WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 316: Xuanyuan (11)

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The man seated on the boulder met Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes.

Zing.

A resonant hum rang through his mind.

For an instant, it felt as though they had crossed swords. It was the communion of supreme masters.

Jeong Yeon-shin sensed an immensely powerful aura.

'It feels as though he melted his blade into his inner energy. He's an ultimate swordsman.'

It was no ordinary fluctuation of power. He sensed traces of profound inner energy, as well as the image of metal honed to an exceptionally sharp edge.

The qualities of the swordsmanship the man had practiced all his life were wholly contained within his inner energy.

He looked to be in his forties, yet his martial power was extraordinary for his age. In the martial world, he would only now be regarded as an established figure.

"You're... the person I thought you were."

The man continued slowly.

"You've reached the realm of holding a sword in your heart. Your edge is too sharp to be left unchecked."

"Your aura is well tempered too."

Out of ingrained humility, Jeong Yeon-shin returned the praise.

At that moment, Jeon Baek, who had been frozen at the edge of the group, sharply drew a breath. Did he know the man? He looked as though he had witnessed an unimaginable act of rudeness.

The white-robed swordsman did not spare Jeon Baek a glance.

He merely raised an eyebrow.

"An arrogant brat. Still, you have the right to be. I never thought the rumors would be true... It would be troublesome if the Assassins' Sect's treasure fell into your hands."

He had seen through Jeong Yeon-shin's condition at a glance.

Then the words the man muttered under his breath reached Jeong Yeon-shin clearly. If he did not kill him now, it might become difficult later.

Saaah.

The sound of rain striking the ground deepened. Mud splashed endlessly near his feet, carrying a damp chill.

The white-robed swordsman sitting so leisurely before him was not someone he could have encountered by chance.

The Heart Martial Union's distinctive, imposing presence surrounded him. He had to be one of the Three Martial Venerables whose fame had shaken the entire martial world.

The martial world was as vast as the continent itself. It stretched across a breadth equal to several nations joined together.

The Light Blade Venerable, said to possess the swiftest and most destructive blade work in all of Henan, was a woman.

She was likely Gwi Yun-rin's master. Then was this the Winged Blood Venerable, who had mastered countless variations and was said to have single-handedly split dozens of warships belonging to the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold?

'They said the Heart Martial Union's Winged Blood Venerable uses twin swords.'

Either way, he was a powerful figure who proved Jeong Yeon-shin had fully entered the upper ranks of the martial world.

He had reached a position where he could travel alongside Shaolin's Four Vajra. None of the people he encountered were ordinary any longer.

Perhaps his upper dantian, now nearing a state of final resurgence, was drawing powerful people to him. Like a force of fate that contained Divine Techniques.

'They said that if someone so young has such profound qi, they should generally be considered to come from a distinguished family.'

The adult Jeong Yeon-shin recalled his maternal uncle's advice.

Things were different from before he became the Leader of Demon Wings. The lives of his subordinates depended on a Squad Leader's judgment. He had to learn to judge people.

Rustle.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of clothing brushing against itself beside him. Invisible inner energy clung thickly and densely to the silk.

"I wondered whether what I saw was real. You're going to kill my guest? Who gave you permission?"

It was Gwi Yun-rin's distinctive, slightly husky voice.

With her shoulders squared, she stepped forward beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

Her head was held high, one hand resting on the saber sheath behind her back. The force of her presence was overwhelming.

"Why are you intervening now? You didn't move a single step when I nearly died at the hands of the Green Forest's Chief Stronghold Leader. I thought I had no secret escort back then."

They seemed familiar with each other.

The white-robed swordsman's response suggested the same.

"Because I knew the Young Lady would overcome it herself. This matter is different."

His face carried the look of someone dealing with something insignificant. He seemed annoyed by the need for a lengthy explanation. Though he had spoken respectfully, there was no true respect in his tone.

A sharp wrinkle cut across Gwi Yun-rin's brow.

"What's different? Axe Moon Shattering Heaven, the Chief Stronghold Leader, was more dangerous than..."

"That man is no ordinary person, but a sword of the imperial family. His ability is powerful enough to kill Crouching Dragon Rebirth. In Desolate Fortress, where hierarchy is strict, he is an exceedingly high-ranking figure whose standing surpasses the limits of his age. Considering the Heart Martial Union's position, you should naturally keep far away from him. The influence the current Leader of Demon Wings can exert over the martial world is immense... Your small head will find it difficult to properly comprehend. I understand. Just step back."

His boredom was evident throughout the rather long speech.

His tone sounded like a lecture. He resembled a powerful sect figure placating an immature superior.

Clang!

Gwi Yun-rin drew her great saber. The afterimage of its blade swept through a broad arc, scattering dust before it faded.

The weapon, as large as her body, rested in one hand as easily as a wooden stick.

"You talk too much. Stop deceiving me."

Her voice had changed, now like a growling beast.

Her black hair fluttered behind her amid powerful aura, like the battle robe of a young general.

"You're following my brother's orders, aren't you? With an honored guest beside me, it'll be harder to arrange for me to die away from home through some assassin scum's stray dagger or poisoned needle. That's why."

The Eldest Young Master of the Heart Martial Union had been mentioned.

Jeong Yeon-shin's hand shifted toward the sword hilt at his waist, and his fingers twitched slightly.

Though he had never met him, this was someone who bore a grudge against him. The betrothed of Geom Ye-hwa, who had been beheaded after trying to casually kill commoners.

Some time later, Jeong Yeon-shin had faced the Heart Martial Union's lackeys who came to take revenge.

They had been sent by the eldest young master to kill him, but the Clear Qilin's Imperial Sword Art had become a major variable and thwarted their purpose.

'They say martial-world grudges will come for you even after you wash your hands of the world.'

A grudge formed when he first entered the martial world had persisted even now, as he sought to attain Purple Uniform.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt anew the mire-like nature of the martial world. Would he now find enemies lying in ambush everywhere he went?

"The Young Lady's words are as reckless as ever."

The white-robed swordsman slowly shook his head.

"Your subordinates are listening. Refrain from such shallow speculation."

He remained half-reclined against the boulder.

Did he possess tremendous confidence in his cultivated swordsmanship? He remained calm even as he kept both Jeong Yeon-shin and Won Jeok in sight.

"Don't give me that shit. You're worried because your subordinates' eyes are the Alliance Leader's eyes, aren't you? How dare you tell such an obvious lie..."

She trembled with indignation. This was not the Gwi Yun-rin whose former bearing had been so supremely self-assured it was as though she alone existed.

She looked like the heir of a powerful family whose pride had been deeply wounded.

"I know it all. You have to compete with the Moyong Family over the treasures left in the Heavenly Demon's Tomb, and you don't like that I've brought in such a powerful variable, do you? You entered the succession struggle, then resorted to such petty excuses...!"

"Enough. Your nonsense is too long."

Jeong Yeon-shin cut her off.

He had roughly grasped the situation surrounding him.

'It's coming together.'

The Assassins' Sect guarded the Heavenly Demon's Tomb.

The Moyong Family and the Heart Martial Union coveted the Heavenly Demon's inheritance.

Within the Heart Martial Union, Gwi Yun-rin and the eldest young master were competing for succession.

The swordsman before them stood with the eldest young master. Gwi Yun-rin had also been seeking the Assassins' Sect, but by treating Jeong Yeon-shin as an honored guest, she had unintentionally drawn Won Jeok, one of Shaolin's Four Vajra, into the matter.

For the eldest young master's side, there could be no more unsettling variable.

"You said the village was dead. Is the lack of any sign of people your doing?"

The safety of the common people came before asking about their objective. That was the attitude held by most Desolate Fortress martial artists.

At the same time, Won Jeok, who had been standing beside him with his eyes half-open, softly recited a Buddhist invocation.

"Amitabha...!"

An impressed exclamation filled the voice of one of Shaolin's Four Vajra.

For an instant, Jeong Yeon-shin felt like a five-year-old child again, then swiftly cast the feeling aside. This was a situation that required seriousness, even if his bald maternal grandfather stood beside him.

"......"

The white-robed swordsman did not answer.

He only smiled strangely. The reticent set of his lips curved upward like a sword blade, and Jeong Yeon-shin did not like the sight of it.

"I asked what you did. Answer me."

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

"The youngest Black Uniform. The one favored by the Lord of Desolate Fortress, born of noble blood, the Dark King Among Flowers of Sichuan, and the Lotus Nezha of Shanxi..."

The Heart Martial Union's Martial Venerable continued slowly. While looking at Jeong Yeon-shin, he never let Won Jeok leave his field of vision.

"Nothing has ever failed to go your way, has it?"

"...?"

"It must have seemed as though the whole world existed for you. I have watched from afar in recent days, and now I understand after seeing you ensnare even this Union's young lady and one of Shaolin's Four Vajra. I understand why Yeoryeong and the Tyrant Sword Sect wanted you dead. You are even the Tyrant Hero's blood relative, so you might force the Pact of Mount Hua upon the Nine Sects' sect leaders, who have been living at ease among themselves. It's troubling..."

Ting. Ting.

He tapped his index finger against the boulder with the hand supporting his upper body. His fingertips struck its surface, yet the sound that rang out carried an unusual vibration.

Looking more closely, he was not tapping the boulder. A long, colorless, transparent sword lay beside an iron sword.

They really were twin swords.

"That's the Glazed Spirit Sword. Be careful."

Gwi Yun-rin ground her teeth as she whispered.

She did not state the man's identity. There was no need to.

The Heart Martial Union's Winged Blood Venerable.

An ultimate swordsman who wielded two divine weapons like wings.

He was the youngest of the Three Martial Venerables. At an exceptionally young age, he had become the sword instructor of the Heart Martial Union's eldest young master. They said his innate sword talent was terrifying.

There was a famous story of the sect leader of the Hengshan Sect, one of the Nine Sects, speaking to him.

The sect leader had told the young Winged Blood Venerable to come to Hengshan. It was an invitation to enter the sect from one of the Nine Great Sects' absolute masters. The martial world had been stirred by it.

It was none of Jeong Yeon-shin's concern.

"I'll ask one last time. What did you do to the commoners of this village?"

He spoke while using the Jeong Family Youth Technique to slowly ready the muscles throughout his body.

The minute qi contained in his three hundred and sixty-five acupoints moved slowly.

From his thighs through his waist, invisible contractions and relaxations continued until they reached both shoulders and wrists. His body settled into a combat stance.

'This isn't the time to worry about internal injuries.'

Had he sensed that subtle movement? The hem of the Winged Blood Venerable's white robe twitched slightly.

"There is no need for me to take risks here."

He spoke.

"Leave the young lady behind and return. No matter what you do in Shanxi, I will not interfere. Once you turn back down this road, the village will return to normal."

"Why should I trust you?"

"I stake my name on it. As a Squad Leader of Desolate Fortress, should you not accept that proposal?"

His meaning was clear. He had taken the commoners hostage.

"How about you speak plainly for once?"

Yu Hyeon, who had remained silent until then, stepped forward.

The plum blossom embroidery on the young Daoist's sleeve fluttered elegantly.

"I know why your Heart Martial Union can't tell heaven from earth. You're protected by the imperial family in return for raising martial troops in the north and sending them to the front lines, aren't you? I can understand why you don't want to be involved with Yeon-shin. Unlike before, he has become too dangerous to provoke. The imperial family may even take away your special privileges."

His eyes did not waver, and his words were clear.

Even without Jeong Yeon-shin and Won Jeok beside him, he would have said it so directly. Such was the spirit of the Nine Sects.

The Winged Blood Venerable snickered.

Swish.

He slowly rose while gripping the transparent Glazed Spirit Sword and the treasured sword. The dimly falling rain began to be pushed away in every direction. He had fully raised his inner energy.

Then he spoke.

"The Heart Martial Union's work is a great undertaking. Do you believe one Leader of Demon Wings can replace the martial forces supplied to the northern front? No one in the world would think so."

"That's only what you think. Could the Zhuge Family Head, fully prepared, not do it?"

Yu Hyeon retorted. At some point, he had slipped behind Jeong Yeon-shin's shoulder.

"Ridiculous."

The Heart Martial Union's swordsmanship grandmaster laughed.

"Now that I see him, the current Leader of Demon Wings does not possess the martial power to kill Crouching Dragon Rebirth alone. Even accounting for his internal injuries, it is the same. Given his age, it is only natural. I do not know what trick he used then, but the Desolate Divine Spear's contribution must have been significant."

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. He only focused on readying his body.

The Assassins' Sect, the Moyong Family, and the Heart Martial Union.

The Winged Blood Venerable was a core force of the Heart Martial Union. If he fell here, the martial troops that had entered Shanxi would have no choice but to hesitate.

Rather, Jeong Yeon-shin would be eliminating the variable that was the Heart Martial Union in advance.

The only problem was the villagers driven away by the man's subordinates.

Then it happened.

Had the Winged Blood Venerable met Jeong Yeon-shin's gaze and come to the same conclusion?

"Will you turn your back on the people? One signal, and they will all be slaughtered."

The Winged Blood Venerable spoke with twisted lips.

He stood atop the boulder with both swords in hand. An exceedingly grim presence flowed from his entire body. At the same time, the thickets in every direction stirred.

Dozens upon dozens of martial troops approached with a rumbling that shook the earth. They seemed to be declaring that the Leader of Demon Wings, who had yet to recover from his internal injuries, belonged to them.

The Winged Blood Venerable was their commander.

His position differed from that of Gwi Yun-rin, who stood beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

"He's the one who brought together the Heart Martial Union's sword arts into twin-sword techniques. They say his talent was too great to be satisfied with a single blade."

With a resigned expression, she moved her lips.

"In your condition, it'll be hard to face him. Even if you're the Lotus Nezha, right now..."

Jeong Yeon-shin looked at her blankly.

"What are you talking about? We agreed to go to the Assassins' Sect."

"I'll just return. I'm sorry for causing trouble. With Won Jeok, one of the Four Vajra who thinks so highly of you, beside you, you'll be able to clear a path. It was rather enjoyable."

Step.

Gwi Yun-rin's rough hair swept long across his vision.

Contrary to what she had told him, her movements were incredibly light. A faint ripple spread behind her leather shoes as she lightly trod across the snow-covered ground.

It was the aura of the Body Movement Scripture. Despite her words of giving up on everything, she intended to approach the Winged Blood Venerable and strike him with her saber.

"The people, the people."

The Winged Blood Venerable's sneer deepened.

"Desolate Fortress is the sort that scatters hostages throughout the world. Seeing the Leader of Demon Wings unable to move, it may be worth considering killing everyone here to eliminate the witnesses..."

"Namo Avalokiteshvara."

A soft Buddhist invocation rang out.

It came from Jeong Yeon-shin's immediate right. Won Jeok, who had been standing still, moved.

Step.

They said Shaolin's martial arts were solemn and weighty. With only one step, Jeong Yeon-shin felt tremendous heaviness.

Jeong Yeon-shin forcibly sharpened his senses. The upper dantian in his mind was instantly filled with mystical light.

He concentrated all his aura sense on Won Jeok beside him, using his own sense that pulled ceaselessly moving time toward him like a strand of straw.

'I was curious. This will definitely help me.'

The sound of pine needles rustling above his head vanished.

The wind began to flow drastically slower.

The scenery and human presences around him did the same. Jeong Yeon-shin could now see Won Jeok's back before him.

He could see the hem of the orange monk's robe rising straight toward the Winged Blood Venerable.

'That...'

There was no indication of special speed or urgency.

It only felt as though he was moving his body. Yet in the slowed world, Won Jeok alone continued forward toward the Winged Blood Venerable.

Jeong Yeon-shin sensed a passage, along with a grand and majestic intent.

To forget movement is to erase the division of space.

He could not see it. There was only an attractive force that seemed to pull at his skin.

As if possessed, Jeong Yeon-shin forcibly lifted a foot. Though the quadriceps along both sides of his thighs tightened as if they were being twisted, he paid it no mind.

Within Won Jeok's Body Movement Scripture, he sensed someone. As his perception traveled back through the distant years engraved in Shaolin's Seventy-Two Arts, he felt a tremendous kinship that seemed to cut through his mind.

Warm comfort soaked into his chest.

For an instant, it felt as though his fingertips had touched someone else's. An inspiration that transcended time.

An immense name passed through his mind.

Bodhidharma.

'Left behind by someone just like me...'

Swish.

Won Jeok stepped on the empty air as he rose.

With his leather shoes, he rode the current of the wind. He entrusted his entire body to the attractive force of space drawn into a straight line.

Jeong Yeon-shin's vision blurred. Had he forcibly stepped into the realm of supreme transcendence? Flecks of blood stained his view. It seemed several blood vessels in his eyes had burst.

Without caring, Jeong Yeon-shin extended his leg as though swimming through the air.

Once, twice, three times...

...When he came to his senses, he stood with both feet on an eerily transparent sword blade, as though it were a fan. It was the Glazed Spirit Sword, one of the Heart Martial Union's divine weapons.

Whoosh!

An icy winter wind scraped across his skin. The temporal passage of Shaolin's secret Vajra Immovable Body Method had unraveled.

Below him, the Winged Blood Venerable stared up with a shocked expression. Beside him, Won Jeok stood with his hands behind his back, stepping on and pinning down the other iron sword.

"Hm?"

The eminent elven monk met Jeong Yeon-shin's eyes and slightly opened his mouth. The elderly monk rarely showed emotion. This meant he was utterly startled.

"When did the benefactor...?"

"I'm used to things like this..."

Jeong Yeon-shin gave a vague answer.

Footnotes:

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