CHAPTER: Chapter 38
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Chapter 38.
“Something useful, you say….”
Uncheon’s gaze settled on the old Iron Weights wrapped around his wrist.
Their center of gravity was a mess, and the material was crude.
They had been enough for physical training, but now that he could handle inner arts, they were nothing but cumbersome shackles.
Gongya Pae strode closer with blazing eyes.
“Let me take a proper look.”
Before Uncheon could even answer, he seized Uncheon’s wrist as if snatching it.
Uncheon could have avoided him, but he did not.
Because he knew this was the rough concern sent by this eccentric blacksmith.
“The center of gravity on these Iron Weights is garbage. If you wear scrap iron like this in actual combat and unfold superior martial arts, you’ll wreck your wrist ligaments.”
Gongya Pae’s eyes gleamed with a blacksmith’s unique curiosity as he handled the Iron Weights and gauged them.
“But the weight is… fairly considerable. Did you do something this stupid to build muscle?”
“…Something like that.”
“Hmph, they are not suited to their owner. Watch closely.”
Before anyone could stop him, Gongya Pae poured inner force into the Iron Weights.
Fwoosh—!
The tyrannical heat of the Blazing Flame Demonic Art flowed into the black iron.
It was metal that had been frozen solid after receiving Uncheon’s Limitless Iceheart Formula only a moment ago.
The instant sudden high heat penetrated metal at an extreme low temperature.
Ting—!
With a crisp cracking sound, a hairline fracture appeared in the heavy Iron Weights.
Crack, crack.
The cracks spreading like a spiderweb soon split the Iron Weights in two.
“Whoops, look at that.”
Gongya Pae shrugged with a shameless expression.
“Maybe because they are cheap scrap iron, they cannot withstand your cold.”
Uncheon quietly stared at the fragments of the Iron Weights that had fallen to the ground.
White steam rose from the pieces of metal that had dropped to the floor with a thud.
It seemed they could not withstand the abrupt change in temperature.
The very fact that Gongya Pae could emit that much heat in such a short time proved the depth of his inner force.
“…It was not my cold they failed to withstand, but your heat.”
When Uncheon replied calmly, Gongya Pae burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! Well, either way, it is not wrong.”
Gongya Pae stopped laughing and spread his feet wide.
His playfulness vanished, and fighting spirit filled its place.
“Now that your shackles are off, let us clash at full strength. Let us see whether your cold can cool my flames too.”
Instead of answering, Uncheon lowered his stance.
He, too, wanted to test his Yin-Cold Qi in actual combat.
Wooooong—.
A cool coldness rose around Uncheon’s entire body, while a heat haze rose from Gongya Pae’s body.
“Take this! Blazing Flame Palm.”
Gongya Pae thrust his palm toward Uncheon.
It was a crude yet certain strike that poured in inner force without technique.
It was as if he were saying, receive it if you can.
‘His quantity of inner arts far surpasses mine. Taking it head-on will not be easy….’
Uncheon spread both arms and drew a circle.
Whoooosh—!
The heavy flames bent strangely before Uncheon.
Limitless Iceheart Formula.
Drawing Taiji, he seized the center of the flames and let them flow away into the air.
“Ho…?”
Gongya Pae’s eyes widened.
His skill in redirecting force was anything but ordinary.
‘Master told me not to foolishly seek only power, but to possess flexibility as well… That fellow’s method is exactly like that.’
The technique that softly scattered powerful yang-heat qi was something he himself did not possess.
‘Softness can indeed overcome hardness!’
Beyond the visible technique, the Life-and-Death Exalted One read the martial principle contained in Uncheon’s movement and inwardly marveled.
‘How has he embodied the principle that softness overcomes hardness so fully at that age…?!’
Bang—! Boom—!
As Gongya Pae’s yang-heat qi and Uncheon’s Yin-Cold Qi collided again and again, the front yard of the Demon Physician Hall was instantly covered in thick steam.
The two exchanged moves inside the fog, clashing red and blue inner forces.
The Life-and-Death Exalted One unconsciously imagined what kind of monster Uncheon would become if the Heaven-Resisting Secret Art succeeded in the future.
‘If not for my family’s rules, I would want to take him in as a disciple, not merely a ward.’
A strange light repeatedly appeared in Seolyeong’s eyes as she watched the spar.
She was already well aware of Gongya Pae’s profound inner arts.
The one Seolyeong was admiring was none other than Uncheon.
‘He has only just formed a qi center, yet he can exchange offense and defense to this extent against Elder Brother Gongya…!’
Hisssss—.
As the clashes continued, the air in the front yard of the Demon Physician Hall screamed.
The hottest flame and the coldest ice.
The moment two properties that could not touch each other collided head-on, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The two energies bit each other’s tails and began rotating fiercely.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—.
It was like two dragons coiling around each other as if trying to devour one another.
For the briefest instant, an enormous sphere split perfectly between red and blue appeared in midair.
Wooooong—!
It was the perfect shape of Taiji.
‘……!’
Seolyeong’s pupils shook violently as if an earthquake had struck them.
But that shape lasted only for an instant.
The Taiji collapsed, turned into a violet sphere, and soon exploded.
Crack, craaaash—!
The uncontrolled heat and cold scattered in every direction, creating a thick fog.
‘It vanished….’
Seolyeong stared blankly into the fog.
But she had clearly seen it.
Not the possibility of mutual opposition, where they destroyed each other,
but of mutual generation, where they sustained each other.
However, it had vanished in the blink of an eye like a mirage.
‘Was it a coincidence? Or… did Benefactor intend it?’
Her heart began to pound.
She had to confirm it.
Whether the phenomenon just now was a miracle created by an accidental collision, or something within Uncheon’s control.
If it was the latter….
The Western Regions secret art, Union of Two Extremes, would no longer be a dream.
Seolyeong cried out urgently.
“B-Both of you, wait a moment!”
The fog cleared, revealing the two men.
After already exchanging several moves, the two had acknowledged each other’s skill and widened the distance between them.
Uncheon and Gongya Pae withdrew their energy at the same time.
‘Though it is Yin-Cold Qi, it is different from Sister Seol’s Ice Soul Divine Art… Especially his operation of Yin-Cold Qi mixed with rotation can only be called exceptional….’
Gongya Pae realized that Uncheon’s use of inner arts was far from ordinary.
Conversely, Uncheon could feel that Gongya Pae’s inner arts were deeper than he had imagined.
‘He possesses considerably profound yang-heat qi. If he fights with all his strength, he will still be difficult for me to handle.’
Gongya Pae’s martial arts lacked precision and technique, but the quantity and depth of his inner arts were above the average of those his age.
The two men looked at Seolyeong with puzzled expressions.
“What is it, little sister?”
“When I saw the clash between you two just now, I felt as though I was about to realize something! I know you have exchanged enough moves, but could I ask you to compete a little more using inner arts?”
Enlightenment was not an opportunity that came easily to a martial artist.
Seolyeong’s eyes shone with earnestness.
“Well… that is not difficult, but can that fellow endure it? His control is fairly good, but he does not seem to have much inner arts.”
Gongya Pae answered while scratching his head.
“I know well that Elder Brother Gongya’s cultivation is profound. This time, how about competing in a different way?”
At the words elder brother, Gongya Pae’s face visibly softened.
Unlike his rugged appearance, he was weak to a request from Seolyeong, who was like a sickly little sister to him.
“Ahem. Well, if Sister Seol is asking, something like that is no trouble. So what do you want us to do?”
When Gongya Pae readily agreed, Seolyeong turned her head toward Uncheon and winked with one eye.
‘Benefactor, you noticed my intention, right?’
It was as if she were saying that.
‘An experiment for the Union of Two Extremes? Certainly, if it is tested externally instead of being exploded internally, the danger will be lower. Clever.’
Uncheon immediately understood her intention and nodded.
Then, Seolyeong pointed at the teacup on the table.
“What if the two of you compete with your inner arts using the water in this teacup?”
“Water?”
“Yes. The rules are simple. The one who makes the water in the teacup either boil or freeze wins.”
Gongya Pae snorted.
“Ha! What kind of bland contest is that? If I only touch it, that little bit of water will evaporate instantly….”
“However, you must compete without damaging the teacup. If you pour in inner arts recklessly, like when you broke the Iron Weights, the teacup will shatter.”
“Tsk. Well, that much force control is not difficult.”
Gongya Pae accepted readily.
He believed that he was overwhelmingly superior in both the quantity and quality of his inner arts.
However, Uncheon inferred why Seolyeong had gone out of her way to add a troublesome rule.
Unlike how it appeared, this was not a simple contest of inner arts.
‘Clever. By setting the condition that we must not break the vessel, she limited the quantity of inner arts.’
It was a clever measure to prevent either side from pouring in excessive inner arts.
What she wanted was to test what would happen when Yin-Cold Qi and yang-heat qi collided in similar quantities.
If one side held a one-sided quantitative advantage, that was far from the Union of Two Extremes.
Gongya Pae, who did not know Seolyeong’s intention, scratched his head and asked as if annoyed,
“But is there really a need to do it in such a troublesome way?”
Gongya Pae seemed to think the conditions favored Uncheon, whose control was superior to his own.
“Elder Brother Gongya has accumulated inner arts for more than ten years, but Benefactor has only just learned an inner arts heart method. As his senior, surely you can endure that much inconvenience?”
At that moment, Seolyeong answered while subtly mixing in words meant to provoke Gongya Pae.
As expected, Gongya Pae started in surprise and asked Uncheon,
“What? You… is it true that you have only just begun handling Yin-Cold Qi?”
Gongya Pae asked again as if he could not believe it.
Even if Uncheon’s inner force was lacking, that was only when compared to Gongya Pae himself.
Gongya Pae was several years older, and because he spent most of every day before fire, his yang-heat qi overwhelmed most people of his generation.
However, if Uncheon had only just entered the path of inner arts, the situation was different.
‘…What kind of nonsense is this! Quantity aside, that purity and control can never belong to a beginner. As expected… I thought Senior Life-and-Death Exalted One would not guard some mediocre nobody….’
In an instant, Gongya Pae’s eyes burned with competitive spirit.
“That is true. However, it is energy I gained while treating the lady’s illness, so it will not be light.”
“…Ha? Then the reason little sister’s complexion improved is also?”
With Uncheon’s answer, Gongya Pae roughly grasped the circumstances.
“Indeed… I can see why the Life-and-Death Exalted One took it upon himself to be your guardian. Hurry, let us clash again!”
The two sat facing each other with the table between them.
“Are both of you ready?”
In the middle was a single teacup filled with clear water.
“Begin!”
At Seolyeong’s signal, a red gleam flashed in Gongya Pae’s eyes.
Woooong.
The heat pouring from his palm wrapped around the teacup.
However, the result was only a slight tremble on the surface of the water.
“Ho?”
Gongya Pae raised an eyebrow.
The water, which should originally have boiled over in an instant, was strangely calm.
It was because Uncheon was sending Yin-Cold Qi into the teacup and neutralizing the heat.
Unlike Gongya Pae, who simply poured his energy in, Uncheon’s Yin-Cold Qi was also mixed with rotation.
“Hmph, since you cannot win with power, you will use tricks?”
A mischievous smile spread across Gongya Pae’s lips.
Fwoosh!
“But even that has its limits.”
Gongya Pae’s palm heated until it turned bright red.
It was not simple heat.
The heavy and destructive inner force of a blacksmith who melted iron and hammered steel gripped the teacup.
Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.
The two energies bit each other’s tails and spun madly within the narrow battlefield of the teacup.
“The real thing starts now!”
Hissssss—!
The calm water surface screamed and churned.
Soon, white steam began rising from the surface of the teacup.
It was an overwhelming gap in power that could not be handled by simple technique.
‘As expected… I cannot face him head-on.’
Cold sweat formed on Uncheon’s forehead.
His opponent’s inner arts were twice as profound as his.
But Uncheon’s gaze instead settled calmly.
‘If I cannot win with strength, I will change the flow.’
Instead of pouring the cold energy of the Ice Soul Divine Art into the teacup, Uncheon focused on operating it with even greater precision.
There was no way Gongya Pae would fail to notice that sign.
“Ho? Are you avoiding the contest? A man using petty tricks, are you?”
Having seized the momentum, Gongya Pae poured in as much yang-heat qi as possible without breaking the teacup.
Bubble. Bubble, bubble—.
Then it seemed the match had been decided.
Because the water at the top of the teacup had begun to boil.
“What do you think? Will you admit defeat now? Still, you were quite decent. You are not lacking as someone I could take as my sworn younger brother.”
Gongya Pae laughed heartily, certain of victory.
However, the corner of Uncheon’s mouth had risen faintly.
“Elder Brother Gongya, victory and defeat have not yet been decided.”
“Good. It sounds nice when you call me that. Well, it will be decided soon!”
Gongya Pae seemed to have taken Uncheon’s calling him elder brother as an admission of defeat.
However, Uncheon was not finished speaking.
“Do you know the principle that hot energy tries to surge upward, while cold energy tries to sink downward?”
At Uncheon’s sudden question, Gongya Pae frowned.
“What kind of nonsense is that? At the end of the day, is it not just water in a teacup?”
“Even within it, energy continues moving. Look closely.”
At Uncheon’s words, Seolyeong and Gongya Pae’s gazes turned to the teacup at the same time.
And their eyes widened.
“……!”
It was a strange sight.
The upper part of the teacup was boiling fiercely under Gongya Pae’s heat and turning into steam.
But the bottom of the teacup was different.
Crack, crack—. Crack.
The water at the bottom was freezing as it whirled with cold energy.
Boiling water above, ice below.
Inside a small teacup that did not even hold a handful, opposite seasons coexisted.
Moreover, the water that had turned into steam gathered beneath the teacup and formed a long icicle.
“What?! What… what is this?”
Just as Gongya Pae, flustered, was about to pour in even more inner force.
“I think it is time to end the match.”
Along with Uncheon’s cool declaration, the qi center rotating in his lower abdomen surged violently.
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