“My thing, you say? Are you talking about this Spirit Pill?”

“Yes. Each brigade of the Divine Sword Sect is equivalent to the core force of the Nine Sects. Along with the budget, supplies including Spirit Medicines and Spirit Pills are also provided. Not a lot, but still… Of course, there aren’t any grand items like Qincheng Jade Oil or Thousand-Year Ginseng. I heard Shaolin has the Great Rejuvenation Pill, but that’s not under my jurisdiction.”

Ma Jin grinned.

“You have the look of wanting to take me as your master. Unfortunately, the laws of the Desolate Sect prohibit master-disciple relationships between fellow members. It’s to avoid personal matters from influencing missions.”

“I’m grateful, but I didn’t think that far.”

“I see.”

“Should I bow to show my respect? Is it okay to kowtow here?”

“If you’re not afraid of the consequences of violating the strict laws, go ahead and try.”

He tossed over the Spirit Pill with a chuckle, and I caught it in my hand. 

Jeong Yeon-shin stared at the white lump of medicine in his palm.

He had never seen anything like this at the Jeong Clan. He hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of it.

It wasn’t because the Clan Leader hated him, but simply because a small martial arts clan in the countryside wouldn’t have things like Spirit Pills.

“With your level of internal energy, you should see significant effects. Have you ever consumed Spirit Medicines before?”

“No.”

“Dissolving the medicinal energy with internal energy isn’t possible with ordinary Qi circulation techniques. You might end up wasting the precious medicinal effects. I can help you with that. Let’s go.”

“Chief.”

“Hm?”

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

It was a question that someone tainted by the secular world wouldn’t have asked. 

A query that only a boy with nowhere else to go could pose.

The scar running across Ma Jin’s face twitched in amusement.

“I’m not giving you special treatment. It’s the same for everyone in Radiant Demon Wing. You’ll understand right away after experiencing a life-or-death mission once or twice.”

He tapped Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder, signaling him to follow, and walked past.

Jeong Yeon-shin stared at his back for a moment before slowly following behind.

He lightly nudged the arm of Heon Won-chang, who was watching enviously from the side.

* * *

There were repercussions. It wasn’t just the top experts of the two martial forces present where the duel took place. The rumors spread quickly.

“Bewitching Sword Demon! I heard an incredible hidden dragon joined your side?”

“Hidden dragon?”

“What? The rumors are everywhere. I’m talking about the young swordsman who joined your White Division. The one who dueled with Azure Sky Squad. Gu Ik-hwan of Azure Sky Squad is a skilled swordsman, right? He definitely wasn’t someone who could pressure the Blue Division of the Desolate Sect.”

“Well, I don’t know about a hidden dragon, but he’s certainly monstrous. How should I put this… I feel more anxious than excited.”

“Anxious?”

In response to the questioning martial artist from another force, Baek Mi-ryeo, The Bewitching Sword Demon spoke again.

“He has a diligent personality, doesn’t act arrogantly, and despite occasionally saying the right things without being mindful, he’s fundamentally polite. However…”

“However?”

“He’s very, very good at unraveling martial arts. Cheong Mmyeong, don’t you agree?”

The hooded man with blue eyes standing next to her nodded with a light smile.

“An unprecedented talent.”

“When I spar with someone else using inch strike, that kid is always beside me, executing the same principles in a different stance. It’s quite annoying, but when I look back, his technique has become much more refined. There’s something innate about his reinterpretation of martial arts that makes me hesitant to use secret techniques in front of him.”

“Before that, he’s already learning them.”

Cheong Myeong chimed in lightly.

“That’s right. In my opinion, if that kid hadn’t joined the Desolate Sect, he would have died somewhere as a nobody.”

“As if any martial arts sect would let a friend like that live.”

At some point, Baek Mi-ryeo and Cheong Mmyeong were conversing with each other. The martial artist who was pushed aside frowned.

“What are you talking about? Are you mocking me? I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I.”

Baek Mi-ryeo muttered. Then she gestured with her eyes for Cheong Mmyeong to send this fellow away.

Radiant Demon Wing Hall. The top experts of Radiant Demon Wing’s Blue Division, including Cheong Myeong and Baek Mi-ryeo, naturally surrounded the hall from all directions.

Martial artists concealing themselves on the roof, those casually conversing with visitors while never moving from their positions.

Inside the hall at the center of the security net.

Jeong Yeon-shin and Ma Jin were there.

Ma Jin, with his hand on the back of the cross-legged boy, opened his mouth.

“I don’t know how much of the medicinal effect you can absorb. Even if it seems to fall short of expectations, don’t act rashly. You can always accumulate internal energy, but if your dantian or meridians are damaged, it will require a long time of recuperation. Keep that in mind if you don’t want to remain stagnant.”

“Yes, Chief.”

The dedication that the entire Radiant Demon Wing showed towards their youngest member was truly immense.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought it was more than he deserved. He wondered if this was what it meant to be part of a sect.

He felt an emotion he had rarely experienced before, tingling the top of his head.

“Listen. It’s truly amazing that you’ve already formed the Great Heavenly Circuit, so to speak. You don’t need to circulate true energy in the lower body meridians. Imagine connecting the Ren and Du meridians end-to-end to form one large meridian in the upper body. The key to consuming Spirit Pills is to place the medicinal energy in the flow of true energy and continuously circulate it until it dissolves. I will intervene if your energy circulation becomes unstable, so don’t be surprised and just go along with it.”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yeon-shin put the Spirit Pill in his mouth. As he chewed, he didn’t taste much.

It is said that the highest-grade Spirit Pills like Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill melt and disappear on the tongue the moment they are eaten, but the one in his mouth now had to be chewed and swallowed.

Soon, the Spirit Pill inside his body began to emit energy.

The energy circulation was completed in the time it took to drink two cups of tea.

Ma Jin didn’t even have a chance to assist. He now had an expression of having given up on understanding.

“…Congratulations. You absorbed it completely. All of the medicinal energy.”

“Yes. The increased true energy is extremely robust. It’s incomparable to the energy I had before.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who had consumed Spirit Medicines and Spirit Pills for the first time, marveled as he observed his internal state. It was literally true.

His original internal energy capacity, which was already pitifully low, was even worse than the Desolate Sect’s standard-issue Spirit Pills.

“I’m amazed you fought with such internal energy. Now you have true energy somewhat befitting the White Division.”

Ma Jin said, his face having shed some of its disappointment.

“I should go. Both you, Chief, and the seniors. This is too much.”

“Is it burdensome?”

The scar running down to Ma Jin’s chin lifted up. A smile that now seemed friendly.

“You don’t need to feel that way. It becomes natural after risking your life a few times in the martial world. The higher your martial arts, the better.”

“And you’ll also gain merit in the process, right?”

One must live in order to repay favors, big or small. Seeing Ma Jin nod, he spoke as if to himself.

“I want to go out into the martial world.”

* * *

He performed the respectful salute of cupped fists over a dozen times in gratitude for the seniors’ congratulations. Just paying respects was enough to exhaust him.

‘Cheong Myeong and Baek Mi-ryo seniors don’t even seem like martial artists. They touch my shoulders and head without hesitation.’

Excessive physical contact between martial artists is usually uncomfortable.

The martial world, where favors and grudges are intricately intertwined.

Who knows if they might use internal heavy-handed techniques to shake up one’s insides?

While gaining the favor of the seniors through the duel with Azure Sky Squad, Jeong Yeon-shin himself had not yet fully integrated into Radiant Demon Wing.

His martial power, having accepted the Spirit Pill, had become even stronger, but his mind was exhausted.

It was different when he returned to the dormitory.

“You’re going to train again?”

Heon Won-chang asked with a fed-up expression. Jeong Yeon-shin nodded roughly and left the room.

‘The main training hall is too burdensome right now.’

Radiant Demon Wing had two types of training halls.

The first was the main training hall, used for coordinating teamwork in preparation for group battles or receiving instructions on missions, laws, and other matters.

And the place he was heading to now was the small training hall, where Radiant Demon Wing’s top experts practiced secret martial arts other than Radiant Demon Formation.

He passed behind the main training hall. A large building without a ceiling came into view.

It felt as if the maze of Imperial tombs had been built above ground. The energy waves already emanating from inside were extraordinary.

Jeong Yeon-shin wasn’t the only one training.

It’s not difficult for someone whose internal energy has reached a certain level to discern the energy of others.

He walked past occupied rooms, searching for an empty one.

Even if no energy was felt, just in case, he passed by places with cloth curtains serving as doors.

It was when he found an empty training room.

-Youngest!

Not a vocal sound, but a transmitted voice. The etiquette of the small training hall.

They said everyone was careful not to disturb someone who might be having an epiphany.

Turning around, Baek Mi-ryo, Bewitching Sword Demon was standing with waves of true energy emanating from both hands.

With a trained body that seemed to have mastered a villainous martial art and a solemn aura, she was a senior who was difficult to approach.

At her gesture, he cautiously approached.

-What is it, senior?

The voice transmission he had already learned along with Radiant Demon Formation was slightly clumsy.

The voice needed to be solidly condensed and projected, but to Jeong Yeon-shin, it still seemed like a gentle breeze.

It was due to his lacking internal energy level, also known as “fire control.”

Fortunately, Baek Mi-ryo didn’t seem to mind much.

Here is the translation in the same format:

-I need a partner. Care to receive a move?

-Did you have an epiphany? Congratulations.

-It’s just a small spark. You wouldn’t say you can’t spar with me after showing such a duel, would you?

-Won’t it be too loud? Is that okay?

-Let’s go.

The two of them left the small training hall. After walking in silence, Baek Mi-ryo spoke when they were close to the main training hall.

“I apologize if you had planned training. I’m just in a hurry. An idea suddenly came to me.”

“On the contrary, this seems better. I can train alone anytime, but receiving pointers from senior Bewitching Sword Demon isn’t a common opportunity.”

“My specialty is swordsmanship, so why are you talking about fist techniques?”

“Weren’t you focusing on both hands while carrying a sheathed sword? If you were practicing sword drawing, that would be a different story. With senior Bewitching Sword Demon, you could unleash a swift sword no matter where your hands are.”

Baek Mi-ryo smiled softly at the calm remark. Despite her cold eyes, the smile suited her very well.

“Just call me senior Baek.”

As they talked, they arrived at the main training hall.

A few people who enjoyed training in the open, unconcerned about showing their techniques, and those practicing Radiant Demon Formation nodded their heads.

“Well, let’s first get in sync.”

“I’ll take the first move.”

After coming to the Desolate Sect, he had heard the phrase “I’ll let you have the first move” to the point of being sick of it.

At Jeong Yeon-shin’s naive words, Baek Mi-ryo chuckled and gestured.

She didn’t hold anything in her empty hands, and Jeong Yeon-shin drew his sword without hesitation.

And surprisingly quickly, his wrist was grabbed. She had dug in and seized it just like that.

It was an incredibly swift Geum Na Su. This was the strength of a Blue Warrior who wasn’t caught off guard.

He had only vaguely seen the hand coming in.

‘Not yet. Radiant Demon Formation.’

His left hand remained.

He tried to strike with a fist following the trajectory drawn by his true energy, but the distance was too close for power to be applied. Instead, their bodies got even closer.

That’s when it happened.

Baek Mi-ryo’s back of the hand, also about an inch away, struck his abdomen hard.

“Huff!”

A powerful single strike, unbelievable considering the distance.

As his body was pushed back, his grabbed wrist remained in place.

Immediately, Jeong Yeon-shin’s Radiant Demon Formation automatically guided his body, and in an instant, he struck upward with a knee infused with the true energy of the Shigok realm.

With a thud, Baek Mi-ryo rubbed her arm that had been flung away. Her surprised face also contained satisfaction.

“You used the true energy loaded in your footwork elastically. I had a feeling, and indeed, the efficiency of inch power has improved. I can put more force into it.”

She said, sounding satisfied.

“Have you been practicing inch strike?”

“A swordsman who has mastered Radiant Demon Formation can’t just use the sword. Inch strike is very useful in close-quarters strikes. If the opponent has layered energy on their body, you can start by breaking that protective energy first.”

Jeong Yeon-shin carefully opened his mouth.

“May this unworthy newcomer say a word? I’ve had a sensitive energy perception since I was young, and the way you utilize true energy caught my eye.”

“You can see the movement of true energy? Even for you, that’s…”

“I’m merely observing the flow of energy in the footwork and the waves of true energy spreading outward. How could I see the true energy residing inside the body with my eyes?”

“Even that is unbelievable. Such energy perception. Only a master of the Purple rank might possess it.”

Referring to the hierarchy of the Desolate Sect, which progresses from White to Blue to Black to Purple. Baek Mi-ryo, who had slightly widened her eyes, soon spoke with a calm gaze.

“But if it’s you… We also felt something. Alright. I will listen gratefully, youngest.”

At the end of her words, she smiles playfully. Jeong Yeon-shin spoke with a strange expression.

“I’ve been learning footwork from the Chief recently, but senior Baek’s stance seems more suitable for internal strength than inch strike. The emission and reception of true energy itself seem to match internal heavy-handed techniques.”

“Hm?”

“If you had used internal strength with the same energy… Ah, are you already at that level of mastery in internal heavy-handed techniques as well?”

“What?”

Baek Mi-ryo’s eyes slightly widened.