Chapter 23 - 22: Grand Open Tournament 3
The wind that swept through Mugang Martial Pavilion carried no scent.
But First Blade Do Giseon had long learned not to trust what the wind chose to hide.
He stood alone beneath the great pavilion’s arched ceiling, its shadow stretching like a crescent blade across the floor. From this vantage, the dueling ring and its surrounding stone platforms were obscured by darkness. Only the echoes of servants cleaning up the debris from the first round of the tournament remained—sharp, repetitive sweeps of brooms brushing across cracked tiles and discarded bandages.
Do Giseon didn’t listen to the noise. His mind was elsewhere.
They’re here, he thought, arms crossed behind his back. Not just participants...
He turned his gaze slowly toward the eastern sector, past the watchtowers, beyond the tiled roofs, and into the mist-covered streets where the outlanders dwelled.
The Yeonhwa Lotus Palace wouldn’t remain passive. That woman never lets her pawns act freely. Everything she does is deliberate...
A flicker of memory came unbidden—of Danhye Yeoryeong standing at the edge of the Sword Pavilion three years ago, refusing to kneel during the Alliance Summit even when the Grandmaster himself spoke.
She didn’t argue. She didn’t shout.
She just smiled beneath her veil and turned her back to them.
Back then, the others called it arrogance. Do Giseon called it calculation.
He could feel that same intent now.