Only I Am A Reader

'It's good to be back.'

The sight of the towering Mount Heaven was something that brought fear to most people's hearts including Martial Artists, but Leo felt an indescribable sensation of safety from it. As one of the rising stars of the Heavenly Strength Society, no harm could reach him here… At least, until the protagonist rose to the stage where he could threaten an entire faction.

In order to delay that moment as much as possible, Leo made sure to leave both a trap and an obstacle in the protagonist's path of creating a force. His martial art distribution venture wasn't just for the sake of creating a personal fund. Rather, it was mainly to dilute the effect of Geochin's cheat.

'He will find some way in the end.'

Of course, considering how lucky a protagonist could be at their peak. Leo didn't expect to completely stop the protagonist's plans. In fact, he didn't actually want to do so. Geochin's actions were still vital to Murim's survival, but a little distraction was needed in order to keep him in check.

Just like Leo possessed a whole library in his brain, the Murim Lord naturally had his own fair share of knowledge. Sharing them for free in exchange for coming under him was basically the very first step the protagonist had taken to escape the lone wolf road. However, now that Leo had created an opposite offer, things shouldn't work overwhelmingly well in his favor.

'I can't really predict the future that I changed, but…'

No matter how one looked at it, loyalty for life was something much more precious than Silver Nyangs! Things were different for the penniless ones who had nothing else to lose, but those who found the price to be a realistic target would have the opportunity to choose!

Shiiikkkk…

'Finally.'

Their small group of six stood at the face of the mountain, waiting for the large stone gate to fully open. Having already left the Heavenly Furnace, they were now considered as true graduates who had the right to enter the true base of the Heavenly Strength Society!

Shikkk!

'Whew…'

Stepping through the gate for the very first time, Leo could barely hide his awe at what he saw. Just looking at the hollow area and the structures inside made it hard to believe that this was something carved within a mountain. This was not only something that required the precise and monstrous strength of Martial Artist, but also the intellect of a genius architect!

Whether it was Cheon Sohee, Cheon Yong, or even Yeon, their movement kept slowing down in order to take in the image of their whole surrounding. Although it wasn't bustling with movement like Unnam before the disaster hit it, Martial Artists wearing robes of all colors could be seen moving around, diligent like an ant colony's workers…

"Let's go."

Alerted by Cheon Jeong's words, their little group's pace increased once again. Before long, they stood in front of a black stone spire. Like a matryoshka doll, it was like a miniature mountain inside the actual one.

'This is…'

The sky within the sky, the mount within the mount, the peak within the peak, this was the Heavenly Demon's dwelling, the Sky Spire!

"We will be meeting the Society Leader now, be sensible."

Cheon Jeong spoke to the four new members like a mother advising her children, but the situation was quite serious. Although Leo was already aware that they would be having an audience with the current Heavenly Demon, he could still feel the pressure just by standing in front of the Sky Spire.

The Society Leader might no longer be called the Heavenly Demon, but that didn't make him a little bit less scary in Leo's mind! If anything, he was the one that knew his terrifying strength the best!

"Blade Spirit Cheon Jeong going in."

Announcing her name and title, Cheon Jeong pushed the stone door open. Compared to every other door that slid to the side through force or mechanism, the Sky Spire's door was more traditional in fashion.

"Jeong! You sure came back quickly."

A deep voice that sounded neither young nor old resounded inside the stone spire. Leo's eyes climbed the long flight of stairs leading to the pitch-black throne only to be met with the Society Leader's scarlet eyes looking down on them!

"These are… Indeed, commendable to say the least."

Leo felt like he was completely seen through just by feeling the Society Leader's gaze. Such a statement repeated in hundreds of novels made it feel cringy, but he could now relate to it. This was indeed necessary for every meeting with top powerhouses!

Despite having come into contact with the Sword Sage or even experienced things from the Murim Lord's perspective, the Heavenly Demon's gaze still hit closer to the core. The Scarlet Sky Eyes that he possessed was not only a synonym for his talent, but also his impeccable synergy!

"To go out as 1st rates and return as Peak masters is still a praiseworthy achievement among our records!"

The praise intended only for Yeon was now being divided between both her and Leo. The first outing of fresh Heavenly Furnace graduates was always the perfect opportunity to test their actual performance on the field. However, before their achievements were even reported, the Society Leader already seemed satisfied with what he was seeing.

"We had to take a carriage back due to the circumstances..."

After opening up the conversation, silence pervaded the spire as the Blade Spirit and the Heavenly Demon locked eyes. It was almost obvious to all that Cheon Jeong was reporting what happened during the outing, but…

"I see… I see… Wait-"

The Society Leader had lifted his palm from the throne's handle to hold up his chain, but his long his black hair strands mixed with white and red shook as vigilance suddenly surfaced on his youthful face, erasing the pleasant smile it had.

"Already?"

A knowing light shone in the Heavenly Demon's scarlet pupils. Undoubtedly, he wasn't oblivious about the disaster that hit Mount Hua either…