A heavy silence descended upon the meeting hall.

The one to break it was Namgung Hyeok, his expression dark as he glared at the elder from Hua Shan.

“So what you’re saying is… that either the heir of the Golden Family or Jin Gijaecheon sitting here assassinated the Hua Shan elder?”

The sword techniques of the Celestial Cloud Divine Sword and the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword were nearly identical. If the conclusion had been drawn solely based on sword marks, it would be difficult to distinguish between the two.

In other words, connecting Elder Jongin’s disappearance to the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword was effectively accusing both Seo-jun and Chun-bong.

“Am I screwed?” Seo-jun wondered, swiftly calculating his options as the conversation unfolded.

On reflection, though, it didn’t seem all that dire.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

If anything, the blame lay squarely with Jongin, who had collaborated with the Black Lotus Sect.

Or had he? Now that Seo-jun thought about it, it wasn’t entirely clear whether Jongin had sided with the Black Lotus Sect or with some other force altogether.

Still, hadn’t Jongin been in possession of their pills?

“What a shame…”

Seo-jun had hoped to pin everything on the Black Lotus Sect, but it seemed attention would now shift to Hua Shan instead.

If it turned out that a Hua Shan elder had colluded with the Black Lotus Sect, it would undoubtedly become a grave issue.

Other sects might even seize the opportunity to apply pressure on Hua Shan.

But Seo-jun couldn’t let the Golden Family take the fall.

Though it wasn’t ideal to create a pretext for internal strife, given the circumstances, there wasn’t much choice…

“That’s why Hua Shan has concluded this must be the work of the Black Lotus Sect,” the Hua Shan elder suddenly declared.

“What?”

Seo-jun snapped his head up in surprise.

The elder gave a warm smile, clearly understanding the concern on Jin Gijaecheon’s face.

There was no need to worry about the Golden Family being falsely accused.

“At the time, Elder Jongin—known by the epithet Guangarang—was well within the transcendent realm, as everyone knows. Additionally, I understand that the Namgung family’s daughter was accompanying him. The idea that the Golden Family and the Namgung family conspired to assassinate a Hua Shan elder is absurd.”

“Oh…?”

“Furthermore, the location where Elder Jongin’s traces were discovered was in a forest quite far from Hua Shan. It appears that Elder Jongin encountered something, pursued it, and met his end.”

The Hua Shan elder glanced at Seo-jun and, as if offering comfort, added, “Perhaps… the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword has fallen into the hands of the Black Lotus Sect. That’s what I suspect.”

At this statement, the entire room widened their eyes in shock.

The Imperial Cloud Divine Sword.

A martial art so revered that even claiming it to be the greatest in Zhongyuan would invite little opposition.

And now, it had supposedly fallen into the hands of the Black Lotus Sect?

“Well, Elder Yi, it’ll be fine. Isn’t the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword infamous for its difficulty? Even the Black Lotus Sect wouldn’t be able to master it properly.”

“Exactly! And isn’t it fortunate that the heir to the Golden Family and the successor of this martial art are alive and well among us?”

“Indeed. Simply possessing the manual isn’t enough to master the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword. There’s no need to worry too much.”

Suddenly overwhelmed with reassurances, Seo-jun blinked, his mind spinning.

“Huh. Is this… actually a good thing?”

Without lifting a finger, he seemed to have achieved his goal.

 

As the meeting ended, Seo-jun stepped out of Shaolin Temple, receiving yet another round of reassurances from familiar faces.

“Don’t worry about it,” Namgung Hyeok said, his expression full of concern. “The head of your family has repeatedly mentioned how incredibly difficult the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword is to master. There’s no way the Black Lotus Sect could handle it properly.”

“That’s right, Brother,” Namgung Myeong added. “Everyone knows how hard it is to master a martial art from a manual alone.”

After receiving so much consolation, Seo-jun started to feel as though he really had suffered some great tragedy.

Thankfully, Pae Jin-gwang wasn’t around to join the chorus. Seo-jun couldn’t even imagine what that man’s reaction would be, but if he had tried to comfort him, it might’ve actually felt like something disastrous had occurred.

“Agh, seriously, I’m fine,” Seo-jun muttered, shuddering as he hurried his steps.

Watching him leave, Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue in pity.

“How much must he be suffering…?”

From what he’d heard, Seo-jun had spent time wandering the backstreets. It pained him to think about it.

To come this far, perfecting the Imperial Cloud Divine Sword through such hardship, only for it to fall into the hands of the vile Black Lotus Sect—it was heartbreaking.

Namgung Hyeok reflected on his actions, regretting some of the things he had said to Seo-jun when they first met.

“How shameless of me…”

“Granduncle…” Namgung Myeong closed his eyes tightly, as if feeling his pain.

What could possibly cheer him up?

An idea suddenly came to Namgung Myeong’s mind.

 

“A gathering? You want me to go to a kids’ gathering?”

Seo-jun tilted his head, puzzled by Namgung Myeong’s suggestion.

What was he supposed to do at a gathering of the younger generation?

Seeing his confusion, Namgung Myeong grinned.

“Still, they’re all around your age, Brother. You might even make a good friend there.”

“Me? Really? Aren’t they all kids?”

“Well… strictly speaking, you’re one of the younger ones among them, Brother.”

“What?”

Seo-jun’s exaggerated reaction made Namgung Myeong give an awkward smile.

“Besides, my sister and Lady Geum are going too. What do you think?”

“You should’ve said that first!”

With that, there was no reason not to go.

 

The four-day gap between the Round of 32 and the Round of 16 was traditionally filled with a grand gathering of the younger generation.

It wasn’t limited to those who had advanced in the tournament, nor were there strict qualifications. However, very few attended if they weren’t part of the Sixteen Great Houses, as joining without an invitation could lead to unpredictable situations.

Of course, some dared to intrude just to stir up trouble…

Regardless, Seo-jun decided to attend.

It wasn’t an issue; technically, he was of the right age group.

His elder status among the Sixteen Great Houses didn’t matter at this kind of event.

“Wow, kids these days really know how to have fun,” Seo-jun remarked, looking around the venue.

“When I was a nobody, huh? I used to hang out in back alleys with my black-market buddies.”

“Shut up, will you?” Chun-bong grumbled from beside him.

Listening to Seo-jun talk, you’d think he was some ancient martial artist who’d been around for 200 years.

And yet, in his original world, there hadn’t even been martial arts!

“Hey, Chun-bui! What’s with you today? You’re so low-energy!”

“What about me?”

“Come on, this can’t be all you’ve got for a reaction.”

“…”

Chun-bong glared at Seo-jun.

Decked out in formal attire for the occasion, Seo-jun was surprisingly presentable. He wore clothing from the Namgung family and had even combed his usually messy hair.

He looked like a noble young master, but the moment he opened his mouth, the illusion shattered.

And above all…

“This is weird.”

“What is?”

“You’re just… something’s off…”

Seo-jun, dressed in Namgung family attire, looked too good.

“Is this what they call… NTR or whatever?”

It was an oddly pleasant sight, but something about how well the Namgung family’s clothes suited him made Chun-bong’s chest feel oddly prickly.

Noticing Chun-bong’s strange expression, Seo-jun gasped in horror.

“Hey! Kim Chun-bong! Where did you learn to say stuff like that?!”

“Who else but you?”

“Wha—!”

Seo-jun realized something.

So this is why people say you should watch what you say around kids…

He vowed to be more careful with his words from now on.

“Ah, there you are!”

Cheongsong waved from a distance, walking over with Mu Hye by his side.

“It’s been a while,” Mu Hye said, bowing slightly.

“Yeah, it has,” Seo-jun replied, raising a hand in greeting.

Inside the venue, the room was crowded with people.

Though many eyes turned toward Seo-jun, no one approached him, leaving a sizable gap of empty space around him.

For Seo-jun, this was ideal.

The last thing he wanted was to deal with an onslaught of questions from the crowd.

“Chun-bong, go mingle. Make some friends,” Seo-jun said, giving her a nudge.

“What? Why me?”

“Well, you don’t have any friends.”

Unfortunately, it was true.

Kim Chun-bong didn’t have a single person she could call a friend.

At best, she had Su-a or Myeong, but those two felt more like family than friends.

“At your age, you should make friends with the same gender. It helps with social skills and all that…”

“Oh, shut up! Ugh!”

Chun-bong snapped but Namgung Su-a took the suggestion seriously.

As someone who also lacked friends, she felt a sense of kinship.

“Chun Mae, why don’t you come with me?”

Knowing the loneliness of being friendless, Namgung Su-a offered her company, and Chun-bong reluctantly agreed.

“Fine, whatever!”

She gave a rough nod and jabbed a finger at Seo-jun.

“Hey, you!”

“Yes?”

“Don’t cause trouble, got it?”

“Come on, what trouble would I possibly cause at a kids’ gathering?”

“Well… yeah, I guess.”

Even if he wanted to stir up trouble, no sane member of the younger generation would dare provoke Seo-jun.

For all his antics, Seo-jun’s strength as a transcendent martial artist was no joke—he could obliterate several younger fighters with a casual gesture.

No one would be foolish enough to challenge him.

And so, Chun-bong and Namgung Su-a left to find some friends.

Seo-jun watched them go with a satisfied smile before turning to Namgung Myeong.

“So, what are we doing now?”

After all, Seo-jun didn’t have any friends either.

 

Sima Hyeon, the Grand Strategist of the Black Lotus Sect, sat in utter bewilderment.

“So… the North Sea Ice Palace assassinated the Imperial General?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“I never issued such an order.”

“Well, that…”

As his subordinate stammered, Sima Hyeon clicked his tongue in irritation.

“What on earth are they thinking?”

He tapped the surface of his desk with his iron fan, sinking deep into thought.

The North Sea Ice Palace had already been implicated in the massacre at Blood Mist Gate, and now they were responsible for assassinating the Imperial General?

Sima Hyeon’s sharp, icy gaze bore into his subordinate.

“Are you certain this information is accurate?”

“Yes. It came from one of our operatives planted within the righteous sects. They’re trying to keep the incident under wraps, but the scale of the event has made it impossible to fully conceal.”

“This makes no sense.”

Sima Hyeon clicked his tongue again.

“What’s the North Sea Ice Palace saying about this?”

“Well…”

His subordinate hesitated, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

At the same time, deep within the North Sea Ice Palace.

The furious voice of Baek Seol-hyang, the Palace Master, echoed through the icy halls.

“Stop spouting nonsense and give me an explanation I can believe!”

“P-Palace Master…”

“Do you think this makes any sense? A lunatic wipes out an entire sect and assassinates the Imperial General, and you’re telling me we don’t know who it is? Didn’t you say traces of the Ice Wall Divine Art were found?”

“They also found traces of demonic energy at Blood Mist Gate…”

“Damn it! Who is this wretched bastard!”

Baek Seol-hyang was on the verge of losing her mind.

Anyone capable of such deeds with the Ice Palace’s techniques would undoubtedly be someone she knew. Yet, as far as she could tell, no one within the palace could have done this.

“So now you’re suggesting the Ice Wall Divine Art has been leaked? Do you think that makes sense? Even if it were leaked, how could someone master it so quickly and impersonate the Ice Palace? That’s impossible!”

The Ice Wall Divine Art, renowned for its immense power, was equally notorious for being nearly impossible to master.

First, one had to endure the freezing cold of the North Sea and channel it within their body. Next, they had to infuse that cold with deadly intent to amplify its power. Finally, mastering the technique required the use of the Ice Crystal, the sacred artifact of the Ice Palace.

Even if the technique had been leaked, it would be impossible for anyone to impersonate the Ice Palace so effectively.

“Summon the elders! I will find out who is causing this chaos and make an example of them!”

The North Sea Ice Palace was in complete upheaval.