Chapter 227 - Radiant Genius Formula (7)

“Can the captain sense what the spirit beast is thinking?”

Wi Yeryeong muttered, her face full of questions as she watched Jung Yeonshin stroking the white swallow’s back in the main training ground below the roof.

His jet-black robes and still darker hair contrasted with its white feathers. The new captain of the Radiant Demon Squad commanded a spirit beast that was practically a symbol of the captains. The impression he presented was at once harmonious and uncanny.

Even his rare smile seemed mysterious. To Wi Yeryeong, at least.

“He feels nothing like one of our people. Surely the fortress master hasn’t...”

An unusual gleam crossed her vivid blue eyes. Suspicions and conjectures flashed like lightning and vanished.

‘Our tree’s treasure, given to a Han? Our people would never permit it.’

It would become a matter of greater importance than anything else. It was unacceptable. Even being the fortress master’s direct disciple—a status common in the imperial family—would not suffice.

Unless some unavoidable, momentous event occurred, or the Radiant Demon Squad captain attained a standing equivalent to one of their own...

As Wi Yeryeong shook her head slightly, Kang Changmu, standing on one side of the roof, spoke casually.

“Even white robes of the noble race can communicate with spirit beasts, can’t they? Our captain is on a far higher level. Anything is possible. It hardly even qualifies as one of those hidden tricks Black supreme masters supposedly keep up their sleeves. Our fortress’s captains have always been mysterious people. Take our former captain’s internal energy...”

Kang Changmu had come from the Forest-Treading Squad. His captain had been Xiahou Weizhen, the Thousand-Fist, Dragon-Strength Retainer.

“They’re right when they say his qi reserves alone put him within reach of purple rank. At Black rank, you’re bound to possess several abilities like that. And our captain reached that rank younger than anyone. Imagine what he can do.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Is the blue robe getting the most attention in the Radiant Demon Squad throwing her weight around? I thought the only bastards who went on about their people’s superiority were those Dark Night Palace fellows among the Thirteen Skies.”

Kang Changmu’s deep voice was teasing.

He was not wrong about Wi Yeryeong attracting the squad’s attention. Martial archers were rare, and experts of the noble race rarer still.

The radiant demon arts were close-combat disciplines. The squad had possessed no expert capable of covering medium and long ranges—not until Wi Yeryeong arrived. The Moon-Shooting Bow Fiend had pierced the Diancang Sect’s Sun-Shooting Sword Art with a single arrow.

A blue-robed expert of the noble race who could cover a combat unit in every direction. Among the experienced newcomers, she monopolized the Radiant Demon Squad warriors’ interest.

“Those ash-heap wastrels.”

Wi Yeryeong’s brows drew together in a rare frown.

“The Forest-Treading Squad captain is himself of the noble race. Do you not know our people’s taboo? Never mention them so carelessly again. Not even as a comparison.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Kang Changmu shrugged his broad shoulders and looked down. The captain had removed a letter from beneath White Swallow’s feet and read it, and was now leaving the main training ground.

* * *

“Damn it! To hell with it!”

Some fifty experts raced across barren land. Even beneath the pounding feet of their lightness-skill sprint, the parched ground raised no dust.

The two in the lead wore the black long robes of the Desolate Fortress. The enormous man and the slender, agile woman made a striking contrast, but the pressure of their presence was equal.

Xiahou Weizhen, who had uttered the curses, crumpled the letter in his hand. Despite his furious expression, his footwork was as light as a breeze, thanks to the improvements he had made to his Mobility Arts on an outstanding junior’s advice.

“It’s well known that the young cult leader uses strange sorcerous martial arts, but they say they’re tremendously powerful. Apparently, expelled Maoshan Sect Daoists surrendered before they’d even settled in Xinjiang. They might have helped capture the Suncheon Wing. Damn it all!”

He spat out the words.

Running beside him, Cheon Soso’s long hair swayed. The noble-race supreme master’s black hair retained its distinct sheen even against the headwind of their sprint. It was the same with Xiahou Weizhen’s.

“I hear the Ming Cult’s young cult leader is not much older than the Radiant Demon Squad captain. In a way, being a grandmaster of sorcerous martial arts makes them similar too.”

She spoke quietly, her voice carrying clearly through the fierce wind on her internal energy.

“With the right circumstances and luck, it wouldn’t be strange for such a person to lead their subordinates to victory over a combat unit.”

She finished in a gentle tone. Xiahou Weizhen shook his head.

“You think Ha Doun was defeated?”

“It’s been far too long since we lost contact with the Suncheon Wing. We have to accept that something may have happened.”

“... Perhaps they prepared a supreme formation. They must have used some vile sorcery.”

Black-robed experts were people whose strength merited discussion on the scale of the entire world.

They had set out immediately after the meeting in the Hall of the Sword That Seeks Peace, without seeing the long-awaited annotated Comprehensive Compendium for Breaking the Righteous Path.

Their mission called for the head of a leader of the evil and unorthodox paths. They had no immediate need for methods of neutralizing orthodox martial lineages. The chief administrator had sent them off without mercy.

Xiahou Weizhen huffed, picturing Chief Administrator Im Jinmyeong’s sly, bearded face.

“Damn bastard. Younger than us, and not a shred of manners.”

“If we started insisting on seniority, the fortress would fall apart.”

Cheon Soso continued indifferently.

“And I hear you were being strangely spiteful toward the newcomer.”

“The newcomer? Lightning Genius?”

The name came at once. Among the supreme masters who met in the Hall of the Sword That Seeks Peace, there was only one newcomer worth the captains discussing: the new Radiant Demon Squad captain, whom they regarded as the next Ma Yeonjeok.

Xiahou Weizhen’s lips curled into a broad smile.

“Not spite. I was pointing out the truth. Didn’t he hold the Break—hm, the Compendium hostage? His talent and position may have justified that behavior, but someone needed to prick that arrogance at least once. Facts are facts.”

“I have a connection with Chung Myung of the Radiant Demon Squad.”

Her lips moved faintly.

“I heard the story. The captain didn’t know. Apparently, it never occurred to him that we would need annotations. He must have offered it with good intentions, only for our poor response to offend him.”

“What?”

“Such martial prowess at his age. Perhaps he’s simply accustomed to his own talent.”

Her voice had little inflection. The calm words drew a memory to the surface of Xiahou Weizhen’s mind.

[“It hadn’t occurred to me. It’s a foundational art, isn’t it? The margins are too narrow for annotations, too. And in an actual fight, you only need to do whatever feels sufficient...”]

That meant he had been speaking honestly. It was difficult to believe, but convincing.

Cheon Soso spoke again.

“Foundational... To the newcomer, that really was the truth. You misunderstood it and treated him...”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Before she could finish, a prolonged roar struck the road and raced along it. The sound was close to a Lion’s Roar.

Infused with internal energy and shame, the voice tore through the air. The shock wave bursting from the Forest-Treading Squad captain’s mouth reached even the rear of the column. Sleeping rolls strapped to the white-robed warriors’ backs kept jerking away, as though someone were kicking them.

The Forest-Treading Squad and the Immortal Wood Spirit command were on their way to confront the worst of the Thirteen Skies, entrenched in Xinjiang.

The two captains had a mission of their own. They had to complete it.

* * *

While the Radiant Demon Squad immersed itself in training the Radiant Genius Formula, the Desolate Fortress’s inner fortress bustled with preparations for a major event.

Stone structures rose here and there. A sparring platform was built in the fortress’s central training ground.

The promotion ceremony.

No event held greater significance within the fortress. It tested the captains’ judgment, provided an objective measure of the fortress’s fighting strength, and rewarded warriors who had labored for their achievements—with the highest honor the Desolate Fortress could bestow.

The commotion reached even the Radiant Demon Squad’s halls. Understandably so. The Hwangbo clan’s Supreme Flame Dragon had long been a famous talent of the rising generation. Having conquered the Dragon-Phoenix Summit time and again, he was called Jinan’s strongest young warrior.

Today, rumors were everywhere that he would seek promotion to blue rank while still dressed in unranked robes. His status was absurdly low compared with his martial prowess.

As a member of the Wing-Returning Unit led by the current Radiant Demon Squad captain, he had earned distinctions exceeding those of most blue robes. He had killed numerous experts of the Ten Perfections Sect and Pure Demon Alliance, acting as the unit’s field leader.

At the Martial Alliance in Hanzhong, he had held off the Martial Alliance Sword Exalted’s combat unit. No one had died before the Radiant Demon Squad captain arrived to meet the Sky-Swimming Sword Demon. His merits were more than sufficient.

People were bound to flock to see him.

“He’ll manage just fine.”

“Does that mean we can’t act like his seniors anymore?”

“We’re unranked. And younger.”

The Radiant Demon Squad warriors reacted without much interest. The unranked disciples were even less impressed. Watching him chew poppies and secretly guzzle liquor beside them was enough to sour even affection they had never felt. Their attention remained fixed on the martial art their captain had created.

They gathered constantly in the main training ground to practice the Radiant Genius Formula, so absorbed they might have forgotten themselves entirely. Not only the white robes and blue-robed experts, but even the young unranked disciples were utterly enthralled.

“The captain went to officiate, right?”

“Right. And I have so many questions for him.”

“Think Brother Silver Tongue will get to change his robes?”

“Who knows? It’s hard to judge. He’s frightening with a sword, but...”

“He hasn’t lifted the restrictions. He won’t make it.”

“I hope it goes well.”

Jokes mingled with sincerity in their conversation. It also reflected the fortress’s interest in Heon Wonchang, its great hero—or lack thereof. Overshadowed by the Supreme Flame Dragon, he attracted no attention, even though he had been the first to learn the ultimate technique created by the new captain.

“Our captain was incredibly patient teaching us, wasn’t he?”

“He was. He even explained what internal energy is. For a moment, I thought I was at a village martial school.”

“And our talents are pretty exceptional...”

“He was like the Buddha. I never knew he had that side to him.”

“Do so many people know the Radiant Demon Squad captain well?”

“Of course. We’re a family, making our living by the sword together... Who are you?”

The unranked Radiant Demon Squad disciple turned around, having answered the woman’s unexpected voice without thinking.

STEP.

A woman with white silk covering both eyes approached. Her straight-backed poise was elegant. Sunlight flowed over the jet-black hair falling past her shoulders, contrasting with her snow-white court dress.

Its unusually deep shade drew one gaze after another as Lady Ye of the Martial Alliance walked gracefully toward them.

“As chief strategist for internal affairs of the Martial Alliance in Hanzhong...”

Her lips moved.

“I humbly greet the Radiant Demon Squad captain’s family.”

She turned her face around them, smiling. From the moment she had addressed the unranked disciple, the air had grown thick with vigilance.

The Radiant Demon Squad experts had been watching Lady Ye before she even set foot in the main training ground. Kang Changmu spoke first.

“... The Alliance’s chief strategist for internal affairs? What business brings you here?”

“I came to seek an audience with your captain. I sent word several times... but received no reply.”

“Outsiders are not permitted here. You should leave at once.”

“Perhaps you ought to say that to your fortress master?”

She answered with a smooth smile.

The training ground’s clamor gradually subsided, leaving the sound of wind gently lifting dust.

THUD.

Chung Myung dropped from his slanted perch on a section of wall. The sword hilt at his waist flashed with formless sword qi. The sunlight seemed to bend around it. At the same time, several of the squad’s swordsmen stirred their qi into waves.

WHOOOSH!

But blue robes swept through the air before they could move. Her long black hair streaming, Baek Miryeo landed directly before Lady Ye.

These were people Jung Yeonshin confided in. They had heard a great deal.

“That blindfold.”

Baek Miryeo, the wave swordswoman, tilted her chin up slightly.

“Take it off. Now.”

* * *

The new Radiant Demon Squad captain stood at one side of the sparring platform in the central training ground.

An enormous crowd had gathered. This was one of the few events to relieve their monotonous lives. Hundreds surrounded the vast platform, murmuring. Merely standing among them could have drained a person’s energy.

Jung Yeonshin was different. He felt not the slightest fatigue. Despite everything he had handled since returning, robust strength flowed throughout his body. His body had been honed by the Movement Art, and the Dharma-Surpassing Radiant Wheel Art supplied tremendous vitality. In endurance, he would rank among the foremost supreme masters.

“Next,” he said.

A match between white-robed warriors had just ended. The two descended from the platform, stealing glances at the Radiant Demon Squad captain.

Another pair came up. Their bearing was extraordinary too. The man and woman radiated powerful qi fluctuations, comparable to Jung Yeonshin’s around the time he entered white rank.

This was the Desolate Fortress’s promotion ceremony. A Black had to supervise the matches to prevent accidents. As his last assignment before departing for Shaanxi, Jung Yeonshin had been selected on the grounds of his sensitive energy detection.

The chief administrator had said the intention was to give the new captain experience with Black-rank duties. The decision had also been made at Jung Yeonshin’s first captains’ meeting. The assignments were already settled.

“Begin.”

Jung Yeonshin’s face was expressionless as he conducted the proceedings.

Lightning Genius, captain of the Radiant Demon Squad. With white Northern Radiance at his waist and his black long robes neatly pressed, the tight line of his mouth betrayed his troubled thoughts.

It was unprecedented. No one nearby approached the foot of the platform where he stood. Jung Yeonshin could spare it no attention. There was no need, nor was he in any state to do so.

‘Hye-Ah.’

He had heard news of the Zhongnan Sect.

[“The Cloud-Kneeling Sword Sect and Lake-Blowing School have been annihilated. They were Zhongnan’s lay branches in Xi’an. The situation at Zhongnan’s main mountain is reportedly worse. The foot of the mountain where the Daoist temples stood has burned completely, and reports say it is difficult even to estimate how many survived.”]

[“There was also a passage saying that Sword Dragon wiji myohwa escaped with the Sword Immortal’s disciple. We have no further information, but that in itself is good news. Capturing Sword Dragon would effectively sever Zhongnan’s last remaining thread. The Tyrant Sword Tribe would never fail to announce it to the world. We should assume they are safe.”]

As he repeated the chief administrator’s words inwardly, the match began.

Radiant Wind Sword Do Jin and Rippling Fist Demon Xiahou Shanshan.

A man with a sword at his sturdy waist faced a woman wearing ink-black combat gloves. They belonged to the Han Law Enforcement Squad and the noble-race Annihilation Squad, respectively.

The two were infamous enemies. Their pairing was deliberate. The Command Bureau occasionally tested warriors’ practical skills this way.

“I never expected this.”

Do Jin’s sharp eyes turned toward Xiahou Shanshan’s small fists.

“All the better. Let’s settle our debts and grudges here.”

She smiled, then slammed her fists together with a thump.

Rippling Fist Demon Xiahou Shanshan was the cherished daughter of the Desolate Fortress’s Xiahou family and the niece of Forest-Treading Squad Captain Xiahou Weizhen. She had once harshly turned away a matchmaker sent by Do Jin’s family.

The warriors of the Desolate Fortress differed greatly in temperament. Beneath the banner of securing the people’s livelihood, talents of countless dispositions had gathered. It was no organization free of conflict.

Do Jin’s lips trembled.

“Debts and grudges? The humiliation your family inflicted on ours...”

“Get your facts straight. You were the one who kept making advances after I said I wasn’t interested, Young Master Do. As relentless as the Yangtze’s current.”

Xiahou Shanshan frowned as she answered.

“I said begin.”

The Radiant Demon Squad captain’s words came curtly from a distance.

Do Jin flinched. Xiahou Shanshan swiftly assumed an opening stance, as though the order had come from her own captain. Her black-gloved palm instantly released terrifying martial force.

BOOM!

A colorless wave of force exploded, the blow sending palm winds raging in every direction. Do Jin flew through the air with the scattering dust. It felt as though his breastbone had bent inward.

His breath caught. A single palm strike briefly thinned the protective force qi around his entire body.

Xiahou Shanshan was seeking a quick finish. The internal energy packed into that blow was tremendous. It carried the intent to spare no thought for what came afterward—a style of combat that had begun spreading through the fortress after Lightning Genius’s exploits.

Do Jin kept his face set. He had expected this before stepping onto the platform. He understood the temperament of the woman he had once loved deeply, and he had spent a long time devising a sword form to counter it.

Everyone knew the Law Enforcement Squad warriors’ strength. Only a fool would complain about it. The martial world was not forgiving of human life.

‘One sword stroke will decide this...!’

Ignoring his uncontrollable breathing, he drew up his core energy. He wove the internal energy flowing through his grip into a particular structure, incorporating the Law Enforcement Squad’s secret neutralization method into his opening stance.

BOOM!

Xiahou Shanshan’s eyebrows rose as she rushed within arm’s reach to unleash a succession of blows.

Her vision blazed with light. Low exclamations sounded on every side. Do Jin’s sword, descending in both hands, gathered sunlight along with formless core energy.

“Radiant Sword’s Single Seam!”

A cry like a scream burst from the spectators.

Do Jin’s family was a distinguished sword house, famous for its fierce ultimate sword moves. The exquisitely timed stroke aimed at Xiahou Shanshan’s advancing footwork was no exception. For an instant, the perfection of his attack made him look like a sword demon.

There were days when a warrior’s skill surpassed the full extent of their abilities. Such luck had visited him today, without his intending it.

‘I should have struck sooner! At this distance...!’

KRAAASH!

The martial force of Rippling Fist Demon Xiahou Shanshan’s Path-Collapsing Fist Art was torn to shreds. It scattered from her body in colorless ripples.

The sword stroke picked apart every strand of her core energy’s structure, descending with a fierce wind.

Neither could alter their movement.

It was a common occurrence. Warriors wielded blades and internal energy. Accidents during sparring were not rare. Neither were the deaths they caused.

Xiahou Shanshan was trapped for a brief instant in her low-waisted charging posture. The sword strike’s wave of force sliced at her whole body, as though every muscle had seized. At best, she would be gravely injured. She might die.

The dense, milky sword light swelled as though about to cleave through her from the collarbone down.

SWISH.

A streak of light brushed past both warriors’ hair. Had their minds not been honed as sharp as sword points, they would never have perceived it.

Do Jin’s sword stopped dead, caught between two fingers. The Radiant Demon Squad captain had slipped in beside them unnoticed and extended his arm. Beneath his calmly raised hand, a pitch-black sleeve hung long.

“Rippling Fist Demon loses. Radiant Wind Sword wins.”

Pure-white rays streamed like heat haze from the hand that had stopped the sword. They were waves of force from the Radiant Genius Formula, not yet revealed to the world.

The light transformed his hand into something as beautiful as a cut diamond. Not a drop of blood flowed amid its luminous currents.

His intervention had been extraordinarily precise. Its mastery belonged to an entirely different plane.

“Get down at once. This is tiresome.”

The Radiant Demon Squad captain’s sound transmission entered their ears. The whisper-like words resounded like thunder.