“What the fuck are you?”
Jongni Chu’s eyes curved like half-moons at the loaded question.
“Do I need to tell you again?”
“Jongni Chu from Yunnan. Yeah, I know. So…”
My next words came out calm enough to surprise even me.
“Who are you? You.”
“Shouldn’t you catch that friend behind you first?”
Jongni Chu was right. I caught Cheongpung by the arm as he crumpled.
There was a little bleeding from the shallow cut across his chest, but it was nowhere near enough to bring down a master of Cheongpung’s caliber.
“What did you do to him?”
“Nothing. His mental strength merely took a blow.”
“If anything happens to Cheongpung…”
“You worry too much. It was only a feint, so nothing like what you’re imagining will happen.”
“A feint? That strike just now?”
“If you don’t believe me, I can’t help that. Friendship is a wonderful thing.”
As I watched Jongni Chu smile gently, my stomach burned as though I had swallowed a ball of fire.
He fooled me completely.
I remembered when we had first met.
He had been a cheerful loudmouth who asked to become friends, saying even brushing sleeves was enough to forge a connection. Annoying, yes, but I hadn’t disliked him.
Now, though, I didn’t know what to think. Everything about him was shrouded in mystery.
My hand tightened around White Flame of its own accord.
“W-Wait!”
The urgent voice belonged to the judge. He was visibly flustered by the unexpected turn of events.
“Both of you, step back. And Young Hero Jin, barging into a duel violates the rules of the Star-Array Grand Banquet.”
Without taking my eyes off Jongni Chu, I answered.
“So I’m supposed to stand there and watch while someone nearly gets killed?”
“B-But he said it was only a feint!”
“That’s what he says.”
The judge bit his lip at my firm reply.
“If you don’t withdraw now, you may be disqualified under the rules.”
“Disqualified?”
“Of course. You don’t want to be disqualified with the final still ahead of you, do you?”
I laughed under my breath.
Winning the Star-Array Grand Banquet would certainly earn me a huge amount of EXP and Fame, or perhaps an even greater Reward.
Jin Wikyung would hug me for raising the family’s reputation, and Jeok Cheongang would be pleased as well.
But that’s all it would be.
The year I had spent in Fire Gate Cavern had not been for the sake of winning the Star-Array Grand Banquet.
And the same was surely true of the sinister bastard standing before me.
“Let’s fight.”
Jongni Chu deliberately widened his eyes.
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
“Good grief. If you don’t withdraw immediately, you’ll be disqualified.”
“I don’t give a damn about that.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to win easily and make my name known throughout the world.”
“Cut the crap. Drop the lousy acting and tell me what you really think.”
Jongni Chu paused, then grinned.
“I was right about you. You really are an interesting friend.”
“Friend? That’s not the word you use in a situation like this. Especially not between you and me.”
“That stings a little, but… well, it can’t be helped.”
“So what’s your answer?”
“I did want to fight you at least once.”
The judge, who had been listening to us, cut in with a grim expression.
“Did you not hear what I said? Under the rules, the Star-Array Grand Banquet final must take place tomorrow.”
At that moment, a low voice pierced everyone’s ears.
“Then change the rules as of today.”
“Who dares!”
The judge spun around with a roar, only to freeze at the sight of the tiny old man who had approached like a ghost.
“G-Great Hero Jeok?”
The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang. His eyes glowed faintly red as they passed over me and Jongni Chu before settling on the judge.
“That’s right. It’s me.”
“I-I apologize. I misspoke.”
“Forget it. Get the next duel underway immediately.”
“B-But…”
“But?”
The judge swallowed hard.
“To change the schedule, we must hold a meeting and receive the presiding chair’s approval.”
“The Martial God presided over the first Star-Array Grand Banquet. After he disappeared, the position passed to the Abbot of Shaolin, who could be considered the organizer. Is that correct?”
“Y-Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“Pardon?”
“Hong Dao had to step away on urgent business. Considering seniority and standing in the Murim, I am the presiding chair now.”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the seats of honor a hundred zhang1 away. Just as Jeok Cheongang had said, the seat where Dharma King Hong Dao should have been sitting was empty.
No. There was one more person missing.
Song Ho, the Thousand-Faced Fox.
Two important people had left at the same time. What was going on?
The question flashed through my mind, then vanished. That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Now we can forget about those damn rules or whatever they are. Am I wrong?”
The judge hesitated, then nodded.
“No. We’ll proceed.”
“Good. And you.”
Jongni Chu, who had been watching the scene with great interest, pointed at his own chest.
“Me?”
“Yes, you, the bastard with half a tongue.”
“My tongue hasn’t been cut in half, but I understand.”
Even though he clearly knew who he was dealing with, he remained completely unruffled.
Jeok Cheongang fixed Jongni Chu with a grave, steady glare.
“I’ll ask you directly. Did you come from Tianshan?”
The Tianshan Mountains. The headquarters of the Demonic Cult.
The judge flinched as though he had touched a flame, while Jongni Chu wore a faint smile, as if enjoying the situation.
“I think I’ll save that answer for later.”
“If you don’t want to die young, you’d better think carefully before answering.”
Jongni Chu rubbed his smooth chin.
“What will you do if some unfortunate accident occurs before you hear my answer?”
“An accident?”
“You never know what might happen in the Murim. For example, a certain master might lose his only Disciple.”
At that moment, a deathly silence pressed down on the surroundings.
Jeok Cheongang stared at Jongni Chu with emotionless eyes before speaking.
“If such a regrettable thing were to happen… the master who lost his Disciple would become very angry.”
“Would you kill the culprit even if you had to spread a net over heaven and earth?”
“Of course not. I’d burn him alive. You have my word.”
“Aren’t you making quite a promise? You don’t even know who we’re talking about.”
“Coincidentally, it’s someone I know very well.”
“Oh, dear.”
Jongni Chu burst into cheerful laughter.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to go easy on him.”
“Are you underestimating my Disciple?”
“I’m looking forward to it, but he probably won’t be a match for me.”
“That’s what he says. What do you think?”
At Jeok Cheongang’s question, I tightened my grip on the spear shaft.
“That bastard’s thinking is pretty screwed up.”
Jongni Chu looked at me with amusement.
“I can’t tell whether that’s confidence or arrogance.”
“Neither. I want to live a long, full life. But there’s one thing I do know.”
I enunciated each word clearly.
“You don’t know anything until you try.”
“Good thinking. But will that still hold true this time?”
“I hope so.”
“You could die.”
“That’s why I have to give it everything I’ve got. If I die after that… well, I’ll feel like shit, but someone will avenge me. Won’t they?”
Jeok Cheongang nodded.
“Go in peace. I’ll avenge you, so don’t worry about what comes after.”
“Seriously? You call that comforting?”
“Then stop talking nonsense and remember one thing. If that bastard kills you, I’ll kill you myself.”
“If I don’t want to die twice, I’d better work hard.”
Jongni Chu burst into loud laughter as he listened to us.
“Ha-ha-ha! What an interesting Master and Disciple pair.”
I stared at him and muttered inwardly.
Before we fought, I needed to peel back even a little of the veil surrounding him.
Skill, Qi Sense.
A chime rang.
System
You have used Qi Sense.
Since you are currently at the eighth stage, you can detect targets at Level 100 or below within eighty zhang.1
I possessed two kinds of Qi Sense: the Qi Sense that existed as a Skill, and the Qi Sense I had developed as a martial artist.
When I first came to the Murim, I had relied entirely on the former. But as time passed, I realized that Level and strength were not directly proportional, so I gradually used it less and less.
The Murim had too many variables to judge anyone by Level alone.
Show me something. Even a little. Show me what you really are.
Swoooosh!
Once Qi Sense reached the eighth stage, I could focus it entirely on a single person.
A blue line visible only to me shot forward without hesitation and reached Jongni Chu.
No—just as I thought it had reached him—
Beep!
System
Qi Sense has failed!
Unable to identify the target!
An unknown force is rejecting the Skill!
“…!”
What?
My eyes flew open at the unbelievable System notification. I stared at Jongni Chu in confusion.
The blue line of Qi Sense had seemed to strike something, circled around him, then disappeared.
“What the hell did you do?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask you.”
Jongni Chu had stopped laughing. His interested gaze settled on me.
“You have quite an interesting trick.”
His words suddenly brought back a memory from a year ago—the first person who had ever detected my Qi Sense.
Well, aren’t you an interesting fellow?
The Fire King, Jeok Cheongang.
As befitted a Supreme Peak master, he had been able to control his qi freely. Through that encounter, I had first realized that the System was not omnipotent.
But even Jeok Cheongang couldn’t repel the Skill.
And now an unknown force had rejected the Skill. I had never heard of anything like it.
The more I saw Jongni Chu violate common sense, the more one word floated through my mind.
Demonic martial arts.
Martial arts that defied reason.
My suspicion hardened into certainty. At last, I understood the meaning behind the question Jeok Cheongang had asked him earlier.
“You really are from the Demonic Cult, aren’t you?”
“Beat me and I’ll tell you. What kind of trick did you use?”
“Even if you beat me, I won’t tell you.”
“That puts me at quite a disadvantage. It can’t be helped.”
Sssrk.
The rusted sword slowly rose and pointed between my eyebrows.
A humming voice followed, utterly at odds with the suffocating edge of his sword.
“Come. Let’s have some fun.”
I raised White Flame and answered.
“Yeah. Let’s have a brutal good time.”
Fwoosh!
The fire dragon curled within my dantian awoke from its slumber and stretched.
Give it everything you’ve got.
Jeok Cheongang used Seizing an Object Through Empty Space to pull Cheongpung toward him, then stepped through the air as he retreated. At the same time, the judge’s frantic voice rang out.
“Under the revised schedule, the Star-Array Grand Banquet final will begin immediately! The Life-Sustaining Sword—no, the Always-Victorious Sword, Jongni Chu, and the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, Jin Taekyung…!”
The judge’s announcement was already meaningless.
We were already charging toward each other.
Swoooosh!
One step. The distance vanished.
Krrrraaaash!
Two steps. Two streaks of light bursting from our hands collided in midair.
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