Chapter 229 - Treasured Sword (2)

Jung Yeonshin stood ten paces from the two men. There was nothing awkward about the way he stood motionless, arms folded. Only fragments of martial force, spreading like the wind, brushed past his pitch-black cuffs.

"Oh dear."

Kang Unchan raised his head, still standing before Heon Wonchang.

Cartful Sword Kang Unchan.

His face emerged with a faint, rueful smile. It suited his epithet, which suggested that the books he had read could fill a cart. Such was the temperament of this warrior who guarded the Command Bureau. He nourished himself on literary texts and martial manuals alike.

Kang Unchan was an expert challenging the Blue rank. An impromptu strike delivered through the air could hardly shake his protective force qi, even if his opponent was a Black-ranked supreme master.

Nor had the blow carried enough power to break his internal-energy barrier. It was closer to the fits of temper captains routinely indulged in—a situation all too familiar to the Desolate Fortress's experts.

Eccentrics such as the Divine Sword deputy commander, the Captain of the Forest-Treading Squad, and the former Divine Sword Squad Leader roamed freely here. They fully enjoyed the standing granted them by the principles of strength ruling weakness and subordinates obeying superiors. And the Lightning Genius was blood of Desolate's Ma Clan, no less.

Few expected much of the Radiant Demon Squad captain's temperament. Only the newly appointed captain himself did not know it.

"I have rambled on too long."

Kang Unchan rubbed the back of his head. He himself had delayed instead of beginning the match. Since the blow had not come during combat, it was difficult to raise a question of fairness.

"Even after the captain of the Radiant Demon Squad told us... that it was tiresome."

He spoke to Heon Wonchang with flashing eyes. The hand stroking the back of his head moved strangely slowly. He was trying to unravel the texture of that wave of force.

He was mad for martial learning. It was said that not a single warrior in the Desolate Fortress lacked exceptional talent. The strike just delivered had piqued his curiosity.

He simply did not dare turn and ask. His question was the same as that of the assembled warriors murmuring all around them: what technique had that been?

"Do not delay. I have ordered you repeatedly."

The Lightning Genius, captain of the Radiant Demon Squad, spoke.

"My experience is limited, and I am not well versed in provoking an opponent with words. But I do know it serves no purpose in a sparring match. Pit your martial learning against one another. Where martial arts are concerned, I will judge fairly."

His low voice carried sincerity. The calm conclusion bore the dignity of a captain.

"My apologies."

Kang Unchan reached for his sword hilt as he spoke. Heon Wonchang, who had been standing with a peculiar expression, drew his own sword to face him.

Sunlight danced brilliantly along the two blades—a silent flash of steel.

Glancing at them, Jung Yeonshin briefly reviewed his technique.

'So a palm blast can be compressed that far.'

Producing a wave of force at medium range was itself easy. It was the principle of Striking the Ox Beyond the Mountain: strike the mountain to hit the ox on its far side. With a brief movement, Jung Yeonshin had struck the air.

He had hit it hard with a wave of force, much as he had created the movement technique Wind Body from the mysteries of the noble race's movements. The instant he focused the point of impact of his whole-body Burst Discharge in one direction, the wind responded and conveyed the blow. It resembled a technique the noble race was said to favor.

'Does Shaolin's Hundred-Pace Divine Fist strike by this same principle?'

Jung Yeonshin immersed himself in the subtle principles of martial arts.

The result was not particularly effective for the mental effort the strike required. The Hundred-Pace Divine Fist was not an ultimate technique one could imitate in a fit of anger. It was a supreme art renowned not merely in the martial world, but throughout the land. Shaolin, with its thousand-year history, surely possessed a secret of its own. This was not the time to ponder it deeply.

'I must make sure no one gets hurt. No one in this fortress.'

Jung Yeonshin raised his head.

CLANG!

A piercing crash rang out, like brass being struck. Their swords had collided. For an instant, a shock wave swept over the skin like a bitter winter wind.

Tendons stood out on Heon Wonchang's and Kang Unchan's wrists as their blades met. The waves of force borne by the two swords were tremendously powerful. They shimmered colorlessly, as though they had summoned the summer heat.

Beyond the blades, the corners of Kang Unchan's mouth rose slightly.

"Your sword force is more considerable than it appears, Young Master Heon."

"What is considerable is your protective force qi. The core-energy shield behind your head must be as thick as your skin. To remain so unscathed after inviting trouble and disgracing yourself—I am truly impressed by your abilities, Warrior Kang."

Heon Wonchang replied with a jaunty twitch of his eyebrows. He spoke while they contested strength. His internal-energy breathing was astonishingly deep, leaving him enough breath for that lengthy quip.

Kang Unchan's eyes widened a little. So did those of the spectators below.

Beside the Supreme Flame Dragon, interest touched Zhuge Cheonga's impassive face. Her lashes lifted slightly.

"His breathing is out of proportion to his qi reserves. It is remarkably deep."

"A layabout of dubious origins."

The Supreme Flame Dragon spoke with a smile. Unconcerned by Zhuge Cheonga shaking her head beside him, he plucked a red blossom. It was a poppy.

"Not transparent like me. There is something a little sly about him. The exact opposite of yours truly, you might say."

"You should mind your words and conduct. I hear each combat unit under the Divine Sword Squad is practically a small sect. You are both members of the Radiant Demon Squad."

"That's why I speak freely. The only strangers I bother judging are enemies I'm going to kill. That fellow has to watch our captain's back, doesn't he?"

"..."

THUD! CLANG-CLANG!

As they conversed, both kept their eyes on the platform. Forceful stomps drove deep into its surface, and clashing swords rang fiercely. The vibrations spread even below the stage.

The two swordsmen crossed, white sleeves flying. Dozens of sword paths tangled and collided. The crowd around the Supreme Flame Dragon and Zhuge Cheonga let out quiet exclamations.

"Cartful Sword's forms truly are wondrous. Did you see that rising strike just now? Fragments of martial force filled every direction in front of him. The waves of force surged like petals. He cut off every combat path of the radiant demon arts."

"They say he has gone through all the secret manuals in our Gold-Piercing Martial Repository... It seems that was no idle rumor."

"He read every book on the lower and middle floors. Why else would they call him Cartful Sword? A remarkable talent indeed."

"He has improved his eye technique through an unusual form of training. Just how extensive is his knowledge?"

Heon Wonchang's sword was being driven back. His advancing footwork had stopped long ago; now he was stepping backward. Anyone could see he was losing ground, his inferiority in sword force and perception plain.

Kang Unchan spoke with a faint smile.

"You need to learn humility."

"What?"

"I know you rejected my words inwardly. Is that not why you fail to draw out Captain Jung's full potential? The world has yet to understand the true caliber of our Radiant Demon Squad captain."

With those earnest words, Kang Unchan thrust his sword forward. Steel clanged, and sparks scattered in every direction.

Deep though the great hero of Desolate Fortress's internal-energy breathing might be, he could not trade words while pressed onto the defensive. Heon Wonchang was not Jung Yeonshin.

It had not yet been two years since he entered the Desolate Fortress. It was far too early to speak of Blue rank on the strength of his martial prowess.

Even their ages differed. Cartful Sword Kang Unchan was an established swordsman in his thirties. His bearing alone revealed his courage and ability. He possessed a swordsman's virtues in many respects. That was why he had maintained his composure even before the Radiant Demon Squad captain.

'Fuck.'

Heon Wonchang's eyes narrowed. He kept retreating across the platform. Kang Unchan's sword strikes, brushing past his ears and sleeves, truly lived up to his reputation. His sleeves stood on end in the wake of the man's forms. The efficiency of that swordsmanship's Burst Discharge was tremendous.

'He's easily good enough for Blue.'

Heon Wonchang did not grow impatient. What mattered was the symbolism of the martial art he would display today.

'Renowned arts such as the Plum Blossom Sword and Shaolin Five Fist Strikes show their true worth through the elite warriors in the middle ranks. That matters just as much as having supreme masters. They say a joint attack by elite swordsmen using the Plum Blossom Sword Formation can give even Mount Hua's Sword Saint trouble. That says it all.'

The Radiant Genius Formula, too, had to begin on that level. It simply had to.

It was the first martial art his young fellow entrant had created exclusively for the Radiant Demon Squad. Jung Yeonshin had made it. Everyone would come to know that. That was why Heon Wonchang paid no heed to their chatter.

"The Radiant Demon Squad has always been renowned for its strength... but how can hastily recruited reinforcements work in harmony? That fellow is no different. Big-Tongued Sword Heon Wonchang. The captain is a hero beyond the ability of ordinary men to support."

"He has a promising future. It's simply too early now."

"That's the limit of the Radiant Demon Squad, reduced overnight to little better than a new combat unit. So many of them were gravely wounded."

"They have barely managed to fill the gaps. Now they need only grow alongside their new captain. There's no reason to disparage them now. It insults those who died in Sichuan."

By then, the colliding sword strikes were reaching their peak.

BOOM!

As they traded blows, Kang Unchan stamped his foot. A pulse of internal power exploded from the Yongquan point in the sole he drove down.

A colorless current spread upward from his ankle, fiercely slicing the air. It rose to his waist, lending tremendous power. He immediately bent forward, and the sword strike he flung outward violently tore through the air.

ROOOAR!

The martial force surrounding the blade seemed to chew through empty space. Then Heon Wonchang suddenly brought his treasured sword down from overhead, meeting the attack head-on.

Just before the two strikes collided in a cross, a resonance like a swarm of bees spread out. It came from Heon Wonchang's grip, rising with the radiance surrounding the back of his hand.

White streaks of light instantly coiled around the blade. For a brief moment, they warped outward in all directions like threads spilling from the sunlight.

This was different from before. Light never seen before blossomed the instant Heon Wonchang raised his wave of force, extending along truly beautiful trajectories.

"That...!"

Spectators sprang to their feet. Every warrior with a discerning eye did so.

A technique no one had imagined possible had emerged. It resembled the move the Radiant Demon Squad captain had shown earlier. The martial art they had dismissed as a secret skill only the Lightning Genius could perform was unfolding in the hands of a mere subordinate.

It mercilessly shattered perceptions frozen solid by conventional wisdom.

ROOOOAR!

Heon Wonchang's treasured sword raced forward, wreathed in radiant currents, pushing his opponent's strike aside. The force wave scraping through the air seemed to claw even at the ears.

It was a tremendously fierce, swift strike. Even in that fleeting instant, the martial art's character was unmistakable. The rough, straight sword path bore its creator's temperament, right up until it reached his opponent's face.

'What the fuck!'

Kang Unchan's eyes flew wide. The sword he had extended outward was coming back toward his chest, with Heon Wonchang's treasured sword riding atop it. He could not withstand the sword force that had multiplied in an instant. It felt as though his entire body would be split in two.

Beyond the beautifully shining wave of sword force, Heon Wonchang's dark eyes had settled into an eerie calm. Beneath his flamboyant hero's headband, even killing intent gathered in his narrowed gaze. It was extraordinarily sharp.

The martial art was identical to the Radiant Demon Squad captain's, yet a different wielder made a world of difference.

THUD!

Heon Wonchang twisted his wrist, and the flat of his sword slammed into Kang Unchan's forehead.

A massive shock wave spread. As its deep reverberation rolled outward, snow-white streaks of light danced wildly. Each was a wave of sword force, and every streak became a razor-sharp thread that shredded the clothing over Kang Unchan's upper body.

RIIIIP!

Even the lingering martial force was like a blade made of threads. Heon Wonchang had shown all the mercy he could by turning his edge into the flat of his blade. He was in no position to control the residual force as well.

He looked at Kang Unchan's well-honed physique as though it were beneath notice.

"Your external training is rather soft compared with our captain's."

Heon Wonchang continued.

"In any event, you were wrong. I merely had the good fortune to enter alongside the right person? No."

"..."

"I had very, very good fortune. More than that thick skull of yours could possibly comprehend, Cartful Sword."

SWISH!

He lowered his sword lightly, as though shaking off dust.

The Radiant Genius Formula.

The martial art the captain had made the Radiant Demon Squad's exclusive ultimate technique had finally manifested.

Stirring the restless air with turbulent waves of qi, it crumbled from between Heon Wonchang's fingers like a lunar halo. The lights, now so faint that their earlier radiance seemed unreal, scattered in fragments.

The sight created stillness. It seemed to demand silence. For an instant, the vast central training ground froze. Not a single person present lacked discernment.

"..."

They knew without seeing the formula.

That was a supreme art.

The Desolate Fortress experts gathered there reached the same conclusion. Even if it contained no spiritual nature, it would come to be called one. The Sichuan Tang Clan's Blossoms Raining Across the Sky was just such an art.

It felt entirely different from when the Lightning Genius had performed it. The strikes of one of an organization's foremost supreme masters were difficult to follow fully with the eye. Their speed alone set them apart.

Heon Wonchang had shown it in full.

Rather than opening with this unheard-of ultimate technique, he had concealed it like a dagger. It was the temperament of a killer—and hardly an ordinary assassin.

He had loaded the waves of force accumulated through ordinary forms into the ultimate technique he revealed in an instant. Only innate talent could explain it. This was far removed from the ways of sects that relied on lowly surprise attacks.

Suddenly, the Supreme Flame Dragon's laughter broke the silence. The assembled warriors' gazes converged on two places: the Radiant Demon Squad captain officiating the match, and Heon Wonchang, who had wrought this upset.

"... That."

Standing beside him, Kang Unchan parted his lips. His expression had vanished, leaving him looking utterly dazed. Only his eyes stirred with a starlike yearning.

"What is it?" he asked.

Heon Wonchang smiled, channeling core energy into the Human Welcome pressure points on either side of his throat and the Corner Spring point just above his vocal cords.

This internal-energy manipulation was practically the great hero of Desolate Fortress's specialty. Even the way he reduced the energy's oscillations as far as possible to preserve his dignity showed that. It was an accomplishment few could imitate.

He immediately spoke—not through sound transmission, but in a voice loud enough to drive into the ears of every warrior in the central training ground.

"The Radiant Genius Formula."

His polished voice spread in every direction. Though core energy danced frivolously within his throat, the voice itself was solemn. It rolled outward, heavy as the waves of the Yangtze.

"The captain of the Radiant Demon Squad created it to serve as our unit's standard art."

Finishing, Heon Wonchang spoke again, this time in his natural voice.

"It is exclusive to the Radiant Demon Squad. Search the Gold-Piercing Martial Repository for a hundred days, and you still won't find it on the shelves."