Chapter 459

“Qing thinks his martial arts realm is at the Supreme level!”

If others heard that, they might chuckle, wondering what kind of embarrassing self-promotion he was up to.

But honestly, Qing has hunted and proven his skills in multiple realms of transformation.

Almost limitless inner strength.

Plus, his output is exceptional.

Top-notch physical abilities among primates—power, endurance, balance, agility, flexibility, you name it. He’s probably stronger than any monkey out there.

And what about his intelligence that skyrockets only in a crisis?

Just like that bug, Teacher Ba.

So, Qing has the chops to claim transcendence for himself.

But what about his master?

Of course, Cheon Yu-hak is the master of the realm of transformation, but he hasn’t surpassed its limits, so he isn’t as transcendent.

Qing knows there’s already a Supreme Warrior in enemy territory.

What if Elder Il of Gang Pae-cheon and Cheon Yu-hak got into a brawl?

Naturally, Cheon Yu-hak would have to take on multiple opponents, which is academically termed in the martial arts community as a ‘dog pile.’

So, it’s no wonder Qing feels anxious.

He can’t inherit Shintu yet.

Qing has yet to learn his master’s secret of stealthy thievery perfected over time.

Moreover, he lacks the aptitude for Shintu itself.

While Cheon Yu-hak recognizes his talents, he failed to consider Qing’s personality, so even if Qing became Shintu right away, he’d just end up committing a massive crime in the world.

He would raise a name for himself as a vicious bandit or a soul-harvesting murderer in the martial world.

Honestly, Cheon Yu-hak could easily switch from a robber to an assassin if he wanted to.

But still, as Cheon Yu-hak, he’s an assassin.

Assassin means “to stab the guest.”

In Central Plain culture, guests are considered precious like a lord, so it’s not really a derogatory term but an honorific.

This is to honor Xing Ke, who failed to kill the First Emperor of Qin with a short blade, thinking he should have used a long sword instead.

You can’t just call someone who gambled their life to succeed or fail a mere assassin.

Thus, the term ‘assassin’ is used respectfully.

By the way, it would have been better if they just fed the emperor mercury, but instead, they ended up stabbing and making things worse.

Of course, anyone seeing mercury would think it looked like the real elixir, which shows the ignorance of mineralogy and toxicology back in the B.C. era.

The First Emperor really did die from mercury poisoning.

Anyway, Cheon Yu-hak doesn’t want to stain his dear disciple with a murder’s mark.

As someone who naturally avoids romantic entanglements, who has no spouse or children to speak of, Qing is more like his daughter to Cheon Yu-hak.

Murder is a poisonous curse on the mind.

Seeing how tender-hearted his disciple is, Cheon Yu-hak can tell his soul is rotting from within.

So what can he do?

Even if the masters sigh in lament, he has to ease the burden off his disciple’s shoulders.

With that in mind, Cheon Yu-hak picks up a dagger.

Any sane person wouldn’t flamboyantly decorate the most precious military tent.

If they weren’t planning to announce, “Hey, there’s someone important here!” to everyone in the neighborhood.

But Sapa folks are already a bunch of crazies anyway.

Cheon Yu-hak heads straight towards the biggest house, and soon, he hears something quite disturbing.

The sound of folks clashing together.

– “This damned girl, can’t you just squeeze a bit tighter? Ugh, this bumpkin in the countryside is making a mess! Am I supposed to pee in the air or what?”

Cheon Yu-hak’s eyelids quiver.

Perhaps his disciple was right after all.

Is there any reason for those kinds of people to be alive?

Besides, it’s a perfect time for an assassination.

When people are in the throes of passion, not even the sharpest person can hear the surrounding sounds.

He can just slip inside, chop off a head, and leave.

Cheon Yu-hak glides into the house like a ghost.

However, what he didn’t anticipate was the bizarre defenses of Elder Il.

Young folks whose minds were clouded with desire.

A woman resigned, weeping in unyielding despair.

And an old man, enjoying the show with a smirk.

Then Elder Il’s and Shintu’s eyes meet.

“Young Master! Stay back!”

Young Master? Oh, how fancy!

Shintu immediately launches a martial attack.

But the Young Master, clearly prioritizing his safety, dives forward.

The rogue attack lands straight into his shoulder.

“Aaaah!”

The Young Master screams.

Cheon Yu-hak was about to leap into action, but…

“Not so fast!”

Suddenly, Elder Il charges forward, a large sword extending toward him.

With a red aura trailing in a straight line.

Cheon Yu-hak also retaliates, graciously guiding the sword with his soft touch.

In one exchange, both feel the weight of each other’s prowess.

‘This guy is a couple of levels above me, this is bad.’

‘What a weakling for a master of transformation!’

Cheon Yu-hak’s expression turns to one of despair, while Elder Il’s face beams with confidence.

This is largely thanks to Shintu being so weak in fair, one-on-one combat.

It’s just that with his sharp wits and all kinds of sneaky gadgets from stealing, he manages to get by.

Cheon Yu-hak readies the dagger dangling at his wrist.

While the Young Master bursts through the door to escape, the perverted old man standing in front is no easy prey.

Cheon Yu-hak slowly steps back, eyeing his opponent and preparing his stance.

Clearly, he’s setting up for a counterattack.

Elder Il can’t make a reckless charge either, observing and waiting for an opening.

In truth, Cheon Yu-hak is just posturing without any actual follow-up move.

What does he even have on him?

Gyoryong-sak, Woomo-jin, smoke bombs, Cheon-jamsa, seven daggers, hidden blades in his shoes…

Cheon Yu-hak’s mind races, rapidly considering the situation and what tools to use for various scenarios.

Elder Il realizes, “That sneaky guy is scheming something!” and charges forward with his large sword.

The loud clash of weapons follows.

As Qing runs toward the village, he spots a group charging straight towards him.

Qing frowns without even realizing it.

There’s a naked guy gripping the shoulder of another, swinging a grotesque object around.

Looks like a bunch of others are trailing behind him.

What’s this? A naked stampede? Why just one guy, though?

Seeing this, Qing abruptly drops to his knees and sprawls on the ground.

Could this be the behavior of a villager who returned late?

It worked flawlessly.

A warrior’s knee should never touch the earth without reason, and seeing a woodsman bent over with a sack on his back would naturally raise no suspicions.

Qing’s devious mind was truly astounding.

In Qing’s hometown, there’s a popular game played with hitting a small ball into a hole with a long stick.

If the organizers of that game had witnessed this singular act of Qing’s, they would surely rise in applause for this emotional and impressive play.

Not even a shot in a five-hole game would compare to that distance—everyone would rush to draw business cards and claim to make new history.

The two small balls, crushed like banknotes, and not only that, a crack spreads across his pelvis like a tree branch.

The Young Master of Gang Pae-cheon, Gang Sak-mun, flies back awkwardly from the impact.

Qing licks his lips.

Stabbing my sword into the sheath feels like a dull experience passing through wood.

Shuddering, Qing thinks he needs to toss this one and grab a better one.

However, it’s hard to find a good stick.

As these thoughts surge through his mind, Qing’s eyes ignite with flames.

“The enemy of my sword sheath! I won’t forgive you!”

“Young Master!” “So-cheon-ju!” “Protect the Young Master!”

Despite the Sapa’s attempts to shake the Young Master and even slap him, a man can’t regain clarity once his nads explode.

Why? Because his nads just exploded.

In the meantime, someone wielding a force of Qi blocks Qing’s path.

“Who are you? How dare you challenge Gang Pae-cheon!”

A foolish head pops up, trying to challenge Qing verbally.

Qing retorts without backing down.

“Isn’t it only polite to share your name before asking for mine?! What is it with you Sapa punks not knowing proper order?”

“Fine! I’m Gu Yi, the fourth-ranked Su-tap-jang of Gang Pae-cheon! Reveal yourself!”

“I’m Unyeonjeong of the vile Blood Sect! Blood wealth! Blood wealth! Blood, blood wealth! Blood names without guilt! Breakfast with blood! From now on, this hunting ground is under my Blood Alliance’s control!”

“What!? What!?”

What an unexpected reveal!

Su-tap-jang is utterly astonished.

“What grievance does the Blood Sect have that they would target our Gang Pae-cheon?”

“The Blood Sect doesn’t concern itself with such trivialities! We just got bored and felt like crashing the party!”

With that, Su-tap-jang understood immediately.

It’s only right what was said. It’s an unassailable logic.

And if logic doesn’t work, the martial world takes care of things with force, as is the stern law of their realm.

“Damn it! A wicked woman from the Blood Sect! You there, protect the Young Master, the rest form up! Charmed Dragon, attack!”

Gang Pae-cheon warriors instantly circle around Qing.

Even if they displayed woeful military discipline, it wasn’t peacetime but wartime.

The title of Sado Ten Great Stars wasn’t earned from gambling either; these warriors of Gang Pae-cheon would uphold their order in battle.

Just then…

“Older Sister!” “Young Lady!”

Out of the blue, two women poke their heads in, about to join the fray.

Qing feels touched.

Even with such meager skills, they’re leaping in to help me!

As Qing’s attention is drawn to the two women who get along so well, he suddenly thumps!

A black, mold-like energy spreads in rings around Qing’s manifestation.

In a baffling surge of acceleration, Su-tap-jang’s pupils dilate wide.

Nevertheless, a warrior’s true worth shines in times of crises.

Grinding his teeth, Su-tap-jang swings his large sword.

A line of vigor extends parallel to the ground.

As he begins that stroke, Su-tap-jang suddenly realizes that this move he just made will become his finest stroke.

And with it, as he vanquishes his enemy, it’s certain he will reach the next level.

But it goes astray!

Whoosh! The strike that could’ve been the greatest just slices through thin air.

With that miss, enlightenment was meaningless.

Qing has suddenly vanished from view.

And now, Qing is right above him.

Warriors don’t usually jump.

The reason being, first, when mid-air, controlling direction or even one’s own body becomes difficult.

When floating, they’re hugely vulnerable.

But using that blind spot allows one to easily slip out of view.

Qing lifts his sword high and brings down the force of Qi in a straight plunge.

Realizing the momentum too late, Su-tap-jang raises his body to defend.

Another reason warriors don’t jump is that their strength comes from the earth.

Forcing down from the air, unless it’s a special technique, relies solely on mass, showing clear limits in destructive power.

Clang!

Nevertheless, even without any special moves, the raw power slams Su-tap-jang’s knee.

If his knee hadn’t bent, Qing would’ve likely bounced back instead.

But as the knee bent, absorbing the shock, Qing lands gracefully and goes straight for Su-tap-jang’s shins!

Qing’s foot knocks into Su-tap-jang’s shin bone with a crunch.

“Aagh!”

“Shut it!”

With Qing’s fist raised high, the Moonlight Sword engaged, a weighty extension of the hilt drove straight into Su-tap-jang’s shoulder.

It was a perfectly executed maneuver.

The weighty part pierced through his shoulder blade and sunk in deep.

What kind of object is that weight?

It’s crafted thicker than the hilt to prevent slipping out and made flat on the bottom to strengthen the piercing force.

To pierce a human being with such an item requires an immense amount of power.

One thing’s for sure: at the very least, the strongest of humanity could pull it off.

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