WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 205: Demon Wings (6)
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There was a race born with an innate gift for movement.
In terms of natural talent, they differed from ordinary martial artists.
Without learning, they grasped the profound principles of movement. Without even a mnemonic formula, they displayed movements comparable to supreme movement arts.
They were nimbler, smoother, and more elusive than the masters of any clan. They were unlike the Han Chinese.
They were the elven race.
Common folk revered them as scions of immortals. Their exceptional looks and ageless bodies set them apart from the people of this world.
They possessed both martial might and mystery, so no one dared make them targets of envy.
People only hoped they would bestow divine grace upon them, allowing them to reach Peach Blossom Paradise after death.
Those of the martial world saw things differently. Looking upon a race born as martial masters, they could only sigh.
They were forced to realize once more how unfair all things under heaven were.
The era of the Ming dynasty's founding had been chaotic in many ways. It was a time when races never seen before settled upon this land.
Their gifts added to that chaos. They walked like the wind and moved like leaves.
Countless masters sought to uncover its mystery. Some even employed eye techniques.
It did not go well. It was dismissed as nothing more than a difference in the senses.
The conclusion was that their bodies themselves were different. They wielded the wind without even using qi.
Knowledgeable elders of the martial world classified it as an innate faculty of their bloodline. In other words, it was not something that could be discussed as martial arts.
The belief that they were fundamentally different hardened like diamond.
The years that passed before the Ming imperial dynasty became stable had made it so. The race of immortals. That was another name for the elven race.
“Are you asking for a spar?”
Xiahou Wi-jin, the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader, asked after Seom-ye, the Leader of Demon Wings, pointed out the way he walked.
He was not angry.
His epithet was Thousand Fists, Dragon-Powered Divine Official. He possessed a fierce fighting spirit by nature. Though he looked savage, his mind cooled when it came to martial arts.
He had to be that way to keep winning exchanges between masters. He was not a hot-blooded warrior, but a martial artist with a strong desire to win.
‘It would be better if I walked differently?’
Xiahou Wi-jin took the Leader of Demon Wings's words as a customary provocation. He could not believe the younger Squad Leader meant them sincerely.
The context of the conversation made no sense. Though Seom-ye was younger, he was unquestionably a Black Uniform master.
A man with Seom-ye's discernment, broad enough to encompass the world, could not possibly have said such a thing sincerely.
It had to be a challenge over footwork.
Xiahou Wi-jin smiled.
“I understand what you mean. You must have confidence in your Body Movement Scripture.”
He had watched Seom-ye with Ak Su-rim since the Martial Alliance Assembly. It had been quite some time.
He had even witnessed a movement art that allowed Seom-ye to move like one of the elven race. It was deeply mysterious. He found himself wondering how its mnemonic formula had been composed.
‘He used Force Projection throughout his body to imitate the innate ability of our race. It was astonishing.’
The Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader had already acknowledged the new Leader of Demon Wings. He had also heard the name of his movement art, Wind Body.
A body of wind. The word wind irritated Xiahou Wi-jin slightly, but he did not bother pointing it out.
The younger man's movements were entertaining enough. He had watched the grand founding ceremony at the Martial Alliance Assembly with great interest.
It had been quite a spectacle.
‘He is not enough to completely replace Ma Jin, the Abyssal Killer, but...’
Xiahou Wi-jin thought Seom-ye worthy of becoming Black Uniform. Even his unstable handling of martial power, as though one of the three elements of essence, qi, and spirit had become bloated, was not a major flaw.
Instead, it suggested terrifying potential.
Unlike the other Squad Leaders, he could not control qi as he pleased, yet he still manifested profound martial arts. His flashes of ingenuity were remarkable.
He was this capable even without reaching Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.
Xiahou Wi-jin remembered the inexhaustible vitality that surged forth when essence, qi, and spirit were united.
It felt as though the body itself became a Divine Technique. The extent of its effectiveness would differ according to one’s innate talent.
Many people never united the three flowers in their entire lives, but Seom-ye’s talent made it impossible not to consider his future.
That was why Xiahou Wi-jin did not immediately show anger at the younger man’s words. The new Leader of Demon Wings had reason to be arrogant.
Even if he spouted adorable nonsense as a provocation, Xiahou Wi-jin could smile and let it pass.
He offered his young junior some advice.
“A Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress is no different from the high officials and nobles of the world. It is an exceedingly distinguished position, far more than you think. We are like the face of the main fortress. It is a rank that must preserve its dignity. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
The newly appointed Leader of Demon Wings answered blankly as he looked up at the senior, whose body was as massive as a mountain.
Come to think of it, none of the Black Uniform seniors he had met in Wonpyeong One Sword Hall had ordinary personalities.
Ak Su-rim’s unrestrained antics aside, Ha Do-un, the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader, and Un So-yu, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader, had been the same.
Xiahou Wi-jin appeared to be no different. Jeong Yeon-shin tilted his head slightly. What was he talking about?
Xiahou Wi-jin’s words then descended from above, carrying a thick resonance and an uncharacteristically amused tone.
“Acting like high officials before actual officials means that even within the main fortress, we must not neglect to maintain our refinement. The people who come and go through Desolate Fortress are usually merchants or officials. We cannot show an unsightly side to those we are meant to protect, can we? Fighting at the entrance to the main fortress is out of the question. If you want to request a spar, follow the proper procedure through a letter.”
“A spar...?”
“If a shallow-minded member of my race had heard you, they would have struck first. Do not do that to a Blue Uniform. It would look as though a Squad Leader were bullying someone lower in rank. What a bold provocation. I like it.”
By the end, he was laughing heartily to himself.
Swish.
A huge shadow fell. Xiahou Wi-jin’s calloused hand reached out to pat Jeong Yeon-shin’s head. At the same time, a gentle breeze stirred.
The black hem of the new Leader of Demon Wings’s robe fluttered slightly, and the ends of his sidelocks brushed past the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader’s reaching hand as he slipped away toward Ak Su-rim.
It was Wind Body. A remarkably natural evasion.
“Oh.”
The corners of Xiahou Wi-jin’s mouth rose.
“I have been rude. I should treat you as an equal in rank, not as a far younger junior. Your martial ability and age seem entirely at odds, so the disparity is quite disorienting.”
“...”
Jeong Yeon-shin realized that his meaning had been misunderstood.
The Thousand Fists, Dragon-Powered Divine Official was a seasoned Black Uniform master.
As one of the elven race, he had accumulated an enormous amount of qi storage over a long life.
His aura was stronger than the Law Enforcement Squad Leader’s, and he had also achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, allowing him to wield his immense inner energy as he pleased.
It meant he was not someone Jeong Yeon-shin could easily guarantee victory against. If he had to rank him, he would likely stand among the upper ranks of the seventeen Black Uniform masters.
Could he perhaps even exchange blows with the Annihilation Squad Leader?
It was still too early to face him.
Jeong Yeon-shin considered it. He expected the result would not differ much from sparring with Ak Su-rim.
The realm of Black Uniform was vaster than anything he had experienced so far.
Yet he had been told to win them over.
That meant there were many ways to bring Demon Wings into order. There was no need to break the swords of these exceptionally powerful seniors just yet.
It was fine if he could not surpass some Black Uniform seniors immediately. All he needed was to gain Xiahou Wi-jin’s favor, then fight and defeat around two Squad Leaders.
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly opened his mouth as he took a few small steps back to his place.
Ak Su-rim, who stood beside him, smiled to herself and brushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s leather shoes with the hem of her trousers.
Her playful movement seemed to say that she knew what he was about to say. The Desolate Divine Spear’s insight was sharp.
The new Leader of Demon Wings spoke without concern.
“I was not requesting a spar.”
“You were not?”
“I wished to discuss the Body Movement Scripture with Senior Xiahou. I saw room for your gait to change. The movements of the elven race are one of the foundations of how I use my body, so I dared offer advice despite the discourtesy.”
The new Squad Leader was discussing the footsteps of the race of immortals.
Xiahou Wi-jin blinked hard as he looked down at Jeong Yeon-shin. He could not accept those words at face value.
Since Seom-ye could imitate the elven race’s movements so exquisitely, he had assumed his martial understanding and natural eye were both exceptional.
Still, a Han Chinese, staring with clear eyes, was in no position to advise a supreme elven master in a black robe on how to walk like an elf.
A voice like the wintry wind from a cave flowed from Xiahou Wi-jin’s mouth.
“The seats prepared for Squad Leaders in Wonpyeong One Sword Hall are as large and elegant as the grand preceptor's chairs occupied by the leaders of countless factions. Do you know why? They were made that way to signify that one must take responsibility for one’s words and actions.”
Powerful inner energy poured from his voice. The waves of power touching Jeong Yeon-shin’s skin were immense and unobstructed.
It was an aura born of astonishingly compressed inner energy.
The old saying of the martial world came to mind. The strength of elven masters who had lived long lives lay more in their accumulated qi storage than in their movements.
“Old people and children who live in the martial world each possess hidden methods. But beware the young with long ears even more. They have broader knowledge than the old and greater strength than children.”
“You... cannot understand the heart held by this body as a supreme master of my race. I, the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader, cherish the common people who live within their means, as one part of the elven race that grants grace to the Han Chinese across the continent. Are they not people who live by the crops, unable to separate themselves from the earth?”
Xiahou Wi-jin continued.
“Our race cultivated martial arts to protect the land and trees. Before the World Tree, we made a solemn vow. We swore, ‘We will live without shame before you, wielding martial arts that embrace the livelihoods of the world.’”
“...”
“Martial arts are a study that develops over time. Everything has endless room to advance, so I am not trying to assert my pride before you. I only hope you did not speak from shallow insight. If someone carelessly discussed movements built through a pure heart, would anyone not grow angry?”
A volcano of inner energy seemed to boil beneath his thick Adam’s apple.
Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly understood.
This was a major task. Could he win over the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader with words alone, without exhausting himself in a spar?
For Demon Wings to serve as one pillar of Desolate Fortress’s martial forces, roam the martial world, and accumulate immense achievements, he needed to secure a Blue Uniform master here.
The new Leader of Demon Wings immediately parted his lips.
“I do not bring forth wind. I was not born with such an innate ability. That is why I studied how I could move like the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword of our Demon Wings.”
At the crossroads where the path from the inner fortress divided toward each martial unit’s halls, the Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader, the Leader of Demon Wings, and the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader passed a small lake as they spoke.
Their reflections appeared in the rippling, sunset-colored water. A girl, a boy, and a giant.
They each wore black robes, yet all three exuded a clear, tangible pressure.
Ak Su-rim walked lightly to the left. She did not interfere, merely clasping her hands behind her back, but her face was full of interest.
“Continue.”
Xiahou Wi-jin spoke with an expressionless face. Jeong Yeon-shin calmly continued.
“I observed Senior Xiahou’s steps. They pursue speed for the sake of power. Since your physical strength is so great, you seem to place emphasis on True Step. Because of that, the aura around your Yinmen acupoint is strong. Rather than your gastrocnemius muscles, force gathers in your biceps femoris and semitendinosus at the back of the thigh.”
“I must do so to fully deploy my supreme arts. Heavy Sword, heavy fists. If True Step is weak, I cannot properly carry power into my strikes. From defense to a combat stance, I must shift my opening stance like lightning. I have no reason to take light steps. Strictly speaking, I sacrificed them.”
“There is no reason you must.”
“Your words are becoming increasingly forceful. Now I understand how your enemies feel.”
“The wind that supports my body is created throughout my entire body, but Senior Xiahou has no need to imitate that. It would be difficult for you from the start.”
“What?”
Jeong Yeon-shin ignored the question. It was simply the truth.
“I only ask that you examine the Foot Taiyang Bladder meridian among the twelve regular meridians once more. Open the Dachangshu acupoint beneath your waist slightly, then put force into the rectus abdominis in front. You will see a different way to operate your qi. The minor meridians will create movements comparable to Force Projection on their own.”
The new Leader of Demon Wings spoke as he lightly stirred his right sleeve. Jeong Yeon-shin’s bearing, supported by the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel, was extraordinary.
Even a small gesture created a distinct presence. It remained so even while he stood between two Squad Leaders.
“Relax the gluteus maximus and pelvic muscles, then perceive the force that descends from the Shenshu acupoint at your right waist through the meridians. Our body’s meridians are remarkably mysterious. By coordinating qi and muscle from a distance, the martial power that reaches the plantar fascia gains its own elasticity. That is how the twelve regular meridians are connected.”
That was the essence of Wind Body.
The plantar fascia was the mass of tissue supporting the sole of the foot. It was also where the Yongquan acupoint, the core of every Body Movement Scripture, was located.
The unique explosive power of the Seom-ye Martial Lineage arose from the union of flexibility and strength.
To Jeong Yeon-shin, it was an entirely natural principle. Instead, Xiahou Wi-jin, who possessed overwhelming inner energy yet walked unlike one of the elven race, seemed strange to him.
‘If my inner energy were at that level... I would wield swift-sword technique with my body.’
After finishing, he could not help asking. He did not understand.
“I do not know why you have not done this. If there is a particular reason in the system of martial arts you have learned...”
“...Because I did not know.”
Footnotes:
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