The tavern was as noisy as ever.

Baekwoon scanned the interior of the tavern before smoothly sliding over to a table where a man sat.

"Namgung-hyung. I heard you had something to discuss."

Namgung Yeon, who was eating furiously, didn’t even lift his head.

"Won’t you join me for a bite?"

The white noodle dish made with oil, eggs, and milk was an unfamiliar sight to Baekwoon.

"No, thanks. And why are you using strange utensils instead of chopsticks?"

"When eating this dish, you have to use these."

Namgung Yeon twirled the noodles using a peculiar three-pronged utensil.

Baekwoon couldn’t help but feel a rising frustration every time he saw that odd utensil and greasy food. He didn’t even know why it bothered him so much.

Suppressing his irritation, he continued speaking.

"Did you get the information?"

"Of course. When have I ever called you without having information ready?"

Namgung Yeon wasn’t just an ordinary man. His ability to gather information in specific fields was said to rival that of the Open Information Agency.

"You’ve heard of the Ten Thousand Mountains, right?"

The Ten Thousand Mountains. No martial artist wouldn’t know of the place.

Especially someone like Baekwoon, who was part of the Zhongnan Sect.

"Of course, I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it the headquarters of the Demonic Cult?"

"Hey now, it’s not the Demonic Cult. You should call it the Cheonma Sacred Sect."

Baekwoon frowned.

For someone from the Namgung family to call the Demonic Cult by the name "Cheonma Sacred Sect" was unsettling to him.

As someone who had been strictly raised under the teachings of Zhongnan, it didn’t sit well with him.

"What nonsense. How can you, with the Namgung name, say such things?"

"Heh. I’ve already fallen out of favor. What’s there to lose?"

Namgung Yeon gulped down a bowl of rice wine.

"Ahh. This wine is good."

"Enough of that, let’s get back to the point."

"Right, right. You were asking about the mystical beasts, correct?"

Animals or plants imbued with mystical energy.

Obtaining their power allowed one to reach new heights far faster than through training alone.

Yet, martial artists weren’t usually very interested in mystical beasts.

They dismissed them as creatures of legend.

But the beasts were real.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, they began to appear, and now martial artists were desperate to acquire them, searching far and wide with eyes burning with determination.

Even the monks of Shaolin were roaming around in pursuit of mystical beasts, so it was no wonder that others were just as fervent.

Baekwoon was also searching for one of these mystical creatures.

He had reached a point in his training where he knew he couldn’t advance to the next stage without external help.

"That’s right."

"I’ve confirmed that there’s a mystical beast in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Click.

Baekwoon clicked his tongue.

It was useless information.

The Ten Thousand Mountains were a place no one could enter freely.

Not only because of the distance, but because of the forces that occupied the area—just thinking about it was enough to dissuade anyone from going there.

"No one’s going to charge into the Demonic Cult’s base just for a single mystical beast."

"It’s not just one."

"What? There are more?"

Namgung Yeon gave a slight nod and spread out his right hand.

"Five? That’s not enough to make a difference."

Namgung Yeon shook his head.

"Are you saying there are fifty of them? That’s tempting, but…."

He shook his head again.

"Five hundred?"

The number Baekwoon uttered was absurd.

But Namgung Yeon’s reply was even more ridiculous.

"Five figures."

"What?"

"There are at least five figures’ worth of mystical beasts there."

Baekwoon silently drank from the bowl of rice wine on the table.

"I thought you were the kind of gentleman who only drank Shaoxing wine. Seems I was mistaken."

Namgung Yeon chuckled as he watched Baekwoon wipe the rice wine from his lips.

"Namgung-hyung. I didn’t come here to joke around."

"You’re disappointing me. You still don’t know who I am, do you?"

Namgung Yeon lowered his voice.

"The Ten Thousand Mountains are a land untouched by anyone, a natural paradise. That’s why the mystical beasts are gathered there. Humans and mystical beasts are natural enemies."

"...If that’s true, won’t the Demonic Cult take all the mystical beasts and throw the martial world into chaos?"

"They could, but Baekwoon, as I said, no one has invaded the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"What are you saying…?"

"Exactly. Not even the followers of the Cheonma Sacred Sect can enter."

Baekwoon couldn’t comprehend their actions.

"Why wouldn’t the Demonic Cult seize them?"

"I don’t know the full details, but there’s a prophecy."

"A prophecy?"

"They say a Heavenly Demon will be born in the Ten Thousand Mountains."

The Heavenly Demon.

The deity that the Cheonma Sacred Sect worshiped.

"And just because of some prophecy, they’re leaving all those mystical beasts untouched?"

"That’s the kind of group they are."

"I don’t get it."

Bang.

Baekwoon slammed his hand lightly on the table.

"No matter how much power the Millennium Carp accumulates, it’s still just a carp. Same with the Golden Toad."

When a carp cultivated enough internal energy to form a core, it became known as a Millennium Carp. A toad with a powerful poison core was called a Golden Toad.

But despite their names, these mystical beasts weren’t particularly powerful on their own.

Namgung Yeon responded to Baekwoon’s words.

"They may be weak, but have you ever wondered why the internal energy within their cores is so immense?"

The cores of mystical beasts were considered treasures of the highest order.

Obtaining just one could be considered a stroke of fortune, allowing one to break through bottlenecks in their training—something any martial artist would covet.

"It’s the limit of the carp and the limit of the toad. No matter how much internal energy they have, if they can’t break past that limit, they’re still just a carp or a toad."

"Exactly! If that’s the case, why aren’t they seizing the power of those mystical beasts? Do they think those beasts will become gods to the Demonic Cult?"

"Who knows? There’s even a rumor that something similar exists on Mount Hua."

"Mount Hua… You mean that thing they call the Dragon…?"

"Let’s not speak of it anymore."

Namgung Yeon warned Baekwoon.

There was a rumor spreading in the streets.

That a Dragonborn with red scales and massive wings had joined Mount Hua. A grandmaster of Mount Hua had emerged, wielding giant flame attacks capable of burning everything to ashes.

And they said that uttering the name of that person would bring about the end of the world.

"Are you really scared of mere rumors?"

"As an information broker, I must be wary of everything, even street rumors. The Street Sword, the Street Fist."

"Didn’t know you were afraid of street-level martial arts."

Namgung Yeon silently downed his rice wine.

"Still, I don’t understand. All these mystical beasts, and…."

"As I said earlier, mystical beasts are weak because they can’t surpass their limits."

He tapped his empty rice wine bowl, his expression serious.

"But what if they underwent Rebirth by Shedding?"

"Rebirth by Shedding!"

It referred to a transformation where one’s body reshaped itself into a form more suitable for martial arts, a necessary step to reach a higher level.

"How could they possibly undergo Rebirth by Shedding?"

"They’ve built up decades, even centuries, of internal energy. And their bodies aren’t compatible with it. It wouldn’t be strange for them to undergo Rebirth by Shedding."

Namgung Yeon flashed a toothy grin.

"A mystical beast with overwhelming internal energy breaking past its limits—aren’t you curious to see what happens?"

"A massive number of mystical beasts, each absorbing the cores of others whenever they hit a wall, transforming into new bodies…."

Baekwoon closed his eyes and imagined it.

A scene where over ten thousand mystical beasts fought one another, greedily devouring each other's cores. And atop a mountain of corpses, a green dragon roaring triumphantly.

It was a vision of chaos.

"A demonic scene."

"Keh keh. I’m genuinely curious to see if a being worthy of the title Heavenly Demon truly emerges."

"...You’re insane."

Baekwoon clicked his tongue.

He had come simply to learn about the whereabouts of mystical beasts, but he had heard something far more significant.

The information Namgung Yeon had shared was enough to shake the entire martial world.

"So, what can I do?"

The entire tavern had grown quiet, with everyone focused on Namgung Yeon’s words.

"They haven’t fortified the entirety of the Ten Thousand Mountains. There are a few paths only I know."

Despite being a master capable of using sound transmission, Namgung Yeon spoke loudly, ensuring that as many people as possible could hear him.

He wanted to draw attention to the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The people in the tavern, except for Baekwoon, were not powerful.

But their rumors would spread faster than anything else.

"Now, the first path is…."

Namgung Yeon’s true objective was to direct the attention of the Five Great Clans, the Nine Great Schools, and all the martial artists toward the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Unbeknownst to himself, the lizard that had just undergone Rebirth by Shedding was floating calmly on the water.

Had he mastered some kind of ultimate footwork technique? He had a solemn expression, his eyes closed—or rather, covered by a leaf.

Plop.

Even when a dragonfly flying overhead bumped into him, he didn’t budge.

He had entered a state of no-self.

Who knows how much time passed? His body slowly sank into the water.

At the same time, the leaf was brushed aside, revealing his red eyes to the world.

Swoosh!

Water splashed everywhere.

Like a dragon soaring into the sky, his tail shot out of the water.

Seeing the fish biting onto his tail, he let out a satisfied cry.

“Geggek!”

This little lizard, who knew neither martial arts nor strategy, was delighted to have caught some food.

Of course, there was the minor issue of the fish being a bit larger than expected and having teeth sharp as knives, and the fact that it was currently gnawing on his tail.

But he didn’t care about that.

"...Gekk?"

The green lizard froze.

He wiped away the visions of spicy fish stew and sashimi from his mind and glared at the creature.

Black Piranha LV8

Black Piranha

It can grow up to 60 cm in length and is known as the king of piranhas. Its bite force exceeds that of many sharks, and it is an extremely aggressive species.

Despite having consumed three cores already, the lizard was still at the stage where it had to fight for its life against a single fish.

Nevertheless, he let out a fierce roar and charged at the piranha.

“Geggek!”