Jung Yeonshin looked down at Hwangbo Myeongrin's corpse, then raised his head.

"This one isn't even resisting," Chung Myung said. He shrugged and kicked the Supreme Flame Dragon behind the knee.

The man dropped to his knees with a thud, then grinned up at Jung Yeonshin.

"We're finished. If you came knowing everything, our clan is doomed. A blue-robed warrior, are you? I never imagined who you really were."

The man who had been dead drunk and chewing poppies from their very first meeting was indeed out of his mind. His half sister had lost her head, yet he scarcely seemed to care.

Whether that was because of all the contempt he had endured as a bastard who became the young clan head, or simply because he was mad, Yeonshin could not tell.

Solar Divine Meridians.

Was the pain of having one's meridians seared worse than he could imagine? He had sensed it at their first meeting, but the Supreme Flame Dragon truly was a madman. Even as the Hwangbo clan's heir, he seemed to have lived on sheer inertia.

"What was that sword art? I've never heard of a sword strike like it. What mental cultivation method do you practice? Tell me."

"Your sister just passed away by my sword."

"I couldn't care less about those dull-witted bastards. They lived in a different world. They probably never thought of me as their brother. Neither did I. With the clan about to fall, there's no reason to mind the elders anymore. Gu Gwa—no, Lightning Genius! I want to know all your martial arts!"

The Supreme Flame Dragon smiled, his eyes shadowed.

Now Yeonshin was certain. Martial arts and pain had driven the man completely mad.

He paid little heed to the words, running his hand over the hilts of Desolate Sword and Northern Radiance in turn.

The Hwangbo clan's guards had been no more than a preliminary skirmish. The expedition was only beginning. This was a mission to strike one of the Eight Great Families.

'They said the clan wouldn't be destroyed in one swift, decisive battle.'

The Hwangbo clan was an immense regional noble clan. Its main estate in Jinan, Shandong, was not its only holding. Branch families and outposts allowed it to rule Jinan like royalty and secretly exploit the common people.

One contingent of guards was no measure of its strength. He had been told that it possessed an elder council and elite masters. The same was true of all the Eight Great Families and the Nine Great Sects. They were formidable foes with a wide variety of martial arts.

Formidable enough to delight Jung Yeonshin.

'A sword form to deflect Thunderclap Bombs, a mental cultivation method with rapid qi accumulation, a sword song useful against multiple opponents...'

He had already established the sword song as a systematic martial art. All that remained was adapting it to real combat.

Amid the chaos, Jung Yeonshin briefly closed his eyes. He hoped to perfect both the sword form for countering Thunderclap Bombs and a new mental cultivation method during this single mission.

* * *

"You've worked hard."

"Thanks to you, we can finally finish this long-standing mission."

The senior masters tousled Jung Yeonshin's, Heon Wonchang's, and Shin Sobin's hair.

While Shin Sobin recoiled in disgust, Jung Yeonshin asked Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo what they had been doing. Baek Miryeo had already taken him by each shoulder in turn to inspect his injuries.

"Us? We heard what happened at the Dragon-Phoenix Summit and nearly died of fright. Who could have known they'd throw Thunderclap Bombs around like that? We raced here with our lightness skills until our feet were sweating."

"A blue robe ought to be able to deal with explosives, too. I'll teach you how to use the combat paths of the radiant demon arts."

So said Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo.

The Desolate Fortress might have no formal master-disciple bonds, but personal ties were another matter.

To Jung Yeonshin, the Radiant Demon Squad felt like a true martial family. Chung Myung's beaming face alone was enough to make him feel that way. So was Baek Miryeo, who looked at him after demonstrating a palm technique that traced a gentle circle through the air.

"This is a method of Harmonizing Force. Even the term is different from Burst Discharge, which releases core energy forcefully. You've heard that softness can overcome hardness, haven't you? You subdue strength with softness. If you wrap a barrier of internal energy around your sword, fist, or palm, you can send explosives back, too. I'll demonstrate as often as you need, so ask until you've learned it."

"I've already thought of that."

"Hm?"

"There are a few applications I'm curious about, but I think I understand those as well. I'd like you to take a look."

"..."

All the while, their surroundings remained noisy. The surviving Hwangbo guards who had surrendered were having their energy cores destroyed.

The lower dantian was an organ that affected the meridians and fine channels throughout the body. The consequences could hardly end with the dispersal of their internal energy.

"G-gh!"

"Haaagh!"

Many writhed on the ground, but no one paid them any attention. They had raised the white flag instead of fighting to the death alongside their comrades. They could hardly expect sympathetic looks.

Chung Myung, Baek Miryeo, and several others were excused from the chores, apparently because they had served as scouts.

Jung Yeonshin, Heon Wonchang, and Shin Sobin were likewise exempt. Their actions in the martial world, from the Dragon-Phoenix Summit until now, had been recognized as meritorious service.

"Not just anyone can destroy an energy core. It takes a blue robe with a deep foundation in internal cultivation. It's a surprisingly bothersome chore. Once they're captured, they're prisoners, so we can't kill them. During battle, we can use our own judgment, but afterward, we hand them over to the authorities. Their fate is left to the imperial court."

At Chung Myung's explanation, Jung Yeonshin and Heon Wonchang slowly nodded.

The Desolate Fortress was a martial organization with a clearly defined hierarchy.

The white-robed warriors who arrived later took charge of handling the surviving enemies. Gathering the bodies, searching their identification tags, confirming their identities, and burying them temporarily—the work after a battle was no easy task, either.

Meanwhile, the young talents from the other clans gathered together in silence. Their eyes were lifeless as they stole glances at Jung Yeonshin and the rest of the Radiant Demon Squad.

Their faces resembled that of Supreme Sword Hwangbo Jun, who had finally died at the Radiant Demon Squad captain's hands. Their complexions were poor.

"I find myself envying you all over again. It feels like only yesterday we took the desolate fortress trial together, yet now you're my superior, Young Master Jung."

Heon Wonchang shook his head at the corpses. Had it not been for the mission he had already carried out, he might have had to deal with them himself.

Jung Yeonshin gazed at him for a moment before speaking.

"May I say something as a blue robe?"

"Hm?"

"Tearing the cloth off here. You don't have to do that for me, Young Master Heon. I've kept quiet because I thought it might embarrass you, but it's rather embarrassing for me. I'd sooner do it myself."

Jung Yeonshin tapped below his shoulder, where the character for Desolation was embroidered.

Heon Wonchang's face visibly fell.

"It's one of the few joys in my life... Must you take everything for yourself?"

"What are you even..."

They had been given time to trade banter. It was a rare moment of enjoyment.

By the time the noon sunlight warmed the dry plain as spring approached, the question of what to do with the Supreme Flame Dragon and the second young master had come to the fore.

"I believe killing them is the proper course."

Chung Myung spoke with a smile. Was it because he belonged to the noble race, said to hold itself aloof anywhere under heaven in the Central Plains?

He showed not the slightest hesitation even before three captains. Jung Yeonshin thought it suited him.

"Won't he cause trouble later? Those Solar Divine Meridians have witnessed the martial arts of three Desolate Fortress combat squads. If we carelessly take him prisoner and he escapes, it'll become a headache. He might even develop counters."

"You have a point, but..."

A swordsman with a solemn air nodded. It was the Azure Heaven Squad Captain, a man whose height and long arms had earned him a reputation as someone born to become a master swordsman.

Just then—

"Radiant Demon Squad!"

The Supreme Flame Dragon raised his head and shouted. His gleaming eyes stared only at Jung Yeonshin off to one side.

"I want to join the Radiant Demon Squad! I'll serve you faithfully! I'll grovel like a dog, so just let me stay beside Lightning Genius!"

"What kind of lunacy is that?"

Heon Wonchang muttered in disbelief.

There was no chance they would accept him. Bastard or otherwise, he was of the blood of a clan they would soon destroy.

The Ming imperial family had never left the seeds of future trouble, generation after generation. The Desolate Fortress was no different. It stood above the orthodox and unorthodox factions, concerned only with the people's welfare.

"You are a prisoner."

Powerful, formless energy shot from the Annihilation Squad captain's index finger.

The Supreme Flame Dragon's upper body lurched as though struck by a typhoon. Finger wind—a skill that used core energy to release a concentrated blast like palm wind.

"Seven Step Injury Acupressure Strike...! It's the Annihilation Squad captain's exclusive martial art."

Heon Wonchang whispered beside him. His knowledge of the martial world never ceased to amaze Jung Yeonshin. How did he recognize martial arts he had never even seen?

The Annihilation Squad captain spoke.

"Solar Divine Meridians. I know your core energy is equivalent to that of a practitioner of the Fiery Yang Divine Art. My own core energy bears wood qi, like that of the noble race. You must have heard the principle that wood feeds fire. Your internal energy is less refined than the core energy I just sent into you."

"In other words, circulating my energy would only nourish yours, so I shouldn't try to release the sealed points. I've heard plenty about the illustrious Annihilation Squad captain's Seven Step Injury Acupressure Strike. Act rashly, and every fine channel in your body twists, killing you before you can take seven steps. In my case, I'd burn to death."

The Supreme Flame Dragon grinned as he answered. Wood feeding fire was the principle of the five elements by which wood energy strengthened fire.

Had he been able to master the energy of his Solar Divine Meridians, it would instead have nourished him. But he could not. His constitution doomed him to an early death precisely because he could not control its blazing yang power. If wood qi strengthened that uncontrollable power further, the effect could only be lethal.

"You understand. Now shut your mouth. Your opinion is irrelevant."

"Ha ha. Well, now."

The Supreme Flame Dragon briefly lowered his head. When he straightened his neck again, the whites of his eyes were so full of bloodshot veins that they no longer looked human.

"You turtle-faced bastard! Burn to death? You're going to burn me to death? I'm sick to death of heat! As if I haven't had enough, now this goddamned bastard! Solar Divine Meridians, my ass! They're worthless meridians, you walking skeleton!"

Jung Yeonshin moved like a wraith and kicked him in the back of the head. The momentary feel of thick hair against his instep was unpleasant. He drove through with a kick charged with core energy.

THUD!

He looked down at the man, whose forehead had struck the ground, knocking him unconscious. Better that than being killed outright by a single blow from the Annihilation Squad captain.

"Why haven't you destroyed his energy core?"

He looked around at the three captains as he asked. It was not what he wanted; he was merely curious.

Ma Jin, drenched in blood, laid a hand on Jung Yeonshin's shoulder.

"The treatment of this Supreme Flame Dragon has already been decided. The fortress master gave orders to bring him back alive if he was still living. She said it was important to leave his internal energy intact. Solar Divine Meridians are exceedingly rare under heaven. Perhaps there's something she wishes to investigate in terms of martial arts."

A strange intuition came to Jung Yeonshin. Was it the foresight of his upper dantian?

He had a sudden sense that the Desolate Fortress Master's order had something to do with him.

'Then it must be something good.'

The thought came unbidden.

She was unyielding when it came to the Fruit of the World Tree, but she was clearly sheltering him with goodwill. A peerless master said to be closest to the greatest under heaven had no reason to put on a false front for Jung Yeonshin.

SHING!

While he was lost in thought, the second young master's head fell. The Azure Heaven Squad Captain had cut down the man as he knelt in terror.

"We can't leave two or more members of the direct line alive," the Annihilation Squad captain said.

He was the one who had picked a fight with Jung Yeonshin at their first meeting near Huizhou.

It was a strange sight: the head of that once so refined and arrogant young noble lying there with its eyes wide open.

Did most people of the martial world ultimately lose their lives so meaninglessly?

Murim was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. If the person you encountered was stronger, you had no choice but to surrender your neck.

'To restore order to the people's lives, they follow the martial world's own laws instead...'

Jung Yeonshin felt the paradox of the Desolate Fortress's role anew. He thought it unavoidable, yet still hoped he would never receive a mission that conflicted with his heart.

* * *

Time passed as they remained there.

By the time the clouds caught in the sunlight had drifted into the distance, the white-robed warriors had finished clearing the battlefield. The Annihilation Squad captain gathered the Radiant Demon, Azure Heaven, and Annihilation squads.

The atmosphere was informal. Jung Yeonshin dropped to the ground beside Heon Wonchang and looked up at the Annihilation Squad captain.

"We'll defeat the branch families first."

The Annihilation Squad captain continued quietly.

"Military might isn't the only strength a martial clan possesses. Connections in the martial world are powerful, too. We must eliminate the contacts who could bring in other organizations before they have the chance. Only then will the main force enter the Hwangbo estate."

"Cutting off Jinan should suffice. How will you divide our personnel?"

Ma Jin asked, seemingly addressing the Annihilation Squad captain as his senior.

"There are nine Hwangbo branch families to which the clan's martial arts have spread. One in each of Jinan's counties. Their fighting strength has already been investigated. We'll exclude the white robes and divide the blue robes among them."

"Understood."

Meanwhile, Jung Yeonshin studied the faces of the Annihilation Squad captain and the other Desolate Fortress masters. What he was about to do required him to consider their reactions. There was a good chance it would look as though he intended to monopolize the credit.

'Which I do.'

Only the Radiant Demon Squad regarded him with unconditional favor.

Even so, he had to do it. The Central Plains were appallingly vast. A single mission often required watching dozens of sunsets pass. He needed to accumulate as much merit as he could.

Any damage to his reputation now, he intended to reverse immediately with his martial arts.

There, amid the captains' weighty presence, which seemed to press down even on the blue robes—

"I'd like to volunteer for a solo assignment."

Jung Yeonshin finally raised his hand and spoke calmly.

The surroundings fell silent. The Desolate Fortress's masters were human, too. He had heard that some coveted credit for personal reasons.

But Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin was a young master who had only just become a blue robe. His request was all too liable to look like youthful bravado.

The Annihilation Squad captain stared at him and asked,

"You want a solo assignment?"

"I wish to hone a recently acquired wide-area martial art in real combat. I will make certain the mission succeeds. I promise to abandon the request if I cannot win the approval of the seniors here."

"You."

The Annihilation Squad captain's voice carried core energy.

"This mission is of grave importance. We're facing one of the Eight Great Families. Do you know why I'm listening to you at all? Because you've attained the rank of blue robe. That is the only reason."

The waves emanating from his voice felt almost visible. Even the little stones scattered over the plain began to jump, as though reacting to his internal energy.

Yet the hem of the Annihilation Squad captain's black robe did not so much as stir. His control of his power bordered on the miraculous.

"Lightning Genius. I thought well of you. Few martial artists in this world can bring ingenuity to their combat paths. I saw the makings of a captain in you, yet you disappoint me like this."

Even Ma Jin dared not intervene now. He merely wore an expression that seemed to ask why Yeonshin had not warned him beforehand.

Jung Yeonshin, however, was untroubled. The Annihilation Squad captain had mentioned his blue robe. That was a sign of respect. He still had a chance to show them.

This was different from when he had considered fighting Supreme Sword. He could prove his ability to handle multiple enemies here and now.

It was the martial art that had sparked his ill-fated encounter with the Hwangbo siblings on the highway to Huizhou.

"My apologies."

He rose and offered a martial salute. The masters opened a circle around him.

Their expressions varied. Concern, interest, and displeasure all seemed to fill his vision at once.

'It'll be all right.'

He repeated it inwardly to reassure himself.

They said every master of blue rank or higher was obsessed with martial arts. He did not expect to move them deeply. But he had never heard of a sound technique produced with a sword.

Wouldn't one demonstration persuade them?

Jung Yeonshin slowly grasped his sword hilt. Not Desolate Sword, but Northern Radiance. Its excellent material made it well suited to sound techniques.

SHING.

Noon had come to the plain. A dry gleam settled on the blade he drew.

He was about to demonstrate his own new, exclusive martial art before the masters of three Desolate Fortress combat squads.

"Please protect your ears with internal energy."

Having spoken politely, Jung Yeonshin roused his internal energy according to the sword song's formula.

He divided the rising core energy in two, directing it toward the Lesser Palace and Palace of Toil points, two of the three pressure points clustered in the center of his palm.

He channeled his power into both at once. A chill light flashed across Northern Radiance.

TWEEEE!

The moment a vibration like a bird's cry spread through the long blade, a dozen or so white-robed warriors nearby collapsed unconscious in every direction.