However, when Tak Mu Gwang actually met the old man’s eyes, he couldn’t say anything.

He was overwhelmed by the old man’s aura. The old man spoke with a faint smile. There was no fear on his face.

“Interesting, why don’t you bring him here?”

At the old man’s cold words, Tak Mu Gwang hesitated and stepped back.

“W-What?”

“I’m curious too. How your so-called master will act.”

The old man said that and frowned.

“If you acted according to your master’s teachings, then that master of yours is quite a pathetic fellow.”

Tak Mu Gwang’s mouth fell open at the old man’s scathing words.

The others who had been listening intently to the conversation between the old man and Tak Mu Gwang were the same.

They all started looking at the old man as if he were crazy.

“You, are you in your right mind? Are you talking like this because you don’t know about my master?”

“You know nothing of honor and attacked after losing a duel. Look at how everyone is staring at you now.”

Tak Mu Gwang looked around.

Everyone was staring at him with cold eyes.

It was a natural reaction, since he had used underhanded methods in a fair duel.

“Damn it, what are you looking at!”

Tak Mu Gwang said that while glaring at the people. But the cold gazes of those looking at him did not change.

Realizing that no one was on his side, Tak Mu Gwang started to run away.

Of course, he didn’t forget to say one last thing before leaving.

“You think my master will leave you alone?”

It was truly a villainous line.

[This is the timeline separator]

Ak Wi Cheon tilted his head at the person who came to see him.

It was the martial artist he had assigned to Tak Mu Gwang.

“He’s caused trouble again.”

“Mu Gwang?”

“Yes, I think you should go out. I heard he deliberately bumped into an old man and picked a fight.”

Ak Wi Cheon sighed.

He had clearly been following behind him, but it was incomprehensible why he would cause trouble.

“I don’t know when he’ll ever come to his senses.”

Tak Mu Gwang had always had a hot-tempered personality.

Even so, he used to keep things within reason to some extent, but lately he had been going too far.

The reason he had assigned another martial artist to Tak Mu Gwang was to prepare for times like this.

‘I can’t just stand by and watch anymore.’

Just as Ak Wi Cheon was about to move, another martial artist burst into the room.

“Tak Mu Gwang had a duel with a boy named Ji Cheon Wu!”

Ak Wi Cheon frowned.

Who was this Ji Cheon Wu?

It was a name he had never heard before.

‘He must have lost miserably.’

He could imagine the situation.

Tak Mu Gwang must have acted arrogantly, and there must have been a righteous boy who tried to stop him.

Then the boy must have ultimately been defeated at Tak Mu Gwang’s hands.

Ak Wi Cheon’s expression darkened as he imagined the outcome.

He looked at the martial artist who had first brought him the news.

He too had a confused expression, not knowing what was going on. But the contents of the duel described by the newly arrived martial artist were completely opposite to what Ak Wi Cheon had imagined.

“A boy named Ji Cheon Wu appeared and had a duel with Tak Mu Gwang, and Tak Mu Gwang lost.”

Interest flickered across Ak Wi Cheon’s face.

Tak Mu Gwang was one of the stronger disciples among the 3rd Elder’s students.

Moreover, Ji Cheon Wu was a name he had never heard before. It was surprising that Tak Mu Gwang had lost to such a boy.

The martial artist began to explain the whole story to Ak Wi Cheon.

What had happened, and how Tak Mu Gwang had behaved.

Ak Wi Cheon’s face contorted.

“A son who knows no honor…”

To lose a duel and then launch a sneak attack instead of accepting defeat – it was an absurd thing to do. But what worried Ak Wi Cheon more was something else.

“The Great Force Divine Demon has a fiery temper. He won’t leave those who mentioned him alone. That boy Ji Cheon Wu and the old man are in danger.”

Sure enough.

Another martial artist rushed into his room and shouted.

“The Great Force Divine Demon is going to find that boy Ji Cheon Wu!”

Ak Wi Cheon’s face hardened.

He hurriedly began to move.

[This is the timeline separator]

How did the situation come to this?

I looked at the old man in front of me.

“The noodles here are quite tasteless.”

The old man looked quite relaxed, as if he were the owner of the inn.

For some reason, the old man had followed Ji Cheon Wu all the way to the inn.

Then, he ordered noodles and started eating. I looked at the dumplings I had ordered.

As the old man said, the noodles at this inn were tasteless.

[Was the reason you left the noodles that boy bought this morning actually because they tasted bad?]

I couldn’t deny it.

‘Will the Great Force Divine Demon come to the inn?’

[There’s no way he won’t come after hearing that provocation. The Seven Demon Lords of the Demon Sect are very prideful.]

I openly observed the old man.

All of the old man’s actions were full of composure. He didn’t look like someone who had mentioned the Great Force Divine Demon’s name.

‘Isn’t he worried at all?’

As Dagger Uncle said, the 3rd Elder wouldn’t ignore the old man’s words to come find him.

‘I’ve heard the Great Force Divine Demon has a very nasty personality.’

It was fine to provoke Tak Mu Gwang. He had started the fight first, and Ji Cheon Wu had just responded.

There was also the pretext of protecting the old man.

But now the situation had flowed in a completely different direction.

A fight between masters.

If the hot-tempered Great Force Divine Demon hears about it from Tak Mu Gwang, he will surely fly into a rage.

[I’m not sure how this will turn out either.]

Even Dagger Uncle’s voice was full of worry. What I was worried about wasn’t the old man.

Now that I knew he wasn’t a powerless old man.

The person I was worried about was Ji Cheon Wu, who had gotten caught up with the old man.

And…

The red glint in Tak Mu Gwang’s eyes that had briefly appeared during the duel bothered me.

[I saw it too. It wasn’t a normal situation.]

‘Could this be related to the Blood Sect as well?’

[It’s not impossible. Those guys are everywhere.]

It was something that couldn’t help but be concerning.

The position of a 3rd Elder’s disciple was by no means a low position in the Demon Sect.

If such a 3rd Elder’s disciple was connected to the Blood Sect, then perhaps even the 3rd Elder himself could be a member of the Blood Sect.

‘Of course there are spies in the Demon Sect too.’

Even in the Heavenly Demon Sovereign, Ji Cheon Wu had experienced trouble a few times because of Blood Sect spies hidden in the Demon Sect.

[Those who learn Blood Sect martial arts become hot-tempered. They can’t easily control their anger and become simple-minded. And they become cruel.]

‘Dang Hae Jun was like that, and so was Cruel Sword. Tak Mu Gwang showed similar tendencies.’

Unaware of my complicated inner thoughts, the old man looked very relaxed.

He continued to observe Ji Cheon Wu even while eating his noodles.

“By the way, who did you learn your martial arts from?”

Ji Cheon Wu answered the old man’s question with a blank expression.

It was clear that Ji Cheon Wu also thought he had gotten involved in an unnecessary affair. He had acted purely out of goodwill, but now he probably felt he had been taken advantage of.

“It’s a secret.”

“Oh ho, a secret, you say? Saying it’s a secret only makes me more curious.”

The old man said that and shrugged his shoulders. He looked at Ji Cheon Wu with interested eyes and asked.

“If you tell me about your master, I’ll grant you a wish.”

“How do you know what my wish is?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Forget it. I don’t have any wishes.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at the old man. The old man’s face looked very confident as he spoke to Ji Cheon Wu.

The confidence that he could grant whatever wish Ji Cheon Wu might say.

I had a sudden thought.

‘Surely this person couldn’t be the Heavenly Demon?’

[That’s a plausible assumption.]

When I realized this fact, the chopsticks holding my dumpling began to tremble.

It was because, as Dagger Uncle said, it was entirely possible.

‘That’s right. It’s not common for an old man to hide his strength like this.’

Wasn’t it the most important event in the Heavenly Demon Sovereign? The Heavenly Demon hiding his identity and observing the Heavenly Demon Selection.

If we assume that this old man is the Heavenly Demon, everything made sense.

The fact that Tak Mu Gwang, who held the quite important position of a Seven Demon Lord’s disciple, didn’t appear in the Heavenly Demon Sovereign.

And the fact that he could be so relaxed even after provoking the Great Force Divine Demon, as well as that confident expression on the old man’s face.

I was now almost certain.

‘He must be the Heavenly Demon!’

The fact that this ordinary-looking old man right in front of my eyes was the Heavenly Demon.

My heart started pounding.

If I had to pick my second favorite character in the Heavenly Demon Sovereign after Ji Cheon Wu, it would be this willful old man.

‘He looks a bit different from how he was described in the Heavenly Demon Sovereign though…’

The Heavenly Demon had undergone a complete transformation and appeared as a young man. Not in the form of an old man like now.

‘There are all sorts of strange techniques in the martial arts world.’

He might have used some method I didn’t know to change his outward appearance.

In the Heavenly Demon Sovereign, the Heavenly Demon was described as middle-aged.

The Heavenly Demon grinned and said to Ji Cheon Wu.

“You’re a stubborn fellow.”

Though the Heavenly Demon said that, he seemed to like Ji Cheon Wu even more. My chopsticks completely stopped at the Heavenly Demon’s next words.

The Heavenly Demon looked at Ji Cheon Wu and asked.

“Would you like to come with me?”

“Me, with you, sir?”

“Yes, I’ve taken quite a liking to you. You may not know, but I’m quite a skilled master. If you learn my martial arts, you could make a name for yourself in the world.”