Chapter 228
Baek Yeon nodded once more, his gaze burning fiercely.
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to clear his throat and speak.
"In a martial artist's duel, victory is decided by who can unleash their sword faster. But in a battle between sects, it depends on who possesses more information."
Though Bu Eun-seol was a man of few words, once he began speaking, he was eloquent.
As the disciples gazed at him with bright, sparkling eyes, he addressed them in a persuasive voice.
"The Wind and Cloud Corps is where the most talented members gather to handle the finest intelligence in the martial world. And if the Wind and Cloud Corps hadn't existed, I wouldn't be standing here today."
That, too, was a truth-based statement.
Rumble, rumble.
Moved by Bu Eun-seol's words, the disciples now rushed not toward So-jeon but toward where Baek Yeon stood.
"Baek Yeon."
Watching this, So-jeon, with thick veins bulging on his forehead, muttered under his breath,
"Give way this time. Every disciple who seemed even remotely capable has been snatched away by the Wind and Cloud Corps."
Baek Yeon shook his head as he observed the swarming disciples.
"Since when was that my doing? They made their own choices."
Thud, thud.
Just then, a sturdy old man shuffled leisurely toward the training grounds.
It was Master Cheol, Wang Geol, who not only managed all of Langya Pavilion's equipment but also aided disciples with his vast knowledge and wisdom.
"Master Cheol, what brings you here?"
So-jeon, who had been growling, blinked in surprise as Wang Geol smacked his lips and replied,
"The Deputy Pavilion Lord has ordered that we begin replenishing the ranks of the Golden Fortress Corps soon."
"You mean Master Cheol will be leading the Golden Fortress Corps?"
"The Deputy Pavilion Lord is busy, so he entrusted this task to me."
Wang Geol sighed, his expression bitter.
"At any rate, the forge has been flooded with disciples lately."
The Golden Fortress Corps was Langya Pavilion's defensive unit, tasked with protecting the sect from external invasions.
In other words, they were the last line of defense—the ones who would construct barriers and repel waves of enemies when under siege.
But the young disciples showed no reaction.
There were no sects foolish enough to invade Langya Pavilion, teeming with terrifying masters, and joining the corps meant dedicating themselves solely to mastering defensive martial arts—grueling, thankless work.
"We'll accept the first fifty volunteers."
Yet Wang Geol, utterly unfazed by the lukewarm response, raised a hand and addressed the disciples.
"Those who wish to join the Golden Fortress Corps, step forward."
But the training grounds remained silent as a grave.
"Hahaha. Master Cheol, you're quite the dreamer."
So-jeon burst into laughter at the sight.
"Expecting fifty volunteers out of a hundred disciples? Who in their right mind would—"
"Ah, I nearly forgot."
Master Cheol, as if suddenly remembering something, added,
"This batch of Golden Fortress Corps recruits will be stationed at the Fleeting Moment Boat. At least until its mechanisms are fully restored..."
Before he could even finish—
Rumble, rumble!
Every single disciple on the training grounds rushed toward Master Cheol.
"..."
So-jeon and Baek Yeon stood there slack-jawed, like a dog that had just chased a chicken.
A few days later.
Before Langya Pavilion's main gate stood an Eight Horse Carriage, led by a glossy black steed.
Surrounding it were five mounted martial artists, and behind them, over thirty swordsmen stood in solemn formation.
The Demon Hall's First Tier Escort Corps had assembled to retrieve Bu Eun-seol.
Whoosh.
Bu Eun-seol emerged from the gate, clad in a resplendent martial uniform embroidered with the Twin Dragons Vying for the Pearl crest.
He had donned the formal attire of a unit chief for his return to the Demon Hall.
His bearing was so solemn and noble that he might as well have been a Martial God descended from the heavens.
Every figure of Langya Pavilion had gathered to witness his departure.
He was their pride.
Not only had he created an environment where they could focus solely on the Martial Way, but he had also restored the prestige of Langya Pavilion, which had once fallen to the lowest rank among the Demonic Path Ten Gates.
No longer would anyone dare call Langya Pavilion the "Ruined Sect."
"The Pavilion Lord is in secluded training, so he instructed you to depart without delay."
At Dan Cheong's words, Bu Eun-seol smiled faintly.
Though permission had been granted, it was clear that the idea of him leaving for the Demon Hall still rankled.
"I'll return."
As Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together, the masters of the Innovation Unit and the Wind and Cloud Corps, along with Wang Geol and countless others from Langya Pavilion, waved.
"Make us proud!"
Bu Eun-seol gave them a light salute before boarding the carriage.
With a clack, the carriage set off, and the mounted escort swiftly deployed their movement techniques, forming a tight protective formation around it.
Watching them go, Baek Yeon exhaled deeply.
"He'll face even greater trials ahead."
"Most likely."
So-jeon shook his head.
"Seems like that's his fate."
"Not fate... He simply doesn't avoid them."
Baek Yeon wore a proud smile.
Bu Eun-seol had endured more trials than anyone and would continue to do so.
Yet he never shied away from them, silently walking his thorny path.
"I see. We should train the new recruits to be like him, then."
So-jeon also smiled.
"To walk their own paths in silence."
Some might find it frustrating... or perhaps even question whether it's a roundabout path instead.
But in the future, when they look back, they will realize it was the fastest path possible.
That peerless martial prodigy is living proof of it.
Shocking rumors began spreading through Murim.
The reason? The Ten Demonic Heir from Langya Pavilion—a leading candidate to succeed the Demon Hall—had slain one of the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Every intelligence organization in the martial world mobilized to verify the truth of these rumors.
The Twin Heavenly Emperors of Righteous and Demonic.
The Three Demons and Three Venerables.
The superlative martial experts who had reached the Martial Extreme Realm—the pinnacle of martial arts—were equally distributed between the Demonic Path and the Righteous Faction.
Yet among the Four Gods and Seven Kings, only three belonged to the Demonic Path, with just a single one standing between the orthodox and unorthodox factions. The rest were all figures of the Righteous Faction.
In other words, the current state of Murim proved that the Righteous Faction and its masters still flourished, while the Demonic Path remained unable to catch up.
And yet, a mere rising talent of the younger generation, barely past his coming of age, had killed the Beggar King? The Righteous Faction was on high alert.
—It has been confirmed that the Beggar King fell in a one-on-one duel against him.
At last, every intelligence organization in Murim officially recognized the Beggar King's defeat as fact.
—The Supreme Elder had been suffering from a chronic illness for years!
In response, the Beggars' Sect immediately began tarnishing Bu Eun-seol's victory.
They spread whispers through intelligence networks that the Beggar King had long been afflicted by severe illness, his Internal Power already greatly diminished.
Not only that—they even slandered him, claiming the Ten Demonic Heir had secretly planted accomplices (bangsu, or "helpers") in advance to secure his victory.
—Just which version is the truth?
Since no one had actually witnessed the fight between the two, no one could unravel the truth of the matter.
But even if the rumors spread by the Beggars' Sect were true, one fact remained unchanged: a rising master of the Demonic Path had killed him.
—Regardless, shouldn't he now ascend to the Seat of the Four Gods and Seven Kings? Unless we're to start calling them the Four Gods and Six Kings?
As martial artists continued paying close attention to Bu Eun-seol, the Beggars' Sect, after much deliberation, began circulating an absurdly humiliating epithet.
—Since he's so lucky, let's call him the Luck King!
It was a ridiculous title.
But from the perspective of the Righteous Faction, Bu Eun-seol was someone who should never be allowed to sit among the Four Gods and Seven Kings.
Moreover, most sects outside the Demonic Path also quietly disapproved of elevating a rising talent to such a prestigious position.
Eventually, the discussion about his epithet fizzled out—but every intelligence organization in Murim kept their eyes fixed on him, watching like hawks.
Bu Eun-seol, the successor of Langya Pavilion and a candidate to inherit the Demon Hall.
Before anyone realized it, he had become a storm upending the martial world.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
In the distance, an escort corps and an Eight Horse Carriage kicked up a cloud of dust as they charged straight toward the Demon Hall.
KOOOOM—
As the massive gates slowly creaked open, the carriage immediately passed through and continued its headlong rush inward.
Before long, upon reaching the heart of the Demon Hall, the escort corps and carriage came to a halt.
Creeeak—
As Bu Eun-seol stepped out of the carriage, he blinked in surprise at the unexpected sight before him.
Countless people had lined up in formation around the carriage.
A closer look at their faces revealed they were the high-ranking officials of the Demon Hall—the same ones who had once stood in formation before the Holy Demon Pavilion.
"Lord of the Death Shadow Squad. It's been a while."
"You're looking even more radiant than before."
One by one, they approached Bu Eun-seol, feigning familiarity as they greeted him.
It hadn't been long since they had scorned him as a lowly disciple of Langya Pavilion—a sect with no influence to speak of.
But now, with the Heaven-Severing, Earth-Destroying Sanctuary and the Fleeting Moment Boat backing him, and Langya Pavilion itself reformed and flourishing with new disciples, things had changed.
And after killing the Beggar King, he had become a leading candidate for succession. Now, they shamelessly lined up to curry favor.
'Only natural.'
Unlike the Righteous Faction, where respect was earned through noble character and righteous deeds, the Demonic Path operated differently.
Here, the strong with overwhelming power and authority dominated the weak.
Clomp-clomp—
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. A towering middle-aged man, flanked by dozens of guardian warriors, strode toward Bu Eun-seol.
It was none other than Dan Wol-hon, Lord of the Jipma Manor.
The moment he appeared, the gathered officials of the Demon Hall stepped back and bowed respectfully.
"Lord Dan."
Bu Eun-seol pressed his palms together in salute, and Dan Wol-hon gave a slight nod.
"You've caused quite the stir recently. The entire martial world is abuzz with talk of you."
Though his words suggested interest, Dan Wol-hon's face betrayed neither curiosity nor enthusiasm.
This time, it didn't seem like he had come at Dan So-ok's request—it appeared to be nothing more than a chance encounter.
"But let's not mistake this as confirmation of your succession to the Demon Hall."
As the Lord of the Jipma Manor, he commanded the military forces of the Demon Hall—a man whose authority even the Demonic Heavenly Emperor couldn't disregard.
Thus, no matter how much Bu Eun-seol's standing had risen, it meant little to him.
"I'm well aware."
"Hmph."
Dan Wol-hon snorted softly, nodded once more, then walked past Bu Eun-seol without another word.
'He must be going to see the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.'
The direction he headed led straight to the Holy Demon Pavilion.
Just as Bu Eun-seol sank into deep thought—
"Lord Bu. It's been some time."
A low, gentle voice called out from behind him.
Turning, he saw a refined middle-aged man in scholar's robes smiling warmly. It was Baek Jeon-cheon, leader of the Myriad Learning Society.
"Society Leader."
Bu Eun-seol bowed deeply.
The Myriad Learning Society's leader had shown him nothing but goodwill, from his days as a Ten Demonic Heir to now.
"At this very moment, a council is being held in the Holy Demon Pavilion—attended by the Demonic Heavenly Emperor and the highest echelons of the Demon Hall's leadership."
And as if to prove it, he had been providing Bu Eun-seol with all sorts of necessary information.
"Including Lord Bu, the tasks handled by the successor candidates are all matters of significant importance."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
He hadn't bothered keeping tabs on the movements of other successors like Do Cheon-rin.
Partly because he wasn't particularly eager to become the Demon Hall's successor...
But more than anything, because the moment he learned about his competitors' activities, impatience might lead him to ruin his own plans.
"Shall we talk while walking? Since Lord Bu's residence has changed, you'll need someone to guide you anyway."
Bu Eun-seol wore a puzzled expression.
"You could just send one of the martial artists under your command."
Baek Jeon-cheon, the Myriad Learning Society Leader, was always humble, but his rank was far from low, and his hidden martial prowess was extraordinary.
Yet for such a man to personally guide Bu Eun-seol to his residence and engage in idle conversation was an act of excessive self-deprecation.
"Hahaha, it's fine. Right now, the most unoccupied person in the Myriad Learning Society is me."
Then, he extended his arm toward Bu Eun-seol.
"Shall we go together?"
Bu Eun-seol and Baek Jeon-cheon walked side by side toward the Demon Hall's East Gate.
"The successor of the Bloodflame Blade Family succeeded in obtaining the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit, said to bear fruit only once every thousand years in the polar regions."
Once they reached a quiet path devoid of martial artists, Baek Jeon-cheon spoke in a low voice.
"And the successor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect reportedly caught the trail of the mysterious figure who vanished thirty years ago—the Empty-Handed Divine Thief."
Only then did Bu Eun-seol grasp the nature of the tasks Do Cheon-rin and Wi Ji-hye-sang had chosen.
'Indeed, they picked missions that, while difficult, were certainly achievable.'
The Bloodflame Blade Family had long held the polar regions under their influence.
Of course, the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit was said to bloom only once every thousand years, making it impossible to obtain without fate's favor...
But if it were Do Cheon-rin, he would surely have known the exact timing of the fruit's ripening. And upon reading the words on the assignment slip, he must have chosen it immediately.
'But...'
What was incomprehensible was Wi Ji-hye-sang's choice.
He had examined all the tasks others were selecting before picking the one most suited to him.
So why, of all things, had he chosen the worst possible slip—the one involving tracking down the Empty-Handed Divine Thief, who had disappeared thirty years ago?
'Wasn't he once a man pursued by both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions?'
Bu Eun-seol narrowed his eyes.
The Empty-Handed Divine Thief. He was said to be the only person who had ever infiltrated both the Martial Alliance's and the Demon Hall's Secret Vaults.
The problem was that among the treasures stored in those vaults was a jointly signed document listing the names of spies.
—I absolutely never saw any damn joint petition!
The Empty-Handed Divine Thief had stubbornly insisted he never laid eyes on the joint petition, but there were no fools gullible enough to believe him.
He was simultaneously hunted by both factions and eventually vanished without a trace from the martial world.
'And yet Wi Ji-hye-sang managed to catch his trail?'
Bu Eun-seol couldn't make sense of it.
The Fire Rain Sword Sect was the foremost orthodox sword school of the demonic path.
Tracking down elusive or hidden figures was far removed from their expertise.
"The tasks taken by the successors of the Ultimate Assassin Pavilion and the Extinction Palace are still ongoing, but they don't appear to be easy."
Baek Jeon-cheon spoke again.
"Even the main hall originally struggled with these matters. Even if the entire Fire Rain Sword Sect mobilized, it would take considerable time."
"What about the other successor candidates?"
The Ultimate Assassin Pavilion's successor, Yong Jeok-bi, had been tasked with eliminating the Twelve Branches—a problem-solving faction from the Upper Realm.
Meanwhile, the Extinction Palace's successor, Sindo Un-hwi, was assigned to normalize a sect absorbed by the Demon Hall but never fully integrated.
At first glance, they seemed simple, but in reality, they required massive manpower and extensive time.
"The successors of the Extinction Palace and the Ultimate Assassin Pavilion are still in progress."
Baek Jeon-cheon smiled faintly.
"They likely never expected Lord Bu and the Bloodflame Blade Family to complete their tasks in such a short time."
His expression was filled with satisfaction.
Baek Jeon-cheon had always supported Bu Eun-seol. Thus, whenever Bu Eun-seol overcame trials, he felt a sense of pride as if he had contributed.
"Is the Demonic Heavenly Emperor holding a meeting because of the successor candidates' mission completions?"
"Correct. Lord Bu always strikes at the heart of the matter."
Baek Jeon-cheon's gaze turned serious.
"The Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit is one of the greatest treasures in the martial world. Consuming it can easily cure even the most severe cases of Severed Meridians. And among the main hall's members, aren't there many born with such conditions?"
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol recalled Dan Wol-hon's grave expression from earlier.
Dan So-ok. She, too, suffered from Triple Yin Meridian Blockage, rendering her unable to practice martial arts and leaving her perpetually frail.
If she could obtain the Supreme Spirit Immortal Fruit, not only would she be able to master powerful martial arts, but she might even rise to the position of Chief Administrator in one leap.
"As Lord Bu well knows, the Empty-Handed Divine Thief is said to have memorized the entire list of high-ranking spies embedded within both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions."
Baek Jeon-cheon's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the distant sky.
"Rumors say the reason he could vanish without a trace despite being surrounded by masters from both factions was due to the backing of Baekri Mu-ha—once called the Murim's Number One Secret."
'Baekri Mu-ha...'
How strange.
The moment he heard that name, Bu Eun-seol's heart inexplicably raced.