Chapter 6 Organizing Thoughts

Chapter 6 Organizing Thoughts

Song Chae-ji stared at the scene unfolding before them, utterly dumbfounded.

‘What is this? What in the world is happening?’

Their rationality simply couldn’t keep up with reality.

Song Chae-ji had been prepared to abandon their last shred of attachment and concede defeat, stepping in to save Namgung-woo if he ever found himself in danger. They had been watching with wide eyes, keenly observing for the precise moment to intervene should any mishap occur.

Yet, despite their intense focus with their Eye Technique, they hadn’t managed to grasp all of Namgung-woo’s movements.

Astonishment was inevitable.

The person they had assumed was an ordinary Common Folk, someone who hadn’t cultivated any Martial Arts, turned out to be a Grandmaster? It was a tale so preposterous that even the wildest rumors circulating among the populace wouldn’t believe it.

Truth be told, Song Chae-ji hadn’t meticulously examined Namgung-woo when he was lying unconscious.

His complexion had been fine, his body temperature normal, and his breathing steady. They had simply assumed he was drunk and passed out in the market.

If there had been even the slightest hint of Martial Arts cultivation, they would have taken his pulse and circulated their True Qi through him, but there had been no such need.

‘That means…’

This was the realm of a Grandmaster.

A master of such an elevated cultivation realm that Martial Artists merely gazing up at the wall of Peak Transcendence wouldn’t even dare to fathom it.

That was why neither Song Chae-ji, nor the Martial Artists of the Black Bear Faction, had recognized that Namgung-woo had cultivated Martial Arts.

‘That Single Move just now, was it a Fist technique? I couldn’t even see it… And what was that True Stomp? Was it a Footwork technique? It just looked like a True Stomp…’

The Martial Arts Namgung-woo displayed belonged to a Higher Realm, beyond what Song Chae-ji’s Eye Technique could fully grasp.

However, Song Chae-ji was a Martial Artist.

And a Rising Prodigy at that, possessing such exceptional talent that they were on the verge of Peak Transcendence at the tender Age of Twenty. Naturally, their curiosity and inquisitiveness toward Martial Arts were exceptionally high.

The moment they witnessed such profound martial arts, Song Chae-ji fell into a state of selflessness, completely absorbed in replaying the sequence of movements.

The outcome of the Martial Arts Duel? It was already beyond Song Chae-ji’s hands, no longer even a concern.

How could such a Grandmaster possibly lose in a place like Pingyao County?

Even if the Black Bear Faction Leader, renowned as a Peak Transcendence Master, were to step forward, would they even be a Three-Move Opponent? At the very least, Namgung-woo was at the very edge of Peak Transcendence, and a cold, objective assessment would surely place him as a Peak Transcendence Grandmaster.

A Martial Arts Duel against mere remnants of an Unorthodox Faction who hadn’t even reached the Peak Transcendence Cultivation Realm was, of course, destined for Namgung-woo’s victory.

Knowing this, the Black Bear Faction members instinctively recoiled, backing away and avoiding Namgung-woo’s gaze as he sought his next opponent.

“What? No more?”

Namgung-woo relished the situation.

The freedom of movement, so different from the somewhat rigid Chullok Murim.

The sensation of engaging in a wager brought an exhilaration he had never experienced before.

A joy he had never felt before filled Namgung-woo’s mind.

In this moment, even the thoughts of his original world, which usually occupied a corner of his mind and constantly reminded him of it, faded away.

He simply wanted to know more.

How to control Internal Energy, how to move his body, how to wield Martial Arts.

While Namgung-woo briefly reflected on his recent movements, lost in thought, Pung Hyo’s mind raced.

‘His Footwork, his Fist techniques… all were top-notch. But, his Internal Force Wave wasn’t very strong.’

Namgung-woo had meticulously controlled his Internal Energy to ensure no one died, but Pung Hyo interpreted the situation in the most self-serving way possible.

‘If that had been a true Grandmaster’s proper Fist Strike, Park Jung-eon’s internal organs would have ruptured, and he would have coughed up blood. If he primarily cultivated External Martial Arts… there might be a chance.’

Why had External Martial Arts fallen behind Internal Martial Arts Training?

Because no matter how much one trained External Martial Arts, unless one reached an exquisite level, a single Internal Energy Heavy Hand Technique could inflict severe damage.

Of course, it was foolish to gauge an opponent’s Martial Arts from just a single step and a single strike. If Pung Hyo had been at his best, he wouldn’t have made such a hasty judgment.

However, Pung Hyo’s mind was not in a normal state. He had taken on this mission with ambition, and though the title of Great Faction had been stripped from the Hengshan Sect, its history remained, still revered as a prestigious sect. He couldn’t back down now.

If he returned after completely ruining the Black Bear Faction’s reputation, the Faction Leader would surely tear him apart anyway.

‘Rather than that…’

Driven by vague hope rather than calm judgment, Pung Hyo threw his fate to the wind.

“Everyone, attack at once! His Internal Energy is insignificant! We can win if we inflict internal injuries with the Internal Energy Heavy Hand Technique!”

Pung Hyo drew his Greatsword and feigned a charge.

It was an Advancing Footwork meant to break the opponent’s interval. Pung Hyo knew he couldn’t dodge that single step. No matter how many combined attacks they launched, the first one to charge would surely taste Namgung-woo’s fist, just like Park Jung-eon.

Pung Hyo had no intention of volunteering for that role. Even in this situation, his thought process was utterly typical of an Unorthodox Faction member, prioritizing his own safety.

Namgung-woo, seeing through his intentions, let out a scoff of disbelief.

Combined Attack? Even better. One opponent alone hadn’t been enough to satisfy him anyway.

‘It’ll just be a different order, that’s all.’

Namgung-woo’s physique blurred.

No one present could follow the profound movements embedded in his Infinite Steps. Namgung-woo’s fist plunged directly into the face of a Black Bear Faction Martial Artist who had left an opening.

CRUNCH!

Blood splattered as teeth shattered.

Four individuals had charged. In exchange for one of them being utterly crushed by Namgung-woo’s hand, the remaining three lunged at Namgung-woo with their blades.

Even faster, three streams of True Qi surged from Namgung-woo’s Dantian. The True Qi of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor’s Divine Art, emanating from his Lower Dantian Qihai Acupoint, was truly like a bolt of lightning.

Namgung-woo shifted his position, following the Infinite Steps. Two blades grazed past his body, missing him by a hair’s breadth. To those unfamiliar with Martial Arts, it was a skill that defied belief even when witnessed.

But for Namgung-woo, it happened with effortless naturalness.

‘Slow.’

To his eyes, all movements appeared slow.

Only Namgung-woo’s body swam freely through a world that flowed sluggishly.

THWACK!

Namgung-woo’s backhand struck the side of a blade that hadn’t managed to evade him. The Thunder Qi gathered in his hand erupted with light, traveling up the blade.

“Agh!”

With a cry, Pung Hyo dropped his Greatsword. The pain wasn’t severe, but the tingling sensation made his grip involuntarily loosen.

“It’s Thunder Qi! Be careful…!”

Pung Hyo, realizing the nature of the energy that had incapacitated his hand, urgently shouted. But before he could even finish his sentence, Namgung-woo’s next strike easily neutralized the two remaining Black Bear Faction Martial Artists.

Pung Hyo watched, mouth agape, as his two subordinates fell helplessly to Namgung-woo’s simple, single strikes, which his own Eye Technique couldn’t even follow.

Regret washed over him belatedly.

It had been an unwinnable fight from the start. He should have just retreated. He should have…

“Pick it up.”

“…Huh?”

Pung Hyo uttered a foolish sound at Namgung-woo’s abrupt command.

“Your blade, pick it up again.”

Pung Hyo, dumbfounded, reached for the Greatsword he had dropped. His arm trembled. Although the Thunder Qi hadn’t been too strong, and Pung Hyo, being a top-tier Martial Artist on the verge of Peak Transcendence, had regained his grip strength, the Greatsword he picked up again still wobbled in his hand and slipped.

The light clang of metal sounded hollow.

“P-Pardon me…”

Pung Hyo gave up on picking up the Greatsword. Instead, he bowed his head and begged for mercy.

At that sight, the crowd, who had been watching the fight between Namgung-woo and the Black Bear Faction Martial Artists, finally let out the breath they had been holding.

“My goodness…”

“Isn’t he an incredible master…!”

“To defeat Pung Hyo of the Black Bear Faction so easily…”

Namgung-woo, hearing the murmurs around him, finally felt his excitement cool down, and he gave an awkward cough.

‘I got too immersed.’

He had been so caught up in the desire to display his Martial Arts that he had acted without thinking.

In truth, if he had wanted to play it safer, he could have. Simply unleashing the profound Cultivation Power residing in his Dantian all at once would have sufficed.

There was no need to narrowly dodge blades and engage in Close-Quarters Combat.

‘I’m in no position to tell Song Chae-ji they were consumed by emotion.’

He himself had been just as unable to control his excitement. Perhaps he had simply released the stress he had been feeling from being dropped into an unfamiliar world.

Outwardly, he maintained a calm demeanor, but his mind had been a complex tangle of thoughts.

Who wouldn’t be? No matter how formidable the power one possessed, they had suddenly lost the home they had spent their entire life in.

However, Namgung-woo possessed the rationality to prioritize. Why he had fallen here, and how he could return, was not something he could immediately ascertain.

‘For now, let’s finish this.’

Namgung-woo concluded his brief self-reflection and spoke to Pung Hyo.

“Lead the way. I need to visit the Black Bear Faction.”