CHAPTER 181

All the martial artists participating in the Opening Tournament were said to settle matters in a single exchange.

The phrase "one stroke determines all" was spoken, something rarely heard in the orthodox Jianghu.

Battles involving masters are among the rarest of fights filled with variables.

In short duels, martial prowess, the compatibility of techniques, the state of acupoints, and luck must all align.

Not every match would truly end in one move.

However, the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad displayed the black rank with one sword stroke. No one could dispute the words he spoke so firmly.

"..."

The silence presented by Lightning Genius, the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad, was profound.

For a moment, the crowd was rendered speechless, and the westerly breeze, unrelated to human affairs, felt strangely vivid.

The silence was not easily broken. Even in this gathering, where the most prominent figures of Jianghu were present, it was so.

Step.

Next to the flagpole thrust into the ground by the Desolate Fortress' Hero, Heon Wonchang, a black robe shifted slightly.

Lightning Genius, clad in a pitch-black long robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his eyelids slightly lowered, beneath the pale flutter of the 'Desolate' banner.

Finally.

His outstanding appearance, martial power, and dignity elicited admiration. Murmurs began to spread from all directions.

"A peerless presence. To think such a youth exists in Jianghu!"

"They say the peer of the Sword Grandmaster from Mount Hua is the previous leader of the Radiant Demon Squad. If he's wearing black from Desolate Fortress, he stands as an equal with the Immortals of the Nine Great Sects to discuss martial arts. Truly, he's the kind you may see once in a lifetime. Across the vast world of the Nine Provinces, how many could there be? A hundred?"

"At that age… It's unbelievable even to witness!"

Nearly a thousand people fixed their eyes on the young man. Some gazed in admiration, others in disbelief or with stunned expressions.

In a world where even those living in central hubs struggled to receive news promptly, the dissemination of information was slow.

Carrier pigeons were rare, and the mystical beasts trained to deliver messages were exclusive to a handful of clans.

News traveled by human messengers, and trust in the information infrastructure of the world was chaotic.

Even if a young man donned black robes, it was hard to grasp his martial prowess without witnessing it firsthand.

"Is he not the sword prodigy who cannot be surpassed by elixirs? Such sophistication is immeasurable."

"There were rumors he made a name for himself in Sichuan, but…"

Even those few who had seen Lightning Genius in Clear Night Valley, South Zhili, were surprised.

It had been less than a year since he, as the blue rank warrior, had faced Namgoong Mi and the Azure Qilin, the young master of the Namgoong Clan.

Just a few months. The rise in his martial prowess was incomprehensible.

Amid the crowd, a swordsman muttered. Had he spent decades living in the timeless Peach Blossom Land?

"Step down."

Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin, spoke. His words were directed toward Seop Un-cheol, who stood awkwardly with disheveled hair.

In Seop Un-cheol's eyes, the gleam from before had disappeared. It was as though his soul had vanished along with his hair.

He seemed to have no intention of disputing the outcome of a single exchange.

One could only guess what kind of impression the sword of the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad left on him as the duel's opponent.

"True martial arts…"

Seop Un-cheol slowly opened his mouth.

"…thank you for demonstrating them."

Raising both hands, he clasped them together with the sword still in hand, slightly twisting them sideways—a Baoquan salute with the sword.

The blade passed by the nape of Seop Un-cheol's neck, scattering light.

It was a custom altered by the Mongol nobles during the late Yuan dynasty amidst the wars, now used in Jianghu to express satisfaction with a duel.

The boy's eyes widened slightly.

When they first met, he had seen greed in his opponent's face. He had thought of him as just another figure among the countless martial families.

But now it was different. His composed demeanor and face said it all.

When it comes to martial arts, could anyone in the orthodox Jianghu bear the same expression as the Azure Qilin?

"Conserve your energy. I wish you good fortune."

Step.

Offering a short word of encouragement, Seop Un-cheol turned away. He did not wait for the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad to reciprocate his courtesy.

With his sword sheathed, he stepped off the dueling platform, as though ashamed of his earlier behavior.

It was said that sometimes a low-ranking martial artist, after glimpsing a fragment of a master's martial principle (Murim), undergoes a transformation of mind and body.

Jung Yeonshin grew curious.

What had Seop Un-cheol witnessed in the trajectory of his nameless sword technique, something even he did not fully understand?

'It doesn't feel like mere pretension.'

Perhaps they would meet again. Warmth radiated from the Baihui Acupoint in his upper dantian, as if speaking to its owner. It could be a good connection.

He looked around.

Beneath the dueling platform, martial artists, merchants, escorts, the powerless commoners, and beggars were gathered.

Above them, on towers and watchtowers, stood high-ranking figures in various forms of attire.

People living in their own complete times.

Never had he seen such a vast crowd at a glance.

As the young man's gaze swept across the middlemen, their faces revealed various expressions.

The envy and admiration of unfamiliar people passed by his sight, reaching him through the senses of his upper dantian.

"So many people, living fifty, a hundred years…"

Compliments were overwhelming. Jealousy was laughable.

The reactions to the martial talents of Jung Yeonshin felt like reminders of fleeting life.

Ironically, the deepest inferiority lay within the boy himself.

What would it feel like to live a life far removed from the precipice? Even though not many lived to fulfill their natural lifespan in this world…

Jung Yeonshin blinked once, closing his eyes deeply and then opening them.

"…This Squad leader will not rest until sunset. The next martial artist, step forward."

The leader of the Radiant Demon Squad, lifting his lashes, spoke.

Standing tall on the dueling platform, his figure exuded dignity. Gusts of energy flowed from his entire body.

His movement technique, Wind Body , sent a gentle breeze constantly brushing against his black robe.

Even without direct interaction, people understood. It was indisputably a superior martial art.

Swallowing his thoughts, the boy stood his ground as Desolate Fortress' black-rank figure.

The crowd's expressions changed.

Now even excitement began to emerge. The atmosphere turned festive, fitting for the occasion.

Originally, Desolate Fortress was a sect more dependent on the power of public sentiment than the Nine Great Sects.

Unless one was affiliated with the alliance, there were few who would begrudge the young squad leader of Desolate Fortress for displaying his martial prowess openly.

"I am So Jun."

The first to step forward was Yeju's Lone Swordsman. That was the natural flow.

Zhuge Cheon, acting as the Chief Military Advisor, entered the shaded pavilion beneath the alliance's canopy.

The dense shadow swallowed the refined middle-aged man, while the crowd's eyes were fixed solely on the dueling platform.

Jung Yeonshin gazed quietly at So Jun, Yeju's Hero.

The middle-aged man could not hide his troubled expression. Yeju's Hero against the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad.

He had seen the boy exchange a single sword stroke with Seop Un-cheol from up close. He must have accurately assessed the level of martial prowess.

Even so, retreating was not an option.

So Jun raised his hands in a respectful Baoquan. His demeanor was that of a true martial artist. Among the middle-ranking martial artists of the orthodox Jianghu, he was a figure respected by many.

"I hail from Yeju in Shaanxi, having trained at the affiliated martial hall of the Kunlun Sect. I am but a humble disciple who clumsily practiced an offshoot of Kunlun martial arts."

"I'm from Xinye in Henan Province. I inherited the Radiant Demon Arts of Desolate Fortress."

The boy responded briefly.

He provided no more information than necessary.

It was better to let his opponent wander, seeking a counter-strategy to techniques that didn't exist, rather than confirming that his skills were predominantly unique and unparalleled.

Among the forty-some mid-ranking masters he would face, there were figures such as the First Fist of Eun Clan and the Swordmaster of Mount Hua.

Their reputations were immense, known even before the fall of the Jung Clan. They were said to rival even Desolate Fortress' black-clad figure.

The Swordmaster, Sage Cheon Joo of Mount Hua, was a match for Ma Jin.

For the newly appointed squad leader of Desolate Fortress to claim victory against the top-tier masters of the Nine Great Sects, he would need to push his innate talent to its very limits.

'How much of my true martial arts I reveal before reaching them will be crucial.'

To achieve that, the process must be overwhelming.

The boy fixed his gaze ahead. So Jun, Yeju's Hero, was approaching with peculiar footwork.

Thud. Thud.

Each time his heel touched the ground, something shifted—the direction of his energy flow. Dust scattered at his feet.

The ripples spreading from the martial force were peculiar, swaying mysteriously.

It seemed to declare that any direction could be stepped upon, and a strong sword could be extended anywhere.

Before its destruction, the Kunlun Sect was one of the Nine Great Sects. Everyone knew this. If the techniques derived from the secular Kunlun Sect were utilized, they would be methods not to be underestimated.

The critical moment would be when the irregular footwork properly channeled internal energy. With a sword draw, a fatal strike would follow.

Clang!

A faint wind swept across the floor of the dueling platform. The audience held their breath as they watched the bout.

Whoosh!

The moment light flashed in the eyes of So Jun, the Hero of Yeju, the accumulated internal energy from the mysterious Kunlun footwork erupted with overwhelming momentum.

The white dust rising from the platform swirled around the surroundings. In Jung Yeonshin's vision, the opponent's figure rapidly grew larger.

In the blink of an eye, the sword was drawn. The body's energy was properly infused into the movement.

A mid-ranked master, indeed. It was clear that the blue-tinted martial prowess carried the weight of experience.

'Next page.'

Jung Yeonshin thought of the Compendium of Breaking Waves.

As he absorbed the movements of So Jun's footwork, he slowly took a step forward, just before the opponent could step diagonally ahead.

The trajectory of So Jun's legs and the direction of the energy flow formed complex lines in his mind.

It was a realm of prediction, shattering the directional boundaries of the Eight Trigrams into finer pieces, yet the Baihui Acupoint atop his head and the upper dantian below it remained calm.

On the serene surface of his mental imagery, only a single footprint was imprinted.

Step.

He stepped forward. At the same time, he channeled internal energy into the Liangqiu and Knee Yang Gate points(knee acupoint) in his leg joints.

Under his trousers, below the clearly defined quadriceps of his thighs, the gastrocnemius muscles on either side of his knees gently relaxed.

It was a lower-body energy release, incorporating the principles of the Wind Body technique into his footwork.

Swoosh!

So Jun, whose lips twisted in astonishment, brushed past him. The perfectly executed strike was rendered useless by a single step.

Only the fierce wind from the internal energy remained. The black sleeve of the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad fluttered high.

The boy didn't let it end there. As if it were nothing, his hand, which had been extended backward, grasped So Jun's nape.

The opponent's hair was short. The rapid pulse in the back of his neck conveyed itself into his palm. It seemed he was utterly shocked.

'Radiant River.'

He channeled energy into the Laogong and Shaofu acupoints of his palm.

Without even looking, he gripped the back of So Jun's neck. From the center of his palm, a vortex of internal energy flowed outward. So Jun flinched.

Since the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad first stepped through the main gate of the Murim Alliance, a whirlwind of interest had spread, seeking to uncover information about Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin.

The public battle in Clear Night Valley was now widely known among the members of the Alliance.

Even the name and fearsome power of the technique, as coined by Namgoong Se-jin, the Azure Qilin, were well-documented.

"I yield!"

So Jun shouted with his back turned. The boy immediately released his grip.

Applying Radiant River against the dignity of the Murim Alliance was sufficient. He had taken one step closer to completing his mission.

The crowd reacted instantly. This time, it was not silence.

As if remembering their original purpose for attending the Opening Tournament, cheers erupted from all directions.

The murmurs of hundreds spread like wildfire.

"A spectacle from the lands of Hanzhong!"

"Wasn't that a single exchange again? One step, one move!"

"What an unparalleled talent… If it's Desolate Fortress, even my father would find him more than satisfactory as a match…"

Overwhelming martial prowess has a way of igniting the hearts within the masses. The fervor grew intense.

Even with several individuals disappearing from the spectator stands, it went unnoticed.

In the vacant seats, the golden heir of the Ye Clan sat with dignity. However, no one was in a position to pay attention.

Even the exchanges of greetings between the Hero of Yeju and the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad were swallowed by the uproar.

"I saw the light in the squad leader's eyes. It felt as though I was being drawn in. This humble one expresses gratitude. Thank you for taking this match seriously."

"Your footwork was extraordinary. It broadened my perspective."

The boy said. So Jun, who had clasped his hands in a Baoquan salute, blinked once and then let out a hearty laugh.

"It's an honor."

Had he taken it as a compliment? Jung Yeonshin was sincere. Another page was added to the Compendium of Breaking Waves in his mind.

If he continued accumulating such experiences one by one, he might create the third form of the nameless sword technique before he faced the Sword Saint.

If he developed more than three techniques, he could unite them into a cohesive flow, calling it a single sword technique.

At that moment, the ultimate signature technique of the leader of the Radiant Demon Squad would be born.

"Next challenger, step forward."

The boy said.

The cheers grew louder. The Opening Tournament, set to continue for four days, had entered an entirely new phase.

* * *

The next day.

A summit meeting of the Murim Alliance leadership was held.

The attendance reached thirty people. By the standards of Jianghu's upper echelons, it was an exceptionally large gathering.

Among the attendees were various family heads and their successors, as well as the head of the Ye Clan and his nephew.