WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 223: Radiant Edge Art (3)
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Whoom! Clang!
Colorless force spread in a hazy wave. Opaque ripples swept through the hall with a violent shockwave.
A sharp ring, like an iron bell being struck, echoed as fist and sword collided.
The swordsman’s and fist fighter’s robes billowed separately, one vivid blue and the other faded gray.
One had complained about the Squad Leader’s absence. The other had called out that conduct.
The Seom-ye Martial Lineage against the Huangbo Family’s ultimate arts.
The Demon Wings Grand Training Hall where they fought was famed for its size. Not every martial unit possessed a Training Hall large enough to accommodate several hundred people.
This ground had been granted only to a few select forces under the Divine Sword Squad.
It served as a preparatory training ground for the rare Divine Sword Squad gathering.
There was a clear reason weakened Demon Wings martial artists had become so self-conscious and could not stand proudly before martial artists from other units. They had enjoyed privileges.
Demon Wings had long received much even within the Divine Sword Squad. They had carried themselves as the strong.
Their Grand Training Hall was vast.
Not now. Not with the two of them facing each other. The presence of masters filled the entire hall.
Invisible waves of inner energy collided violently.
Swish!
A huge man wielded a sword. It was Kang Chang-mu, the Blue Uniform master who had transferred from the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad to Demon Wings.
The massive sword in his hand scattered pliant gleams. The Seom-ye Martial Lineage’s Radiant Sword Flow unfolded amid sword light.
Faint afterimages carved marks into the air.
Languid Flame Dragon met it barehanded, without even gloves. Colorless haze flickered around both hands as he struck upward at the flat of the blade.
Clang!
Kang Chang-mu’s blue sleeves shook violently. The veins standing out along his exposed forearm showed how fierce the spar was.
Languid Flame Dragon, dressed in a sleeveless cotton martial uniform, was no different.
He was withstanding the sword force of a Blue Uniform master with heavy qi. This was no fight he could take lightly.
“He’s using Protective Qi Technique like gloves. Isn’t that bastard completely insane? How long has it been now?”
“I’d heard of the Huangbo Family main line’s Protective Qi Technique. It was called Heavenly King Qi Silk, wasn’t it? An ultimate art really is an ultimate art. I knew the great families’ martial arts were exceptional, but I never expected this much. He’s blocking a Blue Uniform’s Radiant Sword Flow with his bare hands.”
“He’s trained in Hand Arts to begin with... More than that, his inner energy is just that deep. If we only count his qi storage, he might be above a Squad Leader. Ordinary swords and sabers probably couldn’t hurt his hands. His body itself is a weapon.”
“The Sun God Meridian really lives up to its name. They say he gained that talent by burning away his lifespan.”
It was a spar between Kang Chang-mu, the Dawn Tree Sword, and Languid Flame Dragon, an unranked disciple. The Demon Wings masters surrounding them made no move to stop it.
It was happening in the Grand Training Hall, and it had begun with Languid Flame Dragon’s rudeness. It did not violate the rules.
They also needed to consider Kang Chang-mu’s dignity as a mid-ranking newcomer.
Dawn Tree Sword Kang Chang-mu was a swordsman who had earned great merit. He had executed an unorthodox fiend who had secretly threatened the Prefect of Wuchang Prefecture in Huguang and lived in luxury under the official’s protection.
It had taken only a few exchanges. He had incorporated Radiant Sword Flow into his original sword art and cut off the fiend’s head in a single strike.
The principles behind an instantly unleashed sword art had captivated him. He could not help admiring the new Leader of Demon Wings.
‘But this bastard has no respect.’
Kang Chang-mu watched Languid Flame Dragon extend both hands.
The Hand Arts that blocked and cut down his sword paths were rough. They prevented him from fully extending his trajectories.
A highly skilled swordsman at the Blue Uniform level could sense an opponent’s state of mind simply by exchanging blows. Languid Flame Dragon’s disgust came through with instinctive clarity.
His hands were speaking for him. He did not want to see another sword path from Radiant Sword Flow.
Clang! Clang!
The sword path Kang Chang-mu had swung sideways broke apart. Heavy vibrations repeatedly ran through the blade.
Languid Flame Dragon’s right fist struck upward from below. A left palm then thrust through the scattering force and pushed the blade aside, after which his right palm came down upon the flat of the sword.
The techniques flowed together with elegant ease. The sword flew upward.
It had taken three solid hits. One move had completely twisted Radiant Sword Flow’s trajectory.
Crack!
Dust split and rose behind Kang Chang-mu’s heel. Using the principles of Phantom Wing Step, he retreated.
“You’re using that as a retreating movement technique?”
Languid Flame Dragon frowned and charged forward.
The scorching yang inner energy surging from his entire body tore through the air. Transparent haze whistled around him.
Boom!
Kang Chang-mu did not retreat further. He stomped down hard with his rear foot. It was Radiant Sword Flow’s True Step.
A fierce tremor ran through the ground, and dust rose at his feet. It thickly concealed the blade as he gripped the hilt and cut upward.
Faint white sword light rose.
Languid Flame Dragon’s lips curled as he faced it. His languid eyes narrowed into a mocking smile. His lowered gaze conveyed a single thought: That was not how it was used.
Bang!
Kang Chang-mu’s sword, which had risen from below, slammed down. Languid Flame Dragon had pinned it beneath his foot. The sword tip could not pierce his leather shoe.
The Huangbo Family’s Heavenly King Qi Silk had formed an invisible wall. It was the Protective Qi Technique of Jinan’s proud noble family.
Kang Chang-mu’s eyes widened. Languid Flame Dragon, on the other hand, drew his brows together.
“Radiant Sword Flow is a sword art you need to use by feel. If you calculate its path in your head, you’ll be too slow. It’s fundamentally a fast sword art that strikes at an opponent’s opening, but you’re showing them exactly where you’ll hit. Your lower body, your wrist, your aura. Everything gives it away. A sparrow is trying to imitate a golden-winged bird.”
What a sight. This was not pleasant.
Languid Flame Dragon spoke slowly, almost as if muttering to himself, then continued. His foot remained on Kang Chang-mu’s sword.
“Still, it pays to live a little longer. I never thought I’d break the Radiant Sword Flow this easily. I’d only imagined it a few times in my dreams, but talent really does come first. It isn’t very entertaining, though.”
Languid Flame Dragon did not look satisfied.
The corner of his mouth had fallen. His expression held bitterness and deep regret.
“I heard our Squad Leader created this sword art when he wore White Uniform. Looking at you, its weaknesses are obvious. If you can’t learn Demon's Light, then at least your martial arts should be strong. You’ll be lucky if you don’t hold the Squad Leader back. This is no fun.”
“...Do not disparage your Squad Leader’s martial lineage. The Huangbo Family’s martial arts may be older, but the Seom-ye Martial Lineage is not something to dismiss.”
Kang Chang-mu bared his teeth. His anger was not slight. Yet the sword pressed beneath Languid Flame Dragon’s foot did not move at all.
It made no difference even when he poured force into his legs, waist, and both arms.
Dawn Tree Sword Kang Chang-mu’s internal training was exceptional. There was no question of that.
“...The Sun God Meridian has the greatest qi storage in the squad. Its inner energy is fire qi as well, so it’s the most powerful.”
“So that’s how this ends.”
“An unranked disciple defeating a Blue Uniform...”
“He was a Young Family Head, at least. It makes sense.”
“Doesn’t he know our Squad Leader’s martial arts well? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he fought with a counterform prepared from the start. The mnemonic formula is public, and he must have seen it more often than anyone in actual combat. In a way, after Cheong Myeong, Baek Mir-yeo, and the former Squad Leader, he might know the new Squad Leader best.”
“What about Desolate Fortress’s Glib Tongue?”
“Tell that bastard to show even seventy percent of his true power.”
“Is he still sleeping? I haven’t seen him at all lately.”
“He said he was challenging the Blue Uniform rank. At this rate, all the merit he’s built up will turn to nothing.”
Languid Flame Dragon and Hyeon Won-chang’s promotion examinations were a major topic of discussion. It was not only Demon Wings that paid attention.
Many Divine Sword Squad martial artists awaiting assignments were interested in the promotion.
They were promising young talents who had spent the longest time with the new Squad Leader.
This was a test of whether he possessed the virtues required of the head of Demon Wings.
How would he train his subordinates, and how well would they grow? Apart from founding martial arts, did he have the capacity as a Grandmaster to lead a school?
If they went out into the martial world with the new Squad Leader, could they expect meaningful progress in their martial arts...?
The Huangbo Family’s wastrel had been a complete martial artist from the beginning.
Hyeon Won-chang’s martial arts were the problem. That was the prevailing opinion among the Demon Wings masters.
“It’ll be hard to expect much.”
One person muttered as they watched Languid Flame Dragon’s expression while facing the Seom-ye Martial Lineage.
* * *
The Desolate Shin Family’s security was strict.
It could not be helped. A Black Uniform supreme master had entered the Family Head’s Hall while clearly displeased.
The reason was valid as well. Had he not come to reclaim a subordinate? The Squad Leader’s age was irrelevant.
Any martial artist would naturally be tense.
“Nothing will happen, right?”
A swordsman in a blue long robe asked one of the gatekeepers. His tone was light.
The gatekeeper did not dare answer. The one asking was a branch-family young master of the Desolate Shin Family.
Clashing Sword Shin Baek. He was known as a mature sword master in his mid-thirties. He had a gentle impression and kindly looking brows.
His temperament was not so gentle.
“Did I not ask you? Even if the new Squad Leader’s martial arts are exceptional, would the Squad Leader dare behave rudely in our family? Or is this difficult for you to agree with?”
“No, sir.”
The young man in cotton clothes serving as gatekeeper answered at once. His voice was restrained.
Clashing Sword Shin Baek harbored resentment toward the direct line. He had been pushed aside by the Desolate Shin Family’s eldest young master, who was his peer, and Shin So-bin’s talent had kept him from receiving attention.
That remained true even after he reached the Blue Uniform rank. It was an exceptionally rare thing.
His reputation outside the family was good.
Inside, it was different. He was extremely irritable.
“Seeing the Leader of Demon Wings in person makes So-bin seem even more regrettable. If she were only a little older, she would have been a strong candidate for successor. If it were up to me, I would have supported that child as the next Family Head... Isn’t she too gifted to hand over to Demon Wings? Unless the Leader of Demon Wings is truly unreasonable, he’ll have no choice but to agree and withdraw, right?”
A strange light flickered in Shin Baek’s eyes.
He was forcing a mere gatekeeper to discuss the legitimacy of succession. The presence of Demon Wings’ young Squad Leader had stirred something in him.
It was not jealousy toward Seom-ye. It was closer to self-loathing over the bloodline he had been born with.
In the Leader of Demon Wings, said to be Shin So-bin’s peer, he saw his cousin’s future. The direct bloodline of a prestigious family, talent that came once in a thousand years. Things Shin Baek did not possess.
“Um...”
The gatekeeper could not answer carelessly.
Kwang!
A thunderous blast rang out in the distance. A tremendous shockwave swept past their collars.
Shin Baek’s expression cooled.
“So something happened after all.”
Step!
He kicked off the ground at once. The wind striking his face felt blunt under the speed of his run. He was not alone.
Desolate Shin Family martial artists were rushing in from all directions. Dozens using lightness skill gradually converged on one place.
It was toward the Family Head’s Hall, which they had deliberately kept their distance from.
Step! Step!
The masters’ strides were broad. They quickly reached the garden surrounding the Family Head’s Hall.
A miserable sight awaited them.
Roof tiles were scattered in all directions. The caved-in roof no longer spoke of the Family Head’s dignity.
Had someone unleashed even an ultimate technique like Radiant River? It did not look like a scene created by a human body. It was practically a ruin.
Shin Baek stood stunned.
‘The position I coveted so desperately can be destroyed like that? So easily?’
A heavy silence settled over them. No one could move for a moment.
The situation already seemed to have calmed. Even a Black Uniform martial artist could not subdue the head of a prestigious family under the main fortress this helplessly, could they?
If such a person had been angry, it was hard to charge in immediately. They would have to risk their lives. All they could do was stare blankly at the threshold of the Family Head’s Hall.
The sound of quick footsteps approached them. A girl suddenly landed in the middle of the garden.
“What in the world is going on...!”
Tap.
Her jet-black braided hair fluttered in the wind created by her lightness skill. The hem of her bright White Uniform martial clothes fluttered with it.
It was Shin So-bin, who had broken free of confinement during the commotion. Her lips parted slightly as she looked toward the hall.
Then her eyes widened. She had sensed a familiar aura.
“Squad Leader?!”
“Be quiet.”
Shin Baek raised a finger to his lips. Shin So-bin glanced at him, then ignored him completely and only snorted.
The Squad Leader had come looking for her in the end. No matter what had happened, she could not stand by and do nothing.
It had been a long time since she had seen him. Joy filled her chest.
Step.
She began walking toward the hall.
A faint voice came from the Family Head’s Hall.
“Get up.”
It was the voice of Jeong Yeon-shin, Leader of Demon Wings. Had he stimulated the other person’s acupoints the moment he spoke?
A cough suddenly erupted from inside. It was unmistakably their Family Head’s.
Shin So-bin stopped short.
“What just happened...?”
The voice sounded flustered. Shin Seol-ha, the Desolate Shin Family Head, had regained consciousness. The Leader of Demon Wings immediately continued.
“This Squad Leader made a move.”
“You attacked without warning? You?”
“You did not react. I wanted to show you the martial arts So-bin could possess.”
“You are speaking of So-bin here?”
“It was persuasion in my own way. It became a rude act. I apologize.”
There was a faint rustle of clothing, followed by the sound of hands coming together.
It reached the sensitive ears of the Desolate Shin Family masters with perfect clarity. It seemed the Leader of Demon Wings had offered a cupped-fist salute. It was rare courtesy from a Black Uniform martial artist.
“...Did your hand move? I did not see it. I only sensed the ceiling suddenly collapse. I did not even sense the flow of qi...”
“It seems the martial arts So-bin would learn are that exceptional.”
“You speak as though they are someone else’s martial arts.”
“...I am not used to praising my own unique martial arts.”
“Ha... Even with such a fiery temperament?”
Shin Seol-ha sighed.
“You are no longer a promising young talent, yet you still remained a hidden dragon. To think you had concealed such extraordinary power. At that age, no less... Even the other Squad Leaders would be surprised.”
“Do not say foolish things.”
“It is regrettable that I could not assess it because the move was too difficult to withstand. Your state of mind runs remarkably deep. This Shin can learn from it. So can So-bin. I have firmly learned my lesson today. With my body.”
Inside the private chamber of the Family Head’s Hall.
“Stop it.”
Jeong Yeon-shin spoke sincerely in the quiet room.
To Shin Seol-ha, it appeared to be modesty. Even after losing consciousness once, her eyes softened.
It was the temperament of someone who had become the head of a prestigious family as the Desolate Shin Family Head. She valued martial strength above any other virtue.
“I understand that your martial arts exceed this Family Head’s insight. But that is not sufficient reason to fully give up So-bin. This is not something that can be settled through martial arts alone.”
“You still insist.”
Jeong Yeon-shin narrowed his eyes.
“So-bin is a married daughter of another family now. Do not interfere any further.”
His words were brief. Shin Seol-ha did not agree.
She thought as the head of a martial family.
“The prestigious families under Desolate Fortress devote themselves to raising martial artists with good bloodlines, then willingly provide them to the Divine Sword Squad. You know as well that masters do not emerge anywhere at any time, do you not? After arduous effort, all we gain is honor. This family’s martial arts, this family’s name... It is not an excessive wish.”
She was trying to bind Shin So-bin no matter what. There was no telling how much more she would interfere in the future.
A sharp light entered Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes.
Her words and actions unsettled him. Demon Wings was the family he had found after leaving Jeong Family Manor. It was the first place where he had received warmth.
It was a refuge he had finally held after walking through a lonely childhood, a home he would not release even at the end of his life. In his heart, it had become the most sensitive reverse scale.
“The masters of the Divine Sword Squad’s martial units are under their Squad Leaders’ care. As the head of Demon Wings, I will say this clearly.”
The words came out unconsciously, yet with force.
“That child belongs to this Squad Leader.”
Sacred qi filled his words. It came from the wheel of light revolving with the beat of his heart.
The dharma power of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel spread out and entered his voice. Auspiciousness seemed to flow from the sound itself.
It was a voice that reached the heart. It resounded far and wide.
“...Ah.”
A small exclamation escaped Shin Seol-ha. Her expression turned strange.
Her raised brows and slightly parted lips formed an odd sight. It came just after she heard Jeong Yeon-shin’s words.
“I see. That would be good as well.”
“What?”
“Your martial arts, your appearance, your position, your bloodline... It would be good if things work out, and even if they do not, if you regard your subordinate that way...”
After muttering to herself, she abruptly said, “Take her. I have been greatly discourteous.”
“...?”
Footnotes:
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