Seo-jun, Chun-bong, and Namgung Sua made their way toward the pavilion where the Green Forest Division usually stayed.
After all, Green Forest meant bandits.
It was still a little strange to think of the Green Forest Division as an official combat unit within the Namgung Clan, but that name had been personally given by none other than Namgung Jincheon himself.
And their leader? None other than Jang Geuk, a former bandit. Even Seo-jun had to admit the man was quite talented in martial arts. As a result, the Green Forest Division had gained a certain level of fame within Namgung.
“Isn’t it surprising how everyone talks about them in a positive light?”
At Seo-jun’s comment, Chun-bong nodded.
“I thought it was just because you brought them in, but honestly? They’re just… really good at living a normal life.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. If you didn’t know any better, you’d never guess they used to be bandits.”
“Oho.”
Satisfied, Seo-jun bounced Chun-bong up and down in his arms like a child.
“Ugh… egh… ack….”
Chun-bong let out a weak groan. Laughing, Seo-jun kept walking until they arrived at a training ground—the place where the Green Forest Division typically practiced.
“One!”
“Ugh…!”
As expected, the members of the Green Forest Division were diligently training.
“Hah! They sure look like bandits, but they work harder than most.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice clapped along in amusement, seamlessly joining their group.
Seo-jun turned with a bewildered expression.
“…Aren’t you supposed to be at home? Ryung already left.”
After Namgung Jincheon’s funeral, Hwangbo Ryung had immediately returned to the Hwangbo Clan, likely because he couldn’t afford to leave his family unattended for too long.
Hwangbo Hyeji, on the other hand, had stayed. Apparently, it was under Hwangbo Ryung’s orders.
Something along the lines of: “Since you’re going to be living here, you should get used to it.”
For someone who had opposed the marriage at first, he sure didn’t seem to mind anymore.
“What would I even do back at the palace? Just waste time all day?”
“…You’re such an idiot.”
Seo-jun clicked his tongue, making the emperor laugh.
“Don’t worry, I’m not planning to cause any trouble in Namgung. And I won’t mess with that tiny kid either, so don’t get so worked up.”
That tiny kid—Chun-bong—narrowed her eyes.
Her lips twitched, as if she wanted to fire back with something harsh, but in the end, she only pouted. Probably because she was up against the emperor.
“Oi, Chun-bong. Don’t hold back.”
“…It’s fine.”
“You can say whatever you want now. I’ll take responsibility.”
“If I start talking recklessly just because I have backup, wouldn’t that make me a coward? A weak woman who hides behind others?”
Seo-jun smirked at her defiance, but the emperor let out a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha! This tiny one’s got more guts than all my empresses combined!”
“Wow. This guy’s openly badmouthing his wives.”
Seo-jun clicked his tongue.
Empresses…?
Wait a second. Empresses? Plural?
“How many wives do you even have?”
“I never counted my concubines, so I wouldn’t know. But I only have three empresses.”
“…Wow.”
As Seo-jun scoffed, someone approached.
It was Jang Geuk.
“What’s all this about, my lord?”
“This guy doesn’t even know how many wives he has. Says there are too many to count.”
The emperor quickly responded.
“A concubine isn’t a wife.”
“…Could you stop talking in that godawful dialect?”
“A concubine isn’t a wife.”
Jang Geuk let out a small chuckle.
“Wait, isn’t this guy the emperor?”
Seo-jun nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Well… I suppose that’s not surprising, then.”
“But my father-in-law didn’t have multiple wives.”
“Your father-in-law was a special case.”
“That’s true.”
After all, Namgung Jincheon had beaten Yama senseless and ascended to the celestial realm.
Seo-jun puffed out his chest proudly.
Jang Geuk, on the other hand, looked utterly lost.
“Anyway, what brings you here? Your men aren’t training—they’re just sneaking glances over here.”
Jang Geuk was right. Seo-jun could feel the eyes of the Green Forest warriors on him.
He grinned and waved.
“Hey, old men! Take it easy today.”
““Yes, sir!!””
Rather than pacing themselves, they immediately stopped training altogether.
They won’t listen to anyone else, but they sure listen to me.
Seo-jun smirked as the warriors subtly inched closer.
“Well, this works out. There’s something I wanted to see.”
****
“So, you’re going to watch the warriors’ techniques and build something called ‘Namgung Ilmaek’ from it?”
“I’m not really building anything—just tweaking and refining things. I’ll be making rounds to all the different combat units.”
“I don’t quite get it…”
Jang Geuk rubbed his chin in thought. Seo-jun simplified it for him.
“Every combat unit has a different style. Even if they learn the same techniques, they execute them differently.”
“I follow so far.”
“So I want to pinpoint the moment where those styles diverge. Later, I might even develop different techniques tailored to each unit’s strengths.”
“Hmm…”
Jang Geuk scratched his head, then just laughed.
“Well, if you say so, I’ll trust it.”
Martial arts weren’t something you could just whip up on the spot…
Or at least, that’s what normal people thought.
But this was Seo-jun. He had whipped them up on the spot before.
At this point, questioning it seemed pointless.
“Oho! This sounds fun.”
“…Shouldn’t you be leaving? Why are you trying to steal our techniques?”
“Why so cold, huh?”
“Get lost already!”
Seo-jun unceremoniously shoved the emperor away before turning to the Green Forest warriors.
“You guys heard the plan, right? Get started!”
Immediately, the Green Forest Division began showcasing their martial techniques.
“I don’t have to participate, do I?”
Jang Geuk asked.
“You? No. You’re on a different level—I’ll watch you separately.”
Once a warrior reached the Supreme Grandmaster stage, they typically carved out their own unique martial path.
For someone like Jang Geuk, Seo-jun only needed to observe and give some feedback.
As he carefully analyzed the warriors' movements, Seo-jun raised a hand.
“That’s enough.”
““Yes, sir!””
The warriors immediately ceased their motions and turned their attention to him.
‘Their approach is definitely different from the other divisions.’
Like the rest of the Namgung combat units, the Green Forest warriors practiced techniques like Lightning Spear Heart Arts and Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes.
However, they also trained in Ghost Shadow Divine Arts (True), and their past as bandits gave their movements a distinct, unpredictable quality.
“Alright, next…”
Seo-jun spent the day traversing the Namgung Clan estate, meticulously observing the martial techniques of each combat unit.
There were a few martial arts he was unfamiliar with, but it didn’t matter. Techniques exclusive to specific units weren’t relevant to Namgung Ilmaek.
‘And if I’m curious, I can just ask.’
That was power.
Grinning to himself, Seo-jun mentally deconstructed each technique he had observed.
‘The Green Forest Division is rough. The Azure Sky Division is heavy. The Soaring Swallow Division feels more fluid and lively.’
Stripping away all of those external influences, what remained was the core essence.
For a moment, Seo-jun envisioned the great tree of Namgung Ilmaek, from its roots to its branches.
‘Not bad.’
Simply put, Namgung Ilmaek was a structured martial curriculum for the Namgung Clan.
A path that allowed even a third-rate martial artist to reach the Supreme Grandmaster level—before forging their own unique style.
The Foundation of Namgung Ilmaek
Thud.
Closing the sixth martial manual, Seo-jun stretched.
“Ugh… At least I’m halfway done.”
The first four manuals detailed the martial path up to the Supreme Grandmaster level.
He had made minor adjustments to Lightning Spear Heart Arts and Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes, integrating aspects he had observed in various combat units.
He also added foundational techniques to solidify a warrior’s fundamentals before they reached Supreme Grandmaster.
Of course, none of this was final. The first four volumes were still subject to change.
It was even possible that the last two unnamed manuals could be combined into one.
“But from here on, things are mostly set.”
The fifth manual introduced Life and Death Unification Arts—a technique that allowed Namgung warriors to reach Supreme Grandmaster.
After reaching that level, warriors would have to find their own path. It was impossible for Namgung Ilmaek to account for every possible martial trajectory.
However, there was one common principle shared by nearly all Supreme Grandmasters…
Qi Manifestation.
The sixth manual was dedicated to Heavenly Thunder Demon Arts—a technique designed to harness and control Qi manifestation.
After all, most Supreme Grandmasters were expected to wield Qi to some extent.
Of course, there were exceptions. But those were outliers.
For the majority, mastery of Qi manifestation was an inevitable milestone.
Heavenly Thunder Demon Arts laid the foundation for that.
Simply reaching this point meant that a martial artist had earned their place among Supreme Grandmasters.
“Earned their place? Isn’t your standard way too high? Anyone who masters this is already stronger than most Supreme Grandmasters.”
Chun-bong tilted her head as she skimmed through the Namgung Ilmaek series.
But Seo-jun was firm.
“That’s what it means to be Namgung.”
“…What.”
“Besides, neither you nor Namgung Sua have reached the sixth stage of Namgung Ilmaek yet.”
Chun-bong was an exception since she hadn’t learned Namgung martial arts.
But Namgung Sua?
She had only reached the fifth stage—she was currently in the process of mastering Life and Death Unification Arts before moving on to Heavenly Thunder Demon Arts.
“So keep training, Chun-bong.”
“Ugh….”
Pouting, Chun-bong pursed her lips.
Seo-jun immediately leaned in and kissed them.
Then, he swept his gaze across Namgung Ilmaek one final time.
“Okay.”
It was seamless.
Each technique flowed into the next, forming a single, cohesive path.
This wasn’t just a collection of individual techniques—it was a unified martial doctrine.
‘Even I have to admit… this is insane.’
If Namgung warriors developed under Namgung Ilmaek…
He could guarantee it.
Namgung Clan would become the strongest clan under the heavens.
Namgung Ilmaek only guided warriors up to the Supreme Grandmaster level, but with such a solid foundation, reaching the Celestial Realm would be far more achievable.
(Relatively speaking, of course. The number of Celestial Realm warriors wouldn’t skyrocket overnight.)
‘Actually…’
Seo-jun narrowed his eyes.
Despite creating Lightning Spear Heart Arts, Thirteen Lightning Sword Strikes, and Heavenly Thunder Divine Arts, Namgung Clan’s martial techniques had always been classified as Earth-grade at best.
(Namgung martial arts were divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human tiers.)
At present, Namgung’s only Heaven-grade technique was Imperial Sword Formations.
But…
If Namgung Ilmaek was fully completed, Namgung might gain a second Heaven-grade technique.
Seo-jun would be the first in Namgung history to create it.
‘And I gained a lot from organizing this too.’
By approaching martial arts from a different perspective, he had achieved multiple small but significant insights.
He had originally undertaken this project for the Namgung family, but perhaps it was also leading him toward a new breakthrough.
If things went as he predicted…
The very path he walked might change entirely.
“Anyway, that’s it for today!”
The rest could wait until tomorrow.
Seo-jun stretched, standing up.
“Let’s go for a walk, Chun-bong.”
“Wait, wait! Let me finish this first.”
Chun-bong carefully arranged sugar-coated candied fruits on a drying rack before grabbing Seo-jun’s hand.
Together, they leisurely wandered through the Namgung estate.
The Attention of the Martial World
Several unfamiliar faces stood out—guests who had yet to leave after the funeral.
For them, this was a rare opportunity to visit Namgung Clan and forge new connections.
They weren’t going to waste it.
“Myeolsa Cheon-gun.”
“Yes?”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am…”
Naturally, many people sought out Seo-jun directly.
Like nervous high school girls about to confess, they timidly approached, hesitating before inviting him to meals or discussions.
However…
Seo-jun had zero intention of giving up his meal time with his fiancées for this.
“Yeah, sorry. Not interested.”
Thankfully, most people backed off immediately when he declined.
That said, he wasn’t completely avoiding social gatherings.
There were certain dinners with Namgung Myeong where Seo-jun made an appearance.
Tonight, he attended a banquet with the Sixteen Noble Clans, alongside Chun-bong and Namgung Sua.
As he chatted with several familiar faces, an elder from the Zhongnan Sect suddenly posed a question.
“I heard that Cho Chung, the former Elder of the Martial Alliance, died by your hand. Can you share what happened?”
“…Cho Chung?”
Seo-jun furrowed his brows, searching his memory.
Then, his expression twisted.
“Oh, that piece of trash.”