The training grounds of Azure Cloud Pavilion, where Initiate Disciples of the Starpoint Sect received their instruction.
There, two boys faced each other.
Well, to be precise, only one of the boys was glaring at his opponent with a murderous intensity.
The other boy was simply rubbing and inspecting the ground of the training area, as if it were something fascinating to behold.
"Hmm, has the training ground changed a bit? I think the previous interior design was cleaner and nicer."
"You bastard...! Are you looking down on me!?"
"I'm not particularly trying to insult you. I just wanted to check out the remodeled training ground."
"Re-mo-what? Are you messing with me right now!? We'll see how long you can keep looking down on me!!"
"Geez, I told you, I'm not looking down on you."
Only then did Baek Hyun peel his palm away from the ground where he'd been rubbing it and properly assume his stance.
His attitude seemed utterly lackadaisical on the surface, but in reality, even as Baek Hyun had been sightseeing around the training ground, he hadn't let his guard down against the opponent in front of him for even a moment.
His rudeness aside, the amount of internal energy this guy possessed was no joke.
'That guy's name was Jang So-ya, right?'
He hadn't even received a nickname yet, and the level of his internal energy was on another plane compared to the other Initiate Disciples. Clearly, he was from an internal family of the Starpoint Sect.
Sure, with his prior training and family background giving him a head start, his internal energy was bully-level among the Initiate Disciples.
'But he's still just a kid.'
Baek Hyun didn't entertain the thought of losing for even a second.
On the other hand, despite his confident demeanor, Jang So-ya was feeling a twinge of unease.
That inexplicable self-assurance.
Baek Hyun's endlessly relaxed appearance—even after setting such humiliating terms on himself—was planting a subtle seed of anxiety in Jang So-ya.
But he couldn't back out of the match now.
Jang So-ya glanced at the other Initiate Disciples watching the duel, bit his lip, and glared back at Baek Hyun.
No way could he lose to this guy. He had far more martial arts experience and internal energy.
That relaxed attitude was probably just a final bluff to protect his pride, or overconfident bluster from someone who didn't realize the gap between them.
'I'll beat you into a pulp and make you grovel at my feet!'
A tense standoff with not an inch of retreat from either side.
Seeing this, Baek-un—the youngest Initiate Disciple of Azure Cloud Pavilion serving as referee—cautiously cleared his throat and drew both boys' attention to himself.
His sharply honed instincts, developed from weeks of getting chewed out by countless senior brothers, once again enabled swift action today.
"Ahem, are both senior brothers ready?"
"I've been ready ages ago. Just start it."
"Let's wrap this up quick and head in. Don't wanna get caught by the senior uncles."
Affirmation from the duelists.
Baek-un slowly raised one hand and continued.
"Very well. Then, the duel will now..."
begin!
Baek-un's announcement echoed across the training ground, signaling the start of the duel.
The first to move was Jang So-ya.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Flowing Cloud Step
A massive amount of internal energy, far beyond what his age suggested, began boiling up from Jang So-ya's dantian.
The internal energy he'd steadily built since childhood, bolstered by all sorts of elixirs, surged from his dantian in an instant, flowing to his fists and the tips of his toes.
Jang So-ya occupied Baek Hyun's blind spot in a flash with movements as soft and unpredictable as clouds drifting freely across the sky.
Fluid follow-up attacks ensued seamlessly.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Flowing Cloud Fist-Kugugugugu...!
A swift fist loaded with immense power targeted Baek Hyun from his blind spot.
A clean, textbook combo without a single superfluous motion.
With such massive power added on top, even this basic combination of martial arts boasted terrifying might.
Just as Jang So-ya's fist was about to connect with Baek Hyun's face...
-Tspang!
With the sound of air tearing, Jang So-ya's knee buckled weakly.
"...Huh?"
Jang So-ya couldn't grasp the situation for a moment.
Why his fist had sliced through empty air. Why his knee was on the ground.
He couldn't comprehend any of it.
But he realized soon enough.
"Actual combat feels something like this, huh... Gonna take some time to get used to it."
Baek Hyun casually twirling his fist in a relaxed pose, and himself looking up at Baek Hyun from the ground.
He couldn't help but realize.
The first exchange was his defeat.
That sudden, cruel fact pierced Jang So-ya's pride.
The belated stinging sensation near his jaw offered no room for denial.
"Don't... mock meee!!!"
Internal energy surged wildly in response to its master's emotions, once again enveloping Jang So-ya's fists.
Flowing Cloud Fist was a fist technique characterized by lightning-fast speed like the wind and naturally chaining rapid strikes.
Fury- and shame-fueled barrages shot toward Baek Hyun like a gale.
Though consumed by emotion, the Flowing Cloud Fist—backed by substantial power and proficiency—remained swift and threatening.
However...
-Swish, swish-swish, swish
Not a single strike even grazed Baek Hyun's clothes.
Like clouds visible to the eye but impossible to grasp.
Baek Hyun evaded every incoming strike with exquisite, fluid movements.
'Attack pattern's obvious as hell. I could dodge with my eyes closed and footwork ignored.'
No off-beats, fakes, intricate counters, or strategies.
Just pure, honest barrages hurling every technique he knew haphazardly.
He felt foolish for habitually preparing for a dozen contingencies; the guy's attacks were that straightforward.
Even the minimal tension he'd held for potential surprises melted away.
'But this is reality, not a game.'
Getting complacent isn't a good habit.
-Ppak!
"Kek!?"
Baek Hyun's concise, swift fist cleaved through the barrage and struck Jang So-ya's solar plexus.
Jang So-ya clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground once more.
The other Initiate Disciples watching couldn't hide their shock.
Jang So-ya had reigned as an absolute powerhouse among them.
Even if their ages were similar, the years of dedicated training were an insurmountable gap for the younger ones.
As an internal family member of the Starpoint Sect, with more martial experience and internal energy beyond what same-age peers could dream of, Jang So-ya had been an unclimbable wall.
Yet to see him toyed with so one-sidedly...!
"Urk, you damn bastard! Stop running away!!"
Boiling with rage, Jang So-ya abandoned the barrage, poured his internal energy to the limit into his fist, and swung with full power.
The desperate punch to reclaim his shattered pride carried force and ferocity that surprised even Jang So-ya himself.
However...
-Ppapang!!
Baek Hyun neutered Jang So-ya's all-out strike with a simple extension of his fist.
Just before Jang So-ya's fist fully extended, Baek Hyun struck his wrist, disrupting the flow of internal energy.
No matter how simple the technique, precise movements and internal energy control were essential for proper execution.
"Kuhk!?"
The massive internal energy that failed to release reversed course, momentarily paralyzing Jang So-ya's body.
Baek Hyun leisurely twisted his wrist and approached the now completely defenseless Jang So-ya.
"Overloading with unnecessary force stiffens your body and slows your movements. It might boost power, but that's not what Starpoint Sect martial arts aim for."
Fists should always be light and concise.
"Remember that from now on."
-Papapapapapang!!!!
Flowing Cloud Step and Flowing Cloud Fist.
The foundational martial arts of the Starpoint Sect converged into a single natural motion.
The swiftness of Flowing Cloud Fist enhanced by the softness of Flowing Cloud Step—an ultimate basic combo of Starpoint Sect techniques.
Like a sudden downpour, inescapable rapid strikes hammered Jang So-ya's entire body in an instant.
"Kuh... heuk..."
Brutal, unsparing blows without internal energy to mitigate them.
Jang So-ya couldn't endure.
"Th-the winner... is Senior Brother Baek Hyun!"
-Waaaaaaaaah!!
The Initiate Disciples, stunned by the unbelievable sight, erupted in cheers all at once.
The shocking scene of Jang So-ya getting utterly demolished without landing a single hit.
And since Jang So-ya had long accumulated karma by lording over the others, he instantly became the target of widespread mockery.
"Heh, that guy's always strutting around like a big shot. Serves him right."
"Guy's got a lot of internal energy but is actually super weak, right? I could beat him too."
Jeers and ridicule laced with contempt rained down from all sides.
Jang So-ya trembled with surging humiliation in his chest.
The mental sting hurt more than the thrashing he couldn't even twitch under.
He desperately wanted to beat down the mocking crowd, but his young body, exposed to those merciless strikes, refused to move another inch.
His first complete defeat in life.
The immense humiliation and helplessness he'd never felt before.
His hitherto unscathed pride was trampled like a rag.
The fact drove him to tears, his eyes welling up just as they threatened to spill.
"Hey, looks like it's time to honor the terms now."
'!!'
The forgotten wildcard thrust its final blade at his tattered pride.
"The loser becomes the winner's 'dog'... That was the condition, right? You agreed to it yourself."
"Uh... uuu..."
At those words, Jang So-ya forgot about the surrounding disciples and pulled a full crying face.
The tears he'd barely held back now poured like a breached dam.
He was only thirteen this year.
Even trained in martial arts, he was still just a child at heart.
Just as his floodgates were about to burst wide open...
-Pook
A small palm covered Jang So-ya's head.
It was Baek Hyun's—the same hand that had just mercilessly pummeled him moments ago.
As if the earlier tension had been a lie, he chuckled softly and spoke.
"Just kidding, man. Why're you so scared? You think I'd make a fellow sect brother do that?"
"Wh-what?"
"Instead, from now on, don't pick fights with people, don't strut around with puffed-up shoulders, and watch your words. Got it?"
The sudden kindness from the opponent he'd just been fighting.
Jang So-ya was left dumbfounded by the unexpected turn, but only briefly.
"Kkh, kkhueup..."
"Hey now, what's a tough guy like you crying for? Cut it out."
Jang So-ya ultimately burst into tears.
Relief at escaping the most humiliating fate. Gratitude toward Baek Hyun for not crossing that final line.
Guilt for needlessly provoking such a Baek Hyun—all swirled like a storm in his young heart.
"Sob, I'm sorry... I picked a fight with you for no reason..."
"Yeah, yeah, good thing you know you were wrong. Just don't do it again, alright?"
"Sniff, yeah..!"
Baek Hyun adeptly soothed Jang So-ya, who broke into tears again.
No matter how bratty, a kid was still a kid.
For these goldmine-potential brats, the effective method was to crush them hard from the start to establish discipline, then treat them kindly afterward.
'Never thought I'd be disciplining kids even here.'
At least here he could beat sense into them without holding back, which was somewhat cathartic.
He hadn't been able to hit that hard even when scolding orphanage kids caught smoking.
"Alright, duel's over, everyone head in and get some sleep. You don't wanna get yelled at by the senior uncles, right?"
"Y-yeah! Got it!"
"Hey, Senior Brother Baek Hyun says go in! Hurry up!!"
Baek Hyun familiarly shooed away the young disciples around him, and the kids scampered off like arrows.
Skill overwhelming enough to crush Jang So-ya.
Maturity and composure beyond his years.
A subtle charisma that commanded others without high-handedness.
No one said it aloud, but every Initiate Disciple present felt it.
From this moment on, Baek Hyun was the real power among the Starpoint Sect's white-clad brats.