The bowl fell to the floor and shattered.

Cheonhwa Luju silently gazed down at the broken pieces.

“Are you all right?”

Seodaeryong, who had been bringing ingredients from the kitchen, asked in surprise.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

As she bent down to pick up the shards, Seodaeryong stepped forward to stop her.

“Leave it. I’ll clean it up.”

This place was the inner residence of Cheonma Sin Gyo. They had temporarily brought the owners of the pavilion they rescued from Yeobulgae here. Thanks to Cheonhwa Luju’s care, the women had grown much more stable.

Cheonhwa Luju had been bright all along, but today her expression was dark.

“Is something wrong?”

After a short pause, she answered.

“I had a bad dream.”

Seodaeryong had heard from Geom Mugeuk that she was no ordinary woman. He knew her dreams couldn’t be dismissed lightly, but he feigned ignorance and said,

“Isn’t it said that dreams mean the opposite?”

“Right?”

She forced a smile, but her face remained dark. Perhaps that ominous dream had always been right.

Then Seodaeryong suddenly spoke.

“It won’t affect us.”

“Huh?”

“I know from Master Lee that Luju is no ordinary person. I also know it might be rude to say this, but I will anyway. That bad dream won’t come true for our Master. If it doesn’t for him, it won’t for Soma either.”

Seodaeryong crouched down and began clearing the broken bowl.

“My life before meeting Master Lee was like this broken bowl—ugly in appearance, dark and twisted in personality.”

His reflection flickered distortedly in the shattered pieces. He thought that faint, warped shape was his past self.

“No one valued me, and I treated myself as worthless. But after meeting Master Lee, my life changed. I might still be just a broken bowl in someone’s eyes, but I believe I’m a bowl that will definitely be useful somewhere.”

Seodaeryong finished gathering the pieces and stood up.

“To be humble, I say that, but I think it’s even more than that. Master Lee repaired this broken bowl and turned me into an expensive porcelain.”

He had become a disciple of Hyeol Cheon Doma and might even be the next head of Hwangcheon Gakju.

“If he can do that for someone like me, then bad dreams won’t work on him.”

At last, a smile appeared on Cheonhwa Luju’s face.

“Yes. They won’t.”

Seodaeryong took the bowl and went outside. Duke Dok was digging up the ground in a corner of the yard. Seeing him uproot an oddly shaped flower, it seemed that venomous snakes or insects lived nearby.

Seodaeryong, usually afraid to speak to Duke Dok, approached him today.

“Luju said she had a bad dream. She’s someone whose dreams come true.”

Duke Dok did not look at Seodaeryong as he said,

“I’ll drive the carriage back to the sect. You can go help.”

“Oh, dreams don’t always come true, right?”

Seodaeryong was puzzled about one thing.

Why hadn’t Geom Mugeuk asked Duke Dok to come along?

To protect Cheonhwa Luju and the rescued women? That was important, but the fight with Yalyulhan was a matter of life and death.

At that moment, Duke Dok spoke as if reading Seodaeryong’s mind.

“Curious why Master Lee didn’t ask me for help?”

“Yes, honestly, I am.”

Duke Dok examined the insects in the ground carefully.

“It’s because killing only Yalyulhan isn’t the sole purpose.”

Seodaeryong’s face showed surprise.

“Is there another purpose?”

Duke Dok looked at Seodaeryong. The clear eyes, much younger than his own, were something Seodaeryong dared not meet.

“You’re the right hand, aren’t you? Then you should know.”

“I’m a stupid right hand.”

“I heard you were top of your class at Hwangcheon Gak.”

Seodaeryong was taken aback.

“Did Master Lee say that too?”

“Your Master talks a lot.”

Feeling oddly proud, Seodaeryong’s chest swelled with warmth.

“So? What do you think?”

After a pause, Seodaeryong spoke.

“I’m always amazed by what Master Lee does, but how could I know what’s inside his mind? Sometimes, watching him, I wonder. Why is he doing all this? Why is he trying to get so strong?”

He looked at Duke Dok, who was still digging.

“Could it be that he’s aiming for something beyond just becoming the successor? Sometimes I get that feeling. Where is Master Lee really looking?”

Duke Dok turned to him and asked,

“Why are you asking me?”

“Ah! Sorry about that.”

Seodaeryong bowed politely and quickly stepped back.

“I’m going to help Luju prepare the meal.”

He ran into the building.

Duke Dok seemed lost in thought briefly, then resumed digging.

Yalyulhan was confused.

When he first saw Oreoshingeom’s corpse, he thought it was killed by the sword sent by the Sado Maeng leader, but surprisingly, it was the work of Geugak Soma and an unknown young master.

“Did the Maengju join hands with the heretics?”

He couldn’t understand it either. The Sado Maeng leader he knew wouldn’t ally with the heretics, even to eliminate him.

“So, it’s the heretics alone intervening without the Maengju? ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Why?”

In the martial world, business often led to clashes with the heretics, but never to the extent of risking one’s life.

Yalyulhan’s gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk. The opponent’s movements when defeating Samak were truly godlike. So young, yet better than Geugak Soma? How was that possible?

“I never heard there was someone like you in the heretics.”

Yalyulhan did not recognize Geom Mugeuk’s identity. As the second-in-command of Sado Maeng, he had access to information about rising talents in the Maeng, including that a heretic master was recently gaining prominence.

Yet at this moment, he could not believe the youth before him was a heretic master. His martial skill was too outstanding for his age, and the son of Cheonma would not take on such a dangerous task personally.

He thought he was a secret weapon raised by the heretics, or perhaps a high-level master in a hidden group.

“I told you, we’re not heretics. We are grim reapers specially sent by Yeomwang.”

Geom Mugeuk’s sneer sent a chilling blizzard-like aura from Yalyulhan’s body.

This was Yalyulhan’s prayer. The freezing cold that numbed the whole body, combined with terror, would kill opponents before they could react.

Yet Geom Mugeuk did not stop provoking him.

“With this kind of cold, maybe the flames of hell won’t be so hot?”

Even in this desperate situation, he continued to taunt, which meant he acknowledged his opponent’s strength. Yalyulhan’s prayer alone spoke volumes of his power. The match would be decided by a single moment or one mistake.

Yalyulhan said,

“I’ll take you with me. If there’s someone as annoying as you, maybe I can put out even the flames of hell.”

Cha Hwan, who had been standing behind and was relatively weaker, was shocked.

He had never seen Yalyulhan talk to someone like that before. He knew the youth was strong, but this was beyond expectation. If this was such a fierce battle...

“I have to play a big role.”

His heart pounded fast. He wanted to earn merit somehow. He would jump in at the right moment. The decisive moment!

Meanwhile, Hyeolryungeop chuckled and said to Geugak Soma,

“I never thought I’d taste the blood of Geugak Soma.”

Geugak Soma showed no reaction, and Hyeolryungeop felt somewhat embarrassed by such thorough disregard.

“These heretic bastards are so arrogant.”

He believed he could defeat Geugak Soma. He had noticed Soma’s wounds from Yalyulhan’s ambush were severe. Under normal circumstances, he was a step below the Majon, but now he had a fair chance.

Moreover, Soma’s energy consumption was worse. He had used internal energy fighting Oreoshingeom and his disciple earlier.

Geom Mugeuk’s gaze fell on Soma’s arm stained with blood. Even though the blood vessels had been pressed to stop bleeding, blood still leaked—meaning the wound was deep.

“This fight has to end as soon as possible.”

But rushing would mean death at Yalyulhan’s hands. He had to hide his urgency, focus all his strength, and end this battle quickly. He would make sure he never had to strike Geugak Soma again with his sword energy.

The sword lights created by Geom Mugeuk and Yalyulhan flashed invisibly fast in the air.

They were truly fast. The two who had clashed on the left now crossed swords on the right, moving as if teleporting through space.

Geom Mugeuk’s pure white sword light and Yalyulhan’s deep blue sword light collided countless times.

The two clashed swords and flew into the air. The flashing sword lights in the sky seemed like fireworks celebrating this breathtaking battle.

They jumped down from the air and fought while running across the rooftops. Even while running, their swords clashed endlessly.

The sword lights continued flashing until they fell from the roofs onto the walls.

The duel between the Bi Cheon Sword Style at its twelfth stage and the Honwon Bungwang Sword Technique at its twelfth stage was truly a match of equals.

As the fierce battle continued, Geom Mugeuk suddenly poured more energy into his Black Horse Sword.

Surprised, Yalyulhan spat blood.

But before the blood dropped to the ground, a sword sliced through it and flew in.

Blood splattered from Geom Mugeuk’s side.

Injecting more internal energy during the rapid battle was reckless, and reckless attacks always had a price. Such was the skill of the Sado Maeng second-in-command.

Neither was surprised or impressed by the other. They focused only on the fight. A moment’s distraction would mean death, as the previous fight had shown.

At the moment their distance briefly widened—

Yalyulhan activated his first secret technique.

His spirit split into ten and surrounded Geom Mugeuk. This cloning technique was the core of Honwon Bungwang Sword Technique, called Sip Hwan Bun Hon Technique.

At the same time, thirty-six sword-shaped sword energies circled around Geom Mugeuk.

This was the seventh form of the Bi Cheon Sword Style, Yu Cheon Form. It was no longer the old Yu Cheon Form that divided before the chest; now it formed a circle around Geom Mugeuk’s body.

The twelfth-stage martial arts were ripening, revealing new heights.

At the moment the illusions rushed in, ten of the hovering sword energies shot off in all directions.

The sword energies and illusions collided and vanished. The real Yalyulhan swung his sword to disperse the flying sword energies.

Twenty-six sword energies remained!

Like projectiles from a mechanism, the sword energies shot toward Yalyulhan all at once.

Cha Hwan, watching, dropped his jaw. He had never seen or heard of such a godlike martial skill in his life.

And what received that divine skill was another divine skill.

The flying sword energies collided with something and clashed.

It was a sword wall (Geom Byeok). Not just any sword wall—a cold sword energy wall like ice, the Cheong Han Ice Wall, another core of Honwon Bungwang Sword Technique.

As the sword wall melted like snow, Yalyulhan appeared behind it.

His eyes shone icy blue like a demon’s, emitting a deadly aura.

The Black Horse Sword began to wail long and low at the presence of his overwhelming spirit.

Geom Mugeuk gripped the Black Horse Sword tightly and strode toward that terrible aura.

‘My friend, hold on just a little longer!’

It was a word spoken to both friends.