WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Chapter 20: Hand Arts (3)

──────

Only after carelessly saying ten moves did Yeon-shin worry about his opponent’s sanity.

Would receiving the Hand Arts of someone blinded by rage really help his martial arts training?

‘It’s fine.’

His worry had been completely unnecessary. He could tell from the boy’s now-calm face.

This was where the strength of a prestigious family showed itself. They did not squander the martial strength they possessed carelessly.

They said the frightening thing about prestigious families was that they poured everything into the moments that called for lofty martial arts.

“I will put my all into the ten moves you mentioned.”

The heir of a prestigious family inherited that bearing. His step-grandfather was Ma Yeon-jeok, who had once looked down upon the world as the Divine Sword Squad Leader.

He could not have been taught haphazardly. The waves of qi rising along the boy’s arm were unusual.

“This is the Harmonized Blossom Fist.”

“You may use palm arts as well. Do not restrict your techniques merely because I said fist arts. You can show me many things.”

“……”

The boy seemed angry again. Yeon-shin decided to keep his mouth shut.

The silence was brief. The moment the powerful aura gathered within the boy’s body, Yeon-shin knew he could not take him lightly.

The boy charged forcefully, his movements different from before. His footwork seemed to have improved to match his changed attitude.

Thud! Whoosh!

It was Yeon-shin’s first time seeing such a light True Step. A force wave from Helix wrapped around the fist that came whirling toward him.

Yeon-shin rotated in the opposite direction and met it with Charged Strike.

Boom!

Their fists collided. It was not easy, even in a spar.

It meant their concentration had reached its peak. Fragments of their tangled force scattered across both their clothes.

The one pushed back was the boy. Yeon-shin held the advantage in internal power, but the level of one’s martial arts attainment was another matter.

As the boy swallowed a groan, Yeon-shin wrapped qi around his lower body.

It was not over. The essence of Charged Strike was accumulation.

Yeon-shin twisted his True Step and took another step forward. The force he had accumulated remained undisturbed as it built once more.

A martial art that unleashed greater power in a short time than the first strike. The air warped around the straight punch of his second Charged Strike as it shot out from his right hand.

Boom!

He clearly felt the blow crush through the elbow guard and sink deep into the boy’s solar plexus.

“Urgh!”

This was what it meant to conceive a powerful fist art. A fist art that could employ Charged Strike freely.

It had been inspired by the powerful chain of strikes in the Harmonized Blossom Fist that his opponent had displayed.

The sight of the boy gritting his teeth and resetting his opening stance pleased him. Yeon-shin could still improve further.

“I’m going again.”

“You arrogant bastard!”

Perhaps because of the fierce fight, the boy’s voice was almost a growl.

The boy spread his palm wide. His aura changed. It was the moment Yeon-shin unleashed his third Charged Strike.

The boy’s left hand changed direction three times as though playing with Yeon-shin’s fist, then struck the back of his hand.

Thud!

The boy was the one forced back. Frowning, he staggered a step away and rubbed his own hand.

He was dispersing the aftereffects of the force. The impact must have been tremendous.

Yeon-shin immediately grasped the change he had just seen. It was not a mere feint, but a movement that accumulated the power of Force Projection through qi.

‘Something interesting appeared again.’

He stepped forward in delight. The attainment of the Jeong Family Youth Technique shone at that moment.

He had held the accumulated force in place through minute movements across his entire body.

Boom!

The fourth Charged Strike was different. The instant he used True Step, the marble floor cracked. His body was beginning to strain under the burden as well.

‘I can endure it.’

With so much power contained throughout his body, it was difficult to employ the leaf-like Body Movement Scripture.

That meant he could not close in and strike anyone who was not considerably slow. But he had Demon's Light.

“You country bumpkin!”

He could read the charging boy’s movements clearly. Demon's Light showed him the trajectory where he needed to strike.

Whoosh!

Yeon-shin dropped low in an instant. An unbroken technique contained the freedom of Demon's Light.

At that moment, his movements clearly contained a principle one step beyond the Harmonized Blossom Fist. His fourth strike.

Boom!

Stone fragments shot in every direction from the end of his True Step. A sensation traveled through the surface of his fist.

Something had broken.

The protective qi flowing over the boy’s body had shattered into pieces.

‘Someday, it would be good to develop a Protective Qi Technique too.’

Setting aside the sudden thought, Yeon-shin moved after the retreating boy.

At the end of movements like a leaf riding wind and waves, a new aura gathered.

‘Five techniques were enough.’

He felt the principle running through his own martial arts with his entire body. The layering of power. He accumulated it however he could.

The Ultimate Realm and Charged Strike were like that. It was how someone raised in a third-rate martial family faced the world.

Flash!

A sky-blue gleam flashed in Yeon-shin’s eyes.

Blue lightning surged up from within him.

The essence of the Harmonized Blossom Fist mixed with the mnemonic formulas of the Ultimate Realm and Charged Strike.

The principles of martial arts exploded in his mind and converged into a single key formula. A fist art that grew stronger the longer its chain continued.

The Eternal Blossom Fist.

The name that arose naturally alongside its mnemonic formula finally brought forth a martial art worthy of being called a signature technique.

Stone fragments whirled in all directions along the arm he swung from beside his shoulder.

Whoosh-!

The force accumulated through nothing but advancing exploded before the boy’s solar plexus.

It detonated from only an inch away, yet the boy’s upper body shook violently.

He staggered as though about to collapse, then stared blankly as if all strength had drained from his entire body.

“A fist art containing the true essence of Force Projection! Now you are no longer bound by the rotation of Spinning Thread Force...!”

Ma Jin’s pensive, groan-like voice came from afar.

“You may continue.”

“……”

Yeon-shin spoke to the boy standing as though frozen, but the boy only bit down on his lower lip without saying a word.

Three people approached from a distance.

Ma Jin looked as if all strength had drained from his body, while the frozen expression on Ma Yeon-jeok’s face was particularly striking.

Only the Lord of Desolate Fortress wore a faint smile.

“What a precious sight. To witness the creation of a martial art. It has been pleasant entertainment after so long.”

“I am ashamed. I hope I have not troubled your eyes.”

Yeon-shin lowered his head slightly. She laughed softly.

“That is excessive. You look very pleased. How could a martial artist not be? Have you decided on a name for your fist art?”

“I have named it the Sihwa Boundless Fist.”

“A fist art whose fortune shines without end. It is a fitting name. But its meaning is straightforward, so be careful that it does not become a weakness in actual combat. With linked techniques, the crucial point is enduring the first exchange. With your talent, you should be able to overcome it.”

“Thank you for your guidance.”

Yeon-shin brought his clasped hands up in a respectful fist salute. The Lord of Desolate Fortress’s smile deepened.

“Are you all right?”

“I am sorry, Grandfather...”

At one side, the step-grandfather and grandson exchanged words of comfort.

Nearly in tears, the boy stared only at the ground, his face dripping with frustration.

As he stroked his adopted grandson’s head, Ma Yeon-jeok watched Yeon-shin with an extremely complicated expression.

‘How can such radiant talent come from such a weak family...’

Even Ma Yeon-jeok had a sense of shame. It was difficult to speak to his maternal grandson, who had drawn such a firm line.

He envied the son who could at least approach Yeon-shin as a superior.

“Squad Leader.”

Yeon-shin looked at Ma Jin, who stood before him.

“You worked hard. And congratulations. You have gained another sword of your own. It is an excellent martial art.”

“I have only established its framework. I am not wholly satisfied with the techniques yet, and when I use it as a palm art, I still have to rely completely on Demon's Light.”

“Even that alone means there will not be many in the White Uniform who can receive your strike. I always try not to be surprised, but your growth is so fast that I cannot help wondering if it can truly be so rapid.”

“It needs to be faster.”

He answered almost in a murmur. He paid no mind to Ma Jin’s gaze, filled with complicated emotions as he looked at his sister’s son.

Yeon-shin knew that even Ma Yeon-jeok could not demand the World Tree’s fruit. His goal became all the more urgent.

‘When will I reach that damnably huge tree?’

The thought was harsh enough to bring a curse to mind.

“Seom-ye has won, so we should conclude this.”

It was the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s uniquely crystalline voice. When Yeon-shin turned, she was still smiling.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress glanced over everyone present, including him, before speaking again.

“I will teach Seom-ye the type of martial art he needs when he wishes for it. Furthermore, Seom-ye may request one thing from the Desolate Ma family. I hereby attest to it.”

“I will convey it through the Squad Leader as well, at the time I desire it.”

Ma Jin’s expression became strange when Yeon-shin glanced at him.

Yeon-shin had no desire to consider the feelings of Narak-sal, the Leader of Demon Wings, who had suddenly become a messenger.

‘They are the ones at fault.’

Yeon-shin lightly put the thought aside before finally looking at Ma Yeon-jeok.

“I apologize, but I must make one thing clear. I have no obligation to my maternal family in any form. Do you agree?”

“Mm...”

It was a response closer to a groan. Perhaps countless thoughts were crossing Ma Yeon-jeok’s mind, for he could not easily speak.

As Yeon-shin watched him steadily, Ma Yeon-jeok finally spoke with great difficulty.

“I...”

His flawless beard trembled faintly.

“What must I do for you to forgive me?”

“...!”

Yeon-shin was not the one who reacted to those words.

The boy called the heir could not hide his devastation, and Ma Jin’s face was also colored by shock.

Even the Lord of Desolate Fortress appeared slightly surprised.

Perhaps because he was the person concerned, Yeon-shin had an entirely different thought.

‘He seems frightening.’

They said that whenever the Supreme Master of the Desolate Fortress entered the martial world, he acted as an absolute ruler.

He was like a heavenly god who held the power of life and death over most people within the reach of his aura sense. It was a common rumor.

Unless one was a sect leader of the Nine Sects, revered as an immortal among the common people, one could not even cross swords with him.

‘Someone like that lowered his head to me, whose generational rank is vastly lower than his.’

For the sole reason that Yeon-shin was a talented blood relative.

Only someone consumed by the revival of his family could do such a thing.

This was why he had severed ties with his daughter after she married the head of Jeong Family Manor. Yeon-shin felt a chill run down his spine.

It made him realize that he needed to choose his words carefully.

He did not want to become Ma Yeon-shin.

“The fact that my maternal grandfather is showing me this side of himself is the greatest burden. The years that have passed cannot be undone, and the people of my maternal family are no different from strangers to me. Demon Wings are my family.”

“You can build affection, can you not?”

“I do not even have enough time to cultivate my martial arts.”

They said even the might of the Desolate Ma family could not reach the World Tree’s fruit. Yeon-shin did not know familial affection.

Neither necessity nor blood stirred any pull within him.

He shook his head and spoke again.

“I won the spar your grandson demanded so unreasonably. Please respect me as a martial artist.”

“……”

Ma Yeon-jeok wore a dazed expression. Still, Yeon-shin could not relax.

There was no knowing how many honeyed tricks Ma Yeon-jeok might attempt in the future. Yeon-shin judged him to be someone with a touch of madness.

For now, he respectfully greeted the Lord of Desolate Fortress and Ma Yeon-jeok before turning away.

Training was urgent. The Sihwa Boundless Fist he had just created was not complete.

“Yeon-jeok. How interesting. That is a face I have never seen before. You look consumed by regret.”

“Lord of Desolate Fortress, rather than helping me...”

“What can I do about your karma?”

Yeon-shin let the conversation between supreme masters pass by as he headed for the Demon Wings Training Hall. He sensed Ma Jin following behind him.

The situation had reversed from when they arrived. It suddenly occurred to him that he had never heard the name of the Desolate Ma family’s heir, but he was not particularly curious.

“Seom-ye.”

They were passing a small lakeside. Ma Jin’s reflection rippled over water shimmering with sunlight as he spoke carefully.

“There is a mission that will help you.”

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried