Survival Guide for the Reincarnated

The two men sat facing each other in the pavilion of the outer court, and silence lay between them.

For a while, they simply looked at one another without speaking.

It was Mae Wuidong who broke the silence.

“I will speak honestly.”

“Please do.”

“I am currently in a very difficult position.”

Unhwi watched Mae Wuidong let out a deep sigh, and he nodded as though he understood.

“I sought aid from various sects for the sake of reviving the Heavenly Alliance, yet this is what has resulted...”

“Do you regret it?”

“Rather than regret...”

Mae Wuidong paused, then continued.

“...I am afraid.”

“What is it that you fear?”

“That I might make the wrong choice.”

Though he was a master at the Celestial Being Stage, Mae Wuidong was excessively courteous.

Perhaps the years he had spent as Vice Alliance Lord had shaped him so.

Or perhaps it had been his intention from the beginning.

It was worth considering, but not now.

Unhwi nodded and spoke.

“I understand that feeling well.”

“...Truly?”

“Yes. Though I have not lived as long as you, and I have not seen as much as you, I have made choices—many times—where not only my own life but the lives of my people were wagered. Choices where I would either lose everything or seize everything. So I understand.”

Unhwi’s voice was calm.

“But there is one thing I wish to ask, Vice Alliance Lord.”

“What is it?”

“What is the goal of the Heavenly Alliance?”

“The goal...?”

“Is it mere survival? Or true revival?”

Mae Wuidong fell into thought.

“After the death of the previous Alliance Lord, you requested aid from the Central Plains in order to revive the declining Heavenly Alliance. But you already knew, did you not? That when martial artists gather, power struggles inevitably follow.”

“......”

“You could not have failed to foresee that. And now, I am the victor of that power struggle. That is why I believe this is the time for us to speak in earnest.”

“Hmm...”

“What is the true goal of the Vice Alliance Lord?”

Mae Wuidong answered firmly.

“Revival.”

“Then, do you believe the Heavenly Alliance in its current state can achieve that?”

It was a direct question.

Mae Wuidong gave a bitter smile.

“...It would be difficult.”

“Why is it difficult?”

“We lack capable people, our power is weak, and more importantly...”

“And more importantly?”

“...We have no appeal compared to other factions.”

Mae Wuidong was straightforward.

“This issue existed even before the previous Alliance Lord took his place. That the previous Alliance Lord, who upheld martial supremacy, became Alliance Lord of the Heavenly Alliance was itself an attempt to give the Alliance appeal.”

“And in the end, it succeeded.”

“Yes. It did. But after his death, we have returned to the same question as before—what appeal does the Heavenly Alliance have?”

To put it plainly—none.

If one sought to uphold the orthodox path, one joined the Martial Alliance.

If one sought something else, one joined the Four Heavens Alliance.

“That is why you chose to draw upon the Five Great Sword Sects and the outer demonic branches.”

“That is correct. But now things have become ambiguous.”

Unhwi did not deny it.

“As you said in the Heavenly Righteous Hall, if we join hands with you, we will stand against those four sects.”

“You believe the losses will outweigh the gains.”

“I will not deny it. However—my heart is moved.”

Mae Wuidong’s eyes glimmered.

“In the path you have walked, there were many times when you overturned situations that seemed impossible to win. That means you do not take battles you believe you will lose. Is that correct?”

“More or less.”

“That is why I intend to join you.”

At that, Unhwi’s brow twitched slightly.

So readily?

Unhwi looked at Mae Wuidong with a subtle gaze, and Mae Wuidong spoke.

“More than anything, as a martial artist before I am a man, I cannot help but be astonished by your genius.”

“Astonished...? You mean me.”

“Do not pretend ignorance. I may be polite, but I am still a martial artist of the Celestial Being Stage. Do you think I would not know?”

Mae Wuidong was speaking sincerely.

“You stand in the Heaven-Earth Apex, yet also not in the Heaven-Earth Apex... Is that not so?”

“Your insight is broad.”

“Haha... Not broad, merely something I have come to understand by virtue of this position. I have long been interested in the history of the Thousand-Year Cataclysm. Among those records was the Tri-Profound Unification Doctrine—a reinterpretation of the Heaven-Earth Apex. A theory created by an ancient genius, yet one which no one ever realized.”

It was understandable.

Those at the Realm of Martial Divinity could roughly sense his current level.

The fact that Flame King Hwa Munyeom had found it strange proved it.

Mae Wuidong, being a master of the Realm of Martial Divinity, could arrive at a similar suspicion—but his reasoning was different.

The Tri-Profound Unification Doctrine was created by Baek Dochun, Vice Lord of the Thousand-Year Demon Cult, and was not recorded in modern history.

Unhwi had first heard of it from the Heavenly Seer.

But Mae Wuidong knew of it?

There were two possibilities:

First — Mae Wuidong had a deep connection to the Thousand-Year Demon Cult.

If so, he could be in disguise. He could be a high-ranking member of the Mukse Society, or one of Yucheong’s subordinates.

Second — he simply possessed a vast breadth of historical study.

Such martial artists did exist.

Unhwi in his past life had been one of them.

He had collected lost manuals and ancient texts.

The ancient cipher Noh Cheonmyeong deciphered had come from that path.

So which was Mae Wuidong?

Unhwi was a direct man.

“There is one thing I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} wish to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you know an organization called the Mukse Society?”

Mae Wuidong tilted his head.

“...The Mukse Society... I cannot say I do. Is it an old organization?”

“No, but—then do you seek the restoration of the Thousand-Year Demon Cult?”

Mae Wuidong blinked.

“You said one question, yet that became two... As for my answer, I have served as Vice Alliance Lord of the Heavenly Alliance for over thirty years. And I am to restore not just any sect, but the very root of demonic corruption, the most accursed organization in martial history? Seol Unhwi—this question is deeply offensive.”

Unhwi looked at Mae Wuidong, and Mae Wuidong looked back.

Their realms differed.

If Mae Wuidong wished, he could kill Unhwi here.

Yet now that Unhwi had reached the Triple Profound Realm, killing him would not be easy.

Even at the Five Origins Stage, Unhwi had severed an arm of a Celestial Being Stage remnant thought-form,

and only recently he had brutally slaughtered Jang Icheong, who stood half a step from the Union of Man and Heaven.

If it came to mutual destruction, Mae Wuidong would not escape unscathed.

Thus, their quiet clash was not strange.

After a time—

Unhwi rose and cupped his fists.

“If I have offended you, I apologize.”

“I accept.”

Unhwi sat again and spoke quietly.

“The name of the new realm is the Triple Profound Realm. You may make use of the fact that I am the one who created it.”

Mae Wuidong shook his head.

“If a man accepts an apology, he must let the matter rest. Now that you have reached the Triple Profound Realm, every martial artist under heaven will take notice. To exploit you for it would be unbecoming of a man.”

Mae Wuidong spoke decisively.

“I will make it clear. I will stand with you, Seol Unhwi.”

Unhwi smiled.

“A wise choice.”

“Is it truly?”

“I am certain.”

Unhwi’s conviction was absolute.

Mae Wuidong asked:

“Will all six martial artists you brought join the Heavenly Alliance?”

Unhwi thought briefly, then shook his head.

“...So they will not.”

At first, he had intended to bring them all—but during their conversation, he sensed something.

There was no need.

“Among those from the Bright Spirit Domain, I will bring only Han Murin into the Heavenly Alliance.”

“...I see. Then, I have one question for you, Seol Unhwi. Do you believe you can revive the Heavenly Alliance?”

“We can not only revive it—we can aim for hegemony.”

Unhwi’s gaze flashed.

“But the path will be harsh.”

“I am prepared.”

Their discussion was nearing its conclusion.

Now, the core.

“I wish to transfer the position of Chief Heavenly Commander to another.”

“...The Wind-and-Cloud Sword of Seongjak Province, I assume.”

“Yes. He is capable of leading Seongjak Province.”

“Then what position do you seek for yourself?”

Unhwi folded his fingers as he spoke.

“North River Province, Bogae County, Juksan County, Balhwa County—four regions are without rulers.”

“......”

“To place those four regions, as well as Seongjak Province, under my authority—an ordinary position will not suffice.”

This was true.

“Then, do you seek the position of Vice Alliance Lord?”

Mae Wuidong’s assumption was different from Unhwi’s.

“I believe taking that position now would be ill-timed.”

“Hmm... Why is that?”

“My age, the public view, and more importantly—if I were Vice Alliance Lord, I could not move freely.”

“Then what seat do you desire? A seat among the Elders?”

Unhwi shook his head.

“What I need is authority to oversee investigation and discipline... and—”

Unhwi paused and chose his words carefully.

“To become the eyes and ears of the Heavenly Alliance, to observe all things, to become the sword that establishes order, and the shield that removes threats.”

Mae Wuidong’s gaze sharpened.

“You mean you require full authority over all matters both internal and external.”

“Yes.”

“And to bear all responsibility while remaining unbound by conventional rank...”

Unhwi’s voice carried certainty.

“I propose the position of Heavenly Arbiter.”

“...The Heavenly Arbiter.”

“A position not tied to standard hierarchy, yet with access to all secrets and authority within the Heavenly Alliance. I will establish the Heavenly Alliance’s absolute mandate.”

Mae Wuidong felt the weight of the words.

It was, in essence, authority second only to the Alliance Lord—yet coupled with complete responsibility.

“And one more thing.”

Unhwi smiled.

“The seat of the Alliance Lord has been vacant for months. It is time to fill it, is it not?”

“......Ah...”

“Ascend to the position of Alliance Lord. I will support you.”