Chapter 36

## Chapter 36. Realization

The moment the old man reached out his hand, I kicked the table with my foot and pushed my body backward.

Crack!

The table broke into two pieces, and through the gap, the old man charged at me with the ferocity of an angry bear.

'As expected, but... it’s even more intense.'

While retreating, I said,

"Would you consider having a conversation before fighting?"

Instead of a reply, a rock-like fist flew at me.

Unable to take it, I also extended my hand.

Pak!

We exchanged over a dozen blows in an instant.

Our fists and palms, palms and fingers collided, allowing us to gauge each other's martial arts to some extent.

The old man's eyes widened in shock.

"Could this martial art be...!"

"Quite familiar, isn't it?"

At the moment the old man's expression twisted strangely, Bok Manchun's voice came from outside the tent.

"Master!"

"Don't come in!"

As I shouted, I gave the old man a hint.

The old man paused his attack with a troubled expression after a moment of contemplation, but he did not lower his guard, ready to strike at any moment.

I could sense Bok Manchun hesitating right in front of the tent. I spoke to him.

"Nothing's wrong. Why are you being so overprotective and embarrassing me?"

"...I just heard some unusual sounds from inside."

"There was a minor misunderstanding. Go to the wandering market and wait for me. You must be hungry, so buy something to eat."

"...When should I come to pick you up?"

In response to his request to set a time, I met the old man's fierce gaze and said,

"Don't come. If I don't return by morning, go back to Namchang and wait for me."

"...What about all that wealth?"

It was a serious joke, implying what would happen if I died.

I chuckled and said,

"Don't even think about taking it. It won't take more than a few days. Otherwise, your arm will be cut off."

I planned to return before the practical exam.

Bok Manchun cleared his throat awkwardly from outside the tent.

"Ahem. I was just asking. Anyway, I understand. If anything happens..."

"Are you not going?"

"I'm going. I'm going."

Bok Manchun's grumbling footsteps gradually faded away.

Only after his footsteps completely disappeared did the old man quietly speak.

"Who are you?"

As the old man intensified his aura, a formidable killing intent filled the tent.

'So, he was indeed the head of the Wei family.'

The Wei family.

One of the eight major families that supported the Blood Sect, known more for their metallurgy and explosive manufacturing than martial arts.

In particular, the head of the family was traditionally the greatest metallurgist of the Blood Sect, and the Blood Demon Sword, a sacred artifact of the Blood Sect, was also a creation of the Wei family.

"I am..."

I chose my words as carefully as possible.

"Someone in a similar situation to you."

"...A survivor, you mean?"

The old man asked with a hoarse voice.

About fifty years ago.

The Blood Sect, which had been fragmented for 'unknown reasons,' was completely destroyed by an attack from the Martial Arts Alliance.

The 'survivors' the old man referred to were those who had escaped and survived the Martial Arts Alliance's attack at that time.

Naturally, all the survivors of the Blood Sect were still registered as public enemies in the martial world.

"Perhaps a descendant."

"…Do you expect me to believe that just because you know a low-level martial art taught to the sect's junior warriors?"

The old man still remained wary.

The Martial Arts Alliance had used various methods over the past few decades to lure out the remnants of the Blood Sect to eliminate them.

'To make him believe me... I need to reveal something first.'

Having made my decision, I carefully peeled off the skin mask.

Squeak.

"This is my real face. A face even Bok Manchun doesn't know."

"..."

"If you still don't believe me, would you like to see one more thing?"

I slowly drew out Wolyoung and assumed a sword stance.

"If you can't recognize this, then I'll be the one to doubt you."

"..."

I slowly demonstrated the sword technique.

The sword, which had been moving slowly, gradually sped up and soon began to fiercely slash through the tent.

Rough and tenacious.

Persistent and vicious.

Unafraid of injury, it seemed to try to tear the opponent's throat out at any cost.

'The killing intent is indeed too strong.'

Even just demonstrating the sword technique made me feel as if the tent was soaked in the smell of blood.

After finishing the demonstration, I sheathed Wolyoung.

At the same time, a sigh escaped from the old man's lips.

"Blood Wolf Sword Technique... I haven't seen it in decades."

The Blood Wolf Sword Technique was a sword technique of the Blood Wolf Corps, the Blood Sect's elite martial force, divided into the first four and the last four moves.

Only those at the squad leader level and above could learn the last four moves, and I had just demonstrated up to the second move of the last four.

"Do you believe me now?"

"...What is your connection to the Blood Wolf Corps?"

"I heard that my late father was the deputy squad leader of the thirteenth squad of the Blood Wolf Corps."

While the Blood Wolf Corps was an elite martial force, it was unlikely that someone as high-ranking as the head of the Wei family would know a mere deputy squad leader.

As expected, the old man had no idea who I was talking about.

"I don't know who your father was... but you've been well-raised. My name is Wei Zhilie."

His voice softened, and his aura became less intense.

However, his suspicion had not completely disappeared.

Wei Zhilie looked at me sharply and asked,

"But how did you know I was the head of the Wei family?"

Based on the information I knew about the Blood Sect, I crafted a plausible story.

First, I offered a sincere apology to my father,

"...My late father often spoke of you, the head of the Wei family, as the greatest metallurgist in the world. He said that the swords you made never broke on the battlefield, and when your swords entered the martial world, they caused bloodshed as people fought to possess them."

"Hmm. Your father flattered me. It wasn't that great."

Though he said it wasn't true, the corners of Wei Zhilie's mouth were already curling up in satisfaction.

"Once, I saw you from a distance, and he said he could never forget the intense impression you left. Especially the tattoos all over your body."

"Tattoos?"

I looked at the various tattoos on Wei Zhilie's robust body.

They were covered with images of dragons and tigers to avoid being tracked by the Martial Arts Alliance, but in fact, they were all weapons like swords, sabers, and spears.

Each tattoo had a story behind it.

"I heard that you only tattooed the weapons you considered treasures among all the weapons you made in your lifetime. But that dragon on your left shoulder... isn't it the Blood Demon Sword, a sacred artifact of the Blood Sect? I heard you had it tattooed with the resolve to create a better sword someday."

"..."

After a moment, Wei Zhilie looked down at his left shoulder and then turned to look at me.

"Truly a clever child. To find the trace of the Blood Demon Sword in this dragon tattoo."

"Anyone who knows the story could deduce it."

"If anyone could, I would have been captured by the Martial Arts Alliance long ago."

Wei Zhilie put aside all his suspicions towards me.

He smiled bitterly and said,

"Would you like to have a conversation for a while?"

We talked about the Blood Sect, which had fallen fifty years ago.

The Blood Sect, which had been attacked and destroyed by the Martial Arts Alliance not long after my master and I died.

Wei Zhilie was one of the few elders who remembered it, and I also remembered that era, so our conversation flowed well.

'Wei Zhilie. You've aged a lot.'

While talking, I recalled the face of the young Wei Zhilie.

Back then, he was quite cheerful and lively, but due to his hardships, his personality had become more serious, and his face had changed a lot.

'He was a rare decent man among the heads of families.'

He didn't kill people indiscriminately and had little interest in anything other than metallurgy, so he didn't get involved in the dirty politics within the sect.

...Somehow, he managed to survive until now.

Meeting an old acquaintance from the past gave me a strange feeling.

However, the past was just the past, and I didn't feel much sympathy.

When I thought the atmosphere had sufficiently softened through our conversation, I brought up the main topic.

"By any chance, is the commission related to the Blood Sect?"

After a moment of contemplation, Wei Zhilie sighed deeply and bowed his head.

"I can't say it's unrelated..."

A short while later, he looked up at me with a solemn expression and asked,

"I have a request. Please kill my grandson."

* * *

A few days later.

I was wandering through an unnamed mountain with Wei Zhilie.

"We're almost there."

"I think I've heard that at least ten times now."

"Tsk. Can a young man like you really lack patience?"

"I've already mentioned it several times, but my practical exam is only a few days away."

"We're really almost there. It's just taking longer because we have to disable and reset the formations as we go."

The target of the commission was trapped deep in the mountains, surrounded by formations, and we had to disable and reset them one by one, which slowed us down.

I estimated the time left until the practical exam.

'To return before the practical exam starts, it's going to be quite tight.'

I calculated that I needed to complete the commission and return by the end of today to avoid being late for the exam.

After wandering through the forest for about an hour, Wei Zhilie's steps came to a sudden stop.

"...We're here."

We stopped on a hill.

Below, a small thatched cottage was visible, and next to it were two mounds.

"These are the graves of my son and daughter-in-law."

Wei Zhilie said that his son and daughter-in-law had lost their martial arts during the escape from the Martial Arts Alliance's attack and had died after a long illness.

"Stupidly, they lost their dantians trying to protect me, the head of the family."

Standing beside him, I could see the sorrow on Wei Zhilie's face.

Next to the two mounds, the target of the commission was sitting.

A boy who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen.

"And this child is my grandson. I raised him by giving him scraps of food... even though he never got to see his parents properly..."

The boy was sitting between the two mounds.

A small bird had perched on his hand and was chirping, and the boy was smiling and talking to it as if the bird were a friend.

"This is Wei Zhitian. I can confidently say he is the most talented martial artist in our family's history."

Wei Zhilie's expression gradually twisted in pain.

"That's why... in my grief over losing my son and daughter-in-law, I taught this child too harshly. I was blinded by a false sense of revenge..."

The boy, who had been chatting with the bird, gently stroked it and then softly cupped it.

The bird continued to chirp cheerfully.

"Then I didn't realize... that the child was falling into demonic possession..."

"Demonic possession?"

The bird's chirping turned into a painful cry. It seemed to be desperately trying to move its small body and beg to be released.

At that moment, the boy smiled and released the bird.

The bird flew up from the boy's palm, trying to escape.

The boy's hand drew a very gentle arc,

Pfft!

The bird's corpse exploded in mid-air and fell to the ground.

The boy, covered in blood, grinned and began to sing to lure a new bird.

I watched the scene with a stiff face.

"Even after realizing this, I couldn't bring myself to kill him with my own hands. And now... I can't kill him even with my current abilities."

"...Whose martial art did you just demonstrate?"

My voice sounded ominous, and Wei Zhilie asked with a puzzled expression,

"Why the martial art... Do you recognize it?"

Realization.

That was a martial art I had created.