With eyes grown heavy with thought, Song Euigyeong cupped his fists toward Unwi.

The unexpected gesture left the martial artists of Bongnae visibly unsettled.

In return, Unwi also cupped his fists toward Song Euigyeong.

Before long, the martial artists of Bongnae cleared the area entirely.

Unwi spoke.

“You can stand now.”

Surprisingly, even though there were no eyes watching, Sim Munryong stood with a straight, proper posture.

“No one’s looking. You can stop with the theatrics now.”

Sim Munryong let out a dry laugh.

“Shouldn’t you be saying ‘thanks for playing along’ first?”

“First of all, I’m the one who should be hearing ‘thank you.’ Second, even if you hadn’t shown up, Song Euigyeong was already planning to leave.”

“You mean you had the whole situation under control?”

“Did it not look that way?”

“...Didn’t realize before, but I guess you and I live in different worlds. So I’ve decided to stop trying to understand.”

“A wise approach.”

Sim Munryong’s eyes moved to Unwi’s right shoulder.

“The wound looks bad.”

“It’ll heal with rest.”

“...Want me to boil up a few tonics?”

“Appreciate the thought, but no.”

Sim Munryong scratched his head.

He clearly wanted to do something—anything—and Unwi, seeing that, tossed a remark his way.

“Go back to the White Falcon Guard.”

“...I haven’t repaid your kindness yet.”

“Does it have to be now?”

“...”

“Who knows how relationships begin? But yours and mine have already started. If you value it, then the end of that bond won’t be decided anytime soon.”

“...”

“So don’t worry needlessly. And remember this well. You serve the Palace Lord of the Everlasting Snow Palace.”

Sim Munryong gave another laugh.

“...Really... You’re a strange, peculiar bastard.”

“Do I seem that way?”

“Ask a thousand people on the street, and they’d say the same as I do.”

He scratched his head again.

“You said it before, didn’t you? That I take debts and grudges seriously.”

“I did.”

“You were right. I do. You gave me a gift. You gave me the key to a realization. You brought me to the Mythic Realm.”

“I only gave you the key. The one who opened the door was you.”

“That’s your take. I have mine. Free world, isn’t it?”

Unwi gave him a faintly amused look.

“Seems you’ve finally become a proper human being after reaching the Mythic Realm.”

“I’ve always been like this. And if you ever need help, call me. Whatever it is—I’ll risk my life for it.”

Unwi nodded.

As Sim Munryong turned to leave, he suddenly stopped like he’d remembered something.

“Oh right, there were some swords lying around in the warehouse. They looked pretty good.”

“And?”

“Figured I’d borrow those too.”

“Go ahead.”

With a grin, Sim Munryong soared skyward, cutting through the air toward the main palace just as he’d arrived.

Silence returned to the area. Unwi turned toward Inspector Seong.

“Bring me a brush and some paper.”

“...Shouldn’t you get that wound looked at first?”

“As I told Jang Seok of the Beggars’ Union—it’s already been treated. There was a capable martial artist around.”

As he spoke, Unwi glanced briefly at Wonyang before continuing.

“The brush and paper.”

“...Sigh. Alright.”

Before Inspector Seong could even count to five, he returned with brush and paper in hand.

Unwi scribbled something down and called for Han Seokhyeon, the man newly appointed to oversee the mine.

“If Golden Path Chess Hero Wang Muha shows up, give him this.”

“...Understood, sir.”

Unwi turned.

“We’re returning.”

“At your command!”

***

Where in the Central Plains is the most scenic place of all?

If one were to narrow it down from among the countless mountains, the list would come to exactly four:

Ten Thousand Great Mountains (Shibman Daesan),

Everlasting Snow Mountain (Mannyeon Seolsan),

Taihwa Mountain (Taehwa-san),

and Heavenly Mountain (Cheonsan).

And now, atop Taihwa Mountain—located precisely in the heart of the Central Plains and renowned for its transcendent beauty throughout all seasons, as if it touched the heavens—two men sat playing a game of Go.

Martial Alliance Lord: Thousand-Year Sword Emperor Gun Mugyeol.

Martial Alliance Vice Lord: Divine Stratagem Gentleman Jegal Yeonghyeon.

“Your moves grow more intricate the longer this game goes on,” Gun Mugyeol said, placing a black stone on the board.

“I should be the one saying that,” replied Jegal Yeonghyeon. “Your plays, my lord, are so unfathomable that I sweat every time I face you. It seems the time has come for me to retire.”

“Haha, what nonsense. You must stay by my side for a long time. Who else can I trust but you?”

Their conversation was light-hearted, but the board between them was a battlefield of killing intent.

Black stones and white stones fought fiercely—killing and being killed—as if reflecting the current state of the martial world itself.

As he placed another stone on the war-torn board, Gun Mugyeol asked, “Can we use this opportunity to properly suppress the Everlasting Snow Mountain?”

“The angle was different, but the move was effective,” Jegal replied. “It’s unfortunate about Sugwangho of the Upper Wisdom Pavilion, but sacrifices must be made for the greater good.”

A subtle smile rose on Gun Mugyeol’s lips.

“If the angle was off, the entire board might break. What went wrong?”

“I had expected that Seong Yangho, a former member of the White Snow Phantom Corps, would be the one to kill Sugwangho. That would have given us clear justification—not just involving the Snow Palace, but tying in the illegitimate son Seol Unwi and the entire Phantom Corps.”

“But the direction changed?”

“Indeed... Was it that we didn’t expect him to slaughter all of Bongnae’s martial artists—or that Seol Unwi’s talent as an illegitimate son exceeded expectations?”

“Both,” Jegal answered sincerely.

“I expected blood to be spilled, but not complete annihilation. I never imagined a martial artist like Seol Unwi would ascend from the Root Heaven Stage to Three Flowers Gathering Purity in just two months—nor that he would kill someone at the Harmonization Stage while still in that realm.”

Normally, this would mean the board had collapsed entirely—but not this time.

“In the end, Sugwangho was killed by the Everlasting Snow Palace. That alone gives the Martial Alliance all the justification it needs to intervene.”

Gun Mugyeol’s eyes glinted as he spoke.

“Justification... As you know, more important than justification or execution... is who places the next stone on the board.”

“Indeed, my lord. The one who plays the game is what matters most. Whether someone interfered midway or gave unsolicited advice doesn’t matter anymore. In the end, the one who will sit opposite me on this board... will be Seol Jungcheon.”

“You’re sure of that?”

“I am.”

Jegal Yeonghyeon smiled.

“The move I’ve prepared will tighten the noose around the Snow Palace completely. Several sects have already begun to stir. Soon the Sacheon Alliance will join in... and eventually, Seol Jungcheon will be dancing within my formation.”

After some thought, Gun Mugyeol placed another stone.

“Then I’ll place my faith in you.”

Yet his gaze remained curious.

As though he was seeing something Jegal Yeonghyeon could not.

To Gun Mugyeol, the greatest variable right now wasn’t Seol Jungcheon.

He was formidable, certainly—but the one storming onto the board and disrupting it wasn’t the main palace lord.

It was that illegitimate son.

Time would tell.

Jegal Yeonghyeon let out a dry laugh.

“I’ve lost this round.”

“Shall we play another?”

“I’d be honored.”

The stones were cleared, and a new board was set for their next match.

***

Four days had passed since the incident at the gold mine in Oksu Village.

Mining was well underway when an old man arrived at the site, carrying a massive stone slab on his back.

His appearance was plain at first glance—but no one regarded him as an ordinary old man.

His eyes were sharp, his steps steady, and his body emanated unshakable composure.

This was Wang Muha, the Golden Path Chess Hero—a master at the Union of Heaven and Man, and head of the Upper Wisdom Pavilion of the Martial Alliance.

A man approached him and cupped his fists respectfully.

“I am Han Seokhyeon, the mine overseer. I greet the great hero Wang Muha.”

Wang Muha’s eyes swept over him.

And in that instant, Han Seokhyeon found himself contemplating the very nature of life.

It felt as if his neck had been severed, his limbs torn apart, and his soul forcibly separated from his body.

Nothing had actually happened—but that’s what it felt like.

Overwhelming.

Could mere eyes really do this much?

His knees nearly gave out.

“You knew I was coming?” Wang Muha asked.

“...Khff... Yes. The Branch Lord of Yangnyeong said Senior Wang Muha would arrive and instructed me to welcome you with due courtesy—and to deliver this to you.”

Even as he coughed up blood, Han Seokhyeon did not step back.

Perhaps moved by his resolve, Wang Muha commented, “You don’t seem to be a martial artist, yet you endured this killing intent. That shows remarkable mental strength... Quite impressive.”

He extended a hand.

“Let me see it.”

“...Yes... of course.”

Han Seokhyeon took the letter Seol Unwi had written from his coat and handed it over.

The moment it touched Wang Muha’s hand, the suffocating aura vanished as if it had never been.

“Feeling a bit better now?”

“...Yes... A little... easier to breathe.”

Wang Muha quietly unfolded the letter.

Then let out a small chuckle.

“...Seol Unwi, is it... Fascinating.”

Truly, it was intriguing.

The letter read:

In the game of Go, the Tianyuan is the point that touches the heavens.

To place a stone there is to seize the world.

To leave it empty is to attain the Dao.

Would you care for a match?

***

It was practically a [N O V E L I G H T] challenge.

And indeed, the name Chess Hero (棋俠) wasn’t just for show.

Wang Muha was a renowned Go player—even among the Central Plains elite.

Perhaps not the very best, but among the top.

That was why, despite being a master at Union of Heaven and Man, his moniker still included "Chess."

The Martial Alliance had given him a single command:

Apply pressure to the Everlasting Snow Palace.

Whatever bloodshed or tactics he used were left entirely to his discretion—and he planned to follow through.

But this... a Go match...

At the very least, it had piqued his interest.

After surveying the mine, Wang Muha quietly began to walk.

Seol Unwi, the one who had written such a letter.

He wanted to see him for himself.

***

It was early morning, the time when the mountain mists began to lift.

Word arrived that Golden Path Chess Hero Wang Muha had arrived.

Unwi rose calmly from his seat. His shoulder had already been treated—but the pain from his battle with Sugwangho lingered.

The blade had pierced deeply and even sliced through the muscle.

It would take about two weeks to fully heal, and only four days had passed.

Even so, Unwi’s expression betrayed none of it.

His steps toward the main hall were, as always, relaxed.

As though everything happening now had long since been decided.

In the branch hall, a lone elderly man sat quietly with his eyes closed.

He stood around six cheok tall, with a massive sword even larger than his body strapped to his back.

Unwi looked at the striking figure and spoke.

“So the Golden Path Chess Hero has arrived.”

The old man—master at the Union of Heaven and Man—slowly raised his head. His eyes already glinted with the intent to evaluate Unwi in full.

“So you’re the one they call Lord Hyeon Seollin.”

“Yes. That’s me,” Unwi replied, cupping his fists.

“Once again—Seol Unwi, of the Everlasting Snow Palace. Hyeon Seollin.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Wang Muha.”