Chapter 120

It didn't seem like Yeon Cheon Baek adored his grandson simply because he was strong. He was genuinely, purely fond of him. After thoroughly satisfying his desires, Yeon Cheon Baek spoke with a content smile. “Kuh kuh kuh. I do hope the fledglings from the Five Peak Divine Clans manage to amuse our Woo Jin.” It became clear now—this wasn’t a contest for the next Celestial Lord. It was a tournament to select Woo Jin’s playthings. Yeon Cheon Baek turned to Yang Munseong. “Treat our Woo Jin as you would treat me. Kuh kuh kuh. After all, he’s the one you’ll serve as your master in the future.” “I-I receive your command.” “Oh! Until Woo Jin gives the word, you must not reveal his identity under any circumstances. Do you understand?” “Sir!” “Well, even if I hadn’t said anything, Woo Jin would’ve handled it himself.” Handled what, exactly? Had he planted someone? It was all still incomprehensible. Yang Munseong was thoroughly exhausted from expending too much mental energy today. He desperately wanted to go home and lie down. At the very least, one thing was now certain. Starting tomorrow, he would have to follow Yeon Woo Jin. After feasting his eyes on Woo Jin with honey-dripping affection, Yeon Cheon Baek finally departed, satisfied. Not long after, the military advisor Sima Cheon appeared. He too looked at Woo Jin with the same honeyed gaze, then left contentedly. Then yet another visitor arrived—this time, it was someone known only by name, the Lord of Hellshadow Phantom Squad, feared by all within the Martial God sect—Hellshade Emperor. Even Hellshade Emperor seemed surprised to learn that his role was to guard Woo Jin. But given how much he’d already been stunned, it didn’t seem to faze him all that much. By the time he saw the Black Reaper, his face barely reacted. It almost felt like it was simply the natural order of things. Another figure stepped halfway into the room, then halted. Yang Munseong turned to see who this new great figure was—but the face was all too familiar. “Hwang Sung?” “W-What are you doing here, Commander?” “I could ask you the same—why are you here?” “I... came to report to the Young Lord...” At last, the mystery of why no reports about Baekyeong had reached him was solved. It was him. That guy had been intercepting all the information. Yang Munseong was furious, but now that they served the same master, he held it in. He could guess how things stood now. ‘That guy must’ve gotten wrapped up in this like me.’ There was nothing he could have done. —We need to talk later. —Yes, sir... **** At last free from Yeon Woo Jin, Yang Munseong collapsed onto his bedding the moment he entered his quarters. It had been an excruciating day. Had there ever been a time in his life he’d drained his mental energy ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) this much? Never. He wished he could fall asleep right then and there, but there was still unfinished business. He had to meet with Hwang Sung and get the full story. As he lay down to recover his strength, he heard footsteps approach. “Commander... This is Hwang Sung.” “Come in.” Click. As the door opened and Hwang Sung stepped inside, Yang Munseong remained lying down and looked at him. Hwang Sung stood with his head deeply bowed, like a guilty man. “Ungh. Ease that face. You didn’t do anything wrong.” “...I’m sorry.” Hwang Sung bore no fault. He hadn’t had a choice. Neither had Yang Munseong. “...Forget it. Sit down.” “Yes, sir.” Yang Munseong stared at him, then began to ask the questions weighing on his mind. “What exactly... is the Young Lord planning to do?” “Young Lord? Has that become the official title now?” “What else would you call him?” “...Young Master?” “So that’s why both the Commander of the Martial Corps and even the Hellshade Emperor were calling him Young Master.” “As the legitimate heir of the Celestial Lord, I think ‘Young Lord’ is appropriate.” “Fine, but then what is he doing at the High Division?” “He’s aiming to unify the entire Martial God High Division.” “What? Why would he do that?” “Just for fun...” “Like a game of Go?” “Something like that. He isn’t moving directly—he’s letting the students act in his stead.” “So that’s why he’s been training them like that?” “Yes.” “And... does that include Central Tianzhang too?” “It does.” “Huh... That’s going to stir things up.” “From what I see, I don’t think the unification is his only goal.” “Then what?” “I think he’s gathering talent. If you look at everything he’s done up to now, that’s the pattern.” “Up to now?” “Yes. And not just the individuals—he’s bringing their entire clans under his command.” “So it’s all a calculated move?” “It is. Like taking stones on a Go board, he’s slowly expanding his reach.” “And among those he’s drawing in... the Shin Clan too?” “Yes.” Preparations for him to become Celestial Lord were already well underway. “The candidates for Celestial Lord... poor fools. They’re probably still dreaming they’ve got a shot at the throne. Why the hell is he doing things so convolutedly?” “Because... he wasn’t originally interested in becoming Celestial Lord.” “What?” “At first, he found it all troublesome.” “What? You mean the Celestial Lord seat?” “Yes. And back then, he didn’t feel any attachment to the Martial God sect either.” “...Then what changed?” “He’s made many connections while at the High Division. Through them, he’s come to deeply care for the sect. That’s why he now seeks the Celestial Lord seat.” As his questions were answered one by one, Yang Munseong felt the knots inside him loosen. “By the way... the Young Lord said he ‘handled’ something for me. Do you know what that means?” “Handled something?” “He said something about making it impossible to reveal his identity.” “Oh, that? If you try to reveal who he really is, your mouth just won’t open.” “...What?” “If you don’t believe me, go outside and try to tell someone.” “Is that... even possible?” “What isn’t possible for him? He can revive someone on the brink of death with a flick of his hand.” “...Wait. Then... everything the Commander said was true?” “What did he say?” “Flying through the air...” “He flies freely.” “And lifting anything into the air with some kind of special force...” “Sheesh. If he really wanted, he could probably lift a mountain.” “...Are you serious?” “Absolutely. You’ll see it for yourself one day. I saw it with my own eyes and dropped to the ground in shock. Haha. Imagine hundreds of swords floating in midair, each one wrapped in martial energy. You won’t even be able to speak.” He couldn’t speak now either. He was too stunned. Letting out a sigh, he asked: “...So what do I do now?” “The same thing I do—scouting talents in the High Division.” “That’s what we’ve always done.” “Exactly. That’s why he wants us. Honestly, I’ve been having a hard time doing it alone lately. With you helping now, I couldn’t ask for more.” Watching Hwang Sung beam with excitement, Yang Munseong asked: “You’re really okay with this?” “Why wouldn’t I be? We’re basically under the direct command of the next Martial God.” ...What? Now that he thought about it, it really was true. He'd been worrying for nothing, despite a clear golden road stretching ahead. Maybe he’d just been too overwhelmed and exhausted today. So much so that he hadn’t realized something so simple. But now that he had, his mood steadily lifted. Strength surged through him. “That’s right! You’re absolutely right! We’ve grabbed onto a golden lifeline!” “Indeed, Commander. Congratulations.” “Hahaha! Yes! Exactly! Hahaha! This wasn’t a hard day—it was a day of celebration!” “A day like this shouldn’t pass unmarked.” “Of course! Let’s go! Tonight, drinks are on me!” “Thank you! Then... will you also forgive me for my past actions?” “Of course. I was a little irritated, sure, but what does it matter now? We’re comrades walking the same golden path.” “Thank you!” “Let’s go!” “Yes, sir!” **** The next day. Yang Munseong sought out Jeon Yeo. Jeon Yeo welcomed him warmly and asked, “So, did you find anything?” “Yes. There’s nothing to worry about. A number of extraordinarily talented children happened to enroll here and are simply blossoming in this environment.” “Is that so? Still... even then, is it truly possible to rise through the realms this quickly?” “Do you know of a place called Baek Yaksa?” “I do. That abandoned monastery not far from here, yes?” “It seems an elixir was hidden there. The children found it and shared it among themselves.” “My word! That happened...?” “It’s what we’d call a fortunate encounter. That seems to be the key to their rapid growth.” “I see. Ho ho ho! So that’s what it was? That’s a relief. Truly a relief.” “You needn’t worry anymore.” “Thank you. Now I can finally set my mind at ease.” “And allow me to congratulate you in advance.” “For what, exactly?” “For Baekyeong High Division soon becoming the strongest in the Martial God sect.” “Are our students really at that level?” “Without question. You’ll be shocked when the time comes.” “Ho ho ho. Will I? At this rate, all the promising students in the Martial God sect might flock to our division.” “You never know. One day Baekyeong might even surpass Central Tianzhang.” “Oh, come now. That’s a ridiculous thought. Still... it feels good.” At Jeon Yeo’s words, Yang Munseong thought to himself: You’ll find out soon enough. **** Shin Dowoon had been coming to a painful realization lately. He’d been a frog in a well. How little he had understood the world while sheltered within the walls of the Shin Clan. “Huff... huff...” “What? You’re tired already?” “S-Senior... I think I’m going to die...” “C’mon, junior. Don’t be so soft. How can you call yourself Apex-level like this?” “Huff... huff... Even for Apex-levels, this is hard! And besides, you’re way stronger than me!” Shin Dowoon spoke with teary eyes to Jang Woon. “So you admit it now? That we’re strong?” “I’ve always admitted it! Are you tormenting me over old grudges?!” “Nope. I’m just purely training you.” “Let’s take a break. Please?” “No can do. If Woo Jin finds out, you’re dead. And so am I. Get up.” At the mention of Woo Jin, Shin Dowoon groaned and rose with a pitiful face. He could get away with whining to Jang Woon—but not to Yeon Woo Jin. If he did, Woo Jin would claim his constitution was to blame for lacking stamina and drag him off. And after that? He didn’t even want to imagine it. Gritting his teeth, he quickly began circulating his inner energy. He had to recover his strength as fast as possible. “All right, let’s start again.” “What? But I haven’t—my stamina’s not back yet—” “You think an enemy’s going to wait for your stamina to recover?” “But we’re not enemies!” “Right now we are.” “Aaargh!” Shin Dowoon was pummeled mercilessly under Jang Woon’s assault, unable to think straight. “Focus and respond properly!” As if that were easy. If he could do that, he wouldn’t be getting beaten like this. That was Shin Dowoon’s silent protest. He couldn’t even counter properly—how frustrating must that be? Thud. In the end, Shin Dowoon collapsed after being thoroughly beaten, without landing a single proper move. “S-Senior... you really have no mercy...” As he struggled to speak, Jang Woon replied, “Yeah, can’t be helped. We were told not to go easy on you. Said it’d help toughen you up too. There’s a grand plan behind it all.” Oh. A grand plan. Like hell there is. His whole body felt like it was falling apart. He wished he could stay motionless forever, but the real problem was the Vitality Recharge Formation. He didn’t know how it worked, but the moment he was thrown into it, his body started recovering. It drove him mad. This place let him experience the meaning of “giving the poison and the antidote.” I’m crazy. I should’ve just gone to Central Tianzhang... No, wait. Even if he had, he’d have ended up like this eventually. They said Central was part of the unification too. Draaaag... As Jang Woon dragged him off, Shin Dowoon was lost in an endless spiral of thoughts. Once he was tossed into the Vitality Recharge Formation, refreshing energy enveloped his entire body. It was like soaking in a hot bath after a grueling day. Addictive, really. Sometimes he even found himself looking forward to it. Shin Dowoon felt more and more like he was losing his grip on reality.