WeTried Translations

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 323: Shaking Heaven (2)

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A White Uniform of Desolate Fortress.

For the heir of the Desolate Ma family, it was little more than a rank to pass through. The world Ma Se-in belonged to was different.

Even if White Uniforms at the main fortress commanded great respect in most regional martial circles, it meant little. It was merely a temporary loss of status they had no choice but to accept.

That was how it was for Ma Se-in.

Tap.

The young nobleman walked with eyes whose blacks and whites were sharply defined.

Ma Se-in's mastery of the Harmonizing Splendor Divine Art was said to be unmatched among peers, yet Ma Se-in still had to lower their head before several middle-ranking Blue Uniform martial artists from the provinces.

Such were the laws of the main fortress. White Uniform was merely the lowest rank in its formal hierarchy.

Their treatment was different, however. Not only the servants but even some senior martial artists held Ma Se-in in high regard.

It was respect for the Desolate Ma family's long years of service and their infamous temper.

"Young Master Ma, this is an unusual outing. Where are you headed?"

"I received word from Wonpyeong One Sword Hall."

Ma Se-in answered briefly, with a young White Uniform martial artist following behind.

The Blue Uniform master who had greeted Ma Se-in with a friendly expression flinched.

Their expression had already turned uncomfortable the moment Ma Se-in mentioned Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.

"Isn't that place practically collapsed now? I heard it was being rebuilt..."

"The returned Yeo-ui Cheon Ju has only one place to stay, doesn't she? Rather than the Yeo-ui Cheon Pavilion, she sleeps in the Black Uniforms' stone seats."

"Right, of course. Safe travels."

The Blue Uniform master gave a vague nod and hurried away. Despite the imposing build, they looked remarkably rushed.

Tap.

Ma Se-in watched for a moment before setting off again.

At the end of the broad white roads of the main fortress stood the half-ruined Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.

Swish.

The guard at Ma Se-in's side quickly caught up.

He held the same White Uniform rank as Ma Se-in.

The young man was Ma Ung, who had recently begun making a name for himself in the main fortress. Within the Ma Family, his mastery of the degraded Jeong Family Youth Technique was second only to Ma Se-in's.

The walls of his quarters supposedly held a painting of a bridge made of crows and magpies, alongside a kite shaped like a hawk.

"Young Family Head, that senior's reaction was strange. Could today's matter somehow damage your reputation...?"

Ma Ung spoke carefully.

Ma Se-in slowly shook their head.

"Anyone would react that way if they heard we were going to meet Yeo-ui Cheon Ju."

"I'm unfamiliar with the rumors here. I haven't been at the main fortress long..."

"I know. There's no need to worry too much."

"I've heard plenty about Yeo-ui Cheon Ju's personality. They say she's as difficult and unpredictable as her talent is rare throughout the ages... Is that true? I'm concerned."

"It'll be fine. I've only seen her a few times from behind Grandfather's shoulder when I was little, but I haven't done anything particularly wrong. Besides, she's not the only Black Uniform staying at the main fortress right now."

Ma Se-in's answer was calm.

Ma Se-in's bearing and conduct were equally calm. The heir of a collateral branch related by blood to the current Leader of Demon Wings.

Rumors were widespread that Ma Se-in had become more broad-minded after befriending Seom-ye and going through the matter involving their mother, Ju Yeon-jeong.

Ma Ung nodded with a hum, then suddenly spoke.

"Come to think of it, the forces stationed at the main fortress haven't changed much. Even news from the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad and Immortal Wood Spirit Squad has stopped coming from Xinjiang."

"The standing forces have been getting stronger. Since the Elder Council Head retired from the martial world, there hasn't been a Purple Uniform guarding the main fortress. There are also rumors that the Lord of Desolate Fortress has left again. If that's true, around three martial units need to defend the main fortress."

With Yeo-ui Cheon and the Annihilation Squad guarding the main fortress alongside the Burning Abyss Squad...

The whereabouts of the Swift Heaven Wing Squad, Heaven-Treading Forest Squad, and Immortal Wood Spirit Squad were completely unknown.

It was a matter that had gradually begun to shake the main fortress. It was also one of the greatest incidents since Desolate Fortress's founding.

The land spread across the realm was endlessly vast, so long-term missions were not unusual.

It was not rare for a single case to take more than a year. One Blue Uniform master of the Nethercurrent Squad, which mainly handled intelligence, had not set foot on the main fortress grounds in twenty years.

The current Leader of Demon Wings, who had recently taken the distinction of being the youngest Black Uniform from Yeo-ui Cheon Ju, was simply exceptional.

Yet a Squad Leader's spiritual beast failing to return to the main fortress for an extended period was another matter.

Killed in action.

That was how Desolate Fortress, with its military ethos, put it.

"Isn't this the first time since the founding period? Could there be some evil spirit in Xinjiang that we don't know about?"

"Who knows... The Chief Steward's Office must have a headache too. Sending more support might just be pouring water into a swamp. It isn't as though the Purple Uniforms at the main fortress have much room to spare."

"If two reinforcements aren't enough, send three more... No, that wouldn't be easy to decide either."

"This isn't gambling over mahjong tiles. It isn't easy to move a high-ranking figure in black robes so casually, and if things go wrong, we could lose five or six Black Uniforms in Xinjiang. This is no ordinary danger."

The Chief Steward's Office of Desolate Fortress devoted tremendous care to the movements of Black Uniform martial artists.

A supreme master capable of deciding the course of a sect war would be treated like a mountain god anywhere, and such a person would almost never uphold the people's will and become one of the main fortress's seventeen swords.

Winning the Lord of Desolate Fortress's approval was another difficulty.

Ma Ung's shoulders drooped slightly. He was also a martial artist of Desolate Fortress.

"There is no clear solution. No wonder the riffraff of the martial world sometimes look down on the main fortress. To people without a cause, it must look like nothing more than a huge beast bound in every direction."

"Don't concern yourself with the eyes of such lowlifes. In any case, setting aside the main fortress's defenses, it would be best if two massive forces comparable to the Three Black Uniform Masters took the field. The Chief Steward's Office will decide soon enough."

The surrounding thickets parted as the two walked. The view before them gradually opened up.

Maintaining proper boundaries while appearing strangely informal with one another, master and servant gradually reached their destination.

"What could Yeo-ui Cheon Ju want with us?"

"We'll find out now."

When Ma Se-in finished speaking, the view opened fully.

A Training Hall permitted only to the most esteemed figures came into sight.

Without weapon racks or anything else, it was merely a broad empty space. At a glance, there was nothing special about it.

The ruins beside it, where short craftsmen moved tirelessly, stood out more.

The remains of what had once been a pavilion were called Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.

Yet the empty ground's symbolic value rivaled that of the Squad Leader Assembly.

It was a place where those in black robes occasionally exchanged blows. It was the only exception to the main fortress laws forbidding private bloodshed between comrades.

The Desolate Ma family's master and servant held their breath as they entered the Black Uniform Training Hall.

Others had arrived first. A young man and woman.

"......"

Neither looked older than their twenties, yet both wore black long robes that reached their feet.

Had they begun a spar?

They faced each other silently in the middle of the clearing. It was a sight that seemed to silence the surroundings.

Ma Se-in quietly swallowed.

'Squad Leader So-yeon and Yeo-ui Cheon Ju...'

The man was Squad Leader So-yeon, famed for the Body Movement Scripture.

Yu Jeong-myeong, the Soul Spirit Divine Step.

His ears were sharp as sword tips. He had the appearance people immediately imagined when they thought of the elven race, and his expression was calm while his presence was extraordinarily clear.

His firm body was wrapped in a black robe that fit him perfectly.

"You're here."

Squad Leader So-yeon glanced at Ma Se-in and spoke.

"Can I show it now?"

The woman in the black robe, who faced him with her arms folded, let out a short laugh.

"You speak as if it were yours. Aren't you ashamed that you monopolized it, only for it to be taken away?"

Her black long robe was extraordinarily flamboyant. From its hem, it split into countless sections like ceremonial attire, and the ends of its pitch-black skirts rippled through the air like flames.

It was proof of an unbroken circulation of inner power. Her dark trousers hung loosely around her long legs, clearly suited for Leg Arts.

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju.

Dragon Fist Bukgung A.

The character in her name meant molar. Some idle connoisseurs said that character suited her even more than her epithet.

"Ma Family boy, just stand right there."

Bukgung A spoke.

It was an order from Yeo-ui Cheon Ju.

Ma Se-in tried not to show any doubts.

Ma Se-in knew much about the supernatural phenomena before them. Desolate Fortress's greatest prodigy. Until the current Leader of Demon Wings came knocking on the main fortress gates, that was what people commonly called her.

She had donned black robes at an exceptionally young age. It had not taken long for her to stand shoulder to shoulder with transcendent experts like the Annihilation Squad Leader and Desolate Divine Spear.

They said she often clashed with Ak Su-rim, the Divine Spear, at Wonpyeong One Sword Hall. Even after calling Ak Su-rim a grandmother, only the Assembly Hall was said to end up smashed to pieces.

"Do not give orders so freely. Ma Se-in is not one of yours."

Yu Jeong-myeong, Squad Leader So-yeon, spoke quietly.

The elf's striking appearance gave his words the gravity of a heavenly general's stern rebuke. Ma Ung, standing behind Ma Se-in, fidgeted.

A soft dimple formed in Bukgung A's white cheek.

"Uncle Yu still has much to learn."

With the corner of her lips raised, she curled her index finger while keeping her arms folded.

"Since when do Squad Leaders of equal standing get to order one another around? Isn't this place for settling such matters? When we exchanged moves the other day, I defeated you in a single move. Want to try again?"

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju, the Dragon Fist.

In terms of seniority, she was close to the younger generation. Her provocations were no different.

The outcomes of contests between masters took forms as varied as martial arts themselves.

They could range from a seven-day-and-night battle that displayed superhuman endurance to a contest decided in a single exchange.

The forms and traits of the martial arts they had learned, their compatibility, the move chosen in an instant, terrain, and weather were all major variables.

That was why even masters of equal standing often fought battles decided in a single exchange.

Yu Jeong-myeong, Squad Leader So-yeon, possessed deep self-restraint. He did not get drawn into Bukgung A's battle-crazed taunts.

"Didn't you call them here to strengthen the main fortress's forces? If you want the cooperation of those beneath you, treat them well."

"Why would I need their cooperation? I only need to look at them."

At the same time, a book flew from inside her robes with a flutter.

It was an effortless use of Remote Object Manipulation.

The book's dozens of pages spread like wings as it floated between the two Squad Leaders. Written on its cover were the words [Phantom Wing Step].

"This is a footwork art."

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju then gave a brief gesture with her chin.

Whoosh.

Marble fragments flew from the nearby ruins and lodged in the Training Hall floor with heavy thuds. They took the form of crude seats.

She handled energy with complete freedom. As Ma Se-in's eyes widened, Yeo-ui Cheon Ju dropped into one of the roughly made seats, crossed her legs, and looked Ma Se-in over.

"You practice a youth technique... We'll see later. I was curious about what Uncle So-yeon carried around like a sacred relic."

The Phantom Wing Step manual flew toward her. It was a superhuman sight, as if Ma Se-in had stepped into another world.

The Ma Family's master and servant remained silent, and even Squad Leader So-yeon stood blankly for a moment.

He stared at the manual resting between Yeo-ui Cheon Ju's fingers, looking as though it pained him to lose it.

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju, Bukgung A, silently read through the Phantom Wing Step manual. Her eyes seemed to hold flashes of dark lightning.

"Put the pillar over there!"

"It'll just break again! Don't practice here! What a waste of qi!"

For some time, only the sounds of short craftsmen rebuilding Wonpyeong One Sword Hall echoed.

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju did not take long to read.

Suddenly, she raised her head from the pages, her brow furrowed.

"Did someone actually write this to be read?"

"Pardon?"

Ma Se-in, who still had no idea what was happening, answered without thinking and flinched. Yeo-ui Cheon Ju paid no attention and looked toward the Demon Wings pavilion.

"What's wrong with the bastard who wrote this? Has Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step entered the main fortress?"

Footnotes:

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