Chapter 303

The news that the Sa Wang Ryeon’s eldest son, Gwe Jeong-gi, and third son, Gwe Hang-gi, had been eliminated from the succession race spread like wildfire across Jiangsu Province.

It was an enormous shock to everyone in the Sa Wang Ryeon.

After all, Gwe Jeong-gi had been widely regarded as the most likely candidate to become the next Sa Wang without any surprises.

Because of this, people throughout Jiangsu Province—warriors and commoners alike—could talk of little else but Gwe Jeong-gi’s downfall.

“Have you heard? Lord Gwe Jeong-gi has lost his right to be heir.”

“What? What are you talking about? Why would Lord Gwe Jeong-gi suddenly lose his claim?”

“Tsk, tsk. You’re slow on the uptake. Turns out he was secretly colluding with doctors from the Yang family to poison key figures from the Sa Wang’s thirteen clans. And only those who didn’t support him.”

“What?! Lord Gwe Jeong-gi actually did something like that?!”

Among the Sa Wang Ryeon warriors, many things were allowed—even ambushes and fights with multiple opponents—but poison was strictly forbidden.

Using poison to incapacitate someone was the most despised act imaginable.

So when the Sa Wang Ryeon learned of Gwe Jeong-gi’s treachery, no one felt an ounce of sympathy for him.

“Hah! It’s ridiculous that such a petty scoundrel almost became the next Sa Wang!”

“Exactly. It’s a blessing this was uncovered early.”

Thanks to this, the warriors of the Sa Wang Ryeon quickly and naturally accepted Gwe Jeong-gi’s elimination.

Their attention then naturally shifted to a single question.

“So, does that mean Lord Gwe Chang-gi is the only one left to become the next Sa Wang? No more rivals, right?”

“Not so fast! What about Seol Pung?”

“Huh? Seol Pung? Oh, you mean the heir of the Seol family who was just recognized as a successor? No way he can stand against Lord Gwe Chang-gi…”

“Ha! You really don’t know anything. It was Seol Pung who exposed Gwe Jeong-gi’s conspiracy. And now, all thirteen clans that were poisoned have pledged their support to him.”

“Really?!”

“That’s not all. Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Hang-gi’s subordinates have joined Seol Pung’s faction. In terms of sheer power, he’s now even above Lord Gwe Chang-gi.”

“No way… How did that happen so fast?”

Seol Pung had suddenly risen to become the strongest contender for the next Sa Wang.

All thanks to his direct role in eliminating the formidable Gwe Jeong-gi.

“Wow! So it’s going to be a showdown. Knowing Lord Gwe Chang-gi’s pride, he won’t accept anyone stronger than himself.”

“Right. The gossipmongers are already predicting a one-on-one duel between the two to decide the next Sa Wang.”

“Sounds exciting. If they fight, I definitely want to watch.”

“Same here. Just let me know when and where.”

As the people of the Sa Wang Ryeon grew eager for the Seol Pung vs. Gwe Chang-gi clash, Seol Pung and his group—having absorbed the forces of Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Hang-gi—remained in Anhui Province instead of returning to Jiangsu.

They were busy reorganizing their newly acquired troops.

Since the newcomers came from two different factions, it was essential to sort out their ranks and redistribute them.

Seol Pung and Sunwoo Jin personally interviewed each member and mixed the two groups into two main units.

As a result, Seol Pung’s command now included five top-tier masters, about thirty elite warriors, and over a hundred first-rate fighters, divided into two divisions.

Of course, the top-tier masters from Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Hang-gi’s maternal clans—the Jin Gangman and Beon Haechae families—were sent back, so the number of supreme masters wasn’t very high.

But considering that among them were the legendary “Three Divine Spears” Gam Jak-hyung, one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Martial World, and the formidable Gui Do Baek Gi-ryang, this was no weak force.

In fact, given that Seol Pung still held no official position within the Sa Wang Ryeon, this was an unusually strong independent faction for a single heir.

After finishing the reorganization, Seol Pung gathered his key men for a meeting.

It was time to decide their next course of action.

Looking around at everyone, Seol Pung began.

“Thanks to all of you, someone like me—who was once utterly alone—has now built a force that can stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the martial world. I am deeply grateful to those who have stood by me so far, and to those who will join me from now on.”

He paused briefly, then bowed respectfully.

In response, the warriors all smiled warmly and returned his bow.

They knew better than anyone that they had once been the stones thrown into Seol Pung’s path.

Though they might face discrimination for a while, this thoughtful gesture—acknowledging both old and new comrades—was something they had never experienced from Gwe Jeong-gi or Gwe Hang-gi.

They felt a genuine satisfaction, convinced they had found a worthy leader.

In that warm atmosphere, Seol Pung continued.

“None of us would be here without the help of each and every one of you. But no one can deny that much of our success is thanks to the wisdom of my sworn brother, Sunwoo Jin. Therefore, I will rely on his counsel for our future plans. I ask all of you who have recently joined us to treat his words as if they were my own.”

With that, Seol Pung turned his gaze to Sunwoo Jin.

All eyes followed.

Everyone present had witnessed Sunwoo Jin’s skill and wisdom during their conflicts with Seol Pung, so there was no hint of doubt in their expressions.

Moreover, having seen the crushing defeat of the “Three Divine Spears” Gam Jak-hyung at Sunwoo Jin’s hands, their looks were filled with admiration rather than resentment.

Under the weight of all those gazes, Sunwoo Jin spoke slowly.

“Thank you for placing such high value on my humble wisdom. I will do my best to ensure good results. Now, regarding our plans: as you all expect, Seol Pung’s task is to defeat Lord Gwe Chang-gi. However, rather than facing him directly in combat, I recommend that Seol Pung first accomplish a feat worthy of Gwe Chang-gi’s respect.”

He was suggesting that Seol Pung earn Gwe Chang-gi’s recognition before challenging him outright.

Everyone, who had assumed a direct duel was inevitable, looked puzzled.

Especially Gam Jak-hyung, who, still brooding over his recent defeat, was the first to speak gruffly.

“Why not just fight him one-on-one? If he likes to fight, then just beat him. I don’t think Seol Pung would lose…”

Sunwoo Jin smiled faintly and replied.

“Of course, that would be the quickest and easiest way. Seol Pung would surely win and force Gwe Chang-gi to submit. But I recommend a more circuitous approach because our growth is happening too fast right now.”

Gam Jak-hyung frowned, repeating the words.

“Too fast?”

This was something neither Seol Pung nor the others had ever heard before.

Everyone leaned in, intrigued, as Sunwoo Jin explained.

“Defeating Gwe Chang-gi and becoming the Sa Wang’s heir won’t be difficult. But Seol Pung isn’t aiming to win a martial arts tournament—he wants to become the ruler of the Sa Wang Ryeon. If he rises too quickly, how do you think the people of the Sa Wang Ryeon will view him?”

At that moment, Dong So-woon, a distant relative of the Yangju Dong family and betrothed to Seol Pung, suddenly realized and answered.

“Oh! They might think the Sa Wang Ryeon has been taken over by an outsider!”

Being part of the Sa Wang Ryeon herself, she was the first to grasp this.

Sunwoo Jin nodded slightly, smiling.

“Exactly. The warriors of the Sa Wang Ryeon haven’t had enough time to see Seol Pung as one of their own. Some might even view him as an invader. On top of that, his ties to the Gwe family remain a potential risk.”

Seol Pung reacted most sensitively to that.

“Ties to the Gwe family?”

No one else—neither the public nor the Gwe brothers themselves—knew the truth: they were Seol Pung’s half-brothers.

Having grown up alone, Seol Pung felt a certain fondness for the Gwe siblings.

Though he had crossed an unbridgeable divide with Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Hang-gi, he hoped to maintain good relations with the others.

Sunwoo Jin seemed to understand Seol Pung’s feelings.

He had once felt similar emotions toward his own half-brothers in the Sunwoo family, so he was considerate.

Looking at Seol Pung, he explained.

“You’ve already made enemies of Gwe Jeong-gi and Gwe Hang-gi—that is, the Jin Gangman and Beon Haechae clans. The Sa Wang’s harsh punishment of them wasn’t entirely bad for you. It prevents them from scheming further. The problem is that, while you haven’t yet secured enough support within the Sa Wang Ryeon, you’ve already made some very powerful enemies.”

At those words, most of the people present let out low murmurs of understanding, their expressions shifting as they grasped Sun Woo-jin’s point.

“Hmm.”

“That makes sense.”

In the martial world, strength was undoubtedly the most important asset, but that didn’t mean political savvy was irrelevant.

Because sometimes, the threat behind you was far more dangerous than the enemy in front.

In that sense, having already made enemies of two powerful families within the Sa Wang Sib Sam Ga clan was likely to become a persistent problem for Seol Poong, even after he became the Sa Wang.

Sun Woo-jin continued.

“That’s why I believe it’s necessary to maintain good relations with the other brothers of the Gwe family—Gwe Chang-gi and Gwe Seo-gi. Just having their support would make the people of Sa Wang-ryeon feel much closer to you, hyungnim.”

As he spoke, Sun Woo-jin quietly thought to himself the reason he hadn’t shared with the others.

‘And hyungnim will gain good brothers in the process.’

Seol Poong nodded in agreement.

“Good idea. I completely agree with your opinion, little brother. What do the rest of you think?”

He scanned the faces around him, and everyone nodded in unison.

Sun Woo-jin’s reasoning was sound, and no one present had the standing to challenge a plan that Seol Poong had already endorsed.

Seol Poong then looked back at Sun Woo-jin.

“So, our next move is to achieve a feat that Gwe Chang-gi would acknowledge.”

After a moment’s thought, he added,

“Hmm, knowing you, Jin, I’m sure you already have a plan for that, don’t you?”

Sun Woo-jin smiled broadly.

Talking with Seol Poong was always comfortable.

He nodded without hesitation.

“Gwe Chang-gi said he would defeat Namgung Jo of the Changcheon Sword Army. So, to surprise him, we need to take down someone even stronger—one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World who commands a powerful force.”

At that, Gam Jak-hyung of the Three-Way Divine Spear frowned and asked,

“One of the Thirty-Six Stars with a strong force?”

As one of the Thirty-Six Stars himself, he felt somewhat slighted that Seol Poong and Sun Woo-jin were looking beyond him for their target.

But when Sun Woo-jin spoke again, he realized it wasn’t a slight—it was because their goal was simply too grand.

Sun Woo-jin grinned.

“Most of you may not know, but among the Thirty-Six Stars, there’s one we owe a debt to—Ho Nam’s Greatest Sword, Wi Jeong-guk.”

Wi Jeong-guk, Ho Nam’s Greatest Sword?

Hearing the name, everyone tried to recall who he was.

And in the next moment, their faces turned to shock.

They realized he wasn’t just one of the Thirty-Six Stars—he was the head of the massive Hyung San Sect, which dominated the entire Ho Nam region.

“W-Wi Jeong-guk, Ho Nam’s Greatest Sword?”

“T-That’s…”

The Hyung San Sect was rumored to be a colossal sect, possibly ranking even above the Five Great Families like the Namgung clan, and certainly among the top of the Nine Great Sects.

And now, Sun Woo-jin was saying they intended to take on that enormous sect with only Seol Poong’s forces.

It was a moment when Seol Poong’s previously confident claim of strength suddenly felt pitifully small.

Hong Chu of the White Bone Clan stammered, raising an objection.

“Sun Woo Gongja, isn’t that too reckless? I believe our forces could hold their own against any of the Sa Wang Sib Sam Ga families, but the Hyung San Sect isn’t just one family—it’s a power that must be compared to the entire Sa Wang-ryeon.”

Most of the others nodded grimly at that.

They all thought it was impossible.

Then Seol Poong spoke.

“Hyung San Sect, huh…”

All eyes turned to him, silently hoping he would rein in Sun Woo-jin’s reckless plan.

But when Seol Poong smiled and spoke, their hope turned to despair.

He said,

“I’ve been uneasy leaving them be anyway. This is the perfect chance to finish what we’ve been putting off.”

The subordinates who had just been feeling satisfied to have found a good master now sank into deep despair.

It was a feeling they had come to know in less than a single season under Seol Poong’s command.