WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 116: Radiant Wheel Technique (4)
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“Apostle, please... would you accept this offering?”
Someone suddenly called out to the Seventh Apostle. She had been staring blankly at the young Grand Preceptor, but slowly turned her head.
Her crimson eyes lowered, becoming cold and emotionless.
She asked curtly.
“An offering?”
“Yes, yes. Noble Seventh Apostle.”
He was a man with black hair streaked with red, a Blood Master of the Blood Flame Sect.
Bent low, blood smeared around his mouth, he looked up at the Seventh Apostle.
At his feet lay a martial artist with a Black Uniform mantle draped over their back. Clear bite marks stood out on their neck.
“...”
The Seventh Apostle quietly looked down at the Blood Master. The Blood Master was young, with a face flushed by excitement.
It was a familiar expression. She had known it since birth.
Every believer she had seen while growing up had revered her with that same expression.
“The demonic essence qi of a Pure Demon Alliance whelp is a rare delicacy. Please...”
The Blood Master spoke.
“You lunatic!”
Another Blood Master cried out in alarm and rushed over, even using a movement technique.
The other Blood Master pressed down on the back of the first Blood Master’s head and whispered urgently.
“This newcomer has spoken beyond his station. Beg forgiveness a hundred times for this insult! How dare you recommend such paltry absorption to one who refines limitless innate blood qi into pure Blood Arts qi? It would taint the Apostle’s supreme martial realm!”
“What do you mean...? I heard the Third Apostle reached the Apostle realm through the Essence-Absorbing Grand Method.”
“The Seventh Apostle possesses a direct Holy Blood lineage, no less pure than that of the elven race. Even the nobles of our sect call it noble, pure blood...! Do you remember the Sun God Meridian we saw in Jinan? They said its blazing yang power grew without limit. The blood qi the Seventh Apostle was born with is the same!”
“Ah...”
“Absorption is not a mnemonic formula of Holy Blood. It is merely the Sect Master’s grace, bestowed out of pity for lowly Han Chinese believers like us. How dare you soil the noble mouth of the Seventh Apostle, born with Holy Blood, with human flesh and blood? It is enough for common folk like us to endure the pain of strife and advance to higher realms!”
The Blood Master who had tried to make the offering began trembling. He immediately pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Please forgive my sin of ignorance!”
He begged without raising his head. Reverence was an emotion mixed with fear.
That was how every Blood Flame Sect believer felt toward the Seventh Apostle.
Even Blood Masters capable of ruling an entire county were no exception.
“Insignificant thing, stop making such a fuss. The mnemonic formula is in the Mara Roaring Blood Art too. It is simply useless to me.”
The Seventh Apostle replied indifferently and turned away again.
Then someone spoke.
“Seventh Apostle.”
It was the other Blood Master, the one who had stopped the offering. The Seventh Apostle gave them an irritated look, and they respectfully cupped their hands.
“As the Sect Master intended, Desolate Fortress reinforcements have entered the City of Master Craftsmen.”
“Mm. Now I won’t have to expend so much power merely to make noise. That makes things easier.”
“Then shall I prepare the letter for the Sect Master? It seems the Sect Master will order a massacre. Shall I tell the subordinates to hone their sword qi?”
The Seventh Apostle gently shook her head.
“No. Don’t do that. My Grand Preceptor made me a promise. He said he would create a martial art for me alone. I realized something after what happened at the main altar. Even a Grandmaster must walk the martial path without wavering to create a Divine Technique, so my Grand Preceptor must enjoy a full lifespan in a good environment.”
“...I don’t understand.”
The other Blood Master looked puzzled.
At the same time, the corner of the Seventh Apostle’s lips rose slightly.
“It’s fine. You can understand it in our sect’s afterlife.”
Splat!
A scarlet flower of razor-sharp qi bloomed.
A blood flower blossomed in the air, filling the void with a chilling fragrance.
It was materialized inner energy.
The Holy Blood qi the Blood Master had spoken of.
The other Blood Master’s vision tilted.
It felt as though the world had slowed. Slowly, very slowly, they looked down at their chest.
Blood had soaked it through. It looked like crimson paint flung carelessly by a drunken painter.
They had not seen the strike.
It was a single move unleashed from a truly lofty realm.
Thud.
They collapsed. The one who had been prostrating himself before the Seventh Apostle had already lost his head.
‘Eliminating witnesses...?’
Their lips moved, but life left their open eyes.
“Perhaps because the Lord of Desolate Fortress dealt the Sect Master such a heavy blow, the Sect Master has grown terribly dull. The Sect Master would believe anything I said. The Sect Master did not even notice the doctored diagram. That Grand Method would not have succeeded even if it had been done properly, but... it seems the Sect Master thought I took my Grand Preceptor’s uniqueness lightly.”
The Seventh Apostle’s murmur brushed against the dying Blood Master’s ears.
“I should say the young Grand Preceptor’s martial prowess was greater than expected.”
Her voice carried a trace of laughter.
* * *
There was no sound in the homes of the Spring District of the City of Master Craftsmen.
Only silence filled the place.
It was a dead village, its air unmoving.
‘Was it always like this?’
It could not have been.
Jeong Yeon-shin arrived at the village entrance. He sensed a cluster of auras gathered in what looked like a plaza in the distance.
They belonged to martial artists.
Their energy was unsettled, spreading out in irregular waves. They were likely martial artists from the Thirteen Heavens or those walking between the orthodox and unorthodox paths.
This was the entrance to the City of Master Craftsmen.
Those bastards had taken control of the Spring District, its first village.
Their conduct was obvious even from the deserted streets.
From within the picture-perfect homes, he could clearly sense people crouching down, their breathing anxious.
They were forcing the craftsmen who made divine weapons for the world to work as slaves.
Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the words of Jang Jong-myeong, the smith he had met at the entrance. He had said he was begging the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s disciple for help.
He had said no one knew what the Demonic Sect’s Thirteen Heavens would do.
―There are many common folk in our city! Please, please protect them!
He had been right.
As Yeon-shin walked farther down the road, faint sounds reached him from afar. Fire burning in furnaces, the ringing of anvils and hammers.
The village was dead, yet weapons were still being forged.
There was no need to think long about what that meant.
Whoosh!
A breeze suddenly scattered Yeon-shin’s hair.
“Shall we take care of them?”
Before he knew it, Languid Flame Dragon stood shoulder to shoulder with the young Squad Leader. Perhaps because of the Sun God Meridian’s fiery power, dried blood clung to both his hands.
That was not all.
Namgung Hwa-shin’s elegant blue robe fluttered at the edge of Yeon-shin’s vision.
The steadfast aura of Red Noon Sword stood behind him. Masters of the Returning Wings Squad followed, forming ranks behind them with light footfalls that skimmed across the ground.
They had returned after swiftly slaughtering the Hyeongchang Sect martial artists.
Their weapons smelled of blood.
No one had sheathed a weapon yet.
They were all martial artists of far longer standing than Yeon-shin. They had sensed what he had sensed.
Even if their aura sense could not reach that far, experience let them infer the truth.
Plunderers acting as masters in the Spring District of the City of Master Craftsmen.
They had guessed that members of the Demonic Sect still remained.
“Squad Leader, give the order.”
Namgung Hwa-shin spoke.
Boundless azure-sky power rose from White Qilin’s entire body. The qi waves felt clear and pure.
It was not merely the power of the Vast Firmament Grand Evolution Divine Art.
It was the spirit of a chivalrous hero.
Any despair over the common folk’s impending ruin had been set aside.
“Squad Leader...? Did they just call you Squad Leader?”
Hyeon Won-chang stammered. It was a sight he had never even imagined.
Namgung Hwa-shin treated Yeon-shin as Squad Leader and asked for orders.
Was such a thing possible?
White Qilin was a rising talent who had dominated the eastern Dragon-Phoenix Gathering south of the Yangtze River.
“I was made temporary Squad Leader of the reinforcements.”
Yeon-shin gave a brief explanation.
Hyeon Won-chang’s eyes widened to their limit, but the boy spoke again in a low voice.
“Clean them up.”
It was a simple order.
The result was not.
It became a death sentence for the enemies remaining in the Spring District of the City of Master Craftsmen. The masters of the Returning Wings Squad scattered in every direction.
Clang! Boom!
“Desolate Fortress! Were there Demon Wings members here?!”
“Stop! Stop! As Sect Master, I request a truce... Urgh!”
The sound of swords clashing and auras roaring shook the underground village awake. The silence was filled with the noise of sudden battle.
“What is this...?”
“Masters of Desolate Fortress’s Divine Sword Squad...”
The experts of the Tang Sect and Beggars’ Sect groaned.
From the nameless cliff near the Sichuan Tang Clan to the City of Master Craftsmen, they had experienced nothing but confusion and shock, from the slaughter of the Hyeongchang Sect martial artists to this scene.
It was separate from Seom-ye Jeong Yeon-shin’s martial talent.
The sects of Sichuan were being slaughtered.
Desolate Fortress’s formally appointed martial artists moved at a single word from the boy.
It was difficult for anyone to believe.
They could not even step forward and say anything. Every sword stroke of the Returning Wings Squad was justified.
Drawing their swords and striking down their enemies was righteous vengeance.
Considering the craftsmen of the City of Master Craftsmen, it could even be called the retribution of chivalrous heroes.
‘There is nothing more to record about Seom-ye’s position. I should examine the level of his martial arts and the techniques he has mastered.’
Successor Beggar thought.
Seom-ye’s standing was clearly high. He had completely earned the loyalty of the Divine Sword Squad’s combat units.
No matter how much Successor Beggar considered it, the reason remained impossible to understand. It was something worth noting.
‘I will have to investigate after we leave. He is not just a rising talent with exceptional martial arts.’
Chaos had erupted in the Spring District village.
The second most revered beggar in the world turned away.
Their gaze came to rest on a single boy. He stood still in a dark blue long robe, but the bearing he carried felt unusual.
It was the dignity of someone noble.
Successor Beggar had encountered countless heroes and martial artists and knew that feeling well.
Was it because Successor Beggar had watched Yeon-shin command the Divine Sword Squad masters with only a few words?
‘When the Martial Alliance is formed, I must list him as someone to watch. He is someone who requires caution.’
At that moment, Yeon-shin met Successor Beggar’s eyes.
Successor Beggar quietly turned away.
Half a shichen later.
They gathered before the entrance to the Summer District beyond the Spring District. They stood before a stone gate shaped like an enormous half-circle.
The Returning Wings Squad masters had gathered the residents of the City of Master Craftsmen.
Everything had been settled.
Blood flowing from the corpses of bandits had soaked the stone ground, from the Spring District’s forges to its homes and plaza.
“Thank you, truly, truly!”
“I thought we would become slaves... Thank you so much.”
The short-statured common folk bowed over and over. The man at the front pressed his chest to the ground and did not move.
It was Jang Jong-myeong, who had been holding his breath at the entrance to the Spring District.
He was said to be the Spring District’s village chief.
During that time, Red Noon Sword had asked Yeon-shin for permission to interrogate the captured enemies.
The boy quietly nodded.
“I-I will talk!”
“Shut up! You spineless fool, do you know no shame?!”
The one who shouted was beheaded.
Namgung Hwa-shin’s sword stroke cut in a straight line. It did not even leave a spray of blood behind.
“I’m the one who needs to earn merit, you know.”
As Languid Flame Dragon grumbled, Red Noon Sword asked the enemies about their purpose.
Few martial artists in the Central Plains held to the belief called chivalry while walking between the orthodox and unorthodox paths.
Several warriors from Middle Way sects immediately answered.
“Bodhidharma’s Emanation Body is said to be in the City of Master Craftsmen. In the form of a treasured artifact.”
“An Emanation Body?”
The Tang siblings, who had been staring at Yeon-shin all along, asked in return.
They could not help it.
It referred to one of the Buddha’s three bodies.
In the martial world, it was understood as an inner core infused with inner energy.
Bodhidharma’s Emanation Body meant a fragment of the qi Bodhidharma had accumulated during his lifetime.
The Tang Sect experts, who handled poison and medicine, could not help but listen closely.
Jang Jong-myeong, who had bowed to Yeon-shin once again, rose to his feet.
“So that is what they were after.”
“It is an artifact from the distant past. How has it survived until now?”
Tang Ryeo-ryeo asked.
Jang Jong-myeong glanced at Yeon-shin. Only after the boy nodded did he speak.
“It seems there were people even before the dwarven race. It was forged from a crystallization of materialized qi by a craftsman who must have reached a realm rare throughout all ages.”
“You mean they refined a fragment of qi? How could such a thing...!”
“The Tang Family Head should be capable of the same, though it seems the Tang Family Head has kept their distance from their children. In any case, its density is not high. Yet if it is melted into a sword, it will become a divine sword with spirituality. If a person consumes it... I do not know what would happen, but it is a treasure anyone would covet. A treasure capable of bringing disaster like this.”
Jang Jong-myeong wore a bitter expression, seemingly unable to think of anything more comforting to say.
Yeon-shin turned around. His palm rested against the groove in the stone gate, the exit of the Spring District and entrance to the Summer District.
“We will go at once. Take care.”
He was bidding farewell to Jang Jong-myeong and the Spring District villagers.
“I do not know who you are to lead the Divine Sword Squad martial artists, but you are as foolish as you are young.”
One of the captured enemies spoke.
He was a man with a dignified appearance.
Perhaps he had been struck by Languid Flame Dragon’s blazing yang power. The front of his robe at the pit of his stomach had been scorched, and the cloth had dried together with the flesh beneath.
Only faint traces remained that showed it had once been high-quality silk.
“The key to the Summer District treasure plaque has been divided between the Ten Perfect Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance. You would be wise not to act rashly. The stone wall will collapse.”
His words were far from ordinary. He did not seem to be of common standing.
Hyeon Won-chang, Languid Flame Dragon, and the other Desolate Fortress masters stared blankly at him.
“I possess a qi diagram of the Summer District treasure plaque. It is about three-tenths of the completed version. Do not think you can force it out of me through torture. I can endure it. Just grant me one condition...”
Rumble!
A faint ray of light slipped through.
The gate was opening beneath Yeon-shin’s fingertips.
Footnotes:
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