Yoo Hyun’s parched lips slowly moved.

"Yeon... shin...?"

He looked as though he were squeezing the words out of his dry throat. A hint of laughter entered the breath of the boy looking down at him.

His lips reflected it too. Slowly, a smile formed—the kind he showed only to those he had befriended.

"Aren’t your eyes in shadow? Your mastery of your eye technique hasn’t gone anywhere, even with your internal power temporarily dispersed."

"You... those clothes... what are they...?"

The corners of Jung Yeonshin’s mouth rose a fraction higher. Yoo Hyun was no ordinary fellow either.

Asking about the color of his robe before anything else marked him as a born martial artist.

His first concern was his friend’s strength and standing. He seemed utterly uninterested in how Yeonshin had come to be here.

"Are all disciples of the Nine Great Sects like this? You certainly have nerves of steel."

He had formed ties with four of the Nine Great Sects.

Sword Dragon wiji myohwa, Hidden Dragon Yoo Hyun, the Little Divine Monk Gak jung, Young Sword Empress Chwi So-ok... Not one of them was ordinary.

Different as their personalities were, they shared one thing: every one of them had a distinct character.

This moment was no exception. Yoo Hyun stumbled slightly over his words.

"The color changes every time I see you... How do you do it? You’re on equal footing with our Martial Uncle Cheon Joo now."

Mount Hua’s sage Cheon Joo was better known by his epithet than his Taoist name: Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.

As leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, he had left countless stories in his wake. He had reportedly even clashed with the Radiant Demon Squad once and fought them to a draw.

"That does the Sword Saint a disservice. Don’t make comparisons so lightly."

It’s because I live on a slightly different timescale. Jung Yeonshin kept the truth buried inside and evaded the question.

Among those outside his organization, the Zhongnan Sword Immortal and wiji myohwa were enough to know of the short-lived seventh child.

It was not that he distrusted Yoo Hyun. He simply did not want to say it.

'It seemed Grandfather hadn’t told Uncle either.'

Ma Jin’s behavior suggested as much. He still appeared to know nothing.

Ma Yeonjeok had refrained from rashly intervening in his grandson’s affairs.

Whatever the former Divine Sword Squad Leader was thinking, Jung Yeonshin preferred it that way.

He now had Heon Wonchang, Chung Myung, and Baek Miryeo to support him. He did not want to add to the worries of those close to him.

It was a burden for Jung Yeonshin himself as well. Perhaps he could joke about it after obtaining the Fruit of the World Tree and curing his constitution, but not before.

"So, how did you get here, my lord of the Desolate Fortress’s Black rank?"

Despite his affected nonchalance, Yoo Hyun kept looking over Jung Yeonshin’s robe.

His bewildered expression was rather funny. Jung Yeonshin glanced around.

Three Double Yang Gang martial artists stood rigid at their distant guard posts.

He had struck their paralysis points and mute points on his way in. They could neither move nor speak now.

'Are their forces concentrated inside?'

The Supreme Flame Dragon, Namgoong Hwashin, and Heon Wonchang had gone to search in other directions.

The island was large enough to warrant splitting up, but it seemed he had come to the right place.

Jung Yeonshin took a piece of blue jade from inside his robe and tossed it upward. It burst into beads that scattered through the air, scattering the sunlight with them.

It was the Spirit Treasure Jade he had received from Ma Se-In.

The material cracked when infused with pure core energy. The Radiant Demon Squad had decided to use it as their new captain’s signal flare.

"How did you get caught?"

The boy asked lightly. Yoo Hyun lowered his gaze from the fragments of Spirit Treasure Jade he had been staring at blankly.

"There was a survivor in the village. Some boy. We came after hearing his story, but the gang and the prefect of Yunyang are in this together. They have hostages too. It caught me completely off guard."

"The prefect?"

Jung Yeonshin repeated the word.

He was beginning to find the village boy’s presence suspicious, but that paled beside the involvement of such a high-ranking official.

"It’s a fine joke. The prefect is the one violating the Great Ming Code, but if a martial artist does anything to her, he’s punished for a crime tantamount to treason. And accusations from a few mere martial artists would never carry more weight than the prefect’s own claim that she’s been falsely accused."

"A Desolate Fortress warrior acquainted with our martial uncle... Would you be Young Master Lightning Genius...?"

One of the Mount Hua disciples bound alongside Yoo Hyun spoke.

She had raised her head at some point—a woman with strikingly large eyes.

Jung Yeonshin gave a brief nod and grasped the sword hilt at his waist.

SWISH!

A streak of light flashed.

He joined the drawing and sheathing of his sword into a single trajectory.

As he drew the sword, cut through their bonds, and returned it to its sheath, he could feel for himself how the radiant wheel qi had improved his sword’s speed.

The sensation of the blade cutting the ropes and returning reached him with astonishing smoothness. Northern Radiance’s transformation into a divine sword surely played a large part too.

"What was that sword speed...?"

Yoo Hyun sighed. He alone had managed to glimpse even a little of the sword path. Without a word, Jung Yeonshin seated the blade fully in its sheath.

CLICK.

Only when the sound of the sheathing rang out did the other Mount Hua disciples realize they were free.

The disciple who had asked his identity stammered.

"Thank... thank you, great hero."

"Great hero... Well, calling a Black-ranked Desolate Fortress warrior ‘young master’ does seem a little wrong. Still feels strange, though."

Yoo Hyun rose, muttering with an incredulous expression.

Yet the clasped-hands martial salute he offered his friend Jung Yeonshin was precise.

His proper conduct bore witness to the traditions of illustrious Mount Hua.

"Thank you. I owe you my life."

"Don’t start talking about debts."

Jung Yeonshin turned his head slightly, his lips falling still. He had sensed people emerging from the hall opposite.

More than one or two. Some were fairly powerful. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"They told me a boat had crossed over without a shred of fear. I was only waiting for the bodies."

It was a middle-aged man’s voice. A group came walking out.

A man and woman led them. The man carrying an enormous saber was the one who had spoken of bodies: the Double Yang Gang leader.

He was just as the village boy had described him. But Jung Yeonshin also saw something the boy had not mentioned.

'The authorities really are involved.'

The entourage behind them was quite a sight. Twenty people, a mixture of martial artists and government soldiers.

Those in light martial robes were the martial artists. The soldiers wore cotton clothing reinforced with iron armor.

"So you’re a little pretender playing at being from the Desolate Fortress. A Mount Hua disciple? That ‘Desolate’ character is enormous. Rather bold and dashing, but it would suit me better than you."

The Double Yang Gang leader spoke with a sneer.

A gang leader’s laughter tended to spread to his men.

Several approached Jung Yeonshin, eager to distinguish themselves.

Their leader made no effort to stop them. The boy had not even drawn his sword.

"Black rank at your age? You really don’t know the first thing about the world. Not a Mount Hua disciple, then. Probably some brat who learned a few moves at a decent martial school..."

"Ignorance makes it hard to pull off an impersonation. At your age, even the Desolate Fortress’s white robe would be more than you deserve."

The Double Yang Gang men approached with mocking remarks.

Rough talk was said to be commonplace among those of the evil and unorthodox paths.

Despite their belittling words, they assumed proper opening stances.

Their sabers and swords were firmly gripped. The sight of their immobilized comrades behind him seemed to have put them on guard.

Then it happened.

"Husband. Stay where you are."

The prefect spoke, her expression dark as she watched Jung Yeonshin.

As though sensing something, she reached out an arm to bar the gang leader’s way.

She opened her mouth, seemingly about to address the men approaching the intruder as well.

She was a step too late. The boy, standing motionless until now, was already driving a straight punch forward.

A colorless wave surged once from his outstretched arm.

A wave of Burst Discharge force arose in an instant, without even a foot stamp. Infinite Blossom Hand, second move: Formidable Wall.

THUUUD!

For an instant, it was as though a tempest had descended. A dull impact resounded amid the raging wind and dirt. Blood sprayed in all directions like water.

The three gang members were swept away by a single blow, scraping across the ground with an immense shock wave before sprawling to a halt.

The residual spiral force unique to the radiant wheel qi carved whorls into the earth, as though mocking the three corpses in their deaths.

"..."

Everyone abruptly froze. A level of martial power no one on the island had imagined had manifested before them.

Even the Mount Hua disciples behind him caught their breath.

Only Yoo Hyun, famous for being an eccentric rather unlike a Taoist disciple, muttered under his breath. What was that Burst Discharge?

'The commoners...'

Jung Yeonshin spread the radiant wheel’s qi waves in every direction, sweeping a radius of ten zhang with his core energy.

He immediately sensed the powerless commoners. They were in a shabby annex among the halls encircling the training ground.

His energy detection alone told him enough. All were listless from insufficient food, and the core energy they had drawn in was shallow, cultivated only through the Three Powers Heart Method promulgated by the Ming imperial family.

Had they been gathered as hostages to deal with gallant heroes?

Not a single person guarded them. The scum controlling this island seemed never to have encountered martial power beyond their expectations.

The people dry-heaving from hunger made a stark contrast with the glossy, well-fed cheeks of the prefect and her husband.

'Formidable Wall’s force shattered them remarkably easily. Their protective core energy and their bodies alike.'

The boy glanced at the sprawled corpses of the gang members. They appeared to have cultivated the internal arts of the evil and unorthodox paths.

He saw no reason to show restraint.

"... Husband, he truly is a captain of the Desolate Fortress."

The prefect spoke belatedly, her lips trembling slightly.

"Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin. They said the new Radiant Demon Squad captain was terribly young. I believe this is he."

At his wife’s words, the Double Yang Gang leader hurriedly opened his mouth. He instinctively knew he stood no chance in a direct fight.

He needed to bring out the wretches he had intended to use for plowing in place of oxen.

Just as when the Mount Hua disciples had come, he needed hostages.

"Right now...!"

His words broke off.

WHOOOSH!

An explosive surge of power rose from the boy’s entire body, lifting the skirts of his black robe.

Streams of qi scraped the ground, carving the traces of whirlwinds into it. Silence fell for a moment.

The sheer presence of his qi waves had seized everyone’s attention. Then the Radiant Demon Squad captain, wreathed in dust like mist, moved his lips.

"Kill them."

BOOM!

Shock waves erupted from three sides beyond the training ground. Gray, white, and blue robes leaped in from outside.

It happened in an instant. Heat, killing intent, and sword qi tore the air apart.

SHRAAASH!

Smoke and blood burst up on every side.

The Supreme Flame Dragon’s two scorching yang palms crushed eight people in an instant. Heon Wonchang severed five necks in one move with his distinctive killing swordsmanship.

Namgoong Hwashin unleashed the Boundless Heaven Sword Technique, sending ten streams of force from a single stroke.

It took less than a breath to clear the grounds.

The Radiant Demon Squad captain drew attention with overwhelming qi waves, and the Desolate Fortress’s elite rushed in instantaneously.

Any sect was bound to fall for that tactic at least once. The question was how much damage that one attack would inflict.

For the Double Yang Gang, once was the end. The same held true for the soldiers.

They had suffered a blow amounting to annihilation.

The sounds of bodies collapsing rang out here and there, mostly on the sides where Heon Wonchang and Namgoong Hwashin had used their swords.

Having already dusted off his hands, the Supreme Flame Dragon frowned slightly.

"They don’t grow poppies? Are these really unorthodox scum?"

"..."

The only others still standing were the Double Yang Gang leader and the prefect.

The gang leader she had called husband looked as though his soul had fled. The prefect’s expression was unreadable.

She merely gazed calmly at Jung Yeonshin.

"As expected, there was no need for Diancang to come. Leaving them to look after the child was the right decision."

Heon Wonchang spoke as he walked among the sprawled dead.

He prodded the corpses with his sheath, checking that none were feigning death with the Great Tortoise Breathing Method.

The Desolate Fortress was an organization akin to an army.

It did not negotiate with those who preyed on the people’s livelihoods. Nor did it show mercy.

It arrived at its target, completed its mission, and departed, leaving only ruins.

"Aaah."

An odd groan sounded. The Supreme Flame Dragon was stretching with both hands behind his neck.

After a long, languid yawn, he grinned at Jung Yeonshin. There was something peculiarly irritating about him.

"Young captain, remember what you said while sparring with me this time? What a shame. You said you were going to create swordsmanship, but these fellows weren’t worth even half a move."

"I’m not creating something separate. I’m trying to give the Radiant Sword Art a new flow, so no one can exploit its blind spots as the Law Enforcement Squad Captain did."

Jung Yeonshin answered with the air of merely humoring him. If he did not respond, the man would keep talking to him.

He had endured enough of that in the ruined village. It felt as though his ears were forming scabs.

Was it because the Solar Divine Meridians had endowed the Supreme Flame Dragon with talent rarely seen through the ages? His interest in Jung Yeonshin, whose martial gifts surpassed even his own, was enormous.

'Not as much as the Seventh Apostle’s, though...'

A crimson smile flitted through his mind.

Along with the prefect before him, it gave him something to ponder. What should he do?

Then the Supreme Flame Dragon continued, an easy smile on his lips.

"In any case, you’ll have to get your real combat experience at the Martial Alliance now. If need be, why not exchange sword strikes with the Alliance Leader? The Sword Star is a peerless swordsman said to rival the Divine Sword Squad Leader."

"It’ll happen whether I want it to or not."

Jung Yeonshin answered in an unruffled tone.

They said victory at the Martial Alliance’s founding ceremony came with two special rewards. The first was a Great Restoration Pill.

The second was instruction from the Sword Star, who had been acclaimed Alliance Leader.

Either would excite martial artists across the land, but the Desolate Fortress’s Command Bureau believed the second reward concealed a trap.

The Martial Alliance was a coalition of interests. It had rallied under the pretext of the Hwangbo clan’s destruction and the extermination of the Namgoong direct line.

What would happen if a sect outside the Alliance won at its founding ceremony?

What if that victor was none other than a Desolate Fortress master?

'They said they would give me humiliation along with the Great Restoration Pill.'

Jung Yeonshin set his thoughts aside, lightly grasping the hilt of the divine sword Northern Radiance.

He had to decide what to do with the prefect before him.

At the same time, the Supreme Flame Dragon edged closer and whispered, "Let’s kill her and spare ourselves future trouble."

"Fuck off."

He replied indifferently and shoved him away with an elbow.

At that same instant, Northern Radiance’s snow-white blade swept upward, and a pure-white thunderbolt flashed across the neck of the Double Yang Gang leader as he stood in a daze.

SHING!

It was the sound of every blood vessel being crushed and bone being cut through.