Overwhelmingly So (1)
The Mount Hua Sect of the distant past.
Before parting ways with the Sword Saint, the Shadowless Divine Thief spoke.
"I will test them. I will see if the righteousness and chivalry those of the Jianghu so loudly preach are merely empty shells, or if they truly mean it."
"Must you go that far?"
The Sword Saint spoke with deep regret, but the Shadowless Divine Thief shook his head, refusing to yield any further.
"Even if you forbid it, Daoist, I cannot compromise any more than this."
"Immeasurable Amitabha... How tragic. Truly tragic."
"..."
Seeing that the Shadowless Divine Thief would not bend his will, the Sword Saint asked, "What if someone appears who gives a satisfying answer to your test?"
"Then I, too, shall lay down my resentment."
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes. But such a thing will likely never happen."
The Shadowless Divine Thief had been certain.
He was sure that the people of the Jianghu would never pass his test.
Though he had opened his own heart to the Sword Saint's sincere persuasion, he believed there could not possibly be another such person among the martial artists of the world.
I was so sure of it...
Yet, he had no choice but to acknowledge it now.
He had to acknowledge the sincerity of the man before him, who had willingly shattered his own dantian just to resolve another's grudge.
The Shadowless Divine Thief gazed intently at Han Cheong-un and spoke.
"I wish to hear your name once more."
At those words, Han Cheong-un politely clasped his hands in a martial salute.
"I am Han Cheong-un, Leader of the Extreme Dao Sect."
"..."
The Shadowless Divine Thief nodded calmly, his eyes lingering on the youth.
"I shall remember it."
He waved his hand in the air, and something flew out from the pile of treasures inside the secret cavern.
It was a worn, fist-sized pouch.
"Take this."
"Elder? Could this be...?"
"It seems you know what it is."
"..."
"I no longer have any use for it. Put it to good use."
Han Cheong-un beamed.
In truth, finding this very item had been his sole concern. He had never expected the Shadowless Divine Thief to hand it over of his own accord.
"It is time for me to go."
The spiritual projection of the Shadowless Divine Thief began to fade.
He accepted his fate with a look of profound relief.
Seeing him finally free, no longer bound by the shackles of gratitude and resentment, Han Cheong-un bowed respectfully once more.
"I will never forget your kindness, Senior Shadowless Divine Thief."
"The Shadowless Divine Thief..."
He let out a soft chuckle, then murmured,
"That is not my name."
His body dissolved into light.
Yet, a faint but unmistakable smile graced his lips as he spoke his final words.
"Once my soul ascends to the heavens, my family will call me by my real name."
With that, he vanished completely.
After the Shadowless Divine Thief disappeared, Han Cheong-un spoke with a wistful expression.
"In the end, perhaps the Shadowless Divine Thief simply found the burden of his grudge too heavy and wanted to lay it down."
Han Cheong-un continued.
"That is the nature of resentment. Once you shoulder it, it is not easily cast aside by your own will."
He went on.
"Crushed by grudges, bound by solitude... In the end, revenge only brings misery to oneself."
Han Cheong-un spoke in an increasingly solemn, dramatic tone.
"Therefore, we must practice forgiveness and tolerance, and..."
"Sect Leader."
"Yes?"
"Cut the bullshit and keep your hands straight up."
"Excuse me... but I am the Sect Leader here, you know?"
"Do you want to plant your head on the ground?"
"...No."
Ah, for the record, Han Cheong-un was currently kneeling on the floor with both hands raised high above his head.
All of his philosophical nonsense had been spouted in this exact posture.
"There is a limit to how insane someone can be."
Tang Jin looked as if his blood pressure was skyrocketing just thinking about it.
"Shattering your dantian? Huh?!"
"Well, you see..."
"What kind of lunatic in this world shatters their own dantian? Huh?!"
"If you look hard enough, I'm sure there are a few..."
"What was that?"
"No, I'm telling you, I had a perfectly good reason!"
"Oh, really? Let me guess. You knew it was all a test within an illusion, and you knew you'd actually be fine, so you went ahead and broke it? Is that it?"
"...Of course."
At the slightly delayed response, Tang Jin glanced at Baek Su-ah.
Baek Su-ah bent down in front of Han Cheong-un, meeting his gaze directly.
"..."
"..."
The two stared at each other in silence.
Then, Baek Su-ah spoke.
"He's lying."
"Damn those Dragon Eyes..."
"You're the one who's damned, you crazy bastard of a Sect Leader!"
It was an absolute mess.
Honestly, Tang Jin's anger was entirely justified.
No matter how necessary it was to resolve the Shadowless Divine Thief's grudge, who in their right mind would have guessed he would actually shatter his own dantian?
Even up to the very moment Han Cheong-un struck himself, Tang Jin had been thinking, No, he wouldn't. There's no way. But then...
"Damn it, maybe I should just go back to my family. Why did I follow a lunatic like you?"
"No! It'll be a disaster if you leave."
"Then promise me."
"Promise what?"
"Promise that you will never pull a crazy stunt like this again."
"Fine. I promise."
The answer came without a second thought.
And immediately after...
"He's lying again."
The verification followed instantly.
"You absolute lunatic!"
"Lady Baek, do you really have to do this to me?"
"Just drop dead, you goddamn bastard of a Sect Leader!"
While the chaos was unfolding...
"What do you think you are doing?"
An uninvited guest appeared at the entrance of the secret cavern.
Ah, they got here faster than I thought.
It was Hyeon-myeong, the Third Elder of the Mount Hua Sect, along with several first-generation disciples.
Rather than being surprised by their sudden arrival, Han Cheong-un looked as if he had expected them all along.
"You've arrived?"
"Indeed. But... did you really clear all the trials of this cavern by yourselves?"
Hyeon-myeong had seen the triggered traps and the shattered remains of the jiangshi on his way in.
Han Cheong-un shrugged.
"Yes. One thing led to another, and here we are."
"Hmm, I see."
Hyeon-myeong nodded, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Then, he spouted utter nonsense.
"You have worked hard. You may leave the rest to me."
Instead of being shocked by the absurdity, Han Cheong-un simply wore a look that said, Of course he'd say that.
"Elder. When you say we should leave the rest to you, what exactly do you mean?"
"The items within the Shadowless Divine Thief's cavern are deeply entangled with the grudges and histories of various sects."
"True. And?"
"If an individual claims them carelessly, it will only invite conflict. Therefore, it is only right to hand them over to the Alliance so they can be properly categorized and returned."
In short, he was saying he would take everything in the name of the Wulin Alliance.
At Hyeon-myeong's shameless declaration, the disciples standing behind him awkwardly turned their heads away. Even they seemed to think this was crossing the line.
Han Cheong-un smirked at the sight and spoke.
"Elder, I cannot comply with that."
"What did you say?"
"The ones who cleared this cavern are the two of us from the Extreme Dao Sect, and Lady Baek Su-ah of the Mount Hua Sect."
"And?"
"If Mount Hua were claiming ownership, that would be one thing. But why should I hand over the rights to this cavern to the Wulin Alliance?"
"What? Are you saying you do not trust the Wulin Alliance?"
"Yes."
Hyeon-myeong was taken aback by the immediate, blunt response. But from Han Cheong-un's perspective...
I remained loyal for decades, fought in their wars, achieved countless merits, and even wiped out the Sado-palmun for them, only to be locked away in their dungeon. And I'm supposed to trust them?
There was absolutely no reason to hesitate.
"Why on earth would I trust the Wulin Alliance?"
"What did you say?!"
"Ah, nothing. Ahem. Anyway..."
Han Cheong-un straightened his posture and addressed Hyeon-myeong.
"We have already reached an agreement with the Sect Leader of Mount Hua regarding how to divide the items found in this cavern."
"..."
"Surely you aren't unaware of this?"
Of course he knew.
The agreement regarding the exploration of the Shadowless Divine Thief's cavern was as follows:
1. The Zaha Divine Sword shall belong to the Mount Hua Sect.
2. The Extreme Dao Sect also reserves the right to claim sole ownership of one specific item.
3. All other items shall be split exactly fifty-fifty.
It was a simple but reasonable agreement.
Even though the Extreme Dao Sect was so small it had yet to make a name for itself in the Jianghu, this was a formal pact made between the leaders of two sects.
"You aren't planning to deny this, are you?"
A smirk played on Han Cheong-un's lips as he spoke.
Yes, this was checkmate.
Surely an elder of Mount Hua wouldn't dare object to a decision made by his own Sect Leader?
Unless he was completely out of his mind...
"I cannot accept that."
"He really is out of his mind."
"What did you say?"
"Oh, excuse me... Actually, I'm not even sorry. Do you even realize what you just said, Elder?"
"..."
"Using your status as an elder of Mount Hua, you have just denied the authority of your own Sect Leader."
"..."
"Are you absolutely certain that what you just said wasn't a slip of the tongue, but a deliberate decision made of your own free will?"
Hyeon-myeong ground his teeth inwardly at Han Cheong-un's words.
Cunning brat.
Honestly, this was a reckless move.
For an elder of Mount Hua to openly defy the Sect Leader's authority was a grave sin akin to betraying one's ancestors and teachers.
But...
I have no choice.
The scale of the Shadowless Divine Thief's cavern exceeded all expectations.
Piles of gold and silver treasures lay heaped together.
Divine weapons hung neatly along the walls.
The medicine bottles and herbs scattered about were clearly of extraordinary quality.
This wealth was easily comparable to ten years of the Wulin Alliance's entire budget.
And he was supposed to hand over half of it to these greenhorns?
Absolutely not. That cannot happen.
He had to secure this for the Wulin Alliance.
If he claimed credit for this achievement, it would give him immense political leverage in the upcoming election for the next Alliance Leader.
How could he possibly give that up?
Hyeon-myeong stared straight at Han Cheong-un, his tone softening slightly.
"You are the one who needs to stop being stubborn."
"I'm the one being stubborn?"
"In the first place, claiming all of this for yourself is far more likely to bring disaster than fortune."
"..."
"I will personally recommend your merits to the Alliance. If I do, the Alliance will surely reward you handsomely. Perhaps..."
"Perhaps what?"
Hyeon-myeong glanced at the disciples beside him, let out a sigh, and spoke as if offering a great concession.
"Perhaps even Hyeon-un might come to think more highly of you."
This was Hyeon-myeong's trump card, played with great difficulty.
Hyeon-un, also known as Cheongheo Jinin.
He was the Sect Leader of Wudang and the most likely candidate to become the next Leader of the Wulin Alliance.
Hyeon-myeong was under the illusion that Han Cheong-un had connections to him.
Thus, he was confident these words would work.
He was probably just blinded by greed for the cavern's treasures. If he knows his place, he'll come to his senses now. Hyeon-myeong thought.
However...
"Hyeon-un? Ah... you mean Cheongheo Jinin, the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect?"
Han Cheong-un picked at his ear with a bored expression. He blew the earwax off his finger and spoke.
"Who gives a damn about that guy?"
Hyeon-myeong's face froze instantly.
Han Cheong-un smirked and continued, "But why is the name of Wudang's Sect Leader coming out of the mouth of an elder of the Mount Hua Sect?"
"W-What?"
"No, think about it. Isn't it strange? You're offering to recommend me to the Sect Leader of Wudang? Not to Mount Hua, but to Wudang?"
"..."
"It makes it sound as if there is a very close, intimate relationship between an elder of Mount Hua and the Sect Leader of Wudang..."
"Silence!"
Hyeon-myeong roared, his face flushing crimson as if it were on fire.
The factions and political rivalries within the Wulin Alliance were an open secret. However, having it pointed out so bluntly in front of his disciples was a massive humiliation.
Indeed, the disciples standing beside him looked visibly uncomfortable.
How dare he...
Hyeon-myeong ground his teeth and hissed, "How dare a mere brat insult an elder of the great Mount Hua Sect?"
"Insult... Haha..."
"What is so funny?"
It was funny. It couldn't be anything but funny.
In his past life, every time these people barked like this, he would bow his head, apologize, and yield.
He had believed that a martial artist of the Orthodox faction had to respect seniority, and that talking back to one's elders was disrespectful, regardless of who was right or wrong.
So, whenever they used their seniority to assert authority, he had bowed and obeyed as much as possible. But now...
"I really was pathetic back then."
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that once the blindfold is off, the world looks entirely different."
"What absolute nonsense are you spouting?"
Whoosh!
Han Cheong-un raised his spear and pointed it directly at Hyeon-myeong.
"Enough chatter."
"..."
"It seems we won't reach a compromise through words. Therefore..."
Han Cheong-un's tone shifted. He dropped the polite honorifics he had used to treat the other as an elder, adopting a direct, commanding tone.
"As the Leader of the Extreme Dao Sect, I challenge Hyeon-myeong, Elder of Mount Hua."
"What?"
"Since we cannot agree, what choice do we have? As martial artists, we must settle this with martial arts."
"Ha... Hahaha..."
Hyeon-myeong scoffed in disbelief.
What was this wet-behind-the-ears brat talking about?
A child who hadn't even lived half—no, a quarter—of his lifespan dared to challenge him to a duel?
Even accepting it would be a disgrace.
"Absurd. Yun-sang!"
"Yes, Elder."
"Make that boy kneel."
"M-Me?"
"No, all of you do it."
"..."
"What are you doing? Do you dare disobey my command?"
"Elder, I..."
Yun-sang hesitated.
Honestly, this was shameful.
Anyone could see that Elder Hyeon-myeong was the one being unreasonable, and following his orders meant defying the Sect Leader's wishes.
But...
"Yun-sang! Do you dare defy the hierarchy of our sect?"
Even if the order was wrong, Hyeon-myeong was still an elder of Mount Hua.
Yun-sang let out a heavy sigh and stepped forward.
"Junior brothers, step forward."
"Yes."
In the end, this was how it was.
He had no choice but to be a disciple of Mount Hua.