“... I believe I mentioned it when I assigned you the Blood Flame cultist case. Mount Hua had lost its Purple Radiance Pill.”

“You said that was keeping the Shaanxi branch occupied. Thanks to that, I was the one who caught the Blood Master Swordsman.”

“Correct. It still hasn't been resolved. The Purple Radiance Pill is a treasure worth all that trouble—a spirit medicine that ranks among Murim's greatest treasures. The suspects, the sects that took the lead in questioning them to curry favor with Mount Hua, and the other sects and martial artists who seized the chance to settle old scores... All manner of sects and gangs in Shaanxi Province have become entangled.”

“... There must be martial artists everywhere.”

His expression was anything but grave. The entire martial world of Shaanxi, a region larger than most small countries, had been drawn into the affair. How could he not be excited?

He already understood. Shaanxi Province was teeming with people who claimed to uphold the Way throughout the world with their swords.

Every one of them was a martial artist who could help refine his Infinite Blossom Fist Strike.

Had his feelings shown on his face? Though Ma Jin had proposed it himself, he could not hide his unease.

“You'll accompany Mount Hua. You'll help them search for the Purple Radiance Pill until the fighting subsides.”

“Martial artists from another sect helping them find their own spirit pill...?”

“It also serves as a form of surveillance. Mount Hua knows that. They've already had one major clash with an unorthodox group, and what was said to be the largest inn in Xi'an collapsed entirely. The casualties were enormous. The Radiant Demon Squad's role is to restrain Mount Hua's use of force, since they're at the center of the storm.”

“Mount Hua will accept that?”

“Mount Hua wants to become a second Shaolin Temple. They want imperial recognition as the foremost representative of the Taoist sects. Even if you went alone, they'd treat you quite well. Though they'd keep you in check, of course.”

“...”

After a moment's silence, Jung Yeonshin spoke slowly.

“Conflicts this large can't be common in the martial world. With proper justification in place, it sounds like an opportunity to wield my sword as I please in real combat.”

“Yes. Given the nature of your talent, I believe you'll make progress that training could never match. It's a chance to cross swords freely with all manner of renowned martial artists in the name of the Desolate Fortress.”

He had already agreed inwardly. A martial art untested in real combat was no different from theory.

His newly created Infinite Blossom Fist Strike still lacked forms, and this mission seemed likely to fill that gap.

Opportunities to witness the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects would be rare, too.

“You've already completed one mission admirably. This one is your choice.”

“I'll go.”

He did not agonize over it. He also thought it best to put some distance between himself and the Desolate's Ma Clan for now.

There was no telling how his unhinged maternal grandfather might try to win him over.

The moment they exchanged anything as blood relatives, he would be firmly entangled with them. It could hold him back when he needed to move forward.

‘I'll stay out on missions as much as possible, without taking breaks. I can build up merit while I'm at it.’

His resolve firm, Jung Yeonshin raised his head.

“Who will be going?”

“The same group as on the Blood Flame Cult mission. Heon Wonchang is a new recruit, and Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo still haven't finished serving their disciplinary action for the tavern incident with the heavenly squad. They volunteered very enthusiastically. I'll be joining you as well.”

“You, Captain?”

“When dealing with the Nine Great Sects, it takes someone of Divine Sword Squad captain rank to match their standing.”

“When do we leave?”

“Now that the party is settled, we'll set out tomorrow. Pack as soon as you get back.”

Jung Yeonshin nodded slowly. It seemed he would have to wait until his return to receive the fortress master's instruction.

For now, he needed to get his Infinite Blossom Fist Strike in order. The experience from this mission would be a great help.

* * *

A few bright plum blossoms drifted down, dappling the sunlight with pale pink.

The wind swept in with the flowing strokes of cursive script penned by a master calligrapher, brushing past the five Radiant Demon Squad warriors with a flutter of petals.

‘I hope the next mission takes us somewhere with post roads.’

So Jung Yeonshin thought. He regretted the time they had spent traveling.

That was why the rows of plum trees in full bloom felt oppressive now, unlike before. Time simply refused to stop.

“What a shame. Isn't this the heart of Shaanxi's martial world? And we can't even wear our Desolate Fortress uniforms.”

Heon Wonchang grumbled.

They wore ordinary clothes instead of the Desolate Fortress's conspicuous martial uniforms. It was a concession to Mount Hua's dignity.

“It doesn't seem as prosperous as Xiangyang is these days.”

Jung Yeonshin had grown accustomed to humoring Heon Wonchang's idle chatter.

The way Heon Wonchang grinned now, as though he had never been complaining, said it all.

“They say Xi'an in Shaanxi is a great city where all manner of experts mingle. Even leaving Mount Hua and Zhongnan out of it.”

“I see.”

Replying calmly, Jung Yeonshin looked around. It was certainly different.

The city had a more orderly elegance than Xiangyang, whose streets were crowded with everyone from large merchant companies to assorted peddlers.

Perhaps it was because this city had prospered for so long, since well before the dynasty's founding.

The party dismounted before a huge inn said to boast two hundred years of history.

In appearance, it was almost more of a grand tavern.

Whenever they passed through a city, they never stayed anywhere shabby. Such were the Desolate Fortress's financial resources.

Ma Jin spoke after dismounting.

“Xi'an is Zhongnan Sect territory. Mount Hua can't simply run rampant here. We must be careful as well.”

“Ugh... Before I joined the fortress, I never imagined I'd become better acquainted with horses than with swords.”

Heon Wonchang patted his lower back and thighs.

Just then, the inn's doors suddenly opened. At the same moment, Jung Yeonshin sensed a cluster of powerful energies.

“The experts of the Desolate Fortress have arrived. We've been waiting.”

Male and female Taoists emerged in perfectly ordered ranks.

There were more than a dozen of them, yet nothing about them seemed disorderly.

The approaching group felt like a single enormous blade.

Most striking of all were the plum blossoms embroidered along the hems of their white martial uniforms.

‘Mount Hua!’

The middle-aged swordsman at their head radiated qi as formidable as his features were sharp. It was comparable to what Jung Yeonshin had felt when first meeting Ma Jin.

“Sage Cheon Joo. It seems you've been here some time. The road was rough; we barely made it on time.”

Ma Jin briefly cupped his fist.

Jung Yeonshin sensed Heon Wonchang start beside him.

Should he praise him for not opening his mouth and making a fuss?

‘The leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.’

He was called Cheon Joo, Mount Hua's Sword Saint. It was a famous Taoist name, known far beyond Shaanxi Province.

The supreme master who led Mount Hua's finest swordsmen had descended the mountain in person.

“The captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, the Wave Swordswoman, and the Azure-Eyed Demonic Swordsman. All familiar faces.”

Cheon Joo surveyed the three with an expressionless face.

‘Demonic Swordsman?’

Chung Myung, the Azure-Eyed Demonic Swordsman. It was the first time he had heard that epithet. It was quite unexpected. Just how did he fight his enemies?

When he looked at Chung Myung, the man merely smiled back.

In Zhenping County, he had only seen him briefly cross swords with a Blood Flame cultist. He could not help being curious.

“We need no introductions. The swords we exchanged before should suffice.”

The clash between the entire Radiant Demon Squad and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen was an immensely famous incident.

He had heard that no one on the Desolate Fortress side had been killed or injured, but he did not know how Mount Hua had fared.

“I see how seriously the Desolate Fortress takes this matter. Bringing disciples along, even if you are the Radiant Demon Squad.”

Sage Cheon Joo's blade-sharp gaze seemed intent on piercing Jung Yeonshin, but he let it wash over him without concern.

He had only just dealt with the Desolate Fortress Master and the former Divine Sword Squad Leader.

However great a master Mount Hua's Sword Saint might be, he did not measure up to those two.

‘Hmm?’

Jung Yeonshin suddenly noticed a swordsman his own age among Mount Hua's experts.

He had a languid air. He even gave a small yawn, as though nothing in the world mattered.

When their eyes met, the young Taoist gave a faint smirk and looked up at the sky.

After a brief pause, Ma Jin opened his mouth.

“Well...”

“That Desolate Fortress disciple looks rather exceptional himself. Why not let him strike up an acquaintance with our sect leader's disciple through their swords? We may have accepted one another, but traveling together will be awkward for both sides. It would provide a little entertainment.”

Cheon Joo turned his eyes to Ma Jin as he spoke.

‘He wants to take us down a peg.’

Mount Hua supposedly knew this arrangement was a form of surveillance.

They were one of the foremost sword sects under heaven. Even if they had agreed because of the imperial court, they could hardly be pleased.

Since the leading experts could not comfortably cross swords when they were about to travel together, he intended to establish their superiority through the future of their respective organizations.

“A Desolate Fortress disciple?”

Heon Wonchang suddenly echoed the words blankly.

Those were trainees of the Desolate Fortress who had yet to become white-robed warriors.

Like the Radiant Demon Squad children who had come to watch Jung Yeonshin fight the heavenly squad's blue-robed expert.

It was not an officially recognized status, since master-disciple relationships were not acknowledged within the fortress.

Those who had trained since childhood but had not yet earned white robes were simply called Desolate Fortress disciples as a matter of convention.

While the person in question remained unperturbed, the other four members of the Radiant Demon Squad took on peculiar expressions.

‘It seems that unless you're an absolute master at the purple-robed level, it's difficult to gauge someone's skill from their presence alone. It could also be because I have relatively little core energy. My qi emissions would be weak.’

Having gained that small insight, Jung Yeonshin spoke.

“Captain.”

“Hmm?”

When Ma Jin looked around, he tapped the hilt of the Desolate Sword at his waist. He meant that he would step forward.

“Martial Uncle, you're making trouble for me again... Will five moves or so do?”

The young Taoist in front looked up at Cheon Joo and asked in a languid voice. He was not speaking quietly, either.

Did he think this degree of rudeness was permissible?

He also seemed remarkably thoughtless for someone who was the Mount Hua sect leader's disciple.

“There will be something to learn. Give it your all.”

“What am I supposed to learn? I heard the Radiant Demon Squad's radiant demon arts are based on the senses.”

The boy stepped forward with a sigh. The space before the inn abruptly became a sparring ground.

Apparently, fights in Murim often broke out without warning like this.

‘How interesting.’

Jung Yeonshin recalled the Zhongnan experts who had inspired his Swift Sword Formula at the Jeong Clan Estate.

He had not been able to witness Zhongnan's martial arts then. How profound would Mount Hua's be?

The experts of the Radiant Demon Squad and Mount Hua formed a wide circle.

Xi'an was no small city.

Passersby who had been craning their necks to see what was happening began turning into excited spectators. Whispers of Mount Hua came from every direction.

“What's going on?”

“Keep your voice down. It's Mount Hua!”

“The sword immortals of Mount Hua have come to our Xi'an?”

“Looks like they're about to spar. What a rare sight this will be. Look at that extraordinary young Taoist. There's something divine about his bearing.”

“The martial artists must be exchanging pointers. Just what you'd expect from the Taoists of Mount Hua. How generous!”

Jung Yeonshin laughed inwardly. Taking an opening stance amid ordinary people felt fresh, too.

It was his first time since the initial Desolate Fortress trial, which had tested his Swift Sword Style.

The two faced one another. Jung Yeonshin spoke slowly.

“You said I'd only last five moves.”

“Did I offend you? Sorry. I'm not really looking down on you. This morning's training was exhausting.”

The young Taoist gave a faint smile.

“I'm Yoo Hyun of Mount Hua.”

“Jung Yeonshin.”

He kept his reply brief. Dressed in ordinary clothes, he could not mention the Radiant Demon Squad.

Here and there, people remarked on his lack of manners toward someone who was about to teach him.

Some shouted in astonishment at the name Yoo Hyun. There were martial artists from Xi'an in the crowd as well.

“Mount Hua's hidden dragon!”

“They say the Mount Hua sect leader's disciple is a genius without equal. To think we'd see him in person!”

“I've heard rumors that he's fully mastered the Falling Blossoms Palm Strike and the Divine Sword of the Six Harmonies. Seeing him now, he certainly lives up to his reputation. He's even younger than I thought.”

“They call him the future of Mount Hua's next generation. I've even heard he's already begun receiving instruction in the violet dawn sacred art.”

The praise was extravagant. Jung Yeonshin's smile deepened. There was no need for a long conversation.

When two martial artists stood face-to-face, their martial arts would do the talking.

He was just about to take a step when Yoo Hyun's figure silently swelled in his vision.

The boy had rushed in with footwork resembling that of the noble race. It seemed to be Mount Hua's Drifting Hidden Fragrance, which he had only heard about.

WHOOSH!

The hand that had risen with his advancing footwork came crashing down. His open palm spread into a pattern of blossoms.

Witnessing the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects firsthand, he found them so wondrous and dazzling that they looked like sorcery.

‘Is this the Falling Blossoms Palm Strike? Those aren't superfluous movements. There are numerous variations, so the form can't be countered.’

Interest welled up in him. If he broke through them one by one, might he acquire those same variations?

THUNG!

He deflected it with the back of his clenched fist. The palm force that met him for an instant was light.

So light that Jung Yeonshin's striking force surged onward without losing strength, raging into a whirlwind.

It was Vortex, the first form of Infinite Blossom Fist Strike.

ROAR!

“Huh?!”

Had he not expected a response? Yoo Hyun's face filled with bewilderment as his head whipped aside. The wave of force had merely grazed him.

“What...!”

His stupefaction, as though that power defied all reason, was puzzling.

If Jung Yeonshin had possessed as much internal power as Yoo Hyun, that last blow would have snapped his neck.

THUD.

Now it was his turn to advance. Jung Yeonshin took a step forward, following Yoo Hyun as he staggered back.

The straight punch he launched from behind his waist was like a steel arrow loosed from a bow.

The resounding step of his second form, Advancing Thunderbolt, summoned thunder from his fist.

BOOM!

Fragments of scattered force tore up the ground. Dust billowed so thickly that it dimmed the radiance of the sun high overhead.

Jung Yeonshin kept his gaze fixed straight ahead.

He could see a dust-covered Yoo Hyun dissipating the lingering force with dazzling hand movements.

It had the same nature as the palm technique he had shown at the beginning. Mount Hua's Falling Blossoms Palm Strike.

It seemed more than sufficient to inspire the third form of Infinite Blossom Fist Strike.

Jung Yeonshin spoke with a delighted smile.

“A little longer. I'd like to go for ten moves or so.”

“...!”