Chapter 131
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Fierce Fist-Spear Clash
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Boom!
With a heavy explosion, the two figures were pushed back steadily. It was the result of their lightning-fast fist and spear tip clashing.
“……!”
The onlookers' eyes widened. It was on a completely different level from the movements they had shown before.
“Oooo!”
“This is where the real fight begins!”
Ak Ja-hwa stepped forward again, unleashing a barrage of spear strikes at terrifying speed.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The momentum and sharpness contained within were so overwhelming that the spectators felt as if those spear shadows were flying straight at them.
“Wah!”
But that illusion lasted only a moment.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
At a glance, there were over a hundred spear shadows, all intercepted by Seol Hwa-un's fist.
“……!”
A glint flashed in Ak Ja-hwa's eyes.
‘He blocked my Hundred Shadow Halberd with one hand?’
No one else noticed, but he knew Seol Hwa-un had only moved his left hand.
‘Truly an impressive fist master!’
No sooner had the spear shadows vanished than Seol Hwa-un thrust out his right fist.
‘Fist Cannon One Split.’
Kwaaaa!
“……!”
Ak Ja-hwa quickly retreated, drawing his Dragon Blood Spear in an X shape.
Kwaaaang!
The energy of the Fist Cannon One Split was sliced by the spear and dissipated into the air.
‘As expected of the Soul-Shattering Spear. Neutralizing Fist Cannon One Split so effortlessly.’
But Ak Ja-hwa's thoughts were different.
‘Incredible power. I nearly lost control of my spear.’
They had exchanged blows, but curiously, their positions were exactly the same as when the duel began.
It was a perfectly even match.
“To think you'd block my spear strikes so easily. As expected of the North Heaven Dragon.”
“Your spearmanship is impressive as well.”
“I can get a bit more serious now.”
Ak Ja-hwa smiled faintly and let his Dragon Blood Spear droop downward.
“…….”
It looked like a careless stance at first glance. But Seol Hwa-un saw it differently.
‘Is this the true form of the Soul-Shattering Spear? No openings whatsoever.’
He had the illusion that if he approached even slightly, the spear would pierce right through him.
‘But I can't just stand by and watch.’
Seol Hwa-un's figure slid forward. Surprisingly, his speed was extremely slow.
“……?!”
He closed the distance with Ak Ja-hwa little by little, inch by inch. A furrow formed between Ak Ja-hwa's brows.
‘What is he aiming for? Is he trying to make me impatient?’
Ak Ja-hwa maintained his razor-sharp tension, staring at Seol Hwa-un.
‘Just a little closer…….’
Unknowingly, he was waiting for Seol Hwa-un.
Only three inches remained. A bit closer, and Ak Ja-hwa would thrust without hesitation.
At that moment.
Bang!
Seol Hwa-un's figure shot forward like lightning, closing the gap in an instant.
‘Oh no!’
Having grown accustomed to Seol Hwa-un's slow movement, Ak Ja-hwa's reaction was a beat late.
Seol Hwa-un, now inside Ak Ja-hwa's guard, thrust his fist.
Thud!!
With a heavy impact, Ak Ja-hwa's figure was pushed back. Astonishingly, he had raised his spear shaft at that instant to perfectly block the attack.
‘Good judgment.’
Instead of thrusting wildly in panic, Ak Ja-hwa had chosen defense in that split second.
But the momentum had already shifted to Seol Hwa-un.
Seol Hwa-un pressed after the retreating Ak Ja-hwa, unleashing a flurry of fist strikes.
Thud!
Kwang!
Kwaaang!
He was barely defending with the spear shaft, but Ak Ja-hwa's face twisted bit by bit.
‘Ugh! Such heavy fists in succession?’
It was hard to believe given the speed.
In a duel between a spear user and a fist master, distance was crucial.
Having yielded that distance, Ak Ja-hwa had no choice but to be pushed back repeatedly.
Bang!
Dong Ho-won, watching, unconsciously clenched his fist.
“Nice!”
Eom Mu-hwi chuckled.
“The Young Palace Lord has the advantage, it seems.”
“Of course. Once you're that close, a spear user has no real counter.”
“…….”
“Against an amateur opponent, maybe, but the Young Palace Lord, who already knows the spear's weaknesses from sparring with me, wouldn't miss this chance.”
“You look thrilled.”
“Isn't it obvious? I said the Young Palace Lord has the edge.”
Eom Mu-hwi shrugged.
“No, I thought you'd empathize with the Soul-Shattering Spear since you're both spear users.”
“……Huh?”
Dong Ho-won's face suddenly paled as he put himself in Ak Ja-hwa's shoes.
“……!”
He felt the illusion of Seol Hwa-un burrowing into his own guard and raining down fists.
“Damn it! Hey, Eom Mu-hwi, you did that on purpose!”
“Hahaha, your instincts are sharpening.”
“You bastard?”
Dong Ho-won stopped mid-reprimand as he glared at Eom Mu-hwi. His expression turned blank.
“What's wrong?”
Following his gaze, Eom Mu-hwi's eyes also widened.
“……!”
Ak Ja-hwa had done something utterly incomprehensible to them.
‘What the hell is he doing?’
Pushed into a defensive position, Ak Ja-hwa suddenly tossed his Dragon Blood Spear into the air.
Whirrl!
“……!”
It was bewildering, but Seol Hwa-un kept his cool and thrust his fist.
Swoosh!
Now empty-handed, Ak Ja-hwa swung both arms as if to block the fist strike. It was the Ak Family Scattering Hands, the clan's second-best art after spearmanship.
Paaah!
But since it was executed in a dire situation, it lacked the power to fully block Seol Hwa-un's fist.
Kwaaang!
“Ugh!”
The impact was massive; his figure slid back steadily.
‘Chance!’
Seol Hwa-un, aggressively closing in, suddenly felt a chill.
‘Hm?’
Moreover, Ak Ja-hwa's gestures as he retreated bothered him.
‘As if he's controlling something…….’
“……!”
Seol Hwa-un's eyes widened at the eerie premonition as he looked up. He spotted the spear plummeting toward him with ferocious momentum.
Screee!
‘Too late to dodge!’
With his judgment made, Seol Hwa-un circulated his Ice White Divine Art. In an instant, his fist turned snow-white.
‘Ice Lord Soaring Bullet!’
Shuuu!
A streak of pure white light shot from his fist, colliding with the Dragon Blood Spear.
Kwaaaaaang!
With a tremendous explosion, his figure was pushed back steadily, and the spear embedded itself into the ground.
Thud!
The onlookers cried out in amazement.
“Oooo!”
“Could that be Spear Control Art?”
Spear Control Art was on the same level as Sword Control Art, freely manipulating a spear in mid-air—a supreme realm.
It was said one needed at least the Heavenly Martial Realm to even attempt it.
“Is the Soul-Shattering Spear a Heavenly Martial Realm expert?”
“No way!”
By now, the duel had come to a halt. Ak Ja-hwa gave a wry smile as he retrieved his spear from the ground.
“My ultimate technique, blocked. Impressive indeed.”
“You startled me. What kind of trick was that?”
Ak Ja-hwa's move had truly been astonishing. But Seol Hwa-un knew.
‘It wasn't Spear Control Art.’
If it had been, the spear wouldn't have stuck in the ground; it would have circled back to pursue him relentlessly.
“It's called the Ink Cloud Falling Thunder Spear. What you just saw was a slight variation.”
“Impressive. I heard the Shandong Ak Family's fame had faded, but it seems that was all lies.”
“I was surprised too. Now I understand why the North Heaven Dragon is excluded from discussions of later-generation talents.”
Cheers erupted from the surroundings.
“Waaaaah!”
“Awesome! Soul-Shattering Spear!”
“As expected of the North Heaven Dragon!”
Having spent time in the North Sea, Seol Hwa-un's fame as the North Heaven Dragon had somewhat dimmed, but he reaffirmed it to the world once more.
Meanwhile, Ak Ja-hwa demonstrated why the Shandong Ak Family, whose reputation had been waning after his humiliation by Seol Hwa-un, remained one of the Eight Great Families.
“…….”
Both were satisfied with the outcome. They had achieved their goal of dueling right in the middle of the street.
Ak Ja-hwa gazed at Seol Hwa-un anew.
‘To block the Ink Cloud Falling Thunder Spear. I thought it'd at least injure him.’
Yet Seol Hwa-un looked perfectly fine.
“…….”
For a moment, Ak Ja-hwa felt the urge to go all-out against him. But he suppressed it.
‘If I lose, it can't be undone.’
Seol Hwa-un's skills still showed no end in sight. This much was achievement enough.
‘There'll be another chance someday.’
“Well then…….”
Ak Ja-hwa turned and walked away from Seol Hwa-un. Coincidentally, Dong Ho-won stood in his path.
Sure enough.
Ak Ja-hwa made eye contact with Dong Ho-won.
“Ah?”
“You must be the North Sea Spear Tiger.”
Caught off guard that Ak Ja-hwa would speak to him, Dong Ho-won panicked.
“P-pleased to meet you, Hero Ak.”
Ak Ja-hwa smiled faintly.
“It's heartening to see another later-generation talent proficient in spearmanship, beyond that Su-jeon fellow, regardless of origin.”
“…….”
As he passed Dong Ho-won, he sent a transmission.
[Seeing you in person, your level is astonishing. But stay alert. That Su-jeon will soon end his seclusion.]
“……!”
Ak Su-jeon, the Spear Dragon and young heir of the Ak Family.
Word was he had returned to the clan after the Young Alliance Gathering shock and remained in secluded training until now.
‘This should be interesting.’
Ak Ja-hwa turned and vanished into the crowd. Seol Hwa-un watched him until he disappeared.
“…….”
He had paid lip service, but Seol Hwa-un was genuinely impressed by Ak Ja-hwa's martial arts.
‘Though ranked low among the Eight Great Families, the Shandong Ak Family's foundation is no joke. To produce such an expert.’
His fist that had blocked the Ink Cloud Falling Thunder Spear still tingled.
Of course, it was a split-second strike without full power, but considering he wore Shadowless Fist Gloves, it spoke to the technique's formidable power.
Ak Ja-hwa was far superior to the rumors.
‘Someday, if there's a chance, I'd like to see his true strength.’
Of course, Seol Hwa-un would go all-out then too.
* * *
East of Hefei.
Following the new grand road, one could see a massive fortress—that was the main stronghold of the Chengtian Alliance, one of the Three Great Powers of the world.
“……!”
Seol Hwa-un and his group couldn't help but be awed by its scale.
“Wow!”
Dong Ho-won kept blinking as he surveyed the Chengtian Alliance.
Seol Hwa-un chuckled.
‘A bit larger than the Martial Alliance.’
It was as if they were subtly asserting their superiority over the Martial Alliance.
‘Must have cost a fortune.’
Meanwhile, the Chengtian Alliance entrance was packed with crowds, a sea of people.
“Hey! Don't push!”
“You there, no cutting!”
“Please maintain order! Do you even know where you are?”
Shouts rang out from all directions.
Even with three days left, people had flocked to see the Chengtian Alliance Lord's inauguration.
“Enter in the order you lined up! Anyone causing trouble will be punished according to our alliance's rules!”
A warrior in uniform emblazoned with the character for "Justice" bellowed with inner power, finally calming the commotion.
“Impressive. Even the regular gate guards have serious inner strength.”
“As expected of one of the Three Great Powers.”
Dong Ho-won frowned.
“Do we have to line up here too?”
“No choice.”
At Eom Mu-hwi's words, Dong Ho-won grumbled.
“But we were officially invited…….”
Seol Hwa-un started walking.
“It'll take a while, so let's move.”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord.”
As they lined up, a burly man in brown uniform approached them.
“Excuse me…….”
“……?”
Dong Ho-won turned casually and flinched involuntarily.
‘Gasp! What a build…….’
He prided himself on his own sturdy frame, but this man had broad shoulders like a slab and was a head taller, as if he had an extra head on top.
The giant stepped up to Seol Hwa-un and spoke joyfully.
“Young Palace Lord!”
“……?”
A puzzled look crossed Seol Hwa-un's face.