Shin Dowoon shot upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat and panting.
“Young Lord! Are you all right?!”
As the door burst open and a familiar figure rushed in, Shin Dowoon let out a sigh of relief.
“Yes, sir. Shall I summon a physician?”
After confirming he was in his own room, Shin Dowoon turned toward Yubok and asked,
“How did I get home?”
“Your friend carried you here.”
“What did he look like? Was he good-looking?”
“Yes. Strikingly handsome. So much so that even I, were I a woman, might’ve fallen for him.”
Grit— “That son of a bitch...”
“Young Lord? What’s wrong?”
“It was him! He’s the bastard who did this to me!”
“And you just let him go?!”
“Well... who would’ve imagined he was the one who harmed you, sir?”
At Yubok’s words, Shin Dowoon forced himself to calm down and think rationally.
“...You’re right. That’s the reasonable assumption.”
“If he was the one who did this to you, he must be absolutely mad. If you’d regained consciousness upon arriving, he’d be a dead man walking.”
“He is insane. He did this knowing exactly who I am.”
“What? He knew you were the Young Lord and still went that far?”
“Then... whoever did this must be extremely strong.”
“Yeah. And to think a monster like that was hiding in Baekyeong—not even in Jungcheon.”
“Was he the top student at Baekyeong?”
“No. I don’t even know his name. Now that I think about it... even the so-called top student was acting cautious around him. So he was the real deal. That explains how Baekyeong got so powerful.”
Shin Dowoon rose to his feet.
The pain was worse than he’d expected.
He quickly assumed the lotus position and began circulating his Qi.
Thankfully, there were no internal injuries.
That was the strangest part.
He’d taken such a brutal beating, yet somehow, his body was completely intact.
What kind of method did he use to hit me?
He’d have to ask later.
After he made that man his personal bodyguard.
At first, he’d planned to tear him limb from limb, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense—why kill someone that strong when he could put him to use?
“He’s in the Patriarch’s chamber.”
Shin Dowoon’s arrival was met with a bright smile from Shin Do Gwang, the Patriarch of the Shin Clan.
“Looks like you’ve been enjoying yourself at the academy.”
“What’s with the shock?”
“You’re saying that after I came home beaten?”
“Boys will be boys. A few fights among friends isn’t unusual.”
“Father! I came back after getting my ass kicked! Me! The sole heir of the Shin Clan!”
“Are you yelling at your father?”
“Sounds like you didn’t get hit hard enough. Maybe you’d be thinking clearly if you’d taken more.”
“Why are you acting ?! It’s me—Shin Dowoon! Your beloved son!”
“I have no need for a son who raises his voice at me. Get out.”
“What...? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“You won’t leave? Munsang!”
“Get this brat out of my sight!”
“Father! Wait—Munsang, don’t come near me! Lay a hand on me and I swear, you’ll regret it!”
“Forgive me, Young Lord. The Patriarch has given a direct order.”
“St-stop! Father! Father!”
As Shin Dowoon was dragged away, Shin Do Gwang shut his eyes tightly.
It pained him—but this was the only path that could save both the family and his son.
He thought back to what had happened yesterday.
"I’ll be taking Shin Dowoon."
There had been no stopping it.
To resist would’ve meant total annihilation.
He still remembered those cold, dispassionate eyes looking down on him.
The spitting image of the Celestial Lord of Mushincheon.
A chill swept through him.
Just remembering it sent goosebumps crawling across his skin.
A true monster had been hiding within the ranks of Baekyeong’s upper division.
What terrified him more was the fact that none of the Shin Clan’s martial artists—except him—could remember Yeon Woo Jin’s presence.
Clearly, the man had erased their memories.
Such a feat was unthinkable.
And his power—his ability to heal internal injuries in an instant—wasn’t something that belonged to a human being.
It was Chun Ho Seong who had warned him.
“Whatever you do, never fall out of favor with Yeon Woo Jin.”
“He is the next Lord of Mushincheon.”
So Shin Do Gwang had asked—just how powerful was this man?
The answer had stunned him.
Even if the Deadly Sword Emperor, the Infernal Blade Lord, and the Black Reaper all attacked him at once, they wouldn’t so much as graze his robes.
He’d never even fought seriously during their sparring matches.
That... wasn’t a man.
The other elite clans of the Five Peak Martial Houses, still competing in the Young Lord selection tournament, were simply pitiful.
Why hadn’t Yeon Woo Jin just claimed the position outright?
He’d asked that, too.
“It’s too much of a hassle.”
He’d expected something grand, something profound.
But no—Yeon Woo Jin just couldn’t be bothered.
He’d changed his mind.
He would rise to the position of Young Lord on his own—because he pitied the others too much to crush them outright.
Somehow, that felt even crueler.
Regardless, Yeon Woo Jin was the definite heir to Mushincheon.
Which meant the Shin Clan had but one path left:
To obey his every word without question.
“Maybe it’s for the best. This might be the opportunity Dowoon needs to grow out of his rotten personality... and if we’re lucky, he might even become one of the next Lord’s closest aides.”
It would break his heart to see his son look at him with resentment.
But he had to endure it.
For the future of the clan.
And for the future of his son.
Shin Dowoon, dragged out of the chamber, wore a dumbfounded expression.
What the hell just happened?
His own father had cast him aside.
He was in such shock, he couldn’t think straight.
“Did something happen yesterday?”
“Yesterday? No, sir. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Then why did Father suddenly become so cold?”
“That’s /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ what I’m wondering. I’ve never seen the Patriarch act that way before.”
He’d walked in expecting fury.
He thought his father would be in a frenzy, mobilizing the clan’s full information network to hunt down the bastard who did this to him.
Instead, he’d found... calm.
No outrage. No vengeance.
Just some nonsense about boys growing through battle.
Worse—he hadn’t even looked surprised.
Shin Dowoon was an Apex-Level cultivator.
And he’d come home defeated.
Was that not something worth investigating?
He’d planned to track the bastard down with his father’s help—gather the Shin Clan’s martial artists, crush him, and then forgive him if he agreed to serve as his subordinate.
But everything had fallen apart.
For the first time in his life, things hadn’t gone the way he wanted.
Still, he had one last card to play.
The one person in the world who cherished him most.
“Yubok. We’re going to Tianzhu Hall.”
“Oh my goodness! Look who it is! Isn’t this my precious grandson!”
“There, there. Hahaha!”
Shin Do Pyeong, the Lord of Tianzhu Hall, greeted Shin Dowoon with a wide, beaming smile.
Then, he noticed the bruise on the boy’s face.
“Hold on... what’s this bruise?”
Shin Dowoon hung his head, unable to answer.
“Dowoon. Your grandfather asked you a question. What happened to your face?”
For a moment, Shin Do Pyeong stood frozen, thinking he must have misheard.
Then his face flushed red as he asked, in a trembling but deliberate voice—
“One of the upper division students from Baekyeong.”
“What? There’s someone at Baekyeong strong enough to beat you?”
“Yes, apparently so.”
At Shin Dowoon’s reply, Shin Do Pyeong turned and glared at the aide standing beside him.
“How the hell did you conduct this investigation? You told me there was no one strong in that academy!”
“M-my apologies, sir...”
“Apologies? My grandson’s face ends up and all you have are apologies?”
Shin Do Pyeong’s foot slammed into the aide’s abdomen.
“You bastards—give you a little slack and this is how you start working? What if something had happened to our precious sole heir because of your incompetence?!”
“How many times have I told you not to create situations where you have to apologize?!”
Watching his grandfather lash out, Shin Dowoon felt some of the frustration he’d bottled up at home begin to ease.
Yes. That’s how he should have reacted.
Why hadn’t Father done the same?
Shin Do Pyeong stepped closer and gently touched Shin Dowoon’s bruised cheek.
“Oh, my poor boy. How much pain you must’ve been in.”
“I passed out, so I didn’t really feel it.”
“...What? You were beaten until you blacked out?”
“That filthy bastard!”
He looked ready to storm out that very instant and tear the culprit limb from limb.
“Does your father know about this?”
“Then the Patriarch should’ve already taken care of it.”
“He said... he wouldn’t concern himself with it.”
“He said he wouldn’t bother with it. That he wouldn’t use the clan’s resources over something .”
“‘Something ?’ Our precious heir gets attacked in public and he calls it ‘something ?’”
“That’s what he said.”
“Has that man lost his mind?”
“Grandfather, sob... it’s just so unfair...”
As Shin Dowoon began to weep, Shin Do Pyeong quickly drew him into his arms, patting his back to comfort him.
“There, there. My sweet boy... you must’ve been so hurt and humiliated.”
“Of course I will! Just leave everything to your grandfather. Tell me who it was.”
“His name is Yeon Woo Jin. He’s in Baekyeong’s upper division.”
“Is there even a faction within Mushincheon that uses the surname Yeon?”
Shin Do Pyeong glanced at his aide, who shook his head.
“Then who the hell is this brat and where did he come from?”
“Does that even matter? What matters is that he dared to lay a hand on me.”
“You’re right. The only thing that matters is that someone struck my Dowoon. Don’t you worry—I’ll have that bastard’s limbs cut off and drag him before you myself.”
“No. I’d rather make him my personal bodyguard.”
“If he’s that strong, wouldn’t it be better to tame him and make him serve me instead?”
“Hahahaha! My boy, how are you both so soft-hearted and so calculating?”
“I learned it all from you, Grandfather.”
“Ah-hahaha! My precious grandson! You even speak like a prince now! Fine, then. If that’s what you want, I’ll break him until he obeys your every word.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
“Just leave it to me. You go home and rest.”
As Shin Dowoon left, Shin Do Pyeong turned to his aide and ordered coldly,
“You heard him. Go and bring me that Yeon Woo Jin. Now.”
Yeon Woo Jin let out a quiet sigh as he faced the man who had come looking for him.
He’d assumed the Patriarch would handle things discreetly—but he’d forgotten about the grandfather.
“I suggest you come quietly.”
“Of course. I’ll go.”
The Tianzhu Hall martial artist raised a brow, then let out a small laugh when Yeon Woo Jin agreed without resistance.
“Good. I’d rather not have to drag you there by force.”
He didn’t seem like a bad man.
Probably just stuck under an unfortunate superior.
“Where are we headed?”
“Tianzhu Hall. You should consider it an honor. Not many get to step foot inside the Inner Pillar.”
“Tianzhu Hall—that’s where the Lord of Mushincheon resides, right?”
“Will I get to see him?”
“He’s not someone people like us get to meet. Still... who knows? If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of him from afar.”
The man truly seemed to revere the Lord of Mushincheon.
“You must really respect him.”
“Isn’t it obvious? He’s our sovereign. If he ordered me to die, I would.”
“Wow... that’s incredible.”
“Is that so? Thank you. But people like me... we don’t even register in his eyes.”
“Doesn’t that make you feel bitter?”
“Bitter? Not at all. Just being able to serve him in any way is the greatest honor I could ask for.”
“Hardly. I’ve got a temper, too.”
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Before we get there, let me offer you one piece of advice.”
“Beg for mercy. Pledge yourself to the Shin Clan. If you do that, they probably won’t hurt you too badly.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
The way Yeon Woo Jin responded so calmly made it impossible for the man to dislike him.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“My name? Hah. I’m Seop Pung.”
“Wow! That’s a cool name.”
“Hah! It’s just the name that sounds cool.”
“I hope good things happen to you.”
“Thanks. But you make sure to listen to my advice, all right? The Shin Clan is dangerous. Especially Tianzhu Hall—far more dangerous than the rest.”