Chapter 15

Growth

The wind roughly swept past his ears. The inner energy coursing through his entire body, imbued with the principles of the Supreme Extreme, overlapped.

Jeongyeon reached out his hand toward the sword wave.

'Cut in one go.'

In the vast village fields, a commotion was brewing.

People were shouting to stop, and a red-haired man was laughing, saying they shouldn't speak like that. He hadn't noticed yet. The distance was quite far.

That was when it happened.

Whoosh!

The fabric of the hood brushed past his cheek and moved away.

Qingming had overtaken him with an incredible lightness of movement.

The skill of brushing past the tips of grass, the realm of Caoshangfei (Grass-top Flight). Indeed, he was a renowned clan member.

Jeongyeon's footwork, at best, could only hold its own within the activity range of the Yellow Emperor City.

Recently, he had been trying to create essential lightness of body techniques like lightness of movement and footwork, but lacked inspiration.

'Damn.'

In the end, even Baek Mireu surpassed him with her light footwork, and Xian Yuan Chang even patted his shoulder and went ahead, saying he would go first.

In terms of lightness of movement, Jeongyeon was still not at the level of the Yellow Emperor City's white rank. He knew this himself.

"Hmm."

His eyes moved sharply.

Below the hill where the government office was located, many houses lined up beyond the cultivated fields and livestock pens.

Further out, green hills stretched to the mountains outside the village, with dense undergrowth that seemed ominous.

At a glance, it looked like a good place to hide and live.

'They said he regularly comes to the village to cause trouble.'

The Central Plains were vast. Even in a single county, it was hard to count the number of people living there by eye.

Still, if he always appeared, it meant he wasn't far away, and there wouldn't be many places where he could hide his red hair.

It was well-known that Blood Flame Sect members were forbidden by their doctrine to wear hats or hoods to cover their heads.

Jeongyeon changed his direction while running and glanced down.

The body of the Blood Flame Sect member, who had blocked Qingming's clear-cut sword strike, was pushed back.

It meant he couldn't handle the Yellow Emperor City's blue rank. What would happen if Baek Mireu joined in?

"Just in case."

He ran toward the hills.

Passing by the frightened villagers' astonished eyes and reaching the path leading into the mountains, he soon realized he had made the right choice.

"Get out of the way!"

A man with disheveled red hair was running toward them, his bright red martial robe stained with traces of effort.

It was astonishing how he had shaken off Qingming and Baek Mireu.

Jeongyeon placed his hand on the sword wave, spread all his fingers once, and then gripped the hilt.

Simultaneously, he activated the Maha Light Skill and aimed the sword path.

Swoosh—

Now, a tangible aura of energy was seeping out of his body. He took a step forward with his right foot and lowered his upper body into a horse stance.

Jeongyeon's swift Maha Light Skill, when fully prepared, was even difficult for blue-rank Maha Light Wing experts to handle lightly.

"Brat? No, what is this...!"

Surprise flashed across the face of the Blood Flame Sect member, who was running with a demonic expression. He soon gritted his teeth and changed direction.

'Huh?'

Where is he going? Jeongyeon was stunned.

Until now, all his experiences of facing enemies head-on or confronting them at close range seemed meaningless.

This was what the real martial world was like, as the sight of the man circling to escape was shocking. A newcomer to the martial world.

Regardless of talent in martial arts, he had discovered the naivety that all martial artists experienced.

He still lacked the footwork and lightness of movement to catch the Blood Flame Sect member. In the end, Jeongyeon could only watch the retreating back helplessly.

"What a loss."

Qingming, who had approached, laughed bitterly.

"Yeonshin, don't blame yourself. It's our fault."

"He had the Life-saving Leap. It was a defensive skill suitable for the Blood Flame Sect's lackeys."

Baek Mireu, who followed, sighed.

The Life-saving Leap literally meant a last-resort skill to save one's life.

In this case, it seemed to be his agility. It was completely opposite to Jeongyeon.

"A footwork skill faster than the Caoshangfei of a renowned clan? That guy. They said he hadn't been in the Blood Flame Sect for long."

Jeongyeon couldn't help but ask. Qingming's bitter smile deepened.

"Those blood clots. They gain power through a technique that blurs the line between sorcery and martial arts, burning both their own and others' blood to refine their skills. It's at the cost of their lifespan. That guy seemed to have particularly good talent. His sword technique didn't match his lightness of movement."

"It's strange that he's been acting alone for a long time. The Blood Flame Sect isn't a group of free-spirited people. There's something more."

Baek Mireu spoke with a thoughtful expression.

She calmed her frustration and glanced at Jeongyeon, who had slightly bowed his head.

"Everyone must have guessed it, but his base must be nearby. Given his strange obsession, he won't back down."

"Shall we take a leisurely wait while enjoying the fresh air?"

"…Yeah. You do that. Damn renowned clan."

Qingming, leaning back with his arms crossed, and Baek Mireu, narrowing her eyes and glaring at him.

While they were talking, Xian Yuan Chang, panting, ran up.

"Xian Yuan Chang. Your overall martial arts achievement is good. It matches the white rank. But your stamina is lacking. You might think your current level is enough, but in the martial world, you never face an opponent in perfect condition. You're still lacking."

Baek Mireu said in a detached tone. Xian Yuan Chang, feeling a bit embarrassed, bowed apologetically.

Jeongyeon's eyes sparkled. The reason Ma Jin had sent the four of them.

The blue-rank expert evaluating the white-rank warrior's experience and achievement was a tradition of the Yellow Emperor City.

In the world, it was extremely rare for such high-level martial artists to personally guide their juniors.

It was an unprecedented privilege in the Central Plains.

"And Jeongyeon…"

He flinched inwardly at Baek Mireu's gaze. Her eyes were unusually soft.

"Your foundation is astonishingly well-polished. I doubt there are many cases like this even among the Nine Schools and Eight Families. I completely understood when I saw you run without any pretense. In terms of body alone, there might be no one in Maha Light Wing who can keep up. Especially not a frail renowned clan member like Qingming."

Baek Mireu, who scanned Jeongyeon's body with a dispassionate gaze, smiled contentedly.

"A martial artist must have a good body. A physique that can achieve greatness no matter what martial arts they learn."

"Right. There's no need to be disheartened by your lightness of movement now."

Qingming, ignoring the 'frail' comment, smiled and patted Jeongyeon's shoulder.

The expression of the Yellow Emperor City's new hero, who looked on enviously, was also awkward.

Jeongyeon changed the subject, feeling a sense of accomplishment from the hard work he had put into the Jeongga Cave.

"Can we stay at the government office? I might have been a bit harsh."

"What if we can't? We're the Yellow Emperor City. He should cooperate with us properly."

"Right. The inconvenience will be his, not ours. What can the law do? Thanks to you, that official will also realize his position."

Baong Mireu's words were echoed by Qingming. It seemed trivial to them.

However, what was the influence of the magistrate of his hometown, Shinya County?

He saw that it was on par with the Jeongga Hall, a major landowner and martial family.

He couldn't help but reconsider the position of the Yellow Emperor City.

An unprecedented sect that was hard to match in both the martial world and the government.

'Really joined a comfortable place. I just need to do my best.'

While deeply considering the opponent's strength, there was no need to worry about the collective's influence.

How many places like this could there be in the vast world?

"By the way, you. Want to learn how to walk?"

"How to walk? A defensive skill?"

Jeongyeon's question made Qingming hesitate. He scratched his hood.

"We can't teach you our sect's martial arts… but I can show you how the renowned clan moves. Normally, even if you know, you can't do it, but I think you can."

"The renowned clan's footwork!"

Xian Yuan Chang, who exclaimed, made a desperate face as if begging to be taught. Jeongyeon also fully understood his reaction this time.

Due to recently meeting many renowned clan members, he had become desensitized to their exotic features and long ears, but there were still many places in the Central Plains where the renowned clan was treated like celestial immortals.

Their realm was that deep and narrow.

Their ageless beauty, extraordinary agility, and the reputation of the clan