The training grounds were in an uproar.
It was the final ceremony for the Martial Alliance's selection examination, held only once every three years.
Applicants, officials responsible for overseeing the examination, and existing Martial Alliance members who had come to see what sort of newcomers would be joining their ranks had all gathered in one place.
The grounds were packed with people.
Through the crowd strode a man with an imposing, dignified bearing.
The wrinkles around his eyes and the depth of his gaze gave him the air of someone who could see through the very nature of the world. A benevolent smile rested on his face, yet there was something about him that discouraged familiarity.
There was also a faintly musty smell.
Song Yiyeon's eyes widened when he saw the newcomer.
"The head of the Punishment Hall..."
Even Song Yiyeon, who had yet to formally enter the Martial Alliance, recognized him.
He was the head of the Martial Alliance's Punishment Hall.
Known as Chupunggae, and widely regarded as the likely next leader of the Beggars' Sect, he was one of the most famous martial artists within the Alliance.
His position alone would have made him a formidable figure, but his peculiar personality had earned him an additional reputation.
They called him the Mad Dog.
Once he sank his teeth into something, he never let go.
Behind Chupunggae came a group of martial artists whose sharp, intimidating presence was unmistakable.
They were all members of the Punishment Hall.
The Martial Alliance officials gathered nearby instinctively avoided making eye contact with them, despite having done nothing wrong.
That was simply how people reacted to the Punishment Hall.
Even an innocent person might feel their heart begin to pound when government officers approached.
And if that was true for innocent people, what about someone who had actually committed a crime?
Gu Jinseok's heart hammered in his chest.
Thump! Thump!
The sound seemed so deafening that he found himself glancing around, wondering whether anyone else could hear it.
Before long, Chupunggae approached him.
The older man looked him up and down, studying him as though examining an interesting specimen.
For all his arrogance as the Gu family's eldest son, Gu Jinseok could not bring himself to speak in front of the Punishment Hall's master.
Everyone nearby held their breath, waiting for Chupunggae to say something.
To Gu Jinseok, those brief moments seemed to stretch into eternity.
Finally, Chupunggae spoke in a calm voice.
"Inciting the murder of a fellow Martial Alliance applicant. Attempting to conceal the crime after it came to light. And soliciting improper favors while the investigation was underway."
"..."
As Chupunggae listed the offenses, the surrounding gazes steadily shifted toward Gu Jinseok.
Everyone understood what he was saying.
Gu Jinseok had attempted to have Cheon Woojin murdered.
He had tried to shift the blame onto his own bodyguard, Ink Guest.
And he had even used his family's connections to influence a high-ranking Martial Alliance official.
"The nature of these crimes is particularly vile."
For an instant, Chupunggae's eyes flashed.
His kindly expression transformed so abruptly that he seemed an entirely different person.
The Mad Dog had shown his teeth.
And the look he directed at Gu Jinseok seemed to say only one thing.
I've got my teeth in you now.
Gu Jinseok momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Instinctively, he understood.
There was no deceiving anyone anymore.
His gaze darted toward his father, Gu Yongbaek.
It was a desperate appeal.
Now that everything had been exposed, avoiding punishment under the Martial Alliance's laws would be impossible.
His only hope was that his father's influence and the Gu family's power might somehow lessen the severity of his sentence.
Standing on the platform, Gu Yongbaek met his son's gaze and released a low sigh.
This has become troublesome.
The atmosphere had changed completely with the arrival of the Alliance Leader.
Until moments ago, Gu Yongbaek had dominated the gathering through the sheer force of his intimidating presence, even with numerous Martial Alliance officials standing nearby.
Now there was no trace of that earlier dominance.
No matter how powerful Gu Yongbaek might be, the seemingly easygoing man confronting him was the leader of the largest and most powerful martial alliance in the world.
Beili Tian looked toward the scene unfolding below the platform before addressing Gu Yongbaek.
"Did you truly know nothing about this? Your son attempted to murder a fellow applicant. Under the Martial Alliance's laws, the tendons in his limbs will be severed, his dantian destroyed, and he will spend decades imprisoned in the Brain Prison."
"..."
For a moment, Gu Yongbaek pictured his son's future.
A lifetime as a cripple, wasting away in the darkness of the Martial Alliance's underground prison.
Then—
"Father!"
Gu Jinseok cried out desperately.
His arms had been restrained by the martial artists of the Punishment Hall, who were already dragging him away.
"Father!"
Everyone turned toward Gu Yongbaek.
His thoughts raced.
For the Mad Dog to have intervened so openly, the Punishment Hall must have obtained decisive evidence.
Perhaps Ink Guest had testified.
Perhaps they had recovered the Black Path organization's ledger.
Either way, the situation had passed the point where a simple denial could resolve it.
Gu Yongbaek stood at a crossroads.
Do I mobilize the full influence of the Gu family to protect my son to the bitter end, or...
He considered his options.
Then he closed his eyes tightly.
And ignored his son's pleading gaze.
"I learned of the matter only after it had happened. Nevertheless, he is my son. I couldn't simply stand by and watch, so I asked my old friend, the commander of the Righteous Will Unit, to intervene on his behalf."
"Hey! When did I ever—!"
Ji Makpyeong began to protest.
But Beili Tian turned his gaze upon him.
The sheer authority in that look silenced the Righteous Will Unit Commander immediately.
Beili Tian nodded calmly.
"And?"
"Alliance Leader, I have committed a grave offense. Please imprison me in the Brain Prison alongside my foolish son."
A stunned silence followed.
Everyone present, apart from Gu Yongbaek and Beili Tian, widened their eyes in disbelief.
Gu Yongbaek had not merely admitted wrongdoing.
He had actually dropped to his knees.
A strange light flickered in Beili Tian's eyes.
I thought he was a wild dog, but he's a fox.
Gu Yongbaek understood the Martial Alliance's laws.
He also understood his own reputation.
And he had calculated his position with remarkable precision.
The attempted murder would be attributed entirely to Gu Jinseok.
Gu Yongbaek's account made it appear that he genuinely had known nothing about the assassination plot until afterward.
That left him responsible only for improperly soliciting favors during the investigation.
Such an offense would certainly warrant punishment, but it would not earn him a sentence in the Brain Prison.
Furthermore, the Gu family had long been criticized for its Black Path origins.
Another scandal would hardly transform its reputation.
It will merely give people a few more reasons to point fingers.
Beili Tian inwardly clicked his tongue.
Yet he could not help being impressed.
Gu Yongbaek had assessed the situation in an instant and chosen the course of action most advantageous to him.
Of course, abandoning one's own son so coldly was no easy decision.
Most people would have been incapable of doing so, even if they understood that it was the most practical choice.
But Gu Yongbaek was different.
He was a man who could discard his own flesh and blood when circumstances demanded it.
I underestimated the Gu family.
Beili Tian knew he would remember the look on Gu Yongbaek's face for a long time.
That cold, utterly detached expression as he turned away from his son.
"I understand. Your son's punishment will proceed as stated. As for your own offense, the appropriate penalty will be determined after a meeting of the Alliance's senior leadership."
Gu Yongbaek bowed his head without speaking.
He could, of course, leave the Martial Alliance and refuse to submit to its judgment.
But if he did, what followed would no longer be a matter of disciplinary punishment.
It would be retribution.
Having paid his respects to the Alliance Leader, Gu Yongbaek turned and walked away without hesitation.
His expression was no longer fierce or menacing.
Nor did he look sorrowful.
He was simply calm.
To some of those watching, that composure was more frightening than any display of rage.
He resembled a white flame, burning soundlessly.
"Father! Father!!"
Gu Jinseok's desperate cries continued behind him.
He now understood exactly what awaited him.
To have the tendons in his limbs severed and his dantian destroyed was nothing less than the death of a martial artist.
Everything he had ever possessed came from two things.
The power of the Gu family.
And the extraordinary martial talent he had been born with.
In a single moment, his own wrongdoing had cost him both.
Yet even as his son screamed, Gu Yongbaek did not turn to look at him.
Those watching could only shake their heads.
Gu Yongbaek walked on, indifferent to the undisguised stares following him.
Then, as he passed through the crowd, he came face-to-face with Cheon Woojin.
Their eyes met.
Only for an instant.
But in that instant, Gu Yongbaek realized something.
...This was inevitable.
The martial artists of the Orthodox Path often criticized the Gu family.
But beneath that contempt lay fear.
The Gu family's roots were firmly planted in the Black Path.
And everyone knew that if circumstances ever turned truly desperate, the family might abandon the conventions of the Orthodox Path and resort to methods no righteous martial artist would ordinarily consider.
Yet here stood a mere applicant.
Even with Gu Yongbaek passing directly before him, the young man did not so much as blink.
He showed no fear whatsoever.
Instead, he met Gu Yongbaek's gaze directly, as though calmly observing what the older man might do next.
More astonishing still, his presence did not waver.
On the contrary, without making the slightest threatening gesture, Cheon Woojin seemed to exert a subtle command over the surrounding atmosphere.
The people around him, even the very air, seemed to respond to his presence.
In the martial world, there was a word for someone like that.
A master.
Where in the world did someone like him come from...?
Gu Yongbaek's instincts told him something else.
Even if the Alliance Leader had never intervened, the outcome would ultimately have been the same.
The one who died would have been his son.
Not Cheon Woojin.
Gu Yongbaek continued walking.
Only after he had gone some distance did Song Yiyeon finally speak.
"What the hell are you looking at, you bastard?"
Woojin turned toward him.
"...He's already gone."
"That's why I said it."
Cheon Woojin stared at Song Yiyeon in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Gu Jinseok had already disappeared, dragged away by the martial artists of the Punishment Hall.
And he was not the only one being taken into custody.
Chupunggae seized Ji Makpyeong by the back of his collar and began dragging the Righteous Will Unit Commander down from the platform.
"Urgh! H-Hall Master! Please, let go of me first..."
"Hehehe. Makpyeong, I warned you before, didn't I? If you're going to do something wicked, at least make sure I don't catch you."
Humiliation and fear surged through Ji Makpyeong.
Unable to restrain himself, he released a burst of his martial aura.
But the smile on Chupunggae's face only widened.
"Good!"
Crack!
A sickening sound came from within Chupunggae's grip.
It was the sort of sound no one wanted to hear coming from a human body.
At the same instant, Ji Makpyeong went limp.
"H-he killed him!"
Song Yiyeon cried out in horror.
Chupunggae turned toward him.
His face had once again assumed its gentle, benevolent smile.
"He's not dead. I merely put him to sleep."
"..."
Song Yiyeon did not believe him.
Not for an instant.
But he had absolutely no intention of challenging the word of the Punishment Hall's master.
He could only force himself to nod.
Beside him, Cheon Woojin regarded the unconscious Ji Makpyeong without any particular expression.
Chupunggae studied the two young men for a moment.
A peculiar smile crossed his face.
Then he turned and departed, dragging Ji Makpyeong along with him.
Song Yiyeon shuddered.
"Did you see that? That smile was terrifying."
"He just looked happy to me."
Cheon Woojin shrugged.
He had only observed Chupunggae for a short while, but the man had certainly caught his interest.
He has Black Master's expressions, but his presence reminds me of White Master.
It was a combination Woojin had never encountered since entering the martial world.
And he found it rather amusing.
Suddenly, he sensed an intense gaze directed toward him.
He turned his head.
Standing on the platform was the Martial Alliance Leader, Beili Tian.
The older man was staring at him with an almost fierce intensity.
The Martial Alliance's sense of justice is alive and well.
That was what his expression seemed to proclaim.
Woojin was not particularly moved.
Instead, he looked up at the sky.
Masters, what kind of place is the Martial Alliance, really?
For a moment, he almost imagined he could hear their familiar voices.
Naturally, they were arguing furiously with each other.
A faint smile escaped him.
Song Yiyeon noticed and shook his head.
I'll never understand this young hero.
******
With the Alliance Leader presiding, the final ceremony came to an end.
The five highest-ranking successful applicants, including Cheon Woojin and Song Yiyeon, were granted the right to choose which combat unit they wished to join.
Officially, they had been given a week to consider their options.
In practice, however, everyone assumed they would choose the Heavenly Tiger Unit.
It was the Martial Alliance's oldest and most prestigious elite unit.
No fewer than five former Alliance Leaders had risen through its ranks.
Naturally, it was the dream destination of nearly every ambitious young martial artist.
Thud.
Beili Tian set his teacup down on the table.
"Are you also planning to apply to the Heavenly Tiger Unit?"
Cheon Woojin had been summoned to the Alliance Leader's office immediately after the ceremony.
He shook his head.
"I'm still thinking about it."
For some reason, Beili Tian had the distinct impression that Woojin was not deciding which combat unit to join.
He was deciding whether to remain in the Martial Alliance at all.
The Alliance Leader watched silently as Woojin calmly lifted his teacup.
How strange.
There was no doubt that this young man was Senior White Master's disciple.
His martial aura and the techniques he employed bore an unmistakable resemblance to the old master.
Yet Black Master's influence was equally apparent.
That peculiar, intimidating presence.
The detached gaze with which he had regarded Gu Yongbaek and his son.
It's as though Senior White Master and Black Master took a blank canvas and each tried their hardest to paint it in their own colors.
One might generously call the result a remarkable diversity of influences.
Less generously, it was utter chaos.
And Beili Tian wanted to keep this young man within the Martial Alliance.
There was no need to question Cheon Woojin's talent.
His innate aptitude was more than sufficient to qualify him as someone possessing a Heavenly Martial Physique.
Even when compared with the White Master, the Black Master, and Beili Tian himself, Woojin's accomplishments were extraordinary.
Not one of them had reached his current level at such a young age.
If properly guided, Cheon Woojin might one day become a chivalrous hero who surpassed even Senior White Master.
But there was another possibility.
He might just as easily follow the path Black Master had walked.
If someone with talent like his chooses the Black Path...
It would be dangerous.
Terribly dangerous.
Beili Tian's instincts, honed through years of leading the Martial Alliance, were warning him.
Perhaps the world would see the birth of something far worse than another Black Master.
Perhaps another Dark Heavenly Son would emerge.
He knew he might be overthinking matters.
But he had never been the sort of man to dismiss his own intuition.
Tap. Tap.
Beili Tian idly drummed his index finger against the tea table.
"I wonder if Senior White Master knew..."
He murmured the words almost to himself.
White Master had possessed an extraordinary ability to judge people.
Surely, after living beside Cheon Woojin for so many years, he had understood the young man's nature far better than Beili Tian could.
To send someone who might become either a great hero or a villain remembered for generations to me...
For some reason, Beili Tian felt as though he had been entrusted with a final request by the senior he respected more than anyone else in the world.
After a moment, he made up his mind.
He straightened and addressed the young man.
"White Master... No. Cheon Woojin, disciple of the White Flower Sword Saint."
At the mention of his master's true epithet, Cheon Woojin immediately rose from his chair.
He respectfully cupped his fist and bowed, observing the proper etiquette of a junior martial artist.
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
Beili Tian's expression became more solemn than ever.
"Then, both as the Martial Alliance Leader and as a junior who deeply respects your master, I would like to make you a formal proposal."
He looked directly into Woojin's eyes.
"Will you remain in the Martial Alliance and join me in upholding the righteousness of the Orthodox Path?"
Beili Tian was the Martial Alliance Leader.
He was also regarded as the foremost representative of the entire Orthodox Path.
And now, that man was personally inviting a mere applicant to stand beside him, share his ideals, and walk the same path.
Had the other members of the Martial Alliance witnessed this exchange, they would have been utterly dumbfounded.
But Beili Tian had no doubts.
The young man before him had inherited the martial arts of two of the previous generation's greatest masters.
And he possessed a level of talent that might appear only once in an age.
Whatever path he chooses, this young man will surely stir up a storm throughout the martial world.
If that was inevitable, then Beili Tian believed it was his responsibility to ensure that Cheon Woojin stood on the side of righteousness.
Together, they could unleash a righteous storm that would sweep away the Black Path and the Demonic Path.
The Alliance Leader's expression was so serious that Woojin responded in kind.
He straightened, cupped his fist respectfully, and answered with perfect composure.
"Thank you, but I must decline."
"Good! As expected of Senior White Master's disciple, you should naturally—"
Beili Tian stopped.
"...What?"
The Martial Alliance Leader blinked.
Then he blinked again.
Heat slowly crept into his face.
This...
For more than a decade, he had been celebrated as one of the greatest swordsmen of the Orthodox Path.
Eventually, through his own strength and accomplishments, he had risen to become the leader of the largest martial alliance in the world.
He had achieved all of it without the backing of a powerful family or influential connections.
And although Beili Tian constantly reminded himself to guard against arrogance, he had to admit something.
Deep down, it had never occurred to him that a mere applicant might refuse such an invitation.
Struggling to suppress his embarrassment, he asked,
"Why?"
Cheon Woojin answered without the slightest hesitation.
"It's troublesome."
"...Huh?"
For a moment, Beili Tian could only stare.
Then understanding dawned.
White Master and Black Master had each done their utmost to imprint their own character upon the blank canvas that was Cheon Woojin.
Despite their vastly different philosophies, the two old masters had shared one striking trait.
Neither of them could bear being tied down.
Senior White Master could easily have become the Martial Alliance Leader had he wished.
But he had refused.
Black Master, too, could have inherited the entirety of the Dark Heavenly Son's legacy.
Instead, he had chosen to become his master's enemy.
And now, looking at the disciple those two men had raised together, Beili Tian realized that the result should have been obvious.
Cheon Woojin continued calmly.
"I only came here because my masters told me to see for myself what kind of place the Martial Alliance is. I never intended to stay here forever."
He paused.
"At least, not yet."
At those final words, Beili Tian's eyes suddenly gleamed.