Chapter 464 : Murim Reorganization Tournament (1)
Chapter 464: Murim Reorganization Tournament (1)
After Yong Hwarin left, Bukri Sehee spoke.
“Gaga’s all alone in danger.”
At those words, four pairs of eyes turned to Bukri Sehee at once.
“You say that even after witnessing Gaga’s martial prowess? His level right now is probably beyond what we can imagine. There’s no one in the current Murim who could handle him.”
“What if he were to fight the World's Best Sword? When I saw them spar before, they looked similar, but Gaga seemed to be slightly behind.”
When Namgung Yoo said that, Mo Biyoung thought seriously for a moment before speaking.
“I think even the World's Best Sword wouldn’t be a match for Gaga anymore. What do you think, Big Sister?”
Jeong Minji smiled.
“I feel like that technique Gaga unleashed, ‘Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens,’ is a form of the Heart Sword. Even though it was performed with one of the Four Great Divine Items and one of the Four Supreme Martial Arts, if we consider it a type of Heart Sword, that makes Gaga even stronger. The reason the World's Best Sword lost to the Central Plains' Best Sword was also because of the Heart Sword.”
Only Mo Biyoung nodded at Jeong Minji’s words.
Because she too believed that ‘Azure Dragon Scorches the Heavens’ was a form of the Heart Sword.
The day before the Murim Reorganization Tournament was to begin, Yong Hwarin headed to the Silver Fragrance Teahouse.
He had already used Disguise, so no one recognized him.
Because it was more convenient to move around when no one could recognize his face.
Likewise, Masa had also used Disguise and was seated at a table.
When Yong Hwarin approached, Masa looked at him with surprised eyes.
“You!”
Yong Hwarin wondered if his face had become too plain, to the point of surprising Masa.
After all, if you didn’t want to stand out, a face that could be seen anywhere in a village was best.
Yong Hwarin had no intention of participating in the tournament itself—he had come as a spectator to uncover the force behind the Martial Flower Lord.
To observe what that force might be scheming through the Murim Reorganization Tournament, it was best to act like an ordinary person.
“Is it too plain? You disguised yourself with a rather handsome face, Elder.”
Masa replied,
“No! That’s not it! You’ve taken another step forward, haven’t you?!”
Masa shouted in surprise.
“Huh? You can feel it? I thought I had hidden it well. That’s no good. If there’s someone stronger than you around, they might discover my identity.”
“That’s not what I meant. I said it because I couldn’t feel any presence from you. When we met before, I could still faintly sense your qi. To completely conceal that would mean entering a state of Complete Reversal of Energy and Spirit—and that’s not something easy to achieve. Even I’ve reached Five Gaps, but I still can’t fully hide my qi. Someone stronger than me can still sense it.”
“Ha ha, is it really that much?”
Hearing that from no one other than Masa, who could be considered his master, made Yong Hwarin finally feel confident in his own skills.
“It’s more than that—you’ve already…”
Masa stopped mid-sentence.
He couldn’t help but feel a sting of jealousy when he realized that Yong Hwarin had surpassed him.
“To be honest, I don’t think there’s anyone who can surpass you now. And you better remember—it’s all thanks to me.”
Yong Hwarin nodded in agreement.
“Of course. If it weren’t for your teachings, Elder Masa, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
“As long as you know.”
Masa said that, but inwardly, he was dying to ask how Yong Hwarin had improved by a whole step. Yet, strangely, his pride was wounded.
He had just reached Five Gaps using the Hell King’s True Qi and believed that Yong Hwarin still had a long way to catch up. But now that confidence had been shattered.
“You, brat… did you perhaps witness the Heart Sword?”
Masa asked in a subtle tone, and Yong Hwarin smiled faintly.
Seeing that, a sigh and a groan came out together.
“Hohohoho! So you did witness the Heart Sword.”
Masa had to feel both pride and emptiness at the realization that his disciple had reached such an unfathomable realm.
Even though Masa had trained martial arts twice across two lives, Yong Hwarin, who had been a pot-bellied merchant in his past life, had now reached the Heart Sword that every martial artist dreamed of.
He felt not just jealous, but as if his insides were about to burst from envy.
“But thinking that you’re my ally and not my enemy… makes it a little less bitter.”
“There will come a day when you’ll feel proud that you taught me martial arts.”
“You always say things like that just to get on my nerves.”
Masa stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something.
It was because of Yong Hwarin that he had reached his current state.
Come to think of it, he had returned to the past due to Yong Hwarin’s dragon-born energy. He had shared a body with Yong Hwarin’s upper dantian, experienced countless things through him, and learned much.
What he had gained far outweighed what he had lost.
And the one who had made all that possible was none other than Yong Hwarin.
Suddenly, feeling jealous of such a person felt meaningless.
‘In many ways, this brat is my disciple… no, more like my son. What am I doing being jealous? I should be congratulating him for reaching a higher level.’
With that thought, Masa calmed the remnants of his jealousy.
“And I’ve found a way to prevent the force behind the Martial Flower Lord from acting recklessly during the Murim Reorganization Tournament.”
Curious about what this method was, Masa stared at Yong Hwarin.
“If there really is a force behind the Martial Flower Lord, it’s highly likely they’re someone from the Imperial Palace or the government.”
“That’s true.”
“Then who could keep such a force in check?”
Without thinking, Masa answered,
“Someone from the Imperial Family would be ideal.”
“Exactly. That’s why I made arrangements for the Southern King to attend the Murim Reorganization Tournament as a guest.”
“Oh!”
Masa let out an exclamation—it was a method he hadn’t even considered.
Even if the force behind everything tried to make a move, it would be difficult for them to act recklessly if it meant harming the Southern King.
If they made a mistake, they could be accused of treason.
If that happened, they could certainly suppress the actions of the hidden force.
“You brat, your scheming brain really outclasses your martial arts.”
“What happened with what you were looking into, Elder?”
Masa had spent the remaining time focusing on tracking the movements of the Three Demonic Heavens.
“There’s been no indication that the Three Demonic Heavens are moving. Aside from the fact that a large number of martial artists from the Valley of Hidden Darkness are stationed at Mount Wangok, there’s been no trace of Blood Demon Castle or the Demonic Cult making any moves. Still, just in case, I’ve stationed the Heavenly Demon Sect’s elite forces in this area. If anything happens, I’ll deploy the main sect’s elite.”
It was the best that Masa could do.
“With you helping, Elder, I feel at ease.”
Masa smirked.
“Your business is my business.”
Yong Hwarin bowed his head with a smile.
Yong Hwarin and Masa stood up immediately and headed for the venue where the Murim Reorganization Tournament was to be held.
The duel stage of the tournament had been prepared in Myeonggeun County, where the Martial Flower Lord’s manor was located. The dozens of inns, taverns, and guesthouses there were already teeming with martial artists who had gathered from across the continent.
Since no one knew when another tournament of this scale would take place, it was no exaggeration to say that every martial artist of name had shown up.
Moreover, the prizes offered by the Martial Flower Lord were all treasures, so many came seeking to claim them.
The fact that the Martial Flower Lord had been struck down in an ambush by Fan Yegok and had fallen unconscious was not yet known in the murim.
Thanks to the Imperial Court’s strict secrecy, only the leadership of Murim knew of it.
“Elder, please sign the registry.”
Yong Hwarin said to Masa.
To attend the Murim Reorganization Tournament as a spectator, one first had to write down their sect and martial background in the registry.
Masa thought for a moment, then boldly wrote in one sweeping stroke:
Disciple of Seok Family Manor in Shanxi: Cheonma and Cheonryong.
The scribe reading the registry flinched in surprise.
But soon after, he let out a short laugh.
The names written were Cheonma (Heavenly Horse) and Cheonryong (Heavenly Dragon).
To the scribe, the names were so grand that they were laughable—especially coming from a sect in Shanxi, a province with no known martial houses.
Moreover, they didn’t exude any of the sharp presence that would be felt from true masters. In the scribe’s eyes, they were third-rate, or even worse.
As Masa and Yong Hwarin passed by, the scribe muttered,
“Seriously, all kinds of nobodies showed up.”
As the scribe turned the page of the registry with a look of annoyance, a plainly dressed man stepped forward and said,
“My turn?”
The scribe, thinking he was another unimpressive martial artist, handed him the brush without much interest.
“Just write your title and name. If you don’t have a title, just write your sect.”
Thinking to himself, as if someone like him would have a title, he added the comment.
But the man grabbed the brush and, in one bold stroke, wrote:
New Dragon of Sichuan (四川新龍)
The scribe glanced at the alias, then flinched in shock and asked,
“Could it be… are you the famed Master Eo who’s been making a name for himself in Sichuan lately?”
Eojasuh looked down at the scribe and gave a nod.
“That’s right.”
“Oh! What an honor!”
The scribe immediately stood up and gave a polite bow, then pulled a red token from a case.
“What’s this?”
Eojasuh asked with a disinterested look.
“That token grants access to the guest quarters prepared for honored guests. Just show the token inside, and you’ll be offered every convenience. It’s only given to the most renowned martial artists.”
Eojasuh grinned and replied,
“Everything’s free?”
“Of course.”
“That’s nice. But are you giving these out on your own? Or is there a system?”
“There’s no way I’d dare hand something so valuable out on my own. The recipients of these red tokens were already decided in advance. You, Master Eo, are one of them.”
Eojasuh grinned from ear to ear, wiggling his eyebrows.
It was a reaction he only made when in a particularly good mood.
“Looks like I can finally enjoy myself for once. Thank you.”
With that, Eojasuh headed toward the guesthouse arranged by the tournament host.
Yong Hwarin and Masa toured the duel arena of the Murim Reorganization Tournament.
“There’s never been a duel arena like this in Murim history.”
Masa marveled as he gazed at the stage.
Not only was the scale massive, but the facilities were also perfectly arranged for spectators.
The arena could easily seat over two thousand people, all centered around the stage.
“Hoho, looks like they want to gather every famous martial artist on the continent.”
“At the very least, if they want to wipe out the martial world, this is the kind of scale they need.”
Masa muttered as he looked at the stage.
“But I still don’t get it. How could they possibly kill all the martial artists gathered here? I keep wondering if you’ve misjudged things. Just in case, I ordered my subordinates to check whether gunpowder was buried in the area—but there were no signs. I even considered the possibility of poison being spread, so I had them investigate any traces of toxins or poison incense. Still, nothing. The only things that could kill this many people are gunpowder or poison. So if not those two, then what?”
Masa’s doubt was completely valid.
“We have to find out. And to do that, we need to uncover who’s really behind it all. I heard that someone sent by the Imperial Court has stepped in as host in place of the Martial Flower Lord. We should investigate them first.”
“Alright. Let’s look into it.”
Soon after, Yong Hwarin asked around and learned the name of the host.
“Elder, they say the person who stepped in for the Martial Flower Lord is the Left Minister of Governance.”
“A government official that high-ranking is hosting a martial event? That’s definitely suspicious.”
“Right? He’s the head of administration for an entire province—and he’s hosting the Murim Reorganization Tournament? Isn’t that strange?”
“Yet most martial artists probably haven’t even thought of that.”