Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 37

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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Chapter 37.
Inside the Demonic Physician Hall.
The air hung heavy, and Saengsa Jjon’s expression was graver than ever before.
Yun Cheon and Seol Young sat side by side before Saengsa Jjon.
Across the table, tension crackling like static, an aged tome was cast down with a dull thud.
[Shedding Flesh Demonic Bone Technique]
The very secret art I had come seeking—the sole beacon of hope I had clung to.
My eyes widened.
“Originally, I devised the Shedding Flesh Demonic Bone Technique to cure Young Ah’s affliction, but I failed.”
“….”
“I labored over it for countless years, yet ultimately never perfected this incomplete secret art.”
I remained unmoved.
I had already suspected as much.
‘Had the Shedding Flesh Demonic Bone Technique been capable of curing severed meridian syndrome, he would never have left Seol Young to suffer so.’
Yet Saengsa Jjon’s next words diverged from my expectations.
“However, thanks to you, a dying secret art has drawn breath once more.”
Saengsa Jjon’s hand withdrew another volume from within his robes.
A soft pat.
From the book upon the table emanated the rich scent of ink still wet and glistening—evidence of Saengsa Jjon’s sleepless night of composition.
The traces of his brush burning through the darkness.
“Your demonstration of the life-prolonging breathing technique and Young Ah’s improved condition—they pierced through the blockade in my own medical knowledge.”
Saengsa Jjon lifted his brush and inscribed four characters across the cover without hesitation.
[Defying Heaven Secret Art]
“It resists the severed meridian—heaven’s own punishment. Built anew upon the foundation of the Shedding Flesh Demonic Bone Technique, reinforced by your principles.”
Defying Heaven.
My heart thundered within my chest.
Could any name echo so perfectly with my own existence—returned from death, defying fate itself?
Yet this secret art resonated equally with my rebirth, my resurrection into a new form.
“However… I cannot perform the procedure immediately.”
“What is the reason?”
“This technique demands excruciating pain—scraping bone, inverting marrow. First, your body must recover from the ravages of severed meridian syndrome. Beyond that, there is one more complication.”
Saengsa Jjon clicked his tongue with evident frustration.
“Ordinary needles or surgical instruments cannot withstand the ferocious qi of the Defying Heaven Secret Art. I require tools far more precise and far more resilient.”
It was paradoxical.
More precise yet more durable simultaneously.
“Grandfather, then….”
“But fear not. I have already made arrangements for something.”
Saengsa Jjon’s gaze turned toward the window.
“We cannot simply idle away the time awaiting its arrival. Both of you seem restless—why not take this opportunity to condition your bodies and loosen your limbs?”
At Saengsa Jjon’s suggestion, Seol Young’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Her gaze turned toward Yun Cheon.
Those eyes burned with something far deeper than mere curiosity.
‘That strange power rotating within Silver Gong’s body… I want to collide with it directly and verify it myself.’
At the same time, she wished to assess her own condition.
Now that her severed meridian syndrome had stabilized, she wanted to know how far the Bing Baek Divine Art had progressed.
Yun Cheon did not shy away from her gaze either.
‘Not bad. I need to refine the foundational principles of the Shadowless Ice Heart Formula that I’ve only mapped out theoretically through actual combat.’
Beyond that, there was one more thing he wished to verify.
‘My inner force’s nature has changed… I wonder if it can harmonize without conflict when I deploy Kunlun’s martial arts.’
Seol Young assumed a respectful fist salute toward Yun Cheon.
“Silver Gong, I humbly request a match.”
“Rather, I should be the one asking. The Shadowless Ice Heart Formula remains incomplete, after all.”
* * *
Ma Ui Jeon Front Courtyard.
Seol Young and Yun Cheon stood facing each other at a distance.
Saengsa Jjon watched them with his hands clasped behind his back, visibly intrigued.
‘Young Ah had no equal among her peers even before the severed meridian syndrome manifested….’
Exceptional aptitude and the steep progress of the Bing Baek Divine Art.
‘Though it was a harbinger of the yin meridian blockage, that achievement didn’t simply vanish.’
Seol Young was regarded as the finest successor prospect of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect, surpassing even the Bingbai Snow Family.
Though her body had weakened from prolonged illness following the yin meridian manifestation, by objective standards, Seol Young should naturally surpass Yun Cheon.
The status of being the legitimate heir of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect.
Over a decade of cultivation accumulated since childhood.
Vast inner force that had actually accelerated through the yin meridian blockage.
Though Yun Cheon had achieved miraculous progress in merely a year, surpassing a decade of accumulated time seemed nearly impossible.
‘Yet… something feels off. That boy possesses a capacity that cannot be measured by such standards.’
Saengsa Jjon’s eyes narrowed.
“I’ll make the first move!”
Thump—!
Seol Young pushed off the ground first.
Her form darted forward with the agility of a swallow cutting through a snow-laden mountain pass.
The Snow Wind Step, rooted in the Bing Baek Divine Art.
A footwork technique as swift and elegant as a winter blizzard howling across the land.
Whoosh!
Immediately after, the opening form of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect’s signature technique, the Bing Baek Divine Palm, unfurled.
A pure exchange of forms without inner force infused.
Yet Seol Young’s movements were far from ordinary.
‘So fast…! Her strength is at least equal to Yalü Hee’s…!’
Yun Cheon marveled inwardly.
Indeed, the reputation of prodigy she’d earned since childhood was no exaggeration.
Unlike Yalü Hee, who had failed to properly inherit the martial arts of the Guang Feng Yalü Family, Seol Young was different.
She was the legitimate bloodline that formed the foundation of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect.
A true successor who had properly mastered the martial techniques of the Bingbai Snow Family.
Whoosh—!
Seol Young’s hands danced through the air, embroidering vital points in succession as she targeted Yun Cheon’s weak spots.
But Yun Cheon remained unflustered.
With minimal movement, I deflected her attacks.
‘Is it the prolonged severed meridian condition? Her body has weakened considerably. Her techniques are flashy and sharp, but she lacks the muscular strength to support them.’
My eyes gleamed with cold clarity.
The trajectory of Seol Young’s relentless barrage.
Rather than evade, I stepped forward half a pace and lightly tapped the inside of her wrist.
Tap.
Seol Young’s center of balance crumbled.
She tried to retreat in panic, but I had already seized her blind spot.
My hand blade stopped just before her throat.
“One round.”
“…Again!”
Seol Young bit her lip.
She thought she had been careless.
But the subsequent exchanges showed no change in pattern.
I handled Seol Young’s fierce assault as easily as an adult managing a child.
Wuji Step and Shadowless Step.
And Whirlwind Kick and Single Soul Water.
I unveiled and tested the martial techniques I had learned and created within the Demonic Cult, one by one.
Even that alone was more than sufficient to dismantle her techniques without difficulty.
My experience from my past life—having traversed the line between life and death countless times in real combat—was a realm Seol Young could never hope to reach.
“Haa… haa….”
Beads of sweat formed on Seol Young’s forehead.
It was shocking.
She was of Bingbai Snow Family blood and a recognized prodigy by all accounts.
Though her body’s ailment had left her lacking in practical experience, she never expected to be so thoroughly toyed with by someone who had only trained in martial arts for just over a year.
‘Techniques alone… I cannot win.’
She had to admit it.
In understanding of martial theory, distance control, psychological warfare—in every aspect, Yun Cheon surpassed her.
But she still had one thing to rely on.
“Master… I acknowledge my insufficiency with techniques alone.”
Seol Young steadied her breathing and lifted her head.
Her jade eyes grew cold and serene.
“But the essence of martial arts is ultimately power. I wish to compete using inner energy.”
Saengsa Jjon looked toward Yun Cheon.
Yun Cheon nodded.
“Very well. I too have been curious how my inner strength would manifest in actual combat.”
The atmosphere of the second round had shifted.
Whoooosh—
The bone-piercing cold radiating from Seol Young’s entire body transformed the Ma Ui Jeon Front Courtyard into frozen earth in an instant.
The vast reservoir of the Nine Yin Meridian’s power that had slumbered within her body.
As it flowed through the channels of the Bing Baek Divine Art, its force far exceeded that of a first-rate master.
‘Such an enormous quantity…’
Yun Cheon tensed.
The spinning dantian he had only recently created was still fledgling. In terms of sheer volume, the disparity was ten to one—no, far greater than that.
“Here I come!”
Seol Young unleashed her palm strike. The Bing Baek Divine Palm.
It was no mere palm force. The oppressive weight of an avalanche bearing down.
Yun Cheon avoided direct confrontation.
Instead, he spun his lower dantian with ferocious intensity.
‘Draw in and release!’
The Limitless Ice Heart Scripture.
Boom!
The moment Seol Young’s palm force reached Yun Cheon, his body spun like a top.
The shockwave froze the surrounding earth, yet Yun Cheon emerged unscathed, scattering her attack into empty air.
‘He blocked it?!’
Seol Young was astounded.
Despite her overwhelming inner strength, Yun Cheon’s energy manipulation slipped away like a loach—effortless and evasive.
The principle of controlling great force with minimal strength.
Competitive fire ignited within Seol Young, and she increased her output.
“Haaah!”
Whoosh! Crack!
A relentless barrage followed, as if space itself was freezing over.
Yun Cheon endured precariously, as though treading on thin ice, yet with stubborn persistence.
But as time wore on, the tide of battle tilted inexorably toward Seol Young.
‘As I feared… the disparity in volume cannot be overcome.’
Yun Cheon’s fingertips were turning pale white.
There were limits to what technique alone could defend against. Like bailing out a downpour with a ladle.
Seol Young had seized victory.
But then.
‘…!’
Yun Cheon’s eyes caught something peculiar.
The gaze of Seol Young, who pressed forward with overwhelming force.
Within it lay not the certainty of victory, but a deep, palpable unease.
‘She’s afraid?’
Even as Seol Young poured out her inner strength, she found herself unconsciously hesitating.
It was not fear of her opponent.
It was a primal terror of herself—more precisely, of the power erupting from her fingertips.
‘She cannot trust herself.’
Like a child terrified that the very force she unleashed might consume her whole.
For her, the runaway of inner strength was a horrific psychological trauma inextricably linked to death.
‘Her power overflows, yet she restrains herself, fearing it will spiral beyond control.’
That infinitesimal hesitation.
Yun Cheon, who had crossed the line of death thousands of times, would not miss such an opening.
‘Now.’
Yun Cheon drove through the gap created by Seol Young’s hesitation.
Just as the spiraling yin-cold force condensed in his hand collided with Seol Young’s yin-cold force—
Kwaaang—!
A deafening crash, as though a colossal mass of metal had been driven into the earth, shook the Demonic Physician Hall.
The concentration of the two cultivators, who had been delicately harmonizing their energies, was forcibly severed by the external noise.
“…!”
Yun Cheon hastily withdrew his power and stopped, while Seol Young, losing her balance, staggered.
The taut tension of their sparring shattered in an instant.
“Oops, my apologies. Were you two having such a grand time that I’ve doused your flames with cold water? Who turned the gate into a rag?”
A gravelly voice echoed from the direction of the Demonic Physician Hall’s shattered entrance.
“By the traces, it must be the old master. What a temperament. Why did you have to smash a perfectly good gate? Now there’s more work to do.”
Saengsa Jjon clicked his tongue, yet a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Tsk, still charging in recklessly as ever. Must be because you handle fire—such a fiery disposition.”
A massive figure emerged from among the ruins of the collapsed gate.
A boulder-like frame covered in bronze-hued muscle.
A man bearing an enormous black-iron bundle across his back—large as a human torso—casually kicking at the shattered gate pieces as though they were nothing but an annoyance.
Gong Ya Pae, the blacksmith and disciple of Yeom Hwa Jjon.
“It has been long, Saengsa Jjon. You remain as vigorous as ever.”
Gong Ya Pae grinned and bowed respectfully.
Then he glanced sidelong at Seol Young, who was wiping sweat and steadying her breath.
“Eh? Who is this? Is that not Bi-sil?”
“It has been long, Elder Brother Gong Ya.”
“Well, I’ll be. Every time you came, you looked like you were on your last legs. Now you finally look like a proper person? That bone-deep chill has faded considerably.”
Though his manner of speech was rough, it carried the discerning eye of a master who recognized Seol Young’s improvement at a glance, and the concern he had harbored for her.
When Seol Young let out a soft laugh, Gong Ya Pae turned his gaze toward Yun Cheon standing beside her with a hearty chuckle.
Zzzt—.
Mere eye contact, yet sparks seemed to dance in the void.
Gong Ya Pae’s gaze blazed like a furnace.
In stark contrast, Yun Cheon’s cool and indifferent gaze locked tautly with his.
“Ho. So you are the one. The fellow the old master took under his wing despite no blood relation.”
Gong Ya Pae set down the bundle from his back onto the ground.
Thud—!
The sharp crack of heavy metal pieces colliding reverberated through the earth.
A sound comparable in magnitude to the earlier noise.
‘The bundle and the hammer… both possess considerable weight. Extraordinary strength indeed.’
Gong Ya Pae extended a rough, calloused hand.
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Gong Ya Pae, disciple of the esteemed Yeom Hwa Jjon. Let’s shake hands, shall we?”
It was far more than a simple greeting.
Whoooosh—.
In an instant, his palm blazed a fiery crimson.
The air, chilled by Seol Young and Yun Cheon’s earlier clash, shimmered like heat waves rising from scorched earth.
This was no mere handshake—it was a challenge to pit the scorching yang-qi of the Yeom Hwa Demonic Art against Yun Cheon’s frigid yin-qi.
“Let’s see if you’ll melt in my flames. Mind if I test your mettle?”
At Gong Ya Pae’s provocative smile, Yun Cheon did not retreat. Instead, I calmly extended my hand.
“I am Yun Cheon. Gladly.”
From Yun Cheon’s fingertips, a cool pale-blue aura bloomed forth.
Ssssshhhhh—!
The moment their hands clasped, an enormous volume of steam erupted explosively between them.
A direct collision of heat and cold.
Gong Ya Pae’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Ho… this fellow? Meeting my scorching yang-qi head-on?’
Neither man budged as they neutralized each other’s yang and yin energies.
Moments later, both released their grip simultaneously.
“Krahaha! You’ve got some skill, some real skill! Your inner strength seems modest too. The old master didn’t just pick up any stray, did he?”
Gong Ya Pae laughed heartily and reached to pat Yun Cheon’s shoulder, then suddenly froze.
His gaze fixed upon the black object wrapped around Yun Cheon’s wrist, visible beneath his sleeve.
“Hmm? Wait a moment.”
With the eye of a master blacksmith, Gong Ya Pae seized Yun Cheon’s arm.
“This… are these iron spheres? The weight is no joke. You looked so slender… but you’ve got some substance, don’t you?”
He tapped one of the spheres with his finger, testing it with evident curiosity.
Ding—.
A dull metallic ring sounded.
“Heh, you madman. Lugging around scrap metal like this for training? The material’s cheap, and the craftsmanship is atrocious.”
Gong Ya Pae clicked his tongue as he regarded Yun Cheon.
Yet his eyes gleamed not with mockery, but with the delight of finally encountering a man worthy of genuine exchange.
Gong Ya Pae tapped his bundle and spoke.
“Listen here… if you can stand against me in a bout, I might just forge you something worthwhile to replace that hunk of scrap. What do you say?”

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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