Heon Wonchang’s words were an unmistakable provocation. Both the circumstances and his expression made that clear.

Such behavior was rare among the lofty warriors of the righteous path. The hostility of the surrounding masters seemed to rise like clouds. Their eyes hardened, and the presences enveloping their bodies took on an edge.

The Supreme Flame Dragon openly snickered.

“Why get so worked up over a kind wish? Especially after that thrashing.”

The mocking lilt at the end of his words was every bit a match for his captain and his superior. It was behavior befitting the Hwangbo clan’s young clan head. Anyone could see his utter disregard for others.

Jung Yeonshin’s lips shifted slightly as well. He had just declared that they lowered his dignity as captain of the Radiant Demon Squad. Next to that, Heon Wonchang’s conduct hardly counted as rash.

'Nothing new there.'

The boy gave his shoulder a slight shake, dislodging Heon Wonchang’s hand from the character for “Desolate.” The great hero of Desolate Fortress cleared his throat and withdrew his arm without a trace of reluctance, somehow making himself particularly irritating.

He made the whole point of having that character embroidered so large seem rather pointless. It was embarrassing.

Inwardly shaking his head, Jung Yeonshin thought,

'The feints are becoming second nature, little by little. Quite promising.'

He had tried putting the form he learned from the Desolate Fortress Master to use. It had worked better than expected.

He took in the faces of Murong Mingjun, Ak Yerim, and the others, still unable to recover from the shock. Middling masters. Despite their fairly keen senses, they had failed to properly distinguish the sword made of qi waves that he had released.

However unimpressive they seemed, they were warriors of distinguished clans. The coordination between their energy detection and their five senses appeared to be quite advanced.

'Which actually makes them easier to deceive.'

Their senses were quite good. Their martial attainment, on the other hand, was not high enough to recognize his feints at once. Only their energy detection was sharp, accepting a sword strike of qi waves as something solid. An awkward level of ability. His feints would work on them more than seventy percent of the time.

They made good training partners. That alone had made the trip to the banquet worthwhile.

'It does seem useful enough for fighting many opponents at once... but Blossoms Raining Across the Sky is already enough for lesser fighters. I need to bring it to a level that can confuse supreme masters.'

The young captain’s eyes looked beyond these rising-generation disciples. Alongside revising his swordsmanship, he resolved to hone his feints—so that the one time he had fooled the captain of the Suncheon Wing would no longer be mere luck.

“Let’s go back,” the boy said.

He had ended up damaging the Martial Alliance’s prestige instead. There was no reason to stay any longer. Heon Wonchang was right. It was enough to leave them to enjoy themselves.

Having shown that the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad stood above them, he had achieved a measure of success in his mission.

The Supreme Flame Dragon’s lips curled upward.

“Why so bashful now, after saying everything you wanted?”

He spoke with a sly air, slipping into place on Jung Yeonshin’s left. Catching a glimpse of that mischievous smile, the boy chose not to look up at his unpredictable subordinate. He merely nodded to Namgoong Hwashin, who had brought the Sword Star’s message.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Flame Dragon continued in a voice full of laughter.

“Strictly speaking, I’m one of the rising generation too. I fear this young master’s chatter might lower your dignity, Captain. ‘None of you rising-generation disciples are to address me. You lower my dignity’... Very impressive. Only a supreme master your age could say that.”

“...”

“Let me offer some advice in advance. You’re likely the only such supernatural abomination in all the world, Captain, so I hope you won’t be kicking your bedding three years from now. Take that to heart. I think I was much the same about nine years ago. I cursed the heavens for giving me these damned Solar Divine Meridians... swore I’d burn the world and make them regret it. A deeply embarrassing memory.”

He kept grinning and spouting what he called advice, his words breathy with suppressed laughter. As ever, he was a difficult subordinate to manage.

“I said, let’s go.”

Jung Yeonshin turned fully away as he spoke. He heard the irritation in his own voice and thought it only natural. These people were not worth so much as the Blue Qilin’s fingernail.

He had originally intended to cultivate acquaintances if necessary to observe the distinguished clans’ martial arts, one by one. Not anymore. His interest had cooled.

STEP.

He walked off as he pleased, and no one stopped him. Was it thanks to a feint so sublime that it looked like the sword of the heart?

The young warriors of the righteous path did not move. They merely stared at the captain who had heaped abuse on them.

“His equal even if he reaches Purple?”

Only one boy in sky-blue silk murmured anything. His expression was peculiar. He looked a year or two younger than Jung Yeonshin.

At his side, Heon Wonchang identified him as the Gongsun clan’s young clan head.

“His reputation is relatively decent, at least according to the annotations beneath his likeness at our fortress. Though perhaps that’s because he’s still young.”

“Hmm. The Gongsun clan hasn’t had any particularly unsavory rumors attached to it,” the Supreme Flame Dragon added lightly.

“Not interested. I’m done playing with children.”

After a glance at the Gongsun young clan head, Jung Yeonshin slowly stepped forward. He resolved to deal only with established masters from now on.

The Supreme Flame Dragon and Heon Wonchang immediately fell in on either side. Namgoong Hwashin guarded his back.

“Done playing with children, he says.”

The Supreme Flame Dragon murmured with a grin. “Our captain is inventing the next form of his Bed-Kicking Art. A true Grandmaster.”

“I order you to practice silence. Until tomorrow morning.”

The four left the banquet hall without hesitation.

Even then, Ak Yerim remained seated in a daze, staring blankly at the young captain’s black robes.

Standing off to one side, Murong Mingjun silently bit his lip. Only confusion, anguish, and fury remained behind.

The lantern flames in the banquet hall swayed wildly once. Night air swept through the gap in the door the Radiant Demon Squad’s party had closed behind them. It was dark and clear.

* * *

“The Sword Star was originally a wandering warrior,” Heon Wonchang said.

They had just returned from the banquet hall to the Court of Graceful Fragrance. Their meeting with the Alliance Leader was set for noon the next day. Namgoong Hwashin had already informed them that the Sword Star had invited them to lunch.

Namgoong Hwashin was the only one in their party who enjoyed a good reputation among others. While traveling around the Martial Alliance headquarters gathering information, he had stopped at the Court of Graceful Fragrance first and received the Alliance Leader’s message.

“There are many stories about him. Who knows how much of them is true? Some say he learned forbidden swordsmanship from a secular branch of Shaolin. The rumor that he was the sole survivor of a distinguished clan’s destruction is fairly credible too. The story goes that he traveled the world honing his sword, building on a great house’s foundational arts. The Sword Star, Hyeon Sobaek, is renowned as a man capable of anything.”

Heon Wonchang’s words were unusual. Was it because the Sword Star’s origins were unclear? The great hero of Desolate Fortress rarely acknowledged the major factions, yet here he spoke without reservation.

Reclining off to one side with an arm beneath his head, the Supreme Flame Dragon nodded.

“There was a saying once. When Hyeon Sobaek draws his sword, you can sense the tranquil contours of Mount Wudang. Were he to perform a sword dance on Mount Hua, the plum petals would respond of their own accord. And if you wish to feel the ruggedness of Mount Song, facing the Sword Star bare-handed will suffice.”

“...”

Silence fell for a moment. Jung Yeonshin studied Namgoong Hwashin and Heon Wonchang. Neither showed any particular change of expression.

Apparently, it was a familiar saying. It meant that one could invoke the sacred mountains of the Nine Great Sects when discussing the swordsman Hyeon Sobaek.

“I should consider him Purple-rank, then,” the boy murmured slowly.

The Supreme Flame Dragon nodded.

“In fact, people often compare the Divine Sword Squad Leader and the Sword Star. Mostly idle gossips of the martial world. I hear they even argue over whose swordsmanship is more sublime and beautiful.”

“They think he can compare with the squad leader’s Formless Sword?”

The question slipped out of Jung Yeonshin. He was recalling the sword of internal energy the Divine Sword Squad Leader had displayed when he killed the Namgoong clan head. Could anything be more magnificent than that dazzling blade? He had yet to see it.

The Supreme Flame Dragon nodded leisurely.

“It was the Sword Star’s White Silence Sword that beheaded the previous Martial Alliance Leader, after all... Frankly, he deserves respect. Many people revere him. I did myself, once.”

“The tale of him stopping a hundred Martial Alliance soldiers is famous. He took the previous leader’s head amid masters equipped with armor and arrows. That was fifteen years ago.”

Namgoong Hwashin spoke while sitting upright. He addressed Jung Yeonshin with complete respect. Of the three subordinates, he alone did so.

The boy gave a slight nod.

“What is his character like?”

“The incident with the Martial Alliance Leader I just mentioned happened in front of commoners. That Alliance’s army of martial artists supplies itself through plunder. They say the Sword Star appeared when the army was about to make a village its garrison. He stood alone against a hundred masters and the previous Alliance Leader. After beheading the leader, he suffered substantial internal injuries. As I understand it, he took refuge at Shaolin Temple for a time because of them. The incident occurred in Henan.”

Namgoong Hwashin’s reply carried respect for the Sword Star, Hyeon Sobaek.

'Judging by the rumors alone, he is a gallant hero.'

Was the Alliance Leader a little different? Jung Yeonshin had rarely caught even a hint of chivalry from the orthodox factions.

There was Yoo Hyun, who had rushed off to save commoners without a second thought; wiji myohwa, famed for her chivalry; the Shaolin monks who had willingly helped attack the Blood Flame Cult; and the Blue Qilin. That was all.

He spoke again, hoping he would not become entangled in needless games of strategy with the Sword Star.

“Then was that when he obtained the Great Restoration Pill?”

“That is what is known. Presumably, he formed a friendship with Shaolin’s abbot during that time.”

“He certainly is no ordinary old man. Offering the founding ceremony’s prize out of his own possessions—and a Great Restoration Pill, at that,” the Supreme Flame Dragon interjected.

He was right. Jung Yeonshin listened closely to his older subordinates. His mission required him to oppose a stronger master while being the weaker fighter.

The Desolate Divine Spear, Ak Surim, had said winning the founding ceremony would suffice, but the boy always wanted to earn greater merit than that.

A master’s swordplay was said to reflect their character. Someone with a rough temperament could hardly fully master the Wudang Sect’s Tai Chi Sword. If the Sword Star was mild-tempered, there was a good chance he would concede the first move.

In that case, preparing a stamping step that accumulated a substantial wave of force in a single strike was the right choice. Only by anticipating all manner of fights this way would he have even a small chance.

They also discussed how he should conduct himself as an envoy. Their discussion lasted until dawn.

“First, let’s do something about your words and behavior, Captain. As I see it, we may need to be more wary of the Zhuge clan head than the Alliance Leader. We can’t give him even the slightest excuse to find fault. Who knows what tricks he might use over your participation in the founding ceremony?”

“My words and behavior?”

“Honestly, it’s hard to call the way our young captain speaks polite, isn’t it? You’re rather gifted at sending your listeners’ blood rushing all the way to their Baihui points. You weren’t like this when I first saw you, but lately, something...”

“Me?”

With little progress made, Jung Yeonshin greeted the day of his audience.

* * *

The Alliance Leader’s Hall, where the Sword Star resided, lay deep within headquarters. It seemed to occupy the most secluded part of the inner courtyard.

Even the man assigned to guide Jung Yeonshin was no ordinary figure.

The Fan Dragon, Zhuge Hyeon. His green scholar’s robes called to mind a lofty academic. He was said to hold the second most exalted position in the Zhuge Clan.

'This seems like a servant’s job.'

The Zhuge young clan head had left Jung Yeonshin with a fairly good impression. He had politely requested a spar at their first meeting, and had given him a ride on his fan.

Just then, Zhuge Hyeon spoke as they walked together.

“I was rather overwhelmed the other day.”

“...?”

“You readily accepted my request to spar. As you said, it truly was a lesson. Belated though it is, I wanted to thank you. You opened my eyes, Captain.”

“Opened your eyes?”

“You said that while weapon forms are important, mastery of one’s movements must come first. It was an instructive experience. Enough that I’ve made progress in my Mobility Arts.”

His tone was calm, unlike Murong Mingjun’s affected voice. Sincerity came through in his composed bearing.

Had letting him ride the fan been contrary to his own wishes? Perhaps it had been ordered by someone in authority, like the Zhuge clan head.

The boy dipped his head once.

“That’s good.”

Few people in the martial world outside his companions had directly thanked him. Those from distinguished clans were rarer still.

Had his needless embarrassment shown? A faint curve formed at Zhuge Hyeon’s lips. Suddenly, the boy remembered. The Fan Dragon, Supreme Flame Dragon, and Blue Qilin were said to be the same age.

'Is he somewhat closer to the Blue Qilin’s sort?'

He was absently thinking of Namgoong Sejin when Zhuge Hyeon spoke.

“Here we are.”

STEP.

The two trod on autumn leaves more brilliant than flowers. A vast garden spread beneath their feet.

Surrounded on all sides by trees, a man greeted them with his hands behind his back. A presence as distinct as the fragrance of autumn flowers reached Jung Yeonshin.

Now that he had reached Black rank, he understood. That presence attested to an unimaginably dense sword domain. This was a peerless master who might well erect a sword barrier rivaling a fortress wall with a single blade.

He could see why the man was mentioned alongside the Divine Sword Squad Leader.

The Sword Star, Hyeon Sobaek.

He clearly had noble-race blood. In the sunlight, the prominent bridge of his nose resembled the blade of a divine sword.

He was an extraordinarily handsome middle-aged man. Even the ink-black sword hilt at his side looked refined against his white robes.

“Greetings, Alliance Leader.”

Zhuge Hyeon dropped to one knee and cupped his fist. The Sword Star smiled faintly and waved a hand.

“No need for such ceremony. I have business with you as well, so stay. And...”

His pitch-black eyes took in the boy’s entire figure. Jung Yeonshin stood still without offering a salute. He merely gazed at the Sword Star.

The inspiration stirring through his whole body held him that way. A tidal wave of formulas surged through his mind. His upper dantian was blazing white-hot of its own accord.

“So you are the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad.”

The Sword Star spoke with a fleeting smile.

“I heard about you from those greedy clan heads. They called you a young sprout whose head must be taken first if war breaks out between the sects. And yet...”

WHOOSH.

Suddenly, his sense of distance went strange. The boy blinked once. The Sword Star, who had been a full thirty paces away, was right before him.

The white robes he wore, modest for an Alliance Leader, cast a faint shadow. A fierce wind arrived a moment later. All the surrounding bushes flattened backward at once.

WHOOOOSH!

It was a truly terrifying movement technique. That speed had left the realm of humanity entirely.

'Too slow to react. I need to take the second form...!'

Jung Yeonshin reached for Northern Radiance’s hilt, then flinched. The Sword Star’s eyes had reddened.

“How can the heavens be so cruel? At such a tender age.”

Colorless sparks flared in his tear-filled black eyes. His eye technique seemed imbued with divine power. It was like the spiritual nature the boy had infused into his mental cultivation method—a sign of a supreme divine art brought to the highest realm.

“How hard it must have been for you. Come here. Let me embrace you.”

The captain’s body reacted independently of his startled mind. He had reflexively remembered Heon Wonchang’s habit.

Waves of force from Wind Body rose all over him. Tiny whirlwinds climbed his pitch-black robes. Their released force propelled him faster than the eye could follow, perfectly assisting his movements.

SWISH!

Recoiling, Jung Yeonshin twisted his upper body. The soft earth sank beneath the step he took next.

It was a move that let the Sword Star’s embrace slip past him to the side. Black and white sleeves brushed with a long rustle. The margin was a hair’s breadth.

The Sword Star’s and Zhuge Hyeon’s eyes widened.