“What are you doing?”

Those were his first words to the Martial Alliance Leader as captain of the Radiant Demon Squad.

From his reaction, the man seemed to have recognized his short-lived constitution. But quite apart from his shock at that, Jung Yeonshin had lived without ever imagining anything like an embrace.

It was because his mother had died in childbirth. Perhaps it would be different if his teacher, the Desolate Fortress Master, were to hold him. No, even that would probably be terribly embarrassing.

‘Is the Fortress Master the only supreme master without an eccentric streak?’

The Sword Star’s lofty position and seniority were no reason to conceal his displeasure. Jung Yeonshin’s brows drew together slightly.

“Oh dear.”

The corners of Hyeon Sobaek’s mouth drooped slightly. His feelings showed plainly on his face.

It was the very picture of someone realizing his mistake. Nothing in his conduct suggested any concern for authority.

“I have been rude to a captain of the Desolate Fortress in his own right. Forgive me. Whatever my face may suggest, I am an old man. I was rather quick-witted in my youth, but these days I am not what I once was. My heart ached as though I were seeing a grandchild I never had. All the more so because the martial prowess you have painstakingly built is so astonishing.”

His faint smile was decidedly impish. It revealed something of an eccentric master.

A law unto himself.

Jung Yeonshin instinctively grasped the Sword Star’s temperament.

Here was a man who lived in a world of his own. A supreme master whose fame defined an age.

He saw deeply into Jung Yeonshin’s attainment and constitution and did not hesitate to show compassion.

Utterly unrestrained. The epithet Sword Star suited him better than Martial Alliance Leader.

Hyeon Sobaek stroked his chin.

“Let me see. With the turning of the year, I shall reach the age rarely attained. The years have certainly piled up for this old man.”

“The age rarely attained...?”

Jung Yeonshin repeated it without thinking. The expression came from Du Fu’s poem “Winding River.”

It meant that a life of seventy years was rare, and referred to one’s seventieth year. It was not a phrase commonly used since the noble race had descended into the world.

But something else mattered more. The Sword Star’s age was not publicly known.

Even as captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, he had yet to encounter that information. This was the first he had learned of it.

The boy made no attempt to hide his puzzlement.

“Are you of mixed noble-race blood?”

“I stopped my Rejuvenation halfway.”

The venerable old man smiled with the handsome face of a middle-aged man.

“I thought that if I let my internal power guide my body as it pleased, I would lose the muscular strength I had trained for decades. Live that long as a wandering warrior, and enemies are everywhere. It was a matter of survival. To preserve the skill of my prime, I had to become only moderately younger. Your Desolate Divine Spear seems not to have needed such measures, but that must be thanks to the solid internal power characteristic of an illustrious house. An enviable thing.”

In the tones of an old man, he spoke of things from another world. His words and actions betrayed a transcendent degree of refinement in internal energy.

Beneath his seemingly foolish behavior was a swordsman pursuing the utmost strength.

A master utterly obsessed with martial learning.

“There can be no one else in the world with your gifts. Yet how much effort, how many scenes of carnage, must it have taken to reach such a level? A junior who sets aside his heavenly affliction—a punishment imposed by Heaven—and quietly perseveres brings me great joy and affection. That is why I made a fool of myself. A hundred hot-blooded young blades of the Alliance would not equal you alone. Is not the prowess you have built in defiance of fear truly outstanding?”

So spoke the supreme figure of the Martial Alliance. His expression suggested that Jung Yeonshin’s mere presence, standing quietly before him, delighted him like a grandchild’s antics.

It was strange, and chilling. This master, said to aspire beyond the heavens with his sword, had no interest in the balance of power between factions.

Only martial arts.

He saw nothing but Jung Yeonshin’s constitution and martial skills. The relationship between the Desolate Fortress and the Martial Alliance seemed beneath his notice.

Only the Sword Star could display such affection. He was the great chivalrous warrior who had beheaded a Lord of the Thirteen Skies amid that faction’s principal masters to protect the common people.

In other words, a transcendent being. Glimmers of light flickered ceaselessly through eyes filled entirely with Jung Yeonshin.

“The balance of your steps is most unusual. Even highly advanced footwork generally places the center of gravity forward, but yours is distributed in every direction. That must be thanks to your innate sense of balance.”

“...”

“The movement technique you just showed was extraordinary as well. I have conceived of whole-body Burst Discharge myself, but never dared attempt it. How could one possibly produce waves of force with such tiny muscles? To my eyes, it seems possible because of your body. It is more than merely well trained. Your body is itself a divine technique. I am exceedingly curious how you cultivated it.”

He smacked his lips as though he could not quite bring himself to ask. Jung Yeonshin simply listened in silence.

“Though my knowledge is fairly extensive, these are martial arts I have never heard of. Naturally, you created them yourself? Had Shaolin taken you in as a novice monk, its Seventy-Two Supreme Arts would have doubled or tripled. If the abbot saw you, he would beat the ground in regret.”

The ceaseless torrent of words was frightening. It carried both interest and a keen edge.

He perceived Jung Yeonshin with insight sharper than that of the Desolate Fortress’s Law Enforcement Squad. Few masters in the world possessed such an eye.

‘So the Blood Flame Cult Leader isn’t the only supreme master who isn’t taciturn.’

While the boy was thinking silently to himself, another watched.

Fan Dragon Zhuge Hyeon had never seen the Alliance Leader like this.

This was not the amiable man who merely nodded with a kindly face at meetings of the leadership.

He had never known those eyes could shine so brightly.

‘Yet he takes no interest in his duties.’

The sight would leave the Alliance’s young warriors feeling profoundly deprived.

Even now, a curious emptiness opened in his own heart. When the man finally deigned to discuss martial learning, his chosen partner was a master of the Desolate Fortress.

Having already heard what had happened at the banquet, Zhuge Hyeon decided he should keep this meeting between the Alliance Leader and the Radiant Demon Squad captain to himself.

‘Yerim hasn’t had her old spirit lately. Can she settle her differences with him?’

If the Alliance did not wage a sect war against the Desolate Fortress, that boy would become a leading candidate to bridge the two great powers. On the Desolate Fortress’s side, at least, there was no one else.

Jung Yeonshin, captain of the Radiant Demon Squad.

The reputation he had earned by instructing the Alliance’s warriors, his outstanding prowess, and his experience here as an envoy all weighed heavily in his favor.

Indeed, one needed only look into the Alliance Leader’s eyes. He seemed to be treating his own grandson.

‘If we move toward friendship with the Desolate Fortress, neither Yerim nor I stand to gain by earning the captain’s dislike. I must reason with her.’

Just then, the Sword Star gave a small sigh.

“Ah.”

An embarrassed smile soon touched his lips.

“I grew too excited. The Desolate Fortress has always placed the people’s livelihood before the affairs of the martial world, has it not? A chivalrous warrior like you possesses everything that catches this old man’s eye, and I unintentionally made an undignified spectacle of myself. That must have been more chatter than a junior could bear. Now, to return to official matters...”

“It is quite all right.”

Jung Yeonshin answered. The displeasure he had shown at their first encounter had long since vanished.

Light shone in the boy’s eyes, though he had not set his radiant wheel spinning.

While the Sword Star had been appraising the Radiant Demon Squad captain, the captain had been gazing steadily at him in turn.

Like the reflected image caught in the eyes of someone peering into a lake.

“Hmm?”

The Sword Star’s puzzled response was a small thing.

“Merely watching you stand still is an education, Sword Star.”

Jung Yeonshin spoke again.

“My experience is limited, so this is the first time I have encountered such balance. You said that my center of gravity spreads in all directions, but I can see that you keep your feet connected to the earth at all times. The qi waves extending from your Yongquan points feel so solid...”

Sky-blue lightning flashed in the boy’s eyes. The Sword Star had been the first to commit the discourtesy of analyzing another’s martial arts.

He could hardly object to Yeonshin pouring out his insights and checking his reactions.

Supreme master though he was, the Sword Star remained aware that the Radiant Demon Squad captain before him was an envoy of the Desolate Fortress.

“For stability in swordsmanship, there could be no better internal-energy opening stance. I envy your inexhaustible core energy, too. You mentioned Senior Ak, the Desolate Divine Spear, but I wonder whether your internal power is not every bit as profound and pure as hers. Quite apart from its degree of refinement, there is much to learn from it.”

The Sword Star gave a disbelieving laugh.

“Hah...? You can sense this? Is your constitution that potent? I expected extraordinary senses, but...”

“I understand the significance of your natural stance. The qi channels throughout your body allow the surrounding air to flow freely and without obstruction. I said I could see the rugged heights of Mount Song in you, even unarmed. By strengthening the internal energy in the Yongquan points beneath your feet and assigning an equal measure of core energy to the Tongziliao points beside your eyes, you can perceive your opponent and move accordingly without difficulty, even without a sword.”

Jung Yeonshin continued slowly.

“The gently relaxed muscles throughout your body, as I can see them now, must also contribute to your ability to strike instantly. You are showing me the efficacy of an eye technique elevated to the level of a supreme divine art. And how to use the body.”

“...”

The Sword Star’s smile faded.

The boy thought that, now he looked at it, the journey to the Martial Alliance had itself been a fortuitous encounter.

He had reached a moment of great significance. The Sword Star was an inexhaustible waterfall of inspiration.

This had been inevitable from the moment Ak Surim named Jung Yeonshin as the right person for the mission. Unity of essence, qi, and spirit was still far beyond him.

He had to bridge the gap to the realm of Black through martial finesse and the creation of new martial arts.

The newly appointed Radiant Demon Squad captain kept speaking.

“Having seen you unarmed, I can begin to imagine what you must look like with a sword. You called yourself a wandering warrior. Now I understand why the sacred mountains of the Nine Great Sects appear in descriptions of you, venerable Senior. Are you not also employing swordsmanship inspired by the masters of the Nine Great Sects? Through your peerless eye technique, and with the footing you now maintain as its foundation.”

He paid no attention to Hyeon Sobaek’s slightly open mouth.

If the Sword Star possessed a passion for pursuing the ultimate in martial arts, Jung Yeonshin had been born to fall under the spell of martial arts beyond his own imagining.

Was it the upright pride peculiar to the righteous orthodox factions? Hyeon Sobaek concealed nothing.

The boy’s eyes were filled with fascinating things. He was like an inn advertising that it could prepare every delicacy under heaven.

Like Hangzhou’s Great River Restaurant, which had in fact made its name through the exceptional flavor of its food.

“Your hands look light. There are places where the fluctuations of internal power are unusually weak. The Jugu points beneath your shoulders, the Quchi points at your elbow joints... Yet the Hugu points between your thumbs and forefingers seem stronger. That arrangement would not suit a swift sword. For a thrust, however, there could be no more ideal circulation of internal power.”

The power of his upper dantian, growing stronger as death drew nearer, was revealing itself.

Inspiration surged through his mind like raging waves. Perhaps all the more because he had already heard the Sword Star’s history from his subordinates, who were like older brothers to him.

Conjecture and knowledge collided with sensation and burst like firebombs. Everything was inspiration.

He could not bear not to speak it aloud. Once refined into words, it returned to him as polished insight.

“Direct Wind Body’s waves of force beneath the feet. Keep the grip light when extending a swift sword, but make the Yongquan points heavy. I can’t imitate the natural stance outright. I don’t have a usable eye technique. That’s all right, for now... I can compensate with my body. Shift the Movement Art toward cultivating the minute energy points... Swordsmanship that covers every direction will need the formula of the wind...”

He muttered in complete absorption. His words were no longer addressed to anyone.

These were the beginnings of a new sword art.

At this very moment, the framework for revising his swordsmanship was taking shape.

From nothing more than rumors of the Sword Star and the sight of him standing blankly before him, he grasped the profound principles of wielding a blade.

The boy studied the supreme master who had risen to the stars through his sword, ceaselessly turning his ideas over.

Until all that would remain was to flesh them out and refine them in actual combat.

Standing where he was, he perceived the depths of a master several levels above him, interweaving that insight with reflection upon himself.

He had utterly forgotten himself. In that state, he scarcely looked human.

With his radiant wheel still, he continued thinking in his head alone. Pale blue flames flashed over and over in the boy’s eyes.

“Because he is like this, Namgoong Sejin...”

Zhuge Hyeon’s lips moved dazedly. Hyeon Sobaek, too, made no attempt to conceal his stupefaction.

Both men were warriors of the righteous orthodox factions. They did not interrupt the boy as he attained insight into the sword.

They merely watched, their faces blank with disbelief.

They remained that way even when the newly appointed Radiant Demon Squad captain finally came to his senses and offered a martial salute.

“Thank you, Sword Star. I am indebted to you.”

Jung Yeonshin brought his hands together and bowed slightly at the waist.