"Senior Brother Zhangmen, it is Ilhae."

A voice, both polite and weighty, announces its identity and waits outside the door for permission.

The man, sitting cross-legged on the floor inside the small building, his back ramrod straight, slowly opens his closed eyes.

Although he was well past middle age and heading into old age, his face was clear without a single wrinkle.

As his eyes naturally opened, he could see the towering figure of the Elder's Peak through the open window.

Although it was a sight he must have seen countless times, his lips, which seemed to be admiring it for a long time, slowly part.

"Come in."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhangmen."

Although it took quite a long time to ask for permission and receive an answer, not a hint of displeasure could be felt in Ilhae's voice.

Ddal-kkak.

Wind seeps in through the crack of the quietly opened door.

Ddi-ri-ring.

The wind chime hanging by the door makes a clear sound, and Ilhae, who had even suppressed the sound of his footsteps, carefully closes the door again.

Although the man did not look at Ilhae, who was behind him, Ilhae prostrates himself behind him as if it were a matter of course.

Finally, the man, who had released his seated posture and stood up, turns to Ilhae with eyes full of gentleness.

"Come and sit."

"I will serve tea first, Senior Brother Zhangmen."

"Heh heh, it seems the story will be long."

As he smiles and nods his head, the politely risen Ilhae pours tea into two cups.

It is extreme politeness.

But it was a matter of course.

Ilhae was an elder, and the man facing him was the current leader of the Blue Green Sect.

Changlim Sword Immortal, Ilu.

The sword immortal who lives in the green mountain.

That is what the martial artists called Ilu, the leader of the Blue Green Sect.

Also, the West Three Emperors.

He was one of the three people considered the strongest in the west of the martial world called the Central Plains.

He was the pride of the Blue Green Sect, the great fence of the Blue Green Sect, and it was no exaggeration to say that the Blue Green Sect was him.

So it was only natural for Ilhae to treat him with all due respect.

"It seems the participants for the upcoming Assembly of Elders have been roughly decided."

"Yes."

At Ilu's question, Ilhae takes out a bundle of papers he had in his bosom and hands it over with both hands.

"There are many."

"Because we have wagered the precious treasure of the Blue Green Sect."

"Hmm..."

Ilu, who had received the bundle of papers, reads it for a moment and then, having lost interest, places it on the table.

The Assembly of Elders hosted by the Blue Green Sect.

There were two conditions for those who could participate.

A martial artist under the age of thirty, and one who had not committed a great sin.

Anyone who met those conditions could send an application to the Blue Green Sect.

But there was no need for Ilu to look at the applications of those participants one by one.

Since Ilhae had come, it would be enough to hear it from his mouth.

Because he would have already sorted out the contents to be delivered to him.

"Is there anyone worth paying attention to?"

"Although many people have applied to participate, as we expected, it seems it will eventually become a battle of the twelve dragons."

"Hoh? Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Heh heh."

Ilu smiles with satisfaction at Ilhae's words and strokes his beard.

The Twelve Dragons of Sicheon.

It was a term referring to the young martial artists who were evaluated to lead the next generation by showing outstanding skills in Sicheon, without any distinction between Orthodox and Unorthodox.

"I hear that there is another hidden dragon that has recently made its nest in Ganyang."

"Have you heard?"

"Even if I sit in my room, how could I not have kept my ears open?"

Ilhae smirks at Ilu's words.

How could he be the only one to inform him of the news of the secular world?

He was the undisputed god of the Blue Green Sect.

Even if he had reached the state of clairaudience on his own, how could he argue about it?

But.

"It seems you don't have to worry about the person called the Thirteenth Dragon, Senior Brother Zhangmen."

"I don't have to worry?"

"Yes."

"Why is that?"

"According to what I hear, he is a person with a strong disposition for cunning."

"Cunning?"

Ilu's eyebrows twitch slightly.

"It is said that his distinction between Orthodox and Unorthodox is not clear, and his handling of immediate matters is focused only on profit."

"Hmm..."

Ilu, who had been thinking for a moment, nods his head.

"If you say so, then it must be so."

"Yes. Although he looks like a dragon for now, he is a person whose end will lead to a great serpent."

A great serpent is a sea serpent.

A person who was born as a dragon but could not ascend because he did not follow the great will and remained a sea serpent.

"So that's why they call him the Cunning Dragon."

"You've already heard. I'm worried that you, Senior Brother, will not stay in the green forest forever and will enter the immortal world early."

It was a compliment to his senior brother.

That since his realm was constantly rising, he might transcend the human world and ascend to immortality.

Although Ilu rebuked him for his words, his expression was not displeased.

"You're gilding me."

"Gilding? The junior is just stating the facts as they are, not exaggerating."

"Heh heh, you. Stop it."

Ilhae smiles brightly at his senior brother's gesture of waving his hand and continues.

"More than that, it is said that Baekta of the Beggars' Sect is currently staying in Sicheon."

"Baekta?"

"Yes. He is the person closest to the position of future leader of the Beggars' Sect among the six candidates."

"Future leader..."

"According to what I heard from the Cheongcheon Alliance, he solved the problem of Yunnan alone."

"The matter of the Five Poisons Gate's branch being moved forward to the border?"

"That's right."

"Heh, that's amazing. Yunnan would not have been easy."

"Everyone thought so. But it seems he was dispatched on a secret mission from the Cheongcheon Alliance and solved the problem by having a private meeting with the chief of the Black Scorpion Clan."

"Hoh? Is that so? He seems to have a truly precious talent. To persuade the beasts steeped in barbarism with human words."

"That's right. When I asked Chwibulgae of the Sicheon Upper Faction of the Beggars' Sect, he said that he had learned under his tutelage when he was young. He also said that his martial arts achievements are considerable."

"Chwibul has a good disciple."

"That's not all."

"Huh?"

"Chwibulgae secretly said that he has another master."

"Two masters?"

"Yes. As he was selected as a candidate for future leader... it is said that he was chosen by the Blood Dog."

"What, what? The Blood Dog?"

Ilu's eyes shot open at Ilhae's words and he asks again.

Twenty years ago, there was a bloody incident in Gansu.

The so-called, the incident of the Barbarian Spear.

There was a time when the Demonic Cult, which had been fighting for hegemony over the Central Plains and the world, suddenly pushed down the north of Gansu Province.

It was a war started by the Barbarian Spear, Lee Yulje, who was one of the top powerhouses in the Demonic Cult.

Twenty-two sects in the northern region of Gansu were devastated by Lee Yulje and his one hundred demonic men who had advanced south with unstoppable force, and the mountains and rivers were stained with blood.

The one who had stopped that terrible incident, which could have turned into a war between the Orthodox and Demonic, was just one person.

The Blood Dog.

The former master of the Beggars' Sect who had raised the Beggars' Sect's information organization, the Night Cats.

But few knew about him. They only knew his legendary achievements and his name.

"That's strange. Are you saying that the Beggars' Sect has revealed the Blood Dog, who has not even shown his face until now, as Baekta's guardian?"

"It probably means that his chances of being selected as the future leader are high. So they are trying to strengthen his background."

"That may be so."

"What should we do? If the Beggars' Sect is actively pushing him, wouldn't it be a great foundation for Yeon's future?"

"Hmm..."

Ilu's brow furrows deeply at Ilhae's words.

Because he knew what he meant.

The person that the two of them had thought of at the same time, Yoo Seongyeon.

The reason the Assembly of Elders, which had not been held for a long time, was held again, and the reason the genuine copy of the Seventy-two Wave Sword Manual was offered as the winner's prize, was all for him.

The Blue Green Sect was a Taoist sect.

It was only right to leave the secular world, stay in the mountains, seek the Tao, and accumulate the Tao through self-cultivation.

But at the same time, it was also a martial sect.

The power of history and tradition would allow them to reign as the powerhouse of Sicheon forever.

If that strength continued without interruption...

But the current Blue Green Sect was declining.

Although everyone talked about the Changlim Sword Immortal, he had already become very bright and was just waiting for his light to fade.

When the sun sets, the afterglow will fade. Then the Blue Green Sect would have to endure a long period of darkness.

Until another sun rises.

That's why a talent to continue the history was desperately needed.

But among the disciples of the three generations under Ilu, the Okja generation, the Hyeonja generation, and the Gwangja generation, there was no disciple with enough talent to be noticed.

If he passed it on to someone who was not intelligent, the lifelong insights that Ilu had realized would not be passed on, and would eventually be buried.

Although the Blue Green Sect as a Taoist sect would remain, the Blue Green Sect as a martial sect would surely only repeat its decline.

Although Ilu was a martial artist who had left his name in history, what greater sin could there be than not being able to leave behind a talent to continue the glory as the leader of a sect?

That's when the young Yoo Seongyeon appeared.

A connection made during an outing.

He absorbed Ilu's teachings like a sponge. For Ilu, the existence of such a Yoo Seongyeon came as an unparalleled joy.

The outings became more frequent, and Yoo Seongyeon was relieving the burden that had filled Ilu's heart.

But the elders who had learned of Yoo Seongyeon's existence rebelled.

The disciples of the three generations under Ilhae.

They expressed their strong opposition, saying that it was impossible to ignore them and make a child of a secular family the successor to the sect leader, the Jangryeong disciple.

Ilu could not break the will of the elders.

Even if he immediately took him in as a disciple, he would be of the Cheongja generation, below the Gwangja generation.

The status of a Taoist boy.

According to the rules, a Cheongja generation could never become a disciple of the sect leader.

Damn tradition.

The several hundred years of tradition of the Blue Green Sect, which even the sect leader could not change carelessly, was blocking the future of the Blue Green Sect like a huge wall.

Although it could be made an exception once, those rigid elders would never try to compromise.

Even though the future of the Blue Green Sect was at stake.

Ilhae, who could no longer watch the troubled Ilu, presented an alternative to the elders.

How about holding an Assembly of Elders by inviting all the later generation disciples of Sicheon, regardless of Orthodox or Unorthodox?

If Yoo Seongyeon won proudly there, how about giving him the special privilege of recommending him as a disciple of the Okja generation, the first generation, and making him the Jangryeong disciple who would succeed the sect leader?

The elders could not help but fall into deep thought.

And after a long deliberation, the sharp confrontation came to an end.

The majority of the elders cast their votes in favor.

But the problem was how to make the later generation disciples of the Unorthodox Faction, who were on the opposite side of the Orthodox Faction, participate.

But Ilhae already had a plan.

The genuine copy of the Seventy-two Wave Sword Manual.

Although the surprised elders rose up against offering the precious treasure of the sect, Ilhae did not stop persuading them.

That if Yoo Seongyeon did not win, he would take all the responsibility...

It was an Assembly of Elders that had begun after a long and painful process.

As expected, the applications of those who wanted to participate in the Assembly of Elders for the Seventy-two Wave Sword Manual offered by the Blue Green Sect lined up.

Sicheon, and even its vicinity.

"In the end, Seongyeon will beat the Twelve Dragons and Baekta and win. That child will become the Jangryeong disciple and succeed you, Senior Brother Zhangmen."

Ilu nods his head at Ilhae's words.

He did not doubt it.

He had already used a forbidden method that he shouldn't have, secretly from the elders.

The sect's secret treasure, the Okryeongdan, which was only allowed to the sect leader, and even his own insights.

The Assembly of Elders was a stage for him.

To open up that future.

No, for the future of the Blue Green Sect.

"Please send an invitation to the Beggars' Sect. Baekta will be a much better foil than the Twelve Dragons of Sicheon. To the extent that the words of the elders who are still not pleased will be completely silenced."

Ilu thinks for a long time at Ilhae's words.

He did not think that Yoo Seongyeon would lose. He, who had raised him himself, knew very well.

But Baekta was a candidate for future leader that the Beggars' Sect was pushing with all its might.

If such a person were to lose to Yoo Seongyeon in front of many people...

"There could be a grudge with the Beggars' Sect."

"It is for the future of the Blue Green Sect. For now, please only think about Yeon winning and becoming the Jangryeong disciple."

"Hmm..."

"Senior Brother Zhangmen. Look."

"..."

Ilhae raises his finger and points out the open window.

The Elder's Peak.

The split wound on the rock at its summit.

It was the enlightenment of the first ancestor who had founded the Blue Green Sect.

It was a trace left by the essence of the Sword Control Art, which was said to have split the rock by flying a sword.

"Yeon will be able to do it. He is a child who can easily achieve a realm that even you, Senior Brother Zhangmen, have not achieved."

"..."

"The temporary grudge with the Beggars' Sect will be resolved as time goes by. As the history of the martial world has been."

Ilu nods his head at Ilhae's urging.

It was a step already taken.

For the future of the Blue Green Sect...

Ilu, who had made up his mind, says with a determined expression.

"Send an official invitation to the Beggars' Sect. In my name."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhangmen."

The Tang Family's Departure from the World