The courtyard before the Imperial Palace was overflowing with martial artists from across the Murim. Masters from both Jeongpa and Sapa stood proudly, their presence not merely symbolic. This wasn't just a martial tournament—it was a political arena where the factions sought to secure their influence under the wary gaze of the Imperial Court. For years, the court had avoided direct confrontation with the Murim by quietly legitimizing the presence of "Watchmen"—special operatives chosen from the martial world to uphold order on the empire's behalf. These Watchmen had privileges, power, and prestige, typically reserved for those aligned with Jeongpa or Sapa.
But that balance was about to shatter.
The imperial decree, which marked the formal beginning of the tournament, sent shockwaves through the arena.
"This year's selection of the Watchmen will redefine order. In addition to Jeongpa and Sapa, a third faction shall be granted the right to serve."
Murmurs turned into gasps. What was the court's true intention? Who would be chosen? Then came the name no one had expected: Cheonuhoe.
Shock rippled through the crowd. This wasn't some obscure sect. Cheonuhoe had emerged between the cracks—neither Jeongpa nor Sapa, nor anything like the demonic Magyo. They were a new power, untethered and unyielding.
As murmurs hardened into tension, Lee Dohyun appeared, striding into the center of the arena. Gasps followed in his wake. Flanking him were Baek Wolhee, Cheong Woonjin, Yoo Sanggaek, and Han Soyeon—the stalwarts of Cheonuhoe. Their march was calm but assertive, an unmistakable claim to legitimacy.
The masters of Jeongpa and Sapa stood silent, disarmed by the court's unexpected endorsement. For years, they had brokered influence carefully, counterbalancing one another while keeping the threat of Magyo at bay. But now, Cheonuhoe had been handed a seat at the table—no, the seat. One that restructured the entire political order of the Murim.
In the background, Miryung watched over the proceedings with cool calculation. As a key organizer of the tournament and an insider to both Cheonuhoe and the court, she knew exactly what this move signified: this wasn't just about martial might. This was about reshaping the foundations of Murim authority itself. She knew that Lee Dohyun wasn't here merely to participate—he was here to lead.
Cheonuhoe's victory wasn't merely symbolic. It granted them access to the Imperial Watchmen's power, effectively elevating them to equal standing with Jeongpa and Sapa.
Lee Dohyun stood before the gathering and declared, his voice steady and resolute:
"Cheonuhoe stands here not as a challenger, but as a correction. We have not come to fan the flames of conflict, but to restore order. For too long, Jeongpa and Sapa have shaped the Murim to serve their interests. It's time for a new standard—one that prioritizes justice, not legacy."
His words were direct, stripped of pretense, and backed by the momentum of his arrival. His presence wasn't just a challenge—it was a declaration of succession.
Miryung stepped beside him and added,
"Cheonuhoe signals the dawn of a new era. We are not merely another faction—we are the force that will bring true balance to the Murim."
Jeongpa and Sapa's representatives visibly stiffened. It wasn't just the loss of a title that rankled them—it was the implication that their dominance was no longer absolute. They understood now: Cheonuhoe was not going to wait its turn. It had taken its place.
With the tournament underway, Cheonuhoe cemented its role not just as a martial force, but a political one. Lee Dohyun's entry into the Imperial Watchmen was a clarion call: Cheonuhoe had arrived, and they were no longer in anyone's shadow.
Jeongpa and Sapa quickly moved to regroup, sensing that the shift in influence could soon lead to deeper losses. They understood now that this wasn't just about the tournament—it was about relevance.
Behind the scenes, Lee Dohyun was already forming plans. The role of Watchmen gave Cheonuhoe access, authority, and unprecedented leverage. With that, he aimed to dismantle the old political hierarchy piece by piece—not with chaos, but with purpose.
Now, Cheonuhoe stood as an equal among giants, armed with imperial legitimacy and unshackled by tradition. The court's support had turned them from disruptors into reformers, and the traditional factions into defenders of a waning status quo.
Magyo still lurked in the shadows, their threat far from gone. But the real tension now lay between the three forces—Jeongpa, Sapa, and Cheonuhoe. The game had changed.
And as the Murim order tilted toward a new axis, Lee Dohyun and Cheonuhoe stood at the center, ready to redefine everything.
***
Chapter : Heukamdo's Vengeance and the Challenge to Cheonuhoe
The higher circles of both Jeongpa and Sapa had begun moving in concert, quietly but decisively adjusting the reins of Cheongpunghoe in an effort to curb Cheonuhoe's rapid rise. As the new Imperial Watchmen, Cheonuhoe's unexpected ascension had upset the power balance—and not everyone was willing to sit idle. In particular, Sapa resolved to weaponize an old blade dulled by bitterness: Heukamdo, the swordsman who once walked beside Baek Wolhee—and now burned to see her fall.
Heukamdo's vengeance wasn't just about lost pride. It was personal. In his eyes, Cheonuhoe had humiliated him twice—first by overlooking him, and again by embracing Baek Wolhee in his stead. That sense of betrayal had become his obsession. His hatred was no longer political—it was feral, directed squarely at Lee Dohyun and Baek Wolhee.
Gathering a group of elite Sapa warriors, Heukamdo prepared an ambush near Cheonuhoe's headquarters. The air was thick with the scent of bloodlust as he spoke to his men:
"If I can strike at Lee Dohyun and Baek Wolhee directly, there's no way they can escape my reckoning."
As Cheonuhoe's influence grew, so did Heukamdo's thirst for revenge. Driven more by emotion than reason, he began to shed any semblance of restraint, allowing his vendetta to consume him completely.
But fate threw him an unexpected obstacle—Yoo Sanbaek, a seasoned warrior once of Sapa, now allied with Cheonuhoe. Yoo Sanbaek bore old scars from Heukamdo's ambition and wouldn't stand by while his former comrade spiraled into madness.
"You're still shackled to that grudge?" Yoo Sanbaek's voice was cold, his stance resolute.Once, they had fought side by side. Now, they stood on opposite shores, the tides of time having turned allies into adversaries."I haven't forgotten what you did, Heukamdo. But this? Attacking Lee Dohyun and Baek Wolhee? That's suicide. And you know it."
Heukamdo's voice trembled with fury.
"If I can't have my revenge, then what's left for me? They stole everything. This… this is all I have left!"
Yoo Sanbaek's expression didn't waver.
"That fire inside you—it's already burned you hollow. You're chasing a shadow, and it's going to be the end of you."
The tension snapped.Heukamdo snarled, lifting his blade.
"Then stop me. If you dare."
Steel clashed as Yoo Sanbaek met his charge. The duel erupted in a storm of motion—Heukamdo's strikes wild with rage, Yoo Sanbaek's defense calm and calculated. Sparks danced with every collision of swords, but even in the chaos, it was clear: only one of them had a clear mind.
They exchanged blow after blow, the sound of their blades cutting the silence like thunder. Heukamdo fought with desperate force, but Yoo Sanbaek countered with patient precision, letting his former comrade exhaust himself.
"You've already lost," Yoo Sanbaek muttered between clashes. "Not to me, but to your own obsession."
And with one swift maneuver, he broke through Heukamdo's defenses, sending him crashing to the ground.
Heukamdo coughed blood, struggling to stand.
"You think you've stopped me?"
But his body betrayed him. His strength was fading, his rage no longer enough to keep him upright.
Yoo Sanbaek stood over him.
"Revenge never makes you whole. It just rots what little remains."
Elsewhere, Cheonuhoe's warriors—tactical minds united under Lee Dohyun's banner—swiftly dispatched the other attackers. The trap had been anticipated, the strategy countered with ruthless efficiency.
Lee Dohyun stepped forward, gaze unshaken.
"Your mistake was simple," he said, voice low but firm. "You believed rage alone could overcome discipline. You underestimated the strength of purpose."
His words weren't taunts—they were judgment.
"True strength," he added, "comes from controlling emotion, not being controlled by it."
Once again, Cheonuhoe stood victorious. But this battle had proven more than physical dominance—it was a validation of their approach. Their byeongbeop (strategic warfare) and jinbeop (formation tactics) were no longer theoretical—they had become the gold standard of the Murim.
Heukamdo's failed revenge became a cautionary tale. He had challenged Cheonuhoe not with reason or insight, but with blind hate—and been dismantled with methodical precision. Where others relied on brute force or dogma, Cheonuhoe wielded calculation and unity.
And yet, even with their growing power, the road ahead was far from secure.
Magyo still loomed in the shadows. More dangerous, more patient.
Cheonuhoe had doused the flames of personal vengeance, but to survive what came next, they would need more than tactics.
They would need conviction.
They would need to become something greater.