Published at 4th of October 2026 7:50 am

Chapter 1162: The World of Ascension (92)

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

If someone were to ask what level it was, it would be extremely difficult to explain the kind of energy it was.

It was simply the sense of presence or perhaps the value of the vessel it held.

Or maybe it was the realization they had built up over time.

As a martial artist, one could describe these things as layers upon layers stacked like a tower.

"...But this is different."

The aura and atmosphere of those beings called Masters were something entirely different, something vastly greater.

They couldn’t even be considered human, and yet they were something greater while still being able to lose.

Just seeing them invokes a simultaneous feeling of overwhelming awe and crushing despair.

It is something you can never surpass.

As though another sky exists above the sky itself.

It’s a feeling of helplessness so powerful that you can't even dare to look up at them.

That is the energy I think of when I think of the Masters.

Yeah.

"Just like my mother or that bastard Taechon."

Divine beings, those who govern the world and are connected to all life.

The very energy I felt when I looked at them was exactly like this.

"How is this possible?"

Is this what I’m feeling from my grandfather?

Whooosh-

The flames gradually rose. His skin had turned even whiter than before.

It wasn’t just a human form; it was something incredibly unnatural, and yet—

"...Faint."

It felt as though the level was so high, yet at the same time, nothing at all could be felt.

Swish.

"......!"

My grandfather’s gaze suddenly turned to me. The moment our eyes met, my heart skipped a beat.

Screeeech—!!

"Damn. Stay still, please."

Instinctively, sensing something, my body moved on its own. The Nine Flames Firewheel locked inside me raged, ready to break free, and the Tua Pacheonmu that I had contained also heightened my senses.

"Calm down, you damn bastards."

It was my energy, but it was hard to control.

It was even more difficult now, with the level having been suppressed.

"Huff—......."

I let out a deep sigh as I tried to assess the situation.

Then—

"Hahahahahahaha—!!!"

CRASH—!!!

Paejon’s laughter, filled with madness, echoed through the ground as it burst with incredible pressure.

"Good. Good."

With a crazed grin, Paejon faced my grandfather.

"Yeah, that's what you need to bring out. Only then will I show you my real power."

Crack—!! Boom—!!

Heaven-Shattering Vast Clouds began to move once again. The energy surrounding Paejon’s body became even more solidified.

Then Paejon grabbed the clouds around him and—

"Let’s do this properly."

The pressure he emitted was on a whole different level now.

CRACK—!!!

The ground trembled. It felt a hundred times more intense than the vibrations from before.

Boom! Boom—!!

"...This is insane."

Both my grandfather’s state and Paejon’s were abnormal.

"Didn’t they say Paejon hadn’t mastered it?"

As far as I knew, Paejon had not completed Tua Pacheonmu. If that’s the case, it meant that the technique had not reached its full potential.

"...And yet, he's still this strong?"

The level of a Master.

The aura of my grandfather, which couldn’t even be considered human, was being met head-on by Paejon’s Tua Heaven-Shattering Dance.

It felt like he was refusing to back down. Not only that, but it seemed like he was trying to rip it apart.

"I'm coming."

Thud—!

Paejon leapt into the air.

Heaven-Shattering Vast Clouds followed his path, carving out a way.

The clouds Paejon swung around grew larger, and they quickly spread to cover the sky.

"Break."

Heaven-Shattering Eternal Sweep.

Whoooosh—!!!

The Red Heaven Flames , which had enveloped the sky, turned into clouds and fell to the ground.

"......."

My grandfather extended his hand toward the sky.

Then—

Thud—! Boom—!!!

Cracks appeared in the Red Heaven Flames, and columns of fire burst out.

The flames tore through the Heaven-Shattering Vast Clouds that were descending upon him.

CRACK—!!!

"Damn it—!"

The fire was so intense that flames sprayed out in all directions from the fire columns. I jumped up and flew into the air in a hurry.

It was as if the land was burning with fire, creating an ocean of flames.

"Damn it."

If I had been just a moment slower, my clothes and everything else would have burned away.

"Why are they going this far?"

This battle had already gone beyond the level of a mere spar. Those insane people seemed to want to erase everything in the surrounding area.

Of course.

Boom—!!!

A single strike, swinging the sky, while the ground disappeared in a burst of flames.

This was almost like—

"...When the Three Masters fought the Celestial Demon."

The moment when the Celestial Demon fought against all three of the Three Masters.

I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but from what I had heard, it seemed like it was no different from that.

Which means—

"Is this fight at that level?"

Maybe not exactly that level, but it definitely seemed close.

If that’s the case—

"...Could my father be that strong too?"

If I felt the level of a Master from my grandfather—

Could my father, the one I knew, also be capable of such a thing?

That thought crossed my mind, and I looked over at my father.

Whoosh.

My father was watching the battle, surrounded by flames, his eyes wide open.

He was staring in utter disbelief.

"He must be shocked."

How could he not be?

Should I even call that a martial art?

"...At least it’s not from my grandfather."

One thing was for sure—one of them wasn’t.

Nine Flames Firewheel. It was a martial technique, yes.

"...But it feels completely different."

This wasn’t just coming from Nine Flames Firewheel. This was something completely unnatural.

That strange state—it was the source of the overwhelming power that was being unleashed.

The insane firepower drew my eyes, but—

"...In that case, Paejon is even weirder."

Paejon was facing off with the energy of the Master, using his own technique to resist it.

To me, Paejon seemed even stranger.

Is that guy really human? My grandfather definitely isn’t, but what the hell is Paejon?

"This is absurd."

It was something that far surpassed the usual martial artists’ battles.

As such a fierce conflict continued—

Whoooosh—!!!

An anomaly occurred with Paejon. He began to condense the Heaven-Shattering Vast Clouds that surrounded him into a single point.

"...Huh?"

I widened my eyes as I watched.

The form was different, but the movement of the energy, seen through my spiritual eye, felt familiar.

"That’s...."

It was Heaven-Shattering.

Paejon was casting Heaven-Shattering.

"...That bastard."

The Paejon of this era hadn’t been able to create Heaven-Shattering. This meant that he was directly mimicking what I had shown him.

"Hah."

He saw it once and immediately copied it? Even though it was his own technique, that was an impressive feat.

"......"

The energy gathering in Paejon’s hands. My grandfather, seeing this, lightly extended one hand.

Whooosh.

Slowly, I could see flames beginning to condense in that spot.

"...Nine Flames Firewheel."

If Paejon was trying to perform Heaven-Shattering, then my grandfather, Gu Seongyul, was creating the Nine Flames Firewheel.

A far denser, far more intense energy was contained within it.

"...These crazy bastards."

I swallowed nervously as I watched.

"If both of them explode, it’s going to be a disaster."

The amount of energy was clearly not ordinary.

If these two energies collided and caused a shockwave, the entire area would be obliterated without a doubt.

"Should I run?"

It seemed like the prideful old men were about to hurt themselves. Maybe it was better to get out of here before that happened.

I was seriously considering running when—

"I'm going."

Paejon said, his eyes blazing with intensity.

"......"

Had Gu Seongyul prepared himself? Just as he was about to unleash the Nine Flames Firewheel—

"Huff...!"

"Ah, stop."

"......Huh?"

Whooosh—!

Suddenly, Gu Seongyul retracted the Nine Flames Firewheel he had been holding. Immediately, his body returned to its normal form.

"Huh? What? What are you doing?"

The fight suddenly stopped, and Paejon, face contorted, shouted in confusion. Why had it abruptly stopped after they were fighting so fiercely?

"I didn’t get permission."

"......What?"

"I didn’t get permission from my wife to go this far."

"......What the hell are you talking about?"

"Let’s go back."

Suddenly, Gu Seongyul brought up the name Jin Yeonryeong and turned his back, enveloping himself in flames.

Boom—!!

In an instant, the flames exploded, and Gu Seongyul flew off in a straight line.

"Huh...?"

Paejon let out a frustrated sigh as he watched Gu Seongyul disappear.

"......."

"...What the hell is this?"

Both my father and I were left stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

It was absurd, but—

The fight really ended just like that.

**********

Afterward—

"That damn bastard...! Going off on his own again!"

After Gu Seongyul vanished, Paejon seemed incredibly furious as he stormed off.

He must have been seething.

The problem was, with him gone, only my father and I remained.

"......."

"......."

We both had to return to the family estate in awkward silence.

We couldn’t just stay there any longer, so it was inevitable.

"Well... I guess I’ll go ahead?"

We didn’t say a word as we returned. The uncomfortable, heavy atmosphere was unbearable.

What had happened in the fight between my grandfather and Paejon? I wanted to ask, but—

"...This is terrifying."

My father was walking ahead with a face that clearly said don’t talk to me.

When we got to the estate, he disappeared without saying a word.

"Hmm..."

What should I do now?

Left alone, I scratched my head.

However—

"It wasn’t all for nothing."

I had gained something. From Paejon’s martial arts and from Gu Seongyul’s transformation.

There was much to learn.

"It feels like something is on the verge of coming."

A shallow understanding.

It was the opportunity that came from gaining something I didn’t know before.

"...If I play this right."

If I grab the opportunity just right, I might gain something even more.

I was trying to think this through when—

"How was it?"

"Ugh! Damn!"

I was startled by a voice from behind.

"Hah... Hah..."

"......."

It was Gu Seongyul, appearing out of nowhere.

"...What? When, when did you get here?"

This guy wasn’t a ghost, so how did he just show up like that? I had to force my heartbeat to calm down.

As I held my breath, trying to regain composure—

"How was it?"

"...What?"

Gu Seongyul asked, looking confused.

What did he mean, "How was it?"

"You saw it, didn’t you?"

"Yeah...?"

Maybe.

"...Was it that thing the Master did?"

Was he talking about the form that carries the Master's level? I thought it might be referring to that.

"Yes."

Gu Seongyul affirmed.

"How was it, you ask? Well, how should I put it? It was... fascinating."

"......."

It was a form I had never seen before. It didn’t feel like the secret technique used when reaching the peak.

But, apparently, my answer didn’t sit well with Gu Seongyul, as his brow furrowed slightly.

"Master? What else..."

"Try it."

"...Huh?"

"Do it right now, in front of me."

"......."

Hearing that, I had to make a dumbfounded face.

"...How am I supposed to do it if I don’t know how?"

How could I do something I didn’t know how to do?

Flustered, I tried to respond.

"You can do it."

"...What?"

"You already can. Didn’t you realize? The level has already been achieved. You’re already..."

His words froze me. I’ve already achieved the level?

"Master’s level. You’re already achieving it."

It was an unexpected statement.

Share