongcheon's body launched upward.
As he passed over Hwangbo Seongwoo, Wi Seongcheon spun half a turn and drove his tightly pressed left elbow into Hwangbo Seongwoo's chest.
Ppeok!
The strike landed, but Wi Seongcheon's expression wasn't satisfied. It felt like hitting a lump of iron. Exactly as expected.
Even taking it head-on, Hwangbo Seongwoo didn't hesitate and swung both arms.
Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist, Heavenly King Ferocious Wind Path.
The gleaming fist aura raged fiercely. Wi Seongcheon didn't leap in but retreated hastily. The storm of chained aura strikes left no opening to slip in and grab.
"Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist already? Hah...!"
Hwangbo Gwang exclaimed in admiration. The Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist was a technique passed down only to the Hwangbo Clan heads.
Using it right at the start of the fight meant Hwangbo Seongwoo was that serious about Wi Seongcheon.
"Don't run."
Hwangbo Seongwoo growled. He continued the torrent of fist winds while lifting his foot. With the Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist unleashed, even his steps were extraordinary.
Heavenly King Divine Wind Thunder.
Sparks crackled from the sole of Hwangbo Seongwoo's foot.
Kwaaang!
Wi Seongcheon's body soared into the air. He had blocked the fist strike with his elbow just in time, but his face twisted. The impact site tingled numbly.
*It didn't break?*
Hwangbo Seongwoo's expression twisted similarly. Even with the Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist, all he managed was to send him flying. He had intended to shatter Wi Seongcheon's arm with that blow. Maybe even kill him.
As expected, the strike felt off. He had hit cleanly... but too shallow. Far too shallow. Then more. Hwangbo Seongwoo exploded from the ground and leaped upward.
Wi Seongcheon was still airborne.
Star Cloud Fist Barrage.
Hwangbo Seongwoo's fist shot forward. The aura cloaking it streamed continuously.
That was the moment. Hwangbo Seongwoo's expression changed. Wi Seongcheon's arms at the center of the aura moved fluidly. Softly, yet not slow.
They pushed back the aura with definite force. Hwangbo Seongwoo glimpsed a faint light wrapping Wi Seongcheon's hands.
*Fist aura?*
But it felt different. His instincts told him so. Even so, he couldn't pull back now. The aura was repelled, but his fist was already at Wi Seongcheon's front.
It was his left fist.
Natural, of course. His right arm still bore yesterday's fatigue. Right-handed. Most strikes were with the right out of habit.
But pain made him forgo the habit. Whether right or left fist was stronger didn't matter.
An expert like Hwangbo Seongwoo wouldn't neglect training either arm.
What mattered was the intent: using the left fist. The posture of throwing a left. He had baited it, and Hwangbo Seongwoo obliged.
Cheonhwa Chain Skill.
Reverse Flow.
The internal energy flow reversed. In the body, qi and blood followed fixed paths. Internal energy surging from the dantian traveled those paths.
With advanced cultivation and profound energy, the paths widened, blocked meridians opened.
Through this, martial artists honed paths suited to their breathing methods. The body's limited movements grew faster and stronger based on how well those paths were refined.
Reverse Flow. This was the path built by the Cheonhwa Chain Skill and how to use it.
*Fast.*
Everyone watching thought so.
Hwangbo Seongwoo didn't even have time to think. They were too close. Wi Seongcheon's strike was too swift and explosive for him to read. Before he could think, Hwangbo Seongwoo saw the lofty sky.
He was hit.
He couldn't process it either. Hwangbo Seongwoo's body toppled backward. It hadn't struck his jaw squarely. A shallow, *thin* graze—like a blade's edge—sharp and precise.
Thoughts snapped. Hwangbo Seongwoo couldn't even properly sense his body's state.
The fist that thinly grazed his jaw tip didn't fully sever his consciousness, leaving it teetering on the brink. And then further. The fist that brushed his jaw tip advanced.
And finally reached.
Hwangbo Seongwoo's right arm, instinctively pulled back. The unpleasant pain had made him withdraw it, and that was Wi Seongcheon's target.
A thin graze. If deeper, it would end it... He could have finished with just the jaw strike.
He simply hadn't. This wasn't real combat. Severing Hwangbo Seongwoo's consciousness would end it, but his awareness still clung.
Hwangbo Seongwoo could do *more*. If he pressed the attack despite lost consciousness, the instructors would intervene.
So he severed only halfway. Just enough that he couldn't resist even if he wanted. How much? A few breaths, and consciousness would return.
That short time was enough. Wi Seongcheon's fingers curled. His tensed thumb dug into Hwangbo Seongwoo's shoulder joint.
The gripped hand pulled Hwangbo Seongwoo's body. Wi Seongcheon's left hand seized his elbow.
Kwagwang!
Hwangbo Seongwoo's body crashed down. He didn't tumble. Wi Seongcheon mounted his back and wrenched his right arm backward.
Consciousness was hazy, yet Hwangbo Seongwoo knew what was about to happen.
It unfolded as predicted.
Crack!
The twisting sound from within his body thundered in Hwangbo Seongwoo's ears. Not pain, but that loud noise restored his half-severed awareness.
Light returned to Hwangbo Seongwoo's foggy eyes. He snapped them open and gritted his teeth. His captured arm throbbed with eerie pain.
He tried forcing it to move, but it wouldn't obey. It merely twitched spasmodically.
"You bastard...!"
Hwangbo Seongwoo roared in a hoarse voice and lifted his body. Even with one arm fully twisted, he forced himself up heedlessly.
Wi Seongcheon kicked his back without hesitation. In response, Hwangbo Seongwoo swung his left arm wide. But the swung arm missed Wi Seongcheon.
Wi Seongcheon, who had created distance upon landing, gazed at Hwangbo Seongwoo with a complicated expression. It had gone as intended.
That much was clear. With Hwangbo Seongwoo's right arm broken, Wi Seongcheon had won this fight.
But he had revealed too much. He had planned to gauge Hwangbo Seongwoo's moves appropriately and lose again today.
"Want to keep going?"
Wi Seongcheon asked quietly. Hwangbo Seongwoo glared at him, teeth clenched. His dangling right arm felt heavy.
"I haven't lost."
Hwangbo Seongwoo spat. Wi Seongcheon raised an eyebrow.
"With that arm?"
"Just this much..."
He spat it ignoring the pain, but Hwangbo Seongwoo knew full well continuing was pointless.
Where had it gone wrong? If he'd aggressively used the Heavenly King Ultimate Divine Fist from the start. If he'd advanced despite knowing it was wrong? Endless thoughts, all meaningless. Blood trickled from his clenched gums.
"Stop being stubborn."
A sudden voice interjected, but no one was surprised.
Twin Moon Wheels Ha Jitae.
He had been there from the start, watching Wi Seongcheon and Hwangbo Seongwoo's fight. Now he finally spoke.
His large twin wheels on his back bore faint bloodstains, carrying a scent of blood.
Ha Jitae glanced at Wi Seongcheon with sunken eyes before approaching Hwangbo Seongwoo. Hwangbo Seongwoo was glaring at Wi Seongcheon, breathing raggedly.
"Let's go."
Ha Jitae grabbed Hwangbo Seongwoo's shoulder. But he didn't move. Ha Jitae heard his rough breaths and felt the muscles twitching under his grip.
Even his pounding heartbeat seemed transmitted through his fingertips. Glancing at his face, Hwangbo Seongwoo's pupils wavered.
[Paeng Yeonhwa, found her.]
Feeling he couldn't leave it like this, Ha Jitae sent the transmission. Hwangbo Seongwoo's body jolted. He turned to Ha Jitae with startled eyes.
"Want to keep going?"
Hwangbo Seongwoo turned wordlessly.
Ha Jitae followed as if he'd expected it. Along the way, he turned to look at Wi Seongcheon.
A chilling gaze pierced Wi Seongcheon.
Wi Seongcheon waved at Ha Jitae with a smile.