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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“Ugh—!”
Kang Yi-ryung suppressed a groan, her brow furrowed.
As an SSS-rank hunter with high stats and her internal energy at its peak, the physical impact wasn’t severe.
But the mental shock was significant.
‘…I couldn’t read his movements, but he read mine.’
She had lost a battle of wits where she had the advantage, having gathered information from the previous duels.
It was a humiliating defeat, and to make matters worse, it was being broadcast live worldwide.
What would her rivals, Hailong Fortress or Cheonmu Sect, think?
They would surely laugh and mock her.
The Great Rakshasa’s reputation would be ruined.
In the worst case, her SSS-rank status might be questioned.
“You damn bastard!”
She charged at Lee Seong-joon with a ferocious aura, but the outcome was the same as before.
In fact, it was even more pathetic.
‘Why?!’
Not only did her normal attacks miss, but even the ones she thought were sneak attacks failed to connect.
It was as if he knew what was coming, deflecting her every move with ease.
But it wasn’t just that his attacks were missing.
‘…I can’t block his attacks.’
If she prepared for a frontal attack, he would strike from behind.
If she guarded her rear, he would strike her from the side.
He was always precisely targeting her blind spots, his every attack landing.
In the dozens of exchanges, she hadn’t gained the upper hand once.
“Aaaaagh—!”
Furious at her own incompetence, she screamed, veins popping on her neck, and a blue aura erupted, engulfing the area.
The remaining half of the arena shattered, the fragments flying into the air and colliding with the invisible barrier surrounding the arena, creating shockwaves.
But, like before, nothing touched Lee Seong-joon.
“You can’t even handle a few variables… How disappointing.”
Lee Seong-joon’s relaxed attitude made her face contort.
“What are you? What did you experience in the other world?!”
She had lost a battle of wits she had been so sure of winning.
In fact, it was embarrassing to even call it a loss.
‘…It wasn’t even a battle of wits.’
As she was grappling with Lee Seong-joon’s overwhelming skill, a level she had never encountered before, he spoke with a disappointed tone,
“Your observation and mind are not bad… but your inherent skills are so poor that you can’t utilize them properly.”
His words were a grave insult, and her face twisted in rage.
Her aura flared, threatening to tear him apart, but she held back.
‘Lee Seong-joon is strong.’
She had to admit it.
His understanding of martial arts was overwhelming.
‘He’s only been back on Earth for four months, and he’s already this strong…’
What would he be like in a year, or even six months?
Having witnessed his overwhelming understanding of martial arts firsthand, she could quickly make a judgment.
‘He’ll become the World’s Greatest Master.’
If she couldn’t subdue him now, there would be no future opportunities.
‘Coming to Korea myself was a godsend.’
She knew from her executives’ defeats that sending some small fry wouldn’t have worked.
They would have just become fodder for his growth.
But she, Kang Yi-ryung, was different.
‘As long as I have my S-rank unique skill, ‘Empty Thought Empty Mind’, I will not lose.’
As the name suggested, it allowed her to control the air.
Of course, she couldn’t control all the air in an open arena like this.
But she could temporarily block the air at a desired point.
It meant she could cut off his breath, even for a moment.
It was a skill that could change the flow of battle, even against ordinary hunters.
But its true value was revealed against martial artists who used internal energy, like Lee Seong-joon.
‘The foundation of internal energy is breathing.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it started and ended with breathing.
If the amount of inhaled breath was insufficient, one couldn’t exert their full power.
This meant that the ability of Empty Thought Empty Mind to temporarily block the air was a skill with a terrible matchup against martial artists who used internal energy.
‘Even if he has an overwhelming understanding of martial arts to be considered the World’s Greatest Master… his current physical abilities are only on par with mine.’
She had been hit dozens of times, but she hadn’t sustained any critical injuries.
If she could limit his internal energy in this balanced state…
the outcome was obvious.
‘I can subdue him, make him kneel before me.’
Having finished her calculations, Kang Yi-ryung, her eyes filled with a deep killing intent, kicked off the ground and charged at Lee Seong-joon.
Thud—!
Lee Seong-joon’s eyes narrowed, sensing the strangeness of her straightforward charge.
She extended her hand and used Empty Thought Empty Mind.
Woong—!
A resonating sound, and the energy from her palm shot out, dispersing the air around Lee Seong-joon.
She had forcibly cut off his breath.
“……!”
Seeing his furrowed brow, she smiled sinisterly.
“Are you surprised?”
Her face was filled with confidence, certain of her victory.
“You should have kept pressing your advantage when you had it. Blame your own foolishness for giving me this chance!”
She shouted and threw a punch at his face.
Whoosh—!
With the sound of wind, the Lee Seong-joon before her vanished like a mirage.
His sudden disappearance made her eyes widen.
“What?!”
It wasn’t just dodging.
His movements were the same as before.
He had used internal energy.
“How…! You shouldn’t have been able to breathe properly!”
“The ability to cut off the air, even for a moment… it would have been quite troublesome for an ordinary martial artist.”
Lee Seong-joon, seeing her bewilderment, smiled leisurely and continued,
“But I’m not an ordinary martial artist.”
Controlling one’s blood and energy meant controlling even one’s heartbeat.
Of course, a lack of blood supply could cause physical problems.
But Lee Seong-joon, who could freely control his blood and energy, wouldn’t have such problems.
In other words, he could smoothly use his internal energy even with minimal breathing.
Kang Yi-ryung’s calculation was completely wrong.
“Impossible…!”
She belatedly tried to defend herself, but she was off-balance and couldn’t properly receive his attack.
Whoosh—!
A strong gust of wind completely broke her already wavering stance, leaving her chest wide open.
Lee Seong-joon’s eyes gleaming, he thrust his clenched fist forward.
Crack—!
The sound of breaking bones, and Kang Yi-ryung’s body was sent tumbling across the arena floor.
“……Gah—!”
She spat out blood, her eyes dazed.
Lee Seong-jun shook his head.
“Your presence wasn’t bad, so I had some expectations… How boring.”
He looked at her with cold eyes, extended his hand, and spoke,
“If you have nothing more to show, let’s end this.”
Woong—!
A red energy, a blood qi, gathered in his hand.
Kang Yi-ryung’s eyes trembled violently.
“Tr-True Energy?”
She had thought his unusual ability had thrown off her calculations.
But now she realized her calculations had been wrong from the start.
‘He wasn’t even using his full power…’
A master who had reached the Transcendent Realm.
Lee Seong-joon was a being who had surpassed a wall she couldn’t overcome.
The fact that their fight had been somewhat balanced was due to his mercy.
He had been untouchable from the start.
She understood the reason for her defeat.
But that didn’t mean she would admit defeat and retreat. No, she couldn’t retreat.
‘…If I collapse here, it’s over.’
The friendly spar was being broadcast live worldwide.
China’s prestige was on the line.
The Chinese government, with its ideology of Sinocentrism, wouldn’t let this go.
‘They’ll try to erase this incident.’
They would try to erase her and Sosumun’s existence.
Of course, as a valuable SSS-rank hunter, she wouldn’t be killed.
‘They’ll restrain me with drugs or contracts, put a leash on me.’
And in the end, she would be stripped of her name, identity, and all rights as a human being, becoming a shadow living in the darkness.
She would live her life as the government’s dog.
“No… absolutely not.”
Kang Yi-ryung bit her lip and forced her trembling body to stand.
She knew that ordinary qi couldn’t defeat True Energy, the pure embodiment of qi.
But it wasn’t just transcendent martial artists who could wield pure, condensed qi.
‘Rather than living a miserable life as a puppet, a government dog… I’ll bet everything on this fight.’
Innate True Qi.
The spark of life, a power purer than any other energy, began to surge from her body.
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