Chapter 20 — When Blades Wear Robes

Part I: Behind the Curtain

The Grand Pavilion of the Murim Alliance wasn't just a hall — it was a fortress carved from red-veined mountain stone, layered in golden sigils and ancient oaths that pulsed faintly with spiritual resonance. Banners from every sect, both orthodox and unorthodox, hung from the ceiling — a vibrant tapestry of pride and peace.

But today, peace was a performance. And the real war was behind closed doors.

The tournament was only hours away. The outer city buzzed with fireworks and cheers.

Inside the Pavilion, the air was colder.

Alliance Leader Kwon Seung sat alone at the long table, hands steepled. The Five Kings arrived one by one — silent, watchful, armored in robes instead of weapons.

Jin Muheon, the Silent Blade, was last to enter.

He didn't speak. He simply nodded at Kwon and sat.

"We have three confirmed sightings of cursed cultivators," King Mirae said, sliding a jade tablet across the table. "One was found near the Tang Pavilion last night. No casualties… yet."

"Yet," Kwon echoed, glancing at the report.

The atmosphere thickened.

"This tournament will bring every sect's young elites to one place," said King Dojin. "It is both a shield… and a trap."

"You still suspect internal betrayal?" asked King Shin.

"I know it," Jin Muheon replied, finally breaking his silence. "We don't just have cursed ones crawling from the shadows. We have something worse—silence in places where noise should be."

Kwon Seung didn't look up. His voice was almost casual.

"I've felt it too. Something old. Watching. But not acting. That's what scares me most."

The room paused.

Even the strongest cultivators knew: those who watch and wait are not afraid.

Then, a knock.

A scroll was slid under the door.

Kwon opened it slowly, revealing a list of recent supply shipments, seemingly mundane.

But hidden in the ink were three names.

Three youth cultivators from mid-tier sects. All missing. All presumed dead.

"It's starting," Kwon whispered.

"No," Jin Muheon corrected. "It started long ago. We're just now seeing the smoke."

There was no further argument.

Only preparation.

Outside these walls, fireworks and children's laughter echoed — a world unaware of the shadows behind the silk.

Inside, the Five Kings drew invisible lines in the sand.

Trust was now a luxury no one could afford.