“These are the ones.”Where Yeon Cheon Baek pointed stood Buk Mu Gyeol and the Great Khan.“An honor to meet you. I am Buk Mu Gyeol, Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am the Great Khan of the Gale Sect, Ya Yul Geuk.”As the two exchanged greetings, Yeon Woo Jin smiled brightly and bowed.“An honor. I’m Yeon Woo Jin.”Both men accepted Yeon Woo Jin’s greeting and studied him closely.He had a fair guess why they were looking at him that way, so he asked with a smile:“What did Grandpa say about me to make you stare like that?”“Ah! Forgive me. He said you were strong, and I looked without realizing it.”Buk Mu Gyeol apologized.“I can’t help my curiosity. Would you cross hands with me?”Ya Yul Geuk asked for a bout.Yeon Cheon Baek grinned.As if to say, I knew it.Yeon Woo Jin shook his head.— Do it. And make them yours. You can’t pick up Mythic-Realm experts just anywhere.Now he understood why Yeon Cheon Baek had brought them to him.— Thank you, Grandpa.— Ke-ke-ke. A gift from this old man to you.“Both of you seem curious about my strength,” Yeon Woo Jin said to Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk.They nodded.“Then let’s change venues. I’ll show you.”Ya Yul Geuk gave a satisfied smile.“The elder praised Young Lord Yeon so much I’m dying of curiosity. Let’s be off at once.”Not knowing the lay of the land and still eager to see, Ya Yul Geuk strode out in front. ****Leading them, Yeon Woo Jin stepped into the Time-Space Division Formation.The unfamiliar formation drew puzzled looks from both men.Inside, their eyes widened.At a glance, extraordinary fighters were clashing in masses.KWA-KWA-KWANG—!CRACK—THUD-THUD—They attacked as if mortal enemies sworn by blood, with true killing intent.Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk could not make sense of the scene.“W-what is this place?”“Ah, a training ground.”“T-that is training?”“Yes.”“Insane!”He had thought the Central Plains were full of soft scholars; he’d been wrong.It was a world of fiends.Then he remembered: this was Mount Hua.Were these Martial Deity Heaven people training inside Mount Hua?Was Mount Hua under the Martial Deity Heaven’s banner?As those questions rose—Familiar martial arts unfolded before their eyes.“T-that? Wudang?”“Mount Hua too? Huh? Shaolin?”Techniques they had seen at least once in the past were being unleashed in waves.“What… who are those people?”“Who are they?”They turned, startled, and asked Yeon Woo Jin.“Members of the Nine Schools and One Gang, the Five Great Clans, and the Twelve Branch Gates.”“Pardon?”In short, nearly the full might of the Central Plains martial world had gathered here.Not only that—heavyweight sects like the Sword Pavilion, Mount Heng, Mount Tai, Mount Changbai, and more were all here training.The reason they were all gathered went back a short while.Setting aside the Martial Alliance and the Four Evils Alliance divide, the factions decided to form the Central Plains Alliance to represent everyone in the Central Plains and seated Yeon Woo Jin as Alliance Lord.They made the place where the Time-Space Division Formation was installed a temporary branch of the Central Plains Alliance.It was the result of their eagerness to recognize Yeon Woo Jin as their lord as soon as possible.For the main headquarters, they decided to use either the current Martial Alliance main compound or the Four Evils Alliance main compound.The method was simple.Former Martial Alliance and former Four Evils Alliance sects would fight seven times; whichever side won four would host the main compound.This was the second match, and the former Martial Alliance side held the advantage again.But the former Four Evils Alliance had no intention of giving up and were throwing themselves in with dogged ferocity to win.Yeon Woo Jin did not care which side supplied the main compound. Because this rivalry made both sides train harder and engage more actively, he let it be.Originally, the Time-Space Division Formation was to be dismantled.After all, the secret manuals had all been returned, and the Yoga Tendon-Reversing Heaven-Dance Formation cycles were complete.What remained was for them to train on their own.But with the Demonic Cult liable to appear at any time—The people begged to keep the formation, saying their training still lacked greatly and there was no time.So Yeon Woo Jin kept it running.Inside, everyone trained with all they had, thinking of the coming battle with the Demonic Cult.Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk watched, dazed, as the two sides fought.They had nearly crossed life and death with these people.Goosebumps rose.The Martial Deity Heaven wasn’t the “problem.”The Central Plains itself swarmed with fiends.When had it changed like this?Was it because of the Martial Deity Heaven Lord?They watched a while longer.Those people fought as if they had two lives.When that brutal clash ended, the former Martial Alliance side won.“Waaaah!”They roared after victory.With the ground littered by the dying and groaning, and still they cheered.Left alone like this, wouldn’t the two sides destroy each other through endless fighting?So it seemed.Half of those fallen didn’t look like they could be saved.But, oddly, there were no visible wounds.Then—The air rippled, and everyone sprawled on the ground—and everyone cheering—vanished.Like a mirage.The two stared, baffled.“W-where did they go?”“Everyone fighting just now disappeared.”The air still wavered.A moment later—People began stepping out through the rippling space.Perfectly unscathed.“Th-that was a formation as well?”“Like an Illusory Formation?”“More or less. I’ll let you experience it later.”“A-as you say.”They still had no grasp of what was going on.Then those emerging from the formation spotted Yeon ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Woo Jin.“Alliance Lord! We won!”“Hahaha! The so-called Four Evils Alliance is no match for us!”The former Martial Alliance side crowed.Those from the former Four Evils Alliance followed, voices curt.“Hmph! There won’t be luck like today next time. Be ready.”“Sure, sure, keep telling yourselves that.”“Tch!”“How about we do it for real instead of mental sparring?”“Be grateful it was mental. If it were live steel, you’d all be cripples.”“Wanna try? See who ends up a cripple?”Sparks leapt between the two sides.Yeon Woo Jin stepped in.“If you keep that up, you’ll spar with me.”Everyone there flinched at once.“Do you want to spar with me?”“N-no, sir!”“Then play nice. Understood?”“Yes!”“Training’s done for today. Go rest.”“As you command!”“But who are those two beside you? Faces I haven’t seen before.”Yeon Woo Jin glanced at them.“Please introduce yourselves.”Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk cupped fists.“I am Buk Mu Gyeol, Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”“I am Ya Yul Geuk, Great Khan of the Gale Sect.”A beat of silence—then a murmur swelled.“T-the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord?”“The Great Khan of the Gale Sect?”“W-what are those two doing in the Central Plains?”“Do they know the Alliance Lord?”“I don’t really know either. We met today.”“You just met—so where are you going?”“Ah, these two said they were curious about my strength.”“Pardon?”People started and then, as if spotting an amusing spectacle, smiled.They asked Yeon Woo Jin, sidelong:“May we broaden our horizons?”Yeon Woo Jin smirked and nodded.The very people who’d been at each other’s throats a moment ago fell in line, smiling as if nothing had happened.Snatches of their chatter reached Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk.“They say no one under heaven can handle the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord—today we’ll finally see it with our own eyes.”“Not just him. The Great Khan’s martial arts are rumored to brush the heavens as well.”“Right, right.”“I’m worried about our Alliance Lord. He’ll have to handle them well.”They turned to look but saw no worried faces.If anything—Their looks said: get a taste of it for yourselves.With that ominous feeling, Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk followed after Yeon Woo Jin. ****Facing Yeon Woo Jin across the way, Buk Mu Gyeol and Ya Yul Geuk stood side by side.They were about to decide who would spar first.But Yeon Woo Jin said he would face both of them at once.The words pricked their pride.Just how confident in his martial arts was he to face both of them together?They had heard Yeon Cheon Baek sing Yeon Woo Jin’s praises until their ears formed calluses.But they had chalked it up to a grandfather doting on his grandson.In person, Yeon Woo Jin looked scarcely past his early twenties.He didn’t even look particularly strong.— Is he really that strong, to speak with such confidence?— He doesn’t look strong at all, however I see him.— There must be some reason these people follow him.— People don’t follow just because someone’s strong. If that were all, everyone here would belong to the Martial Deity Heaven.— That’s not wrong.— Maybe it’s his character. In any case, behind Young Lord Yeon stand the Martial Deity Heaven Lord and the Martial Deity Heaven. That counts for something.— Does it? Or is he truly stronger than the Martial Deity Heaven Lord?— How could that be? Look at him. Does that look stronger than the Martial Deity Heaven Lord? I barely see any muscle on him.— True, but…They had grown friendly on the way here, casual in speech.— Shall we probe a little?As Ya Yul Geuk moved, Buk Mu Gyeol spoke.— Us first?— What does it matter who goes first?— He’s young, and there are two of us.— Then what, shall we keep staring forever?— Wait.Buk Mu Gyeol addressed Yeon Woo Jin.“You said you would face the two of us—can you truly handle it?”“Yes. Please, come first. I’ll yield the initiative.”“Pardon? Hah… You seem to be looking down on us.”“I’m not. Shall I go first then?”“Do so.”“Understood. Then I’ll begin.”Buk Mu Gyeol nodded.At that instant—FWIP—Buk Mu Gyeol couldn’t believe it.Yeon Woo Jin was right in front of him.“Uh—?”So fast?In his eyes, Yeon Woo Jin’s hand shimmered with a powerful force.That hand darted toward his abdomen.“Ugh!”THUD—“Khf!”He twisted away, but it grazed his flank.Throb— throb—Enduring the pain needling his side, he moved to counter—THUMP—As he tried, a brutal shock rippled through his body.Still in the posture of launching his palm-force, Yeon Woo Jin rammed straight in with his torso and blasted Buk Mu Gyeol away.“Ghk!”KUDANG-TANG-TANG—He tumbled across the floor.His whole body tingled.He lifted his head toward Yeon Woo Jin—only to see Yeon Woo Jin already moving for Ya Yul Geuk.Fwoooosh—A massive flame surged off Ya Yul Geuk’s body.SCCRREE—“Khak!”He tried to wall Yeon Woo Jin off with fire, but Yeon Woo Jin ignored it and drove a palm-force into Ya Yul Geuk’s abdomen.It hurt just to watch.This was no time to stare.While Yeon Woo Jin’s attention was on Ya Yul Geuk—this was his chance.He kicked off the ground, charging, drawing up his qi.Vmmm—CRR-RRACK—Frost rose in his wake; rime trailed where he passed.“Ice-White Life-Snatching Palm!”He thrust for Yeon Woo Jin’s back.Yeon Woo Jin slipped past Buk Mu Gyeol’s palm-force, caught his wrist, and turned him straight toward Ya Yul Geuk.“Huh?”CRACK—The palm-force he’d fired at Yeon Woo Jin slammed into Ya Yul Geuk.“You son of—”“Gasp! N-no!”He shouted after Ya Yul Geuk as the man flew, wracked with pain.Damn!This was no time to worry about that.The moment he refocused—He saw Yeon Woo Jin’s foot arcing in a perfect line.SMACK—“Ghh!”KUDANG-TANG-TANG—

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