The wind swept harshly past his ears. Core energy raced through his entire body, layering upon itself according to the principles of the Classic of Initiating Transcendence. Yeonshin reached for his sword hilt.

'One stroke will finish him.'

A commotion had broken out in the village's sprawling fields. People shouted for a red-haired man to stop, while he burst out laughing and told them they had no right to say that. He had not noticed Yeonshin yet. There was still quite a distance between them.

Then it happened.

WHOOSH!

The trailing cloth of a headscarf brushed his cheek and sped away. Chung Myung had caught up and overtaken him with an astonishing display of lightness skill. His feet barely skimmed the tips of the grass—the realm of Grass Flutter. Just what one would expect of the noble race.

The footwork of the Jeong Clan Estate was hardly sufficient for the world in which the Desolate Fortress operated. Lately, Yeonshin had been trying to create essential Mobility Arts such as lightness skills and footwork, but inspiration had eluded him.

'Damn it.'

In the end, even Baek Miryeo passed him with light steps. Heon Wonchang, too, tapped his shoulder as he went by, saying he would go on ahead. When it came to lightness skill, Jung Yeonshin had yet to reach even the standard of a Desolate Fortress white robe. He knew it himself.

"Hmm."

His eyes moved shrewdly. Beyond the farmland and livestock sheds spread beneath the hill where the government office stood, houses lined the village. Farther out, green hills led into the mountains beyond the settlement. The dense vegetation caught his attention. Even at a glance, those mountains looked like a good place to hide.

'They said he comes to the village regularly to wreak havoc.'

The Central Plains were vast. Even a single county held more people than one could count by sight. Yet his constant appearances must mean he lived somewhere nearby, and there could not be many places where he could conceal that red hair. After all, it was common knowledge that Blood Flame Cult doctrine forbade its followers from wearing broad-brimmed bamboo or straw hats.

Jung Yeonshin changed direction and glanced down. The Blood Flame cultist was hurled backward after blocking a sweeping sword stroke from Chung Myung. That meant he was no match for a Desolate Fortress blue robe. What would happen once Baek Miryeo joined in?

"Just in case."

He sprinted toward the hills.

He passed the startled gazes of the terrified locals, and by the time he reached the mountain path, he knew he had made the right choice.

"Out of my way!"

A man came running, his disheveled red hair streaming behind him. Traces of forceful blows marked his scarlet martial robes in several places. It was astonishing that he had managed to shake off Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo.

With his hand at his sword hilt, Jung Yeonshin spread all his fingers once before closing them around the grip. At the same time, he stirred the radiant demon arts and lined up his sword's path.

HISSS...

An invisible force now strong enough to be called a wave of qi seeped from his body. He stepped forward with his right foot and lowered his upper body into an opening stance. Once he had fully settled into position, even the Radiant Demon Squad's blue-robed experts had struggled to casually withstand his swift sword powered by the radiant demon arts.

"A brat? No. What the hell is that...!"

Surprise flashed across the face of the Blood Flame cultist charging toward him like a vicious fiend. Then the man gritted his teeth and veered away.

'Huh?'

Where was he going? Jung Yeonshin went blank. In that instant, all his experience of charging head-on or confronting an enemy at close quarters became useless. The sight of the man circling wide to flee shocked him, as though declaring that this was the real martial world.

A novice on his first venture. Regardless of talent for martial arts, every warrior under heaven was said to experience this kind of naïveté—and he had just discovered it in himself.

He still lacked the footwork and lightness skill to catch the cultist. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the man's back receded.

"Well, that's a setback."

Chung Myung had come up beside him and was smiling bitterly.

"Yeonshin, don't blame yourself. This was our fault."

"He had a secret life-saving technique. A Mobility Art suited to fleeing, just as you'd expect from Blood Flame Cult riffraff."

Baek Miryeo arrived behind them with a sigh. A secret life-saving technique meant exactly that: a hidden martial skill capable of saving one's life. In this man's case, it had apparently been fancy footwork. He was the worst possible matchup for Jung Yeonshin.

"A Mobility Art faster than a member of the noble race using Grass Flutter? You said that man hadn't been in the Blood Flame Cult for long."

Jung Yeonshin could not help asking. Chung Myung's bitter smile deepened.

"That's how those blood-soaked bastards are. They gain power through tricks that blur the line between sorcery and martial arts. They say some burn their own blood together with other people's to cultivate martial arts at an accelerated rate. At the cost of their lifespan, of course. That one must have been especially talented. His swordsmanship felt as though it hadn't caught up with his lightness skill."

"It's strange enough that he's been acting alone for so long. Blood Flame cultists aren't free spirits. There's more to this."

Baek Miryeo spoke thoughtfully. She glanced at Jung Yeonshin, who had lowered his head slightly as he mastered his frustration, then continued.

"As you've probably all guessed, his base should be nearby. Judging by his peculiar obsession, he won't simply leave, either."

"Shall we take our time waiting and enjoy a little fresh air for a change?"

"... Sure. You do that. Damned noble race."

Chung Myung laced his fingers behind his head, while Baek Miryeo gave him a narrow-eyed glare. After they had talked a little longer, Heon Wonchang came into view, running toward them and panting.

"Heon Wonchang. Your overall martial attainment is satisfactory. Fitting for a white robe. But your stamina doesn't measure up. You may think your current level is enough, but you should assume you'll never face an opponent in the martial world in perfect condition. You're lacking."

Baek Miryeo spoke dispassionately. Heon Wonchang flinched and clasped his hands in salute, apologizing.

Jung Yeonshin's eyes brightened. So this was why Ma Jin had deliberately sent four of them. He had heard it was a Desolate Fortress tradition for blue-robed experts to oversee the experience and progress of white-robed warriors. Martial artists of a caliber exceedingly rare in the world accompanied them on their journeys and instructed them personally. Such a privilege was by no means common anywhere in the Central Plains.

"And Jung Yeonshin..."

He inwardly flinched when Baek Miryeo turned to him. It was because her eyes had softened.

"Your foundations are astonishingly solid. I doubt there's anyone like you even among the Nine Great Sects and Eight Families. Watching you run without any tricks made it perfectly clear. In terms of physique alone, I doubt anyone in the Radiant Demon Squad can match you. Least of all a scrawny noble-race fellow like Chung Myung."

Baek Miryeo surveyed his build with an entirely disinterested gaze and smiled in satisfaction.

"A martial artist ought to have a good body. With that physique, you're bound to achieve mastery in whatever martial art you learn."

"Exactly. There's no need to be discouraged about your lightness skill right now."

Unbothered by being called scrawny, Chung Myung smiled and patted Jung Yeonshin's shoulder.

The envious expression on the Desolate Fortress Sacred Warrior's face was also becoming awkward to ignore. Jung Yeonshin changed the subject, feeling that the childhood he had devoted to the Movement Art had been worthwhile.

"Will it be all right for us to stay at the government office? I was rather harsh."

"And what could he do if it weren't? We're from the Desolate Fortress. He's obliged to cooperate with us."

"That's right. It's the magistrate who'll be uncomfortable, not us. That's the law of the land—what can he do? Thanks to you, that official should understand his place now."

Chung Myung agreed with Baek Miryeo. To them, it seemed a trivial matter.

But how powerful had the magistrate of his home, Xinye County, been? Yeonshin had seen that his authority rivaled that of the Jeong Clan Estate, a family of martial artists and major landowners. He could not help reassessing the Desolate Fortress's standing. It was an unprecedented martial organization with scarcely an equal in either Murim or the government.

'I've really joined a place that makes life easy. All I need to do is pull my weight.'

He had to think carefully about an opponent's martial strength, but he need not worry about the power of the organization behind them. How many places like this existed in the vast world?

"More importantly, would you like to learn how to walk?"

"How to walk? You mean a Mobility Art?"

Chung Myung looked troubled by Jung Yeonshin's question and scratched his headscarf.

"I can't pass on my sect's martial arts... But I can teach you how the noble race moves. Most people can't do it even when they know how, but I think you might be able to."

"The noble race's movement technique!"

It was Heon Wonchang who made the fuss. He wore an earnest expression, as if begging to be taught as well. This time, Jung Yeonshin fully understood his reaction.

Having met so many of the noble race lately, Yeonshin had grown accustomed to their unusual features and long ears. Yet there were still many places in the Central Plains where people regarded them as heavenly immortals. So secluded and limited was the realm they inhabited that their ageless beauty, elusive movements, and reputation as a race befriended by nature were often treated as myths among ordinary folk.

Heon Wonchang spoke so excitedly that spittle flew.

"To witness the famed movement technique of the noble race is a heaven-sent opportunity beyond compare! Please grant this humble fellow a share of that fortune!"

"Yes, yes. How could I discriminate against a fellow member of the Radiant Demon Squad? It's just that most people can't use it even after I teach them..."

The unease on Chung Myung's face deepened. Beside him, Baek Miryeo shook her head.

"Just show them first. Are you already worrying about their disappointment?"

"Well, didn't someone spend over a year suspecting me of deliberately leaving out the key principles? And never managed to learn it in the end."

"I have no idea whom you mean. Surely plenty of people fit that description? No one in the Radiant Demon Squad has even mastered the basics."

Affecting nonchalance, Baek Miryeo turned away and left, saying she would make inquiries in the village. Chung Myung watched her go with a broad grin. Looking bewildered, Heon Wonchang murmured weakly.

"Not a single person in the Radiant Demon Squad could learn it? So it truly is a movement technique exclusive to the noble race..."

"It isn't a structured system. It's simply a way of walking and running."

Dust stirred at Chung Myung's feet. There had been no flow of core energy, yet a gust of wind fluttered the hems of his trousers.

"Watch."

At the same instant, he lightly pushed off the ground and rose without the slightest sound. With elusive movements, he stepped against the side of a tree several times, then stood tall on a branch at its crown. It was scarcely human movement. The Desolate Fortress Sacred Warrior had drawn closer as though entranced and now craned his neck upward, mouth agape.

'It wasn't core energy, but something like core energy supported his body.'

Jung Yeonshin gazed up at Chung Myung, replaying those movements in his mind.

Only after closing his eyes briefly and breathing in the forest air did Chung Myung leap down like a feather. He landed with the lightness of a falling blade of grass, once again without a sound. This Mobility Art was more than astonishing—it was frightening. Moving without any sign of one's presence was tantamount to possessing a truly lethal trump card. Jung Yeonshin sank into thought.

"Do you... understand it?"

Chung Myung approached with a look of disbelief as he asked. Then he suddenly caught himself and winced.

"I didn't interrupt your contemplation, did I?"

"No. I was considering how to raise wind with core energy. I don't possess the innate powers of the noble race..."

"What...!"

Chung Myung's eyes widened at Jung Yeonshin's casual reply.

"You grasped the energy of nature after seeing it once? How is that possible...!"

"Isn't that why you showed me? A few ideas came to mind. If I divide the movements into forms and release my core energy in separate bursts... Ah."

Jung Yeonshin, who had been slipping ever deeper into absorption, regained his focus. He smiled at Chung Myung.

"Thank you for the wonderful inspiration. Sometimes I feel guilty that all I do at the Desolate Fortress is receive things. This time, at least, I think I'll be able to make a significant contribution to the mission."

"..."

Chung Myung stared blankly as Jung Yeonshin even offered a martial salute in thanks. Wearing a similar expression, Heon Wonchang approached.

"Shall we settle into our lodgings? For Young Master Jung's sake, if nothing else."

"... Yes. Let's do that."

The three set off after Baek Miryeo, who was already far ahead. Chung Myung and Heon Wonchang kept glancing at Jung Yeonshin as he walked a little behind them. As though the uproar caused by the Blood Flame cultist had never happened, the cool evening breeze of spring—the year's first season—was already caressing their shoulders.

By the time their leisurely walk brought them to the Zhenping County government office, the sun had sunk low, making itself a cozy bed of sunset hues. The four members of the Radiant Demon Squad settled in there. Jung Yeonshin released the magistrate's sealed pressure point, but his absorption in the beginnings of a movement technique made him unlike a novice in the martial world in several respects. He let the fearful gazes slide past him without concern and continued pondering martial principles even after going to bed.

'If I plan my route beforehand and expel core energy at each stage of the movement, as though delivering short strikes...'

Jung Yeonshin slowly closed his eyes.

* * *

Chung Myung drowsily opened his eyes. He had been sleeping sprawled in a hemp-cloth hammock strung between trees, sharing in the sunlight that nourished and awakened the plants. Smiling contentedly, he happened to look down.

A boy stood motionless in the clearing with his eyes closed. With the Desolate Sword at his waist, a quiet presence enveloped his entire body. Was it a sign of his broad-minded confidence that he did not care who watched him train? Chung Myung was smiling with pride when it happened.

Amid the shafts of sunlight streaming through the leaves, Jung Yeonshin's body swayed briefly with the morning light. Then a dusty breeze rose at the tip of his lightly placed foot, and as he spun and pushed off the ground, his movement took on the likeness of a fluttering leaf.

Chung Myung's eyes widened.

"That's insane...!"