Chapter 8 - Just Watch.
Sado Gwang's heavily inflated clothes indicated that he had gathered all his internal energy.
A fist flew towards Hamu Baek, generating a fierce wind.
Hamu Baek easily avoided the punch with a slight twist of his body.
He dodged the following punches just as effortlessly.
Sado Gwang gritted his teeth and gathered more internal energy.
"One second."
The words slipped out of Hamu Baek's mouth nonchalantly.
"You bastard!"
Sado Gwang, enraged, continued to attack. He aimed a kick at the back of Hamu Baek's head.
Of course, Hamu Baek dodged that too, effortlessly.
The kick didn't end there; it evolved three more times, following the changes in Hidden Dragon Fist techniques.
Hamu Baek avoided those attacks by advancing towards Sado Gwang's chest.
"Two seconds."
A calm voice pierced Sado Gwang's ears.
His fists moved wildly, targeting Hamu Baek's head and chest.
However, Hamu Baek's light palm flicks deflected all the punches.
"Three seconds."
With those words, Hamu Baek stepped back.
He looked at the five members of Group 7.
"Watch closely. This is the essence of Samjae Fist techniques. By the way, I won't be using any internal energy."
Sado Gwang's face turned beet red from being completely ignored by Hamu Baek. Moreover, he said he wouldn't use internal energy.
For Sado Gwang, who was reaching the pinnacle of first-rate martial arts, it was infuriating that a mere Fierce Dragon Corps instructor would face him without using internal energy and with Samjae Fist techniques?
What madness!
He was being mocked by this madman in front of the first-year students of the Hidden Dragon Corps.
It was humiliating.
He felt like an idiot for allowing such arrogant words.
"You scoundrel!!!"
His internal energy surged like a storm.
A faint light shimmered on his fists.
He had slightly manifested fist energy.
If he were at the pinnacle, this would have been nothing.
Against an opponent who claimed not to use internal energy, he was unleashing his strongest technique.
Pa Am Nanmu Fist.
It was the sole ultimate technique of Sado Gwang's family, the Sa family.
Now, that ultimate technique, along with faint fist energy, was being unleashed from his fists.
The target was the arrogant Hamu Baek.
That bastard.
"Whoa..."
"Wow!"
The students gasped in admiration as they watched.
Whether they were from the Hidden Dragon Corps or the Fierce Dragon Corps didn't matter.
Most of the people here heard Hamu Baek's voice.
His voice was clear when he spoke to Group 7 of the Fierce Dragon Corps, so everyone here could hear it well.
He said he wouldn't use internal energy, yet Sado Gwang was using fist energy, albeit weakly.
Some Hidden Dragon Corps students thought Sado Gwang's actions were a bit excessive.
How could an instructor from the Fierce Dragon Corps block that?
Even if the Sa family wasn't a prestigious martial arts family, the Pa Am Nanmu Fist was quite a decent ultimate technique.
If mastered to the extreme, it could reach the pinnacle of martial arts.
Such a technique unfolded chaotically before Hamu Baek's eyes.
"Hmph."
Watching the moves, Hamu Baek could tell where the changes in Hidden Dragon Fist techniques came from.
It seemed that Sado Gwang had incorporated those changes into Samjae Fist techniques.
Mixing two incompatible techniques resulted in something crude.
However, the technique being displayed now was different.
Its principles were quite profound.
But it wasn't the right technique to use in this situation. Claiming to prove Hidden Dragon Fist techniques but using a completely different technique?
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
It didn't concern Hamu Baek at all.
"Watch closely."
Hamu Baek glanced at the members of Group 7.
Then he read the pattern of the chaotic fists and effortlessly slipped through the gaps.
Of course, he didn't use a trace of internal energy.
"Unrefined changes, unable to control properly, always reveal gaps like this. If you find and move through those gaps accurately, internal energy isn't important."
Hamu Baek's fist moved.
It was a basic move of Samjae Fist techniques known to anyone with some martial arts training.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The voices of Baek Li Pyeong and Dang Jin San.
Both knew well what Samjae Fist techniques were.
But this was different.
Hamu Baek was undoubtedly showing Samjae Fist techniques, but they were entirely different from what they knew.
Was Samjae Fist really like this?
Hamu Baek's lightly extended fist struck Sado Gwang's elbow acupoint precisely.
"Ugh."
Fist energy and all, it didn't matter.
Hamu Baek wasn't hit by the fist energy and targeted the acupoint on the elbow.
It was so perfectly timed that Sado Gwang couldn't avoid the non-internal-energy attack. The impact was significant because it precisely hit the acupoint despite lacking internal energy.
Hamu Baek's movements were smooth yet precise.
"If you accurately target the acupoints in these clearly open areas, you don't have to rely on internal energy. Mastering the subtleties of Samjae Fist techniques makes this possible."
Hamu Baek's fist then tapped Sado Gwang's left shoulder.
"Ugh."
Despite the lack of internal energy, the precise hit on the acupoint caused intense pain.
Though it wasn't acupuncture, the impact slowed Sado Gwang's movements. It also hindered his internal energy circulation.
"Like this."
Hamu Baek's face remained calm throughout.
The eyes of the Hidden Dragon Corps students watching grew wider.
Sado Gwang, thrashing like a storm, was making futile efforts, while Hamu Baek's smooth movements landed solid hits.
Since he wasn't using internal energy, his attacks were slow and ordinary.
Yet Sado Gwang couldn't avoid even those.
"What is this?"
Someone muttered.
But no one could answer.
The movements were beyond their comprehension.
Leaving distinct footprints on the training ground, Hamu Baek moved. He was getting faster.
"If you diligently train external techniques, you can achieve this speed without internal energy. So never neglect your external training."
His movements were so fast it was hard to believe he wasn't using internal energy.
Sado Gwang tried to follow Hamu Baek's movements.
He thrust his fist, determined to catch him, but the pain in his elbow and shoulder remained.
"Hmph."
As he used his footwork to try and catch Hamu Baek from behind.
"Ugh."
An excruciating pain spread from his knee.
Hamu Baek's knee had struck the acupoint beside Sado Gwang's knee accurately.
"Aagh!"
Sado Gwang let out a huge scream.
But the attack wasn't over.
With rapid movements, Hamu Baek struck the same spot again.
At that moment.
Crack.
The sound of a bone breaking echoed.
Sado Gwang collapsed.
No, he was about to collapse.
But Hamu Baek didn't allow that.
His right fist struck Sado Gwang's chin, and his left fist hit his temple.
That was the end.
Sado Gwang, with his eyes rolled back, collapsed onto the training ground, unconscious.
His left knee bone was broken.
Even with internal energy protection, his knee was broken by Hamu Baek's non-internal-energy attack.
The cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corps gaped in astonishment.
Sado Gwang was the chief instructor, even if it was for the first-year cadets, and he was a master who had reached the peak of first-rate martial arts.
Such a master had unleashed his ultimate technique with full power, yet he was utterly destroyed by an opponent who didn't even use internal energy.
Could this be possible?
Moreover, his opponent was merely a regular instructor from the Fierce Dragon Corps.
This defied all logic.
Silence fell over the training ground.
Despite their gaping mouths, no sound escaped.
This was the same for the five members of Group 7 from the Fierce Dragon Corps.
'What in the world...'
'What is this?'
They had been doubtful.
There was no teaching to speak of.
All he ever said was to study on their own every day.
His constant refrain was that they were going to die anyway, so they should just go home to avoid a pointless death.
Yet, this instructor, who said he wouldn't use internal energy, had knocked out the chief instructor of the Hidden Dragon Corps.
Could he really be capable of this?
The five were left in shock.
They had started to suspect that he was behaving this way because he lacked real skill.
"If an opponent can't use protective energy because they haven't reached the peak, targeting weak points like this can break bones. If you accurately hit vulnerabilities like the temples, you can knock out or even kill someone without using internal energy. Understand?"
Hamu Baek, with an indifferent expression, didn't spare a glance at the fallen Sado Gwang. He only looked at the cadets of Group 7, as if checking whether they understood his lesson.
But the five cadets could hardly hear Hamu Baek's words. What they had just witnessed was too overwhelming.
"The training time is over. Why are you all still here?"
A loud voice rang out from afar.
It was Jegal Myung.
He had come looking for his cadets since they hadn't shown up for their training session. Seeing most of the first-year Hidden Dragon Corps gathered here, he rushed over.
He confirmed the cadets' presence and then turned his gaze to the training ground, where he halted.
He saw the figure sprawled on the ground.
"Chief Instructor... What on earth is this...?"
His eyes landed on Hamu Baek.
"Instructor Ha, what happened here?"
"Oh, we just had a light sparring match."
Hamu Baek shrugged.
Jegal Myung's gaze shifted to the cadets, but they couldn't say anything.
"Let's all return to the training ground."
Jegal Myung dispersed the gathered cadets from the Hidden Dragon and Fierce Dragon Corps and then carried Sado Gwang to the medical room.
He couldn't just leave him there.
Eventually, only Hamu Baek and the five members of Group 7 remained in the training ground.
This was originally the training ground for Group 7, so only those who were supposed to be there remained.
"Let's conclude this special combat demonstration class and resume the training we were doing earlier."
Hamu Baek headed back to the spot where they were practicing mental techniques as if nothing had happened.
To Hamu Baek, nothing significant had happened.
For him, knocking down a first-rate master was nothing.
"Instructor..."
Dan Mok Woonrye called out to Hamu Baek with a trembling voice.
"What?"
"I... I want to become stronger!"
"Hmm?"
Surprised by the sudden outburst, Hamu Baek asked again.
"So that I can surely come back alive."
With a determined look in his eyes, Hamu Baek turned back to him.
"Continue your mental training."
He said indifferently.
The four others sat cross-legged.
Although Hamu Baek acted as if nothing had happened, the others did not feel the same.
Stories about Hamu Baek began to spread among the first-year cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corps.
"Hmph. So, he ended up in a fight. Tsk."
Peng Doyul clicked his tongue upon hearing the news about Sado Gwang.
He was well aware of Sado Gwang's ambitions. He also knew why he disliked the Fierce Dragon Corps.
But to pick a fight with an instructor from the Fierce Dragon Corps at the Dormitory?
He must have been a thorn in his side.
Unfortunately for Sado Gwang, the instructor happened to be Hamu Baek. He had effectively walked into a lion's den without realizing it.
"So, what should we do? A regular instructor from the Fierce Dragon Corps has utterly defeated the chief instructor in charge of the first-year cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corps."
Mo Yong Jinho asked Peng Doyul with a worried face.
Naturally, he was concerned.
Compared to the Hidden Dragon Corps, the Fierce Dragon Corps was powerless. If the head of the Hidden Dragon Corps made an issue out of this, it would cause problems for him.
"Well, there were too many witnesses for the head of the Hidden Dragon Corps to make much of a fuss."
Peng Doyul responded nonchalantly.
"That's true, but..."
"He’s tough, right? Hamu Baek."
"Honestly, yes."
Mo Yong Jinho had to nod.
"But what can we do? He was assigned here."
"..."
Mo Yong Jinho couldn't say anything further.
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