Sothing absurd had happened.
Ho Soja lost.
No one had foreseen it.
Least of all the Gongdong Sect’s leader.
Ho Soja was a talent the Gongdong Sect had raised with painstaking care.
More than anyone, he’d had confidence in this tournant.
If there was one flaw, it was Ho Soja’s tendency to look down on his opponents—but with skill like his, the leader hadn’t considered it a flaw.
He’d seen it as the leisure born of a true powerhouse.
Everything Ho Soja did looked fine to him, so he thought that way.
When they’d co to the Divine Dragon Tournant, he’d taken it for granted Ho Soja would sail into the finals.
He’d figured this match would end in a breath and Ho Soja would stroll back with his usual relaxed smile.
Instead, the boy was being carted off on a stretcher, foam at his mouth.
Crack—
The wooden railing in his grip crushed under the Gongdong leader’s hand.
A heavy gloom settled.
Was soone really failing to read the room?
Gwangpung Shinga was already giving his assessnt of the exchange that had just happened.
“Tsk, he got far too full of himself. The Luminous Lightning-Flash Sword demands absolute concentration of every nerve and an instant, perfectly shortest-line sword path, with all power focused into that one thrust. He tried to look stylish and muddled the path. That opened a gap, and the opponent struck back into that gap.”
“Silence!”
The Gongdong leader barked, not wanting to hear it.
But Gwangpung Shinga dug a finger in his ear and kept talking.
“The other kid countered at the risk of his life. You lost because you failed to show proper respect to an opponent fighting with his life on the line.”
Because every word was true, he hated it more.
Still, if he raged any further here, he’d look small-minded. So even as a thousand fires rose inside, he forced a smile and held it in.
In truth, the Gongdong leader knew.
He was himself a top expert; how could he not?
He’d seen every motion.
Ho Soja had been careless, and he had strayed from the true sword path to show off.
Even so, he shouldn’t have lost this easily.
No—this was a fight he should not have lost.
His gaze slid to the winner, Shin Ho Won.
The boy was having his wounds treated.
Sothing was off.
It was strange enough he’d climbed this far with that level of skill—and now he’d beaten Ho Soja?
Suspicion stirred.
Was he hiding his strength, feigning weakness to bait complacency?
That was possible.
If you showed your full power from the start, everyone would be on guard.
They say to hide thirty percent, but Shin Ho Won looked like he’d hidden closer to eighty.
“Don’t you find sothing odd?”
At the Gongdong leader’s words, the others looked at him as if to say, So you’re not done after all.
“What’s odd?”
“That boy, Shin Ho Won... it looks as if he’s concealing his real level.”
“Hiding his strength?”
“Yes. I admit I was too worked up to see clearly just now, but watching him get treated over there—it raised doubts.”
People turned their eyes to Shin Ho Won.
“Look. He’s covered in wounds. So aren’t even healed. It’s odd enough he made it here with that level, and yet he beat our Ho Soja.”
He shifted his eyes toward Gwangpung Shinga as he went on.
“As you said, our boy was arrogant. But are we to believe so kid who barely scraped this far could counter the Luminous Lightning-Flash Sword? Even if the sword path wasn’t perfect, its speed is beyond what the human eye can track.”
Heads nodded.
“And yet in that instant he spotted a gap and countered. Do you call that a coincidence?”
More nods.
Hearing it laid out that way, the Gongdong leader had a point.
Shin Ho Won had not looked strong enough to /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ make anyone think this was where it ended.
“So my view is that he’s likely hiding his strength.”
“Why would he do that?”
“To feign weakness and draw his opponent’s guard down. Just as he did against our Ho Soja.”
The Gongdong leader turned to Gwangpung Shinga with a request.
“I ask this favor. Look into the Golden Flower Gate, the Dao Immortal Gate, and the One Origin Gate. If even you don’t know them, they must be brand-new—or naless sects from the backcountry. For three of them to appear all at once is suspicious.”
Gwangpung Shinga nodded.
Co to think of it, it was fishy.
Not one, but three.
A divine dragon can be born in a remote or obscure sect.
Across the Central Plains’ long history, there have been such cases.
But three at once like this? Never.
The odds didn’t favor it.
It’s not as if the Central Plains consists only of the Nine Schools and One Gang, Five Great Clans, and Twelve Halls.
There are fad, sprawling sects to rival them.
Co to think of it, those three had beaten many of those known nas to reach this stage.
While they spoke, the next match began.
Out ca Gwa Tae Sang of the Dao Immortal Gate—one of the very sects under discussion.
His opponent was Deok Cheon of the heretical Mad Tiger Hall.
They watched Gwa Tae Sang closely.
And then they all started.
“Did you feel that? Just for an instant—but an enormous surge of energy.”
“I felt it too! It matched our own disciples, no less.”
Struck by that instant-blooming surge, Deok Cheon fell flat.
Once again, a win by the narrowest margin.
“As the Gongdong leader said—there’s definitely sothing there.”
Had he not been heartsore over Ho Soja’s loss, he might not have doubted Shin Ho Won and would have written it off as pure luck.
But no.
“These are by no ans weak boys.”
“Don’t tell the last one is the sa way?”
“Think about it—the path all three took to get here looks similar.”
It was true.
“Hearing the Gongdong leader, I realize it too.”
“Then you’re saying those three sects entered this tournant with a purpose?”
“Why else would they hide their true power all the way here? We should seize those three right now and find out what they’re after.”
The Zhuge clan head shook his head.
“That won’t be easy.”
“What do you an?”
“Look at the spectators watching this tournant. Who do you think they’re cheering for right now?”
“You an not us?”
“Exactly. They want new faces. They hope a new wind will blow through the Central Plains. They want soone naless to represent them. And those three are giving the crowd exactly what it wants.”
“So you’re saying we can’t move because of public sentint?”
“Yes. The mont we open an inquiry into them, we beco a joke. People will think we’re acting out of fear.”
“Then we should at least verify their purpose...”
“Verify? Do you think people will take that at face value? They’ll assu we coerced a story. In the present climate, we can’t touch them. If you truly must know—then when the boys lose. Only then is it feasible.”
“Who’s the last one facing?”
“He’s drawn a match with the Blood Demon Gate.”
“If it’s the Blood Demon Gate—then that would be ‘Ruthless Evil Fist’ Tak Mu Gyeol.”
“Tak Mu Gyeol is notorious for showing no rcy. Without giving it your all, you won’t move him.”
“Let’s watch that match closely.”
****
While the Nine Schools and One Gang and the Five Great Clans on the orthodox side were conferring gravely, the Twelve Halls on the heretical side were in an uproar too.
The Mad Tiger Hall master in particular was raging.
“Damn it all! This makes no sense! That whelp who barely scraped by until now beat my son? How does that make sense?”
No one tried to stop him as he stord about, refusing to accept it.
They only snickered at him.
Then the Blazing Fire Shrine Lord, Hwa Sogwang, stepped forward.
“Compose yourself, Hall Master.”
“If you were the Blazing Fire Shrine Lord, could you compose yourself? My son lost to so nobody with no pedigree!”
“The more you thrash, the more ridiculous you look. Restrain yourself and sit. What do you think the orthodox lot will say when they look at us?”
At the word orthodox, the Mad Tiger Hall master turned his head that way.
They were all looking his way, talking about sothing.
He didn’t need to hear it.
They were surely saying serves you right.
“So calm yourself. It’s not just us—you saw it, didn’t you? The orthodox side also lost to a nobody. Not to so other sect, either, but the Gongdong Sect’s late-generation talent.”
Perhaps Hwa Sogwang’s words offered a touch of comfort.
The Mad Tiger Hall master, who’d been kicking up a storm, sat with a slightly cald face.
Hwa Sogwang ca closer.
“Easy. Your son fought with everything he had. Carrying on like this only sars the face of a boy who fought hard.”
“I know. I couldn’t help it—rage and injustice got the better of .”
Then, with a hollow look, he said,
“If our hall’s secret Black Emperor Sword Art hadn’t been taken by Martial Deity Heaven... This all cos down to our lack of a proper martial art. My son isn’t weak.”
“If you could get that art back, what would you do?”
At Hwa Sogwang’s question, the Mad Tiger Hall master’s eyes flashed.
The father who’d been raging a mont ago vanished; suspicion filled his face as he looked at Hwa Sogwang.
“What do you an? How would you reclaim the Black Emperor Sword Art from Martial Deity Heaven?”
“There’s a way. So—will you do it?”
“If it’s within my power, I’ll do anything.”
“Truly?”
“Truly. A man’s word is worth its weight in gold. But if it’s sothing impossible for , then no.”
“It’s within your power.”
“Good. If it’s sothing I can do, I’ll do anything—so long as I can reclaim the Black Emperor Sword Art.”
Hearing this, other sect heads drifted over.
“What are you saying? There’s a way to take back a secret manual seized by Martial Deity Heaven?”
“Is that true? Then retrieve ours as well.”
“If you can return ours, I’ll do anything within my power.”
“Is it possible for ours too?”
To their questions, Hwa Sogwang nodded.
Their faces turned grave.
They looked as if they were trying to decide whether this was real.
Sensing their distrust, Hwa Sogwang gave a thin smile.
“I’ve already reclaid the Fla Annihilation Divine Art.”
“The Fla Annihilation Divine Art—that’s the Blazing Fire Shrine’s secret transmission, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Truly?”
Fwoof—
A fla blossod at the tip of Hwa Sogwang’s index finger.
It was a small fla, but the energy rolling off it was not small.
That tiny fla felt like it could burn everything to ash.
“This is Fla. It can be manifested only by one who has mastered the Fla Annihilation Divine Art.”
There was no way that was a lie.
People swallowed.
From the side, the Master of Bukcheon Gate, Sa Se Hwang, who had been listening quietly, chid in.
“What he says is true. With his help, I also recovered our gate’s Heavenly North Divine Art and the Linked Phantasmal Heaven Formation.”
Even the Bukcheon Gate Master?
And he’d received Hwa Sogwang’s help?
People were shocked.
As far as they knew, Bukcheon Gate and the Blazing Fire Shrine had been at odds.
If he’d returned a secret manual even across such a rift—
And the two even looked on good terms.
That ant Hwa Sogwang’s words were real.
The Mad Tiger Hall master shot his hand up and shouted,
“If you return the Black Emperor Sword Art, I’ll do anything!”
That started it.
The other sect heads clamored to do anything if only he’d help them get their manuals back.
Watching them, Hwa Sogwang smiled broad and said,
“I’ll arrange a proper gathering soon. Just be sure to attend.”
“Understood! We will—without fail!”
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