Chapter 198: You Think That'll Be Easy?

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Fist Demon didn't say his usual words.

"It was a good attempt."

Did my attempt finally work? Or does this mean he won't even mention it anymore?

The Fist Demon silently turned his gaze to the fighting arena. Two men fought until they bled while the crowd cheered wildly for them.

"This place will look the same even after decades have passed."

"My son might come here with the Fist Demon when he's a grandfather."

The Fist Demon looked at me, startled.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Are you thinking of getting married?"

"If I find the right person."

I had no intention of marrying, but I gave a conventional answer.

The Fist Demon said firmly, "I'd recommend against it unless it's someone you truly love."

The Fist Demon had told me stories of his youth. He had resolved to never have a family or friends, so his advice seemed natural, but there was another reason for his counsel.

"Isn't a bloodless succession struggle this difficult even for an outstanding person like you? Could your children truly manage it as you have? It's something an ordinary person would find hard to bear."

It was both a compliment to me and a worry for the future generation. Above all, it was a hypothetical based on me becoming the Heavenly Demon.

"I'll consider it carefully."

"Come to think of it, you did talk about ending the Heavenly Demon's bloodline."

"It doesn't matter. It's something that will happen after I'm dead."

Hearing my words, the Fist Demon's expression seemed to say, If it's you, you might genuinely be thinking such a carefree thought.

"Let's leave now."

"……"

At the exit, the Fist Demon looked back at the fighting arena one last time. Will he ever come to this arena again in his lifetime? The future was unknowable, but the Fist Demon likely looked at it thinking he would never return. He slowly looked around, his gaze full of complex emotions. Once he turned away, the Fist Demon strode out with long steps.

After leaving the fighting arena, we walked without a destination. The Fist Demon no longer asked where we were going. I also walked without any thought, as if having no plan was the plan.

"Have you ever gotten lost?"

"Never."

"Me neither."

Perhaps that was why this slacker's journey was all the more precious and meaningful. Neither he nor I had ever lived so planlessly. We could never have imagined the joy of getting lost in life.

"Oh, I lost the bet. I admit it."

"No. I lost this bet."

That was unexpected. I thought he wouldn't have been too pleased to see the match-fixing, even though he said it was fine.

"I had fun for the first time in a while. Thanks to you, I also reminisced about the old days."

Isn't this what he wanted to say? 'Thanks to you, I was able to show you what kind of person I am.'

"Then our battle of pride is one to one."

"We have to settle it."

"Of course."

Just then, the Fist Demon spoke.

"Before that, there's a place I want to go."

For the first time, the Fist Demon said he wanted to go somewhere.

"If it's with you, Fist Demon, I'll go even to hell!"

"The place we're going isn't that hot. In fact, it's a place where you'll need to pack thick, padded clothes."

And so, we left the fighting arena filled with the Fist Demon's old memories. We began to walk, following the lingering sunset.

After a long journey, the Fist Demon and I stood together at the summit of a snowy mountain.

WHOOOOSH.

The wind carried snow, swirling the accumulated drifts around us and lifting them into the air.

"Why did you want to come here?"

The place the Fist Demon had wanted to go was this very snowy mountain.

"This is the very place where the previous Fist Demon made me his successor."

"Ah, is that so?"

It was a fact I hadn't known.

"Truthfully, my Master and I didn't get along well. When it was time to choose the final successor, my Master wanted to pick someone else. His martial arts were inferior to mine, but that friend was much more affable and treated our Master better, but do you know why my Master chose me?"

"Was it because of Father?"

"That's right, it was because of the Cult Leader."

When he placed the young Fist Demon in the Eastern Fist Garrison, Father wasn't the Cult Leader yet. However, by the time the Fist Demon was to officially inherit the position of Demon Supreme, Father had ascended to the position of the Heavenly Demon. The previous Fist Demon must have been unable to ignore the wishes of Father, who had become the Heavenly Demon.

"I became the Fist Demon because of your father."

"Isn't that an even greater thing for you, Fist Demon?"

"Greater?"

"Because Father has a better eye for people than the previous Fist Demon. Father chose a young fighter who was throwing punches in the arena without a shred of inner arts. That fighter went from the White Fists to the Black Fists all on his own and eventually became the Fist Demon. When it comes to judging people, you should trust Father."

"There was a time when I was full of confidence. 'Who else but me could become the Fist Demon?' But now, I'm not so sure. Was the Cult Leader's judgment truly correct?"

"If that judgment had been wrong, the other Demon Supremes wouldn't have picked you as the most difficult Demon Supreme to face. Anyone can see that you are the one who befits that position, Fist Demon."

The Fist Demon silently gazed at the snowy landscape. It was an enchanting view that could only be enjoyed from this summit, standing tall in a world of pure white.

I held the Fist Demon's self-reflection in high regard. Without such a mindset, he would have hardened into a stubborn old man, like a fossil. Because he was a man who looked inward, I believed the Fist Demon could bring down the cliff.

I conveyed my honest feelings to him.

"At first, I was curious about what kind of person you were, Fist Demon. Then I was captivated by your goal of bringing down the cliff and wanted to bring it down myself. Now, I've grown to like your true self even more."

"My true self?"

"I believe your true self is the one who fought against the mafia in your youth. When I go back, I want to gather all the Iron Fists and tell them that story. 'Hey! This is the kind of person your Fist Demon is!'"

"Did you say only pleasant things like that to the other Demon Supremes too?"

"I didn't say pleasant things, I said many honest things. Things that others wouldn't say because of the position of Demon Supreme. Ah, of course, I admit I flattered them to some extent. I tried to see them in a good light if possible, and I wanted to get closer to them if possible, but I didn't make up stories that weren't there. I said the kinds of things I would want someone to say about my life someday."

Then I looked at the Fist Demon and added, "People don't really do that for you, do they?"

Even if you teach hundreds, even if you're in a place where tens of thousands of cultists come and go.

"You don't get to hear those things… often, do you?"

Will there be anyone to say such things to me later? After I've done all this for them.

The Fist Demon stared at me without a word. After looking at me for a long while, he turned his gaze to the mountain across from us for another long while.

"What do you plan to do if you become the Heavenly Demon? Is your dream perhaps the unification of murim?"

"It's the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"I will stop anyone from unifying murim. Even if that person is Father."

The Fist Demon's eyes gleamed.

"So you knew."

Those words meant that the Fist Demon knew as well.

"I know that Father dreams of unifying murim."

"Yes, there's no way a clever person like you wouldn't have noticed."

"What are your thoughts, Fist Demon?"

"I will follow your father's wishes. If he orders me to start a war and kill everyone, I will kill them all without hesitation. No matter who it is."

Now I knew for sure. Father's right hand was the Fist Demon. Then, is his left hand the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? The Blood Heaven Blade Demon had told me that the miracle herbs he gave me were from Father.

"I will stop you. Both Father and you, the Fist Demon."

After that, we stood there in silence for a long time.

HWIIIIIIING.

As the blowing blizzard swept past us coolly, the Fist Demon's decision carried on the wind.

"Mugeuk, I will take you as my first disciple."

I was startled. Although becoming his disciple was my goal, I never thought he would take me as one like this, in this place. Moreover, it was at the very moment we had confirmed our opposing views on the unification of murim.

His large, thick body turned towards me. I was now accustomed to that fearsome face, but the look in his eyes was different. With a deep and sincere Ji Han gaze, the Fist Demon said, "I will be your Master, so become my disciple."

The moment I heard those words, I felt a surge of emotion. Joy welled up inside me. I had finally succeeded in moving this man's heart. It was not just about gaining a Demon Supreme like the Fist Demon, nor was it about being able to learn his fist arts. I was just so happy that this man had become my Master.

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Overjoyed, I jumped up and down on the spot. I expressed my happiness like a puppy excited by the snow.

Seeing my genuine happiness, the Fist Demon's expression softened. It softened so much that I wondered if such gentleness was hidden behind that fearsome face.

Overcome with joy, I unleashed the First Fist into the empty air, since there was a risk of an avalanche. I also poured out the Second Fist in an instant.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

I performed the Nine Bows right there on the spot.

"Disciple Geom Mugeuk formally greets you, Master. Please guide this foolish disciple well with your great teachings from now on."

As I was prostrated, the Fist Demon's large hand rested on my shoulder. He lightly patted my shoulder a few times with his rough, thick hand. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had felt the Fist Demon's gentle touch.

"Rise."

I rose from my spot.

"Master."

The Fist Demon is the man I wanted as my Master. He is more than worthy of the title.

"Disciple."

It seemed the Fist Demon was not displeased about welcoming his first disciple either.

"From now on, I will transmit the entirety of the Thunder Arhat Fist to you."

The Fist Demon did not delay the transmission of the martial arts. He did not demand anything from me as a condition for teaching them either. This was the kind of man the Fist Demon was.

At the summit of the snowy mountain, the Fist Demon began to transmit the martial arts of the Thunder Arhat Fist, from the Third Fist to the Sixth Fist.

The Third Fist was the Heavenly Lightning Asura. It was the heaviest of the Fist Demon's punches. It was not a strike that hit a distant enemy like the Black Cloud Asura, nor an attack that threw punches rapidly like the Thunder Asura. It was a technique that struck directly with the fist, and the power in each blow was immense.

The Fourth Fist was the Iron Leg Asura. The Thunder Arhat Fist did not only consist of techniques that used fists. There was also a technique that crushed opponents with powerful kicks. The movements themselves were so flashy and cool that I was certain the Iron Leg Asura would draw admiration whenever it was performed.

The Fifth Fist was the Vajra Asura. It was a technique that temporarily made the body as hard as steel for protection. Although it consumed an extreme amount of inner arts, it was a technique that could save one's life in a moment of crisis.

I anticipated that if I used the Fifth Fist together with the Heavenly Demon Defense Art, I might be able to achieve the effect of an indestructible diamond body, even if only temporarily.

And the final, Sixth Fist, was the Hell Lightning Asura. The final fist of the Thunder Arhat Fist. It was named after the lightning bolt struck down by the King of Hell, and it was the ultimate technique that poured out all the inner arts in one's body in a single blow. It was a technique that could shatter a cliff, but if this move failed to work, you would be killed by your opponent.

You would only use the final Sixth Fist against a formidable enemy, and if the technique failed, you would have to face him without a single shred of inner arts left.

For seven days, I received the transmission of the Thunder Arhat Fist at the summit of the snowy mountain. I meticulously learned everything again, from the First Fist to the last. In the process, I also received the various enlightenments about the fist arts that the Fist Demon had gained throughout his life. Once he decided to take me as his disciple, the Fist Demon truly gave without holding anything back. I must have been captivated by this straightforward and generous side of him.

Now, all that remained was for me to train diligently and achieve complete mastery. From now on, even if I were to lose my sword in a fight, the situation would not become an opportunity for my opponent. Rather, that moment would become my opportunity to strike a blow against a careless foe.

"When we return to the Cult, I intend to make two announcements. The first is that I have accepted you as my disciple. The second is that the Eastern Fist Garrison will officially Ji Han the First Young Lord."

It was as I had expected. This announcement would surely send the Cult into an uproar again. How will the other Demon Supremes or my brother react? And what about Father?

"Everyone will see me as a greedy man with a foot on both your side and the First Young Lord's."

"So what if they see you that way? It's how you've decided to live, Master. You can just tell them, 'If you're so jealous, try it yourselves. You think it's easy? You cowards!'"

The Fist Demon laughed. I could feel that his laughter towards me had become more comfortable.

"Let's head down now, disciple."

"Yes, Master."

I walked down the snowy mountain with the Fist Demon. We left footprints in the untouched snow as we descended. Both he and I had already reached the state of Traceless, but we deliberately left deep footprints as we walked.

If I had my way, I would have wanted to press our footprints into the stone ground and erect a sign next to them.

The path where the Fist Demon and Geom Mugeuk walked down after forming the bond of master and disciple.

After descending the mountain, we naturally set our course towards our Cult. Before departing, we stopped by the West Lake Inn near the snowy mountain to check for any messages for me.

"Ah! Master. I have a place I need to stop by."

"Where?"

"A message came from my people, asking to see me."

Go Wol and the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, who were out in the Central Plains building an intelligence network, had sent the message asking to meet me.

"So? You're going to abandon me?"

"Abandon you?"

"Aren't you telling me to go back alone? Now that you've learned all the martial arts, is it 'You're no use to me anymore, so get lost'? Is that it? Ah! This is why they say you shouldn't give everything away at once."

I had not expected such words to come from the Fist Demon's mouth, so I laughed out loud.

"Well, if you come with me, I don't know when we'll be able to return."

Go Wol would not have contacted me over something trivial.

"What about the Iron Fists' classes? Will that be alright?"

We had already been away for quite a few days. I was trying to be considerate, thinking the Fist Demon might be secretly worried about it.

"What's there to worry about? I have a disciple now."

"You've learned how to make a person feel good very quickly."

The Fist Demon said as he strode ahead, "Of course. Whose Master do you think I am?"