Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 156

The training grounds behind the Pagoda, or the open space in front of the entrance, were large enough to serve as a martial arts arena or a sparring ground. However, Yeon Wi led Yeon Ho-Jeong towards the inner castle square.

When Yeon Ho-Jeong asked why, Yeon Wi replied, “I want to see everything you have.”

With those words, Yeon Ho-Jeong understood his father’s intentions. Not only his father, but even he himself could cause considerable damage if he used his full power. If they weren’t careful, they could damage the lodgings.

He had never shown his full potential in his matches with his father. He felt strangely excited.

“This should be fine,” Yeon Ho-Jeong said, looking around.

It was a considerable distance from where he had sparred with Moyong Gun, an outdoor training ground exclusively for the Martial Alliance. Naturally, there were quite a few people coming and going. If the clash became intense, many people would gather.

“Why? Are you embarrassed?” Yeon Wi asked, a playful provocation in his tone.

Yeon Ho-Jeong responded with a smile. “There’s no way I would be.”

“Well then, shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

*Thud!* The strong stomp drew the attention of the people to the training ground. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed.

“I will go all out as if it were a real battle.”

“There’s no need to say that. Come at me,” Yeon Wi replied, his words filled with boundless confidence. His martial arts had improved, and he had a different kind of composure than before.

*Whoooong.* The blue true energy [a type of martial arts energy] provided a stable foundation for Yeon Ho-Jeong to use his martial arts. The Byukra True Energy calmly guided everything, including his body, internal energy control, and concentration. The Byukra True Energy that Yeon Ho-Jeong had mastered had solidified his core through his unique training methods.

Yeon Wi’s eyes sparkled. ‘Indeed.’ The Byukra True Energy was on the verge of surpassing the tenth level, having gone beyond the ninth. Surprisingly, his son had developed the Byukra True Energy purely on its foundation. Instead of using the Byukra True Energy to manifest martial arts, he had focused solely on stabilizing his entire body, minimizing the strain on it.

‘That was your choice, huh?’ It was an astonishing display of creativity. The very idea of using the Byukra True Energy, a divine art of the world, as a foundation was astounding. And he had actually achieved it, truly showing that he was different.

*Whooong.* Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes changed as he raised the Gwangryong Axe to the mid-level. ‘He’s coming.’

*Kwaang!* The first strike was, as expected, a charging blow with an explosive stomp. Yeon Ho-Jeong closed the distance in an instant and immediately brought down the Gwangryong Axe. It was a simple attack, a single cut, but its speed and power were not to be ignored. This ferocity was not something one would expect in a spar between father and son.

At that moment, Yeon Wi’s right hand brushed against his belt and rose. *Jjeoeoeong!* Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was thrown back. The Gwangryong Axe, weighing over eighty pounds, and the first move of the White Tiger Art, powered by the Byukra True Energy, were easily nullified.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened. ‘He’s strong.’ The hand holding the shaft of the Gwangryong Axe trembled faintly. It felt as if the shockwave of the sword strike was traveling through his hand and into his entire body. ‘His resilience is different from before.’ This was the martial art of his father, who had grown stronger.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was newly impressed and took another step forward. *Pa-ba-bak!* It was light. He stepped forward with the power stomp, the White Tiger Overlord Step, but with a lightness that was different from before. Yet, the power he drew from the earth was not diminished at all. He moved forward, combining two completely incompatible principles: heaviness and lightness.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s Gwangryong Axe moved like a storm. *Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeong!* It was an incredible defense. Yeon Ho-Jeong was swinging the Gwangryong Axe, held with both hands, at an incredible speed, but Yeon Wi was deflecting all of those attacks with a single ordinary longsword in his right hand. It was a defensive stance that had reached the highest level. It was an invincible defense that showed not even a single gap.

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes flashed. *Kureureureung.* It was as if dark clouds were gathering in the northern sky. In an instant, the aggressive white true energy changed into a heavy and solid black true energy.

Yeon Wi’s eyes flashed. ‘Heavy?’ Yeon Ho-Jeong charged forward, covering his upper body with the Gwangryong Axe. *Kwang!* Yeon Wi’s body shook. It was not an attack that could be blocked with a sword. It was not a matter of power but of distance. ‘A body slam?’ And it didn’t end with just one. *Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!* The floor of the training ground cracked under Yeon Ho-Jeong’s powerful stomps. He charged in three times in a row, pushing Yeon Wi back. Even the great Yeon Wi could not help but be surprised by this attack.

‘His defensive stance is clear. But he’s using his defensive stance as an attack.’ It was a martial art that defied the common sense of offense and defense. The rebound was so fierce that his posture naturally lowered. Yeon Wi was impressed by his son’s outstanding ingenuity and swung his left hand, which was not holding a sword. *Peo-peo-peong!* ‘Ugh!’ Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body was pushed all the way to the edge of the training ground by the majestic palm force. It was a blow that pushed him away, not a strike. There was no shock left on his body, but thanks to it, Yeon Wi gained freedom.

‘The Reverse Dragon Palm!’ It was the ‘push’ form of the Reverse Dragon Palm. He had also used this attack on that Pyeongsan guy that the Yin Master had brought. ‘It’s completely different.’ It showed a different level of power and depth. This was not a difference in level but a difference in the martial arts they had learned. The Reverse Dragon Palm was most compatible with the Sword and Spear Arts or the Dragon Burst among the five great divine arts of the Yeon family.

*Flash!* Yeon Wi charged forward. He seemed to be running with his back straight, but he was already right in front of him. It was a speed that was hard to follow with the naked eye, the true Heavenly Flight Movement. ‘He’s coming!’ Yeon Wi’s sword moved like a flash of light. *Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeong!* It was a ferocious sword strike that covered him like a net. The Heavenly Net, a net of the sky. The combination of the extremely fast quick sword and the sticky illusionary sword surrounded Yeon Ho-Jeong like an inescapable prison.

‘Oh no!’ He deflected the central attack with the back of the Gwangryong Axe and scattered the remaining attacks with the palm form of the Twelve Walls of the Northern Sky. *Chi-ri-ri-ring!* The thread-like sword energy shattered, scattered, and disappeared. He was somehow blocking the Heavenly Net Sword Form. A small smile appeared on Yeon Wi’s face. ‘Impressive.’ It was an amazing response. As soon as a rough and eerie attack came, his body reacted on its own. He had been like this before, but it seemed that his senses had become even more acute after breaking through the Black Path Sect. It would be difficult for anyone but a seasoned veteran to respond so quickly.

‘But.’ Yeon Wi’s eyes blazed. ‘What will you do about this?’ *Swish!* Blood spurted from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body. ‘He’s faster.’ *Jjeo-jeo-jeong! Swish! Pu-hwa-ak!* The net of swords cut through his shoulder, collarbone, and thigh. It was too fast to block. They were not deep, but they were sword strikes that caused enough bleeding. He had never imagined that his father would use such a rough and fast sword technique. ‘As expected.’ He was an amazing person. A master of the Hundred Swords and Ten Thousand Martial Arts, but his unbiased, middle-path martial arts had fully blossomed, displaying the majesty of a Heavenly Sword that could freely use any technique.

‘Truly, a god of the sword!’ A master who could manifest not only the quick sword, the strong sword, the soft sword, the heavy sword, the light sword, the illusionary sword, and the still sword, but also the living sword and the death sword. A man who deserved to be loved by all swords in the world, the greatest swordsman of Gangdong, the true martial art of Judge Yeon Wi was here. *Pa-ba-bak!* The amount of blood spreading into the air was increasing. He had controlled his true energy to stop the bleeding the moment he was cut, but if he continued like this, he would collapse from blood loss. He needed it. A breakthrough. In a situation where evasion and even counterattacks were impossible, he needed a move that could reverse the momentum.

*Flash!* Yeon Ho-Jeong’s pupils spewed out a fiery red flame. *Kwang!* Yeon Wi was startled. ‘His feet?’ His son, who had been blocking the Heavenly Net Sword Form, had used a stomp aimed at his instep. If he hadn’t instinctively pulled his foot back, his bone would have been broken. If that had happened, one of his legs would have been sealed, and his sword power would have been greatly reduced. ‘Unique.’ It was an attack that inflicted both physical and psychological pressure. It was a fighting method from real battles, not a righteous martial art.

*Kwang! Kwang!* He continued to block the Heavenly Net Sword Form while aiming for his instep. He couldn’t understand how he could generate such a powerful stomp in that posture, in that defense. His physical flexibility was beyond imagination. And it didn’t end there. *Whirr!* Red flames surged within the dense sword form. *Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeong! Swish!* This time, it wasn’t Yeon Ho-Jeong who was cut. ‘His sleeve…?’ The Gwangryong Axe’s eerie axe blade had sliced his sleeve in half. If he hadn’t protected his forearm with the Sword and Spear Arts, his muscles would have been torn apart by the ferocious slash. ‘A murderous strike! Is this also a part of the Four Divine Arts?’

It was then. *Kwaaang!* Yeon Wi’s eyes widened. ‘Ugh!’ The sword energy net of the Heavenly Net Sword Form scattered at a terrifying speed. The reason was simple. Yeon Wi’s posture had been disrupted by Yeon Ho-Jeong’s single stomp. ‘This is?!’ Yeon Wi quickly retrieved the Heavenly Net Sword and stepped back three steps, shaking his head as he looked at the spot where he had been standing. “You weren’t aiming for my instep, but to break the ground of the training ground?”

*Flash!* Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had approached with the fastest footwork of the Four Divine Arts, the Blood Wing Soaring Sky, raised the Gwangryong Axe. “It’s both.” *Kwareureung!* The murderous slash that had pierced through the Iron Sword Great Formation gave a strong shock to Yeon Wi’s upper body. ‘Killing Art.’ It was the Vermilion Bird Art’s absolute killing art, the Crimson Flame Six Killing Art. His posture was shaken, so the true power did not come out properly. Even so, Yeon Wi’s sleeve was cut into dozens of pieces and scattered.

Yeon Wi looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong. “Hoo.” *Whirr!* Yeon Ho-Jeong was kneeling on one knee, the Gwangryong Axe resting on it, catching his breath. His body was burning with a fiery red aura. Unlike before, when he had used it stably with the Byukra True Energy, the White Tiger Energy, and the Black Tortoise Energy, he had spread only the Vermilion Bird Energy throughout his entire body. *Ku-gu-gu-gung!* The floor of the training ground cracked again under the terrifying pressure. It was the descent of the Southern Emperor, the Sun God. Yeon Ho-Jeong’s body, blazing with terrifying killing intent and explosive fighting spirit, looked like a powder keg about to explode. It was his son’s declaration that he would go all out with the intention to truly kill. The quality of the aura emanating from him was different from before.

‘Good.’ A magnificent smile spread across Yeon Wi’s face as he looked at his son. ‘Is he finally acknowledging his father?’ He said he would go all out as if it were a real battle? In reality, his son had never unleashed a ‘real’ killing move on him. He had held back out of fear that his father might get hurt. He wasn’t doing that anymore. Yeon Ho-Jeong was confident that Yeon Wi’s martial arts could truly handle everything he had. Not giving his all now would be nothing short of an insult to his father. That confidence, that fighting spirit, that look in his eyes was like the greatest praise to Yeon Wi.

‘Don’t worry and come at me.’ He was not going to be pushed back by the young ones yet. His son, who had grown so much that he had left his father’s hands, had returned and acknowledged his father’s strength. It was an exchange of trust. As martial artists, as warriors, their relationship was completed at this very moment. There would be no other father and son among those who lived with martial arts in their hearts who would show such trust.

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke with red eyes and a face full of a reassuring smile. “I’m really going now.”

Yeon Wi spoke with emerald eyes and a face full of a generous smile. “I have waited twenty years for this.”

*Kwaang!* The two men’s weapons collided, turning the training ground floor upside down.