“The source is my knowledge and my insight.”

“If you can deduce the Flowing Cloud Mist Step of Cheongungak with just that, then you must be a peerless master.”

“Then I suppose I’m that peerless master.”

“…Are you truly saying you didn’t hear it from somewhere else?”

“Yes.”

“As a martial artist, I ask you — is that really the truth?”

Unwi took a step forward and spoke firmly.

“As a martial artist and as a man, I say to you — no, I did not.”

“…Then how is such a thing possible? You’re still at the Lotus Heart Stage…”

“Are you trying to strip me down to the last scrap of my secrets?”

Juchae let out a hollow laugh. After a moment of silent contemplation, he spoke in a low voice.

“…I feel a little more at ease.”

Juchae’s expression softened significantly.

But in the next instant, Unwi’s words made him °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° flinch.

“Are you really at ease?”

“…Yes. I am.”

Unwi smiled.

“That’s a relief.”

The awkward tension in the air dissipated in an instant.

Unwi had no intention of prolonging the conversation, and Juchae seemed to feel the same.

“I didn’t know. That we had a genius within Everlasting Snow Palace.”

For a brief moment, Unwi considered saying, “I’m not a genius,” but ultimately decided not to.

“The internal matters of the White Snow Phantom Corps are mine to handle. I’ll leave Seong Yangho in your care from now on.”

Juchae clasped his fists respectfully, and Unwi mirrored the gesture.

Juchae then glanced at Seong Yangho without a word, let out a slight chuckle, and turned away.

After Juchae’s departure, Seong Yangho approached Unwi with a grin.

“I knew it. I really did.”

“Seong Yangho.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“It’s time to go back.”

Seong Yangho’s grin widened. Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to him, he asked,

“How did it go? The business you had?”

“It went well.”

It had really gone well.

“I also gained something significant.”

“A gain?”

“My father is truly extraordinary.”

Seong Yangho laughed.

“Of course he is. He’s the supreme ruler of Everlasting Snow Palace.”

****

“Extraordinary.”

The word slipped out without him realizing.

Alone in his office, Seol Jungcheon sat quietly, drawing in his internal energy.

His eyes turned a ghostly white, and everything within his office instantly froze over.

Then, with a slight chuckle, he retracted his power.

He had released it without thinking, and now the office was in ruins. But it didn’t matter.

He really didn’t care.

Five hours.

He had spent five hours talking with Unwi.

And in those five hours, the power of Everlasting Snow Palace had grown immeasurably stronger.

Blood Domain Imprisonment.

It was undeniably a secret martial art of the Central Blood Sect.

In this world, no one else had created anything remotely similar.

It was not something that could be easily observed and replicated.

A technique of that caliber was an intricate web, woven with advanced martial arts at a profound level.

If you altered one aspect, it would cause disruptions elsewhere, and those disruptions would spread like a virus throughout the entire structure.

Trying to modify something so interconnected?

That was far more difficult than creating a brand new martial art.

Unwi had accomplished that.

Though he had claimed to have worked “together” with Seol Jungcheon, in reality, Seol Jungcheon had only handled the superficial aspects. Unwi had addressed every crucial core.

“…A genius who sees another genius…”

In Seol Jungcheon’s eyes, Unwi was already a genius.

And yet, this genius had referred to the Heavenly Daoist, the Blood Sect’s master, as a genius.

Currently, Seol Jungcheon was hailed as the Ice Celestial Supreme within the Northern regions, but once he set foot in the Central Plains, the title “Supreme” would lose its weight.

The true Supreme of Murim was the Heavenly Daoist.

“…I have to work harder.”

He had been standing on the brink of the last stage of the Five Divine Martial Realms — Absolute Oneness — for more than ten years.

To surpass that final step, he had clung to the legend of Everlasting Snow Palace.

Now that he had grasped the essence of that legend, it was time to let go.

Unwi had said:

—Let’s search for Everlasting Snow Palace’s legend together later.

He intended to do just that.

And by letting go, he could finally see the things he had been missing.

More than anything, no matter how much Unwi claimed he would protect Everlasting Snow Palace, the current Palace Master was still Seol Jungcheon.

As a father and as the Palace Master, it was Seol Jungcheon’s duty to protect Everlasting Snow Palace.

How could he throw that weight onto his son’s shoulders?

“Vice Palace Master, are you there?”

As if waiting for the call, a voice answered from outside.

“Yes, I am here, Palace Master.”

A single door separated the two men as they began their conversation.

Seol Jungcheon spoke.

“Summon all the Polar Successors except for Unwi.”

“…Understood.”

“And…”

Seol Jungcheon had been about to hand the letter meant for the Silent Soul Sect to Yang Seoljin, but he immediately changed his mind.

“Call for Hyeonshim.”

“…Understood, Palace Master.”

Vice Palace Master Yang Seoljin turned to leave.

His eyes were cold.

Seol Jungcheon’s gaze, directed at the closed door, was equally icy.

Yang Seoljin.

What kind of man was he?

Or rather, what did Seol Jungcheon truly think of Yang Seoljin?

Seol Jungcheon had always considered him a savage man who nonetheless had the heart of a martial artist.

Yang Seoljin’s talent was undeniable.

If he weren’t exceptionally talented, he would have never reached the Limitless Profound Body.

But where were those eyes looking now?

What was his true objective?

Come to think of it, Seol Jungcheon had never asked such questions in detail.

He had simply assumed Yang Seoljin was acting out of obligation to repay a debt.

Unwi’s words were correct.

The first step to solving a problem was to recognize that a problem existed.

Seol Jungcheon began to doubt Yang Seoljin.

For a long time, Seol Jungcheon remained there, deep in thought.

****

Naturally, the destination was Yangryeong.

There was no need to consider any other place.

On the way, we made a brief stop at a location near the palace where a pack of wild dogs roamed. I tossed the wailing Cho Sehui to them and watched as he was torn apart. Only after ensuring that he was completely devoured did the carriage resume its journey.

Without stopping.

Inside the carriage, I stared blankly at the confession in my hand.

I read through it over and over again.

Everything that needed to be included was there.

How Jin Yangje manipulated the Four Great Sects, how he pressured the Snow Compression Branch, and how he funneled money into secret operations.

If I matched it with the ledger we had obtained, this was quite the masterpiece.

This was both our justification and our bargaining chip.

Depending on how I decided to use it, Hanbing Sect could either be wiped out today or spared.

No matter how many times I read through it, the content was perfect.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by Han Murin, who had put this all together.

“As expected of someone from the Palace of Demon Flames of Chaos.”

“…Uh, did you see his eyes when he was torturing that guy? The kid was talking all politely, but his eyes… you know? The kind of eyes a killer would have. He was smiling while torturing him.”

I let out a small laugh.

“That’s someone who knows what’s important when it comes to torture.”

“…”

“If the torturer shows signs of impatience, then the victim might feel physical pain, but they’ll still delude themselves into thinking they’re in control. Han Murin must have seen it firsthand.”

Seong Yangho scratched his head awkwardly.

“Well… whatever you do, Young Master, you know I’m always on your side, right?”

“Of course I do.”

But then —

“Why did the carriage stop?”

Seong Yangho immediately lifted the barrier that concealed our presence, his brow furrowing deeply.

“…Looks like we have a guest.”

Indeed, we did.

The carriage door swung open, and a familiar woman poked her head in.

“Little brother! Where are you going?”

It was Seol Yeonhwa, the third of the Polar Successors, also known as Ice Snow Spirit.

My sister.

Seong Yangho’s expression instantly turned blank, and Han Murin, who had been driving the carriage, quietly got down with the same impassive expression as always.

I spoke to my sister.

“I’m headed to Yangryeong.”

“Oh, is that so? Father summoned all the Polar Successors, but the way you’re coming from seems a bit odd. Were you by any chance coming from the palace?”

“Yes.”

“That’s surprising. More importantly, little brother.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could say anything, my sister’s hand shot forward and grabbed me by the collar.

“I heard you devoured Yangryeong Prefecture?”

I looked down at her hand gripping my collar.

“I heard you slaughtered the Four Great Sects… killed everyone. Is it true?”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“And you settled things with the Lord of Geongonseong?”

“Yes.”

“Are you really my little brother?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m asking because it doesn’t feel like it.”

I smiled faintly.

“Sister.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I am Hyeon Seollin, Seol Unwi.”

“Oh? That’s a relief.”

Her smile deepened.

“You say it’s a relief, but you’re not letting go of my collar.”

“Yeah. There’s something I need to confirm first.”

“If it’s a question I can answer, I will.”

“You put on quite a show back there in the assembly hall. You knew so much. How was that possible?”

“Well…”

“You knew about Viper Valley. You knew about the Central Blood Sect… Little brother, you know what I’m getting at, right?”

You’d have to be a fool not to understand after all that.

“You want to confirm whether or not I’ve joined the Central Blood Sect.”

“…I didn’t think you’d actually get it.”

And then —

My body flew through the air.

My sister yanked me by the collar and threw me out of the carriage.

I spun once in midair before landing on the ground.

“You said you’d answer any question you could, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll ask. Little brother, did you join hands with the Central Blood Sect?”

While loosening my neck muscles, I asked,

“Is that all?”

“That’s it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I know you.”

I stared at my sister in silence.

“The little brother I know would never betray Everlasting Snow Palace. The Central Blood Sect might have contacted you, but you pretended to cooperate with them to extract information, right? Isn’t that it?”

My sister.

The sister I knew.

Even in the worst-case scenario, she wasn’t suspecting me.

Even if I had joined hands with the Central Blood Sect, she believed it was only a ruse to gather information for us.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I don’t feel bad about it.”

“…Little brother, you’ve really changed.”

Without hesitation, my sister drew the sword from her waist.

“I don’t usually like hitting my little brother, but I guess I have to make an exception today. How about having a heated conversation with your big sister?”

There was no point in answering.

Because she was already charging toward me.

The ground caved in under her foot as she closed the gap between us in an instant.

Her sword, imbued with the essence of ice and snow, slashed down from above. It was one of the six sword techniques recorded in the Complete Compendium of Everlasting Snow.

I read the sword movement and predicted the next one.

There were two possible directions.

The direction her foot was angled and the shoulder muscle that tensed more.

And then, the direction her foot moved next.

The calculations completed in my head, I twisted my body to the side.

The sword sliced through the air, narrowly missing me.

Immediately, I took a step back, then a step to the right.

Her blade, which had been suspended midair, now slashed down in a sweeping arc, grazing past my forehead.

A simple sword technique, and the follow-up was easy to predict.

I stepped left just as —

Fwaaash!

The tip of her sword swept past my right ear.

“…What… the… hell?”

My sister’s sword stopped moving.

In her widened eyes, a clear reflection of my right hand could be seen — holding her sword firmly in place.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep