Emperor’s Divine Palm (Bawang Shenzhang) 2

+++

After getting clearance from the staff, Doyun rented out a small training ground entirely for himself.

The staff member was initially hesitant, saying that despite Doyun’s rising stardom, his low rank disqualified him. However, upon learning that the Vagabond Hero would be personally teaching Doyun a technique, he was so shocked that he bypassed all procedures and immediately granted approval.

Once inside the training ground, the Vagabond Hero stood with his staff planted on the ground.

“The technique I shall impart to you is a palm strike art.”

“A palm strike art?”

Doyun responded with an unexpected echo of surprise.

Since the Vagabond Hero and Doyun specialized in different areas, he had assumed he would be taught versatile techniques like movement arts or mana manipulation methods.

But a palm strike art out of the blue?

“My Hitting Dog Staff Art primarily utilizes the staff, but is designed to respond with palm strikes whenever the opponent manages to penetrate into close quarters. Hence, palm strike arts can be considered my field of expertise as well.”

The Vagabond Hero grinned wryly as he extended his right palm for Doyun to see.

Doyun frowned upon seeing the palm – it was completely red and calloused, as if torn apart countless times.

“…Is this from excessively practicing the technique?”

“Kukku. This technique is indeed a vicious one. My expectations for you are equally high.”

He lumbered over and stood before an iron training dummy.

“From what I know, there are only three under the heavens capable of using this technique. My master in another dimension, myself, and the Lion King. However, the Lion King is not a martial artist, so he has no need for it.”

As if his palm stung, the Vagabond Hero shook it lightly.

“And none of those three could fully grasp this technique. It is a failed art.”

He turned to face Doyun.

“But with the monstrous mana control talent you’ve displayed, you will surely be able to perfect this technique.”

“…”

“Watch closely.”

The Vagabond Hero assumed a stance.

Stomping his feet firmly as if delivering an orthodox fist strike, he extended his palm and placed it against the dummy’s solar plexus.

Then, he closed his eyes.

‘The mana is gathering in his palm.’

With his heightened mana sensing abilities after acquiring the Dragon Heart, Doyun could feel the flow of mana within the Vagabond Hero’s body.

Concentrating mana in the palm was a skill only a handful of Disciples with exceptional mana control like Doyun or the Vagabond Hero could achieve.

In a sense, it was akin to casting Localized Acceleration Control extremely slowly.

“Nngh…”

Once sufficient mana had gathered in his palm, the Vagabond Hero began grunting.

He was vibrating the mana in his palm. The mana seemed to thrash violently, as if trying to tear through his palm, while the Vagabond Hero simultaneously fueled and contained this oscillating force.

And when the pressure reached its limit…

“Haaah-!”

His mana was injected into the dummy, and…

Kwaaang-!

With a deafening boom, the dummy exploded into shattered pieces.

The scattered iron fragments rained down from the sky.

“…”

Doyun momentarily marveled at the ingenious principle behind the technique.

Its fundamental mechanism was completely different from palm force techniques.

“Rather than simply reinforcing the palm with mana to strike, or firing off a burst of air pressure, this injects mana into the target’s body to induce vibrations from within, tearing them apart and causing an explosion.”

Through the rising dust clouds, Doyun stared at the Vagabond Hero’s palm.

Blood was dripping from it in large drops.

Doyun could now understand why he had called this a failed technique.

‘The principle is ingenious, and the power is decent. But it’s far too complex – only an extremely small number of Disciples could even attempt to use it.’

However, as the Vagabond Hero had said, combining Doyun’s mana control abilities with skill proficiency adjustments could potentially make it combat-viable.

“This technique is called the Emperor’s Divine Palm. It was conceived by my master, who was referred to as the ‘Emperor,’ and is his signature move.”

Upon hearing those words, Doyun tilted his head quizzically.

‘The signature move of someone called the ‘Emperor’… seems rather lacking.’

The Emperor’s Divine Palm had too many clear drawbacks.

‘For starters, having to let the opponent penetrate into close quarters reduces its practicality.’

While it could be considered the final trump card and killing move for staff arts that become severely vulnerable once the opponent closes the distance, it didn’t seem particularly advantageous for Doyun, who utilized swords and fists.

‘And it’s far too complex. But the power doesn’t seem commensurate with those drawbacks.’

Seeing Doyun’s conflicted expression, the Vagabond Hero grinned wryly and spoke.

“You must have already analyzed the technique’s pros and cons.”

Doyun nodded.

“It may not seem that impressive. But don’t underestimate the Emperor’s signature move. When you use it, you’ll be utterly dumbfounded. Kehkeh.”

His boastful remark caused Doyun to tilt his head again.

“Is there still an aspect you haven’t demonstrated?”

“As I said, this is a failed technique. But if you can unleash the Emperor’s Divine Palm with your mana control abilities, the true value of this technique, which only existed in theory, may finally be revealed.”

Although not entirely convincing, these were the words of the Vagabond Hero, renowned as the continent’s foremost martial arts researcher. Doyun decided to accept them for now.

“Aish, I’m about to die from using my palm like this. My regenerative abilities have waned with age, wah… Anyway, I’ll raise your skill level in advance. I can assure you, you won’t regret it.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s begin your training in earnest. Come here. I’ll explain the mana flows to you.”

Thus, Doyun began receiving the Vagabond Hero’s secret technique.

+++

A few days later, Leona’s team, including Doyun, departed on a World Tree mission.

“Huuaahm~ Ugh, geez… how long has it been since this damn mission came around again…”

Chiwoomen grumbled in boredom aboard the carriage.

Normally, Kaperman would have sternly reminded him to take missions seriously. But this time, even he wore a displeased expression and remained silent.

After all, the mission they had been assigned was one everyone dreaded.

“So who’s trapped this time?”

“Sinozai’s team.”

“Haah… that fucking bastard pig, honestly…”

They were en route to deliver a warning to ‘Amasbin,’ a territory under the World Tree’s protection.

Large guilds station one or two teams within the territories they have protection pacts with.

Those teams then serve as the territory’s military force for a set period, contributing to its defense.

However, in Amasbin, this particular aspect periodically caused issues.

The lord of Amasbin always held a festival around this time, which inevitably overlapped with the final stretch of the guild member dispatch period.

Festivals required a significant military presence for security. And the World Tree’s Disciples were considered high-grade military assets that couldn’t be mobilized for mere pocket change.

Thus, this lord resorted to trickery.

Under the pretext of the festival, he would lock the city gates during the festive period, trapping the World Tree guild members inside and preventing them from leaving.

In other words, he imprisoned them.

As a result, the World Tree would always dispatch guild members around this time to protest against him. Leona’s team had been assigned this very mission.

“Why does the guild always let that pig bastard off the hook?”

In response to Chiwoomen’s grumbling, Leona gave a bitter smile.

The lord of Amasbin’s actions didn’t actually cause any substantive harm to the guild.

This so-called ‘imprisonment’ merely involved them performing low-risk guard duties while enjoying a generous salary and the festival itself. It didn’t even last more than a few days.

By the terms of their contract, it was a truly trivial incident.

However, it was a blatant show of disrespect towards the World Tree, making Amasbin a long-standing thorn in their side.

Yet the World Tree had no choice but to tolerate it.

“You know Amasbin is famous for its sturdy walls, right? It’s listed as a fortress city, so what can we do…”

“…I know, but still…”

Amasbin was one of Skeletonia’s renowned fortress cities.

Its walls were tall and thick, reinforced with various defensive magics layered upon the walls and gates.

If such a fortress city simply locked its gates and declared itself impregnable, even the World Tree had no effective recourse.

Breaching a well-fortified gate was an immensely difficult task, even for Heroes or Vanguard Commanders. This was precisely why ‘fortresses’ were so crucial in warfare.

Exerting diplomatic pressure after the gates opened was also impossible.

Coincidentally, the period when the festival ended aligned with the World Tree’s scheduled delivery of important goods from Amasbin, complicating matters.

“That bastard’s delivery season always conveniently matches up, doesn’t it… Ugh, we should just barge in during the enforcement period, hop over those walls, and give that pig’s asshole a good kick!”

“Heheh… that would certainly make things easier.”

Leona forced a laugh in response to Chiwoomen’s outburst.

As he said, they could theoretically resolve the issue through force within that one-week festival period.

Once the guild members were imprisoned, the World Tree would be granted the right to use force as per the ‘compulsory enforcement’ clause stipulated in the contract.

However, as mentioned, what could a single guild do against a fortress city that could withstand a week-long siege? Even bringing in a Hero wouldn’t help.

In the end, they only had one option.

To shout from outside the gates at the shameless lord, and endure for a week amongst the surrounding residential areas.

It was truly a dull and vexing mission.

“Leona. If that bastard peeks his head over the walls, just shoot an arrow right through his skull.”

“Heheh… be patient, be patient. Still, Chiwoomen, you shouldn’t say things like that in front of the lord.”

Eventually, their carriage arrived before the city gates.

Standing before the gates, they gazed up at the walls in awe.

“Woah…”

“…Ye, yeah, they’re tall alright.”