“Wudang must not be made to bow to any sect.”

North reveres Shaolin; South esteems Wudang.

Wudang, the Pole Star among mountains.

One of the two pillars that uphold the Central Plains martial world—stronger than any sect and prouder than any—its Way austere and high.

Because Wudang’s martial arts harmonize with nature and follow the order of things, the power accumulated through Wudang’s inner canon is called Immortal Qi.

A power clearer and more transparent than that of any sect.

Living with nature as their companion and yielding to the natural flow, the Wudang Daoists seemed to live the very life of immortals.

“Shaolin has produced two masters at the Flowering Realm. Of the ten called the world’s top masters, two belong to Shaolin.”

Yet from Wudang—the sect praised as the Pole Star—only one Flowering-Realm master had emerged.

Only the Sect Leader, Taeul Jinin.

And this, at a time when even great clans and underworld factions, not sects, were producing Flowering-Realm masters.

“This is a disgrace to our sect. Redouble your training so that our standing does not fall.”

Wudang’s martial canon is also lauded as peerless.

Taeul Jinin believed the reason no Flowering-Realm successor had arisen to follow him was the disciples’ laziness.

The highest seat is never won for free.

Even if you are born with talent, only when you sweat and bleed at practice, robbing yourself of sleep and wrestling with bitter doubt, do you at last reach enlightenment.

“From now on, every half month I will inspect your progress. I will set a stage for you to display your achievements before everyone—so strive all the harder.”

Taeul Jinin wanted only for a martial artist greater than himself to appear.

The rivers and lakes abound with experts, and he himself was not a giant to be listed as “the world’s foremost.”

But if it were Wudang’s subtleties—

If it were Wudang’s peerless canon—

Then surely producing the world’s foremost would not be impossible.

If the world’s foremost emerged from Wudang, Wudang’s prestige would soar higher still, and none in the Central Plains would ever again dare make light of it.

If one among the many powers must take that seat, let it be Wudang.

One pillar is enough to uphold the rivers and lakes.

He believed all these long-cherished wishes were for Wudang and its disciples.

He spared no praise for those who achieved, and no rebuke for those who shirked.

Become greater. Become stronger. Hold your pride higher.

Was it that very harrying that stoked his disciples’ jealousy and selfishness?

One day, a disciple appeared having achieved in merely half a month what could not be achieved so quickly.

Taeul Jinin lavished him with praise.

At last, true martial talent has appeared!

A blessing upon Wudang!

A child who had stalled for so long had become astonishingly strong; he must have realized something!

Taeul Jinin brought that disciple forward before all and made him an example for the others.

Soon after that—

Another disciple.

And another.

And another.

One by one, the disciples began leaping realms, growing with a speed that defied belief.

A blessing! A blessing indeed!!

Wudang is finally to stand at the summit of the rivers and lakes!

I will see it with ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) my own eyes!

The disciples’ astonishing pace of growth filled Taeul Jinin with unalloyed joy.

Incredible though the speed was, he thought their long efforts were at last bearing fruit.

But that joy did not last.

“These pellets are circulating among the disciples.”

“Is it not remarkable? The ones who took them have advanced by leaps and bounds!”

“They’re called Expanding Blood Pellets. If you take one, your inner energy circulates more smoothly—surely an apt name.”

When Taeul Jinin saw the pellets the elders had brought, he was appalled.

Had none of the elders recognized what these pellets were?

Or did they know and pretend otherwise?

“Do you truly not know what these pellets are made from?”

The elixirs the disciples were swallowing as “spiritual medicine” were made from human blood.

Struck by the fact that the disciples’ growth had been fed by human blood, Taeul Jinin could not contain his shock.

He went straight to the disciples’ halls, confiscated every pellet in their possession, and banned them entirely.

“You have cast aside your duty as human beings! Instead of devoting yourselves to training and achievement, you have brought such abomination into our sect! I will unearth whoever brought these in and exact the strictest punishment!”

The disciple who had first brought the pellets in had his dantian destroyed and was expelled.

The rest escaped expulsion but could not avoid heavy punishment, and just when it seemed Wudang’s damaged spirit might begin to mend—

“...You... what is this you are doing.”

“The Sect Leader Senior said so himself. That Wudang must be the center of the rivers and lakes.”

“We will help you see Wudang rule the Central Plains in your lifetime.”

The elders did not fail to know the ingredients of the Expanding Blood Pellets.

They knew—and looked away.

By the time it was known, the pellets had spread even to the elders, and matters could no longer be reversed.

Taeul Jinin could not, by his strength alone, overcome elders who were drawing on the power of the Flowering Realm with Expanding Blood Pellets and other unknown elixirs.

****

“I understand your motive, but your means were wrong.”

Namgoong Mucheon stood before the seized elders and disciples of the Wudang Sect.

Taeul Jinin had already been sent ahead to the Martial Alliance camp for treatment; what remained was to set Wudang’s house in order.

“To cultivate strength for conquest and dominion—that is what the demonic and the underworld pursue. We, who are called the righteous orthodox, cultivate strength for one reason only.”

He raised the hand that gripped Heaven’s Decree before them.

“To protect.”

Family you love, friends, neighbors.

And your seniors and juniors.

To keep them safe from those twisted ones who wield strength solely to rule.

To set the order of the Central Plains right, and to guard powerless commoners so they are not swept up and harmed by wrongful power.

The orthodox cultivate strength.

That is also why the Martial Alliance was founded.

“I will ask you: what have you protected?”

To gain strength, Wudang had cast everything away.

Faith and chivalrous duty and moral right—and even their bonds as seniors and juniors.

Even their own choice, when they entered Wudang and resolved to become Daoists.

They had cast themselves away.

How could one call that the righteous orthodox?

“Wudang will close its gates as of today. Until the poison that has stained your bodies and minds is gone and your right minds restored. As Alliance Lord, representing the Martial Alliance, I order Wudang to close its gates.”

This was the horrific result wrought by Wudang’s desire to stand at the summit of the rivers and lakes.

Thus the war between the Martial Alliance and the Wudang Sect ended in the Alliance’s victory.

With the Alliance’s aid and oversight, Wudang would at last reject the pellets and, centered on the Daoists who had been jailed in the dungeons, slowly begin to recover.

****

Allies who had split up to rescue those trapped in the dungeons began to return one after another.

First to return was Gong Cheon.

Next, Seop Mugwang came back with his party, and after him the Martial Alliance’s Division Lords of force returned.

Which left only Seolhwa and the Mounted Pursuit Chief still out.

Even though setting Wudang’s affairs in order had taken quite some time, the two had not returned, and the elders, growing worried, kept casting their eyes toward the mountain range the pair had headed for.

“I will go.”

Unable to bear it, Seop Mugwang rose and brushed off his seat.

“No. I was just about to head out myself.”

Namgoong Cheongun stepped forward as if he might run that instant.

“Go together, you two.”

Namgoong Mucheon gave ready leave.

“If anything has happened, fire a signal fla—”

Just then—

“Alliance Lord...!”

A single warrior who had trailed after Seolhwa and Yu Gang came sprinting out of the mountains in a panic.

“A—Alliance Lord...!”

“What is it.”

“Th—that is...!”

Urgency bled from the warrior’s ashen face as he panted.

Those who grasped that something grave had happened felt their expressions slowly harden.

****

Chwak— chwaaak—!

“Kraaagh!”

“Aagh!”

Red blood sprayed; dozens of Daoists toppled, clutching their legs.

Seolhwa, exuding a dense killing aura, was no different from a death-stalking demon to the Wudang Daoists.

“Sp—spare....”

“Where is Seo Il?”

“I—I don’t....”

Swiish— chwaaak—!

“AAAAAGH!!”

It did no good to throw down their weapons and cry surrender.

Seolhwa slashed the backs of the knees of any Wudang Daoist who barred her path without a shred of mercy.

Her sole objective was the first-line disciple, Seo Il.

Just as he had done to Namgoong Cheonghae, she would crush his legs.

Seolhwa leveled her sword at the throat of a Wudang Daoist still barely on his feet and spoke.

“Bring Seo Il. Now. If you want to live.”

“H—hiiik!”

Shattered by the killing aura she was pouring out, the Daoists—most of them mired at first or second rate—scattered in panic to search for Seo Il.

At that moment—

She sensed someone approaching from behind.

Swiish—

Seolhwa turned and swung at the newcomer.

The edge halted exactly at the masked man’s nape.

“...”

Seolhwa’s eyes trembled finely as she confirmed the intruder’s identity.

“It has been a long time.”

The man was the holder of the Second Moon Medallion—

Hidden Moon, who had appeared during the clash with Breaking Moon four and a half years ago.

Hidden Moon pulled down his mask and bowed with formal respect to the frozen Seolhwa.

“Have you been well, Little House Lord?”