Special Technique Supremacy (7)
A crack!
Yeom Cheon Gyeong, the Heaven Evil Fighting Fist, began stretching calmly. He was a bit shorter than average, but his entire body felt as solid as if armored in muscle. If I had to compare his appearance, it was like Zhang Fei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms compressed into a smaller frame—a guy whose whole form was one massive lump of muscle.
This build screamed natural-born brawler, unbeatable in raw fights.
'He's no pushover, that's for sure.'
In my eyes, Yeom Cheon Gyeong's current skill level surpassed even Little Dragon Blade Peng Jincheon. In other words, he was the strongest opponent I'd faced so far among all my enemies. Complacency was out of the question.
"Let's begin."
We'd both finished warming up, and with so many eyes waiting, we couldn't drag this out. The long, drawn-out exchange tournament between the righteous and unorthodox factions now hung on this single final bout.
"Everything rides on this one game."
Dan Ri-cheong must have been seriously tense; he leaped into the center of the training ground, his eyes gleaming with more excitement than ever.
"Prepare."
At the signal, Yeom Cheon Gyeong and I closed in without hesitation. Both masters of fist and foot techniques, neither of us needed to keep distance.
"Begin!"
At last, the academy exchange's ultimate finale kicked off. Whatever the outcome, this would go down as a historic clash, a match worthy of legend.
Vowing to win no matter what, I unleashed the full power I'd been holding back.
—Fighting Cock Wind Wave!
I struck first. Contrary to his boisterous looks, Yeom Cheon Gyeong played it cool and observant, while I probed aggressively.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The fierce, nimble punches unique to Fighting Cock True Fist rained down on him. This technique, which I'd gained almost for free after handing over that golden seal, had served me well for quite some time.
Yet Yeom Cheon Gyeong didn't dodge or retreat as my strikes approached. Instead, he raised his left arm at a slant to block.
Boom!
The sensation was like striking solid marble—I couldn't hide my shock. He hadn't mastered an external art on par with my Great Power Iron Hardening Skill, but his protective aura was exceptional.
The implication was clear.
'This guy's... at the pinnacle too!'
From what I knew, he was in his early thirties, yet already at the Entry to Divinity realm. Astonishing.
—Fighting Cock Changing Step!
I darted around, hunting for openings, but Yeom Cheon Gyeong was like an impregnable fortress.
"That all you got?"
After observing me for a round, he shook his head with a hint of disappointment. That was my cue—he was about to counter.
"Huuuup."
Yeom Cheon Gyeong drew a deep breath, then erupted with tremendous energy, altering the very air around us.
Twitch!
Veins bulged red across his muscle-bound frame, amplifying his power.
'Heavenly Throw Sect of the unorthodox world is a famed house of fist and foot arts.'
In the righteous martial world, Shaolin held that title, though theirs carried a heavier, more grounded feel. Heavenly Throw Sect, where Yeom Cheon Gyeong served as a key figure, boasted countless special techniques—but the pinnacle among them was undoubtedly...
—Heaven Evil Flying Throw!
The style he unleashed now: Heaven Evil Grappling Art.
What made this art terrifying wasn't just fists and feet—it was grappling, using the entire body as a weapon.
Whoosh!
His current move wasn't a simple strike; he launched his whole body at me like a human cannonball.
The immense power packed into him made it hard to judge: mobility technique or attack? Tough call.
Thud!
With Heaven Evil Flying Throw, he closed the gap in an instant and slammed into me. Even in that split second, I countered with Great Power Iron Hardening Skill's protective aura.
'Feels like crashing into a massive wall!'
My aura nearly faltered from the impact. It perfectly showcased why Heaven Evil Fighting Fist Yeom Cheon Gyeong was so formidable.
—Great Demon Head!
Having closed in with a body slam, he flowed seamlessly into a headbutt on the same breath. This embodied Heaven Evil Grappling Art's core: the whole body as a deadly weapon—from head to fingertips, elbows, even forehead or tongue.
'Truly elusive and ghostly.'
His style terrified because it defied standard fist-foot forms. Unpredictable strikes from impossible angles—peak irregularity.
His headbutt, like a iron mace crashing down, targeted my skull. I barely twisted away, and it grazed my shoulder instead.
Boom!
Normally, the head—with its brain—should suffer more in such a clash, but no such luck.
"Heh, soft bones and flesh."
Yeom Cheon Gyeong grinned like a cannibal, his head unscathed. In the martial world, Iron Head Skill specialized in headbutts, rare among righteous sects.
'Is this the essence of unorthodox arts?'
I now fully grasped why unorthodox techniques were so hard to handle and effective in real combat. Only someone like me could hold out; ordinary righteous fighters—especially academy students lacking battle experience—would crumble early.
Whoaaa!
As Yeom Cheon Gyeong seized early momentum, Paecheon Academy's unorthodox students went wild.
"That's it!"
"The pride of our unorthodox world!"
"Cheonmu can't touch Paecheon."
From vice head Blood Palm Heart-Stealer Ok Ji-san down to the lowliest students, they cheered as one.
"Hang in there, Cheon Myeong!"
"You can win!"
Our Cheonmu side, meanwhile, was gloomy as a funeral parlor—save for my die-hard allies Peng Jincheon, Meng Yuon, and Dan Ri-cheong. Even Baek Ho Jun looked openly disappointed, convinced there was no hope.
Too early for despair. I still had plenty up my sleeve.
Boom!
Fueled by the crowd, Yeom Cheon Gyeong launched another irregular assault—this time another Great Demon Head. Feigning one strike before headbutting again nearly caught me off guard, but I wouldn't lose.
'Remaking the Invincible Fist King who rises eight times after seven falls—my road stretches nine million miles ahead.'
Lots left to show; no folding early.
—Fighting Soul Violent Elbow!
Yeom Cheon Gyeong pressed on, this time not with his head but his elbow—the elbow. Feinting a punch, he folded his arm and whipped the sharp edge at my face like a blade.
'Now!'
His momentum peaked; a touch of overconfidence. He expected me to reel, but fat chance.
"Haaap!"
I surged my full power, channeling protective aura to its max.
—Great Power Iron Hardening Skill!
With it enveloping me, my defense was ironclad—tougher than ever. Why was this art cheat-tier? It turned critical moments into shields that rattled foes.
Thump!
I tanked his elbow straight-on. Some shock rippled through, but I'd fully blunted his thrust and intent.
"Wha—?"
Even a perfected warrior like him, still young, froze in surprise at the unexpected. His eyes betrayed panic.
I seized the gap. Patience had paid off; momentum swung back my way.
—Half Dragon Knee!
Irregular demands irregular. I don't lose—ever. Back in reality, I hadn't known my own fire, but possessing protagonist Cheon Myeong revealed it. Or maybe it was the hero's perk.
Splat, thud!
Feigning a kick, I snapped my knee up instead. He'd tasted success with head and elbow; I went low—his side.
"Guhk!"
Anyone who's taken a solid hit to the ribs knows: agony floods the body, forcing you to double over at right angles. Even masters are human.
His momentum shattered; he flinched, head dipping.
—Fighting Cock Angry Fist!
I drove Fighting Cock True Fist's pinnacle—a furious rooster's rage embodied—straight at his brow, aiming to smash his head like a watermelon.
"You dare!"
Whoosh!
Even then, he slid aside with grit, my fist grazing by a hair. Momentum shifted again—his to reclaim.
—Moon Palace Finger!
Irregular for irregular. This followed suit. As my Fighting Cock Angry Fist whiffed, I extended one finger into Moon Palace Finger.
"Wha—?"
Caught perfectly off-guard, he reeled back in shock, but the finger-wind was a razor bullet.
Crack!
Yeom Cheon Gyeong took the brutal hit, falling to defense for the first time. Common wisdom: finger strikes lack power for finishers despite precision. But Moon Palace Sect's secret Moon Palace Finger defied that.
Stagger!
His unbreakable legs began to buckle—proof the strike landed true.
Roooar!
The brief reversal unleashed Cheonmu's pent-up roar, like a dam bursting into flood.
"That technique... it's Moon Palace Sect's! How does he..."
Ice Witch Maiden Im Cho-ah, Nine Yin Society's top later-generation talent and Moon Palace's arch-rival, paled. As one of theirs, she knew it well.
I ignored her, focusing on my foe.
'Heaven Evil Fighting Fist Yeom Cheon Gyeong hasn't quit yet.'
I still held my finisher too. The real decider started now.
He was tenacious, no easy surrender. To break him, I had to shatter utterly.
'Here I go again!'
Vowing the killing blow, I charged once more.
—Reverse Step!
Feigning a dive to his flank, I baited then backstepped.
"...!!"
Falling for it, his knee buckled like a rupture. The unorthodox world's top later-gen prodigy broke fully.
His unguarded torso exposed, I thrust my palm with icy energy.
—Cold Seal Palm!