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True Martial Home

You think you can break the Peerless Technique with sheer force?!

I unleashed the Peerless Technique, trying to channel its power with the utmost intensity into the Tai Chi, all while examining my body. And just when I reached the point where my power touched the realm of nothingness, the Celestial Sage’s fist came barreling right at me.

Whoooooosh—

The Celestial Sage’s power was overwhelming. It was the strongest attack I’d ever faced with the Peerless Technique, even surpassing the absolute realm assaults of the Asura in sheer destructive force. I couldn’t believe that this kind of strength could be allowed to a living being; it felt like he could trigger an earthquake with just one punch. However, the Peerless Technique is the ultimate skill that cancels out attacks regardless of their magnitude! As the Tai Chi manifested in front of me, I realized I could nullify all that power, even against his tremendous might. In tandem, the Celestial Sage launched the same attack again, and I once more defended against his relentless barrage.

Boom!

The Celestial Sage stepped back, chuckling a little.

“Hoho, so that’s the absolute defense when it’s one-on-one? I figured that out when I saw Uncle Jang Sam-bong knock down the Thirty-Three Divine Generals in the Celestial Realm.”

“If you knew that, just stop already… I’ve got something to say.”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

The Celestial Sage replied playfully, waving his arms in the air.

“I found your weak spot. How about I break it now?”

“What?”

A weak spot?

I felt an anger rising and retorted.

“Are you just making excuses? Was that last attack not even your full power?”

“That’s not bragging. That punch was definitely my full strength.”

“Then….”

“Hey, focus up. It makes it more fun.”

Swish.

The Celestial Sage re-assumed his earlier stance with a raised fist. His muscles bulged as he built up an incredible amount of power, but I felt no fear. This was because the Peerless Technique is antithetical to ‘strength’, meaning no matter how colossal the power, I could negate it. Even if his next attack had ten times the force of the previous one, I was confident I could block it.

Wiying!

But the next moment, the Celestial Sage split into multiple copies. They surrounded me like a swarm, and there were so many I could hardly see the sky or the ground. At least a few hundred clones, all raising their fists towards me—it was suffocating.

‘Hmph!!’

Come at me, then!!

I clenched my teeth and focused.

‘I’ve been training for this one-on-many situation for ages!’

Those going up against the Peerless Technique often try to overwhelm me with numbers because, in one-on-one situations, their attacks are nullified. But the Peerless Technique is no shallow tactic to back down just because of numbers. While you might think human limbs and actions have limits, the area in which the Peerless Technique applies is effectively one-jang (一丈)!

Boom boom boom!

Moments later, the hundreds of Celestial Sage’s clones charged at me all at once. It felt like a tidal wave of attacks crashing down, and I sensed my surroundings darkening rapidly. It was a terrifying scene, but I knew I would never be defeated.

Void Transformation!

In that instant, my body manifested the Tai Chi, transforming into a unified system. Without even using my limbs, the energy of the Peerless Technique wrapped around me like a shield, completely halting my breathing. Not that my breath stopped, but rather I was directly communicating with the Qi of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, eliminating any further weaknesses. Refined Tai Chi flowed through the void, completely dissipating the overwhelming physical force raining down on me.

A strange white glow erupted around me, engulfing the approaching clones of the Celestial Sage without a sound. At the same time, I shifted the transformed power, building up my spirit’s dominance, and my spirit became the source of the Tai Chi, solidifying my Yang Spirit.

Without expending any power, I nullified my opponent’s attacks!!

Proud of blocking all of the Celestial Sage’s strikes without using any Qi, I suddenly noticed the Celestial Sage’s staff approaching me lazily.

Boom…

So slow.

It wasn’t just a feeling like time stopped; it actually was slow.

Even a third-rate warrior could sense and evade it—why was he launching such a sluggish attack?

But I didn’t take my guard down, unfolding the Peerless Technique to nullify this attack. However, the moment the Celestial Sage’s staff entered the realm of my technique, I felt a strange disharmony rippling through the space I had created.

“…?!”

What the?!

I couldn’t comprehend the cause, but it felt like the space created by the Void Transformation was slowly tearing apart. Panicking, I quickly attempted to re-unfold the Peerless Technique to restore balance.

…Not working!

“Wait?!”

I tried to gather my strength again, but the harmony of the Peerless Technique wouldn’t align. The balance between the Yin and Yang spirits wasn’t coming together as it should, and if I miscalibrated even a little, it felt like my body would explode.

While I wasted time, the Celestial Sage’s staff had slowly approached and now made contact with my solar plexus, and I looked up at him in disbelief. I could see the Celestial Sage grinning as he unleashed the Silk Technique with the tip of his staff, completely tearing apart my Protection Energy Technique.

Kaboom!!

“Gahhh!!”

I spewed blood, flying out like a ragdoll and collapsing on the ground. Thanks to minimal meridian defense at the end, I survived, but it felt like a critical wound. The Celestial Sage had skillfully learned how to tear my defensive technique apart with the Silk Technique, meaning I had taken that staff hit almost bare-handed.

As I lay there gasping, the Celestial Sage approached with his staff slung over his shoulder.

“See? I broke it!”

“Uh…how?”

“The Peerless Technique is a perfect technique, but that only applies when Uncle Jang Sam-bong uses it. I could see you weren’t up to par.”

The Celestial Sage flashed a grin.

“Having been born the Monster King over a thousand years ago and fought countless battles, I have some expertise in handling ‘power’. I know how to read the flow of ‘power’.”

“…”

“I just disturbed the space of the Void by adjusting the flow of ‘power’. If you turn ‘power’ into the void, then your Peerless Technique is just air, right? You were pushing me with numbers, pretending to be strong, while secretly letting off your power! It seems you didn’t consider that I would approach you with ‘nothing’~”

“Urgh…”

As the words left the Celestial Sage’s mouth, I realized why I had lost.

[‘Power’ depends on ‘the heart’, achieving absolute tranquility is essential for the Peerless Technique to reach its full form.]

It was a phrase Jang Sam-bong had drilled into my ears while training. While the Peerless Technique blocks all evil influences around me, its driving force depended on the practitioner’s tranquility to achieve perfection in the Tai Chi. If my calmness faltered, everything would revert back against me.

The Celestial Sage… was also a master of martial arts.

While he didn’t possess the Peerless Technique, he was able to read the flow of energy and intent flowing through the world. Hence, when I tried to harmonize the Peerless Technique to counter the strong, he instead imbued his attack with a delicate balance of softness and yin, turning his power into nothing. My inability to react properly to the flow of his attacks led my Peerless Technique to fall apart.

If I had remained calm, or if I had been Jang Sam-bong, I would have carefully analyzed what kind of tricks my opponent was using and adjusted my technique accordingly with the Void Transformation. The reason the Celestial Sage mocked my inexperience was that I hastily misjudged him and failed to see through his ruse.

I had been foolish.

In the wild world, balancing out one’s strength by adjusting the intensity of one’s power is the most fundamental ability. It was utterly naive not to think that the Celestial Sage, who has conquered the wild world teeming with monsters and risen to the position of Monster King, would see through the essence of the Peerless Technique! I should also have considered that the Celestial Sage had a genius-level combat instinct; I failed there too.

Wiping my blood, I rose to my feet. I grit my teeth and said to the Celestial Sage.

“…I want to fight you for my life.”

I was serious.

I wanted to challenge him again with the Peerless Technique, whatever the outcome. It was a matter of pride and warrior spirit for someone who had trained tirelessly in the Peerless Technique for over a decade. Yet, there was a reason I couldn’t do that.

“Is that so? You weren’t really putting your life on the line up till now, were you?”

The Celestial Sage replied incredulously, but I glared straight into his eyes.

“I’m risking something more important than my life, which is why I can’t throw it away fighting you. I can’t afford to die.”

“Hmm….”

“Please. At least listen to me for a moment. We didn’t come here to rebel against the Celestial Realm.”

The Celestial Sage, who looked like he might unsheathe his staff any moment, now bore a curious expression in his eyes. He let the staff hang and said,

“Hand over that Fire Spirit you stole from the Celestial Realm. Then I’ll consider your sincerity.”

“Of course. Just don’t kill my comrades.”

“Can’t you shut up? Hand it over already.”

Whoosh!

I immediately pulled the Fire Spirit from my armor and tossed it, and the Celestial Sage caught it, inspecting it from all angles. Then he spoke.

“I just got a call from the Celestial Realm saying that the Guardian Gong Gong broke the seal and fled. Were you the one behind that?”

“Yes.”

“An impressive feat. You also have the ability to break curses from the Mythological Age?”

The Celestial Sage looked at me with intrigue.

“Spill the beans. You better share everything you know, or you and your team will be marked by the Celestial Realm and won’t see tomorrow’s sun.”

“Are you willing to help us?”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Then…, cough.”

I retrieved the obsidian from my pocket to hand to him, feeling my whole body grow cold. I had been holding on with sheer will, but that last hit from the Celestial Sage was indeed fatal. As I fell onto my knees, the Celestial Sage said,

“Feel like dying? If you’re gonna die, die how you want.”

“Cough… I’m not dying… this….”

I stubbornly endured, trying my hardest to keep my life. I dumped all my internal energy into recovering my vitality. My condition kept worsening, and my vision blurred.

As I gave him the obsidian, the Celestial Sage, after a moment, received the memory and looked baffled.

“No, this is…, what….”

“…I don’t have time to explain in detail…”

I opened my hazy eyes and spoke.

“Please help… you can take the Fire Spirit, just… please lend a hand in the fight against the Northern Forces…”

“…….”

Suddenly, the Celestial Sage grew agitated.

“Dang it! Things got tangled up.”

“What…?”

“When you were handing over the obsidian memory, I was on a mission, and I had communications open with the Celestial Realm and all my divine abilities activated! Damn it! At any other time, it would have been fine, but of all times….”

“…Huh…?”

Boom boom boom!

That was when it happened. A thundering crash echoed through the skies as darkness began to envelop the space between heaven and earth. A golden aura flooded the skies, and suddenly, a resplendent multi-colored cloud appeared, with a staircase of clouds descending to the ground.

[It’s a divine decree.]

Moments later, a voice resonated from the heavenly skies beyond the clouds.

[I command the audience of the human Baek Woong by the Jade Emperor.]