Chapter 275 – Martial Might (3)

“Is she not going to take the rank promotion test later too?”

Lazy Flame Dragon said listlessly.

He had been sitting sprawled out since the sparring began.

Chewing on poppies, he drew the gazes of Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s masters upon himself, yet he merely mumbled with an indifferent expression.

His shaded eyes alternated between Jeong Yeon-shin’s condition and Shin So-bin’s techniques.

“It is a sparring match tied to the squad leader’s health, so if we lose here, we will be buried in the ground. As per Radiant Demon Wing tradition.”

Lazy Flame Dragon muttered with a shuddering expression.

Hyeon Won-chang, standing beside him, could not hide his surprise.

“Eternal Blossom Fist! A Shin Clan junior sharpened her blade well in training! To execute the Advancing Thunder technique so swiftly… The speed at which she refines and extends her force waves has improved leaps and bounds from before.”

“Radiant Demon Wing only takes missions dealing with the martial world’s upper echelons, but if you are a Desolate Fortress white robe, finding a match among the blade-wielders of the realm is no easy feat.”

“That much…”

“This vast land is teeming with lowly bandits and shallow martial artists. Desolate Fortress folk, who take missions to cut throats and meet specific targets, can hardly grasp it. While martial world wanderers tour the realm’s famed sites, they just borrow swift horses from relays and charge ahead.”

Lazy Flame Dragon spoke in a nonchalant tone.

Since donning the blue robe, he rarely showed respect to most peers.

No senior of equal rank pressed etiquette on a young master nearing death.

The widely famed eldest son of the Hwangbo Clan, bearer of the Scorching Divine Meridian.

When he occasionally verged on rampaging under the influence of poppies and liquor, even blue-robed seniors stepped aside first.

Hyeon Won-chang glanced down at him and spoke.

“The opponent is not some minor sect but Heaven’s Pillar Sect. A renowned faction with the Five Great Heavenly Techniques. Surely the Hwangbo Clan looked into the Moon-Shielding Heaven Technique.”

“Martial arts matter less than the martial artist. This village sect shuns outside culture, so how much real combat speed have they faced? White Cat roamed Shaanxi drenched in blood, all while chanting ‘our squad leader, our squad leader.’”

“Lower your voice! How many sharp-eared people are around…!”

Hyeon Won-chang craned his neck, wary of nearby eyes.

Cheong Myeong’s junior had fallen to White Cat Shin So-bin in a single move.

Yet the energy waves quietly enveloping the valley remained undisturbed.

Dozens of men and women, young and old, perched gracefully atop towering ancient trees, continued to emit a translucent breeze.

The distinctive power waves of Heaven’s Pillar Sect rippled like a gentle wind, with only the rustling dance of foliage ringing clear.

The refined noble clan masters exchanged glances or moved their lips with expressionless faces.

They seemed to discuss the martial arts just witnessed via sound transmission.

Heaven’s Pillar Sect warriors carried away the unconscious Jeong Nan-song.

Soon after, Sect Leader Cheong Bo-hwa spoke. Her gaze shifted past Shin So-bin, who calmly lowered her hand, toward Lazy Flame Dragon.

“Your words ring true. Nan-song has never faced a life-or-death duel.”

“Hm.”

“After Cheong Su’s passing, we forbade outside ventures. The Dark Night Palace masters entrenched in Heaven’s Pillar Mountain are so elusive they have clashed with Desolate Fortress squad leader-rank figures. On the rare occasion a purple-rank supreme master appeared, they vanished without a trace. It was an unavoidable measure. Regardless… It must have been a good lesson for Nan-song.”

Cheong Bo-hwa turned her eyes to Jeong Yeon-shin.

“You have a fine successor. Her brilliance shines brighter for living a time apart from our clan.”

“It must have been a long time for her.”

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader replied calmly. Shin So-bin, facing away, exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders.

Cheong Bo-hwa smiled.

“She broadened my horizons with one move. A rare strong fist. The intricate use of full-body muscle, spirited advancing steps, force waves gathered into a single straight punch… It shows an intent to avoid prolonged battles. Truly desperate. No, judging by your nature, it must carry a principle of honoring the opponent.”

Shin So-bin fought the match, yet she spoke to Jeong Yeon-shin. He was the martial art’s creator. It could not be helped.

“I heard what the poppy lad said. Eternal Blossom Fist?”

Cheong Bo-hwa asked. Her deep, lake-like eyes stood out.

Wrapped in a tranquil aura, she gazed at Jeong Yeon-shin with the noble clan’s eye technique, said to pierce all creation.

The answer came from between them.

“It is the second form, Advancing Thunder.”

Shin So-bin, small in stature, stepped between them.

She squared her shoulders. Her hair, loosened by her own force waves, fell black around her.

Her disciplined, efficient bearing exuded the distinct feel of the Lightning Genius lineage, showcasing her supreme grasp of martial arts.

Jeong Yeon-shin watched her back and fell silent.

A strange feeling stirred. He glimpsed something that would remain and be passed down after his death.

Beyond ties and a gravestone, there was one more thing.

A profoundly significant moment. He felt it. Through Shin So-bin, he realized the magnitude of what he would leave behind.

‘Will the martial arts I create hereafter be passed down through generations like this?’

It was said that created techniques were handed down to posterity in various ways.

Those recorded in books were called secret manuals, while the spirit within martial arts passed from mouth to mouth.

Martial lineage. Those sharing martial arts more vital than blood, through the founder’s intent.

He could almost see it.

How many would study the words he hastily scrawled in his mind and train with those principles?

The thought alone filled his heart. He hoped the title Lightning Genius would endure longer than any in the realm.

‘No, wait, the Jeong Family Dynamic Technique is my journal…?’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Advancing Thunder. I see.”

Cheong Bo-hwa’s wrinkled eyes curved slightly.

“I grasp the essence of that force release. It aims to end a contest in a short exchange. Squad Leader Jeong must be a grandmaster who favors swift resolutions.”

“He is not skilled only in short battles, you know?”

Shin So-bin retorted, her tone rising slightly, hands on her hips.

Cheong Bo-hwa smiled kindly.

“Regardless, there is no need to debate that one technique’s perfection. We clearly lost. However… The next will differ. There is a child who honed sword aura battling Dark Night Palace for years. I look forward to the Radiant Demon Wing Leader’s next martial art.”

The moment she finished speaking.

Rustle.

A white-robed swordsman stepped from Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s ranks.

Her ears were honed like divine blades, a woman appearing around thirty.

“I am Gi Geom-hyang. A person of this village. I trained in Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s Linked Path Celestial Sword.”

Her face was flushed. A ruddy complexion hinting at vigorous internal energy.

Her eyes glinted sharply, the air around her face rippling faintly, her energy waves distinct from the defeated Jeong Nan-song.

***

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Translated by Nine Heavens!

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***

Lazy Flame Dragon whistled.

“They will not open the path easily, then?”

Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s lake was said to be a byproduct of the World Tree they revered.

A place as prized as the sect’s secret martial arts, not readily opened to visitors seeking to bathe in it.

Even facing Desolate Fortress, they showed no special favor.

Jeong Yeon-shin recalled Yue Shou-lin’s words. Their seclusion surpassed even rural sects with native traditions.

‘Broaden their horizons with unprecedented unique martial arts…’

They had won one of the three matches. As he pondered whom to send next, his eyes met Hyeon Won-chang’s.

His oldest comrade. Their gazes locked, instantly reading each other’s intent.

Swish.

The Desolate Fortress Divine Hero Hyeon Won-chang rose from his seat.

“Desolate Fortress Radiant Demon Wing! I, Hyeon Won-chang, will face your sword.”

The hero’s scarf around his head fluttered blue.

A switch occurred. Shin So-bin stepped back.

Returning, she patted Hyeon Won-chang’s and Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulders in turn.

A junior’s self-praise for a job well done. Her bold touch trembled slightly only when it reached the squad leader’s shoulder.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt, as always, the stature of a martial creator in the martial world. If only he could think a bit harder.

“Well done.”

The Radiant Demon Wing Leader praised his subordinate.

“The trajectory was slightly off. It was not perfectly straight to the peak. Had you extended it fully, you would have shattered his protective aura entirely. The use of force waves was wasteful.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, now bearing a squad leader’s mindset, advised.

Shin So-bin, smiling brightly, narrowed her eyes.

“It was good, right?”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin turned his gaze forward. Hyeon Won-chang and Gi Geom-hyang were drawing their swords.

“…”

For an instant, the air hushed. The mountain breeze seeping through the foliage parted around the two swordsmen.

Grass blades bowed chaotically. Though it was a sparring match with decorum, it felt like the heart of a life-or-death clash.

Gi Geom-hyang spoke.

“I say again. Linked Path Celestial Sword.”

“Radiant Arts Bond.”

Hyeon Won-chang replied curtly. His demeanor shifted entirely upon drawing his blade.

His narrowed eyes and straight brows were blade-like, veins on his sword hand pulsing blue with sword aura.

Sssss—

The energy on their blades rode the wind, sweeping the surroundings with an eerie chill. Shredded grass and dust swirled wildly.

“It is said Heaven’s Pillar Sect’s Linked Path Celestial Sword was pivotal in destroying the old Ming Cult.”

Lazy Flame Dragon spoke up from behind, glancing slyly at his squad leader.

“There is a famed tale of the previous sect leader’s sword shattering the Sword Demon and Dark Blade Divine General together. Without using a distinct energy form, their bodies were said to have been pulverized and swept away by a translucent sword wind. Opinions still differ. Was it a swift sword reaching ultimate speed, or a mystery born from a special secret?”

“Besides your sect, some major factions joined that battle, yet no one saw it clearly?”

As Jeong Yeon-shin asked, Hyeon Won-chang’s and Gi Geom-hyang’s swords clashed.

Clang clang clang clang!

The surrounding foliage was instantly engulfed in faint sword light. The two swordsmen vanished behind dozens of unleashed trajectories.

Soon, white flashes began sparking from Gi Geom-hyang’s side. The energy waves of Radiant Arts Bond.

As the white sword light thickened and danced, the clash’s aftermath surged toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

Vibrations struck his skin in threadlike patterns, brushing his collar with a rustling sensation.

“All that needless flash.”

Lazy Flame Dragon sauntered back.

Leaning diagonally against the Divine Sword Group Leader’s palanquin wall, he spoke again.

“They say Heaven’s Pillar Sect leaders have long trained in both sorcery and martial arts. It would not be odd if they constantly carried formation-like tricks. A sect this insular would hardly reveal their techniques fully on a battlefield teeming with foes. No wonder it is compared to orthodox swordsmanship. Radiant Arts Bond is on trial now. Today’s outcome will surely reach the fortress.”

“I see.”

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded calmly.

Across the field, Cheong Bo-hwa watched the sparring intently.

She spoke of broadening horizons with martial arts unknown to the Central Plains, yet she did not overlook even lesser duels.

She seemed keenly examining the structure and trajectories of the energy waves Jeong Yeon-shin had crafted.

Swish! Clang—!

A clash between Desolate Fortress blue-rank figures. A realm rare in the martial world. Dozens of exchanges passed in a blink.

Masters had their own sense of time. Tremendous power waves rippled from the constantly intertwining and unraveling sword trajectories.

‘One hundred thirty, one hundred fifty-four techniques…’

Jeong Yeon-shin took in Gi Geom-hyang’s Linked Path Celestial Sword.

A sword path riding the wind itself. The blade’s speed stood out, far surpassing the force waves in Gi Geom-hyang’s grip.

It began with a thrust at Hyeon Won-chang’s solar plexus. It sliced through gaps in the white energy of Radiant Arts Bond on the Desolate Fortress sword.

The sword stance, blending into the wind of light from Radiant Arts Bond, was extraordinarily mystical.

Hyeon Won-chang raised his Desolate Fortress sword to parry.

Clang! Boom—!

Suddenly, a shockwave burst from his chest. Blood sprayed along the sword wind tearing up his collar.

A blue glint flashed in Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes. Why is he hurt and in chaos?

‘Had Radiant Arts Bond’s energy waves been denser, he would not have been hit. He is losing in power.’

Jeong Yeon-shin clenched his fist. The forearm muscles of his sleeveless left arm tensed, veins standing out.

The expressions of Heaven’s Pillar Sect masters shifted slightly. Earlier, the Radiant Demon Wing Leader had offered rare praise to their youngest, Jeong Nan-song.

His agitation at his subordinate’s injury hinted at his character.

A gleam sparked in Cheong Bo-hwa’s eyes.

“A tender heart with fierce martial arts, humble demeanor… Truly the harmony of three virtues.”

Then.

Clang!

A fierce shockwave struck the air.

The valley’s center. Hyeon Won-chang staggered back.

His hand gripping the Desolate Fortress sword trembled like a moth’s wings, visibly struggling to suppress overwhelming force waves.

In contrast, Gi Geom-hyang’s poised stance remained lofty, sword lowered.

Whoosh.

The air, compressed in the vortex of sword force, released violently.

The trajectories clouding the clearing in white unraveled like threads, drifting down.

“Again… Let us go again.”

A strained voice leaked through Hyeon Won-chang’s teeth.

Gi Geom-hyang shook her head.

“Your sword strength cannot reach me. Even in ten bouts, two wins would be fortunate. You must know this.”

“I earnestly request, let us go again. Our squad leader needs to bathe there.”

“Your sword path was chillingly sharp. A technique I have never encountered. It is worthy of comparison to our Linked Path Celestial Sword, albeit regrettably. That suffices. The village elders surely saw it.”

A defeat for Desolate Fortress Divine Hero Hyeon Won-chang.

A martial artist’s loss was common in the martial world. But a Radiant Demon Wing mission failure was another matter.

It even tied to the safety of the Divine Sword Group Leader and the Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

Disappointment seeped from Hyeon Won-chang’s back. His sword hand trembled anew, swallowing immense frustration.

Then.

“I can continue the sparring. Are you the next opponent?”

Gi Geom-hyang pointed her sword tip at Lazy Flame Dragon.

Heaven’s Pillar Sect offered no objection, suggesting they greatly respected Gi Geom-hyang’s repute and skill.

A provocation the Radiant Demon Wing had never faced.

Lazy Flame Dragon’s lips twisted.

“Hey, Great Tongue Sword.”

“…”

“You had seventy percent of your power sealed, right? Could you not act because your senses are tied to your innate energy?”

Hyeon Won-chang returned without answering. Bowing to Jeong Yeon-shin, he looked forlorn.

Forgive me, Squad Leader. Jeong Yeon-shin patted his shoulder calmly.

“All this for a bath.”

Rustle.

A disheveled blue robe brushed past them, reeking of sour liquor. A swaggering voice followed.

“Watch closely, Great Tongue Sword. This is how you use Radiant Arts Bond.”

“You plan to use the same technique? I have seen it. Show something else.”

Gi Geom-hyang furrowed her brow and flicked her sword once.

The lingering force waves on her blade, sharp as an awl, sliced into the grass with a hiss—.

“To say that without grasping the essence…”

Lazy Flame Dragon swallowed a retort about rustic ignorance. Cracking his neck coldly, he beckoned Gi Geom-hyang.

She said no more and raised her sword.

Aiming at Lazy Flame Dragon’s brow, her middle stance was honed so finely that the usual arm tremors were absent.

The third match. The final sparring.

Whoosh—!

Suddenly, a dim light enveloped Lazy Flame Dragon’s entire body.

The innate Scorching Divine Meridian’s energy unfurled into Radiant Arts Bond’s structure. Scorching solar force wove the surrounding grass chaotically.

But only briefly.

The initially dim energy swiftly gained vivid whiteness. In an instant, the thickened radiance billowed around him like a banner.

The force waves, colliding with the air and each other, amassed power on their own.

Growing stronger with each exchange, the flow of force waves tangled chaotically, amplifying its impact. A wholly unique path.

Boom—!

“The essence of our Radiant Arts Bond is swift resolution. Since we can’t use Brilliant River, we have to do it this way, right?”

His energy manipulation mirrored Jeong Yeon-shin’s. Immensely instinctive.

“What…!”

As Gi Geom-hyang’s wide-eyed slash descended, Lazy Flame Dragon’s lips curled. The surrounding foliage turned to ash and scattered.

“Go bathe, Squad Leader.”

Flames flickered in his eyes.