The Martial Alliance (3)
The father and daughter stared at each other in silence.
More precisely, the father gazed at his daughter with his physical eyes, while the daughter observed her father with her mind’s eye.
How much time had passed like that?
*Shrrk.*
Dang Sang-ah took one step forward with her eyes still closed.
*Pssttt.*
A faint, whitish smoke rose from beneath her foot.
Astoundingly, it was poison. With a single step, she had neutralized the toxic energy that had seeped into the ground.
A subtle look of pride flickered across Dang Gwan’s otherwise expressionless face. *She’s doing it properly.*
What Dang Sang-ah had evaporated was the extreme poison known as **Ghost Immortal Breath**.
Ghost Immortal Breath. The name implied a toxin exhaled by a ghost-possessed immortal.
Because of its high volatility—losing its lethal qi the moment it dispersed—it was normally infused with the internal energy of a poison expert before being deployed.
It was extremely difficult to handle, and equally powerful. Though it had never been revealed to the world, it was counted among the Tang Family’s most deadly poisons.
And she had evaporated that very toxin with a single step, without being poisoned herself. Had she mishandled it even slightly, her leg would have rotted away in an instant.
But that wasn’t all.
*Whooooosh.*
At a wave of Dang Sang-ah’s hand, the scorching summer wind gently changed direction.
The wind was blowing straight toward Dang Gwan. And carried within it was **Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder**, though when she had released it was impossible to tell.
Dang Gwan’s eyes gleamed.
*Shrrrrk.*
He inhaled every particle of the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder that rode the wind. For a brief moment, his face flushed a deep crimson.
But only for a moment. His complexion soon returned to normal.
The Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder was one of the Tang Family’s most infamous extreme poisons. Even a master poison user would find it difficult to survive after inhaling such a concentrated dose all at once.
It was a clear demonstration of just how high Dang Gwan’s mastery had reached as a **Poison Human**.
Dang Sang-ah’s hands moved once again with graceful fluidity.
*Shrrrk. Shrrrrrrk.*
The air grew thick and heavy in an instant.
This time as well, the release had been so seamless that even a high-level expert would have failed to notice it. It was that covert, that natural. *Excellent.*
She had released five different poisons, each in precisely measured amounts, designed to interlock with one another. Individually, none were overwhelmingly powerful, but when combined, they created a lethal toxin that could paralyze an opponent.
For the first time, Dang Gwan flicked his hand.
*Swish!*
A powerful gust of wind surged forth, carrying a formless mass of poison straight toward Dang Sang-ah. The toxin he had scattered was returning to its original master.
At that moment, a faint greenish haze rose from Dang Sang-ah’s body.
It was a strikingly beautiful emerald glow. The moment the poison cloud touched it, it dissolved into pale smoke and vanished.
Dang Gwan finally spoke.
“That’s enough.”
The silent **Poison Battle** had come to an end.
Dang Sang-ah opened her eyes. A flash of green light flickered across her beautiful pupils before disappearing.
Dang Gwan gave a small nod.
“You have finally reached the realm of **Collapsing the Peak and Ascending to the Emperor**.”
A look of genuine joy spread across Dang Sang-ah’s face.
“It is all thanks to you, Father.”
“Of course it is thanks to me. Without the **Emperor’s Poison Scripture** I passed down to you, reaching this level would have been nothing more than a distant dream.”
Though Dang Gwan was a man of immense pride, these words were not mere boasting.
“However, the realm of Collapsing the Peak and Ascending to the Emperor is not something one can reach simply because someone else helps them. It requires self-inflicted torment bordering on asceticism, along with endless cycles of recovery and refinement. You may take genuine pride in what you have accomplished.”
“……”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Dang Sang-ah’s eyes trembled.
An indescribable emotion surged up from within her. His characteristically blunt tone remained unchanged, yet she could clearly sense the deep pride hidden beneath it.
It was the moment she had received sincere recognition from her father—and from the patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family. For her, it was a truly unforgettable instant.
“The realm of Collapsing the Peak and Ascending to the Emperor stands at the threshold of what the martial world calls the **Wall of No Sect**. You are only at the beginning, but depending on your efforts, you may break through that wall sooner than expected.”
“Yes.”
“I believe your poison arts have reached a sufficient level.”
Dang Gwan drew a dagger from within his robes.
It was roughly the length of an adult man’s forearm. At a glance, it was clearly no ordinary blade.
He removed the sheath that covered its edge.
*Flash!*
A dazzling blade was finally revealed.
The faint reddish hue flowing across its surface was striking. It looked sharp enough to slice through stone without even needing internal energy.
Dang Sang-ah’s eyes sparkled. *The Yanwang Dagger.*
One of the Tang Family’s treasured weapons. It was more than worthy of being called a **divine blade**.
“Take it.”
Dang Gwan tossed the Yanwang Dagger toward her.
Though the blade was lethally sharp, Dang Sang-ah caught it with perfect composure.
Dang Gwan then drew another dagger from his waist. Slightly shorter than the Yanwang Dagger, it looked remarkably ordinary.
He gripped the dagger in a reverse hold.
At the same time, Dang Sang-ah also took a reverse grip on the Yanwang Dagger and lowered her stance.
“A true member of the Tang Family must be able to wield both poison and hidden weapons with equal mastery. However, simply knowing how to use them and truly mastering them are two entirely different things.”
Dang Gwan’s eyes flashed.
“I intend to train both to their utmost limits. That is what a patriarch must do. But before reaching such a realm, one must inevitably place greater emphasis on one over the other. If you carelessly chase two rabbits at once, you will lose them both.”
The jianghu was a merciless world where a single mistake could cost one’s life.
Training could only continue if one remained alive. Prioritizing survival by focusing on the field where one could excel the most was only logical.
“I was more talented with hidden weapons than poison. That will likely remain true in the future. That is why I pay even more attention to poison. At my current stage, I must focus on supplementing my weaknesses rather than maximizing my strengths.”
“……”
“From what I see, you seem to be in a similar position. However, you have not yet reached my level. Before erasing your weaknesses, you must first maximize your strengths.”
“Yes.”
“The main house possesses countless hidden weapons. Yet in the end, the root of all of them is the dagger. And a dagger is not merely for throwing. Only when you can wield a dagger properly will your hidden weapon techniques gain true sharpness.”
Dang Gwan lowered his stance as well.
He raised his left hand to mid-level, while his right hand—gripping the dagger—remained just below it.
With his elbows neither fully extended nor completely bent, he held both arms forward. The posture carried an eerie, unsettling aura.
“A dagger is fast, sharp, and treacherous. In this spar, I will see whether you can fully display those characteristics.”
In contrast, Dang Sang-ah’s stance was different from her father’s.
While lowered, she extended her left foot forward. Her left hand guarded her lower body, while her right hand—holding the dagger—was positioned beside her temple.
She looked ready to charge in and stab him to death at any moment. The sheer ferocity of her posture surpassed even Dang Gwan’s.
This was none other than **Death Dagger Peerless Stance**, one of the Tang Family’s highest-level martial arts. It was the technique passed down alongside the Emperor’s Poison Scripture. Beyond mere destructive power, it was a vicious art that maximized the dagger’s inherent advantages.
Dang Gwan nodded.
“Come.”
*Boom!*
It was completely different from the silent, breathless poison battle.
Using the Thunder-Chasing Divine Steps, Dang Sang-ah closed the distance in a single burst and swung the Yanwang Dagger with terrifying speed.
*Flash! Flash! Flash!*
The reddish blade emitted a ferocious gleam.
Her speed was astonishing. Though a dagger was far lighter than a sword, her strikes seemed even faster than fist or palm techniques executed with bare hands.
Dang Gwan calmly dodged his daughter’s dagger strikes with a relaxed expression.
Unless thrown, dagger-based martial arts inevitably became close-quarters combat. The faster Dang Sang-ah’s techniques became, the more brilliantly Dang Gwan’s evasive ability shone.
*Slice! Slash! Sching!*
Stabbing downward, sweeping cuts, diagonal thrusts—the sequence of movements flowed as naturally as water.
Yet they were steeped in killing intent. Even without deliberately emitting murderous qi, the technique itself had reached such an extreme level of lethality that it was incredibly dangerous.
After effortlessly dodging dozens of attacks, Dang Gwan suddenly swung his own dagger.
*Clang!*
The sound of impact was hard to believe had come from a divine blade colliding with an ordinary dagger.
For a moment, Dang Sang-ah felt a numbing sensation spread through her entire arm that held the dagger. *Incredible!*
To infuse such monstrous internal energy into a thin, sharp dagger!
Had she not endured unimaginable pain to reach the Collapsing the Peak and Ascending to the Emperor realm, she would have dropped her weapon from that single clash. It was that powerful a strike.
*Whoosh!*
Dang Sang-ah’s body spun gracefully, moving toward Dang Gwan’s flank.
Dang Gwan’s eyes sparkled. Not only had she kept hold of her dagger, but her footwork—diffusing the impact and slipping into his blind spot—was truly superb.
Dang Sang-ah swung the Yanwang Dagger again.
*Thud! Thud-thud!*
She aimed rapid thrusts at the carotid artery, between the ribs, and the femoral artery. Had Dang Gwan’s forearm not struck her wrist to block it, she would have caused massive bleeding.
And that wasn’t the end. The moment the Yanwang Dagger lost its path, she lowered her stance to evade the counter, then immediately tried to slash at his throat and abdomen.
It was an incredibly brutal assault. The exchange was far too vicious to be considered a simple spar between blood relatives.
Dang Gwan’s dagger moved at frightening speed.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
With that short blade, he accurately deflected the edge of the Yanwang Dagger.
His speed and precision had reached their peak. If he targeted vital points at this velocity, it would be more dangerous than any bare-handed striking technique.
*Claaang! Swish! Whoosh! Thud-thud-thud!*
He used neither palm nor fist techniques. Only the reverse-gripped dagger, the wrist holding it, and his forearms were used to attack and defend.
A terrifying exchange of dagger techniques. In a sense, its brutality was even more vicious than poison.
How much time had passed like this?
*Thud!*
Dang Gwan created distance and raised his hand.
“Stop.”
Dang Sang-ah, who had been about to charge again, froze.
“Haaah…”
Only then did she let out a long breath.
Remarkably, throughout that long exchange, she had not taken a single breath. It was literally a breathless killing technique.
Her cardiopulmonary ability was astounding. Before even considering internal energy, her physical capabilities had reached their limit. In terms of pure endurance and lung capacity alone, she already deserved to be called a supreme peak expert.
Dang Gwan, who had been quietly observing her, nodded.
“Well done.”
Most people believed the essence of the dagger was a single lethal strike.
But the true essence of the dagger was not a one-hit kill, but **linked killing**—*Yeonhwan-sal*.
A single stab could produce a fatal result, yet it was also difficult to guarantee instant death.
Without manifesting sword qi, one could not sever a neck. The blade’s length simply wasn’t suited for it.
The true method was to rapidly stab the body’s vital points, gradually rendering the opponent incapable of fighting.
It was good if one strike could kill, but in case it couldn’t, one must stab and slash every vital point and dangerous area. Rather than a single lethal blow, multiple attacks steadily drove the opponent toward death.
That was the best martial art a dagger-wielding warrior could employ in close combat.
And Dang Sang-ah had clearly grasped the true essence of the dagger.
“From now on, focus on the Death Dagger Peerless Stance. As your achievement rises, your skill with hidden weapons will naturally improve as well.”
“Thank you.”
After watching her for a moment, Dang Gwan spoke in a casual tone.
“I have called for your younger sibling.”
“Pardon?”
“He will arrive at the Alliance soon.”
“……!”
Dang Sang-ah’s eyes lit up.
“Yang-seon…!”
“Before that, let me ask you one thing.”
Dang Gwan’s face showed a hint of confusion as he asked.
“Do you believe Yang-seon is fit to become the patriarch?”