The realm where the mind and internal energy beco one.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew that the unity of essence, energy, and spirit was not always beneficial. Just look at the late head of the Mo Yong Clan.
Even after knowing the existence of martial arts imbued with divine power, he unconsciously activated the Heavenly Blood Suppression Art, which led to his breath being stolen. This happened against Jeong Yeon-shin, who wielded the decisive stroke of Thunderous Sword Execution and the first form of Blue Fla Sunlight.
At this mont, destroying the roof of the General Bureau’s pavilion had never been his intention.
It was rely the result of the Three Flowers Converging Essence forming and then dispersing once again. The current leader of Ma Gwang-ik, known for his tranquil mind like still waters, had no issues with his temperant.
As fragnts of blue-black roof tiles scattered to the ground with harsh friction, Jeong Yeon-shin took a single step using Phantom Wing Steps.
Step.
An invisible force surged from beneath his feet, pushing aside the dust particles on either side. It was like witnessing a massive, pale curtain being torn apart.
‘This is a problem.’
The young man thought.
Every movent must be strictly controlled by his consciousness. Martial arts that stray beyond control have no use in the duels of masters.
The exchange of techniques occurs at extre speeds, and the precision of one's forms determines life or death.
At least there was a way to redy this. The side effect of his rebirth could apparently be managed by simply ensuring he ate well.
It was advice from the previous head of the Divine Sword Sect. Now that his body and energy could fully accommodate the divinity within his upper elixir field, all he needed was proper sustenance.
Indeed, the intervals at which his Three Flowers Converging Essence wavered had grown longer.
Perhaps it was thanks to the absurd amount of smoked boar he had consud on the way down to Yangyang. Feeling newfound respect for the senior figures of Ipwang Fortress, Jeong Yeon-shin glanced around.
The upper floor of the General Bureau’s pavilion. It resembled the gathering hall of the Wonpyeong Arena.
At the entrance, silver curtains hung down in layers, blocking the way. Surrounding the space were antique stone carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and other ornate figures.
"Phantom Wing Steps?"
"It's authentic. Not a branch variation."
There were seven of them.
The individuals sitting around the massive stone round table had turned their gazes toward Jeong Yeon-shin.
The mont he landed at the edge of the chamber, the surrounding air rapidly heated up.
Only two of them stood up, preparing for a potential attack, while the remaining five simply leaned against their marble-backed chairs, turning their heads toward him.
They didn’t even react to the destruction of the roof.
Ssshhh—
A translucent current rippled through the air.
It was like the outside air basking under sumr sunlight. The aura lingering in the gazes of these seven n and won was overwhelming.
Though there seed to be no one among them practicing sothing like Tae Yeom-ryong’s Solar Fla Arts, the density of their overlapping and intertwining energy waves was incredibly high.
In a world where even the greatest masters could die to the combined assault of top-tier experts…
It was said that if three warriors of the Black Rank gathered, the place would be Ipwang Fortress.
How many were here now?
Standing still, Jeong Yeon-shin suppressed a groan. The pressure emanating from his respected seniors bore down on his very muscles and skin.
Even after experiencing a full rebirth, finding an opening to escape seed nearly impossible. If this place were hostile territory, it would undoubtedly be the most dangerous place in the world.
With sothing that must be prioritized above even the people’s welfare, Ipwang Fortress had never once allowed its forces to be dispersed, even for a mont. Just how formidable was this place?
As he pondered, he decided, at least for now, not to reveal his identity.
If he had to deal with an outsider who dared to ntion the fortress lord’s na so casually, then it would be best to feign ignorance.
Then, it happened.
A burly man seated at the head of the round table—Grand Commander Im Jin-myeong—opened his mouth, stroking his beard as if consulting the others for their opinions.
"Was that really Phantom Wing Steps?"
The vibration in his voice sent ripples through the air.
It was an aura Jeong Yeon-shin had felt once before. The Grand Commander himself wielded martial prowess that rivaled even the highest-ranked division heads.
The mont he spoke, Ak Su-rim, Jin Myeong-jo, and Yun So-yu also opened their mouths.
"He looks absurdly strong. I assud he was so reckless fool, but he might be worth taking on alone."
"...If the secret manual of Seomye has been leaked."
"We must interrogate him. Capturing him should co first. It won’t be easy, but..."
The last one to speak was Yun So-yu, the head of the Law Enforcent Division.
She was already standing, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
She was the leader of the enforcent unit that upheld the laws of Ipwang Fortress. She had once fought Jeong Yeon-shin during his Black Rank promotion.
A swordswoman whose straight-backed posture suited her perfectly.
With sword-sharp ears and striking features, her long hair swayed slightly. A prelude to her drawing her blade. Even before the sword was unsheathed, a chilling sword wind was already emanating from her.
No one spoke to the intruder.
That was the nature of Ipwang Fortress.
They never negotiated with soone who had initiated an attack. The martial world was filled with enemies in every direction.
"I heard that Ipwang Fortress's warriors have been suffering outside of Yangyang. The recent state of the martial world’s treatnt of this place is becoming clear from today’s incident. What is this commotion in broad daylight? An unknown strongman barges into the gathering hall of Ipwang Fortress."
A middle-aged man seated beside the Grand Commander spoke with a nonchalant air.
He had elegant features and slightly elongated ears. By appearance alone, he was clearly a high-ranking official.
His silk robes, indicative of his status, matched his languid expression.
The grip of the sword hanging from his waist was smoothly worn down—a sign that it had endured the grasp of a hand imbued with internal energy for a long ti.
"This is all because the fortress lord is absent. A true military leader, no matter how high their position, must stay in place to maintain the morale of their forces... How can the fortress be left without even a single supre-ranked master present? This is unacceptable. At the very least, the Grand Commander or Ipwang Shin-chang should have been inford."
He spoke in an archaic manner, blaming the fortress lord. At the sa ti, he pointed a finger at Jeong Yeon-shin, practically jabbing at him in accusation.
"So in the end, I haven’t made this journey in vain, have I? I wonder what Lord Qiongming will think of this. Not only has the royal letter bearing the title of ‘personal transmission’ remained unopened for days, but now an intruder like this appears."
A presence capable of contending with top-tier warriors of the Black Rank.
A status high enough to personally deliver a royal decree that only the lord of Ipwang Fortress could read.
Such a person was far from ordinary. Unless he was of direct imperial lineage, it made no sense.
"......"
A heavy silence filled the air.
This was a gathering of martial arts masters.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew that less than half of them could be considered reasonable individuals.
Now that such blatant insults toward the fortress lord had been uttered, the attention of those present naturally shifted away from the intruder’s identity and toward the sheer audacity of the words spoken.
At the head of the table sat the Grand Commander.
The middle-aged man who had been carelessly running his mouth was seated to his left, while on his right sat a girl with short black hair, her expression grave.
Ipwang Shin-chang, Ak Su-rim.
The way her fingers fidgeted made it clear—she was monts away from grabbing her spear.
"Lord Sword Prestige, mind your words. Even the emperor himself acknowledges the fortress lord as a royal commander," the Grand Commander stated in a calm tone.
The middle-aged man, called Lord Sword Prestige, let out a scoffing laugh.
"How many division leaders of the Divine Sword Corps are wasting their ti here? If you had listened to my words without delay, those mongrels' heads would have long since been severed."
"It is a perilous terrain, and we do not know how much force will be necessary. The area we must cover is vast. If we consider only the forces we can afford to spare from the fortress, we don’t have much—"
"That damned reserve force."
Lord Sword Prestige waved his hand dismissively, his tone dripping with irritation.
"What aning does that principle hold now? The fortress lord has left his post. The world is looking down on Ipwang Fortress, yet you still insist on upholding tradition? The warmth of the seat he once occupied is long gone by now. What is needed is decisive action from the Grand Commander and Shin-chang—"
Such insolent words.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not know the details, but at this point, it seed acceptable to make a move.
‘A noble from the Forbidden City in the north, no doubt.’
He could roughly guess the man’s identity. At that mont, as his thigh muscles explosively tensed, a radiant force coursed from his heel through his Yongcheon acupoint.
A sensation both cool and searing hot rushed through his ridians. Though unintentional, it had already been triggered.
Light Traversing Ten Li.
His body instinctively manifested the form etched into his subconscious.
The floor beneath his feet caved in. With a resounding crack, the stone pavent shattered, sending dust and debris bursting outward in a circular shockwave.
At the sa ti, a mist-like glow clung to his heels.
Boom!
He tore through space with overwhelming force.
The massive round table in the gathering hall grew rapidly in his vision, while fierce winds howled past his ears, whipping his hair backward.
In the midst of the slicing gales, he caught sight of several reactions.
The closest to drawing her sword was Yun So-yu, head of the Law Enforcent Division.
Shrouded entirely in black robes, Jin Myeong-jo of the Divine Blood Suppression Art swiftly withdrew his ticulously refined aura the mont their gazes t, while behind him, Ak Su-rim’s pitch-black irises flashed with a crackling brilliance.
anwhile, Yun So-yu’s blade traced a dark arc through the air, befitting her title of Black Cloud Sword Absolute.
Her sword, rising from her waist, carved a diagonal slash. If Jeong Yeon-shin wished to reach the seat beside the head of the table, he would have to pass through her first.
‘One exchange.’
Jeong Yeon-shin did not halt his charge.
Thud—
Just as the Law Enforcent Division’s blade was about to graze his throat, he pressed his palm down onto the flat of the blade.
The formless sword wind that enveloped the blade thrashed violently against his grip, as though trying to tear his flesh apart. Yet, his body had already dispersed the force across five streams of palm shockwaves, fragnting the sword energy thread by thread.
A harsh sound rang out. It was like the shredding of thick parchnt.
An exchange carried out in an extrely delicate space.
From palm contact to fully deflecting the blade—it all happened in a re instant.
The mont he forced the sword wide to the side, the space ahead of him opened completely. Though the sleeves of his robes were shredded to ribbons from the aftermath of the collision, not a single drop of blood spilled.
"…!"
Their gazes t in the span of that mont—Ma Gwang-ik’s leader and the head of the Law Enforcent Division.
Yun So-yu’s brow shot upward. By the ti her noble eyes flickered with a belated blue gleam, seeking to discern the identity of her opponent, Jeong Yeon-shin was already past her left side.
His counterasure had been executed nearly to perfection. Even the way he applied it had been staggeringly instantaneous.
In that space, where everything else had slowed to a crawl—
The atmosphere of the hall shifted. No one here was incapable of witnessing that single exchange. Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin left behind countless unanswered questions, astonishnt, and confusion as he landed atop the massive round table.
Crack—
A fissure spread across the table beneath his step.
Long fractures stretched outward, as though his foot were racing along invisible paths.
Ssshhh—
Multiple streaks of light seared past his right arm like frigid flas. Those who had failed to recognize him had made their move.
Threads of sharp energy and sword auras lashed toward his back. Yet not a single one managed to touch him, their strikes vanishing into the mist-like starry veil that trailed his heels.
Disregarding those unsettling flashes, the young man extended his leg.
His foot stepped atop Lord Sword Prestige’s sword hilt, pinning it down as he landed. The sheer recoil from his unparalleled movent technique had been fully concentrated.
With a low, thunderous impact, a dense cloud of dust erupted in all directions.
As he pressed down on the sword’s poml, forcing it back, a trendous shockwave surged upward, sending a raw, howling force rippling through the chamber. The resulting air rupture was imnse.
"……."
A profound silence descended, crushing the presence of everyone around. Only the eerie sound of falling stone debris echoed through the hall.
"Your words are excessive."
Even if you are of royal blood, you have no place speaking of the fortress lord’s bedding—lowering his leg, Jeong Yeon-shin murmured softly.
Beside him, the Grand Commander suddenly sprang to his feet, his expression twisting into sothing strange.
It was as though he had discovered a century-old ginseng root—his gaze scrutinizing the young man’s features. Sensing the radiant aura surrounding him, he was verifying his identity.
anwhile, Ak Su-rim, who had sohow ended up just beneath the Grand Commander’s thick beard, lifted her gaze toward Jeong Yeon-shin without so much as blinking.
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