He spoke with a crooked grin, and sohow it made feel as if he really would do it.
Even if I tried to ascend, he’d probably drag back to this world by force.
Yeon Cheon Baek laughed in roaring good humor.
“Khahahaha! That’s right. You, of all people, would do exactly that. Fine! Good! Let’s go—into a new realm.”
Truth be told, even without Yeon Woo Jin urging him on, Yeon Cheon Baek had been training without rest, burning to pioneer a new realm.
Perhaps because it was a road no one had ever walked, it wasn’t easy—and he’d reached a standstill.
Right when he was beginning to feel worn down, Yeon Woo Jin said those words.
They gave him strength.
Above all, he wasn’t alone.
His beloved grandson was right before his eyes, straining himself for his sake.
Because of that devotion, a stubborn will surged up in him: he would carve open that new realm no matter what.
A smile rose to the corner of Yeon Cheon Baek’s mouth.
He was happy.
So happy that his fist clenched of its own accord.
He wanted to satisfy Yeon Woo Jin.
“Heh-heh-heh. I never thought I’d beco a challenger at my age, but it’s not a bad feeling.”
Yeon Cheon Baek, not as an Absolute, but as a challenger.
Unimaginable—and yet it set his will ablaze.
Whummm—
Resonance rose from Yeon Cheon Baek’s fist.
People wouldn’t know how terrifying that phenonon was.
That fist held Yeon Cheon Baek’s essence.
A blow carrying Yeon Cheon Baek’s true heart—his single strike .
The strike he had thought he would never use in his life was readying itself to fly at the grandson he loved most.
And yet he didn’t worry.
If it was Yeon Woo Jin, he would block it as if it were nothing.
To have an opponent on whom he could pour out everything he had without reserve—what a blessed thing.
Yeon Woo Jin, on the other hand, had no such opponent.
So he worried.
No one knew the loneliness of an Absolute more acutely than Yeon Cheon Baek.
To ease Yeon Woo Jin’s loneliness even a little, Yeon Cheon Baek vowed to raise his realm quickly.
With that vow, he hurled himself at Yeon Woo Jin again, fearso and fast.
****
A week had passed since they entered the Ti-Space Division Formation.
In that ti, the two n had endured pain so extre it beggared belief.
Now it felt as if they could withstand any pain at all.
The savage agony vanished at so point, and a refreshing sensation rose from their bodies.
As if they were being born anew.
As if the fatigue that had weighed on them for so long had blown away.
Perhaps because the clarity ca on the heels of extremity, it felt truly ecstatic.
At the sa ti, the knots in their bodies began to loosen.
Their bodies had beco supple.
True to their nature as martial artists, the instant their bodies opened up the two of them folded their legs and began regulating breath and circulating qi.
They had been uneasy because they hadn’t been able to do it.
The mont they entered regulation, both n jolted and opened their eyes wide.
All the ridians in their bodies had blown open, and the flow of qi was racing in a way utterly unlike usual.
Not only that—their energy had grown stronger.
Strong enough to make them question whether it was truly their own.
Their bodies felt different.
They hastily finished their circulation, rose, and began to move.
Crack—
Pop—
They felt it.
The toughness of their bodies.
A hardiness that felt as if it could break anything.
Whummm—
Flap— flap—
When they drew up their inner power, a force unlike before erupted out.
It felt as if every capability of the body had been amplified.
Like this, in just a week?
The two alliance leaders looked at each other.
Yeon Woo Jin’s words had not been a lie.
Just as he’d said, their bodies had grown stronger.
Their faces flushed red.
Yeon Woo Jin had labored in earnest for their sakes, and yet for an entire week they had done nothing but resent him.
It was no different from repaying grace with enmity.
“Hah... how could we possibly repay this grace?”
“I’m ashad of myself for even imagining planting my fist in our benefactor’s face.”
“I was the sa as you, Alliance Leader Su. I clung to those fantasies for a week.”
“Let’s at least do right from now on.”
“Good. From now on we follow our benefactor’s words to the letter. He is not one to ever do us harm.”
“My thoughts are the sa.”
The two reflected on how they had endured the past week by imagining tearing Yeon Woo Jin to pieces.
Just then, Yeon Woo Jin appeared.
“You’ve worked hard.”
At his words, they felt tears surge up.
No one had ever said “you worked hard” in a way that struck so deep.
“We doubted you, Young Lord Yeon. We are sorry.”
“I too doubted you and cursed you in my heart, Young Lord Yeon. I beg your pardon.”
Hearing them, Yeon Woo Jin grinned and said,
“Why? You were thinking you wanted to tear apart, weren’t you?”
“Gasp! Th—that’s not...”
“I know. Everyone thinks that way. I understand. I would have too. I just didn’t have anyone I could bla, so I had to endure alone.”
“Young Lord Yeon also received this grand thod?”
“Yes. I devised it, so of course.”
“Y—you devised this? You an it didn’t already exist?”
“It existed. ‘Devised’ isn’t quite right—‘further developed’ is more accurate. At first there were many trials and errors. The pain was so severe I thought, ‘Ah, so I die like this.’ It’s much weaker now.”
The two n’s jaws dropped.
The pain they had gone through was sothing they never wanted to even rember, and yet he had endured worse than that.
And it wasn’t sothing soone else had put him through; Yeon Woo Jin had done it to himself.
Was it once or twice?
No.
Dozens, hundreds of tis.
Each ti, he had borne unimaginable pain to complete this grand thod.
Even if soone promised they would beco stronger with one more round, they would shudder and flee—but Yeon Woo Jin had walked into the pain of his own accord.
He was far younger than they were, yet respect rose up unbidden.
“You are extraordinary. From today on, I will truly respect you, Young Lord Yeon.”
“My thoughts are the sa as Alliance Leader Eon’s. You have my respect.”
The way they looked at Yeon Woo Jin changed completely.
He smiled and said,
“The truth is, I was born unable to learn martial arts. To change that, I had no choice.”
It was astonishing.
A scion of Martial Deity Heaven—unable to learn martial arts?
How hellish must those days have been.
They fell solemn.
The hardship they had suffered felt hardly worth calling hardship.
How hard must the years have been from such a young age.
He had overco all that pain, and now he stood as the one who would beco the next Lord of Martial Deity Heaven.
Their respect only grew.
They no longer saw Yeon Woo Jin as soone “young.”
And at the sa ti, they grew curious.
About Yeon Woo Jin’s martial skill.
“You’ve worked hard, so rest well today.”
“C—can we?”
“Yes. Rest is also important training. Do nothing today and rest.”
“U—understood.”
Even their way of speaking changed.
“It must have been rough living on Fasting Pills. I’ve prepared good food today—eat to your hearts’ content.”
The place Yeon Woo Jin led them to was set with a lavish spread.
And wine besides.
“Can we really eat this?”
“Yes.”
Emotion swelled up.
The two were moved by Yeon Woo Jin’s thoughtfulness.
After so long on cold Fasting Pills, warm food brought tears to their eyes.
Why had they forgotten such simple happiness?
Why had they lived so frantically?
They had thought to make a world where others were happy while they themselves were not.
That had been the wrong thought.
Perhaps one had to be happy oneself first to make others happy?
An insight that arrived mid-al.
Without a word, both folded their legs and slipped into a trance.
Watching them, Yeon Woo Jin muttered,
“It won’t taste good cold.”
Then he grinned and swept his hand toward the dishes.
Until they woke, the food would remain exactly as it was now.
Warm food after rising in realm would feel even better.
****
The two alliance leaders opened their eyes at the sa ti.
Their realms had been at the Fifth Star of the Manifestation Realm.
High, yes—but their alliances were filled with experts above them, and they’d had trouble making their voices heard.
Now—
“We’re at the Seventh Star.”
“You too? I as well...”
To leap two stages at once?
Was that even possible?
They could hardly believe it.
Before the two could collect themselves, they saw the food before them still steaming.
“How is this possible?”
“It feels like quite so ti has passed, but the food hasn’t cooled at all.”
Their eating traces were exactly as they’d left them.
And yet the food remained just as it had been before they slipped into trance.
While they were still bewildered, Yeon Woo Jin ca in.
“Oh? You’re awake.”
“Young Lord... we clearly entered a trance... How long has it been?”
“You were in trance for a day.”
“A day...”
Yes.
It felt about that long to them as well.
“But the food hasn’t cooled in the least. Did you set the table again?”
Yeon Woo Jin grinned.
“I just laid a formation to slow ti. It would be a sha to waste good food.”
Slow ti.
Co to think of it, he had said ti flowed differently here than in the outer world.
Wasn’t it one day outside to one month in here?
Then, in reverse, one day in here could be made into a month outside.
With that formation, it seed entirely possible.
More than that—he was casting such an enormous formation as if it were nothing.
They could only think it was incredible.
Even the fad Zhuge Clan, masters of formations, might not be able to do that.
“Eat. Before it really does get cold.”
“Th—thank you.”
They picked up their chopsticks again.
And silently began to eat the food Yeon Woo Jin had set out.
Thinking of sothing as they did.
****
The next day.
The two alliance leaders entered, marveling at the scenery woven by formations.
Yeon Woo Jin stood before them, and in the distance Yeon Cheon Baek watched.
After saluting Yeon Cheon Baek, they stopped before Yeon Woo Jin.
“What are we doing today?”
“Sparring with .”
“...Pardon?”
“There’s no faster path to strength than a battle that walks the line between life and death .”
“Life and death? With whom are we to wager life and death? Don’t tell —with you, Young Lord?”
“Yes. From now on, the two of you will co at with the resolve to kill.”
At that, they both started and stepped back.
“Wh—what are you saying? W—we could never!”
“He’s right. How could we raise our hands against our benefactor? Please take those words back!”
Yeon Woo Jin looked as if he’d expected that.
“I thought so. I’ll have to show you first.”
Show them what?
The quietly observing Yeon Cheon Baek stepped forward from the side.
“Is it my turn?”
The two leaders tensed at his appearance.
Surely they weren’t going to spar with Yeon Cheon Baek?
They fervently prayed it wouldn’t co to that.
And then—what?
Yeon Cheon Baek did not take position opposite them, but opposite Yeon Woo Jin.
Then he attacked Yeon Woo Jin without preamble.
Not as a re feint, but for real.
The attack radiated murderous intent.
They could feel the will to truly kill Yeon Woo Jin.
If they had been standing there—
They would have died to that one move Yeon Cheon Baek just swung.
They grasped anew how strong Yeon Cheon Baek was.
And at the sa ti, they were shocked.
Because Yeon Woo Jin was blocking Yeon Cheon Baek’s attack as if it were nothing.
“Wh—what is that.”
“Y—Young Lord Yeon was that strong?”
He wasn’t rely the next Lord of Martial Deity Heaven.
He was so strong that it wouldn’t be strange if he beca Lord right now.
At last, everything made sense.
Seeing their faces, Yeon Cheon Baek halted his attack and said,
“Looks like they finally understand.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“Heh-heh-heh. I’m off to train.”
“Yes.”
Train?
He was that strong—and still going to train more?
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