Chapter 12
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Earning His Qualification
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The Snow Family Head and the Cold Family Head stared at Seol Hwa-un with bewildered expressions.
“Is that really the skill he achieved after just one year of training?”
“It doesn’t make sense! This is truly unbelievable…….”
“It’s not an extraordinary level, but he even manifested fist aura. I can’t believe it at all.”
To manifest sword aura or fist aura, one needed to be at least a first-rate master.
“If I’m not mistaken…… did the young palace lord just overcome the Ice Yin Track Palm’s palm force with the Broad Cold Fist?”
At the Winter Family Head’s question, the Yan Family Head nodded gravely.
“That’s right. However, since Mu-hwi unleashed it in haste, it wasn’t his full-powered palm strike.”
“Even so, it wasn’t a powerful technique like the Fist Bell Seal Peak or the Circular Whirlwind Fist?”
It was common knowledge that the Broad Cold Fist’s power itself fell short of the Ice Yin Track Palm.
“……A highly refined Circular Whirlwind Fist rivals the Fist Bell Seal Peak in power.”
Even as he said it, the Yan Family Head wore an incredulous expression.
‘He hasn’t been learning fist techniques for long, yet he’s already mastered the Broad Cold Fist to that level……?’
‘The Ice Family Head must have known about the young palace lord’s martial arts, since he taught him fist techniques!’
Seeing the Ice Family Head watching the arena with a faint smile, they were convinced.
‘He knew about the young palace lord’s skills. That’s why he proposed the spar.’
‘Ice Family Head, you’re really playing it like this?’
This time, their gazes turned to Seol Wi-myeong.
‘No doubt about it! The young palace lord has been hiding his skills all this time!’
It wasn’t unreasonable to think so. No matter how much of a genius one was, becoming a first-rate master in just one year was hard to believe.
The Winter Family Head couldn’t hide his uneasy look as he glanced at the Yan Family Head.
“If things turn out like this…….”
“Don’t worry. No matter how impressive the young palace lord seems, he’s no match for Mu-hwi.”
“It’s not that I doubt Eom Mu-hwi’s skills. The problem is that the young palace lord has shown enough potential.”
The Yan Family Head bit his lip.
“It doesn’t matter. We focus on the fact that Mu-hwi won and press them as hard as possible. Winter Family Head, you mustn’t waver.”
“……Understood.”
His gaze returned to the arena.
‘It’s not over yet. Mu-hwi, take down the young palace lord first! I’ll handle the rest somehow after that!’
In contrast, Seol Wi-myeong wore a subtle smile.
‘Well done, Hwa-un.’
He was impressed by Seol Hwa-un’s skills, but they were within his predicted range so far.
‘He surely has more to show, right?’
Eom Mu-hwi’s aura exploded outward. A chilling cold began to envelop the arena.
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed.
‘Ice Extreme Heart Formula? No, Ice River True Origin Art?’
The supreme art learned by North Sea Ice Palace warriors who had built their foundation with the Ice Extreme Heart Formula was the Ice River True Origin Art.
Excluding the Ice White Divine Art, it was the most powerful divine art in the North Sea Ice Palace.
‘Judging by the aura, he’s already reached a considerable level.’
It was an astonishing achievement, hard to believe from a late-stage novice.
‘As expected of a genius.’
But Seol Hwa-un’s admiration ended there. In his previous life, he had seen countless warriors called geniuses.
‘They were called that before comparing to me.’
He was a genius on a whole different level. He had mastered the Mixed Origin Sect’s famed difficult art, the Blazing Flower Fist, by the age of twenty-five.
And at thirty, he defeated the Huangbo family’s Fist King and proved himself the world’s greatest fist master.
Eom Mu-hwi extended his fingers to form a hand blade. His stance slowly shifted.
‘That stance…….’
Seol Hwa-un instinctively knew.
‘Yan Family Soul-Hooking Hand!’
At last, Eom Mu-hwi was about to unveil the Yan Family’s signature technique, the Yan Family Soul-Hooking Hand.
Sharp sword intent radiated from Eom Mu-hwi’s body in all directions. Even Seol Hwa-un felt its influence.
‘So this is the Soul-Hooking Hand Aura.’
The Yan Family Soul-Hooking Hand, dense with killing intent, was a peculiar martial art in many ways.
Though a hand technique, it could generate aura at the fingertips for attacks as sharp as daggers.
It resembled twin swordplay at a glance, but using hands allowed far greater freedom and variety in changes.
Once mastery surpassed a certain level, like Eom Mu-hwi’s, it emitted sharp sword intent akin to a swordsman’s formless sword aura—this was called the ‘Soul-Hooking Hand Aura.’
“Be careful.”
Flash!
With his warning, Eom Mu-hwi’s form shot forward like lightning.
‘Soul-Hooking Twin Slash!’
Swoosh!
His hands, cloaked in clear Soul-Hooking Hand Aura, targeted Seol Hwa-un’s upper and lower body simultaneously.
“……!”
It seemed Seol Hwa-un’s form would be torn apart by Eom Mu-hwi’s hands at any moment.
Even the watching Yan Family Head felt a chill in his chest.
‘M-Mu-hwi! That’s too…….’
Even in a spar, if the young palace lord got hurt, he couldn’t bear the consequences.
But it was merely the Yan Family Head’s needless worry.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out as Seol Hwa-un’s form was pushed back. Not due to overwhelming power, but because he retreated voluntarily to disperse the impact.
Eom Mu-hwi, as if anticipating that much, immediately swung his hands again. Soul-Hooking Hand Aura extended in all directions.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
‘Quite sharp.’
But his admiration stopped there.
A year ago, it might have been different, but it posed no great threat to the current Seol Hwa-un.
He deflected the Soul-Hooking Hand Aura with minimal movement.
Pop!
Pop-pop!
A few strands of hair were all that flew; from Eom Mu-hwi’s perspective, it was infuriatingly perfect evasion.
‘Fine, then…….’
Suddenly, he clasped his hands together. The two hands’ Soul-Hooking Hand Aura merged, growing explosively in size.
Swoosh!
Its length exceeded three feet.
‘Young palace lord, can you withstand this?’
‘Soul-Hooking Mountain Cleaver!’
The massive Soul-Hooking Hand Aura plunged toward Seol Hwa-un.
Swoooosh!
Soon, a tremendous explosion resounded.
Kwaaaang!
Rumble-rumble!
And one side of the arena collapsed outright.
“……!”
The onlookers’ hearts sank, but Seol Hwa-un had already evaded the attack and closed in on Eom Mu-hwi.
‘Truly astonishing!’
‘He perfectly dodges that tremendous blow without flinching?’
It wasn’t something achievable with talent alone. It required countless experiences dancing on the edge of life and death.
As if it were now his turn, Seol Hwa-un thrust his fist forward.
‘Fist Flow Leisure.’
Popopopopopa!
The countless fist shadows he created poured toward Eom Mu-hwi.
‘To dodge so easily…….’
Grit!
Though the aftermath of the Soul-Hooking Mountain Cleaver lingered, Eom Mu-hwi clenched his teeth and reignited the Soul-Hooking Hand Aura in his hands.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-boom!
Explosions erupted each time their hands clashed.
Fortunately, Eom Mu-hwi knew the Broad Cold Fist’s trajectories; otherwise, he couldn’t have blocked them.
But Seol Hwa-un’s assault didn’t end there.
‘Fist Bell Seal Peak.’
The countless fist shadows converged into one and shot straight forward.
Paaaang!
Eom Mu-hwi quickly clasped his hands into a cross shape.
Kwaaaang!
‘Urk!’
Unable to withstand the power, his form was hurled back greatly. His sleeves had turned to powder, exposing his forearms.
At least there were no major injuries.
‘That was close.’
Eom Mu-hwi braced for the follow-up, but no further attacks came.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un simply watched him leisurely.
Like a master looking down on an inferior.
Eom Mu-hwi’s face hardened involuntarily.
‘I won’t lose!’
He unleashed the Yan Family Soul-Hooking Hand once more.
Swoosh!
The Soul-Hooking Hand Aura flew threateningly, but Seol Hwa-un lightly tilted his head back to evade.
‘I knew it!’
As if waiting, Eom Mu-hwi unleashed his trump card.
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
His two hands instantly multiplied into nine.
‘Soul-Hooking Nine Tribulations!’
The nine hands traced bizarre arcs as they flew in.
“……!”
They cunningly blocked escape routes, making evasion difficult this time.
Yet in this moment of crisis, Seol Hwa-un was thinking something else.
‘He’s even better than I thought.’
He had assumed chaining the Broad Cold Fist’s techniques would suffice to defeat Eom Mu-hwi.
But he endured tenaciously.
‘Even knowing the forms in advance…….’
Seol Hwa-un decided.
‘I’ll praise you. You’ve forced me to use “this fist technique.”’
He pulled his fist back to his waist.
Thud.
A heavy aura wave spread outward.
In the midst of unleashing his technique, Eom Mu-hwi suddenly felt the surrounding air grow heavier.
‘……No way?’
Seol Hwa-un’s fist began to glow pure white.
‘Fist Cannon One Split.’
Kwaaaa!
‘Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist?!’
The shocked Eom Mu-hwi poured all his strength into gathering his nine hand shadows to block the fist strike.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Crack-crack-crack!
A massive explosion like tearing the air resounded, and the arena floor cracked massively around the impact point.
“……!”
Amid the onlookers’ shock, Eom Mu-hwi’s form was pushed back wildly.
‘To have mastered even the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist…….’
Its power was tremendous. Despite concentrating his ultimate Soul-Hooking Nine Tribulations, he couldn’t fully neutralize the Fist Cannon One Split.
Just as he thought he’d somehow blocked it.
‘No?!’
His eyes widened. Seol Hwa-un, whom he assumed pushed back by the impact, was right in front of him.
‘W-When……!’
“This ends it.”
With an indifferent expression, Seol Hwa-un thrust his fist again.
Swoooosh!
Swoosh!
Swish!
Fist strikes extended in succession. The second was faster than the first, the third faster still.
With each accumulating strike, the pressure on Eom Mu-hwi multiplied exponentially.
When the strikes merged into one, Eom Mu-hwi felt an overwhelming crushing weight with no way to counter.
‘Urgh!’
He instinctively realized what fist technique Seol Hwa-un was using now.
‘This is…… Three Layers Pressure Fist?!’
It was the second form of the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist.
“Haaap!”
Eom Mu-hwi forcibly drew up his inner energy to move, but it fell short.
Kwaaaaang!
“Guh!”
Spewing a line of blood, Eom Mu-hwi flew backward and tumbled off the arena, collapsing.
Thud.
“……!”
The onlookers stared at Seol Hwa-un atop the arena in shock.
He quietly cupped his fists.
“Does this qualify me now?”