The Invincible Fist Demon probably felt the same, but I, too, did not know.
That I would end up saying such things to the Fist Demon.
But the moment I heard the Fist Demon say he would shatter the cliff with a single blow, something ignited within my heart.
It was a fierce desire to throw my own fist at his impossible challenge.
The Fist Demon’s gaze, which had been fixed on my eyes, moved to my hand.
“With those baby hands?”
Ah, so the day has come when my hands are called baby hands.
“Compared to yours, Fist Demon, they are quite small and cute, but in the world of men, they are considered quite well-formed.”
“Stop with the nonsense and go back.”
Exuding a cold air, the Fist Demon left just like that.
I looked up at the cliff again.
If a fist capable of shattering this in one blow were to fly at me, could my protective energy withstand it?
Strength flowed into my tightly clenched fist.
*
That afternoon, I went to see my father and we played Go for the first time in a while.
The clear sound of the Go stones being placed one by one calmed my heart.
Perhaps the reason playing Go with my father is so comforting is because it resembles a spar.
Once you step onto the training grounds, or begin a game of Go, no words are needed with your opponent.
“I have lost.”
The last time we played, I had won by two points, but today, I finally lost by a margin of six.
Seeing the unconcealable smile on my father’s lips, I thought he was truly incorrigible.
Whether in Go or martial arts, my father could not stand to lose.
“When you have time, learn some Go from Grand Strategist Sama Myeong.”
“I will.”
“Why did you come today?”
My father had already noticed that I had come with a purpose.
“Do you just get a feeling when you look at someone?”
“Your moves were unusually impatient today. Low-level players always give themselves away.”
“A low-level player! This is the first time you’ve won today.”
Inwardly, I was pleased.
It meant that while playing Go, my father had also been paying attention to my state of mind.
“There is something I wish to ask for your permission, Father.”
“What is it?”
“I am thinking of learning the Fist Technique from the Fist Demon. Please grant me your permission.”
As if he had expected it, my father showed no particular reaction.
“If you wish to learn, then you should learn. Why do you need my permission?”
“Of course, I must tell you and then learn. I need your permission as well.”
“What if I don’t permit it?”
“Then I must try harder to receive your permission.”
I revealed my honest feelings to my father.
“At first, my intention was to create a diversion. I wanted to provoke the Fist Demon to see how my brother would react, a probing move. But today, the Fist Demon told me something. He said his goal was to shatter the cliff with a single blow.”
It seemed my father already knew of this goal.
He was not surprised by my words at all.
“At those words, it was not the cliff, but my own wariness that crumbled. I thought it was magnificent, and I, too, wanted to shatter that cliff.”
“That is your chronic weakness. A naive sentimentality perfect for getting yourself killed.”
The very first time he said that, he called it ‘a cheap sentimentality perfect for getting yourself killed.’ Now, ‘cheap’ was gone, and ‘naive’ had taken its place.
I had grown closer to my father by exactly that much.
“That naivety can also act as a strength. It is thanks to it that I have gained the support of some Demon Sovereigns.”
“Gained? Do you truly believe the Demon Sovereigns are on your side?”
My father truly trusted no one.
Perhaps such a belief system was essential for the Cult Master leading the Sect.
“Aside from a parent’s heart for their child, I believe there are no absolute loyalties in this world. However, I am trying my best not to create a situation where the Demon Sovereigns’ hearts might change.”
A person’s heart does not often change suddenly.
People change mostly because their circumstances change.
“Do you know this? If you become entangled with the Fist Demon through martial arts, a moment will surely come when you must face him. He has a personality that absolutely cannot stand losing. Then, an outcome different from your intention might arise.”
These were words he could say because he knew the Fist Demon’s personality well.
It meant that trying to get closer could actually make our relationship worse.
“What happens if I win?”
“His target will no longer be the cliff, but you.”
After a brief pause, I spoke to my father.
“A life where one becomes someone else’s goal… wouldn’t that be a life worth living, just once?”
My father, who had been staring at me, nodded.
“With the Fist Demon, you will need to play the right moves and set the right path.”
He was telling me not to rely on tricks or luck, but to do my best with proper moves.
My father’s permission had been granted.
“Thank you.”
After respectfully bowing to my father and turning to leave, he spoke from behind me.
“From now on, I will take the white stones.”
“Don’t you have to win three games in a row for that?”
“That rule has changed as of today.”
Well, what could I do if the Heavenly Demon himself wished to change it?
“Then I must teach my Grand Strategist to play Go as soon as possible.”
*
The next day, I went to find the Fist Demon again.
Having missed training for a few days, he was now watching the Iron Fists train.
His reaction to me was the same as the first day.
A fleeting glance in my direction before his eyes returned to the Iron Fists.
But our relationship was clearly different from that first day.
“May I learn alongside the Iron Fists?”
The Fist Demon looked at me.
His face was as harsh as ever.
Others might have said he was glaring as if to kill me, but I could read the emotion in his eyes.
Do you really intend to learn the Fist Technique from me?
I answered with a look of determination.
Yes.
The Fist Demon looked at me with what seemed to be ridicule, then nodded.
His attitude was one of waiting to see what I would do.
“Thank you.”
I unfastened my sword and set it aside, then mimicked the stance of the Iron Fists.
It was the first time in my life I was learning a fist technique.
Even before my regression, I had never learned it.
To fight without a sword in my hand? It was hard to imagine.
The eyes of the Iron Fists that glanced at me were filled with surprise.
Since the Heavenly Demon’s Second Young Master had stepped forward to learn the Fist Technique with them, they would need no other topic of conversation at the tavern tonight.
The Fist Demon taught me nothing.
I simply followed the movements of the Iron Fists.
This martial art, being learned by dozens of people, could not possibly be the Invincible Fist Demon’s signature Invincible Fist Art.
It must be the basic fist technique learned by the martial artists of the Eastern Fist Hall.
That was even better.
I, more than anyone, knew that a technique capable of shattering Mount Tai begins with these very basic movements.
I performed the movements precisely.
I had watched their training for several days, and more importantly, dozens of men were performing the same stance right before my eyes.
Even if someone performed a stance incorrectly, there were more who did it correctly.
Thanks to that, I was able to maintain the proper form.
When the first day of training ended, everyone quietly dispersed.
I left as if I were one of them.
The next day, I participated in the training again.
The Iron Fists of the Eastern Fist Hall were divided into four groups according to their skill level.
There were the White Fists who wore white martial robes, the Blue Fists who wore blue, the Red Fists who wore red, and the Black Fists who wore black.
The ones I was training with now were the White Fists in their white martial robes.
Of course, one shouldn’t look down on them just because they were White Fists.
The very fact that they could enter the Eastern Fist Hall meant they were no low-level martial artists.
Was it a waste of time to train with the White Fists? Not at all.
In fact, it was better because I could build my foundation from the very basics.
My level of mastery was such that I could anticipate dozens of variations from a single small movement.
From the single basic motion of throwing a punch, I imagined dozens of scenarios and anticipated the variations.
The Four Divine Wind Steps and the form I was currently practicing merged in my mind.
Since the Four Divine Wind Steps had blended so perfectly with the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, it naturally achieved a fantastic harmony with the fist technique as well.
I was engrossed in my training, but the Fist Demon still seemed not to trust me.
I could read it on his face.
It won’t last.
Will you even show up for a month? A year?
Because he harbored such thoughts, he merely sent me looks of ridicule.
But his opponent was me.
The next day, I even asked a question.
“I have a question!”
Everyone was startled by my shout.
Come to think of it, I had never seen anyone ask a question during training.
They only ever performed the stances as they were told.
So, I was probably the first to ever ask one.
The Fist Demon was just as surprised.
He probably never imagined I would ask a question.
“In the Crouching Tiger Appears form, when rotating the right foot, to what degree is the left foot allowed to move freely?”
Everyone else kept their left foot completely fixed, but I thought it would be more effective if it moved slightly.
I could feel a stir from those around me.
Is this allowed? How dare he ask a question? How will the Fist Demon react? Will we get struck by lightning for this? I could sense all sorts of such emotions.
But surprisingly, the Fist Demon answered the question without any particular resistance.
“As long as your body is steady upon completing the final rotation, you need not restrict your left foot.”
At the Fist Demon’s clear answer, I performed the form as he instructed.
My left foot moved just enough to lift slightly, but this was to link to the next form as quickly as possible.
For now, we were practicing each movement separately, but in a real fight, continuous motion was what mattered.
For the first time, the eyes of the Iron Fists turned toward me.
They didn’t know it yet.
What they were witnessing was not a change in a form, but a change in the long-stagnant training of the Eastern Fist Hall itself.
I returned to the training grounds the next day, and the day after that.
I didn’t ask questions for the sake of asking.
I only asked what I was genuinely curious about, and when I did, the Iron Fists listened intently.
In a way, I was asking the questions they were also curious about but never dared to ask.
After training, some of the Iron Fists began to greet me.
After five days had passed, I was performing the forms with the most proper stance among all the Iron Fists learning there.
When training was over, there were even some who came to ask me about the movements.
It was the seventh day.
The official training had ended, but I remained behind and continued to practice alone.
I was being drawn into a new world led by the fist technique.
Putting aside my current circumstances, the act of learning the fist technique itself was enjoyable.
I felt the Fist Demon watching me, but I paid it no mind and immersed myself in the forms.
I focused only on the fist I extended.
What must this fist carry to shatter a cliff?
Finally, the observing Fist Demon spoke.
“What are you trying to do?”
“Did I not tell you that I wish to learn the Fist Technique from you, Fist Demon?”
“Do you really intend to become my disciple?”
“If you will have me.”
The Fist Demon flinched in surprise.
Never before had a son of the Heavenly Demon become the disciple of a Demon Sovereign.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. I have already received my father’s permission.”
“The Cult Master permitted this?”
“He did.”
This was the moment the Fist Demon realized my resolve was no joke.
“Do you know what kind of person I am and still say this?”
“I do not know you well. However, the moment you said your goal was to shatter a cliff, I think I became captivated by you.”
Half sincerity, half flattery.
“You think such pathetic tricks will work on me? Do you think this will make me support you as the successor?”
“You don’t have to. No, please don’t. I don’t know if you’ve heard the rumors about me, but my goal is to end this successor trial without shedding blood between brothers. That is why I am actually reassured that you are with my brother. Because you will stop him if he crosses the line.”
“Why do you think I would stop him?”
“Because you are a man who tries to shatter a cliff with his bare fists. You know better than anyone that the moment those fists are tainted by filthy schemes and plots, you will never be able to shatter that cliff.”
“!”
“I believe you are the only one who can beat some sense into my brother or me if we run wild, crazed by the fight for succession. If either of us tries to cross the line, please stop us. Beat us senseless with those fists.”
I did not avoid his displeased and fierce gaze.
You think you’re a man mad for martial arts? When it comes to being mad for something and forging a single path, I am no less than you.
The next moment!
The Fist Demon’s large fist was right in front of my face.
He had thrown the punch so quickly, yet there was not a sound of wind.
It was as if the fist had been there all along.
The sound erupted a moment later.
Hwaaaaaaang!
An incredible rush of wind sounded from behind me, and then…
Kwwaaaaang!
A large hole had been punched through the wall far behind me.
Incredibly, while his fist had stopped right before my face, the force had completely blown away the area behind me.
It was a truly magnificent and sublime technique.
The Fist Demon stared coldly at me, who hadn’t even blinked at the incoming fist, then turned and left without a word.
I stood in that spot and watched his retreating back.
The more you act like this, the more fiercely the flames in my heart will burn.
At the end of the path, the Fist Demon stopped.
“Starting tomorrow, come to the Blue Fists training ground.”