Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Jin Mujeon's Martial Hall
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A cavern in the deepest part of the Cheonsan Mountains.
A group of martial artists set foot in a place no one had approached for the last five hundred years.
After walking for some time, they reached a certain point within the cavern, and the man at the front turned and prostrated himself.
“Please, avenge the Demon Sect!”
*Spurt!*
He plunged a blade into his own neck.
An action without a hint of hesitation.
And it did not end there.
“Avenge us!”
*Spurt!*
All who had followed him took their own lives.
The vast cavern filled with the stench of blood, and a pool of it slowly grew.
The blood flowed along paths engraved on the floor, forming a single crimson road.
*Squish. Squish.*
The lone remaining man walked slowly along the warm, bloody path.
“…”
After a moment, he finally reached the end of the blood road, where a great stone gate greeted him.
Gate of the Heavenly Demon.
*Twitch.*
He furrowed an eyebrow before his gaze shifted to survey the entire gate.
*KABOOOOM!*
The man struck the stone gate, and a black aura leaked out, followed by an explosion that seemed to turn the heavens and earth upside down.
*Rumble.*
But the gate stood proud, without a single scratch, showing no change whatsoever.
“Heh… hehehe.”
Seeing this, the man began to laugh as if he had lost his mind, then untied the bundle on his back.
A small boy lay dead, his throat half-slit.
“*Sob*…”
Blood seeping from the wound on the boy’s neck trickled onto the blood road.
At that moment.
*Rumble.*
The stone gate opened.
The man entered, carrying the boy in his arms.
Left behind was the bundle—or rather, the robe used as a bundle—embroidered with ten Asuras, the symbol of the Lord of the Demon Sect.
* * *
“Hey! …Watch out!”
“Put it there!”
*Clang, clang, clang.*
“When are the pillars arriving!”
A chaotic scene reminiscent of a battlefield.
This was the construction site where Jin Mujeon's Martial Hall was being built.
I had dropped by to check on the progress, and as soon as I stepped onto the site, a group of men rushed toward me like a thunderbolt.
“Gasp! Y-You’re here, sir?”
“…You look familiar. Who are you again?”
“Well… from the Black Dragon Gang, who used to live in the Great Hero’s house without permission…”
“Ah!”
Only after hearing that did I remember. They were the ones who had been squatting in the house on Black Serpent Road.
After a harsh mental re-education from me, they had quit their life of crime and entered the construction business, even participating in the building of the Black Dragon Martial Hall last year.
I clapped the shoulder of the one who seemed to be the leader and greeted him.
“It’s been a while. You staying out of trouble?”
“Haha, of course. Thanks to the Great Hero’s teachings, we’re living diligently.”
A quick glance revealed that his crew seemed to have grown.
Business must be good.
“By the way, was this place being built under the Great Hero’s orders?”
“Well, something like that.”
“You should have told us! We would have paid even more attention.”
“So you’ve been doing a shoddy job until now?”
He waved his hands frantically in response to my smiling question.
“Not at all! We’ve been doing our best. It’s just that if we’d known it was for the Great Hero, we would’ve carved an extra emblem or two.”
“You rascal, your silver tongue has improved since you started this business, huh?”
“Hahaha.”
It was a pleasant encounter.
To think I could reform these neighborhood thugs with just a few words… well, a few fists.
My fist must be the Fist of Life, on par with the Sword that Gives Life from Kenshin Himura.
“This isn’t much… but have a drink of rice wine after work.”
“It’s alright. We…”
“Hush! Just take it. It’s a bribe to make sure you build it sturdy.”
“Th-Thank you, Great Hero!”
“Don’t mention it. Keep up the good work. I’m counting on you.”
“We will lay down our lives!”
“That won’t be necessary… Just do a decent job, that’s enough.”
“No, sir. We found a new life thanks to you, so we will pour our souls into this. Please wait. We will build the greatest martial hall in the Nine Dragons Fortress for you!”
“…”
After exchanging farewells, I left them behind and headed for the Nine Dragons Mountain Range.
Being cooped up in the fortress all day was suffocating.
Since I had already broken my confinement to come this far, I planned to stretch my legs a bit.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*
As I unleashed the Flying Heavenly Wind, the surrounding scenery blurred past me.
I could feel my speed was comparable to a decent motorcycle.
And.
*Pang!*
Each time I took a War King Step, my speed increased even more.
It felt like I was a go-kart racer who’d just hit a boost.
*Thud!*
After advancing with this footwork for about two hours.
I stopped when the Nine Dragons Fortress looked as small as a matchbox in the distance.
“Hoo.”
A large cliff seemed perfect for a warm-up.
Shadowboxing in the air would look a bit lame, wouldn’t it?
First, I broke off a long tree branch and held it in my hand.
I wanted to try out the Black Martial Spear Arts I had received from Bukgung Baek.
As a teacher, I couldn't just teach from a book.
“Let’s see…”
*Swoosh! Swish! Whap!*
As expected of an advanced martial art, even without imbuing any internal energy, the sound of the forms cutting through the air was extraordinary.
“This is the real deal.”
Martial arts are classified as advanced or not based on the depth of the principles they contain.
From that perspective, the Black Martial Spear Arts given to me by Bukgung Baek were excellent.
‘Concentration of power and breakthrough.’
That was the single principle that permeated the Black Martial Spear Arts.
At first glance, it seemed like an unorthodox art focused solely on killing, but a closer look revealed otherwise.
The principle of concentrating power was incredibly refined, and the Black Martial Arts’ internal energy that supported it was pure.
‘Just as I thought.’
As Bukgung Baek had said, it was certainly a martial art that stood between the righteous and unorthodox paths.
Satisfied, I roused my War King Ki.
Following the instructions in the manual, I pushed internal energy into the tree branch.
And.
*Stab.*
I watched as the blunt end of the branch pierced the hard cliff face as if it were tofu.
“…This is incredible.”
It was easy to execute, yet its power was outstanding.
Although the principles embedded within the art itself weren't deep enough to reach the heavenly realm even upon mastery, its efficiency was superb.
If I had discovered both the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes and the Black Martial Spear Arts back in the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, I would have chosen the latter without a second thought.
“Will this be okay?”
The thought of releasing such an advanced martial art for a small fee was quite unsettling.
Although I only planned to release the first half, mastering just that much would be enough to make short work of most first-rate masters.
This was a world where, due to the principle of not teaching the unworthy, one had to provide a lifetime of free labor to a sect to learn proper martial arts.
I could easily be labeled a disruptive species, like a bullfrog upsetting the ecosystem, and have stones thrown at me.
“…”
‘Should I have just opened a small martial hall?’
Mulling it over, I tossed the branch aside.
Things had gotten bigger than I’d expected, but what could I do?
I had already invested all my money; there was no turning back.
For the record, I had poured every last coin I had saved under my bed into establishing this martial hall.
If someone tried to stop me from building it, I was in a position where I’d have to fight for my life.
And.
‘I have my master.’
If things got really bad, I could just tell Bukgung Baek, so I had nothing to worry about.
*Crack. Creak.*
Having finished with my useless worries, I began to warm up.
While reviewing my martial arts overall.
‘This time for sure.’
I had a challenge to undertake.
The first thing I unleashed was the War King Thirteen Strikes.
I slammed the thirteen most powerful forms a human body could execute into the cliff at exceptional speed.
*Paaang! Rumble.*
A single impact rang out, and not just the point of contact, but the entire surrounding area crumbled.
The force of the War King Thirteen Strikes had penetrated deep inside the cliff and shattered it from within.
I unleashed the Explosive Death Force at the collapsing cliff.
“Hup!”
*CRRRRUMBLE.*
The War King Ki I had gathered erupted, transforming into a kinetic force that slammed into the cliff.
*KABOOOOM! CRUMBLE!*
A section of the cliff the size of a large hut vanished without a trace.
And.
*Woooo.*
A sphere of gravitational force, its principles unknown, materialized and swallowed everything around it.
Although it was just one form of the War King Arts, it could be called the beginning and end of controlling power and force.
Next was the Ultimate Death Force.
With a flick of my hand, a thin line of force shot out.
*Shhh-creak!*
It was so fast that it was invisible as it sliced through the cliff.
“I knew it.”
I confirmed something I had been mistaken about.
“The advantage of the Ultimate Death Force isn’t power, but speed.”
I hadn't realized it before, but now that I had reached the transcendent level, I could see it.
This was an attack that focused on sharpness and speed, not strength.
The founder of the Bukgung Clan, who created the War King Arts, must have created the Ultimate Death Force to overcome the weakness of close-quarters combat.
The only downside was that it was the only long-range attack.
The War King Arts were fundamentally strong in close combat. The hardest part of fighting a stronger opponent was closing the distance.
If there were a few more forms like the Ultimate Death Force, it would be much easier to get in close.
Of course.
‘That doesn’t apply to me, now that I have the Battle Lord Arrow.’
The moment I channeled ki into my little finger, the Battle Lord Arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning—no, it became a literal bolt of lightning.
*Whoosh! Bang!*
The arrowhead, made of Myriad-Year Dark Iron, embedded itself in the cliff, creating a massive explosion.
I hadn't even used much ki, yet its power was comparable to the Explosive Death Force.
But the Battle Lord Arrow's strength wasn't just its power.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang!*
Up, down, up, up, down.
The most important thing was its autonomy. Like controlling a sword with ki, its ability to move freely was the unique advantage of the Battle Lord Arrow.
I could rapidly approach an opponent using the War King Step while simultaneously maneuvering the Battle Lord Arrow to strike them from behind.
If they dodged, it would lead to close combat. If they blocked, it would also lead to close combat. A beautiful combat scenario would unfold.
Shaking off the thought that made me nod in satisfaction, I faced forward once more.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath, gathering as much War King Ki as possible.
*Crackle. Sizzle.*
Force erupted over my body, creating static electricity.
*Kwoooaaah.*
Soon, black War Dragon Ki burst forth.
It was the protective aura of the War King Arts, which had saved my life several times.
And.
*KUUUUNG!*
An explosion originating from my solar plexus spread force throughout my entire body.
It was the Chain Ring Force.
*Kwakwakwaka.*
Feeling the force of the Chain Ring Force coursing through my meridians, I began my analysis.
‘It converts ki into force to gain speed and power.’
How is this possible?
If only I could figure this out, I could reach the Hell Force.
“Hup!”
If I couldn't understand it with my head, I would have to master it with my body.
I decided to try and unleash the Hell Force.
The method was simple.
Unleash thirteen Explosive Death Forces while the Chain Ring Force was active.
‘First, one.’
*KWAAANG!*
‘Two.’
*KWAAANG!*
‘Three.’
*KWAAANG!*
“Keuk!”
Of course, three was my limit for now.
It wasn't because I lacked internal energy or stamina.
It was because my body itself had reached its durability limit.
“Ugh.”
A wave of nausea washed over me, a sign of internal injury.
*Splurt.*
After spitting out about a cupful of blood, I flicked my hand toward the cliff.
It was to shake off the force of the Chain Ring Force.
*Rumble.*
“Ugh, I’m gonna die.”
*Flump.*
My legs gave out, and I collapsed.
Still, I had realized one thing.
‘It’s possible.’
If my body's durability was lacking, I just had to build it up.
‘The more I move, the stronger I get; the more I fight, the stronger I get, is that it?’
Just as Bukgung Baek had said, I confirmed that if I trusted in the War King Arts and continued on this path, I would one day reach the Hell Force.
“Hehehe.”
And when that day comes, the world will know.
That a new absolute master named Jin Mujeon has…
‘Wait! What is this?’
Why am I… enjoying martial arts?