Duel with Tak Hopyeong
Tak Hopyeong's aura suggested he was at the peak of Core Formation initial stage. Yuseong started with probing attacks, conjuring an ice spear in his left hand and a fireball from his right while gripping a flame orb.
Tak Hopyeong snorted derisively, pulling out a violet shield and enlarging it with a hand seal.
Boom! The enlarged violet shield easily blocked the ice spear, but the flames from the fireball lingered undispelled. Tak Hopyeong looked surprised as he drew a blue fan and swung it, snuffing out the fire.
With a grand sweep of the blue fan, a fierce gale roared toward Yuseong. He quickly erected a barrier and circulated his Iron Skin Art to evade the wind. But the invisible gust pierced his barrier, shredding his upper body.
Cracks spiderwebbed across his White Tiger Armor, and blood seeped from his skin. It hadn't been long since he'd repaired the armor, and now it was damaged again—frustration boiled within him.
Using his Dun Technique, he closed in rapidly, unleashing a punch while attacking with the flame orb. Crash!
Tak Hopyeong dragged the violet shield in front of him to block the punch, then swept his blue fan to deflect the incoming fireball aside. The fireball smashed into the grand formation's barrier and vanished.
The violet shield didn't even budge against a punch empowered by Iron Skin Art. Trusting in his technique, Yuseong kept narrowing the distance, raining down fists.
Tak Hopyeong defended with the violet shield while counterattacking with the blue fan in a relentless exchange. Bang! Bang! Bang! After a prolonged clash, as Yuseong rampaged wildly against the fan's repeated assaults, Tak Hopyeong aimed it directly at him.
Feather-blades exploded forth at blinding speed, streaking like lines of blue light. The close range left no time to raise a barrier—the blades were upon him before he could react.
No room to dodge, Yuseong crossed his arms to shield his head. Thud-thud-thud! Despite Iron Skin Art at 8th stage, over a dozen feathers embedded in his arms, legs, and abdomen.
Blood gushed from the wounds, stinging fiercely. Tak Hopyeong sneered at him and formed a hand seal. Suddenly, the embedded feathers spun, burrowing deeper into his flesh.
"Gahhh!" Chunks of flesh tore free around the wounds, blood spraying like fountains. The agony made his whole body tremble, movement nearly impossible.
But staying still meant death by those burrowing feathers. As he reached to yank them out, Tak Hopyeong drew his sword and swung. A crescent blade qi sliced through the air.
Its power prickled his skin even from afar. Yuseong bent his knees, retreated swiftly with Dun Technique, then leaped a zhang into the air to evade.
The blade qi passed beneath him, crashing into the formation's barrier with a thunderous explosion. Boom!
With distance gained, the feathers halted their spin. Seizing the moment, Yuseong released then maximally circulated Iron Skin Art, expelling all the feathers at once.
Pew-pew! Blood spurted from the holes. He staunched the bleeding and doused his body in Moksaeng Powder. Even as he applied it, another blade qi flew at him—he dodged midair with Dun Technique and retaliated with a flame orb.
The probing phase was over. He poured mana into the flame orb, unleashing a fire dragon. The massive beast roared as it charged Tak Hopyeong.
Tak Hopyeong swiftly formed seals, erecting triple-layered barriers with the violet shield at the fore. Kaboom!
The fire dragon collided, sparks flying everywhere. Barriers shattered one by one until it reached the violet shield.
As Tak Hopyeong sealed the shield, Yuseong darted in with Dun Technique. Their distance closed to three zhang.
Now!Delightful Soul Captivation Technique.
A hefty chunk of his consciousness drained away, and Tak Hopyeong's eyes glazed over. Victory seemed certain. Aiming for the chest, Yuseong punched while watching his face.
Tak Hopyeong's eyes were dazed, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
"......!" A chill ran down Yuseong's spine—he tried to retreat.
Tak Hopyeong formed seals in a flash. The violet shield, still fending off the fire dragon, morphed into a prison, trapping Yuseong.
Darkness engulfed him instantly, purple walls sealing every direction—even above. No escape. He couldn't see out or probe with his senses.
Tak Hopyeong's confident voice echoed. "Will you surrender?"
Yuseong activated Iron Skin Art and punched the purple wall. Boom! Whatever it was made of, it didn't budge.
Still, persistent strikes might crack it. He hammered with fists, kicks, shoulders, elbows. Bang-bang-bang-bang!
No matter how tough, it couldn't have blocked the fire dragon unscathed. Tak Hopyeong's voice turned sinister. "I take that as a refusal to surrender."
Outside, Tak Hopyeong did something—the prison contracted, squeezing the space. Grind-grind-grind! Staying put meant being crushed.
Purple walls closed in as Yuseong threw his all into attacking them. What the hell is this purple wall made of—it's unbreakable! Death loomed ever closer.
For a fleeting moment, surrender tempted him, but defiance surged. I'm a weed. A weed that grows through crises of death!
The prison shrank to barely enough for him to stand. Grind-grind! It kept compressing. He spread his legs, extended arms left and right, head propping the descending ceiling.
His skull felt like splitting; bones and organs groaned in protest. Crack! Blood trickled from his seven orifices, vision blurring.
He couldn't hold much longer. Then, Sect Leader Wiyeon soared toward the enemy investigators to buy his fleeing disciples time—that image flashed.
If I can't overcome this, I'll never catch that man!Sect Leader Wiyeon! If you're the sect leader, lend strength to this disciple of Unkak Sect!
"Raaaggghhhh!!!" Ignoring the agony of the compressing walls, he bellowed, burning his vital blood and pushing Iron Skin Art to its limit.
His body felt ablaze, a raging inferno devouring everything inside. Clinging to a thread of reason, he endlessly recited the incantation.
Crunch! The prison was minuscule now; bones shattered, all he could do was crouch and endure.
Then, change stirred within. Fractured bones knit, displaced organs realigned, and a faint golden glow emanated from his skin.
In this dire crisis, abandoning all else to focus on Iron Skin Art had triggered a realm breakthrough—reaching 9th stage! The golden body, symbol of 9th stage Iron Skin Art, proved it.
From his crouch, he pushed down with his legs and up with his hands, barely standing. "Raaagh!!"
As the purple walls yielded, he thrust a fist forward. Crack! The invincible wall fissured.
"Hahaha!" Blood dripped from his mouth, but laughter came anyway. Krakrakrack!
Another punch shattered the front wall. Tak Hopyeong stared in shock. Regaining his wits, he swung his sword.
Squeezing out his last strength, Yuseong rocketed forward with Dun Technique, blocking the blade qi with his left arm and punching with his right.
Tak Hopyeong raised a barrier hastily, but the golden-glowing fist pulverized it in one blow. With the barrier gone, the rest was easy.
"Surrender?" Yuseong gripped Tak Hopyeong's head with his right hand. A slight squeeze would burst it.
Dormant killing intent welled up, fingers itching. Tak Hopyeong's face twisted. "...I surrender."
His declaration complete, Master Tak Gunma flew in swiftly, checking his disciple. The onlookers cheered, chanting Yuseong's name.
"Yuseong! Yuseong!"
"As expected of Unkak Sect!"
Takga disciples, meanwhile, scowled and stormed out. Tak Gunma approached Yuseong with murderous eyes. Tak Gyeong had arrived, standing by his side.
"Impressive. To master spells and body arts to this degree—my eyes must've been wrong. As promised, the Zigang Pill is yours."
Tak Gunma, looking ready to kill, dragged his disciple away. Tak Gyeong pulled a pill from his storage pouch and fed it to Yuseong.
"For treating internal injuries."
"Thank you."
His condition was dire, so he swallowed it without hesitation. Internal and external wounds were severe; he properly applied Moksaeng Powder to the gashes.
White Tiger Armor was shredded beyond repair, his upper body scarred like a snake's trail.
A female disciple from the second floor flew over—Tak Hwaryeon.
"Why didn't you surrender midway? You could've died."
Why didn't I give up? Yuseong chuckled lightly. "Because I'm a weed."
"A weed...?"
Exhausted from the fight with Tak Hopyeong, he left Tak Hwaryeon to her thoughts and exited the arena.
"Senior Tak Gyeong, I need to head to Taepyeong Pavilion for treatment."
Tak Gyeong, following behind, replied, "Do that."
They returned together to Taepyeong Pavilion. In his quarters, Yuseong sat cross-legged and circulated his qi.
The duel had elevated Iron Skin Art to 9th stage. He'd planned to advance through real combat with Ya Su, but the near-fatal purple prison had forced the breakthrough.
Now, activating it bathed his skin in golden light.
He spent a week recovering at Taepyeong Pavilion. A servant summoned him to Tak Gyeong, so he went.
A mysterious purple tiger slumbered beside Tak Gyeong.
"Deliver this to Yeop disciple."
Tak Gyeong handed over a violet stone from his storage pouch.
Finally, the Zigang Pill! Enduring trials to claim it for her sent a thrill down his spine.
"Thank you. I'll tell Pavilion Lord Yeop that Senior Tak Gyeong was a great help."
He left Taepyeong Pavilion and set off straight for Unkak Sect. The sky was clearer than ever, the Gaun Mountains breathtakingly beautiful.