Chapter 195
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Fist Demon Defeated
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The spectators couldn't hide their shock.
"Is... is this the trace left by human martial arts?"
A massive crater had formed where the sparring ground once stood. Fortunately, the barracks on either side remained intact, thanks to the experts from the Heaven-Defying Sect and North Heaven Hall who had defended them.
And in the center of that crater stood the Fist Demon and Seol Hwa-un.
"......"
The Fist Demon, glaring at Seol Hwa-un, slowly opened his mouth.
"What... in the world is this fist technique?"
As soon as he spoke, blood gushed from his mouth in torrents. It was proof of his severe internal injuries. Yet he paid it no mind.
Seol Hwa-un looked at the Fist Demon and said,
"It's the White Flame Thunder Fist. I haven't named the individual forms yet."
"White Flame Thunder Fist...... Heh heh heh, fascinating. Amid that bone-chilling Yin cold energy, a hidden Yang rigid force......"
"......"
"In the end, I overcame the North Sea Ice Palace's techniques and the Mixed Origin Sect's fists separately, but their fusion proved too much for me."
With every word, the amount of blood flowing from the Fist Demon's mouth increased. His face grew noticeably paler.
"......"
Thud!
At last, the towering figure of the Fist Demon, solid as an iron pillar, collapsed to the ground. It was as good as a declaration of Seol Hwa-un's victory.
"Master!!"
"Sect Leader!"
Led by Shin Wol, countless Heaven-Defying Sect disciples rushed toward the Fist Demon.
Shin Wol arrived first and immediately checked his pulse.
"......!"
Confirming the faint but beating pulse, he swiftly sealed the acupoints. To staunch the bleeding.
Pop pop pop!
Only then did Shin Wol let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew."
'He only fainted from losing too much blood all at once. What a relief.'
"Sect Leader!"
"Senior Brother Shin! Is Master alright?"
"He's fine. No threat to his life."
After barely reassuring the other Heaven-Defying Sect members, Shin Wol turned to look at Seol Hwa-un.
"......"
He stood tall, his face ashen.
'No way. For the North Heaven Dragon to surpass even Master!'
The Fist Demon's defeat was something he had never imagined, leaving him utterly stunned.
In the meantime, the arbitrators—the Shanxi Sword Sect Leader and Gu Jin-cheon—declared the victor.
"The winner of this spar is North Heaven Dragon, Hall Leader Seol of North Heaven Hall!"
The crowd's cheers erupted immediately.
Waaaaah!!
"North Heaven Dragon wins!"
"Unbelievable! He surpassed even the Fist Demon!"
"Is this the dawn of the North Heaven Dragon's era!"
Amid the spectators' roars, a stone-faced man spoke.
"Your prediction was off, Branch Leader. North Heaven Dragon has won."
The woman called Branch Leader furrowed her brows.
"I have eyes, you know? I can see that much without you telling me."
"My apologies."
"Hmph, I know you're inwardly thrilled that I was wrong."
"That too, my apologies."
"You're quite the talker."
Her chiding tone faded as her expression turned serious.
"Still...... this is truly unexpected. Who would've thought North Heaven Dragon would defeat the Fist Demon."
"Indeed. I thought your prediction was spot on, Branch Leader......"
"Hmm. We'll have quite a bit to report to the Division Leader. Start gathering intel on North Heaven Dragon quickly, alongside the Fist Demon."
At that, her subordinate's face darkened.
'Ugh, more work piled on.'
The woman turned her gaze back to Seol Hwa-un.
'He was on the back foot the whole time...... yet he pulled off a complete reversal.'
She could somewhat understand why people were so enamored with the North Heaven Dragon.
'This might just reshape the Central Plains martial world.'
Meanwhile, the North Heaven Hall group was in an uproar.
"The Hall Leader did it!"
"Aaah!"
"Hall Leader has won!"
They rushed toward Seol Hwa-un.
"Hall Leader!"
"You've worked hard, Hall Leader!"
They all shouted in joy.
"......"
Seol Hwa-un turned to them with a faint smile. Then he lost consciousness.
The spectators cried out in alarm as he collapsed.
"Hall Leader!"
* * *
Moved to North Heaven Hall, Seol Hwa-un consumed the Five Elements Pills he had been saving, regaining consciousness after just three days.
But his injuries weren't fully healed.
The internal wounds had been somewhat controlled by the pills' effects, but he had numerous other severe injuries scattered across his body.
His hands were nearly shredded rags, and the bruises covering his body went without saying. Yet the most serious was the damage to his muscles and bones.
Even the slightest movement made his entire body scream in agony.
The physician ordered absolute bed rest for at least a month, allowing Seol Hwa-un to rest properly for the first time in ages.
"......"
Staring blankly out the window, he suddenly spoke.
"If you're here, come in. Why lurk outside?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure slipped through the window into the room. It was the Sword Demon.
"Iron Hero."
A man of his stature would normally mind his dignity, but the Sword Demon seemed utterly unconcerned about entering through the window.
"Your senses have sharpened even further. You've gained much from your clash with the Fist Demon."
"Why sneak in like this instead of requesting a formal meeting?"
"I intended to. But would you even agree to meet me now?"
Seol Hwa-un chuckled.
"Fair point."
Of course, this covert visit was possible only because North Heaven Hall had no other experts who could sense his presence besides Seol Hwa-un.
"Congratulations. Who would've thought you'd defeat the Fist Demon."
"Luck was on my side."
The Sword Demon nodded at Seol Hwa-un's words.
"True enough. Had the Fist Demon used a different form at the end, the outcome might have differed."
Seol Hwa-un slowly nodded.
"Indeed."
"And...... had the fist technique you used been fully perfected, it would've been another story altogether."
Seol Hwa-un gave a faint smile.
'As expected of the Sword Demon. He noticed.'
The final form Seol Hwa-un had unleashed was neither the North Sea Ice Palace's nor the Mixed Origin Sect's.
It was the fist technique he had long pondered—a fusion encompassing both arts.
'White Flame Thunder Fist.'
He had only named it and sketched the concept, but inspiration struck suddenly, allowing him to execute it on the spot.
"Iron Hero, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why do you concern yourself with me so much?"
"Didn't I tell you? I don't want a guy who'll one day be my rival dying so pathetically."
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
"Is that really worth traveling between Sichuan and Shanxi? You expect me to believe that?"
"......"
"Moreover, I heard you showed up late to the battle with the Demonic Path Alliance three years ago."
The Sword Demon scowled.
"Those Haomen bastards. I told them to keep it absolutely secret."
"I didn't learn it from Haomen members, so don't blame them."
It was during the incident where North Sea Ice Palace suffered casualties.
Naturally, they had investigated thoroughly. In the process, they uncovered suspicions about Myeong Hyeonja.
And incidentally, they learned the Sword Demon had arrived late to the scene.
"What's the real reason you worry about my safety so much?"
The Sword Demon chuckled.
"You really know nothing. Wi-myeong's lips are sealed tight, as always."
Seol Hwa-un's face hardened at the mention of his father, Seol Wi-myeong, by name.
'Close enough to address him that familiarly?'
He had once heard the Sword Demon call Seol Wi-myeong a 'dear friend,' but he didn't know the depth of their bond.
Seol Wi-myeong had never elaborated.
The Sword Demon's gaze grew distant.
"It's been over thirty years already. Before I founded the Demon Sword Pavilion, when I wandered the jianghu relying on a single sword."
Back then, he had crossed paths with Seol Wi-myeong, who was out on a excursion.
The two instantly recognized each other as formidable swordsmen and, without a word, drew their blades for a duel.
Surprisingly evenly matched, they fought from dawn till dusk without a decisive victor.
Perhaps their spirits resonated?
They ended up wandering the jianghu together, forging a friendship through trials and tribulations.
"Then we faced a wall we dared not scale."
"A wall?"
"We happened upon the Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable."
"......!"
At that time, the Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable hadn't yet been hailed as one of the Nine Heavens Martial Emperors. But the two saw he was an absolute powerhouse.
"Unable to contain my competitive spirit, I challenged him to a spar."
The Sword Demon smiled wryly.
"Utterly reckless."
The Sword Demon was a rising swordmaster himself, but he paled in comparison.
The Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable subdued him in an instant and moved to kill the promising demonic swordsman before he could grow.
"But at that moment, Wi-myeong intervened."
Seol Wi-myeong was injured in the process, overwhelmed by the Venerable's superior swordsmanship.
Afterward, the Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable demanded an explanation for the interference, and Seol Wi-myeong calmly persuaded him.
Wouldn't he like to properly duel them once they perfected their arts?
"The sword-obsessed Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable pondered briefly before letting us go. He said to seek him out once our sword arts were complete."
He must have judged Seol Wi-myeong and the Sword Demon had promising talent.
It was a story Seol Hwa-un had never heard.
"It stayed remarkably quiet in the martial world."
"Indeed. The Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable, myself, and your father—we're all tight-lipped, even from our own families."
"......"
"Now do you understand? I'm essentially indebted to your father for my life. So how could I not care about his son?"
Seol Hwa-un raised both hands in a respectful fist salute. Despite the intense pain, he didn't falter.
"My apologies for any disrespect until now, Iron Hero."
"Hmph, funny. Playing polite now?"
"You're my father's dear friend, so it's only right I show respect."
The Sword Demon chuckled.
"What an honor. Even renowned sect leaders and family heads don't get the North Heaven Dragon's deference."
Seol Hwa-un asked about Seol Wi-myeong during his Central Plains visit.
"He was my age, but somehow more mature. Cautious and deep-thinking. Nothing like you, stirring up storms everywhere."
"I see."
In truth, three years ago, Seol Hwa-un had intentionally toured nearly the entire Central Plains before returning.
To spread awareness of himself and the North Sea Ice Palace, laying the groundwork for their advance.
He hadn't avoided unnecessary clashes for that reason.
In contrast, Seol Wi-myeong's trip was more about 'scouting' than promotion.
So he would have avoided drawing attention.
Of course, the Sword Demon knew that much.
"But in the end, I couldn't help you at all."
"Your concern alone was a great source of strength."
"Hmph, smooth talker. I'll be off then."
The Sword Demon vanished through the same window he entered.
'Sword Demon......'
As he had sensed last time, the Sword Demon's aura had grown even sharper.
'He'll come someday to settle things.'
Just because he held goodwill didn't mean he'd abandon his competitive spirit.
Once he deemed Seol Hwa-un sufficiently strong, he'd appear sword in hand.
That was the Sword Demon.
'There are still many experts in the Central Plains.'
He reaffirmed his resolve.
'The road is long. I must refine myself further.'