The Divine Eye of the Hundred Weapons (6)
“Huh? Brother?”
“Commander Yeon.”
Kang Liang and Jeong-an greeted Yeon Hojeong with smiles.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yeah, it went fine, but…”
Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.
“Did a war break out or something? Why do you two look like that?”
It was a fair question.
Kang Liang’s appearance was so ragged that even the Beggars’ Sect might have told him to take notes. While not as filthy as their trademark look, his clothes were little more than rags, and dark scabs of dried blood covered various parts of his body.
Jeong-an’s condition was no better. It was clear they had exchanged incredibly fierce strikes. She wasn’t quite as battered as Kang Liang, but she still looked like she had been through hell.
Kang Liang shrugged as if it were nothing.
“I’ve been sparring with Lady Jeong-an almost every single day.”
“You haven’t been sleeping? Not even resting?”
“Time’s too precious for that. We slept here, ate here, and fought here.”
Yeon Hojeong turned his gaze to Jeong-an.
She scratched the back of her head. The deep, serene aura unique to those who followed the Buddhist path was nowhere to be found in her anymore.
She seemed like a single, razor-sharp blade. It was hard to believe she had once been a swordsman of Bota Temple.
“Before I knew it, I also…”
“At this rate, you two are going to end up dating.”
Both of them shouted at the same time.
“We are not!”
“Absolutely not!”
After blurting it out in perfect unison, an awkward silence settled over them.
Yeon Hojeong waved his hand dismissively.
“Date, kill each other, whatever you want. For now…”
“I told you it’s not like that.”
“I heard you, idiot. But why are you still in that state?”
“Huh?”
Kang Liang looked genuinely confused.
“Me? What about me?”
“You…”
Yeon Hojeong paused mid-sentence and glanced at Jeong-an.
She clicked her tongue. It seemed she already knew exactly what he was thinking.
Whether he sensed the shift in mood or not, Kang Liang’s expression grew serious.
“Is there some problem with me?”
“No, nothing like that.”
Yeon Hojeong clapped him on the shoulder.
“Looks like you’ve fought enough. Go inside, wash up, and get some rest.”
“Ah… there’s really no need for that.”
“Just do as I say. We’ll be heading out again soon. I’ll be taking you with me, so make sure your body is in perfect condition.”
Kang Liang’s eyes sparkled.
“Has a mission already been assigned?”
“It’s a mission we’ll depart on as soon as I’m ready. We don’t have time to waste, so get yourself to peak condition as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
Kang Liang offered Jeong-an a polite fist-and-palm salute.
“Thank you for everything during this time, miss. I learned a great deal.”
Jeong-an bowed her head in return. Though her temperament had changed, the habit of greeting with a Buddhist palm salute remained deeply ingrained.
“I was the one who gained valuable insight.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
Kang Liang smiled and left.
Yeon Hojeong turned to Jeong-an.
“Since when?”
“Pardon?”
“Since when have you been letting that guy land strikes on you?”
Jeong-an’s face grew awkward.
“About ten days ago.”
It was an astonishing fact.
While still somewhat inexperienced, Jeong-an was a master who had already broken through the Limitless Wall. She was still far from the level of a Nine Great Schools sect leader, but reaching that realm at her age was no small feat.
On the other hand, there was Kang Liang.
He had not yet broken through the Limitless Wall. He had merely reached its threshold.
The difference before and after crossing that single wall was far greater than people usually imagined.
It was as if the very world one lived in changed. Things that had been invisible before suddenly became crystal clear the moment one crossed it.
The instant the impossible became possible.
It was less a matter of martial achievement and more a fundamental transformation of the person themselves. Barring extreme variables, a master who had not crossed the wall would struggle to even scratch a supreme master’s body.
Yet Jeong-an’s body was covered in wounds.
These were not injuries she had deliberately allowed. Some of them had been deep enough that, had they gone even a fraction further, they would have been life-threatening.
No matter how much one held back in a spar, such wounds would not be tolerated. That was not a matter of reason, but of instinct.
“Ten days ago, huh…”
In other words, even without having crossed the Limitless Wall, Kang Liang had inflicted this much damage on Jeong-an, a supreme master.
“He already has more than enough.”
“I thought so too.”
“To fight a supreme master to this degree without even crossing the wall?”
What did that signify?
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.
‘The moment that guy crosses the Limitless Wall, he’ll transform into a complete monster.’
He was staring at the world beyond the wall from within a completely enclosed space.
Not just anyone could do that. Even Yeon Hojeong had only been able to wound masters several levels above him thanks to the senses, experience, and enlightenment he carried from his previous life. For a young master like Kang Liang, who had never experienced regression, producing such results was nearly impossible.
What did that mean?
‘He has already obtained nearly everything.’
Yeon Hojeong looked at Jeong-an.
‘He didn’t ignore what could be gained, like Jeong-an did, in order to cross the wall quickly. He has absorbed almost every possible martial principle available to him at the peak master level.’
Even among those standing right before the Limitless Wall, there were differences. Some crossed it in a single moment of enlightenment without claiming everything they could have gained, while others lingered in that space for decades before finally stepping over.
Despite not having stayed in that realm for very long, Kang Liang had obtained every bit of enlightenment available to a peak master.
Jeong-an, on the other hand, had discarded what she deemed unnecessary—though obtainable—and pierced through the Limitless Wall at great speed.
That difference had drastically narrowed the gap between one who had crossed the wall and one who had not. That was why Jeong-an had been wounded by Kang Liang’s sword.
“He grows at a terrifying pace,” she said. “Every day that passes, his eyes change. Another day, and he hears things he couldn’t hear before.”
“Is that so.”
Jeong-an shook her head.
“He’s a frightening person. The more he fights, the more blood he sees, the stronger he becomes.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“Well, he is from the Dark Faction after all. And not just any bloodline—he carries the thick blood of the Dark Faction’s prestigious families. He’s the seed of an overlord.”
Jeong-an smiled back, though there was a hint of bitterness in it.
“I’m envious. To have such talent.”
“That’s quite the arrogant complaint. Your talent is hardly ordinary either. Very few people in an entire generation can reach that level at your age.”
“Then this generation must be full of monsters. After all, even you, Commander Yeon…”
“Me?”
Yeon Hojeong let out a small chuckle.
“I’m actually an extremely ordinary person when it comes to martial talent.”
“Are you trying to comfort me?”
“It’s the truth. I have no talent.”
Jeong-an looked flustered.
“If you have no talent, how did you reach such a realm at that age…”
“It’s a chronic problem among martial artists. They refuse to acknowledge that there are many ways to grow strong even without talent.”
Of course, Yeon Hojeong had once stepped into the ultimate realm.
Even then, he had broken through to the Limitless realm at a much earlier age than others and earned fame as one of the three strongest under heaven.
The ability to instinctively find weaknesses? That might be a talent for fighting, but it was not a talent for rapidly mastering martial arts itself.
“Anyway, what about you? Do you want to come with us?”
“Pardon? Me?!”
“Yes.”
Jeong-an was visibly shaken.
“There’s no reason to bring someone as green as me, is there?”
“Obviously.”
“……”
“But there was a time when I was a novice. Kang Liang too. Even the Lord of the Black Dragon Department. We simply shed that skin after a single experience.”
“……!”
Jeong-an was stunned.
Yeon Hojeong turned away.
“If you want to come with us, you’ll need to get your body in order as well. No matter what path you choose, if you stay with us, you will inevitably have to fight the Three Sects. So even if it’s just to prepare for that moment, hone your own abilities.”
* * *
“Nice view, isn’t it?”
Yang Cheon and Mak Won had emerged from the underground cave and now stood atop a towering canyon.
“It is indeed.”
Wonder filled Mak Won’s face as he looked around. He wasn’t just being polite—the scenery here truly was beautiful.
Yang Cheon spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Running an organization is no easy task. At least, it wasn’t for me. There were many times when I felt stifled in a way that didn’t suit me. Whenever that happened, I would come here and let the wind hit my face. After an hour or two, all those complicated thoughts would vanish.”
“It is a landscape worthy of such an effect.”
“People’s tastes are surprisingly similar. I figured you would like it too.”
Yang Cheon laughed heartily and pulled a wine bottle from his waist, offering it to Mak Won.
“Care for a drink?”
“Gladly.”
Mak Won took the bottle as if he had been waiting for it, pulled out the stopper, and drank deeply.
Yang Cheon smiled.
“You drink with real spirit.”
“It is excellent wine.”
“It is good wine, but aren’t you even a little suspicious? What if I had poisoned it?”
“You are not a man of such small caliber.”
“Don’t think of me as too great a person. If necessary, I’m the type who would poison wine or throw hidden weapons without hesitation.”
“In any case, I drank well. Here.”
Yang Cheon took the bottle back with a smile and drank.
After swallowing the wine in one refreshing gulp, he asked in a casual tone.
“Who did that to you? That poison.”
Mak Won’s eyes sharpened.
“You knew?”
Yang Cheon smiled.
“Your presence is truly remarkable. Unique, sharp, and rich. But somehow… it felt a little lacking.”
“Lacking?”
“For someone called the Hundred Weapons Divine Lord, one of the Three Lords, there was something missing in your aura. Your skill is certainly impressive, but I thought it should be more than that.”
“……”
“I looked into it because I was curious what was going on, and I sensed that you were tightly suppressing something with your true energy.”
Yang Cheon tucked the wine bottle back into his waistband.
“It must be poison. An extreme toxin that even your abilities cannot handle.”
Mak Won let out a sigh.
“To be honest, I thought the gap between myself and the Divine Sword Emperor wasn’t that large.”
“It isn’t large. If I exaggerate a little, it could be described as the thickness of a single sheet of paper.”
“It must be a sheet of paper as thick as an ancient tree.”
“To some it may feel as thick as Mount Tai, while to others it really is just a sheet of paper. You know that, don’t you?”
Mak Won gave a bitter smile.
Yang Cheon’s eyes deepened.
“Where did you get hit?”
“I cannot answer where I was struck. To be honest, I don’t even know when or where it happened.”
“……”
“I see.”
“However, I do know the group that handles this poison.”
“……”
“The Shinwha Sect.”
“The Shinwha Sect… As expected, one of the Three Sects.”
Yang Cheon laughed coldly. For a moment, it was as if he had become a different person.
He too had lived without realizing he had been poisoned by the Sound Demon Cult Leader, his body slowly withering. If not for Yeon Hojeong, he didn’t know what would have become of him.
“Didn’t Vice Commander Yeon say anything to you on the way here?”
“About what?”
“Vice Commander Yeon knows a lot about the Three Sects. If the poison that struck you came from them, he might know how to cure it.”
Mak Won’s eyes wavered.
“He never said anything like that.”
“Really? Then there are two possible interpretations.”
“……?”
“Either Vice Commander Yeon doesn’t know the true nature of that poison or its antidote, or…”
The coldness on Yang Cheon’s face had now turned indifferent.
Watching the change in expression, Mak Won recalled what Yeon Hojeong had said—that Yang Cheon possessed a thousand faces.
“He simply doesn’t fully trust the current you.”
“……!”
“Have you ever spoken to Vice Commander Yeon about your past?”
“I have not.”
“Then it’s the latter.”
“Vice Commander Yeon doesn’t trust me?”
“It’s less that he doesn’t trust you and more that you failed to follow the implicit rules of our transaction.”
“What do you…”
“The Spear King, So Hyeon-lip.”
“……!!”
Mak Won’s face visibly hardened.
Yang Cheon turned his head once more toward the vast canyon beyond.
“The merchant took out his ledger, yet you remained a martial artist until the very end. If you saw his ledger, shouldn’t you have revealed yours as well?”