Jung Yeonshin gazed steadily at the Hwangbo clan's young clan head, then turned away. Hwangbo Myeongrin's reaction was amusing as she hung from his right hand, which gripped the back of her collar.

At first, she looked bewildered, as though something that could never happen to her had just occurred. Perhaps because he had lifted her without any killing intent, realization was slow to dawn.

"You... filthy wretch...!"

Waves of qi soon spread from her right hand. Though inferior to the fellow lying on the ground, she too had learned renowned martial arts. The refined bearing she exuded marked her as a warrior from a distinguished house.

The core energy of the Movement Art was already circulating throughout Jung Yeonshin's body. He struck at once.

THWACK!

White powder coated the hand that had struck Hwangbo Myeongrin's face. He paid it no mind.

He hit her once, twice, three more times. In that moment, he was giving a convincing imitation of a warrior between the two paths.

"Hrk!"

Her breath caught against Jung Yeonshin's hand, which carried his puncturing technique. With that small amount of core energy behind the blows, her skull must have been rattled.

Hwangbo Myeongrin seemed unable to collect herself. Her expression suggested she could not believe what was happening to her. In an instant, the waves of qi gathering in her hand vanished.

"Oh dear."

The Hwangbo clan's young clan head intervened, wearing a tipsy smile.

"What a nuisance already. Just thinking about the elders at home."

The hand he extended as he spoke moved strangely. It aimed for the arm with which Jung Yeonshin held Hwangbo Myeongrin by the nape. Feints and true strikes were difficult to distinguish, as though he had learned Drunken Fist.

This was what Jung Yeonshin had been waiting for. He layered core energy through the fine meridians of his right arm using the Classic of Initiating Transcendence.

A slight flick of his hand sent Hwangbo Myeongrin sprawling backward. Leaving her humiliated whimper behind, he met the young clan head's attack.

THUD! THUD!

The shadows of their hands tangled together. The internal power in the young clan head's arm was immensely heavy and hot. It was a wonder anyone could remain unharmed with such blazing yang internal energy coursing through his blood vessels.

'A martial art of the very highest order.'

Jung Yeonshin raised another strand of core energy, immediately wrapping his arm in an invisible membrane.

It was an internal-energy barrier known as Protective Aura. With further attainment, it would become the famous protective force qi.

The heat against his skin diminished, if only a little.

SMACK!

The exchange changed. Each tried to seize the other's wrist, the combat paths of their grappling techniques growing incredibly complex.

During the mission involving Mount Hua's Purple Radiance Pill, Jung Yeonshin had absorbed and developed the Phantom Thief's techniques. Yet his opponent's skill was so great that even those were not enough. His combat paths were full of ingenuity.

It felt almost like exchanging blows with a slightly more experienced version of himself.

"Well, I'll be."

The young clan head spoke with a faint laugh. A peculiar light entered his eyes, bringing a little life to the dark hollows beneath them.

"So there's another fellow like me?"

He even had the leisure to speak. Their internal power and experience were on different levels. Jung Yeonshin was gradually being overpowered.

The internal energy gathered in the young clan head's striking hand grew stronger without end.

THOOM!

A powerful, spiraling wave of force erupted. Jung Yeonshin's shoulder-length hair streamed backward.

Refusing to let himself be drawn helplessly into the exchange, he had unleashed Vortex, a form of the Infinite Blossom Fist Strike, through his palm.

The recoil was tremendous. He flowed naturally into a backward step.

"You're attending the Dragon-Phoenix Summit? Gu Gwa of the Truth-Seeking Sect. I'll remember that. You'll be quite a sight in a few years. If you keep honing your skills, that is."

The young clan head smiled, standing at an angle with his weight on one leg. He had not been pushed back a single step. He was immensely strong.

"I won't be around to see it. There's a grave waiting to cool this body of mine. I've already had a nice big one made. All I have to do is go lie down in it."

His words and behavior were utterly unrestrained. It was hard to believe he was the heir of a regional noble clan that carried itself like royalty in Murim.

His tone was unlike Hwangbo Myeongrin's, though she too had said she would remember his name. He seemed to regard Jung Yeonshin as an amusing diversion.

"Let my little brother and sister off easy. In ten years or so, they won't even be able to look you in the face. They'll have to crane their necks to look up at you. They really do bring their beatings on themselves... See you around."

Chewing noisily on his poppy, he turned and trudged away. He seemed to care no further, despite the beating his younger siblings had taken.

He acted as though he had no attachment to anything in the world. He hardly seemed like the heir to a clan.

'He seems like someone who ought to be at the Desolate Fortress. If that's how he feels, why didn't he seek the Fruit of the World Tree?'

Jung Yeonshin stood still, feeling Heon Wonchang's hand on his shoulder as he mentally reviewed the young clan head's techniques.

The onlookers who had gathered dispersed, each voicing their own impressions. None seemed bold enough to approach Jung Yeonshin now that he had made an enemy of the Hwangbo clan.

That was because of the look Hwangbo Myeongrin had given him as she left. Her face had been etched with frost-sharp hatred.

She was his second contingency. If the young clan head did not act rashly, Hwangbo Myeongrin would see his mission completed instead.

Jung Yeonshin's attention returned to martial arts.

'So that's how the senses can be used. I need to recognize when there's no need to remain confined to a combat path.'

Even in that moment, he took another step forward. He was stronger than he had been just a short while ago.

"Young Master Gu."

Heon Wonchang leaned in from beside him. With so many people around, he had changed his form of address.

"Are you all right? I considered stepping in, but you seemed strangely pleased. And when it comes to provocation, no one is better than you."

"You were right about the first part. I have no idea what you mean by the rest."

"At any rate, he seems a formidable fellow, that Hwangbo young clan head. Rumor calls him a wastrel who roams above the clouds. Both his strength and temperament seem to live up to it."

"I'm more amazed that you were only pushed back a single step, Senior Brother Gu Gwa."

Shin Sobin joined in. She tossed her tied hair back, exposing the cold sweat on her nape.

"The Hwangbo young clan head is known as the Indolent Flame Dragon. He's considered one of the greatest talents north of the Yangtze. It's been another five years since he won the Dragon-Phoenix Summit at twenty. They say he even looks down on White Qilin Namgoong Hwashin, the last winner. He's so arrogant he supposedly told him he'd enjoyed watching his little tricks."

"He's lived five years past twenty?"

"You're the same age as me, aren't you? You still have four years before you come of age at twenty. That makes you nine years younger than the Supreme Flame Dragon."

"Yes. Four years left."

Jung Yeonshin replied with a composed expression. He had been enjoying his progress in martial arts. Now his stomach felt unsettled.

"You said the sect leader taught you martial arts, didn't you, Senior Brother Gu Gwa?"

Unaware of his thoughts, Shin Sobin chattered on.

"Internal power must be what you lack most right now, but with the sect leader's mental cultivation method, you'll accumulate qi in no time. It's one of the most extraordinary divine arts in the world. Even the imperial family, who supposedly gobble up every spirit medicine under heaven, practice only that method. In five years, wouldn't your internal power rival the Supreme Flame Dragon's?"

"Five whole years."

Jung Yeonshin shook his head and murmured. As he had thought, creating a mental cultivation method with a dramatically faster rate of qi accumulation was an urgent priority.

Quite apart from that, there was a flaw in Shin Sobin's reasoning.

"He's not so far beyond reach. As long as you can avoid being swept away by a small gesture, highly refined forms can contend with immense internal power. Isn't that how the Tai Chi Sword of Wudang, south of the Desolate Fortress, works?"

"Ordinary forms wouldn't be enough, would they? They'd have to be extraordinarily good. Not that I'm saying yours are lacking."

Shin Sobin, who had joined after him, had a bold streak. Though she acknowledged Jung Yeonshin's ability, she retained the pride of a cherished daughter of a prestigious noble clan.

He did not particularly mind. She followed his orders well enough. That was sufficient. A few bloody battles would take care of her pointless pride on their own.

"Let's go."

Jung Yeonshin retrieved the pack he had left beneath a tree and mounted his horse.

Huizhou lay before them, just south of the Hwangbo clan's Shandong Province—the city of the Namgoong clan, which was hosting this Dragon-Phoenix Summit.

* * *

"There's something odd about all this bustle," Heon Wonchang said.

Huizhou was an exceedingly wealthy city. With an enormous volume of goods passing through it, it was said to be home to many merchant companies.

Indeed, its streets were remarkably smooth and well maintained. Everywhere, people noisily traded and haggled.

Yet the expressions of the passersby were not entirely cheerful. Having dismounted, Heon Wonchang shook his head.

"A poor harvest here too? Huizhou's tea is famous, but it seems we won't find it easy to get a taste."

"They say the number of places suffering bad harvests has risen sharply lately. It's happening all over the Central Plains. Who knows what will become of the world?"

Jung Yeonshin only half listened to Heon Wonchang and Shin Sobin. Even on the way to the Namgoong clan, he remained absorbed in martial arts.

Studying the combat paths of forms and gaining insights in one's mind was known as visualization training. For Jung Yeonshin, meditating while walking did nothing to diminish its effectiveness.

From the moment he had entered the Desolate Fortress, his very life had become the study of martial arts.

"We've arrived. It certainly is grand."

Standing before the Namgoong clan's main gate, Heon Wonchang voiced his admiration. A peculiar bitterness also colored his tone.

The Namgoong clan's complex of halls was as immaculate and immense as its reputation suggested. It could not compare with the Desolate Fortress, but for a family estate, its grandeur must have been rare under heaven.

"Welcome. Have you come for the Dragon-Phoenix Summit?"

Even the warriors guarding the gate were restrained in bearing, word, and deed. Jung Yeonshin nodded and cupped his fist in greeting.

"I am Gu Gwa of the Truth-Seeking Sect."

"... Confirmed."

The warrior accepted the paper Jung Yeonshin held out and nodded. He appeared to have memorized the roster. Dressed in blue martial robes, he continued.

"My apologies, but this Dragon-Phoenix Summit will not be held within the estate. An important matter has arisen in our house, so we have moved the venue. We ask for your understanding."

"Then where...?"

"There is a pavilion called Lotus Pavilion north of Huizhou. I'll summon someone to guide you."

Something was strange. Their attitude suggested they attached little importance to the Dragon-Phoenix Summit. What could have happened within the Namgoong clan?

'Hmm.'

At that moment, Jung Yeonshin felt something peculiar. The sensation spread from his head.

The distinctive presence of the Thirteen skies, which he had felt when confronting the Tyrant Sword Tribe and the Blood Flame Cult, came to him. It was rough and sinister.

This belonged to the realm of his upper dantian's foresight and intuition, which had been coming upon him abruptly with increasing frequency of late.

'Were they attacked by the Thirteen skies?'

His sharpened senses gave rise to a conjecture. Without betraying anything, Jung Yeonshin followed the guide. He largely tuned out Shin Sobin's whispers at his side as well.

They had to walk for quite some time. It would have felt far even on horseback.

Any mishap at the Dragon-Phoenix Summit, for which the hosting sect would be responsible, seemed a secondary concern. They appeared far more reluctant to let anyone see inside their estate.

"You may stay at any nearby inn in the Namgoong clan's name. May you make worthy acquaintances."

Having displayed the polished manners of a distinguished house, the guide departed. No one saw him off.

The party had no choice but to turn immediately. Such powerful energies were surging nearby.

BOOM!

Water surged up along the lakeshore. White foam caught the sunlight as it fell again.

Beneath an enormous, lavish pavilion built over the water, a handsome young Daoist and the Hwangbo clan's Supreme Flame Dragon were crossing swords.

The boy looked familiar. His plum-blossom emblem alone identified him as a disciple of Mount Hua.

Many men and women were watching the match, both from the pavilion and from the surrounding area. Some sat with their feet propped on the railing; someone else stood tall upon the pavilion roof.

There already appeared to be more than thirty of them. Though all were young, they carried the air of experts.

The rising generation disciples.

It was an utterly unfamiliar sight to Jung Yeonshin. Having fought one bloody battle after another on his missions, he had never before seen young disciples from so many different sects together.

The sight of several people his own age felt strange.

"Did they say he was the Mount Hua sect leader's direct successor-disciple? That Daoist, Yoo Hyun—his internal power truly is profound."

"They say he took a Purple Radiance Pill. Even so, doesn't this look dangerous?"

"The Supreme Flame Dragon has lost his mind. And he'd finally drawn his sword for once."

"At his age, too. Has he no shame?"

Noble-clan scions, Daoists, and even monks were present. Those who looked relatively older wore grave expressions.

Jung Yeonshin understood immediately.

Perhaps because of the immense heat his internal power gave off, the poppy-chewing Supreme Flame Dragon's eyes were bloodshot. He was completely unlike the man who had faced Jung Yeonshin earlier. Madness lurked in the smile on his lips.

He had cast aside everything, from his clan to his dignity.

"A wretch with such paltry talent dares lecture me? What could you leave behind if you were me? It's all pointless!"

He shouted with wild arrogance, as though there had been an argument. Tremendous waves of core energy battered the ears.

Yoo Hyun, who had received the Purple Radiance Pill's energy from Jung Yeonshin, grimaced. Even fear showed on his face.

He kept retreating, blood running through his slashed Mount Hua Daoist robes.

No one seemed to dare intervene. Hwangbo Myeongrin and her elder brother were no exception. Every time the swords clashed, those whose internal energy appeared shallow flinched.

The Supreme Flame Dragon's martial strength was on another level. His combat paths were exceptionally intuitive as well.

"What are we going to do?"

"Young Master Baek went to fetch help!"

Noble clans were families rooted in the secular world, and many heirs to such houses were gathered here. They had more than enough influence to dismiss their elders so they could enjoy the company of their peers.

A troubled Namgoong clan. A reckless escapade by young people held down by their families.

Jung Yeonshin stepped into the premature collapse of their gathering. He had not even introduced himself or exchanged greetings.

By the time the rising generation disciples noticed him and their eyes widened, he was already standing beside the Supreme Flame Dragon.

"What do you want now? You're still a worthless nobody!"

The Supreme Flame Dragon's madness surged wildly. He whipped his head around and glared at Jung Yeonshin with eyes overflowing with killing intent. They almost seemed to blaze with light.

BANG!

It sounded like military cannon fire. Having barely blocked his sword strike, Yoo Hyun was sent flying.

At the same time, the Supreme Flame Dragon thrust a hand at Jung Yeonshin without a trace of mercy. Accompanied by a tremendous surge of core energy, it came smashing down toward his head.

CRUNCH!

It was not the sound of clashing waves of force. Jung Yeonshin's hand traced a strange trajectory.

He pushed the attacking forearm aside with his own and lowered his wrist in the same motion. In an instant, he spread his thumb and four fingers wide, catching the inside of the man's arm joint between them.

'So this works.'

At the same time, he clamped down. Core energy layered through the Classic of Initiating Transcendence filled his grip.

He compressed the Inner Pass pressure point at the bend of the arm, wrapping internal energy around it. Pressure-point sealing. He had drained all strength from the arm.

His internal power had not changed. He had surpassed his opponent in combat paths. For a moment, the Supreme Flame Dragon's expression went blank.

"What...?"

Both men stopped moving. Jung Yeonshin silently regarded him for a moment before speaking.

"You mentioned talent. You're not like me."

"What?"

Jung Yeonshin had slipped in close to the man's chest, at a distance where even hand-to-hand combat was difficult.

He could feel the heat radiating from the Supreme Flame Dragon's entire body. It did not feel difficult to deal with.

"You're a little slower."

Jung Yeonshin whispered, his tone betraying no particular emotion.