Chapter 148: Black Rank (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148: Black Rank (6)
“A Tang Clan Secret Art?! I heard he went to Sichuan, but to think…!”
“Is that really the Myriad Blossoms Rain?!”
Low murmurs rippled through the vast promotion ceremony grounds. It was only natural. A peerless secret art from the Sichuan martial world had just manifested out of nowhere.
And it had come from the hands of the Flash Art, whose growth they had followed through rumors since his days as a White Rank. Frankly, it would have been stranger if they weren’t shocked.
“That looks like the real deal.”
“The rumors from Giju were true…!”
The disciples of the Diancang Sect were even more stunned. The eyes of both the Sun-Piercing Sword and the Diancang Dance Sword widened in disbelief.
Sichuan was not far from their home on Mount Diancang in Yunnan.
They had heard more stories about Sichuan’s most legendary secret art than any resident of Xiangyang. The oral accounts they possessed were naturally far more detailed and vivid.
“My…” A soft exclamation escaped the lips of the Small Sword Empress, Chwi So-ok.
It was an incredibly brief moment, yet in the blink of an eye, masters observing a duel of this level could exchange several sentences. Since their true qi naturally stimulated their nerves, they perceived time differently.
This was also true for the Sun-Piercing Sword, Sa Do-ryeong, as he watched the duel.
He glanced at his senior sister beside him. She paid no heed to the shower of steel from the Myriad Blossoms Rain tearing through the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit, spraying blood. He knew why his senior sister, who usually showed little interest in any martial art other than swordplay, was now staring with a dazed, admiring expression.
The Flash Art, Jeong Yeon-shin. A master swordsman who had also mastered fist and palm techniques to an extraordinary level. And now, he was perfectly executing the divine mnemonic of a throwing weapon technique. This meant his innate dexterity and control over true qi were nothing short of monstrous.
Figuring out how he had formed a connection with the Sichuan Tang Clan and how deep it ran was a puzzle for Sa Do-ryeong and the Diancang Dance Sword to solve. His senior sister, the Small Sword Empress, seemed to simply be itching to discuss martial theory and trade sword strikes with the Flash Art.
‘At least it’s not romantic interest. That’s a relief.’
Still, her fascination was profound, even at a glance. It seemed to be a pure admiration for a once-in-a-millennium talent. It was hard to say how this would play out at the Martial World Alliance, but Sa Do-ryeong hoped nothing troublesome would happen at this gathering of the world’s orthodox factions.
His head throbbed. Suppressing the ache, he turned his gaze back to the stage.
On the dueling stage, a tense standoff was underway. The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit moved with blinding speed before the boy, who stood with one hand outstretched. She seemed intent on shaking off the steel petals swirling around her.
Weaving through the vortex of silver shards with her Body Protection Scripture, she deflected the strikes and warded off any fatal blows. The afterimages of the pure white sword paths she drew created an almost illusory spectacle.
She was a swordswoman as formidable as her reputation suggested. Even when facing the Myriad Blossoms Rain, she didn't expose a single opening.
Jeong Yeon-shin stood still, one arm raised. Only the hem of his blue robe fluttered slightly at his feet. He couldn’t afford to make a reckless move.
The Myriad Blossoms Rain was a divine ultimate technique. He didn't have the leeway to approach the Commander while simultaneously maintaining such a peerless mnemonic.
His opponent was a consummate Black Rank master. Merely binding her with the Myriad Blossoms Rain was an immense feat. He had to cast aside any impatience, any urge to close the distance carelessly.
‘Unless I had mastered the Wudang Dual-Principle Mind Art…’
Unless he could completely split his mind in two, restricting the Commander’s movements was his absolute limit. In the meantime, Jeong Yeon-shin had to devise a way to win.
This method consumed less energy than trying to run multiple mnemonics simultaneously. Tracking her movements with his palm, he fell into deep thought.
She seemed to have realized that the intensity of the Myriad Blossoms Rain grew stronger the closer she got to him. As a renowned Black Rank, there was no telling what countermeasure she might devise, but he had at least bought himself a brief moment.
‘The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit probably hasn't reached the peerless realm of Five Qi Converging to the Origin. That's a realm completely unknown to me anyway… But she has definitely attained the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak. At the very least, she is in the realm of the Unity of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.’
She was different from him, whose spirit in the upper dantian was exceptionally massive. The Unit Commanders of the Desolate Fortress were masters who had evenly cultivated their physical bodies, true qi, and spirituality, binding them into a single whole.
Her speed in channeling and releasing internal power was faster than his. For Jeong Yeon-shin, whose upper dantian’s power was greater than that of most peerless masters, that particular realm remained distant. At least for now.
‘A battle of speed over a wide area is out of the question.’
In a situation where every split second counted, he quickly acknowledged the disparity. He had realized it from their very first clash. The strike that shattered his Desolate Fortress Sword had precisely pierced the blind spot of his Radiant Brilliance Sword Style.
It had smashed the shockwave of his linear sword path from the side, shattering it before he could even channel more true qi. That single exchange vividly demonstrated what happened when a counter-technique was wielded by a true master.
‘Even so.’
He didn’t think they were in completely different leagues. To him, it simply meant they each had their own strengths and weaknesses. As someone with Short-life Syndrome, he possessed a unique advantage. In one specific aspect, he would be superior to her.
‘I must take control of the flow. I’ll lay the groundwork now so I can unleash the right form instantly.’
Against the Commander, the dharma power of his halo was ineffective. Her opening lay elsewhere. Her counter-cultivation. That was where Jeong Yeon-shin saw his path to victory.
Whoosh!
A powerful wind erupted from the Commander’s body—an incredibly fierce shockwave. The unique martial principles of the Brightfolk, which Cheong-myeong had once shown him, were now unleashed as a gale.
Had her previous movements been a preparatory stance to accumulate that force?
The iron shards of the Myriad Blossoms Rain broke free from Jeong Yeon-shin’s control and scattered into the air. He immediately withdrew his arm. The Commander’s forward step was incredibly swift.
Watching her figure expand rapidly in his vision as she closed the distance in a single step, he placed his hand on the hilt of the Divine Sword: Northern Light.
‘The Myriad Blossoms Rain is not a technique to be used for long against a Brightfolk master.’
The realization was instantaneous. The Commander's straight-bladed sword was already before his eyes. She had breached the distance in a flash with a sword art like a raging storm. It appeared to be her signature technique.
Jeong Yeon-shin spun past her with the agility of a falling leaf. At the same time, his vision went white for a brief moment as a chilling flash of sword light grazed his rapidly spinning field of view.
Step.
Unbothered, he swapped positions with her and took another step forward. A colorless wave rippled beneath his feet—the energy of his halo. The Radiant Wing Second Step.
The invisible wave pushed back the windy shockwave surrounding the Commander. It was a step designed to create the perfect combat interval for releasing force.
The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit had already nearly completed her turn.
Whoosh!
The blade, spinning along with her body, drew a half-moon arc.
A white light shimmered along the blade rushing toward Jeong Yeon-shin. It wasn’t materialized true qi; rather, it seemed she had wrapped the sword in compressed gale-force winds. The incoming sword path was incredibly precise and exquisite, cutting through the airflow generated by his Radiant Wing Second Step with a single strike.
‘The Deep Valley Deep Wind Sword Art…!’
It was said that the flow of her sword paths was vast and continuous. It was true. Facing it directly, it was exactly as the rumors described. She was neutralizing his martial arts while maintaining the full momentum of her own strikes.
His Radiant Wing Step had failed. Before he could even accumulate force, her sword was already upon him. Once again, he was in danger. The eerie resonance of the vibrating steel was chilling.
Hup!
The boy took a sharp breath, firmly anchoring the true qi within his body with a single inhalation.
His Radiant Brilliance Sword Style had been countered from the start. The Myriad Blossoms Rain had met the same fate. He had no other choice.
‘Infinite Flower of Time Hand.’
He channeled true qi into both hands just as her strike was about to slice through his shoulder.
Clang!
He struck the flat of her blade with the back of his right hand. The shockwave of the Second Form: Advancing Thunder shot forward in a straight line along with his body.
As the wind whipped past his eyes, Jeong Yeon-shin knit his brows slightly. The back of his hand stung. The current of internal power surrounding her sword had torn through his halo’s protective qi.
And that was the result of striking the flat of the blade, not the edge. Her sword mastery was truly profound.
‘I need to create a body protection astral qi that suits me, too.’
The thought arose, but he immediately swept it aside. The pitch-black hair of the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit was brushing past his field of vision.
His attack hadn't worked. Deflecting the Advancing Thunder, she spun along with her sword as it rose diagonally. Her movements were extremely fast, and even when she exposed her back without hesitation, it didn’t present an opening.
The wind, integrated with her Body Protection Scripture, constantly fluttered her black robe.
The Deep Valley Deep Wind Sword Art. It was a technique of gale-force winds executed with the entire body. It was safe to assume she was shrouded in sword qi that could transform into sharp shockwaves at any moment. This was the realm of a true master. Her martial arts had entered the domain of the supernatural.
Without even time to stamp his foot, Jeong Yeon-shin threw a punch, loading a spiral release of force into a single fist.
A brief shockwave erupted from his entire body. Once again, his senses accurately captured the flat of her blade. The touch of the steel colliding briefly with his fist was freezing. Confronted by the vortex of his shockwave, the Commander's strike was pushed back.
But that was all.
The Commander’s swordplay was incredibly experienced. She seemed to be a master at controlling distance. While she freely unleashed her sword, Jeong Yeon-shin wasn't given the time to draw Northern Light.
She swung her sword at will, forcing him into close-quarters, bare-handed combat against her blade. The Commander’s movements and sword paths dictated this dynamic—the exact opposite of the Flash Art lineage, where the point of impact lay solely on the opponent's body.
Clang! Thud!
Jeong Yeon-shin's bare-handed forms and the Commander's silver sword paths clashed repeatedly. Short and long trajectories tangled together in the silence.
The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit dictated the flow based on her counter-techniques. It was a peculiar sword path, evoking the image of a constantly unraveling thread. Rather than single, decisive blows, it was like a wind relentlessly eroding a cliffside.
The Deep Valley Deep Wind Sword Art. Its power never seemed to break.
‘It's a martial art designed to support her counter-cultivation.’
He effortlessly deflected every form of his Infinite Flower of Time Hand.
In contrast, Jeong Yeon-shin's blue robe was gradually being reduced to tatters. The hem of his pants tore from the sword shockwaves scraping the floor, and two slashes that cut through his Third Form: Fist Flower reached all the way to his chest.
Slash!
A cold sensation grazed the tip of his solar plexus.
After a flash of sword light gleamed within the Commander's pitch-black eyes, a burning pain spread across his chest. He was being completely pushed back, only barely keeping up with the dazzling speed of her internal power release by using his superior senses to anticipate her movements.
‘It makes sense.’
Much of the Flash Art lineage's martial arts had been made public within the Desolate Fortress. In the main fortress, it was openly referred to as a martial art of the senses.
The flaws in his movements, the starting point of his force release, the blind spots in his flow—her strikes were delivered with precise knowledge of all of these, coupled with the rapid true qi manipulation of one who had attained the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak.
Anyone present could sense the tide of the duel. It had already tilted heavily in her favor. Despite this, the boy's face remained indifferent. The longer the exchange lasted, the more expressionless he became.
‘…This is unexpected. Did they not have enough time? The Law Enforcement Unit, I mean.’
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was thinking this—
Flick!
Suddenly stopping, the Commander flicked her sword. With a sharp sound, blood splattered onto the stage floor. A straight trail of Jeong Yeon-shin's blood was left behind.
“My Lord,” she said, slowly opening her lips.
“The Flash Art's martial arts are indeed profound, but I believe it is premature to entrust him with a martial unit containing many Blue Ranks. It would be proper for him to devote himself to training until his internal energy mastery reaches the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak. Instead, perhaps it would be better to put him in charge of an independent detachment, deployed selectively against the heterodox sects.”
“…”
Silence descended upon the promotion ceremony grounds. The Unit Commander, who had been testing her opponent, had stopped the duel. At the same time, she was advising the Lord that this promotion was impossible.
A strange stillness lingered. The general atmosphere was one of agreement. Most of the hundreds seated in the ceremony grounds seemed to share her sentiment.
And with good reason. Jeong Yeon-shin's only effective strike had been the Myriad Blossoms Rain. His Desolate Fortress Sword had been shattered the moment he drew it, and he had been unable to draw another sword since.
“No. Something is strange,” the Lazy Flame Dragon murmured, but few seemed to pay him any heed.
On the tiered marble dais, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, seated on the stone throne, did not answer. They simply crossed their legs elegantly and looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin.
However, the boy did not meet the Lord's gaze. He simply stared blankly at the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit standing before him.
‘What is she talking about?’ Jeong Yeon-shin muttered to himself.
Even in his turbulent youth, he knew how to distinguish right from wrong, which meant he cared about his reputation. Since his goal was the rank of Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, he did not speak his thoughts aloud.
The Law Enforcement Unit.
The martial unit that enforced the laws of the Desolate Fortress and apprehended any martial artists of the main fortress who violated them. They were famous for thoroughly dissecting the martial arts of the main fortress. Jeong Yeon-shin had naturally assumed she would know how to counter the martial arts themselves.
Because all the counter-techniques he had used so far were of that nature.
But she didn't. Her focus was on reacting, centered around her own martial arts. Exchanging blows with her had cut his interest in half.
If the Flash Art lineage had been thoroughly crushed, he had intended to use that as a foundation to create a new martial art. He had wondered if the Radiant Brilliance Sword Style and the Infinite Flower of Time Hand could take on different forms, just as he had elevated his own true qi to a new realm with the Law-Transcending Halo Qi.
But experiencing it firsthand, it was a bust. This wasn't it. His inner thoughts slipped out.
“If only my opponent had been a low-ranking member instead.”
If it were a low-ranking warrior of the Law Enforcement Unit, wouldn’t they have focused solely on exploiting the blind spots of his techniques? The boy swallowed his remaining words.
The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit didn't even look back, as if she had already finished her assessment of him. She merely looked up at the Lord.
“His martial arts and senses are extraordinary, but his release of internal power is slower compared to the other Unit Commanders. He also lacks adaptability against counter-cultivation.”
Her expressionless face was exactly as it had been when the duel began. Only her lips moved. Despite having exchanged quite fierce blows, she seemed to have completely lost interest.
Step.
Jeong Yeon-shin took a step forward. Only then did the Commander’s gaze shift back to him.
“I did not think you were one to act out of mere bravado.”
“…”
The boy didn’t answer. He only showed the disappointment he had failed to hide. The corners of his mouth dipped slightly, and his handsome brow furrowed.
Just as a hint of bewilderment appeared on the Commander's face—
Thud!
With a heavy stamp of his foot, Jeong Yeon-shin's figure blurred, as if he were embodying a fast sword with his very body. His blue robe, covered in bloodstains and sword cuts, fluttered wildly.
Whoosh!
He had stamped his foot openly, giving the Commander more than enough time to react. Her dark eyes took in the entire body of the young Blue-Ranked expert.
The wind of the Deep Valley Deep Wind Sword Art gathered like white frost along the long blade in her grip.
In that instant, the boy was already within her guard, unleashing the dual-handed shockwaves of the Infinite Flower of Time Hand in all directions.
Rumble!
A tempest raged beneath his feet where he had stamped the ground. He felt the muscles of his thighs flex and define sharply. A colorless shockwave rippled from his right fist.
Advancing Thunder came first.
It struck from beneath the Commander's incoming sword strike. Once again, he targeted the flat of the blade and smashed it with his fist.
With a cold, sharp recoil, the Commander's sword shot upward like a reversing geyser. Her swordplay possessed a continuous flow that couldn't be broken by a single strike. She once again rode the sword path she had constructed based on her analyzed mnemonics.
‘If it comes back down like that, it'll start all over again. She's too fast to interrupt with mere movements.’
Reflected in her pitch-black eyes was the curve of Jeong Yeon-shin's lips. He was wearing a faint smile.
The boy extended his left hand. The spiral shockwave of his first form instantly whipped into a violent vortex, the immense force compressed in perfect tandem with a heavy stomp of his foot.
The airflow erupting from the sheer force of his punch surged with violent intensity, yet beneath that raw power lay an incredible delicacy. It systematically dismantled the currents of the shockwave generated by the Commander's sword path, unraveling it strand by strand.
"...!"
For the first time, her eyes wavered.
Had the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit unleashed her true martial arts from the very beginning, the outcome might have been entirely different. But because she had chosen to contest the underlying principles of martial arts with Jeong Yeon-shin, she now found herself faltering amidst the collapse of her own sword path.
Deconstructing subtle principles is known as pahae—dissection—while crushing and breaking them with sheer force is pahwe—destruction.
What the Commander possessed in this moment was neither. Her profound strength, which had allowed her to overwhelm opponents until now, had suddenly turned into a curse. Jeong Yeon-shin had gone so far as to meticulously tailor the spiral shockwave of his Infinite Flower of Time Hand specifically to counter her sword path.
"This is...!"
The Commander's pale hand trembled as she raised her sword into a high stance. The vast, continuous flow of her swordplay instantly tangled upon itself. It was as if invisible obstacles had been deliberately placed along her predetermined path. In her desperate attempt to transition to another form, a brief opening appeared.
For Jeong Yeon-shin, that fraction of a second was more than enough.
His destruction was always accompanied by dissection. The boy spoke calmly.
"This is the counter-technique."
Trailing just behind the surging wave of internal power from his left hand was his right, already withdrawing after unleashing Advancing Thunder. Finally, it was time to draw his sword.
In a realm of extreme speed, where even the frantic trembling of the Commander's eyelids seemed to crawl in slow motion, Jeong Yeon-shin gripped the hilt at his waist and drew the Divine Sword: Northern Light.
Flash!
A brilliant blue sword light shot straight into the sky. The single upward strike, rising like a reverse bolt of lightning, shattered the Commander's blade into countless pieces. Even as the violent shockwave surged down to the hilt, the boy's grip on the Divine Sword remained utterly unyielding.
Crash! Whoosh!
A tempest erupted from the tip of his sword, which had risen to claim the space where the Commander's shattered blade had just been. It was the devastating residual shockwave of his strike.
Jeong Yeon-shin held a high stance. As azure light flickered from Northern Light raised high above his head, the blue and black robes of the two masters fluttered violently in the gale.
It was a wind that heralded the absolute end of the promotion duel.
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the promotion ceremony grounds. The assembled masters, who had been endlessly debating martial principles just moments prior, snapped their mouths shut. The Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit stood frozen, clutching the broken remnant of her sword, staring intently at Jeong Yeon-shin.
The boy paid no heed to the countless gazes fixed upon him. He simply felt the steady rhythm of his own heart, where a strange mixture of disappointment and profound relief intersected. His body felt incredibly heavy, yet the sword held aloft in his high stance felt entirely weightless. Was this the joy of having taken another step forward on his martial path?
He was now a Black Rank. Regardless of anything else, he had won.
Jeong Yeon-shin silently lowered his arm. The deep blue blade swept mere inches past the Commander's ebony hair. As she flinched at the chilling proximity, the pale Divine Sword traced a graceful, sweeping arc as it returned to his side.
The boy guided the tip of Northern Light into its scabbard. The deep blue blade slowly regained its pure white radiance as it slid away, vanishing from sight.
Despite being clad in a shredded, battle-torn robe, there was an undeniable and strange dignity in the young master's bearing.
While the crowd stared blankly, entirely spellbound by the scene—
Click.
The crisp sound of the young master sheathing his sword rang out with absolute clarity.