A room made entirely of metal.
Inside, a hulking figure with a rugged upper body exposed was in motion. Thick, dark iron chains were tightly wrapped around his torso.
“Ninety-seven. Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine... one hundred. Huaa!”
The giant, Young Master Cheol, was doing push-ups using only his pinkies, exhaling with a sound like a battle cry as he pushed himself up.
When he let the chains wrapped around his body fall, a heavy thud! reverberated through the room. The chains were made of a special metal that significantly increased their weight.
After flexing his blood-pumped, raging chest muscles a few times, he gave a satisfied smile.
“Today’s workout fed the muscles well. As expected, true strength comes from the body.”
Since the rise of internal energy techniques, most martial artists had believed that simply increasing their internal energy could make them stronger. But Young Master Cheol thought differently.
True strength comes from a powerful body!
After all, wasn’t internal energy developed as a concept only because the body’s strength alone wasn’t enough?
However, internal energy wasn’t some infinite spring that kept welling up.
What if one ran out of internal energy? A person with a weak body would be in serious trouble.
That’s why Young Master Cheol trained his body daily to its limits. In fact, his physical prowess was so great that he could be considered a master of external arts. He could easily subdue first-rate martial artists without using any internal energy.
“Huu... and yet.”
Young Master Cheol soon wore a dissatisfied expression. It was because one person’s face came to mind.
Sado Hwan.
A young upstart fifteen years younger than him. And yet, already someone who had reached the Transcendent Peak Realm, just like him.
“Father…?”
More importantly, a warrior recognized by his own father, Cheol Muguk.
Young Master Cheol knew that Cheol Muguk scolded and grumbled at him out of affection. After all, he did the same with his own son. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.
‘What exactly did he see in him?’
Even as his own father, Cheol Muguk was far from pleasant. Like most master craftsmen, he was stubborn, particular, and had a gruff way of speaking.
Yet Cheol Muguk treated Sado Hwan almost like a grandson.
Of course, every time he saw Cheol Muguk regaining his youth thanks to Flame Jade, he felt grateful to Sado Hwan. But that feeling of gratitude was separate from this emotion.
“To have idle thoughts during training means I haven’t pushed myself enough.”
If he pushed himself to the brink, no room would be left for such thoughts.
Just as Young Master Cheol was about to wrap the chains around his body again—
Drrrrrrr—
A powerful tremor shook the entire Iron Mountain Cheol Clan’s domain, vibrating through the floor.
“That direction…”
It came from the direction of Cheol Muguk’s forge.
Letting out a sigh, Young Master Cheol stepped out. It might have been something involving Sado Hwan again. Just what had happened this time?
“So—So Clan Leader!”
“What is it?”
“Over there... Look over there!”
At the fingertip of the urgently arriving martial artist—
“A wall? A rock?”
He couldn’t immediately think of what to call it.
Something vast and black loomed in a rectangular shape, towering several jang (tens of feet) high. It looked to be almost three jang wide as well.
“I’ll go take a look. Don’t cause a commotion.”
“Understood!”
Young Master Cheol slightly bent his knees and then straightened up.
Unlike Saweol’s stealthy movement techniques or the elegant styles of the Gwak Clan, Young Master Cheol’s footwork was direct and rough, unrefined but powerful as it surged from his toes.
In the blink of an eye, he had sprinted over two hundred jang and let out a sigh.
Cheol Muguk’s forge was completely wrecked.
The ceiling had been blown off by a massive wall-like object.
And in the center, he saw the flustered figure of Cheol Muguk, and the composed expression of Sado Hwan.
“Father. Are you alright?”
“Huh? Oh… yes, yes, I’m fine.”
“What in the world happened here?”
“Well… that… uh…”
Still staring blankly at the black wall, Cheol Muguk snapped out of it and turned his head.
“You bastard. What the hell did you just do?”
“Hmm? It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”
“With internal energy at that level… You almost got crushed to death by the artifact you created yourself! And it was just a shield, for heaven’s sake!”
From Cheol Muguk’s words, Young Master Cheol could grasp the situation.
Even if he wasn’t skilled in smithing, he had spent his whole life in the Cheol Clan.
“An artifact activated by internal energy… If it was your first time using it, it's not surprising you couldn’t control the strength.”
Still, this was extreme.
Who would believe that that enormous black wall was actually a shield?
Then—
Shhhk!
Clang!
The massive wall quickly shrank, transforming into a small bracelet.
Sado Hwan, with his calm demeanor, picked it up.
“A very fine artifact indeed. My thanks.”
“Hah... From now on, don’t ever demonstrate anything in front of me again. Be honest. You’re not some aged elder from a sect who regained his youth, are you?”
“No, you’re the one who reversed aging.”
At Sado Hwan’s reply, Cheol Muguk shook his head.
“Take that thing and get lost. If you stay here any longer, you might shake the very foundations of our clan.”
“Very well.”
“Sopyeong. Our guest is leaving. See him off.”
“Yes, Father.”
Though he had just caused all this havoc, Sado Hwan remained calm and composed.
Young Master Cheol couldn’t understand him at all.
***
Thump thump!
His heart felt like it would burst.
[What the hell did you just do, you freak?]
“That’s what I want to ask! What the hell was that?”
This might have been the most shaken I’d felt since I fell into the world of .
Even when swords were flying toward me, I’d at least mentally prepared myself.
But this time, I hadn’t seen it coming at all.
The artifact had activated on its own! And I hadn’t even used any internal energy!
[Don’t tell me… one of your meridians opened up or something?]
“That’s impossible…”
Well, not completely impossible.
The latter stages of Heavenly Demon Divine Art or a miraculous stroke of luck could fix it.
Even the protagonist of managed to overcome his severed meridians in the final chapter—but only through extraordinary fortune after fortune.
To put it in perspective, it was like winning the lottery, then getting struck by lightning on the way to claim it but somehow walking away unscathed, only to get hit by a truck and then wake up reincarnated as the good-for-nothing son of a noble family.
In other words, no, my meridians hadn’t suddenly healed.
“Still... I need to check when I get home.”
For now, pretending to stay composed was more important.
Especially with Young Master Cheol eyeing me suspiciously.
Luckily, I’d been able to draw the energy of Heavenly Demon Divine Art into my chest, which helped me hold it together.
“Thank you for seeing me off.”
“Think nothing of it. I’ll see you in four days.”
“So even the Iron Clan’s Young Lord will attend?”
“Well, I am the strongest in the Cheol Clan. Speaking of which…”
Young Master Cheol spoke in a subtle tone.
“At Zanhondo, if the opportunity arises, I’d like to test myself against you. Would that be alright?”
“I don’t draw my sword unless it’s a life-and-death match.”
“Hm.”
Scratching his head, Young Master Cheol replied,
“We’re not enemies, so there’s no need for that, I suppose.”
I didn’t respond. I simply nodded.
“Well then.”
I left the Cheol Clan’s estate and returned to the Sado Household.
Since I was the one who caused the accident, I wanted to get back to home turf quickly.
“Let no one in.”
With that, I cleared the surrounding area and took out several artifacts brought by the Treasure Hoarders.
[What are you planning?]
“I have a hypothesis. Time to test it.”
[What kind of hypothesis?]
“I think it’s because of the blood.”
When I was told to infuse internal energy, I was flustered and touched the Guardian Armring while still bleeding. That must have activated it.
[Blood, huh… well, internal energy is essentially life force.]
“Exactly. The Jin Clan also uses blood techniques for that reason.”
[If that’s true, doesn’t that mean this body can use internal energy?]
“Not necessarily. That’s what I’m about to find out.”
First, I tested a monkey-shaped artifact about the size of my forearm.
If I infused internal energy and it reacted like before, it’d beat the drum—not strike it, but smash it.
I cut my palm again and let the blood drip onto the monkey figurine.
[...]
Nothing happened.
[Maybe you have to hold it while bleeding, not just drip blood on it?]
I followed Skybreaker’s suggestion. Still, no reaction.
Same with the other artifacts.
[What the hell is going on?]
“It’s definitely the blood. But it must require another condition.”
I took just the smallest smear of the still-flowing blood and applied it to the Guardian Armring.
Ssswwuuuk~!
It instantly transformed into a floating shield before me.
[So the amount of blood matters. Looks like blood was the key. But what’s the difference?]
“Cloud Demon Iron.”
[Ah! Now that you mention it, wasn’t Skybreaker forged from Cloud Demon Iron too? That explains the blood resonance... wait, you freak—]
“Exactly. That’s what I wanted to test.”
I drew Skybreaker and dripped blood onto the blade.
I nervously swallowed and waited for Skybreaker’s reaction.
[No response at all.]
“It must be because it’s already engraved and recognizes me as its master. Otherwise, it might even absorb my energy.”
[A shame.]
“Also, a relief. If someone noticed I was using Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it’d be a disaster.”
So I couldn’t assume this body could use internal energy.
There weren’t many artifacts made from Cloud Demon Iron anyway.
Still, I’d found a clue.
[If it’s blood-related, maybe the Jin Clan knows something.]
“The problem is, I can’t exactly go asking them for help.”
The Sun and Moon Chu Clan were cunning schemers, but at least I could roughly predict how they’d act.
In contrast, the Shadow Blood Jin Clan was terrifying because there was no logic to their madness.
At least Sado Gwang had a clear goal—he wanted to cure himself.
But the Jin Clan’s insanity had no reason. Even in , their motives were a complete mystery.
“Thinking about it, I’m really lucky to have gotten the Guardian Armring.”
Now I had to head to an isolated island filled with maniacs.
At least now I could defend myself.
I had the Skybreaker Sword that could slice through even qi barriers, the Blink Orb, and the Guardian Armring that could block such attacks.
Plus, Saweol, the ultimate mobile defense weapon.
With offense, evasion, defense, and escort all covered…I was fully equipped—at least for the short term. Any longer, and I’d still end up dead instantly.
But with Saweol at my side, I might be able to survive somehow.
Compared to when I first fell into that cave, this was real progress.
“So now all that’s left is to head to the Disciplinary Cave and replenish my internal energy. You sure about this?”
[What do you mean?]
“Sado Muyul is in the Disciplinary Cave.”
[He’s not really my father anyway… and with his temperament, he’s probably too scared to even come out.]
“True enough.”
Even if someone wanted to cause trouble, they needed the courage to do it. Sado Muyul lacked that kind of guts.
And so, I continued preparing for the Six Demon Families Summit.
At last, the day of the gathering arrived.