Chapter 81: Unity (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: Unity (2)
‘Grow out my hair...?’
A joke from the absolute ruler who guarded the World Tree all by herself?
She was a supreme being; he could hardly imagine her cracking a joke.
Whatever she said, it couldn't be taken lightly. Jeong Yeon-shin had to make sure of that.
He recalled the time he traveled the lands to rescue Heonwon Chang. To gather information, he had engaged in sword discussions with local martial artists.
He'd learned how to cater to them, even intentionally losing verbal spars to win their favor.
An expert grows out their hair. He kept that thought in mind.
‘Still, wouldn't the Unit Commanders of the Main Fortress be considered experts?’
It was said that the Black Rank realm was achieved through the circulation of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak and the Five Qi Converging to the Origin.
He had heard it was a stage where True Qi responded instantly to one's intent—a realm capable of rivaling the renowned elders of the Nine Sects.
At that level, it seemed highly unlikely anyone could grab his long hair during close-quarters combat.
Once he set foot in the High-Level realm, he would be able to grow his hair out.
It was a fleeting thought. As his eyes met her green pupils once more, the Lord of the Desolate Fortress spoke.
"Your expression is quite resolute. It was merely a silly remark."
A faint smile played on her lips.
"Even if the martial artists of the world make a companion of death, the intensity of your Flash Art will not fall short. It is not a bad sight."
"······I am deeply honored."
"It is nothing to be grateful for, nor is it something to feel apologetic about."
Her tone was as calm as a gentle breeze. She slowly continued, "The Main Fortress is not stingy with rewards. I have summoned you to reward the achievements born of your desire, so I shall bestow upon you what you rightfully deserve."
Finally.
Hearing those words from the Lord of the Desolate Fortress sent a tremor through his heart. He tried to calm his mind, but it was difficult.
Even as he exhaled a long breath, his chest throbbed.
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress surely perceived his agitation, yet she didn't withdraw her small smile.
Everything in his vision slowed down. Her lips parted once more.
"Your meritorious deeds are immense. I shall speak of two things."
Her beauty, a testament to her peerless martial prowess, didn't even register in his mind.
He merely stared at her face—which looked only four or five years older than his own—as if engraving it into his memory.
"First, the merit of locating the main stronghold of the heretical cult that harms the people's livelihood. Second, the merit of greatly contributing to the annihilation of the rebel forces without suffering a single casualty."
"······."
The former merit was merely a byproduct of the Seventh Apostle coveting Jeong Yeon-shin's value.
That was how the incident at the main stronghold had begun. Yet, he didn't feel embarrassed. At this moment, the impending reward was more important than anything else.
"It can be said that you have accumulated sufficient merit. You are worthy of testing your qualifications."
With those words, she reached out her hand once more.
Her palm, uncharacteristically pale for a martial artist, slowly rose. Then, a highly bizarre phenomenon occurred.
The moonlight behind the Lord of the Desolate Fortress was drawn toward her hand, warping and distorting.
It was a truly transcendent sight. It didn't seem like the work of a human—at least, that was how it felt to Jeong Yeon-shin.
"This is..."
Whoosh.
The massive tree trunks surrounding the office breathed out a gentle breeze, tickling his skin.
At that moment, leaves, turned a vibrant green by the dazzling breath of the full moon, brushed past her body.
"The fruit of the World Tree. A small fragment of it."
It looked as if a handful of the moon reflected in a lake had been scooped up. A single fragment of light sprouted upon the palm of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, faint, as if molded from moonlight itself.
"······."
Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent. A gust of wind blew in from the wall-less exterior, playfully brushing against his neck before passing on. Even combining everything he had seen in his life, this was by far the most bizarre miracle.
Hummm.
Even the vibrating hum felt divine. He stared intently at the fragment of light resting on the palm of the noble being.
Though it was his life's goal, he felt no power radiating from it. It was different from the typical spirit medicines used to increase internal energy.
There was no surging energy; it was simply filled with a sacred, miraculous sensation.
"I know what is rumored in the world."
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress parted her lips.
When he raised his head, he met a gaze like the bottomless abyss of a deep forest. She stared at Jeong Yeon-shin quietly.
"They are all wrong. This is not a spirit medicine that bestows mighty power."
"You mentioned qualification. Then, what kind of······?"
"You must feel it to know."
Her hand moved slightly forward, bringing the fragment of light closer.
The more he looked at it, the more mysterious it became. It hardly seemed like an object of this world.
"Eat it."
At the words of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, he instinctively raised his hand, but she slowly shook her head.
"If it leaves this body, it loses its efficacy. You must bring your mouth to it."
There was a term: Rare and Exotic Treasures.
It referred to precious and strange wonders. From Imugis, spirit beasts, and mystical creatures, to wild ginseng shaped like a human.
Such was the nature of the famous spirit medicines of the Central Plains, as well as the various divine swords of the world said to manifest miracles.
It was said that things defying common sense were abundant in the upper echelons of the martial world.
‘It loses its efficacy if it leaves her body?’
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress spoke as if she herself were the World Tree.
Countless questions bloomed in his mind. Were they bound by something spiritual?
Did the title of Guardian of the World Tree encompass such a meaning?
Yet, he didn't dare voice them, afraid of being presumptuous.
Such was Jeong Yeon-shin's current position. He hadn't been acknowledged as an expert by the Lord, and he was in a position where he had to accept whatever was bestowed upon him.
‘Senior Cheong-myeong said it. As your rank rises, the information you access changes.’
For now, he decided to aim for the Black Rank. That would be enough for the time being.
‘Even so.’
Even so, the fragment of the World Tree before his eyes was a fitting reward. He had to take it.
Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his head slightly toward her hand without hesitation.
At the same time, he slowly opened his mouth. First his lower lip, and then the tip of his nose, lightly brushed against her hand.
"Huh?"
Jeong Yeon-shin let out a puzzled groan. The Lord of the Desolate Fortress had pulled her hand back.
"This is unseemly."
Her tone was calm. At the same time, the fragment of the fruit slid down to pool at her fingertips.
Slide.
She reached out her hand just like that.
A faint light slowly filled Jeong Yeon-shin's vision. It wasn't a movement directed toward his mouth.
It was aimed straight for his head. The pathway leading directly to his Upper Dantian already seemed to react.
Her long finger touched the space between Jeong Yeon-shin's brows.
It was then.
"Heugh!"
His heart cultivation breathing was instantly cut off. He had no choice; in a single moment, his consciousness vanished.
A sensation like being buried in an abyssal swamp, coupled with an endlessly elevating awareness, enveloped his entire mind and soared.
Flash!
It wasn't an increase in power. It was an experience.
It felt as though he had entered the mind of an unapproachable being. A tidal wave of senses arose, sprouting with incredible rapidity.
He drew in the energy of great nature, feeling even the minute composition of the air brushing against his skin.
He became sensitive beyond anything he had ever imagined. It was a level of perception so intense he felt he might go mad and die on the spot.
Suddenly, he became aware of time flowing slowly. He saw the flowing moonlight.
At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin had become one with the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. He felt her vision and the atmosphere simultaneously.
He stared at himself through her eyes. The Lord's features, reflected in his pitch-black pupils, were mystical.
Of all the miracles in the world, could there be another case like this? It was utterly hard to believe.
······That split second felt like an eternity.
Her slender breath was vivid, yet not even a single exhalation had finished.
It was before the wind that swept past his ears could even drift away. Even so, it was unbearable. Gradually, his own Upper Dantian began to burn as if struggling to hold on.
"That is enough."
The moment the Lord of the Desolate Fortress murmured, the suffocatingly stretched time instantly regained its flow.
Whoosh!
Jeong Yeon-shin returned to himself. His body swayed, the aftermath of experiencing a sensation that surpassed even the realm of Super-Ascension.
Just as he was about to lose his balance, a gentle hand caught him, wrapping around his shoulder.
It was the Lord of the Desolate Fortress.
"Not right now. It is too early," she said. Jeong Yeon-shin merely raised his head to meet her gaze.
"What do you mean by too early······?"
"Your realm is too shallow to accept the fruit. Devote yourself to your training."
"Just now... what exactly was that effect?"
"I tested whether you could accept the spirituality of the World Tree. Once the vessel of your mind becomes firm, as long as the tree of the clan does not wither, you will never experience Feathered Ascension through your Baihui Point. You will live an eternal life."
She spoke of spirituality. It seemed to mean sharing the divine nature of the World Tree to secure his lifeline.
This, too, was something that defied common sense.
Jeong Yeon-shin asked if his understanding was correct.
"Your interpretation is correct."
The Lord of the Desolate Fortress nodded slowly. It meant the fruit was the medium for it.
‘What in the······’
He had experienced with his entire body a mystery counted among the greatest in the martial world. Before entering the fortress, he had thought of a legendary panacea passed down by word of mouth.
He was only half right. Feeling a sense of emptiness, Jeong Yeon-shin asked once more.
"Do you mean that I must rise to the rank of the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps... and be bestowed with a whole fruit through fitting merits, so that I may bear the spirituality of the World Tree at a realm corresponding to the purple martial uniform?"
"That is also correct."
"···Then, what was the sensation this unworthy disciple just experienced······?"
He asked about the world he had seemingly seen and felt through the Lord's eyes. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"It was inevitable."
Slide.
The soft hand on his shoulder gently pushed Jeong Yeon-shin away.
"And it was a gift."
"Ah."
He stepped down from the tree trunk. Before he knew it, all his senses had returned.
Yet, the peerless world he had just experienced remained vivid in his memory.
That was why it was a test, and that was why it was a gift.
He didn't know what she meant by "inevitable." However, it was an experience that would greatly guide him someday.
Perhaps it would even help with his immediate mission. Inspiration for creating a heart cultivation method was stirring within him. It was incredibly intense.
"May you be victorious. Until you reach Southern Zhili," she said.
It seemed she knew that Jeong Yeon-shin had been selected for the martial duel to punish the Namgung Clan.
Although he had heard that the Chief Steward's Office handled all matters great and small within the fortress, it appeared there were things she paid attention to.
‘She is dismissing me.’
She had wished him victory. It was her way of saying he could leave now.
"May you also find peace, Lord."
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly offered his respects.
Rustle.
The sound of her robes softly brushing against each other came to him with newfound clarity.
The Lord leaned back slightly. She gently reclined against the tree trunk.
Seeing her slowly close her eyes, Jeong Yeon-shin turned around.
The moment he stepped out of the office, the stone door that had opened on its own earlier shut itself.
It was likely the subtle application of Void Grab manifested by the Lord of the Desolate Fortress. He was used to it by now.
Jeong Yeon-shin walked down the stairs just like that. Unlike when he had climbed up, the descent felt incredibly short.
‘So that's what the fruit was.’
His feelings were complicated. Was it because he had experienced something unimaginable?
He had fully realized one of the great mysteries of the martial world. He thought anyone who experienced it would feel the exact same way.
He had even heard the word "eternal life." It was a concept far removed from his current self. He was on the complete opposite end of it.
‘Even if I were to receive the fruit...’
He knew his realm was insufficient to contain its efficacy.
The experience from missions would lead to the advancement of his martial arts and increase his merits. In the end, it meant he had to return to the basics.
Step.
Emerging outside the inner castle of the Lord of the Desolate Fortress, the boy walked silently.
Under the brightly falling moonlight, his shadow gradually lengthened. The deep night was drawing to a close.
* * *
The next day, at the Demonlight Wing Great Training Ground.
An official document came down through the Chief Steward's Office. It was a letter detailing his next mission.
Sitting in the middle of the training ground, Jeong Yeon-shin unfolded the letter of mission assignment.
His seniors surrounded him in a circle. The sight of them gathered together, looking down at him, was somewhat amusing.
"Flash Art's name is indeed in the martial duel delegation. It's really written here."
"It is truly an honorable thing. If only I were ten years younger······"
It seemed some of the seniors, who possessed eye techniques superior to Jeong Yeon-shin's, had skimmed it first.
The boy read down the letter, which had "Expedition Roster" written at the top. Skipping the miscellaneous introduction, he checked the list immediately.
[The following five shall be executed through a Life-and-Death Duel.]
Namgung Clan Changryeong Hwaju.
Namgung Young Master.
Namgung Clan Changgung Sword Unit Commander.
Namgung Clan Elder Council Head.
Namgung Clan Head.
[The following warriors of the Main Fortress shall prepare accordingly.]
White Qilin of the Heaven-Aligned Wing.
Flash Art of the Demonlight Wing.
Head of the Main Fortress Elder Council.
Head of the Desolate Ma Clan.
Commander of the Divine Sword Corps.
‘Commander of the Divine Sword Corps?’
Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes widened.