Suddenly, Bi Wol raised her sword to block Kim Hyul’s flying punch. She had learned countless techniques by watching his matches.
At that moment, Kim Hyul shattered a multitude of weapons as if his hands were made of steel, claiming victory.
KAAANG─!
A clear and refreshing sound resonated, like metal clashing against metal, as they both distanced themselves significantly.
The tingling sensation in her hand made Bi Wol realize that her opponent had truly mastered Geumgangbulgoe.
‘…I thought it was just a legend.’
Geumgangbulgoe referred to a state where the body is hardened to the extent that no blade can harm it, and no strike can land.
Bi Wol would have easily despaired, thinking there was no way to defeat such an opponent, but now she had an elixir attached to her hands to assist her master.
‘Still, I have to try. No matter how powerful the martial arts, in the end, it’s just external energy.’
Her hand gripping the sword trembled from the shock, but Bi Wol took a deep breath to steady her mind.
“Did you hear about my martial arts from our master?”
Seeing Bi Wol, Kim Hyul responded with incredulity. After all, Six Harmonies Fist was a fringe martial art, so it would be hard to find someone in the martial world who didn’t know about it.
Paradoxically, that’s why many underestimated the power of Six Harmonies Fist. They would think it was just mimicking animal movements or foolishly attacking with one’s entire body.
“…That wasn’t a speed anyone could react to visually.”
Yet, Bi Wol’s movement just now was strange. It was as if she had sensed the unavoidable speed of his punch, swiftly blocking it with her sword.
“Seems like you’re a disciple of that old man after all.”
Kim Hyul sighed in disbelief, irritation rising at just thinking about the undefeated martial god.
The nickname “God of Undefeated Fist” was a grand deal in this martial world, given that he had never lost once in a fight.
“…That old man? Our master is really young!”
Taken aback by his inconsistent statement, Bi Wol stopped in her tracks. She instinctively felt this was a conversation she needed to hear.
“It’s someone you wouldn’t know. That guy named Bing Yeon learned martial arts a long time ago.”
“Our master…?”
“Yeah, he’s a whimsical old man called the Undefeated Martial God. He could become an immortal but refuses to walk the easy path.”
Kim Hyul bit his lower lip while mentioning the master who had taught him martial arts. The long-bearded elder who would sternly correct him at the slightest mistake.
“I’ve never seen his face, but since we learned from the same master… I guess he could be my senior disciple.”
Once Kim Hyul finished speaking, a prickling sensation rose in Bi Wol’s heart.
She felt envious and jealous.
Why couldn’t she be the first?
What was it about their master that drew such attention from so many?
Even if he could see the future, he could have lived a more selfish life, yet he was unselfishly aiding her in her impending death.
Bing Yeon was disturbingly altruistic.
‘It’s because of that nature that he saved me when I was in trouble, but…’
Bi Wol felt her hand gripping the sword tremble with strength. She disliked that Kim Hyul, right in front of her, seemed to know more about her master than she did.
“…Don’t make me laugh. So, you think you’re his disciple?”
“Well, not exactly, but I think the connections we have are awfully tight.”
As Kim Hyul said this, he slightly turned around, glancing at Bing Seolhwa, who was just outwardly regarded as the master.
“That’s true.”
Realizing who he was referring to, Bi Wol took a deep breath. Her learning of how to counter Six Harmonies Fist had all stemmed from an unknown figure.
‘That woman, Bing Seolhwa. She looked like she was of the same bloodline as our master.’
Just a moment ago, she had excused herself to the restroom to see that ominous rival whom her master Bing Yeon was so wary of.
In the place where all the leaders of Yong Bong Gihwa gathered, Bi Wol felt an odd sensation looking at a woman with white hair and blue eyes, identical to Bing Yeon.
“Seongyeongmun… It doesn’t seem like a randomly created sect name, does it?”
“Indeed, that strange woman claims that this world is wrong and insists we must revert to the past. It was created just for appearances.”
In hindsight, it was odd. Usually, what resided in her master’s body was such an immense energy that one could pay a fortune to retrieve it from North Sea Ice Palace.
Born with innate genius but intended to drastically shorten one’s life, Nine Pulse Meridians.
“Then, that strange woman is the white-haired leader you follow, and has connections to our master?”
“Yeah, that’s my guess. There’s a high probability they share the same bloodline.”
Kim Hyul nodded at Bi Wol’s sharp deduction, stringing together the information she’d only suspected before.
“I think so too.”
1. The current leader of Seongyeongmun is someone very closely linked to our master. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be doing anything so strange like leaving messages on people’s backs.
2. And that woman must be a descendant of the same bloodline as our master. Given her mindset and the purity of her energy, there’s no way our master could have ended up living the life of a rogue in the Five Poison Sect.
3. Lastly, she’s the most dangerous romantic rival at the moment.
After concluding all her calculations, Bi Wol charged straight at Kim Hyul. She couldn’t just sit back and be passive.
If she lost in this Yong Bong Gihwa, that white-haired woman could seize Bing Yeon’s leash using the Eternal Blood of Ten Thousand Years as leverage.
“…Then I definitely can’t afford to lose!”
“Good spirit! Finally feeling like fighting, huh?”
KAAANG, KANG─! The sound of fists and swords clashing echoed. Spectators were drawn in as the sparks flew in their faces.
As the exchanges of blows progressed flawlessly, as if their limbs were synchronized…
“Ugh…!”
In an instant, a punch pierced Bi Wol’s side, exploiting her brief opening. The Six Harmonies Fist attacked defensively and offensively all at once, targeting the weak angles created by her sword.
Breath escaped her. The struck area ignited with pain like it was on fire, and her legs threatened to give way.
“Is this the end?”
Seeing this, Kim Hyul muttered softly. He believed it was better to force a surrender than to kill his opponent.
Yet,
“No…!”
Bi Wol gritted her teeth and put strength into her entire body. She was struggling to rise again, almost collapsing from the pain.
SHWAAAH─!
Once more she swung the sword, causing it to barely brush past Kim Hyul’s cheek, leaving him unscathed.
“I am the one who has mastered Geumgangbulgoe. You should give up now.”
KANG, KAAANG─! Kim Hyul blocked Bi Wol’s sword with his bare arm, showing mercy. Both knew she could never defeat him with just a blade.
“That’s something you can only find out after you try…!”
Bi Wol gasped for breath, continuing her sword strikes. She didn’t want to disappoint her master Bing Yeon, even knowing it might be futile.
‘The essence of Six Harmonies Fist is the union of heaven and earth.’
Bi Wol kept searching for openings in Kim Hyul. It wasn’t easy finding methods to bypass the Six Harmonies Fist’s all-encompassing offense and defense.
No matter how fringe a martial art it was, it was impossible to defeat someone who had thoroughly mastered it.
– The weakness of Six Harmonies Fist is that if one expands their form too much to increase power, openings will appear.
– Then, I should create distance and make movements larger!
Bi Wol recalled a time she had discussed with Bing Yeon. To beat Kim Hyul, who combined Six Harmonies Fist and Geumgangbulgoe, special measures were needed.
– No, such a simple method won’t work. The opponent is already aware of those weaknesses and won’t allow me to create distance.
Bing Yeon had expressed negative opinions about Bi Wol’s first thought to counter. As he said, the method of creating distance and fighting had already been attempted by the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Kim Hyul had won by catching projectiles thrown from above and tossing them back in a crazy way.
‘A little more…! Just a bit…!’
Bi Wol had a different plan in mind.
Geumgangbulgoe was ultimately external energy. It merely strengthened the visible flesh and muscles to their limits.
– If so, the only way would be to attack the softer organs within rather than the hardened exterior.
– And by that, I mean…
– Create openings that cannot be blocked by Six Harmonies Fist’s defense, and if I keep striking with the persistence of forging iron, surely the weak points will manifest.
Ringing like a resonant sound, she relentlessly struck Kim Hyul’s body with her sword. Though it seemed ineffective, she refused to give up.
‘First, I’ll shatter the ground to stop the energy from flowing into the earth…’
Watching Kim Hyul’s trembling arms, Bi Wol smiled. Under normal circumstances, his body wouldn’t respond to any shock, thanks to Geumgangbulgoe.
‘The fatigue of countless challengers has accumulated in his body. I’ll resonate with that and amplify it!’
The fatigue left by numerous challengers had written itself into Kim Hyul’s body. No matter how much he trained, he couldn’t made organs like brains and intestines as tough as steel.
The moment her sword aimed at his temple…
‘Right now…!’
KAAAAANG─!
The sound resonated like a giant bell engulfing the stage, and blood began to pour from Kim Hyul’s nose.
Dropping blood onto the ground, he looked up at Bi Wol and realized something was wrong.
“…Ugh?!!”
Resonance.
He stumbled back, realizing she had aimed for his vulnerable insides that Geumgangbulgoe couldn’t protect.
