The First Test Begins
Over the past two and a half years of rigorous training, I had grown stronger at a staggering pace. Someone who had trained in martial arts since early childhood might have called it cheating and burned with envy. But the truth was, I had never truly put this power to the test in a real fight, so I honestly couldn't tell just how strong I'd become.
My sparring partners had always been Dokgo Rin or Tang Soso, both far stronger than me. My master, Tang Ho-chang, was a Transcendent expert, so he was completely out of the question. In that sense, this entrance exam was the perfect opportunity to gauge exactly where my current skills stood. There were no restrictions—just pure, unfiltered clashes of strength against strength.
The total number of armbands I needed to collect was ten, including the one given at the start. Only after gathering all ten could I proceed to the next phase of the entrance exam and remain by my girlfriend Dokgo Rin's side. That was why I had decided to fight with everything I had from the very beginning.
"Huu—"
I exhaled, then drew in a deep breath. This was the so-called dantian breathing. As I went through the process, the qi that had been dormant in my dantian began to awaken at an explosive rate. The awakened qi then started circulating through my body's meridians in a full one revolution, following the principles of the Limitless Mind Method.
The entire sequence took roughly three seconds. If I were a higher-level expert, I could draw out my qi the instant I willed it, but for now, I still needed this warm-up time.
Once my entire body brimmed with vitality, it was time to move.
Who should I target first?
I quickly scanned the people around me. Fighting someone who looked reasonably strong would obviously be better for testing my skills. But the exam had only just begun. If I fought nine opponents of similar strength in a row, even a Transcendent expert would eventually collapse from exhaustion. Therefore, what I needed to aim for was—
I'll only target opponents clearly beneath me.
Passing the test came first, after all.
The moment I made up my mind, I moved my feet.
"Hup!"
For the past two years, Dokgo Rin had focused intensely on teaching me the Mist Spirit Thread and footwork techniques. I now understood why she had drilled those two things into me so relentlessly, though at the time I hadn't grasped her obsession with mobility arts.
But now, seeing the situation unfold, I finally got it.
…I see a path!
Thousands of people were tangled together in a chaotic melee that resembled a battlefield. Yet within that madness, a clear route forward appeared before my eyes as if by magic. Using my footwork and movement techniques, I weaved nimbly between the brawling crowd, searching for suitable prey.
Soon, my eyes landed on a scholarly-looking man who, like me, was cautiously observing his surroundings. His slender build suggested he relied more on brains than brawn.
He's the one.
The instant I decided, my body shot forward like an arrow.
Tang Family Fist First Form — Butterfly Flies Bee Stings
Using the Leap Step, the unique footwork of the Tang Family Fist, I closed the short distance in the blink of an eye.
"What—!"
The man noticed me too late and tried to react, but it was already over. Butterfly Flies Bee Stings was a technique designed purely for surprise attacks.
"Guhk!"
My outstretched fist slammed cleanly into his abdomen. The moment he doubled over in pain, I neatly snatched the armband from his arm.
One down.
Now that I'd successfully bagged my first prey, the rest would come easier. I immediately spotted another target nearby and decided to use the Mist Spirit Thread this time.
Whirrr!
The Mist Spirit Thread was fundamentally a martial art that controlled steel wires known as steel threads. But those wires were as sharp as the edge of an A4 sheet, so mishandling them could injure not only the enemy but the user as well. That was why Dokgo Rin had bought me Thousand Silk for practice instead. It wasn't as sharp as steel thread, but its incredible toughness and durability made it perfect for training.
Using my qi to release the Thousand Silk hidden in my sleeve, I cast the Mist Spirit Thread toward a female martial artist I had chosen as my target.
"Ahk!"
Before she even realized what was happening, the woman was completely bound by the threads. As she began to fall forward helplessly from the sudden restraint, I quickly caught her and tore off her armband while apologizing.
"Sorry for being so rough."
Our eyes met, and her face flushed red as she replied, "N-no, I'm fine."
Crap, Rin's going to scold me again.
Feeling a murderous aura rising behind me, I quickly released the Thousand Silk binding her body. After giving her the standard "I hope you pass next time" line, I hurried away.
That's two now.
Just seven more and I'd pass the first test.
Dokgo Rin was strong. It was probably safe to say there were almost no peers her age who could match her. After all, as a regressor, she was simply retracing the exact path she had already walked once before. Only an absolute genius could possibly rival her.
And surprisingly, such a genius did exist.
Namgung Ruby. That monstrous strength of hers was no joke.
In the murim, external arts were often looked down upon because internal energy could compensate for physical disadvantages. That was why both men and women could display incredible strength that didn't match their delicate appearances. But Namgung Ruby took it one step further—her power was so absurd it wouldn't be strange to call it divine might.
The Namgung Clan's treasured weapon, the Flying Heaven Sword. Forged from a meteorite that fell from the heavens, this mystical blade had insane durability—it wouldn't get a single nick even if swung hundreds of times against a boulder. Yet its enormous size and weight made it a double-edged sword that no ordinary person could wield. It had supposedly been gathering dust in the Namgung Clan's treasury until recently. The fact that Namgung Ruby had become its master was proof enough of how extraordinary she was.
Eventually, that sword even became her signature weapon.
As she reminisced about the past while watching Chilbok rampage across the field, Dokgo Rin suddenly realized he had already collected more than five armbands.
When they had first met, she had felt as anxious as if she were watching a child left by the water's edge. She had no idea when he had grown this capable.
Then I should start moving before it gets too late.
Having made up her mind, Dokgo Rin began slowly gathering the nets she had spread everywhere.
Mist Spirit Thread Secret Art — Jade Lock Formation
Everyone within a three-li radius of her was now caught in the formation's range. They were like moths trapped in a spider's web without even realizing it. She gave a light tug on the steel thread connected to her fingertips.
In that instant—
Thud!
"Huh?"
The examinees who had been fighting each other let out dumb sounds as they stared at their own arms. The armbands that had been on their shoulders had vanished as if by magic.
They said you need ten armbands to pass. There was never a limit on how many you could take.
In the blink of an eye, Dokgo Rin had collected fifty-eight armbands, passing the first test with an overwhelmingly dominant score.
The final opponent in my armband hunt was the strongest-looking male examinee in the area.
"Hahaha! You came to hand over your armband to me on your own? You've got some guts!"
He was probably a fellow fist fighter. Judging by his heavily muscled physique, he had trained his external arts to the extreme. He looked well over thirty, but considering the age limit for examinees was twenty at most, he clearly suffered from extreme premature aging.
Poor guy.
When I unconsciously sent him a pitying look after seeing his sun-baked dark skin, the man exploded.
"What the hell is that look?! Are you underestimating me?!"
Having unintentionally provoked him, the man charged at me without thinking.
"Hup!"
I lightly deflected the fist flying toward my face, then immediately used Mantis Blocks the Cart.
The second form of the Tang Family Fist, Mantis Blocks the Cart, was derived from the story of a mantis trying to stop a cart. It was a counter technique that returned the opponent's own power against them.
Bang!!
Adding my own strength to his, I drove my palm upward into his defenseless chin. A loud popping sound rang out as his head snapped back.
That landed clean!
I thought the blow might have shaken his brain enough to end it in one shot, but the man somehow regained his balance almost instantly.
"Hmph! Attacks like that don't even tickle!"
He snorted like an angry boar. So Mantis Blocks the Cart doesn't work on him.
A spark of competitiveness flared inside me. I immediately moved on to the next technique—the fifth form of the Tang Family Fist, Dancing Among Flowers.
It was a rapid-fire combo executed with movements as graceful and intricate as a butterfly fluttering between blossoms.
"Hahaha! That doesn't even itch!"
But no matter how relentlessly I hammered him with fists and kicks, his body was so incredibly tough that he remained standing without issue. Realizing he was far stronger than I had anticipated, I felt a surge of genuine fighting spirit for the first time.
"Chilbok! You can do it!"
My girlfriend's cheer came from behind me at just the right moment. Empowered by her voice, I decided to change my approach. I would combine the Tang Family Fist with the Mist Spirit Thread.
Whirrr!
The threads shot out from my sleeve like a spider's web, binding the man's hands and feet. He bared his white teeth and strained against them with raw power. From our earlier exchange, I could tell he had superior strength and endurance compared to me.
In that case, the advantage I needed to exploit was the technique and finesse he lacked.
In the middle of our tense struggle for dominance, I suddenly released the tension in the threads binding him and flipped my body in midair.
"What?!"
The sudden loss of balance threw the man off balance. I didn't miss the opening. Using the recoil from the threads, I drove a merciless flying knee kick straight into his face.