I followed the strange person who introduced himself as Twelve Rhythms into the village of Sindan. As we entered, Twelve Rhythms said, "I'm sorry, but there's a lot of fog. It's because an array is set up."
As he said, the village was connected by spider-web-like bridges between cliffs, and in the center stood a massive tree that seemed to touch the sky. Hardly anyone was in sight, making the scene somewhat eerie.
Twelve Rhythms spoke to me informally, but I didn't know how to respond. He was an absolute being whom even the king of Goryeo dared not treat casually. It was almost natural for me to use honorifics. In fact, he was likely older than me.
Occasionally, passersby greeted Twelve Rhythms. They wore normal clothes, not puppet masks, but some did wear masks.
"Pay up."
"I don't have it."
"Are you going to cut me open?"
"Hehe."
Their friendly banter ended with a woman giggling.
"Hehe! Your clothes look great today."
"Haha, thanks."
It was probably not a genuine compliment.
As I stared at his dog puppet mask, he turned the mask's face toward me and said, "Oh, right. Are you curious about the name of that huge tree?"
"Not particularly, but it is really big."
I replied somewhat curtly, perhaps because my illusions about Twelve Rhythms had been shattered. The massive tree in the center of the village was hundreds of feet tall and incredibly wide, piercing the sky. It was as if the village was built around the tree's roots.
"Haha. That's the Sindan Tree. There's a legend that it reaches nine worlds. As you can see, it's as big as a mountain."
I thought for a moment and said, "That's strange."
"What's strange?"
"I didn't see such a tree from a distance while crossing the mountains. Why can I only see it after entering Sindan Village?"
"It's because of the barrier. The Sindan Tree is invisible to ordinary eyes. Only those permitted to enter Sindan can see it."
"Why do you do that?"
Twelve Rhythms pointed at the Sindan Tree.
"If that tree didn't exist, something really bad would happen. We have to protect it with our lives."
"What kind of bad thing?"
"People wouldn't be able to remain human. Something truly terrifying would happen."
"......?"
Twelve Rhythms was speaking in a way I couldn't understand. He turned to look at me and tilted his head.
"I thought you would know because you've clashed with the Sea God's clan."
"Sea God...!! Those pirates you're talking about?"
"At Twelve Rhythms' level, various pieces of information come in even if you don't seek them. I already knew that you fought with the pirates who worship the Sea God when you first entered Goryeo."
Only then did I understand what he meant and cautiously replied, "The Sindan Tree is a divine tree that protects Goryeo from the Sea God."
"That's not all, but do you have any other questions?"
Twelve Rhythms was a unique person. Despite receiving my challenge, he didn't seem to have any intention of fighting me. Instead, he seemed to want me to ask questions and gather information. I felt suspicious but continued to ask.
"The pirates looked more like mermaids than humans. Why is that?"
"Those who worship the Sea God eventually lose their human form and transform into such beings. The pirate leaders are different only in that it's an acquired rather than innate condition. A bloodline mixed with demons likely dominates that area."
"Can't you just eliminate that Sea God? It looks like a wicked monster."
"Monster... monster. Hahaha. It's not that simple. It's not an entity that can be easily evaluated."
Twelve Rhythms, who was leisurely walking on a cloud bridge between cliffs, said, "Unfortunately, with the power of our clan, we can only protect this land from the influence of the Sea God and the Evil God. To do more, we would need the power of the Heavenly Emperor."
"Are you part of the clan?"
"Yes, I am. I'm Twelve Rhythms and I protect the Sindan Tree."
Creak, creak
The cloud bridge made an unsettling sound, but I managed to cross it without any trouble. The village was built in a canyon where humans couldn't normally live. Twelve Rhythms entered a small hut and said, "What are you doing? Come in."
"This doesn't look like a training ground..."
"Just come in and see."
"Alright."
My opponent was the supreme authority of the Eastern martial arts world, a figure of the highest prestige. I had heard that even the Jeong and Yi clans treated Twelve Rhythms with great caution, as they were the ones who had backed their rise to power. I took off my shoes and entered the hut, only to find a surprisingly spacious interior.
The inside was much larger than the outside!
"......!!"
I was shocked. The hut, which from the outside looked like it had only a few rooms, was actually several thousand square feet and resembled a grand palace.
'This is definitely a space created by high-level magic.'
As I looked around in surprise, Twelve Rhythms sat down in a chair and said, "Before we start the match, I'd like to hear your impressions of the Twelve Rhythms sect leaders you've fought."
"You want to hear my impressions?"
Twelve Rhythms poured green tea into a cup.
"Lee Cheonilryu, the greatest swordsman of the Eastern land, couldn't even challenge the Twelve Rhythms. The sect leaders like Sa Ulabi and Jo Euisun are truly terrifying. That's why he's content being the strongest in the Eastern land."
I knew that.
I thought the abilities of Sa Ulabi and Jo Euisun were on par with Lee Guang. Their levels were so high that it was impossible to gauge them. My match with Sa Ulabi ended in a brutal beating after just 50 seconds, and I suffered a similar fate against Jo Euisun. They were incomprehensibly strong.
He chuckled.
"Even with the protection of the Jeong family, challenging all the Twelve Rhythms sect leaders... I've never seen anyone with your kind of courage in the history of the Twelve Rhythms."
"......"
"Don't feel pressured. Just speak your mind. Sit down first."
"Um..."
I sat down awkwardly. Indeed, I couldn't see his face at all behind the puppet mask. However, I assumed he was a man because his voice and build were typical of a 20-something male. I cleared my throat and shared my impressions.
"There are many incredibly strong martial artists in Goryeo. It's hard to believe."
"Hmm, hard to believe?"
"It's hard to find even one peak martial artist in the vast Central Plains, yet there are over a dozen super peak martial artists here... Do the Twelve Rhythms share their teachings with each other?"
My impressions were based on my honest feelings. Typically, a peak martial artist would be a senior in a major sect, and most talented individuals would be at the first-class level. Therefore, it was very difficult to find peak martial artists in the Central Plains. However, the sect leaders of the Twelve Rhythms were on par with or even surpassed the leaders of the Nine Sects and One School, which was astounding.
Twelve Rhythms chuckled.
"Yes, that's right. Our clan leads the Twelve Rhythms in martial arts instruction and greatly contributes to the cultivation of strong martial artists. It's not unusual to have many peak and super peak martial artists because we share insights that can't be obtained from a single sect."
I suddenly had a thought and exclaimed, "You don't plan to invade the Central Plains...!!"
"Huh? Why would I do that?"
Twelve Rhythms shook his head and pushed the teacup into the puppet mask's mouth, as if it were absurd.
"You've read too many martial arts novels."
"Well... I haven't read many, but... cultivating so many strong martial artists must have some ulterior motive."
Twelve Rhythms interlocked his fingers.
"An ulterior motive. Then let me ask you, why do martial arts sects cultivate strong martial artists?"
"To expand their influence and promote their martial arts."
"Fool. That's a secondary goal. Fundamentally, they cultivate strong martial artists to pass on martial arts."
He continued, "I don't think about war or confrontation with the Central Plains martial arts world. Our clan has far more formidable enemies to deal with. We cultivate strong martial artists and sorcerers to minimize the damage in case of any upheaval."
"Who are these enemies?"
Twelve Rhythms put down his teacup and said, "... I heard that the White Lotus Sect has taken over 40% of the Central Plains martial arts world. It's a foregone conclusion that they will dominate the Central Plains within three years. Have you heard of Bai Xiong?"
"Yes. The Northern Sea Sect leader told me before I came here."
The Northern Sea Sect, based in the frozen lands far north of Liaodong, was known as the Northern Sea Ice Palace in the Central Plains martial arts world. Some of its members were of mixed blood, and the Northern Sea Sect leader had the appearance of a Westerner with golden hair and blue eyes. I was defeated by the Northern Sea Sect leader in 100 seconds and barely avoided injury. He then told me about the current state of the Central Plains.
"Even if the White Lotus Sect is compared to a minnow compared to the enemies our clan faces...?"