Chapter 731

- "I will not permit it."

The guardian of the Shaolin Abbot, Cheonbong, one of the Hundred Masters, spoke firmly.

- "Yu Yeon, do you even understand what you’re saying right now?"

- "I do."

Despite the stern tone, Yu Yeon did not waver.

- "I want to face him."

- "So you’re asking to change the match lineup? Do you think that makes any sense?"

Yu Yeon had come to Cheonbong to request a change in the match schedule to face So Yeomra in the fourth round of the preliminaries. Hearing this, Cheonbong’s expression hardened.

- "This schedule was determined fairly by the alliance..."

- "Everyone already knows it’s not fair."

At Yu Yeon’s words, Cheonbong scowled.

- "What did you just say? Are you—!"

- "Still, I believe it is also the Buddha’s will. After all, I belong to Shaolin."

Even if it was something he could not understand, if the Abbot Cheonan had agreed to it and made the decision, then it must be aligned with the Buddha’s will.

Yu Yeon tried to accept it that way.

But—

- "...I beg you to grant me this one request."

- "Yu Yeon!"

- "I must meet him before it’s too late."

Throb—!

Pain flared in his chest with every movement.

Enduring the agony, Yu Yeon’s thoughts were firm.

Before it was too late.

Before the wounds deepened.

While he still had the strength to face him.

He had to make it happen.

- "Yu Yeon, do you not understand what this match means for Shaolin?"

- "I do. That’s precisely why I stepped forward."

- "You know, yet...!"

- "But this is something I must do."

With measured breaths, Yu Yeon looked directly at Cheonbong.

- "I am someone who must become the roof of Shaolin."

- "...!"

- "Someday, I must stand at the peak under Shaolin’s name."

He knew well the expectations Shaolin placed upon him.

How could he not know? It was a sorrowful burden precisely because he understood it so deeply.

- "That’s why I must face him."

He steadied his trembling voice.

- "If I don’t, the regret will haunt me like a wall until the day I die."

- "...Hah...!"

- "I’ll keep reliving this moment and drowning in regret, blocking the path I need to take."

- "You...!"

Scowling, Cheonbong growled.

- "Are you threatening me by staking yourself?"

- "Namu Amitabha."

Yu Yeon did not deny it.

If his request was denied, he knew he would fall into despair and lose the ability to move forward.

And if that happened, Shaolin’s aspirations would also crumble.

That was the underlying meaning in Yu Yeon’s plea.

- "This brat... Truly...!"

Just as Cheonbong was about to explode with anger—

- "Enough."

- "...!"

The voice from behind froze him in place.

- "That’s enough."

It was Cheonan, the Shaolin Abbot.

- "...But..."

- "Grant the boy’s request. I’ll personally inform the Sword Saint."

- "Abbot...!"

Cheonbong protested, but Cheonan merely gazed at the kneeling Yu Yeon with his characteristic calmness.

- "Yu Yeon."

- "...Yes."

- "Is this truly your will?"

- "...I apologize."

- "No, don’t apologize. What you seek to do might also be the Buddha’s will. Even if it seems unreasonable, granting it isn’t difficult."

Dragging his aged body, Cheonan approached him.

- "After all, what we are doing is also unreasonable."

- "..."

Hearing his own words, Yu Yeon remained silent.

Cheonan’s voice was laden with sorrow.

- "To you, our actions must seem so impure."

- "That’s not true..."

- "I know. We only follow what we believe we must do. But that doesn’t free us from guilt."

Cheonan gently stroked Yu Yeon’s hair.

- "Do as you wish. But..."

His hand, which had been moving slowly, paused.

- "Do not forget where you must return."

- "..."

Where he must return.

The peak where he must stand under Shaolin’s name.

- "Yes... I will remember."

Yu Yeon bit his lip as he answered with a heavy voice.

This was a concession he had fought for.

An opportunity he had barely obtained.

Crash—!

"…!"

Yu Yeon’s eyes trembled as he saw the world collapse.

‘…What…?’

What was happening?

He had no time to think.

His unsteady body was already moving.

Boom—!

A shockwave hit him from the left.

He twisted his body, but—

"Tsk."

With a sharp click of the tongue, Yu Yeon’s body was thrown backward.

Crash—!

"Guh!!"

Crack—!

Golden fragments scattered in the air.

They were traces of his energy—remnants of his shattered Yellow Radiant Armor.

Broken, crushed, and ground down.

The Shaolin’s ultimate technique, believed to be indestructible,

was being smashed apart by bare hands.

‘This can’t be…!’

Grinding his teeth, Yu Yeon moved.

He tried to create distance but failed.

Before he knew it, his collar had been grabbed.

The Yellow Radiant Armor wasn’t supposed to allow any approach.

Yet, this opponent crushed through it as if it were nothing.

And then—

Wham—!

Crash—!

The punch tore through the armor.

"Kuhak!"

The impact struck Yu Yeon directly.

The armor that enveloped his body shattered.

Pain surged through his core, forcing him to his knees.

Thud.

"Huff... Huff...?"

Gasping through the pain, he tried to make sense of it.

This couldn’t be real.

‘I was certain…’

He had charged in from the start, deploying the Yellow Radiant Armor to seize the advantage.

And yet—

‘It’s broken…’

Broken.

The Yellow Radiant Armor had been crushed, piece by piece, by his opponent’s bare hands.

Thud.

As the fragments of energy fell to the ground, Yu Yeon looked up.

The opponent was already standing before him, looking down.

Not even thirty seconds into the match.

And Yu Yeon was already on his knees.

- "Didn’t I warn you?"

Flinch—

Yu Yeon’s body shuddered at the opponent’s voice.

- "If you mess up, you’ll die."

"..."

The cold blue eyes pierced him.

Even though he wanted to look away, Yu Yeon couldn’t.

- "Tsk. What were you even thinking, fighting in this condition? Look at you—you can’t even hold yourself together."

Yu Yeon couldn’t respond to the detached tone.

Because it was true.

His chest injury prevented him from properly controlling his energy.

And because of that—he was far weaker than usual, unable to move the way he wanted.

‘Even so.’

This wasn’t a situation where he should have collapsed so miserably.

Then why had it turned out this way?

Yu Yeon already knew the reason.

‘...He’s strong.’

It was because his opponent was strong.

The young man standing before him—Gu Yangcheon—was far too strong.

He was the very embodiment of the ideals and goals Yu Yeon had dreamed of.

And that was all there was to it.

Clench.

Yu Yeon clenched his fist tightly.

Then, he forced his body to rise.

A sharp pain surged through his chest.

Was it the aftershock?

Yu Yeon briefly considered that as he prepared to resume the fight.

Boom—!

"Kuhak!"

A sudden kick struck him, sending Yu Yeon’s body soaring into the air.

He hit the ground, rolling several times before he barely managed to regain his stance and prepare for the next attack.

But—

"...Huff... Huff...."

Gu Yangcheon was just standing there.

He wasn’t moving.

What was he planning to do next?

Yu Yeon gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he tried to observe his opponent’s intentions.

At that moment, Gu Yangcheon slowly raised his hand.

Buzz—.

A sharp and distinct Qi Blade formed at his fingertips.

Was he going to attack with that?

Why would someone who specialized in fist techniques create such a Qi Blade?

How was he supposed to counter it?

Slash—!!

"...!!"

Yu Yeon’s eyes widened as he witnessed the scene unfold before him.

"What are you doing?!"

He shouted loudly without meaning to.

It was impossible not to react.

Gu Yangcheon had suddenly slashed his own chest with the Qi Blade.

Drip.

A deep stream of blood began to flow from the wound, soaking his clothes.

His robes were black, so it didn’t stand out, but the depth of the wound was obvious.

"Sir—!"

"Shut up."

"...!"

"Don’t shout so loudly. Am I the one bleeding, or are you? At this rate, people might think you’re the one who’s hurt."

Even though it was clearly a severe injury, Gu Yangcheon didn’t flinch.

"Didn’t you tell me to do this properly?"

"What are you—!"

"Then isn’t this fair?"

Gu Yangcheon smiled through the blood.

"Now you won’t have any excuses."

"...Excuses?"

Yu Yeon’s expression twisted as if he didn’t understand.

"You won’t be able to say you lost because you were injured or because your body didn’t listen to you."

"...!"

Yu Yeon swallowed hard as the explanation sank in.

Was this man insane?

Had he really inflicted such a deep wound on himself just to level the playing field?

It was absurd—utterly absurd.

"Even without that...! No matter what happened, I would’ve accepted the result of this match!"

"You’re fascinating. Why do you keep acting this way around me?"

Gu Yangcheon raised his hand again as he spoke.

"At first, I thought you hated me... but now I’m not so sure. Well, whatever."

And then—

"I’m just doing this because I feel like it. So shut up and deal with it."

Fwoooosh—!!!

A massive burst of blue flames erupted from his hand, roaring toward the sky.

The flames climbed endlessly, filling the air with heat.

Yu Yeon’s body began to tremble as he watched.

So much energy.

Even releasing it for just a few seconds could drain one’s entire Qi reserve.

But Gu Yangcheon had maintained it for ten seconds... twenty seconds... even longer.

And finally—

"This should be enough."

Gu Yangcheon stopped the flow of flames and turned to Yu Yeon.

"I’ve drained half my energy."

It was only then that Yu Yeon realized—

Not only had Gu Yangcheon injured himself, but he had also deliberately drained his Qi.

All to match Yu Yeon’s weakened state.

"Now we’re about even."

He had done all this—injured himself and depleted his energy—just to level the playing field.

"What do you think? Feel like you can fight properly now?"

"...Sir...."

"I was going to do this before we started, but..."

Gu Yangcheon wiped his chest lightly.

Blood coated his hand.

"I didn’t expect you to charge in like an idiot the moment it started. What kind of fool uses up their energy when they’re already injured? Are you insane?"

"...That’s..."

"You said you were going to beat me, didn’t you? Then don’t act like you were prepared to lose. Or were you expecting to lose?"

"No...!"

Yu Yeon gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up again.

The surroundings had fallen completely silent.

The cheers that had been directed at him earlier were long gone.

Everyone had been overwhelmed by what just happened—by the flames Gu Yangcheon had released.

Every gaze was fixed on Gu Yangcheon.

Yu Yeon felt like something had been stolen from him in an instant.

But he didn’t care.

Maybe... maybe this was what he had wanted all along.

Despite the pain, his mind felt clearer than ever.

"I will... defeat you."

"Yeah."

Gu Yangcheon smirked.

"You’re refreshing."

"..."

"No one’s ever said that to me before. Most people just underestimated me until I beat them down."

Drip.

The blood flowing from his wound thickened.

Gu Yangcheon didn’t even bother to stop the bleeding.

"But you’re different. Why is that?"

"..."

Yu Yeon didn’t answer.

He couldn’t define this feeling.

Was it admiration?

Respect?

It seemed closer to competitiveness, yet perhaps it was both.

That’s what Yu Yeon believed.

"Did I do something to you? No... I haven’t done anything yet."

It didn’t matter if Gu Yangcheon didn’t remember.

It was enough that Yu Yeon did.

Yu Yeon clenched his fist.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir. I’ve come to my senses."

He bowed deeply and took his stance.

"I’ll face you with everything I have."

"...Hah."

Gu Yangcheon scratched his neck awkwardly.

"You’re seriously growing on me."

Yu Yeon frowned slightly but didn’t ask what he meant.

Step.

Gu Yangcheon took a single step forward.

And in that moment—

Fwoooosh—!!!

An overwhelming force erupted from him.

"Ugh...!"

Yu Yeon’s entire body trembled uncontrollably.

His muscles locked up.

Was this... killing intent?

Yu Yeon remembered a deadly aura he had once seen in another match.

But—

'This... this is...'

It didn’t even compare.

This wasn’t just killing intent—it was something far more terrifying.

Yu Yeon felt like his mind might shatter.

"Didn’t you say you wanted this done properly?"

Gu Yangcheon repeated Yu Yeon’s words.

"Fine. I’ll respect that."

The grin on his face deepened as the deadly aura intensified.

"Try to endure it."

And he silently hoped—

That Yu Yeon wouldn’t break before the end.