The deafening roar echoed—!The observing noble clans were utterly overwhelmed.

    From the moment the vagabond swordsman Geom Un-bi revealed his identity, the entire battlefield had been in turmoil. Those with weaker standing or lingering uncertainties had already fled far away.

    There were few martial artists in Jianghu who had the courage to stand against the black banner of Ipwang Fortress.

    At first, some had feigned composure, pretending to be unaffected. But as the duel continued, they could no longer conceal their shock.

    Murmurs spread throughout the audience. sea??h thё N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    "Evenly matched... No, it’s more than that. A man who earned the title of Gong with nothing but his fists is being pushed back."

    "Who would have thought that someone like him existed outside of the infamous monster of the Ming Sect…?"

    "I never believed it, even after hearing the rumors."

    "Lord Gongya! What is happening here?!"

    "Did you truly form an alliance with the imperial sword? This is an ill-fated choice. Ipwang Fortress is strong, but it lacks resources. Zhuge Gaju has already marked this region as his own… How will you withstand his sorcery and martial prowess?"

    The surrounding noble clans cast displeased gazes. The presence of a high-ranking figure from Ipwang Fortress had finally become an undeniable reality.

    Among them, only two remained unfazed—Gongya Su, his mouth agape, eyes gleaming with disbelief, and Gongya Jeong, the Grand Lady, staring intently at the dueling warriors with a stern expression.

    "I had a feeling his status wasn’t ordinary. But no—just look at his face. He looks like an aristocrat! Yet he was raised in such brutality? No wonder he’s so indifferent to everything—he’s the blood of Ma Yeon-jeok, the Heroic Tyrant! And to think, I used to drink and spar with Seomye of Ipwang Fortress! Ma Gwang-ikju! Ma Gwang-ikju, of all people!"

    "Su-ah, quiet."

    Gongya Jeong gripped her younger brother’s sleeve, calming him with a firm gaze.

    The piercing stares around them felt like iron bars enclosing them.

    Friends who had shared drinks, prominent figures who had made their names in Jianghu, guests who had once attended their banquets—none of that mattered now. Everyone was watching the Gongya bloodline with newfound scrutiny.

    From now on, the noble clans of Shanxi would keep their distance from the Gongya family.

    Such was the fate of any sect entangled with Ipwang Fortress.

    Unless one belonged to the Eight Great Clans or the Nine Grand Sects, this was inevitable. The martial world operated under the principle of Non-interference between the court and Jianghu, and the freedom of martial artists was a fragile illusion.

    ‘As long as Zhuge Gaju lives, my household will never remain intact.’

    Gongya Jeong swallowed down her bitterness. Instead, she focused on the ten-year-old martial techniques passed down by Ma Gwang-ikju.

    She had exchanged techniques with him. She was not thinking as a noble, but as a martial artist.

    "Hmm…"

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