After the Round of 16 ended and before the Quarterfinals began.
Amidst the contestants who were now reduced to eight, I quietly examined the wooden board.
The results of the past matches were not much different from my expectations.
Dowang and Bi Seongdo advanced.
And I and Dang Soyeol ended up advancing as well.
Aside from them, those who had been hiding their skills.
In other words, a point where only the strong remained as all Hwagyeong-level martial artists stepped up.
Also, it meant that the end of the martial tournament was not far away.
No matter how long it was dragged out, seven days and nights.
It was a point where only that much time remained in terms of schedule, but.
"Hmm."
The bracket that had been densely written had decreased and decreased until only four names remained. And if today's matches ended, there would be about two or three sparring matches left.
Strictly speaking, it was a point where there was still time left, yet.
I had to think a lot while looking at the wooden board.
-Peng Zhou of the Hebei Peng Family vs. Gu Yangcheon of the Shanxi Gu Family.
The phrase written in the middle of the wooden board.
I had to let out a hollow laugh as I saw the line explicitly stating my sparring opponent.
"Well, now."
Looking at that, I could admit one thing.
That in this sparring tournament, there were quite a lot of things that deviated from my expectations.
'We're fighting already?'
I never thought I'd be fighting Dowang from before the Quarterfinals.
This was something even I truly couldn't have predicted.
I thought I'd leave that old man alone until the very, very end before making him fight.
No matter how bad Dowang's current condition was. I didn't know he'd play such a good card from the start.
'I thought I'd save him for the finals.'
I gently stroked my beardless chin.
What in the world was going on.
'Hmm.'
My current standing was quite large right now.
It's not a boast, it's actually true.
The buzzing sound and the crowd outside were almost larger than during the Shinryong era.
This meant that the expectations for me had risen significantly.
On top of that....
'Thanks to Murong Huia's swift response, the value went up even more.'
Right after the Jangwon Merchant Guild Head intervened, Madam Mi, who heard the report submitted by Murong Huia, immediately responded to it.
The method was spreading rumors.
[The Jangwon Merchant Guild Head personally stepped up and talked about sponsoring So Yeomra.]
With just that fact, the footsteps of the merchant guild heads who had been constantly gathering were cut off.
The richest man in the Central Plains had even stepped up.
This meant my value was that outstanding, and it also meant she wouldn't even meet them unless they were at least at that level.
Therefore, the people of the merchant guilds would stop being unreasonable and talk about other things.
Because the Jangwon Merchant Guild Head stepped up, it was burdensome to approach.
In other words, it meant she was a rising star with that much value.
Also.
'The fact that the Baekhwa Merchant Guild had already sponsored such a martial artist.'
Because of that, the Baekhwa Merchant Guild was also putting up an advertisement that wasn't an advertisement.
Such a response couldn't help but involve considerable profit.
'Anyway, they're fast.'
Whether it was Murong Huia or Madam Mi, their response was way too fast.
I heard that after that, he requested to meet the Jangwon Merchant Guild Head?
'I did hear that a letter came yesterday.'
The conditions shown at that time were also absurd things.
The Jangwon Merchant Guild Head who said he would bring conditions better than that.
I recalled him and made a strange expression.
'I refused to see him because there's a martial tournament today, but.'
It seems like it was a good decision.
'Whatever conditions he brought...'
Refusing was the right thing to do right now.
He surely would have brought great conditions, but.
'After today passes.'
My value will double compared to that. And the value he brought will also change in meaning.
This was rather the right refusal.
Maybe that's why, I'm suddenly curious.
'Whether he'll really bring changed conditions or give up.'
Feeling the rising interest, I covered my mouth with my hand.
The corners of my mouth kept going up without me realizing.
'I don't know what the Alliance is thinking, but...'
Things turning out differently from my expectations is rather good.
Thanks to that, things could be processed faster.
Pat, pat.
I dusted off my hands and lightly stretched my body.
Then I looked up at the sky.
I could see a clear and sunny sky.
The sparse clouds made the scene rather pretty.
Seeing this, I grinned.
'Just right.'
A good day to raise hell.
Today felt like that kind of day for some reason.
******************
Waaaaah---!!!
-Guicheon Sect's Myeongcheon. Wins!
Some time had passed since the Quarterfinals began.
The heat of the martial tournament was gradually getting hotter, and accordingly, the cheers of the spectators were getting louder.
Naturally.
The level was much higher than the martial tournament I saw in the past.
'...Not bad?'
It was to the point where even I was a little surprised.
The winner just now was Guicheon Sect's Myeongcheon.
He was from a sect I was hearing for the first time, but he was at a considerable level.
'He easily enters the Top 100 experts.'
The opponent was Geumseon Yeoyeon of the Geumseon Family.
I heard she was a famous martial artist skilled in dual swordsmanship. A person named Myeongcheon took the victory against such a martial artist.
It was truly a close match won by a hair's breadth.
Should I say it was at a level where if either of them had made a single slip-up, they would have lost right there?
Maybe because I was seeing a proper sparring match after a long time, I felt pretty good.
'Definitely, at this point, the levels are good.'
It was nice to see such a clean match from the first sparring.
It was even more so because Hwagyeong-level martial artists clashed.
-Yoryeong Gun Family's Gun Dangseok vs. Cheonghae Dao Sect's Muk Seoljin! Sparring start!
The second sparring match that followed.
Kwaah--!!
The qi spreading out had a tremendous aftermath this time as well.
Feeling the energy grazing my cheek, I thought.
This martial tournament deviated from expectations in many ways.
The majority of the favorites, or those considered strong, fell, and the remaining ones were the emergence of completely unknown people.
The emergence of new experts was the most welcomed thing for the people of the Central Plains, so it was burning even hotter.
I was no different, so I was watching the sparring with interest, but.
"Is it fun?"
A heavy voice came from beside me.
Moving my head, an old man with a fiercely ugly impression caught my eye.
It was Dowang.
"It seems you are enjoying yourself."
I didn't know he would go out of his way to talk to me.
Staring quietly at Dowang, I also threw out a word.
"Yes. It's a bit fun."
"...Hah."
Was it a problem that I didn't show respect even when seeing him? Dowang's impression distorted even more.
However, he soon fixed his expression and continued talking to me.
"Even so, born of a prestigious family, it seems you haven't been educated very well."
Openly mocking words.
Well.
"Right?"
"What?"
I smiled slightly at the pathetic remark and said.
"It would have been nice if I had been educated a bit better since I was born in a prestigious family... It's a bit of a pity that I wasn't."
"..."
I wasn't the only offspring of a prestigious family here, so Dowang's face crumpled instantly as he grasped the meaning of my words.
That old man is a bit fun.
To react like that just because I scratched him a little.
"How dare this kid..."
"Patriarch Peng. The more I look at you, the more of a strange person you are."
I cut off Dowang who was about to get angry and added.
"You know you won't get a good reaction coming to me. Why do you keep coming here to get scratched? Are your tastes in that direction?"
"...!"
At first, I was just dealing with him appropriately and moving on. At this point, I was genuinely curious about the reason he came to pick a fight every time he saw me.
Ah, maybe.
"Do you like me? If so, just like I told your son... I'm sorry, but I like women."
"You bastard-!"
Hwaaak-!
Unable to hold back his anger in the end, Dowang unleashed his aura. No, tried to unleash it.
Kwajik-!
"...!!"
The moment Dowang spewed out his fighting spirit, the energy that burst from my body crushed him.
As his energy was instantly suppressed, Dowang's eyes widened.
He looked visibly flustered.
Seeing that, I patted Dowang's shoulder lightly.
"Hey, please calm down. You're at that age... It's nice to see you full of vigor at that age, but. If you keep doing this, it's a problem."
I was telling him as nicely as possible, but Dowang's expression didn't relax even after hearing the words.
What should I do...?
It seems like I'll end up hitting him.
Dowang, I mean.
'I'm trying to hold back as much as possible for the sake of Peng Ahui. Why does he keep doing this?'
Actually, if it were up to my original nature, I would have beaten him long ago.
But, I still had some lingering guilt towards that daughter of his.
'It's a bit much to beat him in front of his child.'
I was holding back as much as possible because Peng Ujin was behind him, staring without averting his gaze.
'But seriously, why is he like this?'
A question arises.
Why does Dowang seem to act like a bastard only to me.
'The guy I beat is a sore loser, but why does he keep doing this to me?'
Let's say it's fine that I got hit by a wretched guy pretending to be a Fighting Dragon.
So it was understandable that he was angry since he was suffering all kinds of contempt and ridicule in the Central Plains.
But.
'Why is he taking his shit out on me?'
It was impossible not to be annoyed since he barked like a dog only when he saw me.
'Hmm...'
Come to think of it, it seemed like it had been like that from the beginning.
At first, I thought he didn't like me because of the broken engagement, but looking at it now, it didn't seem like that was entirely the case.
Then why.
Why is he so anxious to eat me alive.
The moment questions rose up one after another.
"...Those eyes."
Dowang gritted his teeth and added.
"Those damn eyes looking at me, sure enough, they're exactly like your father's."
"..."
Words about my father that popped up out of nowhere.
I tilted my head at that.
"...!"
Flinch.
Dowang trembled as he looked at me for a moment.
Seeing that, I caught my breath.
That was close.
'I almost killed him.'
I almost pulled out Dowang's eyeballs just now.
Phew. I barely held back.
Why did he suddenly bring up my father? I really almost killed him.
'What a scare.'
I was so pissed off I almost ruined all my plans.
While wiping my startled chest.
'Hmm.'
I had to feel a subtle nuance in Dowang's words.
Because his tone mentioning my father was full of emotion.
So I asked.
"Patriarch Peng. May I ask you something, if you don't mind."
There was no malice.
"Have you ever been beaten by my father in the past?"
Words asked purely out of curiosity.
Was that the problem?
Keukeudeuk-!!
A tremendous killing intent burst from Dowang's body.
"What did you say...?"
"No... wait... just a moment?"
"What... did you just say."
Uh, he seems really angry this time.
An unexpected killing intent.
I was surprised by how heavy and viscous it was.
Wow... This is definitely.
'Did I touch something I shouldn't have?'
It seemed like I made a mistake.
So I smiled awkwardly and said to him.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't know it was true. Hahaha. When you're young, friends fight and all that, you know. Ah, maybe you weren't friends...? Then I'm even more sorry."
I apologized for touching a bad memory.
Well, I should be sorry for this.
So I apologized with all my heart, but.
"You really are a spitting image of your father."
Dowang seemed unable to control his anger no matter what.
Normally, it would have sounded like a compliment to some extent, but I could tell exactly that those words were a curse.
"The look in your eyes as if you know everything. The gaze looking at me with pity. It's horrifyingly similar."
A voice spat out like chewing on something.
My skin tingled from the resentment contained in that voice.
"You worthless things... You truly ignore me generation after generation."
Huk.
Huk.
His breath was hot and rough.
He seemed to be trying to hold back his anger somehow.
"Just you wait. Son of Gu Cheolun. Whether you can make those eyes at me when you face me on the sparring stage. Let's see about that."
Having said that, Dowang finally turned his back and walked away.
He kept mentioning my eyes, was there something wrong with his eyes?
While watching Dowang's retreating back, I now wanted to ask my father.
'How on earth did you beat him, sir?'
How did you beat him to make a human turn out like that.
Given my father's personality, he wouldn't have beaten him for no reason... but if it made him turn out like that, it was safe to say it was a bit excessive.
'...I should be more careful when beating people from now on.'
I felt it while watching.
If I'm going to swing my fists, I need to be prudent. If you beat someone wrong, they can get messed up like that.
From now on, I should either beat them carefully... Or kill them without any loose ends.
It seems I should only do one of the two.
While nodding with that resolution.
My gaze passed Dowang and looked at the person beyond him.
Peng Ujin looking at his father.
His expression caught my eye.
'...'
Seeing that, I unknowingly came to a halt.
It was chilling.
Peng Ujin's eyes looking at Dowang felt nothing.
Eyes where only a distant emptiness existed.
In the pitch-black pupils, there wasn't even a single emotion.
It was to the point where I couldn't believe it was the eyes looking at his own parent.
Just as I was thinking what kind of eyes those were, Peng Ujin and I made eye contact.
Grin.
Where did the emptiness from just now go, Peng Ujin smiled as he looked at me.
And he waved his hand as if he was glad to see me...
'...'
Did he forget that his father was glaring at me like he was going to kill me just now?
I didn't like his unnecessarily bright demeanor.
Seeing that, I was convinced.
'The Peng Family is doomed.'
Whether it was the patriarch or the young patriarch, neither was normal.
'Phew.'
Their family situation is also a complete mess.
Amusingly, I felt a sense of kinship and slightly shook my head.
And then I looked somewhere.
A distance that couldn't be felt by sight or caught by qi sense.
But I know they are there.
Writhing-!
The demonic qi linked through my heart was telling me.
'I originally intended to do it a little later, but.'
Experiencing the current situation, it seemed there was no need to bother with that.
I mixed my intent into the demonic qi and emitted a vibration.
Even if the intent sent through the energy wasn't perfect, those who served me would figure it out.
With this, the preparations were over.
All that was left was to wait.
It would probably take a little time. But it wouldn't take too long.
Also.
'It won't be boring in the meantime.'
I smiled looking at Dowang's back.
Fortunately, a toy to kill time was right in front of my eyes.