Rarely, it was truly enjoyable.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought so as he silently watched the young Lord of Ipwang Fortress sitting across from him.

The girl gulped down the tree sap before the stone table, as if her throat had been parched by the repeated events.

He asked softly,

"Does it suit your taste?"

"It's just plain water. It would taste better if it were brewed into liquor."

The young master's voice was calm.

It was because Jeong Yeon-shin had stirred the spirit (神) of her upper dantian with his words and actions earlier.

Originally, noble clansmen of her level could gauge a person’s heart even through mere breathing, and they had exchanged swords and even shared intent.

Thanks to that alone, the girl's internal breathing had calmed like a gentle breeze.

'Born with the ability to see the essence.'

It was said she could even discern the tree rings of uncut wood.

And it was no different with people.

Huruk.

The girl had relaxed.

She sipped the heated sap from the cup, treating it like tea.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

What had the young master felt from him now?

Did the heavy scent of blood, clinging from the Central Plains and the northern lands, make her dizzy?

But he stopped there.

He did not delve further inward.

He only asked what had weighed on his mind.

"Do you know the taste of liquor?"

"If you get cut by the rusty blades of the Yuan Martial Gods, you have to pour liquor over the wound before applying gold salve. You should always carry some."

"Then... you already know the taste of alcohol?"

"You talk like Wolpung. You're not that much older than the Age of Learning, are you?"

"Once you undergo the coming-of-age ceremony, you are considered an adult. That’s when you learn drinking etiquette."

"When did you undergo it?"

Jeong Yeon-shin silently rose from his seat.

It was about time for the martial army of the noble clans and the Southern Emperor to rip through the barriers.

Especially, he needed to encounter as many of the noble clan members here as possible.

The martial army merged with the World Tree was such a fearsome force that even the God of War could hardly guarantee victory.

'It was the same in the late Yuan dynasty.'

The era of Master Sambong.

The Yuan's equestrian martial arts had passed to the Yao tribes, and the original martial lineage, the Yuan Martial Gods, had led armies of tens of thousands, including even Yao warriors.

It was said that even Zhang Sanfeng, the greatest sword of the ages, had called their tyranny the devastation of a nation.

What then of the core forces of the Ming dynasty, who ultimately drove them out?

The World Tree, replacing reinforcements like the imperial army and ancient sects with 'unity' instead.

"If you undergo the coming-of-age ceremony, do you really feel like you've become an adult? Even your sword grip grows stronger?"

The young master asked as she rose to follow Jeong Yeon-shin. Perhaps because this was a time when martial prowess was more precious than anything else, even a peerless young swordswoman showed some curiosity toward a first-time meeting.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin sought to unravel her every secret.

"Yes."

Jeong Yeon-shin gave a small smile.

"Even if only slightly, it helped me survive. If the war has delayed yours, perhaps you could beg your parents to hold the ceremony."

"I have none. A faded military king killed them."

It was a calm reply.

Another piece of new information, completely unheard of before.

The grudges of a chaotic era knew no end.

After a brief silence, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.

"My parents did not conduct mine either."

"I thought so."

"......?"

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly felt something strange.

More time had passed than expected, yet nothing had come.

No noble clan martial army.

No Southern Emperor.

Saaaa—

The breeze brushed the forest, making a sound like scattering grains of sand. In the untimely silence, it felt as if a desert of time had spread out.

***

Wonjeok lightly pushed through the tall grass with his Air-Stepping Technique, soaring up easily.

Supporting the golden-veined, lightning-eyed Geumbyeokja, he listened to his nonsense.

"I want to eat Owun-sancho grass. You pick one leaf, the clan chief picks another, Master Sambong one, Wolpung and the young lady each another. Since they're all masters, the scent must be pure bliss."

"Amitabha... something's strange."

"Yeah, a little weird."

Geumbyeokja rambled on.

"My crown is burning hot. Maybe I'll reach Nirvana without the hassle of shaving my head every day like you... Ah, I feel bad about that."

Wonjeok, giving up on supporting him, swept his eyes around.

Though Geumbyeokja giggled mindlessly like someone drunk on poppy fumes, there was an occasional sound mixed in — the tearing sound of breaking air.

Huuk!

It was approaching fast.

Beings who did not even try to hide their aura, swallowing the prairie like vast sunlight.

And there was more than one.

'Yuan Martial Gods...!'

The martial enemies of this era.

Masters of the Yuan dynasty.

Now, Wonjeok was heading toward the World Tree's side, but they were rushing from the same direction.

It had not been like this originally.

Wonjeok had once struggled to withdraw, dragging along the unconscious Geumbyeokja and the young Lord of Ipwang Fortress.

It was Wi Yeon and Wolpung who had pinned down five Yuan Martial Gods.

An unbelievably brutal fight.

Meanwhile, even then, Zhang Sanfeng had headed straight for the World Tree.

This was why the noble clans of that time had been so deeply disappointed in him.

'No one could understand why.'

Later, Zhang Sanfeng returned and contributed greatly to driving the Yuan Martial Gods, the Southern Emperor, and the Faded Military King far beyond the World Tree's domain.

But by then, an entire two hours had passed, and the damage was immense.

―"Let us go this far."

Only a cryptic sentence was left behind.

There was no chance to ask what he had done.

Because right after, while the city of the World Tree was still gathering the corpses, he struck Wonjeok on the head, turning him into a fool, and then disappeared without ever returning to the martial world.

Leaving the once-promising talents Geumbyeokja and Wonjeok mocked as the 'Twin Fools.'

'Damned talking fool.'

That was the end of Zhang Sanfeng's martial wanderings.

Later, the Ming royal court thoroughly searched Wudang Mountain but found nothing.

Even Guanggeuk Zhenren, who had suddenly become the head of Wudang Sect as Zhang Sanfeng’s chief disciple, only kept curtly repeating that he knew nothing.

The truth lies here.

The flow of events had changed because of this.

Whether it was because of Zhang Sanfeng’s existence or because the World Tree itself had intervened in the current.

'They’re coming...!'

Wonjeok's eyes widened suddenly.

It was right after the fierce cry of a battle horse ripped through the air.

The white brilliance of blades swallowed the sky like a second sun.

Kwaaajik―

With the sound of skin being torn apart, consciousness flew like a cannon shell. It was a thrown spear hurled by the figure who had driven his horse like a streak of light, merging man and horse into one. Though he hadn't even had time to realize it, it would have crushed his face in a single blow.

It felt as if even time and space had been pierced through. Truly, they were descendants of those who had once ruled the largest empire in history. One of the martial gods of the Yuan dynasty. He would only meet his death at the hands of the Lord of Ipwang Fortress more than ten years after this point.

"Heo-eok...!"

In the next instant, Wonjeok returned to himself.

Back to the grassy field where he and Geumbyeokja, Wi Yeon, and Zhang Sanfeng had been gathered.

Perhaps because of the ragged breath.

The young Empress Dowager Wi Yeon, who had been about to call out to Zhang Sanfeng, instead turned her head and asked,

"What happened?"

Wonjeok couldn't answer, and Wi Yeon didn't wait for one.

Because Jeong Yeon-shin was standing behind Zhang Sanfeng like a lie.

A wondrous display of Body Movement Technique as always.

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

"...Master Sambong, Master Wonjeok."

"Who are you?"

Zhang Sanfeng asked with a sly smile, not even bothering to look back.

Seeing that, Wonjeok thought.

Was that monster named Sambong actually aware of the loops of regression?

Even if he were merely a record of the past, torn out by the World Tree.

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin’s expression was serious.

"I have lost my way."

"......!"

Wonjeok felt his heart stop for a moment.

It meant that even the Sword Commander had been trapped inside the world created by the World Tree.

A catastrophe on a whole different scale compared to mere warriors losing their senses.

'What are we supposed to do about this?'

The world was already in an apocalypse.

Then Zhang Sanfeng puckered his wrinkled lips like a street peddler and said,

"Strange things do happen. A traveler has drifted all the way here."

"I thought clearing my mind or using the power of my upper dantian would be enough. But it wasn’t. Neither meditation nor divine insight worked."

"I have no idea what you’re saying."

"I must leave this place."

Of course.

No one knew better than Jeong Yeon-shin the symbolism of the Sword Commander’s position.

Especially in times like these.

At the same time, Jeong Yeon-shin’s transmitted voice seeped into Wonjeok’s mind like a seed of enlightenment.

―It seems that the greatest monstrous being of past and present intends to catch two rabbits at once. He aims not only to unravel Master Sambong’s path, but also to trap my consciousness here. Just as he did to you, Master.

Wonjeok’s lips twitched.

―Such absurdity might indeed be possible. All because of this humble monk.

The intelligence network of the orthodox sects, which kept noble clans as subordinates, was never built by secular factions alone.

The World Tree’s power was immense.

That was why even without disciples descending from the mountain, they could grasp the world as if it were in their palms.

That was why Wonjeok had fallen into this state, communicating for so long with the roots of the World Tree rooted deep under Songshan.

―It is so absolute that it cannot be resisted. So much so that with regression, the spiritual nature of the upper dantian returns to its original state as if it were a miraculous treasure.

That proves just how strong their attempt at 'unification' with me was. I realize it now. I am truly sorry.

The World Tree.

The great mystery of the martial world.

Even while conveying this thought, Wonjeok felt as if he were gasping for breath. On the verge of stopping thought altogether after repeated deaths. As if the dense shadows of the woods were blocking his windpipe and filling his lungs. In other words, despair.

"Those fabrics and the emperor character, my father’s Qi Meridian reaching the heavens... Were you sent by the lord?"

The words of the young Empress Dowager Wi Yeon drifted away from his ears.

It was then that Jeong Yeon-shin spoke aloud.

"There’s a saying — if you chase two rabbits, you will lose both."

The pink-robed Wolpung had quietly approached alongside the young Lord of Ipwang Fortress. Jeong Yeon-shin glanced briefly at the girl, then turned to Zhang Sanfeng.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"May I strike?"

Many doubted their ears in that moment.

Wonjeok felt it.

True Qi surging into the upper dantians of all those present except for the parties concerned.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not ask twice.

He only addressed Wi Yeon in a low voice.

"His Majesty the Emperor bestowed this robe upon me, along with the blessing of 'the sword of this nation.'"

At that, the sharp line of Wi Yeon’s lips trembled faintly, then drew a soft arc like a blooming petal.

"I feel no falsehood in your words. It is indeed the truth."

Wonjeok was bewildered.

How had things come to this?

"I will ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ block Master Sambong. Let us join forces."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.

"...So that no one may witness the Master reaching the World Tree."

In the next instant, the Sword Commander’s blade exploded forth from its sheath with a surge of blue sword light. The sword, drawn in an eruption, was already racing for Zhang Sanfeng’s throat. Along with a burst of intent that spread in the blink of an eye.

[The greatest closed-door training in all of history.]