“The blue rank warrior of Desolate Sect subdued the young master of the martial arts family.

It was a surprise attack combined with the breaking technique of Grappling Hold. It was quite possible, given that Jeong Yeon-shin’s perception even surpassed in reading and using prodigious techniques.

“Huh. What’s happening now?”

“It seems Lazy Flame Dragon’s acupoints have been sealed.”

Others seemed to see it differently. The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is a periodic martial arts banquet.

Jeong Yeon-shin was an emerging master who had never appeared before. Small whispers began to spread gradually.

“These are techniques I’ve never seen before. The body technique, Grappling Hold, accupoint sealing. All of them.”

“The body protection technique was truly mysterious. It was like seeing the venerable elder of this noble lineage.”

“Which sect is he from? How could he to Lazy Flame Dragon… Even if it was just one sudden exchange…”

The atmosphere that seemed about to explode with Lazy Flame Dragon’s madness dissipated like a distortion. It was as if a spring breeze had come to scatter the killing intent.

Jeong Yeon-shin remained silent.

He had disabled one of his opponent’s arms. It was at an extremely close distance.

In a normal martial contest, this would be the end, but with Lazy Flame Dragon, who seemed to have a hint of madness, one couldn’t be sure.

Eternal Blossom Fist didn’t have moves effective at inch distance yet. He prepared by greatly raising true energy.

Then Lazy Flame Dragon muttered.

“…I’m more dull…? Dull, you say?”

“If you can’t even feel that much, that’s all there is to it.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke calmly as he removed his arm. He didn’t unseal the acupoints. He left it so that he could subdue any immediate violent outburst.

‘The points will naturally unseal when he circulates his Energy.’

He had often heard stories about masters who could manipulate yin and yang energy.

They were said to have distinct strengths. The yang energy could easily disperse others’ inner power that entered their body.

Seeing it firsthand was interesting. It was worth contemplating. Drawing out the properties of flame through true Energy? How was it done?

While Jeong Yeon-shin was lost in thought.

“You’re not even paying attention. What are you even supposed to be.”

Lazy Flame Dragon’s reaction was peculiar. It was a very calm anger. After chewing and swallowing a whole winter cherry, he spoke.

“Gu Gwa of Chasing Truth Sect. I understood your talent with that one move. Someone like you will surely make a name for yourself for a long time. You’ll be talked about for decades even after death.”

“And?”

He had learned that the ultimate provocation was to mock someone’s intimate stories.

He had learned this from Cheong Myeong before setting out on his mission. So he remained silent to see what Lazy Flame Dragon would say.

“Do you know the feeling when your feet naturally move toward the abyss? You have everything. Your complexion is excellent. How does it feel to have talent that requires no price?”

“What?”

It was a statement that even dampened his interest in the essence of flame. It approached him with a sense of utter triviality.

It seemed better to engage in close combat with this pressure-pointed fellow instead.

Lazy Flame Dragon continued speaking. His fingertips were trembling.

“I was born with extreme yang energy. I grew stronger even without practicing mental techniques. My heightened senses were accompanied by burning pain in my meridians. That’s my achievement. It’s martial arts I built up trying to change my constitution through lofty inner power training. It’s not something you can dismiss as being dull!”

Perhaps because he acknowledged Jeong Yeon-shin’s talent.

He rambled on as if drinking with a close friend. It was almost embarrassing for Jeong Yeon-shin.

While it was welcome for the mission, it felt strange dealing with this type of character for the first time.

The shadow under Lazy Flame Dragon’s eyes was burdensome. Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth.

“What am I supposed to do about the fact being like that. I’m not even equipped with martial arts skills impressive enough to overwhelm one’s talents.”

“You really!”

“I called what was dull, dull. There’s nothing wrong with that. Only you know your pain. No one else can understand it.”

By the end, Jeong Yeon-shin ended up talking about himself.

He had felt it while carrying out various missions. Martial artists who weren’t disciplined practitioners like the disciples of the Nine Sects tended to get angry easily. Just stating facts alone was enough to make them that way. Although it was incomprehensible, he thought it would be the same now. Since he was deliberately trying to provoke a strong reaction.

The deliberate provocation was a first. It had to work.

“Only I know…? Never heard that before. Everyone said they understood. That Mount Hua Sect fellow just now did too.”

The reaction was strange.

Lazy Flame Dragon’s lips trembled like a mute speaking for the first time.

He was a genius suffering from the strange illness called the Solar Divine Meridian. Understanding his state of mind would be difficult for anyone.

“Someone who understands the trajectory of my talent doesn’t know me? Are you saying my talent, which might lead to an untimely death, is worthless? The elders of my family kept me close because of their nauseating expectations.”

The intensity in his eyes was fading.

As the unique gleam of a master trained in orthodox martial arts returned to his eyes, one could see the madness dispersing from them.

His spirit was clear. So much so that he didn’t appear drunk from the alcohol and winter cherry.

Finally, Lazy Flame Dragon’s expression seemed to hold unprecedented goodwill.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt a sense of crisis. He thought of mission failure.

“If I were you, I would have cut ties with the family and devoted myself to Desolate Sect. They say the fruit of the World Tree cures all ailments. The same would be true for the Solar Divine Meridian. To discuss life without that much effort? It’s laughable. Even if you live a few more years, it’s already too late.”

“Haha! You’re worried about me! Were you so concerned about losing someone worthy to discuss martial arts with!”

“I said you were even more dull.”

It was incomprehensible thinking. He seemed mad from long suffering. The problem was approaching with provocations that would work on ordinary people.

‘I’ll have to try again after some time.’

It was an unexpected obstacle. Jeong Yeon-shin immediately turned around.

Since any provocation seemed useless now, he needed help from Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin, who were watching from afar with strange expressions.

‘I can’t cut off Lazy Flame Dragon’s limbs in the middle of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.’

It would surely make him a criminal in the righteous martial arts world. That’s why provocation was the goal.

Even the chase with the Hwangbo family’s military force, set as the final mission, would be difficult.

“Where are you going? Let’s drink together. You’re good enough. I’ll specially serve you aged Shaoxing wine.”

“Your worthless talent would spoil the taste of the wine. I don’t share tables with insignificant people.”

Despite the harsh words, he laughs heartily. Completely mad. Jeong Yeon-shin shook his head inwardly.

He turned his gaze to find Yu Hyeon, who had been sprawled out in the distance. He could see him getting up alone.

There didn’t seem to be any disciples accompanying him from the Mount Hua Sect, and he looked terrible.

Jeong Yeon-shin quickly approached and asked.

“Where are the elders who accompanied you?”

“Ah, long time no see. As you can see, they decided to send everyone out from inside the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Saying how could we comfortably socialize with the elders watching. Anyway, thanks. Indeed… um, Gu Gwa.”

He changes his words as if he had heard Lazy Flame Dragon’s talk. Yu Hyeon’s eyes moved.

He was as sharp as expected. He briefly noticed the Desolate Sect mark of the rough ‘Hwang’ character covered with different fabric.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

“You’re not angry. Even though I interrupted your martial contest.”

“It should have ended earlier. The levels didn’t match. Compared to that, you…”

“Hmm?”

Yu Hyeon was famous as an unparalleled genius from Shanxi Province. Unusually, his words trailed off.

“You’ve become incredibly strong. It feels like you’re on a completely different level. I’ve improved too, but, hmm? Come to think of it, you.”

He seemed to belatedly notice the color of Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial clothes under his robe.

Yu Hyeon’s expression became complicated. That’s what the blue of Desolate Sect meant.

It was said to hold as much prestige as the elite of the Nine Sects in the world. They were supreme masters under the sect leader and elders.

Jeong Yeon-shin was close enough to be called friends with Yu Hyeon. He had often heard.

As the youngest disciple of the sect leader, he dreamed of becoming the Plum Blossom Sword Master of the Mount Hua Sect. The blue rank represented a position equivalent to Yu Hyeon’s goal. His feelings were understandable.

‘We live in different times.’

Jeong Yeon-shin swallowed his words.

He turned his gaze. He saw people approaching before Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin.

Young men and women with outstanding spirit. They were the later-period disciples from the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering at Lotus Pavilion.

‘Orthodox martial artists gathered in one place. There are master-disciple relationships too.’

To Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes, they didn’t approach as people. Their faces, unable to hide their curiosity, appeared as new systems of martial arts.

“In my life, I’ve never seen anyone speak so harshly to Lazy Flame Dragon. I am Wei Wu-ling of the Jangbaek Sect.”

“I am Yin Li-ming of the White Blade Sect of South Zhili. Your prodigious moves were quite creative. Where did you learn it?”

“Chasing Truth Sect, is it? If they have a newer generation disciple like you, they’ll soon soar. It’s been long since a dragon rose from a minor sect, and now another newer generation disciple like Sword Dragon and Lazy Flame Dragon has appeared.”

They gathered one by one. Perhaps because the opponent had been Lazy Flame Dragon.

Though they must have heard Jeong Yeon-shin’s words and actions, they didn’t seem to show much aversion.

He returned their greetings while fully sensing their spirit.

‘Good.’

Recently, what Jeong Yeon-shin wanted to create was internal cultivation. It was the study of accepting energy.

The various spirits of the later-period disciples revealed through true Energy were all inspiration.

To increase the speed of energy accumulation in internal cultivation, stability had to be considered together. Orthodox martial arts were indeed a good foundation.

“Such a mongrel without roots.”

He liked the sight of Hwangbo Myeong-rin glaring murderously from the side.

The later-period disciples from renowned martial arts families formed a group around her. None of them approached Jeong Yeon-shin.

Then someone spoke.

“They say Shaolin, Wudang, and Zhongnan have sent people too. I wonder when they’ll arrive.”

Jeong Yeon-shin immediately thought of the young monk Gak Jeong and Sword Dragon Wei Ji Myohwa. It was the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering of the righteous martial arts world.

It seemed disciples comparable to three-tenths of the Central Plains’ orthodox sects were gathering.

‘The scale is growing.’

It wasn’t just the later-period disciples. Here in Huizhou, the Namgung family had already begun engaging with the Thirteen Heavens.

To accomplish this mission’s goal, they needed to draw in the Hwangbo family too. The Thirteen Heavens who fought the Namgung family couldn’t be overlooked either.

It was impossible to know how intense the flow would become. Just as Jeong Yeon-shin was newly honing his vigilance.

“This place will do.”

An eerie voice spread. It was an intense resonance. For a moment, an extremely deep internal energy was felt.

Thud! Thud!

From various places, corpses of warriors in blue martial clothes flew in. They seemed to be Namgung family warriors who had been secretly guarding the surroundings.

The newer generation disciples’ reaction was immediate.

Shing!

It was the unified sound of swords being drawn from all directions. No one was careless enough to ask about identities first.

Each flashing their spirit light, they stared at the uninvited guests.

“Whenever the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is held, the evil sects get involved. It was the same yesterday. When Namgung closes their doors, all sorts of flies stick to it.”

“Isn’t it natural since everything is out in the open? Even the main family has so many enemies.”

“Let’s end this quickly.”

Even more casual replies came to the later-period disciples’ composed reactions.

“The spy’s words were true. Even the orthodox sects’ youngsters. Truly delightful.”

“The reaction is good. Yes. It’s common in the martial world.”

Many approached without footsteps. Blood-red hair mixed with black hair and chilling aura.

There seemed to be twenty Blood Swordmasters. They revealed blood-red spirit light as they glared at where Jeong Yeon-shin stood.

They had appeared as soon as he spent time at Lotus Pavilion after entering Huizhou. It seemed intentional.

Jeong Yeon-shin had already heard Ma Jin’s words.

That he would become the primary target for elimination after revealing martial arts that could become the natural enemy of the Blood Flame Sect.

‘It was true.’

He had learned while carrying out multiple missions.

They said the Blood Flame Sect’s power had grown bizarrely large.

Such a massive evil sect was mobilizing all its power to kill Jeong Yeon-shin.

As an evil sect whose essence of power lay in techniques, the longer he spent in the martial world, the more easily he would be tracked, they said.

It was part of their technique-based martial arts.

If the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering had been held inside the Namgung family compound, this wouldn’t have happened. Even Desolate Sect hadn’t expected this.

“Blood Flame Sect?”

“Insane.”

“So many swordmasters… how many branches have gathered?”

Many let out sighs. Even Jeong Yeon-shin, who had little experience in the martial world, had encountered them tiringly often.

The later-period disciples who had roamed the martial world before must feel the same. They appeared to be a terrifying force.

Even Hwangbo Myeong-rin’s face in the distance had turned pale.

Lazy Flame Dragon’s expression, whose acupoints hadn’t been unsealed yet, wasn’t good either.

This was the martial world. They said it was a place where inevitability and chance intertwined to create corpses unexpectedly.

Just because you drove away a third-rate sect yesterday didn’t mean a major sect wouldn’t visit tomorrow.

Even the Namgung family, who had locked their gates, might have been playing in the palm of the Blood Flame Sect’s hand.

Everyone would die.

It was an old method of evil sects. When they massacre the heirs of hostile orthodox sects, even the veteran masters would be affected.

In the world of masters where the slightest difference matters, it creates an overwhelming psychological gap.

“……”

Only the sound of water flowing while endlessly absorbing sunlight echoed.

Had the river under the pavilion become the River Styx? There were young new generation disciples swallowing their saliva.

‘This is good.’

Jeong Yeon-shin circulated his true Energy following the predetermined verse.

Immediately, Buddhist divine power began to rise throughout his body.

As he wrapped his inner power around his right hand, he inwardly hoped. The Seventh Apostle of the Blood Flame Sect had lost an eye to this martial art.

He hoped they had brought the nullifying technique.

If he could break that nullifying technique once more, there would be something to gain.

His was a life that needed to grow stronger rapidly. He had to use any means available.

“You.”

One of the Blood Swordmasters stepped forward. He had the most black hair among the group.

They said the martial might of sect swordsmen varied greatly. His spirit felt unusual from the start.

“In a busy city like Huizhou, there’s nowhere our sect’s eyes don’t reach. You crawled in even though you must know there’s a death warrant on you. The fools of the orthodox sects knew nothing. You are…”

“Then you must know this too.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said.

A blue-green energy gathered in his hanging hands. It was a unique martial art that existed nowhere else in the world.

The moment Demon Destroying Blue Steel Hand appeared over the water that had swallowed the sun, there was energy magnificently spreading from his hands.

Woong!

It was the clearest energy of anyone present. A sky-blue mist-like wave spread out in all directions.

Perhaps because he had accumulated a considerable amount of energy for creating the internal energy technique.

Without even swinging his hands, he pushed back the entire group of Blood Swordmasters’s energy. It was completely opposing.

For a moment, there was no response. Question lingered on Jeong Yeon-shin’s face.