Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Assembly (1)
Two days later.
The streets of Kaifeng held an atmosphere both joyous and solemn—two entirely contradictory moods coexisting.
Under the glow of ornate lanterns strung along the streets...
Children played cheerfully while adults wiped away tears.
It was the Soul-Soothing Ritual, held by the Murim Alliance to console the living and honor the spirits of the departed.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Soo-rin walked through Kaifeng's streets.
She wore the Blood Phoenix Robe and a mask.
Like the others, she had concealed every trace of her aura to appear as nothing more than an ordinary civilian.
Her mind was preoccupied.
'......What could the Alliance Leader possibly want with me?'
Soo-rin had no particular connection to Alliance Leader Yoo Jin-hak.
At most, she had greeted him in passing while accompanying her master during their meetings.
Yet, the seal stamped on the summons she received was unmistakably his.
The Murim Alliance Leader's seal, much like an emperor's jade insignia, was crafted through a secret technique imbued with mystical power—impossible to replicate.
As a member of the Divine Maiden Sect, the Murim faction closest to the mystical arts, she recognized it at a glance.
That was why she had slipped away in secret, hiding even her destination from her master.
Swoosh.
Suddenly, Soo-rin stopped in her tracks and glanced around.
Countless people brushed past her, paying no mind to the motionless figure in their midst.
Strangely, every one of them wore a mask identical to hers.
'Did they prepare this Soul-Soothing Ritual just for today's meeting?'
The Murim Alliance had distributed the masks, claiming they were meant to hide the sorrow of mourning from the departed.
But she was certain their true purpose was to conceal the identities of those summoned.
They had orchestrated this grand event just to allow the assembled to gather unnoticed.
'This definitely isn't something ordinary.'
Her instincts, honed through countless crises, continued to sound alarms.
Tap.
Then, she halted again.
Her destination had finally come into view.
Cheongwon Bookstore.
The name written in the letter was boldly inscribed on the shop's signboard.
A spacious three-story building.
Though she wasn't from Kaifeng, Cheongwon Bookstore was, in fact, quite famous.
It had been established long before the Murim Alliance's founding.
Perhaps because of that, the flow of customers was substantial.
'......But can a secret meeting really take place in a place like this?'
The word "assembly" in the letter implied that others besides her would gather today.
Lost in thought, Soo-rin pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Welcome! Are you looking for anything in particular?"
As the aged wooden door creaked, a cheerful shop assistant greeted her.
Normally, she might have exchanged pleasantries, but Soo-rin merely nodded slightly before slipping past.
'It's much bigger inside than it looked from outside.'
The interior of Cheongwon Bookstore was lined with towering bookshelves arranged in a chaotic maze.
Despite the crowd, the overlapping shelves obscured most people from view.
Slowly circling the first floor, Soo-rin began scanning her surroundings.
'I'm here, but... how are we supposed to assemble?!'
"!!"
Whoosh!
Her feet suddenly lost all traction as something yanked her downward.
Before she could even gasp, her body plummeted.
As she fell, she caught a glimpse of the floorboards swiftly closing above her.
'So this is how they planned to gather us.'
In that instant, realization dawned on her.
Flutter!
Her Blood Phoenix Robe billowed as the long sleeves unfurled like wings.
Like living serpents, the sleeves coiled around protruding structures along the walls.
Snap!
The sleeves tautened, halting her mid-air.
Dangling, Soo-rin gauged the drop below.
'Hmm, another three stories' worth.'
Swoosh!
Qi surged through her entire body.
Her recent enlightenment had elevated her mastery to the peak of perfection.
'Alright, then.'
Fwoom!
Retracting the qi from her sleeves, she let herself drop again.
Thud!
She landed flawlessly.
Catching her breath, she surveyed her surroundings.
Faint light seeped through cracks in the walls.
'An old underground hideout, by the looks of it.'
Likely a covert space maintained by the Murim Alliance.
But Kaifeng, where the Alliance's headquarters stood, wouldn't need a hideout—this was probably inherited from a pre-Alliance faction.
Two passages branched out ahead.
Like the floor above, the underground was designed like a maze.
Flick.
In one swift motion, she removed her mask and tossed it aside.
Dabbing her fingertip with saliva, she raised her hand.
A breeze brushed against her skin—from the left passage.
"Hmm, guess I'll have to go and see."
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept through the passage.
Soo-rin sprinted at full speed, her movement technique in full display.
'......No end in sight.'
The underground stretched far beyond the building's footprint.
By her estimate, she had already covered a distance comparable to the Alliance's outer walls.
Digging tunnels this extensive would have collapsed nearby buildings long ago.
Only one explanation fit:
A concealment formation.
Even as the Divine Maiden Sect's Young Mistress, she struggled to pinpoint the formation's exit—a testament to its sophistication.
'I'll manage, but the others might struggle.'
Difficult, but not impossible.
The Divine Maiden Sect's studies overlapped heavily with formations, so she had trained extensively in countermeasures.
But for those unprepared, this formation would trap them in an endless loop until their minds shattered.
A brutal test, by any measure.
After what felt like an eternity of running—
Tap.
"......!"
Finally, she reached the passage's end.
A glint flashed in Soo-rin's eyes.
A door barred her path.
'Can this even be called a door?'
It was anything but ordinary.
An opaque liquid hovered in the air, shaped like a door.
Where the formation ended, sorcery began.
'Got it.'
In an instant, she deciphered the water gate's principles and structure.
Typically, dispelling sorcery required reversing its exact construction.
But this water gate was unique—it demanded no such finesse.
Flutter!
Her sleeves billowed once more.
'This one can only be opened by force.'
If the journey here tested intellect, this gate tested martial prowess.
Only overwhelming power could shatter it.
As if declaring: Turn back if you lack the strength.
Swoosh!
The qi of the Divine Maiden Sect's secret art, the Nine Heavens Divine Technique, saturated her sleeves.
Simultaneously, she spread her arms wide.
Like wings, they cast shadows in the air.
Flutter!
A transformation followed.
The elongated sleeves, reminiscent of a celestial maiden's robes, suddenly enveloped her entire body.
Leaving just enough room to move, they solidified into a full-body shield.
'The Divine Maiden Sect's martial arts are anything but frail.'
Crack!
In a flash, Soo-rin charged forward like lightning.
Using her entire body as a battering ram, she collided with full force.
Celestial Robes, Seamless Technique
Second Form:
Circular Wings
Bang!
Her footwork propelled her like a cannonball toward the gate.
Boom!
Crash!
A deafening explosion erupted as violent ripples tore through the water gate.
Shatter!
Crack!
Amidst the sound of shattering glass, Soo-rin's figure shot through.
As the darkness gave way to light—
'Huh? Wha—?'
She froze.
"Gah!?"
A man, even more startled than her, appeared right before her eyes.
Thud!
Crash!
Her momentum carried her straight into him, sending them both tumbling.
Another crash echoed like the gate's destruction.
"Oww..."
Slowly rising from the floor, Soo-rin gasped.
"Ah! S-sorry!"
The man she had collided with lay pinned beneath her.
Fizzle.
Meanwhile, the shattered water gate silently reformed as if nothing had happened.
The man groaned as he sat up—his muscular frame unmistakably that of a martial artist.
"Guh... Quite the impact, Lady Seo."
"P-Young Master Peng?!"
Soo-rin blinked in shock.
It was Peng Dae-ho, the young master of the Hebei Peng family, whom she had met once before.
"Most slash or stab their way in. A full-body tackle is a first."
"Ahhh, I'm so sorry!"
"Wow, Sister Seo's here too!"
"Huh? So-hye?"
As she bowed repeatedly, Peng So-hye bounded over, overjoyed to see her.
Peng So-hye hopped around excitedly.
Bewildered, Soo-rin scanned the room.
Beyond the gate lay what appeared to be an ordinary conference hall.
A U-shaped arrangement with a single chair at the head.
Five chairs lined each side.
"Hmm, two more to go, then."
"Yes, Senior!"
"Honestly, drop the 'senior' bit."
"Understood, Grandmaster!"
"...Sigh. Just call me 'senior.'"
On one side, Jang So-pyeong and Nam Mu-jin of the Beggar Sect's rear faction conversed.
"So my guess was right—they've gathered the Rising Stars."
"Yes, though we should wait for the remaining arrivals."
"Agreed."
Opposite them, Tang Se-rin of the Sichuan Tang family and Do Ye-cheon of the Mount Hua Sect exchanged words.
The room was filled with faces Soo-rin never expected to see.
'But the host...'
Amidst them, one figure stood out.
While everyone else had removed their masks...
"......"
One person remained seated, stubbornly masked.
His build suggested a man, but nothing else was discernible.
"Hehe. Still the same, Soo-rin."
"......!"
Then, a familiar voice called from behind.
Whirling around, Soo-rin's eyes widened like lanterns.
"Ha-young!!"
Spotting Do Ha-young, she dashed over and hugged her tightly.
Among the current Nine Dragons Society members, the Silver Phoenix and the Spirit Phoenix were renowned as inseparable friends.
Thus, nine Rising Stars, summoned by an unknown figure, assembled in the hideout.