This time, he did not go to the training grounds.
Instead, he entered his room, where no one could disturb him, and sat cross-legged.
It was different from practicing eye techniques.
Training internal energy by sitting still and absorbing qi had to be done in a place free from external influences.
'If someone interferes and my energy channels get twisted, I could die from Qi Deviation.'
Qi Deviation. He recalled the retainers who became endlessly careless when it came to themselves.
It was a legitimate concern.
He had no desire to die young from his energy and blood vessels becoming entangled.
He brushed away the unpleasant thought with his breathing.
Jung Yeonshin slowly cleared his mind and began to sink inward.
He already had insight into the principles of circulating internal energy, including Small Circulation and Large Circulation techniques.
'Let's awaken the power of Jung Family Physical Conditioning Method within my inner qi.'
The first step was refining the natural energy he absorbed through his breath using Qi Condensation Techniques.
Most martial lineages, including the Jung Clan and Zhongnan Sect, refined natural energy through circulation to make it their own.
The power that completely adapted to and resided in the practitioner's body was called Internal Energy or True Qi.
Jung Yeonshin sought to strengthen his True Qi with more True Qi.
Just as his body had become resilient by accepting internal energy.
His training, which began in the morning, continued until the sun disappeared beyond the mountains.
"…Huh? This feels strange."
Jung Yeonshin muttered blankly and casually unfolded his legs as if he had just sat down.
'Why is my Baihui Acupoint so wide open?'
At first, he had tried to examine what kind of power the denser True Qi might exert. It didn't work.
The True Qi accumulated in his dantian refused to overlap, as if it was already whole by itself.
He wondered if his approach was wrong, but that wouldn't explain the overwhelming energy of Elder Yeo IL-shin.
However, all these concerns were now secondary.
'I've spent a year focusing only on physical training with the Jung Family Physical Conditioning Method.'
He hadn't observed himself properly while obsessively delving into a single training method for a year.
In that time, the flow of energy passing through his head had become even more massive.
'I knew I was the only one growing this much.'
Jung Yeonshin murmured blankly.
"Could this kill me?"
The Baihui Acupoint connected directly to the upper dantian in the head, and it was crucial to keep the energy there moderately balanced.
He feared becoming a mindless fool, only to be discovered as a corpse in the future.
Comparing the difference, it seemed he had less than five years before he lost consciousness.
Suddenly becoming aware of his lifespan felt surreal.
'Dying? Me?'
He stood up and grasped the doorknob with trembling hands.
Fresh air might offer a clue to resolving this.
Clunk.
His body froze the moment he opened the door.
As fresh air poured in, the thick smell of blood engulfed him.
He grabbed his sword immediately.
He had watched hunters butcher and dismember animals before.
The smell was similar to that, but even as he stepped outside and passed through the training grounds, no corpses were visible.
Unless it was the Blood Arts of demonic cultists he had only heard about, this shouldn't be possible.
"······."
The silence enveloping the night sky felt eerie.
The manor was disturbingly quiet.
Jung Yeonshin walked slowly.
His intuition told him something terrible had already happened.
It felt like walking into a pitch-black swamp.
'Ah.'
By the time he reached the main residence's garden, he saw it. Slaughter.
The common phrase in the martial world about rivers running red with blood had seemed exaggerated.
Instead, blood soaked into the ground or dripped down thresholds of the annex buildings.
Scattered throughout were retainers lying lifeless.
Their chests bore identical sword wounds, as if someone had practiced swordsmanship on them.
They lay still, as if they had never moved.
Perhaps they were so immersed in their practice that they hadn't noticed the commotion, or maybe the invaders' overwhelming force made resistance futile.
Thud!
A loud noise finally echoed from outside the estate.
It sounded like formidable martial artists were clashing beyond the main gate.
Amidst the cries of swords and explosive strikes, Jung Yeonshin walked toward the main residence.
Ten men who seemed to be intruders lounged around carelessly, but one turned his head when Jung Yeonshin approached within ten paces.
"Who are you?"
A man with two swords crossed on his back asked. Jung Yeonshin replied briefly.
"The third son of this household."
There was no reply.
The man stood and walked toward him.
He didn't even bother to draw his sword.
Instead, he raised his hand, imbued with martial energy, and swung it down.
Jung Yeonshin's eyes caught a flash of sky-blue light as he read the flow of energy carried by the wind.
Snap!
A seamless motion followed, grabbing the wrist, pressing it downward, and twisting.
It was an execution of Joint-Locking Techniques he had never formally learned.
As he moved, his True Qi surged throughout his body, reinforced by the Jung Family Physical Conditioning Method.
No matter how much the man struggled, Jung Yeonshin's grip didn't loosen.
He held firm.
Crunch!
A sharp crack echoed, followed by a scream.
The others, who had been ignoring him, all turned their heads at once, their eyes widening.
"Let go!"
"You bastard!"
'Now you're acting like the demonic cultists I expected.'
Jung Yeonshin thought.
When he finally let go, the twin-sworded warrior glared at him.
Pain and fury twisted his expression.
Being overpowered by a boy half his size naturally enraged him.
The man clenched his massive fist. His flushed face contorted as he roared and swung his arm.
He didn't even bother to draw his swords, but his force was terrifying.
It wasn't ordinary Fist Techniques. For a moment, his fist seemed to swell like a cauldron lid.
Jung Yeonshin's eyes caught another flash of sky-blue light.
'Head.'
The trajectory was obvious.
While maintaining the activated Jung Family Physical Conditioning Method, his entire body surged with energy.
At that moment, an enlightenment pierced his mind.
Intent.
When the intent that controlled internal energy grew strong, True Qi could do anything.
It would fully submit to its master.
Vroom!
As Jung Yeonshin directed his True Qi, his intent materialized.
The clarity of his thoughts transformed into words that imprinted on his soul.
This was the Mnemonic Verse, the essence of martial techniques.
Poetry(Initiate), Geuk (Overcome), Sutra(Scripture).
Without deliberation, the name defined the martial technique.
The Fatebreaker's Codex.
As the name implied, it was a technique to break through limitations using True Qi manipulation.
The True Qi that had filled his right foot and left hand surged toward his right hand and left foot.
The overlapping energy increased in density.
His left foot struck the ground with newfound force, shattering it, and the edge of the swiftly unsheathed steel sword glimmered with moonlight as it followed the mnemonic verse of Swift Sword Techniques.
Slash—!
The heads of two men charging in alongside the twin-sword warrior were cut down in an instant.
It felt as though it wasn't his own body. Three heads were swept away all at once.
Judging by their expressions of shock, their eyes had managed to track his sword's movement.
What did it matter? No matter how fiercely their severed heads glared in midair.
Swish!
Turning his upper body, he spun like snowflakes scattering in the wind, closing the distance.
The red-haired woman approaching from behind the headless corpses gasped.
By the time she raised her left arm, which held a crescent-shaped wheel, the gleaming blade had already pierced her throat.
Without hesitation, the boy withdrew his sword, and her body fell forward at his feet.
His breathing remained steady, no different from before he drew his sword.
It was an extreme situation.
The shock of his first kill was naturally buried somewhere deep in his mind, and his body, tempered through rigorous training, felt stronger and more composed than anyone else present.
"Y-You…"
A wiry swordsman, who had been observing, contorted his face.
A massive man resting his hand on the swordsman's shoulder rose to his feet.
"You've devoted your life to Swift Sword Techniques. You must have no other tricks. Just a boy, young and well-trained in swift swordplay. Those guys, caught off guard."
He had a physique like a great beast and sharp eyes like a fox.
Not everything he said was wrong. But Jung Yeonshin instinctively knew he was nearing his limit.
"Even so, it's astounding. Truly remarkable. How can someone your age move like that?"
"Bloodflame Cult?"
The boy glanced at the red-haired woman lying at his feet and asked.
He couldn't take his eyes off the man.
"No. I'm with The Tyrant Sword Tribe."
"The Tyrant Sword Tribe? Then this is the Bloodflame Cult."
"Yes."
"What are two of the Thirteen Celestial Demons doing in a place like Xin'ya County?"
"None of your business."
"Why are you even answering me?"
"Because it's a waste. Martial artists as skilled as you at your age are rare. It's amusing to hear a kid from the countryside speak as if he's seen the center of the martial world."
The man let out a rough laugh.
"A waste?"
A sneer formed at the corner of the boy's lips.
"You're just scared of my maternal family. You filthy mutt from the demonic cult."
Jung Yeonshin bet everything on provoking him, maintaining an arrogant expression and a heart pounding violently.
If the man hesitated, Jung Yeonshin would win.
He had guessed something earlier when the twin-sword warrior used Hand Blade Techniques instead of drawing his sword during their first exchange.
"…Crazy brat."
The man growled, his voice rumbling like a beast's from deep within.
The ferocious aura that accompanied it sent chills down Jung Yeonshin's spine, but he forced himself to remain calm.
"You mongrels can't kill me. No matter what I do."
Backing down would only invite an attack.
Boom!
A loud crash erupted from the gate.
With a thunderous explosion, the shattered doors flew inward.
Amid the splintered fragments lay a familiar figure, one of the experts from the Zhongnan Sect who had come with Elder Jung Yeol-shin.
His once-pristine martial robe was now tattered, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
'Wasn't he called the Cliff Shearing Sword? How could such an expert end up like this…?'
Thud. Thud.
The boy turned his head, startled.
The sound of colossal forces colliding grew closer until the walls crumbled, allowing them to burst into the manor.
Crash!
Yeo IL-shin and another expert from the Zhongnan Sect entered first.
Their appearance was even more battered than the Cliff Shearing Sword.
Even the seemingly invincible Yeo IL-shin had lost part of her left ear, a sight that was deeply unsettling.
'I thought she was a sword immortal who roamed the heavens.'
Step.
A massive shadow entered with wide strides.
Clearly human in shape, yet the overwhelming pressure emanating from him seemed unreal, as if the center of the world had shifted to where he stood.
He carried an enormous sword, and the ominous energy radiating from its blade conjured thoughts of death.
Jung Yeonshin shuddered, not just from the aura but from something far greater than martial skill.
It was an indescribable force that enveloped the man's entire being.
Jung Yeonshin thought of an unstoppable landslide.
'Who is he?'
The terrifying aura writhed around the middle-aged man, a swordmaster of absolute power.
His gaze shifted past the man Jung Yeonshin had been confronting and settled on the boy.
The oppressive pressure sank into the air, warping the very space around him.
Just realizing the man's eyes were on him made Jung Yeonshin feel dizzy.
"Lord Sect Leader!"
The man Jung Yeonshin had spoken with dropped to his knees.
'Sect Leader? The Tyrant Sword Tribe Leader came in person?'
A ruler of one of the Thirteen Celestial Demons, powerful enough to rival the Nine Orthodox Sects.
No wonder his presence felt so overwhelming.
The oppressive aura, the sight of Zhongnan's elders injured despite their combined strength, it all made sense now.
In that moment, as everyone froze—
Tap. Tap.
Jung Yeonshin moved alone. He ran.
Pushing his Jung Family Physical Conditioning Method to its absolute limit, he pounded the ground relentlessly.
Toward the kneeling man. The terrifying martial artist he had challenged earlier.
"W-What?"
The man panicked, and everyone's eyes turned to the boy.
The Tyrant Sword Tribe Leader did not move.
Was he simply curious to see what would happen? Jung Yeonshin didn't care.
He charged forward with all his might.
Whoosh—!
The wind roared past his ears like a waterfall.
His sprint traced a sharp line of sword light.
Thump!
The blue blade pierced the back of the rising man, cutting straight through to his abdomen.
With a dull thud, the man collapsed forward again.
Jung Yeonshin slowly stood up.
With one foot planted firmly on the man's back, he stared directly at the Tyrant Sword Tribe Leader.
"Even now…"
A faint azure lightning flickered in the boy's eyes.
"Do you think you can kill me?"