Chapter 205: Demonlight Wing (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Demonlight Wing (6)
There existed a clan born with an innate gift for movement.
In the realm of talent, they were fundamentally distinct from ordinary martial artists.
Even without formal instruction, they instinctively grasped the principles of high-level martial arts. Without memorizing a single mnemonic, they could execute footwork on par with ultimate movement techniques.
Swifter, more fluid, and far more elusive than the experts of any other lineage, they were entirely unlike the Han people.
They were the Brightfolk.
Among the commoners, they were revered as the descendants of immortals. With their breathtaking appearances and ageless, undying bodies, they seemed entirely detached from the ordinary folk of the mortal world.
Embodying such martial prowess and profound mystery, no one even dared to harbor jealousy toward them.
People could only pray that these beings would bestow divine blessings upon them, guiding their souls to the Peach Blossom Spring after death.
However, those who walked the Jianghu felt differently. They could only sigh in resignation as they looked upon a clan born as natural martial arts experts.
It forced them to realize, time and time again, just how unfair the universe truly was.
The founding period of the Ming Dynasty was an era of multifaceted chaos—a time when unprecedented clans were laying down roots across the land.
The innate talents of the Brightfolk only added to this turmoil. They walked like the wind and drifted like falling leaves.
Countless experts sought to uncover the secrets behind their movements, even employing profound eye techniques to study them.
It was all to no avail. Eventually, it was simply dismissed as a fundamental difference in sensory perception.
The ultimate conclusion was that their very bodies were built differently. They could command the wind without expending a single thread of true qi.
The erudite seniors of the Jianghu defined this as an innate ability tied to their bloodline. In other words, it defied the conventional logic of martial arts.
The perception that the Brightfolk were fundamentally different became an unshakable truth.
The passage of time, leading up to the stabilization of the Ming Dynasty, only solidified this belief. Thus, they earned another alias: The Clan of Immortals.
"Are you requesting a duel?" asked Hahu Wi-jin, Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit.
This came right after Seomye, the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing, had openly critiqued his way of walking.
Hahu Wi-jin did not lose his temper.
His alias was the Thousand-Fist Dragon-Strength Retainer. Born with a terrifyingly dense fighting spirit, he might have appeared ferocious on the outside, but in the realm of martial arts, his mind was as cold and calculating as ice.
To secure repeated victories in the lethal mind games played between experts, he had to be. He was no hot-headed brute, but a seasoned man of the Jianghu driven by an unyielding competitive spirit.
It would be better to walk differently?
Hahu Wi-jin took the Commander of the Demonlight Wing's words as a routine provocation. To him, the junior commander's expression didn't seem entirely sincere.
The very context of the conversation defied logic. Young as he was, Seomye was undeniably a Black Rank expert.
There was no way someone with such a discerning eye for the world would utter those words in earnest.
It could only be interpreted as picking a fight over footwork.
Hahu Wi-jin chuckled.
"I understand what you mean. You must have great confidence in your body protection scripture."
He had been observing Seomye alongside Ak Su-rim ever since the days of the Martial World Alliance. It had been quite a long time.
He had even witnessed the youth execute a movement technique that allowed him to move exactly like the Brightfolk. It was profoundly mysterious—so much so that Hahu Wi-jin found himself wondering how its mnemonic was even structured.
He used fa jin through his entire body to mimic our clan's innate ability. Truly astonishing.
The Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit had already acknowledged the rookie Commander of the Demonlight Wing's prowess. He had also heard the name of that specific art: the Wind God Movement Technique.
The Body of Wind. The use of the character for "wind" grated slightly on Hahu Wi-jin's nerves, but he didn't bother pointing it out.
His junior's movements were simply too fascinating. He had watched the Sect Founding Ceremony of the Martial World Alliance with keen interest.
It had been a true feast for the eyes.
Though he is not yet strong enough to fully replace Ma Jin, the Naraka Reaper...
He still believed the youth was fully worthy of ascending to the Black Rank. The unstable management of his internal power—which made it seem as though his Essence, Qi, or Spirit was disproportionately bloated—wasn't a fatal flaw.
Rather, it hinted at terrifying potential.
Because even though his true qi did not flow as freely as the other commanders', he could still manifest high-level martial arts. His flashing wit in combat was extraordinary.
To reach such a level without even attaining the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak was unheard of.
Hahu Wi-jin remembered the endlessly surging vitality he had experienced when his own Essence, Qi, and Spirit had finally unified.
The sensation of one's very body transforming into a divine art. The scope of its utility varied wildly depending on a martial artist's innate talent.
Though countless experts failed to unite the three flowers in their entire lifetimes, with Seomye's talent, one couldn't help but eagerly anticipate his future.
That was why he didn't immediately flare up at his junior's audacious words. The rookie Commander of the Demonlight Wing had earned the right to be a little arrogant.
Hahu Wi-jin was more than willing to laugh off such cute nonsense, even if it was meant as a provocation.
Offering a piece of advice to his young junior, Hahu Wi-jin said,
"A commander of the Desolate Fortress is no different from the high-ranking officials and grand dignitaries of the mortal world. It is a position of tremendous status, far higher than you might realize. You are the face of the main fortress. It is a rank that demands dignity. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"Yes," the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing replied blankly, staring up at his senior, whose build was as massive as a mountain.
Come to think of it, not a single one of the Black Rank seniors he had met at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall possessed an ordinary personality.
Leaving aside the eccentric Ak Su-rim, the same held true for Ha Do-un, Commander of the Heaven-Aligned Wing, and Un So-yu, Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit.
Hahu Wi-jin seemed to be no exception. Jeong Yeon-shin tilted his head slightly. What is he talking about?
Then, Hahu Wi-jin's voice boomed down from above. It was a deeply resonant vibration, carrying an uncharacteristic hint of laughter.
"Acting like a high official to the administrators means that even while residing within the main fortress, you must never neglect your elegance. The crowds that frequent the Desolate Fortress are usually merchants or government officials. We cannot present an unsightly appearance to the very people we are meant to protect, can we? Brawling on the pathways of the main fortress is out of the question. If you wish to request a duel, follow the proper procedures and send a formal letter."
"A duel...?"
"If a clan member with shallower cultivation had heard you, they would have already drawn their weapon. Do not try this on the Blue Ranks. It will just look like a commander bullying his subordinates. Still, it is a truly bold provocation. I like it."
By the time he finished speaking, he was chuckling to himself.
Swoosh.
A massive shadow descended. Hahu Wi-jin's heavily calloused hand reached down to pat Jeong Yeon-shin's head. At that exact moment, a gentle breeze stirred.
The pitch-black hem of the new Commander of the Demonlight Wing's robe fluttered. Drifting along with the tips of his hair, he smoothly brushed past the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit's hand and slipped away to stand beside Ak Su-rim.
It was the Wind God Movement Technique. A flawlessly natural evasion.
"My word."
The corners of Hahu Wi-jin's thick lips curled upward.
"I have committed a discourtesy. I ought to treat you as an equal in status, not as a distant junior. But because your martial prowess and your age are so completely mismatched, the sense of disparity is quite jarring."
"..."
Jeong Yeon-shin realized his words had been completely misunderstood.
The Thousand-Fist Dragon-Strength Retainer was a veteran Black Rank.
As a member of the Brightfolk, the sheer volume of qi he had accumulated over his long life was immense.
He possessed an aura even denser than that of the Commander of the Law Enforcement Unit. Having achieved the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, he could wield his vast internal energy with absolute freedom.
This meant he was not an opponent the current Jeong Yeon-shin could confidently defeat. If one were to rank them, Hahu Wi-jin would easily place in the upper echelon of the seventeen Black Ranks.
He might even be capable of trading blows with the Commander of the Thread-Annihilation Unit.
It was simply too early to face him in combat.
Jeong Yeon-shin pondered. He anticipated that a duel right now would yield a result no different from his sparring match with Ak Su-rim.
The realm of the Black Rank was vaster and deeper than anything he had ever experienced.
And yet, in the midst of all this, he had been tasked with winning them over.
That meant there had to be other ways to reorganize the Demonlight Wing. There was no need to forcefully break the swords of his exceptionally powerful seniors right now.
It was fine if he couldn't immediately surpass some of his Black Rank seniors. He just needed to win Hahu Wi-jin's favor and defeat about two other commanders in battle.
Taking a small step back to his original position, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.
Beside him, Ak Su-rim smiled to herself, playfully brushing the hem of her trousers against Jeong Yeon-shin's leather shoes.
Through that subtle gesture, she seemed to convey that she knew exactly what he was going to say. The insight of the Divine Spear of the Desolate Fortress was sharp indeed.
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing paid her no mind and clarified.
"I was not requesting a duel."
"You weren't?"
"I merely wished to discuss the body protection scripture with you, Senior Hahu. I saw room for improvement in your gait. Since the movement of the Brightfolk forms one of the core foundations of how I utilize my own body, I offered my advice at the risk of sounding impolite."
A rookie commander daring to critique the footsteps of the Clan of Immortals.
Looking down at Jeong Yeon-shin, Hahu Wi-jin blinked hard. He simply couldn't take those words at face value.
Since the youth could mimic the movements of the Brightfolk so exquisitely, Hahu Wi-jin had already assumed his grasp of martial theory and his innate observational skills were extraordinary.
But he was in no position to advise a Black-robed, high-level expert of the Brightfolk on how to walk like his own people.
And of all people, it was a Han youth, staring up at him with perfectly clear eyes.
A voice as cold as the freezing wind of a deep cavern flowed from Hahu Wi-jin's mouth.
"The seats prepared for the commanders at the Wish-for-Peace One Sword Hall... are as large and magnificent as the grandmaster chairs reserved for the leaders of the great sects. Do you know why? They were forged that way to signify the immense weight and responsibility one must carry for their words and actions."
A majestic internal power overflowed from his voice. The invisible wave of qi that brushed against Jeong Yeon-shin's skin was grand, heavy, and entirely unobstructed.
It was an aura born from truly, immensely compressed internal energy.
It was often said that the true strength of long-lived Brightfolk experts lay not in their graceful movements, but in their boundless, accumulated qi. An old Jianghu proverb naturally came to mind.
—The old and the young who walk the Jianghu always hide their trump cards. But one must be even more wary of a long-eared youth. For his knowledge is vaster than the old, and his strength overflows more fiercely than the young.
"You... likely do not understand the pride I hold as a high-level expert of my clan. As the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit, I am a member of the Brightfolk who bestow grace upon the Han people of this continent. I deeply cherish the commoners who live humbly according to their station. Are they not also people of the grain, forever bound to the earth?"
Hahu Wi-jin continued.
"Our clan cultivated martial arts to protect the earth and the trees. We swore our oaths to the World Tree with solemn hearts. We vowed to live without shame before it, practicing a martial art that embraces and protects the livelihoods of all beneath the heavens."
"..."
"Martial arts is a discipline that evolves over time. Since there is endless room for progress in all things, I am not merely trying to assert my pride before you right now. I only hope that your words were not uttered out of shallow, fleeting insight. If someone casually dismisses a movement technique forged with such a pure heart, wouldn't anyone be angered?"
Beneath his thick throat, a veritable volcano of internal power seemed to boil.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.
This was a monumental task. Could he truly win over the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit with words alone, without having to exhaust his strength in a grueling duel?
If the Demonlight Wing was to roam the Jianghu as a core pillar of the Desolate Fortress's martial units and accumulate immense achievements, he absolutely had to recruit a Blue Rank expert here.
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing immediately spoke up.
"I do not command the wind. I was not born with such a miraculous innate ability. That is exactly why I searched so deeply. I needed to find a way to move like the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword of our Demonlight Wing."
They were walking along the path that branched off from the inner castle toward the pavilions of the various martial units.
The Vice Commander of the Divine Sword Corps, the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, and the Commander of the Forest-Treading Unit passed by a small lakeside as they conversed.
The figures of the three commanders were reflected in the gentle ripples of the water, shimmering under the crimson light of the setting sun. They were a girl, a boy, and a giant.
Though each wore a slightly different black robe, all three exuded a sheer, invisible pressure that weighed heavily on the surroundings.
Ak Su-rim strolled lightly on the left. With her hands clasped behind her back, she refrained from intervening, though her face was alight with burning curiosity.
"Continue," Hahu Wi-jin commanded, his face entirely expressionless.
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly resumed his explanation.
"I observed your steps carefully, Senior Hahu. Your movements prioritize explosive speed for the sake of raw power. Because your physical strength is so immense, you place excessive weight on your stomping, causing the aura at your Yinmen Point to surge too strongly. As a result, the kinetic force is concentrated not on the gastrocnemius muscles of your calves, but on the semitendinosus muscles at the back of your thighs."
"To fully unleash my ultimate techniques, it must be so. Heavy swords require heavy fists. If my stomp is weak, I cannot load my power properly. To transition from a defensive posture to an offensive strike as fast as lightning, there is no other way. I have no reason to maintain a light, fluttering step. Strictly speaking, I sacrificed it."
"There was no reason to sacrifice it."
"Your words are growing increasingly provocative. I am beginning to understand exactly how your enemies must feel."
"The wind that assists my movements is generated by my entire being, but there is no need for you to copy that method, Senior Hahu. In the first place, it would be exceedingly difficult for you to do so."
"What?"
Jeong Yeon-shin ignored the rhetorical question. He was simply stating the truth.
"I only ask that you re-examine the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian among the twelve major meridians of your body. If you slightly open the Dachangshu Point below your waist and apply tension to your rectus abdominis in the front, you will discover an entirely different way of managing your true qi. The finer vessels will naturally generate an explosive force on par with fa jin all on their own."
The new Commander of the Demonlight Wing explained, lightly shaking his right sleeve. Jeong Yeon-shin, who wielded the Law-Transcending Halo Qi, possessed an extraordinary, almost ethereal demeanor.
Even the smallest of his gestures commanded a vivid, undeniable presence. This held true even while he stood flanked by two veteran commanders.
"If you relax your gluteus maximus and pelvic muscles, and consciously guide the force descending from the Shenshu Point on the right side of your waist into the meridian, it will happen naturally. The meridians of the human body are incredibly profound. Simply by coordinating your true qi and muscles across a distance, the internal power that descends to your plantar fascia will gain a spring-like elasticity on its own. That is how the twelve meridians are interconnected."
This was the very essence of the Wind God Movement Technique.
The plantar fascia was the thick band of tissue supporting the sole of the foot. It was also the exact location of the Yongquan Point—the vital core of various body protection scriptures.
The explosive power unique to the Flash Art lineage stemmed directly from this perfect harmony of flexibility and raw strength.
To Jeong Yeon-shin, this was an extremely obvious principle. Conversely, he found it utterly strange that Hahu Wi-jin—who possessed such an immense mastery of internal energy—walked in a manner so completely unlike the rest of the Brightfolk.
If my internal energy were at that level... my very body would become a fast sword.
By the time he finished his explanation, he had no choice but to ask. He truly could not understand it.
"I do not understand why you haven't been doing this all along. Unless there is a specific restriction within the system of martial arts you practice..."
"...Because I didn't know."