“We need to expand our intelligence network. We must uncover Seol Unhwi’s plans, his weaknesses—everything.”

“What about using the Open Sect?”

“I don’t think it’s wise to entrust everything to them. Just as we have contacts in the Open Sect, that bastard has his own connections there too.”

“Hmm...”

“I’ll send the Red Flame Ghost Shadow into Jeokan.”

Jang Unhong’s eyes widened.

The Red Flame Ghost Shadow—who was that?

An assassin, first of all. But more than that, an expert in crafting facial disguises and highly skilled in specialized arts like reversed-use techniques. His martial level was at Five Foundation Origins.

Exceptionally talented in infiltration—getting him inside should pose no issue.

“And how about breaking the relationship between Seol Unhwi and Song Euigyeong?”

“That would be ideal. But the method...”

Jang Unhong smiled.

“There’s someone under my command who’s close with Song Euigyeong’s disciple. I’ll use him to sniff out a weakness.”

“And you’ll use that to sow suspicion?”

“Exactly.”

“Hahaha... You truly are a remarkable man. Today, you’ve impressed me, Jang Unhong.”

The two of them had no intention of accepting Unhwi’s offer.

The power they’d held as rulers of Saryang—there was no way they could give that up.

They’d endure until support from the Main Alliance arrived, and in the meantime, they would cause disruption.

Seol Unhwi would be too busy defending from within to give attention to Saryang.

If he wanted Saryang, then he would have to pay a price.

And they would make sure of it.

“No matter how clever that bastard is, he doesn’t have the experience to swim in the deep waters of Murim. We’ll be the ones to make him realize that.”

After finalizing the details of their plan, Jang Unhong and Gang Cheolsan set out for Saryang.

The sound of horse hooves faded into the darkness.

And once the two men disappeared—

A man dropped down from the sky.

It was clear he had fallen from an incredible height, yet the ground beneath him didn’t show even the faintest dent—like a feather had landed.

A ‘man’—no, an old man—with a massive spear almost two jang long strapped to his back smiled in clear amusement.

“Well, would you look at these little shits...”

After standing still for a moment in thought, the old man turned and began walking.

***

While swinging his sword in the training yard, Unhwi slowly rotated his neck.

Blood vessels, muscles, nerves—

Everything was functioning normally.

He had used far more blood energy than expected when killing the Black Flame Demon Beast, Urin, but his recovery speed was excellent.

And now, he could move himself again.

“...You really are a monster, you know that?”

At the sound of a voice, he turned his head.

It was Ju Soa.

She was handing him a bowl filled with a murky liquid.

“Drink this. It’s a mix of Sinsamhwa, Baekbokryeong, and a bit of licorice root—it’s supposed to help with recovery.”

He accepted it without hesitation.

“Did Lee Myeonghwa from the Medicine Pavilion make it?”

“Well, yeah. She made it herself, so I figured you’d know how good it is.”

Unhwi chuckled softly.

“I do.”

Too well—that was the problem.

He drank it all in one go without a second thought.

“Oh, I forgot to mention—she calls that stuff Sinsam Restoration Tea.”

The immediate reaction it produced proved its effectiveness.

“I’ve been curious about something,” she said. “Can I ask?”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s nothing major. I heard from Commander Seong—you gave Saryang a two-day deadline, didn’t you?”

“To be precise, it was one day.”

“And today’s the end of that day, right?”

“It is.”

“...Should I call people?”

“Who?”

“You know. Yangso from Jeokan, Lord Song from Bongrae... Everyone you can reach.”

Unhwi shook his head.

“No need.”

“Then are you planning to resolve this peacefully?”

“Of course not.”

Ju Soa snorted.

“Knew it. Well, if you need anything, let me know. I’ll go polish my—”

She stopped mid-sentence. Her expression turned cold in an instant—without a moment’s hesitation.

She drew her sword and immediately swung it toward Unhwi’s side.

Thunk—clink!

It was the sound of Ju Soa’s sword being caught—and someone else’s sword being caught too.

Unhwi slowly turned his head.

He hadn’t sensed when the man had arrived.

An old man stood there, a massive spear nearly two jang long strapped across his back. His face was weathered and dark, with long gray-streaked hair.

And his golden eyes gleamed like a dragon’s.

In his right hand, he held Ju Soa’s sword. In his left, he held Commander Seong’s.

“Heh heh... You little punks. When you see your elders, you should greet them properly. You don’t just go swinging swords, do you? Huh?”

The old man’s gaze was fixed on Unhwi.

And Unhwi didn’t look away.

“...What an annoying face.”

“If that’s a compliment, I’ll take it. Senior Gwang.”

“You know who I am?”

“How could I not?”

Unhwi’s gaze shifted to the spear on the old man’s back.

“A nearly two-jang-long spear, every part of it dyed black, with a jagged blade shaped like a dragon’s fang and crackling with thunder. That must be the Heaven-Thunder Black Dragon Spear (Cheonroe Heukryongchang). As far as I know, only one person in the world possesses that weapon.”

Black-Faced Spear King Gwang Han.

Back when Unhwi raided the Cheongsu Village Tianlin Branch, he had fought a spear master at the Five Foundation Origins level.

His nickname was One Dragon of the Furious Sea (Nohae Ilryong)—his name, Tak Geuk.

And Gwang Han was Tak Geuk’s master.

Unhwi had once been told to pass along a message to him—though the old man seemed to have arrived much later than expected.

“Hah... The bastard from Snow Palace’s side family has good eyes.”

Just then, he released both Ju Soa’s and Commander Seong’s swords.

“Hey, you crazy old bastard! Do you even know where you are?!”

Cheonpung’s roar echoed as his greatsword descended from the sky.

In that brief moment—

Unhwi sent a sound transmission to Gwang Han.

—He’s one of mine. If you kill him, you won’t get any information on the Divine Spear.

Gwang Han frowned and waved his arm.

BOOOOM!

Cheonpung was struck down faster than his own sword had fallen, slamming into the ground with a thunderous crash.

Gwang Han tilted his head.

“...Hmm?”

He even let out a curious noise.

Unhwi was about to step in to speak—but Gwang Han held up a hand.

“You wait a bit.”

His gaze was locked onto Cheonpung.

And in that gaze was clear interest.

***

Cheonpung was on the verge of passing out.

Wait a minute—I’m the one who swung the sword, so why am I the one flying?

His entire body felt like it was churning. It didn’t seem like he’d suffered internal injuries—but that wasn’t because of any great strength on his part.

The old man had held back.

This wasn’t just any master—this was a true grandmaster who subdued Commander Seong and Ju Soa with one hand each.

“Hey, kid. What’s your name?”

“...M-me?”

“Yes, you. What’s your name?”

“...Cheonpung.”

“Cheonpung, huh... Harmonization Stage with Dual Light Manifestation. Not bad strength.”

“...Th-thank you...?”

“That’s enough. Try holding this for a moment.”

Gwang Han pulled the spear from his back and tossed it toward Cheonpung.

Startled, Cheonpung caught it—but it was so heavy that his legs sank into the earth.

Still, he didn’t fall over.

That alone was enough.

The Heaven-Thunder Black Dragon Spear weighed 216 geun (approx. 129.6 kg).

And he hadn’t just tossed it—he’d infused it with a bit of internal force.

So it must have weighed at least half again as much.

Yet Cheonpung caught it without being crushed.

“...Huh? Look at this. He caught it? At Harmonization Stage?”

Gwang Han was fascinated.

No, more than that—

It was destiny.

“Cheonpung.”

His voice suddenly softened, and Cheonpung almost got chills. But the next words did give him chills.

“Want to become my third disciple?”

Cheonpung didn’t hesitate for a second.

“No thanks.”

“...No?”

“Yeah.”

“You already have a master, then?”

“Yes.”

“Someone greater than me, the Black-Faced Spear King Gwang Han?”

Cheonpung didn’t hesitate again.

“Yes.”

“...Who is it?”

Even Unhwi, Ju Soa, and Commander Seong were curious now.

If Han Murin and Wonyang were here, they’d be just as surprised.

Cheonpung had a master?

Cheonpung replied,

“Our Tower Lord.”

“...Who?”

“That man over there—he’s my master. We may not have formally established a master-disciple relationship, but I’ve already accepted him in my heart. No—he’s more than °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that.”

Unhwi let out a dry laugh. The others looked dumbfounded, but Cheonpung was perfectly serious.

Gwang Han stared at him for a moment, then said,

“Kid.”

“Yes?”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“I mean, not really. But even if I did, I don’t think it’d matter.”

“...This kid’s got something wrong in the head?”

He muttered to himself, then tried to say something else—but Unhwi cut in.

“Do you want him?”

“I do. With strength like that, he’s worth raising. I once admired Geuk’s power, but this kid’s got even more. With his build, he should be wielding a spear, not a sword.”

“But unfortunately, Cheonpung is one of mine.”

“So?”

“No matter how much you want him, a person isn’t an object to be bought or sold.”

Gwang Han chuckled.

“Wrong. People can be bought and sold. Anyone who’s ever fought over land would know that.”

“I know. But there’s a difference—between ‘a person’ and my person.”

“...Oh?”

“Because he’s mine, I’ll leave it up to his choice. Whether Cheonpung acknowledges you as a master or not—that’s not something we’ll decide right now.”

“And why not?”

“Because you and I have a conversation to finish first.”

“...Hmm...”

“So let me ask—did you lose your way on the road?”

“...What?”

“You’re later than I expected. I thought you’d arrive sooner—clearly, I miscalculated.”

From those words, Gwang Han understood two things.

First, Unhwi definitely knew about the Divine Spear.

And second—

This crafty bastard had planned to use that knowledge to make use of him.

Interest lit up Gwang Han’s face again.

It was a different kind of interest from what he’d shown Cheonpung.

“All right. Let’s get to the main point. They said I’d find out more about the Divine Spear if I came to you—and so I have. Took a while, but I’m here. That’s what counts, right?”