How to Lose
The Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect hosted another dinner the following evening, gathering the delegation from the Sun and Moon Sect, Ha Yeon-ryeong, and the first-generation disciples of Kunlun.
My mind had been in utter turmoil all day because of what Ha Yeon-ryeong had said to me yesterday.
It wasn't enough that I had reincarnated as the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult; I never in my wildest dreams expected to receive a marriage proposal from a thirteen-year-old girl.
Of course, Ha Yeon-ryeong's proposal was entirely different from the love-based proposals modern people typically think of.
She was simply using me as an excuse to call off her betrothal to Do Un.
"Father, I have something to say."
Not long after dinner began, Ha Yeon-ryeong finally spoke, her expression filled with grim determination.
"What is it, Yeon-ryeong?"
I quietly set my spoon down.
Just thinking about the impending disaster completely ruined my appetite.
"Please call off my betrothal to Senior Brother Do Un."
"Yeon-ryeong. What on earth are you talking about?"
"I believe choosing a marriage partner was handled far too hastily."
"Hastily? We even held a martial arts tournament to choose your groom. How could that be hasty?"
Ha Seung-ji's voice was calmer than expected.
He likely knew all along that his daughter wasn't pleased with this marriage.
However, that calmness did not last long.
"Until then, I never anticipated that I would develop romantic feelings for someone."
"Romantic feelings? Do you mean to say you have a lover?"
"Yes. I only wish to marry him, and I cannot marry anyone else. I am sorry, Father. And I am sorry, Senior Brother Do Un."
"W-who is this man?"
Around the table, mouths fell open in real-time. I could see a mix of sighs, shock, and sheer, gossipy excitement on everyone's faces.
Among them, Ha Seung-ji and Namgung Eon looked the most stunned, to the point where they didn't even realize they had dropped their chopsticks.
Do Un merely furrowed his brow slightly, appearing unexpectedly calm.
But the real shock was only just beginning...
"It is... the Young Sect Leader here."
"???"
Dozens of eyes that had been fixed on Ha Yeon-ryeong just a moment ago whipped around to stare at me in unison.
Even though I had anticipated this development, a cold sweat broke out down my spine.
Having barely held onto his sanity after his daughter's bombshell announcement, Ha Seung-ji turned to me.
"Young Sect Leader. What is the meaning of this?"
"I am quite bewildered myself, as I know nothing of this. Lady Ha, please explain what is going on, slowly."
Ha Yeon-ryeong didn't actually want to marry me either.
She simply needed a pretext to call off her betrothal to Do Un, and to do that, she had to present her father with an alternative suitor who was objectively superior to Do Un.
And that alternative was me.
Apparently, this was a scheme cooked up by Baek So-cheong and Ha Yeon-ryeong after a long discussion.
It wasn't entirely illogical. I was the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect—the most powerful faction in the entire Jianghu—known for my outstanding righteousness, and I was also the savior of the Kunlun Sect who had saved Ha Yeon-ryeong's life.
"Then... are you saying that you, Young Sect Leader, have not... shared an intimate relationship with Yeon-ryeong?"
"Of course not. Aside from exchanging a few polite words with Lady Yeon-ryeong yesterday, nothing has occurred..."
"Ah, please don't misunderstand, Father. Wanting to marry the Young Sect Leader is entirely my own wish. I haven't even spoken to him about it yet."
I had insisted that this part, if nothing else, had to be made absolutely clear.
While I wanted to help Ha Yeon-ryeong if possible, I couldn't allow myself to be branded a shameless scoundrel who seduced a woman who was already betrothed.
"But we sent invitations across the entire Jianghu and held a martial arts tournament to choose your groom. We cannot simply cancel it like this."
"Father. You didn't send an invitation to the Sun and Moon Sect, did you?"
"W-well, no."
"In all of Jianghu, there is no one who matches the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect in martial arts and righteousness. If the Young Sect Leader had rejected me because I wasn't to his liking, that would be one thing. But since no invitation was sent to the Sun and Moon Sect, this tournament is invalid."
"T-that is..."
"Therefore, the marriage alliance with Senior Brother Do Un, who won that tournament, must also be void. Isn't that only logical?"
Sigh...
Hearing this, Ha Seung-ji let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground might cave in.
If the person Ha Yeon-ryeong claimed to love wasn't me, his reaction would have been entirely different.
Up to this point, Ha Yeon-ryeong and Baek So-cheong's plan was already half-successful.
'So from here on out, please talk amongst yourselves. I'm bowing out.'
I desperately wanted to say those words.
But, as always, the world was merciless to introverts.
"Now that I hear it, every single word you say is correct, Junior Sister."
The other party involved, who had remained silent until now.
Do Un, the first disciple of the Kunlun Sect, slammed his palm onto the table and stood up.
He clasped his hands toward the Sect Leader and spoke in a polite yet confident tone.
Feeling suffocated and anxious, I picked up the cup of water in front of me to wet my throat.
"I also agree that a martial arts tournament is meaningless without the participation of the Young Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect—a man of both supreme martial prowess and virtue, and the one whom Junior Sister Yeon-ryeong loves."
"Do Un. Then what do you propose we do?"
Do Un glanced at me from the corner of his eye and replied in a booming voice.
"Therefore, the Young Sect Leader and I must hold a duel. If I lose, I will cleanly give up on marrying Yeon-ryeong."
Cough!
The water I was drinking went down the wrong pipe, and I choked, spitting it out with a violent cough.
Fortunately, it didn't splash on anyone... No, that wasn't the important thing right now.
"Did you say... a duel?"
"Indeed, Young Sect Leader. Let us settle this between the two of us."
"Indeed, that is an excellent solution."
"Young Sect Leader, will you be alright?"
No, this is a bit...
I was only trying to help Ha Yeon-ryeong. Why did it turn into a duel?
Against the first disciple of the Kunlun Sect?
No matter how I looked at it, this was going too far.
In my heart, I wanted to scream right then and there:
'Don't talk absolute nonsense!'
The words were practically clawing their way up my throat.
But.
At that moment, the majestic image I had painstakingly built up since reincarnating as the Young Sect Leader of the Demonic Cult flashed before my eyes.
If I showed weakness in the face of a challenge now...
The tower of effort I had built would crumble in an instant. I would revert to being a weak, pathetic introvert...
I would lose all my confidence as the Young Sect Leader, shrink back into my old, miserable self, and eventually be stripped of my title. A vivid future played out in my head where the disappointed Sect Leader destroyed my martial arts and banished me from the Sun and Moon Sect.
And so, before anyone could stop me...
"How amusing."
Before I knew it, I had uttered those words, plastering a triumphant, supremely confident smile on my face.
"Ohhh..."
I couldn't believe the words that had just come out of my own mouth.
But seeing the awe-struck, highly expectant looks on everyone's faces as their eyes sparkled, there was absolutely no taking it back.
Do Un, the first disciple of the Kunlun Sect.
According to what I had heard from Instructor Do-yul during my early training, a first-generation disciple of a major sect usually possessed a martial arts realm ranging from the mid-to-late Second-class Realm at the lowest, to the late First-class Realm at the highest.
Considering the reputation of the Kunlun Sect, Do Un was likely at least at the mid-to-late First-class Realm.
Therefore, it was fundamentally impossible for me, who had only recently entered the late Second-class Realm, to win a duel against him.
But thinking about it, I didn't actually need to win, did I?
Besides, this duel wasn't a life-or-death battle, nor was it a clash of immense pride.
Let's think about this logically.
There was no need to even compare our martial realms.
One opponent in this duel was a mere twelve-year-old boy, while the other was a martial artist in his prime, in his mid-forties.
None of the spectators would expect a twelve-year-old boy to emerge victorious.
Thus, this was a duel where I didn't have to worry about how to win.
In fact, considering the consequences of winning, I absolutely must not win.
Instead, I had to figure out how to lose gracefully.
'Step up to the duel with the dignity of a true martial artist, and suffer a clean, honorable defeat.'
That was my plan.
What about Ha Yeon-ryeong's marriage?
Honestly, I felt a bit bad for her, but hadn't I already done more than enough?
Thanks to me, she had made her refusal to marry perfectly clear.
From here on, it was up to the parties involved to sort it out.
"The format of the duel will follow the exact same rules as the previous tournament."
Ha Seung-ji, acting as the referee, stood between Do Un and me as he began his explanation.
The rules themselves were incredibly simple.
"Both sides will be provided with wooden swords of identical material. The victor will be the one who breaks the opponent's wooden sword upon impact. As this is a friendly spar, please keep in mind that anyone who inflicts physical injury on the other will be immediately disqualified."
Disqualification for injuring the opponent—I couldn't have asked for a better rule.
I just had to make sure the Heavenly Killer Star didn't manifest.
Unleashing the Heavenly Killer Star in front of outsiders was a massive risk in itself, but unleashing murderous intent would also unnecessarily heat up the atmosphere. Above all, it would be extremely troublesome if I somehow ended up winning this duel.
"Now, both sides, prepare yourselves."
I gripped my wooden sword, standing about ten paces away from Do Un.
When two wooden swords of the exact same material clashed, which one would break?
Logically speaking, if one struck the unweighted part of the opponent's sword with the full weight of their own, they could break it.
But this common sense only applied in a world where the mysterious phenomenon of internal energy did not exist.
In a clash between those who possessed the supernatural powers of internal energy and Sword Qi...
It was bound to be a battle of technique, targeting the weakness of the opponent's sword, while simultaneously testing the strength and precision of one's internal energy—specifically, Sword Qi.
Hummm.
I focused my mind and circulated the true Qi of the Dark Demonic Inward Heart Method throughout my body.
Thanks to all my energy pathways—except for the Governing Vessel—being completely realigned, I could feel an incomparably powerful internal energy surging through my body.
The Sect Leader and disciples of the Kunlun Sect watched my demonic cultivation with intrigued eyes.
Standing directly opposite me, Do Un also displayed a mix of wariness and curiosity.
It was only natural, as the demonic arts of the Sun and Moon Sect were not something one could easily witness.
Conversely, this was also a chance for me to observe the internal energy of the Kunlun Sect.
True to the orthodox Daoist martial arts, Do Un's internal energy was pure, gentle, and serene.
Yet, it was by no means weak.
It felt like gazing into the deep, quiet depths of a tranquil lake.
Soon, the two wooden swords would clash, and the duel would be decided in an instant.
Of course, I would lose.
I had to.
"Hup."
Do Un and I raised our wooden swords simultaneously.
Since both of us were right-handed, our swords, thrusting diagonally downward to the left, collided in mid-air.
Crack!
A dull, heavy impact echoed, and the broken tip of a wooden sword soared high into the air.
I felt a sudden emptiness in the hand gripping my sword.
It was only natural, since the wooden sword had been snapped in half.
I took a step back, lowering my sword, and looked to confirm the result.
I was absolutely certain that my wooden sword had been the one to break.
But...
"How can this be?!"
Someone among the spectators voiced my exact thoughts.
To my utter shock, my wooden sword was perfectly intact. Meanwhile, Do Un's sword was snapped clean in half, and its broken tip fell a beat later, piercing straight into the dirt floor of the sparring arena.
"T-the Young Sect Leader is the victor."
"Whoooo!"
Following Ha Seung-ji's dazed announcement, Namgung Eon and Yeongho Bin erupted into cheers.
On the other hand, the faces of the Kunlun disciples darkened instantly as they scowled in disbelief.
They had never imagined that their respected and proud eldest senior brother would lose to a twelve-year-old kid, yet that impossible reality had just unfolded right before their eyes.
Of course, the person most bewildered at this very moment was neither Ha Seung-ji nor Do Un.
It was none other than me.
'I won? Are you insane? How on earth did I win this?!'
I had taken my defeat for granted and spent all my time worrying about how to lose gracefully, so I hadn't even considered the consequences of winning.
"Truly magnificent."
Seeing Do Un, the defeated party, gracefully accept his loss only made the situation feel even more absurd.
"The Young Sect Leader appears to be in the late Second-class Realm, yet I am deeply impressed by your exquisite control in balancing internal energy and Sword Qi. This humble Taoist has truly broadened his horizons today."
'Don't just accept defeat so cheerfully after losing to a kid who's practically a toddler compared to you!'
'Wait, no, that's not the important part right now!'
Was I now completely trapped into becoming the son-in-law of the Kunlun Sect Leader?
As that terrifying thought crossed my mind, a cold sweat began to pour down my back.