The Beggar Elder's Staff Challenge
Woo-gang stood facing Byeol Gae.
The leather wrapped around the spear blade had been peeled away.
Byeol Gae, standing opposite him, remained still, merely rotating his wrists alternately.
Anyone could see it was preparation for a spar.
So why had the two suddenly decided to spar?
It was all because of Byeol Gae.
Instead of accepting the Sword King's proposal outright, he had attached a condition.
"But I have a condition of my own."
"What is it? Speak."
"I'd like to cross hands with the Flame King's martial arts a bit..."
Byeol Gae's gaze toward Woo-gang brimmed with the unspoken plea of 'Hurry up and agree!'
The Sword King glanced at Woo-gang as well.
A silent question: What do you say?
Woo-gang nodded readily.
If he could gain what he wanted with just one spar, there was no reason to refuse.
Besides, personally, he was eager to witness the Beggar Clan's techniques firsthand.
"Fine. Then let's move somewhere else. Too many people here."
"I already spotted a good spot on the way."
"You planned this all along?"
"How could I pass up meeting the Flame King's disciple?"
Byeol Gae quipped with a grin.
They relocated, arriving at this secluded spot where they now faced off.
"Hoo..."
Byeol Gae took a deep breath.
A thrilling tension raced from his toes to the crown of his head.
He had always yearned to test his skills against the Flame King but never found the chance, leaving him with lingering regret.
Though it was the master's disciple instead, the rumors circulating from the Murim Alliance suggested Woo-gang's prowess was in no way inferior.
Thus, Byeol Gae felt more excitement than he had in years.
Woo-gang, facing him, shared the sentiment.
Excluding the Black Daoists, this was his first glimpse of another sect's martial arts since the Ice Palace.
The Murim Alliance's techniques weren't tied to any single faction, after all.
And he knew nothing about the Beggar Clan's arts.
With zero information, he couldn't predict their attacks, defenses, or counters.
That uncertainty only fueled Woo-gang's fighting spirit.
Gu Sam watched from a short distance alongside the Sword King, holding his breath to take in every detail.
A martial artist's spar.
He had never witnessed one in his life.
Though he had learned martial arts himself, he hadn't even realized it, living as someone far removed from the jianghu.
He harbored vague dreams of the martial world, but harsh reality had kept them at bay.
Yet in mere days, his life had flipped upside down.
Somehow, he ended up traveling with the Sword King and the Flame King's disciple, only to become a disciple of Byeol Gae—one of the Beggar Clan's elders.
And now, he was witnessing a true martial duel with his own eyes.
It all felt unreal.
Gu Sam quietly pinched his thigh.
A sharp pain confirmed it—this was reality.
"Bodies warmed up. Shall we start?"
"I've been waiting."
Byeol Gae and Woo-gang's exchange snapped Gu Sam from his reverie.
The crisp air grew thick with taut tension.
"Since I proposed this spar, I'll go first."
Thud!
Dirt sprayed.
Byeol Gae's sturdy frame shot forward at blinding speed.
With momentum added to his rock-hard body, the sheer weight and power defied imagination.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Woo-gang thrust his spear forward to check the charge.
The rapid stabs were sharp enough to pierce Byeol Gae clean through.
Under Woo-gang's pressure, Byeol Gae shifted tactics.
His straight charge now wove left and right.
Woo-gang retreated, stabbing more erratically.
He had never yielded ground in combat before—but Byeol Gae's onslaught was that ferocious.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out in succession.
Byeol Gae unleashed palm strikes amid his rush.
Woo-gang shattered every one with precise spear work.
Kaboom!
The final palm strike detonated far more fiercely, yet Woo-gang dismantled it flawlessly.
Byeol Gae's charge halted.
Their distance remained exactly as at the start—neither closer nor farther.
Byeol Gae eyed Woo-gang, then drew a staff from his belt.
It looked like a roughly carved club, but to a Beggar Clan disciple, it was a proper weapon.
Drawing it signaled his intent to unleash the Ta Gu Cheon Hwan Bong Beop.
Dog-Beating Heavenly Illusion Staff Method—the Beggar Clan's famed advanced staff art, second only to the sect leader's exclusive Ta Gu Bong Beop in prowess.
Among the elders, Byeol Gae was renowned for mastering it most perfectly.
Fwoosh!
Byeol Gae unleashed his controlled qi freely.
A formidable aura erupted from his entire body.
Roar!
Woo-gang, unfazed, summoned his own qi.
Flames engulfed his spear.
Byeol Gae's eyes gleamed.
He couldn't tear away from the mesmerizing sight of the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong and Hong Yeom Cheon Ui Chang in harmony—the Flame King's signature arts.
Thud!
Byeol Gae charged again.
His empty left hand lashed out repeatedly.
Whirling palm strikes from the Hoe Seon Jang Beop burst forth.
Whirling Palm Method—circular, relentless strikes blending seamlessly with staff work.
Undiminished in speed, he swung the staff in his right hand.
A masterful fusion of Whirling Palm and Dog-Beating Heavenly Illusion Staff.
This exquisite harmony was the origin of his moniker, Byeol Gae.
Most warriors honed a single style suited to them.
But Byeol Gae had mastered the Beggar Clan's diverse arsenal, reaching profound levels in all.
The clan's once-in-a-generation genius—that was Byeol Gae.
Roar!
Woo-gang's flames blazed brilliantly against the palm strikes.
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
The palms exploded within the inferno, scattering sparks everywhere.
Yet Byeol Gae didn't flinch.
Ignoring the blasts at point-blank range, he burrowed into Woo-gang's guard.
Create an opening with palms, infiltrate, finish with staff.
That was his plan against the long spear.
Scree!
The staff sliced through flames with lethal precision.
Clang!
But his sure-kill strike met Woo-gang's spear.
A thrust or swing required recovery time—yet the spear had snapped back to block perfectly.
Bam!
Woo-gang flicked the staff, shoving Byeol Gae back.
Even Byeol Gae's immense strength buckled under the force.
Woo-gang jabbed the blunt spear tip at his chest.
Reeling, Byeol Gae barely raised his staff in defense.
Crack!
Shattering sounds echoed as he was pushed back again.
Byeol Gae flicked his eyes to check the staff.
A crack from the blow, but it might hold.
Then a massive shadow loomed.
Lifting his head, he saw Woo-gang upon him, gazing down.
Woo-gang's upper body arched back like a drawn bow.
His spear poised behind.
And in that instant—
Whoosh!
With a thunderous roar, the spear whipped forward at inconceivable speed.
Byeol Gae surged qi to reinforce the staff, raising it overhead.
Block first, evade, then adapt.
Crunch!
His plan crumbled.
The spear's power exceeded expectations; the staff shattered effortlessly.
Fortuitously, the fragments created a split-second gap for retreat.
Byeol Gae rolled backward, then scrambled further as flames lashed out from the spear's recoil.
The fiery tongue stretched to his nose before retracting.
Gritting his teeth, Byeol Gae unleashed a barrage of palm strikes.
Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
Far more potent than before, they hurtled toward Woo-gang.
But Woo-gang calmly swung his spear, nullifying them all.
Byeol Gae felt hollow.
He expected the clashes to disrupt Woo-gang's stance, even slightly.
Yet Woo-gang stood immovable, dismantling everything without a tremor.
No openings.
Superior in attack power, defense solidity—Woo-gang outclassed him in every way.
"I lose."
Byeol Gae raised both hands.
The moment his penetrating strike was blocked, defeat was sealed.
Assuming it would land, he hadn't planned beyond—his fatal error.
Woo-gang withdrew his qi; the scorching flames vanished without trace.
"Good work."
Woo-gang bowed briefly, and Byeol Gae managed a wry smile.
He had anticipated a grueling battle, but his quick defeat embarrassed him.
Byeol Gae turned to the Sword King.
"Just what guts did Sa Ma-gang have to pull that stunt?"
The Sword King merely shrugged at the question.
Gu Sam was dazed.
Shocks from start to finish.
Byeol Gae's invisible charge, Woo-gang's effortless counters.
He hadn't even tracked the movements properly.
When flames erupted from the spear, he nearly wet himself.
Was this martial arts?
He dismissed jianghu tales as exaggerations.
Stories grew embellished with retellings, especially the wilder ones.
But now, perhaps those legends held truth.
The spar had rocked Gu Sam to his core.
"I'll vent today's loss by training that punk from now on."
Byeol Gae eyed the still-trance-like Gu Sam.
Snapping to, Gu Sam pondered the words, then paled.
"Wh-why me...?"
"Gotta teach ya from now on, right? Don't worry—won't kill ya. But it'll be hellish enough you'll wish for death."
Gu Sam swallowed hard at Byeol Gae's grinning threat, then glanced at the Sword King.
"Can't I just live with my lil' bros?"
"Tough luck, kid."
Gu Sam's face crumpled at the Sword King's reply.
Seeing it, Byeol Gae burst into hearty laughter.