The Inheritance of the Firmament

What was done was done, and the clan leadership immediately shifted to damage control.

They dissected the incident down to the bone, deliberating extensively on how to minimize their loss of prestige—and whether there was any way to turn the catastrophe to their advantage. Yet right from the start, the elders found themselves clutching their aching heads.

"A jiangshi, of all things..."

"Can this truly be real?"

A mythical monstrosity had appeared out of nowhere. The elders had initially assumed it to be a scheme by the Unorthodox faction, a spy planted by the Demonic Cult, or the depraved handiwork of roaming scoundrels. Those naive assumptions were obliterated in a single instant.

"Could it be some kind of misunderstanding, or..."

"Did none of you look upon the corpse? That was no ordinary corpse. Nor was the blood spattered around it. Surely everyone in this room knows that pitch-black color was not merely the result of blood turning stale with age."

"Mmh..."

"Urgh..."

Every man assembled in the chamber had tasted life-and-death combat during his own youthful wanderings through the Jianghu; not one among them could fail to discern the grotesque abnormalities of that body.

"Moreover, there were firsthand eyewitnesses."

"Namgung Yun. And Namgung Geol."

"Good grief... To think the boy was truly abducted."

Not long ago, the clan had been thrown into utter turmoil when Namgung Geol vanished without a trace. Kidnapping had been whispered back then, but to think it had actually happened.

"What a pitiful disgrace the renowned Namgung Clan has become! Not only did a rat sneak into our inner sanctum, but that vermin abducted a scion of our main lineage right under our noses without anyone noticing?!"

"Our youths have grown soft! With such a pathetic mindset, how can they hope to survive the perilous Jianghu? We must subject them to proper mental discipline all over again!"

Had Namgung Yun been present to hear their posturing, he would have bluntly told them to properly manage their own household first.

"Even so, we are fortunate that the matter was settled without greater tragedy. Furthermore, since the one who resolved it is a child of our own bloodline, our face has been spared."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Indeed.

The sudden emergence of a jiangshi, the kidnapping of a clan scion, the precarious honor of the family—and alongside all of it, a single youth who was giving the leadership an even greater headache.

In the grand scheme of things, his presence bore little comparison to legendary terrors, yet he weighed just as heavily on their minds.

"Namgung Yun."

"We have been hearing that name quite often of late."

"Though in truth, we heard plenty of it in the past as well."

For a time, the elders silently scrutinized the written reports.

"Frankly speaking, is there truly any problem here?"

The speaker was Namgung Uncheon, cousin to Clan Head Namgung Jeongcheon and first cousin once removed to Namgung Yun.

"The merit Yun achieved this time is extraordinary. Had it not been for him, there is no telling how far the disaster might have spread. Preventing such a catastrophic stain on our clan's prestige is a monumental service. In truth, is it any different from actively raising our clan's renown?"

"That is true."

Unlike their stern scowls moments earlier, the elders' expressions softened considerably.

"Never did I imagine the boy would accomplish such a deed."

"We thought it impressive enough that he bypassed the Second-rate realm in a single leap to anchor himself firmly in the First-rate realm."

"From what I hear, he has already progressed beyond the entry stage of the First-rate realm."

"Haha! It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠has barely been any time since he reached the First-rate realm, yet he has advanced so far already?"

"However, there is still cause for concern," Namgung Myeongcheon cut in sharply. "They say the lad resolved this affair solely to carry out 'chivalry'."

"Chivalry, you say?"

"Is he still clinging to such delusions?"

"Now that he has acquired half-baked strength, the danger he poses may be even greater."

"Mmh..."

Namgung Myeongcheon's pointed warning cast another shadow over the council. Once again, Namgung Uncheon spoke up to counter him.

"Is there truly a need for such anxiety?"

"How can you speak so leisurely?!" Namgung Myeongcheon snapped. "Have you forgotten how much hardship our clan endured because of that very chivalry?!"

"Other sects would laugh in our faces," another elder chimed in. "There is no one left in the Murim who clings to chivalry."

"They revere only the strong."

"The lad is not yet strong!"

"He will be."

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

"I am not suggesting we shower him with special privileges," Namgung Uncheon continued calmly. "I am merely saying we should not place him at an unfair disadvantage. Have we not turned a blind eye to the conduct of most youths who demonstrate exceptional talent? Why, then, must it be different for Yun?"

"That is for the sake of his future—"

"Yun's martial cultivation has already reached a level where fretting and scolding will change nothing. You know this well, Elder."

Namgung Myeongcheon clamped his mouth shut, unable to find a retort.

"If he causes trouble down the road or neglects his training, we can discipline him then. For now, let us leave him be."

"There is sense in that."

"Indeed. There is no need to unnecessarily shake a sapling that is growing so splendidly."

"What does the Clan Head think?"

Backed into a corner, Namgung Myeongcheon turned his gaze toward Namgung Jeongcheon.

Yet his final hope was shattered—and in the worst possible way.

"We agreed to bestow a martial art upon Yun," Namgung Jeongcheon stated evenly.

"We did. Though due to differing opinions, we had yet to decide which art to confer."

"I shall bestow upon him the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art."

"B-Brother!" Namgung Myeongcheon cried in horror.

What was the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art? Aside from the Heavenly Lightning Sovereign Divine Art, which was strictly reserved for the reigning Clan Head, it was the supreme martial art of the Namgung Clan. Even among the elders seated in this chamber, there were several who had never been granted the right to learn it. And yet, the Clan Head intended to hand it directly to Namgung Yun.

"Patriarch, please revoke this command! It is far too premature for Yun!"

"Is that so? Do the rest of you share his view?"

Though an undercurrent of surprise rippled through the hall, none appeared to hold the vehement opposition that Namgung Myeongcheon displayed.

"It is certainly sudden, but..."

"Considering Yun's talent, is it not reasonable?"

"One must enter the First-rate realm to practice the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art, so he meets the prerequisite."

"I am in favor."

"I have no objection."

"I am undecided; I shall defer to the decision of the majority."

Though a few cast neutral stances, those actively opposing were virtually nonexistent. In truth, Namgung Myeongcheon stood completely alone.

Namgung Myeongcheon bit his lip until blood nearly surfaced. Since the Clan Head had handed down his decree, further resistance was impossible. The elder council existed merely to offer counsel; none could overturn the Patriarch's ultimate will.

‘To think that wretched brat will receive the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art!’

He had pulled every string imaginable behind the scenes to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ensure his own son, Namgung In, would receive it the moment he broke through into the First-rate realm. To think Namgung Yun had swept in and snatched it first!

The Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art was more than just a devastating martial technique.

‘It is the art mastered exclusively by the candidate for Clan Head!’

While never codified into law, tradition had firmly cemented it: prodigies gifted enough to learn the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art in their youth invariably became the next Clan Head. Though the clan now embraced the doctrine of 'Respect for the Strong'—dictating that whoever proved the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mightiest would claim the seat regardless of style—anyone blessed with such caliber was naturally initiated into this art at an early age.

In the eyes of the clan, the perception remained unchanged. This decree meant that from this day forward, the entire family would view Namgung Yun as the official heir apparent.

Namgung Myeongcheon vividly recalled the insolent words Yun had once uttered without batting an eye:

‘So you're saying that if I become stronger than you, I can tear this Namgung Clan apart and rebuild it however I please.’

‘Insolent bastard!’

How dared he cast his eyes upon the patriarch's seat?

‘The next Clan Head of the great Namgung Clan will be my In!’

Even as he lowered his head in formal submission to the Clan Head's command, Namgung Myeongcheon's eyes burned with icy venom.

Having resolved the incident wrought by Seo Won-gil, Namgung Yun returned to his routine.

Before long, however, an unexpected visitor came knocking.

"Have you awakened, Hyung-nim!"

Namgung Geol was bent in a bow so exaggerated that his forehead practically grazed the dirt.

Stepping out of his chamber first thing in the morning, Yun blinked at the bewildering spectacle.

"What are you doing here at the crack of dawn?"

"I have come to pay my morning respects!"

"Why?"

"Is it not only natural for this foolish younger brother to pay his respects to the elder brother who saved his life?!"

Yun stared down at Namgung Geol. The boy's eyes sparkled with an almost suffocating sincerity; there was no hint of deceit.

‘Well, what he went through was hardly ordinary.’

Geol was still young. For an adolescent at an impressionable age to endure such a terrifying trauma, a drastic transformation in attitude was entirely plausible.

"So what's your real reason?"

"P-Pardon?"

"Your greeting may be sincere, but that can't be all."

"As expected of Hyung-nim! To see through this foolish brother's innermost thoughts at a single glance!"

"Flattery turns toxic if you lay it on too thick. Drop the act and state your business."

That caught Yun completely off guard.

"Chivalry?"

"Yes! Through this ordeal, I realized it down to my very marrow—just how magnificent and noble true chivalry is!"

Despite enduring the contempt and mocking laughter of the entire clan—including Geol himself—Yun had steadfastly refused to abandon his chivalric path. And because he had held firm, Geol was breathing today. Or so Namgung Geol believed with absolute conviction.

‘He said he stumbled upon where I was held while investigating the missing children, after all.’

"Hmm..."

Yun rubbed his chin, pondering the proposition.

‘Not a bad deal, is it?’

His ultimate goal was to become Clan Head and overturn this warped family from its very roots. Having reliable allies on his side when the time came would be invaluable.

It brought back memories of his past life in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, where attempting to change everything entirely alone had ended in failure. Of course, he didn't believe the Namgung Clan was quite as hopeless as the Demonic Cult had been.

"Very well!"

Though he was still walking the path and learning its nuances himself, his theoretical understanding was second to none. Furthermore, considering the current moral bankruptcy of the Namgung Clan, he was more than qualified to act as a mentor in the ways of righteousness.

"Thank you, Hyung-nim!"

And just like that, Namgung Yun acquired his very first disciple.

Yun stood in the center of the training ground.

This was not the Intermediate Training Ground he had frequented until recently. That facility was designated for martial artists of the Second-rate realm. Having officially entered the First-rate realm, Yun had been assigned a private Upper Training Ground.

Unlike the lower and intermediate grounds where disciples trained in crowded groups, the Upper Training Ground granted private individual courtyards to each master. The expansive courtyard where Yun now stood belonged entirely to him.

Yun settled into a cross-legged position and drifted into meditation.

Before long, sensing an approaching presence, he opened his eyes.

Namgung Jeongcheon was striding into the courtyard.

"What brings you here?"

Without a word, Namgung Jeongcheon tossed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠two bound volumes across the air. They landed lightly before Yun.

Both were quintessential supreme arts of the Namgung Clan.

Vast though Yun's repertoire of martial knowledge was from his previous life, he could not help but feel genuine curiosity toward unfamiliar arts—especially the paramount techniques of the Namgung Clan.

"Are these the arts you are granting me?"

"They are."

Namgung Jeongcheon drew his sword from its scabbard with a crisp metallic ring.

"I am a busy man and will not display this long. Etch every movement into your eyes."

"Then you could have simply sent someone else to demonstrate it, couldn't you?"

Namgung Jeongcheon did not deign to reply to Yun's dry sarcasm. Instead, his blade began to dance through the air.

‘He truly is the Clan Head of the Namgung Clan.’

It was merely a demonstration intended for instruction, yet that alone sufficed to measure Namgung Jeongcheon's profound realm of mastery.

‘It brings back memories of the Murim Alliance Leader from the days when we marched into the Central Plains.’

Not Lee Geuk, who had trembled and drenched his robes in cold sweat before the Heavenly Demon. No, Yun was thinking of the Alliance Leader from nearly a century before that, the titan who had barred his path when he first spearheaded the Demonic Cult's invasion of the Central Plains.

‘That man was of the Namgung bloodline as well.’

The sheer ferocity and unyielding might of the martial prowess that Alliance Leader displayed back then had drawn admiration even from the Heavenly Demon, who had already reigned supreme as the Greatest Under Heaven.

A faint glimmer of that legendary figure flickered across Namgung Jeongcheon's swordsmanship.

Whoosh!

Lowering his sword, Namgung Jeongcheon turned his gaze upon Yun.

"This is the Boundless Firmament Unhindered Sword Art you are to learn."

"I see."

"...You appear remarkably composed."

"Should I burst into tears of overwhelming gratitude?"

"There is no need for that. Sit. I shall explain the mnemonics."

And so, Namgung Jeongcheon began personally initiating Namgung Yun into the secrets of the Boundless Firmament Great Evolution Divine Art and the Boundless Firmament Unhindered Sword Art.