It’s true that having more cards in your hand puts everything in your favor.

But the most important thing is the person holding those cards.

If that person is some pathetic idiot, then the cards mean nothing.

On the other hand, if the person is exceptionally capable, even just three cards—or no, just two—can be enough to overturn the entire world.

"I told you, didn’t I? You’re «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a model example."

"...You... deliberately stayed out of the front lines?"

"I merely understood, with my head, what needed to be prioritized."

"..."

"Of course, my body wasn’t in perfect shape either, but that’s hardly the point."

"..."

"I usually don’t feel sympathy for anyone."

"You little bastard..."

"But you’re something of an exception. To be honest, it’s not just pity—I feel sorry for you. I don’t enjoy gilding my own image, but frankly, you’re not even my opponent."

"...You... you...!"

Cold words—but they weren’t wrong.

This wasn’t arrogance or conceit.

The results said it all.

Lee Jagyeom wasn’t even on the level to play a real match against me.

In the first place, he’s the kind of man who should’ve been playing with someone else, not me.

There was no need to say anything more.

"So, before you leave for the last time, I’ll answer one question for you."

I stood up and leaned toward Lee Jagyeom’s ear where he lay collapsed on the ground.

"Do you know why my body isn’t in normal condition?"

"...I don’t want to hear it. Just kill me alre—"

"Black Flame Demon Beast, Ulin."

"...What...?"

"I sustained internal injuries fighting him. Even though he’s considered the weakest among the Lords of Hon Do Ma Yeomgung, he still held the title of Great Lord. He wasn’t easy to deal with."

Lee Jagyeom’s eyes widened.

"...You... fought him...?"

"Yes."

"How...?"

I sighed, as if genuinely pitying him.

"Even when playing Go, the first thing to do is assess your opponent’s skill. But you charged in driven by greed alone—and now you’ve ended up like this."

"No... Explain... How could you...?"

I shook my head and rose to my feet. Then extended my hand toward the governor of Seong standing to my left. The quick-witted man immediately handed me a sword.

"I’ve answered your question. It’s time for you to go."

"W-Wait..."

"Do you still have something to say?"

"I... I do..."

"Save it. Say the rest in the afterlife."

"...What?"

I silently swung the sword.

Slick.

Lee Jagyeom’s head fell to the ground.

***

Lee Jagyeom’s death was the signal.

"Kill them all."

The moment Unwi gave the order, the martial artists of Yangryeong and Bongrae, who had been lying in ambush near the main gate, grabbed their longbows and began unleashing arrows at the dazed warriors of Jeokan.

Pftftftftf—!!

They were drowning in the despair of defeat and the overwhelming uncertainty of what to do next—too stunned to react.

Another volley of arrows.

Two hundred shots.

Then another two hundred.

The relentless rain of arrows pierced straight into the bodies of the Jeokan warriors, and one by one, they began to die.

By the time exactly a thousand arrows had been fired, fewer than thirty of the original three hundred remained.

Those few had cultivation levels of at least Five Dragon Blooming Star or higher.

"Stop."

Everyone lowered their bows.

"Yangso."

At Unwi’s call, he quickly ran to stand beside him.

"Yes, Master."

"From today on, you are the ruler of Jeokan."

Yangso’s eyes widened.

"You don’t want it?"

"...Not at all. I’m simply grateful. Thank you, Master."

"Then go deal with the remnants of Jeokan over there."

A murderous smile curled at Yangso’s lips.

"At your command."

As Yangso waved his hand, the warriors of Cheolsan Sword Gate charged forward all at once.

Unwi intended to entrust Jeokan to Yangso.

There was no one more suitable than Yangso from the start.

Even if his current martial prowess didn’t seem quite up to par with Ogijo-level experts, it was only a matter of time.

Unwi knew Yangso’s potential well.

Everyone—both the people of Jeokan and Unwi’s own forces—watched silently.

That day, Jeokan became territory of the Everlasting Snow Palace.

Yangso of the Snow's Pressure became the new ruler of Jeokan.

But no one was unaware—

That what would happen next was far more important than what had just occurred.

***

The rumor swept across the entire martial world like wildfire.

The Everlasting Snow Palace had seized Jeokan of the Yang Empire, and in the process, annihilated six sects affiliated with the Martial Alliance.

Ilmun-Sam Clan-Yi Clan.

Their ruler had been none other than Lee Jagyeom, a master of the Ipshin Realm—and now, he had been defeated and lost everything.

It was a truly shocking event.

The main palace of the Everlasting Snow Palace hadn’t even intervened.

It had been the illegitimate child—Snow Mountain Demon Lord, Seol Unwi—who had singlehandedly crushed Jeokan.

Anyone with a head on their shoulders, in that moment, couldn’t help but feel awe—and fear.

The conclusion was simple.

Seol Unwi would etch his name into the history of the martial world, one way or another.

Whether as a Great Demon or something else, it was inevitable.

He’d already achieved something worthy of it.

"Astounding."

Kang Cheonwoo, Lord of the Martial Alliance in Sichuan, couldn’t believe what he was hearing even as he received the report.

"...Hoo... They said he was good at Go, but he might be an even greater strategist than that worm from the Martial Alliance."

He broke it down point by point.

First: Seol Unwi had proven he could transcend limits.

What realm was Seol Unwi in now? Three Flowers Gathering Purity.

From that level, he had conquered a territory filled with Ipshin Realm masters, Harmonization Realm warriors, and even Ogijo-level elites. His capacity for both strategy and action was truly beyond imagination.

In the martial world, cultivation level is the measure of power—and for him to have broken that rule was a monumental feat in itself.

Second: Seol Unwi’s position had grown too great.

To accomplish this much without relying on the main palace meant that Seol Unwi, as an individual, could be recognized as a full-fledged power on his own. His independence and autonomy had already earned the recognition of the martial world.

And third:

Psychological warfare.

No need to look far—Kang Cheonwoo himself was the perfect example.

Right now, a single thought had taken root in Kang Cheonwoo’s mind.

What if Seol Unwi’s power is combined with the full strength of the Everlasting Snow Palace?

Uncertainty and fear had been planted into the martial world. That in itself became a powerful deterrent. Seol Unwi’s enemies would now be forced to assess not just his current strength, but also his potential—and that, in and of itself, was a weapon.

"Vice Lord."

At Kang Cheonwoo’s call, the Vice Lord of the Sichuan Martial Alliance—Ghost-Eyed Demon Lord, Moyong Namcheon—lifted his head.

"Yes, Lord."

"What are you thinking right now?"

"I was thinking of Jegal Yeonghyeon."

Kang Cheonwoo chuckled.

"That idiot?"

"Yes. It’s well known that he tried to pressure the Everlasting Snow Palace with his schemes."

"Very well known."

"And the one who countered Jegal Yeonghyeon was Seol Unwi."

"And the result was Seol Unwi’s victory."

"Yes. That one move that started with a single Go board flipped Jegal Yeonghyeon’s entire setup. Every strategy he tried to play was rendered useless."

"Indeed."

"I considered that a divine move."

Kang Cheonwoo’s eyes deepened.

A divine move...

"You think what Seol Unwi just did in Jeokan is an extension of that divine move?"

"Yes. Except for the moment he personally reversed Lee Jagyeom’s strategy at Guryongsangno, he did nothing but orchestrate from his chair and watch as Jeokan’s warriors died. That’s what I heard."

In the end—

"He’s trying to show his value."

"To whom?"

"...To you, Lord Kang, to Gun Mugyeol, and to the entire world."

Kang Cheonwoo let out a hearty laugh.

Truly—

"What an amusing bastard."

While Kang Cheonwoo marveled in pure admiration, Moyong Namcheon asked,

"What do you plan to do?"

This was the crucial question.

Where had the fight between Yangryeong and Jeokan even started?

It began when two of Sichuan’s martial artists were killed by Seol Unwi.

Why had those two provoked Unwi in the first place?

Kang Cheonwoo wasn’t a fool.

"I don’t want to be dancing on someone else’s board. But if the one who laid that board is that crazy old man, well... tch."

In the public eye, Kang Cheonwoo was known as a straightforward man.

The fact that even someone like him was finding this difficult said a lot. And there was only one person in the world who could do that to Kang Cheonwoo.

That crazy old man.

"Cheondoja... Why the hell did he do it?"

"...I don’t know. Maybe... just for fun."

There was no other explanation.

That’s the kind of man he was.

"Still, we can’t just sit still."

He was right. If they did nothing now, the dignity of the Sichuan Martial Alliance would be utterly trampled.

Even if Lee Jagyeom had acted on his own, even if it wasn’t officially sanctioned, there were still people tied to the main alliance—and entire sects had actually been wiped out.

They had to respond.

So what should they do?

"We need to apply pressure."

"Pressure, sir?"

That was the heart of it.

Anyone can conquer, occupy, and take.

But protecting something—now that’s a different story.

Kang Cheonwoo briefly considered forming a temporary alliance with Gun Mugyeol of the Martial Alliance.

And immediately rejected the idea.

Even if someone put a sword to his neck, he would never shake hands with Gun Mugyeol.

That cunning, hypocritical bastard was the type of person Kang Cheonwoo despised most in the world. That was final.

"Do you have something in mind?"

At Moyong Namcheon’s question, Kang Cheonwoo gave it some thought.

The Sichuan Alliance couldn’t move directly.

If they did, they’d have to be ready for war with the Everlasting Snow Palace. Things had escalated to that point. But doing nothing wasn’t an option either.

There were only two choices left.

Negotiate—or launch another attack by some other means, then negotiate.

Kang Cheonwoo chose the latter.

"First, cut off the transport routes between Jeokan, Bongrae, and Saryang. Isolate them. And then—"

This was the real core.

"The man who governs that whole region... It was Song Hak, right?"

"Yes. Song Hak, Prefect of Geongonseong. He’s known for precise calculations and excellent perception of the political landscape. More than that, he was also the academic mentor of the current Yang Empire emperor, Yang Noryong... not someone we can mess with easily."

"Then we make a deal."

The non-aggression pact between the martial world and the imperial court is just for show. It’s only maintained because of the bloody struggle behind the scenes.

Considering the unique position of the Everlasting Snow Palace, this was fundamentally different from when Seol Unwi took Yangryeong.

Two entire cities had fallen.

The imperial court of the Yang Empire wouldn’t stay quiet. Neither would Song Hak.

"Let’s think long term. If that bastard can flip the board, then so can we. Once we isolate them and set up a negotiation table, we’ll both have saved face. Then we can have ourselves a very smooth conversation, don’t you think?"