A lot had happened in one day. The biggest topic of conversation was that all four Captains of the Demon Hunters had been decided. The Azure Dragon Society had secured two spots, while the other two were taken by the Nine Great Sects.
Now, only the positions of Commander and one final Captain remained. The winner of the final duel would beco the Commander, while the loser would serve as the last Captain.
All eyes were on the duel stage. On one side stood Shim Won-Yi, a mber of the Seven Young Skies. On the other was Jo Wol, the man who had appeared like a cot to shake up the tournant.
These two were the final victors, the martial artists who would fight for the title of Commander of the Demon Hunters.
Their duel was a matter of intense interest throughout the jianghu, and countless people wished to see it in person. As such, Heaven's Summit specially opened its main gate to the public for the day, even allowing commoners unrelated to the jianghu to enter. Because of this, the largest crowd since Heaven's Summit first opened its doors had flooded in.
The entire fortress groaned under the strain of the sea of people. The faces of those waiting for the final duel, however, were full of excitent and anticipation.
The people's gazes naturally gravitated toward the grandstand. At the very top, opposite the duel stage, were nine empty chairs. They were the seats of the Nine Skies, who had not once shown their faces during the entire tournant.
People expected that this ti, they would finally make an appearance. After all, this was the biggest event in the jianghu, and it would lose so of its luster if they did not attend.
The last ti the Nine Skies had gathered in one place was ten years ago. For so reason, they had never assembled together since. For the first ti in a decade, the possibility that they would gather was real.
The crowd's excitent soared.
"If I can see the Nine Skies gathered here, it will be the greatest day of my life."
"The Demon Hunters' leader, the Nine Skies, and even the Northern Blade. This event is truly full of spectacles."
"By the way, what do you think will happen when the Northern Blade and the Nine Skies finally et?"
The people's conversations were endless. Argunts broke out over the martial prowess of the Nine Skies and Jin Mu-Won, and a surge of people began betting on who would beco the next leader of the Demon Hunters.
The Ten Great Elders entered first, followed by the other leaders of Heaven's Summit who ascended the platform. When figures from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Clans had also filled the stand, the people let out a roar that shook the entire venue.
As befitted the grandest event in the jianghu, the proceedings were hosted by the Sword-Tongued Scholar, Nam Seon-Woo. When he ascended the duel stage, the people sent up an even greater cheer. He closed his eyes for a mont, as if savoring their adulation.
When their cheers subsided, he said, "Today is a montous day, when the Commander of the Demon Hunters will be decided. The Commander will lead the fight against the Silent Night at the very forefront of the jianghu. It is a glorious position that can be called the hope and future of our world, and you are all here to witness that historic mont. The future of the jianghu, and the beginning of a new one!"
"Waaaaah!"
The people showed their enthusiastic support. Nam Seon-Woo's voice had the power to captivate their hearts, and they lost themselves in his grand speech.
"The Silent Night is the public enemy of the jianghu. Every ti they first appeared, the jianghu has been thrown into great chaos, and countless people have lost their lives. Through the sacrifices of so many, we at Heaven's Summit, no, our parents and siblings, have protected the jianghu. And now, we are about to witness the birth of a new legend who will carry out a glorious war on behalf of us all. I speak, of course, of the Demon Hunters!"
The people cheered until their throats were raw.
The faces of those already chosen for the Demon Hunters filled with pride. They dread of drawing their swords and fighting the Silent Night right at this very mont.
What greater glory could there be than to fight at the forefront, slaying demons and destroying evil? Which martial artist didn't harbor great ambitions? Most simply lacked the opportunity or the ability to act on their desires, but not them.
Those chosen for the Demon Hunters were n whose strength had been proven. At least among the younger generation, they were the best.
They wished to be deployed in the war against the Silent Night imdiately. They wanted to prove their reason for existence in battle.
Nam Seon-Woo, true to his alias, skillfully stimulated the desires of the young martial artists, whipping the crowd into a state that bordered on fanaticism.
Only Jin Mu-Won's gaze as he watched Nam Seon-Woo was exceedingly cold.
This man's tongue is more frightening than a sword.
Nam Seon-Woo was expertly stimulating the crowd's desires and manipulating them in the direction Heaven's Summit wanted. The flushed faces of the Demon Hunters looked ready to charge onto a battlefield at any mont.
"Now, only the final fight remains. The last fight to select the Commander of the Demon Hunters, the great martial artist who will lead them at the forefront of the war against the Silent Night. Master Shim Won-Yi, Master Jo Wol, I hope you will both do your best. And..." Nam Seon-Woo paused, looking around at the crowd and savoring the fervor on their faces.
Nearly ten thousand martial artists held their breath, staring at him intently, waiting for his lips to open and speak the words they so desperately wanted to hear.
He smiled, having guided them to this exact desire.
"And to observe this final tournant, great martial artists have co to this place. They are none other than..."
"......"
"The guardians of Heaven's Summit and the world, the Nine Skies!"
""WAAAAAAAAH!""
In that instant, a roar so great it seed to tear the heavens apart erupted, greater than any that had co before. The force of their cheer was enough to kick up a hazy cloud of dust around the duel stage.
Nam Seon-Woo continued with a smile, "Due to circumstances, not all of the Nine Skies could co. The attendance of even a few, however, is of great significance. Let us now welco them!"
Before he had finished speaking, three martial artists ascended the platform. They were an old man with an aquiline nose wearing a red robe, a Taoist in loose robes, and an old monk in a kasaya. An overwhelming aura flowed from their bodies, dominating the surroundings.
Nearly ten thousand people held their breath as they watched just three n ascend the grandstand. Their bodies trembled, and goosebumps rose on their skin. Their knees felt weak, and their mouths went dry. They were overwheld by the feeling of an invisible net of qi entangling their bodies.
The presence of the martial artists who stood at the pinnacle of the jianghu, the rulers of Heaven's Summit, was that absolute.
The mont the trio sat down in the chairs at the top of the grandstand, however, the pressure vanished as if it had never existed.
Only then did the people let out cries of awe.
"It is the Lord of Justice Heaven, Master Shim Mu-Wae."
"The Scarlet Leaf Sage of the Wudang Sect is also here."
"It's the Buddha's Likeness from Shaolin! He ca as well!"
Though the Nine Skies had not shown themselves in years, the people recognized their identities at once.
The Demonic Claws of Scarlet Jade, Shim Mu-Wae, was the Sect Leader of the prestigious sect, Justice Heaven, and also Shim Won-Yi's father. Beside him sat a lovely beauty, his daughter and Shim Won-Yi's sister, Shim Soo-Ah.
Next to him sat the Scarlet Leaf Sage of the Wudang Sect. He scanned the venue with his purple-tinged eyes. His gaze was as sharp and piercing as a sword, making people involuntarily shrink their shoulders.
The most impressive was Buddha's Likeness of the Shaolin Temple. He had eyes as bright and innocent as a child's. Those who t his gaze felt their hearts unknowingly clear and naturally assud a respectful expression.
Though they had walked vastly different paths, these three n had ultimately stood at the summit of the jianghu. As if it were their natural due, they enjoyed the gazes of the people and looked down upon the world.
As if by chance, the gazes of the three n intersected at one point.
Jin Mu-Won t their challenge. Shim Mu-Wae's ice-cold gaze dug into his chest like an awl. The Scarlet Leaf Sage's purple light shook his very mind. When the clear gaze of the Buddha's Likeness was added to this, an unbearable pressure crashed down on him.
Still, he did not waver in the slightest.
It's been ten years. Ten long years!
Ten years ago, when they had co to the Northern Army, he had been a powerless boy. He had had to endure quietly even as his father committed suicide under pressure.
He had not forgotten their eyes from that day. He still clearly rembered the contempt in their cold gazes as they impassively watched his father die.
The gazes of Shim Mu-Wae, who looked at him with open disdain, and the Scarlet Leaf Sage, whose blade-like gaze tried to see through his everything, were at least familiar. They had been the sa back then.
What really ticked him off was the benevolent gaze of Buddha's Likeness. That innocent look, as if he understood everything, disgusted him. If the monk had looked at him with the sa hateful gaze as he had ten years ago, it would have been bearable. Now, however, his eyes held a trace of guilt.
How dare you? Are you trying to shake ?
Jin Mu-Won bit his lip gently. The Nine Skies might have forgotten what happened that day, but he had not. His father had told him to forget everything and live, but he could not. He was living a life exchanged for his father's death.
And so, he t their gazes directly, not shrinking back or flinching.
A strange tension gripped the atmosphere. The crowd sensed it as well and held their breath. Only then did they rember that Jin Mu-Won was the successor of the Northern Army and the current Lord. Though he and his father had been cleared of the false charge of colluding with the Silent Night, the fact that the Northern Army had been destroyed had not changed.
His father, Jin Kwan-Ho, had taken his own life in front of countless warriors, forced to do so by the Nine Skies of Heaven's Summit. Yet, even after Jin Mu-Won was exonerated, the Nine Skies had not made any apology for their actions.
The crowd thus understood that from Jin Mu-Won's perspective, the Nine Skies were as much his mortal enemies as the Silent Night. Even if he were to start a sword fight right now, he would have the justification, and in reality, he also had the strength.
The Northern Blade wasn't famous for nothing. The reputation he had earned by defeating Yeon Cheon-Hwa was not far behind that of the Nine Skies.
Jin Mu-Won, however, did not draw Snow Flower. Even though a lava-like murderous intent was boiling in his chest, his mind was clearer and colder than ever before.
He had nothing to gain by unleashing his killing intent here and now. He could even risk earning the antipathy of the crowd.
Now is the ti to endure.
Jin Mu-Won maintained the most dispassionate expression he could.
A strange light appeared in the eyes of the Scarlet Leaf Sage and Shim Mu-Wae. They had hoped he would not be able to contain his anger and would provoke them. Youths were reckless, after all, and often drowned in the heat of the mont without thinking of the consequences.
Unfortunately, Jin Mu-Won was far more clear-headed than they had thought. He stood in the middle of the crowd, watching them calmly, not a hint of wavering in his pupils.
Like father, like son, as they say. To have a presence not unlike the Northern Wall, and to possess such patience on top of it.
For an instant, killing intent flashed in their eyes and then vanished.
Except for Jin Mu-Won, no one in the crowd noticed their killing intent. He, however, maintained his composure. Though the crowd did not know it, their battle had already begun. A battle of patience and justification.
[You did well to hold yourself back.]
Suddenly, a voice like a mosquito's buzz echoed by his ear. Soone had sent him a telepathic ssage.
Jin Mu-Won was surprised, but he maintained his poker face and continued to stare blankly at the grandstand.
Ultimately, Shim Mu-Wae and the Scarlet Leaf Sage looked away first. Though they were boiling with anger inside, for now, they had to proceed with the tournant to select the Commander of the Demon Hunters. They could not continue a battle of wills with Jin Mu-Won forever.
As old veterans who had ruled the jianghu for a long ti, they hid their killing intent with a faint smile.
Sensing the tension dissipate, Nam Seon-Woo quickly stepped forward. "We will now begin the duel between Master Shim Won-Yi and Master Jo Wol. The victor of this duel will beco the Commander of the Demon Hunters. Whoever wins, I hope you will give these two n your unsparing applause."
"Waaaaah!"
The crowd's roar erupted.
Shim Won-Yi and Jo Wol ascended the stage. Shim Won-Yi wore a sneering smile, while Jo Wol was expressionless. The contrast between the two combatants was as start as day and night.
Jin Mu-Won's gaze, however, was not on them. His eyes were fixed on the faces of the Scarlet Leaf Sage and the others on the grandstand. He engraved their faces into his heart, so that he would never forget.
It was then that soone approached him.
"You did well to hold yourself back."
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