'There couldn't be a more disgraceful way to die than choking on a poppy,' Jung Yeonshin thought.

The Supreme Flame Dragon had always wandered around half out of his mind. He treated poppies like air and enjoyed his drink as well. The shadows around his eyes had deepened, but Yeonshin did not consider what he had said outside Hanzhong's Finest Tavern an exaggeration.

He had called himself a Flower Young Master who had sampled every worldly pleasure. There was no way he could be in his right mind.

Yeonshin paid no particular attention to his peculiar reaction. He sought the eyes of his dependable senior, Ak Surim.

The Desolate Divine Spear did not meet his gaze. Her eyes rolled upward like jade beads, as though she could think of nothing to say. She appeared lost in very deep contemplation.

Yeonshin wondered whether he had touched on an unexpected blind spot. It never even occurred to him that she was hiding her embarrassment.

'I must have given her an insight, right?'

Essence, qi, and spirit.

What became of the spirit of an expert whose core energy had reached utter perfection and brought about Rejuvenation?

It was not a question that would readily occur to anyone. Unifying essence, qi, and spirit—the realm otherwise known as Three Flowers Gather at the Crown—was said to be profoundly mysterious.

Ma Jin had told him that one had to cultivate body and mind as one with core energy, penetrating all three dantians: upper, middle, and lower.

'It's a realm I have to reach too.'

He was entirely serious. The new captain of the Radiant Demon Squad was serving as a captain despite his control over the release and withdrawal of internal energy falling short of black-robed standards. He could do so thanks to the Dharma-Surpassing Radiant Wheel Art, his instinctive senses, and martial arts tailored perfectly to his body.

Enemies and seniors alike were often astonished. Such was the exalted state of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. It was exceedingly rare in the world.

Naturally, it was not a subject people often pondered.

Why had the Desolate Divine Spear Ak Surim's words and conduct become so frivolous? Did the mind follow the body?

What happened to essence, qi, and spirit when someone achieved Rejuvenation after attaining Three Flowers Gather at the Crown? The questions unfolding in Yeonshin's mind grew ever more difficult.

"... No one knows."

Ak Surim finally spoke after a long silence, her eyes noticeably lowered into a composed expression.

A junior far, far beneath her in seniority had called out behavior unbecoming of her age. Her strenuous effort to compose herself was even less befitting her years.

She had clenched her small fists tight. Veins stood out on the backs of her hands.

'She's found the seed of some enlightenment,' Yeonshin thought.

He listened in silence, while Xiahou Weizhen, captain of the Forest-Treading Squad, continued to laugh beside them.

His booming words accompanied the laughter. "This is amusing. He doesn't even know he's provoking her."

"Utter perfection and Rejuvenation don't come simply because you're strong," Ak Surim said slowly, her voice somewhat restrained.

Brightening a little, Yeonshin nodded.

"That much I know."

"You should think of it as a fortuitous encounter. A kind of heavenly blessing. High martial attainment alone won't do it."

"Then...?"

"There's a sensation of essence, qi, and spirit falling into exquisite alignment. Practitioners who deeply cultivate it each acquire a special quality. Rejuvenation just happened to be the ability I gained. The squad leader became adept at wielding the Formless Sword."

Yeonshin's eyes widened slightly. This was the first he had heard of it.

'So that sense still applies beyond Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.'

He recalled the Divine Sword Squad Leader's sword of internal energy.

That had been divine might: the sight of him drawing a brilliantly radiant sword and slaying the Namgoong clan head. The Formless Sword, composed of seven-colored light, had looked like the power of some transcendent being.

Such was the mystery of an unparalleled master's prowess after honing core energy to its utmost limit.

Ak Surim gazed steadily at his thoughtful face.

"To return to your question, you asked whether Rejuvenation affects the mind?"

"Yes, Senior."

"Isn't that obvious? If heaven's blessing turns back time and leaves you looking like a child, wouldn't living like an old person be even more ridiculous? No one ever complained about me enjoying myself a little. Some who did disappeared, too."

Ak Surim snickered with a young girl's face, tucking the short black hair that had slipped forward behind her ear.

She had regained her composure completely. Behind her back, the spearhead caught the sunlight and gleamed sharply.

A divine spear. A blade with a stark white edge.

'So she was just being silly.'

Yeonshin had heard that the martial world was full of eccentrics and extraordinary figures. The Desolate Divine Spear Ak Surim had her own eccentric side.

She was different from his maternal grandfather, Ma Yeonjeok. It seemed he could put his worries to rest.

Indeed, he ought to be hoping that his grandfather would gain the power of Rejuvenation.

"Thank you for explaining. It was a great help."

As they walked, he briefly cupped his fist toward Ak Surim. Three Flowers Gather at the Crown and Rejuvenation were not subjects one commonly encountered even in the martial world.

They could have this conversation because they were senior and junior within the Desolate Fortress. Even if it was of no immediate use, the teaching belonged firmly in the realm of secret techniques.

"No need for thanks. It was nothing."

She shook her head gently, the luster of her black hair rippling with the small movement.

"It just makes me regret all over again that none of my subordinates belong to the Lightning Genius martial lineage."

I'd hoped to exchange a few blows with our Lightning Genius. Ak Surim swallowed the words.

* * *

They obtained horses at a post station in Hanzhong. The station in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, was enormous, for it stood at the strategic junction of Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Huguang.

Showing a Desolate Fortress plaque to the nodding, drowsy attendant secured them more than thirty fine horses.

Everyone mounted: Yeonshin's party, Ak Surim, Xiahou Weizhen, and the experts of the Forest-Treading Squad. They had completed their respective duties as envoys to the Alliance and escorts for Lightning Genius.

Their journey continued.

CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP!

Hoofbeats rang out as the horses trampled fallen leaves.

The party rode on without cease. Even astride fine horses, the world was vast. Though Hanzhong was relatively close to Xiangyang, where the Desolate Fortress's main stronghold stood, they still had to travel beneath the moonlight many times.

Along the way, Yeonshin formed friendships with the Forest-Treading Squad's experts.

They were valiant men, much like their captain, Xiahou Weizhen. They lived up to the name Forest-Treading, which meant trampling Murim underfoot. Their temperaments made it seem as though the Desolate Fortress's duty had been engraved into their entire beings.

Heon Wonchang, who said he had admired them even before joining the fortress, made it easy to get acquainted. The great hero of Desolate Fortress served as a bridge between the two sides.

"That was when I, Heon Wonchang, shouted that Jung Yeonshin, Lightning Genius of the Desolate Fortress, had beheaded an elder of the Tyrant Sword Tribe."

"So the rumors were true. I found it hard to believe you had accomplished such a feat while still a white robe."

"Surely it is precisely that talent which has brought him to the position of captain of the Radiant Demon Squad."

They had halted their horses and gathered in a clearing, where a campfire blazed at the center. Being martial experts, they had piled the firewood high—nearly as tall as a grown man.

CRACK. CRACKLE.

Sparks occasionally burst forth and danced beneath the moonlight. On that faintly illuminated evening, Xiangyang lay just ahead.

More than eight days had passed since they began riding. Having traveled diligently for eight days and nights, they would reach the Desolate Fortress tomorrow.

"You'll have plenty to do, won't you, Lightning Genius? The work will come pouring in as soon as you return."

Ak Surim sat cross-legged with her spear shaft laid across her thighs. The light reflected on the spear flickered with the boisterous flames.

She continued, "Reorganizing your personnel alone will be no small task. A combat unit under the Divine Sword Squad is effectively the elite force of a major faction. Replacing its head is much like replacing a sect leader. You'll have to establish new rules to your liking, refine the unit's martial arts, and teach your subordinates to raise their attainment."

"Yes, I understand," Yeonshin replied, sitting with his back straight.

The Supreme Flame Dragon and Namgoong Hwashin sat on either side of him, with Lady Ye and Zhuge Cheonga behind him.

Occasionally, he felt a gaze upon the back of his head, a presence conveyed through qi fluctuations. It belonged not to Zhuge Cheonga, but to Lady Ye.

Unlike when they were alone together, she had become noticeably quiet. Yet the fluctuations of her internal power, now much more concentrated, seemed to wash over him alone. Was she shy around strangers?

He spoke without letting any of this show.

"The personnel reorganization is the problem. To maintain the unit's strength, I need more blue-robed experts..."

His voice trailed off.

The Wing-Returning Unit that had accompanied him to Sichuan had long since disbanded. Its members had to carry out missions with their own combat units.

Even if they had volunteered for the Sichuan expedition out of respect for the founding master of their martial lineage, transferring their affiliation was a separate matter. Both their own wishes and agreements with the captains of their respective units had to be considered.

Ak Surim smiled brightly.

"Just go around challenging the captains. Like a contest to choose a spouse through martial prowess. Show them your martial arts and take whoever you want. The main fortress is probably already preparing the sparring system."

"I've heard of it, but must I defeat my seniors to gain their subordinates?"

Yeonshin recalled the meeting place of the black-robed experts.

The Hall of the Sword That Seeks Peace. Not one of those who occupied the stone seats around its circular table lacked formidable strength. It had made the fortress's standing as the world's strongest great faction feel very real.

To pit his martial arts against the Divine Sword Squad's seventeen captains.

Countless martial artists across the world would wish for nothing more. But what if there were stakes riding on those bouts?

Every one of them was a supreme expert who had achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.

'I've created swordsmanship worthy of a divine technique, so perhaps I'm no longer right at the bottom. Winning against just two or three would be a great help. I could recruit four or five blue robes that way,' Yeonshin thought.

Until recently, the new captain of the Radiant Demon Squad had himself been a blue-robed expert of the Desolate Fortress. He knew the prowess of those who wore blue martial robes. Their strength approached that of the experts who made up a great faction's elite.

'From now on, I'll have to take on a major sect by myself.'

The Thirteen skies, or the Eight Great Families.

Even if he did not attack their headquarters, he would have to contend with their elite forces operating in the martial world.

That was fine. If he accomplished his goal, he would have strength befitting his office. Then he could face any group.

With a properly assembled Radiant Demon Squad at his back, Jung Yeonshin's power to break through would exceed imagination.

Only then would he truly become someone who could protect the people's livelihoods from Murim on a grand scale.

"What an audacious junior. I can read your thoughts."

Xiahou Weizhen spoke from where he sprawled opposite him, smiling with his teeth fully exposed. He looked as fierce as a wild beast. As Yeonshin bowed his head silently toward him, he continued.

"Some of those fellows belong to your martial lineage too. Steel yourself if you mean to take them. If you can't last three forms against me, I'll start by overhauling their martial arts."

Three of the thirty-odd Forest-Treading Squad experts smiled awkwardly: one blue robe and two white robes.

They had honed their qi fluctuations to an unusual degree. One of the white-robed warriors was a man who had accompanied him to the City of Master Artisans as part of the Wing-Returning Unit.

"Dream on. Do you think I'll let them go easily?" Xiahou Weizhen snorted.

He said that if they had not been on their way home, he would have exchanged blows with him on the spot.

The Forest-Treading Squad's captain, the Thousand-Fist, Dragon-Strength Retainer, took considerable pride in his clan. He was notorious for treating those outside the noble race with contempt.

His attitude toward Yeonshin was unusually generous, in fact. He had watched every detail of the new Radiant Demon Squad captain's conduct at the Alliance.

Thanks to that, their journey remained peaceful—even after sunrise, as they passed through Xiangyang's gates and reached the Desolate Fortress's main stronghold.

Yeonshin gripped the reins and spurred his horse onward.

A few autumn leaves brushed his face. A familiar scent rode the clear autumn breeze that swept past him.

It was the scent of his tranquil home, a place that felt more like his homeland than Xinye County. Tall white fortress walls drew closer before his eyes.

The Desolate Fortress.

At last, he had returned.

* * *

Ak Surim and Xiahou Weizhen paid little attention to the people from the Alliance. Throughout the journey home, the two captains had spoken only to Yeonshin.

It was the same after they passed through the main gate and walked on, leaving their subordinates behind.

"Captains have to report their return. We see the fortress master after every completed mission."

He walked beside Ak Surim toward the Desolate fortress master's inner citadel.

There was no time even to savor the scent of his martial home. Behind him, Xiahou Weizhen's resounding footsteps grew cautious.

So did Zhuge Cheonga's. Only the footfalls of Lady Ye, who had remained silent all along, sounded light and soft.

There were three widely recognized black robes among them. Though they had brought outsiders along, the warriors guarding the entrance to the inner citadel did not particularly hinder them.

Yeonshin alone encountered some unfamiliar looks, mostly curiosity and admiration. He was told that every new captain went through this.

"You'll be astonished when you learn how much farther your martial lineage has spread," Ak Surim said with a smile.

STEP.

The five of them climbed the stairs. By the time they were ascending, no one spoke.

Only after well over a hundred steps did they reach the top.

An enormous stone door stood before them. As they approached, it opened on its own—a sight that had become fairly familiar to Yeonshin by now.

RUMBLE.

A magnificent scene unfolded.

The massive trunks of ancient trees twisted and rose naturally to form a desk, a tea table, and a bed.

Clear sunlight streamed through the wide opening in the wall. Within it, he saw a woman reclining at an angle.

Her beauty stood as a symbol of immortality, and her eyes seemed to hold the principles of all things beneath heaven.

WHOOOSH.

Wind blew in through the window, a gentle breeze that softly stroked Yeonshin's skin as he faced her.

Yet the pale green hair draped over the wooden bed opposite him did not stir.

As always, the Desolate fortress master's hair held a majestic silence.

Her long lashes lifted. The shadows they cast, like blades of grass scattered in radiance, shortened upward.

"..."

Those deep green eyes, which bore down upon the very soul, turned toward Lady Ye.