Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Strong Enough to Walk Alone (1)

The Nine Dragons were the current pinnacle of the martial world's prodigies. To be named the greatest among tens of thousands of young martial artists was not something that could be achieved through martial prowess alone.

Without a cool head and sound judgment to match one's martial strength, one could never ascend to the throne of one of the Nine Dragons.

Though called the Thunder Striker, Nam Hak was not a man of martial ability alone. He possessed a keen mind and the ability to judge situations with absolute clarity.

More than a thousand martial artists watched the scene unfold. But the vast majority were merely spectators. They observed the situation with keen interest but showed no intention of intervening.

Lee Sin-pung needed no further comment. His jowls quivered with suppressed rage, but he did not dare challenge Dam Ho directly.

The Lee Sin-pung of today was not the Lee Sin-pung of old. The Lee Sin-pung of the past may truly have possessed formidable martial arts and fighting spirit, but the present Lee Sin-pung could not be expected to display his former magnificence.

If he were in Lee Sin-pung's position, he would have charged at Dam Ho regardless of the consequences. And at any cost, he would have killed him.

The martial world was a place that preyed upon weakness. To survive, one had to show that those who crossed him would surely die.

Nam Hak was a man with precisely that resolve. At least, he was thoroughly convinced of it.

Nam Hak fixed his gaze upon Dam Ho. His eyes burned with fighting spirit.

"What is your friend's name? If you insist on advising me, I should at least know your name."

It was clear that Nam Hak was deliberately trying to belittle Dam Ho. His confidence was rooted in the knowledge that no matter how much posturing Dam Ho did, he could not compare to the Tongtong Sect—one of the Nine Great Sects.

Everyone present sensed Nam Hak's pride. None contradicted him. Nam Hak had every qualification for such confidence.

All gazes turned to Dam Ho. They expected him to reveal his name.

But the answer Dam Ho gave in the next moment far exceeded their imagination.

"It's not a name I would tell you simply to hear your advice."

"What?"

"And I am not your friend."

In that instant, fire seemed to ignite in Nam Hak's eyes. His intensified gaze bore into Dam Ho, threatening to pierce through his entire body.

"I never imagined the name Nam Hak could carry so little weight. Today is the first time I've learned this."

Nam Hak's voice was laced with undisguised fury.

He strode toward Dam Ho. With each step, his aura swelled like a snowball.

Full Thunder Heart Technique—a secret internal art passed down within the Tongtong Sect, of which Nam Hak was the current inheritor.

When the Full Thunder Heart Technique reached its apex, one attained the power of Full Thunder. Its destructive force was arguably the greatest under heaven.

Nam Hak had trained the technique to the seventh level. The eighth level and beyond lay in the domain of enlightenment rather than effort, and would require time to resolve.

Even at the seventh level, its power was incomparable to other martial arts. That was why Nam Hak possessed such confidence.

"You had best do your best. If I win, I will take you to the Tongtong Sect and ensure you receive just punishment."

"And if I win?"

"I will pledge the honor and reputation of the Tongtong Sect. At the very least, the martial artists in Gansu Province will take no further action against you over this matter. Isn't that right?"

The Southern Scholar's final words were directed at Lee Sin-pung. Under the Southern Scholar's intense gaze, Lee Sin-pung nodded involuntarily.

"O-of course. I pledge the honor of Hongam Mountain Villa."

Though it had been only an instant, Lee Sin-pung had seen the countless bolts of lightning flashing in the Southern Scholar's eyes.

*'Th-this is the Tongtong Sect's true power.'*

Though he had believed he had closed the gap, the depth of the Tongtong Sect's power was far greater and more formidable than he had imagined.

If the chief disciple Nam Hak was this powerful, then the elders and the Sect Leader—Lee Sin-pung dared not contemplate the extent of their martial might.

Lee Sin-pung looked at Dam Ho, expecting that Nam Hak's presence would at least give him pause.

In that moment, Dam Ho spoke.

"You'll regret it."

"Insolent!"

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Nam Hak was the first to charge.

*Swish!*

The sound of Nam Hak's fist cutting through the air rang fiercely. It was the Tongtong Sect's supreme art, the Cloud-Chasing Fist—a technique whose name meant to chase the clouds, and whose power was no less formidable.

In that instant, Dam Ho kicked off the ground. His body shot forward in a straight line toward Nam Hak.

No feints, no tricks—only the Charging Step, advancing relentlessly forward.

Deployed simultaneously: the Fortress Breaking Strike.

*CRASH!*

Dam Ho's fist and Nam Hak's fist collided in midair.

"Hmm!"

Nam Hak's pupils quivered for an instant. His fists, hardened to surpass steel through brutal training, ached as though they would shatter upon meeting Dam Ho's.

This was unprecedented, and for a moment, bewilderment crossed Nam Hak's face. In contrast, not a trace of change appeared on Dam Ho's.

For the first time, the Fortress Blocking Strike had been stopped. But Dam Ho did not panic. Rather, a thin smile graced his lips.

Until now, it had been too easy.

No martial artist had been able to properly receive even a single one of his strikes. They trembled at the mere sight of his gaze.

Dam Ho had trained his martial arts at the risk of his life. Naturally, he wished to fight at the risk of his life. The fierce battles he had envisioned thousands upon thousands of times in his mind—those were the fights he craved.

But none of the opponents he had encountered thus far had met his expectations. Yet here before him stood a man who appeared genuinely strong.

His status or background—none of it entered Dam Ho's eyes.

The Tongtong Sect?

What did that matter?

In this moment where life hung in the balance, the only thing one could rely on was one's own martial strength. The singular determination to kill, and the killing intent—that was all.

"Heh!"

A dry laugh escaped Dam Ho's lips. He had thought all emotion had burned away, leaving only ashes, yet the feeling of enjoyment still remained within him.

The sight of Dam Ho laughing while fighting for his life was enough to send a chill through the multitude present.

"Madman!"

Nam Hak muttered and unleashed the subsequent techniques of the Cloud-Chasing Fist.

Blood Wind Chasing Cloud, Cloud-Chasing Decapitation—two techniques were deployed in rapid succession, both among the most powerful moves in the Cloud-Chasing Fist's arsenal.

*BOOM BOOM BOOM!*

The sky itself seemed to tremble with the sound.

Nam Hak attempted to suppress Dam Ho by releasing his fist energy freely. But Dam Ho simply tilted his head left and right, evading every strike.

*Pop!*

The Charging Step was deployed once more. Like a battering ram charging a fortress wall, his body hurtled toward Nam Hak with terrifying speed and destructive force.

"Hmph!"

Nam Hak snorted. Having identified the strengths and weaknesses of the Charging Step in a single exchange—

*'It charges only in a straight line. The destructive power is immense, but dodge it and it's useless.'*

The Tongtong Sect's Parting-Reuniting Step was useful precisely for such moments. A single footwork technique brought ten variations, leaving the opponent momentarily unable to find an opening. From that moment, Nam Hak's counterattack would begin.

Nam Hak deployed the Parting-Reuniting Step, evading Dam Ho's Charging Step. No—he thought he had evaded it.

*Pop!*

In that instant, something impossible occurred.

Dam Ho's body, which had been charging in a straight line, suddenly pivoted at a right angle—without any preliminary movement.

In Nam Hak's understanding, this was impossible. No martial artist in the world could change direction while charging at such terrifying speed.

The question was not whether it was possible or impossible, but whether the body could withstand it. Such an abrupt change in direction would cause the legs and waist to buckle under the pressure and snap.

But Dam Ho, mocking the common sense of all present, advanced toward Nam Hak in perfect form, his black hair and black robe billowing.

The image of Dam Ho approaching at terrifying speed was unlike any martial artist Nam Hak had ever seen.

The issue was not simply strong versus weak.

*'I'm afraid.'*

Nam Hak recognized his own emotion and was startled.

Yes. Dam Ho possessed some force that instilled fear in others.

"Tch!"

Nam Hak gritted his teeth and delivered twelve consecutive punches.

*Shhh-shhh-shhing!*

Fist energy imbued with powerful internal force. A single blow would not merely break bone and flesh—it was the Whirlwind Divine Fist, the Tongtong Sect's supreme art and one of Nam Hak's favored techniques.

Twelve punches—enough to pulverize the soul.

Dam Ho had already closed to within Nam Hak's immediate range. Evading twelve punches from this distance seemed impossible. And Dam Ho had no intention of dodging.

Dam Ho slightly contracted his body. His shoulders curled inward, his waist bent slightly. Overall, he assumed a rounded shape.

In that posture, he deployed the Charging Step once more—like a man hastening toward his own death.

Nam Hak believed that the fist energy packed into his twelve punches would deal a devastating blow to Dam Ho. But in the next instant, he realized the magnitude of his miscalculation.

*Ting-ting-ting!*

The strikes that connected with Dam Ho's body glanced off at oblique angles or were deflected entirely. Once again, something beyond Nam Hak's comprehension had occurred.

Golden Turtle Shell—a unique defensive technique Dam Ho had created, inspired by the dung beetle. All of Nam Hak's attacks were deflected at angles.

"Gasp!"

This time, Nam Hak was truly shocked to the point of losing his breath. Dam Ho's techniques were nothing short of revolutionary.

*Swish!*

Dam Ho's hand shot out like a whip. Nam Hak hurriedly crossed both arms to block.

*Crack!*

"Guh!"

In that instant, Nam Hak received a massive blow to his abdomen and folded like a shrimp.

His eyes wavered uncontrollably. He had calculated the angle and blocked with his chest, yet he had been struck in the abdomen. This too was incomprehensible to him.

Severed Pattern Strike—a technique created by Dam Ho. The whip-like punch bent at an impossible, unpredictable angle.

Much like the foreign boxing transmitted from the distant Western Regions, where the joints momentarily dislocated to allow free movement, it was nearly impossible for an enemy to predict the trajectory of the Severed Pattern Strike.

"How can this be—!"

The martial artists' faces turned ashen at the sight of Nam Hak being driven back. Though Lee Sin-pung was one thing, none had imagined that Nam Hak—the chief disciple of the Tongtong Sect and a member of the Nine Dragons—could be so thoroughly overwhelmed.

Nam Hak was sent flying backward, coughing up blood. Defeat was plain on his face.

But Nam Hak was also a master at the pinnacle. He was not one to simply lie down and take it.

"CHA!"

In that instant, tremendous energy surged throughout Nam Hak's body along with bolts of lightning. He had unleashed the Full Thunder Heart Technique.

*Crack-crack!*

The power of lightning crackled through the air.

Though he had reached only the seventh level and had not attained Full Thunder, dozens of bolts of lightning still coiled around his body.

A direct hit from lightning would reduce the body to char.

He had unleashed it with all his might, and its power was formidable. But Dam Ho did not hesitate. He threw himself directly into the lightning.

"Madman!"

The spectators cried out in alarm. No matter how strong Dam Ho was, hurling himself into a place where lightning crackled was nothing short of suicide.

In that instant, Dam Ho's body trembled slightly, but no one noticed.

*Fssss!*

The lightning that struck Dam Ho's body scattered in all directions, its power broken.

Shield—a defensive technique inspired, like the Golden Turtle Shell, by the wings of the dung beetle. A micro-vibration defensive technique that made its first appearance before the assembled crowd.

The lightning that struck the Shield scattered like a mirage.

Nam Hak's face, previously hidden behind the lightning, was revealed. His mouth hung open in disbelief, his eyes wide.

Dam Ho's right palm was suctioned to his chest.

Five Finger Rock-Breaking Technique.

"AAARGH!"

With a scream of agony, Nam Hak's body was sent hurtling backward. His chest had been torn open as though struck by a thunderbolt.

*Thud!*

The moment Nam Hak's body hit the ground, a suffocating silence descended upon the hall.