Chapter 712: Divine Dragon Martial Arts Festival.

-You are Shaolin’s hope.

This was the phrase Yu Yeon had heard his entire life while living in Shaolin.

From the day he first showcased his talent until the present day.

By the time he realized it, he was already being called Shaolin’s hope.

-A mere ten-year-old child unleashed the Hundred Pace Divine Fist.

-His cultivation level is one thing… but the speed of his improvement is on another level.

-That child is a gift from heaven. He will undoubtedly become the greatest under heaven in the future.

He belatedly learned that Shaolin’s predecessors had repeatedly held meetings about him.

He didn’t know what was discussed at the higher levels, but Yu Yeon had received the Great Restoration Pill three times so far.

Three Great Restoration Pills, something one might receive once in a lifetime, if they were lucky.

He received one at age twelve when he unleashed the Hundred Pace Divine Fist.

He received the second one in the year he turned fifteen, reaching his peak.

He received the final one in the year he turned eighteen, ascending to the Transcendence Realm.

The Martial Arts Alliance immediately assessed Yu Yeon’s condition and spread the news throughout the Central Plains.

That the youngest Transcendence Realm cultivator had been born.

And that a comet had appeared to lead Shaolin.

Thus, Yu Yeon’s name spread throughout the Central Plains.

Divine Dragon (神龍).

Before he knew it, Yu Yeon was being called the Divine Dragon.

He became the pinnacle of the Six Dragons and Three Peaks, a late-stage prodigy representing the era.

Upon hearing the news, Yu Yeon immediately asked the Abbot.

Why he was called the Divine Dragon.

As he voiced his question, the Abbot, Cheonan, spoke to Yu Yeon.

He said he dreamed of an unseen future.

And that it was a choice for a future that needed to change.

These were words Yu Yeon couldn’t understand.

However, Yu Yeon didn’t bother to refute the words. He had to follow the Abbot’s will.

However.

He simply felt regret.

The stage of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering he had seen once.

What meaning was there in him holding the name Divine Dragon when he couldn’t even step onto that stage?

Yu Yeon regretted that.

Furthermore, what meaning did a falsely created reputation hold?

Yu Yeon knew his name was laced with lies.

How could he not know?

He had witnessed everything with his own two eyes.

-Shanxi Gu defeats Ouyang Cheon.

A past Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

The one who dominated the stage with overwhelming power there.

And the figure who stood with noble grace after seizing victory.

-Waaaaaaah!!

Yu Yeon, watching from afar, felt his eyes grow hot.

The cheers that reached him invaded his ears and penetrated his mind.

That was Yu Yeon’s memory of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

All those scenes were etched into his brain through his eyes.

Yu Yeon, younger than he was now, felt a fire rise in his heart watching it.

The boy on stage, with a stoic expression, or perhaps one that seemed displeased with something.

That sight was a tremendous shock to Yu Yeon.

How should I put it?

The cheers of the crowd, the victory won just like that. An attitude as if none of it mattered.

Such actions and appearances were strongly imprinted on Yu Yeon’s mind.

Why was that?

He couldn’t know.

It just happened that way.

If he hadn’t come out of Shaolin out of defiance that day, and if he hadn’t secretly watched the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

He probably wouldn’t have known these things.

But he had seen it.

And seeing that sight, he came to know.

No, he probably already knew from that moment.

From the moment he was given the name Divine Dragon.

Even while seeing the elders praise him as a genius, or as hope.

Yu Yeon had come to know.

He wasn’t.

The Divine Dragon.

He wasn’t.

A true genius.

The real one was already outside the world.

Unlike him, who was cramped and huddled in a cage, they had already spread their wings.

So, where were his wings?

‘Divine Dragon? What Divine Dragon.’

Laughing self-deprecatingly, Yu Yeon huddled further.

If he had wings, he probably would have torn them off himself.

What meaning did wings given by someone else hold?

Yu Yeon thought they held nothing.

He felt stuffy and suffocated.

Yu Yeon began a minor act of rebellion, as if to spew out that feeling.

-You are hope.

-Shaolin’s hope.

-It’s fortunate we have you.

The words he heard countless times a day became daggers, piercing his heart again and again.

Unable to bear it, he slipped out, avoiding notice.

The outside was merely within Henan province, but even that was a transgression for him.

It was winter that day.

It was a time before Yu Yeon was called the Divine Dragon.

It was snowing, and it was cold outside. His hands were freezing.

The weather was such that wearing thin clothes made the cold feel particularly harsh.

Despite shivering, he was fine.

He could have warmed himself by gambling, but he didn’t.

He wanted to feel this cold a little longer.

At least this feeling was better than feeling suffocated.

-Haa…

He blew into his cold palms.

The warmth he created seeped in.

Warmth I made myself.

Yu Yeon stroked his hands, feeling a strange resonance.

A winter as cold as frost. An age where this felt better than his cultivation advancing.

That was Yu Yeon back then.

Perhaps that’s why.

-What are you doing here?

During that time when he felt particularly lonely.

It was precisely then that the encounter became the turning point.

At a somewhat dry voice, Yu Yeon quickly covered his face with a cloth and looked up.

-…!

Seeing the owner of the voice, Yu Yeon’s eyes widened unconsciously.

It was him.

The person he had seen on the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering stage.

The boy now called the True Dragon (眞龍).

He heard they were the same age.

He never expected to meet him here.

The boy was looking at him with a peculiar gaze.

-The weather’s like this, what are you doing out here?

-…Ah…ah…

At the approaching words, Yu Yeon couldn’t answer.

Clothes much thinner than his own.

Clothes that looked damp from sweat, and a somewhat tired expression.

Was it an illusion?

Upon meeting him, he felt the cold recede.

It felt like the surrounding temperature had risen.

-Hmm.

Seeing him unable to answer, the boy tilted his head.

-Have you eaten?

He didn’t answer this time either. However, as if the answer didn’t matter, something was already placed in his hand.

-If you haven’t eaten, have this. It’s delicious. I come all the way here just to eat this.

He said it with a grin.

Yu Yeon looked down at the warm food placed in his hand.

It was a steamed bun.

Meat was placed on the palm of someone who abstained from meat.

Seeing that, Yu Yeon, flustered, tried to say something, but he was already walking away.

Should I call out to him?

Yu Yeon pondered this for a moment, but.

-Young Master, did you buy that again?

-Yeah.

-I told you I’d buy it for you.

-It’s fine. I happened to have business outside. Ah, but there’s a strange rumor going around the inn…

A woman appeared, approached the young man, and started a conversation.

Seeing that, Yu Yeon couldn’t bring himself to call out.

He just quietly stared at the steamed bun in his hand.

-…

If there was a problem, it was surely then.

Back then, when he couldn’t resist his transgression.

Surely, that was the problem.

“…”

Yu Yeon looked at the half of his belt lying on the floor.

When was it cut?

He hadn’t seen the sword approach, nor the attack land.

-Focus.

The woman’s words echoed in his ears.

Yu Yeon looked up and stared straight ahead.

A woman with golden hair and golden eyes.

She was a beauty whose mere sight made his heart race.

The Greatest Sword Under Heaven.

A descendant of Sword Venerable (劍尊) Wi Hyo-gun.

A trace of the Alliance Leader called the greatest of all time, and one of the challenges he had to overcome.

No, rather than his own challenge.

‘Shaolin and the Martial Arts Alliance’s challenge.’

Yu Yeon already guessed the Alliance’s intention.

Thinking about it made him feel suffocated again.

He wanted to escape this place quickly and run to the inn.

He wanted to go eat steamed buns.

This had become Yu Yeon’s habit since that day.

When he felt stuffy and suffocated.

Escaping Shaolin and eating steamed buns.

It was a self-administered comfort that began that day.

But he couldn’t do that now.

So, Yu Yeon calmly took a breath.

As he looked at the woman for about three counts, he found himself chanting prayers internally.

Her appearance was demonic.

For Yu Yeon, who had zero resistance to women, it was truly difficult.

Swish.

Yu Yeon took a stance rather than speaking.

He slightly extended his left hand forward and adjusted his lower body.

“Thank you.”

He offered gratitude rather than an apology.

“Thanks to you, I regained my focus.”

Barely.

He had truly, barely, managed to pull himself together.

He repeated it.

The reason he was here. He kept thinking about it.

Screeeech.

Seeing Yu Yeon’s posture, the woman, Wi Seol-ah, also took her stance.

At that moment.

Saaaaaaah—-!!

An immense aura poured onto Yu Yeon.

It felt like dozens of sword tips were aimed at him.

It was menacing.

Cold sweat flowed involuntarily.

Feeling such a threat.

“Hoo…”

Yu Yeon exhaled softly.

Simultaneously.

Swish.

He slowly threw a punch.

To Wi Seol-ah’s eyes, it was a slow speed.

Watching the slow motion of the punch, Wi Seol-ah suddenly frowned.

It wasn’t because the movement was trivial.

Quite the opposite.

Shweeeek-!

Wi Seol-ah moved her body quickly.

This was purely a movement for evasion.

And that choice was correct.

Thump…

Yu Yeon’s fist met empty air.

At that moment.

Where Wi Seol-ah had been, a great mountain seemed to pour down.

Kuaaaaaaaah—–!!

“…!!!”

The judge outside the martial arts stage widened his eyes.

A gust of wind erupted with a single punch.

“The, the Hundred Pace Divine Fist!”

Someone in the audience shouted.

“It’s Shaolin’s Hundred Pace Divine Fist (百步神拳)…!”

A single punch possessing overwhelming destructive power.

Shaolin’s ultimate technique, which reverts everything to nothingness with a punch.

Yu Yeon unleashed the extreme martial art that only a few of Shaolin’s Buddhist monks could use.

Just once.

With that single punch, Yu Yeon proved his presence.

“Waaaaaaah–!!”

Cheers erupted.

The youngest Transcendence Realm cultivator.

Yu Yeon began to live up to that boundless reputation.

“…”

Cheers similar to back then.

Even while hearing them, Yu Yeon’s expression remained calm.

He couldn’t hear their voices.

He rolled his eyes rapidly.

Thud.

He sensed a presence.

Yu Yeon immediately turned his head.

Shweeeeeeek-!! The sword’s edge grazed his cheek.

He turned his head and rotated his body.

Using that rotational force, he put strength into his lower body.

Wheeeeel-! His toes cut through the air.

Kooong-!

Yu Yeon’s toes collided with Wi Seol-ah’s sword, unleashing internal energy.

Kwaaaang-!

It was an immense sound.

The ripple effect was so great that the vibrations reached the audience seats.

The tingling pressure gave the audience goosebumps.

One exchange.

Having experienced this, Wi Seol-ah sought to deflect the attack rather than block it.

‘Strong.’

Her opponent was too strong.

Flick-! Gripping the hilt differently, she flowed along the sword blade to deflect Yu Yeon’s attack.

She intended to close in tightly, but.

Hooong-!

“…!”

By the time she judged that, Yu Yeon’s fist was already approaching Wi Seol-ah’s face.

She lifted her head and dodged.

Kuaaaaaang-!!

The Hundred Pace Divine Fist erupted, passing above Wi Seol-ah.

The air brushing past felt like it could tear her skin.

Wi Seol-ah frowned and emitted an aura.

Golden energy.

The refreshing internal energy of Moon-Dancing Swordplay began to envelop Wi Seol-ah’s body.

Her movements accelerated.

Sword energy permeated her blade.

Wi Seol-ah’s hair slowly began to glow.

Creak-! She opened a slight distance by unfolding her footwork.

The martial art known as the Hundred Pace Divine Fist has a long reach.

Paying attention to that, she shifted her gaze, and.

“Hup!”

Yu Yeon also enveloped himself in energy.

Pshshshsh-!

The energy moved so fiercely that steam billowed out due to friction.

Yellow energy, resembling the golden energy of Moon-Dancing Swordplay.

Yu Yeon and Wi Seol-ah, both enveloped in energy, faced each other.

“…”

“…”

There was no conversation between them.

It was unnecessary. They had finished their necessary conversation with the previous exchange.

Grrrrrr-!

The martial artists’ energies mixed.

As a result, vibrations occurred, and dust floated into the air above the martial arts stage.

Wi Seol-ah’s gentle-looking eyes turned sharp. Cold sweat also beaded on her skin.

After looking at each other for a moment.

Drip.

Slowly, Wi Seol-ah’s sweat trickled down her cheek towards her chin.

The droplet that formed there soon fell to the ground.

Tok.

The moment the sweat droplet hit the floor.

Shweeeek-!

Koooooong-!!

The two martial artists clashed.

---

Kuaaaaaaaah—–!!

An immense stream of internal energy.

Its form was like the gusts within a typhoon.

A wind mixed with gold and yellow surged.

Kwang-! Kwaaaang-!

Vibrations erupted everywhere as if an earthquake had struck.

It was fierce. And yet, heavy.

Both possessed such vast amounts of internal energy that even the same movements had vastly different ripple effects.

“Hah… hah…”

“Th-that’s an unbelievable fight, isn’t it…”

“What…! Is that truly a fight between late-stage prodigies?”

Beyond admiration, they couldn’t even easily express their shock.

Everyone trembled as if facing a hallucination.

The fight was so intense that even the martial artists fighting on the adjacent stage stopped to watch the two.

Flash-!!

Flashes of light flickered.

Wi Seol-ah’s sword light flashed dozens of times per second.

The sight was somewhat like twinkling stars.

In comparison, Yu Yeon’s single strikes were far less frequent.

Kooong-! Koong-koong-!

A single resonance amidst the flashes.

However, in terms of power, it couldn’t be compared to the number.

His single strike was shaking the entire area.

The Hundred Pace Divine Fist, containing martial enlightenment in a single strike.

A single thrust resembled the first form of the ‘Tearing Heaven Dance’.

Seeing the similar activation conditions and movements, perhaps…

‘The amount of internal energy used would be similar too.’

The difference is that the Hundred Pace Divine Fist focuses on destruction.

And the Tearing Heaven Dance emphasizes tearing.

Though that difference is particularly significant, the feeling is ultimately similar.

High power and large vibrations mean that much more internal energy is consumed.

The Divine Dragon was using such power repeatedly.

‘Just how big is his internal energy reservoir?’

I can do that much easily.

That’s thanks to the fortuitous encounter I obtained in the past, but what on earth is that guy?

He uses what others call a finishing move, something they can’t use easily, like a regular action.

It feels absurd. Is he crazy?

‘Could it be… is this how others see me?’

The thought suddenly occurred to him.

Kuaaaaaaaaaah—–!!

Every time the Hundred Pace Divine Fist erupted, it tore through the air.

The enlightenment contained within, as well as the condensed internal energy, elicited admiration.

Yes, it means it’s enough to make me admire it.

‘Shaolin… these crazy bastards.’

What on earth did Shaolin create?

The more he watched the battle between the Divine Dragon and Wi Seol-ah, the more he could only let out a hollow laugh.

The reason was none other than this.

‘This is different from my past life.’

Gui Seung (鬼僧), who was active as a demon monk in his past life.

He hadn’t encountered him much.

He had only seen him briefly when the guy died.

Gui Seung back then was definitely strong.

He wouldn’t deny that.

That guy was strong.

He was so strong that even the Heavenly Lord (Cheon-jon) had to personally sortie to kill him.

However.

He couldn’t say for sure if the Divine Dragon was that strong during his late-stage prodigy days.

No, he must have been strong.

That’s why he must have been called the Divine Dragon, regardless of Shaolin’s standing.

But even so.

“…What the hell is that guy?”

It couldn’t have been this much.

After all.

‘How is he using the Heart Fist…?’

The Divine Dragon was incomplete, but he had definitely touched upon the ‘Mind Image’ (心像).