Everything proceeded without a hitch.

Huge tents were erected in a circle in the fortress's central training grounds. The grounds had always served not only for training, but also for promotion ceremonies and other events. The arrangement allowed hundreds of people to sit facing the center.

"A little farther left!"

"Lift on two!"

"We're missing a stone pillar! Bring a medium-sized one!"

Dozens of servants, unranked disciples, and white-robed warriors carried stone and hoisted enormous carpets overhead.

The Desolate Fortress rarely cut timber for use, out of consideration for its master, who belonged to the noble race. Building a venue using only cloth and stone should have been grueling work, yet the unranked disciples and white-robed warriors unleashed their formidable internal energy to raise stone pillars throughout the grounds.

It was an impressive collaborative effort, faster than the labor crews most government offices could muster.

"I never imagined even the menial chores here would resemble military service. Back when I was the family troublemaker, I couldn't have dreamed of this. How fun. Not fun at all."

The Supreme Flame Dragon was rambling whatever came to mind. Some members of the Radiant Demon Squad had also been drafted as laborers.

Heon Wonchang glanced at him. He was carrying a stone pillar as large as himself.

Despite his grumbling, he was doing more work alone than three ordinary white-robed warriors combined. He ambled along with his feet turned outward like an indolent young noble, yet his balance never wavered.

"What a peculiar way to practice footwork."

Watching the Supreme Flame Dragon, Heon Wonchang pursed his lips slightly. The hero's headband tied around the great hero of Desolate Fortress's forehead was thick with dust, the result of long hours of work.

"You're quite something yourself for recognizing it, Senior Heon."

Beside him, Shin Sobin chuckled, holding an armful of stone slabs with astonishing strength. Like so many of the martial world's rising generation disciples who took care over their appearance, she wore her hair in a neat braid that hung below her waist.

Unlike Heon Wonchang, she looked immaculate—a sign of her proficiency in Mobility Arts.

The three had been conscripted as the Radiant Demon Squad's most junior members. Their seniority and ranks made them perfect candidates for menial chores, leaving them little chance to slip away.

"You could carry more, but you aren't. And they called you Jinan's foremost young talent."

The corners of the Supreme Flame Dragon's mouth curled upward at Heon Wonchang's complaint.

"A man need only do work befitting his rank. You judge a sect's young leader on both martial skill and the respect he commands, but you don't even expect a new disciple to hold a proper horse stance. Shouldn't you be grateful an unranked disciple is doing this much? Surely it's more shameful to be a white robe and still be so little use?"

"Are you defying your superior?"

"Don't take frank advice that way. A sect can rot like a stagnant well. That's how my family fell. I told them over and over that forcing commoners into labor was madness, but they treated me like some stray yellow dog by the road. Ignored me like a damned dog."

"Frank advice?"

"Quite gently delivered, isn't it? I hardly measure up to our acting captain."

"So you admit you were provoking me. An unranked disciple provoking a white robe."

Heon Wonchang answered the Supreme Flame Dragon's glib words without hesitation.

Perhaps he had no argument there. The Supreme Flame Dragon merely raised his eyes and parted his lips slightly. Ah, so that was how it worked.

THUD!

Driving the stone pillar into the training ground, he spoke again.

"Anyway, this is what happens when a sect insists on using nothing but stone for no good reason. A martial artist's true calling is to cultivate skill and character, pursue the martial ultimate, and earn a chivalrous name. Yet you've all been drafted to haul building materials, and not one of you complains. Truly peculiar."

He sounded very much like the stuffy young heir of a prestigious house. His leisurely manner of speaking suited the role strangely well.

Shin Sobin shook her head.

"This isn't just any event. It's a Black-rank promotion ceremony. Whatever the result, the ceremony alone is momentous."

"I more or less understand. You're saying that's the sect's ethos."

"Isn't that obvious? Imagine choosing the chief of Shaolin's Eighteen Arhats or the leader of Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Swordsmen. No, a captain's promotion examination here is even bigger than that."

"Hmm."

"What single sect is larger than ours? Of course it has to be one of our grandest events. It's a rare festival. I'll bet the great sects outside are watching closely for all sorts of reasons, too."

"I'm sure they are. Still, there's something off about men who would be treated as masters outside silently carrying burdens like laborers. Makes it hard for me to slack off, too. Oh? That fellow over there looks about to lose his balance... No, never mind. He has some footwork of his own."

"The fortress master will attend in person. What wouldn't we do? There's not a master in this fortress who doesn't admire her."

"Well... she certainly was overwhelming in all sorts of ways. I've only met her once, though."

By now, the Supreme Flame Dragon had mastered the art of making his informal remarks sound like muttering to himself. It was probably his greatest area of improvement since joining the Desolate Fortress.

He glanced at the seat of honor, the white stone chair where the Desolate Fortress Master would sit. It stood atop several tiers of marble, like an altar.

The structure had been there all along, with a commanding view of the training grounds. Around the fortress master's grand chair, a venue resembling a great sect's banquet hall was taking shape.

A Black Captain's promotion examination. The sight promised a magnificent ceremony.

"Just get back to work."

Shin Sobin had nothing else to say now. The Hwangbo young clan head knew uncannily well how to toe the line. Even the Shin Clan's cherished daughter could find little to criticize. It would be more accurate to say she had given up.

The Supreme Flame Dragon ignored her and abruptly asked a question instead.

"Has the Desolate Fortress's Law Enforcement Squad Captain ever lost one of these examinations? She so rarely shows herself out in the martial world that all our house knew was that she was formidable."

Word had already spread. The identity of Lightning Genius's promotion opponent had lately been the subject of the greatest interest. Interest was said to have soared the moment the Law Enforcement Squad Captain's name came up. This would be a match few ever got to see.

"Once."

As even Heon Wonchang edged closer, Shin Sobin continued.

"The current Divine Sword Squad Leader beat her. Apart from that, she's undefeated. The captain of the Suncheon Wing and the Azure Heaven Squad Captain both lost to her, then fought someone else. As I understand it, they had to wait quite a while before trying again."

"She must be remarkably powerful. I've seen the Azure Heaven Squad Captain myself. He's an exceptionally accomplished swordsman."

The Supreme Flame Dragon lightly stroked his chin.

"Of course she is. Every captain is a supreme master. There are higher levels even within Black rank, but those aren't realms we can discuss. In any case, more importantly..."

"There's more?"

"The real issue is the Law Enforcement Squad's function. They know the martial arts of every fortress warrior holding an important post inside out. That's what people say, anyway. They need to be able to arrest warriors who break the law with ease."

"Like our house's disciplinary court. They were terrifying."

"The Law Enforcement Squad Captain has everything. Beauty, character, martial skill, and a mastery of counters. She's the idol of the fortress's female martial artists. I doubt Senior Miryeo is any different."

Shin Sobin's eyes lost focus slightly. She seemed almost entranced.

The Supreme Flame Dragon stared at her, then gave a slight shake of his head. Not one of these noble-clan scions was normal.

"So you don't rate our acting captain's chances very highly?"

"That's hard to say, too. Though I have my own reason for thinking so."

Her eyes immediately regained their focus. Intrigued, Heon Wonchang asked,

"Is there some secret between you and Young Master Jung?"

"Senior Lightning Genius said something."

Shin Sobin spoke almost in a murmur.

"Merit points weren't the only reason he made his martial arts available. He actually hopes someone will develop counters."

"Of course. I knew that already."

Heon Wonchang turned away without a trace of lingering interest. His departing steps looked distinctly lighter, as befitted a man who called himself Jung Yeonshin's close friend.

Only the Supreme Flame Dragon remained to hear her out.

"He actually wants that? Why?"

"I'm not telling you."

Shin Sobin deliberately tilted her head in an aggravating manner, one corner of her mouth lifting.

The Supreme Flame Dragon let out a hollow chuckle, as though marveling at this brazen little thing playing the mischievous superior.

THUD! THOOM!

Time passed amid their banter. The venue for the promotion ceremony gradually took shape.

There was a reason they went to the trouble of decorating the central training grounds instead of using one of the platforms already set aside elsewhere in the vast fortress.

Such was the symbolic significance of a black-robed expert: a treasured sword entrusted with a major share of missions spanning the vast Central Plains. The position demanded someone who could take on an entire elite contingent of a great sect.

The Command Bureau pushed the preparations forward at extraordinary speed. They had all but lost two peerless purple-robed masters.

A grand ceremony was an excellent means of drawing the warriors' attention and raising morale, and so they were creating a promotion ceremony on an unprecedented scale.

Below the sparring platform, hundreds of people had already taken their seats. A tremendous sense of pressure pulled the air taut throughout the venue, filling it with excitement, curiosity, and tension.

The tents alone, arranged in an enormous circle, evoked a lavish court celebration. Warriors with keenly honed presences, immaculately groomed servants, artisans proudly displaying their work-stained appearance, and a variety of invited guests—it could hardly have been anything but boisterous.

"Hup! Hah!"

On the central platform, a sword dance was warming up the crowd before the ceremony. The blades of some fifteen dancers traced graceful curves in perfect unison.

To one side, performers who lived in the fortress plucked zithers and sang. Verses extolling the spirit of warriors flowed in a beautiful melody, ceremonial music in harmony with the sword dance.

The masters, however, were busy talking.

"If there's one thing that defines the Lightning Genius lineage, it's the flow. The forms aren't long and flowing. But they are powerful."

"That matches what I saw. Mostly short strikes. It felt as though the timing of each technique had to depend on instinct."

"It didn't seem to emphasize an unbroken flow. It appeared to gain power in exchange."

"These are arts specialized for quick, decisive battles. Every form is hurried. As though something were chasing him..."

"Yes. They're all isolated bursts. Powerful in each instant, but..."

"The weaknesses are clear. It's a martial lineage whose practitioner must remember two things when facing a master: don't let the exchange drag on, and don't give the opponent time to adapt."

"Easy to interrupt. He has to overcome that by improvising. He seems to have managed well so far."

"That's why he's here for a Black-rank promotion, isn't it? It means he's seized the right instant in every battle to the death. Without extraordinarily keen innate senses, that would be impossible."

Incisive observations flashed back and forth. Not only blue-robed warriors, but even the handful of Black-ranked supreme masters were discussing martial learning.

Most masters in the fortress devoted their lives entirely to martial arts and the chivalrous duty of protecting commoners. An occasion as fascinating as this was exceedingly rare.

How far had Lightning Genius's martial arts progressed? Could he contend with the Law Enforcement Squad Captain's skills, backed by her study of counters?

Would a new captain of the Radiant Demon Squad emerge here today?

These were questions of burning interest. No one present could remain indifferent. Even the elder council's aged masters, who had shown little interest in blue-rank promotion ceremonies, had attended in large numbers.

"She's early."

Seated below the broad, lengthy stairway leading to the seat of honor, the captain of the Suncheon Wing suddenly murmured while looking up into the air.

A slender figure blotted out the sun. It gradually grew larger, accompanied by a shadow with arms elegantly spread. The Mobility Arts carrying her through the air hardly seemed the product of human training. They called to mind Soaring Through the Void.

FLAP!

With a flutter of jet-black robes, she descended into the center of the sparring platform.

The sword dancers and musicians stopped moving. The beautiful supreme master of the noble race alighted lightly upon the marble.

RUSTLE.

Her long, pitch-black hem brushed the floor like a court gown. The Law Enforcement Squad Captain had appeared first.

Every Black Captain wore martial robes of a different design. The Command Bureau accommodated their preferences. Rumor had it that the Law Enforcement Squad Captain, who revered the fortress master deeply, had requested robes only an inch shorter than her master's.

Hers were the longest robes among the seventeen captains.

"Oh."

A brief exclamation of admiration escaped Heon Wonchang. Seated in a corner because of his low rank, he hastily covered his mouth.

Here was a master said to have fully incorporated her race's powers into her martial arts. Silence fell in an instant.

Not a warrior in the fortress wished to give the Law Enforcement Squad Captain cause to dislike them. That held true even for the elder council.

"..."

For a moment, stillness reigned. Even the blazing white sunlight pouring down seemed to freeze.

Then came a footstep.

TAP.

A boy clad in long blue robes slowly ascended the platform. A path opened among the performers as they hurried down.

Lightly gathering his blue sleeves, Jung Yeonshin stepped onto the sparring platform. With two swords at his waist, he looked no different from usual.

"Wow."

This time it was Shin Sobin.

Jung Yeonshin had bathed in preparation, cleansing himself and honing both body and presence. He looked immaculate.

Upon the sparring platform stood a young swordsman who might have stepped out of a story. He was reaching the age when the blood of his parents—both said to have been exceptional in looks, at least—was blossoming.

It showed in his faintly lonely eyes and the handsomely defined bridge of his nose beneath strong brows. Standing opposite the Law Enforcement Squad Captain, a rare beauty even among the noble race, he made a striking sight.

After looking at her briefly, Jung Yeonshin slowly turned his head.

"There is no need to pay your respects."

A clear, melodious voice rang out before he could speak.

The rising sun hung over the edge of an inner-fortress roof beside the training grounds.

Beneath a thick arborvitae stood the stone seat. White sunlight slanted through the shade, shimmering with heat, then rippled a soft, grassy hue where it touched the Desolate Fortress Master's hair.

Reclining with her long legs crossed, the peerless beauty opened her eyes. Dark-green irises slowly emerged beneath her finely spread lashes.

"Think of etiquette once you wear black robes. You may begin the match now."

Her gaze as she looked down was profound. As ever, the Desolate Fortress Master's eyes resembled an abyss, seeming to envelop the boy's upturned gaze.

With a smooth movement, the Law Enforcement Squad Captain was already rising after kneeling on one knee.

Unlike others of the noble race, she had jet-black eyes. She turned her head, fixing Jung Yeonshin with a cold gaze.

It did not seem to stem from any emotion. If anything, she had shown him nothing but indifference throughout.

'A swordswoman of lofty attainment.'

The thought came to Jung Yeonshin the moment their eyes met.

She fully embodied a swordsman's essential virtue: the calm of a clear mirror and still water.

"..."

Without preamble, the two masters faced one another. The match had begun at once. Neither possessed a temperament that required lengthy words.

Silence continued.

Only the air between them danced ceaselessly. The dry wind rushing through gradually took on waves of force.

Sharp gouges began to score the ground. This was a battle at a level where internal energy alone could produce Burst Discharge without a sword being drawn.

Supreme masters contesting the realm of Black rank.

THOOM!

A forceful stomp suddenly thundered out beneath Jung Yeonshin's foot.

The first sword he drew from his waist was the Desolate Sword. As its white blade shot upward and distorted the sunlight, the Law Enforcement Squad Captain's sword strike was already upon him.

CLANG!

In an instant, Jung Yeonshin's Desolate Sword shattered into the air. This was an entirely different realm.

The sight of the sword that had accompanied him ever since he entered the fortress splintering in a single exchange flashed across his vision.

The boy did not falter.

He reached toward the fragments of steel that had been like a dear friend. Petals of light curved with the movement of his palm.

Scattering sunlight in countless rays, the formula of a divine technique sprouted at the very outset of the match.

SHRING!

It happened in a split second. Blossoms Raining Across the Sky enveloped the Law Enforcement Squad Captain's entire body.

Many of the watching masters sprang to their feet.