Ten participants were divided into ten groups to climb Blue Green Mountain, and the first match was over.

The winners were fifty in total.

Since five remained in each group, the four, excluding the one who drew a bye, had to compete.

Of course, Cheonyeong had no such luck.

But it was rather for the better. If he had drawn a bye and moved on to the next location, he would have lost the opportunity to observe his opponents and obtain their martial arts.

However.

"Why on earth do they grant a day of rest every time?"

"Maybe it's in case of injuries?"

"Is that so?"

Yongcheon's words had a point.

"But no matter how I think about it, it's strange."

"What is?"

"The behavior of the Blue Green Sect Taoists."

They were clearly writing something down throughout the match. Judging by the situation, it was clear they were recording the contents of the fight.

Who attacked in what way, how they responded, and how they won.

The content was easy enough to guess. But the question of 'why' kept lingering in his mind.

Why the Blue Green Sect? Why were they observing the participants during their matches?

For what purpose.

"There's something strange about this tournament. I think the Blue Green Sect is after something."

"The Blue Green Sect?"

"Yes. They're definitely after something. But I can't for the life of me figure out what it is."

Come to think of it, it was a tournament full of questions from the very beginning.

Why did the Blue Green Sect not distinguish between participants, unlike before?

Why did they gather people regardless of the Orthodox or Unorthodox factions and increase the scale?

And why did they not gather the participants in one place, but divide them into ten locations to hold the preliminaries?

Baekta had said that the tournament bracket couldn't be manipulated. But wasn't it the Blue Green Sect's will to place ten people on each of the ten divided paths?

The subsequent preliminary matches would proceed by drawing lots, so it couldn't be fixed, but in the end, the initial ten people were decided according to the Blue Green Sect's will.

"Damn it, my head hurts."

It seems this kind of thinking is best left to those who are used to it.

"Ah, screw it. Whatever. What does it matter what the Blue Green Sect is plotting?"

All he had to do was find the Jinkagu, those damn bastards.

Cheonyeong shook his head to clear his complicated thoughts and said to Yongcheon.

"Got any liquor?"

"Liquor?"

"Yeah."

"I have some, but are you going to drink? The match is tomorrow."

"It's better than having a complicated head."

Yongcheon nodded at Cheonyeong's words.

"Wait a minute. I'll get it ready right away."

"Let's drink together."

"Together?" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Then should I drink alone? Liquor tastes better with a companion."

"But, I have to stand guard..."

"Guard what? What kind of threat is there on Blue Green Mountain? It's fine."

"Is it really okay?"

"Yeah. Don't bother the kids by making them stand guard outside for no reason. Just call all of the Green Warrior Unit. Let's have a drink for a change."

"Okay!"

Yongcheon smiled brightly at Cheonyeong's words and ran outside.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter what the Blue Green Sect is plotting. I'll find out when I get to the end anyway."

***

Under the flickering lamp lit to brighten the darkness.

Sarak.

A page turns under Il-u's calm hand.

A short while later, Il-u spoke in a low voice to Il-hae, who was seated before him.

"Have you taken good care of the Beggar Dragon's lodging?"

"Yes."

"Well done. He is a distinguished guest of the Blue Green Sect, so tell the disciples to pay close attention."

"I have already relayed the message to the master of Wonmyeong Palace."

Il-u nodded with a smile at Il-hae's words.

Wonmyeong Palace was the place that managed the household affairs of the Blue Green Sect's Taoist temple. Since Il-hae had already told them, the master of Wonmyeong Palace would surely look after him without any shortcomings.

"I heard that his entourage was small?"

"It wasn't small, but it seems he sent most of his attendants down to each path to observe."

"Heh heh, it seems the Beggar Dragon is very interested in the skills of the participants."

"It seems so."

"But be careful. It will be troublesome if he notices what we are doing."

"I have already taken precautions."

"Well done. By the way, looking at the booklet, it seems the children of the third and fourth generations have gone through quite a bit of trouble."

Il-u smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the booklet he was flipping through, one page at a time.

That was precisely why a day's rest was given for each match of the preliminaries. The third and fourth generations were stationed at each competition ground to record the martial arts displayed by the participants, and this was compiled and sent up to the summit.

That compiled content was the very book placed in front of Il-u.

"As expected, all twelve dragons were included among the fifty who won the first match."

"It seems the twelve dragons who were in the same group did not draw each other."

"That is correct."

"Were there any worth noting?"

"From what the children have observed, it seems to be narrowed down to about five."

"Five?"

"Yes. First, the Lee Family's Sword Dragon, who was in the group that climbed the Hoeam Valley to the west, is said to have shown quite surprising skills."

"You mean the eldest son of the Lee Family?"

"That is correct."

"Hmm."

At Il-hae's words, Il-u looked through the pages and opened one.

"Hoh? He settled the match with a single sword strike?"

"Yes, it was said to be a calm sword like a light breeze."

"Hmph."

Il-u nodded as he read the contents written in the book.

"It is said that the young master of the Deokchang Sect, who was his opponent, could not hide his admiration and admitted defeat himself."

"That is a good thing. Isn't the Lee Family a secular family with roots in the Blue Green Sect?"

"That is correct. They are a secular family that inherited the legacy of the youngest disciple of the Nine Heavens, a family whose specialty is the Six Meridians Heart Method rooted in the Geongon Ilgi Art and the Blue Wind Sword Style modeled after the Blue Cloud."

"Then, was what the eldest son of the Lee Family showed the Blue Wind Sword?"

"I do not know. They said the level of the third-generation disciples was too low to see it accurately."

"Heh heh, yes, yes. What does it matter if they couldn't see it? It's fine. It is said that the descendant who inherited the Blue Green Sect's connection is so great. He will be a great help to Seongyeon. Help them form a good relationship regardless of the outcome of the match."

"Yes."

"Who are the others?"

"The Tiger Claw Hand, Banseok..."

Il-hae continued his explanation, mentioning the names of the remaining three one by one, and Il-u slowly nodded.

"It is said that Yeon-i did not show any special skills."

"That would be so. He is a practical fellow, and isn't it his nature to dislike showing off?"

"He passed the first preliminary round without any trouble."

"It was as expected. In the first place, we did not include anyone who could be a threat in order to have Yeon-i reach the summit in the best condition."

"Yes, we have arranged for him to advance through byes for the remaining matches."

"To that extent?"

Il-u frowned slightly, but Il-hae did not mind at all.

"I trust Yeon-i, but there is no good in creating a situation where his skills are revealed. Do not worry. I will make sure the Beggars' Sect does not find out."

"Hoo, we've already come this far, but are we not getting too deeply involved?"

"I will take care of it, so please rest assured, Sect Leader. More importantly, there is something I must tell you."

"Hmm?"

Il-u tilted his head as Il-hae frowned.

"Speak."

"It's about the... Flood Dragon."

At the mention of Tang Cheonyeong, the corner of Il-u's eye twitched.

The Ganyang Flood Dragon. He too had come to participate in the Assembly of Elders.

However, the process was not normal. A letter of recommendation from the Beggars' Sect that arrived after the selection of participants was already over.

The condition was that if the Blue Green Sect wanted Baekta's participation, which they had requested, they must also allow the family head of the Tang Family's estate to participate.

The content of the letter was polite, but its meaning was no different from pressure.

Even as the Changlim Sword Saint, who had cultivated the Tao his entire life and trained his mind to be like a clear mirror, he could not suppress his displeasure.

How could a mere Upper Branch Head, not even a Branch Head, attach conditions to the invitation of the Sect Leader of the Blue Green Sect?

If he had his way, he wanted to call the Sicheon Upper Branch Head, Chwibul, right away and question him.

But he had no choice but to endure it.

For the future of the Blue Green Sect, Yu Seongyeon had to win the Assembly of Elders.

By using the Twelve Dragons of Sicheon as foils, and also by defeating Baekta, who had recently made a name for himself as the Beggar Dragon.

In the end, the Changlim Sword Saint suppressed his anger and gave the order, and Il-hae inserted Tang Cheonyeong in place of the young master of the Hyeokseon Faction of Gansu, who was unable to participate due to a tragic accident.

Thus, a hundred.

However, at the mention of Tang Cheonyeong's name, Il-u, whose anger had flared up again, roughly flipped through the pages and asked.

"What about him?"

"I have seen the contents recorded by Gwangmun."

Sarak.

At Il-hae's words, Il-u turns the page.

The record of the third-generation disciple, Gwangmun.

"Six Harmonies?"

"That is correct."

Il-u kept his ears open and fixed his gaze on the book.

The young master of the Seochang Heungmun Hall, Yuk Geumuk, and the family head of the Ganyang Tang Family's estate, Tang Cheonyeong, began their match.

"It is said that in the beginning, Yuk Geumuk had the upper hand with the Cat's Claw Footwork."

"Hmm."

Tang Cheonyeong was busy dodging and blocking, and was pushed into a defensive position to the point where his clothes became rags.

The first part did not contain any special content.

But because Il-hae had a worried expression, Il-u calmed his mind and read to the end.

Tang Cheonyeong used the Six Harmonies Fist. And he defeated Yuk Geumuk in a single exchange.

"A single exchange?"

"Yes, but the energy contained in that fist was said to be unusual."

"Unusual?"

"That is so. I was so concerned about that content that I called Gwangmun up and asked him directly."

"What did he say?"

"He said he could not read his moves."

"Hmm?"

"He said he disappeared from sight as soon as he stepped forward, and had already struck Yuk Geumuk's chest with his fist."

"You mean Gwangmun lost track of him?"

"Yes, even though he was watching right in front of him."

"Heh!"

Il-u couldn't help but let out an exclamation.

Gwangmun was the head disciple of the third generation. He couldn't be said to be as skilled as the Twelve Dragons, but he was one of the sharp-eyed children that Il-hae had selected. Because the purpose of the observation was to read the opponent's skills.

But for such a Gwangmun to have not seen his movements even with his eyes wide open.

"What about Yuk Geumuk?"

"It seems he will need to recuperate for a while."

"In a single blow?"

"Yes, according to Gwangmun, the arm bones that blocked Tang Cheonyeong's fist were shattered."

"Is his fist power that great?"

"Yes."

"Umm."

It was an unexpected part.

He was called 'Cunning' (狡), and since Il-hae had said he didn't need to pay attention, he hadn't cared. He had thought that the name of the Thirteen Dragons was also a fluke obtained through that cunningness.

"As it was on my mind, I urgently sent a letter to the Sicheon Upper Branch Head, Chwibul, and requested information about Tang Cheonyeong."

"And?"

"Most of the content was no different from what was known. But in the fight with the Yin Hand Chamber, the name of the Ghost Hand was there."

"Gh-Ghost Hand? You mean No Gwanyeong?"

"Yes."

Ghost Hand, all of a sudden?

The moment he heard that name, Il-u lost his composure.

Ghost Hand No Gwanyeong. He was a current elder of the Blue Serpent Sect and one of the Ten Masters of Sicheon, said to be the strongest in the Sicheon Unorthodox Faction.

But how could his evaluation be just that?

As far as Il-u knew, he was not a person who would be a mere elder of the Blue Serpent Sect. Nor was he a great man to be evaluated as one of the Ten Masters.

A man who had hidden far more than what was known.

"You mean the Ghost Hand helped the Yin Hand Chamber? And Tang Cheonyeong fought and won against the Yin Hand Chamber that the Ghost Hand was helping!?"

Il-u's raised voice echoed loudly in the room.

"There was no record in the content sent by the Beggars' Sect that the two had fought... but it is said that the Ghost Hand returned after meeting Tang Cheonyeong."

"Umm."

It felt like his head was throbbing.

The Ghost Hand he knew was not such a great man, was he?

The fact that Tang Cheonyeong, who had faced the Ghost Hand, was alive, didn't make sense from the start. Even if he had lived, it would have been understandable if he had lost an arm or a leg.

The fact that he was fine without that... meant that the Ghost Hand had acknowledged him. In other words, it could mean that Tang Cheonyeong was strong enough to be acknowledged by the Ghost Hand.

"Such, such a variable."

"It is my mistake. If I had known in advance, I would not have granted the Beggars' Sect's request."

"No, no. How can you say that is your mistake?"

Il-u shook his head.

"What should we do?"

He had already participated and become a winner of the preliminary round. It could not be reversed.

Also, if his skills were enough to be acknowledged by the Ghost Hand, he would surely be a great threat to Yu Seongyeon, whom Il-u wanted to make the winner.

"Have him watched. Without fail."

At Il-u's words, Il-hae thought for a moment and said.

"I will send Okseon down."

"Hmm."

Okseon was a first-generation disciple of the Blue Green Sect and one of the Five Swords of the Pine Wind.

He would be able to find out whatever Cheonyeong had hidden.

The Tang Family's Departure from the World