The vast expanse of Bailu Pond found Pei Chengjun standing immovably at its very center, his expression solemn, like a colossal pillar supporting the heavens. Quick mobile reading: à.1 . Text version first published.

The wind howled incessantly atop the mountain, whipping the freshly tailored Hwakwon Taekwondo uniform on Pei Chengjun's back until it snapped and cracked, as if playing the tragic symphony of the last two years he had endured.

Seeing him after just a few days, Qin Fen noticed that Pei Chengjun’s hair, once entirely dark, had now turned a pristine silver, casting a heartbreakingly cold sheen under the sunlight.

Qin Fen slowly tilted his head up. The sky above Mount Hanla was not empty; floating there were over a dozen human-shaped black dots, neither too large nor too small.

Upon reaching the Fifteen-Star level, martial artists invariably found ways, through various channels, to learn Wukong Shu (Aerial Movement Technique), which was a significant hallmark of a Martial Arts Master.

The duel today at Bailu Pond between two generations of Martial Arts Masters prompted the spectators to consciously choose to fly, clearing the largest possible area for the combatants.

Qin Fen looked up and saw it. His pupils suddenly constricted. He barely recognized the figures descending from the sky, yet the man whose physique was exceptionally burly and whose entire being exuded an overwhelming aura, he did recognize.

Song Zhenting! The son of the villain Song Wendong, and the man Qin Fen considered his prospective father-in-law. Even if Song Zhenting had no connection to Song Jia, Qin Fen would not forget this martial arts powerhouse with whom he’d had two prior brief encounters.

Nearly every martial artist floating in the sky had one or two young individuals beside them. These people appeared quite young, likely under twenty or just entering their twenties. They lacked the power to use Wukong Shu and relied on the Martial Arts Masters beside them for support to hover. Being able to witness a high-level martial arts duel usually offered tremendous insight and inspiration to watching martial artists. For the younger generation, seeing a battle between Martial Arts Masters was something money couldn't easily buy.

After all, every person only had one life, and Martial Arts Masters were not idle every day, seeking out fights for sport.

Qin Fen could sense the emotions of those young martial artists in the sky; nearly all of them shared the same sentiment. They were not stirred with excitement for the impending clash between Masters. Beneath the curiosity etched in their brows was a layer of profound doubt.

Even though they had heard that Zhang Tianhe, the Martial Arts Master of Hwakwon Taekwondo, had been defeated by Qin Fen, these young martial artists still harbored deep skepticism. To reach the realm of a Martial Arts Master at less than twenty years old! How was that possible?

Any young martial artist capable of being brought by a Master to watch this event would, in any other era of martial arts, be considered a genius. While they themselves were still struggling to achieve Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery, seeing someone their age, or even younger, successfully complete the Blood-Changing Nirvana to achieve Great Innate Mastery and smoothly step into the strength of Fifteen Stars was momentarily hard to accept.

The sound of heavy helicopters breaking the air slowly drifted from the distance in the sky. Every martial artist present, save for Pei Chengjun, turned their heads to look in confusion.

Today, Mount Hanla was not just restricted on the ground; even the airspace was controlled by the Seoul police. Not only could ordinary people not approach, but even possessing immense wealth offered no access.

Today, Mount Hanla belonged to the martial world! Powerful martial artists didn't need airplanes. The gathered martial artists began to wonder if the current Federal President was on that aircraft.

The plane soon appeared in everyone’s sight. Qin Fen’s eyes narrowed, mixed with a surprised joy. The standard of the aircraft was rather familiar; it bore the unique insignia of the Shenwutang—a massive black Wu (Martial) character emblazoned on its fuselage.

Shenwutang! The observing martial artists all showed looks of awe. The talent pool of Shenwutang was vast; arriving in such a large aircraft clearly meant they weren't just bringing one or two young martial artists to watch.

As the plane approached, the expressions of the martial artists hovering in the air changed drastically. They constantly shifted their gaze toward the Shenwutang special plane, for at the very least, those present were Fifteen-Star Martial Arts Masters, fully capable of sensing the strength of the personnel inside.

Looking through the cabin windows, the hovering martial artists showed ever-increasing astonishment. What incredible luck had Shenwutang encountered this time? Inside the colossal aircraft stood not one, not two, or three young martial artists, but a whole small contingent!

This group of young martial artists mostly appeared to be under twenty, or around twenty years old, yet the star-level strength emanating from them was, at its lowest, Thirteen Stars!

What was going on? The hovering martial artists exchanged bewildered glances. They had all come up from youth, and every one of them had been a genius martial artist in their time, deeply aware of how arduous the path of martial arts progression truly was.

Setting aside Qin Fen, who had already reached the level of Martial Arts Master, even any single young martial artist aboard that plane, if placed in any other era, would have been considered world-shockingly talented—enough to cast a shadow over and dim the brilliance of their contemporaries.

Such young talents—sometimes only one appeared per generation! Yet today, this plane carried a small cluster of these little monsters.

The hovering Martial Arts Masters, beyond surprise, felt deep envy—a profound envy of Shenwutang’s fortune. They had acquired so many geniuses in one go. If things went smoothly, Shenwutang’s status, and indeed its overall strength, would be greatly elevated in the years to come.

Based solely on this batch of youngsters possessing such excellent aptitude, there was ample reason to anticipate an even more glorious future for Shenwutang.

Xian Tian and the others on the plane stood by the window, giving Qin Fen below a subtle thumbs-up. Their presence was the greatest support they could offer without a single word needing to be exchanged.

At the center of Bailu Pond, Pei Chengjun stared fixedly at Qin Fen, his gaze like a venomous snake subtly releasing an icy chill. Qin Fen retracted his eyes from the sky and refocused them on his opponent.

Jikun Genichi carefully retreated outside the bounds of Bailu Pond, a slight vexation creasing his brow. His eyes covertly flicked towards the floating figure in the crisp white Karate gi—Kukim Hwateon, the founder of the Kyokushin style of Karate. Jikun Genichi had not forgotten how, as a native of Hwaju, he had once taken immense pride and honor in learning Kyokushin. Yet, he never expected that this Martial Arts Master whom he once deeply respected would hide martial arts secrets for the sake of earning money.

The perception of a Martial Arts Master was extraordinarily keen; Kukim Hwateon could feel the gazes falling upon him. He slightly lowered his head, looking toward Jikun Genichi who had retreated to a distant corner, a faint, dismissive smile playing on his lips. "Isn't this that un-gifted, yet conceited, renegade who abandoned the school?"

The corner of Kukim Hwateon's smirking lips suddenly froze. His eyes flashed with repeated curiosity and shock, coupled with a sharp intake of breath that rushed into his lungs. "Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery? Ten Stars? How is this possible?"

How could this be? Kukim Hwateon’s brow twitched repeatedly. As a Martial Arts Master, his eyes were always discerning; he shouldn't have misjudged Jikun Genichi's aptitude. This man had been labeled long ago as someone without great prospects in martial arts. How could he have achieved Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery at such a young age?

Jikun Genichi then looked at the disciple to his left, the one in whom he had placed his highest hopes in recent years. Now twenty-two, he was still stuck at the peak of Nine Stars, persistently unable to achieve Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery.

"How can this be? It’s impossible." Kukim Hwateon’s gaze traveled from Jikun Genichi to Qin Fen, and his eagle-like eyes flickered with speculation and suspicion. "Does he possess some unique method? Genichi's internal Zhenqi, judging by his exterior, seems different from what I taught him when he was studying Kyokushin. Does all of this rest upon this Qin Fen? Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery, Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery! If Genichi has some special reason, then..."

Kukim Hwateon nodded repeatedly, his eyes heavy with deep contemplation. The development of Kyokushin in recent years had not been much faster than Hwakwon Taekwondo; nearly all self-created sects faced the same issue: once they reached a certain plateau, breakthrough became exceedingly difficult.

Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery was a hurdle for any martial artist. If there was any secret formula, it was perhaps being near a crowd of martial artists who had achieved Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery—the emotional stimulus offered some benefit. It was also partly due to this factor that Shenwutang had more practitioners who had reached that level.

Kukim Hwateon, having studied martial arts for years, always believed that any martial arts bottleneck could be overcome by special means, but sadly, he had made little headway.

Not only had the young Qin Fen achieved Marrow-Exchanging Nirvana, but even his disciple, whose aptitude was not top-tier, had reached Blood-Changing Rebirth True Innate Mastery. Kukim Hwateon was forced to suspect that Qin Fen had made outstanding research breakthroughs in this area.

"Mr. Song, may we begin?"

Pei Chengjun did not lift his head; his gaze and aura remained locked onto Qin Fen. His opening words were utterly cold and biting.

A duel always required an arbiter. Although many martial artists were present, none dared to step forward to take on that role at this moment.

Because members of the Song family were here—the son of the villain Song Wendong.

Even if Song Zhenting wasn't a Divine Beast-level martial artist, no one dared to disregard his presence. Not only was he surnamed Song, but his powerful strength alone qualified him to serve as the true arbiter of this duel.

Song Zhenting gently waved his arm: "Begin."

Instantly, the atmosphere above Bailu Pond shifted dramatically. The assembled martial artists held their breath, watching the two figures intently.

The word "Begin" was still vibrating through the air when Pei Chengjun, staring at Qin Fen’s killing-intent-filled eyes, sank into an instant of profound stillness.

In the blink of an eye, Pei Chengjun entered the Hwakwon Taekwondo state of "Il-Ichi" (Oneness).

Il-Ichi: When born, all phenomena arise; when extinguished, body and non-body are one. The Three Realms that Il-Ichi has revealed to humanity exist only in the mind; how can one guard against them? Il-Ichi: Body and spirit become one.

Il-Ichi is oneness; be it a point, line, or plane, they merge into one, realizing the perfection of equating form and balance, unifying body and spirit.

This was the true realm of "Il-Ichi," far less crude than the "Il-Ichi" attained by Cai Renying that day. In Pei Chengjun's eyes, there was nothing but Qin Fen.

Heaven, earth, and everything in this world held no relevance to him; all things unified and locked onto Qin Fen’s body.

Seeing this scene, Jikun Genichi’s desire to compete instantly vanished without a trace. His body and mind entered a state of unprecedented relaxation and serenity.

Il-Ichi—the true realm of Il-Ichi could influence others! The moment Pei Chengjun entered the "Il-Ichi" state, he did not stop. The youthful elasticity of his skin suddenly flushed red! Visible black lines spread out like rays beneath his skin, intertwining and crisscrossing, resembling a net woven from black thread covering his body.

His dark pupils instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and along with his contorted face, they emitted a blood-red glow. His muscle mass expanded rapidly. The instant his Sixteen-Star Zhenqi erupted, it was as if the strongest possible explosive had been planted beneath his feet. The ground within a ten-meter radius cracked, large fissures extending everywhere—the widest gap was large enough to insert a baseball bat.

Sixteen Stars! Biokinetic Beast Level Four Fusion! The mysterious Biokinetic Beast Level Four Fusion! Pei Chengjun’s silver hair instantly floated up, stirred by the surging of his Zhenqi!

The young martial artists in the sky felt an intense chill shoot up their spines, their bodies uncontrollably shivering. They gazed in shock at the Masters beside them.

The Martial Arts Masters hovering in the air also displayed varied expressions. A single thought instantly flashed through everyone’s minds: Pei Chengjun was staking everything, even his reputation, to kill Qin Fen!

Few in this world possessed Biokinetic Beasts. Usually, martial artists with such powers preferred to rely on their inherent strength during duels. This wasn't just a matter of habit; it was a self-imposed trust.

Just as when Cai Renying fought Qin Fen, she also possessed a Biokinetic Beast, but because she had focused solely on martial arts practice for many years, her Beast had only reached Level One Fusion. Moreover, she believed she could defeat Qin Fen with her own power alone. By the time she regretted not using it, her body had already been bisected by Qin Fen.

Pei Chengjun unleashed his full power from the outset, even employing the Biokinetic power he rarely utilized.

It must be known that deploying a Biokinetic Beast is, to some extent, similar to using stimulants. After forcefully boosting physical functions in combat, the body enters a brief period of weakness.

For a Martial Arts Master like Pei Chengjun, besides Qin Fen—the enemy he was determined to kill—did he have any other enemy he sought to slay? Without absolute necessity, Biokinetic Beasts were rarely activated.

Today, Pei Chengjun brought out everything he had, completely disregarding any consequences, intending only to kill Qin Fen.

"Awoooooo..." The Level Four Biokinetic Fusion activated, and Pei Chengjun's body was pushed into overload. Amidst a series of roars, he reached into his Hwakwon Taekwondo uniform and pulled out two fist-sized pills, shoving them directly into his mouth.

Super Berserk Pill! Super Iron Armor Fire! This time, even Song Zhenting’s brow twitched repeatedly. Pei Chengjun had truly gone mad! He completely disregarded how long the period of weakness following this battle would last, or if other dangers might arise. His eyes were fixed on only one person: Qin Fen.

He had only one goal: to kill Qin Fen, the man against whom he held the grievances of killing his master and losing his son!

The Zhenqi erupting from Pei Chengjun’s body became visible at that instant! Purple! Purple Zhenqi enveloped Pei Chengjun entirely. His ferocious features also flushed purple. The legendary Violet Mist Divine Art had been cultivated by Pei Chengjun to the Great Accomplishment stage!

"Qin Fen!"

A roar filled with endless hatred exploded from Pei Chengjun's throat, causing the entire summit of Mount Hanla to tremble violently. The impact of his feet striking the ground sounded like a bolt of lightning splitting the clear sky. Far away, Jikun Genichi, whose feet felt rooted to the ground, suddenly felt unstable, his vision catching only a streak of rapid purple light that tore through the air, kicking up countless shards of rock as it shot straight toward Qin Fen!

The young martial artists in the sky had long since donned the peculiar gold-rimmed glasses. This was an expensive piece of era-specific technology developed by the Federal Ministry: the Heavenly Eye! Utilizing the most advanced satellites, it could capture situations invisible to the naked eye as much as possible.

For instance, Pei Chengjun, who had transformed into a phantom of purplish light while charging, reappeared in the young men's sight through the Heavenly Eye. However, such viewing was fine for observation; using it for combat would be utterly foolish. Seeing him did not mean one could match that lightning speed.

Pei Chengjun exerted force, his surrounding Zhenqi violently surging. His thunderous roar left trails of fierce dominance in his wake. He had instantly unleashed his strength to its absolute limit. The title of Korean Martial God was not ill-gained.

Taebaek!

Pei Chengjun spread his five fingers, flipping his palm down to press forward, instantly enveloping the entire Bailu Pond! Taebaek—linked to the founding myth of Dangun and the spiritual source of the Korean people—the beginning of the history of the Manchurian ancestors, later misinterpreted as the sacred mountain of the Korean Peninsula.

Taebaek: the supreme state of Hwakwon Taekwondo! Cultivating "Taebaek" is the martial soul of Hwakwon Taekwondo—it integrates all of Korean history, blending in the glory, decline, honor, and shame of Korea throughout its historical timeline!

Taebaek, within Hwakwon Taekwondo, merges all the historical imprints of Korea since the three tribes of the Samhan period in the first century BCE. It is the ultimate fist intent achieved by unifying all things through "Il-Ichi"!

Today, Pei Chengjun fused his hatred for Qin Fen, his love for Cai Renying, the pain of losing his son, and his entire life experience into Taebaek.

The life of any Martial Arts Master is a magnificent and moving scroll painting!

Standing on the sacred mountain of Korea, he unleashed the legendary martial technique of the sacred mountain! To observers, Pei Chengjun’s movement wasn't just his body moving; it was as if the entire Mount Hanla had merged with him, moving together, releasing the mountain spirit and history of Mount Hanla spanning tens of thousands of years.

The massive Mount Hanla was moving! Pei Chengjun harnessed the momentum of Mount Hanla, reaching the true peak of his life since entering the martial path. This was the real reason he chose Mount Hanla—not merely a so-called useless home-field advantage!

A Martial Arts Master considers all factors of victory and defeat during combat.

Here, Pei Chengjun held the absolute advantage of terrain, which could also be called controlling the timing.

Sometimes, timing and terrain are interconnected.

Taebaek! Pei Chengjun's five finger joints emitted successive explosive sounds; his entire palm was harder than alloy! He struck with the strongest attack of his martial path. Instantly, the sky above Bailu Pond on Mount Hanla was filled with changing winds and clouds. Jikun Genichi, watching from afar, felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer, spitting out three jets of blood into the sky.

Dong! At the very moment Pei Chengjun struck, only truly Master-level martial artists could discern that this earth-shattering momentum was not solely created by Pei Chengjun; Qin Fen also contributed his due measure to this colossal force.

He activated Biokinetic Beast Level Two Fusion, swallowed the mini Super Berserk Pill and Super Iron Armor Pill gifted by Dzhungar, compressed his Zhenqi in his Dantian until it nearly exploded, and unleashed his full Zhenqi, surging through his body mixed with blood!

In an instant, Qin Fen’s whole body blazed with radiant light, like a rising sun. Two visible dragon-shaped Zhenqi roared and coiled around his exterior. His skin appeared smooth as jade, even more tender than a newborn infant’s. His entire being resembled a statue carved from jade, rather than a true human.

Boom boom boom! Qin Fen instantly unfurled everything in his martial path. His legs remained perfectly straight, the stones beneath his feet exploding and scattering. His figure vanished into nothingness in an instant—even the high-tech Heavenly Eye equipment could only faintly detect a trace of an insubstantial phantom. Boom boom boom boom...

Unlike Pei Chengjun’s single leap, Qin Fen advanced only about ten meters with each step. With every step, debris exploded and scattered from the ground beneath him, as if dozens of artillery batteries were bombarding Bailu Pond on Mount Hanla—the path he took resembled a continuous barrage, his speed so fast it seemed like a simultaneous detonation, one after the other!

Under this supreme Thunder Step acceleration, Qin Fen’s body did not sway. Yet, a series of 'clack-clack' sounds—the noise of misalignment—resonated simultaneously in all his bone joints, similar to the sound generated when Martial Venerable shook his entire body that day. However, the intensity and might far surpassed that of the Martial Venerable who hadn't used his full power. It sounded like tens of thousands of people playing Mahjong in a confined space, the collision of tens of millions of tiles creating a massive roar.

Without needing to shake, the bones and muscles of his body still traced the circles of that day. This series of supremely yielding motions instantly formed a resonance, transforming into the most potent and dominating force.

His right arm, drawn out and swung from his side, ripped through the air, even tearing space itself. Roars like those of wild dragons burst forth from beneath his ribs and from the surface of his fist. Eighteen strands of Zhenqi radiating golden light coiled within his arm, manifesting externally as nearly substantial forms. They tangled, churned, and bit at the surrounding air, consuming all the air in their path, leaving behind a crystal-clear, transparent cavity wherever they passed, unleashing the true power of One Dragon and Ten Elephants!

"The peak, the punch of the Peak."

Song Zhenting's spirit shuddered violently, his eyes wide with disbelief. How could a young man under twenty unleash such a world-dominating martial art?

In the instant of Song Zhenting's shock, Qin Fen stepped forward again, two sharp cracks echoing from his shoulders. Between lightning and shadow, the momentum of his fist shifted the very air, and an ancient, vast aura erupted from within him! The compressed air instantly filled with a deep, dry antiquity, as if the waters of Bailutan Spring on Mount Halla had been entirely evaporated by this desiccated essence.

The soul of the desert spanning millions of years! Qin Fen had lived alone in the desert for nearly two decades, wagering his life to comprehend and absorb the desert soul forged over a million years of Saharan history!

In that instant, Qin Fen’s former punch, which had gathered the power of the eighteen converging dragons, compressed and transformed with the infusion of the desert soul into the ultimate branch of the Divine Fist Dao: the "Investiture of the Gods"!

The martial arts masters who had flown in to watch collectively froze in place. Though they expected a battle to the death, none had anticipated it would shake the heavens and earth like this.

This was the first punch where Qin Fen truly assimilated the entirety of the Divine Fist Dao. It carried the full weight of his martial journey, absorbing the repetitive, seemingly static yet profoundly moving soul of the Sahara over millions of years of aridity.

Under the imprint of millions of years of Saharan history, the few thousand years of Hanju’s history seemed utterly insignificant. If not for the tragic martial life experience of Bae Seong-jun mixed within, the punch carrying the historical imprint would have been shattered by the Saharan mark before impact.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The very peaks of Mount Halla trembled! The immense mountain shook relentlessly, and vast waves of energy, roaring with the sound of the collapsing sky, shot upward. The younger martial artists hovering above spat blood as they faced the terrifying pressure; those with weaker foundations even rolled their eyes and passed out.

Song Zhenting waved his hand to clear the swirling air and urgently looked toward the center of the battlefield. Without Bae Seong-jun's Level Four Bio-Beast Fusion, he wouldn't even need to look to know Qin Fen would win. But the powers generated by a Level Four Bio-Beast Fusion were too potent... Bang, bang, bang—Qin Fen sank his waist, lunged forward, and stepped out another half-pace with his left foot, completing the full ten steps, pushing all his power forward! Every silver strand of Bae Seong-jun's hair stood erect, his tendons strained across his entire body, his face contorted like a demon crawling from hell. Crimson blood suddenly erupted from beneath his skin. His whole body shuddered violently, beginning to explode from his right hand, which had delivered the strike, in moments destroying more than half of his body. His heart was left dangling on the right half of his torso, beating with slow, heavy pulses.

Bailutan Spring had utterly transformed into a field of jagged rock. The very apex of Mount Halla continued to vibrate—not a normal tremor, but akin to a massive earthquake registering over a dozen on the scale. The summit was on the verge of collapse. This single strike seemed not merely to have felled the Martial God of Hanju, Bae Seong-jun, but to have shattered the very ethos and history of the Hanju people. The one struck down was Hanju’s foremost peak, Mount Halla itself!

Gulp... Gulp...

Bae Seong-jun opened his mouth to vomit blood. He was not yet dead. The muscle tissue of the half of his body that was lost was writhing, visibly regenerating at a pace discernible to the naked eye!

Regeneration! That was right! Bae Seong-jun’s musculature was regenerating! Qin Fen watched this bizarre scene, hearing Song Zhenting’s voice drift from the sky: "Bio-Beasts inherently possess healing functions. The most terrifying aspect of Level Four Fusion is regeneration. As long as the heart or brain isn't destroyed, the Bio-Beast can stimulate rapid cell division and regeneration with sufficient energy."

Qin Fen felt a flicker of admiration for the Asura-like demon before him. A Master-level martial artist was indeed a Master-level martial artist; in that critical final moment, Bae Seong-jun had relied on his immense power to forcibly shift his heart within his body, narrowly evading the most fatal blow.

"You are strong, but alas..."

Qin Fen slowly retracted his arm and stepped back half a pace, his eyes fixed on Bae Seong-jun’s rapidly beating heart:

"Your era has ended."

Thump! Bae Seong-jun's beating heart exploded, reducing him to a mass of minced meat on the ground. The potential of the Investiture of the Gods had already entered him before Bae Seong-jun could completely evade the strike.

The peak of Mount Halla shook even more violently, threatening to collapse from all sides at any moment. The Martial God of Hanju had fallen. As the heart of Hanju's Martial God burst, the highest peak of Hanju also began to crumble...