Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: North Heavenly Dragon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seol Hwa-un rose from his seat.
“…….”
The sensation was utterly different from before. His body felt as light as a feather, and his five senses had become several times more acute.
He clenched and unclenched his fist, looking down at his body.
“Yeah, this is it.”
It was an unexpected stroke of fortune. Along with the full opening of his Ren and Du meridians, he had ascended to a new realm. Moreover, his Ice White Divine Art had evolved.
No matter how much energy he had absorbed from the Zi Sou Pill, such tremendous results weren’t something just anyone could achieve.
“Young Palace Lord, may I come in?”
The voice of the North Wind Brigade Leader came from outside the door. He had been standing guard personally ever since sensing the intense aura emanating from the room.
Having long sensed his presence, Seol Hwa-un replied after realizing his cultivation had ended and curiosity had gotten the better of him.
“Come in.”
As soon as the North Wind Brigade Leader entered and faced Seol Hwa-un, his eyes widened.
“Ah!”
He could feel it. Seol Hwa-un had crossed the wall.
‘No way. What on earth happened in just one night?!’
That wasn’t all. The internal energy stored in Seol Hwa-un’s dantian had changed in both quantity and quality.
Since they both cultivated the North Sea Ice Palace’s signature arts, he could tell for certain.
‘Even before, I felt something was different, but now…….’
Staring blankly at Seol Hwa-un, the North Wind Brigade Leader soon collected himself.
“Congratulations, Young Palace Lord.”
“Thank you.”
“What exactly happened?”
Seol Hwa-un saw no need to hide it.
“Elder West Gate gifted me a spirit pill. I gained this fortune while absorbing it.”
The North Wind Brigade Leader felt a twinge of doubt.
‘No matter how great the spirit pill, is this even possible?’
Of course not. Fortune comes to those who are prepared, and it was possible only because his understanding of martial arts was sufficiently profound.
‘He truly is a monster that defies common sense. Haha!’
The North Wind Brigade Leader had long known Seol Hwa-un’s talent was innate. Still, he had thought it would take several more years to reach the Martial Soul Realm. This was beyond all expectations.
When Seol Hwa-un emerged, Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi spotted him and bowed their heads.
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
They soon felt a strange incongruity and wore puzzled expressions. The two glanced at each other.
“You felt it too?”
“You too?”
‘It’s definitely the Young Palace Lord…….’
‘Something’s different.’
Their realms were still insufficient to discern that Seol Hwa-un had reached the Martial Soul Realm, but they could sense that something had changed.
Seol Hwa-un passed them without resolving their confusion. The North Wind Brigade Leader, following behind, wore a meaningful smile.
“If catching up to the Young Palace Lord is your goal, you’ll have to give it everything you’ve got.”
Dong Ho-won tilted his head.
“I’m already doing that, though?”
The North Wind Brigade Leader patted his shoulder.
“That’s exactly why I’m saying it’s not enough.”
“……Pardon?”
Eom Mu-hwi’s expression changed as intuition struck him.
‘No way?’
His gaze chased after Seol Hwa-un’s retreating figure.
‘……Nah, it couldn’t be?’
Seol Hwa-un headed to the training ground behind the lodgings. He wanted to personally verify his new achievement.
The sun had already risen.
‘He cultivated all night.’
Yet he felt no fatigue at all. On the contrary, he felt refreshed, as if he had slept deeply.
“Whew. Shall I test it out?”
Seol Hwa-un unfolded the Broad Cold Fist lightly to loosen up.
Bang!
Whoosh!
Pop pop bang!
Even without much internal energy, sharp bursts of air echoed. The power in his fingertips felt different too.
‘The effects of opening the Ren and Du meridians are definite.’
Once his body was sufficiently warmed, Seol Hwa-un concentrated his internal energy into his fist.
‘Let’s see…….’
Fwoosh!
Pure white fist qi extended from his fist. Seol Hwa-un focused harder.
Woooong!
The fist qi grew clearer, forming a distinct shape. It was as if his fist had grown several times larger.
Fist Qi Forming Shape—the hallmark of the Martial Soul Realm, Fist Gang.
‘Perfect!’
He had been able to do it before, but not this easily. The Martial Soul Realm was the stage where one could wield sword gangs or fist gangs freely.
‘A bit more focus, and I might even form a Fist Ring…….’
He decided against pushing it for now. It was time to fully assimilate the realm he had just attained.
“…….”
At that moment, a certain thought occurred to Seol Hwa-un.
‘Right, maybe……!’
* * *
The second day of the grand assembly.
Banquets continued during the day, and that evening, the leadership meeting reconvened.
At the meeting hall entrance, Namgung Seong and Jegal Mun were conversing.
“By the way, has your eldest son still not arrived?”
At Jegal Mun’s question, Namgung Seong shook his head.
“Don’t even ask. His obsession with martial arts surpasses even my brother’s.”
“Hahaha, indeed the blood of the Namgung Family. Weren’t you once obsessed with martial arts yourself?”
Namgung Seong gave a wry smile.
“That was in the old days.”
“…….”
As Jegal Mun said, Namgung Seong had once been prodigiously talented and deeply ambitious about martial arts. That was how he became the head of the Namgung Family.
But the Namgung Family had one wall he could never surpass.
The pride of the Namgung Family, the Heavenly Outer Sword Venerable.
Yet before pride, to Namgung Seong, he was a brother who inflicted a bitter sense of defeat.
Fortunately or unfortunately, that presence made Namgung Seong prioritize the family over martial arts, allowing him to elevate the Namgung Family to the world’s foremost clan.
Knowing this well, Jegal Mun didn’t pry further.
“So, when can we expect to see Namgung Hyo?”
“I sent someone to urge him, so he should emerge from seclusion by tomorrow at the latest.”
“Heavens, really! Harder to see than the Namgung Family Head himself.”
Just then, Seol Hwa-un approached the meeting hall.
“Oh, Young Palace Lord.”
Jegal Mun spoke with a faint smile.
“You kept your promise, as expected.”
“Of course.”
Jegal Mun glanced at Namgung Seong, as if prompting him to say something.
“…….”
But he stood frozen, staring silently at Seol Hwa-un.
‘What’s wrong with him?’
With no choice, Jegal Mun spoke up himself.
“……Well then, we’ll count on you again today.”
“Understood.”
As Seol Hwa-un entered the meeting hall, Jegal Mun watched his back and tilted his head.
‘Something feels off……’
Realization dawned, and his face hardened.
“No way?”
Namgung Seong asked.
“You felt it too?”
“Is what I sensed correct?”
“Indeed. I doubted my own eyes at first.”
“This is impossible! He already surpassed the late-generation prodigies, and now he’s crossed the wall already?”
“…….”
“To change so suddenly…… He definitely hadn’t yesterday. What happened in one night?”
Jegal Mun’s expression grew grave.
“……We need to rethink the North Sea Ice Palace. To nurture a monster like that.”
With a bitter smile, Jegal Mun shook his head.
“For now, the meeting comes first. Let’s go in.”
“Mm.”
The meeting resumed, with some friction but proceeding smoothly overall. Thanks to the lingering impact of Seol Hwa-un’s words from yesterday.
Even so, Jegal Mun occasionally sought Seol Hwa-un’s opinion, and each time, he invigorated the room with sharp insights. Thus, the second day of the grand assembly concluded.
* * *
For the first time in a while, Seol Hwa-un, Dong Ho-won, and Eom Mu-hwi stood together in the training ground.
As Seol Hwa-un opened his mouth to speak, Dong Ho-won beat him to it.
“You must be pleased, Young Palace Lord.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve earned a nickname. They’re calling you ‘North Heavenly Dragon,’ meaning the heavenly dragon of the north, in comparison to Heavenly Dragon Namgung Hyo.”
There were talks that breaking the Dragon Blade already put him on par with the Heavenly Dragon, but the prevailing view was that it was a trait of North Sea Ice Palace martial arts.
More than that, his bold statements at the leadership meeting had sparked even greater buzz.
“Wouldn’t it be more fitting for you to be called simply Heavenly Dragon, and Namgung Hyo the South Heavenly Dragon?”
Seol Hwa-un cut him off.
“Not interested. More importantly…….”
He looked back and forth between the two.
“The sparring at the junior tournament was somewhat helpful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“It was a valuable experience.”
“You must have felt some shortcomings in our palace’s martial arts, no?”
At his question, Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi flinched.
“Well…….”
“Be honest. It must have been frustrating that our arts didn’t unleash their full power away from the North Sea.”
“That’s true.”
“You two are fortunate, at least. You inherited arts refined steadily by our ancestors. In the past, the disparity was even greater, they say.”
“…….”
“One thing to make clear: In the North Sea, our palace’s martial arts gain extra power from the climate.”
“That’s right.”
“But in the Central Plains, that advantage vanishes, and the climate even weakens them, making the gap feel even larger.”
“Ah……!”
“Keep this in mind. Our palace’s martial arts are plenty strong compared to any Central Plains sect. Even accounting for that loss.”
“We’ll remember!”
Seol Hwa-un smiled faintly.
“There is a way to offset the loss.”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi’s eyes widened.
“What is it?”
“By becoming stronger. Strong enough that the minor loss isn’t felt at all.”
“……!”
“You’ve both gained much since entering the Central Plains. Come, today I’ll ingrain it into your bodies.”
“Yes!”
Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi exchanged glances before attacking Seol Hwa-un from both sides.
Whoosh whoosh!
Pop pop pa!
Eom Mu-hwi unleashed Full Snow Flow Fist, while Dong Ho-won deployed his Dong Family Soul-Falling Spear. Though one step below their ultimate arts, it was a far sharper joint assault than before.
‘Ho, they’ve coordinated in advance.’
They must have judged these arts suitable for ganging up on one opponent. Their offense was notably cohesive.
‘Good. Not just their martial arts, but their thinking has advanced too.’
In the past, even Seol Hwa-un might have been slightly flustered, but not now.
Clang!
Pah!
Seol Hwa-un extended both hands, neutralizing their attacks in one breath. Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won couldn’t help but be shocked.
‘He dismantles it this easily?’
‘What? He seems even stronger?’
But they couldn’t afford to panic like before. They immediately followed up.
Clang clang!
Boom!
Metallic clashes and explosions alternated.
At a glance, it looked no different from their previous bouts. Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won attacking with full force, Seol Hwa-un calmly defending.
But having grown through real combat and sparring unfamiliar arts, Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won could clearly feel it as they exchanged blows.
‘It’s a wall. The wall has gotten thicker!’
‘This is ridiculous! Why has the gap widened even more?!’
Only then did they grasp the meaning of the North Wind Brigade Leader’s words yesterday.
‘He said excessive guarding for normal cultivation…… So the Young Palace Lord had an enlightenment!’
‘Sudden enlightenment changing his entire level? That’s too much!’
Seol Hwa-un, who had only defended, spoke.
“Now I’ll counterattack.”
Twaang!
With his words, Seol Hwa-un’s fist sent Dong Ho-won’s Snow Flower Spear flying into the air.
“Ah…….”
Boom!
“Gah!”
Defenseless, Dong Ho-won took a hit to the chest and slammed into the ground.
“Hah!”
Seizing the opening, Eom Mu-hwi unleashed Yan Family Soul-Hooking Hand at Seol Hwa-un’s right waist—vulnerable from attacking Dong Ho-won.
Whip!
But it was futile. Seol Hwa-un lightly spun, nullifying the assault, and his fist plunged into Eom Mu-hwi’s lower abdomen.
Thud!
“Gurk!”
In the end, Eom Mu-hwi collapsed beside Dong Ho-won.
“Ugh…….”
Seol Hwa-un addressed them.
“Your joint attack was excellent, but your response after being blocked was lacking. You attacked right away, but your reaction was slightly slow. And you still lack finesse in distributing strength and weakness in offense.”
But there was no reply. Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi were still groaning on the ground.
‘Was I too harsh?’
Unfamiliar with his changed body, he hadn’t controlled his strength well.
‘……I’ll explain later.’
Seol Hwa-un slowly turned his head, staring at one spot.
“Why not come out now?”
“…….”
A man emerged from behind a tree some distance away.
“I ended up spying on your training unintentionally. My apologies.”
The man, performing a fist salute, appeared to be a sturdy, handsome fellow in his late twenties.
Judging by his uniform, he was a Namgung Family warrior, and his sharp gaze and extraordinary aura marked him as exceptional.
“Who might you be?”
“I am Namgung Hyo.”
He was the young head of the Namgung Family, the Heavenly Dragon Namgung Hyo, hailed as the top late-generation prodigy of the righteous faction.