A sobriquet was another name that testified to a warrior’s achievements.
The title Heavenly Lord of Annihilation was a blatant display of his path.
Myeolsa—to annihilate the wicked.
Anyone even slightly involved in the martial world would immediately smell the stench of blood emanating from that name.
And naturally, if the Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, a member of the Four Dark Lotus, attended the wedding of such a person—things would get very interesting.
Seo-jun aside, Baek Seolhyang’s position could become quite troublesome.
But—
‘Like I care.’
Baek Seolhyang couldn’t care less. What did it matter what people said?
In the first place, transcendent martial artists from the unorthodox sects generally had no interest in others.
Unless something directly benefited or harmed them, they were too focused on their own cultivation to meddle in other people’s affairs.
And if it wasn’t those people, then there was no one Baek Seolhyang needed to be concerned about.
Politics? Scheming?
That was the petty game of the weak, those who had no choice but to resort to trickery and manipulation to get what they wanted.
As long as transcendent martial artists weren’t suddenly dividing into factions and ostracizing people (a technical term, she noted—Baek Seolhyang was a loner, but she had never been ostracized), then politics meant nothing to her.
“Then I’ll go! Hmph, I cannot possibly miss my dear friend’s wedding!”
And so, two transcendent martial artists made a promise.
Would problems arise from this?
Neither of them cared.
Baek Seolhyang deliberately ignored the consequences because she was excited to have a friend.
Seo-jun just didn’t think about it at all.
Such was the martial world.
****
Seo-jun bid Baek Seolhyang a brief farewell and left the Ice Palace.
Who would’ve thought something like this would happen...
His trip to the Ice Palace had been filled with unexpected developments.
After all, how could he have predicted that he’d reveal his identity out of nowhere and end up becoming friends with the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord? If he could have foreseen that, he’d have started a fortune-telling business.
Seo-jun attributed it all to how utterly pathetic Baek Seolhyang was.
I should probably check in on her from time to time...
He knew she had been managing the Ice Palace for years without any major issues.
But now that he understood what she was actually like, it was hard not to worry.
- You are still the Young Lord of the Ice Palace, and you have proven your abilities, so you are welcome to return anytime! It would be nice if you let me know in advance, but even if you don’t, it’s completely fine!
This was not an excited ten-year-old who had just made their first friend.
This was the greeting of the Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
Apparently, the three requests had actually been some kind of ritual trial?
First, by slaying monsters, he had proven his martial strength.
Second, by correcting the formation, he had demonstrated intelligence and leadership.
And as for the Ice Crystal, which only the Palace Lord was supposed to be able to touch—
That had just been Baek Seolhyang doing whatever she wanted.
Seriously, what am I supposed to do with her?
At this rate, he was genuinely worried.
If I visit next time and the Ice Palace has collapsed, I won’t even be surprised...
Tsk. Seo-jun clicked his tongue.
Well, that was her problem.
For now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
“Oh?”
After traveling some distance from the Ice Palace, Seo-jun came across a rather well-built structure.
It was Baek Yoon’s former residence.
His hideout was located deep within the mountains, in a place so dense and convoluted that finding it without a guide would have been nearly impossible.
After all, the mountains of Zhongyuan were practically a demonic realm in themselves.
The deep mountains, crawling with reclusive martial masters, were not places one should wander into carelessly.
But, of course, Seo-jun didn’t care.
“It should be around here...”
He stepped inside and rummaged through the drawer in the right-side room, just as Baek Yoon had described.
“Found it.”
It was a crystal sphere, roughly the size of a human head.
Seo-jun stared at it for a moment before carefully channeling his inner energy into it.
It was an exact match for the internal energy he had copied from handling Baek Yoon.
Click—!
[Welcome. User authentication complete.]
Seo-jun’s face twisted in disbelief.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Several floating displays popped up over the crystal sphere.
Although the object was clearly of Western origin, it had been patched with Chinese characters, making it perfectly readable.
As someone who had once been a modern human, Seo-jun instinctively navigated the interface like a smartphone.
By modern standards, its functions could be described as follows—
Beep! Beep!
A player-controlled fighter jet fired rounds of ammunition, while alien lifeforms launched all sorts of attacks in an attempt to shoot it down.
Oh, this is that game.
Galaga? Or maybe Dragon Flight, if I compare it to something more recent?
He wasn’t entirely sure what this genre was called, but he remembered it being referred to as a shooting game.
However, compared to the versions in his memory, this game had far superior graphics and quality.
The controls were simple, but the game was insanely fun.
And for Seo-jun, who had been forcefully detoxing from dopamine, this was—
Pure heaven.
This is at least a hundred times more fun than squeezing Qi Chunbong’s cheek.
And so, Seo-jun mindlessly continued playing.
- Clear!
By the time he snapped back to reality, two days had passed.
Seo-jun checked the leaderboard with a satisfied grin.
1st - 99,458
2nd - ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) 99,342
...
46th - 85,421
For reference, 46th place was Baek Yoon’s record.
Seo-jun had successfully filled the top 45 spots with his own scores.
He chuckled.
“Wow. He sucked at games too.”
Then, all of a sudden, he had a realization.
...This is not the time for this.
Seo-jun’s expression turned blank as he finally remembered—
He actually had something important to do.
After several years, Seo-jun, who had fallen deeply into the drug that was the game (drug addiction couldn’t even scratch his mental strength), finally came to his senses.
‘So there are things like this in the Western Regions.’
He couldn’t understand why the Myeolshinhwe people used it, but the Murim League wouldn’t even consider it.
Of course, when one reaches the peak, there’s no real inconvenience caused by technique, but even reducing communication time would bring tremendous benefits, something even smarter people than Seo-jun would know.
Ding- Dling-
For now, pushing aside his doubts, Seo-jun manipulated the crystal ball to open his contacts. He then found the name ‘Gumgwang’ among the few contacts.
It looked like a nickname, but that was his real name. To be exact, he had just called himself Gumgwang everywhere, and that’s how it became his name.
Seo-jun recalled the stories he had heard from Baek Yoon about the man.
“Gumgwang was one of the founding members of the Myeolshinhwe. He was called No Goei, who had been a Hwakyung since 600 years ago.” “Gumgwang? Does that mean a guy crazy about swords?” “Yeah. When you reach the Hwakyung level, you tend to obsess over something, but he’s particularly extreme in that aspect.”
Myeolshinhwe was an organization born out of fear of the gods. However, not everyone in Myeolshinhwe feared gods.
Gumgwang was no different.
“He didn’t join Myeolshinhwe because of fear. He was interested in a separate force that wasn’t tied to the orthodox school. In other words, he thought he could learn the sword techniques of the orthodox sects.”
At first glance, it seemed plausible, but upon further thought, it didn’t make sense.
Learn the sword techniques of the orthodox sects? Sure, he could learn them, but how would he obtain those martial arts?
When Seo-jun thought that far, he figured out the answer.
“...That fucking bastard, was he the one who wiped out the Geumga because of the Huangyun Divine Sword?” “Yeah. Gumgwang was originally a warrior from the Jongnam sect,” Baek Yoon replied.
One of Jongnam’s famous sword techniques was the Thirty-Six Heavenly Swords, but there was an even higher-ranked technique: the Taeeulmuhyeong Sword.
It wasn’t the invisible sword [무형검] that people usually think of, but a sword without a fixed shape, so it was called Muhyeong Sword.
The Taeeulmuhyeong Sword was a formless sword that only followed its principle.
Blocked by the wall, Gumgwang suddenly recalled something.
‘No-Form Beats Form (無招勝有招). To complete that, I need to know all the sword forms in the world.’
So, after joining Myeolshinhwe, he began collecting martial arts from the Central Plains, and after some time, he realized something again.
‘It’s no longer the number of forms that’s important. I need swordsmanship that surpasses human techniques.’
The Central Plains had many martial arts, but among them, there was one that was regarded as the best.
The swordsmanship created by the gods: the Huangyun Divine Sword.
If he could grasp the basic forms of the Huangyun Divine Sword and, as a result, develop the Taeeulmuhyeong Sword, he could truly reach the level of a god.
With this single-minded determination, Gumgwang annihilated Geumga.
“He’s a monster. Once he saw me, I had no choice but to cooperate with him.”
Of course, Baek Yoon wasn’t dragged away by Gumgwang by the hair.
Baek Yoon had paid attention to Geumga’s Huangyun Divine Sword and the Cheongyun Divine Sword.
The two martial arts, separated by gender into male and female forms, were essentially the same technique.
Baek Yoon thought that perhaps he could find a clue to break through the wall in front of him by studying them.
On top of that, Gumgwang had made an offer: if Baek Yoon helped him, he would give him the Sosumagong.
“Sosumagong? Why the hell does he have that?” Baek Yoon asked.
“It’s said he got it after slaying the Sosumahu of the Demonic Sect. Anyway, it’s a powerful technique, so I thought it would help in mastering Bingbaek Shin Gong.”
But Baek Yoon never managed to obtain the Sosumagong. Neither did he obtain the Huangyun Divine Sword nor the Cheongyun Divine Sword.
When Geumga was attacked, the Geumga Master and several elders, who were at the boundary between peak and Hwakyung, stopped Gumgwang and Baek Yoon with unexpected strength, allowing Geumga to destroy their martial arts secrets.
Furthermore, Geumga’s successor, the one who inherited the blood of the gods and the lineage of the divine sword, Geumhui, also managed to escape.
“Though I had the justification of eliminating the bloodline of the gods, I still received support from Myeolshinhwe, but... the mission ended in failure.”
Gumgwang had missed the clue that would lead him to the gods. At least, that’s what he thought.
Unable to obtain the Huangyun Divine Sword, Gumgwang went mad, and no matter how much Baek Yoon tried, he couldn’t ask that madman to hand over the Sosumagong.
After hearing all this, Seo-jun came up with a plan to lure out Gumgwang.
The Huangyun Divine Sword, which he had so desperately wanted? Even though it wasn’t perfected, he knew all about it.
Since he had the crystal ball, it was possible to contact him.
‘If I provoke him in my original form, he’ll probably jump at it right away...’
To increase the odds slightly, Seo-jun also copied Baek Yoon’s appearance and voice. It wasn’t a difficult task, so there was no reason not to do it.
Beep-beep-beep-
Seo-jun, in Baek Yoon’s form, was making a video call to Gumgwang for that reason.
‘Unbelievable,’ he thought.
A video call in the Murim League. As he heard the connection tone, Seo-jun let out a bitter laugh.
Even Nungwol also had a crystal ball, so if he took it and went to the Namgung clan, he’d probably be able to video call Chunbong or Sua every day while he was out wandering.
Beep-beep-beep-
Why didn’t the Murim League even think about accepting such technology and kept sending letters by pigeon?
Beep-beep-beep-
While Seo-jun seriously considered instigating an industrial revolution in Murim, the connection was lost.
Beep—beep—beep—
It wasn’t that the other person had answered, but that the connection had been cut off. It seemed the connection time had been exceeded.
“This fucking bastard isn’t picking up.”
If so, he would keep calling until he did.
In his anger, Seo-jun’s phone terror struck Gumgwang’s crystal ball!
Seo-jun, who had completely fallen for the drug known as gaming after years of separation from it (though even drug addiction wouldn’t put a scratch on a Hwagyeong’s mental fortitude), finally snapped back to his senses.
‘So the Western Regions even have things like this, huh?’
He couldn’t understand why the Murim Alliance didn’t even glance at something that even the Myeolshinhwe bastards were using.
Of course, once someone reached the Absolute Realm, they wouldn’t feel much inconvenience due to a lack of technology, but even just shortening communication times could bring enormous benefits. The people in charge should be even more aware of this than Seo-jun himself.
Beep— Ding!
Pushing his doubts aside for now, Seo-jun manipulated the communication crystal and opened his contacts. Among the few names listed, he found one labeled "Sword Maniac."
It sounded like a title, but it was actually his name. To be precise, the man had simply called himself Sword Maniac for so long that it became his name.
Seo-jun recalled what he had heard about the man from Baek Yoon.
"Sword Maniac was one of the founding members of the Myeolshinhwe. A decrepit old monster who has been in the Hwagyeong Realm for 600 years."
"Sword Maniac? You mean he’s crazy about swords?"
"Yeah. Once you reach Hwagyeong, you tend to become obsessed with something, but in his case, it’s extreme."
The Myeolshinhwe was a group born from fear of the gods. However, not all of its members feared the divine.
Sword Maniac was one such individual.
"He didn’t join Myeolshinhwe because of fear. It was because he wanted a faction separate from the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic paths—one where he could learn all their sword arts without restriction."
At first glance, it sounded reasonable, but thinking about it for even a moment revealed how ridiculous it was.
Learning sword techniques from all three factions? That might be possible, but how exactly would he obtain all those martial arts?
At that thought, Seo-jun realized the answer.
"...That son of a bitch. Was the annihilation of the Geum Clan because of the Hwangun Divine Sword?"
"Yeah. Originally, Sword Maniac was a martial artist from the Zhongnan Sect."
Zhongnan was famous for its sword techniques, including the Thirty-Six Swords of the World, but there was an even higher-level martial art—Taeul Formless Sword.
It wasn’t the Invisible Sword people commonly imagined, but rather, a sword technique without a fixed form—hence the name Formless Sword.
Taeul Formless Sword was a technique that followed only its own principles, unrestricted by any fixed patterns.
Blocked by his own limits, Sword Maniac had a revelation.
"No-Move Surpasses Move. To perfect it, I must learn every technique in existence."
Thus, he joined Myeolshinhwe and began collecting every sword technique in Zhongyuan. Over time, he came to another realization.
"It’s no longer about the number of techniques. I need a sword technique that surpasses humanity itself."
Among the countless sword techniques in Zhongyuan, there was one considered the greatest.
A sword technique created by a god—the Hwangun Divine Sword.
If he could comprehend the Hwangun Divine Sword and use it to develop the Taeul Formless Sword, he could truly reach a godlike realm.
With that conviction, Sword Maniac annihilated the Geum Clan, where the Sword God had ascended.
"He’s a monster. Once he had his sights on me, I had no choice but to cooperate with him."
Of course, it wasn’t as if Baek Yoon had been dragged away by the hair.
Baek Yoon had taken interest in the Hwangun Divine Art and Cheongun Divine Art of the Geum Clan.
Those two martial arts were essentially the same in essence but had been divided based on gender—one for men, the other for women.
Baek Yoon thought he might find a clue to breaking through his current limits within them.
On top of that, Sword Maniac made an offer: "Help me, and I’ll give you the Sosu Demon Art.”
"Sosu Demon Art? Why the hell does he have that?"
"Apparently, he killed the Sosu Demon Lord of the Demonic Cult and took it. Since it’s a martial art of extreme yin, I figured it would help me master the Bingbaek Divine Art."
However, Baek Yoon never obtained the Sosu Demon Art. Nor did he acquire the Hwangun Divine Art or the Cheongun Divine Art.
When the Geum Clan was attacked, the Sword God Geum Clan Leader and a few elders, who were at the boundary between the Supreme Realm and the Absolute Realm, unexpectedly put up a strong resistance against Sword Maniac and Baek Yoon. This gave the clan enough time to destroy their martial arts manuals.
Moreover, their successor—the one who inherited the divine bloodline and the legacy of the Sword God, Geum Hui—managed to escape.
"Since the official justification for the attack was to eliminate the divine bloodline, we received support from Myeolshinhwe, but... in the end, we failed."
Sword Maniac had missed his chance to grasp divinity right before his eyes. At least, that was how he saw it.
Having failed to obtain the Hwangun Divine Sword, Sword Maniac flew into a frenzy. And no matter how bold Baek Yoon was, he couldn’t bring himself to demand the Sosu Demon Art from a rampaging Sword Maniac.
After hearing all of this, Seo-jun came up with a way to lure Sword Maniac out.
That Hwangun Divine Sword he wanted so badly? Seo-jun knew it in its entirety, even if he hadn’t mastered it completely.
And with the communication crystal, contacting him was entirely possible.
‘I could just provoke him with my real identity, and he’d probably rush over immediately...’
But to increase the chances of success even slightly, Seo-jun mimicked Baek Yoon’s appearance and voice. It wasn’t difficult, so there was no reason not to.
Riiing— Riiing—
That was why Seo-jun, in Baek Yoon’s form, was making a video call.
"This is fucking ridiculous."
A video call in the Murim? Seo-jun chuckled dryly as he listened to the ringing tone.
Apparently, Neungwol also had a communication crystal. If he brought that back to the Namgung Clan, wouldn’t he be able to video call Chunbong or Sua noona every day, even when he was out wandering?
Riiing— Riiing—
Why the hell wasn’t the Murim Alliance adopting this technology and still relying on carrier pigeons?
Riiing— Riiing—
As Seo-jun was seriously considering bringing an industrial revolution to Murim, the ringing tone cut off.
Beep— Beep— Beep—
Not because the call was answered—just because the connection timed out.
"That son of a bitch—why the hell isn’t he picking up?"
Fine, then.
He’d just keep calling until he did.
Seo-jun, now thoroughly pissed off, launched a full-blown phone terrorism attack on Sword Maniac’s communication crystal!