Chapter 196
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: North Sea Divine Fist
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Seol Hwa-un let out a soft sigh as he recalled his duel with the Fist Demon.
“Whew.”
‘I got really lucky.’
The Fist Demon’s martial arts had far exceeded Seol Hwa-un’s expectations.
If the Fist Demon hadn’t deliberately avoided dragging out the spar.
Or if he had unleashed a higher technique of the Great Vajra Divine Fist at the end, Seol Hwa-un might have been the one to lose.
‘Either way, I won.’
He had gained much from this duel.
First and foremost, he had grasped the ‘individuality’ that could only be attained by stepping into the Heavenly Martial Scripture.
Though he had harmonized yin and yang, the foundation of Seol Hwa-un’s martial arts was still the Ice White Divine Art.
‘But in my previous life, it was the Pure Yang Infinite Art.’
In other words, his profound understanding of both energies formed the core of his individuality.
That was how he could harbor yang rigidity within the Ice White Divine Art’s yin-cold qi technique.
‘Thanks to that, I was able to unleash the Blazing White Thunderbolt Fist for the first time.’
Even the Thunderbolt Three Fists could now be infused with yin-cold qi.
‘Gaining my individuality is great, but the problem is…’
He had no idea how he had executed the Blazing White Thunderbolt Fist.
It was a first for Seol Hwa-un as well.
‘This is tricky.’
He wanted to head to the training chamber right away and relive that sensation while practicing.
‘But with these injuries, there’s nothing I can do for a while.’
The thought of being laid up for a whole month already made his chest tighten.
Still, thanks to consuming the Five Elements Pill, his recovery time had been shortened this much. Without it, he would have needed at least half a year of rest.
Of course, Seol Hwa-un knew this well.
‘Even so, I can’t just waste time like this.’
It hadn’t even been half a day since he regained consciousness, yet he was already feeling restless.
‘Let’s start with what I can do right now. First, heal my internal injuries completely.’
Groaning softly, he sat cross-legged and began circulating his qi.
* * *
The duel between the Fist Demon and the North Heaven Dragon.
With countless spectators, the results spread across the entire Central Plains in no time.
[After a fierce exchange, North Heaven Dragon emerges victorious.]
With so many witnesses, no one could deny it.
“If there’s anyone who still thinks the North Heaven Dragon just got lucky taking down two of the Four Demon Lords, step forward!”
“It’s utterly absurd. Defeating one of the Four Demon Lords?”
“The North Heaven Dragon is the true great hero and master. At this point, he deserves a spot among the Righteous Eight Stars!”
The Righteous Eight Stars.
If the Four Demon Lords represented the unorthodox faction’s top masters, the Righteous Eight Stars were the righteous faction’s.
For example, the Justice Heaven Alliance Leader, Blade King Peng Yeom, was one of them.
“That’s a bit…”
“Putting an Outer Realm man among the Righteous Eight Stars? Are you sane?”
“No. It’s entirely possible!”
“Exactly. If there’s any righteous hero with achievements matching the North Heaven Dragon’s, let them show themselves!”
Seol Hwa-un had always been undervalued due to his Outer Realm origins, but this duel proved his skills beyond doubt, leaving no room for argument.
Some tried to nitpick that he collapsed right after the duel ended, but it meant little.
“So what? Does that mean he didn’t beat the Fist Demon fair and square?”
It only drew scorn from others.
People always flock to new heroes. Countless voices called for a reevaluation of Seol Hwa-un.
And so, he earned a new moniker.
North Sea Divine Fist Seol Hwa-un.
His new title spread rapidly across the Central Plains.
Meanwhile, the North Heaven Fortress’s reputation soared, drawing numerous minor sects from Shanxi Province eager to join as subordinates.
Whether they were Outer Realm forces or not no longer mattered much. If anything, the perception grew that the North Heaven Fortress was more righteous than the righteous sects themselves.
Thus, the North Heaven Fortress steadily expanded its influence.
* * *
A month had passed since the duel with the Fist Demon.
Fully recovered, Seol Hwa-un was back in the training ground, diligently honing his martial arts.
Seol Hwa-un shot out a punch like lightning.
Pa-bam!
A sharp burst of air echoed in all directions.
“…”
It was an excellent fist strike, but Seol Hwa-un frowned, unsatisfied.
‘That’s not it.’
He threw another punch.
Pang!
A slightly different form this time.
‘Not this either.’
Only after hundreds of punches did Seol Hwa-un finally stop.
‘Still no good?’
Even while recovering, he had tried to recreate the fist strike that felled the Fist Demon in his mind’s eye.
But every attempt failed.
For someone of Seol Hwa-un’s realm, this was incomprehensible.
He could execute any fist technique he knew to perfection, or alter it by the slightest margin at will.
In short, he had complete control over his body.
‘And yet, I can’t recreate a strike I performed myself.’
If the same crisis arose, he might pull it off again, but not now.
‘It means I’m still lacking something.’
Still, the battle with the Fist Demon had made one deficiency clear.
‘My physical training isn’t complete yet.’
Since awakening in this body and beginning martial arts training, he had never neglected his physical conditioning, not even for a day.
‘But it fell short compared to the Fist Demon’s.’
Comparing to the Fist Demon, who was near perfection in external arts, might seem unfair, but Seol Hwa-un thought differently.
‘Especially for a fist master, basic stamina is paramount. I’ll forge a body surpassing the Fist Demon’s.’
With that resolve, he cut back on other training and greatly intensified his external arts practice.
“Whew.”
With enormous sandbags strapped to his limbs, Seol Hwa-un repeated push-ups, horse stance, nine steps, wandering steps, and more.
It was the basic stamina training for martial arts novices, but amplified several times over in difficulty.
He couldn’t avoid using internal energy entirely in the process.
Not to bear the weight, but to protect his joints and muscles.
At this intensity, muscle tears and dislocated joints were inevitable.
‘Still, I minimize its use.’
The training that began at dawn ended only as the sun set.
After washing up and having a simple dinner, Seol Hwa-un headed to his office.
Most duties had been delegated to the North Wind Brigade Leader, reducing his workload, but some things remained.
As Seol Hwa-un processed paperwork, Bing Cho-pung arrived.
“Fortress Lord.”
“Inspector Bing, what brings you at this hour?”
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Haven’t we been turning away all visitors, citing my injuries?”
“Yes. But it seems they somehow learned of your recovery.”
Seol Hwa-un’s condition was top secret, known to only a few in the North Heaven Fortress.
“No one who knows would leak it… How intriguing.”
“I thought the same.”
“So, who is this guest?”
Bing Cho-pung wore an odd expression.
“Gu Jin-cheon.”
“…!”
Seol Hwa-un was puzzled.
“Why does he want to see me?”
“I don’t know that far… But given his status, I couldn’t refuse.”
“You did well. Now I’m curious. Bring him to the reception room.”
“Yes, Fortress Lord.”
Soon after, Seol Hwa-un came face-to-face with Gu Jin-cheon.
Gu Jin-cheon smiled warmly.
“How have you been?”
“As you can see.”
“I was worried when you collapsed, but seeing you so hale relieves me.”
“…”
“The duel was spectacular. It really drove home how remarkable you are, Fortress Lord Seol.”
“You flatter me. But before we get into it, one question.”
“Ask away.”
“How did you know I recovered?”
Gu Jin-cheon smiled faintly.
“Ah, right. Fair to wonder.”
“…”
“One of my miscellaneous skills amplifies qi sense. I used it to scan the entire North Heaven Fortress.”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes widened slightly.
“Such a technique exists?”
“Indeed. Took some effort to pinpoint your qi, though.”
“Impressive.”
“Not really. Just one of my more useful tricks.”
“Then state your business. With the duel over, I see no reason for us to meet again.”
Gu Jin-cheon burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, you really think so? Didn’t know you played favorites with men and women, Fortress Lord.”
“…?”
“You accepted my sister Hye-ryeong’s request without hesitation. Though you had other motives, of course.”
Seol Hwa-un replied coolly.
“That was different.”
“Of course. I’m just a nominal Vice Sect Leader with no real sway in the Radiant King Sect, while Hye-ryeong is doted on by our sect leader father.”
“You know it well.”
After Gu Jin-cheon’s surprise appearance as a witness, the North Heaven Fortress had investigated him.
He retained the Vice Sect Leader title, but was effectively powerless.
He had even incurred the ire of the Heaven-Breaking Army, making his position precarious.
“I met Hye-ryeong to mend ties with the Radiant King Sect. But I wonder—do you truly wish to get along with them, Fortress Lord Seol?”
Seol Hwa-un’s face hardened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I heard you clashed fiercely with the Radiant King Sect, Mixed Heaven Church, Green Forest Eighteen Bandits, and others three years ago, inflicting heavy losses. Have you forgotten that grudge?”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed momentarily.
“As if.”
Gu Jin-cheon’s lips curved up.
“As expected. You pretended to mend ties only to avoid interference while establishing the North Heaven Fortress.”
“…”
“You set aside grudges for the greater good. And once stabilized, you planned to act in earnest, right?”
Seol Hwa-un was inwardly surprised. Gu Jin-cheon had pierced his thoughts exactly.
‘He’s no ordinary man.’
“Why tell me this directly? A warning not to scheme, since you’ve guessed my intentions?”
Gu Jin-cheon shook his head.
“No. Truth is, I knew nothing of the conflict between the Radiant King Sect and North Sea Ice Palace until after the duel piqued my interest.”
“…”
“Whatever the reason, our sect ambushing and killing your palace’s warriors was wrong.”
Gu Jin-cheon clasped his hands in a formal salute and bowed his head.
“Though a mere figurehead Vice Sect Leader, I sincerely apologize on behalf of our sect.”
“…!”
Seol Hwa-un’s pupils trembled. He hadn’t expected this from Gu Jin-cheon.
‘This man…!’
“I know how it sounds, but our sect suffered greater losses overall. Still, many in our sect hold grudges against your North Sea Ice Palace.”
“…”
“But the cause undeniably came from us. I apologize again. I hope we can put the past behind us and truly get along. What say you, Fortress Lord Seol?”
Seol Hwa-un’s face stiffened rigidly.
“You think a few words can settle this?”
Gu Jin-cheon shook his head.
“Of course not. But with mutual effort, it’s not impossible.”
“Even if I agree, will the Radiant King Sect?”
“I’ll convince them.”
“Hah, you think the Radiant King Sect Leader will listen to you?”
Gu Jin-cheon looked troubled for once.
“That… I admit is difficult. But the rest of the sect is different.”
Seol Hwa-un gazed steadily into Gu Jin-cheon’s eyes.
“…”
He could dismiss it as mad ravings or naive folly.
‘But… he truly believes it’s possible. It’s oddly convincing on an emotional level.’
He began to understand why the unorthodox warriors adored him—and why the Heaven-Breaking Army despised him.
Seol Hwa-un chuckled unwittingly.
‘A man like this as the top disciple of the First Demon Sect. How amusing.’
Seeing his expression, Gu Jin-cheon brightened, taking it as a good sign.
“You agree?”
“Not at all.”
But Seol Hwa-un firmly shook his head.