Chapter 189 The Test (2)

Everyone in the training grounds couldn’t hide their shock.

It was something no one had expected.

The Society Leader, known as one of the Six Heavens and the current peak of the martial arts world, and rumored to have surpassed the wall of walls, was a truly unrivaled supreme grandmaster without equal.

The Art of Sword Control he wielded was not a technique that a mere later generation disciple, a youngster, could block.

However, an unbelievable event occurred.

-Clang!

The flying sword stopped right in front of Mok Gyeong-un and fell.

This shocked not only Mong Mu-yak and Seop Chun, the two people of the Five Tigers responsible for the next generation, but also the executives Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon and Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon.

‘How on earth… did he do it?’

Hwan Ya-seon looked at Mok Gyeong-un with wide eyes.

He was still kneeling with his head lowered, paying his respects.

But the sword had fallen midway.

Judging from the Society Leader’s reaction, it was definitely not him who had done it.

‘Is this guy him?’

Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon’s eyes flashed with surprise.

That was because, as the one managing even the Society Leader’s direct information department, he was familiar with most of Mok Gyeong-un’s background.

He was a youngster who had been taken as a hostage of the righteous faction’s Yeon Mok Sword Manor just a month ago.

According to the report he had heard from Myeongdowang Son Yun, although he had talent with the sword, he had started martial arts too late and had no great prospects.

Was it possible for such a guy to do this?

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

Based on the qi perceived externally, he was a peak expert.

With this level of skill, forget blocking Art of Sword Control, he should have been instantly pierced through.

But how on earth did he do it?

Unlike the two people who were puzzled, there was someone who was admiring him.

She was none other than Cheong-ryeong.

‘Ha!’

Cheong-ryeong was watching everything from inside the wooden puppet.

No one here knew Mok Gyeong-un’s true strength, but she was aware of his true face.

‘…This Mortal guy is truly a monster.’

She couldn’t help but be amazed.

That was because, although Mok Gyeong-un had reached the realm of the Transformation, Art of Sword Control was an even higher-level technique, so it was not something Mok Gyeong-un could handle yet.

However, after seeing the qi connection to the sword being severed twice, she could be certain.

‘To handle the Death Qi so delicately.’

An exclamation naturally escaped.

In conclusion, Art of Sword Control was a high-level technique that gathered qi in the sword itself and manipulated it.

Therefore, it was practically impossible to sever the qi connection using the method Seop Chun had employed.

However, Mok Gyeong-un had taken a difficult gamble.

He had used the Death Qi that disrupts the Yang qi to scatter the Society Leader’s qi concentrated in Art of Sword Control.

At first glance, it might seem easy, but in reality, it was not at all.

To send the Death Qi outside the body and intervene in Art of Sword Control, which moved quickly across space, required delicate and precise control.

This was something that couldn’t be done without innate senses and tremendous concentration.

‘The mortal’s potential and growth speed are truly…’

It was beyond the realm of humans.

From the perspective of someone watching closely, it was so remarkable that he could only be thought of as a monster.

However, apart from this amazement, there was also a concern.

‘…You’ve made a mistake, mortal.’

Cheong-ryeong looked at the Society Leader, whose face was wrapped in bandages, revealing only his eyes.

He’s probably that person’s descendant.

Whether he’s his son or grandson.

‘This will only invite that person’s scrutiny.’

It was an unavoidable situation since he had aimed for his life, but it would have been better if he had moved his body and dodged with difficulty.

Disrupting a high-level technique in this way was more likely to raise suspicion.

If it were her, she could have even killed Mok Gyeong-un on the spot.

However,

“Hahahahahahaha!”

The Society Leader, who had been staring at Mok Gyeong-un, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

Then he soon began coughing again.

“Cough cough.”

Blood was mixed in with his cough.

Seeing this, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon spoke in a perplexed voice,

“Society Leader. You shouldn’t overexert yourself.”

“Cough cough.”

-Swish!

The coughing Society Leader soon waved his hand lightly and said,

“No, no.”

The Society Leader straightened his waist.

Then, approaching Mok Gyeong-un, he said,

“Well. What excuse will you give now? Will you say you didn’t do it again this time?”

“…”

At his words, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t answer.

Then Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon pressed,

“Won’t you answer right away!”

“…………”

“This guy, truly…”

It was the moment when the angry Mong Seo-cheon was about to express his rage.

Mok Gyeong-un spoke,

“Then I have no choice. Yes, I did it.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un raised his head and looked at the Society Leader confidently.

Seeing his behavior, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon was dumbfounded.

Who was the person present here?

It was the Society Leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

How could someone who had pledged loyalty to the sect and was subordinate behave so impudently?

“How insolent.”

-Shing!

Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon soon half-drew the sword from the scabbard at his waist.

Then, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon blocked his way, clasping his hands together in a formal greeting, and said,

“Vice-Leader. Please calm down.”

“Calm down? Are you defending him because he’s your disciple?”

“How could that be? But isn’t a disciple’s mistake also the responsibility of the teacher who taught him? So please reprimand me instead.”

“Now, to say that…”

“Enough.”

-Swoosh!

At that moment, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon and Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon looked at the Society Leader with startled eyes, overwhelmed by his domineering spirit.

‘This qi is unbelievable.’

‘How can he be called someone with a severe illness?’

The qi emanating from the Society Leader was so immense that it was suffocating, enough to surprise even the two masters.

Mok Gyeong-un’s left eyelid trembled even more as he watched this.

It was truly admirable, even though only a part of it was released.

He had been curious about what it meant to surpass the wall of walls, and it definitely exceeded his expectations by far.

‘…It would be reckless.’

If this was the level with only a partial release of qi, if he used his full strength, it seemed he could annihilate everyone present, including himself, not in a few moves but within a few breaths.

The level itself was completely different.

Is this the current pinnacle of the martial arts world?

While he was in awe, the Society Leader spoke,

“Since you’ve confessed with your own mouth that you did it, shall we hear how you did it?”

At his question, Cheong-ryeong hurriedly advised,

– Make up an excuse. Anyway, living humans cannot detect the Death Qi, the qi of the dead, so there’s no way for him to find out.

– Right. That’s what we should do.

Of course, Mok Gyeong-un also intended to do so.

However,

“That qi you used to intervene in the Art of Sword Control and scatter it… It’s quite unique.”

‘!!!!!!!’

At his words, Mok Gyeong-un’s expression stiffened.

Cheong-ryeong was equally surprised.

– How could that be?

The Death Qi was essentially an undetectable qi.

It was not something living humans could sense, so no martial artist who had faced Mok Gyeong-un until now had noticed it.

But did the Society Leader really sense it?

Cheong-ryeong was momentarily amazed but spoke calmly.

– He might be intentionally probing you because he can’t detect the qi. Don’t fall for it, mortal.

-…Do you really think so?

Mok Gyeong-un was also puzzled.

The strength of the Death Qi was that it was a qi that living humans couldn’t detect.

But if they could sense it, that advantage would be lost.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un cautiously parted his lips,

“You flatter me. I merely applied the qi of my sect.”

“Your sect?”

“Yes.”

The reason he attributed it to his sect was because of the martial arts world’s tacit rules.

Even in a relationship where loyalty was pledged, unless it was a special case, martial arts were a precious asset and secret to that martial artist, so they wouldn’t pry into it.

Mok Gyeong-un had aimed for this.

However,

“Hmm. Is that so? But from what I feel, although the Shadow Clan Master’s qi has a Yin tendency, your qi seems quite complex.”

“…”

At those words, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon also frowned and looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

He hoped it was just a probe, but it seemed the Society Leader was truly detecting his qi.

Although he could waver, Mok Gyeong-un spoke calmly,

“Before my master taught me martial arts, I already learned various martial arts, so that’s why.”

“You learned various martial arts?”

“Yes. There’s the martial art of the Yeon Mok Sword Manor… I believe the Society Leader is well aware of the reason I came here.”

At these words, the Society Leader’s eyes turned strange.

It was because he immediately understood the meaning of what Mok Gyeong-un had said.

The Moon Sword Technique.

That person had deciphered that cursed secret manual that no one else could master.

Recalling this, the Society Leader chuckled and soon spoke with his hands clasped behind his back,

“I did want to see it at least once, but it seems this is the reason why you were chosen by that secret manual.”

“Pardon?”

“Should we take another look?”

With those words, the Society Leader nodded his head.

Then the sword that had fallen to the ground rushed towards Mok Gyeong-un.

– Just dodge it!

Cheong-ryeong shouted.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s thought was different.

He felt he needed to know for sure whether the Society Leader was probing him or if he had truly detected his qi.

If he had really detected the Death Qi, it was suspicious for him to continuously test him like this.

Therefore,

-Clang!

Mok Gyeong-un concentrated his Death Qi and scattered the qi of the sword flying at him with Art of Sword Control once again.

– No. Didn’t I tell you to just dodge it?

– No. Let’s see first.

– What?

– I need to know if he really can detect Death Qi.

Anyway, if someone in the Society Leader’s position suspected that qi, it would be difficult to keep dodging.

In that case, it was better to verify its authenticity, Mok Gyeong-un judged.

Right at that moment,

“Your senses are excellent. Then can you handle two?”

“What?”

-Swish!

The Society Leader grasped the sword technique manual and lightly waved his hand.

Then, two swords were drawn from the swords hanging on the wall, and they simultaneously rushed towards Mok Gyeong-un.

-Swish! Swish!

The two swords flew from different directions, aiming for Mok Gyeong-un’s head and chest.

‘This…’

Cheong-ryeong clicked her tongue.

Even intervening in one Art of Sword Control required tremendous concentration.

But wielding Art of Sword Control from different directions meant that the Society Leader had already figured out the weakness of the method of scattering qi.

It seemed he was not called one of the Six Heavens for nothing.

‘This time, there’s no choice. You have to dodge or block it.’

She thought that even without her advice, Mok Gyeong-un would have no choice but to move this time.

However,

-Swish! Swish!

He didn’t move even when the swords were flying right in front of him.

The startled Cheong-ryeong shouted,

– Mortal!

It was right at that moment.

-Clang! Clang!

‘!?’

An astonishing scene unfolded before her eyes.

The two swords flying from different directions lost strength almost simultaneously and fell to the ground.

Cheong-ryeong was dumbfounded.

He simultaneously scattered the qi of Art of Sword Control flying from different directions at the same time?

‘This guy… Ha!’

How could he do it to this extent?

It was almost impossible without exhibiting a level of concentration that split one’s mind in two.

It seemed she had underestimated Mortal.

However, she wasn’t the only one surprised.

“You truly astonish me.”

At the Society Leader’s words, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon looked at the Society Leader with wide eyes.

Judging from the Society Leader’s surprised eyes, it seemed to be true.

‘The Society Leader… was astonished?’

Although he was said to have a severe illness, the Society Leader was one of the Six Heavens, the current peak of the martial arts world.

A youngster astonished such a supreme grandmaster of the highest level?

No, it was even ridiculous to call him a youngster.

At the point where he could block the Society Leader’s Art of Sword Control in this way, that guy had already surpassed the level of a later generation disciple.

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

Where did such a person pop up from?

It went beyond simply dismissing him as a hostage from the righteous faction.

He seemed quite dangerous…

-Bam!

It was at that moment.

-Thud!

Suddenly, the Society Leader’s figure appeared in front of Mok Gyeong-un.

The Society Leader placed his hand on the shoulder of Mok Gyeong-un, who was kneeling on one knee.

-Swish!

‘I missed his movement.’

Mok Gyeong-un, who had reached the realm of the Transformation and mastered the Clear and Manifest Water Crossing Steps of the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang, enabling him to move at ultra-high speeds, was confident in handling most speeds.

However, the Society Leader’s lightness skill was completely different from the Clear and Manifest Water Crossing Steps.

It seemed to grab and pull the space.

Moreover,

‘This is?’

The ground sank centered around the Society Leader’s soles.

How could a stepping technique with such weight possess such swiftness?

At that moment of puzzlement,

-Bam!

‘Gasp!’

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un frowned and looked at the Society Leader.

The inner force penetrating through his shoulder.

It was like the rough waves surging in the ocean.

Usually, when injecting inner force into the opponent’s body, one would approach carefully as it could cause injury, but the Society Leader was not like that at all.

-Squish!

The Society Leader’s vast inner force tried to destroy his body from within.

If he remained still, his heart meridian could rupture, and his life would be in danger.

In the end, he had no choice but to resist.

Mok Gyeong-un aroused his Death Qi and scattered the Society Leader’s qi surging into his body like waves.

-Whoosh!

If it were qi of a similar level, he would have easily scattered it.

However, the Society Leader’s true qi, having surpassed the wall of walls and reached the Profound Realm, was at a level that even Mok Gyeong-un, who had reached the Transformation Realm, couldn’t touch.

The true qi surging in was too vast to be completely scattered even with the Death Qi.

-Drip! Drip!

The clothes centered around his shoulder were stained with blood.

His blood vessels had burst.

-Grit!

Mok Gyeong-un clenched his teeth.

If it was difficult even with the Death Qi, there was only one way.

‘I have to let it flow out.’

Mok Gyeong-un guided the qi entering through his shoulder to the Yongcheon acupoint on the soles of his feet without forcefully responding to it.

Then,

-Crack! Rumble!

The stone floor of the training grounds cracked, and the aftereffects of the true qi rose.

“Ho. Letting the qi flow out. Not bad. Then can you let this out too?”

-Swoosh!

At that moment, the Society Leader’s qi intensified even more.

Qi twice as strong as before was surging in.

‘Ugh.’

At this, Mok Gyeong-un’s face reddened, and soon, his blood vessels bulged out.

His body was already under severe strain.

If this continued, he might really become crippled or even die.

Enduring this, Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon, who had been watching, finally stepped forward.

“Society Leader! That’s enough…”

“Do not interfere.”

Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon blocked him.

If the Society Leader had decided to kill him, no one could object.

Even if it was the Shadow Clan Master, Mok Gyeong-un’s master.

‘How did it come to this?’

Shadow Clan Master Hwan Ya-seon was restless.

Mok Gyeong-un was his disciple and practically a member of the Fire Faith Order.

He couldn’t lose him in a situation like this.

However,

-Bam!

At that moment, the Society Leader removed his hand from Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder.

As soon as he removed his hand, Mok Gyeong-un, with severe internal injuries, vomited blood and knelt on the ground.

-Thud!

The Society Leader, looking down at Mok Gyeong-un, clicked his tongue.

He had aggressively injected true qi to the point where all the blood vessels in his body were about to rupture.

He couldn’t even let it flow out.

If it was true qi that caused blood vessels to burst, anyone would find it difficult to endure that pain.

However, this fellow didn’t let out a single groan or show any signs of pain even in such agony.

It seemed he hadn’t passed the Corpse Blood Valley for nothing.

“Interesting. You don’t just have one type of qi in your body, but quite a variety of qi.”

“Haa… Haa…”

“Your innate senses, mental strength, endurance, everything is extraordinary.”

The atmosphere had been as if he would kill Mok Gyeong-un at any moment, but suddenly, the praises flowing from the Society Leader’s mouth made everyone look at him in puzzlement.

Has Mok Gyeong-un passed the Society Leader’s test?

At that moment, unexpected words spilled from the Society Leader’s mouth.

“All of this is beyond what the Shadow Clan Master can handle.”

“Society Leader, what on earth…”

“Stay still. Shadow Clan Master.”

The Society Leader extended his hand and warned the Shadow Clan Master not to interfere.

Then he looked at Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“What do you think? Would you like to become my fourth disciple?”

‘!!!!!!!’