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The current Alliance Leader, Jang Cheon, was having a conversation with his son, Jang Seonyeon.

The once-filled teacup now lay empty on the table…

But Jang Cheon continued to hold up the empty teacup in silence.

The silence continued,

But it was Jang Cheon who eventually broke it,

“Why did you do that?”

His words held a lot of pressure.

After hearing his question, Jang Seonyeon, who had his head lowered, raised his head.

“Son.”

“…Yes.”

“Did you forget the promise you made with your father?”

“I did not forget.”

“Then, why did you make that choice?”

“…”

Jang Seonyeon shut his mouth.

It wasn’t because he had nothing to say…

Instead, it was that he had things that he didn’t want to say.

He had many things that he couldn’t afford to say out loud and he knew that saying them would only damage him.

“Didn’t I tell you? About the dangers of that power.”

‘Why do you think that way?’

It was a sentence that Jang Seonyeon couldn’t say out loud, so he held his tongue.

“I warned you about the danger it poses, the kind that can consume you slowly, to the point of losing yourself.”

Upon hearing Jang Cheon’s words, Jang Seonyeon’s stomach tightened.

Then a turbulent surge coursed through his body as if it had angrily responded to his father’s warning.

He hadn’t used this power in quite some time, but it seemed like it still hadn’t fully calmed down yet.

His father didn’t know much about this power.

Despite being the leader of the Murim Alliance, he was never given this power, so it made sense that he didn’t know much about it.

He probably couldn’t even feel it.

It’s just that he noticed it because of the performance Jang Seonyeon displayed during his duel.

“I recall saying that you are not allowed to use that power until you reach the age of twenty, but why did you use it anyway?”

Jang Seonyeon thought of Namgung Bi-ah after hearing Jang Cheon’s words.

Why did he do it? Jang Seonyeon asked himself that question in his mind,

But only one answer came to mind.

‘I was afraid.’

It was that simple.

He was afraid of the woman who seemed to shine brighter with each passing moment, so he used that power as an escape route.

‘…What a nasty feeling.’

The way she relentlessly advanced without any intention of backing down…

Her penetrating gaze that saw something beyond him…

And even her confident steps free from any and all doubt…

All of it was sickening for Jang Seonyeon.

Even the way Gu Yangcheon looked at him while carrying Namgung Bi-ah away…

Jang Seonyeon wondered why he had to feel this way.

‘All I did was use the power granted to me.’

‘So why must I feel this aching sensation while feeling embarrassed?’

‘This power was given to me so I could become the light.’

‘I was chosen.’

‘Which was why I would shine brighter than anyone.’

So why did that woman shine so brilliantly?’

‘How childish of me.’

The emotion that boiled inside Jang Seonyeon was undoubtedly a guilty conscience.

He didn’t want to admit it, but that was what the reality was.

Was it because the young prodigies were much more talented than he originally expected?

‘Meteor themselves said this to me.’

‘That the Heavenly Qi was pointing to me as the star of this generation.’

– Along with two bloods, the flow belongs to the star.

– Even time itself will be surpassed, so how could it not be the star?

He didn’t know what those words meant…

But they had said these words while pointing at him.

That was definitely the case.

It had to be.

No matter what.

“I’m sorry, Father.”

Jang Seonyeon organized his thoughts while smiling quietly.

His father knew nothing.

Or it was possible that he knew, but was acting like he didn’t.

But that didn’t matter.

“I won’t make any more mistakes to damage your name…”

Since his father would approve of him in the future anyway.

“…”

Jang Cheon didn’t respond to Jang Seonyeon, a rarity in itself.

Jang Cheon wondered if he neglected his son too much, thinking he was perfect.

After all, he noticed that Jang Seonyeon seemed subtly different.

Jang Cheon wondered what had changed.

Jang Cheon thought with his eyes closed.

That he must go see the Chief Abbott again.

******************

Ice Palace of the North.

It was formed in the northern side of the world when the ice crystals came out from the Abyss; they blanketed the region with ice and snow, ushering in an everlasting winter.

Those destined to sit on the throne of the snowfields would come from this place.

And they also used Ice Martial Arts which complemented their frigid environment.

When the previous Palace Lord, known as the Righteous Snow King, descended to the Central Plains as a representative with his armies of frost…

It was said that in just one gesture, summer was chased away, bringing winter to the region. And this very place was where masters such as him were produced.

And Moyong Hi-ah had the blood of the Ice Palace running in her veins.

It was because the wife of the Moyong Clan’s lord, who was also the fourth daughter of the Ice Palace’s lord, was her mother.

Her father loved her mother very much.

Which was probably why he only had sights on her mother with no other concubines.

He declared to the elders of the clan that as the lord of one of the Four Noble Clans, he wouldn’t have any other engagements or even concubines.

He put his love for his wife over the clan’s benefits.

To prove that, he took responsibility for all the problems that appeared single-handedly.

Up until Moyong Hi-ah grew from a girl into a woman, she couldn’t understand her father.

How was love more important?

Was it worth sacrificing so much to protect?

It was something she couldn’t understand both rationally and emotionally.

Just look at it; their love made the noble Moyong Clan fall behind the other Four Noble Clans.

Moreover, even the name Moyong started to lose its power.

What did their love leave for the clan?

It left behind a tarnished glory that was now in the hands of the Murim Alliance…

Father was left all alone after Mother died, and…

‘It left me, who is leeching off the clan.’

‘Father and Mother probably didn’t know that the daughter they finally managed to have would have such a disease.’

Probably, no one expected that the blood of the Ice Palace would bring this result.

Furthermore, in this current generation with doctors that could cure most diseases…

‘I have one that can’t be cured.’

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

‘How ridiculous.’

‘Not that there is any point in me talking about it.’

The world still carried on as if nothing was wrong.

Moyong Hi-ah, like other people with her disease, developed sharp senses…

But it hardly seemed a fair trade for the suffering it brought.

As there were so many geniuses in the world who were better than her.

Even the boy standing in front of her right now was a good example.

‘Isn’t that a bit too much…?’

As if it collected all the flames of the world, there was an orb of flame that burned passionately.

It looked so strong that it wasn’t weird to call it a small sun.

When Moyong Hi-ah saw that, she wore a hopeless expression, but there was also a smile on her face.

It was because she could at least satisfy her curiosity about Gu Yangcheon’s true power.

And the hopeless expression stemmed from the realization that she was way out of his leagues, just by looking at him.

‘Was this why he apologized?’

If that was the case, she couldn’t help but feel that it was preposterous.

Wasn’t it way too unfair for him to apologize for that?

Moyong Hi-ah drew her sword and channeled her Qi.

She kept having thoughts of giving up, but she couldn’t afford to do so.

Moyong Hi-ah could do that, but the Snow Phoenix couldn’t.

Ice Qi started to form in her sword.

She used the signature art of the Moyong Clan that used Inner Qi, the Righteous Arts.

Then she followed it up with the Righteous Sword.

However, unlike the martial arts of other clans, where their Flame Qi and Lightning Qi became stronger as they reached higher martial realms…

The Moyong Clan had no relations with Ice Qi.

They were quite far from it, in fact.

This was because Ice Qi was something that only Moyong Hi-ah had.

Her having different eye colors…

And the fact that her Ice Qi got stronger as she reached higher levels was probably because of her blood.

When she channeled her Qi to use her martial arts, she felt cold instantly.

Which made her use Qi again to block that cold.

This coldness was unlike the typical winter cold.

Because the body couldn’t handle the Ice Qi that grew inside the body.

It was a coldness that couldn’t be alleviated even if she sat in front of a hot campfire while wearing thick clothes.

It was a coldness that used her life force to freeze her surroundings, accompanied by the smell of death…

And the cold that Moyong Hi-ah hated the most.

‘What a scary and tiring coldness.’

Moyong Hi-ah stared at the small sun in front of her.

The intense heat made it difficult for her to breathe, causing her to involuntarily furrow her brow.

Even while she was using her Qi, putting out ice Qi around her,

Gu Yangcheon’s heat that he was producing was devouring Moyong Hi-ah’s Ice Qi like it was nothing.

Which made Moyong Hi-ah wonder how such a thing could be possible, while also considering it quite obvious.

It was simply because Gu Yangcheon’s Flame Qi was hotter than her cold Ice Qi.

‘How could he use it at such a magnitude?’

Moyong Hi-ah had a sharp sense.

It helped her read people’s expressions and emotions…

But it helped her more in identifying her opponent’s martial capabilities.

Her sharp sense wasn’t comparable to a sense given by God…

But it was enough for her to make good use of it.

When she looked at Gu Yangcheon, his martial capabilities were weird to explain.

He didn’t really have a difficult martial skill.

Upon closer scrutiny, it seemed rather simple to use.

However, there was one condition that seemed extremely hard to fulfill.

First, a massive amount of Qi was needed to use such an art.

Furthermore, the body had to be well-trained to have control over the explosive flames.

She then observed Gu Yangcheon’s body.

‘…It doesn’t seem that well-trained.’

In Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes, Gu Yangcheon’s body seemed weaker than other young prodigies.

Not only his muscles but his overall frame made him look physically weaker,

Which made Moyong Hi-ah wonder where such power was coming from.

It didn’t seem sufficient to merely label it as talent…

But then she had no other way to explain it if it wasn’t just that.

The result of the unfair world.

That’s the conclusion Moyong Hi-ah drew.

Moyong Hi-ah already knew the harsh reality of the world, so she could only smile bitterly.

“Even while standing in front of those flames, I still feel cold.”

Perhaps because she had a sun in front of her, such a thought passed by her mind.

She got into her stance.

After all, the fight had already begun.

As Moyong Hi-ah’s Ice Qi-enhanced sword was about to stab through the heat…

“Huh…?”

Moyong Hi-ah suddenly stopped.

Gu Yangcheon’s flames continued to burn passionately, but Moyong Hi-ah only stood still like a stone as if she had forgotten about it completely.

“Why… What’s… happening?”

Moyong Hi-ah’s usual composure wavered as she spoke with an uncharacteristic stutter.

However, Moyong Hi-ah had no choice but to do so.

‘Why… am I not cold all of sudden?’

Moyong Hi-ah’s Ice Qi still surged through her sword and her Qi remained stable despite her being shaken by the current situation.

In essence, this meant that she needed to feel the cold, but for some reason, the cold had completely disappeared.

She was so taken aback that her hand started to shake.

After all, such a thing had never happened to her before.

Even the Tang Clan couldn’t get rid of Moyong Hi-ah’s coldness, even leaving a huge scar on her back in the process.

‘Why is this suddenly happening?’

“Whether it’s now or before…”

Moyong Hi-ah, in her state of disarray, suddenly heard a voice.

“Always with so many thoughts. And those wide-open eyes when something goes wrong.”

“…Pardon?”

Moyong Hi-ah asked, wondering what Gu Yangcheon was talking about, but Gu Yangcheon only put on a sour face.

“Nothing, I wasn’t speaking to you, but someone who crossed my mind.”

‘Her with that hearing of hers, I swear.’

Moyong Hi-ah didn’t actually hear his voice, but judging by Gu Yangcheon’s lip movements, it sounded like he said those things.

Gu Yangcheon then looked around and continued to speak.

“I think I’ve shown enough,”

“…Young Master Gu?”

“And I think I’ve waited long enough.”

Following Gu Yangcheon’s words, flames started to move.

The flames that were forming an orb started to change with a simple hand gesture.

Rather than changing shape, it climbed up Gu Yangcheon’s arm and started to spin around.

Just by looking at the shape of it, it seemed dangerous.

The sight was not only ominous in shape but was likely to be genuinely dangerous.

Such huge flames were compressed into one side of his arm, so it definitely wouldn’t be weak.

Putting aside the shocking fact that she couldn’t feel the cold anymore,

Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

It felt like things were flowing weirdly.

Then Gu Yangcheon asked,

“You’re not gonna forfeit, right?”

Unlike the heavy atmosphere he put out in the beginning, he asked with a lighter tone.

“No… It’s uh…”

“Right, I asked something strange, I knew you wouldn’t.”

While wondering what he was doing in the middle of the fight, Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t help but regret a little,

After all, she was thinking about forfeiting while staring at the flames spinning around his arm.

Moyong Hi-ah quickly raised her sword and got into her stance,

But before she was able to take a step, Gu Yangcheon moved first.

His flaming arm moved lightly.

“It won’t hurt.”

Blaze.

The blazing heat was so strong that it seemed like it was distorting the space around her.

‘You said that won’t hurt…?’

‘Are you sure I wouldn’t at least lose a tooth if I got hit in the face with it?’

“Probably.”

At the same time as Gu Yangcheon spoke with a smile…

Huge flames engulfed Moyong Hi-ah.

That was the last thing Moyong Hi-ah saw before losing consciousness.

******************

The fight ended with just one flame.

I at least thought that she would hold on until the second attack, but for some reason, Moyong Hi-ah fainted in just one attack.

‘I’ve felt this way for a while but she always has too many thoughts. And that’s her flaw.’

I wondered what she was thinking so much about.

I never could understand the actions of smart people.

The spectators erupted in cheers when the judge shouted my victory,

But as usual, I didn’t really feel much.

‘Maybe I should’ve gone a little lighter.’

I only had a little bit of regret left.

Every time I used martial arts just as a show for people, I was only left with emptiness.

This was more so in my past life.

I remember being absorbed in growing my flames just to impress others.

And I knew more than anyone, where and what those flames were used for.

As such, this was why I didn’t want to do it in this life.

“What are you thinking, it’s not like things ever went the way I wanted them to anyways.”

Let alone the regression and my current life after that…

None of these things were planned.

So I just had to get used to the state of impassivity at this point.

However…

I looked up to see somewhere high up.

I wondered who was there.

I enhanced my senses to observe.

Since I didn’t care if I got caught this time.

Then, a few people came into view right away.

The Alliance Leader wasn’t there,

Nor was Shaolin’s Chief Abbott.

Was it because the fight they wanted to watch had ended or was there a different reason for it?

Whichever the case, I would probably see them tomorrow.

At this point, I recalled what the Second Elder said to me before I left for Hanam.

– If you’re going to cause trouble, make it a big one.

It sounded way too stupid and reckless for an elder of a clan to say these things.

That’s what I thought at that time,

But now that I look at it, it might have been sage advice from the Second Elder, who possessed an abundance of wisdom.

“Indeed, I think I have to do that.”

If the trouble I caused proved to be too big…

Then I could always use the Second Elder as an excuse.

Because the Second Elder was the one who told me to cause trouble and I was just listening to him like the good boy that I was.

I left the arena only after ensuring that Moyong Hi-ah was taken away safely.

Contrary to how it looked, I didn’t really put too much power into the attack, so she probably didn’t get hurt that much.

But putting that aside for now, I had to go to the medical room.

After all, she was probably awake by now.

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