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Chapter 7: The Hefty Encounter

Bang-!!

A rough sound echoes as Nangong Jin’s head snaps up.

“Crack-.”

A short, muffled sound is heard but quickly fades away.

Fists rain down towards his raised head.

Crash-!!!

It’s nearly the sound of rock shattering.

The impact sends Nangong Jin’s body flying through the air, spinning.

Blood erupts from his nose, tracing a wild arc as his body spins.

He seems high in the air, about to crash down onto the ground.

“Ugh…”

Yet, in that fleeting moment, Nangong Jin manages to not touch the ground.

Because a figure has already rushed in, gripping his throat almost completely.

“Ah, f*ck, seriously.”

A rough curse escapes as everyone flinches at the furious scowl and blazing blue eyes.

“I told you I can’t put up with this!”

Tch.

The way he clicks his tongue and talks back is far too familiar.

“Honestly, all the men in that household are just oddballs, aren’t they?”

“Guh…”

“Why are you continually getting under people’s skin?”

Nangong Jin trembles. He shudders from the residual pain still lingering in his body.

Thump-!

“Cough!”

Another punch is thrust into his solar plexus. His body reacts, and he spews blood.

“Do you know what I hate the most?”

I spat out my annoyance at him.

“Those weaklings who don’t know their place but act tough.”

Thud!

“If you can’t handle it, just shut up and live quietly. Don’t provoke people.”

Those words approach self-loathing. I had lived foolishly in my previous life, unable to do the same.

So, while I was passionately pounding Nangong Jin into the dust, the eyes of the Blue Dragon members sitting nearby, as well as the rookies surrounding us, widened in disbelief.

“Nangong Jin… is taking that much punishment?”

“What…?”

“Didn’t see it coming.”

The seniors of the Blue Dragon team assess the unbelievable scene with astonished eyes. It was natural at that moment.

Who was the Sword Dragon, Nangong Jin, after all?

A figure likely to become the next clan leader of the Nangong Clan, regarded as the strongest among the late-stage talents before the divine dragon appeared.

Rumors suggested he could have taken the position of Deputy Lord of the Blue Dragon team had it not been for the divine dragon.

Even if there were issues with his character, he was previously evaluated as almost unbeatable.

And yet, this Sword Dragon is so ruthlessly and helplessly caught.

Perhaps for this reason, the expressions of the rookies were strange as well.

“…How can the world-renowned Sword Dragon be defeated like that?”

“It’s absurd. By someone like us…?”

By a rookie. Just a few moments ago, someone who barely managed to join the ranks, and now the Sword Dragon is at his mercy. It was entirely incomprehensible.

Caught in a daze, they struggled to believe what they were witnessing.

“Us? How ridiculous.”

A voice interjects solemnly.

The gazes of the rookies turn toward the source of the voice. There stands…

“How can Baek Donggi be on the same level as you lot? Hah, that’s nonsense.”

With an oddly proud air, the newcomer, Do-yun, stands there.

“…Do-donggi? What do you mean by that?”

“What do you mean ‘what’?”

Confused by his own words, Do-yun immediately responds.

“Baek Donggi is, after all, a different kind of being.”

“What?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t you know what Baek Yangcheon did when he joined the sect?”

His words ignite curiosity in the other rookies. Indeed, they recalled what Baek Yangcheon had been up to in the sect.

First.

During the first trial, the sparring match with the Sword Team judge, he defeated the judge in a single blow.

While there were multiple cases of applicants winning against judges in sparring, none ever defeated them in one hit.

Second.

In the second trial, he scored the only perfect score on the Demon Beast Knowledge exam. It indicated he possessed both power and knowledge.

And third.

“That remarkable figure of the Three Eminent Beings. The Master of the Martial World directly took notice of him.”

The Three Eminent Beings. Pejon, one of the pillars of the Righteous Faction, wanted to accept Baek Yangcheon as his disciple, even attending the Blue Dragon team’s banquet for him.

Thus, Baek Yangcheon was not just another recruit. He was a young man who had caused a monumental stir upon joining.

However, a doubt remained.

“It’s strange that such an impressive man has gone unnoticed until now, isn’t it?”

“…What!?”

“Indeed…”

As Do-yun’s words sunk in, the expressions of the other recruits turned serious. How could such an extraordinary individual have remained unnoticed until now?

It was truly a bewildering issue.

Look, he’s displaying such formidable strength even against the Sword Dragon.

How could…

“Even not obtaining the title of Dragon seems implausible.”

It was mind-boggling that he hadn’t been elevated to the pinnacle among the late-stage talents deemed to be a Dragon.

As those questions piled up, Do-yun spoke again, this time in a lower voice.

“In my opinion…”

At his words, the recruits leaned in with rapt attention. And then…

“Baek Donggi… no, our Yangcheon brother, perhaps he is a secret weapon cultivated by the Hundred Families.”

“A secret weapon…?”

He had incidentally transitioned from being just a rookie to being called a brother, yet others hardly cared due to his prior statement.

“Indeed. The Hundred Families, once considered weak yet harboring great aspirations, must have secretly nurtured a genius to regain their presence!”

“Hah!”

The Hundred Families had never had a significant presence to start with.

“Ah, so that’s why he had such skills but remains anonymous?”

“…Then it makes sense.”

That extraordinary power. The intricate knowledge of Demon Beasts.

And, the quiet fame, too.

If he was a secret weapon nurtured by the Hundred Families, it all fell into place.

“Hence… we might just be witnessing a new history unfold before us.”

As Do-yun spoke, encouraged by their reactions, he nodded vigorously.

“Wow…”

Everyone seemed to accept his assertions and nodded along.

As their responses gradually took on a semblance of truth, at that moment.

What a bunch of nonsense.

The real Baek Yangcheon…

No, Gu Yangcheong himself, was grimacing at the entire scene, absorbing everything.

*

He heard it all.

“What? Secret weapon?”

It was absurd. What kind of secret weapon nonsense was this?

The strange misunderstandings spread like wildfire. They didn’t seem to care that their voices were loud.

Considering that his Qi perception was already heightened, how could he not hear such boisterous conversations?

Sigh.

He barely managed to stifle a sigh. This was not good.

“What to do?”

What to do with this ridiculous situation. The problems with their stupid stories aside.

“Looks like I made a mess of things.”

Nangong Jin lies there, bloodied and gasping. This was also a problem.

It felt like he had landed only a few hits, yet he lay there half out of it already.

Given the disparity in realms, I was trying to go easy, but…

“I lost control.”

I lost my grip.

Having reached transcendence, I had never fought against the weak, and thus, I misjudged how to control my strength.

“What to do?”

It felt like I committed a significant faux pas.

Not that I was angry, but I had acted out of frustration. But, seriously, there was nothing I could do.

“He keeps provoking me.”

I had tried to tolerate it as best I could. But this guy had it coming.

“He looks just like Nangong Cheonjun.”

To be clear, Nangong Cheonjun looked like him. That, however, was irrelevant. It was that scummy face of his that was the problem.

“So I hit him harder.”

I hadn’t meant to hit him this much. Things were slightly complicated now.

Still, I had made sure not to hit his eyes. I controlled that much, at least.

“There’s barely a resemblance to Nangong Bi-ah in him.”

I struck him with all my restraint. Then…

“If I had really wanted, I could’ve obliterated those family jewels.”

While I thought about Nangong Cheonjun, I considered crushing that part of him to ensure no further connections.

“But I can’t do that.”

I couldn’t jeopardize the very existence of Nangong Bi-ah because of that scumbag.

“Whew.”

I exhaled, releasing the tension from my grip.

At that, Nangong Jin flops lifelessly to the ground.

Breathing shallowly, he still seemed to be alive.

I pondered that over.

“Looks like he’s finally matured.”

In this world, perhaps it was true. But, there was no way to compare him with the Azure Sky Sword I knew.

“Hmm.”

While watching Nangong Jin, I felt a gaze fixated on me.

All eyes fell on me, but among them, the most significant gaze was present.

Honestly, I wanted to hit him more, but by now, my anger had lessened.

However.

“Since things have come this far, I may as well take advantage.”

Though the rage was fading, there were still opportunities to exploit.

I slid my foot towards the fallen Nangong Jin. Along with that…

Ssss—…

I released a shallow, tiny killing intent.

Most wouldn’t even notice the faint, delicate aura.

As I wrapped it around my foot, just as I was about to stomp on Nangong Jin’s head…

Crackle.

A sharp sound like fire igniting echoed near my ear, along with the rush of heat.

It was right beside me.

Turning my eyes, I see…

Boom!!!

A tremendous red flame erupts before me.

It was fast and rough. The red flame enveloped my body in an instant.

Yet, it didn’t touch me. The distance was just right to incinerate me with only a slight movement.

A vortex of Qi-filled red flames.

Feeling an alien coldness within the searing heat.

As I sensed something different from the fire emanating from my body, I gazed at the owner of the flame.

“The sparring match is already over.”

The young man with crimson eyes looked down at me with a heavy voice.

“Stand down. Baek Yangcheon.”

My father, with an expressionless face, radiated his energy towards me.

Looking at this, I smiled.

“Stand down?”

I said to my father while grinning.

“Go ahead and try to make me.”

“……”

My defiant words prompted a frown on my father’s brow.

…To be honest, that look had me shivering a bit, but I did my best to withstand it.

 

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