Was this training, or was it simply being toyed with through sorcery?
It had been a few days since Chun-bong and Namgung Su-a started being tormented by Seo-jun.
In that time, the Round of 16 had concluded.
The names of the late-stage disciples advancing to the quarterfinals were as follows:
Geum Hee Namgung Su-a Hwangbo Hyeji Jegal Hwi Hye-un Un Baek Yang So-hong Tae Byeok Most of the names were familiar faces.
Tae Byeok, whose name was less known, was a late-stage disciple of the Zhongnan Sect. From Seo-jun's perspective, their skills were quite decent. That much was expected, given they had advanced to the quarterfinals of the Yongbong Gathering.
After Seo-jun caused a commotion late at night, Hanam had been quiet.
However, while no new incidents had occurred, there were still many unresolved issues, leaving the elders of the various sects gathered in Hanam quite busy.
First and foremost was the assassination of the Great General—a matter of utmost importance.
It was a case that remained unsolved without any tangible results, serving as a stern reminder for the elders to remain vigilant.
Next was the Demonic Sect.
According to information from the Kunlun Sect, the movements of the Demonic Sect had grown increasingly active.
There were even rumors that they intended to invade Zhongyuan itself, causing headaches for the elders of the Sixteen Great Houses with every new piece of information that arrived.
Among the remaining minor matters, the most significant was deciding on the titles for the Yongbong participants.
The quarterfinalists had been determined, and their honorary titles were to be decided. However, this was no simple task.
Being too insincere was a problem, but being overly grandiose was also an issue. After much back-and-forth discussion, it was customary for the Yongbong Gathering to finalize titles only after the finals.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Seo-jun.
Skipping meetings, he focused instead on helping Chun-bong and Namgung Su-a train or refining his own martial arts.
“It feels like I’m just a little short.”
The Hua State. Or perhaps the Extreme Demon State. Or maybe even some entirely unknown realm.
Lately, Seo-jun, who was striving to look beyond the Absolute Peak, had many concerns.
To him, the Hua State represented a realm where the upper dantian was fully activated, and the spirit (神) was greatly magnified. With the spirit having grown larger, one would need to find essence (精) and qi (氣) from the world to sustain it.
This was what was called a "domain."
The greatly magnified spirit would take essence and qi from the surrounding world, essentially creating an external self.
In other words, one would intentionally distort the balance of essence, qi, and spirit achieved at the Absolute Peak, enlarging the spirit to harmonize with the world.
This was the Realm of Creation (造化境), or the Hua State.
Thinking along those lines, the concept of the Transcendent State (현경) also became somewhat clear.
If the spirit explosively grows with the complete activation of the upper dantian in the Hua State, and if one fully integrates qi and essence into the spirit at that point…
Then one would become a complete spirit (神).
And when this realm is perfected, might it not open the path to ascension?
Seo-jun speculated.
“So, what more should I do from here?”
The Absolute Peak was the state where the spirit resided in qi. It was the realm where the middle dantian was fully activated, achieving the balance of essence, qi, and spirit.
The middle dantian governed qi.
Qi, located in the center, mediated between essence and spirit.
The qi rising from the lower dantian through the Ren Meridian would reach the spirit, and the qi of the spirit descending through the Du Meridian would nourish essence.
The middle dantian regulated this flow of energy, known as qi.
With this understanding, training techniques for qi could be considered methods of linking essence and spirit or drawing essence upward toward the spirit.
This was cultivation (修仙).
Of course, this was only Seo-jun’s opinion. There were many paths to ascend to higher realms, and he merely assumed this was one possible method.
“Hm.”
In the end, the methods he came up with were either fully activating the upper dantian or endlessly training qi to draw essence upward…
Perhaps witnessing the Extreme Demon State firsthand would give him other ideas.
There was certainly a reason the Extreme Demon State and the Hua State were differentiated.
“In conclusion, I just need to train diligently.”
After reaching no substantial conclusion, Seo-jun sighed.
“Should I just delve deeper into sorcery?”
Watching Seo-jun rest quietly, Chun-bong replied.
“Why the sudden interest?”
“Sorcery, if you think about it, is closely related to the upper dantian, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
“If I delve into it, it might give me clues about reaching the Hua State.”
“Would it…?”
As a mere Absolute Peak martial artist, Chun-bong knew nothing.
Her clueless expression was endearing.
With a grin, Seo-jun suddenly lunged and hoisted her high.
“Flying Chun-bong…!”
“…Sigh.”
Another peaceful day passed.
Namgung Myung would occasionally head to the Hwangbo family’s villa to meet with Hwangbo Hyeji.
Since their last conversation, their relationship had grown a bit awkward, but Hwangbo Hyeji hadn’t refused Namgung Myung’s visits.
“Hwangbo Sojeo, I heard you have a duel with my sister tomorrow.”
Starting from the quarterfinals, the matchups were announced in advance.
Hwangbo Hyeji nodded slightly at Namgung Myung’s words, her expression complicated.
“Yes… that’s correct.”
“If you do your best, I’m sure you’ll achieve good results.”
“What about you, Namgung Sohyeop…?”
Hwangbo Hyeji hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“…Who do you think will win?”
It was a difficult question. Hwangbo Hyeji knew this as well.
But since Namgung Sohyeop had put her in such an awkward position before, she felt it was fair to ask him such a question now.
After all, compared to the suffocating silence that had hung between her and her mother that day, this wasn’t nearly as difficult a question.
“Do you want an honest answer?”
“Yes.”
“I think my sister has a higher chance of winning.”
“…I thought so.”
Hwangbo Hyeji was undoubtedly skilled. Even among the late-stage disciples of the Sixteen Great Houses, she was above average.
However, Namgung Myung was one of the top-tier late-stage disciples. And it was Namgung Su-a who had defeated him.
Logically speaking, the odds of Hwangbo Hyeji defeating Namgung Su-a were not high.
“I’m not sure what I should tell my mother…”
Hwangbo Hyeji gazed blankly at the sky. Namgung Myung looked at her.
She was already envisioning what would happen after her loss.
Namgung Myung chuckled softly and took her hand.
“Hwangbo Sojeo.”
“Yes, yes…?”
“While I do think my sister has a better chance of winning, I’m rooting for you.”
“Shouldn’t you be cheering for your sister…?”
“Well, yes, but… does it matter? It’s what I want.”
If his sister heard this, she might feel slighted, but Namgung Myung believed she would understand.
Namgung Myung held Hwangbo Hyeji’s hand a little tighter. Her eyes trembled as she met his gaze.
“But whether you win or lose, it’s just the Yongbong Gathering, isn’t it? There’s no need to dwell on victory or defeat. Rushing won’t get you to greater heights, and the efforts you’ve put in so far won’t go to waste.”
Namgung Myung smiled brightly.
“Just give the duel your best. I’m sure that if you do, you’ll find your own answers.”
The quarterfinals of the Yongbong Gathering.
It was the duel among the eight late-stage disciples who would be granted honorary titles as Yongbong.
In many ways, it could be considered the true start of the Yongbong Gathering, giving the quarterfinals a symbolic weight.
To mark the occasion and celebrate the birth of new Yongbong, a senior martial artist stood atop the arena.
It was Myung-gak, an elder from the Shaolin Sect, which had organized this Yongbong Gathering.
“Though my skills may be lacking, I hope the juniors can learn something from witnessing the traces of my efforts.”
After this brief statement, he demonstrated a few punches and kicks.
There were no dazzling bursts of qi or flashy movements that revealed anything extraordinary.
“Is that… impressive?”
“Well, he is a Shaolin elder. I’m not sure, but it must be.”
The audience’s reaction to Myung-gak’s modest display of martial arts was lukewarm.
However, those who understood the true essence of his technique reacted differently.
Seo-jun, too, felt a shiver run down his spine as he rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
“So, this is possible…”
They were just simple punches and kicks. Yet, the flawless flow of internal energy synchronized perfectly with his movements, and the utter lack of any discernible openings revealed Myung-gak’s skill indirectly.
Was that all?
Seo-jun could tell—this man was no weaker than Pae Jin-gwang.
While he might lack the sheer overwhelming power of Pae Jin-gwang, the few moves Myung-gak had honed to their limit carried an equally chilling aura.
It was the extreme of martial arts stripped down to its bare essentials.
Even for Seo-jun, who was adept at mimicking martial arts, attempting to replicate this was unthinkable. It wasn’t about lofty martial theories or refined martial logic.
This was the crystallization of madness.
A masterpiece sculpted through unrelenting talent, time, effort, and obsession.
“The Shaolin elder, Myung-gak…”
Even after Myung-gak left the arena, Seo-jun’s gaze remained fixed on it.
“Impressive.”
In a way, he was the complete opposite of Seo-jun.
Seo-jun, who had risen quickly through talent, and Myung-gak, who had climbed through relentless, obsessive refinement of his martial arts.
If Seo-jun were to face Myung-gak in battle, there would be no way to win through tricks.
The extreme minimalism of his martial arts left no openings to exploit.
It would have to be a battle won purely through skill.
“Do you think you could do something like that, old man?”
When Seo-jun asked Pae Jin-gwang, the man snorted.
“Think I could? That stuff’s too stuffy for me.”
“Fair enough.”
“Hmph. That reaction’s kind of insulting, you know?”
Amid this peculiar atmosphere, Hwangbo Hyeji stepped into the arena.
Before stepping into the arena, she recalled her mother’s words.
“Don’t be satisfied just because you’ve made it to the quarterfinals. You don’t want to fade into the background like before, do you? Doing your best is fine, but remember, the world only remembers the victor.”
Her body felt drained of strength. Hwangbo Hyeji gripped her sagging shoulders tightly.
“I just wanted to hear a word of encouragement…”
The support she had hoped for from her mother had instead come from Namgung Sohyeop.
She remembered his earnest gaze—the one that told her to believe in herself and to focus on giving her best rather than the outcome.
Caught between her mother’s and Namgung Sohyeop’s contrasting words, she found herself adrift in a storm of emotions.
“Nice to see you.”
Namgung Su-a’s voice snapped Hwangbo Hyeji back to reality.
“Ah, yes…”
“I heard about you from Myung.”
“Did you…?”
“Yes, he said there’s a very proper young lady.”
Namgung Su-a chuckled, her laughter full of mischief.
For an older sister, a younger brother’s romantic affairs were an irresistible source of interest.
Hwangbo Hyeji, unsure of how to respond, lowered her head.
Namgung Su-a spoke to her.
“Well, I don’t intend to lose, so let’s both do our best.”
“…Yes.”
Hwangbo Hyeji forced an awkward smile.
But no matter what, she couldn’t muster any strength.