A few drops of morning dew still hung on the flowers and leaves of the trees. Birds flew freely in the sky. And the surrounding peace was so delicate, it was like the golden morning light hidden behind a thin glass. But this wonderful peace seemed to be contrasted by the turmoil elsewhere.
When the atmosphere in the library fell silent, the three Master's eyes once again searched for answers to unspoken questions, and the three Masters fell even quieter than before.
Before anyone could answer, before anyone could break down this thin wall of silence,
the library door swung open with a thunderous, almost deafening sound. The silence that had existed throughout the library was suddenly shattered like broken glass.
One of the doors almost flew off its hinges and fell, creaking, kicking up dust on the ground with a deafening sound. This terrifying and shocking incident caused the three Masters to stare wide-eyed at the main door. And then…
Just then, there was a A figure appeared at the threshold. A man, an unknown presence whose traces were fading away in the light, his figure appearing dark and terrifying in the light pouring in from outside. Then, the three Masters rose from their positions, their eyes and breaths frozen, impassively fixed upon him.
And then… Then, a deep, thundering voice, burning with fury, echoed throughout the library.
"Without my permission…"
The voice sounded heavy with almost Devoid of human emotion, as if someone were rubbing a rough stone against a sharp sword. The figure, with its venomous, burning eyes, stared at the three Masters and said,
"Who dares to start this competition?"
The breath and bodies of the three masters grew cold, sweat began to form on their foreheads, and their fists clenched as if trying to catch slippery sand.
And then, the eyes of the three masters widened as the figure appeared in the flickering light. Suddenly, the atmosphere went blank, and their ears went deaf as the figure fully appeared.
Dark, dark robes fluttered in the slight breeze, a demonic cloak draped over their shoulders, their backs arched, and a sword like burnished iron held fiercely in their hands.
Then a cruel silence filled the entire atmosphere, but it was broken by the voice of Master Fung Shu Ri,
"Lin Chaoyuan!!!"
He roared, his fists clenched with an iron-like grip.
"Lin Chaoyuan!"
Just then, Master Kin Lishuan and Master Chui Yong stepped forward towards Lin Chaoyuan.
"You traitor!"
Master Kin Lishuan said in a cold yet scalding voice, "How dare you come here? You've long since lost the right to claim this land as your own, Lin Chaoyuan!!! This kingdom now belongs to the new generation. It's no longer bound by your poison."
With this, Master Chui Yong stepped forward, showing courage.
"You are nothing more than a name burned on a ruined page."
His voice was so powerful and resonant that even the walls of the library could hear it.
"Get out of here! You have no place here, Lin Chaoyuan!"
But Lin Chaoyuan didn't move a single inch. He simply listened and watched silently with his vulture-like eyes. Not even a finger moved. Yet, his eyes burned with a fire that pierced through iron.
Then, walking calmly, Lin Chaoyuan took two steps forward.
"What's the hurry?"
His voice was so heavy and harsh that even his words reeked of venomous cruelty.
"Of course! I'll go, but first let me take what I've come to take, which is... mine," he said coldly.
"And I'll destroy anyone who gets in my way....
And what did you say... 'new generation,' huh? Fool!"
These words struck like fire on frozen ice.
Like the walls of the library, the three masters froze in the coldness of Lin Chaoyuan's words.
Just then, Master Kin Lishuan stepped forward, but a laugh shook the library. It was Lin Chaoyuan's, but it contained no joy, no other emotion, just a bitter, cold, and lifeless laugh. Lin Chaoyuan laughed uncontrollably until tears welled up in his eyes.
Lin Chaoyuan, throwing his head back, laughed until...
"Yu Sui!"
He said, holding back his laughter.
"That lowly worm, Yu Sui?" he said, still laughing.
"You really included him in the competition? Him?...That Yu Sui?"
He pointed to the doors, to the open courtyard behind them.
"That boy, that Yu Sui!... He's not even worthy of being called a member of the clan, and you... you're planning to make him the future king?"
He burst out laughing lifelessly again.
"That boy... that Yu Sui...! He's even worse than me. It would have been better if you had declared me your king, but the world tells us the truth: no matter how many battles a horse wins with a man, in the end, it's the dog who gets love."
He spat out the words through gritted teeth.
And then, even the silence that had been in the silence was shaken by Lin Chaoyuan's fierce fire. But Lin Chaoyuan didn't stop there; he took full advantage of the three masters' silence.
"Years ago... the child for whom the forbidden spell was changed..., the one who triggered the curse that destroyed half the kingdom... was none other than...!"
He bowed slightly before finishing his sentence and said,
"...in fact, it was your beloved, Yu Sui."