Those who had collapsed while standing were in particular danger. The blue-robed masters, who had seemed momentarily stunned, swiftly caught their juniors.

Internal energy barriers such as Protective Aura arose through conscious intent. Once unconscious, even a white-robed master was no different from a third-rate warrior. The external cultivation realm of Adamantine Invulnerability, in which the entire body supposedly became as hard as diamond, existed only in fanciful tales.

The blue-robed masters looked bewildered as they laid their juniors down.

"... It really is a sound technique."

"How is that possible? Controlling core energy with such precision."

"He's made an unusual application of reinforcing blades with internal power. At that level, it amounts to a martial formula."

Their discussion had already penetrated to the essence of the art. Such was the level of the Desolate Fortress's blue robes. These were people said to have devoted their lives to martial arts, each more gifted than anyone else in the hometown where they had grown up. Anywhere in the vast martial world, they would have been called masters. Understanding the martial principles came first. Envy or admiration could wait.

Before long, the blue-robed masters turned to one another and began discussing it.

"I've never even heard of an art like this. If it can penetrate a white robe's Protective Aura..."

"They only escaped with a loss of consciousness because they're Desolate Fortress white robes. It would be truly overwhelming, especially in a group battle without a master of equal or greater skill. There must be various limitations, but its strengths are clear."

"The problem is that it harms allies. Doesn't that give him reason enough to ask for a solo assignment?"

They did not hesitate to discuss martial arts even in front of their captains. They were merely stating facts. In the Desolate Fortress, no one could fault them for that.

"... It seems to take a considerable mental toll."

The Annihilation Squad captain spoke, gazing steadily at Jung Yeonshin. Yeonshin answered with a silent bow. The captain was not wrong. Producing sword resonance while infusing it with outward-radiating core energy was a feat beyond ordinary sensory control. The sword song demanded extreme concentration. Even Yeonshin felt considerable fatigue after a single performance.

"With core energy control that precise, it's only natural. It would be difficult to use without warning in the midst of a melee. Better to unleash it at the start of a fight. It should serve to undermine enemy morale, too."

He had already begun offering advice. The art seemed to intrigue him greatly.

"Even so, we cannot send Lightning Genius alone. This is no minor mission."

It was the Azure Heaven Squad Captain, who had been studying Yeonshin while stroking his chin. The Annihilation Squad captain nodded.

"I'll assign two more to accompany him. The mission is to strike the Hwangbo branch family in Jinan's Pingyin County. Any volunteers?"

Many hands shot up at once—easily thirty, by the look of it. Volunteers came not only from the Radiant Demon Squad, but from the Annihilation Squad and heavenly squad as well. A sword-based sound technique. Did they want to witness this unheard-of art in actual combat? Several blue-robed masters smiled sheepishly.

"The Radiant Demon Squad would be best. Captain Ma should decide."

"There's no better choice than Radiant Demon Team One, since they've worked together before. I recommend assigning the wave swordswoman and the azure-eyed demonic swordsman."

"As you wish. Then..."

The Annihilation Squad captain's eyes flashed darkly as he turned them on Yeonshin.

"Show us this was not recklessness. Prove it with your martial prowess, so that no one can accuse you of being rash."

He spoke as he turned away, the hem of his ink-dark robe sweeping after him without hesitation.

"Thank you for your consideration."

Sheathing Northern Radiance, Yeonshin cupped his fist toward the captains and his other seniors.

"Where did you learn that? There's no martial art like it in the fortress."

"Is it a secret technique of the desolate’s ma clan?"

The blue-robed masters were about to approach, their faces full of curiosity, when Ma Jin stepped between them and Yeonshin. He led Yeonshin away in another direction. The seniors stopped, looking disappointed. The events of the coming-of-age ceremony had revealed that the blood of the desolate’s ma clan flowed in Yeonshin's veins. No one found it strange.

When they reached the foot of the mountain range bordering the plain, Ma Jin asked quietly, "That sound technique. Did you create it?"

"Yes."

Yeonshin stood calmly as he answered. The scar on Ma Jin's face twitched.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"What martial artist goes around revealing all his arts? Someone could devise counters to everything he has and leave him dead in some distant place. I had no choice this time. I hadn't thought that far ahead myself."

"... You're not wrong."

"Did you bring me aside just to ask that?"

"There's something else." Ma Jin shook his head and continued.

"Yeonshin, you nearly died on this mission. Listen. Martial artists who live long lives often have a clear grasp of the debts and grudges they've incurred."

"..."

Yeonshin's eyebrow twitched at the mention of living a long life.

"The martial world's response to you is troubling. Battles between Murim powers aren't limited to open warfare. The struggle between their informants is no less fierce. Word came from the Command Bureau. Apparently, people have been asking around about the activities of the Desolate Fortress's Lightning Genius."

"Debts and grudges...?"

"Just the ones we've heard about so far include the Tyrant Sword Tribe, the Martial Alliance, and the Blood Flame Cult. Killing the Tyrant Sword Tribe Lord's disciple and the Vicious Rakshasa Swordsman was admirable. But both were heirs to traditions with substantial followings even within the tribe. Naturally, plenty of people are sharpening their blades."

"I can understand the Martial Alliance. I once cut off the head of one of their rising generation disciples."

"Sword Flower, wasn't it? I hear she was renowned throughout Huguang and Henan for both her beauty and her talent with a sword. Apparently, she was betrothed. You'll have to watch out not only for her family at sung manor, but for that lover of hers as well."

"..." Yeonshin acknowledged this without a word.

"The most troublesome is the Blood Flame Cult, of course. Without the Pill of Luminous Rectitude, you would have had to return to the Desolate Fortress." Ma Jin continued gravely.

"There was never an art like your Demon-Slaying Gentle Flowing Strike. You were bound to become a target. You could have encountered the Seventh Apostle at the Dragon-Phoenix Summit. It was an immense stroke of luck that you avoided that she-devil. That's thanks to the Blood Flame Cult's Apostles working to expand their influence throughout the Central Plains. She must have been a considerable distance away."

"You're right. I'm not yet strong enough to face an Apostle head-on."

When he had first revealed Demon-Slaying Gentle Flowing Strike, he had blasted out the Seventh Apostle's eye. It had been an extraordinary stroke of luck, made possible by her carelessness and the chaotic melee. Yeonshin realized anew how many people now regarded him as a sworn enemy. Nor were they ordinary enemies. These were the unorthodox Thirteen skies, said to rival the Nine Great Sects and Eight Families.

"If you mean to walk the martial world doing what is right, such things are unavoidable. Even so, your case is excessive. It would be hard to find a precedent for making so many powerful enemies in such a short time, let alone at your age."

"That sounds like you're saying I'm doing my missions properly."

"You're truly a man of Murim now. Many people bear you grudges. You must always remain vigilant out in the martial world. Please remember that."

Yeonshin could hear the concern in Ma Jin's voice. He readily nodded.

'I have been running without a moment's rest.'

It felt as though he had paused to hone the blade in his heart before continuing that relentless pace. He welcomed the fact that every one of his enemies belonged to the Thirteen skies, the great unorthodox powers. The Tyrant Sword Tribe and Blood Flame Cult were his own sworn enemies as well, and every head he took would add to his merits.

'Isn't the Hwangbo clan unorthodox, too?'

Walking back to the others with Ma Jin, he immersed himself in visualization training. To use the sword song efficiently, he had to keep honing his core energy control. Quite apart from Ma Jin's warning, Yeonshin was growing stronger.

"The white robes will stay out of the main offensive."

It was the Annihilation Squad captain's voice. He had begun making mission assignments. Heon Wonchang and Shin Sobin were assigned elsewhere, leaving them unable to participate in the attack on the Hwangbo clan. They were tasked with holding the Dragon-Phoenix Summit's young disciples and the defeated remnants of the Hwangbo guards.

Yeonshin, meanwhile, had to receive advice from a blue-robed senior of the Annihilation Squad.

"The Pingyin branch's inherited arts primarily use heavy sword techniques. Try to parry lightly, and you're likely to be driven straight back. Remember the Pool at the Bend, Cubit Marsh, and Lesser Sea points. As you know, they're pressure points at the elbow. Keep them firmly filled with core energy when you exchange sword strikes."

He familiarized himself with the characteristics of the Pingyin County Hwangbo branch's martial arts. It did not take long.

* * *

Three days had passed since the battle on the plain.

"They really did leave just us here. They must have quite a bit of faith in your sound technique, Lightning Genius."

Chung Myung smiled in amusement. The three blue-robed warriors of Radiant Demon Team One, including Yeonshin, had just arrived at the southern edge of Shandong Province.

There was scarcely any sign of life in the marketplace. Pingyin County, where their target was based, was quiet indeed. Most of the merchants who had spread out mats to display their wares were well into middle age or elderly women.

Baek Miryeo smoothed her long, loose hair. Glancing at the ornaments on display, she spoke.

"Zhangqiu, where the Hwangbo main estate stands, borders the Yellow River. It's an enormous river. If they flee by boat, things will get troublesome. To control the riverside in secret, it makes sense to send only the minimum force against the branch families."

Spring in Shandong was said to be dry. The atmosphere in the marketplace felt drier still. The villagers gazing blankly at the sword-bearing party did not even look frightened. Their lined faces, marked by what seemed to be exhaustion, held no vitality.

"... I don't see any able-bodied men. It looks like they really were taken away for forced labor."

"The heavenly squad and Command Bureau confirmed it over and over. There's no chance of a mistake. If this weren't a martial clan, the imperial army would have mobilized, wouldn't it? It's just as well, since deploying an army wouldn't do the common people any good either," Chung Myung said calmly.

In truth, Yeonshin had considered concealing the Desolate Fortress emblem again. He had continued weighing it until they reached Pingyin County. This was different from his previous missions, which had involved the unorthodox Thirteen skies. The Hwangbo clan was renowned in orthodox Murim. He wanted to see the truth for himself.

"We can go straight to the Hwangbo branch and ask them what's going on."

TAP!

As Yeonshin finished speaking, all three stepped forward at once, using lightness skills powered by internal energy. Core energy filled the fine meridians throughout their bodies, down to their toes, and began propelling them forward. Their speed increased steadily. Only then did the people around them start in alarm, receding rapidly behind them.

They put aside the magistrate for the moment, though he was obliged to report the people's circumstances to the imperial court without concealment. Yeonshin had already heard about Pingyin County's magistrate: a very unusual individual, by all accounts. If the information he had learned was correct, the magistrate would also be at the Hwangbo branch estate.

They headed straight for the estate containing the largest cluster of halls in the village. Even without a signboard, he could tell it belonged to a martial clan. Waves of internal energy emanated from within.

WHOOSH!

Yeonshin suddenly surged ahead of the other two. This mission was meant to adapt the Radiant Demon Squad's Lightning Genius's unique sound technique for actual combat. Grateful for the opportunity, he did not want to disappoint their expectations. Without slowing, he put the formula for Infinite Blossom Fist Strike's Formidable Wall into action.

BOOM!

Splinters from the shattered gate scattered in every direction, as though a storm had caught them in the lingering force of the powerful shock wave. Yeonshin hesitated for an instant at the sight revealed before him.

A drinking party was underway in the spacious courtyard just beyond the main gate. A small pond to one side caught his eye. It was decorated with carvings of all manner of spirit beasts. Among the blades of grass along its banks stood not only the Four Divine Beasts and qilin, but strange creatures with peculiar wings.

People sat on the large rocks surrounding the pond, cups in hand. Even at the sight of the newcomers, they did not stop drinking.

"Ah."

Someone who had been smiling among five beautifully dressed women raised his head. He was a handsome man of the noble race, with a yellow cornel blossom tucked behind one long ear.

The servants bustling about glanced at Yeonshin's party, then silently returned to their work.

"More of our Jinan heroes come calling today! Our poor gate never lasts!"

The noble-race man raised a hand high, the sleeve of his pale green official robes fluttering. He continued as though dealing with something exceedingly familiar.

"Why not leave Shandong and report this to somewhere like the Desolate Fortress instead? I simply cannot understand it. What gives you weaklings the confidence to challenge the Hwangbo clan?"

"..." Yeonshin fell silent for a moment. Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo, too, seemed at a loss for words.