The Heaven-Slaying Sword

“The captain. You?”

Namgung Jincheon’s voice was cold. It even carried a hint of looking down on Mok Riwon.

It was clear as day from Namgung Jincheon’s perspective, because apart from acknowledging his martial arts, he thought Mok Riwon’s naivety made him unsuitable for this position.

Of course, there was also the personal desire of not wanting to follow the other Dragon Phoenix members, but even excluding that, Namgung Jincheon believed he was the man most suited to be the captain here.

“Do you know how to lead a group? Do you have knowledge of administrative procedures? No, are you even aware of what a captain’s role is in the first place?”

The words he shot out pierced Mok Riwon’s chest.

Although trembling, he didn’t back down.

It was the position of captain in the Martial Alliance, a position that Mok Riwon dearly loved even in Tales of the Martial Heroes, and one that only the protagonist could occupy.

Mok Riwon did not want to give up such a glorious position so easily.

“A-Am I not the strongest?! The strongest person always becomes the captain!”

Freeze.

Namgung Jincheon stiffened. His eyes widened incredibly, and a hurt expression formed on his face.

The finals of the Dragon Phoenix Tournament which was akin to a nightmare for him… The events of that day came flooding back.

He calmed his trembling fists.

However, his deep azure eyes still couldn’t control their shaking.

He had to be rational in this situation, but in the end, not much changed.

Namgung Jincheon was a man who couldn’t feel at ease unless he stood above others.

“…Right, it’s been about two months. It seems we need to reorganize the hierarchy again.”

Qi slowly rose from his body, and as if not wanting to lose, Mok Riwon also began to unleash his ink-black qi.

What would happen next was obvious.

Mok Riwon received a flick on his forehead.

It was Tang Hwa-seo.

“Young Hero Mok! Is it okay to release your qi in a place like this?! Is it?!”

“Ah, it’s not okay, but…!”

“But what?! And Sword Dragon! You also have a problem! Didn’t you say that at the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, provocation doesn’t work on you?! But why are you reacting to everything he says and causing trouble?!”

Their mouths clammed shut.

When Tang Hwa-seo, who rarely raised her voice, assaulted them with a merciless truth, they were at a loss for words.

Even so, the sight of the two glaring at each other made her grab her head.

They’re both children!

The hidden side of Namgung Jincheon who she had previously trusted, was slowly being revealed.

He was on the exact same level as Mok Riwon.

It was then that she realized.

The reason Namgung Jincheon had seemed distant and detached until now was simply because he had kept his mouth shut!

He’s just a taciturn Mok Riwon!

Tang Hwa-seo looked at the others with a throbbing headache.

Zhuge San was laughing so hard that he was gasping for air, and Hyeun had already gone far away, talking to a martial artist of the Alliance.

Il-woon was smiling as if it was troublesome, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping them.

Her complexion simply turned pale.

…We’re doomed.

The Dragon Phoenix Squad was doomed.

Completely and utterly doomed.

Somehow, there wasn’t a single person she could trust.

* * *

Military Advisor Zhuge Muyeon made a dumbfounded face at the scene unfolding before him.

First, Mok Riwon and Namgung Jincheon.

The two men who would be in charge of the Dragon Phoenix Squad’s martial strength were for some reason, glaring in different directions with angry faces.

Zhuge San was groaning while holding his stomach as if he had indigestion, and Hyeun was playing with Il-woon’s bald head which was covered in bulging veins.

The only normal one was Tang Hwa-seo, but even her expression was strange.

“Did something happen?”

“Nothing, yet.”

Tang Hwa-seo smiled emptily.

Zhuge Muyeon felt himself growing slightly curious, but soon suppressed his wonder.

He wasn’t the kind of person who would entertain the hot-bloodedness of young people.

“With this, everyone has gathered. The Immortal Dragon expressed his intention to remain in Wudang.”

“Yes, I would like to hear about the upcoming schedule.”

When Tang Hwa-seo asked while pressing her forehead, Zhuge Muyeon nodded.

“First, the preparations of the building have been completed. When you leave, my adjutant will guide you.”

“Then...”

“However, the administrative procedures have not ended, so it will take more time until the official establishment.”

“There are that many procedures?”

Tang Hwa-seo tilted her head.

As far as she knew, establishing a single group didn't take this long even for the Martial Alliance.

“I am aware that the establishment of a group is completed with the approval of the Alliance Leader. Are they absent by any chance?”

“That’s not it. Rather, at the upper echelons of the Alliance, efforts are being made to establish the group.”

“But why...”

“There will be an inauguration ceremony. A rather grand one.”

At his words, all eyes turned towards him.

Meanwhile, Zhuge San’s brows narrowed. It was natural for him, who disliked troublesome matters.

“Inauguration ceremony? Why so extravagant...”

In the middle of his sentence, Zhuge San made an Ah, suddenly nodding.

“…Right, come to think of it, this isn’t an ordinary group.”

Everybody understood his words.

Except for Mok Riwon.

So Tang Hwa-seo provided a separate explanation for him.

“Given the current state of affairs, it must be to boost morale. Additionally, there are many gazes to be mindful of as the children of prestigious clans are being gathered and brought into the Alliance.”

“Ah! So that’s how it is!”

Zhuge Muyeon nodded in agreement with their conversation and then asked.

“So, there’s something I have to have to know soon.”

“What is it?”

“Who is the captain and vice-captain?”

Tang Hwa-seo’s face turned pale at those words.

And the two men with the same mental age had their eyes light up again.

Their eyes clashed again.

Tang Hwa-seo felt her head throb and gritted her teeth, then soon raised her hand.

“I will do it.”

“Ah! Young Lady!”

“I will do it. I won’t accept any objections.”

Zhuge Muyeon simply listened to their conversation with his arms crossed until they were all on the same plan.

After all, each member was an Expert at the Peak Realm, and the position of captain wasn’t a role based solely on martial prowess, so anyone who could gather up their opinions would do.

The situation was very one-sided.

“Young Hero Mok. Stay put.”

Mok Riwon stepped back at her single command.

“Do not even think about being the captain either, Sword Dragon. Can you handle all the administrative procedures? Do you have any intention of taking care of the other members? Do you have the will to participate in meetings and other matters by cutting into your training time?”

Namgung Jincheon gradually lost his momentum at what she said.

In fact, he was someone who didn’t enjoy taking care of others.

“Zhuge San, White Phoenix. You two probably weren’t thinking about it anyway. And Monk Il-woon wouldn’t want to speak harshly to others.”

The three of them nodded.

Afterwards, Tang Hwa-seo turned around to Zhuge Muyeon.

“Done.”

“Excellent. And the vice-captain?”

“It will be Monk Il-woon. By the captain’s discretion.”

She cut off any other interjections before they could be made.

From her perspective, the only talent she could use as a vice-captain was the relatively normal Il-woon.

“Great. Then I will inform them and prepare for the inauguration ceremony. I will tell you the details of the ceremony later.”

Zhuge Muyeon rose from his seat.

Then the adjutant waiting outside the door called for the Dragons and Phoenixes.

“You may follow me.”

And then Tang Hwa-so let out a sigh of relief.

…That’s one hurdle.

Although she didn’t know what would happen in the future, they had passed a dangerous point.

Turning her head and looking at them in the eyes, they definitely looked like troublemakers.

I absolutely…

…must not let them cause any incidents.

Such thoughts filled her mind.

* * *

The building where the Dragon Phoenix Squad would reside was luxurious.

If one were to describe it, there were traces of gold which noticeably set it apart from the nearby quarters at a glance.

“Brother Zhuge! There’s a night pearl in here!”

“Oh! It’d be good money if we took one of those and sold it!”

“Brother Zhuge! Don’t tell me… this is…!”

“It’s jade! This sculpture is made of solid jade!”

“Woww!!!”

A tremendous amount of support to the point where one would wonder how they could pour so much money into a single building.

However, looking at their lineup, it was understandable.

Three children of the Five Noble Clans, two rising stars representing the Nine Sects.

Aside from Mok Riwon, each and every one of them belonged to renowned prestigious clans and sects.

There was support coming in based on their affiliations and sponsorships from various merchant groups.

Of course, the Five Noble Clans were where the highest share of the money was flowing in from.

The night pearl or sculptures carved from jade were prime examples of that.

Tang Hwa-seo looked at the night pearl with darkened eyes.

It was because she knew its origin was the Sichuan Tang Clan.

…I don’t believe he put in a good word.

She had returned from Shexian, Anhui after a conflict with Tang Woonkyung, and had even expressed her intent to distance herself from the Tang Clan by establishing a foothold in the Martial Alliance.

Yet the Tang Clan, or more precisely, the Clan Head was sending support like this. Tang Hwa-seo couldn’t fathom his intentions.

No, let’s not think about it now.

Tang Hwa-seo intentionally shifted her gaze away from the night pearl.

No matter their intentions, she couldn’t reveal her other motives while in the Martial Alliance, so she simply had to focus on what needed to be done right in front of her.

Clap clap.

She clapped her hands to get their attention.

“Alright, stop looking around and let’s assign the rooms.”

Although the Dragon Pheonix Building was fairly large, there weren’t many rooms to sleep in.

There were only six martial artists to begin with, so the space that typically would have been allocated to bedding was filled with training grounds and other facilities.

“There are a total of three rooms. I will assign them in pairs of two. Of course, I will room with White Phoenix, and as for the rest of you…”

She narrowed her eyes and took a guess.

I must keep Young Hero Mok and Sword Dragon apart at all costs.

If she were to put them together, they would surely cause trouble again. Just today alone, they had already clashed several times, so if she told them to sleep in the same room, who knew how many incidents would occur?

That was something that absolutely could not be allowed.

So Tang Hwa-seo made up her mind to assign the two to different rooms and continued her contemplation.

Considering those two, Zhuge San and Monk Il-woon…

If it were up to her, she wanted to pair Il-woon with Mok Riwon.

After all, if Mok Riwon were to stay with Zhuge San, he might be badly influenced.

However, she couldn’t do that either because if she put Zhuge San with the whimsical Namgung Jincheon, there would be no one to control him.

“Huu...”

Her dilemma was caught between emotion and logic.

Agonizing for a long while, she finally came to a conclusion.

“Monk Il-woon, please room with Sword Dragon.”

Tang Hwa-seo entrusted Namgung Jincheon to Il-woon.

While Mok Riwon and Zhuge San rejoiced saying all was right, Tang Hwa-seo’s heart did not feel at ease.

At that moment, Hyeun sneakily approached and whispered.

“How about we each have our own room and put the four of them together?”

She looked at Hyeun with an expressionless face and snorted.

“Stop speaking such nonsense.”

There was no one who didn’t know what would happen if Hyeun had a room to herself. No way only one person would be in it.

A man would come visiting her room every other day.

Tang Hwa-seo made this arrangement while sacrificing herself.

“Don’t even think about bringing in outsiders.”

She intended to minimize the time Hyeun could target men.

And Hyeun clicked her tongue.

“You’re annoyingly perceptive.”

She said, loud enough for everyone to /genesisforsaken