Chapter 64

Sword King, Namgung San (1)

The Dragon–Phoenix Gathering.

A gathering where dragon and phoenix meet.

It was like an ancient tradition of the orthodox martial world, handed down from long ago.

"Now this truly is a festival."

In Anhui, there existed a freshwater lake called Lake Soho.

Not only was it not far from Hebei, where the Namgung Clan was located, but ever since it had been chosen as the venue for the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering, the surrounding area had been enjoying an untimely boom.

"Waaah!"

A festival was always lively.

Wolyeong gazed in awe at the brilliantly decorated streets around Lake Soho.

"It's amazing!"

"Enjoy it while you can. Starting tomorrow, you won't have the leisure."

"Yes!"

As Cheon Muyang's group walked along with the excited Wolyeong, they suddenly had to come to a halt.

"Step aside!"

"...?"

From not too far away, a lavishly adorned carriage came charging forward at great speed.

Perhaps to clear the way, several people who looked like attendants stepped out in front.

"The Eldest Young Master of the Cheongcheon Sect, the Azure Heaven Sword Ha Dojin the Great Hero, has arrived! Clear the way!"

"Oh my!"

"Good heavens!"

They were utterly overbearing.

Even though several people were knocked over while the path was being forcibly cleared, they took no measures whatsoever.

"Hmph, didn't I tell you to move aside?"

"S-S-Sorry!"

"You think saying sorry is enough?"

Instead, they pressured those who had fallen with an even more domineering attitude.

Seeing this, Cheon Muyang fixed them with a cold, sunken gaze.

"My lord, give the order."

"Yes, Young Master."

Wolyeong, Neung Ryeoun, and Cha Myeonghak were about to step forward.

"No. There's no need."

Cheon Muyang merely stared at them with cold eyes.

Saaaaah—

The surrounding air rapidly chilled.

Flinch!

Those at the end of that gaze trembled involuntarily.

They looked around with eyes full of fear, like frightened rats.

"Tsk."

Their behavior—strong only toward the weak—was enough to make one sick.

Just as Cheon Muyang was about to apply even greater pressure, someone inside the carriage gestured with a hand.

"That's enough. Let's go."

"Y-Yes!"

They hurriedly left.

However, strangely similar scenes were unfolding simultaneously in various places.

"The First Disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, Gal Sapyeong the Great Hero, has arrived!"

"Move aside! I said clear the way!"

Cheon Muyang merely watched their behavior with a look of disdain.

To those who seemed ready to cross the line, he applied silent pressure, but he did not step in directly.

"Why not just step in and smash them outright?"

"Too bothersome."

"That figures."

The moment he intervened, he would have to make enemies of everyone who would swarm in afterward.

"But are they famous figures?"

"Not a chance."

The Wolf King snorted.

He was confident he wouldn't recognize even one of them if a hundred were gathered together.

"Trash not even worth remembering."

"I see. Even people like that come to the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering?"

"Heh heh heh. It seems you still don't understand the true intent of the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering."

"The true intent?"

"Yes. Why do you think they invited even people like that?"

The Wolf King gazed at the lights of Lake Soho with a faintly contemptuous look.

"And the reason is?"

"To show them."

"Show them what?"

"A wall they will never be able to cross."

"...."

"Why do you think the invitations were divided into gold, silver, and bronze in the first place?"

"Ah. So that's what it meant."

Invitations to the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering were sent to nearly every sect within the sphere of the orthodox factions.

However, only a very small number received gold invitations.

"The Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Clans—or only those with power comparable to them would have received gold invitations."

Cheon Muyang personally received a bronze invitation, but hadn't the Cheon Clan received a gold one?

In other words, this was the meaning behind the distinction the Wolf King was pointing out.

"How childish."

"Yet nothing could be more certain."

Those colors would never change.

Like an immutable law, gold would remain gold, silver silver, bronze bronze, repeating endlessly.

"Some might move from bronze to silver, or from silver to bronze, but…."

The Wolf King deliberately left the rest unsaid.

Because he knew it was meaningless.

"In the end, the ruling class does not change. That is—"

"The true intent of the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering."

"Correct."

After hearing everything the Wolf King said, the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering, when viewed anew, felt stark and cold beneath its dazzling exterior.

'In the end, the core never changes.'

It was merely the Wolf King's perspective, but it was persuasive.

The Nine Great Sects were still the Nine Great Sects, past or present.

Even the rise of the Five Great Clans or the Ten Great Clans—once thought to be new winds of change—had merely solidified them as the next ruling class beneath the Nine Great Sects.

"How laughable."

Who was ruling whom, exactly?

Cheon Muyang felt as though he could understand the Wolf King's mocking attitude toward the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering.

"Of course, it's a matter of perspective. While some think like me, there are surely others who see it as a stage of opportunity."

"People like those earlier?"

"Yes. How thrilling it must feel—to be invited to a gathering where dragon and phoenix meet."

"I suppose so."

Those who failed to grasp the true intent.

Especially newly founded sects like the Cheongcheon Sect or the Xiaoyao Sect would all the more believe it to be their chance to make a name for themselves.

"So they too will change once they realize the reason behind the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering. Just like them."

Those in-between figures.

They were also members of long-established orthodox sects, yet belonged to that ambiguous position that could never receive a gold invitation.

Among them were many from sects even more famous than the Cheongcheon Sect or the Xiaoyao Sect.

Yet they did not behave oppressively.

They merely looked like wanderers who had come and gone.

"Yes. Just like them."

"They might be better, at least."

"Heh heh heh. Do you truly think so?"

"...Ah, I see. That's not it."

Their eyes were dull, like dead fish.

The eyes of those who had realized they could go no higher.

"The Dragon–Phoenix Gathering…"

It was far more ruthless, and far crueler, than expected.

That was the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering's true face, and so the Wolf King asked.

"In the end, the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering is nothing more than a game for them alone. So tell me—what can it truly change?"

It was pessimistic.

As far as the Wolf King knew, many had tried to break down this wall of the orthodox martial world, but none had succeeded.

'At best, only the Green Forest Battle King.'

Even that would have been impossible had the Divine Monk not acknowledged him.

And yet, while believing that wall could never be broken, the Wolf King still harbored expectations.

Because it felt as though Cheon Muyang might be able to change something.

'What will you do? How will you shatter this suffocating reality?'

Perhaps that was why the Wolf King had chosen to follow Cheon Muyang.

After remaining silent, Cheon Muyang smiled.

"First, by committing insubordination."

"Insubordination?"

"Didn't I receive a bronze invitation as well?"

The Cheon Clan's invitation was gold.

However, the invitation sent to Cheon Muyang personally was bronze.

"I came not under the Cheon Clan's credentials, but as the Cheon Clan's delinquent."

Cheon Muyang took the bronze invitation from his robe.

"First, I need to prove that bronze can shatter gold."

Grin.

Cheon Muyang smiled.

"I see. Then I'll be watching."

"Please do. It should be quite an entertaining sight."

At that moment, fireworks burst across the sky.

Boom!

Shaaah!

"Waaah!"

In the heavens, dragon and phoenix met and became one.

They were the fireworks announcing the start of the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering—and the opening of the festival.

"They say food comes first, so let's eat and enjoy ourselves for now."

"Alright."

"Young Master! Let's go over there!"

Wolyeong had an uncanny talent for finding inns that smelled delicious just by scent alone.

"Sure. Let's do that."

"Don't eat too much. Training will continue again tonight."

"Elder! Do you really have to talk about that while we're eating?"

"Then when else should I say it—if not while we eat?"

"...Tch."

***

The Dragon–Phoenix Gathering was long.

A banquet was held from the very first day, and those seeking to form ties with the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Clans, or even the Ten Great Clans had arrived well before the gathering officially began.

"This is troublesome."

A long, stretching line.

All of them were people hoping to attend the Dragon–Phoenix Gathering.

"Now I finally understand why even places like the Cheongcheon Sect or the Sogyeong Sect were rushing in so frantically."

Of course, they likely weren't very far ahead in line either.

It seemed to be the queue of those holding bronze invitations.

"Out of the way! Do you know who I am?!"

"Quiet down. I don't know what hole you crawled out of, but can't you see all these people waiting here?"

Though they were orthodox sects, not everyone carried the bearing of a true great hero.

And since people who had never encountered one another before were gathered together, there was no way disputes wouldn't arise.

"What did you just say?!"

"You bastard! Want to try me?!"

"Fine!"

Shrring!

The sound of blades being drawn rang out.

Sword fights broke out here and there without pause.

Though they all held bronze invitations, every person involved was a chief disciple or eldest young master of a prominent sect or faction in their respective regions.

Naturally, clashes also erupted among those accompanying them.

"They're worse than unorthodox scum. Heh heh heh."

The Wolf King laughed heartily.

Wasn't watching low-level fighters brawl the next best thing after seeing masters clash?

"Hah. This is driving me mad."

"Why not just use the Cheon Clan's name? Then you wouldn't have to see such filth."

"I have no intention of doing that. I'm here purely in my capacity as Cheon Muyang, nothing more."

"Hm…."

"If you don't like it, why don't you go in under the name of the Wolf King?"

At those words, Wolyeong, Neung Ryeoun, and Cha Myeonghak all brightened.

The Wolf King shook his head.

"If I go in, who's going to oversee these brats' training?"

"...."

"Forget it. I don't do favors for others."

That was when it happened.

During a scuffle nearby, one person landed awkwardly, sending a stone flying.

Tap!

The stone traced a neat semicircle through the air and struck the back of the Wolf King's head.

Thunk.

The stone fell to the ground.

At the same time—

"Pfft!"

Wolyeong's laughter rang out.

Crack!

An ominous sound followed.

The Wolf King's brow furrowed, his expression twisting into something like a demon's.

"I'll kill these bastards…."

Wooooooong!

A strange vortex formed beneath the Wolf King's feet.

"I'll slaughter them on the spot—!"

His rage settled onto his great saber.

Just that alone made the ground tremble violently.

Yet the Wolf King didn't stop there—he swung his blade.

Along its arc, a furious gale swept across heaven and earth.

Shaaah!

Everyone was stunned.

Then, a silence so deep it was almost unnatural settled over the area.

"Which fool dares cause a disturbance before me?"

Gulp.

Even the sound of someone swallowing felt deafening.

"W-Wolf King…!"

"D-Did he say Wolf King…?"

Someone recognized him.

How could the Wolf King be here?

Before that question could even take shape—

A sharp sword strike flew in from somewhere.

Whish!

"Stop this!"

Clang!

The Wolf King lightly deflected the strike, then faced the group that rushed in afterward.

Those who appeared in haste.

They were elders of the Namgung Clan, the hosts of this Dragon–Phoenix Gathering.

"Hmph. You finally show yourselves."

"Why is the Wolf King causing such a disturbance here?"

"A disturbance?"

Crack.

The Wolf King's anger deepened at those words.

However, upon seeing the man who appeared next, he did not unleash it.

"He is my guest. Show proper respect."

Flinch!

Even the proud elders of the Namgung Clan hurriedly bowed.

"Sword Emperor."

The pinnacle of the Namgung Clan, and the symbol of its current might.

That man was the Sword Emperor, Namgung San.

"Shall we go together?"

The Wolf King did not answer.

He knew the question was not directed at him.

"Eldest Young Master of the Cheon Clan."

"...."

It felt as though Mount Tai itself pressed down upon his shoulders.

Yet Cheon Muyang faced Namgung San without the slightest tremor.

"It is an honor, Sword King."

Twitch!

The nearby Namgung elders flinched.

Because he had addressed Namgung San not as Sword Emperor, but as Sword King.

"Follow me."

Yet instead of anger,

Namgung San wore a curious smile as he personally guided the Wolf King and Cheon Muyang's group inside.

At least they didn't have to stand in the long line—so that was fortunate.