Purification
Jiangxi Province is located in the southeastern part of the Central Plains.
Because of this, it is also called the Southern Martial World.
The South was originally known as the domain of the Black Path factions.
The number of Black Path sects was so vast it was impossible to count them all.
There were easily twice as many—or even more—than all the orthodox families and sects combined.
Of course, that also meant there were plenty of third-rate trash mixed in.
Regardless, I intended to completely reorganize all the Black Path forces surrounding Jiangxi Province, using it as my starting point.
That was precisely why I had gone to the Shadow Sovereign for permission.
The Shadow Sovereign had gladly cooperated.
As long as they didn’t become my enemies, he told me to use them however I wished.
“I got lucky.”
I had already decided long ago to take control of the Black King Sect.
Their capabilities were quite outstanding, after all.
Above all, the location of Geungnakru was the best in all of Nanchang. Countless gossips and pleasure-seekers flocked to the place.
Using that as a foundation, I would be able to gather every rumor and piece of information circulating throughout the Central Plains.
But before that could happen, I first needed to clean up the surrounding area.
“Two hundred people, huh…”
The Black King Sect had halted all operations on my orders.
They had shut down every unnecessary gambling den and loan shark business, leaving only the pleasure house operations centered around Geungnakru.
In truth, even if you added up all their other profits, they still couldn’t match what Geungnakru alone brought in.
I had gathered every single member of the Black King Sect.
Fewer than two hundred in total.
And if I was being honest, their levels were nothing special either.
Excluding Yeo Mong, the strongest among them was merely at the entry level of first-rate.
Still, even at that level, they were more than enough to suppress the troublesome Black Path forces scattered across Jiangxi Province.
After all, this was the Ju Family’s territory. The Black Path had never been able to grow strong here to begin with.
In fact, it was almost surprising that the Black King Sect had managed to maintain a force of this size.
“The Golden Heaven Assassination Gate and the Sea Blade Gang.”
These were the two largest Black Path organizations currently active in Jiangxi Province.
If I could eliminate just these two, the entire underworld of Jiangxi would fall completely into the Black King Sect’s grasp.
While I was pondering this, someone came looking for me.
“Young Master, a person named Lady Yeo is asking to see you?”
At Dan-hee’s words, I let out a small chuckle.
Since we couldn’t openly call her the leader of the Black King Sect inside the Ju Family, she must have used the vague title of “Lady Yeo” instead.
“Let her in.”
The moment I finished speaking, the door opened and Yeo Mong entered.
She sat down in front of me and immediately pulled several letters from her sleeve, offering them to me.
“What’s this?”
“What you asked me to look into yesterday.”
I slowly read through the letters.
“Oh?”
Impressive.
Yesterday, I had asked Yeo Mong to investigate one particular matter.
It was about Sa-an Gwi-gun—the one who had tried to trap me at the Black Horn—and the connection between the fragments of his carriage and the Zhushan Archipelago trading companies. I had told her to look into it.
Yet she had finished the entire investigation in just one day.
I thought it would take at least three days, no matter how fast she worked.
It was faster than expected.
For a moment, I wondered if she might be hiding another force I didn’t know about.
Even though I had given her the starting clue, the fact that she had uncovered everything in a single day was remarkable.
“The Myo-ak Trading Company and the Eun-ju Trading Company.”
Those were the two companies under suspicion.
“Why these two?”
“The piece of the carriage you gave me. The wood is quite valuable. It’s rosewood—known for being extremely sturdy and durable.”
“Rosewood?”
“Yes. The carriage was made of rosewood. The production regions are Yunnan and Guangdong.”
At those words, a satisfied smile spread across my face.
I hadn’t expected her to dig this deep. She had gathered far more detail than I anticipated.
“I even investigated every workshop that builds carriages using timber from those regions.”
“……”
I continued reading the letters to the very end.
The way everything was organized so clearly and concisely made it obvious that this wasn’t her first time conducting this kind of background investigation.
“Unexpected. I never dreamed you’d handle it this thoroughly.”
“Is that so? This is pretty basic, actually.”
Even as she said that, Yeo Mong wore a faint, pleased smile.
“The Myo-ak Trading Company has contracts with workshops in Guangdong that use local timber, while the Eun-ju Trading Company works with workshops that use Yunnan rosewood.”
The difference was clear.
Moreover, if they were transporting heavy gold from the Zhushan Archipelago, they would have needed carriages that were both sturdy and highly durable.
In other words, Sa-an Gwi-gun was connected to one of these two companies.
From this point on, I would have to move personally.
Clink!
I handed Yeo Mong a pouch containing twenty gold coins.
“What’s this money for? Is it payment?”
I chuckled and shook my head at her question.
“I’ll give you more than enough payment later. This isn’t that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Use this money to feed the men and have the gisaengs at Geungnakru loosen the guests’ lips. Give them enough alcohol and they’ll spill anything.”
Yeo Mong nodded.
Twenty gold coins came out to roughly twenty thousand nyang.
With this, I planned to seize complete control over the flow of information in Jiangxi Province.
Above all, with the Ju Family’s Baekryongdae currently in chaos, this was the perfect opportunity for a rapid rise.
If I could establish a proper intelligence network, I would be able to completely thwart the Demonic Cult’s plans.
The intelligence network I had desperately wanted in my previous life.
It was gradually becoming reality.
I could feel it.
I was getting closer and closer to Sa-an Gwi-gun.
And to the breath of the Demonic Cult itself.
The next day.
I headed to the training grounds early in the morning.
Training in the morning was part of my fixed daily routine.
But today was a little different.
“Come on in.”
My youngest uncle, Ju Tae-hwi.
Also known as the Blood Sovereign—one of the Ten Supreme Sovereigns of the Martial World.
The nickname had been given because his ferocious swordsmanship showed no mercy to those of the Black Path.
“Uncle, what brings you here so early in the morning…?”
“We need to train, don’t we? The Family Head personally entrusted you to me.”
“……”
Ah.
So we’re jumping straight into it.
“First, let me see your skills.”
Ju Tae-hwi took a casual stance.
He called it casual, but from my perspective, there wasn’t a single gap to be found.
It was utterly flawless.
I couldn’t even sense his aura.
To an ordinary person, he would have looked like nothing more than an average man.
I took my position opposite him.
The martial art I intended to use was naturally the Black King Advance Strike Body.
It was the signature technique of the God of Fighting, once called the greatest master of the underworld, and the strongest hand-to-hand combat style that only I knew.
“Hmm? You’re not going to use a sword? You plan to face me with just your fists and feet?”
“Yes.”
“But that doesn’t look like any of the Ju Family’s fist or palm techniques. What is that strange stance?”
Ju Tae-hwi showed clear curiosity.
As expected of one of the Ten Sovereigns, he instinctively recognized the danger of the Black King Advance Strike Body.
“It’s a technique I learned separately. I ask for your guidance.”
“Come at me.”
Ju Tae-hwi lowered his stance with a serious expression.
It was common for a stronger opponent to yield the first move to someone weaker.
So I charged forward without hesitation.
All-out attack.
The Black King Advance Strike Body had no defensive forms.
Even in moments when defense was necessary, it responded only with counterattacks.
Clang!
I threw my fist with full power.
Twisting, piercing, breaking.
Killing techniques flooded out in a frenzy.
First form—Juhwehwan Strike.
It evaded the opponent’s movements like a snake, then struck like a fang at the opening.
The air rang violently.
But my strike was blocked far too easily by my uncle.
I immediately recovered my stance and unleashed the second form—Skull Crushing Black Chain.
A ferocious strike meant to shatter bones.
A technique filled with murderous intent that cared nothing for my own injuries as long as it took the opponent’s blood.
Clang! Clang!
My fists, thrown out in rapid succession, were repelled by a powerful rebound force.
Ju Tae-hwi had calmly deflected each one.
His movements were neither slow nor fast, but the result was the same.
They had been completely blocked.
This is incredible.
For a moment, a sense of helplessness washed over me.
He hadn’t changed his expression once, nor taken a single step back, yet every single one of my techniques had been shut down.
“Focus.”
Ju Tae-hwi’s stern voice struck my ears.
I pulled myself together and slowly executed the third form.
Third form—Killing Heart Striking Force.
It was infused with the subtle principles of vibrational force.
The instant our fists met, I released my energy using the vibrational technique.
“……Hoh.”
Vibrational force—also known as internal striking through the center.
Yet Ju Tae-hwi neutralized even that cleanly.
“Your killing intent is far too thick. Just where did you learn such a martial art?”
Ju Tae-hwi’s expression grew serious.
He grabbed my wrist and asked again.
“I just… happened to see it in passing…”
“Who in the world can learn a martial art just by happening to see it in passing, or by stealing a glance?”
His voice was filled with anger.
As if telling me not to make excuses, Ju Tae-hwi’s eyes narrowed fiercely.
“You already got away with claiming you learned the family’s secret art, the Dragon Heaven True Qi, by looking at a manual as a child. Are you trying to pull the same stunt again?”
“……”
“Who could possibly learn a martial art they saw in passing and master it without any fear or restraint?”
I lowered my head.
Ha, what am I supposed to do?
It might be hard to believe, but it really was something I learned in passing.
In my previous life, I had coincidentally encountered the God of Fighting as he was dying. In return for helping him, I received the six forms of this martial art.
He had wanted to pass on his techniques, and I had simply honored his wish.
“Tsk.”
When I remained silent, he gave up on pressing me further.
He was the only elder who became soft when it came to me.
“This martial art is far too steeped in killing intent. It’s a savage technique that doesn’t care for its user’s body and only seeks to take the opponent’s life.”
“……Yes.”
It was an accurate assessment.
“However, it is still an excellent martial art.”
Even as he said this, Ju Tae-hwi’s expression looked somewhat displeased.
It was clearly praise, yet his face suggested something about it didn’t sit well with him.
He then took a wooden sword from the rack and tossed it in front of me.
“Pick it up. I want to see your sword.”
“……”
I held the wooden sword Ju Tae-hwi had thrown me and thought for a moment.
He’s telling me to show my full power.
The Ju Family was a sword family.
Naturally, most of their martial arts focused on sword techniques.
Both the Sword Sovereign and the Blood Sovereign had reached their positions through the sword.
“What are you doing?”
After thinking for a long time, I finally set the sword down and stood up.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I’m still… not ready yet.”
My mindset toward the sword was no less serious than theirs.
That was precisely why I was hesitating so much.
“Not ready? You already have more than enough talent.”
Ju Tae-hwi’s face flushed with excitement.
In his eyes, there had never been a junior with as much talent as Woo-jin.
Even without proper instruction, he had awakened the family’s secret art, the Dragon Heaven True Qi, and had even displayed the Supreme Heaven Body Reformation.
“I will learn swordsmanship slowly in the future. For now, please… teach me the fundamentals.”
“Fundamentals?”
“Yes. The basics of swordsmanship.”
What I lacked.
And what I lacked to a truly fatal degree.
Was foundational training.
In my previous life, I had learned swordsmanship without any foundation. I had frantically copied and imitated techniques, forcibly cramming their principles into my head.
Memorizing, repeating, memorizing, repeating.
That process had taken nearly thirty years.
Because the Demonic Cult’s invasion had been so sudden.
I had been forced to learn swordsmanship that way.
Afterward, I realized just how severely I lacked fundamentals.
That was the real reason I had refused to pick up a sword until now.
In that regard, the Blood Sovereign, Ju Tae-hwi, was a highly experienced expert who had gone through far more real combat than sparring.
He was the perfect teacher for me.