Chapter 205 – Radiant Demon Wing (6)

Certain clans were born with innate physical prowess.

In the realm of talent, they differed from ordinary martial artists.

They grasped the principles of advanced martial arts without study. Without incantations, they wielded movements rivaling supreme movement techniques.

They were swifter, smoother, and more elusive than masters of any clan. They were unlike the Han people.

They were the noble clans.

They were revered by common folk as descendants of immortals. Their striking appearance and ageless bodies set them apart from the mortals of this world.

Possessing both martial might and mystique, none dared regard them with envy.

People only prayed for their divine grace to extend blessings even after death, reaching the Peach Blossom Paradise.

Those in the martial world felt differently. They sighed at the sight of clans born as martial masters.

They could not help but feel anew the unfairness of all creation.

The founding era of the Ming dynasty was fraught with chaos. It was a time when unprecedented clans settled this land.

Their talents fueled the turmoil. They walked like the wind and moved like leaves.

Countless masters sought to unravel their secrets. Even ocular techniques were employed.

Success eluded them. It was dismissed as a difference in innate ability.

The conclusion was that their bodies themselves were distinct. They summoned wind without energy.

Knowledgeable elders of the martial world deemed it a bloodline ability. It was not something to be judged by martial standards.

The notion that they were fundamentally different hardened like diamond.

The years until the Ming imperial court stabilized cemented this. Seed of immortals—another name for the noble clans.

“Are you challenging me to a duel?”

Xiahou Wei-zhen, the Forest-Treading Leader, asked this. It followed Jeong Yeon-shin, the Radiant Demon Wing Leader, critiquing his gait.

He did not grow angry.

His title was Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal. He was born with a fierce fighting spirit. Though outwardly ferocious, his mind cooled in the realm of martial arts.

Victory in the strategic contests of masters demanded this. He was not a reckless warrior, but a martial artist with a strong competitive heart.

“Differently stepping would be better?”

Xiahou Wei-zhen took the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s words as customary provocation. The junior Leader’s statement did not feel earnest.

The context defied reason. Despite his youth, Jeong Yeon-shin was undeniably a black-rank master.

With insight reaching the martial world’s heights, he would not sincerely make such a remark.

It must be a jab at his footwork.

Xiahou Wei-zhen laughed.

“Your words make sense. You must have confidence in your movement technique.”

He had observed Jeong Yeon-shin alongside Yue Shou-lin since the Martial Alliance. For quite some time.

He had witnessed a movement technique akin to the noble clans’. It was profoundly mystical. He wondered how the incantations were crafted.

“He used full-body emission to mimic our clan’s ability. Remarkable indeed.”

The Forest-Treading Leader had already acknowledged the rookie Radiant Demon Wing Leader. He had heard the name Wind Spirit Technique.

Body of the Wind. The character “wind” slightly irked Xiahou Wei-zhen, but he did not bother pointing it out.

The junior’s movements were entertaining enough. He had watched the Martial Alliance’s Opening Tournament with interest.

A true feast for the eyes.

‘Not quite enough to fully replace Ma Jin, the Harbinger of Death…’

He deemed him worthy of black-rank. The unstable energy control, as if one aspect of essence, energy, and spirit was overgrown, was not a significant flaw.

Rather, it hinted at fearsome potential.

Unlike other Leaders, his energy did not flow freely, yet he manifested advanced martial arts. His ingenuity was striking.

Even without the three-flowers gathering at crown state, he achieved this much.

Xiahou Wei-zhen recalled the boundless vitality that surged upon uniting essence, energy, and spirit.

The sensation of the body itself becoming a divine technique. Its scope varied with one’s innate talent.

Many never aligned the three flowers in a lifetime, but Jeong Yeon-shin’s gifts compelled one to consider his future.

Thus, he did not flare up at the junior’s words. The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader had cause for arrogance.

Even if he spouted cute nonsense as provocation, Xiahou Wei-zhen could laugh it off.

He offered the young junior advice.

“Desolate Fortress Leaders are no different from the high officials and nobles of the martial world. Far more exalted than you might think. They are the face of headquarters, so to speak. It is a rank that demands dignity. Do you understand my words?”

“Yes.”

The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader replied blankly, gazing up at the mountain-like senior.

Now that he considered it, none of the black-rank seniors he met at the Wish for Peace Sword Hall had ordinary temperaments.

Yue Shou-lin’s eccentricity aside, Ha Do-woon of Pure Heaven Wing and Woon So-yu of the Law Enforcement Squad were the same.

Xiahou Wei-zhen seemed no exception. Jeong Yeon-shin tilted his head slightly. What does he mean?

Xiahou Wei-zhen’s words then descended from above. With a deep resonance, unusually laced with amusement.

“Acting like a high official toward bureaucrats means you must not slack in maintaining decorum, even at headquarters. Most who come and go here are merchants or officials. You cannot show an unseemly side to those we must protect, can you? A fight at the headquarters’ threshold is unthinkable. If you seek a duel, follow protocol with a letter.”

“A duel…?”

“Had a lesser clansman heard that, they would have drawn their weapon. Do not do so with blue-ranks. It would look like a Leader bullying the lower ranks. Quite the bold provocation. I like it.”

By the end, he chuckled heartily alone.

Swish.

A massive shadow loomed. Xiahou Wei-zhen’s calloused hand moved to pat Jeong Yeon-shin’s head. At the same moment, a gentle breeze stirred.

The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s black robes fluttered lightly, and with a twist of his sidelocks, he evaded Xiahou Wei-zhen’s gesture toward Yue Shou-lin.

Wind Body Movement Technique. An utterly natural dodge.

“Well now.”

Xiahou Wei-zhen’s thick lips curved upward.

“I overstepped. I should treat you as an equal, not a far junior. The gap between your prowess and years is jarring.”

“…”

Jeong Yeon-shin realized his intent had been misread.

The Thousand Fists Dragon Vassal was a seasoned black-rank.

As a noble clansman, his amassed energy was immense.

His energy wave surpassed even the Law Enforcement Squad Leader’s, honed to wield vast internal energy freely in the three-flower convergence state.

He was not an opponent Jeong Yeon-shin could easily best now. If ranked, he would stand among the top of the seventeen black-ranks.

Perhaps even a match for the Annihilation Team Leader in a spar.

Too soon to challenge.

Jeong Yeon-shin pondered. He foresaw a duel with Xiahou Wei-zhen yielding a result akin to facing Yue Shou-lin.

The black-rank realm was vast beyond his prior experience.

Yet he had been told to impress them.

This meant multiple paths to reorganize the Radiant Demon Wing. He need not topple the mightiest seniors now.

Failing to surpass some black-rank seniors immediately was acceptable. Gaining Xiahou Wei-zhen’s favor and defeating two Leaders would suffice.

Jeong Yeon-shin opened his mouth slowly, stepping back into place.

Beside him, Yue Shou-lin grinned alone, brushing his leather boots with her trouser hem.

A playful gesture, as if she knew what he would say. The Desolate Fortress Divine Spear’s insight was keen.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader spoke heedlessly.

“I did not challenge you to a duel.”

“You did not?”

“I wished to discuss movement techniques with Senior Xiahou. I saw room for your gait to change. Since noble clan movements are a root of my own, I offered advice despite the risk of offense.”

The rookie Leader critiqued a noble clansman’s steps.

Xiahou Wei-zhen, gazing down at Jeong Yeon-shin, blinked widely. The words did not register at face value.

Given his ability to mimic noble clan movements so exquisitely, his martial discourse and innate perception must be exceptional.

Yet a Han person advising a black-robed noble master on walking like a noble was unthinkable.

With clear, unabashed eyes.

A cavernous, wind-like voice flowed from Xiahou Wei-zhen’s mouth.

“The stone seats for Leaders at the Wish for Peace Sword Hall… rival the grand chairs of sect masters in size and splendor. Do you know why? They were made to signify responsibility for one’s words and actions.”

His voice brimmed with resonant energy. The energy wave striking Jeong Yeon-shin’s skin was grand and unimpeded.

A wave born of immensely compressed internal energy.

The saying that a noble clansman’s long-lived strength lay in accumulated energy, not just movement, came to mind—an old martial world adage.

—Old men and children living in the martial world have secret techniques in reserve. But one must be more careful of young people with long ears. They have broader knowledge than the old and more strength than children.

“You… cannot fathom the heart I bear as a noble clan master. I, the Forest-Treading Leader, am a wing of the noble clan bestowing grace on the Han people of this land. I deeply cherish the common folk living within their bounds. Are they not the grain-bound people inseparable from the earth?”

Xiahou Wei-zhen spoke.

“Our clan cultivated martial arts to protect the land and trees. We made a vow to the World Tree with noble sentiments. That we would live without shame before you with martial arts that embrace the people’s livelihood.”

“…”

“Martial arts are a study that advances with time. All paths are boundless, so I am not asserting pride now. I only hope your words stem not from shallow sight. Would anyone not grow angry if another lightly judged a movement technique built with pure intent?”

It seemed a volcano of energy roiled beneath his thick throat.

Jeong Yeon-shin realized suddenly.

This was a grand challenge. Could he impress the Forest-Treading Leader with words alone, without draining strength in a duel?

To amass great merits as a pillar of Desolate Fortress’s forces, he needed to secure one blue-rank master here.

The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader parted his lips promptly.

“I do not summon wind. I was not born with such an ability. Thus, I sought to understand. How might I move like the Radiant Demon Wing’s Blue Eyed Demon Sword?”

At the inner stronghold’s fork, splitting toward each contingent’s pavilion.

The Divine Sword Deputy Leader, Radiant Demon Wing Leader, and Forest-Treading Leader passed a small lakeside while conversing.

The three Leaders reflected in the rippling, sunset-lit water. A girl, a boy, and a giant.

Each clad in black robes, exuding a transparent aura of authority.

Yue Shou-lin strolled lightly on the left. Hands behind her back, she refrained from intervening, her face brimming with curiosity.

“Keep speaking.”

Xiahou Wei-zhen said with an expressionless face. Jeong Yeon-shin continued calmly.

“I observed Senior Xiahou’s steps. They pursued speed for power. With your formidable strength, you emphasize firm footing. Thus, the energy wave at the Yin Gate acupoint is strong. The force shifts not to the calf’s gastrocnemius but to the thigh’s posterior, the semitendinosus.”

“To fully unleash my techniques, it must be so. Heavy sword, heavy fist. Weak footing cannot bear true power. From defense to combat stance, switching like lightning requires this. I have no reason to lighten my steps. Strictly speaking, I sacrificed it.”

“There is no need for that.”

“Your words grow bolder. I understand your foes’ feelings.”

“The wind aiding my body arises from my whole frame, but Senior Xiahou need not mimic it. It would be difficult for you to do so anyway.”

“What?”

Jeong Yeon-shin ignored the question. It was fact.

“I suggest revisiting only the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian among the twelve meridians. Slightly open the Large Intestine Shu Acupoint below your waist, and channel strength into the rectus abdominis ahead. You will see energy flow differently. The minor meridians will move akin to emission on their own.”

The new Radiant Demon Wing Leader spoke, lightly lifting his right sleeve. His aura, bearing the Luminous Wheel Technique, was exceptional.

Even a small gesture radiated vivid presence. It held true amid two Leaders.

“Relax the gluteus maximus and pelvic muscles, and intuit the force descending from the Kidney Shu acupoint on your right waist to the meridians. Our meridians are wondrous. Merely modulating energy and muscles from afar, the force reaching the plantar fascia gains elasticity on its own. The twelve meridians connect thus.”

The essence of the Wind Body Technique.

The plantar fascia—a muscle mass supporting the foot’s sole. Also home to the Gushing Spring acupoint, key to many movement techniques.

The explosive power unique to Jeong Yeon-shin’s lineage stemmed from blending flexibility and strength.

To Jeong Yeon-shin, this was utterly natural. Conversely, Xiahou Wei-zhen’s un-noble-like gait, despite vast internal energy mastery, seemed strange.

‘With my energy mastery at that level… I would wield a swift sword with my body.’

He could not help but ask after concluding. It baffled him.

“I do not understand why you have not done so. Unless your martial system has a specific reason…”

“…I did not know.”