The Martial God with Psychic Powers

Whatever the case, didn’t that mean Yeon Woo Jin was the second strongest in Mushincheon?

“I-I heard Mushincheon is currently preparing for the Small Heavenly Lord contest… How many others are at a similar level as you, Benefactor?”
“Oh, that? I’m not included in that.”
“…What?”

“My grandfather only started the preparations because I said I wasn’t participating. But I changed my mind midway.”
“T-then…?”
“But it wouldn’t be fair to deny those who’ve prepared so diligently their opportunity, right? It’d be selfish of me to make them suffer losses just because I was fickle. So I plan to compete fairly for the Small Heavenly Lord position.”

Compete?
When he was the second strongest after the Mushincheon Lord, did competing even have meaning?
“Oh! Can you keep what I just told you a secret?”

“…Excuse me?”
“My identity. I shared it because I think I can trust the Young Lord of the Jegal Clan.”
“Ah… Understood. I will never speak of it.”
“Good. I believe you.”

He wasn’t foolish enough to turn the man before him into an enemy.
The next Mushincheon Lord was right before his eyes.
This was an opportunity.

A golden opportunity for the Jegal Clan to gain his favor.
Wait, hadn’t he said he came here on a commission from the Changcheon Trading Group?
“By any chance, did you meet with the Namgoong Clan first?”

“Yes.”
Damn.
They made their move first.

In that case… what should the Jegal Clan do?
Jegal Un stared at Yeon Woo Jin again.
He wanted to follow him.

He wanted to know more about him.
But for that, he needed to persuade his father.
No… before that, he had to get Yeon Woo Jin’s permission.

Jegal Un rose from his seat and stood politely before Yeon Woo Jin.
“Why? You want to follow me?”
“…You can read minds now?”
“I guessed based on your sudden formality in this situation.”

“You’re correct. I want to follow you.”
At Jegal Un’s request, Yeon Woo Jin chuckled and replied:
“I can take you with me, but you’ll need permission first. As the Young Lord of the Jegal Clan, I doubt they’ll just let you go.”

“I can get it.”
“Good. Go get their permission. Then I’ll take you.”
“R-Really?”

“Yes.”
“Thank you! I’ll go get permission right now.”
Jegal Un quickly turned to leave but hesitated.

Then he cautiously asked Yeon Woo Jin:
“Would it be alright to tell only my father your true identity? I’ll need to reveal it to get permission.”
“Go ahead.”

“Then I’ll be back with permission.”
Jegal Un, brimming with excitement, dashed out.
Jang Woon turned and asked:

“You’re really planning to take him?”
“Yeah. He’s the next Patriarch of the Jegal Clan. Better to make him mine now. You two take good care of him going forward.”
At Yeon Woo Jin’s words, Jang Woon and Sunwoo Baek both smirked, one corner of their lips curling up.

“We’ll make him wonder whether following us was a good idea.”
“We’ll repay him exactly as we were treated.”
The two of them thought the road to Jeomchang Sect wouldn’t be so dull after all.

 
****
“Father.”

Jegal Un visited Jegal Munyeok’s chambers.
“Perfect timing. I was about to summon you.”
“You were looking for me?”

“Yes. I heard you treated those bodyguards to lavish food and drink. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”

“They were important guests.”
“Important? Hah… Do you not understand what ‘important’ means, son? They’re not esteemed guests—they’re bodyguards delivering items to our clan. They merely did their duty.”
“They did more than deliver items, which is why I treated them with honor. And I plan to follow their leader.”

“…What? Who do you plan to follow?”
Jegal Un carefully placed something on the table.
“First, please look at this.”

“What is…?”
He was about to ask, but then his eyes caught the letters on the book’s cover.
His words stuck in his throat as he snatched it up with trembling hands.

“Great Heaven Divine Art!”
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it. Jegal Munyeok shook his head and looked again.
There was no doubt. It was the genuine manual of the Great Heaven Divine Art.

“Why… Why do you have this?”
“The Benefactor returned it to me.”
“Benefactor? Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. The head of the Escort Bureau that led the caravan—that Benefactor returned the manual.”
“You believe that? Do you even know where this manual is supposed to be right now?”
“In Mushincheon, isn’t it? I’m aware that, in exchange for not causing chaos in the martial world, Mushincheon demanded the most treasured manuals from sects that refused to join them.”

“So you do know. Then surely you realize this is a fake.”
“No. This is genuine.”
“Hah… So you’re saying this Escort Bureau leader somehow retrieved this manual from Mushincheon and returned it to us?”

“That’s correct.”
“Impossible! Unless the Mushincheon Lord himself approved, there’s no way that’s possible!”
“The Mushincheon Lord did approve!”

“Nonsense! You don’t understand the Mushincheon Lord’s nature! He is… an emotionless absolute ruler. A cold-blooded martial god who eliminates anything harmful to Mushincheon, no matter the method.”
“I know that. But if you hear who brought this manual, you’ll have no choice but to believe it.”
“Who? You said he’s from the Escort Bureau.”

“He said the Escort Bureau was founded to return the stolen manuals from Mushincheon to the sects of the Central Plains.”
“What? Just who is he to claim such a thing?”
“He’s the direct grandson of the Mushincheon Lord.”

“Utter nonsense! Do you even know what Mushincheon is doing right now?”
“Preparing for the Small Heavenly Lord candidate contest.”
“Exactly! If the Mushincheon Lord had a grandson, would that contest even be happening?”

“I asked the same thing. He told me, back then, he had no interest in the Small Heavenly Lord position.”
“Enough! Take me to this man at once! I will confirm this myself.”
“I cannot. I refuse to trouble the Benefactor. He even cured my illness.”

“What illness? You are perfectly healthy. Now you’re spouting nonsense too.”
“Don’t your Yin and Yang meridians tingle every time you circulate your internal energy?”
“They do. But you know as well as I—the characteristics of our clan’s martial arts cause that.”

“No. The martial art itself is fine. It’s a hereditary illness among the Jegal Clan’s bloodline.”
“What?”
“Ever since he treated me, my energy circulation no longer tingles. My mind feels clear, and my body feels light.”

“What did that man… What did he do to you to have you so completely bewitched?”
“My mind has never been clearer. If you doubt me, examine the manual.”
Jegal Munyeok’s eyes dropped to the manual.

“Fine. I’ll examine it thoroughly.”
He sat down and began flipping through the manual.
Gradually, his expression darkened.

“This… This can’t be…”
It was genuine.
“Impossible… It’s real…”

Jegal Munyeok was shaken.
Everything Jegal Un said was true?
Then, Jegal Un handed him another item.

“What is this now?”
“A martial art the Benefactor created after reading the Great Heaven Divine Art.”
“What?”

Jegal Munyeok snatched the book away and read.
“He… He really created this?”
“Yes.”

It was unbelievable.
No matter how he examined it, the technique surpassed the Great Heaven Divine Art.
No—it was flawless.

A martial art crafted solely for the Jegal Clan.
Celestial Transformation Divine Art.
Even the name was well chosen.

There had to be an ulterior motive.
Otherwise…
“His martial skills are also extraordinary.”

“What?”
“He’s the same age as me, yet his cultivation is already beyond human limits.”
“What nonsense?”

“He wields Sword Will Manifestation.”
“Trickery!”
“No. I confirmed it with my own eyes.”

“I refuse to believe it! Take me to him. I will confirm it myself.”
“You can’t.”

Jegal Un panicked at the unexpected reaction.
He thought presenting the evidence would convince his father.
It should have, given how irrefutable it was.

But it hadn’t.
What now?
Because of his carelessness, the Benefactor might be inconvenienced.

He had to stop this somehow.
Just then, Yeon Woo Jin’s voice rang clear in his ears.
—Bring him to me. I expected this, so don’t panic.

Jegal Un flinched.
‘T-Thousand Mile Voice Transmission?’
More importantly… he’d heard this entire conversation from that far away?

While Jegal Un stood stunned, Jegal Munyeok had already stormed off.
Sighing deeply, Jegal Un hurried after him.
 

****
In the end, Jegal Munyeok barged into the room where Yeon Woo Jin waited.
Jegal Un stood nervously by, ready to intervene at any moment.

But to his surprise, Jegal Munyeok was respectful.
“I am Jegal Munyeok, Patriarch of the Jegal Clan. I apologize for the late greeting.”
“I am Yeon Woo Jin, head of the New Heaven Escort Bureau.”

Jegal Munyeok’s eyes quivered.
The reason he came personally was to verify Yeon Woo Jin’s identity.
But the moment he saw him, he was overwhelmed.

Jegal Un had spoken the truth.
He was real.
Decades of experience screamed caution at him.

So, he treated him with utmost respect.
“Yeon…”
The same surname as the Mushincheon Lord.

Even so, to be certain, he asked:
“Is it true that the Mushincheon Lord is ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) your grandfather?”
“Yes.”

“Can you show proof?”
Yeon Woo Jin pulled something from his robe and held it out.
A gleaming gold medallion, engraved with the characters for Martial God.

“The Martial God Medallion. You recognize it, I assume?”
“The… Martial God Medallion!”
Jegal Munyeok’s face twisted in shock as he stared at Yeon Woo Jin.

“T-This… This is the symbol of the Mushincheon Lord!”
“Correct. My grandfather gave it to me. He said if I ever needed to prove my identity, I should show this. Everyone in the Central Plains will recognize it.”
Jegal Munyeok inspected the medallion again.

No matter how he looked, it was genuine.
But there was still one unbelievable detail.
He scrutinized Yeon Woo Jin.

No matter how he looked, he seemed around his son’s age.
But to be of Hwagyeong level already?
Sword Will Manifestation?

One had to be at the upper echelon of Hwagyeong to wield that.
Which meant Yeon Woo Jin was at the upper ranks of Hwagyeong.
“Is your cultivation truly at Hwagyeong?”

Yeon Woo Jin didn’t answer.
Instead, he released his power directly.
“You wouldn’t believe words alone. How’s this?”

In an instant, overwhelming pressure crashed down on Jegal Munyeok.
He tried to muster his own qi to resist, but it was futile.
The man before him was undeniably stronger.

His own cultivation was 11th Star, Hwagyeong Realm.
But Yeon Woo Jin wasn’t just stronger by a margin—he was overwhelmingly beyond him.
“Urgh… I… I believe you.”

Feeling Yeon Woo Jin’s power firsthand, Jegal Munyeok had no doubts now.
“I apologize for the offense, Patriarch.”
Yeon Woo Jin retracted his pressure and apologized.

Jegal Munyeok hastily waved his hands.
“N-No! On the contrary, I appreciate the clarity.”
“Thank you for understanding.”

“I feel as though I’ve only asked questions. But everything my son said… It was hard to believe.”
“It’s alright. Ask anything.”
“Did the Mushincheon Lord truly order that the manual be returned to our clan?”

“Yes. During the verification process, I read it. I apologize for that.”
“N-No! Perfectly understandable. But… I heard you also created this after reading it. Did you truly?”
“Yes. I noticed its shortcomings and meddled a little.”

He created a technique surpassing the Great Heaven Divine Art… and dismissed it as mere meddling.
“Meddling? N-No, this is a flawless martial art. It feels as if it was crafted for the Jegal Clan alone. If anything, I should be the one expressing gratitude.”