The Unbelievable Genius
It was a battle between the strongest of the strong, a clash of unbelievable geniuses. Bukjin chose not to employ the tactics Wang Hyeong-yeo had envisioned. He decided to claim victory himself.
Facing such a fair and honorable opponent, he believed that winning through straightforward means was the truest form of respect. A look of surprise flickered across Wang Hyeong-yeo’s face. For reasons she couldn't quite grasp, a sudden joy bloomed in her heart.
She was pleased that the opponent she acknowledged, now standing before her, intended to compete fairly, abandoning the bizarre methods he had used until now. This was a sign of respect, an acknowledgment of her worth.
Wang Hyeong-yeo extended her hand and swept it through the air. A cerulean longsword appeared in her grasp. It seemed Wang Hyeong-yeo also possessed a magical artifact capable of storing items in space.
The sword was three feet, three inches long. It was as supple as a tree branch and shimmered with a jade-like hue. As Wang Hyeong-yeo gripped the sword, a misty aura, imbued with the green light of vegetation, spread from her body. This energy, like verdant vines coiling around her, made Wang Hyeong-yeo, the First Academy’s top female swordswoman, appear like a spirit stepping out of a mystical forest.
Wood-attribute Hyeongi!
Bukjin recognized her Hyeongi attribute at a glance.
‘Hmm… interesting. I have water attribute, she has wood attribute. We’d be a good match. Water nourishes sprouts, which grow into trees and form a forest…’
Whoosh—!
A tearing sound echoed through the air. Bukjin stopped his idle thoughts and activated Tuhyang Jeol-ok-bo. His form flickered, moving to evade Wang Hyeong-yeo’s sword energy, which coiled around him like a vine.
Bukjin summoned his Deokgeom. Wang Hyeong-yeo was already within his attack range. She raised her sword and swung it horizontally at Bukjin with a wide arc.
Clang—!
A piercing metallic sound rang out. Bukjin felt a slight tremor in his wrist.
‘Good heavens?!’
Surprise welled up in Bukjin’s heart.
‘Wang Hyeong-yeo… she’s incredible.’
She looked so delicate, yet she possessed unbelievable monstrous strength.
‘Why didn’t she show this strength in the cauldron-lifting test earlier? Did she intentionally hide her abilities?’
Such thoughts flashed through Bukjin’s mind.
“You try taking my sword too!”
Bukjin swung his sword with immense force. It was a basic sword technique. But the power of that basic sword technique, executed with incredible Hyeongi and physical strength, was astonishing to all.
Wang Hyeong-yeo’s eyes gleamed. She showed no sign of evasion or fear. Instead, she met Bukjin’s sword head-on.
Clang—!
A second metallic clang rang out. From where their swords clashed, a visible wave of powerful Hyeongi spread outwards. The other eight spectators all covered their ears.
A great storm raged in Mi Yeo-yeon’s heart. She already knew from previous tests that Bukjin possessed terrifying power. The immense destructive force generated each time Bukjin swung his massive sword was truly bone-chilling.
Yet, Wang Hyeong-yeo was meeting Bukjin’s sword.
‘Did she also possess such incredible strength?!’
Han Bul-bu, Ak Hong-hyang, and Baek Geum-un’s eyes widened. This Academic & Martial Arts Competition truly had many hidden masters, like a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
From the current situation, it seemed Wang Hyeong-yeo, the First Academy’s top female swordswoman, had been concealing her true abilities all along.
Clang-clang-clang-clang—!
Continuous metallic clashes echoed from the deck of the Ryu Chae Jewel Merchant Ship. The thunderous sound shook the hearts of the spectators in the stands. Dignitaries from various prestigious academies also wore expressions of utter speechlessness.
‘What in the world is happening?’
‘How can such a small Unmong City produce so many geniuses?!’
“This feels good!” Bukjin shouted loudly. He truly felt exhilarated. Since his Musang-geom-che had reached the Black Iron Sword Bone realm, Bukjin hadn’t encountered an opponent who could truly match him in a test of strength.
The feeling of immense power clashing, powerful metallic sounds ringing out, and sparks flying was incredibly satisfying. Bukjin felt all the unpleasant feelings in his heart being swept away.
Bukjin swung his sword like a gale, continuously unleashing basic sword techniques. Around Wang Hyeong-yeo, the green wood-attribute Hyeongi grew increasingly dense. Green vines, manifested as Hyeongi illusions, covered a ten-foot radius around her, forming a dense forest.
At the same time, mysterious glowing patterns emerged on her cerulean longsword, emitting a powerful force. Faced with Bukjin’s immense monstrous strength, Wang Hyeong-yeo showed no signs of retreat. Her chosen tactic was the most straightforward: meet one sword with another.
Bukjin and Wang Hyeong-yeo exchanged blows endlessly. Swords clashed, and a sound like exploding thunder reverberated across the deck. The shock caused dozens of birds flying over the sea to be stunned and fall.
‘The strength she’s displaying is amplified by Hyeongi. Her physical strength is far weaker than mine. But it seems she’s using some secret technique to convert Hyeongi into physical strength. Wood-attribute Hyeongi is an energy that grows endlessly and excels in recovery. That must be why she can endure for so long.’
Bukjin gained this realization during the battle. While fighting Wang Hyeong-yeo, Bukjin felt his Musang-geom-che, which had been stagnant for a long time, being stimulated little by little. He felt something faint but hot flowing through his bones.
However, unfortunately, Bukjin did not possess the cultivation method for the realm beyond Black Iron Sword Bone, so even with this stimulation, he couldn’t further refine his skeletal structure or elevate his Musang-geom-che. Bukjin resolved that after this battle, he absolutely had to find a martial art suitable for refining his current skeletal structure. Otherwise, his physical strength would remain stagnant at its current state.
‘Huh? Since when did my ambition for martial arts achievement become so strong?’
Bukjin was surprised by this new aspect of himself.
As for Wang Hyeong-yeo:
‘This monster, Im Bukjin! He’s not using any Hyeongi at all, only physical strength, yet he’s matching the amplified power of my Frost-Born Vegetation secret technique! If he had used Hyeongi, I would have already been pushed back!’
A great shock coursed through Wang Hyeong-yeo’s heart. Frost-Born Vegetation was a true 4-star amplification secret technique. It was a Dao-infused secret art passed down by her mysterious master. Using this technique, she could unleash ten times her normal strength. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say she was invincible among those of her rank.
This secret technique was the source of her confidence. But in front of the monster that was Bukjin, even that confidence was fading.
‘I can’t keep this up.’
Wang Hyeong-yeo clashed swords three times in a row, then fiercely retreated, putting about ten jang of distance between them. And then, her aura suddenly began to change.
Bukjin did not pursue her. He simply stood quietly where he was, holding his sword, exuding a majestic presence like an unmoving mountain.
Bukjin emanated an unshakeable, insurmountable aura, like a mountain that could not be crossed.
‘Is she about to unleash her most powerful ultimate technique?’
Bukjin could sense what Wang Hyeong-yeo was about to do. From somewhere, the sound of water began to be heard. The sound merged with the surrounding waves, becoming the roar of a vast ocean. Blue Hyeongi erupted, forming a pillar of water that enveloped Bukjin.
And then, Wang Hyeong-yeo, standing opposite him, swept her left hand through the air. A vermillion greatsword appeared in her left hand. At the same time, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred!
The moment Wang Hyeong-yeo gripped the vermillion longsword, a crimson, flame-like light flowed from her palm like liquid, filling the sword’s blade.
Boom—!
As if oil had been poured on a fire, a crimson flame erupted powerfully, and a ten-foot-high blaze flickered over the longsword, instantly engulfing Wang Hyeong-yeo’s body as well. Intense heat spread in all directions. The space around Wang Hyeong-yeo appeared distorted by the shimmering heat haze.
“F-fire-attribute Hyeongi?” Bukjin exclaimed in shock. His other teammates, who were watching, all widened their eyes.
‘Two Hyeongi attributes?’
‘Did she awaken both wood and fire attributes simultaneously?’
‘How can such an unbelievable genius exist?!’
Bukjin narrowed his eyes. ‘To possess two Hyeongi attributes… I thought it was just a rare case found in textbooks, but it actually exists? She’s a genius that appears once in ten thousand people!’
Bukjin had thought his water attribute would complement her wood attribute well, but now it seemed Wang Hyeong-yeo could also use fire-attribute Hyeongi, making her possess an attribute that was antagonistic to his water attribute.
Bukjin observed Wang Hyeong-yeo closely. The green wood-attribute Hyeongi that had originally spread around Wang Hyeong-yeo did not weaken or disappear due to the newly appeared fire-attribute Hyeongi. Instead, it glowed even bluer, harmonizing with the intensity of the flames. Unconventionally, the wood-attribute Hyeongi seemed to be growing even more vigorous.
And the fire-attribute Hyeongi, in turn, received power from the wood attribute, burning even more fiercely and exuding an aura that seemed to pierce the heavens.
‘Incredible! Fire-attribute Hyeongi is antagonistic to wood-attribute Hyeongi, yet wood-attribute Hyeongi makes fire even stronger. It’s like a natural attribute imbued with the power of heaven and earth.’
A moment later, Wang Hyeong-yeo’s two Hyeongi attributes displayed a symbiotic fusion, showing power that far surpassed their original realms, regardless of whether it was fire or wood attribute.
“It seems everyone has underestimated you,” Bukjin involuntarily praised.
Wang Hyeong-yeo replied, “I feel that everyone has underestimated you as well.”
Bukjin smiled. Having increased his abilities with unbelievable ease using the smartphone, a method no ordinary person could imagine, Bukjin felt a strange sense of embarrassment.
But then, it occurred to Bukjin that Wang Hyeong-yeo might have inherited some special secret technique or received special treatment at the First Academy to reach her current level. Otherwise, it was simply too unbelievable for a junior academy student to have cultivated two Hyeongi attributes and even comprehended the realm of symbiotic growth.