The Legacy of the Fist King
When was it?
After our clan had been wiped out, I had hidden away on Okhwa Mountain, holding my breath until I could no longer stand it and finally stepped back into the world.
The Nine Great Sects were crumbling, and the Five Great Families were desperately struggling against the Demon Cult’s invasion.
I began wandering the world without direction.
At first, I had no purpose.
I was simply relieved to have survived.
That was the kind of fool I had been.
But then I met him.
An old man looking down at me with dying eyes.
His face was a mass of wrinkles, and hideous scars covered his entire body.
That old man was the former underworld grandmaster, the Fist King, Yaryul.
When the man who introduced himself as the Fist King spoke, I thought he was insane at first.
Yet it did not take long for me to realize he truly was the Fist King.
The demonic cultivators had already swallowed the entire realm.
They soon reached the village where I was hiding, and only then did the dying old man rise to his feet.
And he showed me.
True killing intent.
The desperate resolve to kill his opponent no matter what.
The old man—no, the Fist King—spoke.
“Do you want to live?”
“……”
“If you want to live…… then kill. That is all.”
The Fist King extended his hand, still dripping with the blood of the demonic cultivators he had torn apart.
The first step shook the entire training ground.
With the second step, the very air pressure was torn apart.
The wave of energy spreading from my feet delivered a fresh shock to the gathered heroes.
“W-what is this……?”
“That’s an incredible amount of killing intent!”
What dominated the training ground was unmistakable killing intent.
The expressions of the elders seated at the head table hardened.
They saw it.
They had read the dense killing intent contained within the Black King Advance Strike Body.
“To think the Ju family’s martial arts…… could carry such killing intent……”
Namgung Yeom was astonished, while Jegal Gun, head of the Jegal family, observed my movements with a grave expression.
From the first form, Scatter and Strike, to the final sixth form, Overlord’s Blood Lock.
Even without infusing internal energy, the destructive power of the body technique itself was overwhelming.
Enough to etch itself deeply into everyone’s minds.
After demonstrating all the forms, I clasped my hands in salute to the assembly.
“……”
“……”
The atmosphere in the hall was silent.
No, it was downright cold.
I knew why they were quiet.
They don’t understand. They probably think it’s nothing more than some low-level trick.
As I expected, the gathered heroes had no idea of the true value of the martial art I had shown.
But unlike the heroes, the expressions of the adults seated at the head table were somewhat subtle.
The elders looked deep in thought.
The other family heads appeared greatly surprised.
How amusing.
Enjoying their reactions, I returned to my seat.
After me, Ju Sang-jin and finally my eldest brother each demonstrated their martial arts.
Naturally, the appearance of the Sword Dragon, who had not participated in the tournament in a long time, drew proper cheers from the heroes, who began praising this Heavenly Martial Tournament as the greatest in history.
A short break was given, and we prepared for the direct-line matches.
The direct-line tournament was conducted by having the direct descendants step onto the training ground themselves and name their opponents.
Matches between direct descendants were allowed, as were matches between direct and branch descendants.
With Chief Steward Ju Yoo-gyeong’s announcement marking the start of the direct-line matches, Elder Sister Seung-gyeong stepped onto the platform.
Who will she call?
True to her fiery personality, she was not the type to hold back.
Since I had not paid much attention to this tournament in my previous life, I could not remember everything.
Then it happened.
“Ju Woo-jin.”
“……”
Huh? Me?
“Yes?”
“I wish to spar with Young Master Ju Woo-jin, the youngest.”
It was unexpected, but I understood.
She must still be upset about losing to me once.
I nodded and rose from my seat.
In the tournament, the one who names the opponent is the challenger.
In other words, Elder Sister Seung-gyeong was challenging me from the challenger’s position.
I’ll go easy on her.
I slowly stepped onto the training ground and loosened my body.
“Use your full strength.”
At Elder Sister’s words, I nodded.
Even without her saying so, I had no intention of holding back.
That would not be proper respect toward an opponent in a martial match.
“But why me?”
I asked.
“Why? Is it not allowed?”
“I thought you would call someone stronger than me, Elder Sister.”
“I’ll defeat you first.”
She smiled faintly as she spoke.
Soon the signal to begin fell, and Elder Sister Seung-gyeong charged straight at me.
As if she had no intention of holding back, she unleashed her sword technique with full power.
“As expected.”
Unlike watching from afar, the moment I faced her directly, the pressure was no joke.
To think she had improved this much in such a short time.
Her sword momentum was fast and sharp.
From the very first thrust that split the air, I could tell.
She’s mastered it.
It shines even brighter in real combat.
The Soaring Phoenix Flame Sword Art.
She had already fully internalized the insights I had given her.
Shhhk!
The tip of her sword grazed my side, tearing my collar.
The heroes watching were stunned by that speed.
“How did he dodge that……?”
“Was that without internal energy? How can you reach that speed without it?”
“It’s different from before!”
Of course, I could not just stand still.
Thud!
I lightly slipped into the gap of her sword momentum.
It was not a reckless charge.
It was possible because I had completely seen through her sword technique.
Even though she had made great progress, her openings were still clearly visible to my eyes.
Clang!
My elbow, raised with my upper arm, lightly deflected her sword strike.
For a moment, Elder Sister’s eyes widened.
“Such a move……”
“……”
I twisted my waist and grabbed the flat of her blade with my palm, adding a light pull.
Then I extended my other hand and seized her pulse point.
Black King Advance Strike Body, second form.
It was the form of Bone-Breaking Black Chain.
If I had infused internal energy, it would have been destructive enough to shatter her collarbone.
The heroes could only blink, unable to grasp what was happening, while the adults at the head table were so shocked they nearly jumped to their feet.
“It’s over.”
“……Tch.”
When I released my hand, Elder Sister clicked her tongue and nodded.
It was not that the match was easy.
It was simply that I had become far stronger than she had.
After saluting everyone once more, I was descending the platform when—
“Wait.”
A thoroughly unpleasant voice called from behind.
“You don’t look very tired…… How about a round with this big brother of yours?”
“……”
The one smirking with an oily, unpleasant smile and gesturing at me was none other than Ju Sang-jin.
Idiot.
He clearly had not understood the true meaning of the body technique I had displayed.
He had dismissed it as some trivial trick and stepped forward thinking he could easily crush me.
“If he had any sense, he would have noticed something strange from the adults’ reactions……”
“What are you mumbling about? Don’t tell me…… you’re scared? Haha.”
Ah, forget it.
I glanced toward the head table.
Father gave a silent nod, permitting the consecutive match.
“How troublesome.”
Grumbling, I stepped back onto the training ground.
“Don’t be too scared. There are many eyes watching, so I’ll go easy on you for the sake of your pride. Heh heh.”
“Feel free to use your full strength.”
Yes, this was perfect.
I had known he would call me eventually, but I had not expected him to step forward so quickly.
Ju Sang-jin immediately took up his stance.
However, his posture was slightly different from what I knew.
That’s…… Namgung?
It was the Namgung family’s sword technique.
This idiot truly had no sense whatsoever.
To bring out the Namgung family’s martial arts at a tournament hosted by the Ju family…… Hah.
Frowning, I took my stance.
Well, now I understood how Namgung Yeom viewed Ju Sang-jin.
To think he would teach the Namgung sword art to his grandson-in-law.
Azure Sky Unfettered Sword Art.
The stance Ju Sang-jin was clumsily holding was clearly the Namgung family’s sword technique.
Specifically, the Azure Sky Unfettered Sword Art, which could be considered their foundational sword method.
In truth, while it was called a foundational technique, it was the origin of all martial arts within the Namgung family.
That alone spoke to its high level of completion and power.
But since the one wielding it was Ju Sang-jin, there was nothing to fear.
Come to think of it, that monster didn’t come?
There was one madman in the Namgung family.
A peerless lunatic obsessed with martial arts.
Honestly, among our generation, he might be the greatest monster of all.
Even in my previous life, he had left quite an impression.
“What are you thinking about? How dare you stand before me like that!”
Lost in thought, I had missed the chief steward’s starting signal.
Ju Sang-jin quickly rushed toward me.
The Azure Sky Unfettered Sword Art consisted of a total of thirty-six forms.
It contained many variations and feints, perfectly balancing speed and weight in a magnificent harmony.
Shhhk!
The sound of air being split past my ear actually lifted my mood.
Whenever I fought, I strangely felt as if I were floating.
Why?
Crack!
Because crushing an opponent drunk on arrogance brought an immense sense of satisfaction.
“Guh!”
I quickly waved my hand to disrupt his vision and created a blind spot.
A useless space that the eye could see but the unconscious mind erased.
I occupied that space, grabbed Ju Sang-jin’s wrist, and twisted it in the opposite direction.
I did not twist it severely—only enough that it would heal quickly.
Ju Sang-jin thrashed about, wildly swinging his sword at me.
What? He loses his mind this easily from just one move?
I was dumbfounded.
Was I really defeated so miserably by someone of this level in my previous life?
The Azure Sky Unfettered Sword Art was certainly an excellent sword technique, but Ju Sang-jin’s realm was absurdly low.
Moreover, his understanding of the sword itself was completely lacking.
Even so, I had not expected him to be this incompetent.
Ju Sang-jin’s lips trembled.
The heroes watching the scene were frozen in shock.
They had expected me to be the one getting beaten one-sidedly, but the opposite had happened.
Boom!
I kicked Ju Sang-jin squarely in the face as he charged.
Enraged, he continued rushing at me without regaining his senses.
“Tsk.”
Clicking my tongue lightly, I tripped his charging leg, grabbed his waist, spun him around, and slammed him to the ground.
For a martial artist to be thrown to the ground multiple times.
It was clear proof of the vast gap in skill, yet he refused to accept it and kept getting up to attack.
Namgung Yeom, watching his pathetic grandson-in-law, did not look pleased either.
Observing his expression, Namgung I-hwa signaled the White Dragon Unit leader hidden among the heroes with a glance.
The White Dragon Unit leader nodded and pulled out a long tube from his robes, placing it in his mouth.
Then he fired it straight at me.
“……”
I casually snatched the object flying toward me.
It was an invisible thread-needle.
The faintly shimmering liquid at its tip was clearly a paralyzing poison.
So this is it.
The reason I had been so miserably defeated in my previous life.
Back then, I had tried to resist and ended up collapsing on the spot.
I had thought it was because I had foolishly drunk too much and become terrified……
“How interesting.”
When I caught the needle, a flame ignited in Ju Tae-sung’s eyes as he sat at the head table.
“How dare they.”
A rumbling thunder escaped his lips.
Anger.
How dare they use underhanded tricks before the Sword Sovereign.
“……This really is amusing.”
The sight made me laugh again.
In my previous life…… why had he not intervened?
Because I was a worthless son?
Then what about this life?
Did he have some expectations of me?
“Haha.”
Without realizing it, a twisted laugh slipped out.