“Do you think we’d trust a bastard like you?”

At those words, Ak Jin shook his head.

“It’s not about me. I’m not the one stepping up here. It’s you and the White-Robed Divine Dragon sparring together. What do you say?”

‘Sparring here?! Oh, right. This is the cleanest way to settle things, isn’t it?’

If he refused now, Jin Cheonhee would unleash a barrage of sonic attacks from his throat, each note designed to shatter a man’s mind. Sure, the White-Robed Mad Dragon might spare his life and limbs—sending him off without permanent damage—but his eardrums and sanity? Those would be thoroughly obliterated.

All in the name of “necessary treatment” to save his life, of course.

Grown martial artists, gathered with their lives on the line, could consider a busted eardrum a small price to pay. That’s what they’d say, gazing at him with that distant, wistful expression, as if dealing with a lunatic physician. To face such a mad doctor, a mutually agreeable solution was the best course.

“Fine! White-Robed Mad Dragon, prove to me whether that flapping mouth of yours has any right to boast!”

‘Oh, this is the martial world’s way, and I’m all for it.’

How much simpler and better than thousands of people amicably checking the color of each other’s entrails? Besides, if Jin Cheonhee himself was fighting, he could guide injuries to easily treatable areas, lightening the load for the White Dragon Medical Pavilion’s physicians. If no one else had to die, that was a win.

“Alright, let’s do it. A spar.”

Jin Cheonhee strode to the center.

Black Cloud matched his pace, standing at a distance, facing him.

The two men locked eyes.

“Third Minor Cult Leader of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult, Black Cloud.”

“Minor Pavilion Master of the White Dragon Medical Pavilion, Jin Cheonhee.”

Each declared their name and assumed a combat stance.

In the thick tension, Spear King Ak Jin spoke.

“Begin.”

*Bang!*

Black Cloud went all out from the start. Heavenly Demonic True Qi surged through his entire body, its momentum so overwhelming that the surrounding space seemed to warp.

‘Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps.’

*Rumble—!*

‘As expected, he opens with the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps.’

It was practically the textbook move for every Demonic Cult Minor Cult Leader. Versatile, effective as a check, and devastating as an attack, the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step was a cornerstone technique.

The space around Jin Cheonhee constricted, the pressure intense enough to unnerve any martial artist untrained in demonic arts. That moment of panic was the perfect chance to strike for the throat.

But I’m not unprepared…

Heavenly Demon Divine Arts

Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step, Modified.

Five Elements Sovereign Steps!

*Rumble—!*

The Five Elements Sovereign Steps pushed back against the force of the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Steps. Black Cloud’s expression flickered with surprise, though he clearly hadn’t guessed that Jin Cheonhee had taken a direct hit of Heavenly Demon Divine Arts from the Heavenly Demon herself and subtly blended it with the Zhuge Clan’s Five Elements Divine Technique.

Of course he hadn’t. Who would imagine such insanity?

“The Zhuge Clan’s no slouch either! Did you mimic our Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step after seeing it?”

At best, he thought it was a crude imitation.

No need to panic. The tongue’s quicker than the eye, after all.

“All paths converge at the peak. Reach the extreme, and the destination’s the same.”

Jin Cheonhee let his mouth run, feeling a twinge of guilt toward the Heavenly Demon.

“Let’s see if this works, then!”

‘Oh, he’s buying it.’

Black Cloud charged at Jin Cheonhee, his movements brutish, as if defense wasn’t even a consideration. But with a body tempered to Diamond Invincibility, such recklessness made sense. Even if someone unleashed a sword aura, the one spitting blood and dying would be the attacker, not him.

Jin Cheonhee, however, saw it differently.

‘Overconfident, aren’t you, old man?’

He took a step forward.

*Crunch—*

Slipping under Black Cloud’s outstretched fist, he slid into the gap by his armpit, gently seizing the arm and twisting it backward.

*Crack!*

In an instant, the humerus bent in a direction it was never meant to go. Muscles twisted with it, dragging the radius and ulna into a contorted mess.

“Arghhh!”

It was like snapping a chicken wing—not just one bone breaking, but the surrounding ones twisting with the flesh. Jin Cheonhee infused the motion with the principle of *Rotation*.

‘This one’s gonna hurt a lot.’

Black Cloud, screaming, swung his other arm at Jin Cheonhee.

But Jin Cheonhee, as if he’d seen it coming, took another step.

Profound Origin Heaven and Earth Divine Technique, Thought Acceleration.

In a slowed world, only Jin Cheonhee’s body moved at normal speed. As Black Cloud’s other hand came at him with a palm strike, Jin Cheonhee seized his fingers, twisted, and pulled.

*Crack!*

Both arms dislocated in a flash.

Then, applying the Wudang Sect’s Ten-Stage Brocade to Black Cloud’s palm technique, Jin Cheonhee struck his jaw three times. Not just any strikes—he wove the principles of the Seven Demonic Zither, channeling air with each blow.

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*

“Urghhh—!”

Black Cloud’s jaw shuddered, his massive frame trembling with it.

‘What the hell… damn it…!’

Black Cloud couldn’t comprehend it. His internal energy was surely superior. And with his Blood-Fate Pagoda Vajra Divine Art honed to the extreme, he was impervious to blades and sword auras. The White-Robed Mad Dragon’s Ice Clarity Sword shouldn’t have been able to harm him. Even against external techniques that divine weapons couldn’t counter, his opponent should’ve been the one reduced to a bloody pulp.

‘Iron Fist…?! I expected that, but… damn it. I’ll hold on.’

His vision swam after the blow to his ears. His body refused to obey. Gritting his teeth, he tried to stabilize himself with sheer true qi.

But Jin Cheonhee looked at him with pity.

“Don’t push yourself. Rest.”

In that moment, Jin Cheonhee’s hand unleashed the principle of Taiji.

Taiji Scattered Hands, Final Technique.

Taiji Divine Palm[1]—!

The softness of Taiji from his palm burrowed into the hardness of Black Cloud’s defenses. Normally, he might’ve resisted, but with both arms broken and his inner ear in chaos, the palm strike—shaking his insides rather than his exterior—hit with full force.

Black Cloud’s body flew backward.

*Boom!*

Crashing into the ground, Black Cloud retched, unable to rise.

Watching the vomit from a safe distance, Jin Cheonhee spoke calmly.

“No blood mixed in, thankfully. With demonic arts, it’s hard to know how far to hit without triggering qi deviation, so I went easy on you. You’ll be fully recovered in three weeks.”

‘You crazy bastard.’

Jin Cheonhee’s eyes sparkled as he continued.

“Now, shall we resume our peaceful conversation?”

“The White-Robed Divine Dragon… defeated the Demonic Cult’s Minor Cult Leader! And overwhelmingly!”

“No, no! It’s because of the wounds he took from the Spear King!”

True, Black Cloud hadn’t fought at peak condition. Some said his martial arts were a step below Green Mist’s. Still, defeating a Demonic Cult Minor Cult Leader was no small feat.

“Woooah!”

The martial artists roared, chanting the White-Robed Divine Dragon’s name in a frenzy.

Jin Cheonhee noticed Green Mist smirking at the fallen Black Cloud.

‘Maybe in the original story, the alliance didn’t break because of Il-kana. Perhaps Green Mist planned to use and discard Black Cloud from the start.’

A scheme to kill with a borrowed blade.

He hadn’t literally taken Black Cloud’s head, but today’s defeat would undoubtedly weaken Black Cloud’s standing in the Demonic Cult. Green Mist seemed to relish Jin Cheonhee’s victory.

* * *

Sama Hyeon and the Golden Blood Chamber Leader watched from afar.

The Unorthodox Alliance hadn’t expected martial prowess from the Golden Blood Chamber. They wanted loans for medical expenses in emergencies or minor tasks handled like an escort agency.

The Golden Blood Chamber Leader, Golden King, was fundamentally a pacifist. Everyone in the martial world knew she was a martial master, but no one knew exactly what techniques she used or their power. Only that she could protect her vast wealth.

The Golden King clutched her stomach, laughing.

“By the heavens… I knew he was the Mad Dragon, but this… haha… hahahaha!”

Up close, it was tragedy; from afar, comedy. Threatening to shatter everyone’s minds and eardrums unless they stopped fighting, then sending Black Cloud’s massive frame flying—how could she not laugh? She roared for a while.

“That man’s your sworn brother, isn’t he?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Haha, hahahahaha! How entertaining. Truly entertaining. How did such a lunatic disciple end up under Baek Rin? Though, come to think of it, Baek Rin’s hardly sane either… hahahaha!!”

It was unprecedented for the Golden King, who shed neither blood nor tears before money, to laugh so heartily.

The other Golden Blood Chamber members were at a loss, flustered by their leader’s mirth.

“No martial leader could’ve stopped this, not with greed-soaked warriors who don’t bow to authority. Even the Three Venerables couldn’t have managed it. And yet…!”

Gold always made her smile, but only faintly. This belly-clutching laughter was a first.

Sure enough, the Golden Blood Chamber members fumbled, unsure how to react.

“But he’s strong. Mad and strong. And the way he finds the fastest solution and barrels through… is there another like him in the martial world?”

Her veiled face swayed, her laughter still evident.

“I like that kid. Stay close to him.”

“You mean…?”

“Meet often and grow stronger. Gold loves madmen, and that boy’s bound to make a fortune.”

Sama Hyeon nodded.

But part of him began to worry about surviving the hellish training ahead with his sworn brother. To Sama Hyeon, his brother was both a madman and a genius beyond compare. And the teachings of such a being could hardly be normal.

When he mentioned this to his master, she replied:

“Well… isn’t that perfect? Did you think you were normal? You’ve found a fitting sworn brother.”

“Urgh, Master~”

“No use acting pitiful! This is your master’s order. Stay as close as you can. And… someday, I’d like to meet that boy myself.”

With a smile on her crimson lips, she gazed at Jin Cheonhee for a long while.

Her expression beneath the veil remained hidden.

No one could fathom the Golden King’s true intentions.

But her goal was always singular: to earn more money, to amass more gold.

‘Since I planned to stick close to Hyung anyway, this works out.’

Sama Hyeon had played coy with his master, securing the answer he wanted. Now he could train with his brother openly.

‘Still, I’ve got my pride as the youngest. I can’t fall behind my second or third brothers~’

Lately, business had eaten into his training time. At that moment, for some reason, Jin Cheonhee felt a prickling at the back of his neck.