Chapter 163: The Board Is Set
“Kunlun’s Young Hero, Han Mujin. I have returned alive.”
The moment I finished speaking, the world seemed to stop.
The countless martial artists filling the Grand Training Ground.
The Righteous Alliance officials standing on the platform.
Every one of them stared at me with frozen expressions, as though unable to believe what they were seeing.
That strange silence did not last long.
“Han Mujin? Did he just say Han Mujin?”
“Kunlun’s Young Hero?”
“The one who supposedly died in Falling Death Valley?”
“That’s right! That face... I saw him during the Dragon-Phoenix Awakening Tournament.”
Murmurs erupted throughout the Grand Training Ground.
Countless voices and exclamations rang out around me without pause.
Yet in the middle of all that chaos, my eyes were fixed on only one person.
Moyong Seong.
That fucking bastard who had tried to send me to my death.
He stood on the platform staring at me.
He was desperately trying to maintain a calm expression, but he could not hide the violent trembling in his eyes.
Looks like he’s pretty shocked.
Of course he was.
As far as he knew, I was already dead.
He must have thought I had fallen into the river beneath Falling Death Valley and become fish food long ago.
I slowly clasped my hands toward Moyong Seong.
“You seem rather surprised to see me alive, Young Master Moyong.”
"..."
Moyong Seong couldn't answer immediately.
His mind was probably racing, trying to calculate how to deal with the situation.
But I had absolutely no intention of giving him time to think.
“Well, I suppose being surprised is only natural.”
I smiled faintly.
“After all, everyone was told I died in an attack by the Demonic Cult.”
Moyong Seong's lips twitched ever so slightly.
Good.
This is going exactly as planned.
His composure was already cracking.
I was alive.
And he knew better than anyone that the person who attacked me had not been some Demonic Cult member.
It had been him.
He had to be terrified that the truth might come out.
I barely suppressed the smile threatening to spread across my face and slowly turned around.
Countless martial artists were staring only at me.
“Fellow martial artists.”
My voice carried throughout the Grand Training Ground.
The surrounding murmurs gradually quieted.
I offered the crowd a deep martial salute.
“Allow me to introduce myself again.”
“I am Han Mujin of Kunlun.”
The moment I finished...
the training ground erupted again.
“It really is Kunlun’s Young Hero!”
“But they said he was killed by the Demonic Cult!”
“How the hell is he alive?”
I kept my head lowered and waited quietly.
Deliberately.
I gave their confusion time to grow.
“Kunlun’s Young Hero! Tell us what happened!”
“Everyone thought you were dead!”
The voices around me grew louder.
Only then did I answer, as though I had been waiting for that exact question.
“That is correct.”
I slowly raised my head.
“As all of you have heard, I was attacked by vicious assailants in Falling Death Valley.”
Then I paused.
“Ah, come to think of it....”
I turned toward Moyong Seong.
“There is someone here today who knows better than anyone what happened to me in Falling Death Valley.”
A faint smile appeared on my lips.
“Isn't that right, Young Master Moyong?”
In an instant...
every gaze shifted toward Moyong Seong.
“Young Master Moyong?”
“Now that I think about it, wasn't he the one who testified about Han Mujin's death?”
“That's right. He said he saw the Demonic Cult attack Taoist Han.”
The calm disappeared from Moyong Seong's face.
His arms were trembling faintly.
Meanwhile...
I was perfectly relaxed.
“I will explain what happened in Falling Death Valley in detail at a later time.”
I turned back toward the platform.
“For now, isn't there a more important matter we need to finish first?”
Confusion crossed Moyong Seong's face.
He clearly had no idea what I was about to say.
I looked directly at him.
“We should settle the matter of choosing the Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit first.”
The eyes of the Righteous Alliance officials on the platform shook at once.
Only then did they realize what I intended to challenge.
Heo Seongbaek stepped forward.
“Taoist Han Mujin.”
As expected from a seasoned elder of the Righteous Alliance, he immediately moved to control the situation.
“If you are referring to the title of Honorary Commander, was that not already explained?”
His expression was composed.
“That position existed solely to honor your sacrifice.”
He continued in the tone of a man making an impartial judgment.
“It would not be proper to demand the position of Commander based on a single phrase written on a memorial banner.”
Another Righteous Alliance official immediately added,
“Exactly.”
“The Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit must carry the heavy responsibility of leading the promising young martial artists of the righteous faction.”
Then he looked toward me.
“Kunlun’s Young Hero, your return is certainly cause for celebration throughout the martial world.”
“But survival alone cannot determine who should hold the position of Commander.”
They weren't entirely wrong.
Commander of the Demon Expulsion Unit wasn't some trivial position.
It meant leading young martial artists from countless sects.
If I simply demanded the position because of an honorary title placed on a banner...
of course people would push back.
I nodded toward Heo Seongbaek.
“I understand.”
His eyes shifted slightly.
“I never intended to stand here and simply demand the position of Commander.”
That answer seemed to catch him off guard.
I continued without hesitation.
“However...”
I pointed toward the white banner.
“the name written on that banner is still Han Mujin.”
My voice carried clearly through the Grand Training Ground.
“And wasn't one of the main justifications used to establish the Demon Expulsion Unit my supposed death?”
I looked around at the gathered martial artists.
“As the person whose death was used to justify the creation of this organization...”
