When the Blue Qilin, Namgoong Sejin, took a palm strike from Lightning Genius Jung Yeonshin, the Namgoong clan stirred violently. At that same moment, the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Unit stepped forward.

The Namgoong masters had not stopped solely because of the Blue Qilin's shout. They were facing the combat unit directly under the Divine Sword Squad Leader.

The Divine Sword Unit.

It ranked first among the seventeen combat units under the Divine Sword Squad, both in its date of founding and in martial strength. It was acknowledged as the Desolate Fortress's strongest, in name and in fact.

"He won at that distance."

"He has quite an instinct for judging distance, doesn't he? He's playing around inside that sword domain however he pleases. That's inborn."

"Does anyone know what that palm technique is? I think I heard that Lightning Genius only uses his own unique martial arts."

"Anyone without substantial protective force qi would die the instant it struck. Would Shaolin's Hundred-Pace Divine Fist look like that if you condensed it into close-range barehanded combat?"

"But it seems to take a correspondingly long time to prepare. It's not particularly refined, either. The recoil is tremendous. That martial art depends entirely on the practitioner's instincts."

"You can disparage it all you like, Uncle Sword... but its power alone qualifies it as a divine technique. Those certainly aren't common."

The twenty members were a diverse assortment of men and women, young and old. Besides the middle-aged and the younger adults, there was even one boy and one girl. At least, that was how they appeared.

The girl, wearing a pitch-black long robe with a spear slung over her shoulder, sneered.

"Look at those bastards. Flinching and backing away."

"Your qi waves are pretty strong, Granny Ak. I doubt it's because of us. They are the Namgoong clan, after all."

The handsome middle-aged man called the girl Granny, even speaking with a youthful air.

No one found it strange. Eccentrics and extraordinary talents.

It was said that unusual, exceptional martial artists were as numerous as grains of sand in the martial world. The Divine Sword Unit's masters were particularly famous for it.

"Please exercise some restraint. Many eyes are watching."

"Leave them be. Since when has our unit stood on ceremony?"

The atmosphere was exceedingly casual. Words and behavior of every degree of gravity mingled naturally.

They spent practically the entire year roaming the martial world together, constantly carrying out missions for the Desolate Fortress. In temperament, they were closer to wandering mercenaries.

Their martial prowess, however, was another matter. Apart from their deputy leader, a black-robed supreme master, every member was a blue-robed expert.

Their leader, who headed both the Divine Sword Squad and the Divine Sword Unit, was an absolute master of the purple rank. United by camaraderie, none of them felt any need to mind the crowd's opinion.

"Still... the young clan head's internal power seems less impressive than the rumors suggested. Did something happen before the duel?"

"What does it matter? He's going in the end."

The Blue Qilin, Namgoong Sejin, slowly collapsed.

At that moment, silence fell even among the Divine Sword Unit's masters.

The death of an outstanding talent always called forth silence. And the Blue Qilin had remained dignified to the very end.

A comet of the martial world, possessed of martial prowess, spirit, and chivalry, was fading. A new age for Murim had withered before it could fully sprout.

"... He deserves to be mourned."

"What a loss. Such a terrible loss."

"More importantly, doesn't that Lightning Genius fellow look as though he means to keep going?"

The youthful-looking young man jerked his chin toward Jung Yeonshin.

The boy did indeed look that way. He still held the Desolate Sword, not having sheathed it.

He was staring blankly as the Namgoong masters carried away Namgoong Sejin's body.

The girl in the black long robe clicked her tongue.

"He's not showing fighting spirit. His mind is simply empty. He can't think. Killing his opponent seems to have sunk him into rather melancholy reflections. It's common at that age."

"Why don't you bring him back, Granny Ak? If he really has lost himself in that state, even most blue robes would have trouble touching him carelessly."

The young man looked at Lightning Genius with an uneasy expression.

"You're right, Soha."

Grinning, the girl cupped her hands around her mouth. Her exaggerated gesture lasted only a moment before an immense wave of qi burst forth.

["Child! Come over here—!"]

The sound exploded with force to rival Infinite Blossom Hand's Radiant River.

The crowd streaming away in every direction had already made the surroundings noisy.

Once again, a thunderous roar shook the gorge, making even the air vibrate.

Jung Yeonshin's head snapped up. Wearing an infuriating smile, the girl in black shouted in her ordinary voice.

"You need to understand where you stand! You're now a rising talent who defeated the Namgoong young clan head! Look at those Namgoong bastards over there! They're glaring so darkly they look ready to slash at you any moment!"

"You could have simply brought him back. Did you have to draw everyone's attention and provoke them, too...?"

The young man called Soha shook his head.

"Ah..."

Standing far away, Jung Yeonshin parted his lips slightly.

While the Divine Sword Unit's masters put on a spectacle as comical as an opera, the boy finally came to his senses.

He was also surprised. Even within the Divine Sword Squad, the Divine Sword Unit stood high in the clouds. Their fame reached the heavens.

'That lady is...'

He guessed the identity of the girl who had called to him.

Ak Surim, the Desolate Divine Spear.

She was an elderly master said to have turned back the years of her body when her unusual internal martial art reached the realm of utter perfection.

That realm signified that one's art had attained the utmost heights. It meant she was exceptional even among the Desolate Fortress's black robes.

Even martial artists were not free of social distinctions.

They had a world of their own. Martial prowess, lineage of instruction, temperament, and honor determined their standing.

Appearance did as well. The dragon and phoenix epithets of rising talents were proof enough.

Rejuvenation.

A realm that reversed the body's passage through time. High martial attainment alone was not enough. One's enlightenment, fortuitous encounters, and practiced divine technique all had to be extraordinary.

Ak Surim possessed them all. Her name was as well known as the Divine Sword Squad Leader's.

The Divine Sword Unit's deputy leader, who had regained her youth through martial arts, had personally called Jung Yeonshin over. It meant Lightning Genius had attained at least the standing necessary to merit that attention.

Yet the boy was not particularly moved.

'What a nuisance.'

The thought came unbidden. He wanted to savor the realization Namgoong Sejin had given him.

How should he live as a man of the martial world? Even if he put his own lifespan first, was it truly right to walk the martial path for that alone?

Especially when he had been the Blue Qilin's final opponent.

STEP.

Jung Yeonshin turned his back on the Divine Sword Unit's masters.

"Next..."

He slowly spoke.

"Next. Please step forward."

He addressed the Namgoong clan. Killing intent seemed to swirl through their ranks, from seasoned masters to rising talents alike.

They stared as though they would kill him that instant, their combined qi waves bearing down on him like an enormous evil spirit.

Jung Yeonshin paid it no mind. He had long since guessed Namgoong Mi's little scheme, with its provision for surrender.

Preserve his life and honor by relying on the difference in seniority? He had no wish to comply. It was a dead woman's scheme.

The boy stood straight where he was.

His resolve had been born of Namgoong Sejin's death. The internal power dwelling in the corpse would not even have fully dissipated yet. He did not want to show anything shameful.

"Is that courage or recklessness...?"

As Ak Surim murmured in bewilderment, a voice rang out.

"Very well! I gladly accept an outstanding junior's challenge!"

With that great shout, a middle-aged man in blue martial robes leaped forward.

BOOM!

In an instant, he arrived right in front of Jung Yeonshin. The boy's brows drew together slightly. The sand and qi waves that sprang up and struck his face were truly fierce.

'The leader of the Namgoong clan's Azure Heavenly Sword Corps.'

The man's eyes slanted upward like blades.

Facing him directly made the enormity of his qi waves all the more apparent. The flow of core energy surging about his entire body was tremendous.

'They said the fortress master slew his deputy commander.'

The Azure Heavenly Sword Corps' deputy commander had also been counted among Southern Zhili's foremost swordsmen.

Yet he had become a departed soul at the Desolate Fortress Master's hand. Yeonshin had heard that Heon Wonchang witnessed it himself. It had taken a single strike.

Was it because the deaths of the direct-line heirs had been added to that incident?

The qi waves emanating from the Vast Heaven Sword Corps Leader gradually gathered into something like a sword blade. His presence was so sharp that Jung Yeonshin could scarcely bear it.

He showed none of it. He could not disgrace Namgoong Sejin.

'I just have to land Radiant River.'

He recalled the killing form of Infinite Blossom Hand that Sejin had named.

Its power had been proven. If he could somehow land it, it could inflict a mortal wound even on a black-robed supreme master.

It was then that a clear, refreshing voice rang out.

"That will be enough."

The Vast Heaven Sword Corps Leader reacted faster than Jung Yeonshin. The middle-aged man's eyes immediately widened.

"Divine Sword Squad Leader...!"

It was a title that engraved itself on the mind the instant one heard it.

Behind Jung Yeonshin, a presence emerged with a clarity that sent a chill through his energy detection.

An overwhelming force rose like a tidal wave. Despite having an enemy before him, the boy turned his head.

The man was tall and handsome.

He looked like a scholar, and dressed like one, too. The only difference was that his scholar's robe was purple.

His presence was another matter.

It was utterly unlike when he had kept his internal power fully concealed.

The impression Jung Yeonshin had failed to commit to memory in his daze now became terrifyingly distinct. The man seemed transcendent.

The Divine Sword Squad Leader slowly opened his mouth.

"Sword Corps Leader. Leave it at that."

"What? How can you be so shameless...!"

"You're the one who knows no shame. So eager to do something to a boy vastly younger than yourself."

He finished with a smile. His words and manner were unconventional from the outset.

STEP.

He approached slowly, and no one could stop him.

From a distance, the Namgoong clan head merely glared in silence.

He stroked his sword hilt as though ready to intervene at any moment, but so far he had only taken a few steps.

The Divine Sword Squad Leader approached with a light tread, seemingly free of the gaze of everyone beneath heaven. Stopping a step in front of Jung Yeonshin, he studied the boy.

"Lightning Genius, was it?"

"My respects, Squad Leader."

Jung Yeonshin calmly offered a martial salute. The Divine Sword Squad Leader's lips curved upward.

"I thought you were blind. You treated your squad leader as though he didn't exist all the way here. It was a novel experience. Who knew a boy could lose himself so completely?"

"... My apologies."

"An idle joke. In any case, I'd like you to withdraw now. You've fought two duels to the death, and you're far below him in seniority. You have ample justification. However..."

The Divine Sword Squad Leader wore a slight smile.

"You seem quite determined. Words alone won't do, I take it."

"I..."

"I heard from the Chief Administrator that I'm to teach you a portion of my martial arts. Let me add one more thing. I'll help you build connections in the martial world that will lend you strength."

Jung Yeonshin fell silent for a moment. Connections offered by the Divine Sword Squad Leader himself would be no ordinary ties.

Yet this was not a decision he could easily bargain away. How could he, with Namgoong Sejin lying there?

Then the Divine Sword Squad Leader deliberately furrowed his brow, arranging his face into a woeful expression.

"You've already done more than enough to uphold your dignity. Surely it's time you spared a thought for your superior."

Jung Yeonshin thought silently that he had never expected the squad leader to be such an eccentric.

The Divine Sword Unit. An incomprehensible group.

"I'll take that as your agreement. You have my deepest thanks."

Smiling, the Divine Sword Squad Leader gently pushed Jung Yeonshin aside by the shoulder and stepped forward.

The moment he took that step, the Vast Heaven Sword Corps Leader's oppressive presence vanished as though swept away by a current. It seemed to have been washed out of existence.

"From this moment on..."

The Divine Sword Squad Leader spoke.

"I will personally take part in every match against the Namgoong clan."

"Absurd!"

A Namgoong elder standing farther back shouted. The Divine Sword Squad Leader tilted his head slightly.

"Weren't we starting with the youngest? I understand that was your proposal. Our former squad leader and Elder Council Leader are both elderly men."

"The White Qilin..."

At that instant, Ak Surim, the Desolate Divine Spear, abruptly appeared beside Namgoong Hwashin. Her movement technique was extraordinarily swift.

Before he could even fully form a puzzled expression, Ak Surim's left hand became a knife-hand and blurred. Its speed belonged to an entirely different realm.

THUD!

A dull sound rang out. The instant her lightning-fast strike hit the back of Namgoong Hwashin's neck, his balance crumbled.

He appeared to have lost consciousness immediately.

The Divine Sword Squad Leader smiled in approval.

"Let's finish this quickly and leave. I have much to teach Lightning Genius."

"..."

It was truly outrageous behavior, yet none of the Divine Sword Unit's masters seemed surprised.

They were all watching Jung Yeonshin and the Divine Sword Squad Leader calmly.

"The White Qilin, Namgoong Hwashin, is clearly in no condition to compete. We'll concede this round."

The corners of the Divine Sword Squad Leader's mouth rose smoothly.

"I'm next."