Rebirth of the Thunder God

The ultimate technique of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art, Azure Sky.

Like a clear, blue sky.

Namgung Hui's sword momentum parted the clouds.

Of course, the sky hadn't actually split, but it truly felt that way.

It meant that Namgung Hui's sword strike was just that domineering.

Paeng Murin, seeing his saber wind so easily blocked, squinted one eye.

"This sword is surprisingly sturdy. Did you pull out a pillar from your family's estate to make it? Otherwise, there's no way you could have obtained such a treasured sword."

"And you? Did you learn some kind of sound art? You sure talk a lot, chirping on and on."

"Hahaha! Then from now on, I'll show you with my body instead of words. This is the Paeng family's Five Tiger Breaking Gate Saber!"

Paeng Murin turned himself into a windmill, rotating his body.

A whirlwind wrapped around his spinning form.

With his already heavy build and added acceleration, it truly felt like a typhoon was raging.

Paeng Murin became the center of that typhoon and flew towards Namgung Hui.

This time, unlike the simple saber wind, it was a strike containing unprecedented, immense power.

It seemed nearly impossible to parry with just a sword strike.

Nevertheless, Namgung Hui did not dodge.

This time, intending to thrust instead of slash, he held his sword horizontally and aimed at Paeng Murin.

The calm before the storm.

Paeng Murin's explosive momentum swept over Namgung Hui.

It seemed as if Namgung Hui would collapse like a blade of grass.

But Namgung Hui's sword accurately pierced the tip of the saber.

Paeng Murin's body, suddenly halted, remained suspended in the air as if frozen.

It was bizarre.

How could he be stopped in mid-air as if time had frozen?

Especially when the strike contained such immense power.

As if time had started flowing again, the suspended Paeng Murin landed on the ground.

The whirlwind no longer wrapped around his body.

Even his headstrong momentum had vanished.

Paeng Murin looked back and forth between his saber and Namgung Hui's sword, as if in disbelief.

"What kind of bizarre technique is this? Did you really cast some kind of sorcery? How can the 'Single Roar Creates Wind' of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Saber be blocked so futilely! You bastard, what martial art did you use! Speak the truth."

"The ultimate technique of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art, Azure Sky."

"What? That's the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art?"

The crowd also expressed their surprise at the mention of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.

And for good reason. The sword art that had once gained fame along with the title of the Martial God was none other than this Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art.

To be honest, Namgung Hui felt that it wasn't so much that the sword art was great, but that the man himself, Namgung Cheonhu, his sworn brother and the Martial God, was great.

Well, the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art was still a supreme martial art.

However, it was inferior compared to the Emperor Sword Form his sworn brother had left behind at the end, or the Divine Thunder Sword Art he had created himself.

"Haven't you heard the rumors yet? The Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art. I restored it. Which means our family has an ultimate technique again."

"...Alright, fine. I'll shatter that so-called Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art once more. This time will be different from before. Brace yourself!"

Finishing his words, Paeng Murin soared high into the air.

He raised his saber high into the sky, then spun his body and plunged the saber towards the ground.

Gravity, rotational force, and acceleration.

Combined with compressed internal ki, the spreading ki wave was so strong that the martial masters in the audience had to raise their arms to block the wind.

Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain.

The secret technique of the Five Tiger Breaking Gate Saber was about to split Namgung Hui's head.

'In that case, I should receive it with a secret technique of my own.'

The secret technique of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art, Boundless.

Just as the sky is vast and endless.

As Namgung Hui aimed his sword at the sky.

For a moment, it felt as if the world was expanding.

In the quiet stillness, Namgung Hui slowly drew his sword horizontally.

And Paeng Murin, right on cue, reached Namgung Hui.

The two clashed, sword against saber.

-Taaaang!

With a deafening metallic clang, someone was sent flying out of the ring.

The clash was so intense that a thick cloud of dust rose.

The person standing on the stage was not clearly visible.

"Who won? I can't even see."

"Well. Looking at the shadow, only one person is standing. I suppose the Hebei Paeng family won?"

"Indeed, it wouldn't make sense for someone to be standing perfectly fine after taking such a ferocious attack. Still, to have endured this much... Huh? That's not the Saber Dragon standing there?"

Murmur, murmur.

Perhaps because everyone's predictions were wrong.

As the thick dust settled, people began to whisper.

"The, the winner is Young Master Namgung Hui!"

"..."

Even though the martial masters had witnessed it with their own two eyes, they couldn't believe it.

The Saber Dragon of the Hebei Paeng family had clearly soared into the air and unleashed a secret technique, pushing Namgung Hui into a corner.

In contrast, Namgung Hui had merely raised his sword and drawn it horizontally.

He hadn't taken any particularly special action.

But the result was the complete opposite.

It was the defeat of Paeng Murin, who had diligently executed his technique.

Moreover, he was slammed outside the stage and seemed to have lost consciousness, showing no signs of getting up from the ground.

'It's only natural. How many people would recognize the secret techniques from the latter half of the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art?'

The Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art was entirely a heavy sword style.

Among them, the techniques in the latter half contained the momentum of a domineering, hegemonic sword.

It might look like a light and simple strike, but the essence contained within it could be said to be heavier than a thousand-pound weight.

That was why Namgung Cheonhu was able to ascend to the position of Martial God with just the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art alone.

And why he was able to face the viciously malevolent Heavenly Demon Divine Art by himself.

"Waaaahhh!! As expected, the handsome guy is also good with a sword. So cool!"

"The Namgung family has been revived!!"

"The Jade Kirin has appeared."

"Since he defeated the Saber Dragon, he should be called the Jade Dragon."

Namgung Hui didn't particularly like the title 'Jade,' but thinking it was better than having no title at all, he waved to the crowd and exited.

When he returned to the waiting room, Jin Myeongho, who had been sitting in a chair, stood up and said.

"Hui. That was a truly amazing sword art. It was true that the Azure Sky Boundless Sword Art has been fully restored. I feel sorry for having doubted it all this time. Still, this is truly a great fortune for the martial world."

"I only beat some Saber Dragon or Earth Dragon. What's the big deal about this?"

In the future, he had to hunt down the spies of the Hwacheonhui.

He also had to root out any members of the Blood Cult who might have infiltrated.

Someone like Paeng Murin, who was just a nobody, was not enough to satisfy him.

In reality, Namgung Hui hadn't shown him a single one of his true ultimate techniques.

Even though Paeng Murin was revered as the Saber Dragon among the young martial artists.

'Still, not all Seven Dragons were the same. Paeng Murin was definitely on the weaker side compared to Cheonghak.'

He hadn't gotten a proper look because Tang Jinhyeok had forfeited, but Murong Junseong's restrained ki also seemed anything but ordinary.

Jin Myeongho, right in front of him, also seemed to have quite a few hidden cards.

If this were a real battle and not a duel, even the defeated Paeng Murin might pull out a hidden trump card.

"Then, for today's final match. The match between Young Master Muwon of the Shaolin Temple and Young Master Cheon Museong! Please welcome them with a warm round of applause~!!!"

Namgung Hui tilted his head slightly at the introduction of Cheon Museong.

All the other participants had their family or sect attached to their names.

Only Cheon Museong had no affiliation to introduce him.

Namgung Hui asked Jin Myeongho.

"Myeongho. Why doesn't that person named Cheon Museong have any title in front of his name?"

"Ah. You must be hearing about the Mad Dragon for the first time. His origins are not well known. He's either from a mysterious sect like the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader or grew up in the mountains. Because of that, he doesn't know much about the ways of the world, so he was given the title Mad Dragon."

"Mad Dragon? Rather than not knowing the ways of the world, doesn't he act like a crazy person?"

"Well. That's also true."

While Namgung Hui was asking his question, the match began.

Muwon of the Shaolin Temple performed a disciplined fist-and-palm salute and said.

"Young Master Mad Dragon. I have heard much of your fame. I hope this will be a good match."

"I've also heard much of the Divine Dragon's fame. It was so renowned that it even reached the countryside where I lived. Well then, let's have a fun fight."

Namgung Hui's eyes widened at the sight of the two.

Just the Divine Dragon Muwon, called the greatest young martial artist in the history of the Shaolin Temple, was enough to elicit admiration.

But the Mad Dragon facing him was also not in the ranks of a simple young martial artist.

A master so skilled it made his skin tingle.

'They are both Transcendent Masters. Does that even make sense?'

Among young martial artists, reaching the Transcendent level was a feat achieved by only a few throughout history.

Should one say it could be counted on five fingers?

Among them were his sworn brother, Namgung Cheonhu, and the Thunder God of his past life.

The leader of the Demonic Cult must have been one as well.

Since only the greatest masters of their time reached this level, it was needless to say how promising their futures were.

-Pang!

As the Mad Dragon kicked off the ground, the atmosphere trembled and the wind stirred.

It was just a simple leap, but a massive amount of internal ki erupted from his Yongquan acupoint.

-Pat! Pat! Pat!

Closing the distance in an instant, the two exchanged dozens of punches in a single exchange.

The punches came and went so quickly that the audience thought they were simply exchanging greetings.

But the better one's eyesight, the more of the exchanged punches they could see.

"They just exchanged 5 blows, right?"

"No? To my eyes, it was 10."

"Hey, you. Are you trying to show off just because you're a hunter? It was definitely 5."

"Tsk, tsk. I'm telling you, it was definitely 10."

Namgung Hui let out a small laugh at the audience's conversation.

It was neither 5 nor 10.

The exchange between the Divine Dragon and the Mad Dragon was a total of 50 blows.

A number that could only be reached by multiplying the numbers they had mentioned.

After exchanging 100 blows, the two briefly retreated.

"This should be enough for unarmed combat. Shall we test our palm strength?"

"Very well."

The two clashed with their palm strength from a distance, entering a contest of internal power.

Even if it was a duel, a contest of internal power like that could inflict fatal internal injuries.

A contest of internal ki is difficult to stop unless both sides withdraw their internal power at the same time.

Withdrawing first could cause problems due to the repulsive force.

Withdrawing too late meant having to handle not only the opponent's ki but also one's own, leading to fatal injuries.

That was why, in the martial world, contests of internal power were usually avoided unless it was a life-or-death battle.

It was usually used as a means of mutual destruction in desperate situations.

It was not something to be contested in a tournament like this.

The audience, knowing this full well, was startled and began to murmur.

"A contest of internal power! Are they crazy!"

"I don't know if one of the Seven Dragons is going to be taken down like this. What are the referees doing, not stopping them!"

Contrary to such worries, the expressions of the Divine Dragon and the Mad Dragon were only comfortable.

No, rather, they wore deep smiles, enjoying this contest of internal power.

'Both of them are experienced in real combat. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to smile in such a dangerous situation. The title Mad Dragon really suits him. And the Divine Dragon from the Shaolin Temple is quite a surprise.'

He had thought he would be a stuffy monk, but seeing him pull off such a daring act, it seemed that wasn't the case.

The Mad Dragon acted crazy as a Mad Dragon would, so it was certainly fun to watch.

The stalemate was quickly resolved.

As if they had agreed beforehand, they withdrew their palm strength at the same time.

"Patron Mad Dragon. The contest of internal power was also enjoyable."

"I enjoyed it too. But it seems I lost the contest of internal power. You reduced the amount of your internal power from the middle, didn't you? Did you think I wouldn't know?"

"Hahaha. This humble monk has recently consumed a good spirit medicine. Well then, since the audience is waiting, shall we get started in earnest?"

"Sounds good. Now that we've tested each other out, let's have a proper fight."

The Mad Dragon rolled up his sleeves and widened his stance.

From his ready stance, it was clear he was preparing something extraordinary.

The Divine Dragon also clenched his fists and took a horse-riding stance, a stance for a martial art that was enough to surprise even Namgung Hui.

'Hundred-Step Divine Fist! The greatest fist art of the Shaolin Temple!'

Hundred-Step Divine Fist.

A legendary fist art said to make one retreat a hundred steps with a single punch.

Namgung Hui had once been a fist artist, so the name of the Hundred-Step Divine Fist was particularly meaningful to him.

There was a time when he wanted to learn it no matter what, and a time when he wished he could just read the manual once.

That was how much the Hundred-Step Divine Fist was the pinnacle of fist arts.

Namgung Hui was confident.

There was no fist art superior to the Hundred-Step Divine Fist.

'Even my master acknowledged that.'

Not just his master. Even the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Demonic Cult, conceded a point to the Hundred-Step Divine Fist when it came to fist arts.

Such a great fist art was being unleashed from the Divine Dragon's fist.

And the martial art of the Mad Dragon that was meeting it was also no ordinary ultimate technique.

But this time, Namgung Hui did not just stop at being surprised.

He shot up from his seat, his eyes wide, and repeated the name of a certain martial art in his mind.

'Heaven-Shattering Mad Demon Fist!'

The Mad Demon, the Radiant Left Emissary of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. His unique martial art was being unleashed by the hands of the Mad Dragon.