After the Sixteen Strong ended and before the Eight Strong began.

Now, amidst the now reduced group of eight, I quietly examined the wooden board.

The results of the previous matches were pretty much as I had anticipated.

The Sword King and Bi Seongdo advanced, along with Tang Soyeol and me.

The other competitors, who had concealed their true abilities, were all martial artists of the Transformation Realm.

This marked the point where only the strongest remained.

Moreover, it indicated that there wasn’t much time left in the Martial Arts Tournament.

No matter how long it dragged on, it would still be seven days.

Though there was technically still time remaining, I was deep in thought while looking at the board.

– Pang Zhou of Hebei Peng Clan vs. Gu Yangcheong of Mount Shan Clan.

The characters scrawled in the middle of the board made me chuckle slightly.

“Well, well.”

Looking at that, I had to admit one thing.

This Martial Arts Tournament had indeed had many unexpected developments.

‘Are we already pitted against each other?’

I never thought I’d fight the Sword King and the Eight Strong before the finals.

That was something I hadn’t anticipated at all.

I thought I’d face that old man only in the very end.

Even if the Sword King isn’t in the best condition now, I never expected him to play his trump cards this early.

‘I thought he’d save them for the finals.’

I stroked my chin, which showed no sign of any stubble yet.

What on earth was going on?

‘Hmm.’

Right now, my position was quite significant.

This isn’t mere boasting; it truly is so.

The buzz outside was even greater than during Shin Ryong’s time.

This meant that expectations surrounding me were skyrocketing.

Additionally…

‘Moyong Hi-ah reacted swiftly, which increased my value even more.’

Immediately after the report was sent regarding the Changwon Sect Leader, Lady Mi sprang into action.

Her method was to spread rumors.

[The Changwon Sect Leader personally approached So Yeomra for sponsorship.]

That fact alone caused the influx of various sector leaders to cease.

The wealthiest man in the Central Plains had stepped into the ring.

This implies that my value has risen that much, and only someone of notable worth would even consider engaging with me.

Therefore, the leaders of the sect must have ceased their objections and were now discussing other topics.

Although it was daunting to approach given the Changwon Sect Leader’s appearance…

In other words, it signified that I had the worth of a late-stage talent.

Also,

‘The fact that the Baekhwa Sect had been sponsoring such a martial artist in advance.’

This led to the Baekhwa Sect essentially advertising themselves, even if indirectly.

Such swift actions certainly resulted in significant profits.

‘Though, they’re too fast.’

Whether it was Moyong Hi-ah or Lady Mi, their responses came much too quickly.

I heard that soon after, they had requested a meeting with the Changwon Sect Leader, didn’t I?

‘I did hear they sent a letter yesterday.’

The conditions presented back then were absurd to begin with.

The Changwon Sect Leader spoke of bringing conditions beyond that.

I couldn’t help but show a strange expression as I recalled him.

‘Since there’s a Martial Arts Tournament today, it makes sense that he declined the offer.’

It felt like the right decision.

‘No matter what conditions he brought…’

Right now, it was better to reject them.

He was sure to have brought astounding conditions.

‘After today, my value will outstrip even that, and the meaning of what he brought will also change.’

It was, in fact, the right rejection.

So it struck me; I was suddenly curious.

‘I wonder if he’ll actually bring better conditions or just give up.’

With that interest rising, I covered my mouth with my hand.

Unbeknownst to me, the corners of my mouth were lifting.

‘Whatever he thinks…’

I prefer unexpected changes.

Thanks to that, the handling of affairs sped up.

Thud, thud.

I brushed off my hands and stretched my body slightly.

Then I looked up at the sky.

A clear, fine sky spread out before me.

The clouds sparsely dotted here and there made the scene even prettier.

Seeing that, I grinned.

‘Perfect.’

A day perfect for causing an uproar.

For some reason, today felt like such a day.

Waaaaaa—!!!

– Gu Cheolun, victorious!

Time passed a bit after the Eight Strong began.

The fervor of the Martial Arts Tournament was gradually heating up, and the cheers from the audience grew even louder.

Naturally.

The level had risen significantly compared to the tournament I had seen in the past.

‘…Not bad, huh?’

I was a bit surprised myself.

The recent victor was Gu Cheolun of the Gu Clan.

He was quite the character from a sect I had never heard of before, but he clearly had remarkable skill.

‘He lightly entered the ranks of the hundred great masters.’

His opponent was Jin Seonyeon of the Geumseon Clan.

I had heard he was a renowned martial artist skilled in dual sword techniques. Gu Cheolun managed to prevail against such a martial artist.

It really was a match decided by the narrowest of margins.

Had either of them made a mistake, they would have immediately faced defeat.

Given that it had been a long time since I’d seen a proper spar, I felt not too bad about it.

‘They certainly seem to be of good caliber here.’

The first match had been clean and nice to watch.

Especially since it involved transformation realm martial artists.

– Gyeonggun of the Gyeongjun Clan vs. Muk Seoljin of the Cheonghae Clan! Sparring begins!

Soon, the second spar was about to begin.

Boom!

The exchange of Qi sent out tremendous force this time as well. Feeling the energy brush against my cheek, I thought to myself.

This Tournament had deviated from multiple expectations.

Candidates for the championship or those considered strong had fallen one after the other, leaving the field open for those previously unknown.

As for the emergence of new masters, that was something warmly welcomed by those of the Central Plains, igniting a fervor.

I, too, felt no different and found myself engrossed in watching the matches.

“Is it fun?”

A heavy voice came from beside me.

Turning my head, I saw an unpleasant-looking old man.

It was the Sword King.

“You seem to be having a good time.”

I hadn’t expected him to approach me.

Staring at the Sword King quietly, I casually replied.

“Yeah. It’s quite fun.”

“…Huh.”

Was it because I hadn’t shown him due respect? The Sword King’s expression twisted even more.

However, he quickly adjusted his face and continued talking.

“Still, being from a prestigious house, it seems you haven’t received proper education.”

That was a blatant jab.

Well…

“I guess so.”

“What?”

In response to such trivial remarks, I smiled brightly.

“It would have been nice to have received better education as someone from a prestigious house, but… It’s regrettable that it didn’t happen.”

“…”

It seemed the Sword King grasped the meaning of my words, as his expression crumpled in an instant.

This old man was kind of funny.

The way he reacted just from that little scratch was amusing.

“Who do you think you—”

“Lord Pang, you’re certainly an intriguing man.”

Cutting off his rising anger, I added,

“I know that coming to me won’t yield good reactions, so why do you keep coming to scratch around? Is this your kink?”

“…!”

At first, he had been handling this lightly, but now it seemed he was getting more curious about why he kept seeking me out.

Ah, could it be…

“Do you happen to like me? If that’s the case, just like I told your son… Sorry, but I only like women.”

“You little—!”

Bang!

Unable to contain his anger any longer, the Sword King unleashed his Qi.

Or rather, he intended to.

Crackle!

“…!!”

At the moment the Sword King exerted his energy, the energy that erupted from my body suppressed him.

As his energy was overwhelmed in an instant, his eyes widened.

A clear look of shock on his face.

Seeing that, I poked the Sword King’s shoulder lightly.

“C’mon, chill out. You’re an adult now… It’s fine to be fiery at your age, but if you keep acting like this, it’ll be troublesome.”

Even though I was trying to say it as gently as possible, the Sword King’s expression didn’t relax.

What to do…?

I felt like he might hit me.

I meant the Sword King, of course.

‘I’m trying to hold back because of Pang Ah-Hee, but why does he keep pushing?’

Honestly, under normal circumstances, it would have been long over.

However, considering that girl, it was better to restrain myself.

“If I hit him in front of his daughter, it’ll be awkward.”

With Pang Woojin looking over with concern from behind, I was doing my best to hold back.

‘But really, why is this happening?’

I began to wonder.

Why was the Sword King particularly irked by me?

‘Though I’m a Pejon, why does he keep barking at me?’

If I were to be struck, that would make sense.

It’s reasonable to be fired up considering he was subjected to scorn and ridicule by the Central Plains.

But!

‘Why is he barking at me?’

He latched onto me like a dog, and I simply couldn’t ignore it.

‘Hmm…’

Reflecting back, it seemed he had always been like this from the beginning.

Initially, I thought he disliked me due to the canceled engagement, but now it seemed that wasn’t the sole reason.

Then why did he seem so eager to tear me apart?

As those questions bubbled up, he suddenly spoke.

“…Those eyes.”

The Sword King gritted his teeth and continued.

“That damn look in your eyes, you’re exactly like your father.”

“…”

Out of the blue, he brought up my father.

Hearing that made my head nod instinctively.

“…!”

I flinched.

The Sword King’s body trembled as he directed a gaze at me.

Seeing that, I took a breath.

That was a close call.

‘I nearly killed him.’

In that moment, I almost poked out his eyes.

Phew. I barely managed to hold back.

What was with him bringing up my father out of nowhere? I could have genuinely done something bad.

‘What a scare.’

I nearly ruined everything out of anger.

As I exhaled, my mind flickered back to the Sword King’s words.

I sensed a subtle change in the tone when he mentioned my father.

So, I asked.

“Lord Pang, if you don’t mind me asking…”

There was no malice behind my query.

“Did you ever get hit by my father in the past?”

It was purely out of curiosity.

Could that observation have been the problem?

Crack—!

An immense killing intent erupted from the Sword King’s body.

“What did you say…?”

“Um… Just a moment…?”

“What did you say just now?”

Oh, this really seemed to have made him angry.

This was an unexpected surge of killing intent.

I was taken aback by how intense it was.

Wow… this feels a bit…

‘Did I touch on something I shouldn’t have?’

It seemed I had made a mistake.

So, I awkwardly laughed and said to him,

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t think you’d actually have had that experience. Haha. You know how it is when friends have disputes… Ah, but maybe you weren’t friends… In that case, I’m even more sorry.”

I sincerely apologized for touching on that unpleasant memory.

Hmm, should I have done that?

So I desperately tried to convey my regrets.

However…

“Truly, you’re just a spitting image of your father.”

It seemed the Sword King couldn’t manage to suppress his rage.

Normally, that would have come across as a compliment, but I understood that this time, it wasn’t seen that way.

“I see it in your eyes as if you know everything. And that pitying gaze… It sends chills down my spine.”

His voice dripped with contempt.

The hostility embedded in that tone made my skin crawl.

“What do you kids think… Have you truly inherited the audacity to disregard me?”

Huff. Huff.

His breath was hot and rough.

It seemed like he was doing his best to contain his rage.

“Just wait, Gu Cheolun’s son. Let’s see if you’ll be able to look at me with those eyes when we meet on the sparring stage.”

With that, the Sword King turned and walked away.

He kept bringing up my eyes; did he have a problem with them?

As I watched the Sword King’s back retreating, I suddenly had the urge to ask my father.

‘How on earth did you manage to anger him so?’

What on earth did my father do that turned him into this?

Given my father’s temperament, he wouldn’t have done it without reason, but still… it seemed excessive.

‘…I really have to be careful when dealing with people now.’

That was the realization I came to.

If I intended to swing my fists, I needed to be cautious. If not, a person might end up in such a state.

From here on, I might have to either be careful about hitting someone… or just kill them to avoid any potential issues.

One of those two options seemed necessary.

As I resolved with a nod, my gaze passed over the Sword King to the person behind him.

Right at Pang Woojin, who was watching my interaction with the Sword King.

His expression caught my eye.

‘…’

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

It was chilling.

The look Pang Woojin directed at the Sword King contained no feelings whatsoever.

Only an immense void existed in those eyes.

Those dark pupils seemed devoid of any emotion.

Daring to believe those were the eyes of a son looking at his father was an impossible leap.

Momentarily, I thought about how he regained normalcy after.

His earlier empty expression had vanished, replaced by a smile toward me.

Waving his hand as if to say hello…

‘…’

Had he forgotten that mere seconds ago, his father was glaring at me as if he were ready to kill?

Being bright and cheerful like that didn’t sit well with me.

I was convinced.

‘The Pang family has gone to ruin.’

Regardless of whether they were the clan leader or lesser clan leader, they showed signs of instability.

‘Ugh.’

It seemed their household was quite the mess.

Amusingly, I felt a sense of kinship with them and shook my head slightly.

Then I turned my gaze somewhere else.

In a distance that couldn’t be perceived through sight, nor sensed through Qi.

But I knew something was there.

Twitch—!

The demon energy intertwined through my heart was letting me know.

‘Originally, I meant to wait a bit longer.’

But given the current situation, it didn’t seem necessary.

I infused my will with the demon energy and released a pulse.

Though my intent wasn’t entirely clear, those who received it would recognize it.

With this, my preparations were complete.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

It might take a bit of time, but it wouldn’t take too long.

Also…

‘Until then, I won’t be bored.’

Smiling at the receding form of the Sword King, I was relieved to find a diversion right before me.