Chapter 273: Martial Prowess
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 273: Martial Prowess
This was said to be Cheong-myeong's sect, his very homeland.
The Blue-Eyed Demon Sword of the Demonlight Wing was widely acknowledged as the greatest swordsman of the Blue Rank.
He was a mysterious expert who always seemed cheerful, yet occasionally revealed a frost-like aura. Despite having ample achievements and popularity, he harbored no desire to compete with Jeong Yeon-shin for a promotion to the Black Rank.
He didn't show even a shred of regret about it. It was a testament to his truly extraordinary caliber.
"Nothing has changed. It was always like this."
Having finally arrived in his homeland, he stared upward with a somewhat reluctant expression. Cheong-myeong's discomfort was a rare sight in itself.
Jeong Yeon-shin followed his gaze, looking toward an entrance that was unusually mysterious for a sect's mountain gate.
'A sect of the Brightfolk.'
While both sides were blocked by towering, bizarrely shaped rocks, sunlight shattered into grass-green rays down the center.
Thick wooden vines were woven high into the air, forming fortress walls.
Standing at least fifty feet tall, it looked bizarrely natural. Its overwhelming scale seemed to harbor the sheer dignity of Mother Nature herself.
Without Cheong-myeong's guidance, one would never have recognized it as a gate.
It functioned more like a formation art. It was no wonder anyone would have trouble finding it.
"To think I'd live to visit the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar. Even if we had cast the Net of Heaven and Earth, we would have passed right by without recognizing it."
"They weren't kidding when they called it a natural fortress."
Lazy Flame Dragon and Heonwon Chang spoke. Following their Unit Commander's orders, they were carrying a small, two-person palanquin between them.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was seated inside, and Lazy Flame Dragon was obeying the Unit Commander's orders with a somewhat disgruntled look.
They were filling in for the Divine Sword Squad, who were currently recuperating.
The squad had fallen victim to the archery martial arts of the Dark Night Hall, which maximized the effectiveness of surprise attacks. Normally, the Divine Sword Squad would have accompanied the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
However, the recuperation of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing took priority over theirs, and it was said that the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar was not a sect that welcomed many outsiders.
"So," Lazy Flame Dragon said, glancing at Cheong-myeong, "how do we get in?"
"They have to open it from the inside."
Replying casually, Cheong-myeong turned back to Jeong Yeon-shin.
"My sect is inherently arrogant, so they might act very rudely..."
Since the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps was within earshot and this wasn't a private setting, he spoke formally.
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded calmly.
"Dull people often possess patience and wit. I, this Unit Commander, did not know that. The strong of the world have the right to act arrogantly. Besides, are we not the ones asking the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar for help?"
Cheong-myeong chuckled.
It was the same expression he used to make when patting Jeong Yeon-shin on the shoulder back when Yeon-shin was still a White Rank—looking at him like a younger brother going through a peculiar phase.
"Let's call them first."
"Very well."
Immediately after the Unit Commander's permission was granted, Cheong-myeong puckered his lips slightly and whistled. The sound, which spread as clearly as a melody played on a slender bamboo flute, carried waves of internal power.
He seemed to have utilized a special mnemonic. Leaves danced along the wave of energy that brushed up against the green wall.
Standing beside Jeong Yeon-shin, Shin So-bin let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a clear, archaic voice echoed.
"Expelled disciple, Cheong-myeong."
The voice came from atop the fortress of ancient tree trunks. A man standing sideways on a slanted tree branch was looking down at the group.
He looked perfectly natural with a bow slung over his shoulder and a sword at his waist. His long, dark-green hair, flowing down to one side, complemented his pale face.
He spoke again.
"For what reason have you returned to the sacred pillar?"
He spoke in an archaic dialect, the phonemes of his words flowing together like a song.
It was different from the standardized tone widely adopted during the founding of the Ming Dynasty, when imperial power was at its peak. It seemed to be their own unique dialect.
"An expelled disciple?"
Heonwon Chang muttered blankly. Lazy Flame Dragon, who was fidgeting with the palanquin's handle in front, raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Senior Demon Sword was expelled?"
Shin So-bin, standing beside the Unit Commander, parted her lips in surprise.
Among the experts of the Demonlight Wing, she seemed the most shocked. Jeong Yeon-shin was the only one who remained perfectly calm. So what?
A sly smile played on Cheong-myeong's lips.
"Junior Brother Jeong, your tongue has grown sharp."
"You are not my Senior Brother. You are someone who left the sect forever. With what face do you dare return?"
"Jeong Nan-song."
"You had better answer me straight. Those dark bastards are currently digging up our mountain and roaming around. Since you abandoned your duty to protect the World Tree, it wouldn't be strange if you've become a dog of the Dark Night Hall by now. Who knows what the truth is?"
"To ask for the truth... those are hardly words that should come from our clan. Unless, of course, you've been lazy in training our bloodline's eye technique."
"I truly have nothing to say to that! You are right!"
The conversation ended there. The man named Jeong Nan-song declared he had to consult the elders of the sect.
His movements as he spun around and descended the wooden wall were swift, ethereal, and cold.
It was behavior rarely encountered in the Jianghu. The members of the Demonlight Wing couldn't even find a proper response.
"How blunt," Heonwon Chang said, looking somewhat dazed.
Cheong-myeong shrugged.
"I told you they wouldn't be friendly. As you can see, I'm basically a traitor to the sect."
"A traitor? But the tendons in your limbs are perfectly intact. It's also strange that you were expelled," Shin So-bin said, gently stroking one of her wrists.
Even in the Shaolin Temple, renowned for being fair and benevolent, they would shatter an expelled disciple's dantian and sever their tendons.
This was out of fear that their profound martial arts might be used in a way that contradicted their teachings and doctrines. The same applied to most Jianghu sects that strictly enforced master-disciple relationships.
Cheong-myeong lightly touched the back of his head, which was bound by a headscarf.
"I suppose they removed my name from the sect registry after I left. It is a bit bitter, though."
"You didn't even know you were expelled? Doesn't that mean you didn't commit any major crime?" Shin So-bin asked, her brow furrowing in disbelief.
She tossed her long braided hair back, her anger toward the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar clearly showing.
"That's true, but it's understandable why they did it."
"Why?"
"They are a sect established with the sole purpose of protecting the core of the World Tree. They consider it their calling, and they hold it incredibly sacred. They find the very essence and tradition of their clan in it. They even look down on the imperial family for mingling with the Han people. They aren't friendly toward the Desolate Fortress either. Since White Cat is the young lady of the Shin clan, she's probably heard a bit about it, right?"
"Ah..."
"Since it is a Jianghu sect after all, martial artists who wish to pursue the Limitless in real combat occasionally emerge. While they don't stop those who leave, they don't welcome them back either. Because they betrayed their trust. That vast village is incredibly insular."
"Then wasn't there no point in bringing Senior Demon Sword along?" Lazy Flame Dragon suddenly chimed in, wearing an annoyed expression. "Isn't this just going to interfere with the Unit Commander's recuperation?"
"If not for me, you wouldn't have even caught a glimpse of the gatekeeper's face. The formation art was already being deactivated along the mountain path to form a road. Our Unit Commander must have felt it."
"Mhm."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded at Cheong-myeong's nonchalant reply, ignoring the noisy presence of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
The direct superior of the Commander of the Demonlight Wing was snoring while sitting cross-legged inside the palanquin. He seemed to be incredibly exhausted.
Shin So-bin spoke with a look of wonder.
"The Commander seems to trust you immensely, Unit Commander. I heard he isn't the type of person to let his guard down like that."
"We've only met once," Jeong Yeon-shin replied with a look of disagreement.
The Commander of the Divine Sword Corps' condition was worse than expected.
He occasionally spat up blood; the price of breaking through the joint attack of two Lords of the Thirteen Heavens and even inflicting fatal wounds upon them seemed immense.
He had to put all his effort into moving even a short distance.
It was then.
Sshhh—
The thick wall of vines blocking their path parted. It was an incredibly mysterious sight.
The way it parted to let the sunlight through, as if it possessed a will of its own, brought to mind the inner chambers of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
For a while, only the sound of rustling foliage filled the mountains.
"A noble guest from the secular world has arrived."
An elderly woman's voice echoed. It was a peculiar tone. It sounded as if she meant that someone who was only considered noble in the mundane world had paid them a visit.
"Young master of martial arts, I am Cheong Bo-hwa of the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar. I act as the Sect Leader here."
Through the gaps of the disappearing wall, beams of pure white sunlight poured down.
Jeong Yeon-shin stared straight at the figure walking out from the halo of light. The glare could not affect him, thanks to the efficacy of the Sight of the Lowly, which refined his vision.
The elderly swordsman, standing with a straight back, her white hair flowing down, and her Grass-Gliding technique that left no weight on the blades of grass, was clearly reflected in his eyes.
Even the glint of curiosity in the old woman's blue eyes and her simply tailored green martial uniform were visible.
'She is strong. An incredibly powerful expert. I wonder how old she is.'
He felt an immeasurable amount of internal power. The air distorted with the movement of her limbs, suggesting she had spent an immense amount of time practicing True Qi breathing.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say her Accumulated Qi Amount had reached the physical limits of her body. Her Internal Cultivation, which allowed her to control such massive power as gently as a breeze, must also be extraordinary.
He slowly parted his lips.
"...I am Jeong Yeon-shin, Commander of the Demonlight Wing."
"So you are my great-grandson's superior. And that massive, unstable man over there must be the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps," Cheong Bo-hwa said as she stepped in front of Jeong Yeon-shin.
Her voice was also song-like, but it carried a deeper resonance than that of Jeong Nan-song, who was said to be Cheong-myeong's junior brother.
'She is Senior Cheong-myeong's great-grandmother.'
Jeong Yeon-shin looked back and forth between the great-grandmother and great-grandson, both of whom wore expressionless faces.
Not a shred of emotion was visible. It seemed there was a deep-seated grudge between them.
Cheong Bo-hwa, who was observing Jeong Yeon-shin more closely than her great-grandson, spoke.
"It is something that has happened occasionally over several generations. It seems this time, you have brought a technique that did not exist in the Central Plains. I speak of the martial studies that have newly sprouted under the order of the Ming Dynasty."
"It is said that all martial arts under heaven originated from the Mount Song Shaolin Temple. Perhaps it is not so new after all."
"If that is the case, I cannot allow you into the lake. Such is the rule of our sect."
"In that case, I shall test the discernment of your esteemed sect."
"Spoken like a true Grandmaster. Understand this. Even the Lord of the Desolate Fortress cannot force her way past our sect's rules. That is because she possesses a shred of conscience, being of the noble bloodline of our clan."
Her words were firm. Even as her lips moved, the gentle wrinkles at the corners of her eyes did not budge.
Only her eyes, which quietly observed Jeong Yeon-shin, flashed with a continuous blue light.
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly met her gaze.
"Is it enough to demonstrate the level of completion of my martial arts in three rounds of duels?"
"Indeed. We improve our martial arts by distancing ourselves from the civilization that originally occupied this land. This is because our disciples, who vividly remember the distant past, are utterly disgusted by the tyranny shown by the people of the Yuan, Song, and the founding era of the Ming Dynasty. Even if this makes us like frogs in a well, it cannot be helped."
The master of the Gate of the Heavenly Pillar slowly continued.
"If your sect-exclusive martial arts have transcended the boundaries of our clan... we will naturally reward you for broadening our horizons. Letting you into the lake is only a part of it; we intend to bestow upon you things you have never experienced before."
"Let us do so."
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was about to take his starting stance, Cheong Bo-hwa shook her head.
"Are you not a Black Rank of the Desolate Fortress? We are not ignorant of the world. This is beneath your status."
"I do not understand what status you speak of."
"Your status is too high, so I fear the essence of the test will be distorted, like an adult joining a children's fight. I feel a similar aura to yours from the children you have brought with you. By nature, the completion of martial studies should be evaluated through the hands of practitioners, not a Grandmaster."
"Children and adults..."
Jeong Yeon-shin nodded and took a step back.
Beside him, Shin So-bin glared at her same-aged Unit Commander with an incredulous expression, but the Commander of the Demonlight Wing paid no heed to the "child's" gaze.
'If it is the martial arts of the mysterious Gate of the Heavenly Pillar...'
It was said that the Linked Path Heavenly Image Sword, the Moon-Preserving Piercing Method, and the All-Encompassing Tree Steps were famous.
Each was highly renowned for being profound enough to be compared to the immortal martial arts of the Nine Sects.
Seeing it now, that reputation seemed to have been built thanks to the martial prowess of the disciples who left even at the risk of expulsion. What would the martial arts of the Brightfolk, who had focused solely on training at their main mountain, be like?
Usually, Jeong Yeon-shin's martial arts were highlighted alongside interest in his sheer martial power.
This meant it was the first time his sect-exclusive martial arts would be intensively compared with another martial lineage.
"Let us begin now," said the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, folding his arms inside his pitch-black sleeves.