Ch.47Chapter 47 – Life and Death Duel (2)

Bi-wol blocked Kim Hyul’s sudden punch with her sword. She had learned something from watching countless matches of his.

In those matches, Kim Hyul had achieved victory by breaking numerous blades as if his hands were made of steel.

Clang—!

A clear, crisp sound like metal striking metal rang out as they were pushed far apart from each other.

With her hands feeling numb, Bi-wol realized her opponent truly had mastered the Diamond Body technique only after meeting his fist with her sword.

‘…I thought this only existed in legends.’

Diamond Indestructible Body.

It referred to a body that had reached the pinnacle of external martial arts, making it impervious to damage from sabers, swords, or any other form of attack.

Normally, Bi-wol would have easily given up against such an opponent, believing there was no way to win. But now, she had a precious medicine in her hands that could help her master.

‘I still have to try. No matter how powerful the martial art is, it’s still just external training.’

Her sword hand was still trembling from the impact, but Bi-wol took a deep breath to steady herself.

“Did your master tell you about my fist technique?”

Kim Hyul spoke with a puzzled expression as he watched Bi-wol. Originally, Six Harmonies Fist was a third-rate martial art, so it would be difficult to find someone in the martial world who didn’t know about it.

Paradoxically, many people didn’t truly understand the terror of Six Harmonies Fist because of this. They might think it merely imitated animal movements or relied on reckless full-body attacks.

“…That wasn’t a speed one could see and react to.”

But Bi-wol’s movement just now was strange.

As if she had somehow anticipated his unstoppable punch, she had moved to block it with her sword.

“So you’re indeed the disciple of that old man’s student.”

Kim Hyul sighed in exasperation. The Undefeated God of Fists—just thinking about his face made Kim Hyul’s irritation rise.

Having the title “God” attached to one’s name was already extraordinary in the martial world, and he was called “Undefeated” because he had never lost in a fist fight.

“…Old man? Our master is quite young.”

Bi-wol stopped her approaching footsteps at this inconsistent statement. She instinctively felt this was something she needed to hear.

“It must be someone you don’t know. That man Bing-yeon must have learned fist techniques from him long ago.”

“Our master…?”

“Yes, that ill-tempered old man called the Undefeated God of Fists. A madman who could have become an immortal but refused to ascend.”

Kim Hyul bit his lower lip as he mentioned the master who had taught him his fist techniques. A long-bearded old man who would harshly correct even the slightest error in posture.

“Though I’ve never seen his face directly, since we learned from the same master… I suppose you could call me your senior martial brother.”

As Kim Hyul finished speaking, Bi-wol felt something like a needle of emotion rising within her.

She felt jealous and envious.

Why couldn’t she be the first?

What exactly was her master’s identity, to be able to attract the interest of so many people?

Even with his ability to see the future, he could have lived more selfishly. With his terminal condition, no one would have blamed him.

Yet Bing-yeon was stubbornly altruistic.

‘Though I know it’s because of that personality that he saved me from my predicament…’

Bi-wol’s hand gripping the sword trembled with tension. She disliked how this man, Kim Hyul, spoke as if he knew her master Bing-yeon better than she did.

“…Don’t be ridiculous. Are you saying you’re my martial uncle?”

“Not exactly, but I think the connection between us is incredibly strong.”

As Kim Hyul said this, he glanced slightly behind him—toward where Bing-seol-hwa, whom he only superficially acknowledged as his master, was sitting.

“That’s true.”

Bi-wol, noticing who he was referring to, took a deep breath. After all, she had been learning countermeasures against Six Harmonies Fist in preparation for the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, all because of a mysterious figure.

‘That woman, Bing-seol-hwa. She seemed to share the same bloodline as our master.’

Just before, Bi-wol had made up a flimsy excuse about going to the restroom to investigate the person her master Bing-yeon was so wary of.

In the gathering place of all sect leaders attending the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, Bi-wol had noticed something strange about a woman with white hair and blue eyes identical to Bing-yeon’s.

“Seongyeong School… That’s not just a randomly chosen sect name, is it?”

“Right, it was a sect created by a strange woman who claimed this world we live in is wrong and needs to be restored to its previous state. It’s just for appearance’s sake.”

Come to think of it, it was strange. Normally, the cold energy residing in her master’s body would be something the North Sea Ice Palace would pay any price to acquire.

The Severed Nine Yin—a condition that bestows innate genius but drastically shortens one’s lifespan.

“So, that strange woman is the white-haired sect leader you follow, and she’s related to our master, right?”

“Yes, and I suspect they share the same bloodline.”

Kim Hyul nodded at Bi-wol’s sharp deduction, and the pieces of information she had only suspected began to fall into place.

“I think so too.”

1. The current leader of the Seongyeong School is a woman who has a very close relationship with our master. Otherwise, she couldn’t have done something as strange as leaving writing on his back.

2. And that woman shares the same bloodline as our master. Our master, whose mindset and internal energy are pure enough to be considered righteous, wouldn’t have been abandoned in the Five Poisons Sect to live the life of an evil sect member.

3. Finally, she is currently the most dangerous rival.

Having completed all her calculations, Bi-wol immediately rushed at Kim Hyul. She couldn’t just stand by and be defeated.

If she lost in this Dragon and Phoenix Tournament, the white-haired woman might use the 10,000-Year Ultimate Blood Treasure as leverage to control Bing-yeon.

“…Then I definitely can’t lose!”

“That’s a good look in your eyes. You’ve finally found the will to fight.”

Clang, clang—! The sound of fist meeting sword rang out. The friction sound and sparks flying instantly drew the attention of the surrounding spectators.

Countless exchanges passed. They attacked and defended with perfect precision, as if their hands and feet were in sync.

“Ugh…!”

A fist drove into Bi-wol’s side the moment she revealed an opening. Six Harmonies Fist, capable of attacking and defending in all directions at once, had targeted the blind spot created by her sword.

She couldn’t breathe properly. Pain surged through the struck area as if it had been burned, nearly making her legs give out.

“Is this the end?”

Kim Hyul murmured softly at the sight. It was better to force a surrender this way if he wanted to avoid killing his opponent.

But,

“No…!”

Bi-wol gritted her teeth and tensed her entire body. She was trying to stand up again after nearly collapsing.

Swoosh—!

Bi-wol swung her sword again. The blade grazed Kim Hyul’s cheek, but no wound appeared on his face.

“I have mastered the Diamond Indestructible Body. You’d be better off giving up now.”

Clang, clang—! Kim Hyul blocked Bi-wol’s sword with his bare arms, showing mercy. He knew that no matter how much she struggled, she could never defeat him with a sword.

“That’s something we’ll have to see…!”

Bi-wol continued swinging her sword while catching her ragged breath. Even knowing it was futile, she didn’t want to disappoint her master Bing-yeon.

‘The secret of Six Harmonies Fist is the unity of heaven, earth, and the four directions.’

Bi-wol kept trying to find Kim Hyul’s weakness. Breaking through Six Harmonies Fist, which could attack and defend in all directions—east, west, north, south, up, and down—was not as simple as she had thought.

No matter how third-rate a martial art might be, it was difficult to defeat someone who had mastered it completely.

– The weakness of Six Harmonies Fist is that when one tries to increase its power by making the form larger, openings appear.

– Then, I should deliberately increase the distance to force larger movements.

Bi-wol recalled her previous conversation with Bing-yeon. Special measures were needed to defeat Kim Hyul, who combined Six Harmonies Fist with the Diamond Indestructible Body.

– No, such a simple method won’t work. The opponent is aware of such weaknesses and won’t allow you to increase the distance.

Bing-yeon had expressed a negative opinion about Bi-wol’s first proposed strategy. As he said, fighting at a distance was already attempted by the Tang Clan of Sichuan,

And Kim Hyul had achieved victory through the insane method of catching flying hidden weapons in mid-air and throwing them back.

‘Just a little more…! Just a bit…!’

Bi-wol had a different strategy in mind.

Diamond Indestructible Body is ultimately an external technique. It only strengthens the visible body and muscles to their limits.

– Then, the only way is to target the soft internal organs rather than the hardened exterior.

– By internal, you mean…

– Create an opening that even Six Harmonies Fist can’t defend, and keep striking like tempering iron. Eventually, there will be a point where the impact resonates.

The reason she kept colliding her sword with Kim Hyul’s body countless times, creating resonance, and not giving up despite the apparent lack of effect.

‘First, I broke the ground to prevent him from channeling force into the earth…’

Bi-wol smiled as she noticed Kim Hyul’s increasingly trembling arms. Normally, the Diamond Indestructible Body should feel no impact at all, but,

‘The opponent has accumulated physical shock from the preliminary rounds. I need to vibrate those areas and amplify them.’

Now, the fatigue left by countless challengers was etched into Kim Hyul’s body. No matter how well-trained, organs like the brain and internal organs couldn’t be made as hard as steel.

As Bi-wol’s final sword strike aimed for his temple,

‘Now…!’

Claaang—!

A sound like a giant bell engulfed the stage, and Kim Hyul began bleeding from his nose.

Watching the dripping blood, he realized something had gone wrong and looked up at Bi-wol.

“…Ugh?!”

Resonance.

He staggered backward, finally realizing that she had targeted his internal organs—the parts his Diamond Indestructible Body couldn’t protect.