Mu-hwi brushed his bangs back with a casual flick and muttered under his breath.

“Crazy bastards.”

“Da… Dae-sahyeong…”

Mu-sang, standing beside him, was so shocked he nearly rolled his eyes back, and the other disciples were no different, though their reactions varied.

Though Mu-hwi spoke in a low voice, the surrounding silence and the martial artists’ keen senses made it easy for everyone to hear him.

Even the renowned figures of the martial world and the spectators were wide-eyed, staring at Mu-hwi in disbelief.

“Did he just… to the Ice King of the Blue Abyss?”

“Is he a sword demon or just plain insane?”

The Ice King of the Blue Abyss was a supreme master of the dark sects, known for his ruthless and merciless ice-based martial arts.

“What did you just say, boy?”

Crack.

Ice began to form on the ground, starting from the Ice King’s toes, spreading a bluish chill.

“Compared to what you lot are planning, my words are just child’s play. Why so angry?”

Mu-hwi’s laughter echoed across the grand plaza, but no one joined in. His words only served to further sour the mood of the masters standing behind the Ice King.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Something interesting has popped up in the orthodox sects.”

“Growing up in such a lax environment, no wonder he’s like that.”

“Silence. Shut up.”

Mu-hwi’s bold words made the atmosphere in the plaza even colder.

“What did you say?”

A middle-aged man, hefting a large axe on his shoulder, was about to lunge at Mu-hwi when the Ice King raised a finger to stop him.

The Ice King, who had halted the man, fixed his cold gaze on Mu-hwi.

“Hmm… this is absurd.”

The situation had taken an unexpected turn.

Originally, they intended to declare the founding of their sect, regardless of the martial alliance leader’s permission. But now, any declaration would seem out of place.

The Ice King, having missed the perfect moment for the declaration due to one slippery eel’s antics, fell into deep thought.

The leader of the dark sects, Gwan Ya-changcheon, had not held a formal founding ceremony for the sect. He simply wanted to make the declaration in front of all the gathered heroes of the orthodox sects.

But even the leader of the dark sects wouldn’t want the declaration to proceed in such an awkward atmosphere. A meaningless declaration was worse than none at all.

[Judging by your martial arts, you must be the Volcano Sword Demon. You’ll pay for your reckless tongue.]

“Ha.”

Mu-hwi’s scoff at the transmitted message made the Ice King slowly avert his gaze.

The Ice King looked up at Kang Ho-baek again.

“Leader, my warriors wish to participate in the Heavenly Martial Tournament.”

The martial world’s leaders seated at the high table shouted in response to the Ice King’s words.

“That’s absurd! How can the dark sects participate in the martial alliance’s event?”

“What are they plotting?”

The Ice King chuckled at their reactions.

“Strange. I was under the impression that the only condition for participating in the Heavenly Martial Tournament was attending the alliance’s opening ceremony.”

In truth, there were practically no conditions.

Who would have thought the dark sects would emerge and declare their intent to join the tournament?

“Leader, I trust you won’t change your mind suddenly.”

Kang Ho-baek, looking down at the smiling Ice King, gently gripped the armrest of his chair.

‘It seems they plan to win the tournament and then declare the founding of their sect.’

Kang Ho-baek was aware.

Mu-hwi had disrupted the Ice King’s relentless push to declare the founding of their sect without giving any room to breathe.

It seemed the Ice King had anticipated this situation and brought along the masters behind him.

‘They must be confident.’

These were likely some of the top masters of the dark sects.

But Kang Ho-baek wasn’t worried. He had a strong card up his sleeve.

[Mu-hwi, can you handle this?]

[I was planning to step up anyway.]

Kang Ho-baek nodded as he watched Mu-hwi respond without a moment’s hesitation.

“Very well. If your presence graces our event, it will only enrich our opening ceremony.”

“Leader…”

Some expressed concern, but they fell silent at Kang Ho-baek’s resolute gaze.

It seemed Kang Ho-baek had firmly established his position as the leader of the martial alliance.

As the dark sect masters were led to their tents, the format of the Heavenly Martial Tournament was altered through discussions between Kang Ho-baek and the Ice King.

“Let’s proceed like this.”

“Agreed, Leader.”

Instead of the usual matchups, the tournament would be divided into two factions: the orthodox and the dark sects, competing in a team battle format.

There was a reason for changing the tournament rules to this format.

Though nominally divided into orthodox and dark sects, it was essentially a contest between the martial alliance and the dark sects.

The masters participating in this team battle would represent their respective alliances.

This was a measure of the alliances’ martial prowess.

The Heavenly Martial Tournament had become an opportunity for the top masters of both alliances to compete and determine superiority.

The outcome of the team battle would quickly spread across the martial world, weighing the martial alliance against the dark sects.

With the dark sects’ participation, the tournament had become far more significant than before.

‘This is a great opportunity for the martial alliance, but we must win.’

Je-gal Jin looked at the five orthodox masters participating in the team battle with concern.

He glanced at Mu-hwi, who was conversing with other masters.

‘The leader seems to have great trust in that young man.’

Having seemingly decided the order, Mu-hwi stood up and headed to the martial stage.

At the same time, a warrior from the dark sects stepped up. It was the middle-aged man with the axe who had tried to charge at Mu-hwi earlier.

Given the large weapon, the man’s build was massive.

Mu-hwi was tall, but the man’s shadow loomed over him.

“Heh heh. How should I split you?”

The man scanned Mu-hwi from head to toe with eyes glinting with murderous intent.

“Ahem! Remember, this is a spar, not a fight to the death!”

The judge warned, sensing the killing intent, but the man paid no heed.

“Tsk.”

The judge clicked his tongue, sending a warning glance, and Mu-hwi nodded in acknowledgment.

“Iron Axe.”

The man didn’t bother with his name, only throwing out his moniker, to which Mu-hwi responded in kind.

“Volcano Sword Demon.”

Whoosh!

“Whoa!”

As soon as Mu-hwi spoke, Iron Axe swung his shoulder-held axe, forcing the judge to quickly back away.

The axe came crashing down toward Mu-hwi’s head. Mu-hwi’s form blurred as he sidestepped with a swift movement.

Boom!

The axe embedded deeply into the ground, splitting it and sending dust flying.

Mu-hwi, showing a fluid movement, immediately thrust his sword toward Iron Axe’s heart.

As Mu-hwi unleashed his own lethal intent, Iron Axe grinned, baring yellowed teeth.

“Haaah!”

Iron Axe shouted, flicking his wrist. The axe, embedded in the ground, rebounded with the wrist’s force, deflecting Mu-hwi’s sword.

But Mu-hwi leaped in response. In an instant, he closed the distance and launched a horizontal strike.

Thunk!

Iron Axe barely blocked the strike with a small hand axe drawn from his waist.

A giant axe in the right hand, a hand axe in the left. This was Iron Axe’s true armament.

Mu-hwi, gripping his sword tightly, pushed against the hand axe while moving his left hand.

A purple energy gathered in Mu-hwi’s left hand, forming a plum blossom.

As Mu-hwi’s left hand reached out to Iron Axe, the massive axe came roaring from behind.

To counter Mu-hwi’s deep advance, it was too late to retrieve the axe with his right arm.

So Iron Axe simply used the wrist’s recoil to throw the axe inward.

A force to be reckoned with, even in the martial world.

Despite the massive pressure from behind, Mu-hwi was smiling.

Swish!

As Mu-hwi twisted his hand, the gathered energy scattered like pollen from a flower.

Plum Blossom Scatter.

Thud! Thud!

The energy, like hidden weapons, struck Iron Axe’s shoulders and sides, while other streams diverted the incoming axe’s path.

“Your simple mind is easy to predict.”

Iron Axe’s eyebrow twitched at Mu-hwi’s voice in his ear, but he had no time to respond.

Mu-hwi caught up with the retreating Iron Axe, flipped his body, and delivered a powerful kick to the chest.

Thwack!

The impact, carrying both internal energy and weight, resonated clearly from the stage to the audience.

“Tch!”

Feeling a sourness rising from within, Iron Axe spat out blood-tinged saliva and retrieved his fallen axe with a surge of strength.

‘This brat!’

Strangely, it felt as if the Volcano Sword Demon could see through all his moves.

It wasn’t just a matter of high martial achievement.

“That’s something nearly impossible without considerable real-world experience.”

Cheolsak, catching his breath, watched Mu-hui standing calmly as if waiting for him. The veins on the back of Cheolsak’s hands, gripping his axe, bulged and throbbed with tension.

“I’ll tear you apart!”

With a roar, Cheolsak twisted his body, swinging the axe in both hands as he began to spin.

Despite his massive frame, his movements were swift and vigorous. It was as if a tiger had been given an axe.

Whoosh!

The axe swung wildly, its speed increasing until it became a whirlwind.

A dark aura enveloped the twin axes, and a fierce wind began to swirl around Cheolsak.

Mu-hui’s sleeves flapped violently in the gust, yet his eyes remained serene.

He was reading the flow and connection of Cheolsak’s technique with precision.

“Black Wind Technique!”

“The gale seems to reach all the way here.”

The spectators were well aware of Cheolsak’s martial prowess. The warriors accompanying the Ice King to the tournament were all renowned masters in the martial world.

Mu-hui knew this well, having faced Cheolsak in a past life.

This familiarity allowed Mu-hui to easily see through Cheolsak’s moves.

In an instant, the storm swirling around Cheolsak condensed into a single force, crashing down toward Mu-hui.

Boom!

A sharp sound pierced the air, causing the spectators to widen their eyes in shock.

The descending axe blade was intercepted by Mu-hui’s Plum Blossom Sword, angled just right to block it.

Cheolsak’s powerful strike, enhanced by the Black Wind Technique, was stopped effortlessly.

Yet the Plum Blossom Sword didn’t break; it merely trembled slightly.

Mu-hui had exploited the gaps in the Black Wind Technique perfectly.

Cheolsak’s breathing, the flow of the technique through his body, the transfer of power to the axe—none of it aligned perfectly. Had any of these been off, the Plum Blossom Sword might have shattered.

Those who understood what Mu-hui had done marveled at his judgment and swordsmanship.

“What is this!”

Cheolsak tried to exert more force, but it was as if the sword and axe were fused together, immovable.

Mu-hui simply lowered his stance slightly more than usual.

As he returned to his normal posture, his sleeves fluttered.

Swish!

A violet flash cut through the dark wind.

The axe blade and handle separated, and Cheolsak’s martial robe began to split.

A deep sword mark ran diagonally across his bare chest.

‘It’s been a while.’

The signature mark of the Dokgo Sword Technique.

Blood slowly seeped into the old scar, creating a new one.

Since this was a friendly match, Mu-hui had cut shallowly to avoid any life-threatening injuries.

Even so, Cheolsak stood there, bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

‘What just happened? The Black Wind Technique was dismantled in an instant. How could he know it when it’s his first time seeing it?’

Ignoring Cheolsak’s dazed expression, Mu-hui turned to the referee.

The referee, who had been just as stunned, snapped back to attention and shouted.

“The winner! Mu-hui of the Martial Alliance!”

As victory was declared, Mu-hui smiled at Cheolsak.

“Hope to see you again. Next time, I’ll make sure to finish it.”

But Cheolsak, half in a daze, couldn’t respond.

As Cheolsak left the stage, the referee turned to Mu-hui.

“Mu-hui, what will you do? Will you continue to the next match or step down?”

In this tournament, the winner could choose to continue if they had the strength.

Mu-hui shook his head at the referee’s question.

“You won’t need to ask me that again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I won’t step down until the tournament is over.”

The referee’s mouth fell open in surprise, and Mu-hui glanced at the tent of the Sa Do-cheon.

The masters of Sa Do-cheon, ready to enter the tournament, were openly exuding their killing intent.

End