Hyejeongsan spoke gravely.

“It is inappropriate to say he was simply chased out. His mind runs so deep he could toy with Jegal Yeonghyeon, Vice Lord of the Martial Alliance, and his martial prowess is in no way inferior to the foremost masters of the jianghu. That such a man killed one hundred and twenty Gaebang disciples not by his own strength but by borrowing the power of the authorities means his resourcefulness is also......”

“Master!”

Jin Muhyeok raised his voice.

“Do you still not see? So what if those lowly Gaebang disciples of Seongjak Province died? What does it matter if a hundred or a thousand of them die? What matters is that through this we can pressure Everlasting Snow Palace and extort an enormous fortune in gold and silver. This is an opportunity for our Gaebang as well. One day is all it will take. I will go myself and put an end to it......”

Hyejeongsan cut him off, face hardening coldly.

“Is that how you regard our disciples?”

“Is it not the truth? You know it better than anyone, Master. The true experts are all at headquarters, while the branch disciples......”

“Enough.”

There was warning in Hyejeongsan’s voice.

“Have you forgotten the roots of Gaebang? We are the sect that embraces all the beggars of the world. Every one of them is our brother, our comrade.”

“Brothers?”

Jin Muhyeok sneered.

“Master, with that kind of idealism you cannot survive in this world. In the martial world, if you have no strength, you die like a dog.”

Hyejeongsan was struck speechless.

When had Jin Muhyeok’s thinking changed so much?

That child who once cherished Gaebang, proud of running free across the world as a beggar—how had he come to this?

“In any case, that bastard Seol Unhwi must be dealt with.”

Jin Muhyeok clenched his fist.

“The honor of Gaebang has been dragged through the mud. Leave him be, and others will look down on us.”

“And what do you intend to do?”

“I will go myself.”

A murderous glint flickered in Jin Muhyeok’s eyes.

“I’ll cut off that brat’s head and throw it at Everlasting Snow Palace’s gates. If that sparks war with them......”

“You mean to drag the Original Blood Sect into this again?”

Jin Muhyeok flinched.

“The Grand Elder Yeong Unseong of the Blood Sect is a dangerous man. I’ve told you countless times to sever ties with him. Why have you still not come to your senses?”

“This is why.”

“...What?”

“This is why it won’t work. With Gaebang as it is now.”

Hyejeongsan’s eyes widened at his disciple’s words.

“How long do you intend to go on peddling information for scraps? You say Gaebang thrives in the central plains, but in the end it amounts to no more than that. No one in this world looks at Gaebang as equal to the Five Great Sword Sects. No—worse, not even as their peer. It is the same with the Four Outer Demonic Sects. Our beggar disciples number in the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. And what of our warriors? It’s time we stepped into the open. No longer the ones who beg, but the ones who seize.”

There were many in Gaebang who followed Jin Muhyeok.

Leaving aside his talent, he had drive.

Those who sided with him were extreme. Like he had just said: that they must become takers, not beggars. These were called the New Faction.

Opposed to them was Hyejeongsan, called the Orthodox ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Faction.

He guarded Gaebang’s traditional values, holding to the principle that information could be bought and sold for money, but sides must never be taken.

The clash between the two had been long-standing—and its end was drawing near.

“This is an opportunity, Master.”

Hyejeongsan sighed.

“Muhyeok.”

“Yes.”

“You are too hasty. You don’t even grasp your opponent properly......”

“What is there to grasp?”

Jin Muhyeok sprang up like fire.

“I don’t understand why you fret over a mere castaway of Everlasting Snow Palace. He’s laid the board before us! This is the kind of thing you must seize, no matter what.”

Just then the door opened, and Chang Iljin, Gaebang’s Protector of the Laws, entered.

“Lord, I’ve gathered information on Seongjak Province and Seol Unhwi.”

“Speak.”

“First, Seongjak Province is currently within Cheonrimeng’s territory. After Yewonjae’s death, Vice Lord Mae Widong requested aid from the various sects, and......”

Hyejeongsan cut him short.

“Spare me what I already know. Tell me only of the recent events.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Chang Iljin began recounting how Unhwi had dealt with Nokrimchae—who he had crossed paths with, how he had handled traitors within the Seongjak Union, how Jang Icheong of the Ihwageom Cheonjong had devised a stratagem and how Unhwi had countered it.

Why one hundred and twenty Gaebang disciples had died, and why Ham Jangsik—the branch leader of Seongjak, a man likely to be promoted soon to General Commander of Chongta—had been slain so miserably there.

The more they heard, the higher Seol Unhwi’s value soared.

This was—

Not someone they could afford to make an enemy of.

Even Jin Muhyeok, the Vice Leader, was shaken.

Is this... even human?

And it was not the end.

“...A confrontation with Jang Icheong... In the end, it seems Ham Jangsik tied himself to the wrong side in the territorial struggle between Ihwageom Cheonjong and Everlasting Snow Palace, and so was killed as an example.”

“He didn’t just tie himself. He betrayed Seol Unhwi and struck him from behind.”

“...Then he earned his death.”

Hyejeongsan fell silent for a long while, then slowly opened his mouth.

“I will go myself.”

“Master?”

Jin Muhyeok’s face showed shock.

“There’s no need. I can go and......”

“No. This must be approached with caution. A careless move could invite greater disaster.”

“But regardless of what that fool Ham Jangsik did, surely he remains a card we could use to pressure Everlasting Snow Palace......”

“Say no more.”

So saying, Hyejeongsan rose from his seat.

“Protector Chang.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Make preparations to depart for Seongjak Province.”

“As you command.”

The look in Jin Muhyeok’s eyes was filled with open defiance, but he said no more.

The Sect Leader himself going to deal with a mere seventeen-year-old brat? No matter how I think of it, it’s a disgrace to our face.

He swallowed his fury.

His master was too cautious. No—too fearful. That was why Gaebang had declined from its former glory.

And he was a fool.

For the Sect Leader himself to step out for something so petty—that alone would draw the condemnation of the martial world.

Master’s edge has dulled. It’s clear he can no longer fulfill his role as Sect Leader.

The time was coming.

He would kill him.

Whether by poison, or crippling him into a half-man, it didn’t matter.

The old man had suffered enough for decades. Perhaps it was time to let him rest.

Sect Leader Hyejeongsan looked at Jin Muhyeok, sighing inwardly.

This child is growing ever more dangerous.

But what could he do?

How could he abandon his only disciple—the disciple he had raised as a son?

With a heavy heart, Hyejeongsan began preparing to leave for Seongjak Province.

***

In Seongjak Province, five full days had passed since the beggars vanished.

At first some resisted, but the government soldiers’ merciless blades cut them down, and the beggars fled to neighboring cities.

Unhwi had limited the purge strictly to Seongjak Province. The soldiers did not pursue to kill beyond its borders, and as a result not a single beggar with a sash at his waist remained there.

As time went on, Unhwi’s infamy only grew. But he cared little for such things. Today as ever, he immersed himself in martial training.

In the small yard behind Cheonryong Hall, Unhwi swung the Heavenshaking Spiritblade.

Thunk.

Catching the blade barehanded, Commander Seong immediately lashed out with his foot, aiming a toe kick at Unhwi’s abdomen. Yet as though he had foreseen it, Unhwi twisted with the sword still in his grip, spinning away.

He evaded.

In that instant, Commander Seong’s foot bent in midair and came again. As Unhwi landed, he stepped in with all his strength gathered in the opposite wrist.

Kwaaang!

A thunderous boom rang out. But contrary to expectation, Unhwi was not driven back. Instead it was Commander Seong who was startled.

Releasing the sword, Unhwi rose to his feet and swept out a kick.

Commander Seong blocked with his forearm and immediately reached out with his left hand, aiming to seize Unhwi by the collar. But as Unhwi twisted aside, it only grazed him.

Unhwi ducked low and drove a fist forward.

Thud.

It struck Commander Seong in the abdomen. He stepped back, steadying his stance.

But to his surprise, Unhwi did not press the attack further.

It made no sense.

“...How exactly are you doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you see my movements?”

Unhwi smirked.

“To be honest, I don’t.”

“Then how are you evading? And just now, when I shifted my kick midair—I shouldn’t say this, but I meant to launch you into the ruins of that hall over there. Yet you stepped in first and changed the strike point. I don’t understand.”

Nor should he.

In that brief moment, Commander Seong had planted no fewer than fifteen feints.

Even when he reached out to seize Unhwi’s collar, he had laid over ten false moves in the span of an instant.

And yet every one of them had been read.

Unhwi’s reply was simple.

“Train harder.”

“...Yes...”

Still, perhaps feeling a touch of pity, Unhwi added offhandedly:

“Having many feints doesn’t make them useful.”

“...What?”

“Short and simple. Think briefly, decide even more briefly. In my eyes, Commander Seong’s greatest asset is his reaction speed. Among the warriors who’ve reached the Mythic Realm, none match your ability to instantly grasp what’s happening around you. So why waste that gift?”

“Waste it... how?”

“When facing someone you think strong, you lace feints into every attack. Excessively so.”

“......”

“To me it seemed terribly inefficient. Once you spot an opening, strike at once. When the attack comes faster than expected, the opponent falters. If you can repeat that twice, then you start inserting feints. If you can do that with certainty, with decisiveness—then Commander Seong as you are now could shear off the arm of a warrior at the Heaven-Earth Apex.”

Taking it as praise, Commander Seong scratched his chin, embarrassed.

Just then—

Both men stiffened.

Something brushed their senses.

No—someone.

A master.

An unmistakable master.

Commander Seong instantly drew his dagger as though to fight. Unhwi only turned his head calmly.

From the entrance of Cheonryong Hall, an old man of mountain-like build approached.

Even in each step of his gait there was an extraordinary aura. His body was fully seven cheok tall.

Nearly the same size as Seol Jungcheon.