WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 199: Sword Thunder Flash Ridge Form (7)

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A soft exclamation escaped the Martial Alliance Assembly's supreme master's lips.

The old swordsman's discernment was exceptional. He could perceive the intent with which the swordsmen before him assumed their stances.

The sword-gripping method, the body's balance, the direction of the footwork, the nature of the aura spreading through the body...

Countless details revealed an opponent. The eyes of peerless swordsmen could see through another person regardless of their attainment in eye techniques.

They could even roughly judge someone's character before exchanging a single blow.

'How fascinating.'

Hyeon So-baek carefully studied the young junior's opening stance.

The high guard stance was far from ordinary. His Black Uniform long robe fluttered without pause.

It was as though he wore force waves like garments sewn from the wind.

To the Sword Star, a master of the blade, the Leader of Demon Wings' movements seemed like a defense mechanism against his short lifespan.

Hyeon So-baek saw no difference between martial arts forged by geniuses and melodies drawn forth by artists.

They had something in common. The creator's inner image left a deep imprint upon them.

He could not tell where that sword would lead in the future.

They said the Lord of Desolate Fortress wielded a sword as stern as nature itself. Was the Leader of Demon Wings also carrying wind in his sword art to follow his master?

His outward form stirred wind and waves, yet his muscles and qi moved ceaselessly like lightning.

Beneath the shell of an outstanding genius crouched a person curled up in anxiety.

Hyeon So-baek, the man, pitied the boy.

The Sword Star did not.

The peerless swordsman admired his junior.

'A swift sword that uses the whole body properly.'

It was a truly sublime sword form built for rapid attacks.

It carried the intent to strike first, no matter where the opening lay. The free force waves unique to the new Leader of Demon Wings curled around him.

The wind resembled the abilities of the elven race. Wherever he struck, it seemed poised to strengthen the sword's power. Crimson leaves beneath his feet were swept away in disorder.

"The absence of anything bothersome is what bothers me."

Xiahou Wi-jin, the Thousand Fists, Dragon-Powered Divine Official, sat behind Seom-ye with one knee raised and an elbow resting on it.

He spoke through a rough exhale. As a supreme master of a noble clan, he appeared to be feeling something unusual.

"Judging the Qilin."

Jegal Cheong-a muttered as she stared intently at the Leader of Demon Wings.

Ak Ye-rim, standing to one side, flinched.

Complex emotions filled her gaze as she looked toward Seom-ye. The matter between the Leader of Demon Wings and the Jegal Family had put the final seal on all the confusion she had felt.

It felt as though her world had collapsed. Desolate Fortress's rising talent had utterly crushed her, both in martial ability and chivalry.

The world of the orthodox sects she had held so firmly within herself had shattered.

As the legitimate successor of the Shandong Ak Family, she no longer knew how she should conduct herself.

'Seom-ye...'

Meanwhile, the duel between old and young proceeded regardless of the thoughts filling the gathering.

"Come at me slowly."

The Sword Star did not attack in haste. He waited for his junior to display every bit of his ability.

The boy was a genius who could command his entire body at will. The longer he took to hone his sword momentum, the more of his skill would be revealed.

Wooooong!

Just as expected.

A pressure similar to the Imperial Sword Art stirred from Seom-ye's body.

Yet the Sword Star knew it was an entirely different mnemonic formula. He understood it instinctively.

Their martial natures differed greatly. This was not a presence released to affect the opponent.

Rather, the force waves he extended to move himself better became pressure to those around him. It was a lofty sword art.

'He has made his sword momentum completely suited to his body.'

The Sword Star ran his left hand over his beloved sword.

He recalled lines of poetry supposedly recited by the young man known as the Imperial Hero. The verse had become quite famous.

As a swordsman, the words, "A young man's moment is worth a thousand gold," struck him more deeply than, "May I forever find a worthy foe in the sword."

A sword form only the Leader of Demon Wings could properly wield. With ordinary senses, one could not even imagine using force waves like that in a sword strike.

It seemed he had finished preparing to attack.

The moment the young old swordsman sank into brief thought, the Leader of Demon Wings rapidly filled his field of vision.

He leaped and brought down his sword. Sunlight gathered on the blade fell like a thunderbolt.

Claaang!

It collided violently with Hyeon So-baek's sword.

A fierce shockwave spread in every direction. Maple leaves rose in great clusters, obscuring the figures of old and young.

They fluttered like sleet, carrying mottled red sunlight. Then the new Leader of Demon Wings' sword talent revealed itself.

'Hm?'

Within the scattered light and crimson leaves, the Sword Star's eyes widened slightly. It was not the same stance.

A white character meaning "Desolate" whirled among the leaves. The moment he released sword force, he had spun his entire body.

The force waves of his movement technique created a whirlwind with their rebound. The sound of his robes fluttering was fierce.

Seom-ye launched a second swift sword with truly instinctive movement.

'He is not competing in strength. Wise.'

The Northern Light Sword traced a diagonal circle before crashing down once more. The white blade tore through the air as it came in.

It repeated the first form, yet its shape was completely different. The speed of the diagonal sword strike barely differed from the first.

As though the high guard stance had only been an opening stance for activation, sharp sword wind alone tore at the Sword Star's sleeves.

Seom-ye had no need to distinguish his moves by form.

As long as he gathered the principles of activation and the mnemonic formula, he possessed the talent to unleash dozens of different variations from one form. After only two exchanges, the Sword Star's eyes curved into crescents.

Sword talent. What extraordinary sword talent.

Hyeon So-baek forgot even his pity and smiled with satisfaction as he brought down the wooden sword hilt in his hand diagonally.

The simple trajectory carried the principle of the Heaven-Piercing Martial Rakshasa Sword Art.

Seventh Form, Unbreakable.

A colorless force wave rose in a straight line, connecting his arm to the tip of the sword in an instant. It was a sword form that did not waver.

Bang! Kiiiiing!

The colliding blades scraped against one another for a long moment. Seom-ye's descending sword strike was forced upward. Their sword paths met in violent tremors.

The Sword Star's grip was so solid that even the orange sparks scattered smoothly. The rebound force returned to his opponent in full.

Rumble.

The Leader of Demon Wings' sword hand shook violently. It was remarkable that he had not dropped the weapon, even though the Sword Star had held back to broaden his junior's experience out of the debt he felt toward him.

Hyeon So-baek was both exhilarated and deeply astonished. In an instant, he understood the Lord of Desolate Fortress's feelings.

Even she could not have done otherwise. How could she ignore a child like this?

Clang! Claang! Slash!

Sparks scattered in every direction and faded like flower petals. The hems of black and white long robes fluttered among the maple leaves.

Sunlight rippled along blades that brushed past the collars of old and young. Long breaths of inner energy crossed one another. Movement force waves rang from the ground with every step, while fallen leaves crumbled underfoot with soft rustles.

The eyes of some in the audience slowly widened.

The Leader of Demon Wings was more than capable of receiving the Sword Star's instruction.

While they exchanged blows in intervals too short to bring out major forms, he created thirty-five variations from a single type of form.

Every trajectory differed. Unending sword strikes rushed in from every direction.

To someone without discernment, that one form alone might have looked like an entire sword art.

'He is replacing form with intuition. Even if one learned that form, one could not use it.'

Cheon Ju-jin, the Mount Hua Sword Absolute, thought so. It was a sight so alarming that Cheon Ju-jin worried it might have a bad influence on Yu Hyeon, standing beside him with mouth agape.

One normally had to swing a sword tens of thousands of times in all eight directions to establish the foundations of sword art, but Seom-ye's sword forms had short, instinctive paths, as though they had skipped that entire process.

His body knew when and in which direction it should strike.

Otherwise, there was no way his use of force waves in rapid attacks could be so natural.

In a battle of quick strikes, no fixed form was needed beyond the method of moving one's power.

His talent had surpassed years of training. It was astonishing sword talent.

The Sword Star's stance was just as astonishing. A smile covered his face as he received Seom-ye's sword forms.

It did not suit a peerless master who had never shown his face even at the grand founding ceremony because of his strange disposition.

Dozens of streams of sword light intertwined gracefully. He seemed deeply immersed in his exchange with his junior, as though nothing could bring him greater joy.

The Assembly's intention of humiliating a Desolate Fortress expert had been shattered.

Cheon Ju-jin spoke without even blinking.

"Shouldn't the Alliance Leader take in a disciple as well? I hear the younger talents of the great families are strong candidates. The Sword Star martial lineage will become a symbol of the Assembly, so whether a suitable successor will appear..."

"After seeing that, who would dare step forward so readily?"

The Tang Family Head answered, short arms clasped behind their back.

At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin sensed that the duel was nearing its end as he spun his body broadly with his sword.

The strain on the blood vessels throughout his body had reached its limit. The accumulated impact of the force waves narrowed the minor meridians in his right arm.

The Sword Star was a peerless master. He had passed every bit of Force Projection created in their fight onto Jeong Yeon-shin.

Even his Protective Qi Technique was inferior to the old swordsman's. Jeong Yeon-shin could not rely on the durability of his body alone.

'One final exchange.'

The tendons on the back of his hand stood out clearly. Aura rose along the graceful line descending from the triceps beneath his shoulder.

A transparent wave of martial power throbbed powerfully. The muscle running down to the finger extensor muscle below his thumb tingled.

It was the force wave he had accumulated while enduring the burden until now, combined with the Sword Star's sword power.

Hyeon So-baek's eyebrows rose.

'He harvested it like a farmer.'

Jeong Yeon-shin advanced without caring about the Sword Star's expression. The sword hilt in his hand was burning hot.

Qi exploded from the ground he pushed off with the tip of his foot. He swung the Northern Light Sword.

It was a horizontal strike extending from within his body outward. Maple leaves crumpled beneath the long white radiance gathering along the blade.

Autumn settled upon the sword path.

Kwooooom!

The Sword Star, Hyeon So-baek, faced a form born of endurance. The peerless swordsman's eyes lowered.

'How could he think of something like this...?'

It was a sword form that endured and endured, then shone with fierce light.

It was not a blade one could extend with such an indifferent expression, yet it felt as though the form had been created without any special idea behind it.

That was what saddened the Sword Star. It carried the belief that if one endured and held on, one would somehow reach the end.

He could feel the resentment within it.

With one sword strike, he saw the way the boy lived.

The Sword Star did not parry.

Swoosh.

He lowered his sword and stepped through evasive footwork. As though he had used a ground-shrinking technique, he scattered the pile of maples at his feet and stood to the side.

At the same time, a terrifying sword-strike force wave swept past him.

Kwoooosh!

Invisible sword wind raced forward. Shrubs torn to shreds formed a sharp path.

The force wave, carrying monstrous destructive power, reached the garden's lakeshore and sent long ripples across it.

Only after lingering with the sound of clear water for some time did the sword wind disappear.

"..."

Silence descended.

The Leader of Demon Wings lowered his divine weapon and narrowed his brow. He looked ready to demand an explanation from the Sword Star, so Hyeon So-baek spoke first with an easy expression.

"You displayed one form throughout, then changed your sword momentum at the end. What is the name of the first form?"

"...Judging the Qilin."

He observes proper seniority. The Sword Star thought so with his hands behind his back.

"And the second?"

"I haven't named it yet."

"Then this is perfect."

Hyeon So-baek smiled.

"What name would suit such a sublime blade? Until you wish otherwise, this old man hopes you remain in autumn for a long time, green and flourishing without ever reaching the frozen earth."

"..."

He spoke of the boy's lifespan. Like Hyeon Won-chang's verse, it was the sort of remark whose meaning would be difficult to grasp unless one knew.

It reminded Jeong Yeon-shin of the way the Sword Star had wanted to embrace him at their first meeting.

The Sword Star continued.

"Yes, 'a sword forever green' would be fitting. I pray that its verdure flows on, unbroken like the Yangtze. May I give it the name Nine Verdants Form a River?"

The absolute master of the sword spoke.

Nine was a number beloved throughout the continent. Its pronunciation was nearly the same as the word for long.

It also carried the meaning of longevity. A sword form that remained verdant for a long time and stretched onward like the Yangtze. It also felt similar to the form's mnemonic formula.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly nodded.

"...I will accept it."

The Sword Star's face brightened. His middle-aged face seemed to carry both old age and youth.

They said there was no peerless master who was not strange. Hyeon So-baek possessed an unusual disposition as well.

And so, the grand founding ceremony's final proceeding came to an end.

The duel between the Sword Star and the Leader of Demon Wings had drawn intense interest, but the masters gathered here lived in the upper ranks of the martial world.

What happened today would not spread as a rumor.

Still, Jeong Yeon-shin had earned enough renown from his trip to the Martial Alliance Assembly. He had also consolidated his sword art.

Shing.

With a quiet sheathing, dim radiance was drawn into the scabbard.

The sword at his waist trembled faintly. As Jeong Yeon-shin sheathed the Northern Light Sword, he sank into thought.

The sword forms created in Hanzhong unfolded in his mind.

First Form, Judging the Qilin.

Second Form, Nine Verdants Form a River.

Third Form, Azure Flame, First Form.

The three forms had laid the foundation for the Leader of Demon Wings' signature ultimate art. He did not yet know how many more trajectories would emerge in the future.

It was a sword art that contained limitless possibility.

"It feels like the way you use a sword has completely changed."

Yu Hyeon approached without hesitation. Word had already quietly spread that the Hidden Dragon of the Mount Hua Sect and the Leader of Demon Wings were acquainted.

Unlike the other younger talents, who could not bring themselves to step forward, Yu Hyeon came readily.

"That's your unique sword art, right?"

"Yes."

"What martial art is it? I think it'll become famous from now on. No, it definitely will."

Yu Hyeon's question drew attention, and not only from the younger talents.

Even the gazes of supreme masters who had been walking away could not help turning toward him. The new Leader of Demon Wings lowered his eyes slightly and fell into thought.

'This sword art...'

It possessed a distinct nature.

He had mixed profundity into a swift, destructive sword path. It was most faithful to the inherent purpose of the sword.

A method of turning the blade into lightning and striking down one's opponent. The will to flatten the martial sects surrounding Desolate Fortress as though they were steep ridges.

The name slipped from his lips without thought.

"Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art."

It was a brief answer.

Then suddenly.

Saaa...

The autumn wind that had refreshingly brushed through the garden receded. Fallen leaves, scattered like old cotton, covered the ground.

Some yellow and red leaves drifted down to rest lightly upon Jeong Yeon-shin's feet. It was as though they announced the end of his long Martial Alliance Assembly mission.

At the edge of autumn, before the eyes of countless masters.

The Leader of Demon Wings' sword art announced its name.

Footnotes:

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