Book 1 Chapter 14

The merciless Tri-Form Beatdown Fist

The blue sky shone with a posture that seemed to plunge people into it, spreading out clear and deep.

The cold, transparent stream flowed down leisurely along its path, making a refreshing sound without any hesitation.

Sunlight, filtering through fragments of pure white clouds floating in the sky, shattered on the surface of the transparent stream, creating thousands of golden fragments. As if responding, a refreshing breeze embraced the world on this clear afternoon. The weather was clear, and the power seemed to maximize the vitality of life, but by the water's edge where the sun was shattering, a different situation was unfolding, unrelated to this beautiful weather.

"Splish, splash."

"Ugh. No, no. This isn't it. What in the world is this?"

This was not what she had expected at all. But the ideal she had dreamed of before coming here had long since scattered uselessly like dust sitting on a closet. Her arms were numb, and her back ached. A terrible pain, as if her shoulders would dislocate, assaulted her mind through her fine nerves. Her slender arms, legs, and waist continued to send danger signals to her mind, and her mind had long since turned into a kaleidoscope processing all those danger signals.

Her left hand held laundry placed on a flat rock, and her right hand tightly gripped an unusually shaped washboard. This washboard, a different dark, dusky color from ordinary ones, was made of iron-clad steel, capable of crushing a rock in one blow. Despite its size, this steel washboard weighed a staggering 50 jin, a ridiculously arrogant item. Perhaps because of that, her hands holding the washboard had been trembling since the beginning.

Her name was Dang Mun-hye, a daughter of the Dang family of Sichuan, nineteen years old. She was a girl in her prime, both physically and mentally. Born into a martial family, she entered the martial arts at the age of seven, taking up the sword, and honed the basics of martial arts for three years. From the age of ten, she wielded a whip, and thereafter began to receive training in whip techniques and assassination arts from the Dang family members.

At the age of fourteen, after a sixteen-year-old only son of a renowned martial arts family made a derogatory remark about women, saying, "A woman should stay at home and cook and do laundry," she beat him like a dog and then hit him again, leaving him half-dead. At sixteen, her skills stood out among the young men and women of the Dang family of Sichuan, earning her the right to receive secret arts from the family, despite being a woman. She came to possess the Dang family's secret poisonous arts, known as "non-human transmission."

And at eighteen, she applied to the Heavenly Martial Academy, a coveted institution for anyone in the martial world, and, breaking through intense competition, was proudly admitted, surprising many. Entering the Heavenly Martial Academy as a woman was impossible without extraordinary effort, talent, and skill. And her performance in the middle evaluation of her second year at the Heavenly Martial Academy ranked her in the upper echelon, leading to her participation in this joint training.

She yearned to become even stronger, and thus she had participated in this joint training with great expectations, as her skills were said to improve dramatically after attending it. To become stronger…

And then, suddenly, laundry? What kind of absurd, bone-chilling absurdity was this? For her, who dreamed of becoming the greatest female martial artist, was it merely laundry? Was it any different from asking the King of Hell to save her life?

"Thwack, thwack, thwack! Splish, splash, splish, splash!"

"Mun-hye, the laundry will burst. Hit it a little softer."

Seeing Dang Mun-hye beating the laundry as if to vent her anger, Dan Mok-su, a fellow laundry worker, worried about the bursting laundry and stopped Dang Mun-hye.

"Do I look like I can hit it softly? I'm already furious enough to die."

Furious to the point of explosion, Dang Mun-hye irritably yelled at Dan Mok-su.

"Still, you have to endure it. What else can you do? You endure."

"Is this a situation where I can just grit my teeth and endure? Su-su, aren't you angry at all? We've been doing nothing but laundry for over ten days, nothing but laundry!"

"Oh my, just laundry? We did a lot of other things too."

Dan Mok-su kindly corrected Dang Mun-hye's slip of the tongue.

"Ugh, I'm just speaking metaphorically. Besides, what else did we do? Stringing beads, picking herbs, chopping wood like men – wasn't it all just menial labor? What does any of that have to do with martial arts training that we're forced to do all these menial tasks? And we had to do all of it while wearing these ridiculously heavy iron weights on our hands and feet. We came here to learn martial arts, not to do hard labor. Understand? My whole body aches and my bones are crumbling!"

Dang Mun-hye poured out all the accumulated dissatisfaction within her. Experiencing her long-cherished expectations crumbling in an instant, she had become extremely sensitive to everything. It seemed she had a mountain of accumulated dissatisfaction.

"I hurt too. I'm hurting just the same. My arms are trembling, and my whole body is aching to the point of madness. But it's much better than before, right? At first, we couldn't even move properly."

Dan Mok-su spoke with the heart of a mother coaxing a crying child.

"It's fine if training makes my body tired. In fact, that's what I wanted. But this isn't it. I can't stand my body being overworked by such menial labor."

Dang Mun-hye's narrow eyes widened, and a chilling aura flickered in her black pupils. Dan Mok-su felt an eerie chill emanating from her.

'She must be really angry. She's like a boiling kettle, that girl.'

Thinking that a murder might easily occur if Dang Mun-hye wasn't calmed down, Dan Mok-su cautiously spoke again.

"Oh my, but we're not the only ones doing laundry, are we? Others are doing the same thing. Miss Jin is also cooking upstairs! Miss Namgung and Seol-ok are with her too."

Jin Ryeong, Miss Jin from the Ami sect, one of the Seven Phoenixes, and Namgung San-san, Miss Namgung from the Namgung family, were preparing meals, and Hwa Seol-ok from Huashan was also cooking with them. So, she urged Dang Mun-hye to calm down and stop being upset. However…

It seemed to be insufficient to calm her rage, as Dang Mun-hye's complaints continued. The flames of her anger had not yet subsided.

"But at least that's cooking. That's better than this. What is this laundry, so unsightly? If it's the same kind of menial labor, that's much better. We're not maids, so why are we doing laundry?"

Hearing Dang Mun-hye's complaints, Dan Mok-su spoke with a cautious expression.

"Oh my, Mun-hye, that's because you burned the rice black when you took the cooking test and made the soup salty… *cough*!"

Dan Mok-su's cautious (?) words were immediately interrupted by Dang Mun-hye. She yelled and stopped her as she brought up an embarrassing past event.

"Be quiet, you burned the side dishes too! Under the pretense of stir-frying vegetables that were so chopped they were unrecognizable!"

Dang Mun-hye's harsh words began to make Dan Mok-su angry. She had kindly explained the reason for their current predicament, enduring hardships, but instead of gratitude, she was met with such an embarrassing outburst… However, anger alone couldn't worsen the situation. For now, she decided to endure.

"Oh my, even if I didn't learn to cook at home, you don't have to reprimand me like this when we're in the same situation! If you keep complaining like this, how will you handle the consequences? Have you already forgotten what happened to Young Master No?"

At the mention of Young Master No by Dan Mok-su, Dang Mun-hye flinched. Her body stiffened with momentary fear and dread. The scene of that day was still vivid before her eyes, the unforgettable blood of that day. What if something like that happened to her…? Just the thought sent chills down her spine, her legs trembled, and goosebumps erupted on her arms.

No Hak, the direct disciple of the Beggars Sect, nineteen years old. Male.

The day that incident occurred was their fourth day since arriving here. The person who told them to call him their master seemed a bit, no, very eccentric for some reason. On the first day, the master gave them ridiculously heavy iron weights. That was fine, but then the so-called master said that due to an unavoidable accident, they couldn't receive the joint training subsidy from the Heavenly Martial Academy. Then he said he needed money to teach the disciples and demanded they pay immediately. Of course, he said it indirectly, but the conclusion was the same.

It was outrageous. It was truly absurd. They had ridden horses from the Heavenly Martial Academy to the entrance of Mount Emei. Mount Emei and the Heavenly Martial Academy were quite far apart, so they rode horses to save time and energy.

After arriving here, they decided to sell all the horses, as they wouldn't need them for several months. At that time, Geum Yeong-ho was in charge of negotiating the sale, and his skill was so great that they were able to make a rather high price. It was a satisfactory transaction for both sides. It was a moment when the business skills learned at home proved effective. Thanks to that, everyone's income was quite substantial.

However, the filled pockets were short-lived, and soon all was lost. They sold each horse for over ten taels of silver, so they collected at least 160 taels of silver. Moreover, they didn't just take the money from selling the horses. The so-called master took more than two-thirds of the money that children from wealthy families had given them as they were going far away. The only reason given was that money was not needed for cultivation.

He said that money was a treacherous thing that blurred people's eyes and disturbed their minds, hindering cultivation, so it was best not to carry it. He casually collected everyone's money and trinkets. But they had no room to argue. The words were not wrong. They had come here for martial arts training and cultivation, and the person taking their money was, although somewhat suspicious, someone who might make them stronger.

Geum Yeong-ho was the one who lost the most. That was understandable, as he was the only son of Geumho Trading Company, which ranked among the top one or two in the business world. Even the clothes he wore showed a clear difference from others. He wore expensive purple silk, difficult to obtain, with a magnificent golden tiger embroidered with gold thread on the sleeves, and a shining jeweled golden belt around his waist.

A flamboyant scabbard decorated with gold and jewels hung from the belt, and a precious sword with golden tassels was sheathed within. The only pity was that his face didn't match it, creating a strange discord with the purple silk fabric, which was said to be a color that suited noblemen. When a tall, handsome young man wore it, there was no color more fitting and elegant, but for someone like Geum Yeong-ho, who had a slightly chubby face, it was as good as poison, a color to be avoided.

Regardless, everyone except Geum Yeong-ho agreed that he looked incredibly expensive. Geum Yeong-ho had everything confiscated except his clothes and sword. The more he had, the more he lost. The amount was easily more than four times that of others. The only ones who did not, or could not, pay separately besides the money from selling horses were Hyeon Un of the Mu Dang sect and No Hak of the Beggars Sect. The Mu Dang sect valued frugality as a virtue, so other than travel expenses, Hyeon Un gave no money. No Hak was literally a beggar by profession, so there was nothing to take from him. Dang Mun-hye clearly remembered the master's unusual gaze as he looked at those who had nothing to offer. Although she didn't fully understand the meaning of that look.

Did the master who collected – or rather, extorted – their money teach them anything properly? Not at all. The very next day, the things they did were so embarrassing they could hardly be put into words.

On the second day.

The fake master, Bi Ryu-yeon, summoned them to the training ground behind the joint training facility. Bi Ryu-yeon's face was beaming, his smile unceasing. It was because the previous day's earnings were not insignificant.

"I won't say much more. From today onwards, we will begin the full training process. Everyone, pay close attention. Understand!"

"Yes, Master!"

A thunderous voice filled the training ground. However, none of the sixteen of them knew that a hell far worse than hell was opening its mouth wide and enthusiastically welcoming them. That was their misfortune.

First, Bi Ryu-yeon chose the meal duty. He decided to select from the female disciples, stating that meal preparation was a woman's duty. At this time, Dang Mun-hye, a formidable woman from the Dang family of Sichuan, one of the contenders, burned all the rice completely, making the farmers who had painstakingly cultivated the grains weep tears of blood. Dan Mok-su, a daughter of the renowned Dan Mok family, after chopping the precious side dishes into pieces so unrecognizable that their form and existence were unknown, and not satisfied with that, burned all the remnants and fragments, obliterating any evidence of their existence in this world. It was a waste of rice and side dish money.

Bi Ryu-yeon became enraged and rebuked them, purely out of regret for the burnt rice and side dishes. Dang Mun-hye's excuse when reprimanded for her mistake was also laughable:

"I just got confused about whether it was rice or water first and made a mistake!"

This further bewildered everyone. Dan Mok-su, who was being reprimanded alongside her, quietly exercised her right to remain silent, embodying the old saying that if you keep your mouth shut, you'll at least get by. It was truly a commendable act. In any case, Dang Mun-hye and Dan Mok-su failed the test and were relegated to doing laundry by the stream.

After various twists and turns, Jin Ryeong and Namgung San-san, who seemed to have received bridal training somewhere and impressed everyone by making edible food, and Hwa Seol-ok were chosen for meal duty. The other two women, Hwangbo Ok-yeon and Mo Yong-chwi, had to roam the mountains to pick edible herbs. This was Bi Ryu-yeon's idea to save on food costs.

For Bi Ryu-yeon, who had endured dizzying expenditure, saving was the only way. Save one, save two, save three. And next? It was naturally "exploitation."

Bi Ryu-yeon explained in detail the edible and non-edible plants to Mo Yong-chwi and Hwangbo Ok-yeon, gave them a few herbs as samples, and sent them to the mountain to pick herbs. Dang Cheol-yeong of the Dang sect was assigned to accompany them as a guide and competent herb collector.

As a direct descendant of the Dang family of Sichuan, famous for poisons and assassination arts, Dang Cheol-yeong had an exceptional knowledge of poisonous and medicinal herbs and their uses. Therefore, he was sent with them to pick herbs along with herbs. Of course, the collected medicinal herbs were planned to be sold to pharmacies and clinics in the village. However, picking herbs was not an easy task.

Is Mount Emei a difficult mountain? It is a difficult mountain, occupying a prominent position among the five famous mountains of the Central Plains. Moreover, they were wearing iron weights weighing 50 jin each on their wrists and ankles, making it impossible to move even an inch, let alone walk properly. It was not easy to climb a steep mountain path carrying a burden of 200 jin in total. Dang Cheol-yeong and the two women had to crawl and inch their way around the mountain. Because of this, the harvest on the first day was almost nil. Simply returning safely was a commendable achievement.

This situation was the same for the meal duty and laundry duty members. Due to the weight of the iron weights on their wrists, the side dishes were severely chopped under the tyranny of a precarious kitchen knife – the expression "mangled" would be more fitting – so proper cooking was impossible in such circumstances. Naturally, the dishes turned out in a very strange state.

It was a miracle that the cutting board maintained its form, so one could imagine the situation. The cutting board, which had lost its function while preserving its form – its surface was cracked all over and looked impossible to use twice – was useless for anything other than firewood. Still, they deserved praise for creating edible food despite such adverse conditions. However, they did not receive praise.

Not only edible food, but anything that was made had to be eaten, no matter how bizarre or terrifying its form. In fact, it was a profoundly inhumane torture. The act of eating food was not an act for survival, but rather an act for dying. Those who survived without dying deserved praise for their tenacious life force. It meant it was that terrible. Of course, Bi Ryu-yeon would not have praised them in such a situation. After eating, Bi Ryu-yeon had to prepare his own meal separately, leaving them to struggle to avoid dying.

Especially Bi Ryu-yeon ate silently, his expression as bitter as if he were chewing on a bitter wood. For the tender-hearted women who watched him, how anxious must they have been?

Still, Namgung San-san tried to offer comfort while eating the food prepared by Jin Ryeong and the other meal duty members, saying, "It's very delicious. I'd like more!" whether she was sincere or just flattering, she didn't know. She tried to ignore the piercing gazes around her. She couldn't help but blush, but what could she do?

While the female disciples were in this state, the male disciples did not have an easy day either. In fact, because they were men, they had a harder and more arduous day than the women. The task Bi Ryu-yeon assigned to the men was simple, brute force labor. The first task Bi Ryu-yeon ordered was to go up the mountain, gather wood, and then chop it.

But it wasn't easy. There were only two axes, and these axes themselves were ridiculously heavy, each weighing at least 100 jin. They were already struggling to handle the weight of the iron weights on their wrists, so they worried about whether they could even hold an axe properly.

By drawing on all their internal energy and using every last ounce of their strength – "pre-celestial qi," to use a learned term – they could barely lift the axes and go through the motions of chopping wood.

Men, as men, and women, as women, had to use not only their full strength but also any remaining strength they had before they were born to accomplish even a tiny fraction of the tasks Bi Ryu-yeon demanded. As a result, on the first day, everyone only completed one-third of their assigned quota and target, and the remaining quota was postponed to the next day – Bi Ryu-yeon was not someone who would simply stop there if it wasn't finished that day – so the work for the next day piled up.

The next day, both male and female disciples had to endure hellish muscle pain as a consequence of the previous day's labor. They experienced the same agonizing pain that Bi Ryu-yeon had to endure a few years ago. Just one day of such strenuous labor rendered nearly twenty years of training and refinement meaningless.

Martial arts are not learned simply by reading a secret manual, swinging a sword once, throwing a punch once, or stamping a foot once. One must constantly train to build a body that can withstand the training and the forces of martial arts, and also accumulate the power of heaven and earth within the body through continuous qi circulation and mental concentration. Therefore, the path of martial arts is a continuous process of bone-grinding perseverance and effort. Yet, they, who had walked the path of martial arts, could not endure just one day of labor. It was a moment when twenty years of cultivation became meaningless, and it was their first experience of frustration.

That evening, Bi Ryu-yeon gathered them all and assigned them the task of stringing beads. While teaching them the bead stringing that he still continued as a side job due to his master's pressure, he showed them the same demonstration his master had shown him. Like his master, he could throw twenty beads into the air and, in an instant, pierce all the beads with a silver needle through their small holes. Bi Ryu-yeon had long since been able to create a necklace of beads with a single throw.

Such a difficult demonstration was bound to amaze everyone. It was a skill that absolutely no one could do. Everyone seemed truly amazed. Bi Ryu-yeon found the exclamations of admiration so sweet. He savored the feeling, wondering if this was how his master felt when he looked at him with wide, astonished eyes.

Finally, everyone tried bead stringing, but not a single person could pierce even one bead with the silver needle. The most psychologically shocked person was probably Dang Cheol-yeong from the Dang family of Sichuan. Dang Cheol-yeong was very surprised after trying bead stringing himself.

Who was Dang Cheol-yeong? He was a direct descendant of the Dang family of Sichuan, born as the third son of the main family. The Dang family was renowned throughout the martial world for poison and assassination arts. No sect or martial artist dared to discuss poison and assassination arts in front of them, fearing for their lives. Everyone cherished their own lives, so they always spoke and acted cautiously. The Dang family's knowledge of poison and assassination arts was so profound, and their skills were recognized by everyone in the martial world.

Among the Dang family's premier secret techniques, recognized as the best in the martial world, assassination arts were undoubtedly the most prominent. Assassination arts, along with poisonous arts, were undeniable major contributors to the existence of the Dang family of Sichuan today.

So, what is the most important skill for learning assassination techniques? It is excellent eyesight and fast hand speed. Of course, the internal energy imbued in the assassination weapon is also important. If the internal energy is insufficient, the lethality of the assassination weapon will decrease, and then they will have to rely on poison or medicine. This would be a disgrace to a Dang martial artist. They took pride in using poison and assassination arts separately.

It was because they did not engage in the despicable act of applying poison to small, insignificant assassination weapons that the martial world recognized the Dang family as a reputable orthodox sect. Therefore, the training of eyesight was essential for learning assassination arts.

Of course, Dang Cheol-yeong himself boasted that he had gone through all the training processes. One must be able to read characters written on a flying chopstick, as well as characters written on a rotating disc, before being given the opportunity to handle assassination weapons. This was when they could truly handle assassination weapons. Before that, the Dang family had strict rules that prohibited even going near assassination weapons.

The rapid hand movements, essential along with excellent eyesight, were achieved through consistent training. Of course, the Dang family also developed various training methods to further improve their assassination techniques, to achieve even faster hand speed and faster movements, and are still continuously researching and developing them. For him, a direct descendant of the Dang family, to be unable to pierce even a single bead thrown into the air was an unprecedented disgrace.

Still, thanks to his training, he seemed slightly better than others. Many disciples couldn't even see the shadow of a hole. Dang Cheol-yeong, having received specialized training in assassination arts and eyesight, could perceive the center of the spinning bead, albeit faintly, not clearly.

But what good was it if his eyes could follow it? His body, or rather, the hands attached to his body, could not keep up. The iron weights on his wrists, like shackles, clung to him and hindered him. However, even with the limitations on his hands, failing to succeed even once was still shameful.

This feeling was surely the same for his sister, Dang Mun-hye. Shame that made one want to bite their tongue and die… He could only console himself by thinking that she must be feeling the same as him.

Thus, the first day of full-scale training, which began with various arduous tasks – it was only called the first day of full-scale training. Although everyone deeply doubted that fact – came to an end. Fortunately, everyone was still alive.

"Huh, still alive? Was the intensity too weak? You can look forward to tomorrow. Today was too weak. It was just a taste!"

This one sentence, from Bi Ryu-yeon, caused the 16 members of the Vermilion Bird group, sprawled out like wet rags, to feel chills run down their spines. As a result, the entire Vermilion Bird group had to seriously contemplate the choice between personal suicide today and being murdered tomorrow.

The next day was indeed a world of hell and muscle pain, as predicted. The third day, the fourth day, and the next day were all the same. Everyone deeply felt the meaning of "every day is a long day." Each day lived through the hellish muscle pain felt as long as a thousand days. Their patience was gradually crumbling.

On the evening of the third day of training, as the sun was still setting behind the mountain ridge…

Finally, No Hak, a beggar from the Beggars Sect and one of the sixteen disciples, reached his limit. Beggars are not people who suppress their temper and live. They are beings who stir things up as they please. To put it nicely, they are free, and to put it badly, they are impatient. Here was one such exemplary beggar, whose name was No Hak.

Unable to bear the merciless life any longer, No Hak finally exploded. He threw down the axe he was holding, jumped up, and began to vehemently protest to Bi Ryu-yeon. He had suppressed a lot, so his voice was loud. He shouted at the top of his lungs, raging at Bi Ryu-yeon, as if to tear his ears off.

From Bi Ryu-yeon's perspective, this was a heavenly and earth-shattering event where a worthless disciple, like a broken bowl, was defying his heavenly master.

"I can't stand it anymore! How long do we have to do these menial tasks? What is this? We didn't come to this training center deep in Mount Emei to do this kind of useless menial labor! What we want is martial arts training, not this kind of pointless drudgery! Do you understand? I won't do any more menial labor, even if I'm beaten to death! If you continue to make us do menial labor without teaching us martial arts, I'll quit this joint training and go back to the Heavenly Martial Academy!"

After pouring out all the suppressed resentment, No Hak felt a sense of relief as if his chest had been opened. He thought the start was good, at least… but what would happen next, he didn't know.

"Oh ho, are you defying me now?"

A disciple's defiance… Bi Ryu-yeon's heart ached at this intriguing situation. Perhaps because of that, the tiny blood vessels on Bi Ryu-yeon's forehead began to swell. He seemed very angry. Yet, he still had a smile on his face, which was even more terrifying. In any case, it was unforgivable. It was absolutely an unforgivable act. In the past, no disciple who defied their master ever ended up well.

"Yes, I am defying you. I can no longer accept this. Are you going to teach me or not?"

Even though it had only been a few days, No Hak showed no sign of backing down, as if he had so many grievances accumulated.

"You want to learn martial arts?"

Bi Ryu-yeon's eyes narrowed. His gaze began to shine in an unusual way. As he watched in silence, Bi Ryu-yeon thought that this beggar kid, No Hak, showed not even a speck of respect for his master. As Bi Ryu-yeon watched the disciple defy his heavenly master, many thoughts flashed through his mind.

'Do they train all beggars like this in the Beggars Sect? Are all beggars in the Beggars Sect like this? Is being a beggar an excuse? That kind of person needs to be beaten. He'll come to his senses if he gets hit a couple of times. Yes, he should be beaten.'

Bi Ryu-yeon provisionally decided on his future actions to deal with No Hak.

'I'll give him a moderate touch.'

Bi Ryu-yeon asked with a smile and a sweet voice. But the voice contained something that sent chills down the listener's spine.

"You want to learn martial arts?"

"Yes."

"Alright, go ahead. Then I'll teach you a move, a martial art. Then… watch carefully."

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, Bi Ryu-yeon's figure in front of No Hak vanished, leaving a blurry afterimage. No Hak's eyes widened.

"No, this can't be. Where…?"

No Hak was astonished. For a brief moment, various thoughts swirled in his mind. However, it was more impossible for his dull gaze to follow Bi Ryu-yeon's figure than for the sun to rise in the west.

"Swish!"

The next moment, Bi Ryu-yeon's figure appeared right in front of No Hak's nose. It was an instant. The speed was so tremendous that defense was out of the question. Then came Bi Ryu-yeon's booming shout.

"Tri-Form Beatdown Fist!"

A thunderous voice erupted from Bi Ryu-yeon's mouth. He was filled with fighting spirit. Perhaps because he was very angry, his shout was also very loud.

"Pabapak, peokpeok, dududu, pashyapashya, tush."

At a speed so fast it was invisible, Bi Ryu-yeon's fists struck No Hak's entire body. His head, shoulders, knees, feet, knees, feet – every corner of the poor No Hak's body was hit by Bi Ryu-yeon's barrage of punches fairly and generously. Yet, despite being hit so hard, No Hak's body did not recoil backward. Strangely, his body slowly rose vertically. As a result, No Hak had to take all the relentless punches, without any discount, into his body. It was truly hell. The continuous barrage of punches surged into No Hak's body like waves. It was literally a night where blood and flesh splattered.

Tri-Form Beatdown Fist? Didn't it mean "Beat the Dog Fist" in the heat of the dog days? No Hak had never been beaten so intensely that his mind went blank since he was born. Even in the Beggars Sect, which he belonged to, there was a secret technique called "Dog Beating Staff Technique," passed down secretly as a sect leader's secret. No Hak himself, as the second disciple of the Beggars Sect leader, Yong Chwi-gae, had the opportunity to witness this secret technique. His master, Yong Chwi-gae, to test No Hak's martial arts skills and progress, had made No Hak attack him, and then beat him like a dog with that staff technique. For No Hak, who cherished the bitter memory of that time, he firmly believed that no more terrifying and powerful way of beating a dog existed in this world than the Dog Beating Staff Technique.

However, his belief had to be thoroughly revised from this moment on. Because he was now being beaten all over his body with something that was clearly more powerful than the Dog Beating Staff Technique, and collapsed. Having experienced it firsthand, the Tri-Form Beatdown Fist lacked the mysterious subtlety of the Dog Beating Staff Technique, but in its place, it had a powerful, simple, and brute force. This incredibly simple and brute force, cheerful punching was a terrifying fist technique that was impossible to avoid, no matter how hard one looked. Since there was no way to avoid it, he had no choice but to take all the punches.

Originally, the Tri-Form Beatdown Fist was a unique fist technique invented by Bi Ryu-yeon's master. It was composed of three parts. The peculiarity of this technique was that it was divided into three parts, not three forms. The reason for dividing it into parts rather than forms was that this technique had absolutely no form or forms. It was all about strength, speed, and a little skill.

Each of the three parts was divided into Initial Bok (初伏), Middle Bok (中伏), and Final Bok (末伏), and these three parts combined were called Tri-Form (三伏). The power of each divided part varied immensely as the stages progressed.

First, in the Initial Bok stage, the opponent's entire body is "touched" appropriately, leaving the opponent half-dead. Middle Bok exhibits stronger power than Initial Bok; if hit by this, the opponent is in a state of near-death, "one step away from the road to the afterlife." The final part, Final Bok, as its name suggests, literally means dying like a dog if hit by it. Here, "dying like a dog" does not mean a cheap death or a worthless death, but literally dying from being beaten like a dog.

There is a theory that dogs are beaten like dogs before the summer solstice to prepare for *bosintang* (dog meat stew) to make the meat tender. Of course, theories are just theories. However, inspired by this unfounded rumor, the magnificent-sounding Tri-Form Beatdown Fist was created. Therefore, the fact that being hit by this technique is incredibly painful is an undeniable truth.

No Hak was in great pain. Extreme pain was gnawing at his entire body. His eyes were swollen shut, and his face was so swollen that the outline of his original face was indistinguishable. His entire body was bruised and covered in dark purple bruises. It was a miracle that there were no fractures. It was half-dead, yet it didn't damage the bones – that was the exquisite subtlety. According to Bi Ryu-yeon, that was the subtlety and true flavor of this technique.

Initial Bok only damages the skin and muscles, but Middle Bok breaks bones, and Final Bok cuts off life. This was the true power of the Dog Beating Fist technique. No Hak was only able to get out of bed after three days of care, and after that, he never complained in front of Bi Ryu-yeon or anyone else. He also crawled around in front of Bi Ryu-yeon like a starved puppy.

That incident (dubbed the 'No Hak Beating Incident') had the effect of silencing the mouths of everyone else who witnessed the horrific scene. After that incident, complaints received by Bi Ryu-yeon vanished without a trace. The events of that day remained deeply etched in everyone's hearts and were not easily forgotten.

Dang Mun-hye and Dan Mok-su shook their heads vigorously as if trying to shake off the nightmare of that day. Dang Mun-hye's lips were already closed, showing no sign of opening.

"Ding ding ding!"

A clear and melodious bell sound echoed from the top of the mountain.

"Hey, what are you doing? Snap out of it."

"Huh?"

The sound of Dan Mok-su's voice and the ringing bell awakened her from her thoughts. Dang Mun-hye still couldn't forget that day. The blood that splattered on her face then was by no means a small amount. The stinging smell of blood, the warm sensation of blood, the red-tinged vision – it was an experience she would never want to repeat.

'I must not become like that.'

Dang Mun-hye murmured quietly and deeply to herself. She felt her mind gradually calming down. The fierce complaints, like those of a frightened mole, had disappeared somewhere. Fear had suppressed her anger, perhaps.

"Ding ding ding!"

Dan Mok-su urged Dang Mun-hye, having heard the ringing bells from a moment ago.

"Mun-hye, let's go quickly. It's the assembly signal. The three short rings probably mean it's time for a meal. We should go."

"Understood."

Dang Mun-hye and Dan Mok-su tidied up the laundry they were doing and hurried towards the joint training facility building. They desperately wanted to run at full speed, but it was still too difficult to use their light body techniques to achieve high speeds. Behind them, the stream, possessing the transparency of nature, flowed on coolly. What fate awaited them? Only heaven and Bi Ryu-yeon knew.