Translator: Nox
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: He’s Not a Candle, He’s the Fire
#1
Spring rain fell softly over the Peng Sect.
Hyeon-do trained in the rain.
Saber flashing, feet sliding over slick stones, muscles coiled and unyielding.
The courtyard filled with the rhythmic clash of blade against air.
Disciples gathered silently to watch.
There was something hypnotic about him now.
Something undeniable.
Not just strength — *command*.
He didn’t need to raise his voice.
His movement alone was enough to inspire.
[“Good. Again.”]
Peng Mu-hyeok’s spirit hovered nearby, watching.
[“You’ve improved. Your strikes are cleaner. Your flow — tighter.”]
“I still need more.”
[“Then I’ll give you more.”]
And he did.
A new technique — lost to history.
[“Thunder Cage Slash.”]
A circular sweep that trapped opponents in a ring of force.
Hyeon-do practiced it for hours — until the rain stopped and the sun returned.
#2
Inside the study, the steward reviewed new letters.
“Another one?”
“Yes. This time from the **Azure Lotus School**.”
The Clan Head raised an eyebrow.
“That makes six.”
Six sects.
All inviting Hyeon-do.
All seeking alliance — or surveillance.
He was no longer a rumor.
He was a threat.
And he had to be managed.
The Clan Head looked outside, where his youngest son stood, breathing calmly after his training.
“We can’t protect him from this,” he said quietly.
“We shouldn’t,” the steward replied.
“He’s not a candle to shield. He’s the fire itself.”
#3
That night, Hyeon-do sat alone in the archive room.
He pulled out an old map.
One marked with ancient sect names.
Sects long gone. Clans lost to time.
“This world... is too rigid.”
So he would break it.
And rebuild it.
One fight at a time.
【To be continued in Chapter 20】
