CHAPTER 161

"I come from the Azure One Sect of Fujian. I have long heard of your fame. They say you are also called the Dark Flame King, and so I, Hyun Mo, have dared to visit today in hopes of enlightenment. I seek to broaden my horizons through the renowned martial arts and profound techniques of the esteemed lord."

A middle-aged man with a clear and calm impression clasped his hands in a fist salute. Behind him, he was accompanied by five disciples.

"Out of respect for the name of the Radiant Demon Squad Leader, would you not honor me with a duel of swords today?"

His demeanor was quite open and straightforward, and his tone was so sincere that he seemed like a man who could easily gain the trust of many.

Perhaps this was how a polite scholar, who had taken up martial arts later in life, might appear.

If he knew how to fully utilize his appearance, voice, and conduct, he could pass as an intimidating figure.

'It's said he really is like that.'

Jung Yeonshin stared silently at the master of Azure One Sect. He had heard of him from Heon Wonchang.

The Murim Alliance had many sociable figures, and there were quite a few who wielded their connections like divine swords.

One might even need to be more wary of them than of individuals with high martial prowess.

'I wasn't planning to deal with him half-heartedly anyway.'

As the boy was deep in thought,

"That's all nonsense. A man who shows up unannounced, speaking of respect? What respect?"

Flame Dragon spoke with a faint smile on his face, lying leisurely on a boulder that jutted out from one corner of the Courtyard.

The scenery of this place, assigned to the Radiant Demon Squad Leader by the Murim Alliance, was good enough to serve as an excellent drinking spot for Heon Wonchang and Flame Dragon.

Even as the figures from the Alliance started to trickle in and frowned upon his behavior, Flame Dragon looked as comfortable as if he were in his own home.

"Fujian is at the easternmost edge. The nickname of Dark Flame King only recently emerged in Sichuan, far to the west. How could someone from Fujian already know of a title that's just starting to spread? It's one of two things: either the martial artists of the Alliance are secretly gossiping like crazy about the Radiant Demon Squad Leader behind the scenes, or, our master of Azure One Sect has personally done some digging about the young leader..."

Flame Dragon's smile deepened.

"Neither option is particularly pleasant, is it? So, Master of Azure One Sect, let's be honest. You came here because you were intrigued by the Radiant Demon Squad Leader's fame and position, didn't you? Be frank—say that the reputation of a young leader from some remote corner of Fujian doesn't quite seem real to you."

"...I came here to have a discussion with your superior."

"As we're in the heart of the Murim Alliance, there's no need to worry about harming someone from Desolate Fortress, nor any concern about being hurt yourself. What a perfect, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this is! Just receiving a few moves of the Radiant Demon Squad Leader's techniques would be a boast-worthy achievement. If you were to win, you'd spread your name far and wide. Isn't that right? Isn't that why you're here? Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm annoyed because you're the fourth person like this to show up."

Flame Dragon was clearly annoyed.

Leaning back lazily and chewing on poppies, he looked like a powder keg ready to explode.

He was probably the same way when he beat Yoo Hyun at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Flame Dragon's martial arts were so tyrannical that even Azure One Sect couldn't point out his rudeness.

Even Heon Wonchang sat far away in the hall, quietly opening up the four treasures of the study.

"Why don't you just go and take a nap?"

Jung Yeonshin suggested. At the same time, Flame Dragon's expression changed.

"Ah, come on, what a harsh thing to say."

He bolted upright and rubbed his hands together, not so much appearing servile as he did like a back-alley thug looking for an excuse to meddle.

"As your subordinate, I'm staying here to protect you, leader. You need not worry about anything. This Flame Dragon is well-versed in dealing with the hypocritical, double-faced courtesies of the White Path factions. I provide protection through strength and strategy alike."

A cheerful rogue in every sense of the word, with arrogance rising all the way to the top of his head.

'If one more person shows up, he's definitely going to make a move.'

That was Jung Yeonshin's assessment.

Flame Dragon enjoyed savoring life. For someone who lived attached to alcohol and poppies, he had an odd sense of refinement.

The boy knew why. Unlike Jung Yeonshin, Flame Dragon wanted to enjoy his short remaining life.

Since he was bound to die anyway, it meant he'd live leisurely, feeling every bit of his existence before he left.

It was probably a good way to live. It was relatable. Nature was a strange thing.

When you close your eyes to feel the air mixed with bright sunlight, it gently pushes you to savor your own inner self instead.

For someone with a short life to live, the closest companion wasn't blood relatives but the mountain breeze.

Perhaps that was why. His seeming indifference to the extermination of the Hwangbo Clan.

'A set battle is better than this. How many unannounced visits has it been now?'

The boy, who lived fiercely to escape death, understood Flame Dragon's attitude better than anyone.

And so, he occasionally got annoyed. Seeing the peculiar indolence in that man made him question his own life.

If he reached the end of his race and didn't meet a good end, he'd likely envy Flame Dragon, who had simply enjoyed his life.

'I'll build my achievements again... and within three years, I'll take it all.'

And then, he'd tease Flame Dragon. By that time, maybe he could afford to loosen his conduct a little.

Perhaps he'd chew poppies by Flame Dragon's grave.

'It might be a good idea to draft a list of things to try after surviving death. Let's make that the first.'

While the boy's thoughts wandered here and there, Flame Dragon, with his head cocked, was pressing the master of Azure One Sect.

"Hey, why are you so silent?"

"..."

The master of Azure One Sect didn't answer. Perhaps, as the leader of a White Path faction, he was unaccustomed to such humiliation.

The intermittent trembling of his mustache betrayed his feelings.

"Hwangbo Flame Dragon! Your words have crossed the line!"

The five disciples standing behind the master, faces furious, finally spoke up. Their appearance reflected the Azure One Sect's spirit.

All five were dressed like scholars, with swords hanging at their waists.

Unlike their neatly groomed mustaches, the swirling energy around them suggested they were ready to draw their swords at any moment.

Given Flame Dragon's behavior, their reaction was entirely natural.

"I'd heard rumors about the scion of a fallen clan, but this is just..."

"Do you have no sense of rank? Restrain yourself and step back! Apologize to the Radiant Demon Squad Leader immediately!"

"How could such insolence occur within the Alliance..."

One of them trailed off.

Step.

Jung Yeonshin's sudden step echoed as his foot touched the ground. In that moment, a ripple of energy spread in all directions.

It was calm, yet overwhelming. After all, battles between martial artists were resolved through force.

The boy opened his lips, addressing the martial artists of Azure One Sect.

"You suggested exchanging friendship through swords, yes? I apologize. I will now reveal the truth of my martial techniques."

"What does that mean? Are you saying you'll show us your martial arts mnemonic?"

One of the Azure One Sect practitioners asked. From the distant hall, where Heon Wonchang sat with an empty book in hand, he shook his head.

"It means I'll do my duty. I'll engage you fully, displaying all my martial skills. You're welcome to attack as a group."

"What... did you just say?"

"Is it not unfair for only one of you to experience the profound martial arts of the Radiant Demon Squad Leader? I'm offering to prevent discord among you by taking all of you on at once."

Heon Wonchang was perfectly nonchalant.

His confident demeanor as he opened the four treasures of the study was reassuring. Jung Yeonshin inwardly cheered. You're doing great, my right-hand man.

"What an outrageous...!"

"Unruly? How can dedicating one's full strength in a place that might turn into an enemy's camp be considered unruly? You interpret my intentions in the exact opposite way. Can't you grasp it? What it means for the Radiant Demon Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress to reveal his martial arts in the heart of the martial world."

"..."

"You're someone who should constantly be capturing martial artists. Yet, you're saying you'll show them the secret martial arts that ought to be carried out in utmost secrecy."

It was surprisingly persuasive.

This wasn't some sophistry dressed up as plausible reasoning. Heon Wonchang's words were solid logic.

Indeed, warriors of Desolate Fortress were reluctant to leave survivors who had witnessed their martial arts.

The world was full of potential enemies. Just revealing the form of one's techniques would give rise to countless countermeasures.

No martial artist responds to a horizontal strike with the exact same horizontal strike.

The formation of the Murim Alliance itself was the White Path factions' method of self-preservation.

Having been established under the pretext of the Hwangbo and Namgoong incidents, the Alliance was effectively a potential adversary of Desolate Fortress.

The core martial arts of the black rank leader of Desolate Fortress were a subject of great interest.

If a horizontal strike were demonstrated, countless individuals would prepare vertical counter-strikes.

Or, they might devise a move that dives underneath to bisect the waist horizontally.

"If they experience strikes and energy waves firsthand, there's no need to elaborate. There's a reason the saying exists, 'Hide part of your strength from the world.' Since our leader has graciously offered to reveal his true martial arts as an apology, consider this a valuable opportunity. Or perhaps, my leader, why not simply send them back as they are? There's no need to reveal any more martial arts with the opening ceremony approaching…"

Heon Wonchang's words ended at that.

"We shall gratefully accept the leader's teachings."

The master of Azure One Sect stepped forward. Was it truly his own will? He seemed hurried, as if acting under some instruction.

While Flame Dragon's eyes gleamed with interest, Jung Yeonshin and the martial artists of Azure One Sect stood face to face. The master stood at the very back.

It was as if he wanted to observe the battlefield, his eyes glinting with a sharp light. The brilliance in his gaze suggested he was using a highly refined sight technique.

'Why are they so fixated on observing? Zhuge Hyeon was like this too.'

Is it because they think seeing is understanding? Could it be that the massive group comprising hundreds of sects in the Murim Alliance is aiming for something unified?

Jung Yeonshin felt a twinge of suspicion. He drew the Sword Beiming.

Shling—

The sunlight, which had been streaming brightly, seemed to converge on the blade. Its rippling surface reflected a radiant white brilliance.

Having passed through Sichuan, Beiming had been reborn as a Divine Sword, imbued with the distilled craftsmanship of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

Tang Un-hwang, the clan master, had once said that their extraordinary art of creating concealed weapons had been concentrated into a single blade.

"Oh…!"

The admiration of the Azure One Sect disciples didn't last long. Jung Yeonshin hadn't yielded the initiative. He struck first.

'I represent Desolate Fortress. I must leave an overwhelming impression on the Murim Alliance, through martial arts or character.'

Would anyone expect to hear that, during a one-against-many duel, he showed restraint in his attacks?

In the heart of the Alliance, where rumors spread faster than even the swiftest sword, it would be difficult to expect favorable opinions.

Even if there were no admirers of Desolate Fortress, the recognition of the Radiant Demon Squad Leader as an individual had to be handled separately.

Human psychology is peculiar. Any feelings of inferiority stirred by the Radiant Demon Squad Leader would inevitably channel themselves into hatred toward the Desolate Fortress.

That was the mission.

Swish!

A warning strike startled the Azure One Sect disciples into drawing their swords.

"Come."

Jung Yeonshin spoke.

As they readjusted their grips on their swords, the sparring began.

Sshak!

The boy, cloaked in black, bearing the golden 'Desolate' character on his back, exchanged blows with the five swordsmen of Azure One Sect.

Amid the flurry of swirling garments, flashes of sword light gleamed, and shouts of determination scattered through the air.

Occasionally, the shockwaves were so intense that the transparent air seemed to ripple visibly.

One second, ten seconds, twenty seconds… The expressions of those who had earlier shown displeasure began to change.

The Azure One Sect swordsmen's jaws dropped. Two men and two women, unconcerned with appearances, seemed to move in harmony with the young Radiant Demon Squad Leader.

The attacks and parries unfolded so smoothly it felt like a sparring session. There was no sense of discomfort at all.

Rather, it was exhilarating. The trajectory of the Radiant Demon Squad Leader's shining sword left a sleek white path, as though foretelling the next movement in the duel.

It even felt as though the swordsmanship of the opponents was being drawn to a higher level.

It was entirely novel. Could such a swordsman truly exist in the world?

'He is no mere rising star. Isn't he already a fully realized swordsman?'

The leader of Azure One Sect was itching to join the fray, eager to jump into the battlefield. The Radiant Demon Squad Leader's sword path seemed to etch itself into his vision.

Anyone could see it was extraordinary. Just as the military branch of the Alliance had reported. Couldn't this experience be enough?

Swordsmen with such perceptive and extraordinary skill tend to guide their opponents to new realms of mastery.

'To show such favor to those who might become enemies? How could the vessel of this new Radiant Demon Squad Leader be so… vast?'

He failed to notice.

With each passing exchange, Jung Yeonshin's sword trajectory was being subtly adjusted.

In the spot left vacant by Namgoong Hwashin's personal matters, Flame Dragon alone watched the boy's hand movements closely.