Chapter 39

Chapter 39.

“I think it is time to end the match.”

Wooooong—!

The rotational force that began in Uncheon’s qi center, deep in his lower abdomen, surged through his fingertips and into the teacup.

It was not a simple injection of cold energy.

It was the decisive move that added acceleration to the vortex already formed there.

“Who says you get to decide!”

Gongya Pae snorted and poured in more inner force.

However, the situation inside the teacup did not move according to his will.

The thin ice spread along the bottom rode the fierce rotational force and began crawling up the inner wall of the teacup.

Like a living snake coiling around its prey.

A transparent ice membrane began surrounding the boiling water from below and the sides at the same time.

‘W-What is this?’

Gongya Pae’s eyes widened.

It seemed the heat of the Blazing Flame Demonic Art he had poured in was not spreading evenly through the teacup.

No, it was more than that. The heat he poured in could not remain in the teacup for even a moment.

“It seems you noticed.”

“The heat…! It is leaking out, is it not?”

Uncheon was cleverly using the very nature of heat itself.

That was the reason he had devoted his strength to operating the Yin-Cold Qi.

‘This fellow…! He is not simply pouring in yin qi. Did he deliberately create rotation to drive my heat upward?’

Gongya Pae’s heat, which had lost its path, fiercely surged toward the only open hole at the top.

Like smoke escaping through a chimney.

The hottest energy was discharged into the air, while the remaining heat circled inside the ice wall.

Circulation and discharge.

This was the solution Uncheon had devised to contain yang-heat qi within a vessel of Yin-Cold Qi.

“You… you crafty raccoon of a bastard!”

Gongya Pae was shocked.

No matter how much inner force he poured in, it was like pouring water into a jar with no bottom.

‘In terms of strength, I am superior. And yet… I cannot win?’

A crack formed in Gongya Pae’s pride.

At this rate, he would be trapped helplessly inside that ice prison and forced to admit defeat.

As the disciple of the Blazing Flame Exalted One, that was unacceptable.

‘If I cannot win on this board, I will simply break the board itself!’

A venomous look entered Gongya Pae’s eyes.

He threw away delicate force control.

He removed the inner-force membrane that had been protecting the teacup and exploded the destructive Blazing Flame Demonic Art as it was.

“Take this!”

CRASH—!

The ferocious heat bursting from Gongya Pae’s palm struck the teacup.

Inside, the expanding pressure and, outside, the tightening cold collided and passed the critical point.

Clang—!

With a sharp cracking sound, the teacup screamed and shattered into pieces.

Fragments of the teacup flew in all directions.

Thick steam obscured the view.

“Oops! I failed to control my strength. Well now, how about we call this a draw?”

Pretending it had been a mistake, Gongya Pae clicked his tongue with a look of defeat.

According to the rules, the one who broke the teacup had lost.

“Or, well… shall we call it a decision loss on my side?”

However, at the very least, rather than bearing the disgrace of losing in a contest of inner arts, a decision loss for failing to control his strength and breaking the teacup was better.

Gongya Pae’s words, as he looked down at the floor as if regretful, suddenly cut off.

“Huh? What is going on…?”

The floor was not wet at all.

Not a single drop of water had spilled.

“……It is not over yet.”

As the thick steam cleared, Seolyeong covered her mouth at the sight revealed before her.

“Ah……!”

Between the broken fragments, a strange object was held above Uncheon’s palm.

‘A brazier made of ice.’

Whoooosh—.

A transparent ice membrane had formed a perfect sphere.

The shell called the teacup had broken, but the shape of ice created by Uncheon’s inner force remained intact.

Inside that transparent ice, the crimson flame Gongya Pae had poured in at the end was trapped and burning fiercely.

Hisssss—.

At the crown of the ice sphere, there was a small hole.

Through it, the heat that could not be endured was pouring out as white steam.

‘If there had been no small hole, it would have burst.’

It was a structure that maintained its own shape as if it did not even need the broken teacup, containing and circulating mutually opposing energies.

It was not a simple contest of inner arts.

This was a victory of principle.

“Ha…! Hahaha!”

The sense of defeat vanished from Gongya Pae’s face, and mad delight filled it instead.

He gripped Uncheon’s shoulder hard enough to crush it.

“……Sworn younger brother. I lost.”

Gongya Pae readily admitted defeat.

“I am ashamed that I tried to crush you with strength. Though I am a man who hammers iron, when it comes to the principle of creating a vessel, I fell short of you.”

His gaze was dissecting the burning flame and the ice membrane embracing it.

“Even mutually opposing energies that reject each other… can coexist depending on the form of the ‘vessel’….”

It was then.

“……Vessel!”

Seolyeong’s eyes flashed open.

The ice was containing the fire but not extinguishing it, and the fire was trapped inside the ice but circulating without melting it.

‘Yes… it exploded because we were trying to force them to merge.’

As if possessed, Seolyeong approached Uncheon.

“This is it!”

At her cry, Uncheon and Gongya Pae’s gazes gathered on her.

“It is not forcibly fusing two different properties together, but letting one energy become the ‘vessel’ for the other! That was the true solution to the Union of Two Extremes!”

Seolyeong’s eyes trembled with joy.

The ‘ice brazier’ Uncheon had shown was the answer to the difficult problem she had been unable to solve for years.

“Benefactor… thanks to you, I think there will be major progress in the research on the Union of Two Extremes!”

“I am glad it helped.”

At that moment, Gongya Pae smacked his lips while looking at the ice brazier in Uncheon’s hand.

“By the way, sworn younger brother, would it not be a waste to simply melt that marvelous ice cup?”

“……?”

“Pour me a cup of wine in it! I cannot bear my curiosity over what fire-like liquor will taste like if poured into an ice cup! Kahaha!”

Gongya Pae took out a bottle of fire liquor from his robe and tossed it over.

Uncheon gave a faint laugh and filled the ice cup with wine.

“Here.”

Gongya Pae accepted the ice cup and downed it in one gulp.

“Kha! Excellent! Ice-cold wine carries fire energy down my esophagus, and the thrill feels as if my throat will be torn open!”

Gongya Pae wrapped an arm around Uncheon’s shoulder hard enough to crush it.

“Since we have shared a cup of wine like this, from today onward, you are my sworn younger brother. No objections. No taking it back!”

Uncheon gave a bitter smile.

He was the one who had won, yet Gongya Pae was acting as the elder brother.

Seolyeong, who had been watching from the side, also smiled shyly and said,

“Benefactor, could you pour me a cup in an ice cup too?”

“Ahem, Yeong-ah! Since this is a happy day, it is fine to have a cup of wine, but….”

It seemed the Life-and-Death Exalted One was going to stop Seolyeong, but his following words were unexpected.

“Even cold water is served in order of seniority. This old man comes first.”

The Life-and-Death Exalted One, who had abruptly cut in, held out his hand to Uncheon.

“Come now, offer a cup to your guardian.”

“…….”

………A short while later.

Uncheon stepped aside and looked up at the night sky.

From inside the Demon Physician Hall came Gongya Pae’s hearty laughter.

Seolyeong, of course,

and even that stiff-necked Life-and-Death Exalted One could not hide their joy.

‘…How strange.’

They were Demonic Cult members whom he had hated so much in his previous life.

And yet now, he had discussed medicine with them, competed in martial arts with them, and just a little while ago, clinked cups with them.

When he watched from inside the Demonic Cult, they were simply martial artists walking their own paths.

‘Would my heart have been more at ease if they had been openly vicious like the Sagal Muk Family or the Demonic Cult members I faced in the past?’

However, when he watched from inside the Demonic Cult, they were simply people.

They were only martial artists walking their own paths.

An unknown guilt and confusion began rising in one corner of Uncheon’s heart.

‘Do not forget. I am Uncheon of Gonryun.’

But Uncheon shook his head and shook off his thoughts.

The teaching of his sect was engraved deep in his bones.

[Gonryun Never Forgets Vengeance.]

His target for revenge was the Demonic Cult itself.

To implode the Demonic Cult.

That was Uncheon’s goal.

‘Even if these people are Demonic Practitioners, it does not matter. If I must become the Heavenly Demon to implode the Demonic Cult, then I will gladly keep company with them….’

When he recalled his goal, Uncheon’s eyes settled coldly again.

When Uncheon returned to the Demon Physician Hall, the Life-and-Death Exalted One was waiting for them.

“The drinking party ends here. I have something to tell you now.”

At the Life-and-Death Exalted One’s words, Gongya Pae untied his bundle and took out heavy lumps of metal.

“I prepared them just as the old man said.”

Gongya Pae grinned and looked back at Uncheon.

“Sworn younger brother, I did not break those Iron Weights without thinking, you know?”

What he took out were Iron Weights so black they seemed to absorb light.

“Uncheon, and Sister Seol. Try wearing these.”

They were not simple Iron Weights.

They were restraints personally refined by Gongya Pae, designed to suppress the wearer’s energy and crush their muscles.

“Ngh… They are incredibly heavy!”

Seolyeong, who received the Iron Weights first, groaned as she spoke.

“They are training weights made of Black-Steel Cold Iron. They are heavy and sturdy while also withstanding cold energy. Perfect for the two of you.”

Uncheon also silently put on the training weights.

They were certainly twice as heavy.

However, the difference was not only in the weight.

‘…They are this heavy, yet moving feels comfortable?’

He moved his arms and legs, but apart from the severe load, the discomfort was actually minimal.

When Uncheon’s eyes widened, Gongya Pae saw his expression and burst out laughing.

“Kahaha! That expression is exactly it! That face is what makes a blacksmith’s hammering worthwhile! They should be easy to move in while placing a proper burden on you. They are the best for training.”

“…They are precious items.”

Uncheon sincerely admired them and offered a clasped hands greeting.

At that moment, the Life-and-Death Exalted One said,

“To endure the Heaven-Resisting Secret Art, you must temper your bodies until the weight of Black-Steel Cold Iron feels like feathers. For the procedure, three conditions must be met.”

“Three conditions?”

“First is the tools. Gongya Pae brought them, so that has been resolved.”

The Life-and-Death Exalted One looked at the two of them and said,

“Second is your bodies. In your current state, you are far too lacking to endure the pain of the Heaven-Resisting Secret Art. If you don’t want to lose consciousness during the procedure, you must temper your bones, muscles, and qi meridians far more firmly.”

The Life-and-Death Exalted One folded his final finger and pointed at his own chest.

“And the final third condition. My own preparation as the one performing the operation.”

A cool tension flowed through his eyes.

“I, too, have set my medical arts aside for a long time. The Heaven-Resisting Secret Art is an ultra-precise medical art that allows not even an instant’s mistake… I must raise my senses beyond their prime.”

This was not only a fight for the patients, but also his own fight as a physician.

“The procedure cannot begin until all three of these conditions are met.”

The Life-and-Death Exalted One looked over the three of them and solemnly declared,

“Six months from now, on the night of the full moon. I will perform the Heaven-Resisting Secret Art here in the Demon Physician Hall. Until then, I will enter closed-door cultivation to heighten my senses. Each of you must train your bodies with all the strength you would use to fight death. don’t forget. Failure means death….”

“Yes, Grandfather!”

“…I will do so.”

Uncheon’s eyes shone coldly.

‘Six months… It is a long time if called long, and a short time if called short.’

During that time, Uncheon would return to the beginning, wear the Black-Steel Cold Iron, and temper his body once more.

***

A few days later.

The Venom Fang Hall, under the Sagal Muk Family, one of the Twelve Guardian Families of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Inside a damp, gloomy secret room, the Venom Fang Hall Master, seated on a chair carved with snakes, received a report from a shadow in the darkness.

“…The Life-and-Death Exalted One entered closed-door cultivation yesterday. Judging by the amount of fasting provisions, he will not come out into the world for at least half a year.”

The Venom Fang Hall Master’s voice was low and cracked, like the sound of dry leaves crumbling.

The shadow bowed its head and reported.

“Kekeke… An opportunity! To think an old tiger has walked into a cave on his own feet.”

A bizarre laugh flowed from the Venom Fang Hall Master’s mouth.

It was a sneer filled with resentful malice that chilled to the bone.

“Was his name Uncheon?”

The Venom Fang Hall Master muttered the name as if chewing and spitting it out.

They had drawn even branch-family children into the Hidden Demon Cave in order to support Muk Hajin of the direct line.

But it had turned into a state worse than if they had done nothing at all.

The Sagal Muk Family’s honor had completely fallen to the ground.

“…That is correct.”

“To think a mere student would obstruct this family’s business to this extent….”

“I apologize, Hall Master.”

Not only had Muk Wijin of the branch family been defeated, but even Muk Hajin of the direct line had been beaten by a beggar with no foundation.

That alone was difficult to believe, but even Elder Muk Wigyu of the family had been dealt with by the Life-and-Death Exalted One and turned into a cripple in terrible agony.

And yet… not long after, even the rumor that the Life-and-Death Exalted One had taken it upon himself to guard that boy had spread.

“…Does the way the board is moving not seem rather strange?”

“…Now that you mention it, it does.”

“He cannot be an ordinary student. Someone… must be behind him. He must have hidden his status and identity.”

“Shall we dig into his background?”

“Yes. The opponent is someone capable of moving the Life-and-Death Exalted One in time with Elder Muk Wigyu’s actions… At the very least, he must be from one of the Ten Sects, or he must have a connection to the cult’s leadership.”

“…No matter who it is, driving our venomous fang into this family’s enemy is this hall’s duty. It makes no difference.”

“Good. Half a year is more than enough time. don’t move rashly. Investigate his background thoroughly first. Not only the Hidden Demon Cave, but every trace of his actions in the Central Plains as well.”

The Venom Fang Hall Master’s eyes shone sinisterly.

He took a heavy pouch from his robe and tossed it to the shadow.

Clink.

The sound of gold coins striking one another rang greedily.

“If necessary, actively recruit people from the Demonic Martial Hall. We can even offer them positions as retainers of this family. Focus on those without strong backing….”

“As you command.”

The shadow scattered into the darkness.

The Venom Fang Hall Master’s eyes gleamed like a snake’s.

He reached a hand into the air, pretending to seize the nape of the unseen Uncheon.

“You brat. The moment you show an opening, I will chew you up alive.”