After the current Divine Maiden showed up and the Leader took A-young with him, the fire at the White Ape House disappeared like it never existed. 

Not to mention, there was not a single trace of fire on the White Ape building.

This was possible because it was the Divine Flame, but it was still hard to believe.

When he got back to the Charred Dragon House, Woon-seong was still thinking about it.

The Divine Flame is known to be left behind by the First Heavenly Demon…

Woon-seong sat on the edge of his bed, mindlessly getting ready to turn in for the night.

According to the legends and texts within the Cult, the First Heavenly Demon reached a realm beyond that of a semi-divine being. 

A true divine being!

He shook his head at this thought though. 

He did not believe it.

The realm of a divine being?

Even the Leader, who practiced the Mind Sword, had barely set foot into the realm of a semi-divine being.

A human entering the realm of myths…

He closed his eyes, gripping his hands. 

Is this how martial artists look from the perspective of normal people? 

But no matter how much I think, I can’t possibly fathom it. Splitting the moon with the Mind Sword is already something I can barely understand. But a being who has achieved beyond that… Does that mean he was an actual god?

Woon-seong shook his head again, banishing that thought. 

No… It can’t be. It’s just a being I can’t begin to comprehend. I should probably be cultivating rather than waste time thinking about the realm of divine beings.

Whether it was semi-divine or divine, both were way above his current level. There would still be time to revisit these things after he gained the necessary strength. 

As he thought about gaining strength, he naturally thought about his current cultivation. 

Use the Dark Flower Red Heart to split the mind into two and set up two wills. Mind Split, Double Will. Use one will to remember the Dark Flower Red Heart and the other to remember the Tempered True Blossom… Now that I think of it, the Dark Flower Red Heart had another name. It is also the First Connection of the Divine Art of the Heavenly Demon… 

Woon-seong sat down in a lotus position on his bed and tried to reach the headspace necessary for cultivation. 

Then… 

“Captain.”

There was a voice outside his room, calling for Woon-seong. 

Ugh… It erased the previous thoughts in his mind and caused his consciousness to jolt. 

“Come in.”

The door was pushed open and a young woman appeared. Her white skin was glowing and her hair was tied up.

It was a visit from Baek Woon-ji, one of the few female members of his unit. 

Woon-seong tilted his head. “What is it?”

“Captain, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

Woon-seong turned his head and stared out the window. There, he saw the moon floating high in the sky.

It was a late hour to be having visitors.

That was why he was confused when he had seen Baek Woon-ji at his door — it was already weird for Gwan Tae-ryang to visit him at this hour.

It’s too late for anyone to visit me. And yet I have a visitor…

“Who…” Woon-seong tapped his chin lightly. “No, wait. I think I already know.”

Woon-seong rose from his bed, walking towards the direction of the door. His senses had now become so sharp that he could identify the people of the Charred Dragon Unit by their presence alone. He only needed to focus a little bit more to identify other people, but I can’t possibly forget this unique presence.

“A-young. No, I guess I should call you the Young Divine Maiden now.”

At the words of Woon-seong, Baek Woon-ji wore a confused expression. The Young Divine Maiden…?

A-young had only been chosen by the Divine Flame earlier that evening so the news had obviously not been announced to the public yet. Of course, even if it was not officially broadcasted, her position was set in stone. Thus, Woon-seong called her the Young Divine Maiden. 

A young woman appeared behind Baek Woon-ji. “Can we talk for a moment?”

“It’s getting late, but I guess we can do that.”

Chun A-young, who stepped out from behind Baek Woon-ji, casually asked to talk so late into the night. Woon-seong, despite being interrupted from his practice, accepted without being difficult. This was all done with an air of normality, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

“I was wondering if we could talk while having a walk in the garden…” A-young spoke hesitantly, trailing off as she walked down the corridor, heading outside. She looked back, as if afraid he would refuse. “Please.”

It wasn’t a difficult request, so Woon-seong nodded without saying anything.

A-young smiled gratefully. 

Baek Woon-ji, still confused, looked anxiously at the exchange between Woon-seong and A-young.

A-young and Woon-seong walked silently in the garden outside the Charred Dragon Unit for a long time. 

Baek Woon-ji, unsettled by the rapidly unfolding events, chased after the two some distance away in the name of escorting her captain. 

Eventually, the silence became too uncomfortable and Woon-seong spoke first. 

“I prefer we get to the point already if you have something to say…”

A-young stopped walking. As she had paused, Woon-seong had to stop walking too. 

She looked over at him. Maybe it was because of her father’s words, but her face burned. Her eyes shook as she looked at him. Soon, however, she calmed down.

“They say that I’ll become the Young Divine Maiden.”

“Which is obvious, considering you’ve been selected by the Divine Flame.”

A-young nodded at his words. Somehow, his calm voice made her feel a bit foolish. This is all because father said things like that. A-young could only shake her head and the feeling disappeared.

“Do you know who and what the Divine Maiden serves?”

This time, it was Woon-seong who was embarrassed. 

“Hmm.” Although he had seemed calm, Woon-seong was panicking internally. 

He had finally realized what A-young was trying to say and her purpose here tonight.

It was Chun A-young who saved him from his lack of words. 

“The Divine Flame and the Heavenly Demon,” she stated.

She said it so nonchalantly that he was surprised. That can’t be something for her to talk about so lightly. No matter how skilled she was, it seemed that even the daughter of the Heavenly Demon had a maiden’s heart. 

“That’s why father asked me, about how I think of you…”

This girl… Without him realizing it, Woon-seong’s eyes widened. It seemed that A-young had viewed him as more than just a rival, even if she hadn’t always known about it herself. 

“So, it made me curious about how you thought of me.”

At A-young’s words, Woon-seong’s expression softened just a bit. He closed his eyes in thought. 

My life is already occupied with getting revenge… Emotions like love might just be too much of a luxury for me. Moreover, there’s no guarantee that I can actually achieve my revenge. My enemy isn’t an individual but the whole Orthodox society. 

But I can’t possibly explain all of this to A-young. 

“You may not know, but there are a lot of things I have to do.”

“…”

“I’ve become the Young Leader like I’ve always wanted, but I am still not confident that I can achieve my goal. It probably won’t make a difference even if I become the Heavenly Demon.”

A-young was still listening to his words.

She seemed to be waiting for his next words.

“So… I can’t give you the emotions you are wanting from me. Because there’s something else I have to focus on right now. Anything else will only come after I achieve my goal. If that actually happens, that is.”

A-young remained silent, processing her thoughts. 

Woon-seong, too, was silent. He had said everything he wanted to say. Although he not spoken directly, he considered it enough to convey his thoughts.

Chun A-young was clever; she must have fully understood what he said.

The silence continued. 

Baek Woon-ji watched all this from a distance, looking nervous. It was no problem for her to eavesdrop on the conversation. Captain… She shifted uncomfortably. 

A-young eventually broke the silence. “I see. I understand what you’re saying.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Woon-seong slowly closed his eyes. I feel like I’ve just done something terrible to the woman named Chun A-young, considering she has to live the rest of her life as the Divine Maiden… 

However, Chun A-young’s answer was not what he had expected. 

She laughed lightly before saying, “Then let’s put aside this conversation until you’re done with your goals.”

Woon-seong nodded and turned away from her. “That’s right. I’m glad you… Wait, what?” 

Woon-seong snapped his head towards her in surprise, but she had already disappeared. Some distance away, A-young was exiting the garden of the Charred Dragon House, heading towards her own building. 

A-young became a dot in the horizon, leaving behind only the scent of her perfume and a blankly staring Woon-seong. 

“That… wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Woon-seong shook his head. As he walked back inside the building, he thought to himself. 

What the hell is she thinking? I gave her a clear sign that it isn’t going to happen, yet she just puts this aside ‘for now’? 

His mind was spinning with all sorts of complex ideas, but he put them all on hold. 

I guess she is right though, there’s no end in just thinking about something. I just need to worry about it when the time comes. 

Woon-seong distracted himself by going back to cultivating. He resumed his earlier position.

Mind Split, Double Will. The Tempered True Blossom and the Dark Flower Red Heart. 

The circulating energy swept away any complex thoughts about the future he may have had. 

Soon however, he noticed a change. Something was blooming within his blood, spreading like a wildfire. It didn’t burn him at all, though it seemed to sear. Rather, the heat seemed vaguely familiar.

What’s happening? The power inside the Tempered True Blossom that I received from the Unrecorded is twitching. It’s like it’s welcoming the changes within the Dark Flower Red Heart. 

Should I control it to flow normally again? Woon-seong momentarily tried to control the qi, but gave up just as quickly. No… power is best left alone to flow the way it wants to. 

Looking at the situation, it’s unlikely that some evil thing is trying to engulf me from the inside. The cultivation art must be moving towards its destined direction. Okay then, flow the way you want. 

Once Woon-seong freed his control, the energy from the two sides mixed into one. It mixed in his dantian, swirling through his mind and body. Tendrils of light and energy extended and collapsed, weaving together. 

Unknown to Woon-seong, a sort of pressure built up in his surroundings. As he sat there, he caused the entire Charred Dragon House to tremble. Mysterious energy covered the building and surrounding training grounds, causing the unit members to pause their actions and look around. 

Woon-seong though, had identified the cause. 

I get it now. 

He opened his eyes, staring at his palm. A ball of fire, the size of a small bead, flickered in his palms. He smiled brightly.

It’s the essence of the flame.

It was the moment that the Dark Flower Red Heart reached a higher realm, forming the Divine Shaped Flame.