I looked out at the front yard and thought about my past life.
Were these so-called Emperors all taken down one by one in my previous life? Since Baekdo is at its strongest when united, the current martial world revolves around the Murim Alliance. But when the Emperors fight among themselves or compete with Im Sobaek, Baekdo isn’t all that formidable.
When emotional fights turn into battles of pride, the Emperors don’t support each other either.
Back when I was known as the Mad Demon, Baekdo was being defeated pieceal, yet Im Sobaek led the Murim Alliance and put up a good fight.
Then—?
How this Emperor’s Martial Tournant ends might determine whether Baekdo preserves its strength or breaks into pieces.
In truth, if these people were the kind to easily swallow their pride, they wouldn’t have been called Emperors to begin with.
For better or worse, Baekdo’s strength lies in its pride—and its weakness too.
But why the hell am I the one thinking about this?
Who am I?
I let out a small sigh, but I considered it a responsibility I had to shoulder since I’d been granted the luck to live life again.
After all, I was the one who pulled the Sword Demon, Ghost Demon, and Lust Demon a little more toward the light and got them all gathered here in the Murim Alliance. I might as well try changing the Emperor bastards too.
Of course, I’m no Zhuge Liang—I don’t have a pouch filled with the right answers, and no brilliant sches co to mind.
As I stood there lost in thought, gazing out at the front yard...
A low voice echoed out, and a swordsman in his early thirties, guided by a mber of the Alliance, arrived at the entrance of Wolhwaru.
“Thanks for showing the way.”
The mber spoke to the man politely.
“...Then please rest well.”
Over a dark, weathered martial robe, the man wore a long coat that looked like it had been worn for three or four years. A pitch-black sword hung from his waist. His untended hair was nearly disheveled, and he had it tied in a ponytail at the back of his head that swung side to side as he walked.
Just watching him jogged my mory.
I couldn’t forget him—he looked exactly like he did the few tis I’d seen him before, in that ragged outfit.
‘It’s the Blade King.’
The Blade King took a few steps forward, then lowered his gaze and stared out at the front yard.
“......”
I followed the direction of his gaze to where the Lust Demon had fought Baekri Hyeok. Because the Lust Demon had mixed ice-step techniques into his footwork, the footprints were still clearly imprinted on the ground.
The Blade King’s eyes followed the trail of footprints until they stopped at the spot where Baekri Hyeok had collapsed and drooled all over himself.
Then, turning to , seated on the steps, he asked,
“...Looks like soone already fought. Did you see it?”
“I did.”
“Can you tell who?”
“Baekri Hyeok, second son of the Baekri family, and Mongrang, second son of the Pungunmong clan.”
The Blade King nodded.
“Mongrang won?”
When I just nodded in response, the man ca over and plopped down next to .
“So the Sword King has arrived. Anyone else?”
“The Fist King is here too.”
“They’re gathering one by one.”
The Blade King pulled a leather pouch from his coat and took out a hefty piece of jerky. He tore it in half and offered a piece.
I didn’t bother asking what it was—I just took it and started chewing.
It tasted fine, but I didn’t say so. Too much hassle.
As he chewed his own piece of jerky, the Blade King said,
“You might get diarrhea from that.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
“When soone gives you food, you shouldn’t just eat it without a second thought.”
“As long as it’s not poison, it’s fine.”
“That’s true.”
I decided to ask what I was curious about.
“How did you end up here?”
“I ran into a mber of the Alliance by chance and heard about it. Had nothing better to do. Didn’t want to co—too much trouble—but figured I should show up at least once.”
Ah, I see now. Looks like this guy’s sense of ‘trouble’ was contagious. Must’ve caught it when our eyes t at the entrance of Wolhwaru, like so sort of plague latched onto .
The Blade King raised one knee and rested his left arm on it. If left alone, he looked like he’d just topple over sideways and fall asleep.
Then again, being in the Murim Alliance must make it easy to sleep. Sure enough, his head soon drooped and he nodded off.
When I sighed, he startled awake and exhaled sharply.
“You should go inside and sleep.”
“I can’t do that. I ca to see the Emperors... I’ve got to wait.”
I looked at the Blade King and cleared my thoughts a little.
Anyway, the fact that I’d once lost to this man was sothing that happened in a past life—not sothing happening now.
There was no reason to let it hurt my pride anymore.
Back then, I had a bit of a reputation, sure, but so did the Blade King. His was no joke either.
Co to think of it, the foolish pride I criticized Baekdo for... I hadn’t escaped it myself.
That’s why Im Sobaek told not to obsess over defeat. And yet, the mont I saw the Blade King, I found myself brooding over that old loss. What a pathetic fool.
I asked him,
“Who are you here to fight?”
“You know ? You sound like you do.”
“I don’t.”
The Blade King chewed his jerky and said,
“Then why ask so certainly?”
“You were guided to Wolhwaru, so you must be an Emperor.”
“Then are you one too?”
“I’m not.”
“But you’re planning to fight the Emperors?”
“We’ll see.”
The Blade King looked out at the front yard and asked,
“For personal honor? Or to advance your martial arts? Or sothing else?”
I glanced at him and whispered,
“Just to ss with them a little. If they all challenge the Alliance Leader, he’ll be exhausted, won’t he? So I figured I’d give them so experience first.”
“You’re a cheeky bastard.”
“You’re one to talk.”
He nodded.
“Only one other guy’s been this shaless lately—turns out that was you, the Haon Lord.”
“That’s . You here for the duels?”
“Just to watch. Where else would I see the Emperors fight? Gotta see how good they are.”
This guy rarely interfered in the affairs of the martial world, so calling him a senior didn’t sit right with .
The Blade King was just a wanderer carrying a single sword.
But co to think of it, he was also the guy who’d killed the most Demonic Cultists in the previous life. One day, he joined late and started mowing them down like weeds. In this life, I hold that title. But back then, he was the one who filled that role to a degree.
He kept slaughtering cultists...
There were rumors he even fought the Cult Leader.
Not that he got famous for it—he got even more famous for turning tail and running.
The Naless Blade King (無名刀王) sat beside , chewing jerky.
He used to be called the Naless Swordsman (無名刀客), but since he was guided here by the Murim Alliance, it seed he’d shed that old moniker.
A mysterious, eccentric figure from my past life...
Not quite soone I could call a friend, but not a stranger either.
Why did you run from the Cult Leader? That kind of question—I couldn’t ask it. That event hadn’t happened yet in this life.
Well, he probably ran because he couldn’t win. There’s no need to overanalyze unlucky bastards. They’re just unlucky, that’s all.
The Blade King asked ,
“Ever seen the Three Calamities?”
“I have.”
“Seriously? Who did you see?”
“All three.”
“How’d you survive?”
“Got lucky.”
“You’re a strange one. How do they compare to Alliance Leader Im?”
“All three are above him.”
He let out a long sigh.
“That’s... troubleso.”
Shaking his head, he asked,
“Did you spot any weaknesses?”
“Weaknesses, huh... Senior Divine Enlightennt is too kind—that’s his weakness. The other two have none.”
“Any openings?”
“Thousand Evil listens to people, so he’s got a slight opening. The Cult Leader—none.”
“So their ranking is Cult Leader, Thousand Evil, then Senior Divine Enlightennt?”
“They can’t kill each other, so the ranking’s aningless.”
The Blade King said,
“As ti passes, openings beco weaknesses, and weaknesses hold you back. So there’s still a gap between them.”
True enough. But the incident that resulted from that opening in Senior Divine Enlightennt—I’ve already resolved it.
The Blade King muttered,
“If I run into Thousand Evil, I’ll try talking first.”
“And if it’s the Cult Leader?”
“I’ll run.”
And just like that, one of my past life’s lingering questions was answered. Felt kind of refreshing.
I asked,
“Are there rankings among the Emperors too?”
“More or less.”
“Tell .”
“My opinion, that is?”
“I don’t mind. I told you about the Three Calamities—fair trade.”
“Those rankings aren’t worth much. They change constantly. Still, if I had to guess based on the current tis, the top would be the Sword Saint of Kunlun. Second would be Senior Divine Spear. Both are old masters—they should hand their titles back to the martial world once they pass. We only treat them with respect because they’re old. If they actually fought, who knows? Divine Spear might be too old to even hold a spear anymore. And the Sword Saint’s holed up in Kunlun—no one knows why he still holds the title. They say he used to be sothing in his youth.”
It had been a while since I t soone this blunt. It felt nostalgic.
“And after them?”
“Bit of a debate there. Might be good to settle the rankings during all this. But really, all of them would run if they t the Three Calamities, so what’s the point of ranking them?”
“Pick one or the other.”
The Blade King looked at .
“We’ll only know by fighting. How would I know?”
A grumpy voice snapped from the lodging.
“...You want to settle the rankings ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) now?”
The Blade King snorted.
“Sword King, stop eavesdropping like a rat.”
I gave him a subtle scolding.
“Hey, watch your mouth. He’s your senior.”
The Blade King replied,
“What’s senior among Emperors? Anyway, if he wants to settle the rankings, tell him to co down. You gotta take responsibility for what you say.”
This guy never backs down. But then, why would soone this brave choose to flee at the sight of the Cult Leader?
I decided to point that out.
“You say you’ll run from the Cult Leader, yet you speak of courage and spirit.”
He grabbed my shoulder.
“Haon Lord, I’m not dying that easily.”
“You’re right.”
“Throwing your life away in a fight you can’t win—is that strength or martial pride? If I gain the power to face the Cult Leader, I’ll go to him myself. That’s when the real match happens. Now’s not the ti. He’s trained twenty years longer than I have. I need ti too for it to be a fair fight. You think he trained alone? The cult poured money, resources, and elixirs into him. The environnt’s completely different. That bastard.”
Suddenly, the Blade King drew the sword at his waist and asked ,
“Wanna see it?”
“Let’s.”
When I reached for his sword, he said like he was haggling a trade,
“Let see your wooden sword. It’s a real blade pretending to be wood. ans it’s used by a killer. Lem take a look. Don’t be sneaky and just inspect mine.”
I reluctantly handed it over. Sothing about it felt off, but I couldn’t tell what.
His weapon was a straight-bladed sword.
The hilt looked so worn, I couldn’t even guess when it was made.
“What’s its na?”
“It doesn’t have one. That’s the na—Naless Blade.”
“Why doesn’t it have a na?”
“Why na a sword made for killing? So what’s this one called?”
Why was this conversation so unhinged?
“Wooden Sword.”
“The na of your sword is Wooden Sword? What a shit na.”
“Naless Blade and Wooden Sword—sa difference.”
The Blade King touched the blade, then infused his finger with energy and flicked the blade. Twang—the sword bent dangerously, trembling as if it’d snap.
“Hey!”
This lunatic?
Turns out he was testing the wooden sword’s durability. Seeing whether his Naless Blade or a finger technique could break it if we fought.
So that’s why I’d felt uneasy earlier.
I couldn’t take that lying down. I infused my own energy and flicked his Naless Blade in return.
THWANG! The blade shook like it was about to shatter.
The Blade King flinched and shouted,
“...Hey, it’s gonna break. Give it back.”
We returned each other’s weapons.
As he stroked his beloved sword, he said,
“You’ve got a real nasty temper.”
“So do you.”
“I oughta teach you a lesson. Wanna spar? Warm up a bit?”
“Let’s not draw blades.”
“True. Can’t kill you.”
We stood up together and walked into the yard. I spoke slowly.
“Ah, by the way...”
Mid-sentence, I grabbed my wooden sword and smacked his side from the right. The Blade King leapt back, grabbing his sword.
Even with such a cheap move, he remained calm.
“...You’re asking for it.”
Honestly, I hadn’t planned on fighting an Emperor this soon. I thought I’d watch the duels and pick a couple fights later. But that changed now. The Emperors learned martial arts before , and their fa touched the heights of the martial world.
So...
If I get the chance, I’ll fight every last one of them. I’ve always been good at quickly picking up others’ techniques.
If I can make even one of the Emperors’ techniques my own—
That, right there, is what Im Sobaek ant by the purpose of these duels.
If it ans growing stronger, I’ll endure countless defeats within the format of these martial contests.
That mindset—I never had it in my past life.
Back then, I only thought of winning no matter what. And that didn’t make the best under heaven.
I raised my wooden sword upright and emptied my mind.
Erased every thought of victory or loss, wiped my mind blank.
Then I sealed away all 23,460 of my tricks and faced the Blade King.
Only then—
Did I finally see the sword standing straight before .
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