There was an edge in Seol Jungcheon’s voice—sharp and cold. And rightly so.

“Kang Cheonwoo, you don’t even have a child, do you?”

A faint laugh escaped. These two knew each other’s weaknesses all too well. It was inevitable after decades of rivalry.

“You seem curious about the meaning behind me giving your son the Heavenshaking Spiritblade.”

Seol Jungcheon’s gaze grew razor-sharp.

“That’s not the kind of gift one simply lets go.”

“Just a gesture of goodwill from an elder who recognized a talent. Layering too much meaning onto it will only exhaust you, don’t you think?”

“‘Exhausting’… The moment you gave him that sword, it was clear things would become exhausting. Don’t pretend you didn’t know that.”

Kang Cheonwoo smiled silently.

The Ten Legendary Swords of the World—their weight was anything but light. Just as Unhwi had recognized the blade’s value, so too did the entire martial world.

As had been said before, whenever a Heaven-tier or Martial God-tier technique appears in a secret realm, people swarm like flies.

Sects would go to war to obtain such a treasure.

But this—this was a top-tier Martial God sword. Unhwi might have the backing of the Snow Palace, keeping the small fry at bay, but the real masters—the ones above—were a different story.

The very moment the Heavenshaking Spiritblade landed in Unhwi’s hands, he had gained a mountain of new enemies.

Seol Jungcheon asked, “Are you considering Unhwi as your successor to the Sichuan Alliance?”

Kang Cheonwoo burst out laughing.

“Blunt, aren’t you? You’ve changed too much. The old you would never have asked that so directly.”

“Children grow. Time changes people.”

Tension brewed between them—not merely hostility, but something more intricate. Mutual recognition, grudging respect, and the unrelenting friction between rivals who could never step aside.

“Well, since we’ve crossed paths, it’d be rude to leave without at least testing each other. Care to spar?”

Seol Jungcheon gave a faint smile and gestured with his eyes to Hyunshim beside him—Step back.

Hyunshim, clearly concerned, opened his mouth to protest, but at Seol’s firm gaze, only sighed and moved away.

The distance was already a dozen jang or so, but it wasn’t enough.

“Farther,” Seol Jungcheon said.

Scratching his head, Hyunshim retreated another fifty jang.

Now, the sky belonged only to the two of them.

Kang Cheonwoo fought with a sword.

Even if none was drawn now, just like in the earlier conversation between Unhwi and Gwanghan—transcendence wasn’t about the sword.

It was about the person.

Kang Cheonwoo’s right index finger extended forward. A glint flashed in his eyes.

Power surged from his body, splitting the clouds above and erupting in a thunderous roar.

Like thunder incarnate.

Thunder-Heart Technique (Noejeong Cheonsimgyeol).

Lightning began to crackle across his form.

Even his eyes turned a bright, searing yellow.

Seol Jungcheon thought to himself:

That lightning—still awe-inspiring, no matter how many times I see it.

“You’ve raised quite the son, I’ll give you that. But you know as well as I do—if you’re weak, your son’s brilliance will die before it can shine.”

Seol Jungcheon smiled faintly.

“Trying to win with words now?”

“Hardly.”

Kang Cheonwoo struck the air with his hand.

Thunder-Heaven Sword Art (Noecheon Hwageuk Geombeop).

Heaven-Rending Thunder (Noecheon Hwageuk).

KRRRRRAAAAAK!

With a force that shook the heavens and earth, hundreds of pillars of lightning descended upon Seol Jungcheon. This wasn’t a mere sword strike—it was thunder pulled from the heavens, channeled through his “sword,” and brought down in a single blow.

The sky split. Clouds exploded. A storm of lightning surged toward Seol Jungcheon.

His gaze turned cold. Freezing energy—ice and snow qi—rose to its peak from his entire body.

His eyes turned white.

Snowfall of Heaven (Cheonseol Jise).

Kang Cheonwoo’s eyes widened.

It was a phenomenon so bizarre, so inexplicable.

His thunder froze mid-air. Lightning pillars—dozens, hundreds—turned into white ice, suspended in the sky like crystal columns.

“…Ho…”

The frozen thunder pillars now hung above like massive shards of crystal. Snow began to fall. Ice crystals floated and shimmered in the air.

In the brief instant that the sky, spanning dozens of ri, was transformed into a wintry field, the gazes of the two masters clashed midair.

Below, those who witnessed the scene held their breath.

Thunder freezing in a clear sky—none had ever seen such a mystical sight.

***

“…Let’s leave it at that.”

Surprisingly, Kang Cheonwoo was the first to withdraw. Seol Jungcheon didn’t argue.

There was a clear reason.

If they had truly fought to the death here, neither would have survived.

That much was evident.

Perfect equals.

Kang Cheonwoo smiled.

“Raise him well. Before that brilliance is snuffed out.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? If I should die in some unfortunate accident, someone will need to take my place.”

Where earlier there had been doubt, now there was certainty.

“You want to make my son the successor of the Sichuan Alliance?”

“As you said—I don’t have a child. The Alliance is open to anyone… but sadly, aside from Vice Lord Muryong Namcheon, there’s no one fit to lead it. At least, there wasn’t.”

“…”

“You’ve got more than one child, don’t you? The eldest is impressive. So is the second. Just pick one and name them Young Lord of the Palace. What’s there to worry about?”

Seol Jungcheon said nothing.

“Seol Jungcheon.”

“Speak.”

“I know you well.”

Seol’s brow twitched slightly, but he didn’t deny it. Just as Kang Cheonwoo knew Seol Jungcheon, so too did Seol know Kang.

“You’re not the type to be interested in invading the Central Plains. That’s not new. You’re a shield—unshakable and solid.”

“I am, am I?”

“Wasn’t it ‘stability’ you always wanted?”

“That’s right. Only with stability can a force be protected.”

“Can’t argue with that. But you also know this—there are two ways to protect something.”

A strange silence fell.

“One: hold your ground like you do. The other: attack.”

“…”

“You’re the shield. But your youngest son? He’s a spear. A razor-sharp spear with the potential to pierce anything. You know this. But when a shield and a spear move together—while it might feel safe to you, to outsiders? It looks very dangerous.”

Kang Cheonwoo wasn’t a fool. As he’d told Unhwi—there is a time to talk about world affairs.

This was that time.

“Maybe not yet. But think it over. The Sichuan Alliance is always open.”

Kang Cheonwoo turned and began to walk.

He strolled through the air, unhurried and carefree.

“Hahahahaha…”

His laughter echoed behind him.

As Kang Cheonwoo vanished, Seol Jungcheon stood in place, unmoving.

Hyunshim ran up, calling out.

“Lord of the Palace! You were incredible! To overwhelm the Lord of the Sichuan Alliance… truly, you’re unmatched!”

Seol Jungcheon turned his head to look at Hyunshim. But even as he saw the reverence in his subordinate’s eyes, his thoughts were on Unhwi.

A new era…

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

For all their rivalry, Kang Cheonwoo had acknowledged Unhwi’s worth.

It wasn’t surprising.

The Snow Mountain was a secluded realm. But a man should seek deeper waters to swim in.

The higher Unhwi’s value rose, the more his stage would shift to the Central Plains.

He wouldn’t stop him. In fact, he’d help.

Because that… was what a father ought to do.

“Let’s return to the palace.”

Hyunshim nodded.

***

In the pharmacy of Yangryeong’s Main Division, a man sat with his eyes closed.

Yi Myeonghwa, personally recruited by Unhwi, was recalling a conversation from his past.

A secret realm of the Heavenly Demon appeared in Yangryeong recently.

We sent the Ghost-Eyed Boy, Jeong Muheun, to conquer it. He failed.

Someone inside that realm did acquire the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts. Through investigation, we learned of a strange man using the name ‘Mumyeong.’

Though we couldn’t trace him, there was one survivor of the realm.

Ju Soa, the Thousand-Handed Beauty.

Your mission is to infiltrate the Yangryeong Division where she resides and gather information.

If she obtained any treasure, interrogate her. And find out who ‘Mumyeong’ was.

Especially—confirm whether Seol Unhwi was involved.

The one who had issued this command was Seon Yangbaek, Lord of Viper Valley, a branch of the Main Blood Sect.

Yi Myeonghwa silently reached into his robes and pulled out a small pill, dropping it into the tea he was preparing.

Dream-Soul Pill (Monghondan).

Anyone who recognized this pill would frown.

Typically used by perverse cultivators—or those with darker intentions—it was infamous for its effects.

With a quiet plop, the pill dissolved instantly in the teacup. Yi Myeonghwa smiled casually, picked up the cup, and turned toward the inner room.

There sat Ju Soa, comfortably waiting.

“Haha… I hope I didn’t keep you waiting?”

“Not at all.”

He set the cup down before her.

Then, with a faintly apologetic expression, he spoke.

“I’m sorry to ask for a private audience at a time like this, with Commander Seol still unconscious…”

“No need to apologize. As you know, I’m practically the acting vice-head of the division, aren’t I?”

“Not just ‘practically.’ In my eyes, Lady Ju ought to be the official vice-head. I may be walking the path of a pharmacist now, so perhaps I shouldn’t say this—but to reach the Ogijo realm… That’s a remarkable achievement.”

“Hmm… True. But you’re buttering me up a little too ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) much. What is it you’re really trying to say?”

“Ah… nothing major. Now that this division has been promoted to the central hub, our responsibilities have grown. We’ll need more hands.”

“You want to recruit new pharmacists for the medicine hall?”

“Yes. I recently heard that some of the pharmacists from my previous workplace are currently unemployed.”

“Your previous workplace… would that be the Taewon Yi Clan of the Three Pillars of the Former Kingdom?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep