184
184
Everyone has a kind of fight they're most confident in.
Some prefer one-on-one duels, while others shine brightest in a three-man coordinated attack.
I specialize in one-against-many—facing a crowd alone.
Even with all the Blood Women, even with the Blood Shadow Unit and every other subordinate, at the core of the Blood Cult lies the belief that "one well-raised Blood Jiangshi is worth more than ten Profound Realm masters."
And so, Blood Jiangshi are experts at handling many opponents at once. In a chaotic melee, in a battle against overwhelming numbers, no one can match me.
"Let's crush that smug face of yours first!"
A man with a thick, shaggy beard aimed straight at my face and swung his fist. I was too exhausted to think of counterattacking, so I simply tilted my head back a little and dodged.
"This bastard?"
Then I grabbed the jaw of the man who was throwing a punch at me from the other side and held it right in front of the incoming fist.
Crack!
The bearded man's expression hardened as his fist buried itself into someone else's face instead of mine. I pulled my hand back from the man whose face was ruined, then bent my arm and drove my elbow into the bearded man's solar plexus.
"Guh-uck!"
The bearded man crumpled on the spot. I took one big step backward.
Thud!
This time, a roundhouse kick aimed at my thigh slammed into the bearded man's temple. The kicker looked like one of those young masters who was fairly famous in Shandong for his kicking techniques.
"How dare you dodge!"
"What, should I just stand still and take the hit?"
"You son of a—!"
"Yeah, a son, not a bitch."
More than engaging in tiresome psychological warfare with the other groom candidates, I just wanted to lie down and sleep deeply. But I couldn't just lie down until at least seven men remained.
'Even holding back appropriately is a pain in the ass.'
I steadied the aura of the Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist. The pups, right in front of the Mountain Lord, were frolicking about because they didn't realize how fearsome he was. The Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist wanted to show them overwhelming martial might and clearly establish the hierarchy.
'Hold on a little longer.'
It was harder to calm the seething Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist than to deal with the martial artists targeting me. Trying to hold back enough power to handle opponents who weren't even worth a single punch was draining in its own way.
'Still, just endure a little more.'
Physical fatigue aside, the mental exhaustion was no joke. Why on earth had yesterday-me left me this kind of trial?
I had already gone through dealing with four people at once in Paeng Yuwol's bed.
If I'd had a full day, I would have shut myself in the room and never come out, but the moment I passed the first trial, the second began immediately.
Was it so unreasonable of me to have slipped out of Dokgo Yeon's sight for barely a day and gone all the way to Hebei?
'No.'
I gathered my strength, thinking of Paeng Yuwol holding Wol-a in her arms. Just thinking of Wol-a made my fatigue settle for a moment, and vitality began to fill my body.
The energy of the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill I'd chewed one of as I came down from Hebei was slowly filling my body!
'Still doesn't relieve the mental fatigue, though.'
To completely shake off exhaustion, I needed deep sleep. But to get that, I had to finish things here quickly and return to Hubei with Dokgo Yeon.
'I want to sleep fast, but...'
Whether Dokgo Yeon or Hwangbo Hye-ji, I want to hold someone, close my eyes, shake off this mental fatigue, and then get up again and share dual cultivation.
'To do that, I need to solidify something first.'
What?
Dominance.
I need to prove that I'm the strongest man here, the most superior male.
"...Hup!"
I thrust my fist toward the fist user charging at me. Since I had only been dodging and deflecting so far, when I finally attacked, the fist user panicked and stumbled.
"Where do you think you're going?"
I grabbed his face. Then I stretched one leg far back, flipped my body halfway around, and dragged him along by his face.
"Throw!"
"Aaaaargh!!"
The fist user, caught in my grip and floating in the air, flew out of the arena. He even crashed into several people and tumbled along the way, and I was satisfied to have eliminated multiple opponents at once.
'Should I take out the top contender first?'
The overwhelming first place would be mine. So if I removed the guy who could have won after me, the remaining spots, second through seventh, would squabble among themselves for the scraps.
They were already trembling in fear, convinced they couldn't beat me. I scanned the surroundings, looking for the strongest presence after mine.
'What a pity.'
There, a man who resembled Baek Su-gwang was fighting hard against the warriors swarming him.
Baek Bo-jun.
The very person who, in my previous life, under the pretense of martial training, twisted my bones and joints through years of violence and turned me into Chu Ma-gwi.
'He's actually pretty solid.'
Maybe because instead of tormenting a weakling like me, he'd been properly raised as the young clan head of a great family. He was just about good enough with his fists, and among this lot, his skill was considerably outstanding.
Mid-Peak Realm.
Had he entered the Nine Dragons Struggle for Supremacy at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he would certainly have taken a mid-level seat among the Nine Dragons.
And here in the Seven Grooms Contention, had it not been for me, he would absolutely have claimed victory.
'Still, for the sake of your father's face, I'll let you off.'
Considering our ties before my regression, ripping him apart wouldn't be satisfying enough—but since I'd already torn him apart once in the future, no particular vengefulness flared up in me.
- Heh, the guy who turned you into this? Then go ahead, as you wish, follow your instincts.
Thanks to the Blood Cult Leader, my revenge was already finished. If there was any remaining grudge, it was simply that on the morning I returned to the past, he had beaten me up pretty badly?
Calling that revenge is a stretch, but I will be taking Hwangbo Hye-ji.
Step, step.
The moment I walked toward him, the other warriors stepped aside and began watching my every move.
"...!!"
Baek Bo-jun noticed me as well and gulped. Still, the way he didn't back down, raising his fist and preparing to fight back, was somewhat impressive in its own way.
I drew up the Mountain Lord's aura to overwhelm his fighting spirit and beckoned him with a finger.
"Come on."
"Hup!"
He launched a punch at me in a single stride. The clean attack was at a level that would rank among the top fist users of the White Path Murim.
"Great Hero, let me make a proposal."
"What?"
I deflected Baek Bo-jun's attacks moderately and listened carefully to what he had to say. Was he going to ask me to yield the victory to him?
"The winner will likely receive the first chance to choose his wife. In that case, you would pick Hwangbo Hye-ji."
"That's right."
"Let's swap wives once each. I'll also lend you the woman who becomes my wife for a night."
In that instant,
I thought I must have misheard.
"What?"
"Didn't you catch that? Heh heh, you're more innocent than I thought—"
Bam!
I drove my fist straight into his face. Though he did raise both arms to block it—as befitted a Peak expert—he retreated with a deep frown.
"Gu-urgh...!"
Blocking the attack must have shattered his wrists. I pulled out the full power of the Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist.
"You son of a bitch just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?"
The character that once turned a person into Chu Ma-gwi hasn't changed, I see. I loosed the leash on the Mountain Lord, who'd been desperate to rampage.
"I'll shatter that rotten mentality of yours."
Soul-Seizing Crashing Fist.
I kicked off the ground and charged. Then, like a tiger snatching its prey, I grabbed him by the neck and forcibly yanked him forward.
"Guh-uck?!"
He floated horizontally in midair. I stabilized my stance and poured all my power into my fist.
Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist, Secret Technique.
"Mount Tai Pressing Down(泰山壓頂)."
Press down and crush like Mount Tai. In sword art, it's a grandiose name often found in third-rate techniques, but the Fierce Tiger Overlord Fist is different.
"Mount Tai Collapse Fist(泰岳崩壞拳)."
As if crushing my prey, I drove my full power into his solar plexus.
'Come to think of it, this bastard is a total stranger to me, isn't he?'
Not a drop of blood shared between us.
No restraint, no holding back.
Boooom!!
A huge cloud of dust rose in the arena.
* * *
Craa—aaash!!
Dust billowed through the arena. Everyone watching the arena had to shield their eyes from the tremendous wave of force that blocked their vision.
"Ugh, what in the...?!"
Hwangbo Yeom felt a chill run down his spine at the presence he'd sensed for a split second.
Was it an illusion? No. A master of the Harmony Realm could not feel illusions. Whatever else might be uncertain, one could never deceive his own Qi Sense.
'That attack just now was clearly Peak Realm—no, above that!'
It was so fast and powerful that he had almost missed it. It felt as if a tiger had lunged forward, roaring with all its might, and he had even perceived the illusion of Mount Tai itself collapsing.
The aura of a fierce tiger, as though proclaiming who the true lord of the mountain was.
If that martial art were to enter the Hwangbo Clan?
No, if that martial art merged with the Hwangbo Clan's Thunder Divine Fist and evolved into a new art?
Gulp.
Hwangbo Yeom clenched his trembling fist tightly. Otherwise, he felt he would not be able to calm this surging competitive spirit.
Cough, cough.
Thud!
At the sound of coughing from behind him, Hwangbo Yeom lightly swung his fist forward. The dust cloud that had swept over his daughters was scattered into the sky by the fist wind that unfolded around him.
Patatat.
The dust blanketing the arena began to settle. Hwangbo Yeom advanced as if entranced and checked the state of the arena.
Complete destruction.
The fist strike, so powerful it seemed as though it would collapse Mount Tai, had destroyed the entire arena. Had he not restrained his strength, it was a blow that might well have brought down the entire clan estate.
And in the center of the arena, the young man he had set his sights on stood with a pale, bloodless face.
Drip, drip-drop.
Blood was dripping from the young man's nose. It was unmistakably exhaustion caused by the accumulation of extreme fatigue.
He'd launched an attack strong enough to smash the whole arena, and all the aftermath left him with was simple exhaustion! What incredible stamina.
'I want to fight.'
Hwangbo Yeom could hardly contain his overflowing competitive urge. Not as father-in-law and son-in-law, but as martial artists walking the same path of the fist, he felt the desire to exchange insights and become friends.
And if such a man became his daughter's husband and led the Hwangbo Clan, how great a blessing would that be for the clan!
"...Heh."
The young man wiped his nosebleed with the hem of his martial robe and flicked the blood away. His body staggered as if he would collapse at any moment, but with formidable willpower he did not fall and stood tall.
"Is it... over?"
"Indeed, it's over."
Hwangbo Yeom spread both arms and gestured to all sides.
It wasn't only the arena that had collapsed. From the shock of the arena's destruction, every other warrior had been flung out of the arena, slammed into the walls, and knocked unconscious.
The only one fully conscious was this single young man.
"You've defeated all the warriors, so the only survivor of the second round is you."
"......It was worth working my body so hard."
The young man smiled as if satisfied. The expression showed both the satisfaction of having eliminated his rivals and the relief of having passed the trial so he could enjoy some rest.
"That final punch—what was it?"
At Hwangbo Yeom's question, the young man's expression stiffened. He stared at his own fist for a long time, then shook his head.
"...I don't know either. I just entered a state of no-self and fought."
"Hahaha! Producing this much power in a state of no-self? Truly remarkable! Such ability at a young age. Truly... I'm envious."
It was enough to make him jealous of that vigorous youth.
"Hye-ji!"
"...Yes."
At Hwangbo Yeom's call, Hwangbo Hye-ji walked up onto the arena. She gazed at the young man with a complex mix of emotions on her face.
"This is the man who will be your husband. Support him yourself."
"I understand, Father."
Hwangbo Hye-ji supported the young man without a single word of complaint. The young man, too, looked pleased to be supported by Hwangbo Hye-ji, whom he had wanted so much.
At his smile toward her, his daughter even looked away in embarrassment.
As a father, it stirred many complicated feelings, yet he felt certain that a man of this caliber could be trusted not only with Hwangbo Hye-ji but with the whole family.
"......!"
In that instant, a flash of inspiration crossed Hwangbo Yeom's mind. He scanned the area with his eyes.
Most of the first-rate experts were still sprawled about, unable to regain consciousness.
Bang Do-rim of the Qingcheng Sect, one of the strong contenders for victory, lay unconscious with his sword broken and foam at his mouth.
And another top candidate, Baek Bo-jun of the Hyeoncheon Baek Clan, was stretched out flat on his back as if his soul had truly been seized by the Soul-Seizing Crashing Fist.
A man who might even surpass Hwangbo Yeom himself.
Was it because such an extraordinary fist user stood right before his eyes?
None of the other candidates looked satisfactory anymore. And so Hwangbo Yeom could only be utterly pleased with the stroke of inspiration that had flashed through his mind.
"Son-in-law. I entrust my daughters to you from now on."
"......Excuse me?"
The young man blinked in a daze, startled. At the innocent expression that finally seemed appropriate for his age, the corners of Hwangbo Yeom's mouth twitched on their own.
"They say that for a hero, three wives and four concubines is the standard. Of course, I can't permit you to take my daughters as concubines, so make them all seven wives instead."
"......I didn't quite catch that?"
"Hahaha! You used all your strength, so no wonder. Su-ji, Hye-ji, Eun-ji, Yeong-ji, Yun-ji, Shin-ji, Hyeon-ji—listen well! You seven shall serve this man as your husband with one heart and one mind!!"
"W-wait a moment, Clan Head."
The young man continued in a voice of genuine bewilderment.
"Are you telling me... to become the husband of all seven sisters?"
"Why not? My own father took four wives. Keh-keh-keh!"
"......."
The young man closed his eyes and let his head drop. Whether from depleted energy or shock, he slid down next to Hwangbo Hye-ji as if losing consciousness, and Hwangbo Hye-ji hurriedly reached out, cradling his face against her chest and supporting him.
"With this, we needn't worry about falling prey to the Sex Demon."
Hwangbo Yeom's eyes sparkled with boundless trust toward the young man.
"The husband is the next-generation number-one fist under heaven—who would dare violate my daughters?!"