Chapter 211 Hapsanpa-3

Chapter 211: Hapsanpa-3

Seon Woo-jin glanced around at the people watching him, but didn’t stop walking as he continued toward the Hapsanpa headquarters.

With that many people overhearing, it seemed only a matter of time before the rumor spread like wildfire.

‘Phase One of the plan succeeded easily.’

Seon Woo-jin sliced through the charging Hapsanpa warriors with ease, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

A week ago, everything was going exactly as planned, just as I had explained to the two elders.

‘I thought it might be possible, but it’s turning out even easier than I imagined.’

Seon Woo-jin smiled with satisfaction at his own effortless destruction of the Hapsanpa.

For him, capable of displaying martial prowess beyond the peak level when using the Moonlit Sword Dance, the Hapsan Sect was now hardly a challenging opponent.

Suddenly, Mok-rang spoke up.

– How does it feel to single-handedly smash a massive breakwater? From what I recall, this was the most exhilarating moment after I became a master.

At those words, Seon Woo-jin grinned and replied.

‘It’s incredibly thrilling. I can finally feel the rewards of all my martial arts training.’

Mukrang was absolutely right.

The feeling of single-handedly destroying one of Guangxi Province’s strongest martial arts sects gave him a thrill, as if he had become one of the legendary masters from tales of old.

Suddenly, memories of the past came flooding back.

How many had perished in the past to confront a single monk of the Small-Faced Demon Army in the Council Chamber?

Now that he himself had taken on the role of that Demon King of the Small Noodles, he couldn’t help but feel a fresh sense of emotion.

Mukrang asked again.

– How about the Southern Cross Sword? Was it any good?

‘Ah, yes. It seems like a good sword technique. In terms of how easy it is to handle multiple opponents at once, it’s far superior to the Four-Sword Technique. It’s also good for mixing in the ‘Heavenly River’ technique.’

***

Sunwoo Jin ultimately succeeded in mastering the Southern Cross Sword of Haenam in just one week.

No, to be precise, he succeeded in just three days.

‘Pfft, is that even possible? If you could master it in a few days just by looking at the manual, would that be the Three-Step Sword Technique? It’s the Three-Step Sword Method!’

Zeng Qil, who had mocked him and made a bet with Seon Woo-jin, couldn’t accept it when he saw him master and wield the Southern Cross Sword in just three days. He gritted his teeth in fury.

‘N-no way! How could you master such a technique in just three days from a manual alone?! I absolutely refuse to believe it! Youngest, you knew this sword technique all along, didn’t you?! Otherwise…!’

But when Seon Woo-jin silently smiled faintly and looked at him, Jeong Chil could only admit defeat with a look as if the sky had fallen.

‘Gah! I… lost.’

He then swore never to oppose Seon Woo-jin’s plans again.

‘If I ever bet against the youngest again, I’m not human!’

Watching Jung Chil like that, Seon Woo-jin smiled triumphantly.

And he thought to himself.

Indeed, the most respected figure in history must be the Sword Spirit.

‘Thank you, Elder.’

– Truth be told, seeing that arrogant bastard get crushed feels refreshing.

In fact, the White Tiger Sword Seonwoojin now wields was also forged after receiving Mokrang’s guidance in a dream.

Thanks to that, Seonwoo Jin was able to learn and master blacksmithing techniques this time as well.

Mastering the Southern Cross Sword took a mere three days, but the reason he had taken a week’s leeway was because he needed time to properly forge the White Tiger Sword.

So, all these events could be said to be thanks to Mukrang.

But even with Moolang, it wasn’t something anyone could achieve.

Mukrang couldn’t help but marvel once more as he taught Seonwoojin the Southern Cross Sword this time.

– Impressive. Truth be told, I was skeptical myself, but to master the Southern Cross Sword to this degree in just one week… Your talent is truly remarkable.

Then, with a hint of a smile in his voice, he continued.

– It’s a bit awkward to say this, but in my lifetime, only one of my nephews ever truly amazed me with his talent. Honestly, even my own brother didn’t impress me much in that regard. In that sense, your talent is quite remarkable. I’m genuinely hopeful you might even master the art of horse training.

Seon Woo-jin couldn’t hold back a smile at his praise.

Being recognized for his talent by the Sword Saint, hailed as the greatest of all time, was as thrilling as breaking a wave barrier single-handedly.

He smiled faintly and conveyed his gratitude to Mokrang.

‘That’s certainly not the case, but thank you anyway.’

Then, a sudden question came to mind, and I asked him.

‘But if that nephew of yours was so incredibly talented, why didn’t you pass the art of horse training down to him?’

Mukrang answered in a bitter tone.

– Well, there were various reasons.

It was a voice that clearly didn’t want to elaborate.

So Seonwoojin decided not to ask any more questions.

***

While Seonwoojin was lost in such thoughts, he had now arrived at the front of the Hapsanpa headquarters.

The Hapsan faction warriors who had been charging relentlessly until just moments ago were no longer advancing.

Of course, the Hapsan faction’s warriors were not yet completely annihilated.

But with all the peak masters already dead, the remaining warriors dared not even attempt to charge.

Seonwoojin suddenly scanned the remaining Hapsan faction warriors with an indifferent gaze.

Those who had been watching Seonwoo Jin from a distance, already at a considerable distance, now backed away in terror.

“Eeeek!”

“Monster! Monster!”

“Lord Moon! If only Lord Moon would come… Why on earth won’t Lord Moon come?”

“Ah, but even if the Lord of the Gate came, would he be a match for such a creature?”

They were already beyond the state of being able to resist.

Seon Woo-jin, who had chuckled at their helpless state, shouted once more toward the main hall.

“Here comes Haenam’s Inparang! Father’s enemy! Where is Munju Eojing of the Hapsanpa?! Did you hide him because you’re afraid of me?!”

But despite the provocation, there was no response from within the main hall.

No one came out, and no sound could be heard.

After waiting a moment, Seon Woo-jin finally smashed through the main gate and strode decisively inside.

CRASH!

But the sight that immediately met Seon Woo-jin’s eyes upon entering the main hall was an interior already in utter disarray and the bodies of Hapsanpa warriors lying scattered everywhere.

The main hall had already been attacked by someone.

Though he hadn’t touched a thing himself, gazing at the devastated interior, Seon Woo-jin smiled faintly, as if he had expected it all along.

Then, without hesitation, he continued deeper into the main hall.

‘Seeing how quiet it is inside, it seems the elders have already finished everything.’

– That’s only natural. What else could they do when two peerless warriors stormed a single building?

That was the case.

In truth, Seon Woo-jin’s repeated shouting of the name of the Hapsanpa sect leader, Eo Jeong-gi, in front of the main hall was a ruse.

While Seon Woo-jin created a commotion up front, Seol Pung and Jeung Chil had planned to raid the main hall.

While Inparang had to act alone in front of everyone, there was no reason to do so when they weren’t watching.

Seon Woo-jin calmly surveyed the mess his two sworn brothers had created before entering the Hapsanpa leader’s chamber, located deep within the main building.

Immediately upon entering, he saw a man trembling violently like a quaking aspen, his face contorted in agony.

“Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

He looked to be in immense pain, yet he couldn’t even raise his voice, only letting out small whimpers. This sight was all too familiar to Seon Woo-jin.

He smiled and said.

“It seems you’re using the Bone-Crushing Technique. How many stages have you reached?”

Then Seolpung, who had been watching from the side, gave a hollow laugh and replied.

“Seventh stage, huh?”

“Huh? The seventh stage?”

Seon Woo-jin was slightly startled by his words.

Reaching the seventh stage out of ten meant one had climbed exceptionally high.

Usually, people would cry and spill everything by the fifth stage at most, so this was exceptionally rare.

So, he looked at Eojing with renewed interest and asked.

“Stage seven? So this guy had some real grit after all?”

But Seolpung gave a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“No, actually, I blew all the ones I could earlier. But my brother said he wanted to test it up to ten levels, you see.”

“…Ah.”

I understood immediately what he meant.

Looking at Jeongchil, he was observing Ajeonggi’s state with eyes sparkling like a mischievous child.

Before, he’d scolded me for learning some torture technique, but it seemed he’d actually wanted to try it himself.

Zengchi rubbed his hands together, licked his lips, and muttered.

“Heh heh heh, well then, shall we move on to the eighth stage?”

Then Eojung-gi’s eyes flickered desperately as he let out a desperate groan.

“Kreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Even without training to read minds, his desperate will seemed easy to discern now.

But it seemed Jeong Chil hadn’t read that desperate will.

Or perhaps he chose not to.

Without hesitation, he escalated the Bone-Crushing Technique to its eighth level.

“Kreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Eojunggi’s eyes rolled back, turning completely white.

Seon Woo-jin now smiled with a look similar to Seolpung’s, shook his head firmly, and, leaving Jeong Chil completely focused on Eojunggi, asked Seolpung again.

“Have any new facts come to light?”

Seolpung nodded and showed him documents retrieved from the vault in the main hall, replying.

“Look at this. Just as you suspected, the Hapsan Sect was indeed formed by the joint efforts of the Haenam Sect’s Jin Taedo and the Hyeongsan Sect. It seems they planned to divide all of Guangxi Province equally between them after taking control. Moreover, it wasn’t just the Hapsan Sect here that was created as a puppet. The Haenam Sect also established one in Guangdong Province, and the Hyeongsan Sect in Jiangxi Province…”

Seon Woo-jin nodded as he examined the document Seolpung handed him.

This was certainly enough to prove beyond doubt that the Hapsanpa faction was a puppet of the Hyeongsanpa and Haenampa factions, led by Jin Tae-do.

Seolpung addressed Seonwoojin.

“If this gets out into the world, those two factions will be in a real mess. What do you plan to do? Are we going to release all of this immediately?”

Among the things the three had done over the past week, besides learning the martial arts of the Haenam Sect, was seizing one branch of the Hao Sect near Hapsan.

The Hao Gate branch inevitably formed close ties with the dominant forces in its region, and the Hao Gate Hapsan branch was also in the process of establishing a close cooperative relationship with the Hapsan faction.

Therefore, Sun Wujin could turn that place into a cooperative one for himself through threats and persuasion, just as he had done before with Luo Sanlong of the Guiyang Branch where the Sun family was based.

By skillfully employing the techniques of bone-crushing and flesh-tearing, along with the methods brought from Sichuan’s Sha Men.

In any case, the Hapshan Branch of Hao Men had now transformed into a place that was extremely cooperative with Sun Woo-jin.

Therefore, if they utilized that place, it would be entirely possible to disseminate these materials throughout the martial arts world in a short time.

But Seon Woo-jin smiled slyly and shook his head.

“No. That’s fine, but I’ve come up with an even more interesting idea. In my opinion…”

As he began his explanation, Seolpung, and even Jeong Chil, who had been too busy testing the Bone-Crushing Technique to pay attention, started listening intently.

Then, with a look that said ‘Of course!’ he grinned like a mischievous child and nodded.

***

Rumors about the appearance of In Parang, the successor of Haenam In-ga, spread throughout the entire South Sea within days.

Behind the Hapsan faction stood the Hyeongsan and Haenam factions, led by Jin Taedo, and rumors circulated that they had assassinated In Gye-un, the former head of the Haenam clan.

However, the effect of that rumor manifested completely differently within the Hyeongsan and Haenam factions.

First, within the Hyeongsan faction, the rumor had little effect.

This was because the Hyeongsan faction’s response to the rumor was extremely resolute.

They firmly declared they had never done such a thing and that it was nothing but a slanderous plot.

He threatened the public, declaring that those who tarnished the Hyeongsan Sect’s reputation with such baseless rumors would be thoroughly punished, presenting an outward appearance that showed not even the slightest hint of wavering.

This demonstrated the strong unity of the sect, centered around its leader, the renowned swordsman of the south, Wei Zhengguo.

The Hainan Sect, however, was not so fortunate.

Jin Taedo, the Haenam Demon Sword who already faced significant opposition, had postponed the meeting for two weeks. Yet, before even a week had passed, he found himself once again facing the heads of the Twelve Haenam Clans.

The Haenam faction’s meeting room. Haenam Oga’s head, O Ik-deok, slammed his fist hard on the round table and shouted.

CRASH!

“Jin Tae-do! So it was your doing after all! You were the one who murdered In Gye-un, the head of the In family!”

His words were harsh, carrying the overwhelming aura of a supreme master.

But Jin Taedo remained completely unshaken.

His expression remained cold as he replied icily.

“Nonsense. I never did such a thing. Rather, I feel deeply wronged by the various masters. How could you possibly believe such baseless rumors and confront me?”

His performance was incredibly bold.

Oh Ik-deok couldn’t help but flinch at his overwhelmingly confident demeanor.

Then, in a slightly subdued voice, Oh Ik-deok pressed further.

“You call that a rumor? Even though that young man, In Parang, wielded the White Tiger Sword and used the Southern Cross Sword?”

At that question, Jin Taedo scoffed and replied.

“Is there any proof that’s the real White Tiger Sword and Southern Cross Sword? No, how could people who aren’t even disciples of the Haenam Sect know that’s the White Tiger Sword and Southern Cross Sword? And if he really is Inparang, why didn’t he come straight to the Haenam Sect but went to the Hapsan Sect instead? I’d like to meet him myself and ask him that question.”

At those words, Oh Ik-deok couldn’t find an immediate reply and let out a low groan.

“Hmm.”

Then, the head of the Chukga family, seated beside Jin Taedo, quickly interjected in agreement.

“The head of the clan is right! How dare you suspect him based on unverified rumors?! Oh, head of the clan, apologize immediately!”

Once he broke the ice, the heads of the Mi, Hae, and Sul families rose like a swarm of bees, beginning to denounce Oh Ik-deok.

“Exactly! Where in the world is such rudeness to be found?!”

“Apologize immediately, Lord Oh!”

“As if there were no one else to suspect…!”

It was then.

Yoo Hae-eung, the head of the Yoo family who had been sitting silently, slowly opened his mouth.

His voice was quiet, yet it carried a weight like stone, a presence that commanded attention.

“I agree with that sentiment. How can we doubt and condemn someone based on unverified rumors? We already have experience wrongfully accusing someone that way in the past. Isn’t that right, Jin Gaju?”

Yoo Hae-eung asked this, fixing Jin Tae-do with a sharp gaze.

At that, Jin Taedo and the other clan heads who had been denouncing Oh Ikdeok could only clear their throats awkwardly and avert their gaze.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

They understood exactly what Yoo Hae-eung was implying.

Yoo Hae-eung was denouncing the actions they had taken in the past.

When In Gye-un and Jin Tae-do competed for the position of head of the Haenam faction in the past, In Gye-un suddenly faced a barrage of rumors and suffered immense criticism.

Allegations of an affair with another clan’s wife, embezzlement of public funds, and even hiring a hitman.

Though none of these rumors were ever confirmed, their mere existence dealt him a severe blow in the competition to become the leader of the Haenam Sect.

Jin Taedo, in particular, had insisted on that point at the time.

The very fact that such rumors spread about In Gaju proves he lacks the qualifications to be a candidate for head of the sect! How could we possibly trust someone with such rumors attached to them and entrust the future of the Haenam Sect to him?!

And by the time it was revealed that none of those things were true, Jin Taedo had already become the head of the clan, and it had been quite some time since In Gye-un had gone missing.

Yoo Hae-eung was speaking of that time now.

Wasn’t Jin Taedo the very one who had condemned In Ga-ju most harshly based on unverified rumors?

Jin Tae-do ultimately couldn’t press O Ik-deok any further and had no choice but to restrain the other clan heads at that point.

Bringing up that incident would only put himself at a disadvantage.

Jin Taedo steered the conversation away, urging restraint among the clan leaders around him.

“Now, now, let’s put such talk aside for now and discuss something more important. The most crucial matter at present is surely the identity of this person claiming to be Inparang, isn’t it? We must investigate him. Who he is, and what purpose he serves by spreading such baseless rumors.”

At those words, Jin-tae and the other clan heads present all nodded their heads in agreement.

“That’s right! We must investigate that man!”

“Indeed! We must uncover who is behind him, spreading such baseless rumors!”

These were words that cleverly emphasized the notion of groundless rumors.

Then Jin Taedo spoke without further hesitation.

“Therefore, I intend to meet him personally. I will go find him myself…”

At that moment, Yoo Hae-eung cut him off.

“But tell me this. If his claims turn out to be true, what then?”

Then Jin Taedo let out a fierce roar and glared at Yoo Hae-eung with a savage look in his eyes as he retorted.

“What did you just say, Master Yoo? Surely you still believe such nonsense…!”

But Yoo Hae-eung did not flinch at all before Jin Tae-do, one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Masters.

With a stony, impassive expression, he spoke again.

“You seem to be under a misconception, Lord Jin. Saying the truth of that statement hasn’t been confirmed doesn’t mean it’s a baseless rumor. It simply means we can’t determine whether it’s fact or fiction. But if that statement were true, wouldn’t it be rather peculiar for Lord Jin to go find him? It would be a situation where the father’s enemy personally seeks out the son.”

At that, Jin Taedo gritted his teeth and shouted.

“What nonsense…!”

But Yoo Hae-eung, with the same stony expression and tone as before, drove the point home decisively.

“If Lord Jin is truly innocent, he need only await the investigations of others. The more he personally intervenes, the more suspicious it becomes.”

At this, Jin Taedo could say no more and glanced around nervously.

The other heads nodded in agreement with Yoo Hae-eung’s words.

Even the heads who supported him avoided eye contact, unable to bring themselves to contradict him.

Jin Taedo finally lost control of his expression and clenched his teeth.

He needed a way out.