Chapter 81 – Unification (2)
‘Growing out my hair would be good…?’
It was a jest from the absolute being who guards the World Tree alone.
She was a supre being whose image making jokes could hardly be imagined.
No words should be taken lightly. Jeong Yeon-shin had to be so.
He recalled when he was searching for Hyeon Won-chang. He crossed swords with local martial artists to gather information.
He learned hospitality while deliberately losing verbal fights to gain goodwill.
Grow hair when becoming a master. He kept it in mind.
‘Still, if it’s the main fortress’ squad leaders, they would call that level a master, wouldn’t they?’
They said the black rank realm ant achieving Three Flowers Gathered at Crown and Five Qi Return to Source energy circulation.
He heard it was a realm where true qi imdiately responds to intent. A world capable of facing renowned orthodox faction elders.
By then, there should be no risk of having long hair grabbed in close combat.
After stepping into the realm of ascension, he could grow his hair.
It was a very brief thought. When he t the green eyes again, the Desolate Fortress Lord opened her mouth.
“Your expression is determined. Though it was idle talk.”
A faint smile gathered at her lips.
“Though martial artists under heaven make death their companion, Lightning Genius’ intensity is not lacking. Not bad to see.”
“…I am honored.”
“Nothing to be grateful for, nor sorry about.”
Her tone was gentle like a breeze. She slowly continued speaking.
“The main fortress is not stingy with rewards. I called you to reward the rits achieved through your aspirations, so I shall bestow what you rightfully deserve.”
Finally.
At last the Fortress Lord’s words brought heart movent. He needed to calm his mind but couldn’t manage well.
Even taking a long exhale, his heart fluttered.
Though the Desolate Fortress Lord would perceive everything, she did not withdraw her small smile.
Everything in view slowed down. Her lips that finished saying she would bestow opened again.
“Your rits are very great. I shall speak of two things.”
Her beauty proving peerless martial might did not enter his eyes.
He only stared as if engraving in his mind her face that looked just three or four years older.
“The rit of finding the evil sect’s headquarters that hard civilians, the rit of greatly contributing to destroying the rebel group without sacrifice.”
“……”
The forr rit was just an incident that arose from the Seventh Apostle coveting Jeong Yeon-shin’s value.
That’s how the headquarters incident began. But he wasn’t embarrassed. Because the reward approaching this mont was more important than anything.
“It can be said you have accumulated sufficient rit. Worthy of testing your qualification.”
With the words, she extended her hand again.
Unlike a warrior, her snow-white palm slowly rose. A very strange thing happened.
The moonlight behind the Desolate Fortress Lord began being drawn to her hand and distorting.
She creates a truly transcendent sight. It is not a human act. That’s how Jeong Yeon-shin felt.
“This is.”
WHOOSH!.
The huge tree trunks surrounding the office released a gentle breeze. It seed to tickle his body.
It was the mont the leaves turned green in the full moon’s dazzling breath brushed her entire body.
“The World Tree’s fruit. A small fragnt.”
It was sothing like scooping up a handful of moon reflected in a lake. A piece of light sprouted above the Desolate Fortress Lord’s hand. It was hazy as if molded from moonlight.
“……”
Jeong Yeon-shin was silent. A stream of wind blowing in from the wall-less outside teased his neck as it passed. It was the most wondrous miracle of all he had seen in his life.
WUUNG.
Even the vibration sound was mystical. He stared intently at the piece of light resting in the noble one’s palm.
Though it was his life’s goal, he felt nothing. It was different from commonly spoken of internal energy increasing spirit dicines.
There was no surging energy. It was just filled with a numinous feeling.
“I know what is known to the world.”
The Desolate Fortress Lord parted her lips.
When he raised his head, he t eyes like a bottomless abyss in the forest. She was gazing steadily at Jeong Yeon-shin.
“All wrong. This is not a spirit dicine that bestows powerful strength.”
“You spoke of qualification. Then what kind…”
“You must feel to know.”
Her hand ca slightly forward. The fragnt of light was placed closer.
The more he looked, the more mysterious it was. It seed not of this world.
“Try eating it.”
It was the mont he reflexively raised his hand at the Desolate Fortress Lord’s words. She slowly shook her head.
“It loses its power if separated from my body. You must bring your mouth.”
There is a saying ‘extraordinary treasures.’
It ant rare and strange treasures. Dragon spirits, spiritual beings, monster beasts, even mountain ginseng taking human form.
That was the nature of famous spirit dicines in the Central Plains including various divine swords said to manifest miracles under heaven.
They said things difficult to accept by common sense were abundant in the martial world’s upper echelons.
‘Loses power if separated from the body?’
The Desolate Fortress Lord spoke as if she herself was the World Tree.
Countless questions blood in his mind. Was she connected by sothing spiritual?
Was that the aning encompassed by the term World Tree’s guardian?
But he dared not speak it aloud. He was afraid to show presumptuous words or actions.
That was Jeong Yeon-shin’s position now. He couldn’t be called a master by the Fortress Lord. He was in a position to receive whatever was bestowed.
‘Senior Cheong Myeong said it. The information encountered changes as rank rises.’
For now he resolved to aim for black rank. That was enough for now.
‘Still.’
Even so, the World Tree fragnt before his eyes was a fitting reward. He should rightfully take it.
Jeong Yeon-shin unhesitatingly lowered his head slightly toward her hand.
At the sa ti he slowly opened his mouth. The mont his lower lip first, then the tip of his nose bridge slightly touched her hand.
“Huh?”
Jeong Yeon-shin let out a questioning groan. It was because the Desolate Fortress Lord withdrew her hand.
“The appearance is not good.”
Her tone was calm. Simultaneously the fruit’s fragnt descended and gathered at her fingertips.
SWISH.
She extends her hand just like that.
Hazy light slowly filled Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision. It wasn’t a movent toward his mouth.
It was straight to his head. The pathway directly connecting to the upper dantian seed to react already.
Her long finger touched Jeong Yeon-shin’s brow.
That’s when it happened.
“Heok!”
His heart technique breathing imdiately cut off. It couldn’t be helped. In an instant his consciousness flew away.
Along with a feeling like being buried in an abyss’s swamp, a sensation endlessly elevating wrapped around and soared through all his intent.
WHOOSH-!
It wasn’t a rise in power. It was so kind of experience.
It felt like entering the mind of an untouchable being. A tidal wave of sensation arose. It sprouted truly suddenly.
While feeling even the composition of air brushing his skin in detail, he brought in nature’s energy.
He beca sensitive beyond imagination. It was perception that felt like going mad and dying imdiately.
Suddenly he beca aware of ti flowing slowly. He could see flowing moonlight.
In this mont.
Jeong Yeon-shin had transford into the Desolate Fortress Lord. He felt vision and atmosphere together.
He gazed at himself through her eyes. The Fortress Lord’s features reflected in the pitch-black body were mysterious.
Would there be another case like this among all miracles under heaven? It was utterly hard to believe.
……That instant felt like countless eons.
Her thin breath was clear, yet even one exhale hadn’t finished.
The wind brushing past his ears hadn’t even moved away yet. But it was hard to endure. Gradually his original upper dantian began to burn as if forcibly enduring.
“Enough.”
The mont the Desolate Fortress Lord spoke as if reciting, the breathlessly long stretched ti instantly regained its flow.
WHOOSH!
Jeong Yeon-shin returned to himself. His body staggered. It seed due to experiencing a sensation that seed to transcend even the transcendent realm.
Just as he was about to lose balance, a gentle hand gripped his shoulder as if embracing it.
It was the Desolate Fortress Lord.
“Not possible now. Too early.”
She said. Jeong Yeon-shin only raised his head to et her gaze.
“What do you an by too early…?”
“Your realm is too shallow to accept the fruit. Devote yourself to training.”
“Just now, what exactly, was that effect?”
“I tested if you could receive the World Tree’s spirit nature. When your intent’s vessel becos firm, as long as the clan’s tree doesn’t wither, there will be no ascending to immortality through the Hundred etings point. You would live eternally.”
She speaks of spirit nature. It seed to an securing the lifeline by sharing the World Tree’s divine qualities.
This too was beyond common principle.
Jeong Yeon-shin asked if his understanding was correct.
“Your interpretation is correct.”
The Desolate Fortress Lord slowly nodded. It ant the fruit was that dium.
‘What…’
He experienced with his whole body a mystery said to be among the finest in the martial world. Before entering, he had thought of the legendarily transmitted panacea.
He was half right. Jeong Yeon-shin felt deflated as he asked once more.
“Rise to Divine Sword Sauad Leader’s rank… receive a complete fruit through worthy rits. Then reach the realm of purple martial robes to handle the World Tree’s spirit nature, is that what you an?”
“That too is correct.”
“…Then, the sensation this unworthy disciple just had…”
He asked about the world he seed to see and feel through the Fortress Lord’s eyes. The corners of her mouth slightly rose.
“It was inevitable and.”
SWISH.
The soft touch on his shoulder gently pushed Jeong Yeon-shin back.
“A gift.”
“Ah.”
He stepped down from the tree trunk. All his senses had returned already.
However, the peerless world he experienced earlier remained vivid in his mory.
So it was a test, and therefore a gift.
He didn’t know what she ant by inevitable. But it was an experience that would greatly guide him soday.
Perhaps it might even help with the imminent mission. Inspiration for creating heart techniques was rising. Very intensely.
“Be victorious. Until you reach South Zhili.”
She said.
She seed to know the fact that Jeong Yeon-shin had been selected for the martial match to punish the Namgung family.
Though they said the General Administration Office handled all major and minor affairs in the Fortress, it seed there were matters she took interest in.
‘A dismissal.’
She spoke words of safe journey. It ant he could leave now.
“May the Fortress Lord also be at peace.”
Jeong Yeon-shin calmly paid his respects.
RUSTLE.
The sound of clothes softly brushing suddenly ca clearly.
The Fortress Lord slightly leaned her body back. She gently reclined against the tree trunk.
Jeong Yeon-shin who saw her slowly closing her eyes turned around.
The mont he left the office, the stone doors that had opened by themselves earlier closed on their own.
It must be the mystery of controlling emptiness manifested by the Desolate Fortress Lord. He was used to it now.
Jeong Yeon-shin ca down the stairs just like that. Unlike going up, it felt very short.
‘So that’s what the fruit was.’
His feelings were strange. Perhaps because he experienced sothing unimaginable.
He fully realized one of the martial world’s incomprehensibles. He thought anyone who experienced it would feel the sa.
He even heard words of eternal life. It was talk far removed from his current self. It was on the complete opposite side.
‘Even if I receive the fruit.’
He knew his realm was lacking to contain that power.
Mission experience creates martial arts advancent and builds rit. It ant ultimately returning to basics.
STEP.
The boy who ca out of the Desolate Fortress Lord’s inner Fortress silently moved his steps.
His shadow gradually lengthened in the brightly descending moonlight. Deep night was fading.
* * *
The next day, Radiant Demon Wing’s great practice ground.
An official notice ca down through the General Administration Office. It was a letter recording the next mission.
Jeong Yeon-shin sitting in the middle of the practice ground opened the mission assignnt dispatch.
Seniors surrounded him in a circle. Their gathered appearance looking down was sowhat amusing.
“Lightning Genius’ na is in the martial match delegation. It’s really written there.”
“Truly an honorable matter. If only I were ten years younger…”
So seniors with more accomplished eye techniques than Jeong Yeon-shin seed to have scanned it first.
The boy read down the letter marked ‘Expedition List’ at the beginning. He skipped the miscellaneous introduction. He checked the list right away.
[Execute the following five through life-and-death matches.]
Namgung family Flourishing Spirit Flower Master
Namgung family Young Master
Namgung family Azure Heaven Sword Group Leader
Namgung family Elder Council Lord
Namgung Family Head
[The following main family warriors shall properly prepare.]
Obeying Heaven Wing Wing White Qilin
Radiant Demon Wing Lightning Genius
Main Fortress Elder Council Lord
Desolate Ma Family Head
Divine Sword Squad Leader
‘Divine Sword Squad Leader?’
Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes widened.
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