Chapter 148. Those Who Move (6)
RUMBLE!
With a deafening roar, the mountain collapsed.
No.
More accurately...
the mountain fell.
What the hell is this?!
Kang Yujin bit his lip.
The rocky mountain beside him had suddenly risen into the sky...
and then dropped straight toward his head.
“Don’t use your Awakening Skill! Break it with your own fists!”
“Isn’t this a little too much?!”
Kang Yujin clenched his fist and drew up his internal energy.
He threw a full-power punch at the massive mountain falling toward him.
BOOOOM!
But...
his fist only destroyed part of it.
The enormous rocky mountain came crashing down.
And Kang Yujin was crushed to death.
When he came to his senses, his entire body was drenched in sweat.
He jerked his head up.
The mountain that had just fallen on him was still standing exactly where it had been.
At the moment, Kang Yujin was sitting beside a small valley where water trickled gently past.
“How was it?”
A voice came from beside him.
The Demon Venerable sat cross-legged, staring at Kang Yujin with cold eyes.
“Manageable?”
“I thought I was going to die.”
“That’s the point. I’m training you to learn that sensation.”
Kang Yujin frowned at the Demon Venerable’s detached tone.
So this is the ability of the Demon Venerable, the leader of the Three Venerables...
Until moments ago, Kang Yujin had been inside an illusion created by the Demon Venerable.
The enormous mountain falling from the sky.
His failed attempt to destroy it.
His body being crushed beneath it.
All of it had happened inside an illusion.
But it felt completely real.
It had perfectly recreated reality.
He could still vividly feel every bone in his body shattering under the mountain.
And lifting a mountain and dropping it like that... the Demon Venerable can probably do that in reality too.
Unlike the other two, the Demon Venerable wasn’t a physical combat-type Contractor.
Even so, Kang Yujin suspected his overall combat ability was the highest of the three.
“Do I really have to keep doing this?”
“Of course.”
“Until I can destroy the mountain?”
“Until you acquire a much clearer sense of the boundary between life and death.”
"..."
Kang Yujin had no idea what that meant.
“Kang Yujin, your instincts are excellent.”
“Yes...”
“You could call it natural talent.”
The Demon Venerable looked at him sharply.
“You possess an instinctive ability to understand what you must do in order to win.”
He paused.
“But it isn’t perfect.”
“That is why you fell before Saionji Keito’s Brahmastra.”
"..."
Whenever that came up, Kang Yujin had nothing to say.
“Never let that happen again.”
“Understood.”
“Never lose again!”
“Understood...!”
Kang Yujin answered more forcefully.
The Demon Venerable nodded in satisfaction.
“My training will implant the sensation of, ‘I die here,’ into you.”
“Do not assume the only thing falling on you will be a mountain.”
“All kinds of life-threatening situations will come for you.”
"..."
“You will experience countless defeats, something you are not accustomed to.”
“As you experience them again and again, your instincts will sharpen.”
“And eventually...”
The Demon Venerable’s eyes narrowed.
“Even absolute death itself will become something you can break through.”
Break through absolute death.
Was something like that really possible?
“Kang Yujin.”
But the seriousness in the Demon Venerable’s eyes gave him confidence.
“Through this training, you will become truly undefeated.”
“Understood.”
Kang Yujin bowed deeply.
“I’ll do it.”
“Good.”
The Demon Venerable stroked his beard and nodded.
“This is how I will train you.”
“I don’t practice martial arts myself, so this is about as much as I can teach you.”
Then he turned his head.
The Sword Venerable and Fist Venerable were sitting across from each other on a mat, drinking.
“The Sword Venerable will teach you how to use internal energy more efficiently.”
“More efficiently...”
The Sword Venerable could create swords entirely from internal energy and wield them freely.
He clearly understood internal energy at an extremely high level.
That training would undoubtedly help.
“And the Fist Venerable...”
“Kid.”
At that moment, the Fist Venerable rose and approached.
“What do you want to learn from me?”
Kang Yujin thought for a moment.
“I want to learn a finishing move that can definitely defeat an enemy.”
“Oh? A finishing move.”
“As quickly as possible.”
“Hmm. Quickly.”
Before long, Kang Yujin would have to fight another Vessel in China.
For a decisive victory, he wanted to learn something as powerful as [Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder].
“Understood, kid.”
“Could you stop calling me ‘kid’?”
“A kid is a kid.”
The Fist Venerable smiled.
“Good. I’ve decided.”
“You’ll teach me a finishing move?”
“I’ll teach you from the basics.”
"..."
The basics?
“Did you not hear what I just said?”
“Did Jegal Geum teach you the fundamentals step by step?”
“That... he didn’t.”
“I can tell just by looking at you.”
The Fist Venerable crossed her arms.
“You learned whatever technique you needed at the time, rushed to apply it in actual combat, and moved on. Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll teach you properly from the beginning.”
“Do we really have to?”
“Look at this brat.”
The Fist Venerable moved.
By the time Kang Yujin realized what had happened...
she was already behind him, poking his side with one finger.
This is... [Circular Step]!
There was no mistaking it.
The movement traced a circular path.
It was the [Circular Step] Jegal Geum had taught him.
But it’s much faster and smoother than mine...!
Seeing Kang Yujin’s surprise, the Fist Venerable smirked.
“This old body moved faster than you.”
“How do you think that was possible?”
“Because of the fundamentals?”
“Exactly.”
She repeatedly poked his side with one finger.
“Don’t worry.”
“With your talent, you’ll absorb things more than ten times faster than ordinary Contractors.”
“We trained in martial arts before becoming Contractors, so technically we learned more than ten times slower than everyone else.”
“Sword Venerable! Stop saying unnecessary things! And it was nowhere near ten times slower!”
The Sword Venerable snickered.
The Fist Venerable scowled at him.
Come to think of it... they’ve only been Contractors for about ten years too.
They were elderly now, but none of them had been Contractors for more than a decade.
Before that, they had quietly practiced martial arts in a real world where things like internal energy didn’t even exist.
Can I learn the true essence here... the parts Lord Jegal Geum never had time to teach me?
Kang Yujin made up his mind.
If he wanted to raise his abilities by another level...
then learning the fundamentals properly from the beginning wasn’t a bad idea.
“Understood. Please teach me.”
“Good.”
The Fist Venerable smiled and nodded.
“I’ll train you properly.”
“Please go easy on me.”
Kang Yujin sighed.
The three elders merely grinned without saying anything.
It seemed he was going to suffer for a while.
“So you’re training under the Three Venerables?”
“I told you.”
Early in the morning, Kang Yujin sighed while eating noodles with Guo Yunzhao at a back-alley restaurant.
“My body and mind are both exhausted.”
“Oh, poor you. Must be hard having too much good fortune.”
Guo Yunzhao grumbled.
“Being taught by those three is an incredible honor.”
“I know that. It’s still exhausting.”
The Demon Venerable, Sword Venerable, and Fist Venerable took turns tormenting him.
His body could barely keep up.
No.
If it were only physical exhaustion, that would actually be manageable.
The Demon Venerable’s illusions were mentally exhausting.
And the other two constantly nagged him during training.
The stress was considerable.
“By the way, Guo Yunzhao, are all the Black Dragon Society executives old men and women?”
The Three Venerables were elderly.
And Vice Chairman Liu Zhenping looked at least seventy.
“That’s right. The Chairman is old too.”
“That’s unusual.”
Most executives in Korean or Japanese organizations were in their twenties or thirties.
“A lot of them trained in martial arts long before this all started.”
Guo Yunzhao shrugged.
“That’s just a characteristic of the Black Dragon Society. Other organizations aren’t like that.”
“That’s right.”
A voice suddenly came from the next table.
A well-dressed man in a neat suit smiled toward them.
“The White Forest Alliance, for example, has relatively young members.”
“Even our Alliance Leader, Yang Weizheng, is only thirty-three.”
“Zhang Siyuan...”
It was Zhang Siyuan of the White Forest Alliance.
“You’re some kind of stalker, aren’t you? Why do you only show up when I’m eating?”
“Haha. I simply happen to eat at places like this often.”
Zhang Siyuan calmly slurped his noodles.
“What do you want today? Did you find anything about Ha Mina?”
“That... will require a little more time.”
“Then go away. I don’t have business with you.”
Kang Yujin drained the remaining broth and started to stand.
“W-Wait.”
Zhang Siyuan grabbed the hem of his clothes.
“Lord Kang Yujin, are you free today?”
“What is it?”
“How about going to watch something?”
“Watch what?”
“The White Forest Alliance’s Shanghai Branch is holding a martial competition today.”
Zhang Siyuan spoke proudly.
“Normally, outsiders are forbidden from entering.”
“But I can arrange for you to watch from the VIP seats.”
“What’s a martial competition?”
“Ah. I should explain that first.”
Zhang Siyuan cleared his throat.
“A martial competition gathers skilled Contractors and has them fight to determine who is strongest.”
“It’s held as a tournament.”
“Oh. I get it.”
“I understand that you’re very interested in martial arts, Lord Kang Yujin.”
Zhang Siyuan smiled.
“It should be a valuable experience.”
“Hmm... If that’s what it is, I’d like to see it.”
All the skilled Contractors from the White Forest Alliance’s Shanghai Branch gathering in one place to compare their martial arts?
That was exactly the kind of thing Kang Yujin wanted to watch.
“Let’s go. Right now.”
“Ah! Then let’s leave immediately!”
Zhang Siyuan sprang to his feet.
“The preliminaries should be nearing their end already! I’ll prepare a car for us!”
He hurried out of the restaurant.
Guo Yunzhao watched him leave and sighed.
“This is so obvious.”
“What is?”
“Obviously, one of the participant slots is going to suddenly open up and they’ll make you enter the tournament.”
Guo Yunzhao drank a glass of cold water.
“Then you’ll defeat the Shanghai Branch’s experts one by one.”
“You’ll eventually win the whole tournament.”
“At first, the White Forest Alliance guys will be humiliated, but in the end they’ll acknowledge your strength and bow down.”
“And you’ll become some central figure in Shanghai while everyone praises you.”
"..."
“I’ve seen it more than ten times in novels.”
Guo Yunzhao clicked his tongue.
“Predictable plot.”
“This isn’t a novel. Why would that happen?”
Kang Yujin sighed at Guo Yunzhao’s imagination.
Hahaha! Actually, I did leave one slot open!
Zhang Siyuan laughed inwardly.
This was the Event he had carefully prepared after receiving his Constellation’s order to ‘give him everything.’
It was true that the martial competition had already been scheduled.
But Zhang Siyuan had expanded its scale.
Originally, only promising younger members were supposed to participate.
Now, he had forced every executive in the branch to join as well.
Sure, the Black Dragon Society has incredible spiritual elixirs like the Great Spirit Pill!
They also have masters like the Three Venerables who can become Kang Yujin’s teachers!
But...!
Zhang Siyuan pictured Liu Xianfei’s proud face.
They could never come up with an idea that gives Kang Yujin this kind of thrilling experience!
Thinking about finally getting one over on Liu Xianfei, Zhang Siyuan grinned.
Do you understand now?!
This is true hospitality!!
That was right.
Ultimately, this entire Event existed to entertain Kang Yujin.
It was an elaborate scheme designed to pull him away from the Black Dragon Society and toward the White Forest Alliance in one move.
He doesn’t care about money.
He doesn’t care about women.
He only cares about becoming stronger.
Then this is the answer!
Zhang Siyuan had already manipulated the tournament bracket.
Kang Yujin would progress through the tournament like the protagonist of a fighting manga, defeating one strong opponent after another until he reached the finals.
According to the plan, his final opponent would be the head of the White Forest Alliance’s Shanghai Branch.
He was quite powerful.
Kang Yujin should find the fight satisfying.
And... I even prepared that as the winner’s prize!
Zhang Siyuan had already investigated Kang Yujin’s equipment thoroughly.
The item he had prepared this time could be considered a direct upgrade over something Kang Yujin already possessed.
If Kang Yujin won the tournament and obtained it...
he would be overjoyed.
“Lord Kang Yujin! The preliminaries should almost be finished!”
After arriving at the gymnasium where the tournament was being held, Zhang Siyuan guided Kang Yujin inside while speaking excitedly.
“Well, the preliminaries are mostly just for selecting young people who don’t have seeded positions!”
“The main tournament draw will begin shortly!”
“I wonder what kind of bracket we’ll get?!”
“Why are you so excited...?”
Kang Yujin muttered suspiciously.
Zhang Siyuan led him inside.
“Now then! All the experts of the White Forest Alliance’s Shanghai Branch have gathered here to test their strength...”
But.
The instant Zhang Siyuan stepped into the venue...
he froze.
Because someone who absolutely should not have been there was standing inside wearing a martial arts uniform.
“It’s been a while, Zhang Siyuan.”
"...!"
A man with cold eyes had tied his long black hair back with a white headband.
He was slender and not particularly large.
His refined features gave him the impression of a scholar.
“I happened to be visiting Shanghai, so I came to watch the martial competition.”
“Then I heard that one slot in the main tournament was vacant.”
He looked at Zhang Siyuan and spoke coldly.
“So I decided to participate personally.”
“It should be a good opportunity to inspect the strength of the Shanghai Branch as well.”
“A-Alliance Leader?!”
Yang Weizheng.
Leader of the White Forest Alliance.
The strongest martial artist praised within the Orthodox Faction as the greatest under heaven.
A proud man who refused to submit even to the control of Constellations...
had stepped directly into the seat Zhang Siyuan had deliberately prepared for Kang Yujin.
