Chapter 156: Masters Grace (2)

Chapter 156: Masters Grace (2) Oh Hyun-seok's eyes snapped open. "Ugh! Huk!" The pain was so intense, he momentarily lost consciousness. 'What just happened?' The last thing he remembered was his master, Azure Tiger Saint, appearing before him and raising his fist. 'Ah, I see.' Oh Hyun-seok quickly understood the situation. He passed out during sparring. Its not surprising. It was the usual kind of sparring they always did. '...But something feels off.' However, he felt puzzled by a strange sense of dj vu. By now, Azure Tiger Saint should have appeared with his hearty laughter, turning Oh Hyun-seok into minced meat. Kwaang! Then, in the distance. He saw one side of the training ground's mountain crumbling. Blue and white rays of light are flying back and forth atop the mountain. The white ray seems to be desperately trying to escape the blue ray. 'Ah, that explains it.' Oh Hyun-seok then fully grasps the situation he had just experienced. 'It was right after reaching Qi Building with Seo Eun-hyun, wasn't it?' That mustve been it. Right after entering the Qi Building stage with Seo Eun-hyun. His master, Azure Tiger Saint, had cheerfully suggested celebrating their rise to Qi Building by sparring, and Oh Hyun-seok had been thoroughly beaten until he passed out. 'Phew, truly a terrifying strike.' The mere thought makes his body shudder. But hes intrigued as he watches the two glowing entities demolishing a mountain peak and flying in the sky. "How is Seo Eun-hyun managing to hold up like that under Master's training?" This world has already become familiar to him. He had perfectly learned the language, culture, and constellations. Even cultivation methods, which seemed like strange make-believe from fantasy novels, have long become second nature to him. He had long understood the realms of Qi Refining, Qi Building, and others. However, understanding them only made Oh Hyun-seok more puzzled. "Wasn't that guy only entering Qi Building with me?" Kugugugu! Once again, another mountain peak crumbles in the distance. Kugugugu! Within the white ray of light, a figure extended a hand towards the blue ray. The white force emanating from the hand was what collapsed the mountain. An incredible power! 'He's far more talented than I am.' Oh Hyun-seok recalled his master's words, saying his own talent of reaching Qi Building within a year is an impossible feat under normal circumstances. But he shakes his head, thinking. "True talent lies in that guy. What kind of talent do I have?" The talent to reach Qi Building in less than a year. The talent to unleash a strike of the Nascent Soul stage with the body of Qi Building in less than a year. It's clear which one is superior. "He was always diligent at the company too. It seems like he found his talent after coming here." He recalls Seo Eun-hyun at the company. Certainly, he was a man of few words, but he was a junior who always tried his best at everything. The guy who I took care of has become While Oh Hyun-seok is reminiscing about his time at the company. Kwaang! A burst of blue light explodes. From a distance, a white beam of light falls beneath the mountain. And, before Oh Hyun-seok can react, light flashes again. Azure Tiger Saint, surrounded by blue energy, appears in front of Oh Hyun-seok. "Oh no, youve been waiting. Seo Eun-hyun, that kid, was showing a lot of interesting abilities, so I got a bit excited and ended up focusing on him." "Haha... he's a talented guy, so it wouldnt hurt to watch him a bit more" "Nonsense. Theres no favoritism among my disciples! Don't worry! I'll make you strong too!" "Just a moment" Kwaang! And before he could say anything else. Azure Tiger Saint's fist slammed into Oh Hyun-seok's stomach. Oh Hyun-seok immediately vomited blood and lost consciousness. Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily, raising his fist. "Such excellent disciples. Don't you worry. Both of you possess tremendous talents, but even if you were the dullest in the world, humans are creatures with the potential capable of anything. As your master, I will never give up on you and will teach you no matter what." Azure Tiger Saint grabs one of the unconscious Oh Hyun-seoks legs and begins dragging him somewhere. "Its been about a year, so the training ground should be completed by now. With their talents, now that they've reached the Qi Building stage, its time to start training them to confront nature with their human bodies." Azure Tiger Saint, smiling broadly and eyes shining, notices Seo Eun-hyun trying to get up in the distance. And before Seo Eun-hyun can regain his senses. Azure Tiger Saint charges at him and launches a punch towards Seo Eun-hyuns head. Kwaang! Seo Eun-hyun vomits blood and faints again, and Azure Tiger Saint drags the feet of both disciples towards the training ground. "Kyaaaaah!" Kwooooom! A massive surge of water sweeps all around. Oh Hyun-seok screams towards the tidal wave rushing towards him and thrusts out his fist. Kugugugugu! From his fist, trained in the Azure Spirit Starlight Quintessence Great Method, a blue light spirals, creating a dragon fist wind. Kwaaaaaah! The dragon fist wind shot from Oh Hyun-seoks fist pierces through the tidal wave. "Haaaaah!" Kwooooom! As he shouts, his momentum pushes the surrounding water currents away in all directions. But he does not relax his vigilance. He gasps for breath while keeping an eye on his surroundings. Then, Azure Tiger Saints voice echoes from all around. [Five Colors Substitution. White Lung, Metal.] Kiring, kiriririring! Simultaneously, the sea surrounding Oh Hyun-seok suddenly starts to harden. Along with it, the hardened sea extends spikes in all directions like thorns. "Krugh!" Oh Hyun-seok hastily leaps into the air. Chwajwajwajwang! Metal! Metallic spikes stretch out in all directions, chasing after Oh Hyun-seok. Chachang, chang! From afar, a white light sweeps through, sending the metallic spikes flying. 'Is that Seo Eun-hyun over there? I need to regroup with him first.' But before Oh Hyun-seok can make a decision. Azure Tiger Saints voice is heard again from all around. And when their clash reaches its climax. Kwaang! The Azure Tiger Saint's punch pushes aside all of Oh Hyun-seok's attacks and strikes him directly. Oh Hyun-seok's body explodes. Kugugugugu! Simultaneously. Kwarururung! A blue thunderbolt descends from the sky, striking Oh Hyun-seok's body. "Heh, hehehehe! Hahahaha!" The Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily. Shiiii... Oh Hyun-seok walks out from within the smoke. "Congratulations! Reaching Core Formation in just 10 years! This is an unbelievable speed of cultivation. Even natives of the Bright Cold Realm take at least 50 years to reach this stage." Oh Hyun-seok smiles sheepishly. "It's still slower than Seo Eun-hyun." "Well, that kid's talent is on an unbelievable level too." Azure Tiger Saint laughs heartily. Oh Hyun-seok joins in the laughter, thinking of Seo Eun-hyun. In just 5 years. Seo Eun-hyun has already reached Core Formation and moved on to training in the Starlight Protecting Void Body after mastering the Five Elements Enduring Origin Scripture. "Now that you've reached Core Formation..." "Another spar?" At Oh Hyun-seok's words, Azure Tiger Saint grins. "Of course! Seo Eun-hyun! Where are you?" Shortly after. Seo Eun-hyun, in a white radiance, flies in. Kwoong! Seo Eun-hyun lands in the training ground and emerges from the brilliance. Oh Hyun-seok swallows hard. Can I win this time? Under Azure Tiger Saint, the two continuously sparred against him. But oftentimes, Azure Tiger Saint made them spar against each other. And the result was always Oh Hyun-seok's defeat. He has never won against Seo Eun-hyun. I have no grudge against him, but... Kuuuk.... He had lost more than a thousand times already. At this point, its a matter of pride. In the company, it was always me teaching him. But here, Im the one always learning. The situation was the same even when exchanging punches with Azure Tiger Saint just now. He faced Azure Tiger Saint using the Fighting Monster Traceless Fist created by Seo Eun-hyun. Over the past 10 years, Seo Eun-hyun had taught Oh Hyun-seok not just fist techniques but also the 'art of fighting.' "Congratulations on reaching Core Formation." "Hahaha! Right, thanks. Now that I've reached Core Formation, let's spar again." Oh Hyun-seok clenched his fists as he spoke. To that, Seo Eun-hyun just smiles slightly. "You're not yet a match for me." Oh Hyun-seok looks at Seo Eun-hyun. "Length and shortness are known only through comparison, arent they?" 10 years. For 10 years, they were both hammered by Azure Tiger Saint, fought together, and sparred. Yet, Oh Hyun-seok still couldn't defeat Seo Eun-hyun. Nor could he fully comprehend him. Despite the days filled with struggling to survive Azure Tiger Saint's training, there came a time when they stood face to face, exchanging punches with each other. It's said that when people are close, they can sense each other's feelings. However, he has never once felt any emotion from Seo Eun-hyun. 'After coming to this world, something changed in him.' It wasn't a physical change. It was something mentally. He became a completely different person. The somewhat clueless but diligent and occasionally smiling junior, Seo Eun-hyun at the company, never showed that demeanor again after coming to this world. Though he sometimes smiled, that smile lacked the previous innocence, and whenever Oh Hyun-seok looked into his eyes, it felt like staring into an endless abyss. And more than anything. Since arriving in this world. Seo Eun-hyun had never once sought Oh Hyun-seok out separately. 'At the company, we used to have coffee and chat during breaks.' It was mostly Oh Hyun-seok listening to Seo Eun-hyun's worries. But since they came here, he hadn't come for advice or casual talk. He spent every spare moment training or poring over manuals, engaged in something. This isn't the person he once knew. When people suddenly change, theres always a reason. The spar begins. Taatt, tat! The two clash. Three exchanges. Within three exchanges, Oh Hyun-seok is immediately subdued by Seo Eun-hyun. "I have won." Seo Eun-hyun spoke with an emotionless face, twisting Oh Hyun-seok's arm behind him. However. Kugugugugu! Blue light burst from Oh Hyun-seok's entire body. "It's not over yet!" Oh Hyun-seok thinks to himself. 'He's gotten stronger. But at the same time, he's changed too much. So much that Id mistake him for a completely different person.' Paang! Releasing an immense force, Oh Hyun-seok frees himself from Seo Eun-hyun with sheer strength and looks at him. 'Since he wont tell me why hes changed so much, I have no choice. Kuuuuung! On each of Oh Hyun-seok's arms, the illusion of a blue dragon swirls. The dragons circle his arms briefly before seeping inside. Paaaat! A pair of blue wings sprout where the dragons entered on each arm. 'He may be emotionless, but he definitely occasionally shows feelings when fighting with Master. If so "Azure Spirit Starlight, First Wing!" 'If I become as strong as him, and properly compete against him, maybe I can truly understand him...!' With that resolve, Oh Hyun-seok, to his once junior, vowed to hear Seo Eun-hyun's heart and charged towards him, kicking off the ground. Translator Notes: Here comes the second batch! Donated chapter by Wasabi. Thanks for the support! *** Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried Link to donations in the discord!