Chapter 98
Inside Hero's Descent Pavilion, the place bustled with drunkards, courtesans, and errand boys busily serving food. The smell of oil, the scent of wine, laughter, and the sounds of quarrels all mingled together.
What most caught Jaseong's eye among the chaos was a group of men with menacing faces, sitting tucked away in a corner of the brothel. With curved blades and weapons at their waists, it was obvious at a glance that they were men of the underworld.
"What kind of drink would you like?"
At that moment, a courtesan wrapped in a thin, revealing robe approached and asked. At that instant, Jaseong finally revealed his true intention.
"We don't need any drink."
"Pardon...?"
"We didn't come here to drink."
"What do you mean...?"
"We came here to join the Tianxia Association."
The main hall fell silent for a moment. Then, in the very next instant—
"Puhahaha!"
"What did you say? Those vagrant bastards say they want to join Tianxia Association?"
The place erupted in laughter.
Thanks to their shabby martial robes and unimpressive appearance, Jaseong and Gu Janghu looked like nothing more than homeless vagabonds.
"Brats like you daring to talk about joining Tianxia Association?"
"Don't be cheeky—get lost unless you want to die."
More than a dozen thugs stood up and surrounded Jaseong and Gu Janghu.
Jaseong calmly gazed around at the underworld men encircling him, expressionless.
'Fifteen... no, including that guy behind the pillar, sixteen.'
Their skills were mostly third-rate to second-rate.
For Jaseong's current abilities, these small fries could be swept away in an instant.
However,
'If I reveal my true strength, the upper management of Tianxia Association will grow suspicious.'
A peak expert whose name resounded wherever he went showing up to join Tianxia Association would, of course, draw suspicion.
So he needed to adjust his strength appropriately.
'I suppose it's about time to use the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique again.'
A faint smile appeared on Jaseong's lips.
Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique—this was the very first sword technique he had learned after becoming an executor of Heaven's Mandate.
Like the Three Talent Sword Technique common among street markets, it consisted only of three basic moves: horizontal slash, vertical slash, and thrust.
But its power was on another level.
Its strength lay in its 'extreme simplicity,' stripped of all complexity.
With that, Jaseong had defeated countless experts.
Srring—
Jaseong drew his sword and assumed the stance of the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique. At that moment,
"Wahaha! He's going to use that street-market sword technique against us!"
"This brat is out of his mind!"
The laughter of the underworld men grew louder.
On the surface, the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique looked no different from the Three Talent Sword Technique of the streets.
"To come here with such a pathetic technique! I'll make you regret this day for the rest of your life!"
A man with a scar on his right cheek drew his curved blade and charged.
Holding back his strength, Jaseong exchanged a few rounds with the man. Then, in a flash—
Chuak!
"Guhk?!"
Something happened that made everyone's eyes go wide. Blood spouted from the scarred man's shoulder as he fell with a thud.
"Next."
Jaseong said calmly, and the brothel was instantly shrouded in silence. No one had expected this result.
"To have brought down Dong Muhong... Not bad. Then taste my blade!"
A more powerful-looking giant swung a great blade and lunged at Jaseong.
Once again, Jaseong played along for a few moves, then—
Chwak!
"Agh! My arm!"
He cut down the giant's shoulder and arm.
"... What is going on here?"
The remaining underworld men stared at each other in shock.
From the side, Jaseong's moves looked so simple they should have been easy to guard against—just horizontal slash, vertical slash, thrust.
But once they actually fought, none could even touch the hem of Jaseong's robes.
Twelve of them had stepped up, but all met the same fate.
After a while—
"Anyone else want to try?"
Faced with Jaseong's question, the underworld men who had been mocking now fell silent.
Only then did Jaseong sheathe his sword.
He hadn't demonstrated even a hundredth of his true power—it was an anticlimactic fight.
But as he fought, Jaseong came to an unexpected realization.
Wiping blood from his blade with a cloth, he recalled the profundity of the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique.
'Erase all superfluities,
erase the breath,
erase even oneself,
and focus solely on enabling the sword to reach its destination in the shortest distance.
That is the secret of the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique: One(單).'
Because his realm had reached its peak, Jaseong could embody the essence of One(單) at an even higher level.
And the moment he realized this, he recalled the words of Baek Cheon-gwang, the previous executor of Heaven's Mandate.
It was no exaggeration when people said Baek Cheon-gwang handled countless top-level experts with just the Heaven Evading Three Talents Sword Technique.
"That should be enough."
It was then that, from a corner of the brothel behind a large pillar, a middle-aged man slowly got up.
He had been watching Jaseong's martial arts while drinking there from the start.
Dressed in a black robe, a sharp energy radiated off him.
'Is this the Blue-rank cadre of the Tianxia Association that Hyang-I mentioned?'
Jaseong inwardly wondered to himself.
According to Hyang-I's information, to enter Tianxia Association, you had to catch the eye of a Blue-rank cadre.
The Blue-rank cadre served as a gatekeeper and talent recruiter.
'He looks stronger than those small fries I just handled. Of course, if I used full force, he wouldn't survive a single blow.'
The middle-aged man glanced at the groaning thugs strewn across the floor and spoke to Jaseong.
"To take down my boys in mere seconds..."
"?"
"You're about at the threshold between the end of second-rate and beginning of first-rate."
The cadre stroked his chin and delivered his assessment. Gu Janghu barely managed to stifle a laugh.
[To think the leader would be pegged as only entry-level first-rate. This guy has no discerning eye.]
Still, for Jaseong, this was just as planned. He had successfully concealed his power and could infiltrate Tianxia Association.
Of course, among the underworld men, even a first-rate was considered a significant expert. So the cadre looked at Jaseong with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
"You're quite skilled. Where did you learn your martial arts?"
Jaseong gave the answer he had prepared in advance.
"I happened to be taught by a hidden hermit."
"Hidden hermit...?!"
The cadre's eyes gleamed.
"Do you know that person's moniker?"
"He goes by Shadowless Divine Thief."
"Gasp...! That person...?!"
Had Shadowless Divine Thief heard this, he would have found it absurd.
Yet, since Jaseong had stolen and mastered the Shadowless Body Technique manual, it wasn't entirely a lie to say that he'd been taught by Shadowless Divine Thief.
"For experts like you, what's your purpose in seeking the Tianxia Association?"
The cadre inquired cautiously.
"My master told me that I would need an affiliation once I entered the martial world. But since no sect would accept disciples of Shadowless Divine Thief, we came to Tianxia Association. Here, anyone with martial prowess can earn an opportunity."
Jaseong rattled off blatant lies without blinking an eye.
At that moment, something unexpected came from the cadre's lips.
"That's convenient."
"?"
"In fact, we're urgently seeking first-rate warriors to serve as escort guards for the leader."
"Why so many top experts?"
"There are rumors that various sects in the martial world have their eyes on Tianxia Association. So we need skilled experts to strengthen security at the leader's secret retreat."
Hearing this, Jaseong and Gu Janghu exchanged glances.
[Escort guards for the Tianxia leader... That means we'll get close to him right away.]
[Exactly.]
[But leader, isn't this going almost too smoothly? Doesn't something feel fishy?]
Gu Janghu eyed him with wary suspicion. Jaseong pondered for a moment before replying.
[I agree, I also find it suspicious. But there's no other way. Whether it's a trap or not, to get close to the Tianxia leader, we have no choice but to go along. And then...]
[?]
[If necessary, we wipe them all out.]
* * *
While the two exchanged thoughts silently, the Blue-rank cadre led the way without a word.
Jaseong and Gu Janghu followed him deep into the brothel, heading toward the rear courtyard.
Unlike the noisy interior, the rear courtyard was deathly silent.
When the cadre opened the back door, a carriage, hidden under a veil of darkness, appeared.
"Get in."
"Where are we going?"
"The leader's retreat is far from here. And cover your eyes with these."
The cadre handed them two pieces of black cloth.
"The location of the leader's retreat is top-secret. It's standard procedure for newcomers; I hope you understand."
After exchanging a look, Jaseong and Gu Janghu obediently donned the blindfolds.
Jolting—
The carriage started moving. At first, it felt like they drove on paved roads, but soon became bumpy.
Ssshhh—
Jaseong activated his Samadhi Eyes. In truth, even with a blindfold, it hardly mattered to him.
By using Samadhi Eyes, he could sense the intentions around him.
In other words, he could instantly detect any ambush or hostility.
'... The coachman is an ordinary person. Besides the Blue-rank cadre guiding us, there's no other passenger. There's also no intent to kill or hostility around us. Judging by the abundance of green energy, we must be riding through a forest...'
Gu Janghu, adept at sensing murderous intent, also felt nothing amiss.
For a moment, both let their guard down, thinking their worries might have been unfounded.
"How much farther?"
"We're almost there."
Just as he said, before long the carriage slowed and then stopped. The cadre got out first and opened the door.
He gave a short answer, and before long, the carriage gradually slowed and stopped.
"We've arrived. Please, step out."
The door opened. Jaseong and Gu Janghu got out and took off their blindfolds.
What greeted their eyes was completely unexpected.
They had arrived in the middle of a vast, empty plain.
There wasn't a single visible house in any direction.
Only an endless, desolate field spread before them.
And there, more than a dozen underworld men waited.
'Who are these people?'
They exuded a completely different aura from the small fries Jaseong defeated at Hero's Descent Pavilion.
They were all formidable experts, brimming with powerful internal energy.
With fierce gazes, they focused on Jaseong and Gu Janghu.
"Why bring us here? Weren't we supposed to serve as the leader's bodyguards?"
Gu Janghu asked, ready to draw his twin swords at any moment.
Unlike him, Jaseong activated his Samadhi Eyes, choosing to observe for now.
This could be a secondary screening for entering Tianxia Association.
Then, in the next instant—
"Hm. Something's strange about this."
A middle-aged man with a peculiar appearance stepped forward, tilting his head.
His hair was tinged red, and his pupils burned with a blood-hued light.
"Why would you want to board a sinking ship like the Tianxia Association? You have skill—more than enough."
He stared at them as if genuinely unable to understand.
Jaseong and Gu Janghu also grew uneasy. Why was a Tianxia Association cadre saying this?
"I heard from the cadre who brought you here. You're disciples of Shadowless Divine Thief?"
"Yes."
"You came because no sect would accept you, so you sought out Tianxia Association?"
"Yes."
"Hm. The reason makes little sense..."
"......."
"Either way, why do you think no sect would accept talents like you?"
"?"
Jaseong furrowed his brow. The middle-aged man's words were growing stranger.
Then, the next words left his lips—completely unexpected.
"Come to our Blood Cult."
... Blood Cult?
"With first-rate skills like yours, you could live in luxury in our sect. And you'd get to learn the martial arts that the whole Central Plains fears, the Blood Cult techniques. Ku ku ku."
Suddenly, Jaseong and Gu Janghu understood the whole situation.
The Blue-rank cadre who brought them here was, in fact, a spy for Blood Cult.
Blood Cult had already infiltrated parts of Tianxia Association—without even the Hao Sect knowing.
'... According to upper management of the Hao Sect, Blood Cult, Black Star Sect, and Poison Valley were rumored to covet the Tianxia Association. But for Blood Cult to have already infiltrated...!'
A completely unexpected turn. Jaseong's eyes narrowed.