Chapter 150: Duel (1)
Kwaang!
Tasadon’s fist and Tang Serin’s Hundred Silk Fan clashed head-on.
An invisible shockwave burst out, sweeping through the surroundings.
The Dark Flower Unit mbers deflected the flying shockwave upward so that the non–martial artist clansn would not be hard.
It was a scene that clearly showed just how seriously the two treated this sparring match.
Tadat!
After being pushed back by each other’s strike, the two dashed forward again like lightning.
As though space itself folded, they closed the distance within a few steps and resud their assault.
Swaeak!
With the sound of air being ripped apart, Tasadon’s fist flew toward Tang Serin’s face.
From Tasadon’s entire body, a vivid surge of soul-driven will radiated.
Seeing that, Sewoon’s eyes glimred with interest.
‘So he truly devoted himself to training even after I left.’
Tasadon’s current martial state was at the Supre Peak Master Level—
Right on the verge of reaching the Transformation Realm.
Before leaving the Beast Palace, Sewoon had gathered all the warriors there and taught each one a new training thod suited to them, along with a way to strengthen their souls.
Normally, even the tribal chiefs would never casually advise the warriors on their cultivation.
The warriors of the Beast Palace preferred solitary training, driven by their pride.
‘I rember I almost delayed my departure because they wouldn’t let
go.’
But Sewoon was an exception.
As the bearer of Ink Blood, the ancestral mark, he was revered among them. His words were treated as golden commandnts, and they threw themselves into training with fervor.
And now, he was witnessing the result of that effort.
‘However…’
Chwaat!
At that mont, Tang Serin swung her Hundred Silk Fan toward the oncoming fist right before her nose.
At so point, the fan’s ribs had folded together into the shape of the character ‘Gon’ (丨).
Ssshhh!
Jjeojeok!
A pure-white Yin-Cold Qi swirled violently atop the fan.
The fan left afterimages in the air as it accurately intercepted the enemy’s strike—
Kwoong!
Jjaenggrang!
The two’s fist and fan collided once more, producing a new shockwave.
‘When did Sister even have the ti to master the Hundred Silk Fan like that?’
It was a completely different sight from what Sewoon had seen during the Jecheon Unit’s mission.
Back then, she couldn’t even properly use the Hundred Silk Fan, unable to withstand the Yin-Cold Qi it emitted.
But now, she wielded it with near-perfect control.
It was called one of the Ten Demonic Weapons not just because of its power—
but because it had devoured countless masters in the process of its mastery.
Imagining how much bone-grinding training she must have endured, Sewoon felt his chest tighten.
But while he felt warmth and pride—
Kwaruruk!
Kwaaang!
Each second echoed with explosive sounds like cannon fire, shaking the arena.
The ordinary clansn watching could only react in panic.
“Good heavens!”
“A-Aren’t they both going to get seriously hurt at this rate?”
“Sh-Shouldn’t soone stop them now?”
Of course, there were others nearby who saw it more as a festival than a fight.
“Wahaha! That fool Tasadon! He’s going to get his nose broken for sure!”
“Heh, no way! Tasadon’s nose is tiny like a pebble—he’ll just break his tiny nose!”
“Hehehe, this is fun! Who do you think will win?”
“...Serin, stop drinking already.”
Seo Surin, completely drunk, had her wine cup snatched away by the Shrine Maiden Sect Leader just then.
Tadat!
After exchanging dozens of rapid blows, the two took so distance to prepare their next move.
Tasadon grinned broadly, impressed by how much stronger his opponent was than expected.
“Haha, not bad at all!”
“Your Central Plains speech still seems a bit awkward.”
“Hm?”
“The phrase ‘not bad’ is sothing a stronger person says to soone weaker.”
Pabat!
With that retort, Tang Serin kicked off the ground and charged again.
Having already traded several techniques, she had now gathered enough data to fully read her opponent.
‘A straightforward style—almost linear. Pure external arts, no inner qi techniques.’
His body of steel, impervious even to blades, was a bad match for her arsenal of hidden weapons.
Even when her Hundred Silk Fan, imbued with qi, had clashed against his bare fists, his hands had remained unhard.
‘But in that case, how about this?’
Without slowing down, she rushed straight toward him.
Paaat!
She shook the hand holding the fan, spreading all of its ribs wide open.
Wooong!
Then she channeled her inner qi from her dantian, flowing it through her eight ridians and into the fan.
The Hundred Silk Fan, now filled with its master’s energy, emitted a dazzling light.
Jjeojeojeok!
Countless shards of ice ford above the fan’s ribs.
“Ooh!”
“Wh-What is that!?”
The Tang Clan clansn watching her technique widened their eyes in astonishnt.
Though the type of weapon had changed, it was unmistakably one of the Tang Clan’s once-lost Hidden Weapon Arts.
A technique where petals scattered through the sky to silently end the enemy’s breath—
Heaven-Slaying Chaos Blossoms.
Secret Art of the Severed Soul (斷魂暗藝)
Third Move: Pure Snow Chaos Blossoms (素雪亂花)
But Tang Serin’s version was far more intense and cruel than the original.
“……!!”
Her technique, evolved from Heaven-Slaying Chaos Blossoms into her own Pure Snow Chaos Blossoms, made Tasadon’s eyes widen for the first ti in shock.
Countless shards of ice fluttered like snowflakes as they flew toward him.
At first, it seed simple enough to block.
‘Hah! Just re icicles!’
He thought he could easily deflect them like ordinary hidden weapons.
But the mont his fist touched the ice fragnts—
Jjeojeojeok!
Jjeojeok!
The ice shards didn’t shatter or bounce away—instead, they suddenly coiled around his fist and skin, freezing over like frost.
‘N-No! What is this?’
Tasadon was truly startled by the Yin-Cold Qi he was feeling for the first ti in his life.
Whoosh!
He spun his body to dodge the following attacks, but the sensation in his right hand was fading fast.
No, it wasn’t rely dulling—he was losing all feeling in it as though the hand itself were gone.
Swaeak!
“-!”
At that mont, Tang Serin’s Hundred Silk Fan shot toward him.
She slipped into his blind spot, aiming precisely at the Fainting Point (暈穴) at the back of his neck—a perfect spot to knock an opponent unconscious.
“Oooh!”
It was such a precise strike that gasps of admiration escaped from the audience.
‘You’re thinking too lightly of this.’
Only Sewoon’s expression was different from the others.
Of course, her strike was exquisite.
Any martial artist would have lost consciousness upon taking that blow.
Puh-uck!
“……!!”
Yes—if her opponent hadn’t been a warrior of the Beast Palace.
Tasadon, struck at the back of his neck, rely staggered slightly.
That was all.
Kwagaga!
Suddenly, Tasadon’s right leg, enveloped in a formless vortex, shot toward her.
She hurriedly spread her Hundred Silk Fan, but she was a step too late.
Puuung!
‘Kugh!’
A sound like a drum bursting rang out as her body was hurled far back.
Screech!
She drew a long line across the training ground floor before skidding to a stop.
Her complexion was pale.
Unfortunately, she had taken the blow squarely to the abdon—right where her dantian was located.
It wasn’t enough to stop the duel outright, but her inner qi was greatly disturbed, and she had clearly taken significant internal damage.
Watching her condition, Sewoon let out a short sigh.
‘Even if she didn’t say it, Sister underestimated external arts too much.’
When striking the Fainting Point, she should have poured at least twice as much qi into the Hundred Silk Fan.
The only reason she failed was because she had underestimated her opponent’s defensive strength.
Simply put—she hadn’t broken through his shield.
The Beast Palace’s external arts were on a completely different level from ordinary techniques.
The only force that could stand against any internal art was the strength of the soul.
‘Truly, the warriors of the Beast Palace are born martial artists. Teach them one thing, and they grasp ten. They’ll each beco a one-man army soday.’
The strike Tasadon unleashed, wrapped in the willpower of his soul and exceeding physical limits, was by no ans inferior even compared to advanced internal arts.
And when the two leaders exchanged such blows—
“Waaah!! Tasadon! Tasadon!”
“The Young Mistress fights well! Beat Tasadon!”
An unusual scene unfolded.
The Tang Clan clansn cheered for the bold warrior Tasadon of the Beast Palace,
While the warriors of the Beast Palace rooted for Tang Serin, who wielded mysterious powers infused with nature.
It was possible only because neither side harbored hostility toward the other.
The Tang Clan’s people were grateful to the warriors of the Beast Palace for their devoted service to Sewoon,
And in turn, the Beast Palace warriors felt a sense of kinship toward those who followed Sewoon with even greater faith than themselves.
At that mont, the two standing on opposite ends of the training ground and glaring at each other instinctively realized—this next exchange would decide the match.
Tasadon smirked.
“Huhu, looks like we each have one strike left.”
“If you’re not careful, that one remaining hand of yours will get frostbite.”
“Sounds refreshing—just how I like it!”
Kwaduk!
Tasadon took his battle stance, clenching his remaining left hand so tightly it seed it might break.
From his entire body, an overwhelming fighting spirit spread like that of a great mountain lord.
Wuuuuung!
At the sa ti, Yin-Cold Qi once again overflowed from Tang Serin’s Hundred Silk Fan.
This ti, she didn’t hold back. She poured every bit of her strength into her next strike.
Now, there wasn’t a shred of underestimation left between them.
‘The Young Master was right! The world is vast, and there are many strong ones!’
‘An external art beyond all limits—these people were martial artists, just like us.’
The two had grown closer in spirit.
Having exchanged insights through their duel, both had gained a new spark of enlightennt for their martial progress.
Chwaaat!
Paat!
They charged at full speed, shattering the training ground floor beneath them.
As at the start, two streaks of light crossed the air.
Tasadon’s left fist flew toward Tang Serin’s face, while Tang Serin’s Hundred Silk Fan aid squarely for his chin.
Kwaaaang!!
A storm-like explosion erupted from their clash.
The qi pressure was so intense that even the clouds above trembled.
“Koff, koff! Wh-Who…”
“……Who won?”
A massive shockwave swept through the area, lifting a towering cloud of dust.
Even while coughing, no one in the audience dared take their eyes off the stage.
Sss…
The dust that had risen soon dispersed in the wind.
“Kuugh.”
“…….”
On the revealed stage, one stood, and the other had fallen.
Seeing the result, Sewoon nodded and slowly stepped up onto the stage.
Standing beside the duelists, he looked around and raised his voice.
“Now, the victor is……!”
A single winner was declared.
Waaaah!!
An earth-shaking cheer erupted.
Their celebration continued long into the night.
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