WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 117: Radiant Wheel Technique (5)

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With the grating sound of stone, the entrance swung wide open. Jeong Yeon-shin naturally lowered the hand he had withdrawn from the groove.

He had already reverse-engineered the traces of the qi diagram at the Spring District's gate. Just as before, he created a key of qi.

"What's the big deal about thirty percent?"

Hyeon Won-chang suddenly asked the man who had been speaking so grandly about the treasure plaque's qi diagram.

A hearty sneer played across the Imperial Hero's lips.

He had never doubted Jeong Yeon-shin's talent for controlling inner energy.

That would have remained true even if he had not seen the Spring District's stone gate open.

"W-What...?"

The man stammered.

As if searching for the treasure plaque, he hurriedly examined Jeong Yeon-shin from head to toe. Yet anyone could see that the boy's hands were empty.

He held nothing.

"What trick did you use?!"

He cried out in panic. He lacked the insight to guess at Jeong Yeon-shin's method.

"We should kill them all before we leave, right?"

Tang Ryeo-ryeo stepped forward and asked.

She smoothed her sleeve as she gazed up at Jeong Yeon-shin. The boy noticed the hidden weapons concealed within it.

She was the Tang Family's young lady. Though she appeared demure before Jeong Yeon-shin, she did not hesitate to use hidden weapons.

"Wait! I am the illegitimate son of the Patrol Office Prefect, Seo Gwon-il, the founding master who left home and founded the New Pillar Sect! Treat me with proper respect, and I will never forget this favor!"

The dignified man with the neatly groomed beard shouted, his lips trembling. He could not move.

Languid Flame Dragon's rough touch had struck his paralysis acupoint.

"A founding master?"

"He calls himself a founding master. He really must be the Prefect's child."

Several Returning Wings Squad martial artists curled their lips.

All of them belonged to Seom-ye's Lineage. They regarded their temporary Squad Leader as their founding master.

Founding a sect meant establishing a school of one's own. The Returning Wings Squad martial artists could not help taking those words seriously.

A founding master was a Grandmaster who established a martial school.

"Proper respect? Are you begging for your life?"

Jeong Yeon-shin asked, turning his head only slightly.

Seo Gwon-il, the New Pillar Sect Master, bit his lip, causing his beard to lift slightly.

"I heard that the Desolate Fortress warriors did not conduct themselves like martial-world people. It seems that is true. I am not begging for my life. I am giving you a chance to do me a favor. Were you not originally the blade of the government office?"

Perhaps because he was the illegitimate son of a high-ranking official, he maintained his dignity to the end.

The Central Plains held all kinds of people. As vast as the continent was, different notions of common sense flourished everywhere.

Each province of the Central Plains was practically a small country in itself.

A person from Huguang could not easily understand Sichuan's customs and values.

Seo Gwon-il was no different. Jeong Yeon-shin had no reason to accept his way of thinking.

The boy turned fully around. He gave no order.

It was enough that he stepped toward the wide-open gate.

Behind him, he sensed the sharp, soaring force wave of Red Noon Sword's strike.

"Ghk...!"

It was the final convulsion of a dying man. Seo Gwon-il's body collapsed.

He had intended to enslave innocent craftsmen. It was a harsh world. That was more than enough reason to die.

"Honestly, it is hard to see the craftsmen here as common people. They hide away without paying tribute to the state, don't they? Are they truly subjects of the Great Ming? They do not seem like people whose welfare Desolate Fortress should concern itself with."

Languid Flame Dragon spoke with a hint of amusement. His habitual languor sharply exposed the City of Master Craftsmen residents' weakness.

Spring District village chief Jang Jong-myeong's breathing trembled faintly as Hyeon Won-chang's voice rang out.

"Even if they are not part of the Ming tax system, they are still people breathing in the Central Plains. If innocent people fall into trouble, it is right to help them. Of course, now that the City of Master Craftsmen has been exposed to the whole world, I trust they will contribute to the welfare of the Central Plains from now on."

"..."

Jang Jong-myeong and the other dwarves fell silent.

That was the creed of Desolate Fortress. It did not protect people blindly.

Hyeon Won-chang's convictions as the self-styled Desolate Fortress Divine Hero were not naive. His sense of justice was not something others could easily exploit.

There were many kinds of chivalry in the world.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently continued onward, pushing the face of Namgung Se-jin, the Clear Qilin, from his mind.

'How we should live is something to think about after we survive first, isn't it?'

He murmured inwardly.

Step.

The Returning Wings Squad masters followed their young Squad Leader.

The captured enemies' breathing ceased. It was the work of the Tang Sect martial artists.

They seemed to have received some sort of instruction from the Tang siblings.

Perhaps they had been ordered to support Seom-ye's advance. Jeong Yeon-shin, who possessed the introductory techniques of Full Heaven Flower Rain, walked on without concern.

Behind him, the gazes of the Beggars’ Sect masters, including Successor Beggar, clung to his back. It was a strange feeling.

* * *

The group easily broke through every district of the City of Master Craftsmen.

With Jeong Yeon-shin at the front, no one could stop them as they cut through the city.

The Returning Wings Squad masters raced forward unhindered.

It took less than half a day.

They conquered the Summer District and beheaded the martial artists of the Demonic Sect and the faction between orthodox and unorthodox stationed in the Autumn District.

Most of the Thirteen Heavens' elite seemed to be in the Winter District. Those left in the other three districts were mostly martial artists from small and mid-sized factions between orthodox and unorthodox.

An occasional master from the Pure Demon Alliance or Ten Perfect Sect was mixed among them, but none could withstand Namgung Hwa-shin and Languid Flame Dragon.

That was how they arrived at the entrance to the Winter District, the City of Master Craftsmen's final district.

Jeong Yeon-shin stood before the stone gate.

His hand rested against the groove where the treasure plaque was inserted, and he was now tracing the remnants of energy noticeably faster.

A boy and a girl standing to one side stared intently at Jeong Yeon-shin. They were the Tang siblings.

Tang Yeo-hwa and Tang Ryeo-ryeo did not take their eyes off Jeong Yeon-shin for even a moment. Their expressions showed that the sight remained astonishing no matter how often they saw it.

"I hope they are safe..."

Hyeon Won-chang muttered. Successor Beggar, standing beside him, spoke.

"It is a futile hope. I hesitate to say it, but."

"What did you say?"

"You should know well, having been separated from the Demon Wings group. The masters from the Pure Demon Alliance and Ten Perfect Sect are no weaker than Demon Wings. Each group is comparable on its own. By simple numbers alone, their strength is twice as great."

"..."

"If they clash head-on, annihilation is the natural result. That is why Demon Wings were pushed back so helplessly. They seem to be holding on only because they are all seasoned masters."

Successor Beggar smoothly met Hyeon Won-chang's stare and continued.

"The Divine Sword Squad's combat units were created to face the elites of the Thirteen Heavens and Nine Sects. Conversely, the elite of one major faction can contend with a single Divine Sword Squad combat unit. That is how it looks from an outsider's perspective. I am pointing this out because I do not wish to see you all wiped out for nothing."

"..."

There was no reason to argue over the facts. Hyeon Won-chang fell silent. Nothing would be gained from continuing the dispute.

"The child from the Beggars’ Sect is right. Those people are exceedingly strong. The Thirteen Heavens have always been that way."

The voice came from above.

Jeong Yeon-shin hurriedly looked up. He had not sensed the stranger's presence until he spoke.

"Your martial talent shines astonishingly. You, you, and you. Seeing such exceptional talent is refreshing after so long."

A middle-aged man stood upside down on the lofty ceiling of the cavern. The soles of his feet clung to it through an exquisite Body Movement Scripture.

He indicated several people with his eyes. Languid Flame Dragon, Namgung Hwa-shin, and Jeong Yeon-shin, it seemed.

'Could it be...?'

At that realization, an overwhelming presence swept over him. It was a truly formidable aura, enough to make the stranger's very short stature seem insignificant.

Jeong Yeon-shin guessed the middle-aged man's identity. It was instinct.

Among those with the appearance of the dwarven race, there was only one such supreme master Jeong Yeon-shin had heard of since coming to Sichuan.

"I am Dang Un-hwang."

The middle-aged man in a green robe spoke.

Dang Un-hwang, the Poison Commander. His name was widely known.

His fame had spread from Sichuan all the way to distant Xiangyang.

"Tang Family Head...!"

Hyeon Won-chang groaned. Dang Un-hwang, the Tang Family Head, dropped lightly from the cavern ceiling where he had been standing upside down.

With a supreme Body Movement Scripture, he righted his body in midair.

It seemed to be the mystery of the Tang Sect's secret art, the Heaven-Treading Nine Heavens Body Technique.

Swish.

His feet touched the ground without making much sound. With gentle steps, he approached until he stood directly before Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Tang siblings watched in shock, but he did not even spare his children a glance.

"The Leader of Demon Wings said it was worth waiting for reinforcements. I did not expect one such new talent to arrive, but his words proved true in the end."

"It is an honor to meet the Tang Family Head."

Jeong Yeon-shin raised his clasped hands. He was careful not to seem as though he was looking down on Dang Un-hwang.

The boy had been growing rapidly of late, ever since he began carrying out missions for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

His entire frame was maturing. The Tang Family Head's head came only a little above his waist.

A faint smile touched Poison Commander Dang Un-hwang's lips.

Then.

Cough.

Dang Un-hwang coughed up blood. It was a sudden fit of coughing blood. Dark red blood clung to his beard.

"...Do not concern yourself. It only proves how ruthless my father's blows were."

He spat out the remaining blood and spoke.

The Tang Family Head.

It was said that he had lost his wife to the Ten Perfect Sect and the Pure Demon Alliance.

He had wanted to devote the Sichuan Tang Clan's strength to revenge, but the Supreme Family Head had opposed him. He severed ties with his family and left home.

'So it did not end with an argument.'

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

He did not know whether they had clashed directly, or whether the Supreme Family Head, who truly ruled the Tang Sect, had laid a trap for him.

Normally, one of the Eight Family Heads would regard even most Desolate Fortress Black Uniforms as beneath them.

Now, it was different. Dang Un-hwang did not feel stronger than Ma Jin.

He had been unable to heal his internal injuries.

For a moment, the image of his maternal grandfather, Ma Yeon-jeok, overlapped with him.

They were people moving toward what they wished to achieve while bearing the burden of diminished martial strength.

"There is no time for a long conversation. I wish to help you. I will lend you my strength in wiping out those inside the Winter District. Honestly, I had no intention of joining a battle with no chance of victory, but now it seems worth taking a stab at it."

Dang Un-hwang spoke. Tang Ryeo-ryeo and Tang Yeo-hwa hesitantly approached, but he turned away from them with a single sentence.

"The timing is poor. Settling the matter of the City of Master Craftsmen comes first."

"..."

That was all.

The mission to rescue Demon Wings gained momentum.

Dang Un-hwang explained the Ten Perfect Sect and Pure Demon Alliance in detail.

They learned the identities, martial arts, and exact numbers of those in the Winter District.

"You do not need a treasure plaque? You were born with an unparalleled aptitude for wielding inner energy. I want to see it in real combat, to see how you use that talent."

He was speaking to Jeong Yeon-shin, who had once again placed his hand against the stone gate's groove.

The boy closed his eyes.

'The moment this gate opens, the decisive battle begins.'

He thought as he unraveled the qi diagram in his mind.

He also recalled the qi-circulation route of Static Training, which was nearing completion.

From the time the Lord of Desolate Fortress had passed down the Moon Spirit Harmonization Formula to him until now, he had been working to complete it for a very long time.

'I have to change the nature of my qi all at once. Can I accomplish it in real combat?'

He reviewed the clues. The teachings of the Diamond Sutra, the Moon Spirit Harmonization Formula, Demon-Slaying Azure River Hand, Mara Roaring Blood Art, Jeong Family Youth Technique...

During that time, the conversation between the easygoing Hyeon Won-chang and the Tang Family Head reached his ears.

"Does the Tang Family Head not covet the treasure in the Winter District as well? They say Bodhidharma's crystallized qi can create spirituality."

"I have no need for it. I can create it myself. When you hammer a weapon with your soul poured into it, it gains spirituality. That is what people commonly call divine swords, divine weapons, and rare artifacts."

"Create it...? What exactly is spirituality?"

"It is intent, too faint for human eyes to perceive, but it is a force different from inner energy. It is a wondrous quality. Only craftsmen who have reached a certain realm can handle it."

"Are you praising yourself?"

"Imagine a chipped metal weapon repairing its damaged edge on its own. Do you know how great it is to create such a divine weapon? Like the giant Pangu from the creation myth, it is creating life with human hands."

The Tang Family Head seemed more cheerful than Jeong Yeon-shin had expected. Unlike with his children, he got along well with Hyeon Won-chang.

'If putting spirituality into metal creates a divine sword, then what if I put it into martial arts...?'

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly thought.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress's advice flashed through his mind. It was instruction that aligned with Dang Un-hwang's words.

[Pour intent into the flow you forge. If it breathes as a Divine Technique, the sword will rise in rank.]

Meanwhile.

Rumble!

The gate opened beneath the boy's fingertips.

The mass of martial artists who revered the Seom-ye Martial Lineage drew their swords. Every sword was drawn at once.

A hazy glow seeped through. The City of Master Craftsmen's final district was revealed.

Footnotes:

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