The Legend of the Northern Blade

While Myeong Ryu-San was unconscious, Tang Gi-Mun inserted silver needles all over his body to treat him, turning him into a porcupine. When that was done, he then carefully withdrew the needles, leaving the Hundred Meetings Acupoint1 for last.

When the final needle was removed, Myeong Ryu-San awoke. For a moment, he blinked in confusion and the corners of his eyes twitched from the pain of being poked all over. However, when the initial wave of pain passed, he immediately lunged at Tang Gi-Mun, screaming like a banshee, “You crazy bastard!”

“Yeah yeah, how do you feel?”

“Are you seriously asking me how I feel after doing that to me? You must really be a lunatic…” Myeong Ryu-San started to complain, when suddenly, he shuddered mid-sentence and began to convulse. In a matter of seconds, Myeong Ryu-San was racked with unimaginable pain and looked as if he had just taken a tour of hell, with hollowed cheeks and dead eyes.

“Since this is the first time, I only used a small amount of poison, but I’ll gradually increase it as we go,” Tang Gi-Mun chuckled, his tone ominous.

“No! I won’t take that poison!” Myeong Ryu-San recoiled, a shiver coursing down his spine. The threshold of hell was not a place he wished to revisit, even for the sake of learning martial arts.

Tang Gi-Mun’s smile widened, and an unsettling aura enveloped him. “That poison you just took is highly addictive. Once you start, you can’t stop.”

“What?”

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“You need subsequent doses to suppress the withdrawal effects of previous doses,” Tang Gi-Mun explained casually.

“That doesn’t make any sense…”

“Rest assured, I have made all the necessary arrangements so you don’t have to worry about missing a dose.”

“How long do I have to continue taking this poison…?”

“You can stop when your Qi has harmonized with it.”

“Y-You’re a devil! No, not just you, the scholar guy and the violent guy, you’re all devils!” Myeong Ryu-San’s anguished cries resonated through the night sky.

At the northern tip of Guizhou Province lay an inhospitable region known as the Fiendish Mountains (百妖山), home to the infamous Black Soul Order (墨靈門), the world’s foremost assassination organization. For over a century, the Black Soul Order expanded its power through assassination contracts, but despite its long history, little was known about the organization’s inner workings, whether it was the number of assassins or the identity of its sect leader.

What was certain, however, was the deadly efficiency of the Black Soul Order. When summoned, it delivered with ruthless precision, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. Numerous attempts by lesser sects to overthrow the Black Soul Order had resulted in heavy casualties, their forces overrun by agents who took advantage of the treacherous terrain of the Fiendish Mountains. For over a century, the Black Soul Order had flourished, building a stronghold and leaving a trail of blood that instilled fear, ensuring that no one in Guizhou would dare challenge them.

Deep within the Fiendish Mountains, a wooden bridge swayed precariously in the wind. It was known as the Bridge of Elegance (風華橋), and it symbolized the power of the Black Soul Order. No one crossed it without permission, and only those who carried heavenly riches were granted passage.

BANG! RUMBLE! CRASH!

The normally peaceful Bridge of Elegance erupted into chaos. Dozens of assassins swarmed a man dressed in bizarre garb and armed with an array of unconventional weapons. A towering figure with a seven-foot frame, he carried a spiked club and a wooden staff on his back, a serrated sword and a western scimitar at his waist, a coiled whip behind his back, and an unusual weapon of unknown use tied to his thigh.2

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He was the Fighting Maniac (狂鬪鬼) Hyun Gong-Hwi, the most enigmatic member of the Seven Young Skies and the martial artist who used the most weapons in the world. Although his origins were shrouded in mystery, he was famous for his formidable strength, fiery personality, and addiction to fighting.

“Hahahaha!” he laughed, delighted at his opponents’ decision to charge at him. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the spiked club and swung it repeatedly, cracking open skulls and leaving a gruesome trail of blood.

In response, the surviving assassins threw their hidden weapons, and Hyun Gong-Hwi countered with his whip, creating a formidable wall that deflected the projectiles with deadly force. Within moments, dozens of assassins lay in a heap, dead.

Oddly, no one screamed or made any noise during the entire fight, but despite the eeriness, Hyun Gong-Hwi crossed the Bridge of Elegance, leaving a trail of bloodied footprints.

Suddenly, a man dressed in black martial arts attire confronted him. Masked, with only his eyes visible, the man exuded a powerful killing intent as he warned, “Who are you? How dare you run amok in the Black Soul Order’s domain? If you don’t want to suffer the consequences of your foolishness, identify yourself now.”

“My name is Hyun Gong-Hwi.”

“Hyun Gong-Hwi? The brat who calls himself the Fighting Maniac?”

“That’s me,” Hyun Gong-Hwi chuckled.

The man narrowed his eyes beneath the mask. Despite his condescending tone, he knew that Hyun Gong-Hwi, a member of the Seven Young Skies, was no pushover. “Why are you here?” he asked warily.

“Because you asked me to come here?”

“What?” The man was bewildered. He was Im Han-Gong, the head of the Black Soul Order, and all requests to the Order were subject to his approval. If someone from the Order summoned Hyun Gong-Hwi, Im Han-Gong would definitely know about it.

“Je Yong-San!” Hyun Gong-Hwi shouted, as if to allay Im Han-Gong’s confusion.

“Je Yong-San?” Im Han-Gong savored the name briefly but soon frowned, recalling a commission he had received days earlier: A thousand gold pieces for Je Yong-San’s head. After a brief investigation revealed that Je Yong-San was an orphan with no close friends or sect affiliations, he approved the request and dispatched seven assassins to end Je Yong-San’s life.

Grabbing the scimitar at his waist, Hyun Gong-Hwi confronted Im Han-Gong. “Yong-San was my friend. Now do you know why I came to find you?”

“…I see.” Feeling the weight of Hyun Gong-Hwi’s killing intent, Im Han-Gong immediately regretted not researching Je Yong-San more thoroughly. Damn it, I thought he was a loner, but he was actually friends with this battle junkie? …No matter, there’s no going back now!

SWOOSH!

With a wave of his hand, Im Han-Gong summoned dozens of the Black Soul Order’s highest-ranking assassins. Hyun Gong-Hwi was strong, but he couldn’t back down. In the gangho, turning one’s back to the enemy was the quickest way to invite death.

“Eliminate him,” he commanded.

As ordered, the assassins charged at Hyun Gong-Hwi in unison, wielding curved daggers.

CLANG!

A translucent barrier appeared around Hyun Gong-Hwi, repelling all the attacks.

“A qi barrier?” Im Han-Gong gasped in disbelief. How could someone merely in their late twenties create a qi barrier?

KAKANG!

Hyun Gong-Hwi smoothly blocked the daggers with his scimitar and countered, taking down three assassins with one swipe. However, the assassins behind them immediately filled up the gap in the attack formation and threw their hidden weapons.

SWISH! SWOOSH! BOOM!

Hyun Gong-Hwi smoothly rotated through his arsenal of weapons, blocking attacks with the wooden staff, slashing with the serrated sword and scimitar, smashing skulls with the spiked club, and tearing through flesh with the whip. In a brief moment, half of the assassins had fallen before his might.

“Damn it!” Im Han-Gong cursed, as he joined the fray. If he lost any more men, the Black Soul Order was as good as finished. He unleashed his sword technique, the Dexterous Crossed Swords, and launched a torrent of slashes at Hyun Gong-Hwi.

As if his move was a signal, all of the remaining assassins attacked simultaneously, complementing his attack perfectly and leaving no gaps for Hyun Gong-Hwi to exploit or dodge.

Seeing this, Hyun Gong-Hwi exploded into a chaotic multi-weapon dance. The spiked club roared like a beast, the blades ripped through bodies like claws, and the whip sneakily pounced upon unsuspecting prey like a venomous snake.

It wasn’t long before the Black Soul Order was annihilated, and Hyun Gong-Hwi crossed the Bridge of Elegance.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Three men were standing in his way. “Who are you?” he asked.

“My name is Jwa Moon-Ho, and I came here to meet you, Mr. Hyun Gong-Hwi.”

“Jwa Moon-Ho? The Flying Eagle Swordsman?” Hyun Gong-Hwi’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“What do you want?”

“Do you wish to gain wings, Mr. Hyun?”

Puzzled, Hyun Gong-Hwi shook his head.

1. The acupoint located at the very top of the head.

2. Hyun Gong-Hwi carries a mix of Asian and European weapons.