The Gathering Storm
His eyes snapped open.
In the early dawn, Do Yoo-sung opened his eyes, slipped into meditation as was his routine, and then opened them once more.
In truth, ever since he had attained his supreme realm, he no longer needed to close his eyes or adopt a specific posture to cultivate.
He simply preferred to close his eyes and lose himself in meditation out of sheer habit.
"I suppose I must help them after all."
Do Yoo-chan's concerns from the previous night had left Yoo-sung deep in thought.
Helping Do Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun was not difficult, but he wasn't entirely keen on it.
To help them meant he would ultimately have to entangle himself in the succession struggle of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild.
The Heavenly Sword Academy still lacked the strength to withstand the fallout of such a conflict.
The Yoo-sung of the past would have coldly turned a blind eye, but his experiences in his previous life in the Jianghu made him hesitate.
Was it mere coincidence that the final wishes of those he had forged bonds with returned to him at this exact moment?
Besides them, the wishes of countless others had plagued Yoo-sung's sleep.
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Yoo-sung reached for the tea sitting beside his bed.
He downed the lukewarm tea in a single gulp, his gaze turning cold.
They had not forced him, but Yoo-sung had no intention of taking their wishes lightly.
He had intended to rest a while in the embrace of his family before slowly repaying those debts.
However, wandering the vast Murim alone was highly inefficient, which was why he had initially planned to utilize the Beggars' Sect or the Haoman.
His meeting with Jang Geon was the primary reason that plan had changed.
The Beggars' Sect, being one of the Nine Great Sects, was not an entity one could easily form an alliance with under normal circumstances.
In particular, the Wind King, a key figure of the Great Martial War against the Matian, possessed a troublesome personality. It was best to keep his distance.
As for the Haoman, they appeared to have fallen under the influence of the Unorthodox Path, making them difficult to employ freely.
Ultimately, he needed an information network that would move solely for him, but building one from scratch was far too tedious.
Besides, he had no reason to expand his influence on a grand scale.
Therefore, a merchant guild that traversed the world was the perfect fit.
"Is this also fate?"
Or was it merely his whim?
With a smirk, Yoo-sung rose from his seat.
At that same hour, the atmosphere within the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild was also incredibly heavy.
*Clack.*
Only the clinking of utensils broke the quiet silence.
Not a single voice was heard during the breakfast that had begun in the early morning.
Indeed, ever since this gathering had been established, silence had become the norm.
What on earth is the point of this?
Ha Tae-sun thoroughly disliked this suffocating atmosphere.
She resented her father, Ha Soong, for constantly arranging such meaningless gatherings.
What does that old man even want?
Ha Soong had still not officially spoken of the succession competition.
Though Ha Soong was the one who had built the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild into what it was today, he was surrounded by jackals coveting his position.
In particular, the chief escorts who had assisted Ha Soong in transporting the guild's various shipments were a major problem.
Treated with the same respect as elders in a martial sect, they interfered with and kept Ha Soong's potential successors in check at every turn.
It had reached a point where people mocked that one could only become the next master of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild by winning their trust.
Even though she herself was subject to their influence, she despised it.
This is all because of that bastard.
Ha Tae-sun's sharp gaze landed on Ha Tae-gun and Do Yoo-mi.
Had Ha Tae-gun not married Do Yoo-mi, the succession structure of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild might have been far simpler than it was now.
No, if only her family—the Do family—had been at least on par with the Cheondo Gate, Ha Tae-gun would have secured the successor's seat long ago.
And those bastards wouldn't be running rampant, thinking they've seized an opportunity.
Ha Tae-sun's eyes turned toward her half-siblings, who were greedily eyeing the successor's position.
They had rejoiced upon seeing Ha Tae-gun's precarious standing.
Among them, the most irritating was Ha Tae-young.
Since she was set to marry Kwak Young of the Cheondo Gate, Ha Tae-young's influence in the race for the next guild master would be substantial.
Which is why this upcoming event is an opportunity for everyone.
Ha Tae-sun's mind raced as she anticipated the words that would soon come out of Ha Soong's mouth.
*Thud.*
At that moment, Ha Soong, the Master of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild, spoke with a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Sichuan will soon face a massive upheaval. This will be an immense opportunity for us—an event that can overturn our stagnant progress in a single stroke."
At Ha Soong's words, everyone anticipated what was about to unfold.
It seemed the Sichuan martial world, centered around the Sichuan Tang Clan, was finally going to launch a hunt for the demonic practitioners.
"With the martial artists and sects based in Sichuan mobilizing en masse, it is only natural that old heroes will fade and new ones will emerge."
By now, everyone understood Ha Soong's intention.
Ha Soong was presenting an opportunity to his children competing for the succession.
"Observe the unfolding situation and judge whom to support and which path to follow. If your choices overlap, secure the results through greater investment. Your investments will decide the future of this guild."
With Ha Soong's cold and ruthless declaration, the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild also entered a period of rapid change.
The emergence of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance and the "Demonic Hunt."
The martial artists of the Orthodox sects united, centered around the Tang, Diancang, Qingcheng, and Emei sects.
The Tang Clan assumed the leadership as the Alliance Leader, while the Qingcheng Sect took the position of Vice Alliance Leader.
They sought to hunt the demonic practitioners who had entered Sichuan, using them as sacrifices to announce their power to the world.
"Martial artists of the Righteous Path who pursue justice in Sichuan! Gather beneath the banner of the Sichuan Righteous Alliance, and let us unite our strength to slaughter the demonic practitioners and the heretic hordes!"
In response to their emergence, the Unorthodox factions of Sichuan joined forces, and the demonic practitioners also began to band together, casting the dark clouds of war over the entire province.
Yoo-sung visited the Master's office early in the morning.
He glanced at his father, his brother, and Bing Hwa, who had arrived before him, and took his seat.
“Is something wrong?” Yoo-sung asked Bing Hwa via sound transmission, noting the unusually heavy atmosphere.
“A request for support has arrived,” Bing Hwa replied.
At Bing Hwa's words, Yoo-sung naturally thought of the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild.
However, the request had come from an entirely unexpected source.
“They want us to join the hunt for the demonic practitioners in the Sichuan martial world.”
From the Sichuan martial world?
As Yoo-sung furrowed his brow, Bing Hwa continued her transmission with a dark expression.
“It seems to be someone's scheme, though I cannot say for certain who is behind it.”
“Any guesses?”
“It is either Cheonhyang or Cheondo.”
After all, those two were the only ones with any reason to drag the Heavenly Sword Academy into this.
Since the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild was a commercial entity, they had no reason to orchestrate such a plot. That left only the Cheondo Gate.
Has Kwak Yoo made his move?
Yoo-sung easily deduced the man's intentions.
He wanted to use this opportunity to easily neutralize the Heavenly Sword Academy.
Conversely, Yoo-sung saw this as a massive opportunity.
This will serve as a natural stage to reveal our strength to the world.
If the Cheondo Gate's scheme ended up serving as the stage for the Heavenly Sword Academy's grand debut, Kwak Yoo's expression would be quite a sight to behold.
Of course, all of this depended on the decisions of his father and brother.
If the two of them had no desire to participate, Yoo-sung had no reason to force the issue.
Given their usual personalities, they would have declined, but the current circumstances were different.
"It seems the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild is also keeping a close eye on this matter," Do Sang-woon said.
At Do Sang-woon's words, Do Yoo-chan quickly assessed the situation.
"From the guild's perspective, they likely intend to use this event to firmly establish their foothold in Sichuan in one fell swoop. At the same time, it serves as an ideal stage to advance the succession competition."
Do Yoo-chan understood the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild's plans perfectly.
There was no way the ambitious Ha Soong would let such an opportunity slip by.
From the moment the call to slaughter the demonic practitioners of Sichuan was raised, Do Sang-woon and Do Yoo-chan had been worried about the safety of Do Yoo-mi and Ha Tae-gun.
For the two of them, who wished for a fair succession struggle, this event held significant weight.
"We have not heard from Tae-gun or Yoo-mi yet, but they will surely seek us out soon. They would never align themselves with anyone else."
"Indeed."
After a brief moment of deliberation, Do Yoo-chan and Do Sang-woon reached a decision.
"Let us prepare so that we can mobilize the moment they ask for help. If the world has changed, we cannot turn a blind eye to the present and the future simply to cling to the values of the past. Preserving the past only holds meaning when the present and future are secured."
The three of them nodded at Do Sang-woon's quiet yet resolute decision.
Just like Father.
Bowing his head, Yoo-sung felt satisfied with Do Sang-woon's choice.
Those who were excessively rigid often sacrificed their present and future just to preserve the past.
This was especially true of the people of the Orthodox sects.
Unable to accept change, they clung stubbornly to the past, and as a result, they suffered wounds from the Matian that could never be healed.
Had they altered their mindset even slightly and swallowed their pride, the Great War against the Matian might have concluded much sooner.
Or perhaps not. In truth, both the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions likely wished for the war to drag on.
The era of the Nine Great Sects had ended, giving rise to the Five Great Noble Clans and new sects.
While the Nine Great Sects still held their lofty positions based on past glory, it was no longer easy for them to withstand the pressure from those rising from below.
If nothing else, the rapid growth of the Five Great Noble Clans was a major threat to them.
However, since not all of the Nine Great Sects were being pushed back by the clans, the future of the Murim promised to be quite entertaining.
Well, as long as it doesn't harm me, I don't care.
But the likelihood of that was slim.
The moment the Heavenly Sword Academy changed its course, conflict with the rest of the Murim was inevitable.
I must wrap this up quickly, place my brother-in-law in a key position within the Cheonhyang Merchant Guild, and secure their support.
To repay what he had received from the precious bonds he had forged on the battlefield, Yoo-sung also finished his preparations to move.
Just as Bing Hwa and Yoo-sung had anticipated, the mobilization order sent to the Heavenly Sword Academy was indeed Kwak Yoo's scheme.
Kwak Yoo was determined to elevate the Cheondo Gate into a prestigious clan of Sichuan.
Furthermore, from the perspective of Kwak Yoo, who sought to swallow everything left behind by the legendary Changcheon Geomje, the Heavenly Sword Academy was an enemy that had to be eradicated.
The romantic grudges of the past were merely a trivial matter now.
"It is about time I grasped it in my hands."
The location of the Heavenly Sword Academy was exceptionally good.
It was close to Sichuan, and to the south, it offered easy access to the Nanman region at any time.
Thanks to this, it had served as a resting place for travelers and had developed significantly.
The Cheondo Gate was also an entity that had benefited from this geographical advantage and grown.
Though they had once been ostracized for being descendants of the Unorthodox Path, they had secured their current standing due to the expanding scale of Baekmyo County and the chaos of the Great War.
However, Kwak Yoo was far from satisfied.
"How are things progressing with Ha Tae-young?"
Kwak Young nodded at Kwak Yoo's question.
He still found Ha Tae-young's personality highly distasteful.
But he could not afford to grumble forever.
"The Sichuan Righteous Alliance will soon entrust us with a task. Coordinate closely with Ha Tae-young and move swiftly. You must display an overwhelming performance, showing a massive gap between us and the Heavenly Sword Academy."
Kwak Young bowed his head under Kwak Yoo's quiet yet fierce voice and gaze.
"Trust me, Father! I will not disappoint you this time."
"You had better not. I cannot protect you forever."
At Kwak Yoo's cold warning, Kwak Young bit his lip unconsciously.
The feeling is mutual. I, too, am wondering just how much longer I will tolerate you, Father.
The father and son, rife with mutual distrust, hid their true intentions as they moved against their common enemy.
The blades of the father and son were aimed squarely at the Heavenly Sword Academy.