Chapter 315

Step. Step.

The Zhongnan One Dragon, Hyuk Sopyung, walked neither quickly nor slowly.

Every time he took a step, people’s eyes and whispers followed him.

“Tut-tut. Causing such a commotion in broad daylight…”

“To think someone known as his sect’s greatest young prodigy would turn out like that. You can tell what kind of level the Zhongnan Sect is at. No wonder Huashan is always considered the best in Shaanxi.”

“Why is his cheek so swollen? I heard Huashan’s Lone Crane came here. Could it be…?”

Hyuk Sopyung unconsciously rubbed his cheek.

The throbbing pain wasn’t caused only by the stinging gazes of the people around him. The three slaps he had taken helplessly—and one man’s low voice—came vividly back to him.

I believe I already said this. Think carefully before you swing that sword.

The Fire King’s chosen successor, a Hidden Dragon who had risen from the small stream that was Shanxi Province.

Hyuk Sopyung had already heard enough about that bastard to last him a lifetime.

But…

How can he be that strong?

He couldn’t understand it at all. He had become the direct Disciple of the Zhongnan Sect’s Sect Leader and learned martial arts with the full support of the sect.

Countless Peak martial arts, elixirs, and the name of one of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes were all things Hyuk Sopyung had taken for granted.

But now, everything surrounding Hyuk Sopyung was beginning to shake precariously.

The cold expression of Xi’an Tower’s chief manager when he encountered him at the entrance was one sign of it.

“I heard you caused another disturbance.”

“A disturbance? There was a little commotion, that’s all. Nothing worth worrying about, so let’s forget it.”

Hyuk Sopyung was about to continue on when the chief manager’s next words made him stop dead.

“I believe I told you last time that if anything like this happened again, I would file a formal complaint with the Zhongnan Sect.”

“A complaint?”

Hyuk Sopyung glared at the chief manager with gleaming eyes before speaking.

“Our Manager Song has grown quite bold.”

“Young Hero Hyuk!”

“Don’t get cocky.”

A growl slipped between Hyuk Sopyung’s teeth.

“You seem to think your shoulders have gotten a lot broader just because you put the owner’s son into Huashan as a lay Disciple… Do you really think the Great Zhongnan Sect is so easy to laugh at?”

“Your words are too harsh.”

At the chief manager’s stiff expression, Hyuk Sopyung twisted his lips.

“You’re the ones going too far. You tavern keepers dare look down on our sect? You’ve got more nerve than sense.”

“May I convey those words to the owner exactly as you said them?”

“Don’t forget. Be sure to tell him. Then I’ll see you next time.”

Pat, pat.

Hyuk Sopyung patted the chief manager’s shoulder and walked away, a bitter smile on his lips.

Now I’m being looked down on even by people like him.

Of course, Xi’an Tower’s owner had considerable influence for someone who could be called a mere businessman. He was a major player who controlled the entertainment district of Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

But no matter how powerful someone was in the business world, before the name of the Nine Sects and One Gang, he was nothing more than a firefly before the sun.

And to think Hyuk Sopyung had been subjected to such humiliation by the manager of a single pleasure house—not even its owner.

Things really are going from bad to worse.

In the span of only a year or two, the Zhongnan Sect’s standing had continued to decline.

The first arrow had been fired by the Fire King Jeok Cheongang when he crushed the Roaring Fury Swordsman in front of countless witnesses. Then came the Sword Saint Mae Jonghak breaking his seclusion and the emergence of the name Huashan Divine Dragon.

How can two tigers live on the same mountain?

Someone had to become the stronger one, and someone else had to become the weaker.

The Zhongnan Sect’s role was the latter.

It won’t always be like this.

Blood ran from the fist Hyuk Sopyung had clenched with all his strength.

The alcohol’s poison from the night before had long since been expelled. Hyuk Sopyung was staring up at the sky with a hardened expression when—

“Gasp, gasp. Senior Brother, there you are.”

“You’re… Bong-su?”

Hyuk Sopyung looked at the familiar face with surprise.

The young man was panting heavily. He was a Disciple of the Zhongnan Sect like Hyuk Sopyung. Though they had different Masters, they were of the same generation.

“What brings you here when you should be at headquarters?”

By headquarters, he meant Mount Zhongnan, a two-day journey from Xi’an. His Junior Brother, Bong-su, answered.

“I’m on a mission. The entire Taeeul Sword Unit came as well, not just me.”

“A mission? And the Taeeul Sword Unit?”

The Taeeul Sword Unit was a force made up of the Zhongnan Sect’s second-generation Disciples. Though they were no match for Huashan’s Plum Blossom Swordsmen, they were still an elite unit the Zhongnan Sect took pride in.

For the Taeeul Sword Unit to come all the way here when they rarely ever left headquarters…

Hyuk Sopyung frowned in puzzlement. His Junior Brother spoke.

“I was ordered to bring you back, Senior Brother.”

“Ordered? Who is looking for me?”

“Senior Martial Uncle is in Xi’an right now.”

“……!”

Hyuk Sopyung’s eyes widened. There were only two people his Junior Brother, who was of the same generation as him, could call Senior Martial Uncle.

One of them, the Roaring Fury Swordsman Song Il, had been confined to the main sect because of the internal injury he had suffered from the Fire King. That left only one person.

But why is he in Xi’an…?

Hyuk Sopyung hurriedly pushed the question from his mind.

If his Second Martial Uncle was looking for him, he couldn’t afford to delay even for a moment. That man frightened Hyuk Sopyung more than even his own Master, the Wind-and-Cloud Sword Lord.

No—not only Hyuk Sopyung. Every Disciple of the Zhongnan Sect felt the same way.

The anxious expression on his Junior Brother’s face was proof enough.

“Senior Brother, there’s no time.”

“Take me to Senior Martial Uncle at once.”

A short while later, Hyuk Sopyung shot forward at tremendous speed using his movement technique. One question continued to circle through his mind.

What on earth is going on?

One thing was certain.

If his Second Martial Uncle, the Taeeul Merciless Sword, had stepped in, this was no ordinary matter.

True Qi Guidance was a dangerous and difficult undertaking.

Even when circulating one’s qi alone, there was always the danger of qi deviation. Guiding someone else’s energy to circulate their qi was a task whose difficulty needed no explanation.

Especially when the target is the Fire King.

The tension was on an entirely different level from when I had performed True Qi Guidance on the Peace Guild members.

I began moving the Scorching Yang Qi with the sensation of stepping onto a sheet of thin ice.

Slowly. Carefully.

Those were the only two words I repeated over and over. Without allowing a single distracting thought, I drew in Jeok Cheongang’s enormous energy.

Whoooong.

The two energies met.

But there was none of the collision or resistance I had encountered with the Peace Guild members. They simply blended together naturally.

They assimilated and flowed together as though they had originally been one body—as naturally as reuniting with a twin separated long ago.

Because they grew from the same root.

That was right. Jeok Cheongang and I shared the same root: the Fire Gate Clan.

If someone who had never learned the Fire Gate Divine Technique had recklessly attempted True Qi Guidance, they might have been unable to withstand Jeok Cheongang’s immense internal energy and suffered qi deviation.

Thank God.

I had already done this several times, but it was always terrifying.

Feeling my heart clench with tension, I began the actual True Qi Guidance.

Following the formula of the Fire Gate Divine Technique, I circulated the Extreme Yang qi that had now become one without pause.

One shichen, or perhaps two.

I became so absorbed that I lost all sense of time. The True Qi Guidance, which had seemed as though it would never end, finally came to a close when all the internal energy returned to the dantian.

Chime.

System

• True Qi Guidance successfully completed!
• The target’s condition has improved slightly!
• Your Scorching Yang Qi has increased slightly!

“Phew…”

I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing.

It wasn’t over yet. For a brief moment, I had assimilated with and experienced the enormous energy possessed by the Supreme Peak master known as the Fire King Jeok Cheongang.

The root called the Fire Gate Clan. The trunk of the great tree that had grown from it, along with its countless branches. I had clearly witnessed a glimpse of a realm so distant it was almost impossible to imagine.

Insight came from experiences and circumstances like this.

Just like now.

I finally have some idea of where to go.

I could see it: the steps leading to a higher realm.

It was a small insight that no one could have taught me.

Chime.

System

• The realm of Fire Gate Divine Technique has risen to seven stars!
• You can manipulate, release, and withdraw qi more freely!
• You can now perform the martial arts of the Fire Gate Clan with greater power and effectiveness!
• You have acquired a large amount of EXP and Bonus Points as a reward for your enlightenment!
• Level Up!

Yes. This was it.

I opened my eyes to the cheerful chime. I had climbed only a single step, but the difference was immense.

Through my newly sharpened senses, information about everything around me came flooding in.

My entire body, drenched in sweat. The stench rising from the turbid qi I had expelled. And the presence of someone struggling silently behind my back.

“……”

What the fuck?

I turned my head and saw Cheongpung wrapped around Hyuk Mujin’s entire body like an anaconda. Both hands were firmly clamped over Mujin’s mouth and nose.

“What are you doing over there?”

Cheongpung answered brightly.

“Hyuk Mujin was about to snore, so I was stopping him!”

“Ah, well done. That bastard nearly gave me qi deviation from pissing me off.”

I told that idiot Hyuk Mujin to stand guard, and he was off dreaming the Butterfly Dream.¹

I looked at Hyuk Mujin, whose face had turned blue as he struggled, and asked a question that suddenly occurred to me.

“You only need to cover his nose. Why are you covering his mouth too?”

“When I covered his nose, sounds started coming out of his mouth!”

“Oh.”

“So I covered both!”

“Hmm. Then won’t he die of suffocation?”

“He can use the Turtle Breath Technique!”

“What exactly is this damn Turtle Breath Technique?”

“You hold your breath, stop your heartbeat, and lower your body temperature at the same time!”

“Sounds incredible. Is that even possible?”

“Of course. That’s what Hyuk Mujin is doing right now!”

“Mujin is?”

“Yes! His heartbeat has already stopped.”

“……?”

My mind went blank. I stared at Hyuk Mujin without saying a word.

While we were talking, the man who had stopped struggling lay there with his limbs hanging limp.

“Gasp, Mujin!”

“He’ll be cold soon!”

“Get your hands off him right now, you lunatic!”

“Oh? Maybe it isn’t the Turtle Breath Technique. Young Hero Hyuk? Can’t you hear me? Young Hero Hyuk?”

I didn’t know about the Turtle Breath Technique, but the Ghost Technique certainly seemed accurate.

I struck Hyuk Mujin in the chest with a palm strike just before he could achieve Great Completion in the Ghost Technique.

“Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Fist!”

Thud!

Along with the dull impact, a harsh breath burst from Hyuk Mujin’s open mouth.

“Gahk!”

“Oh no, Mujin! My left pinky!”

“Cough, cough! Captain?”

“Are you all right? Can you breathe?”

“What?”

Hyuk Mujin looked around with a bewildered expression. Perhaps because he had been attacked in the middle of his sleep, he didn’t seem to understand what had happened.

“What suddenly happened? I was just on a cloud.”

“A cloud?”

This idiot had really almost died.

Just as I was letting out a sigh of relief, Hyuk Mujin continued.

“A man in white came and started saying strange things. Something about a little lamb having come, and so on.”

“What kind of lamb?”

“A little lamb. He tried to embrace me, but there were holes this big in both his palms. I was about to cut him down without mercy when I woke up.”

“……”

Why was that person there?

Just as I was at a loss for words, the door to the private room where we were staying at Xi’an Tower slid open, and a grimy face poked inside.

Gung Gibang looked over the dejected Cheongpung, Hyuk Mujin, who had just come back from the dead, and finally me, whose soul had left my body.

Then he muttered,

“What a kennel.”

Being treated like a dog by a beggar left a bad taste in my mouth.

After barely pulling myself together, I asked Gung Gibang,

“Were you out begging?”

Gung Gibang shouted with an offended expression.

“What are you talking about? I’m on my way back from the Xi’an branch of my sect!”

The previous night, I had decided to stay at Xi’an Tower for a day and recover from the fatigue of our journey. At the same time, I had asked Gung Gibang to gather information, so he must have stopped by the Xi’an branch for that reason.

Since beggars were scattered throughout the world, the Beggars’ Sect had branches everywhere.

In terms of sheer numbers, it was the greatest sect under heaven.

“So? Did you get any useful information? Something about the Divine Physician’s whereabouts, for example.”

“I did. Though it wasn’t about the Divine Physician.”

Gung Gibang thought for a moment before continuing.

“This information reeks to high heaven.”

“More than you?”

“……”

“Sorry. Tell me.”

Gung Gibang was deeply offended and didn’t open his mouth until he had received five silver nyang in alms.²