Wi Seoryeon closed the distance without hesitation, assessing Ho Cheon-an’s response.
In their previous match, Ho Cheon-an easily permitted the distance and allowed multiple hits, but after getting properly caught once, surely he would be on high alert now.
‘Let’s see what strategy he has cooked up to be so relaxed.’
Ho Cheon-an’s response to Wi Seoryeon’s charge was simple.
He bent his body and gathered energy like a spring.
Seeing that, Wi Seoryeon couldn’t help but be amazed and energized even more.
A backward leap!
Ho Cheon-an leaped back as if he were a grasshopper jumping high.
Wi Seoryeon’s mind quickly whirled, analyzing the situation as she watched Ho Cheon-an soaring high.
Ho Cheon-an chose to retreat as a response to Wi Seoryeon’s advance.
Simply stepping back wouldn’t suffice; the speed at which he flew backward suggested he likely mastered martial arts specialized in retreating.
Could it be a martial art salvaged from the Miscellaneous Texts in the Heavenly Demon Library?
‘Interesting choice.’
Retreat was crucial in martial arts, yet there were hardly any techniques that specialized in it.
After all, retreating couldn’t handle the advance.
You couldn’t win by stepping back, and if you chose to step forward, you had to expose your back, making it structurally disadvantageous.
But now, retreating was combined with leaping.
Usually, as one’s martial level deepens, leaping becomes a discouraged option.
While dropping hits added to the strength of an attack, and attacking from a higher vantage was threatening, the severe drawback of being unsteady in midair loomed larger as one’s skill increased.
And it was still the case now.
Wi Seoryeon’s mind clearly envisioned Ho Cheon-an’s landing point and the moment of landing.
Even if she used the Heavenly Weight Pull to twist the trajectory, it would only disadvantage Ho Cheon-an.
The Heavenly Weight Pull consumed a lot of inner force, and even if one invested enough force for a dramatic effect, it would only alter the falling trajectory slightly, and the parabolic path could still be reasonably predicted.
However, Wi Seoryeon appraised Ho Cheon-an’s choice fairly well.
‘He seems to have found a solution.’
Regardless of everything, what mattered was the result.
Aside from the obvious dropping trajectory, she began to sense a powerful energy emanating from Ho Cheon-an’s body floating in the air.
That was proof that Ho Cheon-an was distributing inner force throughout his body and preparing to use Ilroe.
Considering he couldn’t even form Ilroe during their match a week ago and was soundly defeated, it could be considered a significant solution found.
However, while acknowledging Ho Cheon-an’s growth, Wi Seoryeon felt a hint of disappointment.
‘Still lacking.’
Wi Seoryeon stepped even harder, increasing her speed.
Retreating cannot be faster than advancing.
Even if he practiced a unique martial art focused on retreat, he could never pull back faster than Wi Seoryeon.
Therefore, even if Ho Cheon-an succeeded in summoning Ilroe, he couldn’t escape facing Wi Seoryeon in an unfavorable situation during mid-air.
Wasn’t he already tracing a straightforward parabolic path as he fell?
‘Calculating the ideal entry point is a piece of cake.’
Wi Seoryeon adjusted her footwork speed.
The moment of landing.
At that moment, when he had to absorb the impact of a long fall with his body, a gap would inevitably be revealed, and she aimed to strike at that very moment.
And when Ho Cheon-an’s foot touched the ground, Wi Seoryeon’s foot, ready to launch an attack, suddenly halted.
That was an instinctive decision.
Seeing Wi Seoryeon halt suddenly, Ho Cheon-an clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Gotcha.’
Ho Cheon-an had chosen and mastered the Huangchung Biyeonbo as a means to invoke Ilroe.
He would buy time for summoning Ilroe by leaping.
Anyone watching Ho Cheon-an perform Huangchung Biyeonbo would think the same: a strategy sacrificing his position to invoke Ilroe.
Ho Cheon-an thought so too.
While he could stabilize invoking Ilroe during the float time of Huangchung Biyeonbo, he would also afford his opponent a chance to catch the best timing for an attack, making it a poor equation.
Then why not add another move during that float time?
Thus, Ho Cheon-an rifled through the Miscellaneous Texts to display a new martial art.
In the instant of collision.
He murmured the heart meditation technique to focus his mind and control the Enlightened Cloud Thunder Technique pouring out all at once.
Zhan Hun Heart Technique!
Boom! Boom!
Ho Cheon-an’s senses sharpened, the wheel of thought sped up, and time began to flow slowly.
This was due to the extreme concentration induced by the Zhan Hun Heart Technique.
After using the Zhan Hun Heart Technique, Ho Cheon-an would indeed suffer extreme mental fatigue, but the important thing was not what came next.
It was this very moment.
Boom!!
Thunder roared.
At the sound, the Black Cat and Wi Seoryeon thought.
The sound had changed.
The thunder that had been thundering down like a bolt from a clear sky had become very short and concise.
And they sensed it.
Now the blade of thunder Ho Cheon-an unleashed would show a power entirely different from the previous thunder.
With high concentration, Ho Cheon-an dispersed the shock of landing throughout his whole body.
Ho Cheon-an’s right foot stepped forward after successfully dissipating all the impact.
While the magnitude of his strength remained unchanged…
Boom!
That power now bore a sharpness added to it.
That was evidence that Ho Cheon-an, who once struggled to handle the energy of Ilroe, was now completely in control thanks to the benefits of the Zhan Hun Heart Technique.
Explosively surging forward, Ho Cheon-an.
Judging that he could not withstand the momentum of Ho Cheon-an head-on, Wi Seoryeon fell back while unleashing the Black Dragon Qi to take a defensive stance.
The usual violent Black Dragon Qi clawed at Ho Cheon-an’s entire body fiercely, but just the Black Dragon Qi couldn’t diminish Ho Cheon-an’s momentum.
Hadn’t Ho Cheon-an endured attacks from the Black Dragon Qi before?
Ho Cheon-an’s new form pressed through the Black Dragon Qi without hesitation.
The Black Cat clenched her fist tightly.
‘Can he win?’
Understanding Wi Seoryeon’s strength well enough, the Black Cat felt sparks of hope as Ho Cheon-an charged forward with such momentum and sharpness.
However,
Wi Seoryeon wouldn’t stand idly by either.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Crafting dazzling footwork, Wi Seoryeon’s form instantly scattered.
Wi Seoryeon’s form slipped from Ho Cheon-an’s attack range.
The Black Cat’s eyes widened as she watched the two fight.
Could Ho Cheon-an keep up with Wi Seoryeon’s movement?
In an instant, Ho Cheon-an’s foot dug into the ground.
The Twin Thunder Defense Technique followed by the Double Flick!
Wi Seoryeon and Ho Cheon-an’s gazes crossed. Wi Seoryeon saw the fiery intensity in Ho Cheon-an’s eyes and thought.
‘Impressive.’
Wi Seoryeon felt her discontent with Ho Cheon-an drain away completely.
It had only been a week.
The week she thought was hardly enough time to hone her skills, even just choosing materials.
That’s why she was annoyed with Ho Cheon-an, who went back and forth between the lower and upper floors of the Heavenly Demon Library.
She believed he wouldn’t achieve real progress wasting time like that.
But that was Wi Seoryeon’s misunderstanding.
‘I never imagined he would develop this much in merely a week; you’ve exceeded my expectations.’
Astonished, Wi Seoryeon twisted her body.
‘But I will claim this victory.’
Just a fraction.
The space Wi Seoryeon created by twisting her body.
While it was merely the width of a finger, that distance was crucial for determining victory or defeat.
With just that fraction of a distance, Wi Seoryeon could escape the range of Ho Cheon-an’s incoming Ilroe attack.
Just as she was certain of her victory,
Ho Cheon-an once again extended his foot.
‘No way!’
Wi Seoryeon gasped in shock.
Currently, Ho Cheon-an moved with a speed that was nothing short of lightning. The mere fact he sustained that tremendous speed and triggered a change was already impressive!
Could he possibly bring about another change!
Indeed.
Ho Cheon-an’s leg slammed into the ground.
Wi Seoryeon raised her arms, bracing for the impact as she prepared for the collision. Her arms were already surrounded by brilliant energy, but today, the Black Dragon Qi formed around them felt untrustworthy.
Boom!!!
From the Great Sword, thunder erupted.
The inner power, which had hitherto been constrained within him, violently exploded out at the moment, crashing into Wi Seoryeon’s heightened sense of crisis.
‘…Huh?’
In that moment, Wi Seoryeon instinctively sensed something was off.
The destructive energy that seemed certain to hit would surely leave her not safe, roaring through the space, but…
Somehow, the attack meant to tear through her surroundings felt shallow.
As Wi Seoryeon effortlessly dodged the attack, she realized what was happening.
Ho Cheon-an’s lower body had crumbled.
The third form of the Seven Thunder Defense Technique. Samyeongwanhui.
With elevated spirit, Ho Cheon-an succeeded in cycling Ilroe three times within his body, stepping forward, but his body could not fully endure the transformation of Samyeongwanhui.
As a result.
Ho Cheon-an crumbled right in front of Wi Seoryeon.
Ho Cheon-an felt a pang of regret upon seeing Wi Seoryeon’s slightly dazed face.
‘If only those Miscellaneous Texts had been organized.’
He had missed the perfect opportunity to score a victory over Wi Seoryeon.
If the states of the Miscellaneous Texts had been organized, he could have saved a day and a half or two days, and within that time frame, he might have absorbed the essence of the Steelfist Technique, allowing him to deliver Ilroe solidly without slipping!
Ho Cheon-an’s anger boiled over as he thought of the lazy staff at the Heavenly Demon Library who had carelessly handled their duties, yet he couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
His head swirled in confusion as everything happened instantaneously.
After barely mastering the Zhan Hun Heart Technique and using it directly in combat, how could he possibly retain any mental energy!
‘At this rate, even gaining the upper hand would be futile.’
Yet, there was a glimmer of hope.
If he could gradually supplement his martial arts step by step according to the ideal blueprint in his mind, he could grow stronger.
As his consciousness faded, Ho Cheon-an muttered with lingering feelings.
“Tsk.”
