975——————==

Soul of the Evil God (四神之魂)

Why is Lee Kwang here?

I felt a strong sense of bewilderment as I wasn’t expecting to see a completely unexpected human. On my left and right stood Mangnyang and Zhuge Bu; they didn’t seem overly flustered, but their eyes sparkled with curiosity. General Hwang Yeon showed no change in expression, probably because he was already acquainted with Lee Kwang.

Lee Kwang took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

“I, Lee Kwang, am one of the four gods appointed by the former Huang Dynasty Emperor, the Azure Dragon. I’ve also held the position of Grandmaster of the Imperial Guard at the Imperial Palace. The responsibilities of the Azure Dragon are to guard the palace and execute secret missions.”

“… I know.”

Lee Kwang explained his role.

“Your Majesty, may I presume to ask, if you intend to maintain the Four Great Experts under the new Imperial Family, would you consider recommending my direct disciple for the position?”

“……”

I fell into deep thought for a moment.

‘A recommendation for a direct disciple… It has to be Jin So-cheong and Guk-ho, right?’

Could it be that Lee Kwang came here to secure positions for his disciples in the palace because of the Four Great Experts?

‘Really?’

The justification seemed clear enough, which left me at a loss for how to approach Lee Kwang. In fact, if I wanted to send Lee Kwang packing, I could simply say I had no plans to reestablish the Four Great Experts and kick him out. But Lee Kwang was unlikely to be such a straightforward character, so I was stuck pondering my next move.

At that moment, Mangnyang, who had been standing by my side, nudged me.

[Given Lee Kwang’s character, if I talk out of turn, he might find some fault with it. For now, just agree and accept his proposal, Baek Woong.]

Since Mangnyang was saying that, I had no choice but to trust him.

I slowly nodded and replied.

“Just as you said, I intend to maintain the Four Great Experts. I could accept your direct disciple as the Azure Dragon. But how should we verify their skills?”

Lee Kwang seemed to anticipate my response and said,

“My two disciples could easily overpower even the existing Four Great Experts. How about a sparring match between them?”

“Umm…”

Lee Kwang spoke very politely.

“I have come here to recommend outstanding talents for the new Imperial Family.”

The existing Four Great Experts would refer to the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Xuanwu, excluding the Azure Dragon.

Of course, since Zhuge Yulong, the Vermilion Bird, couldn’t show himself, Lee Kwang likely had the White Tiger and Xuanwu in mind with his visit today. Since Mangnyang had already suggested accepting it, I decided not to overthink it.

Still, I couldn’t resist poking at Lee Kwang.

“Even if your disciples could defeat the Four Great Experts, the position cannot simply be decided through force alone. Ultimately, we would only be able to hand over one seat from the existing Azure Dragon, yet you have two disciples.”

“Then how about we let the two disciples compete and award the position to the better one?”

“……”

Is he serious?

What is he thinking?

I felt a bit confused, unable to guess Lee Kwang’s next words. If he were attempting to overturn things by force, I’d surely have the confidence to subdue him. But he was now approaching me openly, using mind techniques in front of everyone. Even if I had the power to defeat Lee Kwang, there’s no way an Emperor could get into a brawl. I stared at him, but his gaze remained unchanged, so I had no clue what he was thinking.

‘Hmm. This is a chance to see the current skills of Jin So-cheong and Guk-ho. Should I give it a go?’

Finally, I spoke up.

“Prepare for sparring with the White Tiger and Xuanwu.”

“……!!”

The White Tiger and Xuanwu, who were present in the court, flinched at my unexpected command. They were both the heads of the Golden Eagle Guard and the Duke of Guanzhong, so they had the qualification to join the court, but hearing such an unexpected announcement clearly took them aback. The White Tiger hurriedly knelt beside Lee Kwang and pleaded,

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!!”

“What is the matter, White Tiger?”

“The so-called Azure Dragon is someone who caused great trouble and was banished from the Imperial Family! It’s absurd to even consider mixing openly with a rogue suggested by such a scoundrel! If they devise a sinister plot under the pretense of sparring, it would pose a huge problem for us guardians.”

The White Tiger seemed to demonstrate the qualities of a seasoned politician, very skillfully rationalizing his objections. But I had no intention of considering the White Tiger’s situation and replied flatly.

“I won’t say it twice. You will accept the sparring match.”

“……!!”

The White Tiger and Xuanwu seemed to have realized they had no choice, resigning themselves to their fate.

Moments later, court business paused as everyone headed toward the training ground of the Imperial Palace. The training ground was set up for the four experts to face off in order, and I took my place in the VIP seating to observe.

‘It feels odd to switch from being the one fighting to just watching.’

I started to weigh which of Guk-ho or the White Tiger might have the edge as I watched them ascend to the sparring stage. It seemed that Guk-ho would fight the White Tiger first, followed by Jin So-cheong and Xuanwu in sequence.

‘At this point, Guk-ho has just broken through to the peak level of skills. Comparatively, he should be on par with the current White Tiger in terms of martial arts competency. But when it comes to internal power, the White Tiger has a significant advantage, while Guk-ho will likely try to overcome that by using the Soul Removal Technique. This is sure to be an intense match.’

Based on my memory, I predicted that the battle would be somewhat evenly matched when suddenly, I raised an eyebrow.

‘Huh?’

This was because I sensed something unusual in Guk-ho’s warm-up routine before the duel. It was something I couldn’t quite express in words but sent a strong signal to my martial artist instincts.

Guk-ho is going to win overwhelmingly.

I couldn’t explain why, but that intuition rang true.

‘Wait, why?’

I tilted my head. There was no logical reason to think that way; my instincts just seemed to be screaming it at me. The referee’s command suddenly echoed:

“Begin the sparring!!”

Tydaht

At the referee’s command, the White Tiger infused his power into the ring and charged at Guk-ho. The White Tiger, already recognized as a peak expert in the martial world, was stronger than most sect leaders and his speed was so fast that even a second would seem invisible to ordinary eyes. Of course, for me, he’d be an easy kill, but still, he was a rare powerhouse in the martial world.

Kiri-ling

As the White Tiger’s Absolute Slash rained down, five shadowy energies swirled around Guk-ho’s body. If you couldn’t discern the essence among those energies, you’d be torn apart. As expected, Guk-ho would likely utilize the Soul Removal technique to evade the shadows and counterattack.

Swoosh

‘Hoh?’

But contrary to my expectations, Guk-ho did not use the Soul Removal technique and boldly swung his spear to meet the White Tiger’s Absolute Slash head-on. Generally, facing off like that gives a significant advantage to the one with higher internal power, so this was unfavorable for Guk-ho, whose internal power was still relatively low. The White Tiger had accumulated internal power over decades as a peak expert, making this exchange of blows almost guaranteed to favor him.

Clang!!

The moment Guk-ho’s spear clashed with the White Tiger’s fist in midair, sparks flew. Guk-ho’s spear suddenly flowed like an illusion, wrapping around the White Tiger’s hand and stabbing at his vital point, catching the White Tiger off guard and forcing him to stagger back slightly. And at that instant, Guk-ho activated the ultimate technique.

Thunder Cloud Palm!

“……?!”

What just happened?!

Boom!

Guk-ho’s Thunder Cloud struck with a tremendous force that seemed to raise waves of power. Unable to withstand that pressure, the White Tiger barely managed to defend himself while ultimately getting knocked back.

“Uaaah!”

Boom!

The White Tiger collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. Despite being slightly dazed from the Thunder power, the White Tiger seemed to have lost all consciousness. Even for the White Tiger, falling to a single hit from the Thunder Cloud was the norm. At that moment, I nearly jumped up in surprise.

‘Thunder Cloud…!!’

Lee Kwang’s secret technique and ultimate move!

And the Mind Control Technique!

That Thunder Cloud was a technique with extraordinary power and, in the past, I had exerted considerable effort trying to uncover the secrets behind it. In reality, very few techniques in the martial world could stand up to the Thunder Cloud directly. For Guk-ho to use such a powerful ultimate move was nothing short of shocking!

‘Did Lee Kwang teach Guk-ho the Thunder Cloud? But Guk-ho didn’t know it in the past!’

At this moment, Lee Kwang had only properly taught Jin So-cheong the Thunder Cloud, not Guk-ho. No matter how much of a common disciple they were under the same school, there had to be distinctions when it came to transmitting such ultimate techniques. Moreover, even if he had taught Guk-ho, how could he have mastered it so swiftly?

It hadn’t been long since Guk-ho’s rebirth. It barely hadn’t even been a year; I had only been functioning as Emperor for barely a month. Still, it was clearly abnormal for Guk-ho to grasp the Thunder Cloud within this short time frame.

As I was busy with astonishment, the match continued.

Now it was time for Jin So-cheong and Xuanwu’s battle.

“Begin the duel!”

The Xuanwu, with a stark white face and visibly irritated, was clearly anxious. Since he also is a peak expert, having a match against a young upstart, he was worried about being humiliated if he lost.

Swoosh

Perhaps in response to his uneasiness, the Xuanwu began with lethal techniques. The movements from his fingers were a display meant to tear through flesh, a true deadly skill that was anything but mere show.

Zing!

As the deadly techniques flew towards Jin So-cheong, she effortlessly avoided them, almost leisurely, granting Xuanwu three seconds as a head start. Her movements were so relaxed that it appeared she was intentionally allowing her senior a bit of leeway. The Xuanwu, frustrated, yelled:

“You brat!! Are you looking down on me?!”

“Not particularly…”

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

The Xuanwu’s court technique, the Dark Yin Peach Blossom Palm, continued to miss wildly in the air. It looked almost like a dance, yet Jin So-cheong was simply dodging every single attack by a hair’s breadth. After a rather stagnant engagement lasting about ten seconds, Jin So-cheong finally seemed to grow weary of the game, readjusted her grip on the spear, and launched a decisive attack.

Thrust!

Thock!

“Hah…”

As the Xuanwu’s power was shattered in midair, Jin So-cheong’s spear came to a halt directly in front of his face. The gust of wind generated by her attack ruffled the back of the Xuanwu’s head. It was clear that Jin So-cheong could have ended it in a single blow but chose to spare him. As the Xuanwu slumped down helplessly, the referee exclaimed:

“Jin So-cheong, victory!”

Watching that scene, I couldn’t help but let out a quiet gasp.

‘… She’s standing at the pinnacle of the peak level…’

I was able to gauge Jin So-cheong’s prowess in just that single second due to my understanding of the Absolute Realm. She had reached a point where she could easily top the existing levels of White Tiger and Xuanwu without even needing to use the Thunder Cloud like Guk-ho. At a pure martial prowess level, she might have even surpassed any opponents in the martial world.

I couldn’t comprehend it.

‘How… is this possible…?’

While not utterly impossible, this extraordinary growth could be feasible if I had gifted the Obsidian to the masters of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School to transmit martial arts memories.

Yet, I had never been involved with the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School in this lifetime, nor had I bestowed the Obsidian upon anyone. Given those circumstances, there should have been no possible reason for Jin So-cheong and Guk-ho to experience such dramatic growth.

This suggested one crucial fact.

Someone had intervened to obstruct me within the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.

‘… I have to suppress this!’

I was stirred by a compulsion that told me to intercede immediately, to seize the three experts of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School and even unleash the Soul Exchange Technique if needed. I could easily take care of them myself! Even though Jin So-cheong was strong now, I could still beat her down without much effort.

But as I steeled myself to grab the handle of the throne, Mangnyang quietly placed a hand on my shoulder from behind. He whispered to me using the mental communication technique.

[Be patient, Baek Woong. Just acknowledge it.]

[What are you talking about?! It’s evident that external forces have intervened. We must uncover their backing!]

[Only you, Baek Woong, possess the power to seize this situation and discern their backing. But if you step in directly… you expose your force to the world just for them. That must be avoided.]

[……]

[Let me mobilize the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Dharma Guardian to handle this. For now, do not act impulsively from your position in the light.]

Mangnyang was right.

Eventually, Lee Kwang approached me near the VIP seating, gesturing politely.

“Your Majesty, how do my disciples’ skills measure up?”

“Quite excellent. They’re worthy of the Azure Dragon position.”

“I appreciate it.”

Lee Kwang’s demeanor was so courteous that there was nothing to criticize. Knowing that this polished manner was all part of a meticulous calculation, I felt an annoying flicker of irritation surge within me. So I decided to humorously poke fun at him.

“Yet, with me toppling the former Huang Dynasty and establishing a new Imperial Family, isn’t it a bit much for you not to feel resentment as the previous Azure Dragon?”

“……”

“To brazenly come here and ask for your disciple to be placed within the Four Great Experts… It seems your affection for your disciple outweighs your loyalty to the former dynasty. What a noble mentor you are.”

Even as I mocked him, Lee Kwang’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. Then, to my surprise, he showed a beaming smile.

Bing!

“……!!”

He’s smiling?!

Did I just touch upon the loyalty of the Huang Dynasty and he’s… smiling?!

As I was taken aback by Lee Kwang’s laughter, he burst into hearty chuckles.

“To think Your Majesty would acknowledge my master’s abilities, I can hardly express my gratitude! Long live Your Majesty, the Emperor!”

“……”

Is this truly the Lee Kwang I once knew…?

After more than a decade of familiarity, what I was seeing now was hard to believe. Could he be under some sort of manipulation or brainwashing? But if that were the case, there’d be no sense of discomfort at all. If not, was he exhibiting such patience that he could endure a wound to his pride? If I was doubting everything, no one would likely be able to see through Lee Kwang’s current façade to grasp his true essence.

Eventually, Jin So-cheong and Guk-ho faced off for the Azure Dragon position. While Guk-ho had indeed grown stronger, the disparity in their levels was clear and after around a hundred and eighty seconds, the match concluded with Jin So-cheong’s victory. It seemed their duel was genuine rather than mere pretense.

I approached Jin So-cheong and declared,

“Considering the reputation of Lee Kwang, who once served the former Huang Dynasty, I hereby appoint you, Jin So-cheong, who has proven your abilities, as the new Azure Dragon of the Four Great Experts. Do you accept?”

“I am immensely grateful for this honor.”

Following a brief and simple ceremony, Guk-ho and Lee Kwang departed. Through mental communication, I instructed Mangnyang.

[Contact the Master of the White Lotus Sect and have them capture those individuals.]

[That may be prudent, but it still feels uncertain. It might be better to request surveillance from the Master of the White Lotus Sect first.]

[Hmm… Let’s proceed with that. What should we do with Jin So-cheong?]

[Do not act hastily or try to approach her.]

Mangnyang said firmly.

[At this moment, Lee Kwang is attempting to entrap us through his gambit. Jin So-cheong may seem like a mouse trapped in a cage, but that could be a strategy and a trap in itself. Can we predict the schemes of someone who would send Jin So-cheong, whom he treats as a child, into a perilous situation?]

[……]

[Making the first move is a foolish plan. It’s best to keep an eye on her and treat her normally as part of the Four Great Experts.]

[Understood.]

I decided to follow Mangnyang’s advice.

And so, starting the next day, Jin So-cheong began her duties as a member of the Four Great Experts, simultaneously inheriting the position of Grandmaster of the Imperial Guard that Lee Kwang had previously held. Her prowess had been sufficiently proven, and no one dared to raise objections to that.

About a month passed without significant events occurring.

“I received communication from the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

Mangnyang secretly called me over. As I looked at him, he continued.

“We had mobilized all the resources of the White Lotus Sect to surveil the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, and finally, we spotted someone suspicious trying to make contact with them.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“Still unknown. They left so rapidly that we couldn’t even pick up distinguishing features.”

“Hmmm.”

Mangnyang rose from his seat.

“Now we must act. This is a chance to uncover the true mastermind behind Lee Kwang.”