You had to answer this one carefully.
If he didn’t, Chun Ho Seong—watching from behind with that terrifying stare—might just cut him down on the spot.
“N-no! O-of course not!”
If he was truly the grandson of the Lord of Mushincheon, then it was entirely possible.
The problem was the current existence of candidates for the Young Lord’s position.
Would they sit still?
Not while the Lord of Mushincheon still lived—they would behave, too afraid to act out.
But the Lord wouldn’t live forever.
One day, Yeon Woo Jin would be the only one left.
And when that day ca, would the Five Martial Pillar Clans still serve him?
No.
The day the current Lord disappeared would be the day Mushincheon began to crumble.
Everyone would fight like rabid dogs to seize the title of Lord.
That was why the position had to be held by soone overwhelmingly powerful.
Wasn’t that the entire point of the Young Lord competition?
The real issue was: just how strong was Yeon Woo Jin, standing before him now?
Yeon Woo Jin saw the look in Ho Gwang’s eyes and smiled.
He’d seen that look enough to know exactly what the man was thinking.
“You say that out loud, but inside, you’re thinking there’s no way I could pull it off, aren’t you?”
Ho Gwang flinched.
How did he know?
Could he read people’s minds?
While Ho Gwang was still stunned, Woo Jin said,
“You really ought to train yourself to hide your expressions, Sect Master. Your face gives it all away.”
“I-I apologize.”
“No need. I understand. But you don’t have to worry—I’m stronger than anyone in Mushincheon.”
Anyone could talk big.
Ho Gwang felt just a touch of disappointnt.
He had thought the boy would show him sothing.
“What? You’re disappointed?”
Hearing that, Ho Gwang thought again: I really need to train myself to keep a blank face no matter the situation.
“N-no, not at all.”
“Really? Then you’re already dead.”
“Excuse ?”
Yeon Woo Jin tilted his chin upward in a gesture.
Ho Gwang followed the motion—and gasped.
“Gasp!”
Three swords were floating right in front of him, pointed straight at his face.
When had they gotten there?
No, more importantly—
“Controlled blades?”
He himself could barely manage one sword with his Qi—and this guy had three?
And they weren’t just floating.
Each blade was wrapped in a faint bluish aura.
Ho Gwang recognized it instantly.
“Blade Force...”
Controlling three swords was insane already—but he’d infused them with Blade Force on top of that?
It ant his power was on a completely different level.
And he wasn’t even straining.
If Yeon Woo Jin had genuinely wanted to kill him, he’d already be dead.
“Three isn’t enough, is it?”
“...What?”
Not enough?
What the hell was that supposed to an?
It was more than enough.
He was about to protest when sothing like a heat haze shimred in the air before him.
It coalesced—into the shape of blades.
And they were pointed at him.
Ho Gwang crumpled to the ground.
“M-Mindblades?!”
And not just one.
Several formless swords made purely of thought were aid right at him.
Then... just how strong was Yeon Woo Jin?
Was he already at a level comparable to the Lord of Mushincheon himself?
There was no way the Lord had reached this level at Woo Jin’s age.
And this was where he stood now.
What would he beco as an adult?
Gulp—
Ho Gwang thought to himself:
If Yeon Woo Jin becos the next Lord of Mushincheon, he will be an utterly flawless, unstoppable sovereign.
The Five Martial Pillar Clans?
Not a chance.
This was an opportunity that had to be seized at all costs.
Or... had it already been seized?
His son had done well.
He’d latched onto a golden lifeline.
Ho Gwang dropped to the floor and bowed deeply.
“P-please take good care of my inadequate son!”
Yeon Woo Jin smiled and withdrew every weapon encircling him.
“I’m glad you believe now.”
“M-my apologies!”
“It’s fine. That’s just how a parent’s heart works.”
“Th-thank you.”
Ho Gwang looked toward Ho Cheon.
His son looked visibly relieved.
But wait... this wasn’t just about Ho Cheon anymore.
Standing before him was soone all but certain to beco the next Lord of Mushincheon.
And that ant he had been given an extraordinary opportunity.
A chance for his clan to rise to greater glory in the next generation.
Maybe even to beco one of the new Five Martial Pillar Clans.
Having finished all the calculations in his mind, Ho Gwang dropped all the way to the floor and shouted—
“Our entire clan pledges to serve the Young Lord!”
“Does that an you acknowledge as your liege?”
“Yes! From this day forward, the Fist King Gate will serve only you!”
With that, he bit into his own finger until blood flowed, stripped off his outer garnt, and wrote a vow of loyalty in blood across the cloth before presenting it reverently.
“There was no need to go that far.”
Yeon Woo Jin took Ho Gwang’s bleeding hand.
A radiant light rose from his palm—and in an instant, the wound vanished.
“T-this is...”
He was too stunned to speak.
The wound had closed in a heartbeat.
He could still see the blood-letter he’d just written—proof that the cut had been real.
But now his finger was completely fine.
Ho Gwang looked at Yeon Woo Jin.
What... What did he just do?
It had all happened so fast, his mind couldn’t keep up.
He wasn’t just strong—he could instantly heal others?
Ho Gwang’s eyes slowly filled with awe.
This man... is a god.
“Please don’t do anything like this again, alright?”
“Y-your grace!”
A god... was worried about him.
He didn’t even realize tears had started to fall.
Trembling with emotion, Ho Gwang prostrated himself again and shouted:
“To think Your Grace would worry about one as lowly as ... I will repay this kindness with my bones and flesh, even if I must be ground to dust!”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
“Y-your grace!”
Thus, the Fist King Gate ca under Yeon Woo Jin’s command.
****
The next day.
“What? Where are we even going?”
Bang Woon kept pestering Sunwoo Baek to go sowhere with him.
“Just co with , yeah?”
“I’m asking where.”
“You’ll see when we get there. It won’t take long.”
“What is it about?”
“Soone wants to see you.”
Sunwoo Baek let out a sigh.
Now that he was a public figure, people were always looking for him. It was exhausting.
“I’m tired.”
“Sorry. But... I already promised. Please, just this once—co with .”
Bang Woon’s desperate look made Sunwoo Baek sense that sothing was off.
“Wait... is the person who wants to see a woman?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You... You like her, don’t you? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“Huh? N-no, that’s not it—w-well, I promised to bring you. She’ll be standing there waiting endlessly if I don’t.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I-it’s true.”
“Then why are you sweating like that?”
“Huh? Oh—no, it’s just hot out today.”
Pfft.
Sunwoo Baek chuckled.
“Spring’s finally co for our Bang Woon, huh? Then as your big brother, I’ve got to help you out.”
“I told you it’s not like that!”
“Let’s go. I’m curious now—what kind of woman managed to steal our Bang Woon’s heart?”
“I said it’s not like that!”
“Yeah? Then when we get there, I’ll tell the young lady you’re not interested in her at all.”
“...Huh?”
Bang Woon’s pupils trembled.
Seeing that, Sunwoo Baek grinned slyly.
“Relax. I’m kidding. Co on, let’s go.”
****
“I’m Sunwoo Baek. I heard you were looking for ?”
At his appearance, Ho Sohyang covered her mouth and let out a small laugh.
“I just really wanted to et the famous Divine Fist of Heaven-Shaking Thunder.”
“Divine what?”
“That’s your nickna.”
“My nickna? That’s my nickna? That’s way too much.”
“What do you an, too much? You’re the top of Mushincheon’s Senior Academies.”
At that, Sunwoo Baek sent ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Bang Woon a voice transmission.
—Don’t say that. It feels like I’m stealing Woo Jin’s place. Makes feel weird.
—Why? Everyone sees you as number one. It’s not wrong.
—Yeah, but I’m not number one. And people keep calling that. It bothers .
—Alright, alright.
anwhile, Ho Sohyang hadn’t taken her eyes off Sunwoo Baek’s face.
He looked masculine, strikingly so—just her type.
“I’d love to offer you a cup of tea, if you’ve got ti, Young Master.”
He needed to go train.
But seeing Bang Woon’s pleading face, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
“A-alright, sure.”
“Eek! Thank you so much!”
Ho Sohyang bead and fluttered her lashes with exaggerated cuteness.
Sunwoo Baek stayed calm—but Bang Woon didn’t.
His heart was pounding like mad.
And that heartbeat was loud and clear in Sunwoo Baek’s ears.
Oh wow, if this keeps up, his heart’s gonna explode.
She was definitely pretty.
He tried to stay composed, but even he was a little shaken.
So what about Bang Woon—who probably hadn’t spoken to a woman his entire life?
Still...
Sunwoo Baek glanced at Ho Sohyang.
She doesn’t seem to have the slightest interest in Bang Woon... What now?
It felt like she was fixated on him.
If this kept up, things were going to end badly.
I’ll just try to steer her interest toward Woon. Emphasize his good points.
It probably wouldn’t work—but he had to try.
****
“Again today?”
“Yeah.”
For the past few days, Sunwoo Baek had been following Bang Woon around.
It was starting to weigh on him.
No matter how much you liked soone, this wasn’t right.
Was he just that oblivious?
Still, he couldn’t bring himself to outright tell Bang Woon, She’s not interested in you.
That would shatter that soft-hearted guy into pieces.
What should he do?
Caught in the middle, Sunwoo Baek found himself stuck, unable to move either way.
He nodded along for now but kept mulling it over alone—when Jang Woon walked over.
“What are you so deep in thought about?”
“Huh? Oh, you’re here. It’s about Woon.”
“Bang Woon? Why?”
“Seems like he’s fallen for soone lately.”
“Really? Who?”
“A girl nad Ho Sohyang—she’s the younger sister of Ho Cheon, from the North.”
“Oh! That brat.”
“You know her?”
“Yeah. Ran into her recently. She’s the one who thinks she’s prettier than our Yeonhwa. Isn’t that hilarious? Anyone can see Yeonhwa’s way more beautiful.”
Sunwoo Baek said nothing.
She wasn’t, actually.
...But how could he say that out loud?
He felt stifled.
Maybe he needed to find a bamboo forest and just scream into it or sothing.
Off in the corner, Seong Yeonhwa was watching him with eyes full of anticipation.
He had to live up to those expectations.
“Y-yeah. Totally.”
Yeonhwa and Jang Woon both bead.
Good. That was enough.
If a single word from him could make them happy, then it was worth it.
Jang Woon smiled brightly and asked,
“So Bang Woon really likes her?”
“He won’t say it, but his actions say it all. Anyone can tell.”
“Hm. I don’t like her. She’s completely self-centered.”
Agreed.
That was exactly what Sunwoo Baek thought too.
“Of all people to fall for...”
“What now? He asked you to go again today?”
“If I don’t, he’ll be upset. If I’m not there, she won’t et with him.”
“This is tough.”
“Right? How long do I have to keep doing this?”
“You can’t crush his feelings either.”
“I’m going insane. Anyway, I’ve gotta go. He’s probably waiting for .”
“Yeah. You’ve got it rough being stuck in the middle.”
“Screw this whole ‘number one’ crap. I should’ve just let you take it.”
“Please. I thank the heavens every day it’s not .”
It was a aningless title anyway.
The real number one was soone else entirely.
But the world would never know that.
With a complicated expression, Sunwoo Baek headed off to et Bang Woon.
****
“This is driving crazy.”
Ho Sohyang grumbled, her face full of irritation.
“Why? Is it because Master Sun didn’t fall for you?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s Bang Gongja.”
“What about him? All he’s done is run around trying to fulfill your request.”
“I an, doesn’t he have any pride? Doesn’t he realize I’m using him just to get to Sun Gongja?”
“So it’s bothering you that he won’t take the hint and back off?”
“I don’t know. It’s just annoying.”
Everything was getting on her nerves lately.
The way he kept smiling no matter what she said—that was annoying too.
Ho Sohyang had been staying here for a month now, arranging etings with Sunwoo Baek through Bang Woon.
At first, she hadn’t noticed.
But sowhere along the way, Bang Woon started getting under her skin.
She thought maybe it was just guilt—but one day, after seeing his bitter smile, it set her off.
Seriously, if you have feelings for soone, just be a man and say it outright. Ugh. I can’t stand that type. He’s exactly the kind of guy I hate!
Still, if she wanted to et Sunwoo Baek, she needed Bang Woon.
Sunwoo Baek was the type who would never show up unless Bang Woon brought him.
So, for now, Bang Woon had to remain in the middle.
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