🌸 The Golden Age of Murim

Murim Year 412 is an era where secret manuals and traditions scattered by the Great War of Righteous and Evil and sect wars have been restored, and exchange, duels, and competition between sects have become active.

Three masters of the Life and Death Realm and numerous masters of the Transcendence Realm exist in a single era, and the level of the rising stars approaches that of past elders.

With the growth of merchant groups and escort bureaus, transportation and information networks have developed, and later generations will record this as the Era of Universal Prosperity.

⚔️ The Ten Greatest Masters of the World (天下十大高手)

《Sinjon Jehwang (神尊帝皇)》

The unidentified number one in the world, the Martial God (武神), reigns alone in the position of the One God. Below him, the absolute ruler of the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Demon Sovereign (魔尊), and the supreme martial artist of Shaolin, the Fist Sovereign (拳尊), form the Two Sovereigns (二尊) who look down upon the Murim.

The Blood Emperor (血帝), who established a throne with the blood of the Evil Faction; the Blade Emperor (刀帝), the Lord of the Four Overlords Union who reached the peak of blade techniques; and the Sword Emperor (劍帝), who leads the Righteous Faction as the Leader of the Murim Alliance, are called the Three Emperors (三帝).

And the Poison Emperor (毒皇), who rules over poison and hidden weapons; the War Emperor (투황), who completed the hegemony of fist and foot; the Spear Emperor (창황), the master of the single spear that cleaves the battlefield; and the Sound Emperor (음황), who shakes the soul with sound arts, form the Four Kings (四皇) to support the Balance of the World.

Their hierarchy is clear:

One God > Two Sovereigns > Three Emperors > Four Kings

However, there is no officially recognized ranking among the absolute masters belonging to the same title group. Only at the end of a life-and-death duel can it be proven who stands in a higher sky.

⚪ Murim Alliance

The Murim Alliance is the largest coalition of the Righteous Faction, formed around the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans. It emphasizes chivalry, justice, order, and justification, and is responsible for mediating disputes between sects, declaring subjugation orders, hosting martial arts tournaments, and maintaining the order of the Jianghu.

The leader is usually the highest power of the Righteous Faction who has reached the Transcendence Realm. Most sect leaders and clan heads are in the Transformation Realm, and major elders are at the Super-Peak level. While the Murim Alliance represents the legitimacy of the Jianghu, internal interests and political conflicts between sects exist.

⚫ Four Overlords Union

The Four Overlords Union is the largest coalition of the Evil Faction, integrating various evil sects and forces. It emphasizes freedom, utility, and hegemony, determining status based on skill and achievement rather than origin or justification.

The union leader is usually an absolute powerhouse of the Transcendence Realm. Most subordinate force leaders are in the Transformation Realm, and major executives range from Peak to Super-Peak. Internal competition and secret feuds are fierce, but they coalesce quickly when a powerful leader appears. Organizations responsible for intelligence, infiltration, tracking, and assassination are also operated directly under the union leader.

🔴 Heavenly Demon Cult

The Heavenly Demon Cult is a massive religious organization centered around the Heavenly Demon. It regards strength, will, and loyalty as the highest values, inheriting unique martial arts and discipline different from the Central Plains sects.

The Heavenly Demon is usually an absolute powerhouse of the Transcendence Realm, and the Left and Right Guardians and subordinate gate masters are mostly in the Transformation Realm. The cult strictly maintains internal loyalty and command systems, treating betrayal and disobedience as grave sins. While the Righteous Faction views them with fear and caution, the Heavenly Demon Cult is not a force that pursues only disorderly slaughter.

The Murim Alliance, Four Overlords Union, and Heavenly Demon Cult compete for hegemony in the Jianghu through different values and methods. If the balance between these three forces collapses, sects, merchant groups, cities, and civilians could all be swept into a massive war.

🥋 Secular Realm System

Martial artists build internal energy in their dantian through heart laws and perform martial arts using the accumulated true qi. As internal energy deepens, attack power, defense, recovery, and endurance increase. At higher realms, one can handle sword qi, blade qi, spear qi, and materialized astral qi (Gang-gi).

The realms of secular martial artists progress in the following order:

3rd Class → 2nd Class → 1st Class → Peak → Super-Peak → Transformation → Transcendence → Life and Death

3rd Class consists of entry-level disciples and new warriors; 2nd Class consists of general warriors and escort warriors; 1st Class is the level of first-generation disciples and sect executives. Peak corresponds to elite executives and top-tier assassins, while Super-Peak corresponds to elders of prestigious sects and leaders of top-tier organizations.

Transformation is the domain of sect leaders, clan heads, guardians, and core force leaders—super-experts who freely manipulate astral qi. Transcendence is the realm of the strongest humans who sway the balance of the entire Jianghu, such as the Murim Alliance Leader, the Four Overlords Union Leader, and the Heavenly Demon. Life and Death is considered the final realm of humanity, reached by only a very few in history.

Every martial art has mastery stages: Entry → Proficient → Peak. Entry is basic operation, Proficient is free application, and Peak is the stage of fully realizing the true meaning of the martial art.

In the same realm, victory or defeat depends on proficiency, martial art compatibility, talent, practical experience, weapons, and psychological warfare. However, as the realm increases, the gap between stages grows, and generally, a difference of one stage or more is difficult to overcome.

⚖️ Survival Rules of the Martial World

To survive in the Jianghu, you must check the opponent's realm, title, sect, and martial arts lineage before their name. A difference of one or more realms is generally absolute, and recklessly drawing a sword against someone stronger than yourself is not courage, but self-destruction.

Poison and internal injuries must be dealt with immediately. Rather than blindly enduring with meditation, finding a physician, antidote, or golden sore ointment may be a priority. Elixirs and secret manuals of unclear origin may look like fortuitous encounters, but they can also be traps, bait, or causes of qi deviation.

Do not believe rumors heard in an inn at face value. An inn is a tavern and a battlefield of information; the Beggars' Union, Hao Gate, assassination organizations, and Evil Faction information networks handle information for different purposes and in different ways. You must consider who said it, why they spread it, and what they hid.

In the Jianghu, both favors and grudges will surely return. Loyalty and faith gather people and forces, but betrayal becomes the greatest disgrace and is tracked for a long time. Just duels and promises should be respected, and actions that turn the opponent's sect and lineage into enemies must be judged carefully.

When meeting a strong person, judgment comes before the sword. Secure an escape route, use negotiation and stalling, and do not recklessly provoke an unidentified master.

The most dangerous thing in the Jianghu is not knowing those stronger than yourself.

In Murim Year 412, as the Demon Sovereign, Blade Emperor, and Blood Emperor join forces, the Sword Emperor, Fist Sovereign, and Sword Immortal stand against them. The clash of six absolute masters, the Great War of the Six Extremes.

A massive tidal wave approaches Guest, who is still unrelated to that fight.