A dense maze of buildings sprawled across the premises of Heaven's Summit, with dozens of pavilions both large and small dotting the area. At first glance, they seed randomly scattered, but each one stood exactly where it was ant to be, following an intricate, invisible order.
Among these structures were a number of pavilions shrouded in mystery, strictly off-limits to outsiders. High walls fenced off each area, and entry took more than a simple pass; it required rigorous identity verification and relentless scrutiny.
The Great Chasm Pavilion was one such place. It was renowned for its delicate yet grandiose wall decorations, and the fact that it was always guarded by three or four vigilant warriors. Their gaze missed nothing, constantly scanning every corner of the pavilion.
A young man walked up to the door. He was of average build, but lean and chiseled. His face seed ordinary at first glance, but there was a sharp intensity in his eyes. His tightly clenched fists bulged like knotted wood, hinting at the latent power within.
Approaching one of the guards stationed near the entrance, he asked, "Has my uncle arrived?"
"He's inside now," the guard replied.
"Let him know I've arrived."
"Yes, sir!"
This young man was Jo Un-Kyung, the eldest son of the Fist Demon Jo Cheon-Woo and heir to the Tyrant Fist Sect.
Soon, a ssage ca from within, inviting him to proceed. Jo Un-Kyung entered the pavilion and headed straight to the chamber in its deepest recesses.
The inner chamber was austere, devoid of any furnishings or decorations, except for the dozens of swords hanging on the walls. Each sword was unique, there were great swords, long swords, broad swords, and beautifully decorated precious blades. It seed as if all the famous swords of the Central Plains were gathered here.
A man in his late forties, dressed in an extrely luxurious blue silk robe with his hair neatly tied in a hero's headband, sat in the middle of the room. Thin as a skewer and small in stature, he appeared unimpressive, but his eyes flashed with deadly keenness, and an overwhelming aura emanated from him, dominating the surroundings.
He was a man who embodied the very essence of a finely polished sword.
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Jo Un-Kyung bowed his head respectfully. "It's been a long ti, Uncle."
The man looked up. "Ah, Un-Kyung."
As was only natural, Jo Un-Kyung was impeccably polite. The man he called 'Uncle' was Phantom Sword Yeon Cheon-Hwa, one of the world's greatest swordsn, a mber of the Four Northern Pillars like his father Jo Cheon-Wo, and the current Lord of the Greatsword Fortress.
Jo Un-Kyung asked, "Yes, it's been a while. How have you been?"
"Thank you for your concern, I've been well," Yeon Cheon-Hwa replied, his voice as cold and piercing as his gaze, each word laced with a swordlike edge.
"That's good to hear."
"I heard you ca to Heaven's Summit for the Demon Hunter Selections. How is your father? It's been a long ti since I last saw him."
"Well…" Jo Un-Kyung hesitated.
"What's wrong?" Noticing his hesitation, Yeon Cheon-Hwa stood up, a cold energy like a northern wind filling the room. "Speak. Did sothing happen to Cheon-Woo?"
"I lost contact with my father recently."
"What? Explain."
"He left the Tyrant Fist Sect with so elites one day, and then suddenly disappeared without a trace."
"Hmm!" Yeon Cheon-Hwa frowned deeply. "Didn't he just go on a vacation? Even back when he served in the Northern Army, Cheon-Woo used to disappear like that sotis."
"I wish that were true, but this ti it's different. Even when he went on vacation, Father never broke contact for more than three days, but now I haven't heard from him for more than a month," Jo Un-Kyung explained.
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Yeon Cheon-Hwa's expression beca grave. Jo Cheon-Woo was a martial artist of the highest caliber, a master on par with himself, and the Sect Leader of the massive Tyrant Fist Sect. A sect could fall into chaos if neglected for even one day, so it was inconceivable for him to go missing for a month without contact.
Most importantly, he knew Jo Cheon-Woo better than most. It was not in his nature to be irresponsible.
"Then who is managing the Tyrant Fist Sect right now?"
"For now, the elders are working on it jointly, but if Father's absence continues, tensions might grow among them."
"Hmph!" Yeon Cheon-Hwa snorted. Officially, he and Jo Cheon-Woo were rivals, each keeping the other in check, but in the larger sche of things, they were allies, bound by the collective fate of the Four Northern Pillars.
After all, united under that banner, they could wield greater authority. As such, Jo Cheon-Woo's disappearance was not sothing he could overlook.
"Tell in detail what happened."
A tense atmosphere, like a well-honed sword about to be drawn from its sheath, filled the room. In that charged silence, Jo Un-Kyung recounted his story.
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Jin Mu-Won returned to the Tang Manor late that night, his face clouded with a complex mix of emotions. The scuffle with Jwa Moon-Ho and the other prodigies didn't bother him, instead, his thoughts lingered on the strange old man he had t at the Yellow Crane Tower.
Just who on earth is he?
The old man's gaze had stirred sothing familiar in him, as if he'd seen it sowhere before, but he couldn't rember exactly where.
While he was lost in thought, suddenly, the sound of laughter rang out nearby.
"Hahaha! Finally, I can use inner arts too!"
Jin Mu-Won shook his head. Just from the laughter, he could tell who it was.
Myeong Ryu-San.
Intrigued, Jin Mu-Won went to the training ground where he saw Tang Gi-Mun and Ha Jin-Wol standing with Myeong Ryu-San, who was laughing frivolously as usual. At Myeong Ryu-San's feet, there was a small rock that had split in two, the product of his recent qi attack.
Ha Jin-Wol clicked his tongue. "Tsk! That bloke's finally lost it."
"Well, that's understandable," Tang Gi-Mun replied with a satisfied smile. "It's only been a few days, but he can already infuse qi into his attacks."
Tang Gi-Mun had put a lot of effort into training Myeong Ryu-San, and his rapid progress with Poison Qi was impressive. He was getting stronger by the day, and although his Conception and Governing ridians were still blocked, preventing him from using qi freely, at this rate, he would soon break through.
However, as his inner arts grew stronger, so did his arrogance. He, who was previously submissive toward Ha Jin-Wol and Tang Gi-Mun, now displayed a newfound boldness.
The two of them found his behavior absurd, but on the other hand, they felt sympathy for him, realizing how much he must have suppressed himself until now.
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At that mont, Jin Mu-Won entered the training area.
"Welco back," the two greeted him warmly.
Myeong Ryu-San grinned at Jin Mu-Won. "So, you're here?"
Jin Mu-Won frowned at the hint of provocation in his tone.
Unconcerned, Myeong Ryu-San leaned in close. "Guess what? I can use qi now."
"So?" Jin Mu-Won replied.
"Just wait a little. I'll catch up with you soon. Hahaha!"
Jin Mu-Won raised an eyebrow at the cocky boast and cast a sideways glance at Tang Gi-Mun.
Tang Gi-Mun shrugged. "I think his brain's kind of addled from all that Poison Qi. Just think of it as a madman's ramblings."
Fortunately, Myeong Ryu-San, drunk on his newfound power, didn't hear him.
Instead, he felt unstoppable. I'm not quite there yet, but soon, I'll definitely surpass that bastard!
Laughing triumphantly, he left the training ground.
Ha Jin-Wol shook his head. "What you're doing is giving a child a dangerous weapon. Are you going to keep forcing him to ingest poison?"
Tang Gi-Mun sighed, "What choice do I have? Since he's started taking poison, he can't stop now."
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"Haa…" Ha Jin-Wol let out a sigh.
Turning to Jin Mu-Won, Tang Gi-Mun asked, "So, how did your outing go?"
Jin Mu-Won told them about what happened at the Yellow Crane Tower.
"You ran into a master of that level?" Tang Gi-Mun's expression grew solemn. The appearance of a figure who could potentially shift the balance of the jianghu was no small matter.
Ha Jin-Wol looked at Jin Mu-Won. "This is just the beginning. No one knows how many more masters will gather here. What's certain is that through the Demon Hunter Selection, the deepest, darkest ambitions within the jianghu will be stirred."
A shadow fell over his eyes. The Demon Hunter Selection held by Heaven's Summit was attracting everyone in the jianghu like a hungry ghost with an insatiable appetite. Nurous sects and martial artists, blinded by desire, were flocking here, causing the intertwining of ambitions and creating new grudges and enmities.
Wuhan and Heaven's Summit had already beco a battlefield.
Is this also Seomoon Hwa's doing?
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not think of anyone else who could orchestrate such chaos with such precision. The problem was that he didn't know what Seomoon Hwa's intentions were.
"The invisible war has already begun. From now on, even the smallest mistake cannot be tolerated. You must keep this in mind," Ha Jin-Wol said.
"I understand," Jin Mu-Won replied.
"And about the fight with those prodigies… You did well. In the jianghu, once you're seen as a fool, you'll be forced to give in endlessly. When that happens, there won't even be a palm's width of space left for you. Don't let anyone look down on you."
"Mmhmm."
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Ha Jin-Wol smiled slightly, sensing Jin Mu-Won's sincerity.
Yes, it's only you. Only you can completely shake up the chessboard set up by Seomoon Hwa and Heaven's Summit!
Casually placed his hand on Jin Mu-Won's shoulder, he smirked. "Now, shall we stir up so real trouble? Ufufufu!"
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