Chapter 35: The Desolate Ma Clan
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: The Desolate Ma Clan
The Purple Grace Pill was a secret spirit medicine of the Mount Hua Sect. It was said that Taoist alchemists spent decades refining just a single pill.
Having experienced it firsthand, Jeong Yeon-shin understood why. The power it contained lived up to its legendary reputation.
Hummm—
An energy that felt like a melted cluster of plum blossoms circulated within his body.
It flowed from the Qugu Point below his navel up to the Tiantu Point between his collarbones. He guided it in a large circle through his upper body, incorporating the Yutang Point at his solar plexus into the trajectory.
This was the region of the Middle Dantian. He stimulated it relentlessly.
'It's working.'
He could feel its medicinal efficacy taking hold, bringing about a noticeable change.
As the True Qi of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art circulated through the Great Heavenly Cycle alongside the energy of the Purple Grace Pill, it grew denser and more viscous with every pass through his Middle Dantian.
This had to be the endurance Baek Mi-ryeo had spoken of.
'It's not opening completely, though.'
It felt only about half-open. He would have to pierce through the rest using his fully assimilated True Qi.
Even so, this was an incredibly bountiful harvest.
It was said that an internal cultivation expert who had refined their Middle Dantian would never lose control over their internal energy, no matter the circumstances. Without even having to train his own True Qi further, he had firmly stepped into the realm of a true master. He had saved himself an immense amount of time.
Satisfied, Jeong Yeon-shin moved his hand.
Placing his palm flat against the center of the unconscious Yu-hyeon's lower back, he began to channel the circulating energy of the Purple Grace Pill into the boy.
"Already...!" the Heavenly Pillar gasped.
Jeong Yeon-shin ignored the shock in the elder's voice, increasing the intensity of the pouring energy.
"Yu-hyeon. Wake up."
Even though he spoke aloud while actively circulating his qi, his energy didn't waver in the slightest. This was partly a unique characteristic of the Jeong Family Dynamic Art—which refined internal energy through physical movement—and partly his innate, absolute control over his own internal power.
The Heavenly Pillar snapped his mouth shut; no further sound came from the man.
"I said, wake up."
With those words, he firmly pressed his left hand against the back of Yu-hyeon's neck, sealing his Mute Acupoint. Once he ensured the boy couldn't speak and disrupt the flow, the rest was easy.
He continuously circulated his qi, ruthlessly stimulating the young Taoist's internal pathways. Yu-hyeon had no choice but to regain consciousness.
"This is the energy of the Purple Grace Pill. I'm giving it all to you, so circulate your Purple Mist Divine Art," Jeong Yeon-shin ordered as he detected a sudden, sharp spike in the boy's pulse.
He could feel Yu-hyeon's turbulent emotions through his fingertips. Transferring the very last of the energy, Yeon-shin pulled his hand away.
This was Internal Power Transfer—the act of transmitting one's own energy into another person. He had heard it naturally resulted in extreme physical exhaustion.
But Jeong Yeon-shin was different. Perhaps because he had opened his Middle Dantian so widely, he felt power overflowing through his entire body.
He straightened his posture and stepped back. Ma Jin had reached out to support him, leaving his hand hovering awkwardly in the air.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
The three of them waited in silence for Yu-hyeon to finish his qi meditation.
When Yu-hyeon finally stood up, the Heavenly Pillar grabbed the boy's wrist to check his pulse. The elder's eyes widened so far they looked ready to tear.
Jeong Yeon-shin had completely refined the energy of the Purple Grace Pill and infused it into Yu-hyeon's body without losing a single shred of qi. A master of the Hwasan Sword Excellence's caliber could not fail to notice this immediately.
"His internal power...!"
The Heavenly Pillar, the Hwasan Sword Excellence, was speechless. Only after taking a few deep breaths did a low groan escape his lips.
"To completely transfer such a massive amount of unleashed energy? For such a thing to be possible in this world..."
He looked up, staring at Jeong Yeon-shin with an expression full of shock and deep admiration.
"You are truly a great man!"
"I assumed you trusted me with him."
"Even so..."
The awe on his face showed no signs of fading. Beside him, Yu-hyeon looked at Jeong Yeon-shin with similar eyes. Though the boy had admired him from the beginning, he now looked up to Yeon-shin as if he were an elder martial brother of his own sect.
"You have saved the future of Mount Hua. Since you have treated the Mount Hua Sect with the grace of a great hero, you shall be rewarded accordingly."
The Heavenly Pillar spoke, making no effort to hide his deep respect. Even his tone had shifted to one of reverence.
The Hwasan Sword Excellence's polite yet deferential manner felt somewhat awkward to Yeon-shin. In truth, Yeon-shin had only passed on the cumbersome energy because he lacked the time to absorb it all before he had to become the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
"Of course, I do not mean to measure your benevolence with mere material wealth. It is simply a token of our gratitude, so please accept it. You mentioned that Hyeon would be visiting the Desolate Fortress. I shall have him bring it with him then."
"Thank you."
Jeong Yeon-shin clasped his hands in salute, then glanced at Ma Jin.
"Is the mission over?"
"Yes. You did it all."
"Hardly."
Cheong-myeong had taken the Thieving Ghost's left hand, forcing him to retreat on his own. The forces of the Blood Flame Cult, formidable as they were, had been crushed by the combined might of the Demonlight Wing and the Mount Hua Sect.
Jeong Yeon-shin had merely laid his spoon on an already set table, yet he had unintentionally brought the entire incident to a close. The Purple Grace Pill, the source of all the strife, had returned to the disciple of the Mount Hua Sect Leader. Things could not have ended more cleanly.
The mission was completed even before reinforcements from the Main Fortress could arrive.
They parted ways with the masters of the Mount Hua Sect, who showed them boundless goodwill and promised to meet again. Perhaps they had sensed Jeong Yeon-shin's presence, which had transformed once more due to the awakening of his Middle Dantian.
Cheong-myeong smiled faintly, and Baek Mi-ryeo shook her head in amusement as they turned their horses around.
Just as Heonwon Chang had wished, the journey back felt like a leisurely tour of the Jianghu. That was how immense the achievements of this mission truly were.
Under Ma Jin's tacit approval, the Demonlight Wing made a relaxed return. It was a long journey.
By the time they entered Xiangyang, the sight of the Desolate Fortress's towering ramparts felt both welcoming and strangely unfamiliar.
During the trip, Jeong Yeon-shin suppressed his impatience and diligently polished his martial arts, ensuring he would be ready to achieve great feats in his next mission as well.
* * *
Originally, he had planned to request a martial art from the Lord of the Desolate Fortress as soon as he returned. Now, things were different.
He now possessed the Radiant Brilliance Sword Style and the Radiant Wing Step—techniques he had never imagined acquiring when he first set out.
There was still plenty of room for improvement with them. Since he didn't yet know what kind of martial arts he would need in the future, he decided to hold off on his request for now.
"Are you heading to the training ground again? You must be exhausted from the journey. Aren't you tired?"
It was Heonwon Chang, whom he ran into in the main hall of the Demonlight Wing's pavilion.
The man leaned in, his face shadowed with dark circles—a clear sign of just how much he had been eating and drinking at the taverns. Jeong Yeon-shin casually pushed his chin away.
"I'm fine."
Yeon-shin hadn't let a single drop of alcohol touch his lips, solely to preserve his internal energy cultivation. Now that he had opened his Middle Dantian to such a significant degree, his stamina felt virtually limitless.
Leaving behind Heonwon Chang, who shook his head in sheer disbelief, Yeon-shin stepped outside.
As he made his way to the small training ground, he heard all kinds of praise and whispers from the senior disciples.
"Flash Art! I heard you achieved an utterly unbelievable feat."
"Is it true that you took the head of the Eight-Fanged Rakshasa Sword?"
"I heard he slew him in a Chariot Wheel Battle."
"A Chariot Wheel Battle? A White-Ranked warrior of the Desolate Fortress killed an elder of the Hegemon Sword Sect. Could anyone who belittles such a feat truly be a martial artist of our fortress?"
"That blue robe suits you incredibly well. I'm willing to give you mine if you need a spare!"
The reaction was completely incomparable to when he had killed the Blood Master Sword. The repercussions were massive. Some seniors had even gone so far as to knock on his door to congratulate him.
He had heard that an elder of the Thirteen Heavens was a master that even a Blue-Ranked expert of the Desolate Fortress would struggle to handle. No matter how he had managed to kill the man, it was bound to become a sensation.
"I heard he also saved the life of the Mount Hua Sect Leader's disciple."
"How many masters of the Nine Sects has he befriended in just two missions?"
"First Zhongnan, and now Mount Hua. Next time we go on a mission to Shaanxi, we have to request Flash Art be dispatched with us."
Responding to each and every one of them was exhausting. He never imagined that the first bit of fatigue he'd feel after significantly opening his Middle Dantian would stem from the corners of his mouth cramping.
Eventually, he just forced a polite smile and hurried past the large training ground.
Inside the small training ground, which consisted of isolated private chambers, he reviewed the martial arts he had acquired during his mission. He pondered whether he could infuse more power into the flow of the Radiant Brilliance Sword Style, and how he could manage the second step of the Radiant Wing Step.
He also couldn't stop conceptualizing new stances for the Infinite Flower of Time Fist.
'I can't seem to grasp it right now.'
Inspiration did not come easily. It seemed he needed to broaden his horizons.
'I heard there's a good place for that.'
Jeong Yeon-shin immediately changed direction.
* * *
The territory used by the 17th Unit of the Desolate Fortress's Divine Sword Corps was incredibly vast. It had to be, as it needed to accommodate not only the martial artists but also their servants and attendants.
The Demonlight Formula of the Demonlight Wing and the Clear Sky Sword Art of the Azure Sky Unit were entirely different. The seventeen martial units under the Divine Sword Corps were each likened to independent sects. Their numbers were similar to those of small-to-medium sects, but it was said that the difference in their martial power was astronomical.
With such a vast territory and differing martial arts, it was an environment where interaction would naturally stagnate if left alone.
'They said we shouldn't become frogs in a narrow well, but rather gather and form an ocean.'
Ma Jin's words came to mind.
The Desolate Fortress was a revolutionary collective of martial studies. The imperial family had deliberately shattered the unwritten rule of Non-Interference between Government and Martial World to create it. They had made all kinds of attempts to sharpen this sword of the Great Ming Empire. Unprecedented measures were bound to follow one after another.
"And you are?"
The facility where the middle-aged scholar currently questioning Jeong Yeon-shin sat was no exception to this.
The neatly laid-out training ground stretching out behind the man's shoulders was truly a sight to behold. There were even small tiered steps lined up for spectators. Unfamiliar martial artists sat scattered around, staring intently at the center.
Following their gaze, Jeong Yeon-shin witnessed all kinds of martial arts he had never seen before.
Clang! Boom!
It was a scene of White-Ranked and Blue-Ranked warriors from other divisions of the 17th Unit clashing with one another. This was a training ground where all martial artists belonging to the Divine Sword Corps could freely engage in duels. It was a place where the martial arts of the 17th Unit intersected.
"Is this the Martial Transcendence Arena?"
"Indeed. A young swordsman in a blue robe... You must be Flash Art. I am Do Yu-won of the Chief Steward's Office."
"I am Jeong Yeon-shin of the Demonlight Wing."
The two clasped their hands in mutual salute. Do Yu-won spoke, the goodwill in his expression distinct.
"I have heard much about Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing. All news within the Desolate Fortress gathers at the Chief Steward's Office. We are the ones who categorize the achievements you have made. It was truly astonishing."
When Do Yu-won, who otherwise had sharp features, smiled, he looked quite gentle.
"Building a reputation as a chivalrous hero at such a young age... Seeing you brings joy to my heart. Let me let you in on a little secret."
"What is it...?"
"If you complete even one more minor mission, you will be promoted to the Blue Rank. Each of your achievements has been so significant that you have accumulated plenty of merit points. Enough that passing the promotion test will be a mere formality."
"Ah."
Jeong Yeon-shin's brief exclamation came straight from his heart.
He was steadily moving forward. He knew that the achievements he had accumulated over three missions, including the affair with the Zhongnan Sect, were by no means small.
But hearing it directly from a scholar of the Chief Steward's Office was a different matter entirely. This was a man who managed the internal personnel of the Desolate Fortress. To Jeong Yeon-shin, he was an even more influential figure than Ma Jin.
"My congratulations in advance." Do Yu-won smiled faintly. "In any case, welcome. It seems my duty managing the arena today will be well rewarded. After all, might we not get to witness a duel between young masters?"
"Did you say young masters?"
Jeong Yeon-shin's tone had unconsciously grown even more polite. He himself felt the stark contrast between this respect and how he treated his pathetic maternal uncle, Ma Jin.
The Commander of the Demonlight Wing? Meeting a steward in person made him realize a universal truth: those who held the power over personnel were the true kings.
"You must not have known. Right over there, the successor of the Desolate Ma Clan is currently undergoing training."
In the direction Do Yu-won pointed, there was a familiar figure. He possessed a handsome appearance that felt like looking at a young Cheong-myeong. He was the adopted grandson of Yeon-shin's maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok.
Currently, the boy was wearing a white martial uniform boldly embroidered with the character 'Hwang' of the Desolate Fortress.
Yeon-shin recalled creating the Infinite Flower of Time Fist with his help. He had been making good use of that further developed flow of force ever since. Once again, a sense of gratitude welled up within him.
'That was a fine, powerful fist.'
While he was reminiscing, Do Yu-won continued speaking.
"Indeed, there is much praise for the Desolate Ma Clan. He has been winning victory after victory against other White-Ranked warriors here at the Martial Transcendence Arena. Isn't it even more astonishing considering it hasn't even been a month since he passed the Desolate Fortress Entrance Exam? Thanks to him, the area around the Main Fortress is absolutely buzzing."
"I see."
Just as Jeong Yeon-shin nodded, his eyes met with those of the boy in the distance.