Chapter 211

Sun Woo-jin glanced around at the people quietly watching him but didn’t slow his pace. He pressed on toward the main hall of the Hapsan faction.

With that many witnesses, it was only a matter of time before rumors spread like wildfire.

‘Phase one of the plan is a straightforward success.’

Sun Woo-jin sliced through the Hapsan warriors rushing at him with ease, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

Just as he had explained to his two elder brothers a week ago, everything was unfolding perfectly.

‘I thought it would be possible, but it’s even easier than I expected.’

Effortlessly decimating the Hapsan faction, he couldn’t help but smile with pride at his own martial prowess.

Thanks to his use of the Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance, which allowed him to unleash power beyond the supreme level, the Hapsan faction was no longer a challenging opponent.

Suddenly, Muk-rang spoke up.

“How does it feel to single-handedly crush an entire massive sect? From my old memories, the most exhilarating moments after becoming a master were exactly times like this.”

Sun Woo-jin grinned in response.

“I’m thrilled as well. It really feels like all the hard work I put into my martial arts training is paying off.”

Muk-rang’s words rang true.

The sensation of dismantling the strongest sect in Guangxi Province alone was like stepping into the shoes of a legendary master—utterly electrifying.

Memories from the past flashed through his mind.

How many had died back then, just to face a single disciple of the Small Faced Demon Army at the Jeonghyeop faction?

Now, he had taken on that very role himself, and the feeling was deeply poignant.

Muk-rang asked again.

“So, how’s the Southern Cross Sword technique? Is it any good?”

“Oh, yes. It’s a fine sword style. It’s much better than the Four Arts Sword Style when it comes to handling multiple opponents at once. It also blends well with the ‘Gaechun’ technique.”

---

In the end, Sun Woo-jin mastered the Southern Cross Sword of the Haenam School within a week.

Actually, he had succeeded in just three days.

“Ha! Is that even possible? If you can master a secret technique in a few days just by reading the manual, that’s not a supreme skill—that’s the Three Calamities Sword Style!” Jeung-chil had scoffed, mocking him.

But when Sun Woo-jin demonstrated his mastery of the Southern Cross Sword after only three days, Jeung-chil was utterly speechless and furious.

“N-no way! How could you master such a supreme technique in just three days by reading the manual? I refuse to believe it! You must have known this sword style all along, right?! Otherwise…!”

But when Sun Woo-jin simply smiled quietly, Jeung-chil’s expression crumbled as if the sky had fallen, and he had no choice but to admit defeat.

“Ugh! I… lost.”

He then swore never to oppose Sun Woo-jin’s plans again.

“If I ever gamble with the youngest brother again, I’m no longer human!”

Watching Jeung-chil’s reaction, Sun Woo-jin couldn’t help but smile smugly.

And inwardly, he thought:

“Truly, the most respected figure in history is indeed the Sword God.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Thank me? Seeing that arrogant brat frustrated actually makes me feel refreshed.”

In fact, the White Tiger Sword Sun Woo-jin now wielded was forged after receiving guidance from Muk-rang in a dream.

Thanks to that, Sun Woo-jin had even learned blacksmithing techniques.

Though mastering the Southern Cross Sword took only three days, he allowed himself a full week to properly craft the White Tiger Sword.

So, all of this was thanks to Muk-rang.

Still, even with Muk-rang’s help, such achievements weren’t possible for just anyone.

Muk-rang himself was amazed once again while teaching Sun Woo-jin the Southern Cross Sword.

“Impressive. Honestly, I was skeptical, but to see you wield the Southern Cross Sword so skillfully in just a week… your talent is truly remarkable.”

He continued with a slight smile.

“I don’t usually say this, but the only person who ever surprised me with talent while I was alive was my nephew. Even my elder brother wasn’t particularly impressive in that regard. So, your talent is quite something. I’m really looking forward to seeing if you can master the Mang-a Gong technique.”

Sun Woo-jin couldn’t hold back his laughter at the praise.

Being recognized for his talent by the Sword God, hailed as the greatest of all time, was as thrilling as single-handedly destroying a sect.

He smiled warmly and thanked Muk-rang.

“Not quite to that extent, but thank you.”

Then, a question suddenly occurred to him.

“If your nephew was so talented, why didn’t you pass on the Mang-a Gong technique to him?”

Muk-rang’s voice turned bitter.

“Well, there were various reasons.”

He didn’t seem eager to elaborate.

So Sun Woo-jin decided not to press further.

---

While Sun Woo-jin was lost in these thoughts, he had already arrived in front of the Hapsan faction’s main hall.

The Hapsan warriors who had been charging at him earlier no longer dared to approach.

Of course, the faction’s fighters weren’t entirely wiped out yet.

But with all the supreme masters already dead, the remaining warriors didn’t even have the courage to engage.

Sun Woo-jin casually scanned the remaining Hapsan warriors with an indifferent gaze.

Seeing this, those who had been watching from a distance took a fearful step back.

“Ughhh!”

“A-a monster! It’s a monster!”

“Sect Leader! If only the Sect Leader would come… Why isn’t he coming?”

“B-but even if the Sect Leader comes, can he really handle someone like that?”

They were utterly defeated, unable to resist any longer.

Sun Woo-jin let out a small chuckle at their helplessness and shouted once more toward the main hall.

“The infamous Haenam School’s Inparang has arrived! The enemy of my father! Where is Hapsan’s Sect Leader, Uh Jeong-gi?! Are you hiding because you’re scared?!”

But despite his provocation, there was no response from inside.

No one emerged, and no sounds came from within.

After waiting briefly, Sun Woo-jin finally smashed through the front gate and strode inside.

KRAAAASH!

What greeted his eyes was a scene of utter devastation—inside the main hall, the bodies of Hapsan warriors lay strewn about.

The hall had already been attacked by someone else.

Though he hadn’t even touched it yet, the interior was already in ruins.

Sun Woo-jin smiled knowingly, as if he had expected this.

Without hesitation, he continued deeper inside.

‘Since it’s quiet in here, it looks like my brothers have already finished their work.’

“Of course. Two supreme warriors attacking a building—what else could happen?”

Indeed.

The reason Sun Woo-jin had been calling out for Sect Leader Uh Jeong-gi at the main gate was a ruse.

While Sun Woo-jin caused a commotion outside, Seol-pung and Jeung-chil had been tasked with raiding the main hall.

He had to be the only one visible to the crowd, but away from their eyes, there was no need for such pretense.

Sun Woo-jin leisurely surveyed the chaos his sworn brothers had created as he entered the innermost chamber of the Hapsan faction—the Sect Elders’ room.

There, he immediately saw a man trembling violently, his face contorted in pain.

“Ughhh!”

Though clearly in agony, the man could only emit faint groans, unable to speak.

The sight was all too familiar to Sun Woo-jin.

He smiled and said, “Looks like you’re under the Bone Crushing Technique. How many levels have you reached?”

Seol-pung, watching nearby, gave a bitter chuckle.

“Level seven.”

“Seven? Really?”

Sun Woo-jin was a bit surprised.

Out of ten levels, reaching seven was quite high.

Usually, people broke down and confessed by level five—it was rare to see such stubbornness.

He looked at Uh Jeong-gi with renewed interest.

“So, he’s got some real grit, huh?”

But Seol-pung shook his head with a bitter smile.

“No, actually, he’s already been pushed as far as he can go. But my brother wanted to test him up to level ten.”

“Ahhh.”

Sun Woo-jin immediately understood.

Jeung-chil was watching Uh Jeong-gi’s condition with eyes sparkling like a mischievous child.

He had previously mocked the use of torture techniques, but it seemed he was eager to try it himself.

Jeung-chil rubbed his hands together, licked his lips, and muttered.

“Heh heh, now, let’s see what level eight looks like.”

Uh Jeong-gi’s eyes flickered with desperation as he groaned pitifully.

“Ughhh!”

Even without training in reading wills, his desperate spirit was easy to sense.

But Jeung-chil either couldn’t or wouldn’t read it.

Without hesitation, he raised the Bone Crushing Technique to level eight.

“Ughhh!”

Uh Jeong-gi’s eyes rolled back in agony.

Sun Woo-jin shook his head with a smile similar to Seol-pung’s, then turned away from Jeung-chil, who was fully focused on Uh Jeong-gi, and asked Seol-pung again.

“Did you find anything new?”

Seol-pung nodded and showed him documents taken from the safe in the Sect Leader’s room.

“Look at this. Just as you suspected, the Hapsan faction was formed through a joint venture between the Haenam School’s Jin Tae-do and the Hyeongsan faction. After taking over all of Guangxi Province, they planned to split the territory evenly. And they weren’t the only puppets—Haenam had influence in Guangdong Province, and Hyeongsan in Jiangxi Province as well…”

Sun Woo-jin nodded as he examined the documents Seol-pung handed him.

At this point, it seemed more than certain that the combined faction was nothing less than a puppet of the Hyeongsan faction and the Haenam faction’s Jin Taedo.

Seolpung spoke to Sun Woojin.

“If this gets made public, the two sects will be thrown into chaos. What do you plan to do? Will you reveal everything right away?”

Over the past week, the three of them hadn’t just been mastering Haenam faction’s martial arts—they had also seized control of one of the Hao Moon branch offices near Hapsan.

Usually, Hao Moon branches are closely tied to the dominant powers in their regions, and the Hapsan branch was no exception; it maintained a tight cooperative relationship with the Hapsan faction.

So, just as Sun Woojin had done before with No Samryong of the Guiyang branch, he used a mix of threats and persuasion to turn this branch into an ally.

By skillfully applying the Dissecting Bone Technique and the secret arts taken from the Four Heavenly Killings, he had managed to bend them to his will.

In any case, the Hao Moon Hapsan branch was now very cooperative with Sun Woojin.

With their help, it would be entirely possible to spread these materials throughout the martial world in a short time.

But Sun Woojin just smiled wryly and shook his head.

“No, that’s a good idea, but I’ve thought of something even more interesting. I think…”

As he began to explain, Seolpung and Jeungchil—who had been busy testing the Dissecting Bone Technique—both focused intently on his words.

Soon, they exchanged mischievous grins, nodding in agreement.

---

Rumors about the appearance of In Parang, the heir of Haenam, spread throughout the entire South Sea region within days.

Along with the whispers that the Hyeongsan faction and Haenam faction’s Jin Taedo were behind the combined faction, there were also rumors that they had assassinated In Gyeun, the former head of Haenam.

But the impact of these rumors was very different in the Hyeongsan and Haenam factions.

First, in Hyeongsan, the rumors had little effect.

That was because the faction responded with unwavering firmness.

They categorically denied any involvement, calling the accusations slander.

Moreover, they threatened to punish anyone who spread such baseless rumors that tarnished their honor, showing no sign of wavering to outsiders.

This demonstrated the strong unity of the faction, centered around their chief elder, the renowned swordsman Wi Jeongguk.

On the other hand, Haenam faction was not so resolute.

Already divided by many opposing voices, Jin Taedo had postponed the faction meeting by a week, but barely seven days had passed before he had to face the heads of the twelve Haenam families again.

In the Haenam faction’s meeting room, Oh Ikdeok, head of the Oh family and master of the Deadly Kill, slammed his fist on the round table and shouted.

Bang!

“Jin Taedo! It was you all along! You were the one who killed In Gyeun, the head of the In family!”

His words carried the fierce aura of an ultra-powerful master.

But Jin Taedo remained unshaken.

With a cold, composed expression, he replied sharply.

“Nonsense. I never did such a thing. On the contrary, I feel deeply wronged by many of the family heads. How could you believe such baseless rumors and accuse me?”

His performance was bold—so confident that Oh Ikdeok flinched slightly.

Then, in a somewhat subdued tone, Oh Ikdeok pressed on.

“Are you saying it’s just a rumor? Even though that young man, In Parang, wielded the White Tiger Sword and used the Southern Cross Sword?”

Jin Taedo scoffed.

“Do you have proof that those were truly the White Tiger Sword and the Southern Cross Sword? And how could outsiders, not even disciples of Haenam, recognize those swords? Besides, if he really is In Parang, why didn’t he come straight to Haenam faction but went to the Hapsan faction instead? I’d like to meet him myself and ask.”

Oh Ikdeok was left speechless, muttering softly.

“Hmm.”

At that moment, the head of the Chuk family, sitting beside Jin Taedo, quickly jumped in to support him.

“The chief elder is right! How can you suspect him based on unverified rumors? Oh family head, apologize immediately!”

Once he spoke, the heads of the Mi, Hae, and Sul families rose like a swarm, joining in to condemn Oh Ikdeok.

“That’s right! Where else in the world would such disrespect be tolerated?!”

“Apologize at once, Oh family head!”

“There’s no one else to suspect, so you pick on him…!”

Then, Yu Haeung, head of the Yu family, who had been sitting silently, slowly spoke up.

Though his voice was quiet, it carried the weight of a mountain.

“I agree with that. We should not suspect and blame someone based on unverified rumors. We’ve already had experience with that—when someone was unfairly cornered by such tactics. Isn’t that right, Head Jin?”

Yu Haeung’s sharp gaze fixed on Jin Taedo.

Jin Taedo, along with the others who had been condemning Oh Ikdeok, cleared their throats and avoided his stare.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

They all clearly understood what Yu Haeung was implying.

He was condemning their past actions.

Back when In Gyeun and Jin Taedo had competed for the position of chief elder of Haenam faction, In Gyeun had been severely criticized due to sudden scandals.

Affairs with other families’ wives, embezzlement of public funds, even contract killings.

None of these rumors were ever confirmed, but the mere existence of such accusations dealt a heavy blow to his bid for chief elder.

Especially at that time, Jin Taedo had argued vehemently.

“The fact that such rumors exist about the In family head alone disqualifies him! How can we trust someone with such allegations to lead Haenam’s future?”

By the time it was proven that all those accusations were false, Jin Taedo had already become chief elder, and In Gyeun had long since disappeared.

Yu Haeung was reminding them of that episode.

Wasn’t Jin Taedo the very one who had most harshly condemned the In family head based on unverified rumors?

Faced with this, Jin Taedo could no longer press Oh Ikdeok further and had to restrain the other family heads.

Bringing up the past would only hurt himself.

Trying to steer the conversation, Jin Taedo said,

“Alright, let’s stop dwelling on that and focus on something more important. The most pressing matter now is the true identity of this so-called In Parang. We need to investigate who he really is and what his motives are for spreading these rumors.”

The family heads around him all nodded in agreement.

“Exactly! We must investigate him!”

“Right! We have to find out who’s behind these rumors!”

Their words cleverly emphasized that these were just rumors.

Without hesitation, Jin Taedo added,

“That’s why I intend to meet him personally. I will go find him myself…”

But Yu Haeung interrupted.

“Tell me this—if his claims are true, then what?”

Jin Taedo’s aura flared as he glared fiercely at Yu Haeung.

“What did you say, Head Yu? Surely you don’t still believe such nonsense…!”

But Yu Haeung stood firm, unmoved by Jin Taedo’s formidable presence.

With a calm, rock-solid expression, he said,

“You’re mistaken, Head Jin. Saying the truth hasn’t been verified doesn’t mean it’s false. It just means we don’t know yet. But if it turns out to be true, wouldn’t it be strange for you to go meet him? It would be like a son seeking out his father’s murderer.”

Jin Taedo ground his teeth and shouted,

“That’s absurd…!”

Yet Yu Haeung, with the same unyielding tone and expression, firmly closed the matter.

“If you are innocent, Head Jin, then wait for others to investigate. The more you involve yourself, the more suspicious you become.”

Jin Taedo fell silent, glancing around.

The other family heads nodded in agreement.

Even those who supported him avoided his gaze, unable to argue.

Finally, Jin Taedo clenched his teeth, realizing he needed a new plan.