Chapter 138

“That’s right. But before that, I have a question.”

“A question?”

“Senior Gwang—are you someone who understands what it means to repay a favor?”

It must’ve been a familiar line. Commander Seong’s eyes glinted with recognition.

Wasn’t that the exact same thing Unhwi had said to No Cheonmyeong in Sinsam Valley?

Gwang Han replied.

“Of course I do, you brat. You must still be too young to get it, but once you reach Heaven-Human Unity, you can’t help but be bound by debts and gratitude. Whether you want to or not, you end up repaying them. Hm? You little shit—how dare a Three Flowers Gathering brat bring up favors in front of someone like me?”

Despite that tone, Unhwi simply smiled.

That’s just the kind of person Gwang Han was.

He resembled No Cheonmyeong in some ways—but he was also completely different.

“Then let’s make things clear.”

“What now?”

“If I give you information about the Divine Spear, you’ll have to grant me three requests.”

“...Not just one, but three?”

“Isn’t this a four-hundred-year obsession—one that even your master’s master’s master couldn’t resolve?”

“...”

“I can let you resolve that obsession in your generation. And you’re hesitating over three little favors?”

“...You talk real smooth, huh? Fine. Like you said, what’s three requests compared to gaining the peerless Divine Spear? If I get that, I’ll become peerless myself. Go ahead—speak.”

“The Divine Spear of the Heavenly Dragon is in Hwaseong Mountain.”

It came so abruptly and so directly that Gwang Han, who hadn’t expected anything real, widened his eyes.

“Hwaseong... Mountain? You mean the one near Walguk?”

“Yes. The weapon once wielded by Dragon King Immortal of Yongmaeng Spear Sect is buried deep beneath Hwaseong Mountain.”

“...My ancestor said they searched every inch of that mountain a hundred years ago...”

“Then they didn’t search it properly. If you give me a map, I’ll mark the exact location.”

“...Where did you get this information?”

“I can’t tell you that. But please don’t doubt its sincerity.”

“...And why should I trust you?”

“Then do you think I trust you, Senior?”

“....”

“Let’s stop wasting time with questions we both know the answers to. I’d rather move on.”

“...You still have more to say?”

I did.

Strictly speaking, I hadn’t planned to—but now I did.

“A moment ago, you said once you gained the Divine Spear, you’d obtain a peerless spear—and thus become peerless yourself. Is that right?”

“Probably.”

“...”

“What? Got a problem with that?”

“Yes. A little. Why is it that gaining the Divine Spear makes it a ‘peerless’ spear?”

“...Heh... Don’t know if a kid like you can even understand this, but listen well. The Divine Spear is peerless. Once it’s in your hands, naturally you gain peerless spear techniques as well.”

Unhwi chuckled.

“...You laughing at me, kid?”

“Can’t even laugh freely now, Senior?”

Gwang Han’s eyes narrowed.

“...The fuck’s with this brat?”

“Since we’re on the topic, let me ask: If the Divine Spear is peerless and its technique is peerless—then what exactly do you mean by ‘peerless’?”

“You throwing riddles at me? With your meager Three Flowers level?”

Unhwi’s gaze turned cold.

“How can someone who gave you nothing but truth about the Divine Spear be called ‘meager’? If I hadn’t told you it was in Hwaseong Mountain, not only you—but your next generation and the one after that—would never have found it. The Divine Spear would’ve stayed buried until the end of the world. Isn’t that right?”

Gwang Han’s mouth shut tight. Because he knew it was true.

Whether or not it was Hwaseong—that wasn’t the point. The martial world was vast. He and his ancestors had scoured it for centuries.

Even if they searched again, they wouldn’t know where to start. If Hwaseong really was the right place, and they hadn’t even suspected it—then it could take hundreds of years more.

“Let me ask plainly. Are you someone who uses the word ‘peerless’ without knowing what it means?”

That barbed question made Gwang Han suddenly burst into laughter.

“Puh... Puhaha! You really are—just like Geuk said—some next-level lunatic.”

Unhwi didn’t flinch.

Gwang Han asked him,

“Then you tell me. What does ‘peerless’ mean to you?”

He answered without hesitation.

“Above heaven, beneath earth—across all time—no person, no weapon can ever replicate it. That is ‘peerless.’”

Silence.

Unhwi’s words flowed without pause. He spoke with the kind of confidence that could only come from absolute certainty.

Gwang Han, who had just moments ago scoffed at him for his low realm, had no choice but to reconsider.

“Now let me ask you. If it’s just a spear, how can it be peerless? How can its techniques be peerless?”

A vein bulged on Gwang Han’s forehead.

“...That’s not something a Three Flowers brat should even be discussing. Who are you, really?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that you haven’t answered my question.”

Staring directly into Unhwi’s unwavering eyes, Gwang Han slowly opened his mouth.

“...Peerless... Yeah. Like you said—something no one can imitate. The Divine Spear is a gift from heaven, unmatched in past, present, or future. That’s why it’s the peerless spear. And naturally, it gives rise to peerless techniques.”

Unhwi stared at him for a long moment before speaking again.

“Then according to you, ‘peerless’ lies in the object?”

“...”

“If the spear itself is peerless... then it must be heaven-given. But if heaven gave it, why didn’t heaven guard it? Why did it leave the Yongmaeng Spear Sect and pass to another master? Why is this so-called peerless spear not in your hands?”

Gwang Han’s expression hardened.

“In the world of martial arts, the term ‘peerless’ is reserved not for weapons—but for the people who wield them. Peerless swordsman. Peerless master. It is not the weapon that’s peerless, but the person.”

Unhwi’s voice deepened.

“While you’ve been chasing the Divine Spear, you’ve failed to realize that the true ‘peerless’ lies beyond it. True peerless spear arts can be performed with any spear. With a black steel dragon spear, with a bamboo pole, or even—”

Unhwi raised a finger and pointed at the air.

“—with empty hands. The more you obsess over that object called the Divine Spear, the further you drift from the real path.”

Gwang Han’s eyes flew open. His face was a mixture of fury, confusion... and faint understanding.

“You bastard... how dare you...”

“The Divine Spear isn’t some peerless relic. It’s just a weapon. And any martial technique passed along with it is just that—technique.”

Unhwi’s words struck like arrows.

“The moment finding the spear became your goal, you stepped off the path to peerlessness. A martial artist who depends on tools... will never be peerless.”

Gwang Han’s hands began to tremble. Something sparked in the old spear king’s eyes.

“Then... what, you think you’re peerless?”

His voice was barely a whisper.

Unhwi replied slowly—but with conviction.

“I am not peerless. But I walk the path toward it. A path not defined by weapons, but by inner realization.”

Silence. Tension stretched between the two of them.

But in that silence, Gwang Han understood.

This seventeen-year-old before him truly was a once-in-an-era prodigy.

He was exceptional—beyond exceptional.

The depth of martial understanding contained in his words... lacked nothing compared to someone who had reached Heaven-Human Unity.

“...I admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“I underestimated you.”

At the very least, Gwang Han was a man who knew how to admit when he was wrong.

“I’m seventy-three. Since the day I met my master, I’ve chased the Divine Spear. It was the purpose of my life. I believed it was the path to peerlessness. Do you know why?”

“Because it was your obsession.”

“...Yeah. My obsession. Not just ten or twenty years—over four # Nоvеlight # hundred. My master’s master, and his before him... It’s been passed down over centuries. Without brainwashing myself into believing I’d find it—that I must find it—I never could’ve made it this far.”

“I understand.”

“...And I don’t deny it—thanks to you, I’ve awakened to something. You’re right. How can a spear be peerless? It’s the person who matters.”

Commander Seong, watching the conversation, thought to himself:

What is it with these masters—every time they talk to Unhwi, they end up sighing like they’ve aged fifty years in an hour...

Maybe that was a talent too.

Gwang Han, rubbing his forehead, finally said,

“Hwaseong Mountain, you said?”

“Yes. I’ll mark the exact spot for you.”

“Before that—your three requests. What are they?”

“You’ll grant them?”

“...I was going to wait until I confirmed whether the Divine Spear was there. But you asked me earlier—if I understood favors.”

“You’ll recall I never called you a bastard.”

“Bastard, brat—same difference, right?”

“If I deny it now, I’ll just seem like the weird one.”

“No, even if you don’t deny it, you’re plenty weird. Who in their right mind gives away the location of the Divine Spear to a stranger? You could’ve claimed it yourself. Why not?”

Unhwi smiled.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s just a spear.”

“...”

“To me, people matter more than weapons or techniques, Senior.”

Admiration began to creep into Gwang Han’s expression.

This wasn’t just some lunatic shouting nonsense.

This... This was the kind of man who could one day control the entire martial world.

A giant in the making.

And coming from a mere Three Flowers Gathering kid—there was no describing that feeling.

“...So what’s your request? Let’s hear it.”

“Please accept Cheonpung over there as your third disciple.”

“...Who? Him? You want me to... You could’ve meant yourself...”

“Not me. Cheonpung—the one holding your Black Dragon Spear.”

Cheonpung, still gripping the massive spear, wobbled in place with confusion.

“Taking him as your third disciple is my first request. Passing on all the techniques you gain from the Divine Spear to him is my second. And giving him the Black Dragon Spear itself—that’s the third.”

“Oh, and—when you go to Hwaseong Mountain, you’ll find a corpse. Name’s Hancheol. Please give him a proper burial. So I guess that makes four.”