Chapter 144 – Black Robe (2)

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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“I told you to come, yet you don’t listen.”

With soft footsteps, the Lord of Desolate Fortress moved forward.

Right in front of Jeong Yeon-shin. She took one step, then another half step closer.

“Perhaps it’s because of your age.”

Along with her amused voice came a subtle fragrance, the scent of grass.

The two-step distance had now narrowed to half a step.

Having entered his growth period, Jeong Yeon-shin’s height matched hers. Their eye levels were equal.

Her eyes, containing the will of an absolute being, filled his vision. It was like a deep green sea.

The boy had to face the overwhelming presence dwelling in the supreme master’s emerald eyes.

It made him truly understand why they spoke of the Mind Sword, or the Intent Sword.

How mystical must her power control be with such presence and will?

He recalled the swordsman who had pressured the Pure Demon Alliance Leader despite bearing a burden.

Her sword techniques, containing moonlight, had been beautiful, as if transcending the human realm.

It was the most intense eye contact he had ever experienced in his life.

Jeong Yeon-shin stared into the pitch-black pupils of the Lord of Desolate Fortress. They were his own eyes.

His black eyes, containing power far weaker than the supreme master’s pupils, were reflected.

When would he be able to look into her eyes and proudly request the fruit of the World Tree?

‘Luminous Wheel.’

The boy inwardly called upon the luminous wheel of divine energy. To regain his composure.

It hadn’t been like this when receiving the Moon Spirit Harmony Technique. Because the starting point of channeling others’ true qi, the acupoint, had been on his back.

Now was different. This was a place to learn martial arts techniques.

“A master’s sense cannot be easily toyed with. You must first engrave this fact in your heart.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress spoke quietly, still maintaining eye contact.

Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t find it strange.

They said the martial arts scattered throughout the world were extremely diverse, with as many forms of instruction as there were countless types.

Even Shaolin’s Iron Sand Palm was like that. They said you temper hand techniques by thrusting bare hands into heated sand in a mortar.

The Lord’s calm voice continued.

“However, if you comprehend the principles of the Void Strike, that understanding becomes a weapon.”

“Is it because of masters’ faith? In their qi sense…”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked calmly.

For a moment, her eyes blinked. Her long eyelashes moving together created subtle shadows.

The Lord’s pupils took on a deeper color.

“You grasp two things in one statement. You are correct. It is a method of turning strengths into weaknesses, disturbing qi sense rather than the five senses.”

“Ah.”

“Rather, it is a subtlety difficult to attempt against the weak. Because their qi sense is weak.”

“Then, the reason for standing face to face like this…”

“Feel it. This should suffice for you.”

With those soft whispers, her face drew closer.

Swoosh

Her white forehead slowly touched the boy’s forehead.

It was soft. Very warm.

For a moment, Jeong Yeon-shin felt his mother. It had been like this when receiving the Moon Spirit Harmony Formula too.

A scene flashed through his mind where he wouldn’t have needed to create the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique.

If his mother, Ma Yeon-sang, had lived, wouldn’t she have cared for her young child and transmitted warmth like this?

[TL Note- No more shipping Fortress Lord and Yeon-shin.]

But it was brief. The Lord quietly pulled back her forehead.

Whoosh

His field of vision changed up and down. As if only he had been flipped upside down, centered on his head, positions were completely reversed.

The boy felt as if he was standing upside down in the air. Even his vision was like that.

Without any warning, it came with a breeze that seemed to toy with the Luminous Wheel’s qi sense.

It felt like his sixth sense, wrapping his whole body, had been gently kneaded.

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin, standing on air above his head, faced the Lord of Desolate Fortress, who remained standing on the ground.

Their lips were at each other’s foreheads. The boy’s breath slightly disturbed the Lord’s grass-colored bangs.

‘What is this?’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

By now, he was confused. Was this a type of illusionary sword technique said to cause hallucinations?

Or were her hair and his breath also illusions?

Since the Lord of Desolate Fortress, who had reached the highest realm, had personally demonstrated the Void Strike, perhaps it was right to think the sword technique’s subtleties manifested in the realm of supernatural powers.

Had confusion shown on his expression? The Lord smiled.

“Your expression is cute. Like the leaves I befriended in my young days fluttering.”

It was truly mystical.

At this moment, the boy realized something. He understood how tightly his five senses and energy perception were connected.

To react swiftly to a spear flying from behind, all his senses and internal energy perception had to be tightly synchronized.

This seemed to be the reason for the phenomenon. Disrupting energy perception became a way to manipulate the senses.

‘The stronger the synchronization of energy perception, the greater the master.’

This was why seasoned martial artists could handle groups alone.

That’s why the technique he was experiencing now was terrifying.

The Lord had said it was a Void Strike without substance, but after the Void Strike that gripped internal energy sense, the true strike unleashed behind would almost certainly land directly.

It was a combination leading to instant death.

The utility was very great. It seemed equally difficult to succeed with.

Masters’ qi sense was extremely sensitive and firmly woven.

The system of internal energy flowing through the twelve meridians and the entire body’s network was often compared to a small universe.

It was a sense not easily swayed by one mere Void Strike.

Jeong Yeon-shin unconsciously asked a question.

“How do you do it?”

“Isn’t that why I’m standing here, to show you with my body?”

She asked back in a gentle voice.

He understood her meaning. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly closed his eyes.

He didn’t sink into his inner mind. He entrusted his consciousness to the formless power extending from the luminous wheel.

At the same time, he detected the Lord’s qi waves scanning his whole body.

It was a strange method. It didn’t stop at strike impact waves.

It was waves of power that wrapped around the opponent’s qi waves as if possessing will.

It rode up the emitted true qi as is to confuse qi sense.

‘This is it.’

He understood immediately.

It wasn’t a method anyone could endure long.

For a master who had refined true qi for long, it was an operation that would be noticed within several breaths during fierce battle.

It was truly a Void Strike as said. Difficult to succeed with, and difficult to maintain.

Nevertheless, it was very appealing.

It was hard to fix an artificially adjusted qi sense like this. That was a superhuman realm only possible for the Lord of Desolate Fortress.

But even stealing just one breath from the opponent was worthy of being called an ultimate strike. It was very good. It seemed it would demonstrate power as an excellent Void Strike.

Jeong Yeon-shin focused his mind.

Hum!

As the wheel in his heart rotated, a separate qi sense arose. For a moment, his vision overlapped doubly.

Himself looking at the Lord’s lips while standing upside down, and himself, standing firmly on the ground and making eye contact with her.

The latter was likely his original sense.

The boy immediately moved his senses.

His head felt slightly warm. It was because his upper dantian was burning.

Slowly.

He rode the energy waves of the Lord that enveloped his body and reversed them.

He meticulously scanned the form of the energy she was emitting. At the same time, he reverse-engineered its secrets.

Words engraved themselves in his mind. These were the methods of the Void Strike that the Lord had never spoken of.

It wasn’t some dead text written in a secret manual. It was the process of instantly grasping the technique by experiencing the move with his body.

It was a form of teaching only possible with a prodigy.

“Yes. That’s right.”

He heard her whisper. A breath tinged with laughter tickled his lips.

It seemed she was perfectly aware of the boy’s senses probing her energy. It was an astonishingly sublime state.

‘This… It’s not going to work in real combat without some serious training.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought as he memorized the secrets in his head.

When he punctuated the invisible text with a period, his vision returned to normal.

At the end of the energy wave he had traced, there was a small smile. A faint one. It was the Lord of Desolate Fortress.

Swoosh

The wind that had enveloped them dispersed. It was the energy flow that had deceived the invasion of the energy sense.

“What did you feel?”

She moved her lips. Her eyes, fixed on the boy, sparkled with interest.

Perhaps it was because they had resonated for a moment. Maybe it was because their energy senses had touched and become familiar.

Jeong Yeon-shin opened his mouth without thinking.

“It’s difficult for now…”

“Difficult?”

“It seems hard to use properly. Controlling the energy waves to penetrate the opponent’s energy sense, or disrupting their senses during combat.”

The boy said.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress didn’t answer for a moment. She stared at the boy with emerald-like eyes.

It was a gaze that seemed to ask if he was truly struggling.

Just how much expectation did she have for this prodigy? To an outsider, she might have seemed indifferent.

Only after speaking did Jeong Yeon-shin become aware of his words. She was still a formidable presence.

It wasn’t just because she was the guardian of the World Tree. Anyone would find it hard to breathe easily in front of an absolute master.

“But.”

The boy quickly added, almost stumbling over his words.

“I’ve learned how to manipulate energy waves and sword winds. I’ve gotten familiar with handling the wind through Senior Cheong Myeong’s Body Preservation Technique, so I’ve gained several clues. I’ve also realized just how terrifying the Void Strike you showed me is.”

“It’s because we’re close. At a normal distance, it’s hard to have this much influence.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress said quietly.

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded silently.

If it weren’t bound by distance, it would hardly be considered martial arts. It would be in the realm of rare sorcery.

“Think of it as stealing one breath from the opponent. Anything more is unnecessary.”

“I’ve fully memorized the secrets. There will come a day when it will be useful. I think it’s something that can be achieved with constant training.”

At the boy’s words, her lips curved slightly.

“You’ve entered the gate.”

Her thin breath scattered beneath Jeong Yeon-shin’s nose.

Still standing close, her white hand gently pushed against his chest.

Rustle

The hem of her sleeve brushed against his clothes, making a small sound. Along with the Lord’s soft laughter.

“It won’t take long. It might even be useful for your black rank promotion.”

“Ah.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had stepped back, let out a short exclamation.

He had been so focused on the teaching that he had momentarily forgotten.

During the white and blue rank promotions, there had been a process of martial competition.

It wouldn’t be any different for the black rank. There would just be additional procedures and considerations.

He would have to face a master officially recognized by the main sect, wouldn’t he? It would be someone with formidable martial arts.

‘They’ll be powerful.’

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly raised his fist in a gesture of respect. It was a gesture of gratitude for the precious technique she had taught him.

“I will not disgrace you, Lord, and will repay your kindness with a performance worthy of your reputation.”

“Just reveal your true talent. That will be enough.”

She replied quietly.

Her voice signaled the end of the lesson.

She slowly turned around. It seemed she was heading back to her quarters.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly opened his mouth again.

Before the boy could even speak, the Lord’s movement stopped. She had sensed even the smallest sign.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Speak.”

She said, her delicate back turned to him.

“Is it really impossible to establish the sword of the mind? The mind sword of ‘the mind is the sword.’”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked as a promising disciple aspiring to reach the level of the Divine Sword Group Leader.

It was the question of a young martial artist who, while despising his own constitution, was born with a nature that enjoyed martial arts.

“Our paths are different.”

A melodious voice flowed out. It was a voice that echoed in his ears, unaffected by the bustling air outside.

It seemed to fill the desolate backyard with a sense of loneliness.

“You might be able to do it. Perhaps someday.”

That was the end.

The wide sleeves of the Lord’s robe were bathed in the setting sun.

A silent light flowed down her hair like waves. It was as if the day, filled with energy even without drawing a sword, was being proven.

Step.

She slowly walked away. With long strides, the day came to an end.

Even then, Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t lower his fist.

‘I’ve grown stronger again. There’s so much to ponder.’

The boy, dressed in a black robe, had entered the realm of the Void Strike. It was the teaching of none other than the Lord of Desolate Fortress.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The next day.

Jeong Yeon-shin entered the main gate of the fortress with his companions. They had finally returned.

As he stepped through the wide-open gates, Hyeon Won-chang, who had been walking with him, let out a sigh filled with deep emotion.

“We’ve returned alive, at least. It was a difficult journey.”

“I hope there’s a lot of compensation. The opium is all gone. No alcohol either.”

Lazy Flame Dragon suddenly got out of the carriage. His movements were incredibly light.

He tapped the Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder and said softly.

“Lend me some money. This place is good, but the pay is too low. I can’t keep up with my spending.”

“A drunkard and an opium addict. I don’t want to lend money I won’t get back.”

The boy said, glancing at Lazy Flame Dragon’s hand.

It was trembling slightly.

It didn’t seem like withdrawal symptoms. It was likely due to the intense pain caused by the Scorching Divine Meridian’d heat, which was said to cause agony.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin sensed an unusual atmosphere in the vast expanse of the sect.

People were gradually appearing. There were more than a few.

Amidst the noise, the air was filled with excitement.

There was a lot of whispering. The conclusion was one. Voices saying that the protagonist of the black rank promotion ceremony had arrived.

It was different from the blue rank.

It seemed the sect was preparing for a rare event.

‘Finally.’

The biggest event in Desolate Fortress was waiting for the boy.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***