Chapter 13: Discernment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: Discernment
"For me? This elixir pill?"
"Yes. Every unit in the Divine Sword Corps is a force comparable to the core strength of the Nine Sects. Our budget and supply distributions include spirit medicines and elixir pills. Not in massive quantities, of course... and we don't have anything as grand as Stalactite Fluid or Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng. I've heard they stock Shaolin's Great Restoration Pills higher up, but that's above my pay grade."
Ma Jin grinned.
"You look like you want to take me as your master. Unfortunately, the laws of the Desolate Fortress strictly forbid master-disciple relationships between martial artists within the main fortress. It's to prevent personal feelings from interfering with our missions."
"I appreciate the thought, but I hadn't thought that far ahead."
"I see."
"Should I perform the formal bow of discipleship, then? Can I bow to you right here?"
"Try it, if you aren't afraid of the consequences of violating our strict laws."
Ma Jin chuckled, tossing the elixir pill.
Jeong Yeon-shin caught it, staring down at the small white sphere. He had never seen anything like it back at the Jeong Family Manor. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of one. It wasn't because the family head despised him; a rural martial family simply had no way of obtaining an elixir pill.
"With your current level of internal energy, you should see a significant effect. Have you ever consumed a spirit medicine before?"
"No."
"Melting down the medicine's energy cannot be done with ordinary Qi circulation. If you aren't careful, you'll just waste the precious medicinal effects. I'll help you. Let's go."
"Unit Commander."
"Hmm?"
"Why are you being so good to me?"
It was a question someone tainted by the ways of the world would never have asked. It was a question only a boy with nowhere else to go would ask.
The scar running across Ma Jin's face twitched in amusement.
"I'm not giving you special treatment. Everyone in the Demonlight Wing is treated the same. Once you've experienced a life-or-death mission or two, you'll understand immediately."
He patted Yeon-shin's shoulder as he walked past, gesturing for the boy to follow.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared at his retreating back before slowly trailing after him. As he left, he gave a light nudge to the arm of Heonwon Chang, who was watching from the sidelines with an expression of pure envy.
* * *
A stir had swept through the fortress. The martial artists of the two units hadn't been the only ones present at the duel, and rumors spread fast.
"Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress! I heard a remarkable hidden dragon joined your ranks?"
"A hidden dragon?"
"Why, the rumors are already everywhere. That young swordsman who joined your White ranks. The one who dueled the Azure Sky Unit. Isn't Gu Ik-hwan of the Azure Sky Unit a highly skilled swordsman? His skills certainly wouldn't bring shame to the Blue ranks of the Desolate Fortress."
"No. I don't know about him being a hidden dragon, but he is certainly a monster. How should I put it... I feel more anxious than expectant."
"Anxious?"
As the martial artist from the other unit questioned her, the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, Baek Mi-ryeo, elaborated.
"He is diligent and humble. Although he can be a bit annoying when he speaks the blunt truth without reading the room, he is fundamentally polite. But..."
"But?"
"He dissects martial arts well—extremely well. Cheong-myeong, wouldn't you agree?"
The blue-eyed, hooded man beside her nodded with a faint smile.
"It's a talent I've never seen before."
"When I use Inch Power during a spar with someone else, before I know it, he's standing nearby, executing the exact same profound principle from a completely different posture. It's incredibly irritating, but when I look closely, his forms are actually much more precise. He has a natural gift for reinterpretation, to the point where I feel reluctant to use my sect-exclusive martial arts in front of him."
"And before that, he's already mastered it," Cheong-myeong added lightly.
"Exactly. In my opinion, if he hadn't entered the Desolate Fortress, he would have surely died in a ditch somewhere."
"There's no way a martial sect would let someone like him live."
Before long, Baek Mi-ryeo and Cheong-myeong were deep in their own conversation. The martial artist who had been sidelined frowned.
"What are you two talking about? Are you messing with me? I don't understand."
"Neither do I," Baek Mi-ryeo muttered. She then shot a meaningful look at Cheong-myeong, silently telling him to send the fellow away.
Inside the Demonlight Wing pavilion, the Blue-ranked experts—including Cheong-myeong and Baek Mi-ryeo—had naturally secured the perimeter. They ranged from martial artists concealed on the roof to those casually chatting with visitors while refusing to budge from their posts.
At the very center of this defensive formation, inside the pavilion, sat Jeong Yeon-shin and Ma Jin.
Placing his hand on the back of the cross-legged boy, Ma Jin spoke.
"I don't know how much of the medicinal effect you will be able to absorb. Even if it seems to fall short of your expectations, do not act rashly. You can always accumulate internal energy later, but if your dantian or acupoints are damaged, you will have to spend years recuperating. Keep this in mind if you don't want your martial path to stagnate."
"Yes, Unit Commander."
The sincerity and effort the entire Demonlight Wing poured into their youngest member was truly immense.
In Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes, it felt almost undeserved. He wondered if this was what belonging to a sect was supposed to feel like.
An unfamiliar emotion tickled the back of his mind.
"Listen closely. It is truly astonishing, but since you have already achieved the Great Heavenly Cycle, this should be easy to explain. There is no need to circulate your True Qi through the acupoints of your lower body. Think of connecting the major acupoints of your upper body into one continuous loop, from end to end, along the Ren Meridian and Governing Vessel. Guide the medicine's energy into the flow of your True Qi, and circulate it continuously until it melts. That is the essence of consuming an elixir pill. If your Qi circulation becomes unstable, I will intervene. Do not panic; just yield to my guidance."
"Yes."
Jeong Yeon-shin picked up the elixir pill and popped it into his mouth. He chewed, but it didn't have much of a taste.
It was said that supreme elixir pills, like the Shaolin Temple's Great Restoration Pills, would melt and vanish on the tongue the moment they were consumed. The one in his mouth, however, had to be chewed and swallowed.
Soon, potent energy surged from the elixir pill into his body.
The Qi circulation was completed in the time it took to drink two cups of tea.
There wasn't even an opportunity for Ma Jin to offer his help. The Unit Commander now wore the expression of a man who had completely given up on trying to understand common sense.
"...Congratulations. You have absorbed it completely. Every last drop of the medicine's energy."
"Yes. My expanded True Qi is incredibly robust. It cannot even be compared to the energy I had before."
Having consumed an elixir pill for the first time, Jeong Yeon-shin observed his internal state with deep fascination. It was exactly as he had said.
His original, pitifully shallow pool of internal energy had contained less power than a standard-issue elixir pill from the Desolate Fortress.
"I wonder how you even managed to fight with such meager internal energy. Now, you finally possess True Qi worthy of a White-ranked warrior," Ma Jin said, his expression softening with relief.
"I should head out. Making you and the seniors guard me like this... I feel too guilty."
"Do you find it burdensome?"
The scar reaching down to Ma Jin's chin tugged upward. It was a smile that now felt downright friendly.
"There's no need for that. Once you step out into the Jianghu and trade lives a few times, this will feel natural. The stronger your martial arts are, the better it is for all of us."
"And I'll be able to accumulate achievements in the process, right?"
After all, he had to stay alive to repay his debts, whether big or small. Seeing Ma Jin nod, Yeon-shin spoke as if making a promise to himself.
"I want to go out into the Jianghu."
* * *
He performed the arching hand salute in gratitude to his seniors' congratulations more than a dozen times. Just maintaining proper etiquette was exhausting.
Seniors Cheong-myeong and Baek Mi-ryeo don't even act like martial artists. They keep touching my shoulders and head without hesitation.
Excessive physical contact between martial artists was bound to be uncomfortable. In the Jianghu, favors and grudges were intricately tangled. How could one know if someone might suddenly use an Internal Heavy Hand Technique to rupture their internal organs?
While he had won his seniors' favor through his duel with the Azure Sky Unit, Jeong Yeon-shin himself had not yet truly integrated into the Demonlight Wing.
Though his internal power had grown stronger after absorbing the elixir pill, his mind was utterly exhausted.
But once he returned to his quarters, it was a different story.
"You're going to train again?" Heonwon Chang asked, looking utterly dumbfounded.
Jeong Yeon-shin gave a brief nod and left the room.
The main training ground is too burdensome right now.
There were two types of training grounds in the Demonlight Wing.
The first was the main training ground, where they practiced coordinated formations for group battles or received announcements regarding missions and laws.
The place he was heading to now was the small training ground, used by the Demonlight Wing experts when practicing their personal, sect-exclusive martial arts outside of the Demonlight Formula.
He passed behind the main training ground until a massive, roofless building came into view. It looked as if the labyrinth of an imperial tomb had been constructed above ground. Even from the outside, the waves of energy echoing from within were extraordinary.
Jeong Yeon-shin was not the only one training.
It was not difficult for someone whose internal energy had reached a certain level to discern another's energy waves.
He passed by several occupied rooms in search of an empty one. Just to be safe, even if he couldn't sense any energy, he bypassed any room where the plain cotton cloth serving as a door was drawn shut.
He had just found an empty training room when a voice echoed in his mind.
—Youngest!
It was not spoken aloud, but sent via telepathic transmission. This was the etiquette of the small training ground. Everyone was careful around each other, lest they accidentally disrupt someone on the verge of enlightenment.
Turning around, he saw the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress, Baek Mi-ryeo, standing nearby. Waves of True Qi radiated from both of her hands.
Clad in a solemn aura, with a body tempered as if she had mastered a tyrannical martial art, she was a senior who was difficult to approach.
At her gesture, he walked over cautiously.
—What is it, Senior?
His telepathic transmission, which he had learned alongside the Demonlight Formula, was still slightly clumsy. The voice needed to be tightly condensed to project outward, but to Jeong Yeon-shin, his transmission felt as flimsy as a gentle breeze.
This was due to his lack of mastery over internal energy—his level of cultivation.
Fortunately, Baek Mi-ryeo didn't seem to mind.
—I need a sparring partner. Would you care to exchange a few blows?
—Did you gain some insight? Congratulations.
—It's just a small clue. Surely you aren't going to tell me you can't spar after showing off in that duel earlier?
—It might make a lot of noise. Will that be alright?
—Let's go outside.
The two of them left the small training ground. They walked in silence, and as they neared the main training ground, Baek Mi-ryeo finally spoke aloud.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted your planned training. I was just impatient. A sudden inspiration struck me."
"Actually, I prefer this. I can train alone anytime, but facing the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress's fist and palm techniques is an opportunity that doesn't come often."
"My signature technique is swordplay, so why do you mention fist and palm techniques?"
"Your sword was sheathed, yet you were focusing True Qi into both of your hands. Of course, it would be a different story if you were practicing drawing your sword. After all, a master like you would be able to unleash a fast sword instantly, regardless of where your hands are placed."
At his calm observation, Baek Mi-ryeo smiled softly. Despite her cold eyes, it was a smile that suited her remarkably well.
"You can just call me Senior Baek."
As they conversed, they arrived at the main training ground.
A few people who enjoyed training in the open, unconcerned about exposing their forms, along with those practicing the Demonlight Formula, nodded to them in greeting.
"Now, let's begin."
"I will let you make the first move."
Since coming to the Desolate Fortress, he had heard people offering him the first move so often he was sick of it.
At Jeong Yeon-shin's audacious offer, Baek Mi-ryeo chuckled and gestured for him to come.
She stood empty-handed, while Jeong Yeon-shin drew his sword without hesitation.
But with astonishing speed, his wrist was caught. She had lunged in and snatched it instantly.
It was an incredibly swift grappling technique. A Blue-ranked warrior who did not let down their guard was truly this formidable.
He had barely caught the blur of her hand moving in.
Not yet. Demonlight Formula.
His left hand was still free.
He tried to throw a straight punch following the forms drawn by his True Qi, but the distance was too close to generate any real power. Instead, their bodies drew even closer.
It was then that the back of Baek Mi-ryeo's hand, barely an inch away, struck his abdomen.
"Ugh!"
It was a short strike of unbelievable power considering the lack of distance.
Though his body was pushed back, his captured wrist remained held fast.
Instantly, Jeong Yeon-shin's Demonlight Formula guided his body of its own accord. In a split second, he drove his knee upward, infused with the True Qi of the Scripture of Initial Overcoming.
With a dull thud, Baek Mi-ryeo was forced back. She massaged her arm, which had been knocked away by his knee. Her surprised face was tinged with satisfaction.
"You flexibly managed the True Qi loaded into your Fa Jin. I felt it—the efficiency of your Inch Power has definitely improved. You could even apply more force," she said, looking pleased.
"Were you practicing Inch Power?"
"A swordsman who has mastered the Demonlight Formula cannot rely solely on the sword. Inch Power is extremely useful in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat. If an opponent has layered their body with Qi, you can use it to shatter their Body Protection Qi first."
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke cautiously.
"May this humble newcomer offer a word of advice? My sense of Qi has been quite sensitive since I was young, and something about your True Qi flow caught my eye."
"You can see the movement of True Qi? Surely not, even for you."
"I am merely observing the waves of True Qi radiating outward alongside the flow of force from your Fa Jin. How could I possibly see the True Qi remaining inside your body with my bare eyes?"
"Even that is unbelievable. To have such a keen sense of Qi... Only a Purple-ranked expert should possess something like that."
She was referring to the hierarchy of the Desolate Fortress, which ascended from White to Blue, Black, and then Purple. Baek Mi-ryeo, whose eyes had widened slightly in shock, regained her calm gaze.
"But if it's you... we've felt it too. Very well. I shall listen gratefully, youngest."
She smiled playfully at the end. Jeong Yeon-shin spoke with a puzzled expression.
"I've been learning Fa Jin from the Unit Commander recently, and your palm technique, Senior Baek, seems more suited for internal force than Inch Power. The release of your True Qi itself seems perfectly tailored for the Internal Heavy Hand Technique."
"Hmm?"
"If you had released your internal force with the same amount of power, it would have been much... Ah, have you already reached that level of mastery with the Internal Heavy Hand Technique as well?"
"What?"
Baek Mi-ryeo's eyes widened.