Chapter 136:

Chapter 136:

Special Martial Arts Chapter 2

It seemed that neither Qingcheng nor Emei had decided who would step forward, as they continued to exchange glances.

“If no one intends to step forward, please disperse now,” declared Mu-jin confidently. After a long period of hesitation, a Taoist from the Qingcheng Sect stepped forward.

“I am Feng Yun, the second-class disciple of Qingcheng Sect.”

He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties.

“Qingyun Defends Against Evil!”

“The Qingcheng Sect seems determined!”

Although this character did not appear in the novel, the spectators’ reactions indicated that he was a well-known master.

– Be careful. As you may know, this Taoist reached the third round of the Yongbongji Conference last time.

Mu-jin, who was unaware of this, received this warning from Tang So-mi through a telepathic message. The Yongbongji Conference is a martial arts tournament held every ten years. Advancing to the third round (quarter-finals) in the previous conference meant that ten years had already passed since then. Considering the changes that can occur in a decade, this opponent was quite dangerous.

However, Mu-jin did not pay much attention to Tang So-mi’s advice and greeted Feng Yun with a bow. Though he found the formal fist greeting slightly awkward due to his habit of performing the half-bow often used in the novel, he managed.

“I am Kang-hyuk.”

Feng Yun frowned at Mu-jin’s greeting and asked, “...Which sect do you belong to?”

“You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s not a sect based in the Central Plains.”

“Still, tell me.”

“I hail from a distant eastern land, from the Special Martial Arts School.”

“Special Martial Arts... you say?”

Feng Yun looked puzzled.

‘Of course, he wouldn’t know. I just made it up.’

The name wasn’t completely fabricated; it was derived from the Special Forces. The techniques Mu-jin intended to use in this duel were practical martial arts he had learned during his time in the Special Forces. He had used these techniques against Mu-gung in the past and also during Yeon Ga-hee’s seventieth birthday celebration against Ryu Seol-ho’s bodyguard.

‘Since it wasn’t used in the Yongbongji Conference, no one will know.’

While Mu-jin was lost in his thoughts, a peculiar expression appeared on Feng Yun’s face—a mix of relief and complacency.

‘He thinks it’s an unknown school, huh.’

Mu-jin didn’t mind. If his opponent underestimated him, it would make things easier.

‘He’ll come to his senses after a few hits.’

“Let’s start, shall we?” Mu-jin asked.

“Very well.”

Feng Yun drew his sword in response to Mu-jin’s question. Observing Feng Yun’s posture, Mu-jin turned slightly to the side and assumed his stance. To effectively deliver punches and grappling moves, his hands were half-clenched, with his left foot and left hand forward and his right hand and right foot back. He slightly bent his lower body for flexibility and leaned his upper body slightly forward, ready to tackle at any moment.

It was the most basic stance often seen in mixed martial arts matches. In reality, the martial arts taught in the South Korean Special Forces, ‘Special Martial Arts,’ were based on Hapkido and Jujitsu, with additional training for handling military weapons like combat knives and entrenching tools. Despite the long-established training regime, modern martial arts techniques were being incorporated into it.

As Feng Yun took note of Mu-jin’s unusual posture, an unfamiliar stance from an unknown school made him uneasy. Still, despite his underestimation, he did not let his guard down entirely. After all, he was there to secure the sect’s interests and had accumulated some experience by his thirties.

Feng Yun of Qingyun Defends Against Evil. He mastered Qingyun’s Red Mist Sword, one of Qingcheng Sect’s unique skills, earning his title by killing numerous evil practitioners. His sword began to move, and a blue sword aura emanated like mist.

“Practicing external energy techniques means these scratches are nothing.”

The sight of Mu-jin’s imposing physique and his dismissive words left the Qingcheng martial artists speechless. The surrounding atmosphere was already in favor of Mu-jin.

– It’s fine. We’ve gauged his martial arts. Our Emei Sect will handle it from here. Amitabha.

The Emei Sect nuns communicated telepathically to the Qingcheng elders.

“Ahem... We accept defeat.”

“Then, Emei Sect will challenge next. Kang-hyuk.”

Though it was clear what Qingcheng and Emei had discussed, Mu-jin readily accepted the challenge.

“Fine.”

He preferred resolving disputes with fists rather than words.

As soon as Mu-jin agreed, an Emei Sect nun stepped forward.

“I am Gye-ryun, the second-class disciple of Emei Sect. Amitabha.”

“I am Kang-hyuk of Special Martial Arts School.”

As they exchanged greetings, Mu-jin analyzed his opponent.

‘She’s unarmed, indicating they’ve devised a strategy.’

Emei Sect was known for its swordsmanship despite being a Buddhist sect. But this opponent was barehanded, suggesting she intended to use Golden Locking Hand techniques to target pressure points during the grapple.

However, they misunderstood one crucial fact: Mu-jin’s weapon wasn’t only external martial arts and submission techniques.

The duel began, and Mu-jin took a step forward. Rather than a long-range confrontation, he opted for close combat.

As soon as Mu-jin feigned a tackle by lowering his upper body, Gye-ryun, as expected, attempted to use Golden Locking Hand to target his pressure points.

But instead of grabbing her knees as he had done before, Mu-jin pulled back and threw

a light left jab at Gye-ryun’s face.

In modern terms, it was a fake tackle followed by a left jab.

Although Gye-ryun barely managed to block Mu-jin’s left punch, she quickly found herself overwhelmed by a barrage of light but powerful jabs from Mu-jin, both left and right.

Though they appeared light, Mu-jin’s immense strength and internal energy made them devastating. Gye-ryun’s defense began to falter. Desperately, she tried to escape by using her footwork, but Mu-jin relentlessly pursued her.

Bam!

Her defenses finally collapsed, and Mu-jin’s left punch landed squarely on Gye-ryun’s face.

With that single blow, the duel ended. Though he had pulled his punch to avoid killing her, Mu-jin’s formidable strength was still overwhelming.

Silence enveloped the area as Mu-jin stood victorious against the second-class disciples of the Nine Great Sects with unheard-of martial arts from an unheard-of school.

However, regardless of the surrounding atmosphere, Mu-jin gazed at the nun lying unconscious on the ground and cracked his neck.

“Next.”

In the cold silence, the only sound was the faint cracking of his joints.