Chapter 11: The Master Said He Would Come
Jin Seong-un explained to the Martial Gods one by one about what had happened at the Prosperity Association.
Since these Martial Gods lived in this empty space, they greatly enjoyed hearing stories from the outside world.
When they heard that he had successfully brought the Merchants’ Association to their side, killed the Prosperity Association’s chairman, and brought springtime to the merchants of the Yichang marketplace, the Martial Gods rejoiced.
The Sword Immortal, who always had the word “chivalry” on his lips, was especially pleased and praised Jin Seong-un.
“Well done, Seong-un. Teaching you the sword was not just to ask for a favor. A sword becomes strongest when it cuts down evil with good.”
Amid the warm atmosphere—
As usual, the Blood Demon, lying on the ground and staring at the sky, asked in his uniquely dagger-like voice.
“Did you kill them all?”
Jin Seong-un stared at the Blood Demon for a moment before nodding.
“Yes, their loyalty to the chairman was quite strong, so there was no helping it.”
Only then did the Blood Demon smile in satisfaction.
To Jin Seong-un, it seemed as if the Blood Demon was happiest when many people died.
He had agreed to grant the Martial Gods’ requests one by one in exchange for martial arts. They had yet to mention them, but suddenly he became curious about what the Blood Demon’s request would be.
According to the Martial Gods, the Blood Demon had killed more people than anyone else in all of history.
He remembered the time he had unleashed the Blood Demon’s Soul and killed dozens of the Prosperity Association’s warriors in an instant.
If even he could do something like that, then if someone like the Blood Demon went around killing with full intent…
He couldn’t even imagine how formidable a demonic overlord he must have been.
He couldn’t understand why people with deep chivalrous hearts, like the Sword Immortal and Noble Enchantress, were in the same place as the Blood Demon.
“What are you staring at like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
The Blood Demon, who had been staring at Jin Seong-un with a blank face, turned his gaze back to the sky.
It was an attitude that said he didn’t care what happened to the world.
Soon, Jin Seong-un demonstrated his martial arts before the Martial Gods.
Starting with Noble Enchantress’s Women’s Moon Heart Method, followed by the Merchant King’s Black Wolf Blade Art, Divine Thief’s Shadowless Steps, and the Sword Immortal’s Fire Dragon Escape Sword.
Finally, he showed the Blood-Bare Hands Art and the Blood Demon’s Soul.
“Heh, astonishing.”
The Sword Immortal let out pure admiration.
It had been, at most, only a few real battles since they had taught him the techniques.
‘He’s already grown this much.’
Not only the Sword Immortal but the other Martial Gods thought the same. Even the Blood Demon, who usually had no interest in anything, looked on with a slightly serious expression when Jin Seong-un unleashed the Blood Demon’s Soul.
“Seong-un, with just a little more effort, I can teach you the next sword art after the Fire Dragon Escape Sword.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The Fire Dragon Escape Sword was already an excellent sword art.
He still vividly remembered the look in Hyeol Sang-daeju’s eyes when he faced the fire dragon contained in the blade.
He was curious how great the next sword would be.
It seemed the Merchant King and Noble Enchantress were also considering what martial arts they could pass on to him.
The Blood Demon was still gazing at the sky, though now with a faint expression on his face.
At that moment—
Divine Thief, as always wearing a mischievous smile, suddenly approached.
“Seong-un. There’s nothing more to teach you about the Shadowless Steps. As your level rises, it will naturally improve. So, I’ll teach you something else.”
With that, Divine Thief drew a dagger from his robe.
He tossed the dagger into the air, caught it, and fiddled with it a few times before taking a stance.
“Watch me closely. Not even once should you lose sight of me.”
Jin Seong-un nodded.
Then Divine Thief began walking.
Neither too fast nor too slow—just an ordinary pace.
Then suddenly, Divine Thief’s figure seemed to blur…
Whoosh!
And in the next moment, it was as if he had sunk into the ground and vanished.
Jin Seong-un heightened his senses to the utmost.
Even so, he couldn’t feel Divine Thief at all.
It was as if he wasn’t in this space.
Then, Divine Thief deliberately made the sound of footsteps.
Step, step.
Jin Seong-un could now see him again, still walking calmly around him.
“Focus, I said.”
And then, Divine Thief disappeared again.
No matter how hard Jin Seong-un focused, he couldn’t follow him.
Which, in hindsight, was only natural.
Even the top ten masters of the world in Divine Thief’s era had been unable to catch him.
Tap.
Jin Seong-un looked down at his side. Divine Thief was poking him with the handle of his dagger.
“Ten Thousand Li Stealth.”
It was a type of stealth technique.
If the Shadowless Steps specialized in short bursts of combat, the Ten Thousand Li Stealth was a movement art focused on long battles or extended travel.
“If you fully master this, no one in the world will be able to see you. Whether you use it to escape or to stab someone to death is up to you.”
The most secretive master thief in the world was, in other words, also the most dangerous assassin.
After all, both thieves and assassins were people who moved while deceiving the senses of others.
“The method is simple. Close your eyes and open all your senses. Naturally, you must also sense the flow of energy drifting through the air with your qi perception.”
Jin Seong-un did as Divine Thief instructed.
In truth, opening his qi perception was still harder for him than swinging a sword.
That was because he had never done it in his entire life.
Of course, being able to sense the flow of energy clearly belonged to the realm of true masters, so the very fact that Jin Seong-un, who had only just stepped into the murim, was able to do it was something that would make some people faint from shock.
“Do you feel it?”
“Yes.”
Jin Seong-un replied calmly.
Divine Thief’s expression immediately soured.
“You monster.”
“…That’s a bit much.”
Looking at Jin Seong-un as if exasperated, Divine Thief deliberately played a prank.
“Then merge yourself with what you feel. Melt into all the principles of the world. Daytime is hot, nighttime is cold. The wind pushing against the wind is also a principle. The more principles you sense and align yourself with, the more natural and hidden the Ten Thousand Li Stealth will become. Of course, just hearing it like this is difficult. That’s why I, Divine Thief, will break it down for you one by one…”
Divine Thief suddenly closed his mouth.
It was because Jin Seong-un felt so monstrously gifted that he had intentionally made things sound more complex to tease him.
But Jin Seong-un’s figure was already starting to fade.
“Hey, try walking! Moving in that state will be tough!”
Step, step, step…
And then, even the sound of footsteps disappeared.
Divine Thief expanded his qi perception.
This was a space of emptiness, close to infinity.
In truth, there was no place better for stealth than this.
Even taking that into account—
‘Is he over there?’
The fact that Divine Thief could not immediately catch Jin Seong-un’s movements was no ordinary matter.
Only by focusing his energy did he finally see him clearly.
Since it wasn’t a real battle, there was no killing intent, almost no sweat or breath, and the space itself made it difficult to distinguish location—making him even harder to find.
Even so, what Jin Seong-un had just shown was something that would shock everyone.
“You damn monster!”
Divine Thief shouted, feeling a strange sense of unfairness.
Both the Shadowless Steps and the Ten Thousand Li Stealth were insights he had obtained after decades of research and training, born from immense natural talent.
He had spent his whole life stealing things, but this was the first time he felt as though something had been stolen from him.
“Even though I’m the one who taught you, I still feel robbed. Don’t go around copying other people’s martial arts after watching them.”
Or you’ll end up stabbed, brat.
He almost said this out loud but closed his mouth, thinking that there weren’t many people who could actually stab Jin Seong-un.
Soon, Jin Seong-un revealed himself again.
He was satisfied, having learned something interesting once more.
“Thank you, Elder Divine Thief.”
“Don’t call me Elder. I died at a younger age than you think.”
“Then… hyung-nim?”
“You insolent brat… Just call me Master.”
Jin Seong-un’s eyes widened, which was rare.
Though he had inwardly regarded the Martial Gods as his masters, he had never said it aloud because he was not their official disciple.
But in this moment, he had been recognized.
The man who possessed the greatest movement art in history had publicly acknowledged Jin Seong-un as his disciple in front of the other Martial Gods.
“What are you staring at blankly for? When a master-disciple relationship is formed, it’s proper etiquette to offer the Nine Bows Ceremony.”
Jin Seong-un was about to bow—
When the Merchant King suddenly interrupted.
“I’ve considered you my disciple from the start, so bow to me first.”
“You thieving bastard!”
“I, who built my wealth with my own efforts for a lifetime. You, who spent your days stealing from others. Now, who’s the thief?”
“…”
Divine Thief trembled with rage.
Jin Seong-un looked at the two of them silently.
As expected, a merchant and a thief could never be close.
“Is it that important who receives the Nine Bows Ceremony first?”
When Jin Seong-un asked indifferently, the Merchant King nodded as if it were obvious.
“It’s important. More precisely, I wouldn’t mind losing first place to the Sword Immortal or Noble Enchantress, but I won’t lose it to this thief.”
“I see.”
Jin Seong-un accepted it without protest.
Which only made Divine Thief erupt even more.
Regardless, Jin Seong-un bowed and said,
“Then the two of you can receive it at the same time, Masters.”
He offered the Nine Bows Ceremony.
The Merchant King and Divine Thief looked at each other.
‘To think I’d be tied to this thief…’
‘Me, with a merchant who only cares about money?’
It was a thoroughly unpleasant situation for both.
But since the ceremony was complete, Jin Seong-un was now officially their disciple.
Afterward, his training continued.
He went through what he had learned from the Martial Gods one by one.
By the time he reached the final demonstration of the Sword Immortal’s Fire Dragon Escape Sword—
The Sword Immortal spoke.
“You have worries.”
“How did you know?”
“As long as you hold a sword, you cannot hide your heart from me.”
In other words, having mastered the sword meant being able to see exactly what kind of heart the opponent wielded it with.
It was confidence befitting the Sword Immortal.
“Speak. Though I’m not yet in a position to be called your master, I am still your senior in the murim, so I will help you think it through as much as I can.”
Perhaps because he had just seen the childish quarrel between Divine Thief and the Merchant King, the Sword Immortal now seemed all the more reliable.
“All preparations for the Seong-un Inn are complete. With the Prosperity Association gone and the Merchants’ Association taking its place, we’ve also secured the most important liquor.”
“That is good news.”
“But… I can’t find a head chef.”
The Sword Immortal, Noble Enchantress, and Divine Thief all nodded, though they didn’t truly seem to understand.
Then the Merchant King stepped forward and said,
“Think about it, everyone. Imagine the Sword Immortal has a goal he’s worked his whole life to achieve. He’s come right up to it. All preparations are in place. But there’s just one thing missing, so he can’t reach it. And he can only wait. Would he be able to focus on anything else?”
“It would be difficult.”
“That’s right. For us, ten years is but a moment, but for Seong-un, it’s half a lifetime.”
In other words, the fate of the inn was a matter of considerable importance to Jin Seong-un.
Only then did the other Martial Gods show expressions of understanding.
Indeed, a merchant’s heart is best understood by another merchant.
“Still, time will resolve it, so if Seong-un continues training his sword with patience…”
“Sword Immortal, stop with the boring talk and do that thing. You know, that thing.”
“That thing?”
“You know. What fortune-tellers do.”
At the Merchant King’s words, the Sword Immortal gave a small cough.
“It is not the same as those quacks who spout whatever comes to mind. I can truly see and feel the Heavenly Energy, so it is possible…”
“Exactly. Use that ability to see when Seong-un’s problem will be resolved.”
“That is no easy matter!”
“A distant junior is making such a sorrowful face, and yet you’re so cold-hearted.”
“Hmm.”
The Sword Immortal let out a low sound.
It was true that it was a burden.
But it was also true that he considered Jin Seong-un at least somewhat his disciple. As a master, if he could help with a disciple’s troubles, he should.
More than that, thinking about the weight of the burden Jin Seong-un would bear in the future…
“If your problem is solved, will you be able to focus on training again?”
“Yes, until the next problem comes.”
It was an overly honest answer, but not wrong, so the Sword Immortal let out another low sound.
“…Wait.”
With a sigh, the Sword Immortal sat cross-legged and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a pale bluish energy began to gently wrap around him.
The energy slowly expanded its range, and then, in an instant, it released a tremendous radiance.
This space, dark as the night sky, suddenly looked as bright as midday.
Soon, the Sword Immortal opened his eyes again.
“There is nothing to worry about. Someone with the greatest talent as a head chef will come to you.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
Jin Seong-un’s eyes widened.
At last, the head chef was coming. And since it was the Sword Immortal who said so, he believed it.
At that moment, the Sword Immortal spat out a handful of dark, clotted blood.
Jin Seong-un’s expression hardened.
Then the Merchant King spoke.
“Don’t make that face. Something like that is nothing to the Sword Immortal. He’s far greater than you imagine, Seong-un.”
Indeed, the Sword Immortal calmly summoned the Threefold True Flame and burned away the blood.
After that, Jin Seong-un trained his sword with a much lighter heart before stepping outside.
It was a night of pouring rain.
As he raised his palm to shield himself from the rain, he suddenly sensed something foreign in his perception.
Jin Seong-un exhaled lightly and expanded his senses.
The darkness, the sound of rain, and the fierce wind interfered, but in the end, he detected ten presences.
Two belonged to the chairman and vice-chairman of the Merchants’ Association, who had not yet left Yichang.
The other eight… felt similar to Master Divine Thief’s. Since thieves didn’t travel in groups, they must be assassins.
“So much for the head chef coming…”
Instead, it was full of assassins.
They must be the so-called Hongho Seven Ghosts that the Prosperity Association’s chairman had mentioned before dying.
Seven Ghosts… but why eight people?
The thought crossed his mind briefly, but it would soon be confirmed.
Jin Seong-un quietly entered the inn and gripped the Black High Sword.
Suddenly, six of the eight were approaching the inn.
They moved cautiously, using stealth, but to Jin Seong-un—who had just dealt with Divine Thief’s stealth—it felt far too sloppy.
The six assassins exchanged glances from their positions. The one who appeared to be the leader gestured toward the inn.
In unison, the assassins slipped into the inn without a sound or trace.
Their eyes swept through the interior.
Their target was the waiter who had clearly learned some martial arts.
They planned to kill him instantly and then burn the inn to the ground.
It seemed he wasn’t here.
It was late at night, so he must have gone to sleep.
This was good news for assassins—killing someone in their sleep was dozens of times easier.
Just as the leader of the Hongho Seven Ghosts, First Ghost, softly drew his dagger—
A voice spoke by his ear.
“You’re definitely not customers.”
Startled, First Ghost instantly leapt back.
Like a seasoned assassin, he flicked a dagger from his sleeve.
The other five assassins also threw their daggers simultaneously.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
In barely a breath’s time, over a dozen daggers embedded themselves in the wooden floor.
And there, already one step to the side, stood a man. Jin Seong-un looked at the assassins and spoke.
“I’ll charge the repair cost to your bounty.”
“…”
Exchanging glances, the assassins melted into the darkness.
On a rainy night like this, they were convinced the advantage was theirs.
Fighting while using the inn’s many shadows, they thought, would leave the waiter unable to react.
Just as they thought so—
Swish.
Jin Seong-un vanished from their sight.
Ten Thousand Li Stealth.
The eyes of the assassins, witnessing the greatest stealth art in history, began to tremble like aspen leaves.