Baekriwon was clearly insulting him. In fact, the Law Enforcement Hall member who had come with Seongho gaped in shock.
"Y–Young Master!? No matter what, that's going too far…"
He tried to stop Baekriwon, but it was useless. Seongho's eyes had already turned cold.
"Third Young Master. You are insulting me right now."
"So what?"
"…As I warned you before, I will take you by force."
Seongho reached out his hand. He planned to seal Baekriwon's acupoints first, then drag him away while he was still conscious. The humiliation he'd suffered could be settled once they reached the Demon-Slaying Division.
But— Tak!
"…!"
The Baekriwon he thought wouldn't even be able to react slapped his hand away.
A fifteen-year-old blocked his move?
Seongho was startled but continued trying to grab him. Yet each time, his attempts were easily deflected.
Baekriwon smirked.
"Your Golden Thread Hand technique isn't properly trained. Does the Demon-Slaying Division not even teach the basics?"
"You…!"
Veins popped in Seongho's eyes. Even if this was the Third Young Master, this crossed the line.
"Third Young Master! You brought this on yourself!"
He drew up his internal energy. His opponent might be the Baekri clan's Third Young Master, but he was the son of a concubine, with few elders who favored him. Breaking a bone or two wouldn't lead to punishment—in fact, the Grand Madam might even reward him for it.
Decision made, Seongho threw a punch, planning to knock him out and drag him away.
Baekriwon didn't move, only staring back with icy eyes.
Seongho's lips twisted in a cruel smile. He thought Baekriwon was frozen, unable to react.
"How arrogant—"
Then it happened. Bzzt!
"…!"
Baekriwon's figure vanished before his eyes. Seongho flinched, scanning the surroundings. Before he could even locate the missing young master—
Crack!
"Gaaahhh!"
Searing pain exploded in his left knee. He lost balance and toppled forward.
"W–What?"
Looking up, he saw Baekriwon standing over him with cold eyes. Lightning energy crackled faintly around him, dissipating slowly.
Seongho's eyes widened in shock. If his guess was right, that was…
"Th–The Heavenly Thunder God Step!?"
"Oh? At least you're not completely blind," Baekriwon said.
But Seongho couldn't regain his composure.
The Heavenly Thunder God Step—one of the secret ultimate techniques created by Shin Chang, founder of their clan. Its difficulty was so extreme that even within the clan, few could perform it.
Yet a fifteen-year-old was using it? Impossible.
"Get up. I didn't completely shatter that knee—you should still be able to stand."
Baekriwon's voice reached his ear, carrying a force that compelled obedience. Almost without realizing it, Seongho stood and faced him.
"Draw it."
"Wh–What?"
"I said, draw your sword."
Seongho blinked at the sudden order, but Baekriwon simply grabbed a wooden staff from the side of the training yard.
"You claimed I practiced demonic arts, didn't you?"
"Y–Yes."
"Then I'll prove you wrong right here. So draw. Or at least use a wooden sword."
The Baekri clan favored the spear, but Seongho's personal specialty was the sword. He picked up a wooden sword as instructed—though he couldn't fathom how Baekriwon intended to prove anything.
"In truth, I've already shown you. You just didn't notice… but that doesn't matter."
A sharp smile curved Baekriwon's lips.
"Our Baekri clan's martial arts are anti-demon arts. Once you've mastered the real thing, it's impossible to learn demonic techniques—unless you're willing to lose all your progress and start from scratch. Only an idiot would do that."
Which meant, by demonstrating true Baekri clan techniques, he would prove his innocence.
"So I'll show you the clan's martial arts. That will be proof enough."
"…!"
"Let's begin."
Before anyone could intervene, a fierce light blazed in Baekriwon's eyes—Bzzt!—and blue lightning engulfed his body.
It was the clan's internal cultivation art: the Heavenly Thunder Return-to-One Skill.
Seongho's face twisted in fresh shock. Lightning manifesting like that? Then his mastery must be at least Third Star level…!
Most clan techniques were notoriously difficult—many didn't begin the true arts until well past twenty. The Heavenly Thunder Return-to-One was especially demanding, requiring one to truly sense the power of lightning itself.
And yet this boy…
Before Seongho could even finish his thought, Baekriwon's wooden staff unleashed the opening form of the Thunder Dragon Chain Spear technique.
Thwack!
A sharp blow struck Seongho's pressure point, dropping him instantly.
Couldn't even last one move, Baekriwon thought with a snort, suppressing his energy.
The Law Enforcement Hall member who had witnessed everything stood slack-jawed. So did Baekricheon, who had come for training, and the warriors of the Baekyun Guard nearby.
They were all frozen in disbelief.
What did I just see?
Over the past half-month, they had grown fond of Baekriwon, even considering stepping in if Seongho tried to drag him away.
But he had just floored a Demon-Slaying Division warrior—a feat far beyond his earlier fight with Second Young Master Baekrisang, who was talented but still young.
Seongho, however, was a mid-twenties warrior in a position reserved for the elite.
And Baekriwon had defeated him in a single strike, using the clan's secret techniques that even seasoned members struggled to master.
There was only one word for this.
Genius.
Not just an ordinary genius, but the genuine article.
The onlookers swallowed hard. Instinct told them this incident would unleash a storm in the clan—a massive one.
As the Baekyun Guards predicted, the clan erupted in chaos.
The Demon-Slaying Division warrior who had gone to arrest Baekriwon for allegedly practicing demonic arts had instead been subdued—without offering any real resistance.
The accusations of demonic cultivation vanished instantly. As Baekriwon said, anyone who mastered the clan's true techniques could not possibly have learned demonic arts.
But now a new question arose: How had he learned arts he had never officially been taught?
In truth, the original Baekriwon hadn't even completed the basics. Heavenly Thunder God Step, Heavenly Thunder Return-to-One, and Thunder Dragon Chain Spear were taught long after mastering the fundamentals.
With no answers, the clan elders convened a meeting.
Eventually, they summoned Baekriwon to explain himself.
"I learned them in secret," he said flatly.
"What!?"
"I snuck into the Scripture Pavilion and studied the manuals. All three techniques, that's how I learned them."
His shameless admission left the elders gaping. He had just openly confessed to violating clan law.
Bang!
Several slammed their fists on the table, beards trembling with fury. The Scripture Pavilion's keeper roared in outrage.
"How dare you say such things to our faces! You've broken clan law and committed a grave offense—how can you be so brazen!?"
"Am I not allowed to be brazen?"
"What!?"
Baekriwon only smirked.
"Honestly, these are things I'd have learned eventually. Learning them early isn't such a big deal."
"They were things you could have learned, yes—once you proved your skill. But to sneak around—"
"Ask the Grand Madam why. She's treated me like an enemy, interfering with my training at every turn."
"...!"
Some elders fell silent—because it was true. She had long gone out of her way to obstruct him, even using her own son, Baekrisang, to torment him.
"So I had no choice but to train in secret," Baekriwon said. "Now, let's speak plainly about clan rules. Tell me—has anyone my age ever achieved what I have?"
"…"
Of course not. How could a mere fifteen-year-old display such martial mastery?
Baekriwon was a prodigy—one rare even in all the martial world.
"Frankly, I believe my talent is exceptional. If I continue training, I'll reach the very peak."
Some elders' eyes gleamed at this. Baekriwon smiled inwardly—this was the reaction he wanted.
"So, support me."
"What?"
"Give me full support so I can focus solely on training. Of course, I know there's one issue stopping you: the Young Clan Head succession."
"…"
The room fell silent. Most of this conflict stemmed from the Grand Madam's ambition to see her son as Young Clan Head—a struggle only likely to intensify.
"If the Clan Head learns of my talent, he'll try to make me the heir," Baekriwon continued.
"I withdraw from that competition," he declared.
"What!?"
Gasps filled the room. This was no small statement—made in the middle of a clan council, no less.
But Baekriwon was serious.
To hunt the Huncheon Demon Lord, I need the clan's strength, not its power.
Why covet the Clan Head position, a busy role with little real benefit, when his mission—once complete—would lead to his appointment as Grand General of Heaven?
All he needed was to maintain good relations with whoever became Clan Head.
"In return, give me the support I've asked for. Do that, and…"
The room hung on his words.
With a sly grin, Baekriwon finished:
"I'll make the Baekri clan the greatest under heaven."
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