1242 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

RUMBLE--!!! With a tremor, Chu Yeongyeon's qi dispersed. A cracking sound from his bones echoed as his body was violently thrown back. "Gah!!" He rolled on the ground. After taking a couple of rapid tumbles, Chu Yeongyeon placed his hands on the floor and pushed himself up. "Ugh..." He retched, as if trying to expel everything from within his stomach. "Huh... huh..." Breathing heavily for a long while, Chu Yeongyeon finally lifted his head. He attempted to rise, but his body froze in place. Something was in front of him. Legs. "What are you doing?" Followed by a voice. He raised his gaze. Cold blue eyes met his, staring down at him. "You claimed it was a wall. Is this what you call a wall?" The gaze felt like it reverberated in his bones. It was Baek Yangcheon, looking down at him with an amused expression. "This wall is quite soft, isn't it? Softer than tofu." "You--!" SMAACK-!! "Gah!" His jaw snapped upwards as a foot struck it, sending his head reeling back. As his gaze lifted, something obstructed the spot where the sky should have been visible. It was... 'A fist?' In the moment he recognized it, impact ensued. BOOM-!!! His side was struck, and his body rebounded. He couldn't even scream. Chu Yeongyeon's body was hurled across the air. "Ugh." A belated groan brought him back to his senses. He forced strength into his lower body, thinking only of withstanding this somehow. He couldn't comprehend what was happening or even think about it. Screeeech. He braced against the floor. He needed to slow down and correct his mangled posture. "Hah... Guh..." Staggering, he managed to stand with great difficulty. Chu Yeongyeon trembled amidst agonizing pain. "...What just..." What did he just go through? His throbbing side and the scorching pain on his cheek were bothersome. It hurt. The protective qi that should have enveloped his body had vanished. His internal energy flow was disrupted by the shock. What was happening? What was this? The ringing in his ears gradually faded. Only then did the surrounding sounds become more audible. "Just now... Did Chu Yeongyeon get hit?" "What exactly happened to him? Did anyone see clearly?" The atmosphere was one of collective bewilderment. The speed was such that no one could clearly perceive it. Could the disparity be this vast when using energy? Is Baek Yangcheon truly this strong? As Chu Yeongyeon acknowledged reality, he swallowed hard on his dry throat. "Ha!" Someone laughed out loud. "Ah, this is... remarkable." It was Tae Hoan. He was chuckling, observing the fighting platform. His gaze wasn't directed at Chu Yeongyeon. Beyond that. Creeeaak. Baek Yangcheon was slowly rotating his wrist. This time was different. 'What is this?' Chu Yeongyeon broke into a cold sweat as he looked at Baek Yangcheon. He was a completely different entity from before. He had assumed Baek Yangcheon was just an arrogant guy with some talent, but with no substantial skills. That was how it appeared. Merely a post-mid-point realm practitioner. A guy who had simply been lucky. The rumors must have been exaggerated. Even if he had caught the attention of an overlord, after all, he was still just at the post-mid-point realm. That's what Chu Yeongyeon had thought. 'What on earth is this guy...' What is this presence now before me? Even just standing there, his whole body felt numb. He wasn't emitting any energy; he was merely standing still, watching him. '...Heavy.' Heavy and terrifying. This was... '...A wall?' A colossal wall. An enormous, thick wall too vast to even look up to. It felt like that was what stood before him. 'This is nonsense.' How could this be? Was this guy a wall to him? And not the other way around? "This can't be..." It shouldn't be. He was... "A member of the Divine Dragon Brigade." The cream of the alliance's crop, meant to be the most outstanding of all. A member of that Divine Dragon brigade couldn't possibly lose to such a youngster. It was inconceivable. A still-determined Chu Yeongyeon gritted his teeth, sharing those thoughts. "Consider this a warning." Baek Yangcheon's sharp voice pierced his ears. "If you were careless or underestimated me, you’re better off swallowing those words now. That's precisely why I'm letting you be." "..." "If you’ve got anything to show, do it quickly. There’s no time to drag this out." "You...!" Was he mocking him? Chu Yeongyeon bit down so hard, his teeth almost cracked. WHOOOSH--!!! He unleashed his energy. Drawing power from his dantian, he encased both fists. "Oh?" Tae Hoan reacted to this display. "...Looks like the fire’s lit." He chuckled at Chu Yeongyeon. It was unexpected for him to go to such lengths. "...I won’t let this slide." "I was hoping you wouldn’t." Ignoring the taunt, he focused on amassing power. The qi gathering in his hands steadily solidified. Eight-Horned Dragon Fist (八角有龍拳). The form of his qi was so formidable it resembled eight emerging horns. This was Chu Yeongyeon's martial art, a secret of the Chu family. "No one has survived a direct hit from this." The acclaimed secret technique of the Chu family, destined to crush anyone in its path. Chu Yeongyeon's eyes gleamed with resolve. 'I will crush him.' BAM-!! He launched himself forward, as if to shatter the platform. The power of the qi was formidable, but he had long been trained to maintain it. Utilizing his towering experience and mastery, he dove at Baek Yangcheon. And yet, Baek Yangcheon stood unmoving. Neither the speed nor the agility from earlier was visible. What was this? 'Did he exhaust all his strength?' That couldn’t be. Or was it— 'Is he planning to take it head-on?' Was he intending to withstand his martial art directly? Impossible as it seemed, that was precisely what Baek Yangcheon's stance suggested. As Baek Yangcheon grinned, seeing the approaching qi, 'This guy...' Chu Yeongyeon, invigorated with greater energy, channeled it into his hands. He launched the now-massive horns straight at Baek Yangcheon. And as soon as the horns connected with his body— BOOOOMMM---!!!! An explosion erupted, and energy burst out. "Aaaah!" "Crrgh!!!" Under the immense pressure, warriors stumbled backward. "......" Gu Cheolun, watching from below the fighting platform, took a step forward. He shielded an unconscious Soi from the energy. During that brief moment, he scanned the platform with indifferent eyes. "......" His crimson gaze identified Baek Yangcheon, And then, as if losing interest, he turned away. There was no need to see more. * * * The dust scattered, and as it clouded his view, Chu Yeongyeon squinted, staring forward. 'It connected.' His fist had definitely reached its target. He could feel the solid impact. His attack had landed on Baek Yangcheon. 'I've won.' If it hit squarely, that should have been more than enough to end it. He was confident. He believed he emerged victorious in this fight. Just when he thought so. "Still here." "...!" A voice came from the front. Whooosh—!!! As the dust cleared, bringing his vision back, Chu Yeongyeon was left aghast. "I heard no one ever endured this strike. Well, now there’s one." Baek Yangcheon, despite taking Chu Yeongyeon's punch squarely to the chest, stood firmly in place, not a single step budged, calmly watching him. "How... how...?" How could there be no damage? His attack clearly landed properly, so how was he standing unharmed? As Chu Yeongyeon stood there, dumbfounded, "What do you mean how?" Baek Yangcheon offered an explanation. Though, in truth, there was little to explain. "Because you're weak, that's why." There was no other answer. "That can't be true...!!" Chu Yeongyeon retorted against Baek Yangcheon’s words. "This must be some kind of magic... Only with magic could one endure this...!" "Ah, there they go again, spouting nonsense. Why do they all say the same thing?" At this point, they all seemed to claim magic was involved. It was as if everyone followed some kind of set process. "Really though, nothing changes from the past." "It has to be magic. Without it, there’s no way to withstand that." "They endured because it was bearable, you fool." CRACK-! "You were simply weak." Baek Yangcheon said, clutching Chu Yeongyeon's wrist. "That’s all there is to it." WHOOSH-!!! Qi surged into Baek Yangcheon's fist. Seeing this, Chu Yeongyeon hurriedly tried to withdraw his hand. CRACK-! "Guh!" It didn’t budge. He couldn't escape from Baek Yangcheon's grip. "It's my turn now. Where do you think you're running off to, like a coward?" RUMBLE. Energy began to gather. Space around Baek Yangcheon's fist was starting to warp. What was this? Could mere qi cause such a phenomenon? "Oh, right. As for anyone surviving this punch... let’s see... perhaps there might have been? Either way, you better brace yourself." The distortion extended outwards. It tore through space, reaching Chu Yeongyeon in an instant. SNAP-! Accompanied by a small noise. BOOOOMMMMM----!!!! Reality twisted. The blast of wind scoured the entire fighting platform. It crushed everything in its path, leaving seemingly nothing behind in its wake. "Ah... ahhh..." Chu Yeongyeon muttered. Precisely beside him. Baek Yangcheon's fist had grazed his side. What if he had caught the full brunt of that force? He felt like he’d be torn apart, vanished into nothing. This realization sank deep within Chu Yeongyeon. Thud. "Ah..." He murmured incoherently, collapsing to his knees. He stiffened, as if devoid of any spirit. "It's over. Maybe you’ll come to your senses now?" Baek Yangcheon tried addressing him, but Chu Yeongyeon remained frozen, unresponsive. In fact— "Oh." His eyes rolled back, revealing only the whites. Baek Yangcheon frowned at the sight. ...Something seems off. I was sure I held back, not hitting him directly. "Hey. Are you oka—" He began to ask about his condition. Drip. The sound of trickling water accompanied the sight of Chu Yeongyeon's white pants darkening. "…Oops." Baek Yangcheon scratched his cheek. He had intended to scare him with a strong display, but it seemed he overdid it. By quite a bit, it appeared.