Honestly, it's only because Saweol is on my side, but when I think about it, she's truly terrifying.
Saweol, a former top-tier anti-personnel covert weapon, is already a Transcendent Peak-level expert.
In the latter half of Return of the Murim, everyone and their dog reaches Transcendent Peak—and some of the mystic beasts that appear around then are also Transcendent Peak-level strong—so it tends to be underrated.
But Transcendent Peak is a level of power that allows someone to be an undisputed force in an entire region.
It is a realm where one can twist the rules of the world with sheer will, and shape the representation of reality with the imagery in their mind.
That is what Transcendent Peak means.
Moreover, most of the martial arts Saweol has mastered are specialized in assassination and tracking.
Especially her Ghost Step of the Old Willow, which, from the enemy’s perspective, looks as though she's transcending time and space—a truly fearsome movement technique.
An absurd talent, and martial arts perfected through blood and tears born of vengeance.
'Honestly, if Saweol set her mind to it, I bet she could assassinate anyone ranked below 10th in the Cult.'
Those ranked 10th and higher begin to cross into the realm of true superhumans, so ‘not yet’ might be more accurate.
But it’s only a matter of time. Even the author admitted in an interview that Saweol had the closest talent to the Heavenly Demon.
Anyway—
Saweol’s eyebrow twitched.
To be blunt, one reason Saweol took my side is that I handled things well, sure(?)—but mainly because she forgave the Sado Clan.
That “forgiveness,” though, is just a word. In truth, she merely buried it. If that buried emotion gets provoked again, it could erupt.
But Young Master Cheol, unaware of this, continued speaking.
“Gwangmyeong Seong Clan wasn’t wiped out, you know. Well, I’m sure you’d know better than anyone, being the head of the Sado Clan.”
It was the Sado Clan that led the extermination of the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan.
To be precise, it was Sado Gwang.
“That’s true. So—”
“So the Sado Clan destroyed the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan, and that’s why the Seong Clan’s heir didn’t survive, right?”
“Well—”
“Well, that was a tragedy, yes, but the real issue is the Sacred Fire.”
I had been desperately trying to steer the conversation away, but froze at the mention of the Sacred Fire.
“Sacred Fire?”
“The holy flame that only members of the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan could handle.”
Depending on the setting, it changes slightly, but in most martial arts novels, the Heavenly Demon Cult is modeled after fire-worshipping religions like the Zoroastrian Church.
Return of the Murim was the same.
Thus, if the Heavenly Demon is the ruler of the cult, then the Gwangmyeong Seong Clan was its priesthood.
The current Heavenly Demon being recognized for their martial arts but criticized for lacking legitimacy—this was also because they did not possess the Sacred Fire.
“To kindle a pure flame, help from the Seong Clan was essential. The Sacred Fire is a flame of purification and healing. It was an essential condition for the purest blue flame, Cheonghwa.”
The reason Sado Gwang annihilated the Seong Clan was because of this very property of the Sacred Fire.
He believed that if the flame could purify and heal, then it might cure his body, ruined by deviation into madness.
Of course, the Seong Clan refused: “The Sacred Fire cannot be used for personal gain.”
In response, Sado Gwang vented his rage by annihilating them.
A chill ran down my spine.
In the original Return of the Murim, the Cheol Clan was in decline.
The stated reason was that after the current head, Cheol Muguk, passed away, the clan’s master smithing techniques hadn’t been properly passed on.
‘It was definitely Sado Gwang’s doing.’
He must’ve known that the Cheol Clan had borrowed the Sacred Fire, something denied to him.
Of course, all weapons forged by a Heaven-grade blacksmith would return to the Cult, so they wouldn’t have used it for personal purposes.
But for Sado Gwang, who was slowly dying, it would have felt very different.
‘It was a blessing I had him exit early…’
Of course, I still can’t let my guard down. I firmly believe that Sado Gwang may not be dead.
Falling off a cliff into a river only to return stronger is a martial arts cliché—and this world is governed by those clichés.
Young Master Cheol, now gazing wistfully at Cheol Muguk’s forge up ahead, spoke.
“Father is researching how to kindle the Cheonghwa without the Sacred Fire. As his son, I want to stop him... but blacksmithing is his very soul. I can’t stop that.”
Blacksmithing, by nature, shortens one’s lifespan. Constant exposure to heat and inhaling acrid smoke—it’s harsh. Considering that the Cheol Clan’s martial arts began as physical training to endure long hours at the forge—
[Cheol Muguk’s martial arts are, at best, First-rate. Considering his age, he doesn’t have much time left.]
And yet, shaving off what little lifespan remains just to light a fire—that wasn’t mere craftsmanship. It bordered on religious devotion.
“Sado Clan Head. As the Young Head of the Cheol Clan, I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not asking you to stop Father. No one can stop that stubborn man. Just... if he pushes himself too far, please step in.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“By the way—”
Young Master Cheol spoke again.
“What’s with the tassel on your sword? It’s way too tacky for such a fine blade.”
[See? Told you.]
I ignored him and stepped into the forge.
Cheol Muguk had already begun pumping the bellows. He glanced at me briefly, then returned his gaze to the furnace and said,
“You’re late today.”
“Your son held me up.”
“He must’ve been rambling nonsense again.”
“I call it filial piety.”
“Filial piety, my ass. He’s just trying to use me to cover his own mess.”
A cranky old man, through and through.
“Will you be sitting there again today?”
I didn’t answer. I just took my seat.
Cheol Muguk scoffed and returned to the bellows. As if he’d never even acknowledged me, he slipped into a deep state of focus.
In that moment, standing before a lifelong rival, he almost looked... solemn.
A quarter-hour.
Half an hour.
An hour.
Two hours.
Cheol Muguk never lifted his backside once.
“If you weren’t here, I’d have been bored to death.”
I might’ve looked like I was just quietly reading or sitting still like a cold bastard—but I wasn’t.
From the moment I sat down, I’d been chatting with the Skybreaker.
Of course, it wasn’t just useless small talk. It was also a time to roughly explain my upcoming plans.
Granted, after hearing my plan, Skybreaker called me a mad monster.
But in this crazy world, I have to be at least a little crazy to survive.
“Egu…”
Only after a long time did Cheol Muguk finally stand.
“Every time I do this, I feel like I age ten years.”
“So that makes me ten thousand years old now?”
It was an absurdly unfunny joke, but Cheol Muguk found it hilarious and chuckled heartily.
“Want to grab lunch? You haven’t eaten in two weeks, have you?”
That was true. But that’s just my tenacity. Besides, with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art pumping through my body, I wasn’t even that hungry.
“Sure.”
“There’s a line of people dying to eat with me.”
“That goes for me too, doesn’t it?”
“You really can’t let a single word slide, can you?”
“Whether tongue or sword, a cultist must treat losing as disgrace.”
“Fine. I concede.”
As he began to walk off, Cheol Muguk spoke again.
“By the way, what’s with the tassel on that sword?”
[...]
Should I just take it off?
Cheol Muguk didn’t look much like a typical member of the Iron Mountain Cheol Clan, but his room was the Cheol Clan itself.
There was nothing warm in it. Everything was made of metal. If it wasn’t metal, it was some form of mineral.
The only thing that gave off even the slightest sense of warmth was the bookshelf tucked away in the corner. It was filled with books worn and darkened by frequent handling.
“Don’t you wonder why the entire room is built with such cold metal?”
“It’s obvious.”
“Obvious??”
“According to the Five Elements theory, Fire overcomes Metal. By using fire energy to suppress metal, one exposes themselves to the energy of fire during the day, and to the energy of metal at night, alternating between the two to temper the body. It’s a method of forging oneself.”
That was the essence of the Iron Mountain Cheol Clan’s family martial art, Ten Thousand Forms Solar Divine Art.
It was a martial art that trained the body using the energy of extreme yang, bordering on pure external cultivation.
“Right. I forgot you were also Transcendent Peak.”
Not because I’m well-versed in martial arts, but simply because I’m a Return of the Murim setting geek. If you’re involved with the Six Demon Families, you should at least know all their secret arts inside and out.
“You’re right. That’s how serious we Cheol Clan are when it comes to forging steel.”
From Cheol Muguk’s words, I felt like I was getting a clue about the nature of his inner demon.
Just as I was setting my teacup down and about to speak, lunch was served.
For a meal meant for a martial artist, it was far too vegetable-based. Actually, there was just no meat at all.
It made me wonder, Am I being discriminated against like some foreigner abroad just for being a Sado?
But judging by Cheol Muguk’s familiar expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Is this your usual diet?”
“Cooking food makes it harder to kindle a pure flame.”
Skybreaker clicked its tongue.
[That’s the kind of nonsense you'd hear from some wandering hermit or monk in Martial World.]
When it comes to internal energy, it’s often said, ‘Orthodox sects are pure, unorthodox sects are murky, and the Demon Cult is bizarre.’
By that logic, the orthodox sects are obsessed with “purity of qi,” and Cheol Muguk was clearly in that mindset.
[Qi is just qi. The moment you start labeling it as pure or impure, you've already lost sight of what's important.]
Even though Skybreaker couldn’t use martial arts, there probably aren’t many who surpass it in theory.
Even without a physical body, it managed to achieve a partial Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, which speaks to its incredible martial intuition, so it’s likely true.
Still, when in Rome, follow Roman law. When in the Cheol Clan, follow their rules.
“I think I’ve got a pretty good idea now of what Cheol Muguk’s inner demon is rooted in.”
[Is that true?]
“Yeah. Just a few more prods and I think it’ll come out.”
[Do you have a solution?]
“That’s the problem…”
Just knowing the cause doesn’t mean you can fix it.
If that jade can actually do something, that would be perfect.
It was worth trying.
I waited for the right moment—after the meal.
As we drank tea, I pulled out a small case I had been keeping close.
“What’s that?”
“It’s something I recently acquired. I thought a man as knowledgeable in treasures as the Cheol Clan Head might recognize it.”
Since the Cheol Clan creates not only weapons but also artifact treasures, they are more versed in such things than any other family in the cult.
“A treasure?”
“Strictly speaking, it’s jade.”
“Jade, you say?”
Cheol Muguk’s face showed genuine curiosity.
“Would you care to take a look?”
“Sure, open it.”
I opened the box that contained the jade. It still emitted a pulsing, mysterious blue light. A wave of heat followed as a bonus.
“Th-this is…!”
Cheol Muguk sprang to his feet in shock, bringing his face so close to the jade it looked like he was about to press his nose against it.
Then he hurried over to the bookshelf in the corner, grabbed a book, and began flipping through it frantically, tracing the lines with his fingers as he read.
“How… how did this end up in your hands?”
“What kind of jade is it?”
“Flame Jade.”
Cheol Muguk swallowed hard and continued.
“Whoever absorbs the Flame Jade… gains the power to control fire.”
Jackpot.