Chapter 226 - Radiant Genius Formula (6)

Creating martial arts for others.

It was difficult.

He had never done it before. It was a path the grandmasters of old had walked in their twilight years. For someone not yet twenty, it was hard even to imagine.

'Martial arts are the culmination of studying the human body.'

One had to understand all three hundred and sixty-five acupoints, the twelve primary meridians, and the still more numerous fine meridians. Without sufficient insight and study, the body would be ruined.

Even the first step—safely refining circulation routes so that core energy would not become tangled—was exceedingly difficult.

Producing a particular effect through the flow of internal power was harder still.

'It can't be something only I can perform.'

Jung Yeonshin knew his senses were extraordinary.

He simply did not remain conscious of it at all times. He bore a love-hate relationship with the talent that would let him aspire to the Fruit of the World Tree within three years.

He could not dismiss it as the price of his lifespan. He must not. Who could accept that if it were their own fate? It was an injustice imposed by heaven.

Nine days since he had secluded himself in the Radiant Demon Squad captain's residence.

As he basked nine times in the twilight filtering through the gap in the door, Jung Yeonshin dwelled on a single question.

If any of his seniors or juniors could not benefit from this new art, the endeavor would lose its meaning. Everyone had to be able to learn it.

Not a single member of the Radiant Demon Squad could be allowed to slip from his grasp. Losing them to death on a mission was the most horrifying possibility.

Nor did he want his subordinates taken from him like Cheon Soso, the Immortal Wood Spirit Lord. He also wanted no part of the Suncheon Wing captain Ha Doun's predicament, caught in a dispute over White Qilin Namgoong Hwashin.

'I don't have Senior Jin's generosity as Blood-Preserving Squad Captain. I'm too small-minded. I don't want to let anyone go.'

So Jung Yeonshin thought.

Sitting cross-legged, he drew forth every martial principle in his mind. He had to create an art that anyone belonging to the Radiant Demon Squad or the Lightning Genius martial lineage could readily begin learning.

—Let me imagine I'm teaching a monkey.

His thoughts converged on one conclusion.

He wrote in simple terms. He annotated every line of the formula.

—The radiant demon arts teach how to use the body. They might be called a comprehensive examination of what human hands and feet can accomplish. Their formula instinctively guides the practitioner onto the optimal combat path, encompassing every manner of fighting, from close-range barehanded combat to spearwork at medium and long range, with the exception of archery.

His brush flowed across the page without pause. He recalled learning the radiant demon arts from Ma Jin.

He took care that, even if he later died on a mission or reached the end of his lifespan, the secret manual could offer the same feeling his uncle had.

—To a martial artist with outstanding senses, the radiant demon arts are like a treasured sword. This does not, however, apply to you who have found your way to this teaching (practitioners joined to it by fate). Doubt your instincts. You must. Your senses are dull and slow. What they indicate does not match the effect you achieve. You are not yet ready to seek a lethal combat path; it is better to use these principles to perform other martial arts. This art replaces the original formula with one designed for that purpose.

'This is the key, so I'd better emphasize it. The effects of martial arts follow the image in the mind.'

—You must keep the essential point above firmly in mind. Repeat to yourselves, 'I am wrong.' Only then will your attainment in this study improve. Your senses are extremely dull. The formula in this secret manual is correct. Follow only these essential instructions.

He set it down in neat handwriting, writing clearly in regular script, close to the standard of Ming calligraphy.

The words emerged in an utterly matter-of-fact form.

'As long as they take this to heart, the rest will follow.'

He altered the essential instructions of the radiant demon arts and joined them to the Lightning Genius martial arts. Linking them was the right description.

When a practitioner reached out a hand using their existing training, the methods of the Infinite Blossom Hand and Radiant Sword Art would flow into the movement, while the steps of Evading Swift Step and the internal-energy layering of the Classic of Initiating Transcendence would come into play.

The mental image was that his martial arts were themselves the optimal combat path.

Jung Yeonshin did not consider that arrogant. He thought it over calmly. Wasn't it true?

Adaptability without obstruction. A flow unhindered and unimpeded.

The radiant demon arts, whose forms unfolded without interruption, now led into the Lightning Genius martial lineage. The uncle's teachings met the nephew's studies.

Light budded. Internal power strengthened by the Classic of Initiating Transcendence merged with the force waves of the Radiant Sword Art's sword strikes.

The white radiance deepened. The waves of light flowing from his body became a defining feature of the art.

Nine days later.

That was the quality revealed by Jung Yeonshin's body as he stood in the main training ground.

SHHHH

Residual martial force continued from the hand holding his lowered sword. It scattered into distinct streams of white and glittered.

It rose from the quietly settled hem of his black sleeve to shoulder height, where the ends of his hair fell.

As the fragments of radiance slowly faded, they shimmered in the orange light of sunset.

Jung Yeonshin, captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, was delighted.

Immensely proud. His expression simply did not change. He savored a feeling he had never experienced after creating a martial art before.

'This turned out well. It's a good art.'

A greater sense of accomplishment washed over him than with any art he had devised thus far. This was a martial art for his family.

In this moment, he was certain. The fortress wall that would protect the Radiant Demon Squad stood complete.

"..."

The experts surrounding him saw something else. To them, the Radiant Demon Squad captain standing motionless looked like martial prowess incarnate.

This was not a sight that could be discussed in terms of martial strength.

No one present was unfamiliar with the Lightning Genius lineage's arts. They all knew which forms had unfolded.

They also understood how natural his fist dance and sword dance had been. He delivered one single-impact strike after another, yet the flow of core energy never broke.

He had changed the nature of the lineage. Its obvious drawback was the rapid depletion of internal-energy endurance, but its formidable power more than made up for it.

He was a grandmaster.

The wind sweeping past the wall in the gathering dusk was cold. It cut across their skin with a shiver.

Silence lingered, as though holding everyone's breath captive. It lasted until dust rose at Northern Radiance's tip.

"Everyone in the Radiant Demon Squad..."

Jung Yeonshin spoke as he sheathed his sword. The snow-white blade traced a smooth arc into its scabbard.

It was a graceful sheathing. Beneath his grip, sword and scabbard aligned perfectly.

The click rang out with unusual clarity as the captain finished speaking.

"...is to use their body like this."

"Uh..."

Deep Chivalry Fist Gongya Miryeong, the white-robed warrior Xiahou Weizhen had sent, let out a murmur, then startled at her own voice.

Even she reacted that way, bold a martial artist as she was, keeping her hair short for close-range barehanded combat.

No one reproached her. Her reaction spoke for them all. They had just seen a lineage renowned for the power of its single strikes transformed into an art specializing in prolonged combat.

The martial principles within that dance were woven into one.

"You want us to move like that?"

Shin Sobin abruptly asked.

Jung Yeonshin caught the somewhat daunted look on her face. She had grown a little more familiar with him since the incident at the Desolate Fortress's Shin Clan.

Yet despite her audacious nature, this martial art did not seem to inspire any competitive spirit in her.

The sight only heightened Jung Yeonshin's sense of accomplishment. Lightning Genius's heart brimmed with confidence.

The corners of the captain's eyes lifted slightly. His back straightened as well.

"It's easy. I've written it out in great detail. You only need to grasp the knack. Any martial artist who has begun learning either the radiant demon arts or the Lightning Genius lineage should master it very easily."

Jung Yeonshin thought of the books he had left in his residence. Anyone who read them would be moved.

They might feel so pleased, just as he did, that they would eat and sleep at the training ground. That was how simply he had written them. Even a monkey could become a martial artist.

"Shin Sobin."

"Yes, what is it?"

"I left the secret manuals on the desk in my bedchamber. I've thoroughly dried them with waves of force. Bring them here at once."

Jung Yeonshin gave the order.

There were four volumes. He had heard that every formal warrior of the Desolate Fortress possessed an exceptional memory, so it would not take the Radiant Demon Squad long to study them thoroughly.

THWIP

Shin Sobin's white robes fluttered along with her braid. With a swift movement, she vaulted over the wall.

She touched lightly atop it and shot onward, the distinctive spring of her Mobility Arts befitting her feline epithet.

Since the incident at the Shin Clan, the Radiant Demon Squad's White Cat had acted like the captain's trusted confidante.

"There seems to be a new principle underlying the entire art..."

Standing to one side, Baek Miryeo trailed off before speaking again. This was a public setting. Proper respect was called for.

"What is its name?"

She asked.

It was a significant question. The very names of martial arts renowned throughout the world could intimidate an enemy.

Few sects under heaven did not fear Shaolin's Hundred-Pace Divine Fist or the Ming Cult's heavenly demon sacred arts.

The ultimate techniques symbolizing the great factions of the martial world each possessed a weight worthy of their name.

That did not matter to Jung Yeonshin. He had not created this art for merit points.

'It's only...'

He recalled a single character.

There were curious characters in the world. Some words held opposing meanings within themselves.

The character gwang was one of them.

Gwang for emptiness, gwang for brightness. He had thought of it before shutting himself away. He had entered seclusion with that single character in his heart.

"..."

Jung Yeonshin kept his lips closed for a moment, gazing quietly at his seniors and juniors in the Radiant Demon Squad.

Faces that made the return from a mission a homecoming. Whenever he faced them and talked with them, he found the warmth he had never obtained at the Jeong Clan Estate.

They were different from his own siblings, who had rejected the Movement Art.

Surely they would gladly accept the art he had made. As fellow disciples bound to one school might.

'May you grow stronger still and remain with me...'

It was a feeling difficult to express as their captain.

—If you disappear, my heart too will be left empty and bereft; through you, it is filled with light. After I left my family, you taught me warmth. For that I am grateful. It is a kindness I can never repay.

And so, under the name Lightning Genius that you bestowed upon me, I create this martial art and offer it to you.

Only one phrase came to mind.

"Radiant Genius Formula."

The Radiant Demon Squad captain's lips moved. The name of a supreme martial art flowed forth.

This moment belonged to the Radiant Demon Squad.

Standing to one side of them, Ak Surim smiled.

Contentment rose in her chest like a tuft of cotton, suppressing her curiosity. She thought she would have to come back later.

'Jin Myeongjo, where did that fellow go?'

Inwardly puzzled, Ak Surim tilted her head slightly and walked away with a light step.

* * *

Three days passed.

Three days and nights alternated between wonder and bewilderment.

For the first time since their new captain had attained Black rank, they spent time training together. The Radiant Demon Squad's main training ground hummed with unprecedented vitality.

The experts' gazes converged. Some of the freewheeling behavior they had shown during Jung Yeonshin's seclusion had vanished.

"That's right. A little lighter. Imagine transferring all the core energy in the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian into your fingertips. The rest is as easy as turning your palm. The movement will unfold naturally."

The captain had Shin Sobin and Heon Wonchang standing side by side. Without taking their pulses, he examined their internal-energy circulation through their qi fluctuations.

Even the Radiant Demon Squad's experts found the sight newly astonishing. They could still vividly recall the boy who had joined as their junior, yet after seeing the Radiant Genius Formula demonstrated, they looked forward to his instruction.

The Radiant Genius Formula was closer to advanced training than to beginning a new art.

In a matter of days, the problem of increasing their fighting strength had been solved. These experts were already strong. Now they could truly be compared with the Nine Great Sects' elite forces, such as the Plum Blossom Swordsmen or the Eighteen Arhats.

"Time flies. It's already almost time for the promotion ceremony..."

"That Geum fellow, Crowd-Judging Saber, picked a quarrel with me. His nature isn't bad, but he throws his weight around just because he's the son of a major merchant house."

"Isn't he a Suncheon Wing swordsman? He must be back from a solo mission. What did he say?"

"That it must be nice having one Blue spot secured. All thanks to our luck in taking in the Hwangbo Clan's wastrel..."

"He clearly doesn't know our Desolate Fortress Sacred Warrior has lifted seventy percent of the restrictions. If he's only watching out for the Supreme Flame Dragon, he's in for a rude awakening."

"Quite right."

The Radiant Demon Squad experts spoke with faint chuckles.

Time had passed quickly since the demonstration of the Radiant Genius Formula. Of the squad's twenty-three blue robes and seven white robes, one-third had looked through the secret manuals.

They did not pass them around one person at a time. They studied them in the combat teams organized by the previous captain. Radiant Demon Team One went first.

Their reactions were peculiar.

A certain discomfort mingled with their shock and admiration. Even Chung Myung, the azure-eyed demonic swordsman, reacted that way.

The Desolate Fortress was a collective of martial learning approaching the finest under heaven. Every one of its formal warriors possessed outstanding talent.

Not one had grown up without being called a prodigy in their hometown.

"There comes another group. The same strange expressions again."

Dawn Tree Sword Kang Changmu folded his arms, his hands large.

There was no other way to describe the faces of those emerging from the captain's residence: Radiant Demon Team Three and one unranked disciple.

Every one of them had slightly raised eyebrows and lips parted a little. They hardly looked like brilliant experts.

Had they suffered some insult beyond anything they had imagined? Their wonder, at least, seemed to have somewhat blunted that feeling.

Only the Supreme Flame Dragon looked amused. He ambled along with his fingers interlaced behind his head.

"That's the stuff."

He spoke almost in a murmur.

His voice did not reach Kang Changmu.

"So even the Hwangbo Clan's wastrel eldest young master can make that face."

Kang Changmu, who had previously lost to the Supreme Flame Dragon, narrowed his eyes.

The fellow judged people's worth by their talent, yet merely reading a secret manual had put that expression on his face. The seasoned newcomers could only grow more curious.

"I can tell without reading it. Those who learned it first have changed how they move. They're better at chaining powerful strikes, and clearly stronger than they were a day ago. There will be limits, of course."

Moon-Shooting Bow Fiend Wi Yeryeong spoke.

She stood aloof beside Kang Changmu atop the tiled roof of the captain's residence, built at one side of the main training ground.

The combat unit in the main training ground had begun practicing a secret technique. It was only proper to stand guard as Dharma protectors.

Looking down at Jung Yeonshin, she parted her lips. Her blue eyes took on the shimmering quality distinctive to the noble race.

"Captain Lightning Genius is a curious person."

"I know that too."

"You'll understand once you learn the Radiant Genius Formula, but it goes beyond what you're imagining. The fortress master's favor toward him was no idle rumor. In time, he might take on matters within our clan's domain."

"You mean the captain will be invited into the world of immortals?"

Just as Kang Changmu raised his eyebrows, a clear chirping sounded in the distance. A pure-white swallow winged down from the sky.

It was extraordinarily fast. Its white feathers seemed to fling the sunlight back.

It was a spirit beast raised by the noble race for the Desolate Fortress's captains. The Radiant Demon Squad captain called it White Swallow.

"That little one looks to be in a hurry."

Just after Wi Yeryeong spoke in her clear, ringing voice, the captain lifted his forearm slightly. White Swallow immediately settled on it with its tiny feet.

Jung Yeonshin's lips moved.

"You said you were going out to play, but you went to see the chief administrator."

"It's from the Command Bureau...!"

Wi Yeryeong's sword-point ears caught the captain's voice.

It came at the same moment as the words of the noble-race woman. She fell silent, her eyes filling with suspicion and surprise.