Im Sobaek stepped onto the duel arena and looked around. I expected him to say something, but the Alliance Leader said nothing. He simply looked over the gathered crowd once, then took his seat at the head. With the Alliance Leader silent, everything around fell into stillness. There are times when a quiet crowd is more satisfying than a noisy one. This was one of those times. Unexpectedly, Gongson Wol stood up and walked toward the arena, speaking. "...Honored seniors. Thank you for coming to celebrate Alliance Leader Im Sobaek’s reaffirmation." "Gongson Strategist, shut it. Who said we came to celebrate?" Gongson Wol turned her gaze to a middle-aged man. "Then may I ask, Clan Lord Jegal, for what reason did you come?" "Yes, please go ahead. Your junior is listening with respect." Clan Lord Jegal’s eyes widened slightly. He glanced around. If he said he opposed the reaffirmation, he would be declaring a challenge to Im Sobaek right here and now. Gongson Wol pressured him for an answer. When Clan Lord Jegal said nothing, Gongson Wol looked around the arena. "Are there any who object to the reaffirmation? The Alliance Leader has stated he will accept a few duels. But the Martial Alliance will provide short wooden swords—no lethal weapons." "Gongson Strategist." She turned to Namgung Sword Emperor. Namgung Sword Emperor spoke. "What if the Alliance Leader loses a duel?" "He has said he will step down. I’ll confirm again. Alliance Leader?" "I’d step down. If senior Shin Gae showed up, kicked over the ceremonial mat, and demanded I give up the position, I’d rise without a shred of regret." After surveying the crowd again, Im Sobaek added: "...But none of you are him." Gongson Wol gave a slight martial salute toward the Alliance Leader, then turned to address the white-path elites. "That’s where things stand." I noticed Namgung Sword Emperor and Seomun Martial Emperor exchange glances. Immediately after, Seomun Martial Emperor said: "I’ll challenge first. Since no weapons are allowed, I don’t need the wooden sword." Clearly, some of the major clans had coordinated in advance. So Seomun Martial Emperor would go first, then Namgung Sword Emperor. I began to wonder if I needed to step up already. I looked toward the Sword King—he said nothing either. It seemed none of the clan heads were pleased with Im Sobaek. Was it because of business? Or perhaps because he blocked the formation of a clan alliance? I’d never dug that deep into their motivations, so I couldn’t read their current mindset. Im Sobaek asked Seomun Martial Emperor: Seomun Martial Emperor sighed. "Alliance Leader Im, I’m not your subordinate. What kind of tone is that? Wasn’t it just the other day that you visited our clan to request a duel ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ with proper decorum? Now that you’re Alliance Leader, do you see all of Jianghu as beneath you?" "When was that again?" Maybe it was just the preliminary round, but no one seemed interested in stopping the fight. It was very different from what I’d imagined. From where I stood, Im Sobaek was clearly holding back his temper. If he beat the Martial Emperor, Sword Emperor, Sword King, and Blade King all in one go, this whole "Duel of Monarchs" event would end in disgrace. Sometimes winning isn’t everything. Now was one of those times. I had no choice but to raise my hand. Gongson Wol noticed me and asked calmly: "Lord of Haomun, do you have something to say?" "How many chances will there be to challenge the Alliance Leader?" Gongson Wol matched my tone. "He hasn’t said specifically, but if multiple monarchs challenge him in succession and someone jumps in after he’s exhausted, it cheapens the duel. There should be a limit." "Surely not just anyone can challenge him, right? Martial skill alone doesn’t make a leader." Namgung Sword Emperor cut in. "Lord of Haomun, what are you trying to say?" "Let’s limit it to two." Seomun Martial Emperor objected. "Who gave you that authority?" "One chosen by the Alliance Leader. The other, someone who proves their worth through a duel here. If he defeats both, I doubt any of you will have grounds to complain. What do the rest of you think?" Seomun Martial Emperor scoffed. "What more do we need to prove? Ridiculous suggestion. Listen, young man—this isn’t a place for you to run your mouth. Know your place and hold your tongue." The Lecher, who had been nodding beside me, responded to him. I latched onto Seomun Martial Emperor’s words. I’ve always been good at saying what pisses people off the most. "The Alliance Leader is in a position where he must constantly prove himself." The Lecher nodded again, backing me up. I stood up and looked around at the gathered monarchs. "...But those of you walking around with titles like ‘monarch’ should prove yourselves too, no?" "What kind of nonsense is that?!" Angry shouts erupted from all directions. Mixed among the murmurs were vulgar curses, which I found oddly satisfying. Snickering, I climbed onto the duel arena and looked at Gongson Wol. She cleared her throat but didn’t tell me to get down. Looking around, I said: "Why are there so many kings in Jianghu?" Maybe I went too far. The silence was deafening. It’s in moments that life feels most rewarding. This is when the life of an attention-seeker shines. I gave Im Sobaek a martial salute. "Our Alliance Leader senior is a man I respect. He fought alongside me in Namak. When he heard I was fighting in Dongho, he personally assembled a special force and came rushing in. Thanks to that, I was able to kill the arrogant freak known as the Greatest Sword of Dongho. And where were all the so-called kings? Oh right—too busy training to bother with Dongho’s affairs. Before that, I killed Murim criminals like Mulungja, Bi-gaek, and Dokhaeng. And our dear monarchs? What were they doing? You came here to oppose the reaffirmation? I understand. But if you’ve got any shame, strip those overused ‘king’ titles before you challenge. This isn’t a damn chariot match, what kind of dogshit is this?" I made eye contact with Im Sobaek—he was clearly trying hard not to laugh. Then Seomun Martial Emperor stood, his face flushed like a firework had gone off on it. "Fine. You’ve got a point about fairness. It seems the Alliance Leader has stationed supporters throughout the field. If that’s the case, it’s not a bad idea for challengers to test themselves against one of the juniors first. I’ll start. I’ll accept the challenge from Lord of Haomun. And if I win by chance, I’ll then challenge Alliance Leader Im. Surely you won’t run from me, Lord of Haomun?" I looked at Seomun Martial Emperor. This bastard clearly underestimated me. But if he’s a Martial Emperor from the Seomun Clan, that’s to be expected. He didn’t look weaker than me. In fact, he seemed stronger than the Blade King or Sword King. I looked him over and said, "...Sorry, who are you again?" Seomun Martial Emperor frowned. "Lord, let’s not play games." "Shall we agree on this, then?" "Today, any monarch who loses must strip the word ‘Emperor’ from their title. And if not—well, cut off your balls." Realizing I’d gone too far, I shut my eyes tightly. What kind of idiot says "cut off your balls" in front of the entire martial elite? From somewhere came Sword Demon’s deep sigh. I also remembered that the most beautiful woman in the alliance, Gongson Wol, and a beauty from the One Phoenix Two Immortals were present. A sigh slipped from me too. Face burning, I slowly opened my eyes. Hopefully, it was all a dream—but Gongson Wol just tilted her head, looking like she hadn’t heard me properly. Regardless, I needed to redirect the mood. I looked at Seomun Martial Emperor. "Anyway... if you lose to an unknown nobody, will you drop that absurdly arrogant ‘Emperor’ title?" Seomun Martial Emperor nodded. "Since adopting this title, I’ve never been defeated. I understand your point about arrogance—but that only applies if I lose." I gave a martial salute. "Fine. Then your opponent will be my acquaintance—White-Robed Scholar. I’ve got several ‘teachers’ among my friends. There’s Master Yukhap, Master Moyong, all kinds." I locked eyes with White-Robed Scholar, who looked half-possessed. "Teacher, what are you doing? Stop looking around and look at me. You don’t get many chances to face the Martial Emperor of Seomun. Even if you lose, you’ll learn something. That’s what white-path duels are about. Hurry up and get up here." The crowd began murmuring and turned to the man sitting next to a Five Tigers expert. He wasn’t in white robes today, but his all-white folding fan gave him away. Everyone stared long enough to remember his face. Glaring at him, I cursed silently. You bastard... should I just expose your whole damn identity to wake you up? Even if he’s strong, not even White-Robed Scholar could escape if the monarchs and Im Sobaek joined forces. The arrogant bastard had come to spectate the alliance’s duel like it was nothing. If I let him off easy, I wouldn’t be Yi Zaha. White-Robed Scholar muttered. "What the hell is this...?" "Not getting up? Comrade White Robe, surely you..." The moment he understood the situation, he leapt to his feet. He knew better than anyone how reckless I can get. Putting on my clown face, I shouted theatrically. "Give him a round of applause! This no-name little punk, White-Robed Scholar, will challenge the Martial Emperor!" As I clapped furiously, others joined in, eager to see a fight. That’s how crowd psychology works. Even Im Sobaek and Sword Demon were clapping. Sword Demon added, in his usual serious tone, "This should be an interesting duel." The Lecher and Ghost Demon both nodded. "This’ll be something." I made a show of hurrying off the duel stage, clapping again. White-Robed Scholar stood awkwardly at the center, surrounded by white-path elites applauding and cheering. Watching him, I got chills. What the hell is this atmosphere? It looked like a child surrounded by a crowd for the first time. A villain who had only ever schemed in the dark now forcibly thrust into the spotlight. As the cheering faded into silence... White-Robed Scholar looked around. Now that Gongson Wol had stepped back, he stood alone in the wide arena. Suddenly, he looked toward Seomun Martial Emperor and said, "...What are you waiting for? Get up here." A smile tugged at my lips. Now that’s more like the White-Robed Scholar. I couldn’t predict who would win, but one thing was certain—he wasn’t someone who feared the Martial Emperor. Seomun Martial Emperor said, "Do you really think you’re qualified to face me? I’ve never even heard of this ‘White-Robed Scholar.’" White-Robed Scholar fanned himself leisurely and replied. "You’ll find out once we fight." Perhaps everyone had finally caught on. Suddenly, the Martial Alliance members joined together in a roaring cheer and thunderous applause. I looked around at them, nodding and even gesturing for more noise. Suddenly, the Four Great Villains all stared at me. They were the only ones who somewhat knew the White-Robed Scholar’s true identity. Sword Demon smiled and said to me, "Not joking—this is truly a fascinating match. Well done setting it up." "Loser should really lose his balls." Ghost Demon clicked his tongue. "Enough. You too... tsk." I crossed my arms and watched the arena. Dragging White-Robed Scholar into the light was a win—but my slip of the tongue had left a lasting stain. Sword Demon looked at me and said, "I wish you weren’t part of our group, just for now." "Elder Brother, come on. Why?" He averted his gaze and stared at the arena instead. Eventually, even Seomun Martial Emperor, swept up by the atmosphere, climbed onto the stage and asked: White-Robed Scholar waved his fan and answered. Honestly, I didn’t care who won. Either way, neither the Four Great Villains nor Im Sobaek would suffer any loss. Though still an unknown figure, White-Robed Scholar nonchalantly fanned himself. Seomun Martial Emperor, now on the stage, studied him closely and stroked his chin once. Well, he is the Martial Emperor. And from the look in his eyes, he’d already figured out that White-Robed Scholar was no ordinary man.