"Hold still," Arin commanded, his hand already glowing with blue mana as he extended it toward Kang Dae-soo's battered form. "Your wounds will slow us down, and I have no patience for delays."Kang Dae-soo watched in awe as the mana swirled around his body, and his severed arm began to regenerate. The pain—a constant, searing agony—suddenly vanished as the wounds across his body knitted themselves closed. Muscle and bone reformed with surgical precision. His left arm, which had been nearly destroyed, was restored to full functionality.Within moments, Kang Dae-soo felt stronger than he had in hours, his body completely healed and showing no trace of the injuries he had sustained. The psychological weight of what he had witnessed, however, remained crushing."Thank you," Kang Dae-soo began, his voice trembling slightly."Gratitude is unnecessary," Arin replied coldly, turning away from the bandit leader. "You are a tool now. A tool must be maintained in proper working condition. That i

"Five groups," Arin commanded, his voice cutting through the darkness of the night as the bandits assembled on the ridge overlooking the Lotus Palace in the distance. "Each group will attack a separate location simultaneously. Northern entrance, eastern supply depot, western training grounds, southern barracks, and the central courtyard. You will strike, create chaos, and force them to divide their response."The bandits listened intently as Arin explained the assault plan with surgical precision. Kang Dae-soo moved among the groups, assigning the strongest enhanced bandits to leadership positions within each formation. The cultivation pills had taken full effect, and the bandits moved with confidence born from their permanently elevated martial abilities."Remember," Arin continued, his tone completely devoid of warmth or compassion, "your purpose is not to achieve a final victory. Your purpose is to scatter their forces, to stretch their defenses too thin, to force them into a state

"Tell me," Arin said, his voice cutting through the suffocating silence of the main hall. "What do you know about the attack on the Azure Cloud Sword Sect ten years ago? Who orchestrated it? Who participated in its destruction?"Yu Na-ri remained pinned by Arin's magical pressure, but her face twisted into a smile of pure mockery. She began to laugh, a sound that echoed through the stone chamber with unmistakable disdain."The Azure Cloud?" Yu Na-ri said, her voice dripping with contempt. "That insignificant sect? They were nothing. A collection of pathetic warriors clinging to outdated notions of honor and righteousness. Their destruction was inevitable. They deserved to fall. They deserved to be erased from memory."She continued laughing, her body still immobilized by Arin's pressure, but her mind clearly unbowed."You think their fate was tragic?" Yu Na-ri taunted, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. "They were obstacles. Weak obstacles that needed to be removed. The Lotus Palace was

"The Yeonhwa Lotus Palace has fallen," the messenger said, his voice carrying the weight of terrible news as he stood before the gathered leadership of the Murim Alliance. "Completely annihilated. Every disciple, every master, every member of their organization has been destroyed. Their fortress remains standing, but their people are gone."The news spread like wildfire across Jeonghwa, traveling through the martial world with the speed of fear itself. Disciples whispered in training grounds. Masters discussed it in private chambers. Merchants carried the information along trade routes, each retelling adding new layers of mystery and terror to the tale.The Murim Alliance leadership convened in emergency session within their grand headquarters in Hwagok City. Kang Myeong-ho, the Alliance Leader, sat at the head of the council table, his expression grave and measured. His ancient eyes reflected decades of cultivation experience and the wisdom that came with navigating the complex polit

"You destroyed the Lotus Palace, didn't you?"The next morning, Jin Ryeo stood alone with Arin in the huge chamber of the Black Dragon base, where the sun was rising outside and casting long shadows across the stone floor. Jin's voice was not accusatory, it was just a question, and he already knew the answer.Arin looked at Jin with cold eyes without speaking for a moment, just staring at the young master of Mount Hwagyeong in the growing light."Yes," Arin said finally, his voice flat and emotionless. "I destroyed them."Jin nodded slowly, having suspected it from the moment he heard the news in the Alliance headquarters and knowing it with certainty when he saw the Black Dragon base and the power Arin possessed."I thought so," Jin said, looking down at the stone floor. "When I heard about it, I knew only someone with your power could do something like that."Arin did not respond, simply waiting for Jin to continue speaking."I have gathered everything you need to know about the Mur