DRRRRR—.The stone gate that had been sealed for a long time slid open, and a man stepped out, shading his eyes from the sun.“Has it been two years?”As he muttered, someone walked up to him.Seeing who it was, the man bowed his head.“This junior, Heonwon Pung, has finished closed-door cultivation and come out.”Heonwon Pung—of the Heonwon Clan—was one of the candidates for Little Heavenly Lord of Martial Deity Heaven. The one who had come to greet him was the clan head of the Heonwon Clan, Heonwon Gang.Heonwon Gang smiled and patted Heonwon Pung on the shoulder.“Good. You’ve worked hard these two years. How much did you achieve?”At his father’s question, Heonwon Pung smiled.“Not enough.”He said “not enough,” but he radiated confidence.It wasn’t the face of someone who actually thought himself lacking.Seeing that, Heonwon Gang smiled.His son looked dependable.“Rest well for today.”“Where would I find time to rest? I want to prepare right away.”“Heh, you rascal. It’s not that I don’t understand your heart, but the details of the contest haven’t even been announced yet.”“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Whoever can bring the most subordinate sects to heel to lead Martial Deity Heaven—that’s who they’ll make Little Heavenly Lord.”“That’s your prediction?”“Yes. But that won’t be the end. The real thing starts after becoming Little Heavenly Lord.”“Why do you think that?”“Do you /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ think other clans will just leave me alone? They’ll try to drag me down somehow. And the Heaven Lord—at best he’ll egg it on; he’s not the type to stop it.”“True. If it’s him, he might.”“To be recognized as the true Little Heavenly Lord, I need to place the other Guardian Clans under my command.”At Heonwon Pung’s declaration that he would bring the other Guardian Clans to heel, Heonwon Gang laughed loudly.“Khahaha! Exactly! That’s how it should be! If you become Heaven Lord in the end, they’ll have to swear loyalty as well.”“Precisely. That’s why I say becoming Little Heavenly Lord isn’t an end but a beginning.”“You’re right. The real trial starts after you become Little Heavenly Lord. You must protect the sects that submit to you and fight the forces that slander you. It won’t be an easy road.”“I know.”“Are you confident?”Heonwon Pung grinned at his father’s question.Seeing that smile, Heonwon Gang nodded, satisfied, and patted his son’s shoulder again.“Good. That’s the answer I wanted. Come on, let’s get you a proper meal. You’ve suffered long enough gnawing on those tasteless Fasting Pills.”“Ah, I’ve missed hot food so much! Let’s go quickly, Father.”“Alright! I had a feast prepared. Let’s go eat.”“Thank you!” ****Heonwon Pung wasn’t the only one emerging from seclusion.From the remaining Guardian Clans, the Little Heavenly Lord candidates came out one after another.Jangson Mugi—the candidate from the Jangson Clan—was among them.People had come to greet him as well, but someone was missing, and he tilted his head.“Father, I don’t see Cheongi?”When Jangson Mugi asked after Jangson Cheongi, the clan head, Jangson Gunbo, scowled.“Don’t even bring that brat up.”“Sir? Why? Did the youngest get into some kind of trouble?”“Sigh… he’s no longer my son.”“Sir?”What on earth?“What do you mean by that?”At Jangson Mugi’s question, Jangson Gunbo waved a hand as if he didn’t even want to talk about it and turned away.“Ask someone else. I’m going on ahead.”And he left.Bewildered, Jangson Mugi turned to the others.“Bu Gwang, what happened? What did Cheongi do that Father’s like this?”At his master’s question, Bu Gwang—Jangson Mugi’s bodyguard, who stood at his side—opened his mouth.“The young master was expelled for gravely disappointing the clan head.”“And what was that, exactly? Do you want to make me keep asking and wear out my tongue?”When Jangson Mugi’s expression turned dangerous, Bu Gwang hurried to continue.Within the limits of what he knew, Bu Gwang detailed what had happened.When he finished, Jangson Mugi let out a short, incredulous laugh.“Father, honestly… the youngest is still a kid. To cast him out over something like that.”Then he gave Bu Gwang an order.“By tomorrow, find out exactly where he is, whether he’s eating properly, and whether anyone’s bullying him. I want details.”“Understood.”There was a reason Jangson Mugi looked after Jangson Cheongi so carefully.It was his mother’s dying wish.Her last words were to take good care of the youngest.So he’d cared for the youngest, Jangson Cheongi, more than anyone.And Cheongi had followed him best in the clan.The boy had always trailed after him, eyes shining.He’d thought the first to run up and greet him after he came out would be the youngest.But he wasn’t here.Once I become Little Heavenly Lord, Father will forgive Cheongi, even if he does it grudgingly.Would he really cast out his own child?He’d driven him out in anger, but when Cheongi truly left and didn’t return, it seemed to have made him even angrier.Then all that was needed was to give him grounds to forgive.Jangson Mugi smirked.“That brat… stubborn as Father, through and through…”He missed him.He wanted to become Little Heavenly Lord quickly and show him something to be proud of.Once he became Little Heavenly Lord, Jangson Cheongi would naturally become Young Clan Head.It wasn’t good for the future Young Clan Head to be out in the world too long.He needed to bring him back quickly and start preparing him.Jangson Mugi was certain he would become Little Heavenly Lord.He was that confident, and he wanted the contest to start as soon as possible. ****Martial Deity Heaven was abuzz.The time had finally come for the Little Heavenly Lord contest to choose the next Heaven Lord of Martial Deity Heaven.The subordinate sects under Martial Deity Heaven were locked in a fierce game of glances.They were busy calculating which clan to side with.It was a decision that would determine the future of their sects, so they were being cautious—twice over.On the other hand, some sects were taking it easy.Those were the sects that already served Yeon Woo Jin as their lord.They knew.Yeon Woo Jin would become the next Little Heavenly Lord.There was no dissent.Their only unease was that Yeon Woo Jin still hadn’t been listed as a candidate.Just when they were wondering when his name would finally appear—He was registered under a familiar name.Yeom Woo Jin.When they saw that name, the sects under Yeon Woo Jin smiled.It brought back memories.He was registered as the Strategist Sama Cheon’s disciple.Sama Cheon’s clan ranked sixth in the hierarchy, but that was purely because Sama Cheon held the Strategist’s seat.If Sama Cheon stepped down, the Sama Clan’s rank would nosedive in an instant.No—its name might disappear from the subordinate hierarchy altogether.And for good reason: the Sama Clan was a scholarly clan, not a martial one.In fact, the Sama Clan didn’t even operate within Martial Deity Heaven.Its people didn’t think of themselves as under Martial Deity Heaven at all.Their greatest goal was to study, ace the civil service exams, and rise in rank and make a name.Even if they were cut from Martial Deity Heaven’s list, they wouldn’t care in the slightest.If anything, they’d be glad to sever their ties to the martial world.Of course, that didn’t mean there were any sects reckless enough to lay a hand on the Sama Clan.Even if they weren’t counted as subordinates anymore, the merits of the man who once steered Martial Deity Heaven as its Strategist didn’t vanish.Normally, clans that weren’t under the banner drew little attention—but the Sama Clan was an exception.In any case, once Sama Cheon registered his disciple as a candidate, the Guardian Clans erupted.The clan heads of the Five Guardian Clans gathered and went to see Sama Cheon.“Strategist! What do you think you’re doing!”“You’ve gone far, far over the line!”“This is an abuse of authority!”As the five clan heads stormed in and lambasted him, Sama Cheon spoke with a look of feigned incomprehension.“What exactly is the problem? Do you not know the qualifications for Little Heavenly Lord? Anyone may apply, regardless of clan or position.”His calm tone only made their faces boil.They had their reasons.Who was Sama Cheon?He was the de facto power who moved Martial Deity Heaven.And he had put forth a candidate?That meant he was confident.The reason he’d waited until now was obvious, too.Had he put a candidate out earlier, he’d have been checked and countered.By putting one out late, he’d left them with zero information on the Strategist’s disciple.“Does the Heaven Lord know of this?”“Of course. The Heaven Lord readily gave his permission.”“Ghh.”What could they say when the Heaven Lord, Yeon Cheon Baek, had approved?“I doubt the Heaven Lord would look kindly on your all rushing in like this to denounce me.”“What?”“Isn’t that so? How little confidence must you have to make such a fuss over one more person added to the list? If you can’t even overcome something this small, how do you propose to rule Martial Deity Heaven?”“Who said we lack confidence? We’re saying it’s unfair. Where is it written that one may join in this late?”“I have never once broken a rule I set. Same here. I’ve done nothing but act within the established rules.”“Then give us information on your disciple.”“That’s right. We know all there is to know about our own candidates, but we don’t even know your disciple’s face.”“Why should I be the one to tell you? Find out yourselves. Ah, since you’re all gathered… let’s announce the candidate contest right now.”“Strategist, we can’t accept a contest method drafted by you.”“That’s right. How do we know you didn’t craft it to favor your disciple?”Sama Cheon smiled at their protests.“Listen first, then decide.”“Fine, talk.”“The contest is simple. Whether from the sects under Martial Deity Heaven or any sects in the Central Plains, within the set period, whoever brings the greatest number of sects under their command becomes Little Heavenly Lord. Well? Still think the rules favor my disciple? I’d say it’s the opposite.”He was right.If the contest was to gather the most subordinate sects, the ones at the greatest disadvantage were the Strategist and his disciple.His disciple was a complete unknown to boot.Few sects would join under someone with no information.Practically none.It was too risky to bet a sect’s future on the Strategist’s reputation alone.“Don’t think you’re safe just because a sect enters your ranks. Even if a sect has joined another candidate’s banner, it can be stolen away at any time. And there must be no retaliation against such a sect. If there is, the Heaven Lord himself will step in.”At the mention that the Heaven Lord would intervene, they all nodded heavily.Sama Cheon added one more line.“However—if you don’t like my disciple, you’re free to intimidate him into quitting at any time. Even if you use force and cripple him, I won’t resent you.”The clan heads of the Guardian Clans stared, startled.They hadn’t expected him to go that far.Saying as much meant he was just that confident.He wasn’t to be taken lightly.“Then I’ll take that as unanimous consent and officially proclaim the contest.”“Do so, Strategist. We respect you, but we won’t go easy. Tell your disciple this: we’ll show him what hell looks like.”“Very well.”“Then we’ll consider the contest begun as of today.”“Do. And remember this—your clans must not step in. The candidates must do it purely by their own power.”“Don’t worry about us; worry about your disciple.”“Thanks to the mentor he drew, he’s about to suffer every hardship under the sun.”“I truly am curious. What kind of man is he?”Brimming with curiosity—and with warnings for Sama Cheon—they left one after another.When all the clan heads were gone, Sama Cheon chuckled and murmured to himself.“Who’s the one who’s going to suffer? Funny.”They had no idea.That the contest terms weren’t unfavorable to Sama Cheon at all—but to them.Not merely “unfavorable”—the contest was already effectively over.Sama Cheon intended to sit back and watch at his leisure.

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