‘I can simply refuse to do what the Ma clan tells me.’

But the debts and grudges troubled Jung Yeonshin.

An illustrious family of the martial world was like a garment patched together from countless favors and feuds. Someone who regarded Ju Yeonjeong as a mortal enemy might turn a blade on Jung Yeonshin. Others would demand that he repay favors they had received from the Ma clan.

He would have to spend time on matters outside his missions. The blood relatives of an illustrious martial family were, by their very nature, a single entity.

‘Did it work?’

Ma Yeonjeok had gone to inspect the people's living conditions in Xiangyang that day. The former Divine Sword Squad Leader traveled with great fanfare, which meant his absence was easy to ascertain.

That was why Heon Wonchang had acted at once. A purple-robed master's martial might was said to be truly transcendent. They had moved quickly to prevent any unexpected intervention.

Rumors that Lightning Genius's maternal family was the Desolate’s Ma Clan could only originate here. Thus, they would stem them at the source, within the fortress itself. They wanted to put even a little distance between Jung Yeonshin and the Ma clan, relying on the eyes and mouths of the Desolate Fortress's martial artists.

Create a disturbance. Draw in outsiders within the fortress and make oneself the Ma clan's target. The instant one of its leaders stepped forward, Jung Yeonshin would take the blow instead.

It would lay bare his relationship with his maternal family. This was the bare minimum they could do.

"... What a ridiculous display. I will not play along."

Ju Yeonjeong slowly parted her lips.

"Lightning Genius. I understand now how firm your resolve is. Let us give it time. I shall accept all your wishes—anything that does not concern severing ties or the succession. I hope you will consider this carefully."

"..."

She turned away, followed by the Ma clan's warriors. The clan elders who had been watching quietly from one side also turned their backs.

Such was the dignity of an illustrious family. They did not embroil themselves in frivolous affairs. Conveying their intentions was enough.

Heon Wonchang lowered his head slightly. Following them and pressing the matter would only make them look strange. It was half a success.

He sent a sound transmission.

"Young Master Jung, what do you think? She says she will accept your wishes..."

"Taking that palm strike is enough. Plenty of experts saw it."

Jung Yeonshin gently pushed Heon Wonchang's hand away. As he slowly rose, unfamiliar martial artists approached him.

They had been watching the incident, and wore a mixture of blue and white robes. They appeared to be experts from other combat units.

"Are you all right?"

"It is not my place to pass judgment on your family, but this would never have happened had you studied under the Ma clan."

"That was impressive footwork."

Many checked briefly on Jung Yeonshin before leaving. Whatever the circumstances, they seemed to consider it a family matter. No doubt they also knew nothing good came of entanglements with a powerful house.

One middle-aged man, however, approached to talk.

"So this is my first look at the much-talked-about rising talent. The fortress is vast, after all."

"Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad."

"Jin Jurim of the Suncheon Wing."

He meant the Divine Sword Squad's Suncheon Wing, a combat unit said to have been founded around the same time as the Radiant Demon Squad.

Blue sleeves hung from the hands he clasped in a martial salute. He was a blue-robed expert, a senior who could rightfully address Yeonshin informally, yet his bearing was courteous.

Jin Jurim smiled, his eyes drooping at the corners.

"Up close, your complexion does not look too bad. Have a moment to talk?"

"May I ask what about?"

"Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin. Hwashin told me a great deal about you, even before your promotion to blue robes."

"Hwashin...?"

"Are you more familiar with his epithet? The White Qilin. Namgoong Hwashin."

Jung Yeonshin gave a small nod. It had been so long since they had last met that the name had not immediately come to him.

He was the man who had defeated Jung Yeonshin in the Desolate Fortress trial, yet admitted defeat himself. Of all the rising talents Yeonshin had met, he had seemed closest to the ideal of fairness and integrity. He had heard that Hwashin was doing well in the Suncheon Wing.

"I know him. Has Young Master Namgoong been well?"

"He became a blue-robed warrior a little over a month ago. A little later than you, perhaps, but only because he did not undertake his missions in such a rush. Hwashin's rate of promotion is quite formidable too."

Jin Jurim smiled as he spoke.

Jung Yeonshin nodded. Not even a year had passed since they had joined the Desolate Fortress. Compared with Yeonshin, who had carried out several years' worth of missions without rest, Namgoong Hwashin's promotion was truly exceptional.

"Have you heard? An interesting question has been circulating through the fortress."

Had Jin Jurim extended his energy detection? A strand of internal energy swept over Jung Yeonshin's entire body. It was exceedingly faint.

"The White Qilin and Lightning Genius. Both have distinguished themselves among the fortress's many rising talents, but which is sharper? I was curious myself. However..."

The middle-aged Suncheon Wing expert, surely a veteran of a hundred battles, spoke with an intrigued expression.

"At present, I would put Hwashin two moves ahead. No doubt because you are not in peak condition."

He meant that the White Qilin was at least two moves superior. He seemed to be judging from the fluctuations of Yeonshin's qi.

Jung Yeonshin fell briefly into thought. The Desolate’s Ma Clan had already slipped from his mind, displaced by the mission ahead.

The life-and-death matches against the Namgoong clan's leadership. He could not consider them without considering the White Qilin, Namgoong Hwashin.

‘The Chief Administrator said it himself. Even getting the assignment will involve fierce competition.’

Namgoong Hwashin had left his family to devote himself to the Desolate Fortress. If he wished to keep rising here, he could not afford to ignore this affair.

He might even volunteer for the matches. That was the sort of world Murim was. If he competed with Jung Yeonshin, he would be a formidable rival indeed.

‘Senior Jin Jurim is a blue-robed expert. The more skilled a martial artist, the less likely they are to judge someone solely by the amount of qi they possess,’ Jung Yeonshin thought.

The fluctuations of core energy within a body conveyed more than simple information. They indirectly revealed the density and nature of one's cultivated internal energy, and the precision of one's intent.

A Murim expert could use those clues to infer how an opponent would execute their forms. That was how martial artists gauged an enemy's strength. Jin Jurim's assessment was no different. It was not something to dismiss.

"You seem to have much on your mind. Understandably so," he said.

Jung Yeonshin offered no particular reply. He simply raised his clasped hands in a calm salute.

"Thank you for your advice."

"Hardly advice. I merely stated the facts."

Jin Jurim regarded him steadily.

"Were you not directly involved in the Azure Wild Valley incident? Given your grievances with the Namgoong clan, your grounds for volunteering are no weaker than Hwashin's desire to turn his sword on his own house. Resolving what one has set in motion is a warrior's virtue too. I wish you success."

Having offered his well-wishes, he left.

Jung Yeonshin bowed his head to his companions. Chung Myung and Baek Miryeo were waiting, their swords put away.

"Thank you."

"What is there to thank us for? Troublesome maternal relatives are hardly unheard of. Tell us whenever they start bothering you."

Chung Myung ruffled Jung Yeonshin's hair. The grin on his face had a strangely mysterious quality.

Was it the confidence peculiar to the noble race? He showed no sign of fearing an illustrious martial family.

Baek Miryeo extended her long fingers to Jung Yeonshin's solar plexus. She briefly closed her eyes, seemingly inspecting his meridians, then opened them and spoke.

"Your control of core energy is remarkable. It went just as you said. This will not affect your recovery."

"We can keep dealing with the Ma clan this way. But..."

Chung Myung watched Jin Jurim's retreating figure for a moment before continuing.

"Getting you that assignment will not be easy either, Lightning Genius. The White Qilin, eh?"

"If the fortress has decided to remove the Namgoong clan's leadership through formal matches..."

Baek Miryeo brushed back the hair beside her ear.

"It means they intend to observe the proprieties. If that is the Command Bureau's intention, they will send warriors of ages matching their opponents. The only Namgoong leaders around Lightning Genius's age are the young clan head and his sister. There are not many places to fill. The White Qilin is indeed a rival."

"But did Young Master Jung not subdue the Supreme Flame Dragon at the Dragon-Phoenix Summit? Even the White Qilin was said to concede superiority to the Hwangbo young clan head, who is several years older. Has he already surpassed him? Does he possess martial talent that overcomes even severed meridians...?"

Heon Wonchang murmured the questions almost to himself.

‘The Supreme Flame Dragon.’

Jung Yeonshin recalled the Hwangbo clan's young clan head. Heon Wonchang was not wrong. He had countered one of the man's techniques, but only because he had first watched his match against Yoo Hyun of Mount Hua.

In their first encounter, Jung Yeonshin had been the one at a disadvantage. Their second meeting had been different. He had won by using his innate senses to exploit an opening.

Had the Supreme Flame Dragon brought out a different martial art, it would have been difficult. In terms of accumulated martial prowess alone, he stood above Jung Yeonshin. Born with Solar Divine Meridians, he had spent a long time honing his martial arts.

The claim that the Supreme Flame Dragon had once been stronger than the White Qilin meant nothing. Jung Yeonshin had never seen that man's full strength.

Gauge Namgoong Hwashin merely because he had once countered the man's fist and palm arts? It was absurd.

‘Demon-Slaying Gentle Flowing Strike. Sword song.’

A demon-subduing hand technique and an area-wide sound technique. He had used them to achieve feats beyond his actual martial prowess. Creating specialized martial arts had allowed him to earn those great merits.

‘This time is different.’

He had to win purely through his fundamental martial skills. He needed to return to the starting point.

He pondered it on the way back with his three companions. Internal energy reserves, years of training... How could he overcome a situation in which he began at a disadvantage in such crucial respects?

Jung Yeonshin suddenly looked up at the sky. A silver-gray crescent moon, curling the darkness around itself, scattered pale moonlight.

The disturbance Heon Wonchang and his companions had caused had vanished into the pitch-black silence. Not a trace remained. The stillness of the night seemed to tell him not to try to resolve the martial world's countless affairs through petty tricks.

* * *

The very next day, an official notice from the Command Bureau went up throughout the fortress. The disturbance at the Desolate’s Ma Clan was pushed aside. Such was the impact of its contents.

A large written notice was posted on the central wall of the Radiant Demon Squad's main training ground as well. The experts read it from their respective positions.

Many stood atop roofs with their arms folded or sat casually far away, moving only their eyes. They had trained in eye techniques, allowing them to see far into the distance like hawks and follow even swift swords as though they moved slowly.

"This is big."

"It will be no ordinary affair."

The notice spoke of the Namgoong clan from its opening lines. It also mentioned Lightning Genius of the Radiant Demon Squad, stating that the clan had repaid the kindness of the Desolate Fortress Master's direct disciple with enmity.

[... The Namgoong clan's conduct has exceeded all bounds. Thus, we of the Desolate Fortress intend to rectify the behavior of the Namgoong regional noble clan of Southern Zhili. To that end, life-and-death sparring matches between this fortress and the Namgoong clan shall be held on Major Heat in the seventh month. Warriors of the seventeen squads under the Divine Sword Squad are to volunteer after due consideration.]

Heon Wonchang read the notice aloud. He looked like a scholar checking the results of the civil service examinations.

"... Should there be many applicants, a selection tournament will be held. Contestants shall be divided by age and compete one-on-one. This is to separate the worthy from the unworthy with the aim of winning every match in the mission. Warriors of this fortress are to prepare accordingly."

"Just as expected," Baek Miryeo said.

"This is how missions are normally assigned, unless the fortress master gives a direct order. A matter that would ordinarily be settled by the Black Captains has, exceptionally, been passed down to us. There will certainly be a selection tournament. That is how illustrious the Namgoong clan's name is."

"The Boundless Heaven Sword Technique. The king-style sword arts."

Chung Myung smiled as he spoke.

"Crush a world-renowned martial art, and honor follows. No warrior would hesitate to make their epithet known. The merit for this mission will be considerable too. Competition is inevitable."

"Lightning Genius. We will not enter."

Baek Miryeo looked directly at Jung Yeonshin. So did Chung Myung, though he wore an easy smile.

"Neither Chung Myung nor I urgently need merit. Win and take the assignment yourself. Can you do it?"

For a moment, he did not answer. Their declaration that they would not volunteer held him silent.

He knew consideration for him lay beneath their decision. It was surely because they now knew about his constitution.

‘Is this merely gratitude...?’

A feeling he could not put into words stirred within him. It tingled.

"... It is difficult to say for certain right now. Later... I think I will know after I return."

"From where?"

"I received word. The fortress master has summoned me."

Jung Yeonshin answered as calmly as he could. A letter from the Command Bureau had arrived two shichen earlier. It said the Desolate Fortress Master would bestow a reward for his deeds at the Blood Flame Cult headquarters.

‘Do not get your hopes up.’

He repeated it inwardly. Turbulent waves were rising in his heart. They had been there all morning. His companions seemed unaware only because he had taken pains not to show it.

There had been two sheets.

Another letter had been enclosed. He had taken it out without a thought, then started in shock. The person who had written it was someone he had not expected.

The Desolate Fortress Master.

It had told him to burn it after reading, so he had. But he could not burn it from his mind. Her elegant words remained etched there as vividly as though branded with fire.

[I shall bestow a small fragment upon you. Come to me when the full moon rises.]

That was the single line.