Ak Su-rim’s voice was peculiar.
It was drowsy yet carried a distinct sense of purpose.
Even in a half-asleep state, her presence exuded the kind of experience that suggested she could fight at full strength at any moment. She was, after all, the second most formidable warrior across all seventeen generations of the Singeom Dan.
A transcendent master who had achieved rejuvenation—one could not judge her abilities by her youthful appearance.
‘She noticed immediately. Just how vast is her qi perception?’
Jeong Yeon-shin rolled the pebble he had received from Baek Seo-goon in his palm.
It was said to be a Dharma Treasure, but even though he could faintly sense its mystical aura, it didn’t feel particularly special. Not at this moment.
It was difficult to determine whether it belonged to the Eon Hwayeon or the Zhuge Clan.
Since he had recovered Eon Hwayeon’s secret manual, he had ties to both factions, so he could return it to either side without issue.
“The one outside is...”
He had just begun to speak when—
Haaam―
A loud yawn interrupted him as the girl’s eyes suddenly glowed with clarity.
Her overwhelming internal energy, enough to make her the next-in-line leader of the Singeom Squad, surged up to her pupils, causing a pale, colorless radiance to flash in her gaze.
The glow on her face was far more intense than the flickering bonfire casting shadows upon it.
“Your qi is honed in a way that’s almost demonic. Your martial arts definitely carry the qualities of a noble lineage, but... you’re more of a sword wraith than a swordsman.”
Tap.
A spear that had been lying carelessly on the ground caught on Ak Su-rim’s foot.
With the mere flick of her ankle, the spear’s shaft seemed to lift itself into her small hand, landing perfectly in her grasp.
The surrounding undergrowth trembled as if startled by the movement.
“We haven’t met before, but there are stacks of reports on you in the Bureau. You even showed up in Shaanxi, didn’t you? That second-in-command of Sim Mu-ryeon’s martial arts division—he inexplicably helped you out. I heard about that. That was helpful.”
Ak Su-rim spoke.
At the same time, she gripped her symbolic spear and expanded her qi curtain.
Rather than revealing Ipwang Fortress’s characteristic belligerence, she first assumed the stance of one black-clad warrior addressing another.
She was giving him a chance to speak.
It was a mark of respect from the commander of the famed Singeom Squad, a name recognized across the martial world.
Just two years ago, Jeong Yeon-shin had been nothing more than a troublesome outcast of the Jeong Household.
Now, as warmth seeped into his chest, he opened his mouth, feeling both a sense of nostalgia and the realization of how much had changed.
Even Old Lady Ak remembers me.
“He was someone connected to my bloodline.”
Ak Su-rim tapped the shaft of the spear with her index finger. Though her motion was playful, the imperceptible surge of qi made it clear it was also a veiled warning.
“Hmm... Sometimes, even in this ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) vast world, the martial realm feels absurdly small. Can you tell me more?”
“He was someone who spent his childhood alongside my father...”
“Then he’s a bastard!”
She cut him off without hesitation, furrowing her small brow.
A surge of qi flared up, sending her side locks sweeping back behind her neck. Her fingers, gripping the spear, tensed and relaxed repeatedly.
“In the middle of a famine winter, he hunted a wild boar for us. He was a good man. Even with my Sangdanjeon's perception, I sensed no ill will.”
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Jeong Yeon-shin answered briefly, tilting his head slightly in thought.
How much did Senior Ak know about his family’s history? Had the Bureau investigated it separately?
‘The people of Xin Ya-hyun still live there.’
Several unpleasant faces flickered through his mind.
The villagers.
With their distinct features, their simple faces, their blind faith in superstition—and the way they had scorned him.
‘I hope I don’t get assigned a mission to Hanam.’
As Jeong Yeon-shin cast aside his fleeting thoughts—
“So, he’s trustworthy...? At least according to the insight of our youngest commander?”
Rustle.
Without warning, Ak Su-rim moved closer and plopped down next to him.
“......”
Her gaze conjured a strange silence.
The only sound was the crackling of the bonfire.
The fierce glow unique to Ipwang’s Divine Spear had faded, leaving behind eyes that were uncommonly clear and deep.
Gone was the usual playful recklessness in her expression.
“I’ve sometimes felt something incredibly... mysterious from you.”
Ak Su-rim’s expression was peculiar. A look he had never seen before.
A mixture of rational distrust and inexplicable reassurance.
It was reflected along with the bloodstains still fresh on her front. Traces of internal injuries she had purged after her battle with Zhuge Gaju.
Then, the corners of her lips curled slightly.
“Well, I suppose that means one of the Sword Lords of the Thirteen Heavens is your wet nurse. And they’re here now.”
“It’s a bit... much to call someone a wet nurse when I’m a grown man.”
Jeong Yeon-shin’s thick brows twitched upward as he averted his gaze.
For a moment, Ak Su-rim’s lips quivered slightly. Then, as if unable to hold back, she finally burst into laughter.
Aha-ha!
She laughed heartily.
The unique Three Flowers Converging at the Crown technique made her qi ripple instantly, sending her midnight-black hair into a wild mess as she clapped Jeong Yeon-shin on the shoulder. A grown man, huh?
Brushing off his frosty stare with casual ease, she finally regained her breath.
Then, still chuckling, she spoke in a voice laced with playful mischief.
“That’s a relief. If I had to leave you alone, I’d have been worried.”
“Excuse me?”
“Zhuge Jian was unbelievably strong. And this is your first time facing a true supreme master.”
“...That’s true.”
“You’ll need a strategy that puts your life on the line. Spell-based martial arts are incredibly flexible and complex. One slip, and you could be skewered like a sacrificial offering. And none of us have the ability to regenerate.”
Ak Su-rim shrugged exaggeratedly.
Yet, the black longcoat draped over her shoulders didn’t seem as light as it looked.
“If any one of us is incapacitated, the other two must retreat immediately. Understood?”
“No.”
His immediate response made her grin.
“Well, I suppose you wouldn’t leave behind such a lovely senior, huh? Maybe I should just force myself into a Qi Deviation and die first.”
“...Is Zhuge Gaju’s martial prowess really that overwhelming?”
“He moves alongside an array of spellcasting catalysts. Formations, mantras, talismans—his qi and willpower are interwoven into them in a terrifying way. It’s like he’s already forsaken humanity. He turns a one-versus-many battle into a one-on-one duel. The man is insane.”
“Spell-based martial arts...”
“Even as we fought, his domain kept expanding. Not just arena-sized—bigger than an entire county. Worse, his spell formations are all interconnected, moving in sync with him as the core.”
“He’s not a man. He’s a calamity.”
Ak Su-rim nodded. “Exactly.”
Swish.
“So, if we want even the slightest chance of victory...”
Ak Su-rim suddenly rose, brushing off her clothes as if it were nothing.
“We need to train. Even if it’s brief. I’ll teach you how to fight against supreme masters. There’s no way I’d let you walk into battle unprepared after Bo-hyeol and I suffered a crushing defeat.”
“You need to treat me as an equal.”
Jeong Yeon-shin wasn’t making a childish demand. He was stating a fact. He now stood among those who donned the black cloak, gazing even higher.
She needed to fully acknowledge his strength and plan accordingly.
“We’ll see.”
Ak Su-rim smiled.
“No matter how strong you get, you’ll always be my little brother.”
The faint ripple of qi spread from the spear in her small hand.
“Let’s begin. Let’s see just how prepared you are, Seomye.”
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly pushed himself up from the ground.
“I’ll be in your care.”
***
How did Zhuge Gaju defeat this person?
That thought grew heavier with each passing second.
Jeong Yeon-shin barely managed to withstand Ak Su-rim’s spear strikes, deflecting them with the Northern Bright Sword, struggling to endure the sheer force behind them.
And he hadn’t even activated Final Thunderclap.
His opponent was the second strongest warrior of the Singeom Squad, someone who had spent decades refining their skills to the level of rejuvenation. Facing her barehanded was impossible.
They were both Black-Robed, but the comparison ended there. If this were back when he had just created Radiant Method Wheel Qi, he wouldn’t have lasted even ten seconds.
‘Senior Hahoe of the Celestial Grove once spoke of the Ten-Second Reckoning.’
Trapped within the swirling silver trajectories of her attacks, Jeong Yeon-shin deeply understood the meaning of those words.
And yet, even in the midst of this, he was struck by how refined his swordsmanship had become—his movements seamlessly guiding the flow of battle as he deflected and redirected her strikes.
The wind howled relentlessly, lashing at his ears.
Then suddenly, Ak Su-rim vaulted above his head.
"Your sword’s got a good bite!"
Her leg swept through the air in a curved arc.
The moment she twisted her waist midair as if stepping on an invisible foothold, her spear thrust downward in a straight, unerring line toward his crown.
The wind that coiled around the attack was like a raging storm, a typhoon compressed into a single devastating strike.
Three seamless movements, strung together with perfect fluidity, forming a lightning-fast, catastrophic trajectory.
Before Jeong Yeon-shin could even exhale—
General's Thunderclap Spear—Aga Spearmanship.
KUUUUUUNG—!
A pure white spear strike descended like divine punishment.
And in that instant, Jeong Yeon-shin’s thoughts blazed like lightning.
She’s fully utilizing the shockwave through her footwork. This is an absolute technique. Above Hwan-gang.*
It was a fraction of a second.
His gaze whipped to the side, his keen eyes tracing the faint blue afterimages left in the wake of her spear’s arc.
He deconstructed her attack in an instant, dissecting it through the radiance of his own movement technique.
The reinforced hand that gripped the spear, the peak precision of the technique’s trajectory, the way her shockwaves interlocked to amplify force fivefold, the very structure of the qi rippling from the spearhead to the shaft—all of it was etched into his vision.
She’s re-creating Zhuge Gaju’s attack.
In that moment, his hand on the Northern Bright Sword twitched three times.
The moment his Upper Dantian senses flared into clarity—
Ssssshhhh!
The Swift Kirin Blade sliced through the spiraling storm of force unleashed by her spear.
Her devastating strike, charged with towering waves of qi, was unraveled by the minute adjustments in his blade’s trajectory.
In that split-second gap—
BOOOOM—!
The shockwave rippled outward, reverberating against the hemispherical Qi Curtain that enclosed them.
A cutting wind howled like a blizzard, sending the piled snow into the air, scattering white flurries in every direction.
Tch.
Jeong Yeon-shin clenched his teeth.
Shards of force from the severed energy currents raked across his upper body, sending flashes of searing pain through him.
Superficial wounds.
But the fact remained—he had lost the exchange in terms of damage taken.
His senior had achieved rejuvenation, shedding the limits of the human body, closer to the Monkey King of the Heavens than any mere warrior.
Ssst.
The sound of feet sinking into the snow reached him.
“I knew you were hiding something big, but damn, this is annoying. Now I’m the one getting hurt. And here I was, thinking our dear little Seomye was a priceless treasure, body and face included.”
Ak Su-rim strode toward him, her black robes and dark hair flowing in the wind, her expression unreadable.
"You really countered it?"
Her sharp gaze locked onto him, a complex mixture of emotions flickering in her eyes.
"How many moves ahead are you thinking? If I had your reaction speed, I could take on Zhuge Gaju alone."
"I’m not envious of Three Flowers Converging at the Crown."
Jeong Yeon-shin responded with deliberate calm, despite the sharp ache running through his wounds.
Ak Su-rim’s lips twitched upward, like a dog spotting a particularly amusing toy.
"Zhuge Jian’s attack patterns are about thirty percent stronger than this, remember? He strikes down like he’s the Jade Emperor himself descending from the heavens."
"Yes."
"Well, you’ve got the basics down. You can focus on individual training now. I wonder where Bo-hyeol ran off to slack off."
“He’s the pinnacle of Ten Perfections, after all. I assume he’s securing our defenses in another way.”
"Yeah, true. That’s probably it."
Ak Su-rim chuckled, then suddenly furrowed her brows.
"But you know, Zhuge Gaju has been way too quiet. It’s been days now—winter’s about to end. He should’ve reacted after hearing about Kwon Mu-gong, yet he’s done nothing."
As Jeong Yeon-shin silently recalled Eon Hwayeon, Ak Su-rim absentmindedly ran a finger along her jaw.
"This doesn’t feel right. You never give sorcerers time to prepare..."
***
—The young Black-Robed warrior of Ipwang Fortress had dared to strike a supreme master’s reverse scale. Zhuge Wuhou’s bloodline would not tolerate this.
A storm of rumors swept across the land, spreading beyond Shanxi.
Word of a transcendent master’s wrath traveled a thousand li, for the might of a single supreme warrior rivaled that of an entire northern army.
The sects of Shaanxi and Henan, the nobility of North Zhili, and even the imperial court reacted.
All across the world, powerful figures began to move.
"The identity of this Salhyup raised by the Eon Hwayeon bothers me. This time, confirm it. I think I finally understand why that so-called Ipwang Grandmaster at the Sect-Wide Tournament seemed so familiar... Forget Ma Gwang-ik. Focus everything on eliminating those two first."
As the heir of both the Mo Yong Clan and the Celestial Demon Sect opened his eyes.
"Venerable Monk, grant me permission to descend the mountain. I wish to study the differences between Demon-Slaying Azure Subjugation Energy and Avalokiteśvara’s Azure Purification Energy and bless the lands of Yongbong."
The serene chanting of prayers echoed through the grand temple halls of Song Mountain.
"Jasodan, you say? I may be the second strongest among my generation after Yeon-shin, but... isn’t this a bit much for just me— AAH! Fine, fine, I’ll go! Stop flinging Sword Aura at me! You need to rest!"
A delicate fragrance of plum blossoms lingered over the snow-covered peak of Mount Hua’s Maiden’s Summit.
"Even if fate deems it inevitable, it does not matter. My grandson is of a different breed than these mongrels. Your worries are unfounded.
...What? The Dark Sword?
Hah. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard."
Far to the south, beyond the reaches of the Ming Dynasty, where the climate and roads felt like an entirely separate world—
A Water Dragon rose from the depths of the sea.