Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Dokgo Jin looked interested.

‘His confidence is excessive compared to his situation.’

As far as he had grasped, if the Limitless Hall Master’s support was five and the Great Harmony Hall Master’s was four, then Cloud Sea Hall Master Sagong Un’s supporting force was only around two.

Of course, it could not be called small.

It was a force capable of overturning the balance depending on which side it joined.

However, in any case, Sagong Un becoming the next Alliance Leader should be considered almost impossible.

As if he had guessed Dokgo Jin’s thoughts, Sagong Un smiled.

“You have a look that says, ‘By what means could you possibly become Alliance Leader?’ Am I right?”

“……Something similar.”

“It is simple. I am the exact candidate for the next Alliance Leader that Master wants.”

A strange light appeared in Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

‘The Northern Heaven Alliance Leader has Cloud Sea Hall Master in mind as his successor?’

That was unexpected.

Judging by Sagong Un’s confident tone, it did not seem to be an empty boast.

‘If that is true…….’

“Of course, separate from Master’s wishes, I will become Alliance Leader through my own strength. I have confidence in that as well.”

Dokgo Jin could not help but ask.

“What is your basis for that?”

However, Sagong Un’s answer was somewhat absurd. It was enough to bewilder even the composed Dokgo Jin.

“I am the youngest, am I not?”

“……Pardon?”

“Eldest Senior Brother is in his fifties, and Second Senior Brother is also in his late forties. Compared to them, I am only thirty-six now.”

“…….”

“Master is very hale and hearty. He will keep the Alliance Leader’s seat for at least thirty more years. Then, by that time, I will be the only one left who can healthily inherit the seat of Alliance Leader.”

Dokgo Jin was dumbfounded.

Sagong Un’s words meant that by the time the next Alliance Leader took the seat, his senior brothers would have grown old and weakened, and he would naturally become Alliance Leader.

“Is that…… the only reason?”

“Hmm? Do you think I am wrong?”

“Generally speaking, perhaps not. However, the lifespan of an absolute master increases dramatically. I do not think it is something you can be so certain about.”

“You are right. But once they reach that age, their desires will naturally diminish as well. Especially my two senior brothers, who are obsessed with martial arts. By then, they will be so busy competing with each other in martial arts that they will have no interest in the Alliance Leader’s seat.”

Dokgo Jin was speechless.

‘What kind of absurd…….’

It was so ridiculous that he could not tell whether Sagong Un was joking or being serious.

‘But.’

One thing bothered him.

‘The Northern Heaven Alliance Leader has Cloud Sea Hall Master in mind as the next Alliance Leader.’

Even from the perspective of someone outside the Northern Heaven Alliance, it made no sense.

If the Northern Heaven Alliance Leader, who pursued the path of supremacy, said he would make the weakest third disciple among his three disciples his successor, no one would believe it.

“My becoming the next Alliance Leader is the natural course of events. However, even if that happens, it would be troublesome if my supporting force were too weak, would it not? That is why I am trying to recruit talents who will become the core of the Alliance in the future.”

“And I am one of those future core talents?”

Sagong Un nodded readily.

“That is right. To be honest, since it has not been long since you entered the main Alliance, I was uncertain, but Grand Elder Yong strongly recommended you.”

‘Grand Elder Yong did?’

Externally, Grand Elder Yong was not known to support any one of the three Hall Masters.

‘Could Grand Elder Yong possibly support Cloud Sea Hall Master?’

If not, there was no way he would have recommended Dokgo Jin to Sagong Un.

“…….”

Dokgo Jin looked at Sagong Un again.

‘Does Cloud Sea Hall Master truly have something?’

In truth, Dokgo Jin also knew the power dynamics inside the Northern Heaven Alliance well, and he had been thinking of making contact with the Hall Masters someday if he had the opportunity.

Based on Wi Geum-seong’s information, Dokgo Jin had judged the Limitless Hall Master to be the strongest successor.

‘But if Grand Elder Yong supports Cloud Sea Hall Master, the story changes.’

That was how powerful Grand Elder Yong’s influence was within the Northern Heaven Alliance.

Of course, he might have recommended Dokgo Jin purely out of goodwill while harboring different thoughts inside.

But the mere fact that Grand Elder Yong was interacting with Sagong Un was meaningful enough.

‘Even if he supports a different Hall Master, it means he can change sides at any time.’

Sagong Un’s eyes shone clearly.

“Become my subordinate, Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder. Together with me, let us open a new era for the Northern Heaven Alliance, and beyond that, the Martial World.”

“…….”

Dokgo Jin stared at him silently for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Thank you for the offer. I will think about it.”

A wrinkle formed between Sagong Un’s brows.

“Is that a refusal?”

“As you know, it has not been long since I entered the Northern Heaven Alliance. I want to judge after I properly understand things.”

Sagong Un gave a faint smile.

“You mean you will compare me with the other Hall Masters and learn more about me first.”

“…….”

“Young as you are, you are cautious. An ordinary brat would have been moved to tears and dropped to his knees, but the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder is different after all.”

He started walking again and continued speaking.

“Do you know this? I once tried very hard to receive the Dragon-Tiger Tablet too.”

‘Come to think of it…….’

The first and second Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holders were none other than the Limitless Hall Master and the Great Harmony Hall Master.

“My senior brothers became its holders, so the atmosphere was that I naturally had to become the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder as well, and I wanted that too.”

Sagong Un gave a bitter smile.

“But I failed. I passed the three gates of the Dragon-Tiger Hall, but I did not receive the Dragon-Tiger Tablet.”

The Dragon-Tiger Tablet could only be received when someone prepared passed the three gates of the Dragon-Tiger Hall in one attempt and earned recognition.

Sagong Un had also displayed astonishing martial might, but in the end, he had not earned the recognition of the Master of the Dragon-Tiger Hall.

“Even now, though I have become a master above the Master of the Dragon-Tiger Hall, the resentment of not receiving the Dragon-Tiger Tablet remains. So.”

Sagong Un turned to Dokgo Jin with a smile.

“Instead of the Dragon-Tiger Tablet, I want to have the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder.”

‘Perhaps…….’

Dokgo Jin felt that this might be the true reason Sagong Un wanted to recruit him.

“I understand your thoughts well. I also have my pride, so I will not ask you twice or three times.”

There was confidence on his face.

“If you watch me from the side, you will come to know that I am a man worth serving as your lord. When that time comes, you will want it yourself.”

‘Watch him from the side?’

Dokgo Jin could not understand what he meant.

“You will find out soon.”

A few days later, Dokgo Jin came to understand what Sagong Un had meant. He had been specifically designated and requisitioned as a guard for Cloud Sea Hall Master’s excursion.

***

Just because the Three Hidden Halls had honor but no authority did not mean they had nothing to do.

Being disciples of the Northern Heaven Alliance Leader held great meaning externally, so from time to time, they went outside and visited sects within the Alliance’s sphere of influence.

That alone served to display influence and prevent any possible defection.

As previously mentioned, the martial artists belonging to the Three Hidden Halls were far too few to guard the Hall Masters.

For that reason, they sometimes requisitioned guards from each combat unit and entrusted them with escort duty. This time, Dokgo Jin had been included in Sagong Un’s outing.

‘I did not expect him to call me to his side this way.’

Thanks to that, Dokgo Jin was able to see several martial artists from other combat units.

Including Dokgo Jin, there were thirty martial artists summoned as Cloud Sea Hall Master’s guards, and he saw not only those belonging to the Five Flags of Northern Heaven, including the White Tiger Flag, but also warriors belonging to the outer castle.

Dokgo Jin spread faint waves of qi and secretly examined their presences.

‘They are generally at the first-rate level.’

Among them, one person especially stood out.

‘That man is…….’

He was a man with a slim build.

His shaggy hair covered half his face, and his skin was impressively tanned black like charcoal.

No one went near him, as he looked somewhat gloomy. However, the presence he carried was sharp and heavy like an awl.

‘A master above the peak level.’

He was a skilled man who, in any ordinary combat unit, would hold at least the rank of Vice-Captain.

‘A deep red martial arts uniform…… Is he affiliated with the Vermilion Bird Flag?’

However, his appearance did not match that of any Captain or Vice-Captain of the Vermilion Bird Flag.

‘Then he must be an ordinary unit member…….’

What was interesting was that even those from the same Vermilion Bird Flag were subtly keeping their distance from him.

‘Who is he?’

Since Dokgo Jin knew only the major masters, it was difficult to guess the man’s identity.

‘The Northern Heaven Alliance is remarkable. To think there is even a hidden master like that.’

Just as Dokgo Jin committed him to memory and tried to extend his senses elsewhere.

Snap.

Dokgo Jin’s brow twitched. His waves of qi had been forcibly cut off by someone.

“…….”

Wondering if it was a coincidence, he secretly released another wave of qi, but the result was the same.

As if someone had cut a thread with sharp scissors, his search was precisely blocked.

‘Who is it?’

It was energy he had spread so faintly that the other party should not have noticed it.

It was a concealed qi art that even a peak master could not easily detect, yet someone had read it and cut it off with perfect accuracy.

Dokgo Jin’s sharp gaze swept over the crowd, then fixed on one man.

Dokgo Jin soon discovered one person.

‘Could it be that man?’

It was a man crouching with a sword that had an unusually long hilt resting against his shoulder.

He had rough stubble and loose white martial arts uniform.

Strangely, there was no mark on his clothes indicating his affiliation. What that meant was clear.

‘A man who does not belong to any organization.’

And yet he was staying in the inner compound of the Northern Heaven Alliance and had even been requisitioned into Cloud Sea Hall Master’s guard unit.

‘Is he a master from the Guest Retainer Hall?’

The ‘Guest Retainer Hall’ was a place where masters who did not belong to the Northern Heaven Alliance but were qualified to live inside Northern Heaven Castle stayed.

In short, they were masters recognized by the Northern Heaven Alliance.

‘Interesting. The presence he gives off on the outside is first-rate at best.’

His level of inner arts and the aura he radiated were utterly ordinary. At that level, he could never enter the Guest Retainer Hall.

‘Hmm.’

Dokgo Jin shifted his gaze to the sword resting against the man’s shoulder.

Upon closer examination, there was more than one unusual aspect to it.

‘The style is different.’

The handguard was plain and round, without any decoration to speak of, and most unusual of all was the ring on the scabbard.

Usually, it was common to fix a sword firmly to the waist with two rings.

However, the man’s scabbard had only a single rotatable ring attached to it.

It looked inconvenient, but in actual combat, it was a unique style that allowed the scabbard to be turned freely and the cutting angle changed.

‘I feel as if I have heard of a place that uses swords like that.’

Then.

The man raised his head and stared straight at Dokgo Jin.

‘Could it be…… he noticed that I spread my waves of qi? When he is only first-rate?’

The man, who appeared to be in his early thirties, smiled when his eyes met Dokgo Jin’s.

‘That man is different somehow.’

Dokgo Jin silently stared at him. But then, someone’s voice rang out.

“Attention!”

The eyes of the crowd turned toward the person who had shouted.

“Good to meet you all! I am Woo Il-gi, assigned to command this escort. You may call me Captain Woo.”

Woo Il-gi was a peak master affiliated with Cloud Sea Hall.

“As all of you have been told, you will be serving as guards for Cloud Sea Hall Master. The duration will be approximately forty days, including the round trip.”

A strange light appeared in Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

‘That means the destination is more than fifteen days away.’

It was quite far, more than he had expected.

‘The destination may be outside the Northern Heaven Alliance’s sphere of influence.’

That also meant this outing was not a light matter.

‘Where are we going?’

As if the others held a similar question, someone immediately raised a hand and asked.

“What is the destination, Captain Woo?”

“The destination of this escort is Mount Huang in Anhui Province.”

At that, the martial artists began murmuring.

“Anhui Province?”

“That is Sacred Sword Heaven’s territory, is it not?!”

“What is this? Are we going there to fight?”

Seeing their agitation, Woo Il-gi added,

“It is Sacred Sword Heaven’s territory, but this is an official visit, so there is no need to worry.”

Dokgo Jin flinched at the words ‘Mount Huang.’ That was because he knew what was there.

‘Could it be…… the destination is the Namgung Family?’