The first to react was, surprisingly, Cheok Gang.

“Gasp! Senior Master!”

Cheok Gang hurried forward and bent at the waist so deeply he nearly folded in half.

“Disciple Cheok Gang greets Senior Master.”

The middle-aged man, Pae Yul, ignored Cheok Gang’s greeting like it wasn’t even there.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes glittered.

If he’s Cheok Gang’s senior... then AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT?

AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT.

A sect coiled around Mount Cang in Yunnan—founded early as a Taoist sect, then gradually taking on a more secular character after it entered the martial world.

Now, it was the most strongly secular of the Nine Sects. In practice, their martial arts—along with the Kongtong Sect’s—were said to be so brutally field-ready they could contend for the top among the Nine Sects’ disciplines.

Even just looking at the martial arts Cheok Gang used, he was different from the other soldiers: fast, direct, and straight-lined. In the same situation, he used harsher methods—ways that dropped an opponent harder.

And the mountain hermits of AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT all resembled the martial arts they learned.

Fast. Intuitive. And no lingering hesitation.

“I’m Yeon Hojeong.”

Pae Yul’s brow creased.

“I’m an elder of AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT. Show proper respect.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“If we were inside the Alliance, I would.”

“What?”

“I’m the commander of an Independent Field Force unit under the Alliance of the Martial World. Elder or Sect Leader of AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT—if you hold no official post here, I’ve got no reason to bow.”

The words were brazen, but his expression was relaxed to the point of insolence. His voice didn’t rise or fall. His eyes were clear—and deep.

Pae Yul stared at Yeon Hojeong for a moment, then looked to Cheok Gang.

A faint unease rose on Cheok Gang’s face. He looked like he was worrying the elders of his sect and the head of the organization he belonged to were about to clash.

Pae Yul nodded.

“Not bad.”

It was an unexpected reaction.

Yeon Hojeong tilted his head.

“What is?”

“I heard the junior disciple I favor slipped into some unit without saying a word, so I wondered how sloppy it must be. But this isn’t bad. If you’re the head of an organization, you need that kind of backbone.”

He said it in a voice so blunt it was hard to tell whether it was praise or mockery.

Yeon Hojeong looked at Cheok Gang.

“You came without telling him?”

“...Yes.”

“Sounds like you’re going to get chewed out.”

A shadow fell across Cheok Gang’s face.

Yeon Hojeong turned his gaze back to Pae Yul.

“If you want to take Cheok Gang back, wait a bit. Once we return to the inner fortress and complete the return procedures—”

“My business isn’t with the junior disciple. It’s with you.”

“With me?”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes sank.

He had a pretty good idea why Pae Yul had come looking for him. He could feel it.

But one thing didn’t add up.

How did he know?

If his father had told him, there’d be no reason to come find Yeon Hojeong. And if Mo Yonggun had let it slip, that also didn’t explain why he’d come to Yeon Hojeong—common sense said you went to Yeon Wi first.

Why? What was it?

“Do you know about the Shooting-the-Sun martial art?”

Just like he expected.

Yeon Hojeong had no intention of dancing around it.

“Because of Meng Yi?”

“...!”

Pae Yul’s gaze changed in an instant.

“There’s no need to put that name in your mouth.”

“Understood.”

“What I want to know is only one thing.”

“...”

“What was his sword like?”

Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to get at with that question, but I didn’t get a proper read on his sword.”

“Why not? I heard you fought him to the death.”

“In a kill-or-be-killed fight, the priority is stopping the other man from using his strength. I saw him use that martial art, but I didn’t ‘see’ it properly.”

“You subdued him before that, is it?”

“That’s right.”

“...Impressive.”

Yeon Hojeong laughed and patted Mookbi on the shoulder.

“He went down to this one’s arrow before he could really bring his martial art out. Honestly, if it weren’t for her, it would’ve been a lot harder.”

Pae Yul looked at Mookbi.

A master?

Yeon Hojeong’s aura was so refined he hadn’t paid attention, but now that he looked, that woman’s aura was no joke either.

“You fought together?”

“We did.”

Pae Yul nodded.

“I see.”

The corner of Yeon Hojeong’s mouth lifted slightly.

People from prestigious orthodox sects tended to look down on fighting together. Whether the opponent was a sparring partner or a villain, they preferred a clean one-on-one.

But Pae Yul wasn’t like that. More precisely, AZURE MOUNTAIN SECT didn’t teach that way.

In real battle, the truth is staying alive. If a fight breaks out, the best outcome is killing the enemy—while securing your own survival.

Pae Yul was the kind of man who understood that flavor of reality. That was why he didn’t show any aversion to the idea of fighting together.

Pae Yul swept his eyes over the Evil-Smiting Corps, then shook his head.

“I was impatient, so I came out early and waited. I had to confirm what I could about him.”

“...”

“I’ll come to your quarters again tomorrow.”

Yeon Hojeong gave a bitter smile.

“If you can, come in the evening.”

Pae Yul didn’t answer. He just turned away.

A temperament that drifted between blunt honesty and rudeness. And judging by that, the martial art he carried was probably far rougher than Cheok Gang’s.

Pae Yul walked ahead—then stopped and looked back.

“You.”

“Go ahead.”

Pae Yul tilted his head.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed.

“I’m healthy.”

“...Yeah?”

In that moment, Yeon Hojeong saw Pae Yul’s gaze sweep across his right lower abdomen.

Pae Yul nodded once.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

RUUUMBLE.

The Blue Dragon Great Gate opened.

Pae Yul entered the Alliance first, and the Evil-Smiting Corps followed behind.

Yeon Hojeong recalled Pae Yul’s words, unable to hide his confusion.

Did he see something in me?

Puzzled, he looked inward, examining not only the Jade Wave True Formula but even the Three Divine Qi—and found no problem at all.

Huh.

But a master at Pae Yul’s level wouldn’t say something like that for no reason.

Whatever. For now, I’ll rest and get my body back in order.

Crossing the wide, long outer fortress and entering the inner fortress, Yeon Hojeong shouted,

“I’ll handle the return procedures myself. You worked hard. Get some real rest.”

At his words, a roar like thunder erupted.

“WAAAAAA!”

“Leave! It’s leave!”

“Ah, I feel like I’m going to collapse already.”

It turned into a noisy riot. After greeting Yeon Hojeong, they each vanished at terrifying speed.

“...”

Yeon Hojeong blinked like an idiot, then looked at Mookbi.

“Let’s go complete the return procedures togeth—”

“I’m going to see your father.”

Mookbi vanished from sight in an instant, using that elegant movement art.

His mouth felt dry and rough. A strange sense of betrayal washed over him.

Yeon Hojeong looked at Paeng Manho.

Paeng Manho gave him an awkward grin.

“You know why they call the person in charge ‘the person in charge,’ right?”

“You said you were my big brother.”

“Work hard, big brother.”

“Big brother, my ass... was that bastard always that fast?”

Yeon Hojeong tracked Paeng Manho’s back as he shot away like lightning, then clicked his tongue.

“Damn it. Not an ounce of loyalty in any of them.”

Still grumbling, Yeon Hojeong suddenly looked at Je Gal Ahyeon.

Je Gal Ahyeon tilted her head.

“What?”

“Why don’t you run off too, like some colt with its tail on fire?”

“Run off where? We have to complete the return procedures.”

“Huh?”

“Even if I look like this, I’m the unit’s strategist. I should close it out properly.”

“...Would you look at that! What a magnificent bastard!”

Yeon Hojeong hooked an arm around Je Gal Ahyeon’s shoulders.

“Let’s go! Forget those ill-mannered brats—let’s march toward the open sky!”

“Hey! Let go! You’re heavy!”

“Haha! Good thing we’ve got someone responsible. The future of the Evil-Smiting Corps is bright.”

“I said you’re heavy!”

Bickering, the two of them headed for the Hall of the Martial Sage.

*****

That evening.

For the first time in a while, Yeon Hojeong returned to the Army-Breaking Pavilion and slept for more than half a day. He woke up with a frown.

Is it night?

Moonlight spilling through the window was almost painfully beautiful.

Summer had passed, and autumn was settling in. The cool wind that blew in slowly chilled his body.

He liked that cold wind. Yeon Hojeong sat up and folded his legs into meditation.

WHUMMMM.

Jade Wave True Qi rose, waking up every muscle and nerve in his body.

The blue qi that wrapped his whole body was clear and beautiful, as always. Maybe because it was night—the color of the qi looked especially like moonlight.

Good.

It was truly right in front of him now. The Jade Wave True Formula was clawing its way forward on its own, desperate to break through into the tenth level.

WHUMMMM.

On the stable foundation of the Jade Wave True Formula, White Tiger Qi rose.

“Huuup.”

The air filling his lungs carried massive amounts of natural qi.

The white qi that entered his lungs spread through every nerve. His heartbeat gradually quickened, and soon a vivid red presence bloomed.

FSSSSS.

At Yeon Hojeong’s exhale, translucent black qi flowed out of his body. The pitch-black Black Tortoise Qi had bound the turbid residue lurking inside him and expelled it.

Refreshing.

Lately, to heal his internal injuries, he’d been focusing less on the Three Divine Qi and more on the Jade Wave True Formula itself. Of course, part of it was also for advancement.

After a long time, driving the Three Divine Qi intensely for this long made his body feel decisively different. He wanted to run to the training grounds this instant and swing Mad Dragon (Axe).

SQUEEZE.

Even his torn palm had fully recovered. One deep sleep felt like it had blown away most of the fatigue in his body.

“Man.”

His body and mind were fresher than they’d been in ages, but Yeon Hojeong could only give a bitter smile.

“No matter how much I was keeping an eye on the kids, I’ve gotten too complacent. I need to reflect.”

Sure, fatigue from Jade Wave True Qi and the Three Divine Qi could happen—but with the wall of the Transcendent realm right in front of him, the fact that he hadn’t even noticed exhaustion building in this body?

During his Dark Emperor days, that never {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} happened. Leaving aside skill and the amount of inner energy that supported him back then—he fought completely alone.

When fatigue built up, he disappeared into a hideout no one knew and recovered for days. Then he fought again. If he was badly injured, he hid again and stockpiled strength.

A time when he could keep growing stronger because he was alone.

Lost in the memory for a moment, Yeon Hojeong shook his head.

“Stop saying stupid shit. Alone or together—my progress slowed because I stopped being tense.”

The environment was different, sure. But Yeon Hojeong wasn’t about to use it as an excuse.

It’s time.

In his blue irises, three colors flickered.

I need to wake it up.

The Jade Wave True Formula was at the edge of the tenth level, and through repeated real battles, even the Three Divine Qi had shown enough maturity and separation.

If he followed his greed, he would’ve climbed higher before pulling it out—but he couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

He felt the need to tighten his mind again, stretch it taut like it used to be.

Before I leave the Alliance, I’ll bring out the final Four Spirit.

Azure Dragon.

The divine beast of the East—the incarnate embodiment of life—he would summon it and complete true Four Spirit Qi.

Tomorrow, I should ask Father for a match.

He could see Yeon Wi at the Hall of the Martial Sage while completing the return procedures.

But the councilors’ meeting had run long again today. The Alliance’s system was slowly taking shape, but there were probably still countless detailed tasks left to settle.

“Hm. Should I sleep more?”

This rest was hard-won. Tonight, it felt right to set worry aside and just sleep.

Yeon Hojeong was about to lie down—

“...Oh?”

Outside the window, from the direction of the Army-Breaking Pavilion entrance, he felt a single, clear aura.

Yeon Hojeong launched himself out the window immediately.

FLAP-FLAP-FLAP!

His clothes whipped in the wind like wings.

He landed softly—and saw one man standing there.

Yeon Hojeong ran his eyes over the man’s body with a strange look.

“Hah. I really do need to reflect. You’ve improved unbelievably since the last time I saw you.”

“Have I?”

Mo Yong-woo wore the brightest smile Yeon Hojeong had ever seen on him.

A beautiful expression—an expression of someone with nothing to hold back—one he’d never shown even in front of Mo Yonggun.

“Have you been well, Brother Yeon?”