"Hmm..."

"Uh..."

"Ahem..."

An awkward silence flowed through the venue.

The very person who had caused this awkwardness was simply sitting still and rolling his prayer beads.

"We told him not to smash the guy's head in... so he ripped out his heart instead?"

At Nam Hwaseong's rough assessment, the others unconsciously nodded their heads.

Then they looked at Jin Sowoon, the one who had pulled off this ridiculous stunt.

Their eyes demanded an explanation.

However, Jin Sowoon merely glanced at Ilgak's shining head once before shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, that's how it is. Get along with each other from now on."

"..."

Jin Sowoon was glossing over it with a severely lacking explanation.

Shouldn't he at least give a minimal explanation of the circumstances that led Ilgak to join the representatives as an officer?

Eunho looked at Ilgak with a face full of conviction.

With pitying eyes that seemed to say he knew everything about his situation.

"Monk... Did our Eldest Senior Brother happen to use a wicked trick to grasp your weakness and blackmail you?"

Eunho, not wanting to go to hell for committing a sin against a monk, asked politely, but the answer actually came from Jin Sowoon.

"What am I, a blackmailer...? No, well, I guess I do resort to blackmail if necessary, but..."

The group nodded their heads with looks that said 'At least he knows,' before breaking into fake coughs at Jin Sowoon's fierce glare.

"Anyway, he joined 'voluntarily' to settle his own karma. So you can relax."

Why did they have to feel relieved at the fact that he hadn't blackmailed someone?

Swallowing their fundamental questions, the officers all looked at Ilgak with gazes asking, 'Is that true?'

But Ilgak was simply rolling his prayer beads rapidly, as if trying to chase away worldly desires.

"Ah, right! And there's no need to suspect him of being a spy."

Stating the obvious!

No matter how foolishly the Orthodox Council acted, what reason would they have to send someone like Ilgak as a spy?

Ilgak's fingers, which were rolling the prayer beads, flinched slightly, but soon began moving rhythmically again as if nothing had happened.

"Damn it! I joined voluntarily too, so why am I always suspected of being a spy?"

At Nam Hwaseong's question, Jin Sowoon made an absurd expression.

"You're not a big shot on that level."

"W-What?"

"If it feels unfair, become a big shot yourself."

"Shit!"

As Nam Hwaseong scrunched up his face and stormed out of the room, Eunho slumped his shoulders and muttered to himself, 'He's going to suffer again.'

Just as Jin Sowoon's representatives were surprised, Ilgak joining the officers sparked massive controversy within the academy.

"To think Monk Ilgak joined their officers...! This is complete nonsense!"

"Did we mishear the part about unifying the representatives?"

"How does that make any sense! For what reason would Monk Ilgak unify with Jin Sowoon!"

From the start, Ilgak was a presence who possessed the representativeness of the current academy generation, transcending the symbolism of being the Head of the Orthodox Council.

Because there were many academy students who acknowledged and respected Ilgak beyond their own affiliations, his actions felt unprecedented to them.

"Then should we consider this as Monk Ilgak acknowledging Jin Sowoon?"

"Beyond acknowledging him, wasn't Jin Sowoon originally the representative of the current academy?"

"Then should we assume the Orthodox Council has also acknowledged Representative Jin Sowoon?"

Ilgak's sudden addition to the officers caused chaos within the Orthodox Council as well.

Arguments began breaking out between those who supported Ilgak's choice and those who criticized it.

"What in the world is happening? Isn't the atmosphere suddenly shifting to everyone believing our Orthodox Council supports Jin Sowoon?"

"It can't be helped, considering Monk Ilgak has joined their delegation."

"What do you mean it can't be helped! At this rate, the morale of our Orthodox Council might be completely broken."

"... Then go and drag Monk Ilgak back by his hair if you can."

"No, how can I grab what he doesn't have...!"

Harsh words, worse than those of Demonic Cultists, were exchanged.

With the Orthodox Council messing up in Sichuan, there was considerable backlash against the existing establishment within the Orthodox Council itself, causing those established figures to lay low and preventing them from uniting and acting as one.

Did the White Path Council gain an advantage from this? Not necessarily.

The White Path Council, which had been thinking of digging into the Orthodox Council's vacancy like ghosts to shake them up, was startled by Ilgak's unexpected actions and reacted with bewilderment.

"Should we take this as a declaration of intent that the Orthodox Council will never join hands with the White Path Council, no matter what happens?"

"The Orthodox Council and the White Path Council walk their own paths, but they are also partners. What reason would the Orthodox Council suddenly have to turn against the White Path Council!"

"But then there's no way to explain why Ilgak made his move."

"He must have been grabbed by the hair by Jin Sowoon!"

"No, where does he even have hair to grab... Ahem."

They spent a confusing time trying to interpret the political implications behind Ilgak's actions.

Completely unaware of the discussions revolving around his nonexistent hair, Ilgak sat awkwardly in the representative officers' office.

"Benefactor Jin... Then what work should I be in charge of here?"

"What work? How could a monk understand worldly affairs... Just sit still and nod your head like a sleepy chicken at whatever I say."

"..."

Jin Sowoon was moving busily, delegating tasks one by one to the personnel Jang Ujae had recruited.

Having ended up being assigned to the Mantong Bureau, his face looked exceedingly dissatisfied.

The others weren't free, either.

The existing officers were in the middle of handling their respective tasks, leaving Ilgak as the only one who hadn't been assigned any work, maintaining his seat like a stone statue.

No matter how accustomed he was to facing the wall in cultivation, was there anything more agonizing than sitting still next to people who were working?

In the end, Ilgak stepped forward first.

"Since I've decided to join the officers anyway, I will learn to do the work properly. Please let me know what needs to be done, Benefactor Jin."

At this, Jin Sowoon pulled out a document as if he had been waiting.

"Well, if you insist that much, I have n-o-c-h-o-i-c-e but to give you some work."

"What is this?"

"These are the sects affiliated with the White Path Council that we must prioritize bringing into our delegation."

Ilgak took the document and quickly tried to grasp the situation.

"... So right now, are you telling me to act as a spy?"

Ilgak looked at Jin Sowoon with absurd eyes.

"What do you mean a spy? You just need to go, have a little chat, earn their favor, and get them to leave the White Path Council."

"... Isn't that usually called the work of a 'spy'?"

"Oho...!"

Jin Sowoon narrowed his eyes in surprise.

"To think you know so much about worldly affairs... I'll be able to entrust you with even more work in the future. Very reassuring! Hahaha."

What is this? For some reason, I feel like I've been baited...

Watching Jin Sowoon burst into roaring laughter, Ilgak wondered if he had misjudged something in the past and mistakenly thought of Jin Sowoon as an 'enlightened one.'

But regret, no matter how fast, was always too late.

* * *

Surprising news reached the ears whether it was true or not.

For instance, the news that Ilgak had joined Jin Sowoon's delegation.

'Jin Sowoon...'

At first, he had dismissed it as nonsense, but after seeing the spectacle of Jin Sowoon picking out only the meat from the side dishes Ilgak brought to the academy cafeteria, he had no choice but to believe it.

Then, a natural question followed.

How did Jin Sowoon manage to make Ilgak join the delegation?

The easiest thought to come up with was that a weakness had been grasped.

But that made no sense.

Because there was no way the White Path Council wouldn't know what Jin Sowoon knew.

Although the White Path Council and the Orthodox Council cooperated frequently within the academy, they would ultimately end up in a competitive relationship once they entered the Murim Alliance.

Therefore, striving not to have their flaws exposed to each other was no different from an instinct carved into their bones.

Moreover, it wasn't just an ordinary person, but Ilgak.

Even if he were blackmailed, he wasn't the type of person to be swayed.

Ultimately, an unresolved question shifted its direction and manifested as an act of criticizing the opponent.

And in a direction advantageous to oneself, at that.

"The reason Ilgak is moving like that is because he dislikes the idea of the White Path Council seizing the representative positions."

At Zhuge Jeonggi's assertion, the White Path Council members harbored a natural doubt.

"Even so, what benefit could there possibly be for Ilgak in joining Jin Sowoon's delegation?"

And Zhuge Jeonggi was far too smart to be left speechless by such an obvious question.

"Due to the incident in Sichuan, the Orthodox Council is facing the crisis of being evaluated as insufficient to carry out the representative roles."

"If so, wouldn't creating the impression that Jin Sowoon maintained the position because he is outstanding—rather than them being incompetent—be the final desperate struggle they can make?"

One by one, they began nodding at Zhuge Jeonggi's opinion.

"And above all, it means the prestige of our White Path Council is so fearsome that Ilgak had to take action himself."

Now, a strange light began to gleam little by little on the faces of the White Path Council's temporary officers.

Zhuge Jeonggi formed a satisfied smile.

"In the end, it means it's practically a foregone conclusion that the White Path Council will reclaim the representative positions from Jin Sowoon."

Motivated by the interpretation that Ilgak had unexpectedly joined Jin Sowoon's delegation because he feared the White Path Council's prestige, the temporary officers gained even more confidence in the event they were hosting.

* * *

Though he feigned composure on the outside, Zhuge Jeonggi was actually confused on the inside.

'He truly is an unpredictable fellow.'

Jin Sowoon's actions were hard to gauge with his mind.

It wasn't just limited to the situation with Ilgak.

In the past, ever since hearing that he had pulled out Zhuge Cheongi—who had caused a grave problem in the family and was imprisoned in the Golden Jade Prison—he couldn't figure out his intentions.

What did he plan to do by taking a child whose mind was captivated by vulgar machines like mechanism arrays?

Furthermore, the fact that Jin Sowoon had received an Admission Token from his grandfather, Zhuge Somyeong, made him feel a sense of betrayal beyond just doubt.

To think he would give an Admission Token—which he had absolutely refused to give even to his own grandsons of his bloodline—to a disciple of an unknown Third-Rate sect.

He thought the Zhuge Somyeong he so deeply respected would never do such a thing, but when he heard the inside story that the very person who received it had handed the Admission Token over to Moyong Jaehwa to get him accepted, he felt sheer absurdity.

A human whose actions were simply impossible to predict.

A presence like a Thunderbolt Bomb, not knowing where it would bounce.

Right now, to Zhuge Jeonggi, Jin Sowoon was exactly that kind of presence.

And that unpredictable human had sought him out at an unexpected time.

"I heard you added Monk Ilgak to your officers?"

Far from answering his question, Jin Sowoon stared blankly at his teacup containing the Seven-Colored Flower.

"... Huh? Ah, yes. That's how it turned out."

As expected, he was a human whose inner thoughts were unfathomable.

"That must be nice for you."

"Nice, my foot. Now we can't even hold company dinners at taverns, and we have to order our meals without meat, so it's incredibly bothersome to keep track of."

And... no matter how he looked at it, he seemed like a human who wasn't entirely sane.

"How did you persuade Monk Ilgak?"

"Persuade?"

"Monk Ilgak isn't someone who would move for money, so did you grasp some sort of weakness?"

"Oho, it seems you always grasp weaknesses when persuading people."

"There's no way he would move otherwise, is there?"

Jin Sowoon shrugged his shoulders once as if it were no big deal.

"I didn't do anything special. I just asked him to join us. If there was any motivation, wouldn't it be my 'character'?"

"Crazy..."

"Huh? What did you just say?"

Trying not to get caught up in his nonsense, Zhuge Jeonggi changed the subject.

"By the way, what brings you here today?"

"... Hmm, I wonder? For what reason did I come today?"

With his eyes still fixed on the teacup where the Seven-Colored Flower swayed, Jin Sowoon offered a Zen-like riddle and said nothing more.

That sight made Zhuge Jeonggi confident in his own thoughts.

If power were concentrated in such a completely unpredictable human, there was no telling what might happen.

The academy could only improve if there was a fair and just representative who wouldn't abuse power.

Therefore, Zhuge Jeonggi couldn't just let go of the opportunity his family had created for him.

The Seven Stars Seven Captures Array.

The Zhuge Clan's strongest formation array, which any renowned noble clan in the world would definitely install.

The world often used the presence or absence of this Seven Stars Seven Captures Array to distinguish whether a faction was a massive sect or not.

And soon, a new array would be unveiled—one created by the greatest geniuses belonging to the Council of Elders and the Technical Pavilion within the Zhuge Clan, putting their heads together for the past twenty years.

The Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Phenomena Array.

If the existing Seven Stars Seven Captures Array had only about five thousand paths, the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Phenomena Array boasted a staggering twelve thousand paths.

It was truly an absolute death array that one could never escape from until they died once they entered.

Some might comment that the Zhuge Clan's myth had been shattered by the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array.

However, hadn't it been proven through the academy event?

The Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array was an absolute death array that humans couldn't control.

If a formation array meant to stop enemies swallowed up allies as well, that was the true definition of putting the cart before the horse.

That was why the world was still continuously seeking the Seven Stars Seven Captures Array.

Furthermore, with the Underworld Murim forming an alliance and the Green Woods Alliance showing suspicious movements, the Blood Cult had also appeared in Jianghu, which was already fraught with rising tension.

The world wouldn't be able to hide its curiosity over the debut of an array stronger than the Seven Stars Seven Captures Array, and the academy students—who were practically representatives of their respective sects—would have no choice but to participate in the academy event demonstrating it.

And once public opinion shifted, the drill instructors would also lend a hand in condemning Jin Sowoon.

No matter what desperate struggle Jin Sowoon attempted now, the White Path Council's victory was as good as confirmed.

'Will I finally be able to see a dumbfounded expression on that despicable face?'

Zhuge Jeonggi formed a despicable smile while looking at Jin Sowoon, who still couldn't take his eyes off the teacup containing the Seven-Colored Flower.

* * *

As the event schedule approached, the White Path Council abruptly revealed the identity of the event they were hosting.

It was none other than the new formation array debuting from the Zhuge Clan.

The emergence of a new formation array that hadn't yet been shown anywhere in the world caused a stir not only within the academy but also in the nearby Murim Alliance, and even further into Jianghu.

People were desperate to find out the true nature of the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams Ten Thousand Phenomena Array by any means, mobilizing their connections to dig up information about it.

At this point, the number of missives the academy students received from their sects or close relatives increased massively.

The pressure to obtain information about the Zhuge Clan's new array faster than anyone else grew intense.

However, there was a small problem.

"The White Path Council's event overlaps with Representative Jin's event schedule."

"I heard Representative Jin Sowoon officially invited the Mount Heng Sect and prepared a lecture on subjugating evil and exorcism."

"I was thinking of attending the lecture too after hearing the Orthodox Council's story this time."

Both were incredibly excellent events, but unless they had two bodies, there was no way they could participate in both events happening at the same time in different places.

Moreover, one was an event related to their own lives, and the other was an event related to the survival of their sects.

This tense, tug-of-war-like situation was enough to plunge the academy students into agony.

At that time when the entire academy was in a buzz.

"Huff, huff! Shit. Why, why am I the only one shoveling?"

"What are you talking about? I'm doing it too."

Nam Hwaseong, who was running around the entire equestrian ground digging holes, asked upon seeing Jin Sowoon, who had dug up even more areas of land than him.

"Is it okay to be doing this?"

"Of course not, you punk! Dig faster if you want to eat dinner!"

At Jin Sowoon's immediate reply, Nam Hwaseong asked back in frustration.

"No, I mean, the White Path Council said they're holding an experience event for their new formation array. Shouldn't you at least set up that Boundless Indestructible whatever array from before?"

"Do you know how much money it costs to deploy the Boundless Indestructible Soul-Extinguishing Array just once?"

"Even so, do you really think people will come to our event just to see this crappy Nine Palaces Maze Array?"

Jin Sowoon shook his head as if he were pathetic.

"By nature, people are weak to bonus items."

"Bonus?"

"Yeah. A bonus. The Mount Heng Sect's event is the main dish, and participating in the formation array we're making right now is the bonus."

"..."

Would people really consider an array like the Nine Palaces Maze Array a good bonus?

Nam Hwaseong, who usually hated using his head, squeezed his brain and pondered it over for once.

But it was a definite 'no.'

Even for himself, he thought it would be better to experience the new array made by the Zhuge Clan rather than studying in advance about subjugating evil and exorcism, which he could learn anyway once he went to the Murim Alliance.

And public opinion seemed to be flowing in a direction not too different from Nam Hwaseong's.

'Just what is he thinking?'

A scolding flew at Nam Hwaseong, who was standing blankly in the middle of the equestrian ground.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and shovel."

Nam Hwaseong decided to no longer harbor any doubts about the Nine Palaces Maze Array or Jin Sowoon's plans.

Because there was a far more urgent, practical question right in front of him.

"So that's my question. Why am I the only one shoveling? There are so many people in the delegation."

"Those people are working."

"I-I'm working too!"

"What work could a spy possibly do... Just hurry up and shovel."

"..."

He felt an anxiety that this shoveling might truly end up being a pointless exercise, but before he knew it, Nam Hwaseong was doing exactly as Jin Sowoon ordered.

"Heave-ho."

Watching Jin Sowoon shoveling hard, Nam Hwaseong decided to just follow him rather than agonizing over it shallowly, just like he did in Sichuan.

Because at the very least, he had never suffered a loss from trusting him.

"Spy! Hurry up and shovel!"

Of course, the treatment he was receiving was terribly unfair, though.

"Sh-Shit! I'm not a spy!"

"Seeing as you're not working hard, you definitely are a spy."

"..."

Even so, Nam Hwaseong still couldn't bring himself to throw away the shovel.