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“Looks like your body’s not fully recovered yet, huh?”

While coughing up some blood, Zhuge Sa glanced at Yong Junil. “Do you remember the five things I asked for that day?”

Yong Junil replied coldly, “I remember. But have no illusions; I had no obligation to fulfill your requests.”

“That’s not what I’m asking about. What’s important is whether you did or didn’t.”

“Well, since it wouldn’t really harm me, I went ahead with it.”

Yong Junil raised his hand. “First, as you can see, I successfully took control of the White Lotus Sect and eradicated the Su Shin Sect.”

At the same time, someone stepped forward beside him — a figure that unmistakably radiated power. Just from their presence, it was clear they were a top martial artist in Jianghu.

“Second, I brought Dokgo Seong into the newly formed Thunder God Lineage as its Dharma Guardian.”

Indeed, walking next to Yong Junil was none other than Dokgo Seong, who had been honing his martial arts in the remote regions of Sichuan. It seemed his abilities had risen significantly, making it difficult to gauge his true level of skill. The thunder energy all around him was formidable.

Yong Junil then glanced at Dokgo Seong to his left and turned to the woman on his right, whose beauty was nothing short of breathtaking.

“Third, I accepted Sagong Lin from the Sagong Escort Agency as my direct disciple and named her as the heir to the Wind Spirit Sect.”

Ah, I recognized her — Sagong Lin, the noble lady of the Sagong clan. Her features were exquisite, and her clear, captivating eyes could easily draw anyone’s gaze. The first time I saw her, her beauty was so overwhelming that it sparked a feeling of awe rather than desire within me. In all my reincarnations, I had never seen anyone who could be compared unfavorably to her.

However, since we had never met in this life, she merely regarded me with a cold, indifferent expression, her curiosity tempered by suspicion towards this dubious visitor.

“Fourth, I suppressed the fortress of the Su Shin Sect and retrieved all the books there. Oh, by the way, Bai Li Jeong-woon, a descendant of the fallen Bai Li clan, and Yeon Jong-hwi from the Yeon Royal Family have also joined the Wind Spirit Sect and are currently in training.”

“There was supposed to be one last thing as well.”

“……”

“Hehe.”

Zhuge Sa chuckled slyly. I realized that Zhuge Sa wanted to gather and confirm the potential of those I hadn’t been able to touch in my previous lives.

Five years ago, Zhuge Sa had known that the White Lotus Sect would inevitably fall apart. She also understood that only Yong Junil had the ability to stabilize the chaos and resurrect the sect. Thus, she had resolved to make various small requests of him in exchange for keeping him out of the sect leader’s sight.

Dokgo Seong, Sagong Lin, Bai Li Jeong-woon, Yeon Jong-hwi. Their commonality was that they had all demonstrated potential in my past lives or held some mystery about them. By gathering as many capable individuals as possible and recommending them to Yong Junil for nurturing, I could eventually confirm their potential or secrets after some time had passed.

In fact, that strategy was already working well. There was no guarantee I could personally keep all of them alive during the five years, but Yong Junil had taken on that responsibility.

As for Dokgo Seong, it was imperative to confirm his Absolute Realm, while my reasons for the other three were somewhat different. Bai Li Jeong-woon and Yeon Jong-hwi were to determine the extent of their talents, and Sagong Lin was hiding some questionable secrets of her own.

After a moment of hesitation, Yong Junil spoke. “… Lastly, based on the information you provided about the Divine Thief, the Gong Sun Clan, and the Xuanyuan Sword, I searched for traces of the Divine Treasure Xuanyuan Sword, but to no avail.”

Zhuge Sa looked incredulous. “Really? You’re not just saying that after already finding it, right?”

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Just remember, I had no obligation to cater to you in the first place.”

Yong Junil replied coldly and then continued, “Now, I need to hear why you’ve come to our sect.”

Zhuge Sa shot a glance at me, meaning it was my turn to speak. I cleared my throat for a moment and addressed Yong Junil. “Master Yong, I’m Baek Woong. Do you know who I am?”

Yong Junil nodded. “Of course. You first appeared when Jin So-cheong challenged the previous sect leader, and since then, numerous informants have searched for your whereabouts within the White Lotus Sect. But you didn’t show up during the fight at the Sacred Altar Tree and were soon forgotten by the world.”

“……”

A chill ran down my spine at his response. ‘He’s not mentioning that I’m the one who killed his father, Yong Bi-cheon with my comrades…’ He might know indirectly, but avoiding the topic in this scenario meant he intended to deal with matters of vengeance in a cold, calculated manner. Of course, that didn’t mean he had forgotten, which made it clear he was indeed someone to be feared. If someone like him were to seek revenge, it would lead to dire consequences; thus, he was someone I preferred not to have as a lifelong enemy.

I looked at him and stated, “There may be enmity between us. However, I wish to strike a deal that benefits us both here.”

I could overpower him and seize what I wanted, but I didn’t want to go that far. In the cycle of reincarnation, it’s hard to determine who becomes an enemy or an ally, so acting like a rogue wouldn’t be wise. As much as possible, I wanted to find a mutually agreeable method of negotiation since I too was a martial artist of the Thunder God lineage.

“Speak.”

“From here on out, I propose a three vs. three friendly sparring match should occur between Dokgo Seong, Sagong Lin, and yourself. But not simply as a friendly match; there will be stakes.”

“Stakes?”

“If we win, you must answer one question of ours honestly, and also allow us to investigate the books obtained from the Su Shin Sect.”

“And if your side loses?”

BOOM!

I thrust my Thunder God Sword into the ground and added, “This is the Huaying, one of the Seven Luminaries’ treasures! If we lose, we will give it to you unconditionally.”

“……!!”

Yong Junil’s eyes widened, filled with greed.

“What do you say?”

“Wait… I need to confirm if that’s indeed the Huaying.”

“Go ahead.”

SWISH!

I infused my internal power into the Huaying and tossed it to Yong Junil. Although I considered the possibility of him running off, somehow I felt he wouldn’t be the type to do such a thing. If he was as foolish as that, he wouldn’t have achieved his ambitious goal of stabilizing the White Lotus Sect. Yong Junil caught it lightly and examined the sword carefully, then nodded.

“It’s authentic. As the leader of the White Lotus Sect, I accept your wager.”

Yong Junil tossed the Huaying back to me. I caught it and replied, “… Agreed.”

But another question lingered in my mind. How could he be so certain this was the real deal at a glance? What expertise and knowledge did he possess to recognize this legendary artifact, sealed away since ancient times in a remote region of the southern continent? One thing was for sure — he already understood the existence, value, and significance of the Seven Luminaries! If not, there would be no reason for him to accept this bet.

“Also, I will restrict participants to those who are ‘human’.”

That made me flinch. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means those strong divine beings manifesting near you cannot enter.”

“… Understood.”

It seemed he had the ability to sense divine beings’ powers. This wasn’t a skill unique to him; those who reached the Absolute Realm generally possessed such wild instincts.

With no choice, I acknowledged his conditions and agreed to the sparring match.

Jin So-cheong stepped up for the first match. Although Jin So-cheong was usually saved for the last duel, there was a specific reason for this, as I wanted to guarantee our first win.

Against her stood Dokgo Seong, who looked at Jin So-cheong with a complicated expression. “I’ve heard you’re Lee Kwang’s disciple. It’s surprising how things have unfolded in the world.”

“The Thunder God Lineage’s disciple, Jin So-cheong, greets you, Elder!”

Jin So-cheong bowed deeply before stating, “Elder, what brings you to the reborn White Lotus Sect?”

“Yong Junil promised to revive the Thunder God Lineage, forgetting our past grievances. The previous sect leader, the core of all evil, has been slain, as well as his father by our hands. Thus, the vendetta is settled, and what we need now is not revenge, but revival.”

Dokgo Seong said bitterly, “We can’t let the past’s enmities burden these talented young kids anymore.”

“I see…”

“Although I don’t know the purpose of your visit to our sect today, I will give it my all for the Thunder God Lineage!”

WHOOOSH!

Dokgo Seong’s sword buzzed with energy. Jin So-cheong looked at Dokgo Seong with steely eyes and declared, “I fight only for the King!”

In a flash! Their duel ended with just one clash. Time seemed to warp around them as Dokgo Seong’s sword was poised at Jin So-cheong’s neck, while her spear was aimed at his heart.

No… perhaps that’s just how it looked. In reality, both were perilously close to each other’s vital points, not budging an inch. Having witnessed their exchange, I couldn’t help but let out a breath.

Dokgo Seong’s sword was too fast to be stopped or dodged by mere human reflexes. I’d avoided his strikes before, but back then, it was nothing compared to the speed of the present. It felt like a bolt of lightning typifying pure speed; thus, it was evident Dokgo Seong had ascended to the Absolute Realm, embodying that power and achieving a lightning strength comparable to the Thunder Spirit.

His sword simply transformed into lightning—an absolute state achieved through simplicity, yet its force was undeniable.

But Jin So-cheong managed to redirect it in that split second with the Thunder Spirit Art, letting her spear plunge into Dokgo Seong’s vital point. Dokgo Seong, also at the Absolute Realm, countered her attack using the Thunder God Sword Dance, while Jin So-cheong responded with her own counterattack.

It didn’t end there, as both their finesse neutralized one another, spiraling into a mental duel! This was all accomplished in one breath.

Moreover, it was an intricately intense moment of dueling between two absolute beings.

I thought their competition would result in a stalemate, yet eventually, Dokgo Seong relaxed his stance and sighed.

“Hah, I lost.”

“……”

“To think you’d allow me a move here, you truly are the greatest genius in martial history…”

“Thank you for the concession, Elder.”

A concession? My eyes widened in confusion as I didn’t catch any sort of concession. I quickly glanced at Tang San beside me, but he wore a matching expression of bewilderment.

“… I-I don’t understand either.”

Who knows? I couldn’t figure out what kind of concession just took place!

The nature of that concession was something I couldn’t comprehend. Only those who reached a significantly high level in the Absolute Realm could decipher those subtle movements—only they were truly aware.

‘Dokgo Seong is undoubtedly in the Absolute Realm right now.’ What kind of realm has Jin So-cheong reached?

Just as I pondered this, Yong Junil, sitting at a distance on his throne, declared, “The first bout ends in our loss. Next, I will send in Sagong Lin.”

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