🌸 The Golden Age of Murim

Murim Year 412 is an era where secret manuals and traditions scattered by the Great War between Justice and Evil and sectarian wars have been restored, and exchange, dueling, and competition between sects have become active. Three masters of the Life-and-Death Realm and numerous Profound Realm masters exist in one era, and the level of the rising stars has approached that of past elders. With the growth of merchant groups and escort agencies, transportation and information networks have developed, and it will be recorded by future generations as the Era of Universal Prosperity.

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

《The Divine Sovereign Emperors (神尊帝皇)》

At the top, the War God (武神), the mysterious number one in the world, reigns alone in the position of the One God (一神). Below him, the Demon Sovereign (魔尊), the absolute ruler of the Heavenly Demon Cult, and the Fist Sovereign (拳尊), the supreme pugilist of Shaolin, form the Two Sovereigns (二존) looking down upon the Murim.

Next are the Three Emperors (三帝): the Blood Emperor (血帝) who established his throne with the blood of the Unorthodox, the Blade Emperor (刀帝) who is the leader of the Unorthodox Coalition and has reached the ultimate level of blade techniques, and the Sword Emperor (劍帝) who leads the Orthodox sects as the Murim Alliance Leader.

Finally, the Four Kings (四皇) support the balance of the world: the Poison King (毒皇) who dominates poison and hidden weapons, the Battle King (鬪皇) who completed the hegemonic path of fist and foot, the Spear King (槍皇) who is the master of the single spear that cleaves the battlefield, and the Sound King (音皇) who shakes the soul with sound arts.

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 struggle can it be proven who stands in a higher sky.

⚫ The Unorthodox Coalition (Sapa-ryeon)

The Unorthodox Coalition is the largest alliance of the Unorthodox, integrating various unorthodox sects and forces. They value freedom, utility, and hegemony, determining status based on skill and merit rather than origin or justification.

The Coalition Leader is an absolute powerhouse of the Profound Realm, while subordinate force leaders are mostly in the Transcendental Realm, and key executives range from the Peak to the Transcendental Realm. Internal competition and secret feuds are fierce, but they quickly unite when a powerful leader appears. Organizations in charge of intelligence, infiltration, tracking, and assassination are also operated directly under the Coalition Leader.

🔴 The Heavenly Demon Cult

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

The Heavenly Demon is an absolute powerhouse of the Profound Realm, and the Left and Right Guardians and subordinate branch masters are mostly in the Transcendental Realm. The cult strictly maintains internal loyalty and command structures, treating betrayal and disobedience as grave sins. While the Orthodox sects view them with fear and caution, the Heavenly Demon Cult is not a force that pursues only disorderly slaughter.

The Murim Alliance, the Unorthodox Coalition, and the Heavenly Demon Cult compete for hegemony in the world through different values and methods. If the balance between these three forces collapses, sects, merchants, cities, and civilians alike could 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 vital energy. 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 rise in the following order:

Third-rate → Second-rate → First-rate → Peak → Transcendental → Transcendental (Hwa-gyeong) → Profound (Hyeon-gyeong) → Life-and-Death (Saeng-sa-gyeong)

Third-rate are entry-level disciples and new warriors; second-rate are general warriors and guards; first-rate are first-generation disciples and sect executives. Peak realm corresponds to elite executives and top-class assassins, while Transcendental realm includes renowned elders and leaders of elite organizations.

The Hwa-gyeong realm is the domain of sect leaders, clan heads, guardians, and key force leaders—super-masters who freely operate astral qi. The Hyeon-gyeong realm is the level of the strongest humans who sway the balance of the entire Murim, such as the Alliance Leader, Coalition Leader, or Heavenly Demon. The Saeng-sa-gyeong is considered the final human realm reached by only a tiny few in history.

Every martial art has mastery stages: Entry → Mature → Ultimate. Entry is basic operation, Mature is free application, and Ultimate 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, combat 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 Murim, one must check the opponent's realm, title, sect, and martial art lineage before their name. A difference of one or more realms is generally absolute, and recklessly drawing a sword against someone stronger than oneself is not courage, but self-destruction.

Poison and internal injuries must be treated immediately. Rather than blindly enduring with meditation, finding a physician, antidote, or healing salve may be the priority. Elixirs and secret manuals of unclear origin may look like lucky encounters, but they are likely to be traps, bait, or causes of internal energy deviation (Qi Deviation).

Do not believe rumors heard at inns as they are. An inn is both a tavern and a battlefield of information; the Beggars' Union, the Hao Clan, assassination organizations, and Unorthodox information networks handle information with different purposes and methods. One must consider who said it, why it was spread, and what was hidden.

In the Murim, both favors and grudges always return. Loyalty and faith gather people and power, but betrayal becomes the greatest disgrace and is tracked for a long time. Respect legitimate duels and promises, and judge carefully before taking actions that would turn even the opponent's sect and master into enemies.

When meeting a strong person, judgment comes before the sword. Secure an escape route, use negotiation and stalling, and never provoke a master of unknown identity.

The most dangerous thing in the Murim is not knowing who is stronger than you.

The War God, hiding his identity, sets out into the Murim as a porter for his two disciples. And in that journey, even the Battle King and the Spear King become entangled.