Chapter 176
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Challenge to the North Heaven Dragon
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In response to Hwang Bo-young's completely unexpected declaration, not only Sama-won beside him but the audience as a whole fell into a momentary daze.
"To the North Heaven Dragon... "
"... a challenge?"
However, that moment was extremely brief.
"A matchup between the North Heaven Dragon and the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament champion!"
"I can't let this pass!"
"This is the real deal!"
Roars soon poured toward the judges' platform.
"Accept it, North Heaven Dragon!"
"I've always wondered just how amazing you are!"
Pung Jin-ja burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament is truly special. For the champion to challenge a judge, no less."
It was something that would normally be unimaginable.
Judges were typically elders at minimum, and at that level, no matter how exceptional a late-generation talent was, they couldn't compare.
But this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament had invited Seol Hwa-un as a special judge, which was why this was happening.
Pung Jin-ja asked.
"What will you do?"
Seol Hwa-un smirked.
"In this atmosphere, refusing might get me mobbed, so what choice do I have? I'll accept."
"Hahaha. Indeed. Then go easy on the champion so he doesn't lose face."
"I'll try."
Seol Hwa-un slowly rose from his seat.
"I accept the challenge."
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
The cheers that erupted were even louder than when the champion had been decided.
[Did it have to be right here? If it's a spar, I could do it anywhere else.]
Hwang Bo-young replied to Seol Hwa-un's transmission.
[I wanted to face off against the Little Palace Lord right here. Truth be told, I even hoped you might enter the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament.]
[Must have been disappointing to see me as a judge.]
[A little.]
Just a few years ago, Seol Hwa-un had been merely an object of admiration for Hwang Bo-young.
But with his growing ambition for martial arts, he had become a target he desperately wanted to surpass.
Seol Hwa-un, who had descended onto the arena stage, spoke.
"You don't seem injured, but your internal energy must be depleted, so circulate your qi and adjust your breathing first."
"Then I won't hold back."
Hwang Bo-young immediately sat cross-legged and began circulating his energy.
Soon, an immense aura emanated from his body.
'Impressive internal strength, as expected.'
The audience waited patiently without growing bored for Huang Bo-young to finish adjusting his breathing.
After about two kebaks of time had passed, Hwang Bo-young untied his legs and stood.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No matter. Have you fully recovered your internal energy?"
"Yes."
Seol Hwa-un and Hwang Bo-young faced each other.
"For three years, I've trained to the brink of death with you as my goal, Little Palace Lord. I want to confirm right here on this stage just how close I've gotten."
"Very well."
Seol Hwa-un spoke with both hands hanging loosely at his sides.
"Come."
"...!"
He wasn't even in a stance, just standing there calmly.
Yet Hwang Bo-young felt a suffocating pressure, as if facing a massive wall.
'As expected, incredible! Yes, this is the might of the North Heaven Dragon.'
Of course, that didn't mean he intended to back down.
"Huu."
After taking a deep breath, Hwang Bo-young lunged forward.
Paak!
He kicked off the ground so forcefully that a footprint was left behind.
'Fast.'
It was definitely quicker than when he had fought Ma Seong-gyun.
Seol Hwa-un recognized Hwang Bo-young's footwork.
'Heavenly King Great Step.'
It was the supreme foot technique boasted by the Hwangbo Family.
A smile naturally formed on his lips.
'Excellent.'
In actual combat, internal energy, lightness skill—everything.
'It’s already quite complete.'
One could see the bone-grinding effort he had put in.
At that moment, having closed the distance, Hwang Bo-young swung a fist loaded with immense inner force.
Shuwaaak!
'I'll receive it.'
Seol Hwa-un's left hand clashed with Hwang Bo-young's fist.
Kwaaaang!
A massive explosion rang out, and Hwang Bo-young was pushed back three steps.
"...!"
But Seol Hwa-un hadn't budged an inch from his spot.
"H-How...!"
In terms of raw internal energy, the gap between them wasn't that wide. Hwang Bo-young's internal strength was that tremendous.
Even visually, it didn't seem like Seol Hwa-un had put in an overwhelming amount.
Yet the result was the complete opposite.
Seol Hwa-un said.
"Fist strikes relying solely on internal energy have their limits. You'll realize it soon enough, Young Master Hwangbo."
Instead of replying, Hwang Bo-young let out a spirited shout.
"Haaap!"
He charged again, swinging his fist. A clear fist qi extended forth.
'Fist qi.'
Compared to fist wind, its range was generally shorter, but its power was superior.
Moreover, at a higher realm, the range of fist qi could dramatically extend to match sword qi, and at this distance, range wasn't an issue.
'But he's too hasty.'
Seol Hwa-un casually deflected the fist qi's trajectory with a light sweep of his hand.
Kwaaaang!
Thanks to that, a large hole was gouged into the arena floor off to the side.
"...!"
Hwang Bo-young could hardly comprehend what had just happened.
'He didn't block it—he redirected it!'
But even as he thought that, he didn't stop his fists.
Shushushushushu!
A barrage of ferocious fist strikes poured toward Seol Hwa-un.
Papapapapa!
Seol Hwa-un leisurely stepped aside, evading every attack.
Hwang Bo-young's pupils trembled. He gritted his teeth and swung even faster.
Swaaawaak!
But it was futile. Seol Hwa-un was still dodging his fists with ridiculous ease.
"The Hwangbo Family's fist art isn't about speed. This pace is too middling."
"...!"
"Don't be impatient. Unleash your own fist art."
Hwang Bo-young halted his attacks and took a deep breath.
"Huu! Thank you for the advice."
"Since it's come to this, you shouldn't leave any regrets, right?"
"Yes!"
Hwang Bo-young's fist art changed. The speed slowed compared to before, but it grew more majestic and intense.
Seeing this, Seol Hwa-un felt it had become far trickier to handle.
'Yes, Young Master Hwangbo. This is the Hwangbo Family's fist art.'
Only now did Hwang Bo-young seem to fully relax and display his true skill.
He had boldly issued the challenge, but his opponent was the North Heaven Dragon, after all. He couldn't help but be tense.
'Now it'll be a proper spar.'
Papapapapang!
Their fist strikes intertwined, producing successive massive whooshes.
Kung! Kung! Kung!
Crack crack crack!
That was far from all. The shockwaves from the clashing strikes cracked the arena floor.
Before long, it became hard to find an intact spot on the stage.
"...!"
Hwang Bo-young was thrilled. He couldn't recall ever unleashing his martial arts so freely.
'And even with an opponent present...'
Seol Hwa-un dodged or blocked attacks from time to time.
Paak!
Sometimes, a heavy fist strike would push Seol Hwa-un back.
He would face crises from Seol Hwa-un's sharp counterattacks right after, but somehow defend and launch another offensive.
'This is a true clash of equals, facing a worthy rival!'
The speed and power of the fists matched his own perfectly. It felt like sparring with himself.
"...?!"
In that moment of realization, Hwang Bo-young snapped to his senses.
'The Little Palace Lord couldn't possibly be matching my strength and speed!'
He gritted his teeth and swung a massive fist.
Kwang!
Their fists collided, sending both staggering back three steps side by side.
"..."
Hwang Bo-young said with a hardened expression.
"You're being too considerate of me, Little Palace Lord. This isn't a proper spar."
"..."
"Show me your true power!"
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
"My apologies. Don't misunderstand. I was merely matching your pace to accurately gauge your full strength."
"..."
"That said, 'true power.' You won't regret it?"
Hwang Bo-young replied confidently.
"I'm not weak, Little Palace Lord."
A satisfying answer.
"Very well."
In an instant, Seol Hwa-un's demeanor shifted. His aura began to expand bit by bit.
"...!"
In stark contrast, Hwang Bo-young's expression gradually stiffened.
Whiiiii!
A wind blew from somewhere. It was an intensely cold and fierce gale, unfit for the mild weather. At its center stood Seol Hwa-un.
'This is...'
For once, Seol Hwa-un named his technique.
"Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist, Third Stance."
Kukukugu!
Even the arena stage began to tremble. An alarm bell rang in Hwang Bo-young's mind.
'Danger! Move, now!'
Yet he stood frozen, unable to budge. He was completely overwhelmed by Seol Hwa-un's presence.
'Kuh!'
A pure white chill gathered from somewhere, converging on Seol Hwa-un's fist.
Tszutszutszutsu!
"...!"
Finally, Seol Hwa-un's fist thrust forward.
"Ten Thousand Snow Breakers."
Kuaaaaa!
Hwang Bo-young sensed an unprecedented force he couldn't possibly withstand.
'Ah...!'
He couldn't even think to dodge, staring blankly.
Paaaaang!
A whoosh like tearing air rang out, followed by a massive explosion.
Kwaaaaaang!!
Kugugugu.
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
"...!"
Hwang Bo-young, who had instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, opened them in a daze once the shaking stopped.
"..."
His gaze fixed on the center of the arena stage. The stage had vanished, replaced by a massive ice pillar.
"I-It can't be."
Seol Hwa-un had deliberately unleashed his technique at the arena's center, not at Hwang Bo-young.
'Had that fist been aimed at me...'
"Gulp."
Hwang Bo-young swallowed dryly without realizing it.
The spectators were equally stunned.
"Whoa!"
"I-Is that really human martial arts?"
"The North Heaven Dragon is on another level entirely."
They stared at Seol Hwa-un in a stupor.
At that moment.
Pang!
The massive ice pillar shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions like falling snow.
The audience gasped as ice shards rained down on their heads.
"Snow from a clear sky."
"What an bizarre experience."
And so, the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament concluded with Seol Hwa-un's shocking display of prowess.
* * *
That evening.
To celebrate the end of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, the Martial Alliance held a grand banquet.
Seol Hwa-un attended since he couldn't refuse outright, but grew annoyed by the martial artists constantly approaching him and slipped away at an opportune moment.
With nothing urgent, Seol Hwa-un walked slowly toward the Noble Guest Pavilion, lost in thought.
'It was quite rewarding.'
Though the spars were among late-generation talents far below his level, he had gauged the progress of Central Plains martial arts over the past two hundred years.
'And helpful, too.'
Despite the skill gap, the directions and concepts of those arts were fresh even to him.
'Useful references for creating new techniques.'
That alone made judging the tournament worthwhile.
As he arrived at the Noble Guest Pavilion immersed in such thoughts, a familiar figure came into view.
"Hm?"
"Where have you been? Coming back only now?"
The one speaking with furrowed brows was none other than Vermilion Bird Brigade Leader So Hye-ran.
"What brings you here?"
"To meet the great North Heaven Leader."
"Me?"
"Yes. I thought you were at the banquet hall, but when I went, you'd already sneaked out. So I hurried here thinking you might have returned to the pavilion..."
"I walked slowly."
"Ah, our paths must have crossed."
"More importantly, what's your business?"
"Well..."
She made a slightly displeased face for a moment before continuing.
"There's someone who wants to meet the North Heaven Leader."