The Final Battle for the Eastern Martial King
The final match on the martial platform was set—Li Ha-rin versus Zhi Ji-hoon. It was more than a clash of swords; it was a collision between two powers.
This was the most anticipated battle of the event. News of Wu Ha-joon's shocking defeat had shaken the city. Now, the final confrontation would determine who truly ruled this domain.
Within the Martial Emperor Sect
In the silent depths of the Martial Emperor Sect, Sect Ancestor Di Si-woo sat cross-legged atop a stone mat, exuding an aura as vast as the heavens themselves. His spiritual power was rooted in the Gold Law—The Unmoving Mountain—stable, heavy, and eternal.
A heavy sword lay beside him, its name: Earth Spirit Blade. It was a colossal weapon—78 cm in length, but an unbelievable 7 meters wide, a symbol of his power and will.
Zhi Ji-hoon entered the grand hall with calm steps. Before him stood the very foundation of the Martial Emperor Sect. He bowed deeply.
"You may rise," Di Si-woo said, his voice resonant like stone scraping across stone. "I've seen the girl's swordplay. Li Ha-rin is beyond you. Tomorrow, you will lose."
Zhi Ji-hoon raised his head. "Ancestor, with all due respect, I still have strengths to draw upon. There's no proof I will lose."
"Perhaps not today," Di Si-woo replied, "but it will be proved tomorrow. If I were you, I would preserve my energy."
At the Li Family Estate
Meanwhile, within the Li Family Hall, Li Ha-rin stood before her master—Li Min-seo, a woman of transcendent beauty and terrifying strength.
"You've proven yourself, Ha-rin," Min-seo said softly, "but you are still one match away from the title. Do not let confidence blind you—overconfidence can lead to downfall."
"Yes, Master," Li Ha-rin replied, eyes calm and determined. "I will win. For myself… and for you."
The Martial Platform—Final Day
At the far end of the stands, Li Hao and Lu Lang observed quietly.
"Master," Lu Lang asked, "who do you think will win?"
Li Hao paused. "Li Ha-rin will win. Her sword skills are not something Zhi Ji-hoon can match."
"But… isn't there always a chance?" Lu Lang tilted her head.
"There is. If she lets her guard down, Zhi Ji-hoon may land a fatal blow. But if not—this is the end for him."
They turned back to watch as the match began.
The Battle
On the arena floor, Li Ha-rin and Zhi Ji-hoon faced each other. The atmosphere grew thick as both released their auras, trembling the platform.
"Begin!" the announcer roared.
Zhi Ji-hoon exploded forward, going all out from the very start, unleashing all his techniques to push her back several meters. The crowd leaned in—but before they could cheer—Li Ha-rin vanished.
In an instant, she appeared beside him and slapped him.
A loud crack echoed.
A single slap. A moment of silence. A humiliation too brutal to ignore.
That was it. The fight was over.
Everyone stood in disbelief. In the martial world, to be slapped in combat wasn't just a technique—it was an insult that shattered the opponent's Dao Heart. A declaration of overwhelming superiority.
Li Hao stood calmly. "That's it," he said.
Lu Lang blinked. "Master, why end it with a slap?"
"In this world," Li Hao said, "the cruelest way to show your strength… is to disrespect your opponent. She just shattered his will."
He turned, fading away with a final instruction. "One and a half years. Show me progress."
Aftermath
Martial artists and sect leaders rose, offering congratulations to the Li Family. The title had been won.
Li Ha-rin—the Eastern Martial King.
A status worthy of a future Sect Master.
The Li Family Private Estate
Li Min-seo and Li Ha-rin returned to the Li Family's private estate, nestled within the heart of the city—2.1 miles in diameter, where the rich and powerful lived.
After returning to her room, Ha-rin prepared to begin cultivation when her master knocked.
"Come in," she said.
Li Min-seo entered. "Here," she said, handing over a list, "Heavenly weapons and martial arts from the government vault. Pick what you like. I'll retrieve it."
Li Ha-rin scanned the list. Her eyes paused on one name—Eternal Moon Sword. A sword forged from radiant moonlight. A high-human level sword of elite quality.
"I want this one," she said immediately.
Li Min-seo nodded. "Good choice. What about the martial technique?"
"I choose… Twilight of the Stars," Ha-rin said.
Her master froze. "Are you sure?"
"Is something wrong with it?"
Min-seo sighed. "That technique belonged to the Eternal King, a Willful Realm martial artist from 23,000 years ago. He once fought the Protector of the Qi Dynasty… and vanished."
"That technique was divine-level, but only one-tenth remains. Still, if you perfect even this fragment, you could become an invincible Willful Realm expert."
Li Ha-rin was stunned but intrigued. She hesitated.
"Then… I'll choose the True Yin Divine Art instead," she said.
"A wise pick," Li Min-seo replied with a smile before leaving.
And so, Li Ha-rin returned to her cultivation—on the cusp of a breakthrough that would shake the martial world again.
Time, eternal and unceasing, flowed like a great river—never stopping, never resting.
One year and eleven months passed.
Li Hao turned seventeen this year. Yet, in all that time, he had gained nothing new.
He thought back, remembering the day seven years ago when he received the Heavenly Sun Sword—a weapon that had once been revered as a treasure. But now, it lay dormant, a relic of a past too slow to keep up.
His cultivation had long outpaced the sword's utility.
Even defensive artifacts had become meaningless. Unless forged in the same realm as his own cultivation, what use were they? At this level, only swords or shields aligned with his realm could bear any weight in battle.
What he needed wasn't just any sword.
He needed the sword—one that resonated with his very soul, that would grow as he grew. A sword not bound by his current realm, but one that would endure through every future breakthrough.
But before that...
He still needed to break through to the Fourth Turn.
Li Hao gazed at his reflection—calm eyes, steady breath. This is the Ninth Level of the Third Turn... but it feels entirely different than I imagined.
"Even at this height, I'm still a year away from perfection. But I can feel it… I can almost see it."
To transcend the Third Turn was to touch upon the laws themselves—to control them.
Only then could one step into the Half-Step Realm. And from there, one would have to forge a Primordial Spirit, the essence that could interpret and embody the law itself.
That was why the Fourth Turn—the Willful Realm—remained a chasm too wide for the ordinary to cross.
Many failed at the threshold, unable to comprehend the law. Others faltered while attempting to condense their Primordial Spirit.
As he sat quietly, Li Hao's mind turned inward. Right now, he could vaguely sense the Laws of Space and Time—their rhythm, their resistance. But he could not yet command them. He had not reached that stage.
Yet even so, something deep within him stirred.
The Cosmic Celestial Bloodline and the mythical Cosmic Dao Eyes pushed his comprehension further than any normal prodigy.
These eyes were not something one could understand with mere thought or effort.
In the past several years, Li Hao had seen many things—battles, deaths, ascensions. But it was his combat awareness that had grown most.
Every moment, the world around him slowed to a crawl.
Like watching reality through a drifting film reel, his perception was vastly different from others. Each movement, each shift of spiritual power—he could see it all, frame by frame.
And within that stillness...
He found clarity.
Every step his opponent took felt slower.
Every decision he made—sharper.
This was the gift of the Cosmic Dao Eyes.
And yet...
It was only the beginning.