Woon-seong gave a formal greeting, lowering his head. 

“I, Hyuk Woon-seong, present myself to the Leader.”

The owner of the calling force and the only other person present in the Inner Garden.

The other man was the Heavenly Demon, the Cult Leader of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, just as Woon-seong had guessed.

Woon-seong had never seen Chun Hwi anywhere other than his throne before, which made this meeting a little different.

If the Heavenly Demon sitting on the throne looked like an asura, the man standing before him was a magnanimous sage. 

That’s weird. He feels smaller than when I saw him on the throne… It’s almost like he’s a foot smaller than back then.

Woon-seong had thought that the Leader was 7ft tall, but it looked like he was actually around 6ft. 

Moreover, the atmosphere was unexpectedly welcoming.

Suddenly, Woon-seong’s eyes met the Heavenly Demon’s.

“It’s nice to meet you,” greeted Chun Hwi.

Woon-seong bowed in haste. It could be considered a crime for him to study the Heavenly Demon, if Chun Hwi deemed it so. 

But Woon-seong had clearly looked into the other’s eyes. 

They say that the eye is the window to the soul, allowing you to read another’s mind. If so, what does the gale inside the Heavenly Demon’s eyes mean? Does it imply confidence that he can unleash a furious storm whenever he wishes?

Even though it was just the eyes, part of Woon-seong was trembling.

Hmm…

I can feel it. A gap between the two of us that I cannot possibly fathom…

Woon-seong wasn’t sure whether or not Chun Hwi had purposefully shown him the gap.

Chun Hwi spoke once more, “Come up here.”

“How can I dare…,” Woon-seong said, as any demonic cultivator would.

Chun Hwi smiled. “No need to be polite. Your eyes tell me that’s not your true nature. Come, I need a drinking companion.”

These words caused Woon-seong to raise his head. 

So the Leader was also looking into my eyes. If so, what did he see inside me?

Woon-seong was curious, but he didn’t ask. Instead, he stepped onto the stairs and into the pavilion. Inside, there was a table with some cups and a bamboo container.

Two cups that are barely touched… It looks like he was preparing for me to come.

As Woon-seong ascended the stairs, Chun Hwi sat down. “Have a seat.”

That said, Woon-seong quickly sat down across the table. Although it was a simple phrase, the words carried an aura of sovereignty. He had no idea what the other was thinking, but he was just another demonic cultivator in the presence of the Cult Leader. He had no real choice.

Once Woon-seong had taken a seat, the Heavenly Demon glanced at him and smiled. “Have a drink.” He raised his hand, grabbed the bamboo container, and poured some liquor into Woon-seong’s cup. “Bamboo Green Tea is best served cold.”

As he said this, the tea in Woon-seong’s cup was frozen. 

Woon-seong’s eyes widened as he watched. There’s thin layer of ice on the drink… and he did it with just his aura.

The Heavenly Demon acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He filled his own cup and raised his glass, downing it first.

Following Chun Hwi’s example, Woon-seong also finished his glass, politely holding it with both hands.

Tak-

The Heavenly Demon spoke after putting down his cup. “Good…So I’ve heard that you’ve become a Demonic King.”

“Thank you. I was simply lucky.”

“A Demonic King isn’t a rank that one can achieve simply through luck.” 

Woon-seong could only stay silent.

What did the Heavenly Demon want to say?

He didn’t have to wait long to find out. 

“There are many in the martial world known as ‘elite apprentices’. Not only in our Cult but even in the outside world, the martial society has always been full of competent martial artists. The elite apprentices are no different.” The Heavenly Demon’s eyes did not stray from Woon-seong’s, eyes a swirling gray. “However, the world may be vast, but I doubt anyone has achieved your level at your age.”

An unknown energy gushed from Chun Hwi’s body, enveloping Woon-seong. It was not an intangible force. Upon facing it, Woon-seong felt like he was facing the Heavenly Demon that sat upon his throne.

The Leader’s presence feels colossal, like a mountain. This must be how it feels to see a mountain emerge before yours eyes. And this is him not even showing his aura, but just his presence. 

Even my master wasn’t at this level…

It only makes sense that he claims to be the absolute top of the world. How much power does it take for a person to possess such an overwhelming presence? No, it isn’t about his power. It simply means that Chun Hwi is a man of such caliber.

Feeling this force, Woon-seong was certain. 

He feels different from the Heavenly Demon that I have known. I never remembered him being such a humane person… 

Which side was the real one?

Or maybe both sides are his true faces.

While Woon-seong was lost in thought, the Heavenly Demon opened his mouth once again.

“Let me propose an offer.”

Chun Hwi paused for a moment. At that time, his eyes seemed to be filled with intense longing.

Woon-seong’s gaze sharpened. An offer from the Cult Leader was something anyone would be greedy for. 

“Become the Young Leader of the Cult.”

“…” Embarrassingly, Woon-seong was shocked into a stuttering silence. “W-What… do you mean?”

At those words, Chun Hwi drank a cup in silence. He did not take Woon-seong arguably rude words to heart. 

The Heavenly Demon drank three cups of tea in succession. Each time, he would also fill Woon-seong’s cup. Every time the Heavenly Demon emptied his cup, Woon-seong would do the same.

“I have always said that the Young Leader shall be appointed from those who are capable.”

Woon-seong nodded. 

The Leader’s selection criteria was well known throughout the Demonic Cult. 

Of course, Woon-seong had been aiming to become the Young Leader from the beginning. That was why he had put effort into becoming somewhat famous, standing out and showing his skills. 

But he never thought that this day would come so soon. Sure, it was his goal, but it was a bit embarrassing because it was too sudden.

I have been aiming to become the Young Leader, but I’ve never imagined that I would achieve it this easily… 

“And out of those who are considered to be the next generation, there is no doubt that you are the best within the Cult.”

In Woon-seong’s stunned silence, Chun Hwi got up from his seat. 

“It’s quite awkward for me to talk in this way.”

The Heavenly Demon slowly descended the stairs and walked across the bridge, staring down at the lake. 

Woon-seong quickly followed behind him. 

Upon the surface, a full moon was illuminated. Moonlight spilled across the pond. Chun Hwi smiled.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of power rushed from the Heavenly Demon’s body.

“Do you know why people call me the ‘Moon Cleaving Heavenly Demon’?”

Woon-seong swallowed.

He changed again. A tyrannical tone that can’t possibly be from the same nice man, who was smiling up until a moment ago. 

Woon-seong was easily influenced by the changes in the atmosphere and understood. 

I see. They’re both the same man. Neither is a facade. The Leader is a man with two faces.

Woon-seong’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, “It’s because of the story that you have split the moon that was reflected in a glass of wine.”

He did not say that it was just for entertainment too, but it was implied.

Chun Hwi nodded slightly at these words. His gaze was still directed towards the lake. To be precise, it was directed at the reflection of the full moon.

“It should be an unbelievable story. It may be a reflection, but how can a mere man possibly split the moon?”

Woon-seong felt like parts of him were being sucked towards the Heavenly Demon. Something other than energy and air were being drawn in and clumped together. He had no idea what it was or what it looked like, but his back was covered in cold sweat.

“However, there is no end to the potential of martial arts and ‘impossibility’ becomes a mere word the closer you reach and the further you go upon this road.”

Roar!

The voice of the Heavenly Demon resounded through the area as he pointed at the reflection, making a single vertical stroke. 

Before Woon-seong’s eyes, something amazing happened. 

Following Chun Hwi’s finger, the moon upon the lake slowly split in two. 

There were no ripples from the wind, only the half moons.

A martial god!

Woon-seong jaw had fallen at this breathtaking show of power.

The Heavenly Demon made a grasping motion and the moon reflected in Woon-seong’s eyes returned to its original state.

“The reflection of the moon on a lake is no different from that in a glass of wine.”

Chun Hwi was still standing by the water, looking at the moon he had just split.

“However! What I truly want to cleave is not a mere reflection of the moon!”

Chun Hwi raised his head. 

Woon-seong looked up too, feeling compelled to under the atmosphere created by the Heavenly Demon. In the sky, he saw the full moon floating high as if it were the Heavens. The highest peak in the sky! For some reason, the moon looked larger than ever.

As soon as he saw the moon, Woon-seong turned back to look at the Heavenly Demon.

No way…

He suddenly remembered what the man had just said. “What I truly want to cleave is not a mere reflection of the moon!”

Does he mean… that what he truly wants to cleave is… !

Before he could finish that thought, Chun Hwi spoke again. 

“Become the Young Leader of the Cult and become my apprentice.”

Something gathered again in front of Chun Hwi. 

“Then I shall give everything to you. The 100,000 followers of the Cult, the martial artists within them.”

It’s like my consciousness is being sucked in. 

I get it… The Leader isn’t presenting aura or qi. It’s a manifestation of a human’s consciousness. An absolute force that cleaves even the image in the mind! 

“Even this power!”

With the sound of something shattering, the very image of the moon reflected within Woon-seong’s mind split in two.

The ‘Mind Sword’! [1]

The Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed into Woon-seong’s ears once more.

“Let me say it again. Become my apprentice. Become the Young Leader of the Cult.”

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

[1] Also translated as the ‘Heart Sword’, meaning that it cuts the image reflected in one’s heart. Basically, Chun Hwi can change the perception of those around him.