The Martial God with Psychic Powers

Ho Cheon, having returned to his camp, said to Yuk Gwang,

“Hwangyong won’t be easy.”
“Looks that way. Then should we start by toppling the other Eastern High Divisions first?”
At Yuk Gwang’s suggestion, Ho Cheon glanced over at the other students from the Eastern region.

Unlike the North, it didn’t look like they’d been fully secured yet.
If the balance of power tipped just a little more, they looked like they’d collapse at any moment.
“Their will doesn't seem very strong. Looks like they don’t realize something, do they? That all of Mushincheon is watching this battle right now.”

“Yeah, it seems like they don’t care how this ends at all.”
“Meanwhile, our side’s kids are brimming with morale. The very idea of losing this fight is absurd. Congratulations in advance—first place in Mushincheon High Division.”
At Yuk Gwang’s remark, Ho Cheon gave a dry chuckle.

“Then shall we begin, runner-up of Mushincheon High Division?”
“Let’s do it!”
 

****
Shouts echoed from all directions.
“Uwaaaagh!”

“This side’s completely broken!”
“Damn it! Cheongyong High Division fled!”
“Jakyong’s been wiped out!”

“Baekyong’s nearly annihilated!”
Bad news came from every corner.
This wasn’t something they had accounted for.
It wasn’t enough for just Hwangyong to perform well.

By the time they came to their senses, all the Eastern High Divisions—except for Hwangyong—had been subdued by the North.
Northern students now surrounded the Hwangyong students in a wide circle.
Ho Cheon stepped forward and addressed the Hwangyong students.

“The tide’s turned. Is there any point in continuing this?”
Yang Gang shouted,
“You think we’ll kneel just like this? Hwangyong still stands!”

“Look around you. There’s no way Hwangyong alone can handle this many. You’ve lost. Stop now. If you push further, only your students will get hurt.”
As Ho Cheon’s persuasion continued, the Hwangyong students began to waver.
They couldn’t overcome this disadvantage with their strength alone.

To make things worse, the Northern students were consuming elixirs to recover their stamina.
Meanwhile, Hwangyong had nothing of the sort prepared.
The enemy had truly come fully prepared for everything.

Yang Gang looked around at the Hwangyong students.
They all had the same expression—the look of someone who wanted to stop.
It meant defeat had already taken root in their hearts.

Fighting further was meaningless now.
And yet, he couldn’t surrender so easily.
Because of Yeon Woo Jin.

He had promised to bring him victory.
What face would he have left to show his lord?
He had been too arrogant.

Even though the enemy was stronger, they had still prepared thoroughly.
What had he done?
As his cultivation progressed, he had fallen into complacency.

Overconfidence had been his downfall.
The students who served Yeon Woo Jin clenched their teeth.
But the situation wasn’t favorable.

No matter how hard they tried, it was too much to overcome.
A truly hopeless situation.
And then—

“The Western Region is here!”
With a sudden roar, a mass of students surged in.
From the opposite side—

“The Southern Region has come to aid the East!”
Voices rang out from all sides, leaving everyone stunned.
Especially Yuk Gwang, who looked shocked.

“What the—? The South I can understand, but the West?”
He had assumed talks with the West had broken down since there’d been no word from them—but had it actually gone well?
Maybe the lack of talk meant everything had gone smoothly?

In an instant, the numbers were reversed.
But the Northern students didn’t think they had lost.
If the opponents were from the West and South, they thought they could still handle it.

The Eastern kids had already run off; the West was even weaker than the East, and the South was the weakest of all the four regions.
Ho Cheon looked slightly surprised.
“You’ve got more allies than I thought.”

He hadn’t expected reinforcements from the West and South.
Ho Cheon laughed.
“Well, this works out. Let’s crush the West and South too and prove we’re the strongest in all of Mushincheon!”

“YEAHHHH!”
The morale of the Northern students soared to the heavens.
Their faces showed absolute confidence in victory.

They all surged forward toward the students of the Western and Southern regions.
The Western students held their ground surprisingly well.
That was unexpected.

But the difference in cultivation between the North and the West was too great.
They began to get overwhelmed almost immediately.
If the West was collapsing like that, there was no need to even look at the South to know what was coming.

Ho Cheon glanced at Yang Gang and said,
“What now? They came all the way to help, but they’re not really helping.”
To that, Yang Gang gave a faint smirk.

“You sure you can say that after watching what’s coming?”
What did he mean?
Ho Cheon turned his head in the direction Yang Gang was looking.

It was toward the students from the Southern region.
And then—
“Crush them all!”

“Show them our strength!”
THUD-!
BOOOOOM—!

“Guaaagh!”
“Guhh!”
With terrifying momentum, the Southern students were tearing through the Northern forces.

More precisely, it was the Baekyeong High Division students from the South.
At the front of the charge, Sunwoo Baek and Jang Woon were cutting down Northern students like scythes through wheat.
“What the hell? What is that?”

Ho Cheon stared in disbelief.
Baekyeong’s charge against the North was no joke.
That was no trivial force.

So that’s what the South had been hiding?
Could it be?
Was that why they had kept such close contact with the South?

To bring in Baekyeong?
It all made sense now.
Why they had invested so much in the supposedly weakest region.

It was because Baekyeong was strong.
“They got us good.”
He had never even considered the South could be this powerful.

And the two leading the charge, cutting down Northern students—
They were no small threat.
Ho Cheon’s expression hardened.

“Yuk Gwang. Looks like the tide has turned.”
Yuk Gwang didn’t respond.
It felt like ashes had been dumped into a bowl of perfect rice.

“I’ll take care of those two. You take the kids and subdue the others. Looks like once they’re dealt with, the rest will scatter like headless chickens.”
Yuk Gwang nodded at Ho Cheon’s order.
That was the best course for now.

Ho Cheon drew a bladeless sword.
Chwang—.
It was the first time he’d drawn a sword since entering the High Division.

That meant he acknowledged Jang Woon and Sunwoo Baek.
He acknowledged them—but still looked down on them.
That he planned to take them both on alone made that clear.

Ho Cheon hurled himself toward Jang Woon and Sunwoo Baek.
The two noticed him charging straight at them.
Jang Woon looked to Sunwoo Baek.

“Think you can take him?”
Sunwoo Baek nodded and dashed forward to meet Ho Cheon.
Seeing Sunwoo Baek charging at him alone, Ho Cheon’s face twisted in contempt.

How lightly must he be regarded to be challenged alone?
With a terrifying scowl, Ho Cheon swung his sword at Sunwoo Baek.
Fwoosh—.

CLANG—!
But the attack didn’t land properly.
Sunwoo Baek had deflected it with a glancing movement.

And in that single exchange, Ho Cheon felt it—
This man was not beneath him.
Unbelievable.

That there was a master in the Southern Region comparable to himself—
Was that why the South had grown so strong?
Ho Cheon began swinging his sword again.
“Chambaek Yeongeom!”

Shweaaak—!
With a ripping sound that tore through the air, the blade surged toward Sunwoo Baek.
But Sunwoo Baek's body left a blur as he dodged the strike.

It was the Graceful Divine Footwork of the True Heaven Supreme Fist (Jincheon Tae-eul Kwon).
Had Ho Cheon still underestimated him?
That slight gap in his stance revealed it.

And Sunwoo Baek was not the type to overlook such an opening.
He dashed in with blinding speed.
Whoosh—!

As a gust of wind stirred, Ho Cheon's eyes widened in realization. He tried to pull away.
Too late.
Sunwoo Baek’s right fist had already driven into his abdomen.

“Tae-eul Heaven-Shattering Palm !”
Shhhrrkkk—!
“Guhah!”

Ho Cheon rapidly drew his inner force to his abdomen to disperse the shock, but the blow still hit hard.
It was no wonder. Tae-eul Heaven-Shattering Palm was one of the final three techniques of the True Heaven Supreme Fist, known for its devastating power.
Cough—!

Blood sprayed from Ho Cheon’s lips—he’d sustained internal injuries.
But Sunwoo Baek didn’t let up for even a second.
He knew that if he missed this chance, the battle would only grow more difficult.

“Tae-eul Meteor Fist !”
The fastest and most relentless of the final three techniques.
Thupapapapap—!

Sunwoo Baek’s fists landed in a flurry, each strike leaving afterimages as they battered Ho Cheon.
Bshhshhh—!
Already weakened by the previous hit, Ho Cheon couldn’t defend properly against the rapid barrage.

Wham! Wham! Wham!
He took every blow of the Tae-eul Meteor Fist head-on, unable to dodge a single one.
Fwish—!

Clang-clatter—!
Ho Cheon was sent flying and crashed hard into the ground, rolling across it.
All of this was the result of his arrogance—assuming his opponent was weaker than he was.

Sunwoo Baek’s level was Extreme Apex, Sixth Star.
Not far from his own.
Even at full strength, the match would’ve been tight. But Sunwoo Baek had charged him alone, and pride had made him take the boy lightly.

That arrogance had led to this.
The shock from his injuries twisted his internal meridians. If he tried to forcibly draw up his qi now, he risked falling into Qi Deviation (Juhwaipma).
He needed to calm his inner force and recover the damage to his organs.

But Sunwoo Baek didn’t give him the time.
Wmmm—.
A white sphere began forming in Sunwoo Baek’s palm.

It was his strongest move: Tae-eul Energy Release Art .
Ho Cheon saw it and gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand.
Better to fall into Qi Deviation than lose in such disgrace. He forcefully drew up his internal force.

Wmmm—.
But his body couldn’t handle it.
Cough!

He spewed not fresh blood, but ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) dark, clotted death-blood—and collapsed.
The qi he forcefully raised backfired.
Dark, bulging veins surfaced all across Ho Cheon’s body.

The early signs of Qi Deviation.
Left alone like this, he would truly fall into madness.
Sunwoo Baek, about to release the Tae-eul Energy Release Art, saw Ho Cheon's condition was abnormal.

He withdrew his qi and moved in to help.
At that moment, Yeon Woo Jin appeared.
Without a word, he picked up Ho Cheon—and vanished.

Sunwoo Baek, seeing this, let out a quiet breath and turned to assist the others in battle.
The chaos of war was so overwhelming that no one noticed Ho Cheon had disappeared.
 

****
“Guhhhh!”
Ho Cheon groaned in pain.

Yeon Woo Jin placed a hand over his dantian.
Ho Cheon’s internal state was in total ruin.
If it wasn’t addressed quickly, he could lose his martial arts forever—or even become a cripple.

That wasn’t acceptable.
Yeon Woo Jin had been watching Ho Cheon for a long time.
He wasn’t about to let a talent he’d marked for himself slip away.

His energy flowed into Ho Cheon’s body.
At once, the rampaging energy within began to still, as though gripped by fear.
Yeon Woo Jin’s qi quelled the madness, suppressing the chaos and healing the shattered meridian paths.

The grotesque veins faded, and Ho Cheon's face gradually returned to normal.
Even his ragged breathing began to steady.
Time passed.

And then—Ho Cheon opened his eyes.
Startled—.
A place he had never seen before.

Just a moment ago, he’d been fighting someone from the South.
But where was he now?
And who was this in front of him?

Then he saw the uniform.
That insignia—
It was the crest of Baekyeong, from the South.

“A Baekyeong bastard, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Where are we? Why am I here?”

“You collapsed after being struck.”
The memory returned.
He had forced his internal power too far, and then it had gone out of control.

And now?
He felt fine.
Even his internal wounds were gone.

He checked his condition again and again, astonished.
Had Hua Tuo himself come to heal him?
This hadn’t seemed like something that could be cured so easily.

More than that—since he had left the battlefield, how had the situation played out?
The North had probably lost.
If even Sunwoo Baek had joined the fray, the Northern students wouldn’t have stood a chance.

He was angry.
It was all because he’d been careless.
He shouldn’t have grown arrogant.

He couldn’t bear to face his own students.
“Sigh…”
A deep breath escaped him.

It was probably all over by now.
And he had been defeated.
No excuses.

Claim Qi Deviation voided the match?
The moment he said that, all of Mushincheon would mock and bury him.
Then he saw Yeon Woo Jin.

“Who brought me here?”
“I did,” said Yeon Woo Jin.