Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 85: Green Forest Bandits Subjugation (3)

Seojun and the Heavenly Wind Squad scaled the mountain briskly.

One might wonder how to find the relatively few Green Forest bandits in this vast mountain, but the Heavenly Wind Squad had Hwan Baeho.

“This way.”

It’s gotta be tracking magic, surely?

Seojun followed Hwan Baeho absentmindedly, chatting with the squad members.

“Isn’t it incredible? I’m amazed every time I see it.”

“So are we. Baeho struggled with martial arts in his youth, but once he found his calling, well, there was no stopping him.”

“Oh, really? He keeps insisting these are just basic tracking skills anyone could learn, but that’s clearly not the case.”

“Haha! Our friend’s always been too modest.”

The mood was light.

After some time climbing, Hwan Baeho halted, scanning the area.

“It seems the Hwangbo Clan will encounter them first.”

“Is that so?”

Seojun raised an eyebrow and closed his eyes.

Spread! His qi sense expanded rapidly in the direction Hwan Baeho indicated.

True enough, the Hwangbo Clan was already engaging the Green Forest bandits.

“Oh seems they already started fighting.”

Seojun opened his eyes while maintaining his qi sense. His golden eyes cut through the distant treeline.

Crackle!

A finger bullet began spinning at his fingertip.

The Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art would be better, but...

Its converging nature made it slow over distance. For long-range sniping, finger bullets were superior.

Seojun extended his finger, closed his left eye, and took aim.

Though invisible to the naked eye, his qi detection made the target clear as day.

The marksmanship of a decorated veteran who’d even received shooting awards would pierce the heavens.

In a perfect shooting stance, he held his breath and fired.

Bang!

The bullet tore across the mountainside.

“Bullseye! I’ll go ahead, follow at your own pace!”

Seojun dashed off.

“Move out.”

The Heavenly Wind Squad followed behind.

*The Hwangbo Clan’s Diamond Squad was struggling more than expected.

Though Hwangbo Jun had spotted the Green Forest bandits first, they used their familiarity with the mountain to their advantage, striking and vanishing repeatedly, slowly wearing down the Diamond Squad.

“You bastards...!”

Bright brown reinforced qi gathered around Hwangbo Jun’s fist. Despite his bulk, he shot forward with startling speed and swung.

Boom!

The mountain trembled from a single punch, yet his expression remained grim.

“Mere bandits dare...!”

“If we’re just mere bandits, why not let us go?”

A figure darted forward to meet Hwangbo Jun’s fist. The leader, Jang Geuk, wore a knowing smile.

“Now!”

At Jang Geuk’s signal, iron nets flew from the trees.

The Diamond Squad deflected them easily enough, but Green Forest bandits slipped through the gaps, weapons flashing.

Slash!

“Ugh...!”

The Diamond Squad was no pushover, they escaped with only shallow wounds.

However, this wasn’t the first time. The Diamond Squad was gradually tiring, and morale was dropping.

“Captain! I’ll send a signal!”

“Don’t! We’re more than enough for these scum!”

“But...!”

Ignoring his subordinate’s protest, Hwangbo Jun spread his arms wide and charged at Jang Geuk.

He had to admit, the bandit’s martial arts were impressive. But that was all. The Green Forest bandits’ techniques were still crude compared to the Hwangbo Clan’s refined arts.

Hwangbo Jun seized the incoming pudao and yanked, a savage grin spreading across his face.

“Die!”

His other hand shot forward, aimed at the skull, only for Jang Geuk to meet the incoming fist with a smile.

“Too obvious!”

As he was pulled, Jang Geuk twisted his body. He released the pudao and spun mid-air, evading Hwangbo Jun’s strike.

“Huh...!”

Hwangbo Jun tried to pull back in panic. Too late. Jang Geuk’s foot descended toward his neck with crushing force.

Dangerous. It wouldn’t be fatal, but the damage would be severe.

There wasn’t enough time to react.

“Damn it...!”

BOOM────────!!

Hwangbo Jun’s eyes widened as something streaked in from afar, knocking Jang Geuk’s foot aside.

A shot of terrifying precision. Who...? Hwangbo Jun reached out in confusion, but Jang Geuk had already pulled back.

Twisting mid-retreat, Jang Geuk glared toward the shot’s origin.

“Tch, cutting it close?”

Jang Geuk raised his hand and shouted, the Green Forest bandits ceasing their hit-and-run tactics.

“Run for it, you bastards!”

“Yessir!”

The Green Forest bandits vanished in an instant.

“Not so fast.”

At that moment, Seojun appeared high in the sky, drawing his sword.

Jang Geuk’s face contorted as he looked up through the dense branches.

“No...!”

Flaming Plum. A tsunami of fire descended.

“Aaaahhh...!”

“It burns...!”

“Save me......!!”

Five Green Forest bandits perished in that single move, their bodies consumed by flames.

Seojun landed gracefully, sword resting on his shoulder.

“Orthodox faction special. Ganging up... right?”

Jang Geuk ignored him, rushing to a burning bandit.

“Mansu!”

He frantically swept away the flames, but the bandit had already breathed his last.

After a moment of silence, Jang Geuk raised his head. Blood vessels burst in his eyes as he forced out words through gritted teeth.

“Everyone withdraw. This isn’t over. Head north, delay any pursuit.”

“Boss...!”

“Shut up and move!”

The Green Forest bandits quickly left the battlefield. Hwangbo Jun signaled to the Diamond Squad. They disappeared, chasing after the bandits.

Jang Geuk stood, clutching Mansu’s pudao. His bloodshot eyes bore into Seojun.

“What a shitty world.”

“Uh, well... Now I feel kinda bad.”

No joke, seeing that reaction made him hesitate.

Feels like I did something wrong.

As Seojun scratched his head, Jang Geuk’s lips twisted up. His eyes remained cold, creating an unsettling expression.

“What’s there to feel guilty about? This is just how the world works. If you really feel bad, how about letting me go?”

“No can do, can’t allow that.”

The Black Serpent gaining strength would be trouble. The Namgung Clan was a prestigious orthodox sect. Losing to the Black Serpent would mean their destruction.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.

Even if they weren’t bandits but innocent martial artists, they must be cut down to prevent future threats.

“I’ll make it painless instead.”

“How merciful...”

Boom!

Hwangbo Jun burst forth, fist swinging. Jang Geuk met it with his pudao, teeth bared.

“How inconsiderate!”

He sent Hwangbo Jun flying back and charged straight at Seojun.

His speed was remarkable. The qi coating his pudao demanded respect.

Seojun immediately wrapped his sword in reinforced qi.

Wang family blade technique. His sword met the pudao.

Clang!

“Eh?”

The sword was parried weakly. Surprised, Seojun bloomed plum blossoms all over his body.

But Jang Geuk, shrouded in protective qi, pressed forward relentlessly.

“You haven’t been at the Transcendent Realm for long!”

Jang Geuk’s teeth flashed as he swung his pudao. The qi gathered on it seemed manageable.

But how?

Seojun stepped back, hands forming seals.

Whoosh!

Primordial Sun-Moon Art. A massive explosion erupted, and Seojun rode the shockwave backward.

Jang Geuk cleaved through the blast, stubbornly pursuing.

The qi on the pudao was sharp, certainly. But nothing more.

My reinforced qi surpasses his in density, quantity, and quality.

Yet each clash left him at a disadvantage.

He had some idea. There was something Namgung Jincheon had said while teaching him swordsmanship.

Your martial arts are certainly impressive... but they may not be very effective against opponents of similar realm... Rather, they would be more effective against large armies...

Was this what he’d meant?

“I’m your opponent, bandit!”

Hwangbo Jun charged at Jang Geuk. Seojun soared upward on plum blossoms, gathering qi in his palm.

So what’s the issue? Too wide a range? Mental image? Intent?

The combined yin and yang distorted, forming a reverse taiji.

Rotate──────────

Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art. Jang Geuk’s eyes widened as he dove aside.

So the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art works against him, huh.

Seojun stepped back for a moment to observe the battle between Jang Geuk and Hwangbo Jun.

Bang! Boom!

Fist met pudao in explosive collisions, yet the surrounding area remained largely intact.

All force transferred directly between opponents, leaving no excess to damage the environment.

“Hmm...”

So in the end, it’s about the directionality of force, or concentration? It could be called the principle of focus.

Like the difference between a mage who excels against groups and a warrior specialized in one vs one combat.

But did that mean his own path was wrong? He didn’t think so.

Just add more, duh.

Jang Geuk seemed to channel force through pure blade insight rather than reinforced qi, but Seojun could take a different path.

If it works with a blade, it can work with qi.

Seojun pointed his sword at Jang Geuk. Lightning danced along the blade as he imbued it with the mental image of the sky.

Inner qi scatters less when channeled through a medium. He filled the sword with qi, then released it from his hand.

As the handle dropped, Seojun’s foot struck its end.

BOOM────────!!

The sword sliced through the air, targeting Jang Geuk’s head.

Jang Geuk deflected Hwangbo Jun’s fist with his pudao, using the momentum to dodge away.

His skill is undeniable.

Didn’t Chunbong say the leader’s talent was outstanding, if nothing else? She wasn’t wrong.

But talent ran deep on this side too, perhaps too deep.

Whoosh!

Hands clasped. The yin and yang in both hands unite to form taiji.

Primordial Sun-Moon Art. But this time, he applied the principle of focus to the chaotic sphere.

More precisely, rotation. A rapidly spinning taiji contained the spreading qi within.

“Review this, thanks!”

Seojun launched the sphere. Jang Geuk, having evaded Hwangbo Jun’s kick, slashed at it with his pudao, but—

EXPLODE──────!!!

An explosion erupted within a three-meter sphere, obliterating everything in its path.

“Are you trying to kill me, you bastard!?”

Hwangbo Jun, nearly caught in the blast, shouted, but Seojun ignored him.

“How was that?”

“Devastating...!”

Jang Geuk, covered in blood, ignored Hwangbo Jun and charged at Seojun.

Seojun drew all his inner qi from his dantian into his hands.

Elder Jongin and the Soul-Stealing Demon were also Transcendent Realm.

The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique and the Black Hand Great Demonic Palm, thinking back, while they covered wide areas, they were fundamentally different.

Jongin concentrated power into each plum blossom, and the Soul-Stealing Demon unleashed massive palm strikes with perfectly controlled qi.

They had simply been terrible matchups against Seojun, leading to their miserable defeat.

Is this how they did it?

He unleashed the Black Hand Great Demon Palm with the principle of focus, substituting primordial qi for demonic qi.

Boom!

Jang Geuk struck the giant hand-shaped qi.

“Ugh...!”

But a martial art unleashed with full power couldn’t be the same as one used while conserving inner qi.

Jang Geuk was sent flying, crashing into a tree.

“Hm. Good.”

Seojun kicked off the tree he was standing on and landed on the ground. He retrieved the sword he had thrown and looked towards where Jang Geuk had flown, hearing loud laughter.

“Hahaha...! Excellent! This shall be my grave then!”

Gulp, Jang Geuk swallowed something as his qi exploded outward.

Giant Spirit Divine Pill?

Seojun stared at him. Rumble! As his qi increased, an overwhelming pressure descended on the mountain.

As the Giant Spirit Divine Art and Giant Spirit Divine Pill synchronized, Jang Geuk’s spirit soared to dizzying heights.

Giant Spirit. A massive spectral figure seemed to materialize behind him.

Seojun grinned.

“Now you’re serious. You got me with another review? Thanks.”

“Review? What nonsense do you speak?”

Right. A bandit wouldn’t know English.

“Guess I’ll just get my own feedback~”

Yellow Cloud qi imbued his sword. His inner qi raged like a tempest, flooding his body with strength.

This was Seojun’s version of the Giant Spirit Divine Art, his interpretation of the Giant Spirit Divine Pill’s effect as a martial art.

Giant Spirit Divine Art vs Giant Spirit Divine Art.

He was getting real excited.