Chapter 289 – Lotus (8)

Yan Family’s First Fist, Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon.

She had been the second most formidable opponent after Mount Hua’s Cheon Ju during the Martial Alliance’s sect-opening grand ceremony.

It was said that the Zhuge Clan had stolen Azure Qilin’s corpse to unravel traces of his mystical martial arts, and that counter methods was passed on to the Valor Fist Lord, who was Zhuge Clan Leader’s lover.

In fact, the Radiant Demon Wing Leader of that time had struggled considerably during that duel. Even his Brilliant River was easily broken through.

Jeong Yeon-shin could now calmly face such a difficult opponent.

Though only a few months had passed, for him it felt like decades.

Both Jeong Yeon-shin’s perception of time and martial arts achievements were like that.

“……”

Yan Hwa-ryeon did not answer. After knocking out the Shanxi Gui family’s eldest son, she displayed a calm demeanor as if she had never been enraged.

Clear as a mirror. It was the composure of a supreme master.

Her gaze was profound.

Her pupils absorbed the sunlight. Her eyes were extremely dark.

She had activated the Yan family’s eye technique with tremendous true energy.

Her internal energy cultivation seemed to surpass even Jeong Yeon-shin’s, and her evenly refined energy was condensed throughout her body, appearing ready to unleash powerful techniques at any moment.

Yet there was a hint of wariness in her eyes as she examined Jeong Yeon-shin.

As an extremely powerful fist master with an activated upper dantian, did she sense an unprecedented threat?

“Martial arts have improved…?”

She repeated Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s words.

The way she raised her long eyebrows did not seem unpleasant. It was as if she had suddenly realized something important.

Rather than feeling hostility, she seemed to be recalling some old memory.

Swoosh―

It was a confrontation between supreme masters. The sunlight grew even brighter in the wind sweeping across the clear winter lake.

The energy possessed by the two was incomparably more intense than the forces of nature.

The young aristocrats seated in the pavilion whispered among themselves.

“The Gui family’s Thundering Sky Mad Blade was knocked out in one move… Just now, wasn’t that a wine bottle? They say a supreme master can behead a hundred men with just a blade of grass.”

“Truly living up to the name. But who on earth is that man…?”

“I believe he’s a guest of the Gongya family. I heard he made great contributions in slaying blood demons recently.”

“Of course I know that. What I mean is, the Yan family’s esteemed one… Hmm.”

Valor Fist Lord Yan Hwa-ryeon’s behavior was certainly strange.

She seemed acquainted with Sky-Jade Sect Leader Geom Woon-bi, but it was extremely rare for a dignified aristocrat of the Eight Great Clans to be familiar with a wandering swordsman.

They lived in different worlds.

Then Yan Hwa-ryeon spoke again.

“Your manner of speech is peculiar. Do you think you can win every battle just because you once brought my arm to that state? It’s fitting for one your age who has only known victories. You have the right to be arrogant, but know that it is reckless bravado before supreme masters who can strike your weak points.”

“You’re not taking my words at face value. I was praising a low-level warrior.”

Jeong Yeon-shin feigned composure while stroking the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Behind him, Young Family Head Gongya Jeong took a sharp breath, and Second Young Master Gongya Su let out a fearless exclamation, but he swept his surroundings with heightened senses.

‘The Yan Family’s First Fist recognizes my martial prowess.’

She was said to be founding a new sect with Zhuge Clan Leader.

She must have perceived him as a major variable, suddenly appearing at a place where they intended to scout for talents.

However, he must not rashly unleash Ultimate Thunder. He could only maintain a state capable of exchanging blows with Yue Shou-lin for a few breaths at most.

When facing Zhuge Clan Leader, he needed to gauge the optimal moment to activate it.

‘I can’t waste it on the Yan Family’s First Fist.’

It was an extremely important matter.

The lack of manpower in Desolate Fortress was nothing new, but lately even Yue Shou-lin, who used to guard the main fortress, had been dispatched on missions due to lack of resources.

It was because the movements of the Thirteen Evil Sects and Eight Great Clans were not ordinary.

The purple-ranks had left on their own missions.

His maternal grandfather’s traces had vanished without a trace, and even news of the Divine Sword Group Leader could only be heard through ever-changing rumors once he recovered from his internal injuries.

There was no support. Mission success was directly linked to survival.

“Come.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said. They were already in a confrontational situation. For now, he had no choice but to act strongly.

He needed to remind her that if the Yan Family’s First Fist had Zhuge Clan Leader, he might have support from Desolate Fortress’s Divine Sword Group.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Yan Hwa-ryeon’s figure blurred and suddenly appeared before his face. Intense vibrations sprouted from the ground where she stepped, spreading to Jeong Yeon-shin’s feet.

She was incredibly fast. It was the unique footwork of a fist practitioner who staked their life on closing the distance.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand sliced through the air.

With a resonant hum, the power of his constantly activated mystical skill distorted the atmosphere.

He could now create a state equivalent to Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown for unleashing single-strike techniques. Yan Hwa-ryeon revealed her shock as she propped up Jeong Yeon-shin’s forearm from below.

Brilliant River.

Boom―!

It exploded above her shoulder. The terrifying force shook her sturdy physique. Her disheveled hair fluttered greatly in the opposite direction.

‘Still the same. Short attack range and strong arm strength.’

Jeong Yeon-shin calmly considered his next move. A hard sensation was wrapped around his upper arm.

Yan Hwa-ryeon’s calloused hand had deflected his forearm upward, neutralizing the Brilliant River.

Her experience in penetrating breathing and energy waves in a single move was befitting of the Yan Family’s First Fist.

The invisible protective energy surrounding her like armor, covered in calluses, had also become even more solid.

It’s fine. A few strikes would shatter it to pieces. The Brilliant River charged in his other hand was still boiling at his palm’s laogong acupoint.

Swish.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin nonchalantly grasped Yan Hwa-ryeon’s wrist with his left hand.

“…How very chilling. However, if your preparations are insufficient, we should not exchange more blows. It will draw his attention.”

The former heir apparent of the Yan Family spoke in an old-fashioned manner. Their eyes met at close range.

‘What’s this?’

He suddenly felt that Yan Hwa-ryeon’s temperament had changed. For some reason, she seemed transcendent. She no longer focused her gaze on Jeong Yeon-shin.

She was simply clenching and unclenching her other hand, but her powerful demeanor exuded the qualities of a fist master walking the martial path.

Was this her original nature before colluding with Zhuge Clan Leader?

Come to think of it, she must have noticed that Jeong Yeon-shin was hiding his identity. Yet she hadn’t said anything in particular.

She had received wine cups from the Shanxi aristocrats with a displeased look, but upon hearing that her martial arts had improved, she had only changed her expression to one of seriousness.

It was impossible to know what had transpired between her and Zhuge Clan Leader… She said:

“I do not wish to quarrel with you. It is still too early. Yes, I have yet to leave behind anything…”

“Save your nonsense for after crossing the River Styx.”

Jeong Yeon-shin applied force to the hand gripping her wrist.

Boom―

The second Brilliant River emitted a heavy reverberation in succession. It was on the verge of tearing apart the Yan Family’s protective energy. A chain of powerful strikes.

A mystical skill that would astonish anyone. The detachment that had inexplicably gathered in Yan Hwa-ryeon’s eyes turned to amazement.

At that moment.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly let go.

Whoosh―

Colorless fragments of energy waves brushed past the back of his hand as they scattered.

Just the preliminary signs of activation had completely unraveled the protective energy surrounding Yan Hwa-ryeon’s wrist, causing the Shanxi aristocrats who had been staring intently at them to be greatly alarmed.

Radiant Demon Wing had no need to pay attention to that.

He was sensing an enormous gaze. The hairs all over his body stood on end.

‘Reborn Hidden Dragon Zhuge Clan Leader.’

The gaze of an absolute being holding a fan.

It was still outside his field of vision. Merely a fragment of the gaze, that is. Yet even just the aura felt like a massive wall crumbling down.

It was truly a transcendent presence. The claim that he was comparable to purple-ranks seemed plausible.

“Let us part ways here. We shall settle this later. Soon.”

Yan Hwa-ryeon said.

Step.

Amidst shocked gazes, he slowly turned around.

The Gongya siblings, who had been standing frozen, glanced at the Yan Family’s First Fist before following Jeong Yeon-shin.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Some of the Shanxi aristocrats held regular gatherings.

It was a meeting centered around Thundering Sky Mad Blade Gui Yitai.

As a powerful martial artist likely to win the martial arts tournament and acting head of the Shanxi Gui family, he naturally became the center of the group.

The incident with the Yan Family’s First Fist did not damage his reputation.

He was able to receive praise for his toughness and share a drink with her after waking up later, and being knocked unconscious by the hand of a supreme master from the Eight Great Clans was not considered shameful.

‘I just need to focus on the essential task. The Valor Fist Lord has Zhuge Clan Leader behind her. I only need to win the martial arts tournament.’

The Eight Clan Leaders are not human. They should be viewed as divine beings who have shed their human shell.

After gaining his protection, solidifying the Gui family’s interests in Shanxi would be child’s play.

I just need to be recognized as a talent with excellent real combat sense and learn Zhuge Clan Leader’s mystical martial arts.

‘If our family enters under his command, I only need to join the ranks of the newly established Transcending City sect…’

Gui Yitai was the son of a disgraced retired general. He looked to a broader world.

To do so, reducing the Gongya family’s influence came first.

The need for an alliance grew even stronger after the wandering swordsman Geom Woon-bi, who had recently become a guest of the Gongya family, showed his prominence.

Many were scrambling to uncover the martial lineage of the unrivaled Sky-Jade Sect.

It was an extremely important matter.

Since he possessed such a high level of martial arts at an age younger than the Gongya young family head, they had to consider the possibility of Young Family Head Gongya Jeong learning some brilliant technique to reveal at the martial arts tournament.

It was a daunting task. Even more so because they had already fully grasped the Gongya family’s martial arts.

“Even our family couldn’t uncover his origins. Judging by his accent, he seems to be from Henan, but it’s difficult to spread our network there due to fear of Shaolin Temple…”

“Using manpower all the way to Henan Province would be inefficient. How many li is the distance? It’s not like we’re the Beggar Sect, Yu Ling, or Hao Sect.”

“We lack time from the start. I apologize, Thundering Sky Mad Blade.”

“How could that be your fault? Don’t worry about it. It’s not much different for me either.”

Gui Yitai and four other men and women walked through the outer courtyard of the Gongya family estate.

Beneath their glossy silk clothes, well-made leather shoes made creaking sounds as faint footprints were left in a line on the snow-covered ground.

Step.

Their footsteps exuded an ingrained confidence.

The temperament of aristocrats that permeated their bearing without deliberate effort. The lightness techniques they had trained since childhood created light yet imposing steps.

The lush garden with green pine needles even in winter was close to their own world.

“Gongya Jeong’s energy circulation has changed somewhat. It seems she has indeed learned some decent technique. A way to utilize energy in an unprecedented manner…”

“Even so, this martial arts tournament will be the Gui family young master’s banquet. Aren’t wandering swordsmen those who rely on experience and instinct to build strength rather than refined martial arts? Compared to the Gongya family’s profound martial studies, it would be like wearing ill-fitting clothes.”

“There’s a reason why the martial veins of renowned families don’t fade with time. Techniques honed in the wilderness cannot match martial arts perfected over centuries. In a prolonged battle, victory is certain.”

“But are we sure that guest is truly a wandering swordsman? How could someone acquainted with Elder Yan…”

“He must be a wandering swordsman who established his own lineage. You can tell from his nearly insolent manner of speech, and Elder Yan didn’t particularly deny it when I asked.”

The following words were cautious.

They knew to be mindful of their speech as much as they were confident in their wisdom and insight.

They did so even after confirming there was no one around.

“If need be, I’ll verify it myself. He seemed fixated on drinking last time, so I’ll invite him to a feast and observe his dining etiquette. I don’t think a mere wanderer would have learned noble manners. He’ll eat sloppily.”

Gui Yitai said calmly.

It was then.

“Huh? Senior Poppy, what are you doing! We have to go around! They’re nothing! Think of the mission! The mission! We can’t get entangled here!”

A girl’s voice rang out, as if she were squeezing out the words while holding her breath.

“Now, who dares…”

The group of aristocrats sharpened their gazes like sword blades.

Powerful energy waves arose from their hands gripping various weapons. Just as Gui Yitai moved his foot first.

“Say that again. I didn’t hear you clearly.”

A languid voice rang out in mid-air. But there was no time to respond.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Successive shockwaves overlapped semi-transparently.

Fragments of striking force exploded at the back of the heads of the five people including Gui Yitai, and they collapsed like frogs the moment they were each struck with a single blow.

The untimely commotion was tremendously loud.

Thud.

A man who had suddenly descended in their midst stood with one leg slightly bent.

“Lowly creatures.”

… The snow melted from his feet up. Hazy steam rose like smoke around his mumbling lips.