Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Meanwhile, within the Hyun-cheon Pavilion of the Murim Alliance.

Operating under the direction of Grand Strategist Je-gal Hyeon, the Hyun-cheon Pavilion functioned as the core intellect of the Murim Alliance. It collected and examined intelligence from across the jianghu, dispatching diverse directives to every faction under the alliance’s banner.

Three years had elapsed since the armistice was forged with the Black Heaven Alliance.

Lately, troubling developments had begun to surface—the Black Heaven Alliance had reopened communications with the Blood Cult situated past the western frontiers and had initiated a restructuring of the Sa-do Chil-ga. Consequently, the responsibilities resting upon the Hyun-cheon Pavilion grew progressively graver.

“Grand Strategist, it is Il-jung.”

“Enter.”

Strategist Sa-ma Il-jung from the Strategy Division stepped into Je-gal Hyeon’s chamber.

A direct scion of the noble Sa-ma lineage, he possessed an acute intellect and swift discernment, discharging every assignment with meticulous dedication. Among the rising generation of strategists in the Hyun-cheon Pavilion, he commanded the greatest attention.

“Baek So-cheon has collected his personal effects and gone back to his quarters. The official transfer directive will reach his doorstep at dawn tomorrow. His assigned destination is the Mun-seong Branch located in Jeol-gang Province.”

Je-gal Hyeon offered a deliberate nod in response to Sa-ma Il-jung’s briefing.

“Even now, it remains baffling to me. Why must things unfold in such a manner?”

His confusion naturally centered on Baek So-cheon and the punitive measures taken against him. Back when Je-gal Hyeon had first entered the alliance ranks as a novice tactician in the Hyun-cheon Pavilion, Baek So-cheon stood at the very pinnacle of authority as the supreme master of Bi-gak.

Yet an unrelenting decline had followed.

He had repeatedly transgressed the alliance’s established statutes, defied authoritative directives, conducted himself with reckless abandon, and gone so far as to raise his hand against a superior officer.

“Grasping the true depth of any human being is seldom a simple matter.”

“Does the Grand Strategist understand his mind, then?”

“….”

Je-gal Hyeon fell silent, letting the sentence fade into the air. It remained impossible to tell whether he genuinely lacked comprehension or simply chose not to reveal his perspective.

“Have you already obtained official clearance to enter the Strategic Command Center?”

“Not as of yet, sir. My access is slated for the following month.”

Gaining entry to the Hyun-cheon Pavilion’s Strategic Command Center normally mandated a minimum of five full years of active service to the alliance.

“By my own authority, I shall grant you entry a month ahead of schedule. Come with me.”

“Understood, sir.”

Je-gal Hyeon guided Sa-ma Il-jung out through the doorway.

Sa-ma Il-jung felt his pulse quicken as he matched his leader’s pace. A common proverb circulated through the Hyun-cheon Pavilion: only an individual permitted to step foot inside the Strategic Command Center could truly call themselves an authentic strategist.

MURIM SEOL-YEOL-LOG
Master Rankings of the Jianghu
Evaluated and Recorded by Hyun-cheon Pavilion

1st: Ak So-gun – Murim Alliance Lord
2nd: Yeom Hwa-sin – Black Heaven Alliance Lord
3rd: Yang Jin – Sword Emperor
4th: Beom Cheong – Mad Evil
5th: Yoo Pae-ryeong – Lord of the Worldly Clan
…continuing downward to the 100th seat

Je-gal Hyeon directed their descent down to the third underground level.

The further downward their path took them, the more decrepit and neglected the passages, entrances, and surroundings came to appear.

Yet Sa-ma Il-jung was entirely aware of the truth.

Those quiet, seemingly decaying hallways were saturated with lethal and complex mechanisms designed to block even transcendent martial experts from passing. Only an existence on par with the Alliance Lord possessed the power to force their way through.

Their path ended at an unassuming supply room positioned at the very rear of the third subterranean hallway. It was an unpretentious, cramped chamber cluttered with sundry equipment and remnants. Je-gal Hyeon walked ahead and casually nudged an iron rod that leaned crookedly against a corner. Continuing onward, he tipped over a resting broom, letting it fall onto its side. He then reached out toward what seemed to be a simple spiderweb resting on the stone surface, though it was actually a remarkably fine filament woven of pure cheon-jam-sa silk.

The instant that gossamer thread was shifted, a stone section in the far corner slid back smoothly.

Revealed behind it was an enclosed platform capable of carrying several passengers. As soon as both men stepped inside, the chamber initiated an automatic descent.

Zing—

To what fathomless depth were they sinking?

When the compartment finally opened, an extensive hallway appeared before them. A pair of expert guards stood sentry right at the threshold. Despite Je-gal Hyeon making this journey every single day, the required daily passwords were exchanged without omission.

They navigated yet another long corridor protected by concealed mechanisms and hidden dangers.

Pushing past the heavy door waiting at the corridor’s end, the grand expanse inside revealed itself.

“Ah!”

Sa-ma Il-jung let out an involuntary breath of sheer astonishment at the sight.

Throughout the vast subterranean expanse, dozens upon dozens of strategists sat absorbed in their duties.

A network of bamboo conduits dropped down from an elaborate overhead piping system, funneling incoming dispatches delivered via homing pigeons. Intelligence reports gathered from every remote corner of the Central Plains—spanning mundane happenings to the most guarded confidential affairs—were rapidly cataloged, evaluated, and prioritized based on urgency and strategic consequence.

Sa-ma Il-jung suddenly froze mid-stride the second his eyes met the colossal surface of the opposing wall. His body went rigid as he absorbed the inscriptions carved upon it.

A succession of prominent names stretched downward across the surface.

Right at the topmost crest, a single heading had been set:

Murim Seol-yeol-log.

The hierarchy of jianghu masters, compiled through rigorous analysis by the Hyun-cheon Pavilion.

“So the rumors were authentic!”

The whispering gossip was true after all: the Hyun-cheon Pavilion actively tracked, evaluated, and ranked the martial supremacy of every titan across the Central Plains. Even after spending five whole years inside this institution, this marked the very first moment he could confirm its existence with his own eyes. None of the senior strategists had ever leaked a single detail, even during the most unguarded moments over food or liquor.

And seated proudly at the absolute summit of the Murim Seol-yeol-log was that illustrious title:

Murim Ranking 1st: Ak So-gun. Murim Alliance Lord.

Murim Ranking 2nd: Yeom Hwa-sin. Black Heaven Alliance Lord.

Murim Ranking 3rd: Yang Jin. Sword Emperor.

Murim Ranking 4th: Beom Cheong. Mad Evil.

Murim Ranking 5th: Yoo Pae-ryeong. Lord of the Worldly Clan…

Je-gal Hyeon stood silently alongside Sa-ma Il-jung, raising his gaze to study the monument of names. Spanning from the very first to the hundredth, every recorded entry belonged to an extraordinary warrior capable of sending tremors across the entire jianghu.

“Divulging what you see here carries an absolute sentence of death. There are no reprieves.”

“Yes, Grand Strategist! I swear to keep my mouth entirely sealed.”

“Even in the middle of your dreams.”

“Yes, sir!”

Observing how tense his subordinate had turned, Je-gal Hyeon let slip an easy laugh.

“Haha, it was merely a jest. Did you genuinely believe we would execute an officer over mere sleep-talk? Besides, who in the outside world would even accept these rankings as absolute truth?”

“What? Ah… of course, sir.”

A complicated tangle of thoughts swept through Sa-ma Il-jung’s mind.

There was certainly no independent way to guarantee the absolute correctness of this registry. The Black Heaven Alliance might well possess their own internal index placing their supreme master upon the throne instead. Yet Sa-ma Il-jung recognized better than anyone the unmatched caliber of talent gathered within the Hyun-cheon Pavilion. Within these halls, even recognized geniuses were relegated to the humblest chores.

Just then, Je-gal Hyeon posed a completely unexpected inquiry.

“Do you happen to know who held the ultimate position at the top before now?”

The sheer weight behind the Grand Strategist’s question made Sa-ma Il-jung startle in surprise.

“Could it possibly be…?”

Under the current circumstances, only one specific figure crossed his mind.

“Baek So-cheon?”

“Indeed. For several consecutive years prior to his disgrace, his name sat in the first position. Back during those days, the registry read in this fashion.”

Past Glory

Murim Ranking 1st: Baek So-cheon. Murim Alliance Bi-gak Lord.

“Did he truly occupy the highest seat?”

“To question that is identical to suggesting that our Hyun-cheon Pavilion produces slipshod calculations—or that your own Grand Strategist is peddling falsehoods.”

“Ah, forgive me, sir! I spoke far out of turn!”

A gentle, amused smirk curved across Je-gal Hyeon’s features as he pointed toward the absolute base of the carved stone.

“Cast your gaze toward the very bottom.”

Following past the end of the registry, beneath the final entry of the top one hundred, a unique notation remained preserved.

Ranking Measurement Suspended. Baek So-cheon. Cheol-geom-dan 1st Unit 3rd Squad Leader.

“Purely out of reverence for his past stature, we have refrained from wiping his name from the wall entirely.”

“Ah…”

A sharp shiver traced down Sa-ma Il-jung’s spine.

In this singular moment, being granted access to such profound internal truths, he finally perceived himself as an authentic strategist belonging to the Hyun-cheon Pavilion.

Suddenly—

Ding-ding-ding—

A clear chime resonated through the hall, drawing the immediate focus of every individual present toward a lone mechanism.

The sound originated from the most prestigious dispatch channel among all the ceiling connections—the specialized tube that conveyed direct decrees originating solely from the Alliance Lord himself.

A designated strategist sprinted over, extracted the parchment, and delivered it into Je-gal Hyeon’s grasp without delay.

Upon inspecting the mandate, Je-gal Hyeon summoned a retinue of martial specialists under his jurisdiction. These elite guards constituted the Hyun-cheon Pavilion’s dedicated private corps, charged with ensuring the strategists’ safety.

Je-gal Hyeon conveyed the directive firmly.

“Retrieve the Gui-yeong Geom from Baek So-cheon. Provided it is presented as the direct command of the Lord, he will surrender it without resistance.”

“Understood, Grand Strategist.”

The martial agents bowed and made their swift departure.

The Gui-yeong Geom was none other than the masterwork blade that the Alliance Lord had personally conferred upon Baek So-cheon as a mark of highest honor.

Sa-ma Il-jung could not prevent his voice from shaking as he spoke.

“Does this signal an irrevocable severance between them?”

In his sheer captivation with this monumental turning point, he momentarily discarded standard etiquette toward his superior.

“Who can truly tell? Even my own insight cannot fathom it.”

Even Je-gal Hyeon, who took immense pride in knowing virtually every hidden truth beneath heaven, found it impossible to discern what truly lay hidden within the hearts of Baek So-cheon and the Alliance Lord.

Before long, the dispatched martial squad returned to the chamber, carrying the recovered armament.

“Did the retrieval proceed without complication?”

The leading warrior offered an uneasy shake of his head.

“It did not, sir. When we first made our demand, he flatly dismissed the order and ordered us to clear out of his sight.”

Je-gal Hyeon offered a knowing, quiet smirk, as if the outcome had been entirely predictable.

“And how did you proceed then?”

“The authority of the Lord’s mandate held no sway over him, so we were forced to plead for our lives. We told him that failure to return with the blade would surely cost every one of us our heads. Only then did he ultimately yield.”

“For what reason? You could have simply marched back and formally reported that he chose to defy the supreme lord’s command.”

The warrior hesitated for a second, his expression turning distant as old debts surfaced in his thoughts.

“…During the previous conflict, that warrior Baek preserved my very existence on the battlefield. He undoubtedly holds no recollection of it whatsoever.”

“Ah, so that was why.”

Je-gal Hyeon mused silently. How many myriad warriors scattered throughout the alliance owed their continued survival to that single man?

“What words did he utter as he surrendered the blade?”

“How were you aware he spoke, sir?”

“He may well relinquish the weapon for the sake of your lives, but given his volcanic temperament, he would never let you depart without tossing out some scathing farewell.”

“That is…”

“Speak freely. Recite his statement verbatim, without altering a single syllable.”

Following a brief hesitation, the guard faithfully recounted the exact phrasing.

“‘Those underhanded cowards, handing a gift only to crawl back and snatch it away? The damn thing is tainted now—I have no desire to ever hold a blade again. Tell those bastards I’ll wander the lands bare-fisted until the Black Heaven dogs finally butcher me, so they can quit losing sleep over it. Do not dare leave out a single phrase! Ptooey, ptooey.'”

“Hahaha!”

Je-gal Hyeon burst into roaring, unrestrained laughter, while the surrounding subordinates maintained absolute, deadpan composure, not daring to join in.

“Forward that exact message straight to the Alliance Lord’s personal chambers without alteration. Though you may leave out the spitting.”

“Pardon me, sir?”

“Those sentiments were directed toward our ears as well, were they not? In that case, include them fully. Since we have stripped him of his weapon, it is only proper that we take his final parting words along with it.”

“As you command, sir.”

Having concluded his formal debriefing, the guard officer excused himself with the recovered weapon in hand.

Je-gal Hyeon turned back toward Sa-ma Il-jung.

“Shall we prepare to take our leave as well?”

“Yes, Grand Strategist.”

Sa-ma Il-jung’s thoughts churned in utter turmoil. A vast deluge of revelations had overwhelmed him in an impossibly brief window of time. The sentiment he had expressed to Je-gal Hyeon earlier pressed against his thoughts with renewed weight.

‘I remain entirely unable to comprehend. No, if anything, my understanding has only grown cloudier.’

A burning question pushed toward the forefront of his consciousness.

‘What catastrophic event truly transpired between Baek So-cheon and the Alliance Lord?’

The inquiry surged straight toward the tip of his tongue, yet he swallowed it back down. He lacked the reckless courage required to utter the supreme commander’s revered name aloud.

As they accompanied Je-gal Hyeon toward the threshold of the Strategic Command Center, an elder strategist could be seen diligently altering the entry positioned at the very base of the Seol-yeol-log.

Right alongside Baek So-cheon’s inscribed name, the former designation of “Cheol-geom-dan 1st Unit 3rd Squad Leader” was cleanly struck out and substituted with fresh calligraphy.

Ranking Measurement Suspended. Baek So-cheon. Murim Alliance Jeol-gang Branch Mun-seong Sub-branch Ordinary Warrior.