Chapter 8
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Broad Cold Fist
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Ice Family Head's office.
After the shocking defeat of the Ice Martial Vice Leader, the three father and sons gathered around one table.
The Ice Martial Brigade Leader spoke first.
“So, starting tomorrow, the Little Palace Lord will come to our household?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ve misjudged the Little Palace Lord until now. Even setting aside his martial arts, that kind of boldness...”
“How did it look to you?”
“It was impressive. His footwork and defense were nearly perfect. Especially that final fist technique... I’m not entirely sure, but it resembled Fist Cannon One Split...”
Suddenly, the Ice Family Head stood up abruptly and walked over to the Ice Martial Vice Leader.
“...?”
“Stand up for a moment.”
Unsure of what was happening, the Ice Martial Vice Leader rose from his seat.
“Let me see your side.”
“Pardon?”
Bewildered and not understanding the intent, as he stood there blankly, the Ice Family Head approached and lifted his clothes.
“Ugh!”
As the Ice Family Head’s hand touched him, the Ice Martial Vice Leader let out a groan of pain, but the Ice Family Head paid it no mind.
Seeing this, the Ice Martial Brigade Leader couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Ah!”
On the Ice Martial Vice Leader’s side was a swirling black bruise etched deeply.
“He used Twisting Silk Force after all.”
The Ice Family Head returned to his seat and continued.
“It was Fist Cannon One Split.”
The Ice Martial Vice Leader wore an expression of disbelief.
“Pardon? How could the Little Palace Lord use Fist Cannon One Split...? More than that, isn’t Fist Cannon One Split an energy-based fist technique? How without internal energy...”
“That’s why I wanted to check your side. He substituted internal energy with Twisting Silk Force.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. It’s truly a terrifying talent.”
‘He showed the best he could with his still-immature body. If it were the same conditions, could I have done it?’
The Ice Family Head couldn’t boldly claim he could.
That was how shocking Seol Hwa-un’s display in today’s spar had been.
Noticing his unusually grave expression, the Ice Martial Brigade Leader cautiously spoke.
“Father, you’re not perhaps changing your mind?”
The Ice Family Head shook his head with a stern face.
“We can’t decide rashly. But we can at least consider it.”
Realizing what he meant, the Ice Martial Vice Leader’s eyes widened.
“Of course, what the Little Palace Lord showed today was impressive enough, but compared to Eom Mu-hwi...”
Eom Mu-hwi, the genius called the greatest junior of the Five Great Families. The Ice Family had been secretly cooperating closely with the Yan Family to push him as the next Palace Lord.
The Ice Martial Brigade Leader interjected.
“Back then, we judged based solely on Eom Mu-hwi’s talent. At the time, we thought the Little Palace Lord was irrelevant no matter what.”
“...”
“But who knew he possessed such astonishing talent.”
The Ice Martial Vice Leader frowned.
“Isn’t that a bit premature? I don’t see it that way. What we saw of the Little Palace Lord today was certainly surprising, but it won’t completely overturn his reputation up to now.”
“What’s your thought, eldest?”
The Ice Martial Brigade Leader said with a serious face.
“The final decision is yours, Father, but if the information we have on the Little Palace Lord so far is accurate, this is truly an enormous talent.”
He paused briefly, as if recalling the sparring scene, then continued.
“To reach that level in just one month... I see it positively. Even if we don’t decide right away, we need to watch the Little Palace Lord closely.”
Silence fell for a moment, and the Ice Family Head looked at the Ice Martial Vice Leader and asked.
“How far has that Yan Family boy mastered?”
“He completed Jade Dust Falling Split yesterday.”
Jade Dust Falling Split was the third form of Full Snow Flow Fist.
The Ice Martial Brigade Leader’s eyes widened.
“He’s already mastered up to that? Hah, indeed a remarkable genius. A truly enviable kid.”
The Ice Martial Vice Leader had been visiting the Yan Family occasionally to secretly instruct Eom Mu-hwi in martial arts.
It was one of the Ice Family’s supports for installing Eom Mu-hwi as Little Palace Lord.
The Ice Martial Brigade Leader said with a serious expression.
“Hmm... It’s certainly difficult. Even so, judging purely by talent, I’d like to side with the Little Palace Lord.”
“...”
“However, Eom Mu-hwi has trained in martial arts for over ten years, and for the past five, he’s been learning our household’s techniques. Closing that gap won’t be easy.”
“Of course. Moreover, I believe Eom Mu-hwi’s talent is superior.”
Having essentially acted as Eom Mu-hwi’s master, the Ice Martial Vice Leader was heavily inclined toward him.
The three men’s conversation continued, and the Ice Family Head’s dilemma deepened.
* * *
The next day, Seol Hwa-un rose at dawn, trained external arts for about one hourglass, and left the Ice Palace.
His destination was the Ice Family estate.
‘It’s exciting.’
From his previous life, he had been a martial arts fanatic. Among them, he particularly loved fist techniques.
He had even reached the ranks of absolute experts and knew many supreme fist arts, but he still craved new ones.
‘Finally, I’ll learn the Broad Cold Fist and Full Snow Flow Fist, which I’ve only heard of by name.’
There were other fist techniques as well, but the essence of the Ice Family’s fist arts were Broad Cold Fist, Full Snow Flow Fist, and Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist.
He had felt it while learning Fist Cannon One Split of Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist, but the Ice Palace’s fist techniques differed quite a bit from those of the Central Plains.
While Central Plains fist arts generally pursued balance, the Ice Palace’s had a stronger domineering quality. Likely due to mainly cultivating yin cold energy arts.
Lost in such thoughts, he soon arrived at the Ice Family estate.
“We greet the Little Palace Lord!”
The two gate guards welcomed him loudly. Seol Hwa-un lightly nodded in response and headed straight to the family head’s quarters.
“...!”
In front of the family head’s quarters stood the Ice Family Head with his hands behind his back.
“I greet the Ice Family Head.”
Seol Hwa-un bowed, and the Ice Family Head returned a fist salute.
“Come in, Little Palace Lord.”
‘Was he waiting for me?’
The Ice Family Head turned.
“Follow me.”
“...?”
Soon, seeing the direction he was heading, Seol Hwa-un was puzzled.
‘Not the family head’s quarters, nor the training ground from yesterday... Where are we going?’
The place the two arrived at was the training chamber of past Ice Family Heads.
The floor of the training chamber was laid with famed durable bluestone, yet it was mocked by countless clear footprints.
‘Intense footwork.’
Traces of fist strikes remained intact here and there on the walls, oddly left almost unrepaired.
Sensing Seol Hwa-un’s gaze, the Ice Family Head said.
“We could have fixed it, but these are traces steeped in the blood and sweat of our ancestors. Besides, they occasionally offer unexpected insights.”
“Won’t it collapse if left like that?”
“It’s not so flimsily built. The basic framework uses ten-thousand-year cold iron.”
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“Indeed. That won’t collapse for sure.”
“What do you think? Compared to the Palace Lord’s training chamber, isn’t it lacking?”
“It’s only slightly smaller in scale; I don’t feel much difference.”
“Is that so.”
At that moment, as Seol Hwa-un looked around the training chamber, a glint appeared in his eyes.
‘Hm?’
He closely examined what appeared to be a relatively recent trace.
‘Ho.’
He then turned to the Ice Family Head with a peculiar expression.
“Ice Family Head, aren’t there four forms to Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist?”
The Ice Family Head flinched involuntarily.
“Y-Yes.”
“...As I thought.”
Seol Hwa-un seemed to have realized something but didn’t mention it.
The Ice Family Head’s expression hardened.
‘No way... Did he figure ‘that’ out just from the traces?!’
The Ice Family Head quickly shook his head.
‘No, impossible. No matter how genius, that’s not possible.’
He forcibly calmed himself, scanned Seol Hwa-un’s body once, and spoke.
“Little Palace Lord, you’ve trained diligently since dawn.”
“Yes, as a martial artist, my body is still lacking...”
‘He knows exactly. I was going to have him train external arts a bit, but it’s pointless.’
Seol Hwa-un’s evaluation rose a notch higher.
“Good. What do you want to learn?”
“I know the basic fist arts, so I think starting with Broad Cold Fist is right.”
The Ice Family Head readily nodded.
“Our household’s training method is the same. How much do you know about Broad Cold Fist?”
“It’s a fist art learned before Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist, on a similar level to Full Snow Flow Fist.”
“Correct. Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist is undoubtedly our palace’s supreme fist art. Some in the palace subtly look down on its subordinate arts, Broad Cold Fist and Full Snow Flow Fist, but that’s a mistaken view.”
“...”
“Precisely, you must master these two fist arts to truly enter Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist. They’re that important. They stand equal to any standalone supreme art.”
Suddenly, the Ice Family Head stepped forward powerfully.
Thud!
“Cold Wind Three Strikes.”
Simultaneously, his right hand shot out, striking in succession at the philtrum, solar plexus, and dantian positions.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The form was relatively simple, but swift and sharp instead.
‘Clean fist strike. Perfect for gauging or checking the opponent’s reaction.’
Seol Hwa-un instinctively recognized this as Broad Cold Fist.
Without a moment to breathe, the Ice Family Head unleashed the next form.
“Broad Fist Play.”
Left and right hands alternated, reaching in all directions.
Papapapapa!
In an instant, his fist shadows filled the training chamber.
Seol Hwa-un felt as if he were watching the flashy Plum Blossom Sword of the Huashan Sect.
The fist shadows created by the Ice Family Head converged into one, stretching out like a massive pillar.
“Peak Within the Fist!”
Boom!
‘This form has piercing power like a fierce spear technique!’
The Ice Family Head’s figure spun sharply as he swung his fist wide.
“Rotating Whirlwind Fist!”
Boom!
It was the form the Ice Martial Vice Leader had used in yesterday’s spar, where Seol Hwa-un had countered by exploiting a gap.
However, the Ice Family Head’s version was different.
‘Much faster and no gaps. Indeed, against the Ice Family Head, it wouldn’t have been easy.’
“Broad Cold Flying Heaven!”
Papapapapa!
It unfolded like an illusion of all previous forms unleashed at once. Truly the finishing touch like a dragon’s flourish.
“These are the five forms of Broad Cold Fist.”
The explanation was long, but the Ice Family Head’s demonstration ended in the blink of an eye.
As expected of a fist art master, his movements had no superfluity, perfectly recreating the postures from a manual.
‘Amazing. Based on heavy fists, incorporating the subtleties of phantom fists, variable fists, and swift fists, while maintaining overall unity.’
“What do you think? Give me your honest impression.”
“Hmm...”
After pondering briefly, Seol Hwa-un slowly spoke.
“It’s an excellent fist art embodying the subtleties of various fist techniques. It’s like a lower-level version of Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist.”
“You see it right away. More precisely, Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist is the supreme art developed from Broad Cold Fist.”
“But...”
Seol Hwa-un furrowed his brow as if something bothered him.
“Hm?”
“The linkage of the forms feels a bit off.”