Episode 101 — Martial Arts Earth (12)

Zhuge Hyeok, the strategist of the Murim Alliance, was gazing out the window, fanning himself.

"Mo Yong-cheol...? What the hell has that lunatic done...? Send a letter to the Mo Yong family head. I need to see him."

"Yes, sir. And that man has disappeared."

"...The Heavenly Peak Lord missed him?"

Zhuge Hyeok folded his fan, his expression grave. The man who had disposed of the monster's arm was gone. They had thoroughly investigated every single vagabond who had entered through the entrance. How he had managed to slip in was utterly bizarre.

"Hmm... Surely not the Shadowless Divine Fist...? No, that can't be."

The Shadowless Divine Fist was famous for his footwork, not martial arts. Neither his gender nor his age had been properly revealed, but one thing was certain. He did not use a sword.

"Perhaps there's another passage?"

That certainly made more sense. Evading the eyes of both the Heavenly Peak Lord, a Supreme Peak master, and the Blood Fiend Magician simultaneously was nearly impossible. Only a Harmony Realm expert could do that.

'No.'

A Harmony Realm expert wasn't something that appeared so easily. It was a realm only reached by martial artists who had grown up with immense support from massive noble families and were blessed by heavenly fortune. Even among those grand families, there were only a handful of such absolute masters.

"Scour the area. We need to confirm who he is."

"Yes, sir."

"You said he definitely used a sword. What was his swordsmanship like?"

If the characteristics of the swordsmanship were distinct, they could identify him.

"There are a few who saw his sword, but... they all said something strange."

"Oh?"

After hesitating for a moment, the subordinate finally spoke. Even he didn't believe it, but he couldn't omit the report.

"They said it was like piercing the sun."

Zhuge Hyeok couldn't help but snicker. It was an absurd, preposterous story. The subordinate lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Haha...! Piercing the sun? That sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

It was like the legendary Shooting Sun Sword Art. These days, anyone who made such outrageous claims was treated as a fool. Piercing the sun? That was the kind of boast only believable in an era when martial arts weren't properly developed. Even the masters of the Jeomchang Sect didn't say things like that. They were merely fast swordsmen.

Si-woo looked beyond the Mixed Energy barrier and shook his head. Outside the barrier, the place was full of martial artists. The entrance via the water was the same. Martial artists who had arrived late and the Murim Alliance warriors were all mixed together.

'Guess I'll just train.'

In truth, there was no real reason he couldn't get out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if he forced it. There were many ways. He could strap on an oxygen tank and swim out through the water. But there was no urgent reason to leave either. He decided to kill time until the encirclement loosened.

He took out the legacy left by Mok Yi-do. An orb that looked like an enlarged pearl. A sound similar to telepathy echoed in his mind.

'Won't die from a beating...?'

The same words had different meanings depending on who said them. Coming from Mok Yi-do, who had contended for the title of Strongest Under Heaven, the words carried weight. He mulled over the mantra left by Mok Yi-do once more.

Flowing Clouds and Running Water was a martial art about flow. Clouds and water are originally one. Flowing water becomes clouds, and clouds become water again. Water resembled the endlessly changing Mixed Energy. Like water that ceaselessly changes and flows. Even the enemy's attacks were mixed into the Mixed Energy and flowed away. That was Flowing Clouds and Running Water. It was a technique of Qi and body that sensed and controlled the flow of power. For now, it was enough to know it was a technique for deflecting enemy attacks.

'Is it something like Tai Chi?'

This place was a suitable environment for training. He sat down by the water's edge where he had first entered this side room. He saw the placid, still water.

'Flow...'

He dipped his hand in; the cold water tickled his skin. The water, which had seemed so still, was circulating. He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt a subtle flow. He sat quietly, focusing on the water brushing past his hand. Perhaps because the light was dim, the water was clear but he couldn't see through it. It felt like he almost understood something, but not quite.

He was staring at it when he turned his head.

"You're awake?"

Seo Ji-yoo, who had woken up at some point, was frowning deeply.

"Where the hell is this...?"

"You don't even know the cave you were in?"

"I'm asking because it's the first time I've seen this place! And there's no way out either!"

"Mm...?"

It seemed she couldn't leave the Mixed Energy barrier from the inside either. She just couldn't see the path right in front of her.

"Wait."

He headed toward the corridor on the cave side. He heard someone's voice.

"......Nonsense."

"I-I swear it's true!"

A young man and a middle-aged swordsman. Besides them, dozens of warriors came rushing in. Seeing their uniforms, they seemed to be a single group.

'The Heavenly Peak Lord, I suppose?'

He had been quite surprised at first. An incredibly powerful master. But he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already knew that even a master like that couldn't see through the barrier. This was already the second time that man had come here.

"He was here...? Are you sure?"

"V-Very sure!"

The middle-aged man frowned and pondered for a long moment.

"Search the entire area! We need to check if there's another exit!"

"Yes, sir!"

The numerous martial artists who had been following the man quickly dispersed. Every single one of them looked like at least First-class to Peak level masters. The middle-aged man, left alone after everyone had vanished, muttered.

"He evaded my eyes...? That's impossible."

His fists were clenched as if he couldn't accept it. Si-woo felt a newfound curiosity about Mok Yi-do's level. A barrier that even a Supreme Peak master couldn't see through. And two hundred years had passed since then, too.

Si-woo quietly observed until the Heavenly Peak Lord disappeared. He ran simulations in his mind. A master he'd be lucky to beat even once in a hundred fights.

A voice came from behind him.

"What are you doing, staring at the wall?"

She asked again in a sulky voice.

"I said, what are you doing! How do we get out of here?"

He had been gentler with her toward the latter half of their sex. As a result, her spirit had revived. She was wearing the white tank top and dolphin shorts he had given her. Of course, no bra. The faint pink of her nipples was visible. Her snow-white flesh jiggled with every step. Her commendable figure naturally made his mouth water.

Noticing his gaze, she stepped back, covering her chest.

"Y-You beast...! How much more are you going to do! I'm tired!"

"Tch..."

He was about to stop but changed his mind.

'She's a thief anyway, right? I need to teach her more of a lesson.'

He strode toward her.

"W-Wait...?"

Squelch.

"Mmph...!"

As he grabbed her breasts, she stiffened up. It was as if she had been subdued by a pressure point ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strike. After making her climax from her nipples dozens of times, they had turned into a critical weak point.

"Haaah...!"

When he lightly pinched her nipples, a cute sound popped out.

'Those guys will leave on their own in a few days.'

He pulled Seo Ji-yoo into an embrace from behind. He planned to start with her favorite position — rear entry. If he hugged her from behind, pressing down on her nipples while thrusting, she would climax literally with every single thrust.

Another week passed. During that time, he ate, trained, and tumbled around with Seo Ji-yoo. Food wasn't a concern. He had his inventory. Seo Ji-yoo's hostility quickly faded the more their bodies intertwined. She had tried to escape a few times, but she gave up. Then she started training, and her eyes lit up.

"This place... is different somehow."

"How?"

"My focus is better than usual today."

"Could it be because of me?"

Seo Ji-yoo's face flushed bright red. He had been pounding her uterus with his Mixed Energy several times.

"T-That's part of it...! But this place itself is special too!"

"Hmm... Is that so?"

He had thought the improved focus over the past few days was an aftereffect of his awakening, but it seemed the location itself was special.

"By the way, is there a secret manual left by your master? The Shadowless Divine Fist is incredibly famous."

"......There isn't. She didn't pass down a manual."

To think she had robbed countless prestigious families but hadn't left a martial arts manual.

"No, why?"

"She said if my steps couldn't catch up to hers, it would be meaningless since I wouldn't be able to use it... and if I surpassed her, it would be even more meaningless... Hey, why am I even telling you this! Even if there was, it's mine anyway!"

"Well..."

He swallowed the words 'What's yours is mine.' He was a bit disappointed. He had been curious about how her martial arts worked and wanted to take a look.

Seo Ji-yoo glanced at him, checking his mood, then spoke.

"Shouldn't we be getting out soon?"

"There's still something I need to do."

A week had passed, and the encirclement had almost completely dispersed. He could leave anytime now.

"How much food do we have left...?"

"Hmm..."

"Huh...? D-Don't tell me we're out? Oh, no...!!"

She was worried about food first. It was endearing. Contrary to her worries, he had more than enough supplies to last ten or even a hundred years. In truth, there was only one reason he hadn't left this place.

When he mixed his Mixed Energy with a woman for the first time, he earned an unusually large amount of Karma. He stared at her with hawk-like eyes. A delectable prey was right in front of him.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden...?"