How long had he spent in that pitch-black haze?

Suddenly, he felt sunlight. It was white. At the same time, it felt as though an immense mass of cotton were pushing his soul upward.

“Mm.”

It was the instant he awoke. A hoarse groan escaped him, then stopped.

The bed felt familiar, with the distinctive softness of the Radiant Demon Squad’s quarters. So did the smell of the air. Cozy and comforting. It meant he was safe.

‘Ah.’

The moment he became aware of himself, his consciousness flashed like a beam of light. In an instant, he counted the time that had passed. This habit of thought had already become instinct.

From the Dragon-Phoenix Summit to the Hwangbo clan, back to Southern Zhili to rescue Heon Wonchang and restore his health, then to the Blood Flame Cult’s headquarters before the eyes of those Namgoong bastards.

Travel alone had taken an enormous amount of time, compounded by one difficult incident after another.

Eighty-seven days spent.

And roughly another fifteen days of his lifespan lost to his sword song.

How long had the return journey taken?

He tried to judge by his hunger. ... His stomach was empty, but he was all right. His body had not grown terribly weak.

He examined his insides as well: the pressure points throughout his body, his eight extraordinary meridians, his twelve primary meridians, and all three energy cores.

Their strength and resilience had diminished considerably. It seemed to be the backlash from repurposing the Twin Flame Blood Spirit Enchantment using the principles of a demon-subduing Enchantment.

The burden his Baihui point placed on his upper dantian had also increased.

‘I’ll need to recuperate.’

Returning to peak condition would take time.

“I sense movement. Are you awake?”

Power overflowed from that deep voice alone—internal power that surged even without conscious effort. An exceptionally powerful supreme master had spoken without first opening the door.

He knew at once who it was. Besides the familiar voice, there was the consideration Ma Jin had begun showing his nephew since learning of their blood ties.

“Yes, Captain. Please come in.”

“All right.”

The door rattled open. A massive man entered and closed the wooden door behind him.

Hard-packed muscles showed through his black clothing, and scars on his face spoke of countless battles. This was the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, whose fame must have grown still greater after exterminating the Hwangbo main house.

Jung Yeonshin looked at his maternal uncle with fresh eyes. All sorts of thoughts had passed through his mind immediately after the Seventh Apostle captured him.

He had thought he might never see this man again.

“How are you feeling? You must have fought the Hwangbo clan head.”

He asked as he looked Ma Jin over.

Ma Jin sat on the edge of the bed. He gazed down at his reclining nephew and spoke.

“I told you we would join forces, since it was war. The clan head’s martial prowess was formidable. He used some martial art I had never even heard of, calling it his secret technique. I fought alongside the Annihilation Squad captain, and it took us over seventy exchanges to take his head. My internal injuries healed on the journey back. How are you?”

“There’s no problem with the flow of my core energy. My blood is circulating well, too. I think some food and a little rest should suffice. But...”

“Hmm?”

“What day is it today?”

“... Five days before the summer solstice.”

That meant the fifteenth day of the sixth month.

Jung Yeonshin closed his eyes briefly. Already, half of his sixteenth year had passed.

He had about three years and six months left. Roughly fifteen days of that had to be deducted for the lifespan he had spent on his sword song.

He used his abdominal muscles to lift his torso.

“I acted on my own quite often. I should report to the Command Bureau in person.”

“There’s no need to hurry. Those who went to attack the Blood Flame Cult’s headquarters are still on their way back. And... I returned a little later than you did, but the Fortress was already in an uproar. They say the Fortress Master carried you back herself. Apparently, she traveled alone using her lightness skill.”

“Then?”

“The Command Bureau is well known for its strict procedures. But even they cannot have seen that and still press you for a report. I mean you can take your time.”

“Understood.”

He got out of bed entirely, his actions contradicting his words.

He set aside the fact that his body needed rest. He had to go to the Command Bureau immediately. He could hardly bear to wait for his merits to be tallied.

As he eased his legs down, Ma Jin found himself pushed aside.

“... What are you doing?”

“Simply lying down hardly counts as recuperation. I should get some sunlight and feel a little of the late-spring breeze.”

“What? It’s not as though you’re of the noble race.”

He stopped his uncle from following and left the inner quarters.

No sooner had he stepped outside than he had to stop. His seniors passing through the Radiant Demon Squad’s compound brightened at the sight of him and approached.

“Lightning Genius is up.”

“Are you feeling all right?”

“I hear you had quite an eventful journey. Will you tell us about it?”

“More importantly, is it true the Fortress Master carried you back? I wonder whether you fully experienced her peerless Mobility Arts. How fast was she?”

It had been a long time since he had experienced this.

They were his blue-robed seniors in the Radiant Demon Squad. Whenever their youngest completed a mission, they had always taken an interest.

His promotion to blue robe and Shin Sobin’s arrival meant he no longer occupied the lowest rung, but in their eyes he still seemed to be a youthful junior.

His goal was the Divine Sword Squad Leader’s purple-robed rank.

The blue-robed warriors formed the backbone of the Desolate Fortress. He needed to mind his reputation among them.

He answered each question as they walked together along the path past the main training ground.

Perhaps drawn by the rare commotion, more seniors kept gathering. Eventually, they began talking among themselves.

“The Fortress certainly has become lively. The Fortress Master returning with Lightning Genius is one example.”

“Has something else happened?”

Another senior answered his question.

“The whole martial world is entering troubled times. The seventeen squads are desperately short-handed, and the noble clans under the Fortress have caught fire with ambition for glory. Word is they’ve begun fighting over mission assignments. Your mother’s family, the desolate’s ma clan, is involved too.”

He spoke freely, even when discussing the clans.

He had every reason to. A blue-robed warrior of the Desolate Fortress was a master who could stand as a formidable figure anywhere in the Central Plains.

Their dispositions were as expansive as their martial prowess was lofty. They were peers who could each defeat a hundred men with a single sword.

“I see.”

Jung Yeonshin, who was one of them himself, nodded quietly.

“There’s something else. That so-called genius.”

Another senior’s voice came from one side. The group grew noisy again.

“I’ve heard plenty about him. The one locked in the dungeon, right? Something about Divine Solar Meridians.”

“If you mean the Hwangbo young clan head, yes. There’s a lot of debate about what to do with him.”

“I don’t know why they haven’t killed him. Isn’t leaving the Hwangbo martial arts in existence asking for trouble later?”

“Trouble? He’s already a prisoner here. How could he possibly escape?”

They were discussing the Hwangbo clan’s Supreme Flame Dragon. Jung Yeonshin asked another question.

“Did the white-robed warriors of the Shandong expedition return first?”

“Yes. They deserve considerable credit too. Even after losing to the clan coalition and the Blood Flame Cult, they somehow held on to several prisoners. That Supreme Flame Dragon was one of them. He was brought in looking quite defiant.”

He recalled the madman with a poppy in his mouth. His madness had felt different from the Seventh Apostle’s.

‘That’s nothing compared to conflict among the clans under the Fortress.’

Inwardly, Jung Yeonshin shook his head.

His smiling seniors pestered him for stories about his mission.

These men did not even indulge in commonplace gambling. They said they had few pleasures in life: martial arts, affairs of the martial world, tales of valor, and everyday gossip. That was all.

“I’ll tell you later. We can debate the sword together, too.”

He extricated himself politely and headed straight for the Command Bureau.

“Jung Yeonshin of the Radiant Demon Squad. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

The clerk responsible for the entry register inspected his Desolate Fortress plaque.

It bore a tree design plated in vivid gold. Beneath the design, the name Lightning Genius was engraved on the identity plaque.

Lightning Genius was no longer merely his epithet. It was the courtesy name formally bestowed upon him by the Fortress Master at his coming-of-age ceremony.

The clerk promptly returned the plaque. His question about Yeonshin’s identity seemed to have been a formality.

Jung Yeonshin had come wearing his own blue martial robes. There was no mistaking the golden character for “desolate” that marked him as the Desolate Fortress Master’s direct disciple.

“Young Master Lightning Genius. May I ask your business?”

“To report on my missions and have my merits tallied.”

For an instant, a peculiar gleam seemed to enter the clerk’s eyes.

“Understood.”

Jung Yeonshin went straight into the large hall. The scent of ink washed over him.

Long desks of venerable design stretched across the room, filled with clerks, each writing with a brush in hand.

It was an immense office, seemingly as large as a respectable training ground. There were easily several dozen clerks inside.

Ma Jin had been right. The atmosphere was every bit as stern as that among the warriors.

He sent a sound transmission to the person occupying the seat of honor at the far end.

“Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad. I would like to report on my missions...”

A burly man in long brown robes stood up. He was middle-aged, with a thick, jet-black beard, and his response was exceedingly swift.

“Please, come this way!”

He practically shouted as he extended a hand, his manner extremely courteous.

He seemed unconcerned with the atmosphere. Was this the head of the Command Bureau?

The Desolate Fortress’s Chief Administrator was said to wield budgets and personnel authority to berate even black-robed warriors. Yeonshin wondered whether this could really be him.

Then he understood.

‘It’s because the Fortress Master bestowed martial arts upon me.’

Eyes turned toward him. Some clerks returned to their work, while others whispered among themselves.

Jung Yeonshin did not move forward. His experiences in the martial world had taught him better. Losing debates of the sword had taught him how to navigate social situations.

“My greetings to the many pillars of our Fortress. I am Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad.”

He offered the Command Bureau’s clerks a martial salute. Warriors were generally said to shun those who recited lines of writing.

He could not afford to do the same. He was young, and those who controlled appointments were kings.

“...”

The silence was brief. The clerks rose in succession to return his courtesy, strange expressions on their faces.

Jung Yeonshin was the Desolate Fortress Master’s direct disciple—a position once held only by those of Imperial blood, he had been told.

The clerks had never before been greeted first by a martial master wearing that golden character.

‘Good.’

That would do. Sowing a small seed of goodwill was enough.

Jung Yeonshin turned away. Sensing the whispers gradually spreading behind him, he followed the Chief Administrator, who guided him with an indescribable expression.

There was another office in an annex. The two sat facing each other.

“I was thinking of serving Longjing tea. Would that suit you?”

“I would be grateful.”

The Chief Administrator summoned an attendant and ordered Longjing tea.

Meanwhile, Jung Yeonshin studied his face. Given the man’s imposing build, his eyes sat quite high.

Though he headed the Command Bureau, he had trained in martial arts. Yeonshin could tell from the intense presence pressing against his skin.

He certainly did not look like someone skilled at flattery.

“One moment.”

The Chief Administrator took a bundle of papers from a drawer. They were densely covered with writing.

He skimmed the bundle, thick enough to be a book, then parted his thick lips.

“The Dragon-Phoenix Summit and the mission involving the Hwangbo branch family in Pingyin County. Defeating Blood Flame Cult branches throughout Shandong and Southern Zhili. Sweeping away the blood fiends before those Namgoong scum.”

He continued.

“It has been quite some time. There were many witnesses, and we investigated these matters thoroughly ourselves. We had white-robed warrior Shin Sobin’s report, and received letters from the prefects of two prefectures, the azure-eyed demonic swordsman, and the wave swordswoman. Even the Zhongnan Sect’s Sword Dragon sent word.”

“... Are you saying the merits for those deeds have already been tallied?”

For the moment, Jung Yeonshin kept his expression composed as he asked.

“Indeed. After a brief cross-check of accounts, you will receive your rewards as a blue-robed warrior.”

The Chief Administrator’s lips lifted in a broad smile. He continued slowly.

“The events at the Blood Flame Cult’s headquarters, however... The Fortress Master has given us no word on those, so we will need a detailed report. That will take some time. Before that, then...”

He paused briefly before speaking again.

“Let us discuss the rewards already settled. Fifty taels of silver, martial robes woven entirely from Thousand-year Silk, the right to request martial instruction from the Divine Sword Squad Leader, and high-grade spirit medicine from the Fortress... Naturally, you have a choice. If you have a particular preference...”

“I would like the spirit medicine.”

Jung Yeonshin answered without hesitation. The Chief Administrator’s eyes widened slightly.

“Hmm? That is not what I meant.”

“Pardon...?”

“I was only asking about the spirit medicine. Whether you would like to take it now or have the Medical Pavilion store it for you. Even if you choose the latter, you may collect it whenever you wish. The head of the Medical Pavilion is of the noble race, you see. I mention it because they can keep medicinal pills in the best possible condition. Free of concerns about moisture and temperature, it is storage you can certainly trust.”

“... I’m having trouble understanding.”

The Chief Administrator smiled at Jung Yeonshin’s words.

“It is all yours, Young Master. Everything I mentioned.”