Bu Eunseol’s body truly contained not a trace of any energy.
But Yoo Unryong could see it.
An unimaginable, terrifying power was coiled tightly within his body.
If that weren’t the case, from the very moment he first appeared, Bu Eunseol would have hurriedly evacuated them or worn an utterly grave expression while keeping a wary eye on the bamboo-hat figure.
Yet he regarded the bamboo-hat figure with complete indifference, as if looking at a stray dog wandering the neighborhood.
Which meant…
Bu Eunseol did not view that bamboo-hat figure as a mortal enemy of life and death.
He recognized him as an opponent he could handle alone with sufficient ease.
As an outstanding strategist, Yoo Unryong sharply observed this point and deduced that Bu Eunseol had already reached the Limitless Realm.
“The Limitless Realm? What are you talking about?”
“That guy has been hiding his whereabouts all this time while handling various matters.” Yoo Unryong let out a snort. “And most likely, those were tasks that required dealing with incredibly powerful enemies. Whenever dangerous situations arose, he would conceal his movements and act alone.”
“Then…”
“Exactly. He has fought and defeated tremendous powerhouses all along… and finally reached the Limitless Realm.”
Myo Cheonwoo’s heart pounded fiercely.
In the entire history of the martial world, no one had ever reached the Limitless Realm before even turning thirty.
Right now, Bu Eunseol… was writing a new chapter in the history of the martial world.
“But why isn’t he attacking?”
Myo Cheonwoo pointed at the bamboo-hat figure in bewilderment.
“Even if it’s only a light internal injury, his internal energy has flowed backward.”
“He is deliberately giving him time to recover his body.”
“What?”
“From now on, he will have to fight countless powerful enemies pouring in like mushrooms after rain.” Yoo Unryong spoke calmly. “If he cannot even handle a single assassin who came alone, what could he possibly accomplish in the future?”
“Is his confidence excessive?”
“No, it is faith in himself.”
In that instant, flames flickered in Myo Cheonwoo’s eyes.
Only now did he truly understand how Bu Eunseol could reach such an unprecedented realm at such a young age.
“So… that’s why he’s strong.”
No matter what powerful enemy he faced or what great trial approached, he never wavered.
Every single day, without fail, he pushed beyond his limits.
He feared no failure and pressed forward.
“When I heard he had suppressed the Infinite Ascension Steps, I thought it was reckless.”
Moreover, the reason he grew so rapidly was that he walked the path he believed in, not the standards set by others.
It was a road where the destination could not be seen at all.
A path of endless, hellish trial, with no knowing when—or even if—he would arrive.
Yet Bu Eunseol believed in himself.
And the place he finally reached… was a shortcut many times faster than anyone else’s.
Papapak.
At that moment, from the bamboo-hat figure’s body came the sound of ropes snapping, and waves of internal energy began to spread outward.
He had completely subdued the reversed energy and fully restored his body.
Jiing. Papapak.
As Bu Eunseol spread his true qi, a massive barrier of strong energy unfolded across dozens of zhang around them.
What once took more than an hour to set up—the Heart Mirror Technique Formation—was now erected in a single breath.
This served both to prevent outsiders from witnessing the fight and to express his resolve to share life and death with Yoo Unryong and the others inside the formation.
[Stay back at the edge of the formation and watch from afar.]
Bu Eunseol sent a transmission to Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo.
[Merely observing a battle against a master will grant you immense insight.]
Sseuk.
At that moment, as Bu Eunseol approached, the bamboo-hat figure slowly removed the bamboo hat he had been wearing.
“Haaa.”
He opened his mouth and let out a hoarse sound—whether laughter or a battle cry was unclear.
Revealed was a purple tongue that had been half severed.
The reason he had not spoken a single word until now was that his tongue had been completely cut off.
“Good.”
Having grasped what the bamboo-hat figure intended to convey, Bu Eunseol nodded.
“Since you waited for me, I will wait for you as well.”
The reason the bamboo-hat figure had not instantly killed Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo and instead stabilized his internal energy was because he had sensed an extraordinarily powerful master—Bu Eunseol—rushing toward this place at high speed.
Rather than killing the two insignificant foes, he chose to quickly calm his energy and deal with the approaching formidable enemy.
Once Bu Eunseol’s words of waiting fell, the bamboo-hat figure began organizing his energy once more.
Wuuung.
Finally, as if battle preparations were complete, light flowed from the bamboo-hat figure’s eyes, and suddenly his sclera turned pitch black.
Jiing.
White pupils appeared within.
Normally a human should have white sclera and black pupils, yet here were black sclera and white pupils.
It resembled the abyssal monster one might face in a nightmare.
“Human Heavens, huh.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed as he gazed at the blood-red spear the other held.
“Since you carry a spear, shall we call you the Spear-Wielder?”
Huuuiing.
As if answering the question, a tremendous aura surged from the tip of the red spear.
Kwaaang!
As radiance burst from the red spear, even the sky turned a dark crimson, and a colossal meteor shower capable of destroying the entire world began to rain down upon Bu Eunseol’s head.
A human cannot change the color of the sky or summon a meteor shower.
Infinite Reversal Power.
the Spear-Wielder had transcended the mere polishing of technique, manifesting the pinnacle of human limits—the absolute power of transcendence.
Flash!
At that moment, multicolored radiance bloomed from Bu Eunseol’s body and shot forth in an instant.
He had prepared to unleash harmony from the very moment he arrived here, anticipating that the bamboo-hat figure would display Infinite Reversal Power.
Paaa!
When the two supreme masters’ powers collided, Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo stared wide-eyed.
—Hidden gunpowder will explode!
If such forces clashed?
Surely waves of true qi would soar to the heavens, trees and rocks in the forest would melt like taffy, and the powerful collision would undoubtedly detonate the gunpowder installed here.
“…”
But an unexpected situation occurred.
Nothing happened at all.
As Bu Eunseol poured out light, the enormous meteors falling from the crimson sky vanished as if washed clean.
There was no collision whatsoever.
—What is that?
Having witnessed Bu Eunseol’s harmony for the first time, Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo did not yet know it was a mystical energy capable of annihilating all things.
Bulge.
Then, the Spear-Wielder shook the red spear shaft once more.
Kwaauuu!
Again the sky reddened, and another massive meteor shower poured down.
Flash!
Bu Eunseol likewise unleashed harmony in succession.
After obtaining the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, the mixed energies within his body had stabilized, and he could now unleash harmony three times in a row without any strain.
Saaaak.
As the power of harmony caused the Infinite Reversal Power to vanish in an instant,
Hwarrrrr.
the Spear-Wielder’s eyes blazed red.
Realizing his Infinite Reversal Power was ineffective against this enemy, he intended to destroy the body directly with his weapon.
Chwaaak!
A fan-like curtain of light spread, and the red spear shaft multiplied into hundreds, piercing toward Bu Eunseol’s vital points.
the Spear-Wielder’s spear technique could truly be called the grand ancestor of all spear arts scattered throughout the martial world.
Though it appeared to wield a heavy spear lightly, infinite power was contained in each swing, and the speed of executing forms was faster than lightning.
Tzu tzu tzu.
Even after instantly unleashing Swift Beyond Shadow, scratches appeared on Bu Eunseol’s body.
The red spear moved like a ghost, predicting Bu Eunseol’s actions in advance and pouring attacks accordingly.
‘He is strong.’
Bu Eunseol could not help but inwardly admire.
the Spear-Wielder’s spear art did not merely attack the enemy; like the Namgung family’s Emperor Sword Form, it dominated space itself.
Each form transcended orthodox and unorthodox techniques, unleashing new martial mysteries that no master in the martial world had ever displayed before.
Purrrut!
Moreover, every time the spear shaft moved at high speed, Bu Eunseol felt as though something razor-sharp was stabbing into his mind.
Heart Strike.
the Spear-Wielder’s spearmanship was not merely moving a weapon—it possessed the power to pierce and strike even the opponent’s spirit.
Jijijik.
Purple lightning flowed from Bu Eunseol’s body.
Unable to react to the Spear-Wielder’s speed, the Thunder Spirit Energy activated on its own.
Jijik! Kwaauuuu!
Once Thunder Spirit Energy erupted, Bu Eunseol’s movements became incomparably faster than before.
With enhanced reflexes, he could now counter the Spear-Wielder’s lightning-like attacks at close range.
Chichichik!
As close-quarters combat began, the Spear-Wielder moved hundreds of spears simultaneously, creating thousands of spear shadows in every direction.
Tang tang tang tang!
Yet the Silent Tiger Soul Sword, imbued with Thunder Spirit Energy, accurately struck and deflected each incoming spear tip.
Shwaaaaek!
When Thunder Spirit Energy reached its peak, the sword shadows Bu Eunseol created began to overwhelm the spear shadows.
Originally, long weapons like spears are vulnerable in close combat.
Because the Spear-Wielder wielded a long spear rapidly, its trajectory had to travel a greater distance compared to the short Silent Tiger Soul Sword.
Huduk.
Suddenly, the spear in the Spear-Wielder’s hand split into two.
He had separated the combined spear and was now swinging them swiftly.
Chang chang chang chang!
As they closed to face-to-face distance, the exchange reached its zenith.
It was no longer an exchange of forms through physical movement, but a clash of willpower against willpower.
Chang chang chang chang, ting ting ting ting!
The sound of weapons clashing gradually faded until, at last, both men stopped moving.
The world fell utterly silent, as if time itself had frozen.
Wuuung!
A low vibration suddenly spread.
the Spear-Wielder had shifted tactics and initiated an internal energy contest with Bu Eunseol.
Their distance was so close that neither could avoid the internal power struggle.
Grrrrr.
As the internal energy contest began, the ground trembled up and down, spiderweb cracks spreading outward.
Wuuung!
The pressure intensified steadily, yet Bu Eunseol wore a leisurely expression.
His current internal energy exceeded ten jiazi—far beyond anyone else in the world.
Unaware that Bu Eunseol possessed such profound inner power, the Spear-Wielder had thrown away his own advantage and challenged his opponent in the most unfavorable manner.
Drip drip drip.
Unable to withstand the immense pressure, the Spear-Wielder’s face began to contort.
If this continued, his meridians would melt and his body would explode.
Hwirik!
At that moment, a red meteor fell from the distant sky straight toward Bu Eunseol’s head.
Unable to block Bu Eunseol’s overwhelming internal power, the Spear-Wielder had thrown one spear shaft upward with a single hand.
Paang!
As Bu Eunseol took a step back, the Spear-Wielder tried to escape the domain of the internal energy contest.
But that was his mistake.
Wuuung.
Bu Eunseol’s inner power was not only vast but sticky like glue, preventing any escape from the internal struggle.
“Keuuu.”
Letting out a grotesque groan, the Spear-Wielder unleashed a dark crimson energy from his body.
It was an energy entirely different from ordinary internal power.
Chiiik.
Its might momentarily pushed back even Bu Eunseol’s ten-jiazi inner strength.
‘Is this the unique power possessed by the kin of the True Demon?’
Kwaaang!
Seizing the opening, the Spear-Wielder once again created hundreds of spear shadows.
In response, Bu Eunseol swung the Silent Tiger Soul Sword to meet them.
“That’s…”
Myo Cheonwoo, watching from afar, could not close his mouth.
Each time weapons charged with monstrous inner power collided, azure light soared to the heavens. Every shift in movement sent storm-like waves of energy rippling outward.
To his eyes, this was no mere battle between martial masters… it looked like mythical war gods descending to clash upon the earth.
“Has he… always fought opponents like that until now?”
At Myo Cheonwoo’s words, Yoo Unryong nodded.
“Probably.”
Yoo Unryong took a deep breath and nodded again.
“All along.”
Bu Eunseol’s martial prowess had surpassed the Supreme Heavenly Realm and entered a superior realm.
Without even deploying supreme secret arts like Supreme Heavenly Flow, Seven Blood Tear Forms, or Three Divine Energies, he was openly clashing head-on with a master of Limitless Realm.
“And now he has found his path.”
Bu Eunseol had not merely ascended to Limitless Realm; he had set out on a new, unknown road.
And finally, he had discovered his own path.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to rival a Limitless master so evenly in such a short time.
“A completely new path.”
For hundreds of years, the martial world had yearned for the Limitless realm.
Whoever claimed it first made it exceedingly difficult for those who followed to surpass.
Because they had ascended the stairs first.
Because they were ahead.
But Bu Eunseol shattered the stairs laid before him and soared straight into the sky.
“Keuaaa!”
As Bu Eunseol continued to fight on equal terms without end, the Spear-Wielder looked to the heavens and roared.
Paang!
Simultaneously, red energy spread outward in a perfect sphere from his entire body.
By endlessly drawing circles with the red spear, he created an invincible strong energy that could shatter anything and allow no force to intrude.
Tang tang!
When the Silent Tiger Soul Sword struck the red strong energy, it was repelled outward by overwhelming force.
Huuuiing.
Seeing that weapons were ineffective, Bu Eunseol unfolded Seven Fist Demon Forms, Fourth Form: Heavenly Hand Void Break.
Paaaa!
A storm-like palm power poured forth, causing the strong energy enveloping the Spear-Wielder’s body to ripple like waves.
Yet ultimately it did not break.
Pat pat!
When an opening appeared in Bu Eunseol’s movements, a red spear shaft abruptly thrust out from within the spherical strong energy.
Bu Eunseol barely evaded, but the mere graze left a long wound on his side.
Considering that attacks normally left no mark at all on his body, thanks to his peak inner power, one could imagine just how powerful the Spear-Wielder’s strike had been.
“Damn it, how do you beat a monster like that?”
Myo Cheonwoo, watching from afar, bit his lip.
Suddenly, as the Spear-Wielder combined unbreakable strong energy with terrifying spear arts, the tide turned.
Bu Eunseol was struggling to hold on.
He wanted to rush in and help immediately… but entering the domain of that battle would instantly reduce his body to fragments.
“No—he has already created an advantage”
At that moment Yoo Unryong pointed at Bu Eunseol.
“Look.”
Click.
Bu Eunseol sheathed the Silent Tiger Soul Sword into its scabbard; red energy surged from his eyes and hands.
He had already analyzed the attribute of the strong energy surrounding the Spear-Wielder’s body.
The Heavenly Hand Void Break was merely the process of confirmation.
And now—the decisive strike to shatter it.
Capturing the fleeting instant to deliver death, he prepared the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form.
Flash!
With dazzling radiance, the Meteor Chasing the Moon Form was finally unleashed.
But something was strange.
The instant the ultra-high-speed Meteor Chasing the Moon Form neared the strong energy,
Squirm squirm.
For a very brief moment, it seemed to slow and ooze rather than shoot forth?
Slice!
Yet something bizarre occurred.
From the Spear-Wielder’s shoulder, enveloped in red strong energy, crimson blood suddenly spurted.
How had he pierced the supposedly unbreakable strong energy?
“It wasn’t strong energy created by Spear Gang; it was a secret art that used the opponent’s poured power as reverse force.”
Having realized the Spear-Wielder’s technique, Myo Cheonwoo exclaimed in admiration.
No matter how high one’s martial arts reached Limitless Realm, it was common sense that endlessly maintaining strong energy capable of destroying and blocking everything was impossible.
—Then perhaps it is an extremely advanced martial principle, creating an illusion like strong energy?
Bu Eunseol had harbored such suspicion and unfolded Heavenly Hand Void Break, pouring out pure palm power.
From that he discerned the true nature of the strong energy.
It was a principle similar to Taichi Fist’s Transformation Realm and using the mystery of “following the enemy to increase power”—the stronger the opponent’s force, the stronger one’s own becomes—he had been endlessly reflecting the incoming attacks.
The problem was that discerning such a principle in the midst of battle within a short time was nearly impossible. But for Bu Eunseol, who ceaselessly studied the mysteries of all martial arts under heaven and had mastered Nangyang Heart Eye, it was nothing.
—Then it is easy to break.
When Bu Eunseol executed his swordsmanship, the moment it touched the strong energy, he thrust extremely slowly and weakly.
As a result, it failed to generate proper power, allowing the Silent Tiger Soul Sword to pass straight through.
Pat!
Once again, blood welled from the Spear-Wielder’s body.
In the end, the supposedly all-blocking strong energy became useless.
As Bu Eunseol shattered his martial mystery, the Spear-Wielder’s eyes blazed red with fury.
All eight of the Human Heavens were grandmasters who had profoundly influenced the martial world, and none were prouder than they.
For his technique to be dismantled by a young martial artist like Bu Eunseol was more humiliating than anything else.
Grrrrr.
A bizarre wave of energy spread from the Spear-Wielder’s body.
[Uuu.]
He let out an enraged guttural roar.
Reaching the Limitless Realm meant having mastered one particular martial principle to perfection.
Since Bu Eunseol had wounded him using only martial principles without secret arts, he too would now fight solely with martial principles.
“Good.”
Originally Bu Eunseol had intended to gradually employ the Supreme Heavenly Flow Form containing the Three Divine Energies but as the Spear-Wielder chose to fight with martial arts, he too raised only his internal energy.
“You must have polished the spear to a divine level with no equal until now.”
Facing the Spear-Wielder and comparing the swordsmanship he had mastered so far made Bu Eunseol’s heart burn with excitement.
Chwararak.
Tens of thousands of razor-sharp beams of light spread in every direction, and a world-shaking, peerless spear technique enveloped Bu Eunseol’s body.
They were forms that transcended the limits of speed a human body could produce.
Flutter flutter!
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s Silent Tiger Soul Sword began to quiver on its own like a freshly caught fish, and a round curtain of light formed around his body.
Simultaneously, it began accurately deflecting each pouring spear tip.
As the Spear-Wielder poured killing forms using pure martial arts, Storm Harmony Secret activated, triggering the absolute defensive form that reacted to killing intent—Radiant Sword Control.
Tang tang tang tang!
With metallic clangs, spear tips and sword tips began colliding precisely in midair.
No matter how superior a master, unleashing ultra-high-speed close attacks at such distance would force total concentration of mind.
But because Radiant Sword Control reacted automatically, Bu Eunseol did not need to focus on defense.
‘This is…’
And another change occurred.
‘Storm Harmony Secret… shares the same vein as Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.’
Storm Harmony Secret was the mind method required to activate Radiant Sword Control. Not only did it detect killing intent, it naturally read the flow of air, allowing Radiant Sword Control to automatically block incoming attacks.
In other words, Storm Harmony Secret closely resembled the method for utilizing the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi flowing within Bu Eunseol’s body.
As a result, the power of Radiant Sword Control grew even stronger.
Tang tang tang tang! Tarararang!
Combined with Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, Radiant Sword Control began moving at such ultra-high speed that even Bu Eunseol could barely keep up.
It perfectly blocked the Spear-Wielder’s spear technique while allowing him to perceive even the tiniest openings.
Kwaaang!
Seizing that fleeting instant, Bu Eunseol twisted his fist and unleashed Extreme War Roar.
Shwaaek!
With Wind-Cloud Divine Qi naturally activated, the unleashed Extreme War Roar became a sharp palm power like a keen treasured sword.
Slice!
the Spear-Wielder’s right arm flew off, and at the same time, terrifying internal energy poured into his meridians.
[Ueeeer!]
Paaaa!
Letting out a pained groan through his severed tongue, the Spear-Wielder used the blood gushing from his severed arm to create hundreds of blood-clot spears and pour them toward Bu Eunseol.
As the blood clots spread in all directions, astonishingly, the domain of the Heart Mirror Technique Formation began to blur.
‘Is this also a power of the kin?’
Sasasasa!
While Radiant Sword Control automatically blocked the attacks,
Paang!
the Spear-Wielder instantly executed a movement technique and fled into the distant sky.
Hududuk.
Confirming that dark red blood clots lay scattered where the Spear-Wielder had fled, Bu Eunseol did not bother chasing the escaping the Spear-Wielder.
His ten-jiazi-level Ban-Geuk Method had already destroyed the Spear-Wielder’s protective true qi, shattered his meridians, and ravaged his heart vein.
Within half a quarter-hour, he would lie cold as a corpse somewhere.
Burrrr.
As the battle ended, Myo Cheonwoo and Yoo Unryong trembled.
Their expressions were overwhelmed, as though a new world had unfolded before their eyes.
The dream of countless young martial artists.
A grandmaster who had reached that supreme realm stood towering right in front of them.
Gazing at that sight, they could no longer suppress the emotions surging from deep within their hearts.
At last, Bu Eunseol… among the fearsome Eight Human Heavens, had reached the level where he could defeat the Spear-Wielder without suffering any injury.
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