Xuzhou was a large city to begin with, but now it was livelier than usual. A fresh rumor had spread.

A young master from the Desolate Fortress had provoked the Blood Flame Cult. It was a story bound to catch anyone's interest.

And he was no mere white-robed warrior, but a blue-robed expert. That only helped the rumors travel faster.

“We splashed water on them, and sure enough, they were Blood Flame cultists. That dye of theirs really is convincing.”

“They say he killed a Blood Master Swordsman in one move.”

“A blue-robed warrior of the Desolate Fortress is supposed to be an expert without many equals in the world. But even so...”

All manner of stories circulated.

He had caused the incident in a pleasure house, during a banquet for martial artists, so there had been plenty of witnesses.

Conversations about Jung Yeonshin even reached his own ears.

“Even so, to spill blood without warning? He must think nothing of us.”

“Does he think the Desolate Fortress is the only force opposing the Blood Flame Cult?”

“He should have joined forces with us.”

They said the martial world was home to every sort of person.

Some could not bear to see another make a name for himself right before their eyes.

These were superhumans who housed the mysterious power of martial arts within their bodies. Many acted as though they were the center of the world.

'I was told this was how the small and middling sects confined to their little corners behaved.'

Jung Yeonshin was still gaining experience in the martial world. Most of the battles he had fought so far had been major ones.

He had survived life-and-death struggles worthy of promotion to the blue robes, yet his knowledge of Murim was narrower than that of most white robes.

He spent the night at an inn beside the pleasure house.

With silver in his pocket, he could afford to be comfortable, but he had no particular desire to sleep in a luxurious pleasure house.

He assumed the Blood Flame Cult would now find him wherever he went in Xuzhou.

'I wasn't hoping for uninvited guests.'

In the middle of his meal, Jung Yeonshin looked up at the people opposite him.

“Greetings to a warrior of the renowned Desolate Fortress.”

“We came hoping to discuss martial arts with you. Is it true you killed a blood fiend with a single move? We've never met anyone trained at the Desolate Fortress before.”

There were one woman and two men, all wearing swords at their waists.

Despite their words, his affiliation did not seem to be their primary interest.

To them, the nearby Namgoong clan, rather than the distant Desolate Fortress in Huguang, was the foremost power in the martial world.

'There's no goodwill in their faces.'

Was this the territorial hostility peculiar to local martial circles?

Jung Yeonshin had crushed a Blood Master Swordsman's head in a gathering of people from all manner of sects and martial families.

Defeating the Blood Flame Cult brought great honor to orthodox martial artists. Having done so more than once or twice, he knew that well.

Given what he had done, it was only natural that people like these would seek him out.

He slowly rose and clasped his hands in a martial salute.

“I am Lightning Genius of the Desolate Fortress's Radiant Demon Squad.”

They had addressed him without even introducing themselves. Only after seeing his courtesy did they offer their names in turn.

The names were unfamiliar: Seol Yuyu of the Eulso Sword Clan, Jung Cheol of the Hwa Sword Sect, and Kwon Chun of the Flying Dragon Martial Academy.

Respectively, they were the eldest daughter, the young sect leader, and the foremost disciple.

Jung Yeonshin listened closely to their positions. Asking government offices about the Blood Flame Cult was not enough.

Martial artists inevitably saw things differently.

When they looked at another martial artist, it was only natural to examine physique, bodily balance, and gait. Their perspectives would differ.

'He said to flatter people when you need something from them. Without overdoing it.'

He recalled the worldly wisdom he had learned from Heon Wonchang.

“It is an honor to meet the heroes of Southern Zhili.”

He dipped his head slightly, paying them respect.

“Hmm...!”

The furrow between Kwon Chun's closely set brows eased a little. A blue-robed expert was greeting them with impeccable courtesy.

So what if many martial artists kept their distance from the Desolate Fortress? They could not deny its might or its martial arts.

Murim was a world of people who staked their lives on their individual honor.

No one would resent being treated respectfully by a warrior whose status was acknowledged throughout the world.

Kwon Chun cleared his throat and spoke.

“We know our own martial skills are sorely lacking, but would you care to debate the sword with us?”

“Debate the sword?”

Jung Yeonshin echoed the words without thinking.

It meant conducting an imaginary sparring match by describing martial forms aloud.

After trying it a few times at the fortress, Jung Yeonshin had found little to interest him.

He had even lost to Heon Wonchang several times. There was no sword move one could not execute in words.

'This should be a good way to humor them.'

He ordered three bottles of liquor and some food to accompany them, making a gathering of it.

There were three main ways to obtain detailed news in the martial world.

The Beggars' Sect; the Hao Faction, whose members worked everywhere from pleasure houses to inns; and, finally, local martial artists.

There were beggars even in Beijing, yet he had seen strangely few in Xuzhou.

The Hao Faction's repeated entanglements with the Blood Flame Cult made it difficult to trust. That left only the martial artists established here.

“... Then couldn't I counter it with a lateral wave of force from Sweeping Through a Thousand Troops? If I released Silk-Reeling Force next, it would add even more power and speed. You would have nowhere left to step, Young Master!”

Jung Yeonshin lost match after match.

Sword debate was simply a verbal quarrel to which martial artists had given a respectable name.

The side with less desire to win was bound to lose. In the process, he naturally learned something about dealing with people.

He almost wondered whether entertaining others could really be this easy.

'Would this work on the Desolate Fortress Master too? If she's in a good mood, perhaps...'

Did beating a blue-robed Desolate Fortress expert, even if only in words, make them that happy? All three looked positively radiant.

They remained so even after round upon round of liquor. Once again, the customs of the martial world surprised him.

'People can enjoy this sort of thing, then.'

If the Blood Flame Cult did not come for him by the end of the day, he intended to go out and make inquiries himself.

It seemed that would be unnecessary. The three, their spirits improved after joining him, had told him a great deal.

“If you hadn't crushed that Blood Master Swordsman's skull, Young Master, we would have.”

“We were the ones who brought those blood fiends to the banquet yesterday. We never dreamed they were Blood Flame cultists.”

Seol Yuyu and Kwon Chun spoke.

Seol Yuyu, who said she was heir to the Eulso Sword Clan, was a swordswoman whose palms were thick with calluses.

Her stern-looking eyes softened every time she defeated Jung Yeonshin in their sword debate.

Now he understood. These three had come to clear their honor.

“It's understandable. They seemed skilled at concealing their qi fluctuations. That Blood Master Swordsman in particular. I only sensed his distinctive presence just before he drew his sword.”

Jung Yeonshin calmly excused their mistake.

That was enough. The three answered his cautious questions in detail.

First, he asked where they had met the cultists.

Then he asked which roads they had recently seen people with similar bearing traveling in disguise, and what their families and schools were quietly saying about the Blood Flame Cult in Xuzhou.

These three belonged to the city's rising generation of martial talent.

The news they heard and their discernment far surpassed those of ordinary government soldiers.

Jung Yeonshin pieced together the useful accounts.

He had already followed the Blood Flame cultists after letting them live yesterday. It was easy to compile a list of places he needed to destroy.

Meanwhile, the three martial artists had become quite drunk.

Was it because he had subdued the cultists so easily yesterday?

As though no one in Xuzhou could do anything to them, they did not even use their internal energy to dispel their intoxication.

All three were red in the face.

“This may be a little rude to ask, but are the Desolate Fortress's martial arts... all somewhat flawed like that?”

“Our sword debate has certainly made me wonder.”

“Me too. Even if it was only an exchange of words, I never imagined our Eulso Sword Clan's sword arts would work so well against the Desolate Fortress.”

Their words no longer meant anything.

The liquor-scented chatter of the three failed to reach his ears. He had little time left to spare.

Jung Yeonshin was about to rise.

“Flawed? How could that be? He has created swordsmanship as profound as the secret teachings of the Nine Great Sects.”

The voice came from right beside them. Its crystalline clarity seemed to sweep away everyone's drunkenness.

In fact, it carried powerful yet gentle core energy.

SCUFF

She approached with astonishingly light mobility arts.

Only now did Jung Yeonshin sense her presence. Even if he had been absorbed in the gathering and lost in thought, that was no ordinary feat.

He turned, his eyes widening.

“Sword Dragon?”

Her graceful features and distinct eyes were familiar.

The feather ornament still adorned her ebony hair.

Her sky-blue robes fluttered with the rebound of her light movement technique.

A white treasured sword hung from the belt ornamented with blue jade at her waist.

He had been told it was a divine sword signifying her status as successor to the Zhongnan Sect Leader.

Sword Dragon wiji myohwa's lips curved slightly. Her smile was so beautiful that the three at the table stared as though entranced.

“I had come to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Summit. When I heard the rising generation disciples were being pursued, I came north, but...”

As she continued slowly, her smile deepened.

“Xuzhou was full of rumors about Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad.”

“So you came looking for me?”

Jung Yeonshin asked, recovering from his surprise.

Wiji myohwa inclined her pale neck slightly. Her manner was ambiguous.

“They say you killed a Blood Master Swordsman in one move, Young Master. The rumors must have traveled faster than my lightness skill could carry me. So fast that I cannot understand why the Blood Flame Cult is keeping quiet.”

“They must be plotting something. I'm glad to see you again, but I have no time to wait. Young Master Heon has been captured.”

“Ah.”

She gave a brief sigh and nodded.

“I will help. The Zhongnan Sect owes both of you a debt.”

Those who spoke of the romance of the martial world would have loved this moment. Here stood the very image of a beautiful, chivalrous hero.

In the early evening, he had gained an ally worth an army. Jung Yeonshin did not refuse.

After paying the inn's waiter, he left with wiji myohwa.

They left the three behind, wearing dazed expressions and muttering “Sword Dragon” and “Zhongnan Sect.”

The pursuit gathered rapid momentum.

“We may have to track them for quite some time. Will this be enough?”

Wiji myohwa twisted slightly, as if inviting him to examine her attire.

One sword and a small pack on her back. Her equipment was exceedingly simple. Just what one might expect of a disciple of the Nine Great Sects.

Jung Yeonshin shook his head.

“We may not need to spend very long.”

* * *

The martial world was vast. It encompassed the whole of the Central Plains, stretching out without end.

That was why the schemes of strategists worked against opposing forces even when they were hardly ingenious.

The Blood Flame Cult was a force that could not be infiltrated by spies. It was said that the moment one accepted its Blood Art, one became a fanatic.

That lay in the realm of sorcery. It was why anyone entangled with the cult found themselves helplessly outmatched in the war for information.

Now, however, things were different. Jung Yeonshin was the one running rampant.

BOOM!

The wave of force from Formidable Wall, the second form of Infinite Blossom Fist Strike, exploded against the gate of a house.

As fragments flew in every direction as though struck by a typhoon, Jung Yeonshin was already standing there, his eyes flashing sky-blue.

BOOM!

The wave of force from Demon-Slaying Gentle Flowing Strike swept through the Blood Flame Cult branch's safe house. Bringing his hand down on the last man's head, Jung Yeonshin thought,

'Is this heaven's will?'

At that moment, the foresight of his upper dantian was flashing like a sudden bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky.

It felt almost like destiny. It seemed to be a repercussion of widening his Baihui point by overexerting himself with the sword song.

Or perhaps it was because wiji myohwa, with her profound, mysterious energy, was stimulating him from beside him.

This was already the fifth. Every place he entered was a Blood Flame Cult branch.

'There are four more.'

The information gathered from various government offices and martial artists meshed with his upper dantian's foresight.

His tracking speed seemed utterly inspired, and his martial might had transformed into that of a blue robe.

Even wiji myohwa, for all her deep cultivation, could not hide her astonishment.

“Let's go.”

Glancing at the fallen Blood Master Swordsman and cultists, Jung Yeonshin kicked off the ground.

Wiji myohwa had not even had a chance to intervene.

Using the core-energy layering of the Classic of Initiating Transcendence, Jung Yeonshin's short-distance lightness skill was fast enough to rival hers. But Demon-Slaying Gentle Flowing Strike went beyond even that.

Against the Blood Flame Cult alone, it displayed might approaching invincibility.

'As long as I don't run into an Apostle.'

He thought of the Blood Flame Cult's Seventh Apostle, who would bear a grudge against him.

At the same time, the energy of heaven flowing through the crown of his head whispered vexingly that he need not worry today.

Whether that would truly be the case remained to be seen.

“The sixth.”

Jung Yeonshin muttered as he faced an ordinary-looking building.

A warrior of the Desolate Fortress did not concern himself with the authorities' displeasure.

The commotion was impossible to miss. It was an enormous uproar indeed.

A blue-robed warrior of the Desolate Fortress raced through Xuzhou with a beautiful young female expert.

In the wake of his decisive attacks, utterly demolished Blood Flame Cult branches were exposed for all the world to see.

There were victims shriveled from having their core energy stolen, and corpses with blood-red hair.

“Unbelievable... So that's why everyone talks about the Desolate Fortress.”

“Isn't he an outright monster?”

“Watch your tongue. He's a great hero.”

Xuzhou was said to be home to many martial schools. People who had come out to see what was happening began to follow, one after another.

The gathering crowd continued to grow.