The reason Seol-Hwi came to Wudang was clear.

The Demonic Sect guy, the Absolute, needed to be challenged again, and for that, Seol-Hwi had to grow stronger. More precisely, he needed every realization he could get.

The road leading to Profound Demon, and more, was blocked.

The eyes and ears of the Demon God were spreading around the sect, and since the sect leader was the servant of the Absolute Being, it was not easy to even develop his skills.

That was why he moved to the Justice faction — to go around without attracting attention and to take advantage of the situation.

The order was to train in martial arts within the justice sects and then rise to the Profound Master level, the same level as the Profound Demon. Among the justice factions, there were two places that were worthy of consideration.

One was Shaolin, and the other was Wudang.

Among them, Wudang, which formed the best martial arts, was a target. If he could calmly build up his strength there and meet those who had grown exponentially, he could gain some help.

It will not be easy.

In the past, there was a time when a man known as the Absolute boasted that he had removed any traces of the Profound Masters and Demons. They would probably have been completely nipped in the bud before they stepped into the world.

But the path was not limited to books. In the Nine Great Sects, places like Wudang would not transfer their martial arts to just anyone.

Do not pass it down to people.

That was their belief. They refused to teach it to others. This was the pride of a famous sect and was intended to prevent disciples without morals from misusing their martial arts.

But, in terms of that, they sometimes managed to admit those with no talent but truly skilled character.

The intention is good, but the result can lead to a secret battle for power.

Because of this Wudang principle, their martial arts had not been passed down for a hundred years, leading to the decline in the sect’s power.

Even within the Qingcheng Sect, which Seol-Hwi belonged to, several had deteriorated.

But then again.

The revival of the Qingcheng Sect’s martial arts was not solely due to Seol-Hwi. Taoist Cheong Heo, his master, had also put forth consistent effort. Surely, Wudang must have had similar individuals.

From what he had heard in his previous life, Elder Hae Seon had achieved significant accomplishments in martial arts.

After his death, Elder Hae Woo, a prominent figure in Wudang, secluded himself within the sect.

But Seol-Hwi’s information from his past life suggested there was more.

It isn’t just Hae Seon. The mass death of fifty-three Taoists and others. This wasn’t normal.

It seemed suspicious. Could this be evidence of someone’s interference? The mass death of young people was too dubious to be considered anything else.

Seol-Hwi wanted to investigate, but with Wudang maintaining silence, he could not delve deeper into the matter, and it was difficult even for a scholar to approach Wudang.

Because of that, he considered joining Wudang. After the young men died, the entire sect had gone into seclusion.

They must be involved somehow.

So Seol-Hwi shifted his focus from books to people.

Among the Hae disciples, he searched for those connected to the incident.

All thirteen of them.

Three had reached the Supreme Master level, a discovery he had made quite recently. There were two more.

And these two behemoths in the bowels of Wudang had to be them.

Shh. Shh.

Come now.

He urged them to reveal more, but his counterpart seemed to have no intention of doing so. Perhaps they found silence comfortable.

Swish!

In the darkness, where a faint light flickered, Seol-Hwi quickly stepped back from the aggressive attacks.

It was uncomfortable. The opponent’s weapon was a dagger, and his limbs were long and agile.

On the other hand, Seol-Hwi’s longsword was more limited than expected. Eventually, after a few parries, he moved to perform the Qingcheng Sect’s technique.

“Uh?”

Seol-Hwi, who stopped in the moment, shook his head. The man, with just a bit of energy left, took advantage.

Shh

The moment he hesitated, the man turned his body and charged at him.

When Seol-Hwi regained his composure, five assassin daggers flew between the fingers that blocked the escape path.

Swish!

At that moment, Seol-Hwi did not dodge but simply raised his energy. Then, some of the assassin’s daggers got caught in his robe.

Tsk

A gust of wind expanded as if it had been waiting. Seol-Hwi created a barrier of wind in the area the assailants were avoiding.

It was the moment when the sword technique came into effect.

Chak!

“Kuak!”

The assassination attempt stopped, and several times more strength surged into his hand.

Then he lowered his head, narrowed his eyes at the powerful technique, and mumbled.

Swish.

As if it were a lie, the airflow stopped in front of the skinny man. Seol-Hwi’s face stiffened at that.

Thousand Pounds Growth…?

It was the technique of the Wudang, known to control thousands of pounds.

It was not some imitation but one that had its essence understood.

Pat!

And the attacks ended there.

Instead of sending the airflow back to Seol-Hwi, the opponent dispersed it and then steadied his breathing.

And the hunchbacked old man just stared at Seol-Hwi.

“You Evil Sect guy…”

Seol-Hwi, observing the strange look of the two, spoke calmly,

“Renegade of Wudang.”

“…”

Clack.

He saw their expressions change. But that was the only reaction he received. The hunchback spoke,

“How can a Taoist who should be in Qingcheng be concerned with Wudang affairs?”

“Hmmm.”

Seol-Hwi frowned.

The other person seemed convinced he was from Qingcheng, since the martial arts he used were of that sect. Probably because it was just his last life, he unconsciously used the techniques.

“I just came to look at the records. I never imagined that two of the Supreme Master warriors would be guarding this place.”

“Why would you want to look at our records?”

This time it was the skinny old man who spoke.

“It should be upstairs, but somehow I ended up taking the stairs down and…”

Seol-Hwi glared at them and said,

“If you were simple Evil Sect people, I would have killed you, but if you are traitors, it is different. Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

The former was right, but the latter needs to be reprimanded.

Wudang would not be able to speak about these two people. No, they would not even understand what this was.

From the looks of it, they were the ones who were guarding the place.

Maybe they were some hidden blade kept for emergencies.

“I don’t have a reason to answer that question. Rather, we would ask one thing. I cannot believe that the Qingcheng Sect sent a warrior and even went so far to learn the core of Wudang. What are you all planning?”

The opponent came out with a sensitive question because Seol-Hwi had done the same.

There was this illusion, but it was not much different from reality. And judging from how they treated him and how he treated them, it felt like they were people of high class.

“The name of a prestigious sect is tainted. A noble senior who learns the martial arts of an evil sect.”

“This isn’t something for Qingcheng to involve itself in. How can martial arts be all anyone needs? Studying various martial arts with different directions is also a way to realize the self.”

“It is said that even if you drink the same water, if a snake drinks it, it turns to poison, and if a cow drinks it, it turns to milk.”

The other person did not even flinch at Seol-Hwi’s words.

“You and your… hmm.”

From their answers, Seol-Hwi noticed one thing. These two old men in front of him were no ordinary people.

On the plus side, they were open-minded, but on the downside, they seemed to be cruel.

What had made them this way? If they were typical Wudang practitioners, they would only use Taiji for their entire lives. And yet they had delved into the Evil Sect…

“Well. True. You are right. I would accept help from anyone to find the way.”

“…”

“…”

He tried to guess their answer, but he could not. Their silence mostly suggested a positive response.

This made them suspicious, and Seol-Hwi’s expression darkened. The hunched old man stepped forward.

“No matter what you say, the reality will not change. You have entered a restricted Wudang area and share our fate. There is a price to pay for all this.”

Seol-Hwi’s lips curled into a smile.

“Right, I do need to pay. I will also reveal who you have allied with under this bright sunlight.”

“What?”

“Right.”

The old men laughed out loud. They certainly would.

Who in the world would recognize that the martial arts from the Wudang Sect are based in the Evil Sect?

There was a saying that if a martial arts warrior was strong, that was all that was needed. There was no way to determine the origin of a martial art.

Unless the opponent openly confessed all his martial arts techniques…

Moreover, would a master who has achieved a high level in martial arts train in only one specific style?

Regardless of the sect from which it was learned, one cannot simply fight using the martial arts of an existing Wudang practitioner. By using his enlightenment and achievements, one can transform it into a completely distinct martial art.

The Supreme Master level was where such a thing was possible. Was this not an area where one cannot speak without caution unless they were confident that the other person knew everything there was to know?

I understand. If I use that technique.

However, Seol-Hwi partly believed it. To be precise, he needed to verify something.

Just one switch, and the transformation would occur.

It was a feature he had learned from the system, but it had been a while since he found it useful. By changing to the state of Profound Demon and Profound Master, he could toggle between them.

Because he could then discern exactly which type of martial arts had been used, and whether they were demonic arts.

Just knowing this was sufficient.

Shhhh

As Seol-Hwi moved, his eyes transformed.

Was it to gain understanding? Was this a vulnerability? Was this a countermeasure?

But they were not certain, and their uncertainty plunged them into darkness.

One can alter it based on the upper dantian, harnessing energy that can be controlled.

This was the enlightenment he had received from the Qingcheng Sect.

The flow of qi stretched from the sky to the ground. The moment he embraced that energy, the transformation shifted from righteous to demonic energy, letting it surge through his body before opening his eyes.

Swish—

It was as if time had stopped, and everything changed in an instant.

The wind of qi swirled before his eyes, growing darker and denser by the moment.

Grack!

Eventually, the energy turned gray like storm clouds and began to permeate his body.

“What!”

“Who are you!”

They could sense the change radiating from Seol-Hwi’s body. This was not just a simple release of energy, but a transformation unfolding before them.

What was even more astonishing was that the energy resembled demonic energy.

Wheeing—

Meanwhile, Seol-Hwi, who had reached the profound stage, observed them.

He was scanning the source of their energy, which was pulsating outward.

“Surely that bastard must have been involved. And you both allied yourselves with someone you shouldn’t have.”

Seol-Hwi’s eyes darkened with murderous qi.

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