"Why would the purchase of a vacant manor be a clue?"
“If it had been just an ordinary manor, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But I found out that the manor in question was extravagant—imnsely expensive and luxurious. And yet, even though a force capable of purchasing such a place moved into Namgoong Clan’s territory, there was no disturbance at all.”
Yeon Woo Jin listened with an intrigued expression.
“That ans one of two things. Either it’s not a martial force, or it’s a power in mutual cooperation with the Namgoong Clan. I ca here to confirm it with my own eyes... and anyone could see this is unmistakably a martial force.”
“That alone wouldn’t be enough to conclude I was the one who made the Creation Elixir, would it? It could simply be a subordinate force of the Namgoong Clan relocating here.”
“It’s not a subordinate force. Even just by looking at the gatekeepers, their aura could pierce the heavens. There’s no way a force like this is beneath anyone else.”
Yeon Woo Jin smiled, pleased.
“That’s a flattering thing to say.”
“It’s just the truth. And then there’s the scent.”
“The scent?”
“Yes. The fragrance hanging faintly in the air. It’s the exact scent I experienced from the Creation Elixir. That’s when I was certain—this is where the elixir was made.”
Sniff, sniff.
Yeon Woo Jin couldn’t sll anything. Tilting his head, he asked,
“There’s no scent I can detect.”
“My nose is more sensitive than most. I was nicknad ‘Dog Nose’ since I was a child.”
“That’s amusing.”
“And just as I thought, the person who created the Creation Elixir is you, Master.”
“Do I sll of it too?”
Jeong So Hong nodded solemnly.
“It’s clinging to you more strongly than anyone.”
“Hahaha!”
How entertaining.
“More than anything... I can tell just by looking—Master, you are not ordinary.”
It wasn’t flattery.
His tone was one of certainty.
Yeon Woo Jin gave a sly smile.
“I like you. You’re right. I’m the one who made the Creation Elixir.”
“I knew it!”
“So then, what’s the real reason you ca looking for ? Was it to get your hands on more Creation Elixir?”
“No. I ca, risking the rudeness of barging in uninvited, to make a heartfelt plea.”
“A plea?”
“There’s a secret spiritual elixir passed down through my clan, but I am incapable of restoring it alone. I believe you, Master, may be able to recreate it. That’s why I sought you out.”
“A secret clan elixir?”
“Yes.”
A secret elixir from another clan...
That piqued his interest.
“Do you have any materials? Can you show them to ?”
“Of course.”
Jeong So Hong handed over what remained of the elixir’s refining manual—about a third of the original text—along with notes he had compiled himself.
There was unwavering trust in his gaze.
Seeing it, Yeon Woo Jin smiled slightly and began flipping through the pages.
The manual had been scorched by fire, with much of it missing.
“From your notes, it seems you’ve studied dicine as well?”
“Not quite dicine—more like I focused on alchemy.”
Yeon Woo Jin nodded thoughtfully.
“Then the reason you ca to wasn’t for the Creation Elixir, but to restore your clan’s secret elixir.”
“That’s correct.”
Thud—
Jeong So Hong dropped to his knees, prostrating himself with a desperate plea.
“Please help ! If you can fulfill my clan’s long-cherished wish, I’ll do anything.”
“Even if I ask you to serve under ?”
“If it’s your wish, I’ll relinquish my position as Sect Leader and follow you.”
His answer ca without the slightest hesitation.
He was prepared to do anything for the sake of the Imperial Sword Sect.
“Very well. A man’s word is worth its weight in gold.”
As Yeon Woo Jin gave his consent, Jeong So Hong lifted his head.
“Truly?”
Yeon Woo Jin nodded, and Jeong So Hong bowed repeatedly.
“Thank you! Thank you! I will never forget this grace.”
Despite being far younger than him, Yeon Woo Jin’s presence and bearing moved Jeong So Hong to show utmost respect.
More than anything, the Universal Heaven Elixir itself was truly fascinating.
Restoring it would be a fun challenge.
****
Yeon Woo Jin opened the manual and quietly studied its contents.
Jeong So Hong stood silently beside him, waiting.
Right now, Yeon Woo Jin was observing the lingering remnants of the past imprinted on the book.
Faint shapes from history flickered before his eyes.
His pupils had turned pitch black—Black Eyes—a sign that his ability was active.
Jeong So Hong watched his actions with curiosity.
He was holding his hand out toward thin air, mimicking the act of flipping through invisible pages.
He even murmured in admiration, as though reading words that no longer existed.
Still, afraid to interrupt, Jeong So Hong stood quietly by.
After so ti passed—
“This... is quite an intriguing alchemy thod.”
“Excuse ?”
What on earth was he seeing to say sothing like that?
The manual had been mostly destroyed by fire—there wasn’t any alchemy thod left to read.
Yet he was speaking as though he had seen it all.
“The one who created the Universal Heaven Elixir... was a man nad Jeong Hong Myeong.”
“W-What?! H-How do you know that?”
“It’s written at the beginning of the manual.”
“What?”
But the beginning had burned away completely!
Jeong So Hong stared, baffled.
Yeon Woo Jin gave a brief chuckle, then began scribbling rapidly on a blank sheet of paper.
Jeong So Hong was awestruck by his handwriting.
Elegant, yet brimming with strength—he wrote without pause.
But what stunned him even more was the content.
What was appearing on the page was the exact, long-lost alchemy thod of the Universal Heaven Elixir.
The types of water to use, the precise ratios of ingredients, the refining process...
It couldn’t be concocted just anywhere.
The refining had to take place in a special location, during a period when the energies of Heaven and Earth converged in harmony, and it had to be done with utmost sincerity.
Even so, the ingredients were still within reach for the current finances of the Imperial Sword Sect.
So items would be a stretch, but nothing was beyond procurent.
“It seems the creator of this elixir designed it not to be a burden on the clan’s finances.”
“H-How in the world...?”
“It’s a unique ability I have. I can see the traces of the past that remain within objects.”
“I-I’m sorry, what?”
What did that even an?
Could that be possible?
Should he believe him?
Jeong So Hong’s mind was a whirlwind of doubt.
Yeon Woo Jin smiled, as if amused by his expression.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“I, I an...”
How was he supposed to answer?
Saying yes might disappoint him, but saying no wouldn’t be honest either.
“It’s fine. I wouldn’t believe it either if I were you.”
“C-Can you really see it?”
“I can. That’s how I was able to transcribe it.”
Jeong So Hong stared at the paper filled with the alchemy thod.
It was far too detailed to be fabricated.
Even the part where his own research had hit a wall was described in full.
“You’ve done impressive work. Just a bit more and you might’ve succeeded on your own.”
“No, no. This formula, this sequence—I never could’ve imagined it. Even with more ti, I wouldn’t have managed to refine it properly.”
Still stunned, Jeong So Hong continued staring at the page.
Then Yeon Woo Jin began writing on another blank sheet.
Was there more to the alchemy thod?
Tilting his head, Jeong So Hong glanced over—and froze.
“Gasp!”
He nearly snatched the paper out of Yeon Woo Jin’s hands in shock.
What he saw was the secret sword art long lost to the Imperial Sword Sect—
The Twelve Heavens Sword.
“Th-This is... the Twelve Heavens Sword?!”
Jeong So Hong’s eyes widened as he looked at Yeon Woo Jin.
“H-How did you—?!”
“I can see it, right here.”
“Wh-Where?”
Jeong So Hong followed his gaze, straining to see.
There was nothing there.
“Oh. Right. Only I can see it. My bad.”
“Is it really true...?”
Scratch—scritch, scritch—
After finishing the final strokes, Yeon Woo Jin held out the paper to Jeong So Hong.
“Here. I ended up writing more than I intended while looking it over.”
“I-It’s fine...”
Without realizing it, Jeong So Hong took the paper from Yeon Woo Jin with a dazed expression.
He read it.
Then read it again.
And again.
There was no mistake.
It was the Twelve Heavens Sword.
The latter half of the techniques—thought to be forever lost—were written out in beautiful, commanding calligraphy.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Shiver—
With hands still shaking, he carefully gathered the sheet.
Drip—
“Ah!”
A tear had slipped from his eye without his realizing it, nearly wetting the precious page that held the Twelve Heavens Sword.
Hurriedly, he moved the paper to a safe place and wiped his face.
His cheeks were soaked with tears.
A lifelong dream—fulfilled in a single day.
He had recovered the alchemy thod for the Universal Heaven Elixir.
And he had retrieved the missing techniques of the Twelve Heavens Sword.
The Imperial Sword Sect, which had been plumting like a bird with broken wings, had just regained those wings.
Jeong So Hong threw himself down before Yeon Woo Jin.
And cried out—
“My Lord! Thank you! Thank you!”
Tears flowed as he poured out his gratitude with all his heart.
He had once vowed that if Yeon Woo Jin restored the lost alchemy thod, he would serve him as his liege.
But now that he’d restored even the Twelve Heavens Sword, he’d worship him as a god if asked.
The only way to repay such imasurable grace was to offer his absolute loyalty.
Jeong So Hong spoke again.
“My Lord! Please grant a little ti. Let restore the Imperial Sword Sect to its rightful place, and I shall devote the rest of my life solely to you!”
“Before that, may I give you one command?”
Jeong So Hong hesitated, then bowed his head low.
“Command .”
“You are to raise the Imperial Sword ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Sect into a sect worthy of standing beside the Nine Great Sects. That is my order. Until you reach that level, you must not, under any circumstance, relinquish your position as Sect Leader. Understood?”
“M-My Lord...”
“I said it is an order.”
“Y-Yes! I shall obey!”
Joy flooded Jeong So Hong’s heart.
He was overjoyed that he could now revive the Imperial Sword Sect, and even more so that he had found a lord he could serve with all his heart until the end of his days.
“If you ever hit a wall during your refinent, co find . Your troubles are my own.”
“Th-Thank you.”
“And take this.”
Yeon Woo Jin held out a box.
“These are Creation Elixirs I personally made. I put twenty inside. Take them and feed them to those among your disciples with the most potential.”
“M-My Lord. T-This is too much.”
“I don’t hold back with my people. This is all I’ve prepared for now, so I’m sorry I can’t give you more.”
Jeong So Hong could feel the sincerity in his words.
“I, Jeong So Hong, shall live for my lord and die for my lord.”
“No, that’s not right. You’re to follow my command, rember? You’re to live and die for the Imperial Sword Sect. Now go. Go and strengthen your sect.”
“Yes, my Lord!”
****
Upon Jeong So Hong’s return to the Imperial Sword Sect, the Chief Steward ca rushing out to greet him.
“So, did it bear any fruit?”
The steward’s question made Jeong So Hong’s eyes well up red.
Ah... so it was a failure.
The steward sighed.
Poor Sect Leader. He must feel guilty for having pushed the sect’s finances for this.
“It’s all right, Sect Leader. These things happen. I’ll manage the finances sohow, so please don’t bla yourself too much.”
“Dalho.”
Dalho was the steward’s na.
“Please, don’t worry. I really an it. You trust , don’t you?”
“No, Dalho! We’ve done it! We’ve done it!”
“Huh? What do you an, we’ve done it?”
“Our Imperial Sword Sect is ready to spread its wings!”
“Spread its wings...? You don’t an—wait, the alchemy thod?!”
“Yes!”
“T-Then it was really the Master of Sincheonjang?”
“Shh! His identity is a secret.”
“A-Ah, understood.”
The steward quickly glanced around.
Fortunately, no one seed to have overheard.
He leaned in and whispered,
“What happened?”
“He found the alchemy thod for the Universal Heaven Elixir.”
“You’re serious?”
“I am! And that’s not all.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes! He also recovered the missing techniques of the Twelve Heavens Sword.”
“W-What?! Where did he find those?”
“He gave them to .”
...What was this man saying?
That sa “he” again—presumably the Master of Sincheonjang.
But how? He wasn’t so all-knowing god.
How could he recover the lost half of the Twelve Heavens Sword?
“Did he... Did he already know the Twelve Heavens Sword sohow?”
Jeong So Hong opened his mouth to answer honestly—then stopped.
If he told the truth, would Dalho believe him?
That he recovered the mory of the past from the book and transcribed it?
He’d be called insane for sure.
Better to make sothing up.
“H-He said he ca across the missing half by chance. But he didn’t know what it was, so he just kept it stored away.”
“Is that really true?”
“I’m telling you, it is!”
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