Chapter 193

Chapter 193
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**Chapter 193: United Under One Wing**

On that very day, three forces with disparate aspirations found themselves bound by a shared vision, coming together under a single banner.

The heads of the Tang Clan and the Jin Clan each sat down for lengthy private discussions with their chosen successors.

“You’re saying the One-Wing Alliance?”
“That is correct, Clan Head.”

Tang Seong listened intently as Tang Gun recounted every detail of the negotiations, then fell into deep contemplation.
“Indeed. Our benefactor possesses a mind sharper and more ingenious than most can even fathom.”

One-Wing Alliance. What an evocative, splendid name it was.
Feathers gathering together to form wings strong enough to soar through the vast heavens.
Did the ambition woven into those words not stir the very heart of anyone who heard them?
And that was far from the whole of it.

“The Baek Clan’s emblem is the white hawk, is it not?”
“Precisely so.”

A name carries profound meaning. When the wider martial world learns of the One-Wing Alliance, what will they make of it?
They will naturally assume the Baek Clan stands at its helm.

“Between the three pillars—the Baek Clan, the Tang Clan, and the Jin Merchant Group—the Baek Clan is by far the weakest.” Tang Gun had brought this up, anticipating that his decision to endorse such a name might draw censure.

“Younger Brother Hui drafted the very blueprint this alliance is built upon. He did more than present a vision; he handed us the means to turn what seems impossible into reality. Beyond that, our Tang Clan owes him a debt we can never fully repay. Settling on a name is but a small token of gratitude in comparison.”

“Gun, I am not rebuking you.”

That the least powerful among them should serve as the face of their union? It mattered not.
There was no purpose in making an issue of it now.
Why? A name only carries true weight once you have forged the reputation to sustain it.
For the present, the title itself held no true significance.

“It would be a fine thing if one day we grew dissatisfied with this name.”
Such dissatisfaction would mean we had risen so far that we could afford to concern ourselves with such matters.
It would mean the very name that seemed so unremarkable now had grown to hold immense value.

“For now, the name counts for nothing. Substance is what truly matters. Gun, the tides of this era are shifting—can you sense it?”
“I can, Clan Head.”

“The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans are all in motion. The established balance and landscape of our world are beginning to change.”

Tang Gun instantly grasped the implication behind Tang Seong’s words.
“You speak of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.”

The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly: a grand, festive gathering of the righteous martial world held once every ten years.
True to its title, it centered upon the rising generation—the prodigies who would be the dragons and phoenixes of the future.

“This year, the Assembly is to be held in Huguk. Wudang has stepped forward with great determination to oversee the entire proceedings.”

“Wudang?”

Until now, no single faction had ever presided over the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
Major sects would issue invitations and agree upon a venue—that was the full extent of it.
Though it bore a magnificent title, the gathering itself had never held binding authority.

This time, however, things would be different.
“Wudang intends to seize this opportunity. If they manage the Assembly well, they will cement their position as the foremost leader among the Nine Great Sects.”

Wudang, founded little more than a century ago, matched the Tang Clan in the length of its history.
Yet it was rising with such momentum that the saying *’Shaolin in the north, Wudang in the south’* was spreading far and wide.
Shaolin stood as an immense, ancient presence, yet it remained reclusive and mysterious, almost otherworldly in its detachment.
Wudang, by contrast, stood poised to claim the title of the world’s preeminent sect.

“With Wudang advancing its ambitions so boldly, the Zhuge Clan—sharing the region of Huguk—finds itself in a difficult position. Wudang is numbered among the Nine Great Sects; Zhuge among the Five Great Clans. As two pillars of the righteous martial world, neither can help but shift their great weight in response.”

On a small scale, it was the affair of a single sect. Viewed broadly, it was nothing less than a reshaping of the martial world.

“Even the Undefeated Sword Lord and the Great Ocean Dragon King… transcendent figures though they are, when their followers stir, they too will have to answer.”

No further explanation was needed regarding those two names.
*Heavenly Martial Ten Supremes*—those four words said everything.
They were absolute masters, each capable of wiping out one of the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans single-handedly.

“And there is more. The Namgung Clan will burn with ever-greater fury, determined to reclaim its place as the World’s Greatest Clan.”

The Namgung Clan of today no longer held the supremacy it once did.
The reason was plain: to stand above all in the martial world, one must prove one’s martial might—and they were no longer the strongest.

“It is not the one trailing in last place who struggles most desperately to climb higher, but the runner-up. They can almost see the summit, and they believe with just a little more effort, they might grasp it. Do you understand?”
“To stand just short of the peak is to be forever second. Nothing drives a person to greater lengths than a prize that is within sight, yet just out of reach.”

Tang Seong smiled with quiet satisfaction and continued.
“Gun, when I sent you to the Baek Clan and then to the regional branch, it was to prepare you with the experience you would need for the days ahead.”

Originally, Tang Seong had planned to withdraw into seclusion for deep cultivation within a few years.
For most of his life—indeed, for as long as he could remember—he had dedicated himself to refining the Tang Clan’s martial arts.

A faint hiss filled the air. Patterns of thick, potent poison qi began to weave themselves through the room.
Three hidden weapons materialized from Tang Seong’s grasp, merging seamlessly with the swirling energy—a masterful display of the pinnacle of Air Grasping.

“It has been more than a decade since I mastered Living Intent Qi and Air Grasping. One final step remains, and I shall reach Super Peak.”

The last of the three stages of enlightenment was Unity.
For those who walked the path of the sword, this was known as Man-Sword Unity.

“Young Master Baek spoke of perfecting the Three Origins Return to Origin Art, did he not?”
“He did. He has also requested a supply of ice crystals.”

“The Three Origins Return to Origin Art holds the key to achieving what was once thought impossible: attaining Unity through cultivation.”

The older Three Yangs Return to Origin Art carried an inherent limitation—no matter how diligently one trained, the Super Peak state remained out of reach.
The new art evolved from that foundation, seeking to return the three forms of energy to their common source.
As yet, it existed only in theory. But if it could truly be brought to life…
The Tang Clan’s most guarded heart method would be hailed as nothing less than a divine art.

“One-Wing Alliance… truly, One-Wing Alliance.” Tang Seong spoke the name again, then turned to his successor. “Gun.”
“I am here, Clan Head.”

“If Young Master Baek succeeds in turning the Three Origins Return to Origin Art from theory into living practice… then within a century…”

Tang Gun responded at once, his tone firm.
“Then we shall owe him tenfold—no, a hundredfold gratitude. The Tang Clan will never betray such a debt. Not while Uncle Baek lives, not when I become Clan Head, and not for all the generations that come after me.”

The two men shared a quiet, knowing laugh.

“Still, I find myself wondering…”
“As do I.”

How high did he intend to fly?
Would the One-Wing Alliance truly become the wings that carried them aloft upon the winds of this turbulent, changing era, just as its name promised?
No one could say. The future remained ever-shifting.

A similar conversation unfolded within the Jin Clan Manor, though the tone was somewhat different.

“Father… I simply cannot understand this.”
“What troubles you?”
“Is it truly right to let Jeomchang go unpunished like this?”

“And what would you have us do instead?”
“You might have died, Father! I can scarce contain my anger.”

They had joined forces to uncover the source behind the Man-geum Poison, yet the Baek Clan’s young master had arbitrarily decided to pursue Jeomchang no further.
It felt as though he had overstepped his bounds, and for Jin Dal-bong, who had nearly lost his own father, resentment came all too naturally.

“Son.”
“Yes, Father?”
“If Jeomchang were not the only lead we hold to the true mastermind behind this poison, do you think I would have stood idly by?”

But Jeomchang was one of the Nine Great Sects.
“We may have accepted Young Master Baek’s unilateral decision with grace, yet I am not known for being forgiving by nature—am I?”
“That is true…”

He could not bring himself to agree lightly, for he knew his father better than anyone. To Jin Dal-bong’s eyes, his father was one of the most formidable, unyielding men in the world.

“We yielded to his judgment. We extended favor to Young Master Baek. In truth, though… we had no other choice.”
“Son, tell me what you know of the Nine Great Sects.”

“Together with the Eight Great Gangs and the Five Great Clans, they form the ten pillars that uphold the righteous martial world.”

“A shallow answer, worth but a single tael. Let me give you one worth ten. The Nine Great Sects are the factions truly capable of contending for supremacy over the entire realm.”

This was not about turning a blind eye to Jeomchang’s crimes out of kindness.
They had no choice but to look the other way.
Because they were not yet strong enough to do otherwise.
If Jeomchang—one of the Nine Great Sects—was in league with dark forces spreading affliction through curses and poisons like the Man-geum…
Then the powers pulling the strings from behind the shadows must be terrifying indeed.

“So for now, we endure. We set this aside. Our sole focus must be to rise higher.”

“I heard you granted them a million nyang simply as a token of our commitment… Do you truly see such promise in the Tang and Baek Clans, Father?”

“I do. And I have placed my wager upon it—one far greater, and far riskier, than you can yet imagine.”

He followed those words with a direct command.
“Vice Leader Jin Dal-bong.”
“Yes, Father?”

“From this day forth, I name you Junior Leader of the Jin Merchant Group.”
“Father!”

Jin Dal-bong was overcome with emotion.
Until this moment, he had learned only at his father’s side, never holding an official station. Though he had been addressed as ‘Junior Leader’ for more than ten years, it had never truly been his title.

“Junior Leader, you will travel to Gangseo. You must come to know the Baek Clan better than you do now. And we must earn still greater trust and favor from them.”

They had entered into the One-Wing Alliance with plans stretching ten years into the future.
Yet Jin Yeong-gil was now fifty-four years old.
In ten years, he would be well past sixty.
*The waves that follow drive those that lead.*
His son must stand among the foremost of those rising waves, alongside their new allies.
And his journey would begin in Gangseo.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Yang-hui stood gazing at the pile of ice crystals laid out before him.
“Ready, Sister Dang?”
“Yes.” Dang Yeon nodded, her expression taut with tension.
She was bold and unbridled by nature, rarely so unsettled—but this was no ordinary undertaking.

“Today, the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art will be reborn as the Three Origins Return to Origin Art.”
There was, of course, one critical condition.
“If it works.”
“…Hui, saying things like that is only making me more nervous. Can we not simply begin?”

Tang Gun, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward unable to hold back any longer.
“Younger Brother Hui, perhaps I should perform this in her place.”
“Only if you obtain the Clan Head’s permission first. You volunteered last time and were soundly reprimanded for it.”

The new theory they had devised centered upon returning three fundamental energies to their shared source.
*Gui*—reversion—drawing them together into perfect unity. That was the core of this new practice.

“Two of the three energies are already accounted for: Yang Qi and Poison Qi. The challenge lies with the third.”
In terms of balance, Yin Qi was the most natural fit.
The difficulty lay in how Yin and Yang stood as direct opposites—bringing them together was notoriously difficult.
“No wonder Wudang’s Yin-Yang Divine Art is revered as a peerless technique.”

“Tang clansmen cannot hold Yin cold qi within their dantian without first expelling all their internal energy. Even the smallest trace would be crushed and scattered instantly.”

“But if we establish a full, balanced foundation from the very beginning, we may be able to sustain it.”

That was precisely why Yang-hui had requested the ice crystals from Jin Yeong-gil—concentrated essence of Yin cold qi, to serve as the third origin.
In theory, at least.

“Yeon, are you certain? This is exceedingly dangerous. We could take time to seek another way…”

Dang Yeon cut him off.
“There is a way right here—why take the long, difficult path? Trust me, Brother. Just watch.”

“Well spoken.”
“…Hui, if anything goes wrong, you will answer for it.”
“Have no fear.”

Mistakes could lead to dangerous Qi Deviation.
But with the preparatory work already done, and careful guidance, it should hold steady.
This first attempt was meant only to confirm whether the theory would take root.

“Then we begin.”
“I am ready.”

“Open a Grand Heavenly Circuit using the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art. We will then establish the three origins through the principles of Three Origins Return.”

As Dang Yeon began to circulate her internal energy according to his instruction, Yang-hui tossed the ice crystal lightly in his hand.
“Brother Tang, if you would assist us.”

Tang Gun stepped forward and placed the crystal upon her lower abdomen, directly over her dantian.
It dissolved and seeped inward smoothly—no surprise, given that it was nothing less than Yin cold qi condensed into solid form.

*Now it is my turn.*

The sudden arrival of external energy sent her own qi surging chaotically.
To expel it would prevent immediate harm, but it would also waste the precious crystal entirely.

“Hold fast, Sister Dang. We are guiding the flow into harmony.”

Placing his hand upon her back, Yang-hui channeled Harmonious Heaven Energy to steady and direct her.
It was a pure, luminous force—one that could bring all conflicting energies into accord.

Six full hours passed before he withdrew his hand.
Slowly, Dang Yeon opened her eyes.
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