The Young Clan Lord’s Ascension
The time for the appointment of the Young Clan Lord passed swiftly. After undergoing a thorough examination at the clan’s medical hall, Baekri Hyeong was confirmed to possess the Heavenly Martial Body. By order of the Clan Lord, this revelation was kept strictly confidential, known only to the head of the medical hall and Baekri Hyeong’s immediate family. Thanks to this secrecy, he could offer plausible excuses for whatever he chose to do.
Having mastered the Baekri Heavy Sword in less than a month, he devoted his time, at his father’s command, to practicing the martial art his father had created. It was an opportunity he had never been granted in his previous life. Even though his father in that life had treated him with warmth, Baekri Hyeong had eventually realized the quiet disappointment hidden beneath that kindness. Because he had been lazy, he had failed to inherit the clan’s secret techniques. Recognizing that mistake, he resolved to focus entirely on the Baekri Clan’s martial arts. While training in the Four Guardian Deities Sword, he also threw himself into his father’s lessons with renewed zeal.
Yet even the martial art created by the Sword Sovereign was no easy feat for a body possessing the Heavenly Martial Body. More precisely, his young age prevented him from displaying its true power. As time passed, his body would grow and change, throwing off the movements and distances he had previously practiced. Without the Heavenly Martial Body, the lessons would have been impossible to follow. His basic physical conditioning was still lacking, and no matter how he thought about it, his growing frame seemed to hinder his progress in learning the Clan Lord’s techniques.
Thus, Baekri Hyeong made a decision. He would not learn the next form until his body had stabilized. When he informed his father, the man readily granted permission. As someone who valued efficiency, he supported his son’s choice without hesitation. As a result, Baekri Hyeong was finally able to dedicate time to mastering the Four Guardian Deities Sword. And now, two years later, the day had come.
“I hereby appoint Baekri Hyeong, eldest son of the main house, as Young Clan Lord of the Baekri Clan.”
“Young Clan Lord Baekri Hyeong! I swear to uphold the Clan Lord’s will and live for the sake of the clan!”
Through grueling effort, Baekri Hyeong had succeeded in officially ascending to the position of Young Clan Lord. None of the clan elders raised objections. Even those who had once supported his elder sister, Baekri Hyang, ultimately yielded after witnessing his martial prowess. Baekri Hyang herself had no desire to become Young Clan Lord as a woman. The appointment ceremony proceeded with remarkable speed.
After the ceremony, Baekri Hyeok moved swiftly. He had never been one to care about others’ opinions, and now that the succession was secure, he no longer needed to show restraint even in public.
“At this very moment, I intend to impart the Baekcheon Divine Art—a mental cultivation method known only to the direct bloodline of the Baekri Clan—to the Young Clan Lord. Any elder who objects may raise their hand.”
As expected, there were no objections. In the current Baekri Clan, no elder would openly oppose Baekri Hyeok, the Sword Sovereign and Clan Lord. Through this forced unanimous consent, Baekri Hyeong finally began learning the Baekcheon Divine Art as his first mental cultivation method.
If someone asked why he had not begun with a mental cultivation method from the start, the answer was simple: at six years old, his body had not yet matured enough to handle an ultimate technique. Learning it at eight was still early, but the absence of a mental cultivation method had begun to hinder his growth, leaving him no choice. That decision, however, gave wings to Baekri Hyeong’s talent.
Whoosh!
“Oh… You’ve improved a lot.”
“Not yet, huff… I’m still no match for you, Sister… huff…”
“Of course you’re not. There’s an eight-year age gap between us. How could you catch up already?”
“Even so… I will catch up soon.”
“Good. Keep working hard.”
Once every month or so, Baekri Hyeong received a swordsmanship evaluation from his elder sister, Baekri Hyang. Since his father, Baekri Hyeok, had granted him freedom in his training, the only things Baekri Hyeong could do were cultivate his mental technique and train in the Four Guardian Deities Sword. Of course, he never showed the Four Guardian Deities Sword to Baekri Hyang. He showed it to no one. If it were discovered that the Young Clan Lord of the Baekri Clan had learned martial arts from another sect, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Therefore, the sword art he demonstrated to Baekri Hyang was the Baekri Thirteen Earth Sword, a technique that only those who had reached First-Class Realm or higher within the clan were permitted to learn. Baekri Hyeong had already mastered it long ago. Still, he intended to conceal the full extent of his talent. If he stood out too much, rats would appear to gnaw away at his foundation. While under the clan’s protection, he needed to train diligently so that he would not be looked down upon in the future.
“Skip tonight’s training. Dress properly and come to the main hall.”
“Why?”
“Someone from the Zhuge Clan has arrived. I told them not to come, but they didn’t listen.”
“…!”
The Zhuge Clan—one of the Five Great Clans that held the center of the Hubei martial world. They placed far greater emphasis on mechanisms, formations, and strategy than on martial arts. Yet in his memories, the Zhuge Clan had never visited the Baekri Clan at this time.
Has the future changed? Because I began training earlier?
Merely starting his training two years ahead of schedule had already triggered an unforeseen event. At least the Zhuge Clan was not an enemy to be wary of. They had stood with the Murim Alliance until the very end, fighting against the Heavenly Demon Cult, and had been the first to extend a hand to mend their once-strained relationship with the Baekri Clan. Of course, they were still quietly competing over interests in Hubei, but according to Baekri Hyang, the reason for their visit seemed to concern her personally.
The Wisdom Dragon used to follow my sister around like that. No matter how he courted her, she never accepted him.
Unfortunately, the Wisdom Dragon had never given up on Baekri Hyang and continued his pursuit until the end. When the Baekri Clan was destroyed, she had died alongside them. That event transformed the Wisdom Dragon, stripping away his former self and turning him into a merciless killer who showed no mercy to his enemies. In a way, the destruction of the Baekri Clan had left a far greater mark on the martial world than anyone realized.
Of course, the past was the past. Now that the Wisdom Dragon was visiting the Baekri Clan, they still had to receive him as an honored guest. Even while competing over interests, the Zhuge Clan remained one of the Five Great Clans at the heart of the martial world.
“I wanted to swing my sword today too, but it seems I have no choice. You’d better get ready quickly.”
“Yes. I’ll be there right away.”
Baekri Hyang let out a deep sigh that seemed to sink into the ground and returned to her quarters. As a daughter of the clan, receiving guests required elaborate makeup, and for Baekri Hyang—who genuinely despised such pretenses—the process was nothing short of torture.
After she left, Baekri Hyeong double-checked his surroundings before drawing his sword.
“Huuu…”
As he exhaled, the internal energy in his lower dantian calmed, and the middle dantian flared to life. He had activated the Yellow Dragon Emperor Heaven Art, the first step required to use the Four Guardian Deities Sword. What made the Four Guardian Deities Sword unique was its reliance on energy from the middle dantian. Thanks to this, Baekri Hyeong could cultivate the Baekcheon Divine Art while simultaneously practicing the Yellow Dragon Emperor Heaven Art, allowing him to train in the Four Guardian Deities Sword without anyone noticing.
Flash.
Baekri Hyeong, who had kept his eyes closed for a while, opened them. His eyes had turned azure. The energy of the Azure Dragon Sword Form, the most basic technique of the Four Guardian Deities Sword, had changed the color of his eyes.
“Hah!”
Thud.
The moment Baekri Hyeong stamped his foot, a clear, vibrant energy spread outward. He began racing across the training ground at tremendous speed.
Tap-tap-tap-tap.
The Azure Dragon Sword Form combined the mysteries of the Swift Sword and the Willow Sword. It was the introductory form of the Four Guardian Deities Sword and the least difficult of its techniques.
Whoosh!
As Baekri Hyeong swung his sword freely across the training ground, a vivid blue sword qi took shape and spread outward. The internal energy contained within that single strike was far beyond First-Class Realm. Though he had yet to reach the Peak Realm, his raw power already surpassed it. That was why he showed no signs of exhaustion even after releasing sword qi. The Azure Dragon Sword Form specialized in restoring breathing, making it perfectly suited for lightening a tense body.
“Hahaha!”
Baekri Hyeong surrendered himself to the flow and burst into laughter. He was happy. Simply swinging a sword to temper himself in a peaceful world was so liberating and joyful that he could hardly bear it. Thinking of the future that lay ahead filled him with endless gloom, but he had no desire to dwell on that darkness just yet. He had already lived through that future and was preparing for it far faster than before. He knew that his changes alone would not be enough. But if he kept moving forward like this, wouldn’t an answer eventually appear?
Before he knew it, Baekri Hyeong had forgotten his sister’s words and become completely absorbed in swinging his sword. Yet there was something he did not know.
“I’ve never heard of a sword art like that…”
His father was watching him from atop the roof of the study, observing his training in silence.