Once they got past the wall, they could see that the Martial Arts Alliance headquarters was made up of numerous large houses.
It was so large that the Namgung Clan looked trivial in comparison.
– It is much smaller than the Imperial Palace!
However, as Raon mentioned, it was much smaller than the Imperial Palace in Beijing.
Cale leisurely walked behind Zhuge Mi Ryeo and Zhuge Eun So.
'I left Durst with Choi Han and Beacrox, so they will take care of that.'
One of the guards at the gate ended up leading them over in place of Zhuge Eun So.
It was because Elder Ho was sharp and asked for it. Thanks to that, Durst was able to head to the doctor without any more dry heaving.
Furthermore, the rising stars and the members of the Martial Arts Alliance all returned to their respective places as well.
Only Elder Ho was with the two women from the Zhuge Clan, leading Cale's group to the Alliance leader.
'Now I just need to meet the alliance leader, get his cooperation, and take care of the living jiangshi in order to be done with things in the Orthodox faction.'
After that, he could follow the rising stars from the Kunlun Sect to the Demon Cult or use the Carnage Demon or the Divergent Coalition leader's son to approach the Unorthodox faction.
'The Carnage Demon should be coming without any issues, right?'
She was currently stealthily following behind Cale's group.
Ron was checking to make sure, so he did not need to worry much about it.
'Let's quickly take care of things and go.'
Cale's steps were light as he had that thought.
A smile was on his face as well.
However, Cale was the only person with such thoughts.
– Elder Ho-nim.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo, who was standing in front, sent Elder Ho a sound transmission.
– Why did you not inform us that the Fist King was with the Imperial family?
Her tone was peaceful, but she was clearly reprimanding him.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo had received a report about Chief Eunuch Wi. However, she had not received any information about the Fist King and his great-granddaughter, Mok Hee.
Elder Ho didn't say anything as if he did not hear anything.
– Elder Ho-nim, can I take that as the will of the Beggars' Gang?
However, Elder Ho had no choice but to respond after hearing Zhuge Mi Ryeo say that.
– The Beggars' Gang?! W, what are you saying?! I just had a situation that prevented me from mentioning it!
Elder Ho felt frustrated.
– What is that situation?
– No, that-
The Blood Cult. He could not say that.
– Elder-nim, it looks like I will need to have a conversation with the Gang Leader-nim.
Elder Ho scowled after hearing Zhuge Mi Ryeo threaten him again.
Although his spirit was being suppressed by young master Kim's group, he was still an elder of the Beggars' Gang.
Furthermore, he was also a senior in the Martial Arts world compared to the Chief Advisor. Even beyond his years of experience, he was not at a level that she could look down on like this.
He was unable to hold back his boiling anger and immediately sent a sound transmission.
– Do you really think that the Fist King-nim being here is the important issue right now? Something like that is nothing!
– …What do you mean by that?
Zhuge Mi Ryeo's face stiffened. It was to the point that Zhuge Eun So was warily looking at her.
Elder Ho didn't care and just said whatever he wanted to say.
– You don't even know how things are going in the Martial Arts Alliance, so why are you mentioning our Beggars' Gang? Huh?
– What did you say?
Zhuge Mi Ryeo, who was about to get angry, hesitated for a second.
Elder Ho's voice slowly became less angry and changed.
– You don't even know how hard I had to work to bring these esteemed individuals here! Seriously, for me to have to be so cautious at this age! Huh? Do you know my suffering, Chief Advisor?! In addition to that, the rising stars and the other members of the alliance keep pestering me for answers! At this age, being struck from both top and bottom-, ha, seriously!
Elder Ho was slowly tearing up.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo had an awkward look on her face.
– …Umm, it must have been hard on you.
– Of course! You will hear about it all in a moment, so you will understand me after that. So please just wait a little.
It was at that moment.
"Let's just go quietly."
They heard Cale's voice through the silence.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo stopped walking for a moment.
"Eek!"
Elder Ho gasped and covered his mouth.
It could not be helped.
Everything was quiet around Cale right now.
Nobody had said a word.
So, Cale telling them to be quiet was telling them to stop with the sound transmissions.
Elder Ho and Zhuge Mi Ryeo were not the only ones who were shocked.
The Fist King, Mok Hee, and Chief Eunuch Wi all exchanged glances.
Cale, who had stopped once Zhuge Mi Ryeo stopped, looked around.
He could see numerous large houses as they walked down the path between the houses.
"I guess the Martial Arts Alliance is not busy? You sure are busy chatting away."
The two from the Zhuge Clan and Elder Ho flinched.
There were quite a lot of people from the Martial Arts Alliance focused on them right now.
It was someone the Chief Advisor personally came to escort.
Some people were looking at them because they were curious about that.
Then there were people stealthily observing Cale's group at the Chief Advisor's order.
They were all chatting through sound transmissions.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo figured something out about young master Kim.
'This person has a deep mind.'
There was nobody in this world who could spy on sound transmissions.
She was certain that young master Kim had not heard the contents of the sound transmissions. Instead, he felt the presence of the people observing them and was using this to warn them.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo needed to make a decision.
'Should I feign ignorance or respond?'
The answer was the latter.
"Everything will be quiet from here to our destination, sir."
Zhuge Eun So made a slight movement with her hand at the same time.
The people who were looking with curiosity remained, however, the people trying to observe them all withdrew.
"That sounds great…"
Cale calmly answered back.
"Shall we hurry? We have no reason to stop, do we?"
This is how Zhuge Mi Ryeo understood Cale's words.
'Don't give me a reason to stop.'
'I guess I need to be tense. Young master Kim is not someone to take lightly.'
"You are right, young master-nim."
Zhuge Mi Ryeo lightheartedly responded before starting to walk again as if nothing had happened.
It was finally a quiet walk, both inside and out.
As for Cale…
– Thanks, human!
He just slightly shrugged his shoulders at Raon.
Just a moment ago… Cale was walking lightheartedly toward the Alliance leader's office without any thoughts.
Well, there was one thought on his mind.
'When will we arrive?'
It was farther to the alliance leader's location than he had expected.
As he was about to get discontent about that…
– Human, human!
Raon suddenly talked to him.
– This Martial Arts Alliance is a bit weird!
'Huh?'
– It isn't a magic circle, but there is some sort of formation installed! I feel like I saw something similar in the Imperial Palace, but the formation here seems a bit special!
'A formation?'
Cale looked toward Zhuge Mi Ryeo's back at that moment.
The Zhuge Clan.
Their strength was lacking compared to the rest of the Five Great Clans.
However, they were intelligent and studied deeply about strategy.
Furthermore, formations.
They had this weapon called formations in addition to their martial arts.
– I feel like I can use this for magic as well!
That had stimulated Raon's curiosity.
– I'm going to focus on the flow of mana here for a bit to take a look! I need to study!
Cale was quite satisfied about that.
'Always wanting to learn is great.'
Raon had grown up quite properly.
His knowledge of the economy was amazing and he was not arrogant. He would grow up to be a great Dragon if he grew properly like this.
– Human, but it is too loud.
'Huh?'
Cale was confused.
'But it's quiet? Ah, sound transmissions.'
He immediately had an answer.
Cale remembered what Raon told him last time.
'It is definitely not magic but the humans here seemed to be secretly exchanging conversations with one another! I can read the fluctuation in the air with mana!'
Raon could read the sound transmissions through the mana flow.
'I can hear them! It looks like I need to practice some more, but I am a Dragon who can focus very well so I can slowly hear them now!'
It required a lot of focus, which was why Cale had not asked Raon to tell him the contents of the sound transmissions since that first time with Chief Eunuch Wi and the Fist King.
– In order to decipher the flow of mana in this peculiar formation, I need to read all of the flow of mana in this place! But it is loud all around us!
It was understandable.
Cale quickly predicted that there would be sound transmissions about them in all directions.
It was to be expected.
It was only right to scope out a mysterious person who entered their territory.
– I have a headache! It is complicated!
However, being really loud was not helpful for studying.
'I'll tell them everything soon enough anyway.'
Cale opened his mouth to speak.
He said that they should walk quietly.
– It's so nice that it is quiet! I think I can quickly get through this peculiar formation!
Cale had a satisfied smile on his face as he walked.
Elder Ho and Chief Eunuch Wi saw the look on his face and gulped, but Cale had no way of knowing about that.
He was just confused that they arrived at the location much earlier than expected this time.
This was because Zhuge Mi Ryeo stopped going around the long way and chose the quickest path.
'The only hand we have left is to charge head first.'
Zhuge Mi Ryeo made up her mind to finish things off once she was together with the Alliance leader, Ko Seh Bum.
"Right here, sir."
A five story building located at the center of the Martial Arts Alliance.
The top floor was the Alliance leader's office and where Ko Seh Bum would be waiting.
Cale stopped in front of the Alliance leader's office.
There were two guards standing there.
However, they only looked forward.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo only looked toward the closed door as well.
She did not make any gestures. Chief Eunuch Wi stepped forward just as Cale was about to find this to be odd.
"Don't you need to inform the Alliance leader-nim that we are here?"
Hurry up and tell him to open the door.
That was what he was saying.
Zhuge Mi Ryeo started smiling.
"The Alliance leader-nim should already know that we have arrived."
"Ah."
The moment Chief Eunuch Wi gasped…
Screeeech-
The closed door slowly started opening.
"Mm."
The Fist King let out a groan.
'He is using his internal ki to push the door.'
Ko Seh Bum, the Martial Arts Alliance leader.
He was one of the Orthodox faction's Five Saints.
His title was Light Saint.
However, those who knew him called him the Crazy Saint instead. (TL: Light and Crazy are homophones in Korean)
Screeeech—
Chief Eunuch Wi urgently sent a sound transmission to Cale as he watched the door open.
– The Alliance leader is crazy about internal ki.
The Void to Heavens Stacking Cultivation Method.
It was the cultivation method that got him to the Alliance leader position and an arduous martial art to train in.
It was a martial art with an extraordinary method for developing internal force.
Boom.
The two doors opened wide.
In the wide area…
The Alliance leader was seated at a table at the center drinking tea.
Cale peeked at the door. They were sturdy doors made of iron.
The Alliance leader had opened these heavy doors with just his internal ki.
Cale started to recall the Imperial Palace's information about this man.
< The Alliance leader is more flexible than expected. >
< He is said to have never shown the full extent of his internal ki. >
The final piece of information.
< He is also famous for loving to test people. He especially enjoys testing talented rising stars and dragging those he deems acceptable into the Martial Arts Alliance. >
The corners of Cale's lips curled up.
Although this man clearly knew that he had arrived and showed his powers to open these doors wide…
Although this man knew that he was a member of the Imperial family…
'He's testing me.'
The Alliance leader was looking out the window and drinking tea, without even taking a glance toward Cale.
There was only one chair in addition to the one the Alliance leader was sitting on.
That seat would be for Cale.
However, he did not say for Cale to come sit.
"How entertaining."
The Alliance leader heard Cale's calm voice.
However, he didn't look toward Cale.
'Even if he is a member of the Imperial family, he is not the Emperor.'
The current Emperor was not someone who kept people who could be a hindrance to his power by his side.
That was why this person is probably from a distant collateral line.
'I am the Alliance leader. I cannot be dragged around.'
He needed to suppress the spirit of his competition.
Furthermore, he wanted to test the person the Namgung Clan was calling their benefactor.
He wanted to see what kind of reaction this man would show.
He wanted to know the character of this person.
The Alliance leader smiled and slowly brought his teacup to his mouth.
It was at that moment.
"We can't have you treating your guests like this."
Cale calmly spoke and used the greatest weapon he had to suppress the competition's spirit.
The Dominating Aura.
An aura that was even stronger than when he faced the Emperor flowed out of his body.
'This is the best in the Central Plains.'
Cale leisurely had that thought and smiled.
He was a bit annoyed by the Alliance leader's actions such that he used quite a bit of his strength.
– This much is easy now!
He did it while listening to the old man of the Vitality of the Heart shout with excitement.
Cale. The aura coming out of young master Kim started filling the area. No, it started dominating it.
The Alliance leader's hand holding the teacup started shaking.
—
Translator's Comments
Show him who is boss, Cale.