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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Entrance Was Clearly Just One
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Hwa Il-yeon raced his horse toward the White Sword Sect.
He whipped the galloping steed relentlessly, urging it onward in a frenzy. But about halfway there, he encountered someone riding toward him from the front.
"Hero Hwa! Is it over already?"
It was Yeo Song-hae.
Yeo Song-hae had returned to the Clear Dawn Escort Agency to report in detail on the conflict between the White Sword Sect and Do Cheon, and was now hurrying to the Iron Lion Sect.
Hwa Il-yeon, who had intended to ride past, abruptly reined in his horse and spoke rapidly.
"You head back to the Clear Dawn Escort Agency. Don't send anyone sniffing around the main sect, no matter what. Stay put there until I say it's okay. Got it? Then go, quickly."
"Hero?"
"No time for chit-chat. If you don't want the wedding called off, just do as I say."
"Ah, understood."
As Yeo Song-hae bowed his head, Hwa Il-yeon spurred his horse onward again.
He lashed the madly charging mount even harder.
"You beast! Why are you so slow today of all days!"
It was his heart that felt agonizingly slow, not the horse, but Hwa Il-yeon failed to realize it in the moment.
After racing like a madman for about half a shichen, the horse began to foam at the mouth, its speed dropping sharply.
Do Cheon, his mind racing ahead of him, kicked off the horse's back and launched into lightness skill.
"Hurry! I have to hurry!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
White Sword Sect.
Do Cheon arrived at the sect's main gate about one daekyeong after Hwa Il-yeon had returned. When he got there, the gate stood wide open.
Do Cheon strode through without hesitation.
True to a martial sect, a vast front courtyard stretched out before him.
Flanking the courtyard on either side were six elders each, swords drawn. Directly ahead, the White Sword Sect Leader stood in a dignified stance.
Do Cheon crossed the courtyard without a moment's pause.
"How dare a mere Iron Lion Sect whelp! Learning devilish sorcery has bloated your guts, has it?"
The Sect Leader bellowed like thunder.
"Sorcery? Is that all your eyes can see?"
Do Cheon smirked.
Realizing at that sight that the feat Do Cheon had demonstrated was no mere sorcery, the Sect Leader hardened his gaze.
"Form the sword formation!"
At the Sect Leader's command, the elders leaped into action simultaneously.
In that instant, Do Cheon took a single, bold step forward.
A massive surge of energy erupted like a storm in his wake, hurling the elders—who were just forming their sword formation and charging in—scattering in all directions.
At the sight, the Sect Leader drew his sword and launched himself forward.
The White Sword Sect's pride: the Twelve Forms of the White Sword!
The Sect Leader was a master who had reached the realm of the formless with his ever-changing sword strikes. Though it appeared as a straight thrust, the blade concealed countless variations, making it an unpredictably perilous strike whose harmony could not be foreseen.
Yet Do Cheon merely extended his right hand, palm outward.
'Your arrogance seals your doom!'
Aiming to pierce straight through Do Cheon's palm, the Sect Leader thrust with all his might.
But the moment the sword tip touched Do Cheon's palm...
An indescribable torrent of energy surged along the blade in defiance, and suddenly the sword shattered into fragments. Not only that—the Sect Leader's hand gripping it exploded as well.
"Kuhuk!"
Dazed by the excruciating pain and the realization that his sword hand was mangled, the Sect Leader faltered.
In that moment, a iron grip seized his collar, hoisted him high, then slammed him down toward the hard ground like a bolt of lightning.
Boom!
The courtyard shook with the impact, and the Sect Leader went limp.
But it wasn't over.
Do Cheon grabbed the Sect Leader's face and hurled him aside. Sailing limply through the air, the Sect Leader crashed into a massive pillar supporting the audience hall's outer wall and slumped there.
Do Cheon turned slowly and advanced toward him.
Each deliberate step evoked a predator stalking its prey.
The scattered elders began to pick themselves up one by one, but none dared charge at Do Cheon. By the time he reached the slumped Sect Leader...
"It's the law of beasts. If you don't bite, you get eaten."
Do Cheon looked down at the Sect Leader and raised his foot.
Right then.
"Please spare him!"
A young voice cried out desperately.
Do Cheon froze mid-motion, his foot poised to crush, and turned his gaze. As their eyes met, the young man dropped to his knees in the courtyard as if collapsing.
"Please, spare his life!"
The youth prostrated himself flat.
The moment Do Cheon saw him, his face twisted into a strange expression.
"Who are you?"
Do Cheon asked.
"I'm Baek Mu-gi. I'm the son of the man you're about to kill, hero. Please spare him. The White Sword Sect will accept whatever judgment you pass. Just please let him live."
Baek Mu-gi kept smashing his forehead against the ground.
Do Cheon stared at him impassively for a moment, then lowered his foot.
Baek Mu-gi.
The man betrothed to Yeo Su-a of the Clear Dawn Escort Agency.
Do Cheon grimaced inwardly.
'With a background like the White Sword Sect and that face... No wonder Su-a turned her head.'
Baek Mu-gi boasted handsome features striking enough to turn any woman's head. Compared to the utterly ordinary Do Cheon in Yeo Su-a's eyes, it must have stood out even more. She often teased that a man's looks were wasted anyway, but Baek Mu-gi's appearance and pedigree were enough to shatter such notions.
Do Cheon left the slumped Sect Leader be and approached Baek Mu-gi.
"Hero, thank you. I'll never forget the mercy you've shown today."
Baek Mu-gi prostrated himself again.
Do Cheon gazed down at him wordlessly for a moment, then turned and walked away.
'Fine. Call it my final courtesy to the one she loved.'
As Do Cheon passed by, Baek Mu-gi twisted around to keep bowing toward him.
"Congratulations on the wedding. Hahaha!"
"...!"
Baek Mu-gi looked up in shock at Do Cheon's unexpected words as he walked away.
Do Cheon was already passing through the main gate. Lacking the courage to chase after him and express thanks, Baek Mu-gi could only watch with eyes mingled relief and fear.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Where's Master?"
"He went to the training hall with Martial Uncle."
Do Cheon nodded at Yi Yeol's reply.
Even after all this, his master's trust filled him with nothing but gratitude.
"What happened at the White Sword Sect?"
"I was going to kill the Sect Leader, but things got messy, so I let him go."
"You did well. Killing isn't always the answer."
"Yeah, sure. But you have to know when to do it."
"...!"
"The world we live in isn't overflowing with mercy and compassion. You have to be ruthless when needed. If you can't, better abandon martial arts altogether."
The law of the jungle: the strong devour the weak.
No matter how it's dressed up, the martial world was one where the powerful trampled the powerless.
Yi Yeol knew this too, so he said no more on the matter.
"Eldest Brother, just how strong have you become?"
Do Cheon studied Yi Yeol's face for a long while, pondering how to explain it so he'd truly understand.
"Enough to protect you all from anyone, as long as you're in my sight."
"Even against someone who looks down on the White Sword Sect from on high?"
"Yes."
Do Cheon answered without hesitation.
Yi Yeol asked no more. He forcibly calmed his pounding heart, stunned.
"Where's Iron Mountain?"
"Said his legs were shaking and vanished."
"He fled early out of fear of getting hit with vital points."
"Yes."
"I wonder where he went."
As Do Cheon looked around...
"Give us at least today to rest."
"...!"
"The White Sword Sect's blades we couldn't even glance at before were right in our faces. It'd be a lie to say I wasn't scared."
"I see. Alright, we'll do that. How about Little Sparrow and Young Ki?"
"Little Sparrow took Young Ki with her. Seems she's bolder than us."
"She's always been fearless."
"Still, it must've shaken her some."
"Probably. I'll go check on them. You rest today too."
"Yes."
Do Cheon left Yi Yeol behind and went to find Little Sparrow and Young Ki.
They were in the kitchen.
The two were eating noodle soup.
"Eat up."
"Yeah."
"Big Sis was this close to peeing herself from fear, but Young Ki was so brave."
"I was scared. But Sis hugged me, so it was okay."
"It's normal to be scared. But you held out till the end. So brave. You'll be a real man someday."
"Hehe. I almost peed too, but I clenched really hard and held it."
"Good job. Enough of that—let's eat."
"Okay, Sis."
Soon, only the slurping of noodles filled the air.
Listening from outside, Do Cheon smiled and turned away.
'Tougher kids than they look.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hubei Province, Wuchang—Great Righteous Alliance headquarters.
Byeon Ryeo-gun felt a heaviness in her chest.
It had been a full month since becoming leader of the Secret Shadow Pavilion, yet they had uncovered nothing. The mysterious figure who had made orthodox masters chase shadows like dogs chasing chickens had vanished without a trace—utterly clueless.
'Did he go far away? Or is he hiding until he masters the Generation's Heavenly Demon's ultimate arts?'
If the latter, it was a headache. They might never find him until he revealed himself.
'Not likely. It was just a glimpse back then, but he was already a considerable expert. If someone like that obtained the Generation's Heavenly Demon's arts, he'd be ready to show something by now. Unless he's inhumanly cold-blooded, he'll want to test it out at least once. Just to confirm.'
It was her own speculation, and she knew not everyone would act that way. Still, she clung to it because it was the only lead that might yield results in short order.
The next two or three months.
If no trace emerged even then, he'd likely be meticulously cold by nature. In that case, he wouldn't show himself until he'd cultivated the arts to a satisfactory level.
Then there'd be no choice but to wait for him to appear on his own.
'An absolute master versed in the Generation's Heavenly Demon's martial arts will emerge. If he's orthodox, it's a blessing. If unorthodox... a nightmare.'
With such thoughts, Byeon Ryeo-gun left her office and headed to the building where Secret Shadow Pavilion's brains were compiling and sorting intelligence from across the land.
Over thirty people sat at their stations, stacks of paper documents piled high.
"These the ones excluded from the final stage?"
"Yes."
Byeon Ryeo-gun asked before a table heaped with documents, and a middle-aged scholar-type replied. He was the one doing final reviews for her reports.
Byeon Ryeo-gun pulled up a chair and sat. She scanned each sheet rapidly.
The middle-aged man waited at her side.
She flew through dozens of pages, but at one point, her eyes locked onto a document and wouldn't let go.
Wondering if he'd missed something, the man peeked over.
The report read:
Hunan Province, Changsa—Iron Lion Sect.
Senior disciple returns after 3 years. Subdues the black path gang Sky-Spanning Gang.
The middle-aged man breathed in relief upon reading it.
A return after three years warranted a first look, but taking down a black path gang didn't scream "sudden power surge or show of force"—the second criterion. Black path gangs were full of nobodies, after all. Yet Byeon Ryeo-gun kept staring at the paper far longer than expected.
She stared at it for ages, though there was nothing else to ponder.
"Black path gangs are hardly worth calling martial artists."
The man ventured cautiously.
Only then did Byeon Ryeo-gun react—but contrary to his expectation, she handed him the document instead.
"Dig deeper on this one."
"Understood."
The man took it.
Byeon Ryeo-gun skimmed the rest. Nothing else caught her eye, so she stood silently.
"Good work, everyone."
Thinking they might not find him until he revealed himself, Byeon Ryeo-gun opened the door she'd entered through.
"...!"
A man flinched, on the verge of entering.
"Greetings, Pavilion Leader."
He bowed hastily and stepped aside.
Byeon Ryeo-gun nodded and was about to exit when she froze.
"The entrance was clearly just one!"
If he'd entered ahead of her, there should have been traces of passing the checkpoint. But the path she'd cleared showed no signs of recent passage—long undisturbed.
'There was another entrance inside!'
She'd grasped a thread.
Byeon Ryeo-gun's eyes began to shine once more.