The Black Alliance, which had modeled itself on the Murim Alliance in many ways, had naturally followed suit by holding its own Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
The Black Heaven Tournament could be considered the Dragon Phoenix Gathering of the Unorthodox Sects' world. …Though, looking closely, there were quite a few differences.
First, while the rule against killing one's opponent was the same, the participants seemed to interpret it as "as long as they don't die," unleashing brutal Killing Moves without restraint.
Unlike the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, where the prizes were mostly Spiritual Medicines or martial arts, the tournament simply offered a massive sum of Gold Coins as the winner's prize.
There were also differences in the very purpose behind holding the event periodically.
"You seem to know quite a bit, young hero Cheon."
"Well, Zhejiang Province is my hometown, after all."
Before the regression, I had actually been a member of the Black Alliance. I'd never won, but I had participated in the Black Heaven Tournament before, so I knew it well…
But since I couldn't say that, I just shrugged my shoulders and continued explaining in a bit more detail to Tang So-wol.
"First of all, the Dragon Phoenix Gathering is meant to strengthen harmony among the sects affiliated with the Murim Alliance. It also serves as a way for the younger generation to settle any potential disputes or pride-driven clashes through sparring bouts, instead of letting the elders handle it."
"That's right."
Because the Orthodox Sects were home to so many time-honored martial schools, conflicts between the affiliated groups were inevitable.
Still, they couldn't very well draw swords and fight to the death over every little thing. So unless the matter was truly severe, the Dragon Phoenix Gathering was where old grudges got resolved between the parties.
That was why, in essence, it was a festival for the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families. A martial artist of vagrant origins making a name for himself there was as rare as beans sprouting in a drought.
"The Black Heaven Tournament, on the other hand, is no festival for harmony. In the first place, there's no way Unorthodox Sects martial artists would sincerely cooperate with one another or let go of their petty grudges through sparring bouts."
"That's a rather sharp criticism… but you would know better than I would on this matter, young hero Cheon. So then, why is the Black Heaven Tournament held?"
"It's simple. The first reason is to throw the existing Unorthodox Sects' prestigious clans a suitable bone. It's a chance to show off one's strength and, if things go well, sweep up a pile of Gold Coins in the process."
"From the way you speak, young hero Cheon, it sounds like there's a second reason as well."
"That's probably the real one. The Lord of the Black Alliance wants to bring outstanding rising talents under his command and solidify his own power."
The Black Alliance isn't exactly a tightly knit organization. Unlike the Orthodox Sects, which can rally together in the name of a greater cause no matter their differences, the Black Alliance is closer to a loose patchwork held together only by mutual benefit and the authority of its Alliance Lord.
Because of the kind of people it's made up of, the Black Alliance has far fewer clans or sects that could be called prestigious compared to the Orthodox Sects.
Does that mean the Unorthodox Murim is small in scale? Not at all. After all, isn't it human nature that once a person obtains martial arts—obtains power—they want to use it for themselves?
It's just that the Unorthodox Murim is overwhelmingly made up of wandering drifters who roam alone without any real affiliation to speak of.
And most of these people, like me before my regression, have their eyes set on outstanding martial arts or spiritual medicine.
Having entered the martial world late and never having learned a proper martial art, they inevitably hit a wall that has nothing to do with talent.
"And the Lord of the Black Alliance provides these people with what they need, and in return demands their loyalty."
"…I doubt loyalty obtained that way would mean much."
"No, it does mean something. Isn't it true that those who would have remained first-rate for life manage to break through the wall of the Peak Realm, and in some cases even rise to Transcendent Peak?"
"Ah."
It's because our group's martial level has been raised across the board that it seems otherwise, but most martial artists struggle to move beyond the first-rate level.
Talent, luck, and advanced martial arts. You need at least two of the three to break through the wall of the Peak Realm.
In truth, from the Peak Realm onward, the way people treat you changes considerably. To put it mildly, you could say your life has changed.
How could a rogue of the Unorthodox Sects, who has never received good treatment in his entire life, simply let that pass?
No matter how much the Unorthodox Sects prioritize profit over righteousness, they are still places where people live. It is not strange to regard the one who changed your life as a benefactor and to pledge loyalty to them.
"Well, it's rare for a rogue to go all the way to winning the championship, though."
"Regardless, a prestigious sect is a prestigious sect."
Tang So-wol nodded. As she said, it is not easy for someone without any foundation to surpass those who have learned advanced martial arts since childhood.
Those from prestigious sects participate aiming for the generous prizes offered by the Lord of the Black Alliance, rogues participate seeking a gateway to advancement, and the Lord of the Black Alliance invests with an eye on the future to build his own power.
That is the Black Heaven Tournament as I know it.
"Of course, those who made a name for themselves at the Black Heaven Tournament and earned new aliases are hardly ordinary. At the very least, their poison energy should be worth seeing."
"That's how it seems, but…"
Tang So-wol scratched her cheek with an awkward expression. And rightly so—right before our eyes, those supposedly deadly Black Heaven Tournament participants were being frozen into blocks of ice, unable to do a thing against Seol Ri-hyang alone.
"Hmph! Is that all you've got? The alias Blood Death Sword is wasted on you."
"Yo…you witch…"
The sharp-eyed man gritted his teeth and collapsed on the spot.
Against an opponent who wielded a concealed sword with such ease, he was a Peak Realm martial artist counted among the strongest—but…
Once Seol Ri-hyang's whip and his concealed sword became entangled, and she used her Yin Art in that state, he had no chance to respond and was taken down just like that.
It seemed she wasn't skilled enough to match that unnaturally pure Yin Energy in a contest of strength, nor to drive out the cold that seeped into her body.
The fallen Blood Flower Sword Demon was dragged off the training ground by the servants.
Seol Ri-hyang looked at the empty side of the arena, her spirits soaring. She placed her hands on her hips and called out in a deliberately haughty tone.
"The Lord of the Black Alliance said you were all outstanding, so I had high expectations… but there's nothing to be done. The rest of you, come up all at once!"
"How arrogant!"
"We'll show you what's what!"
The rising talents of the Black Alliance huffed and climbed onto the training ground. Seeing this, Tang So-wol tilted her head and spoke.
"…Young hero Cheon. It seems Hyang-i has gotten a bit too excited."
"Let her enjoy herself. She's been cowering before opponents stronger than herself lately, so she needs to be let loose a little at a time."
As Tang So-wol said, Seol Ri-hyang was currently overexcited from her winning streak. That was probably why she'd said what she did…
But considering there were only two opponents left, it wasn't that arrogant a remark.
I couldn't tell whether Seol Ri-hyang was stronger than I'd expected, or whether the rising talents at this Black Heaven Tournament were just that weak.
Either way, this was a level Seol Ri-hyang could handle easily.
After all, she'd spent all this time fighting opponents far stronger than herself with everything she had.
I thought that what Seol Ri-hyang actually needed right now was the experience of facing someone clearly weaker than herself and subduing them without killing or seriously injuring them—something she'd never had the chance to do.
While I was briefly talking with Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang froze the entire training ground white with her humming song, then calmly dealt with her sluggish opponents one by one, using her whip and palm techniques.
So the gap was bigger than I'd thought. Even facing both of them at once, it was this easy.
Only then did I understand what the Lord of the Black Alliance had meant when he said he'd summon the rising talents of the Black Heaven Tournament, but that I shouldn't expect too much.
Having seen both sides directly and roughly gauged their martial levels, I'd found it strange.
Well, still, I'd achieved my original goal to a certain extent, so it was fine.
Seol Ri-hyang, who had until now focused on expanding the scale of her internal energy to deal with opponents stronger than herself, seemed to have noticed the need for delicate control.
"Not a bad result, I suppose."
That was what I thought, until the next day, when rumors about Seol Ri-hyang spread throughout the entire Black Alliance.
"My perfectly good alias…!"
"Don't worry about it too much. It's just that in the Unorthodox Sects, they like to put fierce words into aliases—blood, killing, and so on. Shura, rakshasa, witch—that sort of thing."
"It's probably because you set up this sparring bout in the first place, Cheon Hwi."
"…"
Seol Ri-hyang pouted her lips, a mix of disbelief, resignation, and just a hint of resentment on her face.
I gave her shoulder a light pat and continued.
"Don't look at me like that. What's wrong with the alias 'Ghost Sound Ice Witch'?"
"What's wrong? It sounds way too evil! And what happened to my perfectly good alias, 'Ghost Sound Ice Flower'…"
"Relax. The Orthodox Sects will still call you Ghost Sound Ice Flower properly, so you don't need to worry."
"…The other half of the martial world will call me the Ghost Sound Ice Witch?"
"Isn't that an alias that suits the Blood Flower Sword Demon? I rather like it."
"Ah."
The moment I said that, recalling her pre-regression alias of Ghost Sound Witch, Seol Ri-hyang flinched.
She muttered something to herself, then nodded with a magnanimous expression, as if granting me a favor.
"Fine. If you insist that much, I'll accept the new alias."
"This is an honor."
"But what about you, Cheon Hwi? Are you still using the same alias? Now that you've risen to the Harmony Realm, I thought you'd have gotten a different one."
"Alias is something that only comes about and changes when you do something that leaves an impression on people. Of course, I suppose you could threaten me like Senior Seomun Hwa-rin does—saying you won't stand idly by if I'm called the Blood Flower Sword Demon…"
"So you're saying the alias itself won't change, just that people will stop calling you the Blood Flower Sword Demon?"
"Exactly."
Seol Ri-hyang furrowed her brow as if dissatisfied with my words.
"But Cheon Hwi, you've done quite a lot since rising to the Harmony Realm."
"Hmm. Give me an example."
"First, you single-handedly exterminated the Heavenly Poison Sect for kidnapping Sister Tang."
"It's true that things quieted down once they learned there was just cause, but before that, a flood of protest letters accusing the Tang Clan of a Blood Calamity came flying in. In others' eyes, it must have seemed like something worthy of the Sword Demon."
"…You stopped the awakening of the Heavenly Killing Star and worked with Shaolin Temple to find a solution no one had ever known before, didn't you? This is a good thing, so your alias should change too!"
"Matters concerning the Heavenly Killing Star are top secret, known only to those who need to know. At least until Heo Soye quietly passes from this life. There's no benefit in spreading word of uncertain things."
"Th-then what about defeating the Azure-White Flood Dragon in the North Sea?!"
"I doubt the people of the Central Plains care that much about information from the Outer Murim, and they wouldn't believe in the existence of a Harmony Realm Spirit Beast either."
"…"
Seol Ri-hyang, who had been mulling it over, patted my shoulder with an expression that seemed to look upon me with pity.
"Cheer up!"
"In the first place, I'm not so attached to my alias as all that."
Since I was called the Sword Demon even before my regression, what reason would I have to be bothered by it now?
However, Seol Ri-hyang firmly shook her head at my indifferent reaction.
"I don't like it. Cheon Hwi, you're not such a vicious person, so why should you be misunderstood like that?"
"Heh."
In truth, I am someone who can become utterly heartless if I wish. It's just that I choose not to be that way in front of Tang So-wol, Seol Ri-hyang, and Seomun Hwa-rin.
There's also the fact that I've grown fond of my current life and don't want to ruin it.
Of course, I didn't embarrass myself by confessing all of that in detail. Instead, I ruffled Seol Ri-hyang's hair, pressing down on the crown of her head.
"Hey! Stop it…I'm not Seomun unni, you know…"
At first, Seol Ri-hyang had been somewhat defiant, but in an instant she went soft and yielded her body to my touch.
"Wait. So you're saying it's fine to do this to Seomun Senior Hwa-rin?"
"Unni Tang and I do it all the time?"
"…"
The laws of the martial world have truly fallen to the ground.
***
After spending several days eating well and living well at the Black Alliance.
At last, the preparations for the banquet that Sama Yuryeon had mentioned were complete.
…And then, rumors about the Sword Demon began to spread.