Those who sin should be punished.

It was close enough to natural logic that there was no need to judge this idea as being right or wrong.

However, the reason why it has always been a subject of discussion, from ancient times to this very moment, was because an agreement on the appropriate level of punishment was never reached.

In that sense…

‘Even those who aren’t humans are given free rein.’

Jong Pal groaned lowly.

“This is…”

The moment he was about to express his slight dissatisfaction, a sharp response came back.

“Did you talk?”

“Are your eyes open?”

“Still breathing?”

“…”

He clenched his arms and shrugged at the words someone else was mumbling.

‘Isn’t this punishment too severe for the crime I committed?’

But he couldn’t even protest back.

Reason? Well, it was simple. Around him now, he, who once commanded a large group, could only see the muscular arms of big brothers! It was because there were a lot of people around.

Dark skin tanned by the sun.

Stout physique.

And broad shoulders with a rough face.

There was no reason not to doubt whether these disciples from a most prestigious sect were actually bandits who came down from their mountain.

To those who watched the Shaolin competition, this was a familiar sight, but this was still a shock for Jong Pal, who had just arrived at Shaolin the day before.

‘Are these people bandits who don’t touch mountains?’

At this point, the battle would start, and the bandits would slowly spread across the world and increase their presence.

Furthermore…

“Rolling your eyes? I will fucking pull them out.”

“You should thank the heavens that this is Shaolin. If it was Mount Hua, do you think you would have remained alive? You would have been buried under a plum tree.”

“The more I think about it, the angrier I get! I will roll you down from the topmost peak of Mount Hua!”

Toughness in this greenery. Jong Pal wiped his tears and bowed his head.

‘How did it end up like this?’

As soon as Hong Dae-Kwang came to Shaolin, he threw Jong Pal in the middle of these beastly monsters and didn’t even look back!

How can a man be this irresponsible? Still, if he is an elder of the Beggar’s Union, shouldn’t he be protecting him, a beggar?

What?

Isn’t he being too ignorant?

Uh… that is…

Jong Pal let out a low sigh.

‘Anyone with a sense of responsibility wouldn’t have become a beggar at all.’

Even if they had become a beggar, they would find another way to live well.

Just like that young bastard there.

Jong Pal’s eyes trembled violently as he watched something.

The three… no, Chung Myung was literally holding his opponent as if he was watching a dog.

“This bastard is trying to run away?”

“Eikkkkk!”

His opponent was terrified and tried to run away, but Chung Myung kept going after him, trying to scoop him up.

A ridiculous scene of one man hunting and another chasing after the light of freedom.

A look of disappointment crossed the face of Jong Pal.

‘This isn’t some kind of drama.’

They were currently watching the Heavenly Martial Arts Competition. This was the last leg of this competition.

In other words, it meant that those who had survived the current competition were the most powerful right now. So, each of them had to be strong.

“From where did this man come onto the stage and swing his fan? Huh! Come on!”

“T-this…”

“I never liked this from the old days! What? Fan technique? Fan technique! How cheeky can you be to use a fan against me?”

A fan made of white feathers is the signature of the Zhuge clan, which was now soaring in the air, and Jong Pal shook his head looking at this.

‘That ignorant bastard.’

The method of the Zhuge Family Sect, which talks about One Under the Heaven, works against all the monsters in the world.

It was an eight-point fan technique that put the Zhuge family sect within the Five Great Families, along with their other fan techniques, which made people sweat, but even that wasn’t good enough for that bastard to be taken down.

‘What the hell happened in the last three years?’

The Cho Sam that Jong Pal remembered was an ordinary beggar with no strength. But what happened for one person to change so much in just three years?

‘Did he pick up and eat the heart of an Imoogi?’

If so, then that Imoogi must have been a corrupted one for him to turn like this.

“The head! The head!”

“Acck!”

The sheathed sword of Chung Myung went for the head of Zhuge Song.

Zhuge Song grabbed his own head with both hands and threw himself onto the ground.

“I heard that the Zhuge Family has good heads! Let’s see if it is fine enough even after it gets hit! Lower your arms! I will break your arm if you try to defend any longer!”

“Ahhh! My arm! My arm!”

“Uh? That was stopped too?”

Jong Pal could no longer watch this tragic sight and finally turned his head.

‘Kangho is regressing.’

The Zhuge Family was known for their tactics and footwork techniques, but they were able to make a name for themselves in this world because of their superior intelligence.

However, at the moment, the so-called mind of the Zhuge Family was collapsing in the face of Mount Hua. This was quite a symbolic scene.

And those who watched this were looking at it with ridicule, not admiration.

“… is this really happening?”

“Still, with that name…”

A spar refers to the time when the abilities of both sides were shown. In that sense, this spar was long over in a normal sense.

All that remained was for Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon to defeat his opponent. And the only people who accepted this situation were the disciples of Mount Hua.

“Quickly give up.”

“This is a matter of pride over pride1. You choose between the two. Either your head is broken, or your pride is.”

“Isn’t the latter better?”

“It seems like the rumors of the Zhuge Family being all brains is shit. Thinking of fighting with that monster, sigh.”

The disciples of Mount Hua were shaking their heads and clicking their tongues.

Others say that Mount Hua was radical, but Mount Hua was never like that. Their aggressiveness was only the result of their desperate efforts to survive from just one bastard in their sect.

In order to claim to be a genius, one must have the ability to grasp the situation ahead of them. Apparently, Zhuge’s disciple here has failed to inherit the wisdom of his ancestors.

And the result?

Quite simple.

Thud!

Zhuge Song fell down on the spot. He had fallen to the floor, and white steam was rising from his head.

“Still, you know, I am a gentleman to you because you are a scholar.”

Chung Myung was mumbling as he walked down the stage.

The disciples all looked at Chung Myung with happy faces.

“Everyone must be tensed.”

“This is impossible. That guy has left everyone behind.”

Chung Myung was proving his overwhelming strength which was no different from proving the strength of Mount Hua.

And that fact brought hope and sadness to the disciples at the same time.

The hope was that as long as Chung Myung led, they could overthrow everything. And the sad thing was that, no matter how hard they tried, the day would come when this bastard would kill them with weird training.

Right now, even the famous disciples were being smashed like a dry leaf being crushed. How can they overcome Chung Myung?

All they can do is sit down and turn into wet leaves sticking to the ground.

“Then, who is the next one to be taken to the infirmary?”

“And the second problem…”

The disciples of Mount Hua turned their heads and looked at one place.

“… why are you all looking like that?”

“N-No reason…”

“It is fine. It is fine. We have done well till now.”

Jo Gul pouted at the eyes of everyone.

“But I can win.”

“Hahaha. Sure, sure.”

“Well, firstly, let’s see who samae is fighting.”

At the words which said that his victory was uncertain, Jo Gul stood up agitated.

And Yoon Jong smiled while grabbing his shoulder,

“Gul.”

“Uh?”

“No matter how hard you try, it doesn’t make any sense. If you really think so, then you will have to prove it yourself.”

At those words, Jo Gul’s eyes lit up,

“You are right, sahyung! Then I will go!”

“Right. I believe in you.”

Motivated, Jo Gul grabbed the sword on his waist and went to the stage.

And Chung Myung began to sit down as he looked at the empty chair.

“You did well.”

“It wasn’t much. But the next one is Jo Gul sahyung?”

“Right.”

“And the opponent?”

“Uh….”

Yoon Jong smiled brightly,

“Shaolin’s Hae Yeon.”

“Ah. Should we go eat?”

“…”

Chung Myung didn’t seem attentive to Jo Gul at all. And at such a response, Baek Cheon asked,

“But, Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“Is the difference that large?”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon glanced back to the stage and said,

“Of Course, Jo Gul isn’t super strong, but I don’t think he will be unilaterally defeated by Namgung Dowi or Jin Geum-Ryong.”

Besides, aren’t there many people who recognized the skills of Jo Gul and referred to him as one of the Five Swords?

“Ah, Jo Gul sahyung? Ah… hm, strong. Um.”

Chung Myung spoke in a low voice,

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“… then?”

“Strength is a relative matter.”

Chung Myung shrugged as he watched Hae Yeon make his way up the stage.

“And that cannot be used here.”

“…”

“You will understand if you see.”

Chung Myung’s eyes were fixed on Hae Yeon.

“Phew.”

Jo Gul standing on the stage, took a deep breath and clasped his hands.

“Jo Gul of Mount Hua.”

He bowed his head after.

“I am Shaolin’s Hae Yeon.”

A soft and small voice of the man in a yellow robe. A voice that wouldn’t scare anyone.

Jo Gul looked at that and frowned.

‘On the outside, he doesn’t look strong at all.’

Of course, he wasn’t going to downplay his opponent because of this. It was the same with Chung Myung. He, too, didn’t look strong.

Rather, it was Jo Gul who knew through experience that such feeble-looking ones were the most dangerous ones.

But what could be said?

‘This feeling is different.’

Hae Yeon was different from the other warriors he had met. Yes, to be precise, it felt heterogenous.

Since he came to Shaolin, he had seen quite a few monks, but none of them felt like Hae Yeon.

Rather than being calm, he seemed closer to being shy. Wasn’t he already looking down with a red face as he received the burdensome attention of the crowd?

“… can we start?”

“Uh? Ah… yes… Amitabha Buddha. S-sure!”

“…”

Jo Gul shook his head.

‘Chung Myung has recognized him as a strong person, so he must be incredibly strong.’

He wasn’t the only talented person who was recognized by Chung Myung, but when Chung Myung talked about Hae Yeon, his voice turned serious.

That meant that this guy was the next strongest in the competition after Chung Myung. But instead of being brave like that, he didn’t even look strong.

Jo Gul took a deep breath and pointed his sword forward.

‘It doesn’t matter how strong the opponent is.’

As long as he could handle his sword perfectly, he could win against anyone.

“Then here I come! Ahhh!”

Jo Gul yelled and rushed forward.

His opponent was strong. But now the opponent looked frozen. And he wasn’t going to miss this chance!

Before the opponent gets used to this situation, he needs to win…!

Meanwhile, as Jo Gul raised his strength and rushed forward, Hae Yeon looked a bit shocked, but then he reflexively extended his hand out.

‘Such clumsy technique… uh?’

Woong!

Jo Gul wanted to attack, but the body of Hae Yeon was dyed in a golden light, and then came the sound as if a thousand bees were flapping their wings at the same time.

And the golden light surrounding Hae Yeon exploded.

“Uh?”

Kwaaang!

Like water suddenly bursting out of a small hole, the golden light crossed the stage and even reached in front of the crowd watching the spar.

Kwaaang!

“…..”

Everyone who witnessed this was shocked.

“T-that…”

Rumble!

It felt like everything in the surroundings could collapse.

No, it was more correct to say it would collapse. The vortex that that fist was embracing engulfed the entire building.

The closest items were torn to shreds, gathered in the center, and then bounced away in all directions as if a bomb had just exploded.

Rumble!

The entire building behind them collapsed in an instant.

With just one punch.

“…”

Jo Gul, who was watching this scene with an open mouth, trembled.

Hic!

‘This is… if I got hit?’

Cold sweat was trickling down his back, and he looked at Hae Yeon with a puzzled face.

“I-is it fine? I was too embarrassed….”

Ah. Who turns people to dust because they are embarrassed?

Uh.

For real…

A delightful smile crept onto Jo Gul’s lips.

‘Save me!’

Another monster appeared in front of me.