Stagnant Water Rots
Paaang!
The air trembled from a casually thrown punch.
It carried no overwhelming inner force, nor did it move at blinding speed, yet the atmosphere rippled outward from the fist in transparent concentric circles.
"What do you think?"
At the absolute master's question, the woman bowed her head.
"It is a realm far beyond my current imagination."
"Of course it is. Still, since you managed to glimpse the martial principle hidden within that seemingly ordinary punch, your own enlightenment cannot be far off."
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks. If anything, I should apologize. My duties have kept me too busy to properly instruct my disciple. As a master, I have failed you."
A flicker of emotion passed through the woman's eyes.
The master she knew was not one to speak such words to his disciple. He had always been endlessly curt and cold.
"Countless martial arts exist in this world. Hundreds are lost each day, and hundreds more are born. Yet all of them pursue a single goal."
"……."
"Death."
"……."
"A person dies when their head is severed or their heart bursts. They die from losing too much blood, or from a simple wound left untreated until it festers. Even pain alone can kill. Humans are that fragile."
The absolute master withdrew his fist.
"In the end, martial arts exist solely so that I may live while my opponent dies. Those mediocre fools misled by pointless teachings prattle on about some grand 'Way' within martial arts, but that is nothing more than idle theorizing. Martial arts are not like that."
The absolute master raised his index finger.
"This is all it takes. A hole of this depth and thickness in the head or chest is enough to kill a person. Every martial art under heaven was created as a method of combat to achieve that result with maximum efficiency."
"……."
"Therefore, a truly excellent martial art has no unnecessary flourishes. It is clean. That is why it can contain the Way. Those are the arts we call first-rate."
He had claimed martial arts contained no Way, yet now said they could contain one. In other words, since martial arts themselves held no Way, it was the practitioner who must embody it.
The absolute master, Yang Cheon, spoke.
"To step into the world of martial arts and the martial Way, one must first honestly understand its essence. Once you have perfectly internalized that essence, even an ordinary punch like the one you just saw can reduce a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds to dust."
"Yes."
Yang Cheon smiled.
"I have no doubt that this level will soon be yours as well. You have grown remarkably since we last met. You have endured much."
The woman closed her eyes.
"That is too great a praise. Without my master's exceptional guidance, such an achievement would have been impossible."
Yang Cheon laughed and settled into his chair.
"The Central Plains are vast, and there are many strong individuals. Perhaps far more powerful masters are hidden away than those whose names echo across the world."
"I have felt as much."
"Having crushed so many of those experts to reach your current position, I wish to bestow a great reward upon you."
"The single punch my master demonstrated is a treasure more precious than any other. I will take that punch as my goal and continue my daily training."
"Hahaha."
Yang Cheon burst into hearty laughter.
"How very like you. You have always been this way. Though you lacked the extraordinary talent of the first or the combat prowess of the third, you always walked your own path in silence."
"……."
"And now that effort has finally borne fruit. Even the first or the third would find it difficult to face you as you are now."
The woman's eyes gleamed.
She was someone who feared nothing in this world except her master. Thus, she had never once thought of surpassing or defeating him.
However, there were two people she desperately wished to crush beneath her feet—the senior brother and the third disciple her master had just mentioned.
Her master had never once spoken of them to her before. For him to mention them now…
'He did not say it would be difficult to win, but difficult to face them at all.'
In other words, her achievements were now equal to, or perhaps even greater than, those of the senior brother and the third.
She calmly suppressed the joy surging within her.
Yang Cheon asked, "Your martial arts have advanced considerably, and you have exceeded expectations in your assigned duties. I will summon you to headquarters soon. You have done well."
"Thank you."
"Before that…"
Yang Cheon's gaze sharpened instantly.
"I have not received a separate report regarding the matter with Botam. I trust you handled it properly?"
The woman, Bu Seon, bowed her head once more.
"I poured an invisible poison into clean water. For the time being, Botam will be unable to interfere in the affairs of the martial world."
"Are you certain?"
"I am. When a group that has never known conflict falls into chaos, desire inevitably takes root. They will be too busy fighting over the position of the next Sword Queen within their own factions to set foot in the martial world for at least three years."
Only then did Yang Cheon allow a satisfied smile to surface.
"Well done. You carried it through to the very end."
"Thank you."
"And one more thing."
Yang Cheon slightly furrowed his brow.
"Have you received any contact from the Yin God side?"
"I have not. They have not submitted a single report on time in the past six months."
Crack!
The armrest of the steel chair crumbled as if crushed in mud. It was the result of Yang Cheon's terrifying grip strength.
"Interesting fellow. Truly interesting. Well, if he cannot communicate with the Black Sheep of headquarters, he must have sensed that something was amiss on his end as well."
"……."
"Understood. You have endured much on your journey. Go and rest…"
At that moment—
"Lord of the Department."
At the voice echoing from afar, Yang Cheon's eyes flashed.
"What is it, Baek Seo?"
"You have a guest."
"A guest?"
Few people even knew of the Black Dragon Department's existence. Much less a guest for its lord?
"The head of the Moyong Family has come in person."
In that instant, Yang Cheon's eyes blazed like fire.
A short while later.
Whoosh!
From deep within the dense forest, a powerful wave of energy surged forth, and Moyong Gun felt an uncommon tension.
Step. Step.
Each footfall that rang out from the ground was chilling.
"Well now, I did not expect you to come without sending word."
"……."
"As you know, I am not a man with time to spare. At first, I intended to send you back. But for some reason, I had a bad feeling. So I set aside my work and came myself."
An immense pressure radiated from the calm voice.
'As expected.'
Moyong Gun closed his eyes.
'A master of the Holy Thirteen Seats… Even though this is only the second time I have faced one, the power truly surpasses imagination.'
His energy, his voice, his very presence—none of it conformed to common sense.
A One-Horned Warrior? Not even comparable. Gong Gong Dae-sa? He had never witnessed the abbot's full strength, but he was certain the man could never emit this level of pressure.
Yeon Wi's Absolute Sword might be able to wound a master of this caliber. However, in terms of raw power, the gap was insurmountable, and such a swordsman would never simply stand still and take the blow.
'How absurd. Unless it is one of the previous-generation masters of the orthodox sects, no expert in the current Martial Alliance can stand against this man.'
A giant who had transcended the limits of humanity and martial arts alike was approaching.
Yang Cheon appeared.
"You have come."
Yang Cheon's eyes gleamed.
"Did you come alone?"
"I did."
With Yang Cheon's level of skill, he could hear every living creature in the area, down to the flutter of an insect's wings. Moyong Gun had no room to lie.
Yet Yang Cheon still asked because, fundamentally, he did not trust Moyong Gun.
"I told you I am not a man with time to spare, did I not?"
"I heard you."
"Then you would do well to choose your words carefully. If I feel you have wasted even a moment of my time, I will tear out half your roots."
Moyong Gun's roots. He meant the Moyong Family of Hunan.
Moyong Gun spoke calmly.
"I am not a man with time to spare either, so I will not drag this out needlessly."
"A wise decision. However, before that, there is something we must address, is there not?"
"What would that be?"
Killing intent surfaced in Yang Cheon's eyes.
"You did not contact me separately. Moreover, you drove away the escorts I sent with your daughter."
"……."
"If you cannot explain yourself properly, this precarious alliance ends today. And if you are not with me, you are clearly an enemy. I will have to kill you here and now."
"……."
"Speak. Why did you break your promise and act on your own?"
Moyong Gun gazed at Yang Cheon with deep eyes.
'He is an extraordinary master. There is no doubt about it. The claim that he can face a great sect alone is no empty boast. I cannot even imagine how many years I would need to train to reach his level. However…'
He could read genuine anger and wounded pride in Yang Cheon's eyes and expression.
'As a martial artist, he deserves respect. But as a leader, he is not first-rate.'
Yang Cheon was more than sufficient as a leader by ordinary standards.
Yet Moyong Gun believed that when limited to the role of a leader, Yang Cheon's capabilities were not particularly remarkable. He only realized this now because Yang Cheon's presence was so overwhelming.
'He has roamed the world alone, fighting against it, but he has not been managing an organization for very long.'
A faint smile appeared on Moyong Gun's lips.
'Even a transcendent expert like him cannot overcome a lack of experience.'
Yang Cheon's eyebrow twitched.
"Your answer?"
"I will give it. But there is a matter a thousand times more important than this answer. May I speak of that first before answering?"
"……You are a truly fascinating man. In some ways, you are almost admirable. I have met many people in my time, but never one who dared to be so insolent before me."
"I take that as a compliment. Thank you."
"I have no patience for wordplay! Answer me at once…!"
"You are aware of the Three Sects, are you not?"
"……What?"
"You do not know? Then let me put it differently. Do you know of the Evil Lust Cult?"
Whoosh!
In that instant, Yang Cheon's energy shifted.
It grew even fiercer, yet the wave did not target Moyong Gun.
The emotion on Yang Cheon's face was shock. It was not feigned—it was genuine. He was purely surprised.
Moyong Gun's eyes deepened.
"As I thought. Even Lord Yang was well aware of them."
"You bastard…"
Hooooooong!
The surging energy blazed hot in an instant.
Moyong Gun suddenly felt his breathing grow labored. Yang Cheon's energy, burning with confusion, rage, suspicion, and passion, swept over his entire body.
Yang Cheon asked in a sharp voice, "How do you know of the Evil Lust Cult?"
Crackle!
In that moment, lightning energy rose from Moyong Gun's body.
The energy blazing with passion did not belong to Yang Cheon alone.
Moyong Gun glared at Yang Cheon with eyes filled with fury. It was a truly passionate rage, its intensity not the slightest bit inferior to that of the King of Combat, Yang Cheon.
"Even knowing about them, you have been holed up in this pathetic cave playing at being a leader?"
"What did you say?"
Moyong Gun roared.
"While those foreign scum are trying to swallow the Central Plains whole, instead of devouring those bastards, you have been busy fattening your own belly—is that what you are telling me?!"