Chapter 80: Unity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80: Unity
Today was the day. Jeong Yeon-shin waited for the round moon.
‘I should keep my body moving.’
He had recuperated sufficiently. He had finished his Qi Healing to refine his internal state, and today was the day of their promise. It was time to assimilate the flow of his body's True Qi with the movement of his muscles.
The moment dawn broke, he had requested a sparring session from Cheong-myeong.
He had already lost track of how many double-hours had passed since they began.
The sunlight, brightly filling the space behind the Demonlight Wing pavilion, enveloped the tall, slender frame of the Brightfolk swordsman. The presence filling the quiet clearing was truly immense.
The Blue-Eyed Demon Sword, Cheong-myeong. He was an expert who wielded the most lofty sword art in the Demonlight Wing.
Since the Commander of the Demonlight Wing wielded a saber, Cheong-myeong was said to contest for the title of the strongest swordsman in the unit. There were even rumors that he could be considered the strongest Blue Rank in the entire Desolate Fortress. This held true even when including mid-tier experts, meaning he was considered superior even to White Qilin.
Clang!
He parried Cheong-myeong's cleaving strike, which had been adjusted to match his own level of internal energy. A fierce wind whipped past his ears, feeling almost like a beast's claw grazing him.
The depth of Cheong-myeong's sword art Fa Jin was so profound that a violent sword force traveled all the way up to the hilt, making Jeong Yeon-shin wonder if they were truly employing the same amount of internal energy. The vibration alone was at a level where it delivered a second, hidden strike.
It was not an unfamiliar power. He was used to this.
In truth, Jeong Yeon-shin was not some sheltered rising star who had never known defeat. Between missions, whenever he stopped by the main fortress, he received the undivided attention of his formidable seniors. Ma Jin, Cheong-myeong, Baek Mi-ryeo, and the other veteran Blue Ranks.
The ultimate end of martial arts training was a duel. Since practicing striking techniques alone was meaningless, he only set out on missions after completing the grueling training his seniors graciously provided. Thus, he grew accustomed to unleashing his martial arts in real combat.
Because of this, losing duels was a daily occurrence. At least, it was in the Demonlight Wing of the main fortress.
Perhaps because of that routine, he was exceptionally distracted today.
‘A small piece.’
Even though the sun was only just setting, his mind was blank. He was someone who had opened his Middle Dantian; a mere spar shouldn't tire him out, even if he kept at it all day.
Yet, it was hard to focus on his daily routine. It felt as if his soul were hazily drifting above his physical body. Even in the middle of the duel, the True Qi in the hand gripping his sword hilt loosened due to his terribly unfocused intent.
The price was paid immediately.
Swoosh!
In an instant, a fierce wind whipped past. Simultaneously, a shockwave erupted from the opposing blade.
With a sharp clang, the Desolate Fortress Sword was sent flying from his grasp. If he hadn't let go at the exact right moment, his palm would have been torn open.
“Our Flash Art isn't in his right mind today,” Cheong-myeong said with a grin. “Weren't you trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle? And quickly, at that.”
He lifted his sword and rested it casually on his shoulder. The words, spoken with a smiling face, stung even more than a reprimand. It was a sight more terrifying than being glared at.
“You should aim to become the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps in about three years. You'll probably have to spend about half of the remaining year just accumulating merits.”
“Ah...”
Jeong Yeon-shin uttered a rare, dazed exclamation. It was a day where he couldn't help but be this way. However, as the one who had requested the spar, he had no right to make excuses.
Cheong-myeong tapped the flat of the blade resting on his shoulder. A cold blue light flashed in his single eye.
“Above all, it means you'll practically be usurping the position. The current Commander of the Divine Sword Corps is extremely healthy. I can't picture him losing to anyone, whether it's a Lord of the Thirteen Heavens or a Sect Leader of the Nine Sects. Our Flash Art has to defeat a man like that.”
“I'm sorry. You went out of your way to guide me, yet...”
“The Black Rank is already a problem. The very level of your internal energy control needs to change, and that's a realm of enlightenment rather than talent. Of course, having martial genius helps.”
“...”
“Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak, Five Qi Converging to the Origin. The world of intent is entirely different. I mentioned enlightenment, right? It's no exaggeration; some old folks even dramatically call it shedding one's shell. It's hard to reach if you don't keep your wits about you.”
His tone was light, as always. But the content was different. It was filled with genuine concern. At this moment, Cheong-myeong was envisioning a more concrete future than Jeong Yeon-shin himself was.
It was embarrassing. It was especially so because Cheong-myeong, along with Heonwon Chang, was one of the people he had become closest to.
The boy clasped his hands in a formal salute once more.
“Thank you for the advice. I feel like I'm always on the receiving end.”
“Cut the excessive politeness.”
Cheong-myeong spoke as he sheathed his sword. The act of sheathing, performed simultaneously with a crescent-shaped flash of sword light, was elegant.
“Now that your goal is clear, it would be best to set a structured curriculum, wouldn't it? Let's have me teach you sword arts, and Mi-ryeo teach you Qigong. Our Commander is far too busy, so he's out of the question. Huh? Why are you clasping your hands again? Stop saluting.”
“...I don't think I've seen Senior Baek today.”
“Mi-ryeo? She's been busy lately. After hearing about you, she's been organizing her heart cultivation art. She trained in an internal Qigong that is as unique as her background. She needs to isolate and teach you the tricks of True Qi manipulation. It should be ready by the time you return from the Namgung Clan, right?”
“I am also curious about the stories of you two.”
The mention of Baek Mi-ryeo's background reminded him. Jeong Yeon-shin knew nothing about the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword and the Sun Lotus Sword Enchantress.
It was due to his narrow vision. Because he had only looked forward since entering the fortress, he had only focused on his own circumstances. He felt deeply apologetic.
He didn't even know Cheong-myeong's age. How had he lived in his clan before leaving to join the Demonlight Wing?
‘None of the members of Demonlight First Team are ordinary.’
He didn't know what Heonwon Chang had gone through to enter the Desolate Fortress all by himself. Unlike the killing sword he had trained in, there was an air of noble upbringing about him. The hostility he showed toward various great sects was also strange.
The same went for Baek Mi-ryeo. She was an expert who occasionally displayed incredible divine arts. What kind of story lay behind her ink-colored, materialized True Qi?
He had only heard that a young Baek Mi-ryeo had been rescued during the mission that left the Commander of the Demonlight Wing, Ma Jin, impotent. He knew nothing beyond that.
“Next time. There are grudges and debts entangled in it, so I don't feel like babbling about it now. Dealing with you alone is already a headache.”
Cheong-myeong grinned.
“You'll find out naturally. That's how it goes as you rise from Blue Rank to Black Rank, and then to Purple Rank. The quality of information you access changes. From the Black Rank onward, you hold a highly proactive position.”
“...Yes.”
Though not entirely convinced, he nodded. It was because it was about time for him to leave.
The time had come. He realized this upon looking at a corner of the ridge on the pavilion's roof. A white moon was rising over the dark gray tiles. Was it the energy exuded by the full moon? For some reason, it felt strangely distant today.
Cheong-myeong's face turned slightly, following Jeong Yeon-shin's gaze.
“You should head to the Castle Lord soon. I'm dying of curiosity to know what this is about too. Hurry up and go.”
“Since the Castle Lord summoned you, I can't even pry into your business. How frustrating,” he muttered without a smile.
“I will be back!”
Jeong Yeon-shin answered loudly without realizing it. He wasn't even embarrassed now. Passing Cheong-myeong, he immediately channeled True Qi into his feet. He began to run, starting slowly but gradually picking up speed.
He had been sparring all day. Bathing and purifying himself came first.
“Madam Jang! Please prepare a bath!” he shouted as he opened the door to the pavilion's wooden floor. It was a request directed at the maid.
The five senses of the Brightfolk were extremely sharp. Wouldn't the Lord of the Desolate Fortress be even more so? She was said to be an existence in an entirely different realm, even within her clan. He couldn't afford to smell of sweat.
Lest her mind change, and that small piece became even smaller.
“Flash Art? What's going on?”
“Was that Jeong Yeon-shin shouting?”
Several Demonlight Wing seniors opened their doors and poked their heads out. He could ignore them for now. Entering his room, Jeong Yeon-shin grabbed a spare martial uniform and headed straight to the bath.
* * *
The night permeating the air gently coaxed the boy's body. It was dark and cozy.
Finally.
The moonlight swelled. The halo around the full moon was whitish, and the celestial body seemed to smile hazily.
Jeong Yeon-shin entered the fortress within the main fortress. It was the inner castle of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, built of pure white marble. The guards on sentry duty merely nodded in greeting; no one stopped him.
He walked silently, stepping on the cold marble. The high staircase felt exceptionally long. Yet, even so, there was an end.
The moment he reached the top, the massive stone gate opened on its own.
As always, the opposite side, which had no wall, was wide open. It poured in the hazy halo of the moonlight, which seemed exceptionally bright.
Jeong Yeon-shin raised his gaze. It was above a thick tree trunk that pierced through the office.
There.
Was the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
She stood on a single branch, bathed in the moonlight, her back turned to him. Her glossy, grass-green hair swayed gently.
Not a single speck of energy could be felt from her, yet she alone stood out with vivid clarity. It was to an uncanny degree. Her presence felt incredibly distinct. It was exceptionally so at this very moment.
“Even though you know what the piece is, you must have been curious.”
She did not turn around immediately. She seemed to be gazing at the distant scenery. Under the soft halo of the moon, only the voice of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, draped in green robes resembling court attire, drifted over.
It was as if all the moonlight in the world were gathering toward her.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly realized. That was Qi circulation. It was the manipulation of True Qi. Hard as it was to believe, it was true.
While the full moon, now brilliant, breathed in a mist of radiance, the hazy beams of light exhaled by the moon were refracting in all directions, converging upon her.
‘Even her basic skills have reached the realm of miracles.’
It was an insight born of pure intuition. Just as Jeong Yeon-shin shuddered at a realm he couldn't even begin to fathom—
“The fruit of the World Tree. What you have surmised is correct.”
She slowly turned around.
Even with her back to the moon, her eyes, shimmering with light, were the first things visible. Her deep green gaze was unfathomably deep. It was a sensation that seemed to naturally weigh down even his very soul.
Every time he faced her, he experienced a sensation that not even the Blood Flame Cult Leader had ever made him feel.
“Come here.”
“I greet the Castle Lord.”
Belatedly showing his respects, he stepped forward. Opposite the spot where he stood on the rough wood was the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. Jeong Yeon-shin straightened his back and stood face-to-face with her.
“Closer.”
“Yes.”
He silently obeyed the command. Now, the distance between them was less than a single step. The translucent, white face of the absolute ruler filled his vision.
It was the moment Jeong Yeon-shin was about to bow and prostrate himself.
“This is the first time since the headquarters of the heretical cult. There is something I must tell you first.”
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress parted her lips. The boy, halting mid-bow, stared at her.
“I am listening.”
“The leader of the heretical cult may return.”
“...!”
“It is a strange, violent, chaotic, and supernatural entity. He regained his form from a single drop of blood, even though I took his life multiple times.”
Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the Blood Flame Cult Leader. That feeling of being detached from the mortal realm had existed in him as well. Though he fell short of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress's caliber, he was a man who wielded transcendent regenerative abilities at the pinnacle of the Blood Art.
It was then. Perhaps intending to stroke his head, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress reached out her hand and said:
“I could not completely destroy him. I had to turn back to check on you.”
“I am deeply sorry.”
He hurriedly bowed his head. The moment he had tried to face the Sixth Apostle of the Blood Flame Cult with his battered body flashed through his mind. He had thought the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, who had vanished along with the Blood Flame Cult Leader, had returned after slaying the enemy.
But that was not the case.
‘Because of me?’
To keep a single rising star named Flash Art safe and sound, she had let one of the Lords of the Thirteen Heavens escape. It made absolutely no sense. It was something anyone would find hard to believe.
“Why are you sorry?” her clear, resonant voice rang out. “It was my choice. You need only remain vigilant against the enemy and strive for greater achievements.”
“...”
“More importantly.”
Her words paused briefly. Because of her overwhelming presence, he could feel her downward gaze with absolute clarity. Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been bowing his head, immediately looked up.
A few strands of his hair, which had grown longer during his recuperation, were resting on the back of the Castle Lord's hand.
“I once made a leaf of the World Tree, fallen in the spring breeze, my childhood friend. Though it has now crumbled into nothingness.”
The corners of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress's mouth curled up slightly.
“The texture of your hair is similar to it.”
“Pardon?”
“It would be nice to grow it out once you become an expert.”
“Ah...”
When he answered in a daze that he would do so, her lips curved into a small, beautiful smile.
‘To the Castle Lord, even a Blue Rank is not considered an expert.’
Yet, it was so naturally true that it wasn't even something to take issue with, Jeong Yeon-shin thought. It was his first time hearing the Castle Lord joke. He realized she was human after all. Perhaps he could dare to hope for a slightly larger piece.