Seol Muryun said nothing.

If Seol Unhwi said it ended well, then it had ended well.

Just as those close to Seol Unhwi knew him, Seol Muryun also knew Seol Unhwi.

The gaze with which Seol Muryun looked at Seol Unhwi—

it held absolute trust.

Seol Muryun thought,

How did that youngest brother grow so much?

Honestly, when he was young, I barely even saw him.

It had been cold, but that had been right.

Seol Muryun had a duty to protect the Snow Palace, and he had carried something like a mission—to become an equal opponent for his eldest brother, Seol Horyeong, and help him grow.

But now, it was fine.

Because Seol Unhwi had held everything together.

Seol Muryun took a sip of tea and said,

“As you saw, Unhae has changed a great deal.”

“I felt it as well.”

“To be honest, I was surprised when he first devised that scheme.”

“Were you?”

“I was. And what surprised me more than that was your handling of it.”

He was speaking of Unhae’s arm.

“Do you think it was excessive?”

Seol Muryun shook his head.

“It was something for which he would have had no excuse even if he died. Even if you had truly killed him, nothing major would have happened. Yet you ‘forgave’ him with one arm.”

“.......”

“I trust you. Do you know that?”

“I do, elder brother.”

Seol Muryun’s eyes deepened. He asked,

“Do you live for Father? Or for the snowy mountains? Or else...”

He paused briefly, then continued slowly.

“Do you live for yourself?”

There was nothing new about it.

Seol Horyeong and Seol Muryun.

Those two could indeed be considered the future of the Snow Palace.

If Yang Seoljin had not played his tricks in the past, the future of the Snow Palace would have been very bright.

Their insight surpassed that of ordinary people, and the way they thought was different.

What Seol Muryun had just said struck the core.

What did Seol Unhwi live for?

Simply for the Snow Palace? For the snowy mountains? Or for himself?

Seol Unhwi had a clear answer to that question.

“Elder brother.”

“I am listening.”

“I have never, even for a single moment, lived without living for myself.”

“...Mm.”

“In childhood, I acted so that I could survive. After I came to my senses as well, I acted to live by my own will—for myself.”

A soft smile appeared at Seol Unhwi’s lips.

“There lies every answer. I act for the snowy mountains, for the Polar Heirs, and for Father. For myself, for me to continue living, those things are absolutely necessary.”

“Necessary...”

“Yes. Necessary. Without Father, and without the Polar Heirs, I would have no reason to remain alive.”

Seol Muryun was impressed.

“You are, as expected, a genius.”

“That is too much praise, elder brother.”

“You think it is too much?”

“Yes. I am merely a little more capable than others. I am absolutely not a genius.”

Seol Muryun set down his teacup.

“Normally, that is what people call a genius. But from the way you say it, it sounds as though you have a separate standard of comparison.”

A peculiar smile formed at Seol Unhwi’s lips.

“As expected of you, elder brother.”

“Did I guess correctly?”

“Yes. I have someone to compare myself to. So long as he exists, I will forever be merely a talented man.”

Seol Muryun thought for a moment.

“Is it Father? Or is it the supreme ruler of Murim, Heaven’s Chosen One?”

Seol Jungcheon was certainly a remarkable man.

To have reached the pinnacle in the first place was not something an ordinary person could do. It required perception surpassing even what was called genius.

But it was not Heaven’s Chosen One.

He—

At least in Seol Unhwi’s memory, the Heaven’s Chosen One of the past and the Heaven’s Chosen One of the present were the same. Because they were the same, the sense of a wall was also the same.

At the very least, so long as Heaven’s Chosen One existed in this world, the standard for the word genius had to change.

Compared to Heaven’s Chosen One, masters of the pinnacle were “beings far beyond talented men, yet not beings who could be called geniuses.”

The word genius existed for Heaven’s Chosen One.

That was right.

Heaven’s Chosen One was a solid wall.

One that could never collapse.

And yet it was also soft.

A fusion of hardness and softness...

When his thoughts reached that point, Seol Unhwi’s eyes shone.

...Ah.

A brief enlightenment brushed past him.

The Three Profound Realms.

the true chapter of the Primordial Innate Heart Method.

A clue to completing it.

The harmony of hardness and softness.

The boundary between void and reality.

So that was it.

Seol Muryun let out a hollow laugh.

“And you still say you are not a genius?”

“...Did you feel it?”

“I felt it and saw it. It seems you gained enlightenment. Am I right?”

“You are. I gained a small enlightenment.”

“It must be related to that realm called the Three Profound Realms.”

“You are exactly right.”

Seol Muryun chuckled.

“To gain enlightenment in the middle of a conversation. And yet you still intend to insist you are not a genius?”

“...My apologies.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. Rather, I am glad.”

“.......”

“The stronger you become, the safer the Snow Palace becomes.”

Seol Muryun poured tea again.

For Seol Unhwi.

And for himself.

“To be honest.”

“Yes.”

“When you went to the Central Plains, I worried greatly.”

Seol Muryun took a sip of tea.

“I wondered whether you could truly survive.”

“.......”

“No matter how remarkable you were, I thought reviving the collapsing Heavenly Alliance would be difficult. But when you returned after finishing everything, I was astonished. You had become a completely different person.”

“Elder brother.”

“Keep listening.”

Seol Muryun looked at Seol Unhwi.

“When I heard you had established Yangryeong Province. When I heard you had raised the Heavenly Alliance. When I heard you had killed Mae Widong.”

“.......”

“And when you helped Yeonhwa and killed Zhuge Yeonghyeon of the Murim Alliance.”

“.......”

“Each time, I was astonished. And proud.”

“That is too much.”

“It is not too much.”

Seol Muryun’s voice was firm.

“You are the pride of the Snow Palace. The pride of the Polar Heirs. And more than anything...”

He paused briefly.

“My pride.”

Seol Unhwi’s eyes trembled.

“Elder brother...”

“Eldest brother must think the same. Yeonhwa as well.”

“.......”

“Unhae likely knows it too. His collapsed pride was rebuilt here at Windwall, and because he is in the process of refining it, there is still a bit of immaturity. But he is not unaware of how important your existence is.”

Seol Muryun smiled.

“We are all proud of you, youngest.”

For a moment, Seol Unhwi lost his words.

His chest grew hot.

It was an emotion he had never felt in his previous life.

Family.

Blood kin.

Their acknowledgment.

“...Thank you, elder brother.”

“There is no need to thank me. I merely spoke the truth. If anything, should I not be the one thanking you?”

Seol Muryun finished drinking his tea.

“For the matter involving Yeonhwa, thank you again.”

“.......”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

Seol Muryun smiled faintly.

A brief silence settled.

The one who broke it was Seol Unhwi.

“How long have you been here, elder brother?”

“About half a year.”

“Half a year?”

“Yes. I originally stayed at Seolhwa Mountain Manor, but for the past few months I have been commanding at the front line.”

“.......”

“Together with Unhae.”

Seol Unhwi nodded.

“Is it not difficult?”

“It is.”

Seol Muryun answered honestly.

“There is more work than when I governed Binghae Province. More than anything, the fighting against the Chaotic Heaven Ones has no end. You never know when they will appear, and you never know when you will die.”

“.......”

“We must strengthen patrols and hold the line. You must have noticed, but no one knows for certain how many Chaotic Heaven Kings there are. They move in groups at times, and separately at others. The number of known Chaotic Heaven Kings is currently four. Windwall’s command estimates that there are three more still hidden. In other words...”

“Seven.”

“There may be more.”

“Just hearing it makes it sound difficult.”

“It is fine even if it is difficult. As a Polar Heir, protecting the snowy mountains is only natural.”

Seol Muryun looked out the window.

“If this place falls, the snowy mountains fall. If the snowy mountains fall, the entire north falls.”

“.......”

“That is why we must stop them. No matter what happens.”

Seol Unhwi listened quietly.

“Still.”

Seol Muryun looked at Seol Unhwi again.

“Now that you have come, I feel strengthened.”

Seol Muryun smiled.

“To be honest, dealing with Unhae alone was a little exhausting.”

“...Elder brother.”

“It was a joke.”

Seol Unhwi thought Seol Muryun’s atmosphere had softened considerably since they last met, but inwardly, he knew.

This was the side he showed only when the two of them were alone.

Once he stepped outside, Seol Muryun would be as cold and heavy as usual.

That was the kind of person he was.

A position that required hardness.

A man who sat in such a position, created his own duties, and upheld even the duties already placed upon him.

The two men laughed together.

In the warm atmosphere, Seol Muryun spoke again.

“What do you intend to do now?”

“I intend to organize a detached unit.”

“A detached unit...”

“I want to investigate the interior.”

“Are you asking for my permission?”

“Yes.”

Seol Muryun shook his head.

“If it is something you intend to do, I will permit anything. However.”

Seol Unhwi looked at Seol Muryun.

Their eyes met.

Seol Muryun continued,

“You need only promise to survive.”

“A promise?”

“You are a man who always keeps a promise once made. The rumors say so, and I felt the same when I saw you myself.”

“.......”

“Can you promise me?”

Without hesitation, Seol Unhwi nodded.

“Yes. If it becomes dangerous, I will even flee to survive.”

Seol Muryun let out another laugh.

“A wound on the back is a humiliation for a martial artist, but surviving is more important... Yes. Do that.”

Seol Muryun looked at Seol Unhwi for a moment.

“How much do you know about the Chaotic Heaven Ones?”

“I heard from Chief Seong on the way here. And I also encountered one directly.”

“You encountered one?”

“Yes. It was close to the Heaven and Man realm.”

Seol Muryun’s eyes narrowed.

“On the way here?”

“That is right.”

“...Strange.”

“What is strange?”

“The fact that a Heaven and Man realm-level Chaotic Heaven One came outside Windwall is strange in itself.”

“.......”

“Usually, Chaotic Heaven Ones of that level remain deep within the Chaotic Heaven Region. It is rare for them to come outside.”

“Has there been a recent change?”

“I do not know in detail, but this seems like something that must be investigated.”

Seol Muryun let out a sigh.

“The opening cycle of the Chaotic Heaven Gate is shortening, the appearance frequency of Chaotic Heaven Ones and Chaotic Heaven Kings is increasing, and the scale is growing as well... There is much to do.”

“I will help.”

Seol Muryun nodded.

Seol Unhwi asked him,

“Do you know anything about the cause?”

Seol Muryun shook his head.

“It is awkward to say this, but I do not. Not only me—no one knows. The Chaotic Heaven Region is an unknown territory. No one knows what is happening inside it.”

“.......”

“What we can do is merely stop it.”

That was correct.

From time to time, there were people who said this:

Could Seol Jungcheon, the Palace Lord, not come to the Chaotic Heaven Region and sweep everything away?

In reality, that was impossible.