“From medical consultation to Qi therapy… he really got the full package.”

“Well, if he liked it, that’s all that matters. No need to sharpen the edges before the suppression even begins.”

Several days later, the preparations were complete.

Five massive warships, commandeered by the Naval Commander, loomed in the harbor, their dark hulls bobbing ominously against the pier. Alongside them, the armed forces of the Martial Righteous Alliance arrived in full regalia. Since suppressing the Blood Immortal Cult was akin to hunting down a public enemy of the entire martial world, their heavy presence was only natural.

Surprisingly, Namgung Woon was among them.

“Oh, Little Brother! It’s been a while.”

Wasn’t this the same Namgung Woon with whom things had become slightly awkward? Although they had maintained professional exchanges, Jin Cheon-hee had assumed the warmth of their past camaraderie had diminished. Yet, here he was, having volunteered for this mission personally.

“I didn’t expect you to come,” Jin Cheon-hee answered, his feelings complicated.

Namgung Woon laughed with deliberate nonchalance. “Didn’t you say we’re catching the Blood Immortal Cult? I had to step up.”

Right. He was that kind of man. Had Jin Cheon-hee been holding onto a grudge alone?

Thinking this, Jin Cheon-hee nodded. “Your dignified bearing remains unchanged.”

Namgung Woon turned his attention to the woman standing nearby and bowed.

“Thank you for saying so. Your spirit remains as sharp as ever, Three Perfections Tracking Tiger. Seeing you after so long, it seems your achievements have deepened.”

“And your eloquence is as smooth as ever.” The Three Perfections Tracking Tiger burst into laughter, evidently pleased. “Anyway, the opponent is the Blood Immortal Cult. We might encounter one of the Ten Heavenly Lords, and I sent a message warning of extreme danger. Are you sure you knew what you were getting into?”

“Well, would I come without knowing? I simply came to add my blade because I heard Little Brother was here.”

Laughing heartily, Namgung Woon embodied the quintessential image people held of the Emperor Sword. He was the very face of the Namgung Clan—bold, righteous, and seemingly invincible.

Right. Even in the original novel, he staked his life on the greater cause.

He was destined to die trying to stop the Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryoon. He surely didn’t go into that future battle unaware that it would be his grave. Jin Cheon-hee shook his head, pushing aside the complex emotions rising in his chest.

Let’s forget it. The Emperor Sword of the Namgung Clan will be a great help.

In any case, Namgung Woon wanted to be on good terms with him. As long as the person known as the Pure Virtuous Mad Physician—or One Light—possessed medical skills, martial prowess, and influence, the Namgung Clan would maintain ties with the White Qilin Medical Pavilion. Whether he truly offered friendship or merely treated him with political righteousness might not be so important after all.

“Not only those from the Martial Righteous Alliance, but martial artists from various sects are also participating,” Namgung Woon explained, gesturing to the assembling warriors. “The number reaches a whopping four hundred. Even some Old Gangho masters have stepped forward.”

‘Old Gangho’ meant they were at least Super Peak masters, and perhaps one or two had even reached the Realm of Transformation.

In the original Supreme Heavenly Demon, they would have all perished in the bloody history involving Yeo Ha-ryoon, the Demonic Cult’s Junior Cult Leaders, and the Blood Immortal Cult. But now, they were alive and well. To think they would be utilized like this. Was living a virtuous life truly its own reward?

“That’s impressive.”

“What do you think? Isn’t this enough to crush the Sea Sand Gang? I heard from the Clan that five thousand government troops are also supporting us. There should be no mistake.”

Hearing the numbers, it certainly sounded formidable. Even the Blood Immortal Cult wouldn’t be able to budge against such a force.

However… why?

Why did the back of Jin Cheon-hee’s neck prickle strangely? Perhaps because the enemy was just as formidable.

***

Namgung Woon had arrived carrying a greatsword even larger than the one Jin Cheon-hee had seen during their last meeting. A dragon was embossed on the hilt, symbolizing a Lightning Dragon.

Can he already use Sword Lightning?

The Namgung Clan’s Emperor Sword Form and Azure Heavens Limitless Sword Art were martial arts utilizing Formless Qi. However, there was another supreme technique that rivaled them, known as the Heavenly Lightning Sword Form.

Based on Lightning Qi, this martial art was domineering and incredibly fast. It possessed a nature opposite to the Emperor Sword Form, which followed the principle of movement within stillness.

However, Jin Cheon-hee knew the Heavenly Lightning Sword Form was considered an imperfect martial art.

It dealt with Lightning Qi but supposedly failed to store that Qi within the body. This wasn’t knowledge derived from reading Supreme Heavenly Demon back on Earth, but one of the countless pieces of intelligence he had picked up living in this Murim world.

The reason it was imperfect was its extreme consumption of internal energy. Because it required more than double the Internal True Qi compared to the Emperor Sword Form, not many in the Namgung Clan mastered this supreme art.

But imperfection did not mean worthlessness. If it were useless, it wouldn’t be evaluated as a rival to the Emperor Sword Form. Naturally, this martial art was a divine skill only a select few in the Namgung Clan could learn.

Jin Cheon-hee turned his gaze away from Namgung Woon, casting his thoughts into the sea. As he sat at the prow, staring blankly at the horizon where the dark water met the sky, Namgung Woon approached and stood beside him.

“Little Brother. Have you been well?”

“I have.”

“Hmm. Actually, it’s nothing special, but I came to offer a small apology for the past.”

“Pardon?”

“About the story of the Zhuge Clan and the Namgung Clan.”

“Ah…”

As Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened, Namgung Woon chuckled softly.

“Since that day, something weighed on my mind, so I asked the Elders and my Father about various things. Back then, the Nine Great Sects and One Faction, along with the Eight Great Clans, committed those acts believing the Zhuge Clan would perish. You know what happens to the secret arts of a ruined clan.”

“…”

Jin Cheon-hee remained silent. He, too, had received the martial arts of ruined clans from his master.

“However,” Namgung Woon continued, his voice dropping, “that usually happens at least three generations after the clan’s fall. I know it isn’t something to be done while a survivor is alive and well. The White Qilin Divine Physician must have had to watch it happen with his eyes wide open while still alive.”

Martial arts are ultimately the spirit connecting generations, history, and perhaps even the soul itself. Was it not said to be no different from digging up an ancestor’s grave? In this Confucian society that lived by the sword, it meant watching one’s entire family die and their spirit tablets torn to shreds.

“I see.”

“And as long as you, Little Brother, are continuing the legacy of the Zhuge Clan, that martial lineage will persist.”

“…”

“Of course, the mere fact that the White Qilin Divine Physician was alive made the Clan Elders feel threatened, leading them to persecute him from the shadows. Until he learned medicine, that is. After all, the Elders needed his acupuncture skills too.”

The story that Zhuge Rin learned medicine to heal himself was widely known in the Gangho. Was a genius truly a genius? Becoming one of the Three Great Divine Physicians in less than ten years was astonishing, but many in the Gangho were relieved that even such a genius failed to overcome his Heavenly Punishment.

Of course, now, all those people were sitting on pins and needles.

“Physicians are needed everywhere,” Jin Cheon-hee murmured.

“Honestly, it’s nothing short of a miracle that he survived until he met you and built the Medical Pavilion. His health deteriorated while his blood debt remained unpaid, watching his sect be disgraced… Yet despite all that, the work he chose was saving people. I cannot even fathom the depth of his Inner Demons.”

Namgung Woon smiled bitterly. The night air of Hangzhou was cold, and a white cloud of breath formed at his lips.

“I won’t say I apologize on behalf of the Elders. As a descendant, I dare not do so, nor do I have the representation. I also know it is impossible to gather up spilt water or scattered secret arts.”

“Then…”

“I brought the Lightning Dragon Sword from the Clan today. It is a special sword used when wielding our family’s supreme art, the Heavenly Lightning Sword Form. I hope you watch my techniques closely. I had quite a hard time completing the originally imperfect Heavenly Lightning Sword Form.”

Namgung Woon and Jin Cheon-hee’s gazes locked for a moment.

Meaning was hidden between the lines. Jin Cheon-hee understood.

The Heavenly Lightning Sword Form was finally complete. And the martial arts of the Zhuge Clan were used to complete it.

That was what he meant.

So. Please ‘observe’ my martial arts closely.

In the Gangho, even peeking at another’s martial arts training was forbidden—a capital sin requiring atonement by death. Yet, he was deliberately saying this. Was he trying to wash away the sin by showing his martial arts and allowing them to be ‘observed’?

“Why are you doing this?”

At Jin Cheon-hee’s question, he continued his own words instead of answering.

“The sword of the Namgung Clan uses Lightning Yang Qi. It shares similarities with the Zhuge Clan’s Five-Elemental Divine Art. The Heavenly Lightning Sword Form is the same. So… I hope you watch closely from now on.”

Jin Cheon-hee looked at Namgung Woon for a long moment.

His effort was commendable, but could such an action wash away the errors of the past? Though years had passed since he came to the Gangho, Jin Cheon-hee was not his master, Zhuge Rin, so he couldn’t claim to understand.

What should he do?

[I know this does not constitute an apology. Still, please accept it. ‘Limitless’ means there is no hindrance in advancing, and the path the sword reaches…]

At that moment, Namgung Woon began reciting the mnemonic chant of the martial art via telepathy.

Even Jin Cheon-hee was astonished.

The mnemonic chant of a martial art was everything. A skilled martial artist could train with just the chant and easily create counter-techniques. It was something that should never be told to anyone outside the clan.

Yet Namgung Woon transmitted it via telepathy as if it were nothing.

After delivering the entire chant, Namgung Woon spoke aloud as if relieved of a burden.

“Well, what do you think? Doesn’t this make us even?”

At those words, Jin Cheon-hee let out a hollow laugh of disbelief. The Heavenly Lightning Sword Form was a supreme divine art with few equals even within the Namgung Clan. To reveal its complete form and then act like this…

Even if he was the Young Patriarch, if this fact became known, the Namgung Clan could punish Namgung Woon and potentially wage war against the White Qilin Medical Pavilion.

Right. He is this kind of person.

Namgung Woon had agonized in his own way since that day, and he had found his own answer. Of course, one couldn’t say this was the correct answer. But he showed the best he could do within himself.

Jin Cheon-hee asked quietly, “Does the Namgung Clan leave you be if you transmit the clan’s secret arts to outsiders? A place like the Hwangbo Clan would usually crush bones and destroy the danjeon.”

“The Namgung Clan is the same. They sever the tendons of all four limbs.”

“…Are you crazy?”

“Even if I’m crazy, am I as crazy as One Light?”

Saying that, he whistled and walked away.

Watching Namgung Woon’s back, Jin Cheon-hee was dumbfounded.

Ha… Good grief.

His mind was in turmoil, much like the churning sea beneath them.

Is he saying he doesn’t seek forgiveness? That he’s just offering the answer he can give? Infinitely arrogant, never looking back, yet walking the best path he can.

If Jin Cheon-hee decided to use this information maliciously, Namgung Woon surely knew he would be a dead man, and that it could bring disaster to his entire clan.

Is this what makes him material for the Martial Righteous Alliance Leader?

The fact that jealousy crept in even amidst this was perhaps because Jin Cheon-hee knew the path he walked could never be the same as Namgung Woon’s.

Jin Cheon-hee stared at the pitch-black sea for a long time. Even after everyone fell asleep, he remained motionless, gazing only at the dark currents.