Chapter 296: Path of the Wild Beast (6)
The one who greeted Yeon Ho-jeong upon his return to his residence was none other than Yeon Ji-pyeong.
“Brother.”
“Huh? Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
“You rascal, that’s why I tell you to sleep well usually. You don’t sleep at night and roll around, so you’re still shorter than me.”
The person who knew best how much Yeon Ji-pyeong had worked hard, and how greatly shocked he was by the fatigue coming from his first pursuit and actual combat, was none other than Yeon Ho-jeong.
That’s why he could also accept these words as a joke. Yeon Ji-pyeong shook his head.
“You are still iron-boned, Brother.”
“What iron-boned.”
“By the way…….”
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face hardened.
“Those wounds?”
It was after stopping by the infirmary and thoroughly wrapping it with bandages. However, the blade of the iron whip was so jagged that blood was occasionally seeping out even after stopping the bleeding.
Yeon Ho-jeong waved his hand.
“I just had a hot spar. Don’t worry about it.”
Certainly, it didn’t seem like his internal injuries were severe or that he had greatly exhausted his stamina. Relief settled on Yeon Ji-pyeong’s face.
“It seems you are still living a rough life, Brother.”
“How can martial arts obtained by swinging a sword alone be called true martial arts, and how can one say they have mastered the world just by being cooped up in a small room reading books.”
Yeon Ho-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“A person grows in the midst of clashes. Whether violently or gently.”
It was correct. In particular, Yeon Ji-pyeong greatly sympathized with Yeon Ho-jeong’s words.
He fought his first life-and-death struggle in an unexpected place. And Yeon Ji-pyeong thought that he hadn’t even shown half of the martial arts he had honed and polished so far.
Studies that are not backed up by experience are nothing but a shell, his brother’s values definitely had points worth learning.
“By the way.”
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked Yeon Ji-pyeong’s shoulder.
“Looking calmly like this, this rascal has grown quite a lot.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Now you’ve become a full-fledged man.”
As much as his body grew, his personality also changed a lot from the past.
He became much calmer, and furthermore, he spoke less. However, that wasn’t because Yeon Ji-pyeong’s personality had darkened.
The prudence learned while directly handling the clan’s affairs.
In a sense, he had been fighting a battle more difficult than a life-and-death sword fight. Skill is skill, but there was bound to be a greater change in terms of personality.
“You are also amazing, Brother.”
“What did I do?”
“The fame of the Tiger General of Green Mountain is spreading to various parts of the world. You wouldn’t know how happy I was when I heard the news that you broke through the Wall of the Martial Arts’ End and are being called the Number One rising star under heaven.”
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“Number One rising star under heaven.”
He is a man who has already reached the pinnacle of the Unorthodox. Furthermore, he was also a rare expert who became notorious as an absolute powerhouse ranked within the top three in the vast world.
Perhaps because of that? He didn’t feel much inspiration towards the fame of being the Number One rising star under heaven or whatever. To someone who had climbed to the peak of Mount Tai, a low hill was nothing more than just a so-so hill.
However, in reality, it was different.
Although he himself was not experiencing it, Yeon Ho-jeong’s name was sweeping all over the Central Plains. He was enjoying an even higher fame than Murong Yu, who was tied as the Twin Escort Guards.
Come to think of it, it was a natural thing.
Murong Yu was a genius who suddenly popped out at a certain moment, but Yeon Ho-jeong was a hot-blooded competitor who had made his presence known to the whole world by dealing with prestigious clans for several years.
Moreover, he was younger than Murong Yu, and despite being from the Yeon Clan, a prestigious clan of orthodox sword techniques, he was a peculiar expert who used an axe larger than a person’s height as his main weapon.
It meant he couldn’t help but stand out in many ways. As Zhuge Wen-hu predicted, it was no exaggeration to say that Yeon Ho-jeong’s name value was already at the level of a large sect leader or higher.
“What reason is there to be excited about being the Number One rising star under heaven? Unless it’s the Number One person under heaven.”
“Is that so?”
“There are as many strong people in the world as grains of sand on the beach. I am being called the best among the rising stars, but that’s literally because I’m playing at the rising star level. If you set your mind to finding them, hundreds more people stronger than me will pop out in this Murim.”
“Still, what’s amazing is amazing.”
“Amazing my ass. I’m still far, far away. Besides, even the Number One person under heaven will die if attacked jointly. No matter how outstanding an individual is, they cannot beat the power of a group.”
Of course, it’s a different story when it comes to the level of the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats.
However, that too is just a difference in realm; the truth does not change. Could a single expert who has reached the Saintly Heaven Thirteen Seats handle three experts of the same Saintly Heaven?
“Ultimately, external evaluations are nothing more and nothing less than a curtain that clouds one’s own eyes. Thank you for being happy for me, but don’t pay attention to such things from now on.”
It was advice coming from the heart. Yeon Ji-pyeong bowed his head.
“I will keep it in mind, Brother.”
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“You don’t even need to keep it in mind. It’s just saying it’s like that. Honestly speaking, what would remain of a Murim person if you take away their fame.”
“I-Is that so?”
“It’s just that the values each person considers important are different.”
Looking at things like this, his brother wasn’t just a purely extreme person either. Although his subjectiveness was certain, it was because he clearly understood the differences with others.
Because he was such a brother, Yeon Ji-pyeong liked Yeon Ho-jeong. Because he knew how difficult it was to establish that upright subjectiveness.
“Anyway, did you eat?”
“Yes. I ate breakfast with Father.”
Yeon Ho-jeong’s expression immediately became sly.
“You wouldn’t have known whether the food was going into your mouth or nose, huh?”
Yeon Ji-pyeong’s expression became awkward.
“It was a little…… like that.”
“Kekeke.”
“Still, I was surprised. I don’t know what he went through, but Father has become very soft.”
“He has become soft… That’s correct.”
Yeon Ho-jeong nodded his head.
“Father hasn’t changed. He was originally such a person. It’s just that because the name value of the clan was heavy, he didn’t show it off.”
“I see.”
“Whatever the case, I want you to spend a lot of time with Father at least while you’re in the Alliance. Father will like it too.”
“Understood, Brother.”
“Right.”
Yeon Ho-jeong patted Yeon Ji-pyeong’s back.
“You must be out of your mind, so get some good rest. If you’re bored, take a look around the Alliance.”
“What about you, Brother?”
“I have something to think about for a moment. See you later.”
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
Subtle disappointment settled in Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes as he watched the back of Yeon Ho-jeong hastily going up to his room.
For a meeting between brothers, this much conversation could be said to be enough to catch up. However, Yeon Ji-pyeong wanted to have more talk and exchange more conversations.
But as expected, his brother was his brother. He was always busy, and just as passionate. Even while taking good care of his people, if something to focus on came up, he didn’t look around.
“……Tsk, should I ask him to buy me a drink in the evening. I can drink well now too.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who entered his residence, immediately got on the bed and sat cross-legged.
Just because he sat cross-legged didn’t mean he was going into Qi circulation. He just took it because that posture was a good posture to think about something.
‘Definitely, it’s the limit now.’
He recalled the spar with Tang Kwan.
Of course, like Tang Kwan, Yeon Ho-jeong also did not go all out. To be exact, he did not fight with the resolve to truly fight to the death.
The unique killing intent of the Vermilion Bird Qi only leaked out; if he had sincerely intended to kill Tang Kwan, he would have blown away at least one of his limbs.
Of course, he himself would have also kicked the bucket on the spot, or his whole body would have become a rag.
‘It wasn’t a match where we went all out against each other, but it was a match where we could clearly see each other’s limits.’
Through Tang Kwan’s movements, Yeon Ho-jeong could read almost all of his skills.
‘He rivals Father. No, he might be half a level below Father, but if it goes into actual combat, the probability of Father getting hit is rather high.’
It was not a question of whose martial arts were stronger. It was precisely the difference in the individual’s nature and the compatibility of martial arts.
‘As for me too, if we entered a real life-and-death struggle, the probability of my defeat was overwhelmingly high.’
Since his skills are lower than his father’s, it’s a natural result if it’s natural. Of course, his ability to deal with poisons and hidden weapons might actually surpass his father’s.
The problem was not that.
‘It’s fine to wait like this. If I steadily train like now, I will be able to reach the extreme of this state within a few years.’
Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes deepened.
‘But there is no need to necessarily do that.’
In a situation where he hadn’t awakened the Golden Dragon, it could be seen that his current Four Gods Martial Arts had been honed and polished almost to the extreme.
The entirety of the Four Gods Qi has achieved a perfect balance. There was still room to deepen, but there was no room left to expect any more explosive growth.
That was the case in the Four Gods Martial Arts.
‘If so…….’
Slowly, it was time.
‘I should try touching the Five Great Divine Arts.’
The Jade Gauze True Formula was a martial art very suitable for supporting the Four Gods Martial Arts.
And it also suited Yeon Ho-jeong’s personality. The Jade Gauze True Formula was the most stable martial art among the Five Great Divine Arts, so it assisted Yeon Ho-jeong’s impossibly aggressive martial arts and achieved the effect of coexistence.
‘A situation where the Jade Gauze True Formula has reached great completion. And as for the path of coexistence, I have achieved everything that could be achieved too.’
His true Qi, body, and mind all found balance through Qi.
Now was the time to switch not to a divine art of coexistence that highlights strengths and supplements weaknesses, but to a divine art that could maximize the strengths only he possessed.
“……As expected, it would be right to go with the Dragon Robe Divine Art.”
Dragon Robe Divine Art.
This martial art, called Dragon Robe Divine Qi for short, was one of the Five Great Divine Arts of the Yeon Clan, and was a divine art skilled at reviving the destructive power of Force Emission to the extreme.
So to speak, it is the most destructive among the divine arts of the Yeon Clan. As such, internal energy consumption is severe, and if one accidentally gets swept away by true Qi, there is a risk that one’s personality could also change rough and extreme.
One of the reasons why the family tradition of the Yeon Clan was uniquely strict lay exactly here. Because the personalities of each of the Five Great Divine Arts were so distinct, one’s disposition had to be upright to be able to revive the inherent power of the martial arts.
‘My martial arts are a one-hit kill that doesn’t think about the aftermath. It is skilled at suppressing the enemy with momentum and crushing the enemy with powerful destructive power.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
‘If I change the foundation there to the Dragon Robe Divine Qi instead of the Jade Gauze True Formula?’
It is the maximization of destructive power.
It meant not only the power of the Four Gods Martial Arts itself getting stronger, but the Force Emission and density of power Yeon Ho-jeong used would rise in itself.
“Huu.”
Yeon Ho-jeong, who took a light deep breath, closed his eyes.
‘Right, the time for change has come.’
It will be a harsh year.
To overcome that year, the moment had come when his own stagnated martial arts also had to be greatly developed.
‘This year, at least most of the internal conflicts of the Murim Alliance must be resolved. Only then will we be able to fight those bastards.’
Wuuuuung.
A clear yet dark blue energy bloomed from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body.
It was the Jade Gauze True Qi. The Jade Gauze True Qi that achieved ten stars had the power to make even the viewer’s heart peaceful.
However, from now on it’s different.
Yeon Ho-jeong moved his lips.
After a while.
Puseuseuseuseuseu.
The Jade Gauze True Qi, which was spreading out in a blue light, gradually began to lose its color.
And that spot was gradually filled, little by little, by an energy reminiscent of a thickly wooded green forest.
Duung! Duung!
His heartbeat gradually grew stronger.
Finally, the Dragon Robe Divine Qi revealed its appearance.