A faint aroma of tea lingered in the elegantly furnished guest chamber, its wooden walls polished to a smooth finish.Sunlight streamed in like gentle waves, casting white light beneath the window frames as the refined fragrance of Dragon Well tea filled the air.

    “You said you are seventeen. This reminds me of a question I once had when I first heard the legends of the First Heavenly Demon and the Three Peaks Sage of Wudang. I suppose it applies to you as well. How did you reach such a level of martial prowess at that age?”

    “I just lived.”

    “Indeed. It makes no sense—that is why someone like you stands before me now. But when Zhuge’s protective energy shattered, I was truly surprised. I have some skill in sensing energy, and when I focused on my upper dantian, the force you unleashed was both precise and terrifying. It seeped into his internal barrier like puzzle pieces fitting together. It happened in an instant, so I doubt even he fully realized what was happening…”

    The air within the chamber remained utterly still.

    The three warriors of Yuhuang City sat around the round table, their expressions difficult to read, while Grand Marshal Kang Su-hwi maintained a composed yet oddly indulgent look as he spoke.

    He spoke only of facts, seamlessly weaving in his insight and experience. His voice carried a deep resonance, dismantling the boundary between restrained praise and outright flattery.

    A man of the highest rank within the Northern Imperial Court.

    Someone who lived in an entirely different world.

    Jeong Yeon-shin nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts drifting to Hyeon-won.

    If he had gone to the Forbidden City instead of Yuhuang City, wouldn’t he have become even greater? No, wait—if that were the case, then Ma Gwang-ik wouldn’t have had the Yuhuang Divine Alliance, would he?

    Perhaps it was the dull ache of his internal and external wounds that caused such stray thoughts to surface.

    “Have I been skirting around the issue too much?”

    The Grand Marshal, who had been quietly watching Ma Gwang-ik, gave a faint smile.

    A smile that, despite his youthful appearance—around thirty at most—carried an unmistakable weight of experience. His true age was likely far beyond what his face suggested.

    “…I intend to kill all the aristocrats gathered here. I will wipe out the martial world of Shanxi. Since my first plan has been blocked, I must move to the second.”

    He spoke suddenly.

    That was the real issue.

    Jeong Yeon-shin’s sleeve, which had been lightly swaying as he exhaled, abruptly stilled. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    He was not dressed in the robes of Yuhuang City''s lords. The long coat he had inherited from Ma Jin had been torn to shreds during the battle using the Twin Gods Manual.

    That was why the Gongya family had given him a plain black robe without any insignia.

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