Chapter 105: Alias

Most sects within the Central Heavens Martial Realm, including the Ten Sects, naturally gathered martial artists of similar nature.

As the name suggested, the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect was rooted in Daoist traditions and followed the orthodox path. Many who had ascended from the Lower Realm into the sect had also been part of orthodox sects or Daoist hermits.

The Solar Palace was composed of those who either trained in Heat Yang Energy or, like Cheok Hwa-hong, were born with an innately strong fire energy. In contrast, the Northern Sea Ice Palace stood at the opposite extreme.

The Five Elements Cult was a gathering of martial artists who mastered special spell martial arts based on the Middle Dantian, while Radiant Light Sect was a sect of spellcasters.

Even the Blood-Slaying Devil Arena, where members fought and killed one another, was a place bound under the names of the Demonic Path or Demonic Arts.

However, the White Martial Society was different.

Its official name was the Ten Thousand Currents White Martial Society.

Its members were all distinct—whether in values, martial arts, or former affiliations prior to their ascension.

There was only one thing the White Martial Society's martial artists held in importance.

– To grow stronger through martial arts.

That was the ideal pursued by the White Martial Society.

It was not without reason that people from other sects called them madmen.

They were a group solely focused on martial arts, combat, and becoming stronger.

Dang Myung's provocation—more accurately, the White Martial Society Leader’s provocation—made everyone except Gu Yeong-pung release their killing intent.

The earlier remark implied they were willing to take on the entire Ten Sects, so the anger among those gathered was only natural.

“You think you can say that kind of crap and walk away unharmed?”

“Oh? You wanna go right here? I’m game.”

At Cheok Hwa-hong’s words, Dang Myung opened the lid of the box he carried on his back.

“You damn bastards!”

Displeased by that attitude, Yu I-geon stepped forward, radiating killing intent. But his skill level made it difficult for him to get involved in the current situation.

“What’s with this trashy killing intent.”

With just a wave of Cheol Geuk-jin’s hand, the energy Yu I-geon released disappeared with a flick. At the same time, the other martial artists of the Solar Palace raised their momentum. Seeing that, Cheol Geuk-jin stood up from his seat with a laugh.

“Interesting.”

Crash!

Thunder burst forth from the body of the Five Elements Cult’s Left Guardian, who had been silently observing. The sound alone made the surrounding space feel like it was tearing apart.

“I agree.”

Now, a ferocious killing intent spread in all directions.

“You always go too far.”

The momentum unleashed by Yeom Jong-myung surged savagely.

Though they were inside a building, it felt as if they were surrounded by countless wild beasts in the forest.

Cheok Hwa-hong didn’t stay still either. Without standing up, crimson energy surged from beneath his feet, staining the floor and radiating heat.

Even while receiving the overwhelming pressure of the top three martial artists from each sect, Dang Myung smiled. If he had shown fear or hesitation at this level, he wouldn’t have earned the alias of "Battle-Crazed One" to begin with.

All sects had now pushed aside the popular figures like Jang Woo-hyun or Bi Ik-ryeon. Not a single person present could remain calm after hearing such a provocation.

“Heh.”

At that moment, Dang Myung grinned and reached into the box to draw his sword—a moment on the verge of explosion.

【Let’s stop there, everyone.】

A voice resonated from all directions, and all the energy that had filled the surroundings dissipated.

The lightning spreading around the Left Guardian of the Five Elements Cult, the crimson energy dyeing the floor, and the killing intent that seemed to be exhaled by hundreds of beasts—everything vanished.

Clack.

The sound of a window opening echoed, and a gentle breeze blew in.

That tender wind brushed across everyone. As the breeze passed over his body, Jang Woo-hyun realized.

‘A monster…….’

An irresistible power. Even the wind tickling the tip of his nose and the will it carried overwhelmed all present.

“Let’s all calm down a bit.”

As a voice came through spoken words, all eyes turned in one direction.

Behind Gu Yeong-pung.

There stood a handsome man in a white robe marked with a Taeguk Pattern.

“Hmm.”

“Ahem.”

“……”

Everyone who saw his face fell silent. Even Dang Myung, who had provoked them all, tensed slightly.

“Huh?”

Unlike the others who were now tense, Jang Woo-hyun’s reaction was different.

He recognized that face. He had seen it just yesterday—he couldn’t forget.

“You……”

He unconsciously raised his finger and pointed at the man.

“Hey, hey, put that hand down! What are you doing!”

Startled, Maeng Ye-ju quickly grabbed his arm.

Even as Maeng Ye-ju scolded him for pointing at someone, Jang Woo-hyun couldn't take his eyes off the man. The other person also recognized Jang Woo-hyun, smiling back in response.

“Brother Jang, we meet again.”

The young man was none other than Neung Un-bi, whom they had met at the street stall the day before.

Maeng Ye-ju, who had just been scolding Jang Woo-hyun, looked shocked by his greeting.

“……Hey, what are you this time?”

Maeng Ye-ju asked with an incredulous look.

Her expression spread to everyone. The looks of confusion that had been on everyone’s faces were now turning into bewilderment.

Just moments ago, when they had looked at Jang Woo-hyun,

Their expressions said, ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ but now, it had shifted to ‘This guy again?’

For those who knew Neung Un-bi’s identity, it couldn’t be helped. He was not someone an unknown martial artist could normally meet.

“So the old monster that kid met was you.”

Dang Myung stared at Neung Un-bi, his eyes gleaming.

Cheol Geuk-jin and Dang Myung had assumed the person Jang Woo-hyun met was some reclusive expert from the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect.

But their assumption had missed the mark. The one Jang Woo-hyun encountered was an even greater figure than they had imagined.

“Haha, old monster? It was just fate that I exchanged a few words with Brother Jang.”

Ignoring the smiling Neung Un-bi, Dang Myung turned his gaze to Jang Woo-hyun.

“We gave you the wrong information. The one you met wasn’t some elder of the Tai Chi Sect, but a monster ranked among the greatest in the Central Heavens Martial Realm.”

“Pardon?”

“Cheon Heo-jin. The Sect Leader of the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect and a chief seat holder of the Seventeen Lords—that's the man you were talking about yesterday.”

Jang Woo-hyun widened his eyes in shock. Even he, who didn’t know much about the Central Heavens Martial Realm, remembered that name.

Cheon Heo-jin.

The Sect Leader of the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect and chief seat of the Seventeen Lords.

And as Jang Woo-hyun had felt yesterday, a martial artist of the Realm of Wish.

To the stunned Jang Woo-hyun, Cheon Heo-jin gave a soft smile and spoke.

“If the explanation is finished, please return to your seats.”

Everyone who had been standing followed and sat down again. Though his words were delivered lightly, there was an undeniable force behind them that left no room for resistance.

Only Dang Myung hesitated briefly before finally sitting down.

“Are you personally stepping into this matter, Sect Leader?”

At Cheok Hwa-hong’s question, the air grew tense.

The answer would affect how other sects moved forward.

That was how great a figure Cheon Heo-jin was.

“There’s no reason I couldn’t step in, but that hasn’t been decided yet. I only intervened because your tempers were flaring and a fight might have broken out. It wouldn’t do to let things escalate before we’ve even finished the discussion.”

His tone was gentle, but there were thorns in his words.

‘You were about to fight, so I stepped in.’ That was the simple truth behind Cheon Heo-jin’s words.

“We nearly caused a grave discourtesy.”

No matter who had started it, they had almost exchanged blows within someone else’s sect. Cheok Hwa-hong bowed in apology. As he apologized first, Yeom Jong-myung and the Left Guardian of the Five Elements Cult also bowed their heads in turn.

“Martial artists can fight. What’s the discourtesy in that?”

Dang Myung’s indifferent remark drew sharp stares, but he didn’t seem to care.

“You haven’t fought yet, so it’s fine. There’s still something I need to say. May I?”

“Before that, may I ask one question?”

Cheon Heo-jin nodded.

“How did you come to meet that young man?”

The fingertip Dang Myung pointed with was aimed at Jang Woo-hyun.

“We met by chance yesterday.”

“Ha……”

At that unbelievable statement, Dang Myung let out a hollow laugh.

Of course, it was a lie. It was unthinkable that the Sect Leader of the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect would meet an unknown martial artist by coincidence.

‘What’s your angle?’

Dang Myung suspected Cheon Heo-jin either had a specific goal or found something about Jang Woo-hyun interesting.

Not only Dang Myung—everyone was staring at Cheon Heo-jin with incredulous expressions, but he simply smiled and continued before they could question him.

“That’s supposed to be an answer…”

“Let’s save that story for later. There’s something more important. That’s actually why I came in person.”

Interrupting himself, Cheon Heo-jin drew everyone’s attention.

“As they said, we have no way of knowing what truly happened to the Divine Suwang. It’s not easy to gauge the state of the Upper Realm. However, one thing is certain—it’s an undeniable fact that, just as Bi Ik-ryeon and the Ascension Cult claimed, a method to extract power from the Beastkin has been discovered. We don’t yet know how powerful one can become through it.”

He paused and swept his gaze across the room.

“And more importantly… it may not be only them who are involved in this matter.”

“Ahem.”

“Hm.”

Small sighs and murmurs arose from various places.

It was the most sensitive issue and one that warranted suspicion at least once.

If mishandled, it could lead to mutual distrust and even conflict—so no one had dared bring it up.

Cheon Heo-jin had spoken it himself.

This incident was too large in scale for Bi Ik-ryeon to have carried out alone.

If just one of the Ten Sects had caught wind of the plot and moved, they could have crushed it entirely. If Bi Ik-ryeon had the capacity for thought, he would never have acted alone.

“The Ascension Cult alone couldn’t fend off the major sects that would move once this came to light. So the answer is obvious.”

Only a force within the Ten Sects and Three Clans could oppose another member of the same alliance.

In other words, Bi Ik-ryeon’s backer was one among the thirteen forces within the Ten Sects and Three Clans.

“What are your thoughts on this?”

“……It’s certainly a plausible story.”

Though he hadn't voiced it, Cheok Hwa-hong agreed with Cheon Heo-jin’s words, as it was something he had already been considering. He nodded and looked around at the others.

‘It won’t be the Beast King Sect.’

As the victims, they were naturally the first to be excluded from suspicion.

‘Nor would it be the White Martial Society.’

What they pursued was strength through combat and martial arts, and thus, other methods were never even considered. That alone excluded them from this matter. Other sects would likely agree with Cheok Hwa-hong’s reasoning.

‘Though it’s not us either, other sects wouldn’t see it that way.’

Cheok Hwa-hong included even his own sect, the Solar Palace of Flame, in his thoughts.

‘Out of the three groups that didn’t attend, at least one is definitely not involved. Excluding them, the Beast King Sect, and the White Martial Society, that leaves seven of the Ten Sects. Add the Three Clans, and there are ten factions under suspicion.’

The three factions referred to as the Three Clans were certainly capable of orchestrating something like this, so Cheok Hwa-hong included them without hesitation.

“What do you think, Sect Leader?”

“It’s not something we can decide easily. As you all know, one of the factions that didn’t attend today is definitely not involved, isn’t it?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. That place had no need to resort to such underhanded means to gain power in the first place.

“Then twelve remain among the Ten Sects and Three Clans. Of those, seven are gathered here. I propose that the gathered sects engage in mutual exchange.”

“By exchange… What exactly do you mean?”

“To send members from each sect to the headquarters of other sects. For instance, from the Tai Chi Sect to the Solar Palace, from the Solar Palace to Radiant Light Sect, and from Radiant Light Sect to the White Martial Society. In this way, we observe each other’s sects.”

“That sounds like you’re suggesting surveillance.”

“I won’t deny it.”

“And what would we gain from that?”

“Trust, I suppose. If the seven sects here unite, what couldn’t we achieve? And if we monitor each other, only five remain.”

Excluding one place that was clearly not involved, and the seven sects gathered here, as Cheon Heo-jin said, five remained.

“I won’t suggest we form an alliance among ourselves. However, if even one of the Ten Sects is involved in this, it is not a matter to be taken lightly. We must be prepared in our own ways.”

All sects expressed their discomfort. What Cheon Heo-jin proposed was, essentially, mutual surveillance.

“We decline. As I said earlier, we’ll handle it our way……”

“Please sit.”

At the shift to a firmer tone, Dang Myung, who had begun to rise, halted.

“This is not a simple matter.”

Creak.

Meeting Cheon Heo-jin’s gaze, Dang Myung clenched his teeth at the pressure he felt.

Cheon Heo-jin was known as the head of the Seventeen Lords. Even a famed expert from the White Martial Society would struggle to withstand his presence.

“I will contact your Chairman myself. For now, please sit and clear your head.”

“I will remember today clearly.”

Even someone as battle-crazed as Dang Myung—no, precisely because he had once been obsessed with combat—could understand. He was not yet a match. There was a massive wall between Dang Myung and Cheon Heo-jin.

“As you wish.”

Grinding his teeth, Dang Myung sat back down.

Once the brief commotion ended, silence once again fell over the hall.

Cheon Heo-jin’s proposal wasn’t one that could be easily decided upon, so everyone sank into contemplation.

After a short time had passed—

Once again, it was Cheon Heo-jin who spoke.

“Perhaps an age of chaos has arrived.”

His clear and resolute voice drew everyone’s attention. Meeting each person’s gaze slowly, Cheon Heo-jin turned his head to one side.

“And so, heroes like this are born, are they not?”

Following his gaze, they all saw the man who had been the talk of the day—Jang Woo-hyun.

“A hero who aided the Beast King Sect, defeated Sa Do-woong, and rescued the Beastkin. I’ve heard the rescued Beastkin now call him the Thousand Scale Sword Hero.”

“What? What do you mean… Me?”

Startled by the unfamiliar title, Jang Woo-hyun looked toward Maeng Ye-ju and Kang Yong. Both of them had wide eyes, clearly unaware of it themselves.

“Thousand Scale Sword Hero, huh.”

“Jang Woo-hyun, the Thousand Scale Sword Hero.”

“Hmm.”

All eyes turned toward Jang Woo-hyun, some filled with anticipation, some with jealousy, and some with deep curiosity.

Interest had momentarily shifted with the arrival of Cheon Heo-jin, but now it returned to Jang Woo-hyun as the center of attention.

‘Out of nowhere?’

One moment, they were debating surveillance, and suddenly the focus shifted to him.

The abrupt transition left Jang Woo-hyun staring at Cheon Heo-jin. That’s when he noticed the slight upward curve of his lips.

‘Is he… smiling?’

Everything Cheon Heo-jin had said up to now felt like a prelude to introducing him.

Amid the flood of attention from the key figures of the Ten Sects—

Jang Woo-hyun received his first alias in the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

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