Chapter 57

The way Namgung Woo spoke, treating Gorokgal like a training dummy, made Gorokgal’s mouth twist in displeasure.

“These two rookies…? Me, Gorokgal?”

A thicker stench of blood erupted from Gorokgal’s body, accompanied by a massive killing intent. Wi Seong-ha felt like she couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t until Yi Gong-seo and Wi Ji-ryang stepped in front of her to block the killing intent that Wi Seong-ha gasped for air and regained her normal breathing.

The pressure felt by Yang Kwae and Yang Jeong, who were further ahead, was even greater.

Though the brothers prided themselves on having experienced countless battles, Gorokgal’s killing intent felt different. It was the accumulation of a long life of slaughter. The rumors that he had secretly mastered the martial arts of the Blood Sect seemed true—his energy felt distinctly alien.

As Paeng Ha-ryeong had heard, while he wasn’t a Supreme Peak Master, there was a clear gap between him and ordinary Peak Masters.

However, Namgung Woo, as if Gorokgal’s anger meant nothing to him, casually turned his head.

“And stop hiding. The rest of you, come out already.”

Namgung Woo’s words weren’t baseless provocations. His voice was steady, filled with a confidence that couldn’t exist without strong conviction.

Realizing this, the hidden listeners decided it was pointless to stay concealed and began to reveal themselves, following Gorokgal.

“Is this some kind of trick? Your martial prowess doesn’t seem that high, but you’re impressive.”

A middle-aged man with a sly smile. His face reminded one of the idiom “a hidden blade behind a smile” (笑裏藏刀).

However, unlike his striking appearance, he didn’t seem to be famous. Unlike when Gorokgal revealed himself, no one shouted out his identity.

But the tension rose as they realized his martial prowess wasn’t far behind the Blood-Blind Elder.

“Tch, the infamous Sori Hyung-rang isn’t all that impressive, huh?”

“You’d better shut up, Blood-Blind Elder.”

The two exchanged insults and threats, but Sori Hyung-rang’s eyes and mouth still wore a smile.

But Namgung Woo saw it. The hidden pupils in his narrowed eyes held no light.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said stop hiding.”

This time, Namgung Woo infused his voice with energy.

It was a kind of threat. If they didn’t move, he would.

In fact, Namgung Woo was already channeling Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy through his feet, ready to strike at any moment.

As the thought that the air controlled by the Blood-Blind Elder and Sori Hyung-rang had shifted to Namgung Woo struck the crowd, the last hidden figure rose.

“Watching and waiting. I thought there was no need for me to step forward.”

This time, the reaction was different from when the Blood-Blind Elder and Sori Hyung-rang appeared.

From the back.

“Flying Dragon Spear!”

“Elder No, how could you!”

Wi Ji-ryang and Wi Seong-ha, recognizing him, let out near-screams.

“Do you know him?”

Yang Kwae, who had already drawn his sword, pointed the tip at the Flying Dragon Spear.

The Cheongsu Gate members, who had closed the distance, immediately answered Yang Kwae’s question.

“Don’t you know? Flying Dragon Spear No Hae-rip! A famous master in the Southern Directly Administered Region!”

“But why is Elder No…?”

Wi Seong-ha, who seemed to have some acquaintance with No Hae-rip, was visibly shocked that he was hostile.

But Namgung Woo’s interest was more in Wi Ji-ryang’s words.

‘A famous master.’

So, someone like that could be called a master anywhere and make a name for themselves.

Namgung Woo added another sample to his understanding of this world’s strength scale.

‘About the same level as Paeng Mu-ho. With enlightenment, he could reach the Transcendent Peak immediately.’

Paeng Mu-ho was a complete martial artist. In terms of physical training, internal energy refinement, and martial arts comprehension, he lacked nothing.

But he was missing one final piece—enlightenment.

In the end, the Paeng Family’s third Transcendent Peak Master wasn’t Paeng Mu-ho but Paeng Ja-ryeong.

No Hae-rip was the same.

His spirit, energy, and body were balanced, and his skills as a martial artist were high.

Yet, No Hae-rip was only a Peak Master. Infinitely close to the Transcendent Peak, but still just a challenger who hadn’t crossed the threshold.

“She should face him.”

“Leave it to me.”

Paeng Ha-ryeong had been wanting to release the Thunder Qi filling her Middle Dantian.

The opponent was a master? That was even better.

Who had Paeng Ha-ryeong been facing before?

Originally, her sparring partner was Paeng Mu-ho, who was at a similar level to No Hae-rip. During the Beijing turmoil, she fought the Black Tortoise Lion, a Transcendent Peak Master. After returning to Tianjin, she received guidance from Paeng Hu-sang and Namgung Woo, both Peerless Masters.

Her body had long since stopped being satisfied with weaker opponents.

In that sense, No Hae-rip was a perfect opponent. He was just the right person to test how much stronger she had become, how much she had grown in the past few months compared to when she sparred with Paeng Mu-ho.

“Wait. Don’t rush. There’s no need to spill blood.”

No Hae-rip stopped Paeng Ha-ryeong, who was radiating killing intent, and spoke to Namgung Woo, who seemed to be the leader.

“What I want is simple. The Dragon Eye Wood that Cheongsu Gate possesses. Hand it over, and I’ll leave peacefully.”

“How despicable! To covet such a treasure and ally with scoundrels…! Aren’t you ashamed of the reputation you’ve built as a grandmaster?”

Perhaps it was the nature of rumors, or perhaps he believed Namgung Woo’s group would protect him.

Wi Ji-ryang boldly stepped forward and shouted. But No Hae-rip didn’t even glance at Wi Ji-ryang, keeping his gaze fixed on Namgung Woo as he spoke again.

“What do you say? I’ll warn you, if we start fighting now, I won’t hold back.”

Wi Ji-ryang, who had stepped forward confidently, was forced to retreat under the pressure emanating from No Hae-rip.

Even within the same Peak Master level, there were vast differences.

A novice who had just entered the Peak Master realm and someone who had been a Peak Master for decades, honing their skills—the gap was greater than that between third-rate and first-rate.

“Brother Nam…!”

In the end, Wi Ji-ryang could only rely on Namgung Woo.

Fight? Even if the three Cheongsu Gate members combined their strength, they wouldn’t be able to defeat No Hae-rip and would likely be wiped out.

Ignoring Wi Ji-ryang’s desperate gaze, Namgung Woo spoke.

“So, the thing Cheongsu Gate was hiding was the Dragon Eye Wood, huh?”

From the beginning, Namgung Woo had suspected that Cheongsu Gate was hiding something.

How had the rumors of the Blood-Blind Elder’s appearance spread? There were no survivors from the Seogeum Gate, who had been reduced to a handful of blood in the Blood-Blind Elder’s hands.

That suggested there were companions with them. And those who had left early, been attacked, and barely escaped to Nanjing.

“Was Seogeum Gate used as bait?”

At Namgung Woo’s cold question, Wi Ji-ryang paled and waved his hands.

“Th-that’s impossible! We didn’t even know No Hae-rip was targeting us!”

“At first, only the Blood-Blind Elder appeared. If you’d seen all three, you wouldn’t have returned to Nanjing. Even if you miraculously survived, you wouldn’t have hired mercenaries and tried to leave Nanjing again. Hmm… Was my guess wrong? Or is the relationship between you worse than I thought?”

Namgung Woo’s words were hard to distinguish between a question and him organizing his thoughts.

As No Hae-rip stepped forward, the Blood-Blind Elder, who had been silent, finally lost patience and drew a pair of sickles from behind his back.

“I’m bored! Enough of this nonsense! Take your empty talk to the heavens!”

“Wait! We haven’t heard the answer yet!”

“What answer? Can’t you see? He’s already decided to fight us. This is why working with the orthodox sects never works.”

Sori Hyung-rang also drew a peculiar, jagged blade and exuded a menacing aura.

“Old folks sure are quick to catch on. And you, No Hae-rip? Next time, be careful with your words. When moving as a group, say ‘we,’ not ‘I.'”

No Hae-rip had said “I want,” not “we want,” including the Blood-Blind Elder and Sori Hyung-rang.

So, while No Hae-rip might be satisfied with the Dragon Eye Wood and leave, the other two wouldn’t.

From the beginning, a fight was unavoidable. The three of them had different goals, and there was no negotiation that could satisfy all of them.

“Well, if there’s a next time.”

No Hae-rip might have been clumsy in negotiations, but he was the first to act.

“Kahat!”

With a shout, No Hae-rip thrust his spear forward in an instant. At the same time, Paeng Ha-ryeong’s arm, holding her blade, shot out like lightning.

“How dare you!”

Clang!

The clash of spear and blade created a shockwave that shook the clothes and hair of everyone present.

“This little girl is quite sharp!”

No Hae-rip was a true martial artist. He didn’t let his guard down. His thrust was the pinnacle of his Flying Dragon Spear Technique, the Divine Dragon Thrust. Yet, it was blocked by this young woman’s blade.

‘Her internal energy is stronger than mine?’

What had all his training been for? Thirty years of martial arts, and his accumulated power was equal to this girl’s mere decade?

‘A genius… you…!’

No Hae-rip’s face twisted.

Why did the Bokmang Association target late bloomers?

It was an outlet for their inferiority complex. They hated those who surpassed them, but since they couldn’t defeat those already stronger, they killed late bloomers to overcome their feelings of inadequacy.

Avoiding the hard path, choosing the easy one—a coward’s escape from reality.

But the members of the Bokmang Association weren’t talentless. On the contrary, they were once called prodigies.

If the gap was overwhelming, they wouldn’t feel inferiority or deprivation. A beggar might envy a slightly better-off beggar but wouldn’t resent a noble in a grand carriage.

It was their ambiguous talent that made them feel inferior, and their ambiguous talent that kept them from overcoming it and led to their downfall.

No Hae-rip, once a master of the orthodox sects, had joined the Bokmang Association.

“Die!!”

No Hae-rip’s spear, wrapped in fierce energy, twisted at a strange angle.

His signature move, the Divine Dragon Thrust, aimed at a blind spot. But to Paeng Ha-ryeong, there were no blind spots.

‘Her Thunder Qi…’

Paeng Ha-ryeong drew on the Heavenly Thunder Divine Energy Namgung Woo had given her, stored in her Middle Dantian.

Her Cyclic White Escape Blade stance transformed into the Heaven and Earth Thunderous Blade.

Boom!!

With a thunderous sound, Paeng Ha-ryeong’s blade deflected No Hae-rip’s spear and body in a single strike.

Instinctively, No Hae-rip pulled back to minimize the damage, but the impact was significant. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—evidence of internal injury.

But Paeng Ha-ryeong didn’t pursue. She stood proudly, as if telling him to recover and come again. Sensing her intent, No Hae-rip’s face twisted with anger and jealousy as he tightly gripped his spear.

The exchange between the two had only lasted three moves.

Three exchanges in just two breaths.

While the Cheongsu Gate members, the Blood-Blind Elder, and Sori Hyung-rang were still stunned, Namgung Woo pushed the Yang brothers.

“What are you doing? Go fight too.”