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“What a surprise when Lee Kwang jumped into the duel!”

At that moment, both Sword Demon and I had the same twisted expression on our faces. Just when I thought our plan was about to succeed, out pops an unexpected character! But there was nothing I could do right now; all I could do was watch.

The Sect Leader looked at Lee Kwang, who had blocked his attack, and remarked with some surprise, “Oh… aren’t you Lee Kwang?”

“……”

“While I was looking into Jin So-cheong’s whereabouts, I found out about you too… I had no idea Lee Cheong-un’s disciple was living such a life…”

Lee Kwang bit his lip tightly, refusing to answer. Then he glanced at Jin So-cheong behind him and did something that no one in the hall could have predicted.

Thud!

“…Master!!”

Jin So-cheong shouted in shock.

Lee Kwang dropped to his knees, banging his forehead on the ground dramatically as if practicing some sort of ancient ritual! This was a shameful position, relying solely on the Sect Leader’s absolute mercy, and nobody expected the great Lee Kwang to submit like this.

As the Sect Leader looked down at him wordlessly, Lee Kwang cried out in a desperate yet clear voice.

“I, Samjeol Lee Kwang, respectfully ask the great sect leader of the White Lotus Sect for forgiveness!! My disciple, Jin So-cheong, acted foolishly and arrogantly challenged the first among the honorable, but I beg for your mercy!!”

[……]

“Oh, revered Sect Leader, please cancel today’s duel and pretend it never happened!! I, Lee Kwang, am kneeling and begging!!”

“M-Master…”

Jin So-cheong stood behind him, looking utterly devastated, as if the world was crumbling around him.

“……”

Honestly, I felt the same way.

The moment Lee Kwang knelt and repeatedly smashed his head into the ground, uncontrollable emotions boiled within me.

What is this?

What kind of feeling is this?

Seeing Lee Kwang’s humiliating image should have brought me satisfaction, but instead, I felt my hands and feet tremble. I had this irrational urge to smash something at that moment. It was far removed from the joy one might feel watching Lee Kwang’s predicament.

As I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood while witnessing the scene, the Sect Leader calmly said.

[Are you asking for forgiveness on behalf of your disciple’s sins?]

“Yes!!”

[Hmm… this is interesting.]

He suddenly glanced over at the Dharma Protectors who were spectating from afar and added.

[Han Baek-ryeong. What do you think we should do?]

“Sect Leader.”

Wearing a silver fox mask, Han Baek-ryeong jumped slightly at the Sect Leader’s call, looking flustered. She was clearly surprised by Lee Kwang’s intrusion and his sudden act of submission. But after regaining her composure, she replied.

“He’s Lee Cheong-un’s disciple. Considering the position he once held in the White Lotus Sect, I believe it’s worth hearing him out.”

[True…]

Then, Yuong Bi-cheon, standing to the side, interjected curtly.

“That’s not right, Sect Leader!!”

[Yuong Bi-cheon.]

“The one who dared to challenge the White Lotus Sect must pay the price for his arrogance. It’s only right to punish him so he won’t act recklessly again.”

[That is also valid…]

Yuong Bi-cheon was nursing a grudge from an earlier encounter with Lee Kwang, so his feelings toward the situation were understandably bitter. Still, this coward wouldn’t think of that. The Sect Leader remained silent, glancing finally at Dokgo Jun.

[Jun, what do you think?]

[Sect Leader, shouldn’t we deal with the spectators first?]

Dokgo Jun looked toward Jin So-cheong’s followers huddled in the back.

[It wouldn’t be good for unnecessary rumors to spread in Jianghu.]

This hinted at possible deadly consequences, causing the followers to flinch, aware that the White Lotus experts could easily eliminate them to keep their mouths shut.

Then, Master of Zen spoke up angrily.

“Was this not supposed to be a friendly duel? Such cruel actions cannot be tolerated!”

To Master of Zen’s outburst, Dokgo Jun responded with emotional retort rooted in the ethos of their sect.

[Master, So-cheong’s provocation was a direct challenge to our Sect Leader’s dignity. As Dharma Protectors, we are prepared to do anything to uphold that dignity.]

“That’s merely your subjective judgment. I won’t be easily provoked, but do not misinterpret the Sect Leader’s intentions.”

[Hmph…]

A tense air settled between Master of Zen and Dokgo Jun. In terms of raw internal power, they were nearly equal. Even if Dokgo Jun utilized his immense energy, it wouldn’t be an easy win against Master of Zen. While Dokgo Jun would likely prevail in a long duel, it wouldn’t be easy for him either.

The Sect Leader was still uncertain, pondering deeply in silence. After a moment, he spoke to Lee Kwang.

[Lee Kwang, I had no intention of killing or harming Jin So-cheong. I believe you needn’t debase yourself this way…]

“How could I not be offended by such arrogance?!”

BANG!

Lee Kwang smashed his forehead into the ground one last time and cried out,

“Please forgive me! I will never challenge the White Lotus Sect’s authority again!”

[……]

“Please cancel today’s duel and let it go!”

The Sect Leader watched Lee Kwang, who continued to plead.

[I see… you want to avoid having your disciple somehow linked back to the White Lotus Sect? For the sake of the Thunder God lineage’s future?]

“Great Leader, there’s no hidden agenda!”

[Hoh hoh hoh…]

The Sect Leader chuckled and said, “As a disciple of Lee Cheong-un… I suppose there are hidden truths about your Thunder God lineage regarding your ultimate techniques.”

“There’s nothing like that!! We are nothing but pitiful losers!!”

The Sect Leader ignored Lee Kwang’s rebuttal and continued,

[How moving. To abandon your pride for the future of your lineage and for your disciple… Lee Cheong-un’s disciple has the talent of a cunning wolf.]

“……!!”

The Sect Leader’s apathetic gaze shifted sharply toward Lee Kwang.

[Step away, Lee Kwang. You have no right to intervene in this duel or demand forgiveness. Once, you were the successor of the Thunder God lineage and a part of the White Lotus Sect, but that is no longer the case. I have no reason to kill or harm you, and you are nothing but a stranger to me now.]

Suddenly, with a flick of the Sect Leader’s finger, Lee Kwang, who had his forehead pressed into the ground, shot upright. He had hit his head hard enough to bleed, but his eyes shone fiercely like a tiger.

“Sect Leader! I beg for mercy!!”

[You will not be able to kneel again. I will not accept it.]

“Ugh.”

[Stay still.]

CRACK!

As the Sect Leader had said, Lee Kwang appeared to be immobilized by an invisible force. The Sect Leader slowly passed by Lee Kwang, who was struggling in the air.

[Then… as a master, I suppose I should allow my new disciple, Jin So-cheong, to pay respects as his teacher.]

……

I was gripped by a swirl of complex emotions at the scene unfolding before me.

‘Everything was going so well…’

This plan could still work out.

The Sect Leader appeared uninterested in being manipulated by Lee Kwang’s antics, aiming to accept Jin So-cheong as a disciple. If it were Jin So-cheong, he could decrypt the chaos and primordial void, ultimately unlocking secrets tethered to the Supreme Divine Art. This transfer of information would be discreetly conducted through the suspicious fishhook he possessed. Everything was flawless.

But I felt stifled.

I clenched my fist, overwhelmed by the urge to do something—anything—yet I didn’t know what to do.

At that moment, Jin So-cheong contacted me through the fishhook.

[I’m sorry, Baek Woong.]

I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say as my thoughts mirrored his.

[I understand that your past life is much more important, but I can’t bear to watch my master suffer this humiliation.]

[……]

[No matter how annoying or troublesome, he’s still my master. What about you, Baek Woong?]

[I understand.]

‘We cannot allow our Sect Leader to endure endless humiliation.’

This wasn’t merely a sentiment sprung from Lee Kwang’s perspective.

This was the pride and honor of being a disciple of the Thunder God lineage.

‘There’s no helping it!’

I let out a sigh and replied to Jin So-cheong.

[… I’ve let go of everything now, so do as you will.]

[Thank you.]

With this, I gave up on the plan to bring Jin So-cheong into the Sect Leader’s fold.

So… starting now, both Jin So-cheong and I would act freely.

As members of the Thunder God lineage.

Wham!

“Ha!”

Jin So-cheong lunged like lightning, launching a spear attack at the Sect Leader. The strike seemed ordinary compared to before, but the Sect Leader, initially calm, appeared unexpectedly startled as he raised a protective white veil to block the blow.

[Foolhardy… ugh.]

In a split second, the Sect Leader could only muster his defensive energy to intercept Jin So-cheong’s attack, but it was too powerful to avoid entirely. Blood trickled down from under his mask.

“Sect Leader!!”

The watchers were aghast, stunned that the Sect Leader could be hurt by the young Jin So-cheong!

Especially Lee Kwang, who had been kneeling down, looked completely lost, as if he couldn’t comprehend what just happened.

But of course, this shouldn’t be surprising.

No matter how many obstacles there were, the current Jin So-cheong was the living embodiment of all my martial experiences up to this moment. He had ingested the Seven Great Techniques, the Eight Immortals Divine Art, and even the advanced techniques I painstakingly learned from Lee Cheong-un. Jin So-cheong now held the qualifications to proclaim himself the proper inheritor of the Thunder God lineage.

If Jin So-cheong unleashed all his power, he was several times stronger than he had been while concealing his abilities!

“……”

However, the atmosphere in the hall was tense and gloomy. I watched the unfolding chaos with heavy eyes, just then the Sword Demon’s voice chimed in my head.

[Baek Woong, it looks like you need to save Jin So-cheong. If this goes on, he might be killed by the Sect Leader.]

[I thought he should have sustained a major injury in that attack…]

[So we need to act together. We must do something before the Dharma Protectors intervene.]

[Understood.]

Snap!

It seemed cracks had appeared in the Sect Leader’s mask of anonymity. He began to rise, watching Jin So-cheong intently.

[Impressive… I thought you were a cat, but it turns out you are a tiger hiding its claws? Had fortune not been on my side just now, I might have been dead.]

His tone had shifted dramatically.

As a genuine expert, he recognized immediately the profound wisdom contained within Jin So-cheong’s recent attack.

“……”

[No more underestimating you. From now on, I will acknowledge you as a true disciple of the Thunder God lineage and treat you as an equal, Jin So-cheong.]

THWUM!

With that, powerful energy flowed around the Sect Leader, pulsing like a mighty river.

That was the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance!

Only the Sect Leader had reached the absolute realm of this understanding.

No matter how capable Jin So-cheong was, he could never hope to defeat the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance at his current level.

WHAM!

In that moment, the Sword Demon, Master of Zen, and Bright Dragon simultaneously positioned themselves in front of Jin So-cheong. Sweat was pouring down their brows in abundance. Even Master of Zen seemed awfully tense when he stammered out to the Sect Leader.

“… Sect Leader, please, as the distinguished leader of the White Lotus Sect, have mercy…”

[Hoh hoh hoh, mercy? That would be an insult to Jin So-cheong. He is far stronger than you and stands right before the absolute realm—do you dare to ask me for mercy based upon my power? I am not that great a being.]

“But…”

[Silence.]

KABOOM!

That was all it took.

“Gah!”

“Ugh…”

Just like that, Master of Zen and Bright Dragon were staggered, nearly collapsing, and the overwhelming pressure left the onlookers unable to even breathe. But the Sword Demon merely studied the Sect Leader’s aura with a grim expression, catching the Sect Leader’s attention.

[Oh… Sword Demon Seo Mun-dae-ryong. When did your skills catch up so much? I never expected just anyone from the Heretical Sect to be this skilled…]

The Sword Demon sighed.

“Sect Leader, this is meaningless. What disciple can hold themselves back when their master is being humiliated?”

[This is a grudge between the Four Great Families of my sect. An outsider like you cannot dictate what is done or not.]

“I will protect Jin So-cheong.”

With one stride, the Sect Leader started forward, but Jin So-cheong, the Sword Demon, and I quickly formed the Three Talents Formation around him. Master of Zen and Bright Dragon finally regained their footing and stood tall as Lee Kwang hesitated, stepping back.

Six against one!

[Interesting… Dharma Protectors, do not interfere.]

The Sect Leader expressed considerable fury and rising emotions.

[This will not end with mere games any longer.]

 

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