One warrior of the Desolate Fortress remained alone at Martial Alliance headquarters.

The White Qilin, Namgoong Hwashin.

He was the center of attention. The Blue and White Twin Qilins had long been considered the finest brothers in the martial world, in character as well as martial prowess.

Namgoong Hwashin was an imposing warrior by anyone's reckoning. He was also known as the next captain of the Suncheon Wing. Though a few envied him, those who showed him goodwill overwhelmingly outnumbered them.

Once Jung Yeonshin left, messages seeking Hwashin increased sharply. Many had kept their distance because of the infamy Ma Jin had built around the office of captain of the Radiant Demon Squad.

Hwashin found himself in all manner of situations. He would receive a letter requesting a sparring match, only to arrive at the appointed place and face a blade honed from words.

"The truth is, I love you, Young Master Namgoong. I have ever since the Dragon-Phoenix Summit."

"..."

"Once the founding ceremony is over, it will be difficult to see you again, so I gathered my courage to tell you. Please don't give me an answer just yet."

A fist practitioner of the Eon clan told him this beneath moonlight thick with mist.

Some women slipped him love letters, while others declared their feelings in person. This was how romance unfolded in the martial world.

It was familiar enough. He had received countless confessions even before joining the Desolate Fortress, ever since he began attending the Dragon-Phoenix Summit with Namgoong Sejin and Namgoong Mi.

He simply had not expected it at the Martial Alliance as well. He turned them down, again and again.

"I appreciate your feelings. But I cannot marry into your family."

"...!"

Not everyone approached him with innocent intentions. He could see their desire to lure away a warrior whose brilliant future was assured. More than a hundred sects were said to have signed the Martial Alliance's joint pledge. Sending members of the opposite sex to approach outstanding men and women had never been uncommon.

Hwashin turned away bitterly.

He had once had a lover who shared his heart. She was the daughter of a minor merchant company head who traded tea leaves in Southern Zhili. She had been poisoned on Namgoong Mi's orders.

It had happened while Hwashin was being raised as his clan's hidden blade. A noble clan's killing blade was not permitted ties with outsiders.

He had been forced to bury his love in his heart. No woman had caught his eye since.

"I know you did not inherit the king-style sword arts. I, Jang, wished to witness your Boundless Heaven Technique in the first place, Young Master."

"I once received a lesson from the Blue Qilin while he was alive..."

Competitive ambition and attempts to keep him in check were everywhere. But these were mild by comparison.

The truly vile ones were those who used marriage and those who pried into the acting captain. The former he could endure. The latter were the problem.

"I'm not asking about the Desolate Fortress's organization. I'm merely curious..."

"Speak."

"About the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad. What standing does that young Black Captain have within the Fortress? Isn't it strange that the head of one of the world's foremost combat units has yet to turn twenty? Is he truly worthy of the renowned White Qilin's wholehearted loyalty...?"

"..."

"Even if it was a fair duel, wasn't he the one who ran the Blue Qilin through? He killed your elder brother. I'm exceedingly curious just how exceptional his character must be. There are plenty of rumors that he's terribly arrogant."

"... He is a straightforward man. He does what must be done, worries when there is cause for concern, and grows angry when anger is warranted. Only the way he expresses himself appears haughty. If you wish to know more, come to the Court of Graceful Fragrance. I, Namgoong, will explain with my sword."

"Your sword? Good heavens, I thought you were a gentle soul..."

No one actually came to the Court of Graceful Fragrance.

Those of shallow cunning generally possessed shallow martial arts as well. It took more than ordinary resolve to cross swords with the White Qilin.

"Young Master Namgoong, a letter has arrived from the Beggars' Sect."

He received the document from a servant waiting at the Court of Graceful Fragrance. It was from the Beggar Heir—an invitation to a meeting of the Martial Alliance's leadership, in his capacity as the Desolate Fortress's representative.

With the delegation's leader, the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, absent, he was to speak for the captain as a blue-robed expert.

He set out at once.

He took his place in a meeting hall filled with illustrious masters. Only two were his age: a handsome beggar and a woman with a white cloth covering her eyes. In appearance, it was the woman who stood out.

Her smooth jawline and high nose alone suggested a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, but she also possessed a uniquely enigmatic presence. Even her slightest movement drew everyone's gaze, men and women alike.

She was introduced as the Ye family's representative. They had poured an enormous sum into establishing the Martial Alliance.

'Someone to watch.'

Hwashin was committing her and the Beggar Heir to memory when a voice spoke.

"This matter concerns the schedule for the founding ceremony."

The speaker was a middle-aged man in long green robes: the Illustrious Master of Wind and Water, Zhuge Cheon. With his jet-black, swordlike eyebrows, he was the Alliance's acting chief strategist.

Hwashin's gaze grew cold. This was the man who had reportedly played tricks on his captain with an Enchantment. He had a bad feeling.

"Many have proposed moving the founding ceremony forward slightly. With the world now on the verge of turmoil, they suggest announcing the Alliance's launch sooner, so that we may swiftly reassure the people of the martial world. I consider this a proposal of considerable merit..."

Hwashin's eyes widened.

This was an utterly blatant attempt to sideline them. They intended to exclude the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad from the founding ceremony. They were willing to endure accusations of scheming out of fear of a Desolate Fortress master.

It seemed they wanted to prevent the captain, so young for his prowess, from making laughingstocks of the Alliance's masters.

'How has the orthodox Murim grown so petty?'

Few looked displeased—only the Mount Hua Taoists and the Tang Clan warriors. None of the Nine Great Sects besides Mount Hua had attended, and there had been nothing to expect from the noble clans to begin with.

The Sword Star, the Alliance Leader, was nowhere to be seen. The claims that he was a figurehead seemed true.

Acting Chief Strategist Zhuge Cheon had brought forward a matter that was all but decided already.

Hwashin thought,

'I must stop this.'

At once, the swordsman's tough, powerful hand rose. Every master in the hall had expected it.

The noble clan representatives wore faint sneers. The acting chief strategist smiled courteously too.

"An envoy has no vote... but we will listen closely to your opinion, Young Master Namgoong. Catch your breath, then speak."

Just then, Zhuge Cheon's smile suddenly faded. Another arm had risen in the hall.

It was a slender, snow-white hand.

The young lady of the Ye family twisted her raised hand this way and that, as if in play.

* * *

Seven Multitudes Gorge.

Invisible waves of martial power filled the hill, emanating from the newly appointed captain of the Radiant Demon Squad as he held his sword high.

They approached like a biting wind that sliced the skin. The gorge's powerful winds seemed to ripple translucently. The buildup alone marked it as a high-level form.

Baek Seogun had seen this sword form once already. It was the one she had met when the captain asked whether he had the right to speak down to the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon.

Newly conscious of her hair tickling her nape, she spoke into the wind of his sword.

"You were in a hurry then. I did wonder what would happen if you executed it properly."

Her arm swept through the air. Her short gray hair swayed boldly, and her sword swam through the air according to the principles of the Hand-Guided Sword.

A mighty wave of force rode its blade. Core energy extending from the acupoints throughout her body and her eight extraordinary meridians transformed into unrestrained martial force. The power of the Eight Illusions Divine Art crossed empty space and enveloped the blade, plainly defying ordinary reason.

Such was the capability of the noble race's divine technique. It halted the practitioner's years and bestowed the majestic art of controlling a sword with qi.

After attaining the flying-sword realm inherent in the Eight Illusions Divine Art, she had moved beyond the Ten Precepts of Go. The principles of the game Jeong Banak had taught her as a pastime no longer helped her in life.

["Don't 'sacrifice stones to seize the initiative' and 'do not covet victory' contradict each other? You tell me to give up stones to take the initiative, yet also not to be rashly greedy?"]

["You fool. How is that a contradiction? It means to relax your shoulders and take the initiative. Don't grow impatient even if you have to give up a few stones."]

The young nobleman she had served was wrong. For a supreme master who had entered the realm of controlling a sword with qi, sacrificing stones to seize the initiative and refraining from coveting victory were useless.

Baek Seogun had lived arrogantly, shoulders squared and chest thrust out. She had accepted no losses.

She was someone who could afford to live that way.

And she had, until everything became hollow.

The maidservant of the Jeong Clan Estate extended her hand as Henan Province's Sword Exalted. Her blade soared like a kite, then became a flash of lightning.

The scarlet sunlight fractured against its blade as it raced forward, piercing every stream of wind spreading from the young captain's sword.

The boy stood still with his sword raised in high guard. He followed her flying sword with his eyes alone, then brought his divine sword down when its tip came within three paces.

A crash rang out. A tremendous shock wave shook the earth. It was a forceful sword strike rarely seen in the world.

The captain did not stop. Pushing back the sword he had struck down with his divine blade, he took a step forward.

That single step was unbelievably fast. He had reached the point of applying the force waves of sword strikes to his movement technique. A gale surged forth.

His next footfall landed four jang ahead.

THUD!

The ground gave way with a crack. It was a terrifying stomping strike.

CRRRAACK!

The instant Jung Yeonshin planted his foot, he surged forward again, using the force wave released by his stomp as propulsion. His entire body seemed to become a Thunderclap Bomb.

He paid no heed to the flying sword being recalled behind him at arrow speed. It was the spirit of sacrificing stones to seize the initiative.

He did not spare his body in creating an opening for an attacking form. Without even looking, he extended his sword behind him.

CLANG!

The flying sword glanced aside. A powerful impact traveled down to his thighs, placing an enormous burden on his lower body.

He had not completely shaken off the qi-controlled sword, either. Baek Seogun's blade spun with a hum, slashing his side as it overtook him.

Pain spread as though a straight gash had been cut into him. It was searingly hot.

He ignored it. Now she was ten paces away. Baek Seogun's eyes had widened slightly as she caught her flying sword.

He had stepped into a supreme master's sword domain while barely able to steady himself. Her reaction was natural.

Thanks to her qi-controlled sword's capabilities, she assumed her opening stance with incredible speed: a middle guard aimed at her opponent's heart. The sword moved of its own accord into whatever position she desired.

'That's it.'

Jung Yeonshin thought as he raced forward with his lightness skill.

His upper dantian's energy detection stirred at his crown. The domain of the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon's blade flowed into his mind. He estimated her sword form from her opening stance with her left foot forward, the pattern of her power waves, her faint breathing, and the movement of her upper-arm muscles visible through the fabric below her shoulders.

An astonishingly precise and swift sword strike was about to manifest.

The boy invoked the formula of the Movement Art.

Inwardly, he recited its essential secret.

'Mother.'

His muscles responded. His right arm tightened ever so slightly—a contraction.

It traveled from the lateral head beside his shoulder down along the muscles of his upper arm. Nothing showed on the surface. Only the core energy in the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, which wrapped around the side of his right arm, sprang upward with tremendous elasticity.

ROOOAR!

The second form of the nameless sword art.

The ground facing his lowered blade erupted. A violent tremor rose. He drew in all the waves of force accumulated through the successive collisions.

This was the profound principle of linked forms. Even the power stored in the Yinmen points at the backs of his thighs swirled transparently into his sword.

A gale arose in an instant. Dust scattered in every direction.

The raging wind split into dozens of streams. The sword traced only one path.

He approached as though he would disregard the sword Baek Seogun thrust toward him.

Passing her, the black-robed boy swept Northern Radiance horizontally. A long streak of silver flashed.

CLAAANG!

He struck it squarely. The impact weighed heavily in his grip. Baek Seogun's sword sprang upward.

Sunlight caught on its blade danced wildly in the air, accompanied by silence.

"..."

Her somewhat dazed gaze swept over the boy's back. With his sword lowered, the captain slowly turned.

His footsteps sounded strangely oppressive.

The qi waves emanating from the surrounding Martial Alliance army ceased. They had all stopped breathing for an instant—the response of lesser warriors confronted with a supreme master's might.

"... You poured a full-body Burst Discharge into a single sword. With overwhelming ferocity."

Murmuring dazedly, Baek Seogun reached into the air. Her gently descending sword was drawn into her grasp.

It was a peerless flying-sword principle, yet her own technique stirred no particular feeling in her. Not because she was accustomed to it.

Only the boy's sword path remained vivid before her eyes. His form possessed an entirely different temperament from hers, as she merely waved her hands with a cultivated air.

If they exchanged more blows, Baek Seogun would win. She had achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and Five Qi Return to the Origin. She need only overwhelm him with her vastly superior ability to control and release internal power.

Apart from the Desolate Divine Spear, few even among the Desolate Fortress's Black ranks could likely oppose her. But the wager had been to gain the advantage in a single form.

The Sky-Swimming Sword Demon had lost to the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad. A lesson learned when she was a maidservant at the Jeong Clan Estate had broken the Sword Exalted's stance once.

The boy's sword strike, launched in disregard of harm to his own body, had been truly fearsome.

"The Ten Precepts of Go. Sacrifice stones to seize the initiative."

She slowly parted her lips.

"My past... was neither meaningless nor dim."

She murmured as though briefly lost in a trance. Jung Yeonshin did not answer.

Before long, Baek Seogun smiled faintly.

"A master's sword will always bear traces of the life they have lived... Child with Banak's face, yet so unlike Banak—who are you?"

"The captain of the Radiant Demon Squad will confirm the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon's promise. You agreed to return to Martial Alliance headquarters, did you not?"

The boy answered with a question.

Baek Seogun's smile deepened.

"Yes. I will. I've lived an unhurried life anyway. I received something from the Jeong Clan Estate, so I shall repay that kindness over the long years to come. You have reminded me."

"Long years."

Jung Yeonshin briefly repeated the words.

Baek Seogun quietly studied the boy before her. What was he thinking? After speaking of years, he closed his lips and said nothing. There was no end to the curious things about him.

Just then, the martial army parted to make way. The Supreme Flame Dragon sauntered over and asked bluntly,

"Need a hand?"

"No."

"Let's get going, then."

"All right."

High on the gorge's hillside, the fading sunlight wrapped the peaks like a translucent veil.

The sunset's glow flowed down on the wind alongside the retreating hems of black robes. The two were descending into the gorge.

Baek Seogun gazed at the back of a younger Jeong Banak.

A wistfulness that brought the passage of years home to her stirred together with a strange emotion.

"Your sword reaps the bonds between people," she murmured.

However she looked at him, he had grown up well. She found herself wanting to investigate every detail of the calamity that had destroyed the Jeong Clan Estate.

Jung Daemyung seemed to have raised him well, just as she had hoped, but the words of the boy in the hero's headband troubled her.

For Henan Province's Sword Exalted, Shaanxi and Henan were practically next door.

She thought of the master of the Low Gate. In knowledge of martial-world affairs, that person stood shoulder to shoulder with the Beggars' Sect Leader. The Desolate Fortress's newly appointed captain of the Radiant Demon Squad would already be listed as someone to watch. One way or another, she would learn how Jung Yeonshin had grown up.

Baek Seogun, the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon, turned smoothly. The elaborate patterns embroidered on her scarlet martial robes shifted.

At last, the sunset faded.

The boy descending Seven Multitudes Gorge and the woman choosing her course atop the hill—their shadows stretched long in opposite directions.

They were the shadows of a young nobleman and a maidservant.

Even then, Jung Yeonshin did not consider his swordsmanship a finished art.

Its creation had begun with the Sword Star. It had to find its completion with the Sword Star.

'And I only have two forms so far.'

He was silently reviewing his swordsmanship as he walked with the Supreme Flame Dragon when they encountered Heon Wonchang, who had been keeping a fierce watch from one side of a peak. He had not gone down.

He said he had meant to intervene if necessary. The boy shook his head with a faint smile.

The Young Sword Empress and Gongsun Min joined them in turn. Murong Mingjun really had disappeared. They did not encounter him even by the time they reached the front gate of Martial Alliance headquarters.

"Hm? Something's strange."

The Supreme Flame Dragon spoke as he led the way through the crowd. Jung Yeonshin had noticed it too.

Enormous cheers rang from within the sprawling headquarters. There seemed to be at least several hundred people. This was no ordinary occurrence.

"Excuse me. What's happening inside?"

Heon Wonchang caught a passerby by the arm and asked. The man wore neat green martial robes. Frowning, he looked over Wonchang's profile, only to start in alarm the instant his gaze reached the character for Desolate on his shoulder. He even stammered.

"I-it's the founding tournament!"

"Something like the eve of a festival?"

"Not the eve—the founding ceremony was three days ago! The tournament is in its third day too...!"

The pleased expression on Heon Wonchang's face froze.