Chapter 88: The Fourfold Virtuoso
Chapter 88
The Fourfold Virtuoso
A single day had passed since the Catastrophe of Kaifeng—the bloodiest incident recorded since the establishment of the Murim Alliance.
Kaifeng, Henan—home to the Alliance's headquarters—had suffered an unprecedented attack.
The casualties were staggering: over a thousand injured, nearly a hundred dead.
Yet what was truly shocking was that these numbers represented a successful defense—the absolute minimum damage possible under such circumstances.
The calamity that had blotted out the sky carried a brutality beyond comprehension.
Though people later learned it had been sorcery, the only word that could describe their experience was disaster.
The civilians of Kaifeng, who had once believed themselves the safest in all the Central Plains, now understood how fragile that belief had been.
Still paralyzed by terror and panic, unable to even muster anger—
A second wave of shock struck them.
The bloodshed in Kaifeng was not the end.
Six of the former Nine Dragon Guardians had met gruesome deaths.
Among the victims were none other than the Shaolin Temple's Grand Disciple and the direct heir of the Namgung family.
Rumors spread that the late-arriving recovery teams had struggled to collect the bodies—so horrifically mutilated were they.
Whether from the Elders' faction or the Alliance Leader's, these were all prodigies destined to lead their sects or families.
Their deaths at such a young age sent shockwaves rippling beyond Kaifeng, across the entire Central Plains.
And every martial artist who heard the news realized one undeniable truth:
The era of peace that had long reigned over the martial world had ended this very day.
The Heavenly Guesthouse
Renowned as Kaifeng's largest and most luxurious inn, it stood as a symbol of prestige.
Yet today, its grandeur lay in ruins.
Gaping holes pierced the ceiling, corrosive scars marred the interior—undeniable wounds left by the calamity.
Under normal circumstances, the establishment would have closed for extensive repairs.
But for some reason, the doors remained open.
And despite its condition, the inn was packed to the brim.
"See these marks? They're proof of the Evil Faction's atrocities against us!"
"Damn those bastards!"
"Sob..."
The crowd had gathered to hear the storyteller—and with every word he spoke, those who had narrowly escaped the disaster erupted in fury and grief.
The storyteller continued to pin the blame squarely on the Evil Faction.
But this was no mere individual's claim.
It was the Murim Alliance's official stance, declared days prior.
Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak and the Alliance Leader's faction had urged caution, insisting further investigation was needed before any announcement.
Yet under pressure from the Namgung family-led Elders' faction—and the imperial court, now emboldened by civilian casualties—their protests were overruled.
"And that wasn't all! Not only did they spill innocent blood, they slaughtered the very talents who would have led the Orthodox Faction in the future!"
The deaths of the former Nine Dragon Guardians sent shockwaves through the martial world.
The Kunlun Sect's leader, Master Wind Dancer, collapsed upon hearing of his beloved disciple's demise—so severe was his heart demon that the Alliance Leader himself had to intervene.
The Qingcheng Sect, having lost its Grand Disciple yet again after I Hoseong, struggled to elect a successor—eventually reinstating a former troublemaker who had been confined to the mountain.
"But fear not! The thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple has descended from Mount Song to appease the fallen disciple's spirit!"
"Ooh!"
"Shaolin itself?!"
Breaking their long silence, the Shaolin abbot—Heavenly Fist Tathagata Gakgong—had descended from the mountain.
And his first destination was not the Murim Alliance.
Shockingly, he met privately with Namgung Myeong.
From that day forth, Shaolin's centuries-long neutrality was revoked.
They joined the Elders' faction in demanding severe retribution against the Evil Faction.
Next, the storyteller turned his attention to—
"The Hwangbo family—"
"Spit! Don't even mention those Hwangbo bastards!"
"Right! They deserve worse than death!"
The Hwangbo family had become synonymous with treason.
Their crimes were so egregious that not a soul pitied them.
Deceived or not, they had stolen artifacts from the Alliance's treasury and sold them to the enemy.
They smuggled forbidden ritual artifacts into Kaifeng.
And when the Alliance launched a full investigation, the rot within the Hwangbo family was laid bare.
"After Patriarch Hwangbo Geon was imprisoned with his dantian sealed, his accomplices were dragged out one after another! Ah, the corruption within the Alliance seems endless! Even Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak lamented deeply!"
The deeper they dug, the more filth surfaced—so much so that even civilians now spat curses at the mere mention of the Hwangbo name.
Yet what truly enraged the Orthodox Faction was the Evil Faction's brazen response.
"And despite all this, those damned heretics have the gall to play the victim! Ah, how can we not rage?!"
"Those sons of bitches!"
"We should wage war and repay them tenfold!"
Under pressure from both the Alliance and the imperial court, the Evil Faction—as if waiting—issued a statement bearing the seal of the Five Evils' leader.
But its contents left the Murim Alliance speechless.
They claimed the Kaifeng incidents were staged by the Alliance—that they were the true victims.
First, Blood Sea Dragon King Kang Cheol-eon of Dongting Eighteen Villages denied the existence of the disciple accused of impersonating him.
Then he alleged that his secret martial manual, Jiaolong Finger, had been stolen.
He declared the Murim Alliance the mastermind behind the conspiracy—framing the Evil Faction to cover up the Kaifeng massacre.
But that wasn't all.
The Heaven-Piercing Gang claimed their divine artifact—a ritual vessel to amplify sorcery—had been stolen by unknown forces.
Finally, the leader of the Five Evils, Lord of the Sleepless City, raged about an ambush on their money transport.
A tenth of their treasury—enough to buy a city—had been looted.
And the worst part?
The Evil Faction's claims were all true.
This left the imperial court in an awkward position.
The factions supporting the First Prince (backed by the Namgung family) and the Second Prince (aligned with the Sleepless City) were now at odds.
With no concrete evidence, the court couldn't side with either.
Thus, as the imperial court plunged into political turmoil, the martial world descended into chaos.
Yet—
As the saying goes, heroes rise in times of chaos.
"But those fiends never anticipated this! Even in darkness, light persists! Though they deceived even Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak, who could have foreseen that a mere youth—the Green Dragon of Sichuan—would shatter their schemes?!"
"Huzzah!"
"Waaaah!"
The Green Dragon of Sichuan—none other than Tang Se-woon.
Kaifeng's civilians and martial artists alike roared his name in fervent support.
Once regarded as merely a promising young talent, Se-woon's reputation now soared beyond measure.
His astonishing feats during the Kaifeng Catastrophe had spread like wildfire.
"Chief Strategist Jegal Hoon himself praised the Green Dragon's creation—the Dark Point Iron! Without it, the casualties would have been unimaginable!"
Jegal Hoon, both publicly and privately, lauded Se-woon's contributions.
Martial artists and civilians alike were stunned to learn how the tracking device had been forged.
They realized—had it not been for Se-woon, they would already be dead.
But as all knew, his deeds didn't end there.
"He risked his life using innate qi to save his sister and fellow disciples! And with martial prowess rivaling the Pinnacle Masters, he slaughtered the enemy!"
Survivors of the former Nine Dragon Guardians—including Peng Dae-ho—all named Se-woon as their savior.
A youth, barely twenty, reaching the Pinnacle and annihilating foes even veterans couldn't defeat?
Though the Alliance was too busy with aftermath to reward him properly,
Everyone agreed—no, demanded—that he receive the greatest honors in the Alliance's history.
"The Tang family of Sichuan will soon take the Hwangbo's place among the Seven Great Families!"
Naturally, after the Kaifeng Catastrophe, the Hwangbo family was immediately expelled from the Seven Great Families.
Their seat now stood vacant.
Normally, the Divine Maiden Sect (who had declined multiple times) or emerging powers like the Wei Family or Huangshan Sect might have claimed it.
But the martial world already treated the seat as reserved for the Sichuan Tang family.
"Hmm, though the Green Dragon remains unconscious from battle... And the Tang family's martial prowess may not yet suffice for the Seven Great—GACK!"
"You bastard, what did you just say?!"
"Who gave you the right to flap that filthy mouth?!"
Those who dared voice dissent were promptly beaten and thrown out by the enraged crowd.
As emotions peaked, the storyteller continued:
"His medical skills astonished even the Divine Doctor of Emei! As a smith, his talent compelled the Black Night Forgemaster to beg for apprenticeship!"
"His martial arts surpass even the former prodigies!"
"But above all—his righteous heart blots out the heavens!"
The martial world no longer called him merely the Green Dragon.
Not to strip him of the title—
They refused to confine him to the Nine Dragon Guardians.
He was no mere rising star, but a true martial hero—a Great Virtuoso worthy of reverence.
With a final flourish, the storyteller proclaimed:
"The Fourfold Virtuoso, Tang Se-woon—the hero who will lead the next generation!"
WAAAAAH!
The inn shook with thunderous cheers.
The Fourfold Virtuoso—
A man of four heavenly talents, standing atop the strings of fate.
Though "Virtuoso" traditionally denoted scholarly virtue, those who witnessed his might knew:
Soon, he would embody the true meaning of "Lord."
Yet as the crowd chanted his name, celebrating the birth of a hero—
The darkness lurking beneath the surface merely smiled coldly.