Kugukung.

The ground trembled, and the energy surrounding Takgeuk’s physical form began to distort. Even to the naked eye, it was clear—this was no ordinary formation technique like the one seen in the Five Banners Form.

As I had sensed earlier, Takgeuk was just a step away from reaching the Harmonization Stage.

There was no doubt about it.

Unwi tightened his grip on his focus.

Takgeuk’s gaze elongated. His spear, which had stretched like a beam of light, split into seven jagged branches in the air and surged upwards like a dragon’s roar.

Dragon King’s Heavenly Strong Spear .

The sound of steel clashing, the air splitting.

For the briefest moment, Unwi’s robe tore, and a sword light flashed.

It struck precisely between the gaps of the seven spearheads, and from there, an explosion of light erupted. A crescent-shaped wave of energy expanded outward, devastating everything in its path. The two men did not stop.

The red-hot spear swung horizontally, but before the full force of it could be delivered, Unwi’s sword struck the shaft of the spear.

Chae-aeng-!

Takgeuk’s eyes grew deep.

As Takgeuk’s spear shaft bent and screamed, Unwi’s blade cut through the air. Takgeuk’s spearhead sliced across Unwi’s right shoulder, and Unwi’s sword cleaved Takgeuk’s left side.

"Cough..."

Takgeuk gritted his teeth.

It was clear he had tried to control his strength.

He had no intention of killing. But he also had no intention of backing down.

Yet now, they were fighting almost evenly.

Was this even possible?

This outcome was not what he had imagined. What kind of bastard was this?

Was he really some kind of monster?

Such a monster existed in the snow-covered mountains? Even now, he was this powerful—how would he be in the future...?

Takgeuk could not even imagine it.

His inner power concentrated towards the spear’s tip.

The most critical moment in the cycle of his cultivation.

It was time to unleash it.

He stretched out.

The spear’s light, which had been drawing the shape of a dragon, instantly split into dozens of fragments, each transforming into a separate dragon.

Sea Dragon’s Heavenly Roar.

The momentum was fierce.

The killing intent was palpable.

However, facing this, Unwi’s gaze was pure calm.

In that fleeting moment, his eyes were dyed with white snow.

Heavenly Snow Dominion.

Within five feet.

Every bit of energy within exactly five feet of him fell under his control. With a sizzling sound, the dozens of dragons that had been surging forward began to freeze from head to tail.

Soon, everything stopped.

"Wow..."

Someone gasped.

All the battles happening around them had ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ halted. Everyone held their breath as they gazed upon the absolute domain that Unwi had created, and Takgeuk was no exception.

A look of awe passed across his face. This was the final strike that had been unleashed with no mercy, yet he had never imagined it would be subdued so perfectly.

He truly did not expect it to be neutralized like this.

Takgeuk was flustered. That was why he froze, unable to respond quickly enough.

Shiiing.

The sound of air being sliced filled the space as Takgeuk drew upon all his inner energy and hurled himself backward. Unfortunately, it was not a calculated maneuver, but rather a desperate struggle.

Lazy Donkey’s Roll.

Takgeuk rolled back and, as soon as he sprang to his feet, blood erupted from his chest.

Just a little more.

If he had been even slightly slower, his upper body would have been split in half. It was absurd.

"You... what the hell are you?"

Unwi silently lowered his sword, staring at Takgeuk. All of Tianlin's martial artists except Takgeuk had died.

The situation was already over.

Unwi spoke.

"Is this enough to save face?"

"...Are you planning to end it here?"

"Wasn't it you who said you'd control your strength?"

"...?"

"Why? Do you still want to keep going?"

Takgeuk gritted his teeth.

How should he explain this?

Was his blood boiling?

He wanted to see the end.

He wanted to see this man’s limit, and he wanted to see the end of this fight.

There was no other reason. Simply because he was a martial artist.

His heart was pushing him forward, but his mind wasn’t.

His mind kept telling him to stop, and in fact, that was the right choice.

Seeing the confusion on Takgeuk’s face, Unwi sheathed his sword and spoke briefly.

"Is Guanghan still searching for the 'Divine Spear'?"

Takgeuk’s mouth fell open at those words.

"You... how do you know...?"

Unwi, upon confirming that Takgeuk was Guanghan’s disciple, lost any intention of killing him.

Guanghan.

The rogue searching for the Divine Spear.

The current level of Takgeuk’s cultivation placed him at the first stage of the Five Martial Spheres, Heavenly Unity.

And in the distant future, he would reach Grand Void Form.

"Takgeuk."

"...Speak."

"You owe me your life today."

"...The outcome hasn’t been decided yet, how can you claim I owe you my life..."

"You really don’t know?"

"...?"

"If you don’t know, there’s no reason for you and I to speak anymore. No."

A cold smile appeared on Unwi’s lips.

"To be exact, there's no value in continuing this conversation."

"...?"

"As a martial artist, I’ll ask you: Do you really think you don’t owe me your life?"

Takgeuk furrowed his brows deeply.

He couldn’t deny it.

If they had continued, Takgeuk would have died.

He knew this better than anyone. The reason was simple.

Takgeuk had questions about Unwi’s movements, his swordsmanship, and everything, but Unwi had no such doubts.

For someone who could understand, analyze, and act, that was the decisive factor in determining victory or defeat.

"The debt you owe today, you’ll repay yourself later. When the time comes, tell your master. If you want to find the Divine Spear, come to me first."

"...How much do you know about the Divine Spear?"

"Everything."

"...?"

"That’s all you need to know."

Unwi turned his body around.

As he did, Takgeuk’s voice came from behind.

"Tianlin will not sit idly by."

Unwi turned his head.

"So?"

"I think I understand the confidence you have, but will it really be enough?"

"Already planning to repay me for my favor?"

Takgeuk opened and closed his mouth.

Wow.

"...So you’re quick on the uptake, huh. Definitely the kind of guy who should never be made an enemy."

"Now you know?"

"...?"

"Anything else to say?"

After thinking for a moment, Takgeuk shook his head.

"Go. We still have work to do here."

Scratching his head, Takgeuk moved toward the front gate.

Just before fully exiting, he turned his head for a moment.

The destroyed Tianlin Qing Shuchon Branch was in sight.

The branch leader’s neck was twisted grotesquely, and the others were either cut, torn, or killed in some way.

He wondered why Ju Soa followed them, and what drove those below her to blindly wield swords.

It was complicated.

Did they know who they were provoking?

No, they probably did.

If they did, it meant they had someone they trusted.

Above all, Seol Unwi.

How did he know that Guanghan was searching for the Divine Spear?

And was it true that he knew everything?

Nothing was certain, but one thing was clear.

He should never be made an enemy.

A relentless bastard.

****

Ju Soa stood frozen in a daze.

Her first thought was admiration.

The Everlasting Snow Palace completely dominated the North, and its power was equivalent to that of a nation, all thanks to the palace lord, the Bingxue Jizun Seol Jungcheon.

A man who had reached the fourth stage of the Five Martial Spheres and was expected to soon ascend to the final stage.

That was why the Everlasting Snow Palace could enjoy its current power.

No one would dare challenge such a giant of the North without losing their mind.

But...

She didn’t expect this level of power.

"...Was the Palace Lord’s martial arts... this strong?"

This was utterly unbelievable.

Ju Soa had never heard of nor seen such a phenomenon before.

An opponent’s attack—an expert using the Five Banners Form’s complete techniques—being frozen completely in mid-air?

She was both shocked and shocked again.

Seol Unwi.

What kind of person was that?

Could such an untrained martial artist really comprehend this level of technique from the Five Dragon Blooming Star? Let alone display it?

If people in the martial world heard about this, they would scoff.

Then, they would probably slap her across the face and tell her such nonsense was impossible, no matter how much of a genius someone was.

A man who defied common sense.

This was how Ju Soa began to remember Seol Unwi.

Her second thought was more pragmatic.

"...I should start preparing for a grave."

She was the only one who seemed to have any inkling of what this insane man had just done. The others were clueless.

What kind of group was Tianlin?

To explain them, she would need to go into the black market.

The black market sells things that are difficult to trade openly.

Naturally, they are illegal, but Tianlin operates them everywhere in the Central Plains.

As of now, Tianlin runs at least fifty black market operations.

While they earn vast amounts of money, how much influence do they have to make it possible?

They must have connections to the nation, key members of the martial alliance, and powerful individuals in the martial world.

Without those, operating a black market is impossible. That’s how the martial world works.

But challenging Tianlin meant severing ties with all of their connections.

What would Tianlin think of this situation?

They could spread rumors that the Everlasting Snow Palace had crossed the line, or that they were greedily hoarding Tianlin’s funds.

The Everlasting Snow Palace would be the one to suffer.

While Ju Soa thought about this, Unwi spoke.

"You seem to be deep in thought."

"...Oh... does it look that way?"

"It does to me."

"...As I mentioned earlier, you’re fully aware of what you’ve done to Tianlin, right?"

Unwi chuckled.

"Is Tianlin that scary?"

"...Not scary, but you know how great their influence is."

It wasn’t surprising.

Unwi knew very well how powerful Tianlin was.

"So you want to leave?"

Ju Soa shook her head.

"Then it’s settled."

Unwi, looking around at the others, spoke in a quiet voice.

"From now on, you will find a space isolated from the outside."

"...What?"

"No questions. Listen carefully. First, the location should be somewhere easily accessible but not crowded. Second, check the walls and floor of the storage. Especially look behind heavy furniture or piles of goods."

Unwi was completely serious now.

"They usually hide entrances with things like that. Tap the floor and check if any bricks are different. And third, check the accounting room or the storage manager’s quarters. They often hide devices in such places."

Unwi paused for a moment to look up at the sky.

"You have half an hour. Go search."

"Yes."

Everyone scattered to begin their search.

Exactly half an hour later.

"We found it."

It was Wonyang.