“My lord.”

“Mm, you’ve come.”

Yangcheon smiled faintly.

Standing before him was Mo Yong Yeonhwa, dressed in dark crimson robes that projected a restrained elegance.

“Well then. What do you have to report?”

“Here.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa bent respectfully and set several documents on the floor.

Yangcheon crooked a finger.

WOOOOONG.

A light breeze seemed to stir, and before she knew it, the documents were in Yangcheon’s hand.

She had seen it happen many times before, yet Mo Yong Yeonhwa still felt awe and fear all over again.

So this is the level of the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens.

With one casual motion, he lifted papers lying more than three full zhang away and drew them into his hand.

It was astonishing circulation of Inner Qi. Calling it astonishing almost felt disrespectful. The martial skill before her was that overwhelming.

If it were paper, he could lift it. If it were a person, he could probably lift that just as easily. That kind of confidence is there.

With power like that, if he truly wished it, he might be able to snap a person’s neck without ever laying a hand on them.

This was not strength meant for human beings. There was a reason the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens were called the sun of the martial world.

Could I reach a realm like that too?

Ambition blazed in Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s eyes.

A moment later—

“You handled this well.”

“Thank you.”

Yangcheon smiled in satisfaction.

“As expected, you’re the kind of talent Clan Lord Mo Yong would confidently send to me. Then again, without a fair amount of confidence, he never would have sent his own blood so readily. I had my doubts, but in less than three months, you’ve proven yourself quite well.”

“Thank you.”

The praise was coming from the Fighting King himself. Even so, Mo Yong Yeonhwa remained composed.

“However.”

“...?” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

“You still don’t show the same extraordinary decisiveness and insight as the former Director of the Intelligence Division.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s face stiffened slightly.

She knew exactly who Yangcheon meant.

Yeon Hojeong!

In that instant, a vicious surge of hatred and jealousy rose from deep inside her chest.

She knew better than anyone that she could never tell Yangcheon that person had been Yeon Hojeong. If she did, not only her father, but she herself would never survive Yangcheon’s hands.

But every time she heard an assessment like this, the urge to spit everything out would suddenly rear up inside her.

How dare he!

Yangcheon was not simply outstanding in martial arts. In knowledge, discernment, and every other respect, he was unquestionably superior to her.

But she did not want to admit it. She did not want to admit that she was inferior to Yeon Hojeong. She wanted to believe Yangcheon’s judgment, at least where that man was concerned, was wrong.

Of course, she knew that too.

This judgment came from nothing but jealousy.

To say Yeon Hojeong was beneath her would be an insult to both Yangcheon and her father. There was no way the eyes of those two men could be inferior to hers.

What exactly about that bastard makes him worthy of such high regard?

An exceptional mind. Bold execution.

She acknowledged that Yeon Hojeong was a rare genius. Even she admitted that. But from her point of view, there were more people than one might think who possessed that level of ability.

So why was Yeon Hojeong alone valued so highly? Had Yangcheon and her father truly seen something special in him that she could not?

“Does it wound your pride?”

Yangcheon saw straight through her state of mind at a glance.

Mo Yong Yeonhwa let out a quiet breath.

“It does.”

Yangcheon smiled.

She did not tell clumsy lies. That was one of the things he liked about her.

Mo Yong Yeonhwa was a remarkable talent. But she also cared about how others judged her, and when someone better than her appeared, she felt jealousy.

In her, one could see the ordinary qualities most people possessed. Even so, Yangcheon liked her because she could honestly admit her shortcomings and possessed the drive to rise higher.

Even negative emotions such as anger, jealousy, and disgust could become fuel for growth if filtered properly. That was one reason Yangcheon had resolved to make great use of her.

“Don’t try to compare yourself to him. Beauty is short-lived, and his talent was so extraordinary that he lost his life at your father’s hands.”

“...”

“What matters is not ability itself, but whether you can continue to grow while bearing the abilities you possess. In that respect, you are actually far superior to the former Director of the Intelligence Division.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa smiled bitterly.

If I think of it that way, then yes. I really am clearly below him.

She had no need to deceive Yangcheon. All she had to do was prove her abilities to the fullest.

Yeon Hojeong had been different.

He had needed to deceive Yangcheon, coordinate the Martial Alliance’s operations, and escape at precisely the right moment.

And even under those conditions, Yeon Hojeong had captivated Yangcheon. To leave such a powerful impression in an environment where he could not fully display his abilities meant she still had not reached the tip of his toe.

Fine. I’ll admit it. I haven’t entered the realm of true genius yet.

If she wanted to become a real genius—

If she wanted to stand out even in a domain crowded with monsters—

Then she would have to study harder, and train with even more desperation.

“In any case, you’ve still exceeded my expectations. In such a short time, you revived a dying silk business to this extent. For an ordinary person, that would have been impossible.”

“Thank you.”

Yangcheon nodded.

“As promised before, I will appoint you team leader in the Intelligence Division of Ink Dragon Manor.”

Team leader in the Intelligence Division.

Not director. Not deputy director. Merely a team leader.

Considering her age, even that was an extraordinary appointment, but compared with Yeon Hojeong, it was lacking to an almost laughable degree.

Yet Mo Yong Yeonhwa no longer thought about Yeon Hojeong. Her anger and jealousy remained unchanged, but she had to do her best from the place where she stood. She had not forgotten that.

“To tell the truth, considering the ability you’ve shown, promoting you not to team leader but to deputy director would not have been unreasonable. However, as you know, you are someone who will eventually leave headquarters. There are still too many burdens in entrusting you with a higher post.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa understood Yangcheon.

“I will serve you with all my heart, my lord.”

“Good. I’ll be relying on you from here on out as well.”

“Yes.”

Yangcheon adjusted his posture.

“Now that the subject has come up, I’ve been thinking of giving you an order.”

“Please command ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) me.”

“The new year has already passed. The day the Martial Alliance Leader is chosen is now right around the corner.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s eyes lit up.

Yangcheon smiled.

“No one knows you belong to headquarters. I’ve falsified and blocked every piece of information related to you, so not even the Service Lords of the Martial Alliance should know a thing.”

“Yes.”

“You will go to the Martial Alliance.”

“...!”

“And deliver my gift to your father.”

“...Understood.”

“One more thing.”

Flame burst in Yangcheon’s eyes.

“Bring back every piece of information you can that might benefit headquarters.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s eyes wavered.

“My lord.”

“I know. Even for your father’s sake, that would not be proper. In other words, I am not telling you to steal information behind your father’s back.”

“Then...?”

“I will send your father a letter. The two of you can think it over and send me information that would not pose much danger to you even if we received it.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa swallowed and spoke.

“Forgive me for saying so, my lord, but from what my father told me, I understood that alliance-level support would begin only after he became Martial Alliance Leader.”

The corner of Yangcheon’s mouth curled upward.

“And what if Clan Lord Mo Yong does not become Martial Alliance Leader?”

“...?!”

“Then wouldn’t I be throwing away real money for nothing?”

“...!”

“Don’t tell me that won’t happen. Human affairs are never certain. Even if not just I but all the world were to help him, if fortune does not favor him, it is difficult to sit in a seat like that.”

“How can that be?”

“The head of an organization as large as the Martial Alliance cannot take that seat simply because he has strength and ability. A seat like that can overturn the fate of the whole world.”

“...Fate.”

“To sit in a place like that, one needs something beyond mere ability. Something that cannot be explained in words.”

“...”

“I don’t know when it will be, but someday you’ll understand as well. You’ll understand how important that something beyond logic is. I called it fortune, but even that word cannot fully explain it.”

Yangcheon’s eyes sank coldly.

“There are many outstanding men in this world. Many geniuses. Many monsters. Many strange ones too.”

“...”

“But the peak is always one.”

Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s eyes shook violently.

The peak is always one...

Depending on how one heard it, it might have sounded trivial.

And yet Yangcheon’s words struck Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s heart with inexplicable force.

Yangcheon nodded.

“The gift I intend to send your father is still being prepared. You’ll need time to prepare yourself as well, so assume you’ll depart in ten days.”

“...Understood.”

“That will be all. You may go.”

“Yes.”

Heart pounding, Mo Yong Yeonhwa left the great hall.

Resting his chin on his hand, Yangcheon smiled faintly.

“This is why talking to young people is tiresome, and interesting at the same time.”

Conversation with someone beneath one’s level was inevitably exhausting. In that sense, Mo Yong Yeonhwa was still far from being a proper conversational partner for Yangcheon.

But it was different when the young person in question possessed boundless room for growth. Yangcheon had seen great potential in Mo Yong Yeonhwa, and he had also seen clearly that if she were guided well, the speed of her development might surpass anyone else’s.

If she grew without mishap, Mo Yong Yeonhwa would surely become an extraordinary talent and one of the pillars of the world.

That’s right. If she grows without mishap.

Just then—

Startled, Yangcheon pressed a hand to his chest.

...Hm.

The skin around his eyes twitched faintly.

This feels filthy.

It was a sensation he had never felt before. It was spreading from the golden handprint stamped onto his chest through the rest of his body.

It felt like blood that had never flowed properly suddenly surging through him in one sharp rush.

Too faint to call pain, too vivid to dismiss.

“Perverse Lust Cult Leader.”

Tssssssss.

At the Killing Intent of an absolute ruler sinking low into the room, the flames burning all around it shook wildly.

“That’s right. I had thought there would be no such thing as help without a price. But I didn’t expect you to try swallowing me whole.”

Yangcheon smiled coldly.

“Wait for me. The others are nothing, but you—the Perverse Lust Cult Leader alone—I will cast into the abyss of despair.”

He would not be caught twice. The reason was simple: when he was struck once, he returned it tenfold.

That was the Fighting King Yangcheon, acknowledged by the entire martial world as the greatest fighter under heaven.

After rubbing his chest for quite some time, Yangcheon smacked his lips.

“Still... when are those damned disciples of mine getting here?”