Chapter 255. After the Great River Capital War (1)
As the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect and the Dark Rakshasa Way clashed in various places, a storm of blood swept through the Jianghu.
Among these clashes, the people of the Jianghu referred to the fierce battle that took place in the River Capital a month ago by several names.
The River Capital Incident, the River Capital Affair, the Great River Capital War.
This was because it was an unprecedented and unexpectedly large battle.
With two victories in the first and second battles fought in the River Capital, the Vast Heaven side, which had been helplessly pushed back by the Dark Rakshasa in the beginning, succeeded in restoring balance.
Judging by the initial situation, the flow was completely in the Dark Rakshasa's favor.
Their momentum was so unstoppable that it seemed the Vast Heaven might be exterminated without even living up to its name as the suzerain of the sword.
Following the wipeout of the five hundred members of the Branch Sword Corps, which formed the backbone of the branch defense system, Vast Heaven branches were shattered one after another, with some even extermination. facing
Only a handful of defeated soldiers remained from each branch, wandering aimlessly.
In effect, the regional strongholds that the Main Sect could have used to turn the tide had been annihilated all at once.
Riding this momentum, a large Dark Rakshasa force of about two thousand, led by the Left Guardian and three of the Upper Four Rakshasas, stormed the River Capital.
However, the Vast Heaven side annihilated them on a nearby plain, instantly overcoming their previous disadvantage.
And that was not all.
The Heavenly Formation Dao Alliance, one of the Three Powers Beyond the Heavens, fully joined the Vast Heaven side following this battle.
However.
The core of the rumors about the Great River Capital War lay elsewhere.
Just why?
Why did the Dark Rakshasa Way deploy such a massive force to the River Capital, a place that was not only on the outskirts of the Jianghu but also had no connection whatsoever to the Vast Heaven?
And to stop them, the Vast Heaven dispatched even the Iron-Faced Lady, Yeop Bihwa, known as the greatest swordsman of the Vast Heaven, to the River Capital.
Although they achieved a great victory in the end, it still did not make sense.
Why?
"Because hundreds of Vast Heaven's defeated soldiers were trapped and besieged there."
Or, "The entire Patrol Sword Corps of the Vast Heaven was caught in a surprise attack by the Dark Rakshasa and was stranded in the River Capital."
Or, "The powers of the River Capital were recently unified, and both sides clashed there to be the first to form an alliance with them."
Or even the absurd rumor that, "A Buddha descended upon the River Capital to punish the heretical Dark Rakshasa Way."
All sorts of unconfirmed information spread throughout the Jianghu.
Amidst it all, there was one reliable rumor.
It was a piece of news thoroughly verified, having been cross-referenced through information groups like the Great Beggars' Sect and the Five Crows Sect.
-Kim Rae-won, one of the Three Monsters who had vanished from the Jianghu long ago, has appeared in the River Capital and founded a Murim Sect. The name of the sect was the Hero's Sect.
A rumor circulated that the Vast Heaven side, where Yeop Bihwa, also one of the Three Monsters, was, dispatched the Patrol Sword Corps to the River Capital to draw them in as an ally.
To stop this, the Dark Rakshasa Way sent troops, but when they were blocked by the Patrol Sword Corps in the first engagement, they sent an additional large force of two thousand led by the Left Guardian for the second.
However, they were defeated by the Orthodox Faction alliance, which mobilized Kim Rae-won, Yeop Bihwa, the Patrol Sword Corps, and three Trigram Masters from the Formation Tower.
It was impossible to know what was true and what was false among these stories, but it was generally agreed that one thing, the source of it all, was certain.
Kim Rae-won.
The return of one of the Three Monsters, the High School Student, to the Jianghu.
The fact that upon his return, he had founded a sect with the grandiose name of Hero's Sect.
And.
The fact that, because of him, the landscape of the Jianghu was in turmoil.
...
Time, like a flowing wind, has its own velocity.
When the flow is slow, things change slowly; when it is fast, they change quickly.
The velocity of the River Capital was a gale.
A super high-speed gale at that.
And within that gale, a typhoon was always raging inside the Hero's Sect.
It was no exaggeration to say that the landscape of the River Capital's Jianghu, centered around the Hero's Sect, was changing rapidly.
Immediately after the Great River Capital War, the forty-odd elite warriors led by Sword Forest Elder Unseok and Outer Hall's First Corps Leader Chang Munjin joined Yeop Bihwa and immediately set off for Vast Heaven Mountain to report everything that had happened here directly to the Sword Venerate.
The fate of Heaven Reflecting Sword Manor's Lord Jin Hagyeong and the personnel he led became a separate point of contention.
Should they be returned to the Main Sect to be used as part of the regional stronghold restoration efforts, or should they be allowed to remain with the Hero's Sect as they wished?
To that, Kim Rae-won stated it in one sentence.
He made it a condition of the alliance for the Hero's Sect to take these people in.
He added that the Vast Heaven side could take them back anytime later if the individuals themselves wished for it.
Having witnessed Kim Rae-won's tremendous skill in crushing the Left Guardian and three of the Upper Four Rakshasas, there was no reason for the Vast Heaven to refuse this condition.
The Heavenly Formation Dao Alliance joining them was even more decisive.
External Affairs Elder Baek Hando actively advocated for it at the Main Sect meeting.
His decision, made after stopping on a field path right after the Great River Capital War and repeating the words, "Well, well... this is something," hundreds of times, was more than firm.
The Yin-Yang Guard also actively accepted his opinion, and the Formation Tower's Main Sect completely joined the Vast Heaven side with this war as the turning point.
The three Formation Tower Trigram Masters, Dongmun Mutoe, Myo Jinheo, and Yan Bilyeong, decided to remain with the Hero's Sect of their own accord, with the stipulation that they would only join when a request from the Main Sect came down.
And that request had already been issued.
The Vast Heaven had formally placed several requests with the Formation Tower, and since the Hero's Sect was in a temporary alliance with the Vast Heaven, the justification for the three to stay with the Hero's Sect naturally aligned.
However, the three were not currently in the River Capital.
Although the war between the Vast Heaven and the Dark Rakshasa was in a lull, sporadic battles were still breaking out, so they were extremely busy setting up Formation Daos in the disputed areas.
And so.
Everything had changed, was changing, and would continue to change even more rapidly in the future.
During this period, under Jeon Rahwa's planning and guidance, the Hero's Sect also underwent a complete transformation.
A new Main Hall stood tall on the site where the ruins of the Iron God Gang had been neatly cleared.
Black roof tiles and white plaster walls.
It had a serene appearance rather than a majestic one.
The Main Hall was surrounded by four annexes to the east, west, south, and north.
The eastern one was the sect members' dormitory, the western one was Hoae's and her siblings' residence, the southern one was the Guest Hall, and the northern one was a pavilion that served as both a library and a medicine hall.
Behind the Main Hall, a separate camp housing the two hundred defeated soldiers from the Vast Heaven led by Jin Hagyeong stretched out, bordering a spacious yard.
The Training Ground in front of the Main Hall was paved with polished stones, and dozens of wooden dummies for striking practice were lined up in rows.
Also, the most splendid and expensive building, the [Alchemy Workshop], built on Kim Rae-won's orders, was completed, though its purpose was unknown.
The number of people also increased.
Those who had suffered from the lawlessness of the Jianghu heard of Kim Rae-won's fame and Righteous Deeds and gathered in the River Capital.
Among them, the martial artists flocked to the Hero's Sect.
After the Great River Capital War, about a hundred people passed the interview, and another hundred, consisting of former slaves and orphans taken in by the Hero's Sect, joined.
With the two hundred defeated soldiers from the Vast Heaven added to that, the number of family members, which had been just over ten right after the unification of the River Capital, swelled to a scale of five hundred.
In the front yard of the Main Hall, someone was always swinging a sword.
Under the eaves of the annexes, the steam from brewing medicine and the needlework of mending Martial Robes never ceased.
And in the [Alchemy Workshop], for the time being, various weapons were being crafted.
So, what about the Sect Leader, Kim Rae-won?
He was, of course, the busiest of all these people.
In one corner of Dong Bongsu's vision, the [Guild] capacity limit was being updated with a new number every day.
To raise that limit even one more level, he was diligently handling all the minor Righteous Deeds -read as quests-inside and outside the River Capital.
And that wasn't all.
To him, the Hero's Sect was a [Guild], and the members were [Guild Members].
And they were all 'resources' and 'believers' to be utilized.
That's why whenever he had time, he would come out to the Training Ground like this to help them with their training.
Kim Rae-won stood in the middle of the Training Ground, watching Hoae and Seok Gyeong train.
Then he suddenly stopped in front of them, specifically in front of Seok Gyeong, and spoke.
"Do it again."
"Pardon?"
"The move you just did."
"..."
"I said, perform it again."
Hoae tactfully scurried to the side.
Still, she tilted her head.
"Is there a problem with Mister Seok Gyeong's movements?"
"No."
"Huh...? Then why are you telling him to do it again?"
"That's why."
"Pardon?"
"Because there's no problem with his movements."
"..."
Seok Gyeong also heard him clearly.
He didn't know the reason, but it was clear that in the Sect Leader's eyes, the problem was that there was 'no problem'.
"What are you doing? I told you to do it again."
Although he was still at a level that hadn't even surpassed the second-rate, Seok Gyeong had been consistently practicing the Spirit Step and Spirit Step Slash he had learned from Hoae.
When it came to these two martial arts, he could perform them as well as Hoae.
Seok Gyeong executed the sword while performing the Spirit Step.
His movements were certainly more precise and fluid than those of the other disciples who had joined at the same time or Hoae's siblings.
However.
"Why do you use your body that way?"
Kim Rae-won, who was watching him closely, shook his head.
"Why do you move the sword that way?"
"I... am doing it as I was taught."
"Why do you move as you were taught?"
"..Pardon?!"
Swoosh-.
The Evil-Slaying Sword appeared in Kim Rae-won's hand.
It was a marvelous sight, but by now, no one in the training ground was surprised, having seen it so many times.
Because he was Kim Rae-won.
At this point, not just the members of the Hero's Sect, but most people living in the River Capital would believe it if a stone he touched turned to gold.
To be surprised by something like this meant one wasn't qualified to be in the Hero's Sect.
Soon, Kim Rae-won replicated the movements Seok Gyeong had just performed.
Slowly, so slowly that anyone could see how he moved.
Then, at some point, it changed.
"In martial arts, there is originally no such thing as a set path. People simply created their own martial arts and, not wanting others to deviate from that path, established a system called moves."
He was clearly repeating the same movements, yet they were subtly different.
"Moves and forms are like clothes."
If asked how they were different, it would be hard to explain, but they were definitely different.
The same movement, the same move, yet...
"Do you wear the same clothes as the creator?"
However, the change was so natural.
It was as if he were wearing clothes that fit him perfectly, without a single flaw.
Even though this was the first time he was performing this move.
"I'm asking if you all wear the same clothes."
"..."
"..."
Before long, his discourse on martial arts was being etched into the minds of everyone gathered in the Training Ground.
Even though he did not speak loudly, it was so.
"Performing a move in the exact Form the creator made is something only a third-rate practitioner would do."
"..."
"I am asking you, do you want to live your whole lives as third-rate practitioners?"
"N-No, sir!"
Thud-.
"Don't move like me either. You are not me."
As if he had never been moving, Kim Rae-won's movements stopped.
Right in front of Seok Gyeong, just as before.
"As long as you don't completely stray from the path, move as you feel comfortable. That is how you can polish a move that is truly your own."
"Yes! We will keep that in mind!"
[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)]"Yes! We will keep that in mind!"[/color]
Kim Rae-won patted Seok Gyeong's shoulder, and as he always did, ruffled Hoae's hair before heading outside the Hero's Sect.
The large gates of the Hero's Sect closed behind him.
As he walked by, the people on the street silently moved to either side, creating a main road for him.
Some offered a long bow with their palms together, while others simply bowed their heads deeply from a distance.
Dong Bongsu's impassive eyes swept over the path once.
The River Capital already belonged to Kim Rae-won, and its people had faith in him.
And...
That Kim Rae-won belonged to Dong Bongsu.
-x-X-x-
Even though a month had passed and things had calmed down to some extent, stories about the Hero's Sect's exploits still flowed everywhere in the River Capital.
Whenever two people with mouths gathered, they all talked only about that story.
As rumors tend to do, they were inflated to their limits as they passed from mouth to mouth.
Although the boiling fervor of that time had cooled down significantly, what took its place was a myth, cold but firm like ten-thousand-year-old snow.
"They say Great Hero Kim drew a sword in each hand and swung them repeatedly, and the evil cult bastards were erased and sliced down in heaps. Isn't that truly incredible?"
"Truly incredible, just incredible. Not being able to witness that sight myself is an eternal regret."
"To cut that Blood Rakshasa in two with a single strike! I had only considered him the number one in the River Capital..."
"I'm telling you, it wasn't cutting him in two. He erased him! Don't you know 'deletion'? Deletion?"
Amidst the rumors of the Great River Capital War, other anecdotes constantly emerged.
"In the past fortnight alone, three mountain fortresses near the neighboring walled city completely vanished. They say Sect Leader Kim paid them a personal visit."
"...But that place is hundreds of li away from here, isn't it?"
"Hey, it's Sect Leader Kim we're talking about, right?"
"The human trafficking gang that tried to set up shop where the Assorted Antique Shop used to be was completely wiped out by the members of the Hero's Sect a few days ago. I heard they were acting on Sect Leader Kim's orders"
"Hahaha. Ah, that's hilarious."
"What's funny?"
"No, isn't it funny that those filthy bastards still tried to set up shop in this River Capital? How dare they, in this sacred walled city?"
"Right, right. Especially with Great Hero Kim here."
"More than all that, have you heard about the old couple in the eastern alley? They say Sect Leader Kim personally paid off the debts of an old couple who had lost their child and were buried in debt.
And that's not all. He also took care of the loan shark who was harassing them for it."
"As expected of a living Buddha."
"And that's not all! They say he opened a new school in front of the Prefect's office. I heard even the children who couldn't be brought into the Hero's Sect are learning to read and write there. And they say he doesn't charge a single coin for it."
"I even heard that for the children who wish it, the Ten Disciples teach them martial arts separately."
"Hah, innkeeper! Living in the River Capital makes my heart swell with pride, it truly does!"
Before long, all matters in the River Capital, big and small, were being sorted and gathered under the name of a single man: Kim Rae-won.
Whether the one performing the deeds was a member of the Hero's Sect or Kim Rae-won himself, it made little difference to the people of the River Capital.
Wherever the Hero's Sect's hand reached, the downtrodden rose up, and the wicked vanished.
Now, not only the River Capital but the entire surrounding region was being noticeably purged and organized within a month, and people did not doubt for a moment that the source and origin of it all was Kim Rae-won.
And.
Words without feet travel a thousand li.
Those who heard the rumors bustled about to spread the news, and so the rumors traveled another thousand li.
In this manner, the rumors about Kim Rae-won and the Hero's Sect, greatly embellished, spread beyond the River Capital and throughout the world.
Dong Bongsu walked indifferently through the midst of all these flowing stories.
In teahouses and inns, in pavilions at alley entrances and in marketplaces, men made the name Kim Rae-won the centerpiece of their conversations and embellished their tales.
Wherever he passed, footsteps would pause and then resume.
Some offered long greetings with clasped hands, while others simply bowed their heads deeply from a distance.
Each time, Dong Bongsu, in a 'Kim Rae-won-like' manner, would slightly raise the corners of his mouth, offering a light acknowledgment in return.
It was a good foundation for Faith.
In a system where numbers meant power and power meant Faith, the foundation of Faith grew stronger with every step he took across the streets of the River Capital.
Dong Bongsu's walk to the All-Knowing House was not a simple commute, but more akin to replenishing the nutrients for his Faith bonus.
Before long, he arrived at the All-Knowing House, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Click-.
Strangely, the winds of change seemed to have blown fiercely here as well.
The foul stench of the beggars, which had seemed to relentlessly assault one's sense of smell, was gone.
Even the acrid smell of smoking had vanished, leaving only the fragrant aroma of tea, making the interior of the All-Knowing House feel refreshing.
The beggar-clad informants of the All-Knowing House were seated neatly in their designated spots on the wide wooden floor.
Their clothes were not disheveled, and there was no dirt under their fingernails.
No smoking paraphernalia was to be seen either.
In the middle of this scene sat three women.
They were the women from the Slash-and-Burn Village whom Dong Bongsu had rescued from Sang Gwanhwi's group, the Patrol Sword Corps of Vast Heaven, and entrusted to Bae Dal-pae.
The first was boiling water for tea in the tea kitchen, while the second was lightly sweeping the dust from the wooden floor.
The last was serving tea not to someone who had come for information, but to an actual customer who had come to drink tea.
Although it had been less than a month since the women took over running the All-Knowing House, the beggar informants already seemed to have been tamed by their rules.
Those who used to spit phlegm on the floor, wipe their noses on their sleeves, or enjoy a smoke had all completely vanished.
The acrid smell inside the All-Knowing House had thus been completely replaced by the fragrance of tea.
From a table in the back, Bae Dal-pae offered a light fist-and-palm salute and beckoned Dong Bongsu over.
"Ah, thanks to you, Sect Leader, we've managed to shed our beggar-like appearance. Haha. If the main sect saw us in this state, they'd surely give us a thrashing."
"Thanks to?"
"...Thanks to you, we are now due for a thrashing."
"Are you now?"
"...Thank you. Thanks to you, we are living in luxury."
"Yes, yes. It's all thanks to me."
"Namu Amitabha Buddha, Bodhisattva Kim Rae-won."
"What's that?"
"It means it is all thanks to your grace, Sect Leader."
"Bullshit."
"...Hah, as expected of a living Buddha, such a refined choice of words."
"You wanna die?"
"..."
"Enough with the nonsense. Unpack your bundle."
As usual, when Kim Rae-won took a seat, Bae Dal-pae gently pushed a teacup in front of him.
"We have gathered most of the information you previously requested from the All-Knowing House, Sect Leader."
Bae Dal-pae folded his fingers one by one.
"First, the overall movements of the Seven Great Demonic Sects. Among the seven powers, none has shown any direct activity. However, there is some strange news from the southern jungles about a sudden rise in large-scale poaching. Well, since the people of the southern lands love hunting, it's probably not a major issue. Some of our informants do say that 'something seems to be stirring. This is because, with the exception of a few, even our Great Beggars' Sect cannot pinpoint the exact locations of the Seven Great Demonic Sects."
'Large-scale poaching.
Dong Bongsu thought quietly as he took a sip of tea.
He had done many things so far, but one of the matters he had paid the most attention to was studying the state of affairs in this Murim.
And the enlightenment he had gained from going through countless scenes of carnage.
There are no coincidences in this world.
A coincidence in this Jianghu?
That was a faith held only by the foolish and complacent.
"What will you do? If you think it's a one-in-ten-thousand chance, it seems better to focus our intelligence gathering on other areas besides the southern jungles."
"No. On the contrary, dig deeper there."
"..."
"It's because it's a one-in-ten-thousand chance that we have to dig deeper."
"May I ask what you mean?"
Dong Bongsu said, lightly tapping the rim of his teacup with his index finger.
"Things with low probability usually pack a bigger punch when they hit."
That's how human history is.
The things that were 'almost' unseen, 'almost' unknown, 'almost' unattainable.
When you get hit by those things qualified by 'almost', it hurts like death.
The lottery is like that.
The lower the probability, the bigger the payoff.
The reverse is also true.
"However, our available tracking resources are limited."
"Yes, I know. That's why I'm telling you to commit more."
"Understood. Then how much more should we commit?"
"Half."
"...What?"
"Divert half of the All-Knowing House's operational intelligence force to the southern jungles."
The corners of Dong Bongsu's mouth curled slightly, then relaxed.
"I'll pay ten times the price for it."
"We could send all of them, if you'd like?"
"Bullshit."
"Haha. Understood. We will handle this matter accordingly. However."
"What is it?"
"If we commit half of our informants to the south, we'll be short-staffed for other areas."
Tap, tap.
"Not enough informants..."
Dong Bongsu quietly glanced around.
The scene that met his eyes was completely unchanged from when he had first entered.
Three women, a couple of customers, and a dozen beggar bastards.
"So you mean you're short on beggars."
"Ah, please stop saying 'beggar'. This listening beggar feels bad hearing it."
"What else do you call a beggar? A noble? Anyway—"
Dong Bongsu looked straight at Bae Dal-pae and grinned.
"If you're short on beggars, then you should import some."
"Import? What do you mean?"
"The Great Mop Sect."
" What?"
Having gotten too used to being 'Kim Rae-won-like', his habit of spouting nonsense had certainly grown.
"Ah, my mistake. The Great Beggars' Sect."
"..."
"Great, Beggar, Sect, You guys are the number one gathering of beggars in the world, aren't you?"
"...Ah, so that's what you meant. Bring personnel from the main sect here?"
"Yes. Why? Can't you?"
Bae Dal-pae let out a light sigh and folded his second finger.
"It's possible, yes. Secondly, because the Leader of our Sect himself has requested to meet you."
"Oh? The Sect Leader wants to see me?"
"Yes, the Leader of the Great Beggars' Sect sent a message personally."
"..."
"Since the Great River Capital War, reports about you have been going up so frequently through our main sect's All-Knowing House branch that the Leader himself ended up requesting a meeting."
"How? Do I go? Or does he come?"
"He... no, no. Haa, please stop infecting me with your strange manner of speech!"
"Bullshit. You're the one who started copying me, and now you're making a fuss about it."
"Yes, yes, I get it. Anyway, the Sect Leader said he would accommodate whatever time and place you decide."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"Yes, just please don't take too long to decide."
"Alright."
Then, another of Bae Dal-pae's fingers folded.
"Next, the third item is the state of the war between the Vast Heaven and the Dark Rakshasa. After the Great River Capital War, the Vast Heaven launched a full-scale counterattack, and clashes are occurring simultaneously in the east and south. In the east, the Blue Wind Sword Sect, an outer sect of the Vast Heaven, defeated one of the remaining Eight Rakshasas of the Dark Rakshasa in the northern Huai area. In the south, conversely, the Dark Rakshasa completely swallowed two Vast Heaven branch sects in the Hanzhong area. Neither side has been able to make a decisive move, and the situation is a prolonged stalemate."
"..."
"Even with the Formation Tower joining their side and the aid of Formation Dao, a significant portion of the Dark Rakshasa Way's main forces remains intact, so they are struggling to push further."
Dong Bongsu's indifferent gaze shifted to the window facing east, in the direction of Nirvanic Extinction Mountain, then returned to Bae Dal-pae.
"Both sides are just playing a waiting game."
"Yes, it seems so. Both sides have lost considerable strength, so if either were to lose one more major battle like the Great River Capital War, the tide of war would shift dramatically. It's judged that they are exercising caution for this reason."
"Alright, I understand."
Dong Bongsu lifted his teacup, drained the remaining tea, then stood up and turned to leave.
He felt he had heard all the necessary information.
Just then.
"Where are you going? The most interesting piece of information is still left."
As Dong Bongsu's gaze returned to him, Bae Dal-pae folded his last remaining finger.
"The place you asked us to investigate before, giving us only its approximate location-our sect's scouting team finally found a peculiar trace there after nearly a full month."
"..."
"The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
As soon as he heard the word 'Academy', a fragment of Kim Rae-won's memory replayed in his mind.
"—... Karma Root... there are records..."
"The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy?"
"Yes, the Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
"..."
"The academy that holds the records hidden by the heavens and all the knowledge of the world."
Bae Dal-pae continued with his final report, a triumphant expression on his face.
"That place was one of the entrances to that very academy."
-x-X-x-
Chapter 257: The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy, No, the Qilin (1)
-x-X-x-
Peerless Master.
It was a phrase that anyone in the Murim would envy, a title that sparked the ambition to one day achieve it.
The desire to become stronger had dominated the Murim, an ever-pursued, fundamental iron rule and grand principle of the Jianghu.
To become a Peerless Master was, in the end, the same as becoming supremely strong.
And there were countless ways to grow stronger.
As the history of the Jianghu was long, countless martial arts, internal energy cultivation arts, and various weapons existed, making it impossible to say or define which path was the fastest way to become a Peerless Master.
Furthermore, depending on whether one was from the Orthodox Faction, Unorthodox Faction, or the Demonic Path, the standards of strength and the direction of martial arts pursued were different, and thus, the criteria for being a Peerless Master also varied.
There were even methods that pursued a completely different direction, like the Formation Dao, and things like Immortal Arts that had trickled down from the Upper Realm were secretly circulated in the Jianghu, making it even more so.
However.
A shortcut to becoming a Peerless Master, a way to become stronger regardless of these various paths, did indeed exist.
This was because the most representative measure of a martial artist's strength was their internal energy.
The absolute amount of internal energy, regardless of the profundity of their martial arts, would invariably classify one as a master if they had a lot, and a low-level practitioner if they had little.
There was only a difference in degree.
In other words, a shortcut to increasing that amount existed.
And it was a method known to everyone.
It was to consume elixirs or the inner cores of Spirit Creatures.
From medicinal herbs like Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, Thousand-Year Fo-ti, and Ice Soul Snow Lotus, to spiritual pills like the Purple Spirit Pill and the Great Return Pill.
(T/N: Thousand-Year Fo-ti - a famous herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine)
Just listing the types, one could not count them all on one hand.
The same was true for Spirit Creatures.
From beasts that harbored extreme energy like the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Wolf, the Thousand-Year Black Bear, the Ice Silkworm, or the Fire Deer, to legendary beasts that occasionally appeared in the rumors of the Jianghu, like the Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Python or the Thousand-Year Giant Tortoise.
These too could not be counted on ten fingers.
Among these Spirit Creatures, there were beasts of overwhelmingly high prestige, so-called Sacred Beasts....
"Excuse me. House Master Bae. Excuse me. Stop, stop. Just a moment!"
Bae Dal-pae, who was deep in the middle of his story, stopped speaking at Jeon Rahwa's interruption.
"What is it? Young Lady Jeon?"
"....What do you mean, what is it? Are you asking because you don't know?"
"Yes, I do not know."
"No, I just asked where that person went, and you suddenly start going on about Peerless Masters, elixirs, and Spirit Creatures. Are you some kind of explainer?"
".....Isn't 'explainer' a bit harsh?"
"Harsh! You do this every time!"
...I apologize for that."
"Ah, forget it. Where did that person go? I asked the kids, and they said he went this way."
"I was trying to explain where he went..."
"Hah, just tell me where he went, can't you? Don't bother with the long-winded preamble."
Bae Dal-pae mumbled to himself for a moment, but upon seeing Jeon Rahwa's eyebrows arch into an inverted V, he answered immediately.
"The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
"Huh? Where?"
"The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
"The Heavenly what?"
"...The Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
"Where is that?"
"It is known as the place where all the information and history of this world has been compiled."
Jeon Rahwa tilted her head.
Noticing this, Bae Dal-pae cautiously added an explanation.
"It is said to be a place where everything is recorded, even things that happen within the Jianghu that no one in the Jianghu knows about, things that no historian of the Jianghu has ever written down. Among information brokers, the saying, 'If it is written there, it happened, has been passed down like a legend, but its actual existence has been a subject of constant debate."
"So?"
"So what?"
"So why did that per... that person go there?"
"Ah, so that's what you were asking."
Bae Dal-pae scratched his head and said.
"It seems he had some information he absolutely had to find out."
"And you didn't hear what it was?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Well, it's not like that person goes around talking about such things."
Only then did Jeon Rahwa lightly tip her teacup once and speak.
"More importantly, that Heavenly whatever thing."
...It is the Heavenly Repository of Knowledge Academy."
"Yes, that. Anyway, where is it?"
"Ah, that is..."
Bae Dal-pae scratched his temple and puckered one side of his mouth.
"It is in Windshear Cliffs."
"Windshear Cliffs? Where is that, ah?!"
"..."
"Isn't that the place!? The one?!"
"..."
"The region where it storms with wind and rain as if there's a constant typhoon."
"Yes, that is correct."
"In a place like that... there's an academy?"
"Indeed. That must be why it hasn't been discovered until now. But there is a bigger problem."
"A problem? What problem?"
Bae Dal-pae swallowed dryly and hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"A very big problem has occurred in that region itself."
"Is there something more than the typhoon that rages day and night?"
"Yes, another typhoon is raging there."
"..."
"Coincidentally... a rumor is circulating that a Spirit Beast has appeared there."
The outer edge of one of Jeon Rahwa's eyebrows rose upwards.
"A Spirit Beast? You mean like a divine animal?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Why is that a problem?"
"...This is why I was explaining earlier."
"Yes, yes, my apologies."
Though her expression was not the least bit apologetic, Bae Dal-pae simply let out a light sigh and continued the story he was telling before.
"Among these Spirit Creatures, there are beasts of overwhelmingly high prestige, a species called Sacred Beasts. And among them, there is one called the Qilin....."
The Qilin.
A sacred beast belonging to the Four Divine Beasts, along with the dragon, phoenix, and black tortoise, said to be born from the mating of a dragon and a horse.
A head with a large horn, a lion's mane, and a long beard like a dragon.
The body of a horse covered in dazzling five-colored scales, with a tail resembling that of an ox.
Above its four cloven hooves, a thick coat of snow-white fur grew, so that whenever it ran, a mane of clouds would descend upon its surroundings.
This Qilin was a legendary animal said to descend only when a Sage King or a Saint appeared in the world.
However, the interest of the martial artists was not in the least concerned with the overwhelming majesty of the Qilin or the Sage King and saint that served as the backdrop for the Sacred Beast's appearance.
They were interested in only one thing.
— He who tames the Qilin shall have the world follow him. He who obtains the Qilin's inner core and flesh shall have the world at his feet. He who takes the Qilin's bones shall drench the world in blood.
It did not matter which method was used.
The legend was that by obtaining the Qilin, one could grasp the world.
Whether by capturing the Qilin whole, catching and eating it, or taking its bones after it died.
In any case, if one could obtain even a single one of its parts, they could become a Peerless Master.
How could the people of the Jianghu resist?
It is often said that of a hundred rumors in the Jianghu, ninety are false, nine are jokes, and the last one is a deception.
In short, it means do not believe any of it.
This is especially true for rumors about treasure.
But despite this, the people of the Jianghu are drifting weeds who fight over rumors and travel a thousand li following them.
Perhaps, one in a thousand, one in ten thousand, it might be real.
One in a hundred million, one in a trillion, perhaps I could become the owner of that treasure.
Most are futile hopes, and in the end, they lead to despair that leads to ruin.
Nevertheless, martial artists embrace such futile hopes and wander for ten thousand li towards that despair.
And.
The rumor that a Qilin had appeared there, in Windshear Cliffs, was rapidly spreading throughout the Jianghu.
"So that person went there now, right?"
"Yes, unfortunately."
"Hah, that's unfortunate."
There was no subject.
Unfortunately.
Because a natural disaster was always a verb, not a noun.
"Well, whatever. I should just get used to it by now. It's not the first or second time."
"...."
"That person will probably be back soon anyway."
It no longer mattered who he was or in which direction he went.
His milestone was here, the Hero's Sect.
...
"Please save me.... Please, please save me."
Somewhere secluded between the River Capital and Windshear Cliffs.
Ten boys, about fifteen or sixteen years old, were surrounding three girls of the same age.
The three girls were young ladies from nearby homes.
They clung to each other, trembling.
"We'll save you. After we eat what we want to eat, suck what we want to suck, and fuck what we want to fuck."
At one boy's lewd words, the other boys snickered.
Another one chimed in.
"You'd like to die, wouldn't you?"
"Ye-yes?"
One of the cowering girls answered in a voice completely frozen with fear.
"Ah, so you're saying it's okay to die?"
"Hey, hey, she says she'd be happy to die from pleasure. Let's make sure her father doesn't hear about this and properly suck, lick, and fuck her to the end."
At their words, all the others snickered and laughed.
Then, another one threw off his shirt and said.
"Hey guys, but even if we do it three-on-one, one spot is still not enough. What are we gonna do?"
Three-on-one.
Spot.
Even without saying what kind of 'spot' it was, the girls instinctively knew.
They clung to each other even tighter.
"What are you asking something like that for? One of them can just be on lookout and play with his hand."
"Damn it! Each girl has more than one hole, so why play with your hand, huh? You can just stick it in this hole and then put it in that hole, damn it."
Hehehehek.
The boys all burst out laughing.
The way they casually exchanged such filthy conversation, their dirty way of speaking, and the looks in their eyes, despite their young age, showed this was not the first or second time they had done such a thing.
They were the kind of boys whose futures you wouldn't need to wait to see.
Soon, one of them pulled out ten strands of hair.
It was to draw lots.
Not long after, the one who drew the shortest lot licked his lips while looking at the girls and stepped out into a wide, open area.
Even then, the boys' lot-drawing continued.
It was to decide who would get to play with the prettier girl.
Watching this, one of the girls bit her lower lip until it bled and mustered the courage to shout.
"Help! Please, someone, help us!"
"Is this bitch crazy? Has she lost her mind?"
Smack!
One of the boys slapped the girl with all his might.
As if that wasn't enough to vent his anger, he continued to stomp on her.
The girl's delicate lips were crushed, and her top was torn and tattered.
"Wouldn't it be nice if you just gave in willingly? Huh? Do you have to get beaten to a pulp to listen? Bitches like you!"
Even as her mind grew hazy, the girl begged.
"Oh, heavens. Please save us..."
Finding the girl ridiculous, the boy who had been kicking her got on top of her as she lay on the ground.
"You fucking idiot. If there was such a thing as heaven, would the world be in this state in the first place? Heaven is on the side of guys like us. Isn't that right? Mr. Heaven?"
The boy lifted his head to look at the sky.
He had raised his head to mock the idiot called heaven.
But his brow furrowed.
"Huh? What's that?"
Something was flying towards them rapidly.
It was too far and too fast to follow with the eyes.
If that was all, he would have just continued mocking the sky and lowered his head.
The problem was.
"Hey, that thing is getting bigger, right?"
It was approaching at a rapid speed.
The other boys also raised their heads at the same time.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Isn't it a bird?"
"Have you ever seen a bird that big? And birds aren't that fast either."
"Hey, hey, move! You idiots!"
While the boys were staring blankly upwards, that something drastically increased its speed.
Kwa-gwang!
Thanks to hastily throwing themselves aside, the boys were thankfully able to save their filthy lives.
No, it would be more accurate to say they were merely able to buy a little more time.
If they knew who that something was.
"...."
What landed in front of the girls was a person.
Not only the girls, but the neighborhood thugs also stared up at that person, Dong Bongsu, with wide eyes.
And they fell silent.
Their own families were martial families, and they themselves were all martial artists, so they had seen and experienced many martial artists, but they had never seen a person fly.
"Ma... ma...!"
At the same time, Dong Bongsu's eyes sank into nothingness.
Flash.
Thwack!
The moment Dong Bongsu's hand moved, the boy who had just uttered the words 'Mr. Heaven' was dismembered into five pieces.
"1."
Flash, slice!
Another boy's head was cut off.
"2"
Flash, shink!
Yet another boy's head was sliced off.
"3."
"Ugh, uwaaaaaah!"
Terrified, the boys hurriedly tried to flee the scene.
Hwiii-ryu-ryu-ryu-ryu-.
The wind blew, and the boys all floated up into the air at once.
They all just kicked their feet in the air.
Of course, to Dong Bongsu, all of this was just a bit of a nuisance.
I'm in a hurry, and a trash quest dares to block my path.
Pa-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bak!
Without being able to leave a single last word begging for their lives, all the boys scattered their blood and disappeared underground.
It was unknown if there was an afterlife here, but if there was, I hope they live well in that hell.
I have no use for petty criminals who just mass-produce cheap quests.
Without knowing what was happening, the situation had ended.
Hwiiiiiing-.
The wind blew, and Dong Bongsu disappeared as if nothing had ever happened.
However, the one thing that proved such an event had occurred was the fact that the bodies of the girls, their chests exposed, were drenched in the blood of the Scoundrel lust demons.
The girls hurriedly got up and looked far into the sky.
The man who had saved them had already become a dot and was moving away.
"That person... who on earth is he?"
"An immortal... perhaps."
Whoever he was, Dong Bongsu's face was engraved in the girls' hearts.
The essence did not matter.
To some, a natural disaster, and to others, a savior.
And.
The monster named Dong Bongsu was now flying towards Windshear Cliffs.
-x-X-x-
Mucheong.
Located near Transcendent Wind Cliff, a scenic wonder rare even in the world, it was the largest city and the agricultural heart of Great Yue, often called its rice basket.
Naturally, commerce flourished to distribute its agricultural products, making it the most prized location in the heart of the Central Plains, Jeogyang.
And the power that held sway over this place was the Thunderbolt Martial Hall.
One of the Ten Great Sects, revered and praised by all fist and foot martial artists.
Its main hall boasted fifteen hundred elites, and including its outer sects, the number swelled to ten thousand.
True to its name as a Martial Hall, not a single sword sheath or saber rack could be found; instead, vast Fist Arts Training Grounds surrounded the main hall, bustling from dawn until midnight without cease.
With eight external branches within Jeogyang alone, it was safe to say that there were virtually no Martial Families in the heart of Jeogyang that stood outside the shadow of the Thunderbolt Martial Hall.
At the pinnacle of this Thunderbolt Martial Hall was Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, Jin Geng.
However, there was one thing to note.
Originally, a different sect had held this position among the Ten Great Sects.
The renowned Geumyang Family, which had taken root in the heart of Jeogyang, and was called the Number One Family of Jeogyang.
There was a time when the grains of Mucheong flowed into their granaries, and their swords were the law of Jeogyang.
But now, they remained only as a name of the past.
For the one who had taken their old place and established anew was none other than Jin Geng.
He who had entered the Jianghu as a nameless fist fighter from a corner of Jeogyang had, within decades of his debut, raised the Thunderbolt Martial Hall with his own two fists and then, with those same fists, pushed the Geumyang Family out of Mucheong.
It was an achievement hard to believe for a single man to accomplish in his lifetime.
But when people recalled the exploits of the young Jin Geng, they would say it was a great fortune that he had stopped at just that.
His original title was Fist Fighter.
He would wake in the morning and seek out enemies to throw his fists at, and at noon, he would throw his fists at enemies who came seeking him.
Those he could not defeat in the morning or at noon, he would challenge countless times again with his fists.
Naturally, in that process, he had overcome hundreds of near-death crises.
Had he suffered a fatal wound even once in that process, the power structure of Jeogyang would not be as it is today.
Thus, starting as a low-rank martial artist in a corner of Jeogyang, he had eventually become the Number One Fist of Mucheong, and then, in time, came to be called the Number One Fist of Jeogyang and the Sect Master of one of the Ten Great Sects.
He was a man of such a strong fighting spirit and will that many speculated that had the formidable power of the Great Enlightenment Temple not existed in the neighboring region, Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist would still be rampaging as Fist Fighter.
Even to such a man, the chaos unfolding throughout Jeogyang was abnormal.
"They are all running wild like madmen."
To Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, Mucheong was like a vast rice paddy.
Just as a farmer carefully cultivates various grains, including rice, it was a place where he had personally nurtured countless martial artists and continued to manage.
And now, the vicinity of this Mucheong was being thrown into chaos by the intrusion of lawless outsiders.
Just as a harvest can be ruined by a sudden midsummer typhoon, all this was due to the sudden appearance of the Qilin, a Sacred Beast.
"Even with us, with this Thunderbolt Martial Hall, with this Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist here... it cannot be controlled."
A strange and mysterious fate.
Originally, such fortuitous encounters were very rare in this Jianghu.
Therefore, the very nature of martial artists who pursue strength is to anticipate and yearn for these encounters.
Moreover, what if that fortuitous encounter has no master yet, is alive and moving, and its location is clearly known?
It was a situation difficult for anyone to resist.
Frankly, apart from the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect and the Dark Rakshasa Way, who were currently at war, and their neighboring powers, there was likely no one in the Jianghu uninterested in this matter.
The existence of the Qilin was that big of a prize.
A major fortuitous encounter that would attract all, regardless of Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic.
And in a very tangible form at that.
Naturally, this situation was gradually worsening.
Not only were the martial artists in Mucheong all agitated, but martial artists from the outside were also flocking in like a tide.
A while ago, it was just Pyeongnam, but now, even the people of the Jianghu from Pyeongseo were rushing in.
At this rate, it seemed the entire Central Plains, and if more time passed, even the people of the Jianghu from beyond the borders would join the fray.
"Lately... the Central Plains has been flowing in a very strange way."
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, who had been watching the progression of events from the beginning, strongly felt that not just this matter, but the entire situation in the Central Plains was flowing strangely.
Though ordinary martial artists would hardly know, it was a sentiment shared by not only himself but most of the sect masters of the Ten Great Sects.
The traces of Immortals and descended beings felt in various places.
In truth, since he had originally pursued the Way of the Hegemon, he was curious to become stronger, but for such anomalies and miracles to be so openly visible in the Jianghu was historically very rare.
'The Central Plains is definitely changing.'
To him, the Qilin also felt like a part of that change.
They call it a Sacred Beast and treat it as a legend, but according to the research of Jianghu historians, the Qilin is...
Just then.
Someone appeared behind him.
"Father. I have returned."
"Dojeon."
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist looked at his proud son.
The sight, a spitting image of his younger self, was very satisfying.
"Yes, how did it go?"
"It appears the Qilin is currently staying in Transcendent Wind Cliff. Judging by its range of movement, I believe it has no intention of leaving."
"I see. Then how many have gathered to catch it?"
"I heard there are at least a thousand."
A thousand.
For such a number to rush in so disorderly, regardless of Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic.
"Whether it's a Sacred Beast or a Qilin, it is a supernatural object to begin with... And have they neither seen nor heard the records concerning the Qilin?"
— He who tames the Qilin will be followed by the world. He who obtains the Qilin's inner core and flesh will place the world beneath his feet. He who takes the Qilin's bones will stain the world with blood.
It wasn't just these hopeful legends.
Among the old records written by the historians of the Jianghu.
— The Qilin is a treasure that may appear once in a thousand years, but it is a beast that devours a thousand men at once, calls ten thousand more, and swallows them all.
Though detailed records do not remain, this record clearly stated that the entire Jianghu in the area where it appeared was stained with blood.
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, though a representative martial artist who had fought countless battles, was also a rational sect leader of a great sect.
Should he believe the legends passed down through tradition?
Or should he believe the documents left by historians?
For him, the decision was all too easy.
"An unfortunate sacrifice of a thousand more will be added, Father."
"Not unfortunate, my son."
"Pardon?"
"In the Jianghu, the death of those who covet a supernatural object beyond their capabilities is nothing more than a perfectly natural death.
Nothing more, nothing less."
"Yes."
Jin Dojeon asked Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist.
"Then are we to not intervene at all in the future?"
"The time is not yet right. Of course, the Qilin itself is a fine elixir and a precious treasure, but it is also a dangerous object beyond that. Even if we were to attack it by surprise at the perfect moment and capture it, what guarantee is there that we can protect it? In the worst-case scenario, those who seek the Qilin might form an alliance and attack the Thunderbolt Martial Hall to divide the Qilin. In that process, we might suffer fatal damage."
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, a seasoned veteran of the Jianghu, knew well the duplicity in Murim history and the terror of secret plots.
That was why, instead of participating in the scramble for the Qilin, he was observing the situation.
If the various strange events currently happening in the Central Plains were merely natural phenomena akin to natural disasters, they would soon be resolved.
And if not?
Then one should not project the full power of the sect on such a 'trivial' object.
The current conflict between the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect and the Dark Rakshasa Way might also be another form of the recent strange events.
It was a period of rapid change where discord with other Seven Great Demonic Sects or the Ten Great Sects could erupt into war at any moment.
Nevertheless, lately, just as his son was growing greedy, he had a slight thought.
What if they quickly secured that Qilin to further advance the martial power of the Thunderbolt Martial Hall?
Wouldn't that be advantageous in dealing with any unexpected rapid changes in the future?
"Hmph, I would be grateful if someone overwhelmingly powerful, whom no one dares to challenge, would step forward and end this situation."
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist suddenly felt a name come to mind.
A name he had actually met before, but which had suddenly disappeared from the Jianghu at some point.
A name that had recently started to be heard again.
However, the feeling was completely different from before.
Not just the feeling, but the weight and direction itself were entirely different from his memory.
"If it were him... No, no. I hear the sect he established is also participating as an ally of Vast Heaven. He would have no time to interfere in this matter"
"Who are you speaking of, Father?"
Just as Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist was about to answer Jin Dojeon's question.
Someone entered the room.
A woman of cold impression, yet a peerless beauty who would appeal to any taste.
It was his daughter, Jin Seon-a.
As she entered, a faint smile spread across Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist's stern face.
It was a pride in a different sense from his son.
How could he not be, when his only daughter was called not just the number one beauty of Mucheong, but of all Jeogyang.
"What is it?"
"Various pieces of information are pouring in through the spies scattered on the borders of Jeogyang, Father."
"What information?"
"It seems an Absolute Master has joined the scramble for the Qilin."
"An Absolute Master? Who are you talking about?"
Seon-a said with a troubled expression.
"Not one, but several."
"Several? How many?"
"It is said there are already three seen in Transcendent Wind Cliff."
"Three...?!"
"Yes."
"Who are they?"
"First, it is Heaven-Slicing Saber Emperor."
...Heaven-Slicing Saber Emperor? Is that true? Didn't he just finish the Saber Emperor Martial Contest?"
"Yes, that is so. However, it seems that is precisely why he has come this way. The power of the Heaven-Slicing Saber Sect has not been what it used to be, and it seems he intends to reclaim its former glory by hunting the Qilin."
"And the other two?"
"They are Purple Emptiness True Person and World-Ending Demonic Lord."
"Ha... ha... Purple Emptiness True Person, and World-Ending Demonic Lord as well?"
Heaven-Slicing Saber Emperor.
His real name was unknown.
He was called so because it was said that if you gave him a single saber, he could split the heavens in two.
And that was not all.
He was the new sect leader of the Heaven-Slicing Saber Sect.
He had cut down all seven other candidates in the Saber Emperor Martial Contest in a single day to ascend to that position.
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist could easily guess what it meant for his saber to be headed straight for Transcendent Wind Cliff before the rumors of his feat had even settled in the Jianghu.
Purple Emptiness True Person.
One of the seven elders of the Great Emptiness Dao Palace.
Among those seven, he was a Taoist priest who had confined himself to the deepest part of the main palace, the Profound Emptiness Cave, never stepping outside, dedicated to closed-door training.
No one even remembered exactly when he had last shown himself in the Jianghu, but even back then, when rumors followed him that he could quell all the evil qi in an area with just his purple robe and purple sword, he was an extremely powerful master.
A peerless master, whose strength now that he has reappeared is beyond even guessing.
World-Ending Demonic Lord.
Belonging to the Annihilation Demonic Sect, one of the Seven Great Demonic Sects.
Though not the sect leader, his personal martial prowess was evaluated to be within the top ten of all the Seven Great Demonic Sects.
It had already been over a decade since he had shown himself outside his sect, and the gossips of the Jianghu even doubted if he was still alive.
However.
— If he meets a person, he cuts them down; if he meets a sect, he destroys it.
Even during his active years, such rumors always followed him, a master who was ferocious and possessed the absolute strength to roam the Jianghu while maintaining that ferocity.
"..This is absurd."
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist let out a hollow laugh.
But as if that wasn't the end, Seon-a's report continued.
"And.."
"There's more?"
"Yes, Father."
"Hmph, who is it this time?"
"Actually, their identity has not yet been determined."
"But?"
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist's thick eyebrows twitched.
Because for his daughter to report this after those three masters, despite not knowing who it was, meant it was no ordinary person.
"Their actions are very peculiar."
"Peculiar? How so?"
"It is certain they are coming this way... but, well."
"..."
"It was after we received a report that someone was moving this way at an incredible speed."
"Continue."
"Yes, a message has been continuously arriving that someone coming from the east is sweeping away all the Unorthodox Factions, Demonic Path followers, Green Forest bandits, and Waterway Fortresses in their path."
"What? What in the world... does that mean?"
"It is just as I said. It is said that someone heading towards Transcendent Wind Cliff is slaughtering all Unorthodox and Demonic Path followers in their path as they move."
"Slaughtering the Unorthodox and Demonic Path followers?"
"Yes."
"Is it certain that only Unorthodox and Demonic Path followers are being swept away?"
"Yes, information is pouring in in real-time, and there has not been a single piece of information that they have touched anyone who is not of the Unorthodox or Demonic Path."
"Ha... ha.."
Another hollow laugh escaped, for a different reason.
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Wait, they came from the east? Has it been determined how far they came from?"
"Yes, Father. It is estimated that they have been moving in such a manner from at least a thousand li away."
This place, Mucheong, was located almost in the heart of the Central Plains.
'From here, a thousand li and beyond would be...'
"Hahaha. I truly don't know what to say about this."
"Yes? What is it?"
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist did not answer Jin Dojeon's question and simply rose from his seat and went to the eastern window.
"As expected, a strange one."
"..Pardon?"
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist quietly extended his Qi Sense far to the east.
Hah, he could certainly sense something approaching.
Before, he had thought him to be someone he could somewhat read, someone with a bottom...
"A guest is coming."
But the aura now was something whose end he could not even dare to guess.
"A guest, you say?"
"That person... no, that gentleman. Is he someone you know, Father?"
A very small dot could be seen cleaving through the distant eastern sky, approaching Transcendent Wind Cliff at a formidable speed.
After confirming that much, Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist turned his head and looked at his son and daughter in turn, and commanded.
"No. I have only met him once."
"But why do you call him a guest?"
Heaven-Shaking Iron Fist, Jin Geng, gently stroked his beard and smiled meaningfully.
"If one who has come to clean our house for us is not a guest, then what is he?"
-x-X-x-
Windshear Cliffs.
— It is said that in ancient times, an Ancient Dragon ascended to the heavens, but first pulled out one of its own fangs and planted it there.
Perhaps for that reason, the wind and rain were always there, licking the fang. A place where, true to its name, a cluster of peaks soared like dragon's teeth above a vast plateau.
A place where wind and rain raged through the peaks all four seasons, never ceasing for a single moment.
For that reason, human passage had all but ceased, but thanks to it, Jeogyang was able to become the most fertile land in the Central Plains.
The wind ceaselessly churned the black soil in all directions, and the rainwater flowing through the fertile land it created supplied all of Jeogyang without rest.
For over a thousand years, Windshear Cliffs had continued in such peace.
But recently, people had begun to swarm every peak, and the stormy peace of this place was being shattered.
From the southern peak, a group from the Orthodox Faction ascended, drawing their swords.
From the eastern peak, a band from the Unorthodox Faction ascended, carrying their sabers.
From the northern peak, a throng of Wandering Warriors ascended, holding bows and spears.
On one peak, a nameless Murim sect planted their flag, and on another, Formation Masters were laying down Formation Stones.
There were hundreds on each peak, numbering well over a thousand in total, and their numbers continued to swell.
All of them had entered in pursuit of a single Qilin.
Rumors gave birth to more rumors, and people brought more people.
White whirlwinds raged around every single peak.
A pile of corpses.
A pool of blood.
Torn clothes.
Broken weapons.
Such scenes unfolded at the foot of every peak.
It was the result of the clash between the suddenly appeared Qilin and the people of the Jianghu who had gathered to capture it.
...
"Ugh..."
When the Clear Water Wanderer opened his eyes again, he was in the middle of a pile of corpses.
Even as rainwater flowed down his face, he lay there for a long while.
It was because several layers of bodies were stacked on top of him.
Only after mustering every last bit of his Internal Energy was he able to finally raise his body.
"I survived, at least."
He had expected it to be strong, but to think it was this strong...
Every step the white mane took as it tore through the middle of a Sword Formation left a pile of bodies in its wake.
Every spot the massive horn gored people and passed through left blood soaking the earth.
Arrows and hidden weapons were useless.
The moment they reached the Qilin, they were sucked into its white mane and disappeared.
The flags of the Murim sects from all over were broken, and the formations laid by the Formation Masters were trampled under the Qilin's hooves.
Screams spread like wildfire from peak to peak.
And where the screams died down, corpses invariably piled up.
On top of the piled corpses, more corpses were piled.
And.
He himself was just one of them.
He was just a little lucky and had barely escaped with his life.
"Humans are truly... beyond saving."
He saw a few others who had also survived by the skin of their teeth.
Every one of them was rummaging through the corpses, grabbing anything that looked valuable or might fetch a price.
The dead tell no tales, but they also offer no defense.
Where could one find a better target for robbery?
But it seemed human greed and avarice truly surpassed imagination.
Among them were some who had been pretending to be dead.
They slit the throats of the thieves, who could have been from the Orthodox or Unorthodox Factions, who thought them dead and tried to search their robes, then fled after taking all the 'mementos' the others had gathered.
But was he any different from them?
No, he knew better than anyone.
He had lived his entire life putting on an act.
He too discarded his broken sword and took the most intact one from the hands of a corpse.
Due to rigor mortis, it was difficult to pull out, so he had to cut off three of the corpse's fingers to get it.
Kkeurururururururu-!
The cry of a beast once again echoed throughout the area, followed by various kinds of death throes.
It wasn't in his line of sight, so it seemed to be a little far from here.
But the fact that this place was a scene of utter chaos did not change.
Whether the Qilin was here or not, Windshear Cliffs was currently a hell.
"..."
The Clear Water Wanderer looked around and hesitated for a moment.
It was because he could see quite a few useful items.
All of them ownerless.
If he searched well, he might find something valuable enough to change his life.
However.
"Hah, it's a shame, but it can't be helped."
The Qilin's roar he had just heard was not that far away.
Although it had already swept through this area, there was no telling when it might return.
If this spot had been on the outskirts of Windshear Cliffs, he might have considered it, but it was quite deep inside.
He didn't even know his exact location.
And this place was crawling with jackals who would cut off fingers for a ring...
He staggered to his feet and started walking.
Windshear Cliffs was a vast region, but since he was in a valley at the base of the peaks, he figured he could get out by walking in one direction.
Before long, he heard other footsteps.
There were other survivors.
The first one he met was covered in mud.
It was a young man wearing a Blue Headscarf, who looked like a rising star of the Orthodox Faction.
Two more followed behind him.
Two men dressed as low-ranking Unorthodox members.
One of them only had a scabbard left, and the other had lost an eye and was bleeding profusely.
They walked in silence, keeping their distance.
No one asked who the others were, and no one answered.
They had just become something like companions in their struggle to survive.
After walking for a while longer, thirty more joined them.
Wandering Warriors and martial artists from minor Murim sects.
Before long, the thirty had grown to nearly a hundred.
Fortunately, it seemed they were heading in the right direction to escape Windshear Cliffs, as the rain began to lighten.
Ah... I'll be able to live soon.
At that very moment.
A wind rose from behind.
It was not just any wind.
A great whirlwind enveloped the valley entrance all at once.
"Damn it!"
The first thing he saw was a snow-white belly and four hooves.
The white mane spread like a cloud in all directions, passing over his head and landing behind him.
Kyaaaaaak!
Aaargh!
Kwa-gwang-!
Screams immediately erupted from behind.
When he turned to look, he saw ten people being swept away at once.
Five or six low-ranking Unorthodox members and several Wandering Warriors were sucked into the mane.
Ниииииииииuuuung-.
They vanished, buried in the white cloud.
When they reappeared, all of them were sprawled in the mud.
Naturally, there was no further movement.
"What are you standing there for? Run! Run, you bastards!"
Someone shouted.
Whoever it was, before the shout even ended, his feet were already kicking off the ground.
There was no time to look back again, of course.
Nor was there time to look to the side.
He only knew someone was beside him by the weight of a hand on his left shoulder.
A hand grasped his shoulder.
The hand didn't just grasp, it pulled him back.
As he staggered and was pushed back, the owner of the hand darted forward.
But he couldn't voice his complaint.
Because.
Gack!
"..Why me?"
Some were even deploying their Lightness Skills while slitting the throats of those running ahead of them.
He smirked.
That's right.
With such a good method available, why was I hesitating?
Quickly getting up from the mud, he did the same.
He grabbed the shoulder of the person in front, threw him back, and cleared his own path.
What's more, the man would buy him time as he died, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
If necessary, he slit throats too.
What did he care?
It wasn't his neck.
The title of Clear Water was useless here, and there was no need to be self-conscious.
Such a shell was only meaningful when hypocrisy served as a good disguise.
Among trash, wasn't it best to act just like trash?
After running like that for some time.
Koong-.
A short sound came from the cliff on his left.
He didn't mean to look, but it naturally caught his eye in his heightened state of alert.
A horn.
A single horn, as long as a man is tall, had pierced through the waist of a man who was running at full speed, straight through his back.
'Crazy! If I stop, I die!'
He started running again.
Now there were no more spare corpses to throw as bait for the Qilin.
Ahead, left, or right, there was nothing but cliffs and mud.
In a way, it was a good sign.
It meant he was in the lead.
His feet sank into the mud, and he kicked out of the mud again.
The mud rose to his ankles, then his knees, then fell away again.
He didn't even feel out of breath.
There was no time to be out of breath.
His legs no longer seemed to move of their own will.
It was the instinct to survive that simply moved his legs.
Then.
"..!"
Up ahead.
A hundred zhang?
No, two hundred zhang?
Finally, the end of the cliffs came into view.
The dark clouds were cut off as if someone had drawn a line.
Beyond them, a blue sky stretched out.
One side was a dark gray ceiling, the other a bright daytime sky.
The two worlds were divided as if cut by a knife.
Just there.
If I can just get over there.
He had watched for days.
That beast never took a single step outside Windshear Cliffs.
This place was the beast's territory, and its limits were within it.
Beyond the cliffs was the realm of a bright day.
If he could just cross that line, it would be over.
Strength returned to his legs.
The mud that had been up to his knees felt lighter.
He didn't know where such strength came from.
He just took one step after another.
That was all.
If I can just get over there, I can live.
One last time.
If I can just check the distance between me and that thing.
The Clear Water Wanderer turned his head back while still running.
But there was nothing behind him.
To be precise, there was nothing living.
Just corpses scattered on the mud.
Dismembered arms and legs.
Torsos separated from heads.
Chunks of flesh, impossible to identify.
That was all.
He couldn't see the beast's white mane or its massive horn.
Did it run away?
No, that can't be.
The Clear Water Wanderer looked forward again.
And he stopped.
It wasn't that his feet stopped.
His legs stopped on their own.
His body knew first, and his mind knew a moment later.
Straight ahead.
About thirty paces away.
The boundary between the dark clouds and the blue sky.
The place he had been heading towards to survive.
A white mane stood there.
"Ah... damn it."
The massive horn rising above its head filled the upper part of the Clear Water Wanderer's vision.
A lion's mane, long dragon whiskers trailing from within it, the body of a horse covered in shimmering, five-colored scales spanning dozens of feet, and the tail of an ox, longer than a man is tall, flicking back and forth, shaking off blood and mud.
The Qilin stood before him, revealing its full form.
How could such a massive body not sink into the mud...
Four hooves, whiter than snow, stepped through the mud and approached him.
"..."
The Clear Water Wanderer froze on the spot.
Why did I come here?
That single line surfaced in his mind.
— He who tames the Qilin will command the world. He who obtains the Qilin's inner core and flesh will have the world at his feet. He who takes the Qilin's bones will stain the world with blood. Ah, the world is right there before my eyes, so why can I not grasp it? Why did I come here?
He wanted to survive.
He wanted to survive and have the world at his feet.
He wanted to tear off that mouth-watering flesh to his heart's content and cut off that shining horn to forge a sword.
If only he could do that, he wouldn't have to live a life of 'pretense' anymore.
He could throw away a lame, pretentious title like Clear Water Wanderer.
Koong-.
The Qilin took another step closer.
The Clear Water Wanderer's legs wobbled.
This is unfair.
I have lived a compassionate and benevolent life as a renowned master of the Orthodox Faction... to think I must lose my life so futilely like this.
Where are all the absolute masters, and what are they doing?
How can they just stand by and watch such a lawless monster run rampant?
If he were in their position, he would never have let this happen.
'Huh? What's that!?'
In the corner of his, the Clear Water Wanderer's vision, a dot entered from the bright world into this hellish world of dark clouds.
At first, he thought it was part of the rain.
The rain on this mountain was not only rain that fell from above but also rain that moved from side to side, and small birds sometimes cut through it, and severed leaves floated by.
The black dot looked like one of those things.
But the dot did not get smaller; it grew larger.
With a gentle wind, the dot grew in an instant, and its form materialized.
It was a person.
Hwii-ryu-ryu-ryu-ryu-ryu!
Ta-dak-.
Despite flying at such a high speed, the person landed softly on the mud.
He was a young man in a black robe.
He landed between the Clear Water Wanderer and the Qilin.
"...!
The tension in the Clear Water Wanderer's shoulders eased.
He scanned the man from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
A black robe.
A single character on his back.
It was blurry.
He didn't try to read it.
There was no need.
Anyone who would stand in the Qilin's path was a savior to him.
The corners of the Clear Water Wanderer's mouth trembled and rose.
"Great Hero...!"
His voice cracked once.
He quickly composed himself.
"Indeed, the heavens have not yet abandoned this Clear Water Wanderer. I will spend the rest of my life repaying this gracious fa..."
Seuk.
The Clear Water Wanderer's words were cut off.
The man in the black robe turned and took a step toward him.
The Clear Water Wanderer thought it was a sign of friendliness.
He started to lower his head slightly.
His head never went all the way down.
The man's hand was resting on the crown of the Clear Water Wanderer's head.
...Huh? Why?"
The Clear Water Wanderer's last conscious thought was that single syllable.
A finger pressed down on the center of his crown.
That was all.
The Clear Water Wanderer's feet lifted off the ground.
Only he himself heard the sound of something collapsing inside his skull.
When the hand was removed, his body tilted to one side and collapsed, knees first.
The hem of his robe touched the muddy ground.
Then, the owner of the title Clear Water Wanderer fell face down into the mud.
The Qilin took two steps back.
Dong Bongsu flexed the tip of his finger once.
There was no mud or blood on it.
"So the trivial quests are finally done?"
A system message appeared, overlapping the Clear Water Wanderer's robe.
The Fate of Hypocrites
But he didn't read it to the end.
It wasn't worth it.
Doong-.
[You did not turn a blind eye to hypocrisy. A reward is given.]
[+0.05]
[Though only by a little, the world has become more beautiful.]
A light mechanical sound signaled the end of the system window.
One thousand li east of the River Capital.
How many trivial quests had he handled on the way to Windshear Cliffs?
Dong Bongsu lightly scrolled back one screen in the system window's log and skimmed through it.
The Wronged Merchant
[You did not turn a blind eye to the plight of the wronged. A reward is given.]
[+0.01]
[Though only by a little, the world has become more beautiful.]
[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)] [Sudden] [/color]The Salvation of a Child
[You did not turn a blind eye to the crisis of one in need. A reward is given.]
[+0.01]
[Though only by a little, the world has become more beautiful.]
[color=rgb(255, 255, 255)] [Sudden] [/color]An Innocent Village
[You did not turn a blind eye to the innocent and succeeded in their salvation. A reward is given.]
[+0.05]
[Though only by a little, the world has become more beautiful.]
....
...
...
..
.
He must have handled over thirty trivial quests on the way here.
With that last one, there should be no more need for that.
Dong Bongsu's gaze fell from the system window and naturally turned forward.
"Are you the Qilin?"
The Qilin met Dong Bongsu's gaze.
Dong Bongsu's eyes scanned the Qilin from the top of its head to its four hooves.
The straight line of his lips curved for a moment.
To think that no quest had been triggered despite being this close, this beast must be far more heroic than the humans lying here.
Of course.
"You look strong."
To Dong Bongsu, that didn't matter.
The prey before him looked so strong that it had no need for the seasoning of a quest.