WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 332: Grandfather and Grandson (5)
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* * *
Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Moyong Jung-rak and Lotus Nezha Jeong Yeon-shin.
They had each taken up a sword and launched an attack. Elegant white robes stood in stark contrast to a pitch-black long robe.
Clang!
Sharp white streaks of light seemed to coil around their bodies. Each was the afterimage of a sword strike. Whenever the two swordsmen clashed, the sword paths carved into the air seemed like something beyond this world.
They appeared and vanished like mist, at times resembling the trailing hems of robes worn by immortals of the Immortal Realm.
The shock waves raging around them, on the other hand, were terrifying. It was a heaven-and-earth-shaking battle.
Even someone born to a distinguished Desolate Fortress family saw it that way. Simply watching felt as though it broadened her horizons.
“Haa...”
Near the slope where the Tyrant Hero stood tall, Shin So-bin’s round eyes sharpened.
She was trying to make out their movements.
Even if she could not properly follow their trajectories, something was being etched into her mind. The spirituality of those who had honed Divine Techniques to mastery was colliding.
She had seen the Squad Leaders’ martial prowess at the Black Uniform promotion ceremony, but the sight created by the Moyong Family Head and Senior Jeong was supremely lofty. At a glance, they barely seemed human.
Fresh astonishment filled the girl who wished to greatly protect the people and raise the renown of the Desolate Shin Family, the junior who had watched Jeong Yeon-shin’s Blue Uniform promotion.
“To think he could take Radiant Sword Flow that far...”
The white martial uniform of the Seom-ye’s Lineage practitioner fluttered in the aftermath of the force waves.
The wind blowing from the two powerful martial artists was strangely heavy. It had to be because the martial arts both had cultivated had reached another realm. The same had to be true of their depth.
Such attainment was only natural from the Moyong Family Head. Yet the youngest Black Uniform in Desolate Fortress was different. Anyone would have called it miraculous.
‘The patterns I can sense are perfect. It feels as though he has honed swordsmanship alone for decades.’
Was it more apparent because his opponent was one of the Eight Great Family Heads?
She felt no barrier from the Grandmaster of her own age whom she revered. That was because she treated Senior Jeong as though Senior Jeong were the founding master of her sect.
It had been a long time since she had come to see his awkwardness in forming ties, his somewhat arrogant yet strangely clumsy nature, as familiar parts of him.
Still, there were times when she felt as if they were walking through different eras.
Like now.
It was closer to a sense of alienation. It could not be explained by the gap in talent alone.
Shin So-bin thought that perhaps Demon Wings did not know something about him.
“Is that really swordsmanship rooted in Radiant Sword Flow? Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art... Come to think of it, I have not had many chances to receive it. The Squad Leader’s guided sparring sessions have been few and far between.”
“When did the young Squad Leader transform his swordsmanship into a Divine Technique? If your eyes were as sharp as your tongue, you would have realized it long ago.”
Words feigning leisure amid the urgency. They came from Hyeon Won-chang and the Languid Flame Dragon.
Step.
The two casually moved in front of her. The storm of incoming force waves immediately weakened. The aura of Radiant Art Formation, so familiar to Shin So-bin, dispersed the wind.
The seniors who were always reassuring yet a little unreliable had, upon closer inspection, particularly deep attainments in Radiant Art Formation even within Demon Wings.
“Why are you working so hard to learn it, Senior Opium Poppy?”
“...Hm?”
Kwaaaaang!
The reply came too late. As Jeong Yeon-shin was blasted away from the clearing with a thunderous crash, the Languid Flame Dragon swiftly turned his head as well.
He was fully occupied with watching the fierce battle. Only his mouth, chewing opium poppy, continued moving as before.
Shin So-bin did not scold him. She was anxious too.
Kugugung!
The cliff beneath the two martial artists collapsed. The Squad Leader was facing an opponent of an entirely different level alone.
The unfathomable senior from the main fortress, who had torn off the Heart Martial Union Leader’s arm, was undoubtedly a tremendous ally. Yet as the figure stood with arms crossed, nothing but an aloof air came through, as though the figure would not speak to anyone.
It was as if the figure were saying this was an extremely important moment.
As though world-shaking power, capable of handling even missions involving the heads of major sects, was on the verge of being born.
‘Isn’t it too soon?’
Shin So-bin had heard what the senior had said to the Squad Leader. The senior intended to use this life-and-death duel as a stepping stone for greater attainment. The senior might not intervene in a one-on-one battle.
She had to swallow her anxiety.
So she moved her lips, swiftly voicing her thoughts through lip-speech.
“I mean Radiant Art Formation. Even the Huangbo Family’s martial arts are comparable to most Divine Techniques.”
“...With talent like mine, the more good martial arts I learn, the more I benefit. I have reached the realm where broadening my knowledge directly improves my martial prowess. Besides, Three Flowers Gather at the Crown is not far off for me.”
“At best, your talent is enough to help the Squad Leader into his leather shoes. You might not even be able to follow his heels.”
“I do not think I should be hearing that from someone weaker than me. In any case, Radiant Art Formation is fun to cultivate. The patterns written in the manual may be one thing, but higher-level techniques are often hidden within them. There is something enjoyable about uncovering what was concealed as though they expected nothing from you. Flame River came from playing around with things like that.”
“You said all paths converge. Is even focusing on one path not enough?”
“I get bored with everything too easily. The larger my vessel for martial arts, the more fickle I am. That embodiment of supernatural phenomena, the Star Radiance Great Sword Lord, has probably mastered all nineteen sword arts of the Moyong Family. He is someone who stops at nothing to advance his martial arts. There are even rumors that he harbors a deep grudge over his royal bloodline from Yan.”
“...”
“In any case, you may not sense it, but that monster looks more at ease than the Squad Leader even though he is only using a sword. Their depth is different.”
The Languid Flame Dragon restlessly tapped one foot. Hyeon Won-chang, on the other side, had long since turned tense shoulders toward the direction Jeong Yeon-shin had raced along the cliffside.
“The weight of each aura is different. It is difficult to measure them one by one, but... he clearly possesses hardness, softness, and speed in equal measure. All at a peerless level.”
“It is laughable and shameful from the outset. Someone of the Moyong Family Head’s age and standing seriously crossing swords with our Squad Leader.”
“What do you think will happen?”
“The Squad Leader’s martial arts lean entirely toward hard swordsmanship and swift attacks. They may not work against a peerless swordsman raised by a distinguished family. Martial arts meant for brief battles may have the power to kill even a master of equal standing in a single strike, but... they are weak in prolonged battles and against counterattacks. Won-chang, when I give the signal, throw me with all your strength. With my family’s Elegant Verse Heavenly King Scripture, I should be able to buy the Squad Leader at least one move.”
Then.
Kwaaaaang!
Moyong Jung-rak and Jeong Yeon-shin were swallowed by a massive light at the side of the cliff.
It was as if another sun had risen. A sphere made of the Moyong Family Head’s force waves suddenly manifested, reflecting away the sunlight. It carried a mysterious air.
They said the boundary between martial arts and sorcery arts blurred at the peerless level. At a glance, it looked like a formation barrier unleashed through sorcery-based martial arts.
“Won-chang!”
The moment the Languid Flame Dragon shouted, all three froze at once. An overwhelming energy bound them in place. It felt as though their acupoints had been sealed in an instant.
“A true heaven-sent genius.”
Ma Yeon-jeok, who had been standing silently, finally spoke. His arms remained crossed.
“Learns what he has not heard and knows what he has never experienced. A golden-winged bird that devours dragons knows how to beat its wings toward the heavens without being taught. But what would happen if a lesser dragon stood before it?”
The three members of Demon Wings did not heed him. Power waves rising from their bodies sharply swept through the air.
Yet none of them could move. The figures from the assassins’ sects standing guard nearby, along with notable people from Taiyuan of every station, all held their breath.
* * *
Two hundred and thirty exchanges.
Jeong Yeon-shin counted the moves exchanged with the Moyong Family Head.
There had been that many exchanges before Jeong Yeon-shin was driven back, yet not even a quarter of an hour had truly passed. Every sword move had been a swift strike like a flash of light.
Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art, wielded with a broken sword, remained powerful.
Yet it was difficult to withstand the ever-changing Meteor Sword with ease. Sihwa Boundless Hand only shattered the cliff instead of reaching the Moyong Family Head.
Every instant was a series of choices.
Ultimate Thunder and Dragon Fan Treading Flowers could not be used together. Both were ultimate techniques that shattered the body’s limits. Activating them simultaneously was impossible.
Unless Jeong Yeon-shin possessed a supreme Divine Technique like Wudang Sect’s Two Principles Mind Art, he could not use two such techniques together, techniques that pushed inner-energy control to its limit.
When power was needed, Jeong Yeon-shin used Ultimate Thunder. When reaction speed mattered, he used Dragon Fan Treading Flowers.
Even then, the Moyong Family Head never let down his guard.
He blocked Jeong Yeon-shin’s attempts to use Full Heaven Flower Rain with the broken Northern Light Sword, as well as the sword-control art that united sword and mind, with seasoned tactics.
He was unlike the Zhuge Family Head, who had closed in despite learning sorcery-based martial arts that required distance. The Star Radiance Great Sword Lord never gave Jeong Yeon-shin any distance, continuously pressing forward with peerless swordsmanship.
The surrounding air stretched taut to its limit.
Fragments of martial force drifted between them like broken mirror shards. Everything seemed ready to explode at any moment. The battle had reached its peak.
‘The impact is too strong. He drove every sword-strike force wave toward me.’
His opponent was a master of the sword.
Within time divided into hundreds of pieces in a single breath, Jeong Yeon-shin struggled to steady himself. Moyong Jung-rak had just delivered a pale sword strike before him.
Only a Divine Technique could break a divine sword. Jeong Yeon-shin did not even possess a Protective Qi Technique at the level of a Divine Technique. A sword strike that had snapped the Northern Light Sword in two could sever his neck at once.
Wooooong.
The two hundred and thirty-first exchange.
“I have had enough of your sword talent. Let us end it here.”
Suddenly, the fragments of martial force Moyong Jung-rak had released formed a domain.
The sword domain Jeong Yeon-shin had sensed earlier materialized through qi. It was a space that made an advancing blade even faster.
Another Divine Technique stirred, born of the intent to transform the surroundings, where rocks fell and wind blew, into a universe where all things roamed freely.
How many methods did he possess? This was the foundation of a leader from a major faction with centuries of history.
Woooooooong!
It sounded as though hundreds of heartbeats were ringing. Darkness descended in every direction at once.
They were the shadows created by fragments of force waves. It was also a spiritual space wrought by swordsmanship that had reached the level of a Divine Technique.
The air in every direction resonated with a heavy hum. Even under the gaze of the Heaven-Displaying Eye Technique, Jeong Yeon-shin could only distinguish vague shadows.
Everyone had a life-saving ultimate move.
It might be Lazy Donkey Roll, an unexpected trump card, or a chained sequence that grew stronger in the midst of battle.
Yet the life-saving ultimate moves of those called peerless masters were different. Their lives carried too much weight.
A life-saving ultimate move at the peerless level was a personal secret art that a master of martial arts could use at any time. For Star Radiance Great Sword Lord Moyong Jung-rak, it was likely this space where he had manifested his own sword domain.
It felt as though Jeong Yeon-shin stood surrounded by waves beneath the night sky. Every current flowed toward him.
The moment Jeong Yeon-shin tightened his grip around the sword hilt, a dry intent pierced his ears. Through the spirituality that formed a Divine Technique, Moyong Jung-rak’s intent was conveyed to Jeong Yeon-shin’s upper dantian.
[Divine Spirit-Building Flash Halberd.]
The inherent mystery of swordsmanship seeped into the shadows. It was an exceedingly natural thrust.
A trajectory that carried both the experience of a seasoned martial artist and the realm of a peerless swordsman. Jeong Yeon-shin had no time to react.
Puk!
A long blade shadow pierced through Jeong Yeon-shin’s abdomen.
It punched straight through his back.
The pain was immense. He felt a large foreign object in his stomach. His skin seemed to burn.
“It is something the high-ranking figures of Desolate Fortress always face.”
A humming voice resounded from the darkness formed by fragments of Divine Technique force waves.
“Can they take the head of a sect leader who commands a major faction, or can they not? Those who completed their missions wore Purple Uniform, while those who failed were buried in the wilderness, their corpses never recovered.”
“...”
“Junior, what a pity. Liaodong, Liaoxi, or Liaoning, any would have been fine. If you had been anywhere among them...”
“Since becoming a Black Uniform.”
“Hm?”
Jeong Yeon-shin slowly parted his lips. Jeong Family Youth Technique desperately held his internal organs together. Blood boiled in his throat like phlegm.
“I have always considered it.”
“Child of the Jeong Family, you are pushing yourself too far.”
Moyong Jung-rak spoke in admiration. Jeong Yeon-shin paid him no mind and continued.
“How I should deal with someone like you.”
“What?”
Moyong Jung-rak could only ask briefly. He could not move any further.
He too had pushed himself beyond his limits for a moment. He had gambled on victory, succeeded, and was likely enduring the recoil from unleashing an extremely swift sword move.
Even in a space where the flow of force waves blocked out the sunlight, it could not be easy for the Moyong Family Head to move.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. It was as though the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s gentle breath lingered by his ear.
“A master’s senses cannot be easily toyed with. You must engrave this truth in your heart first.”
“It may be difficult for now...”
“Difficult?”
“It seems hard to use properly. Both controlling aura to pierce an opponent’s aura sense, and disrupting their senses during actual combat.”
Jeong Yeon-shin whispered inwardly to his past self.
Controlling energy rather than senses was always easy for you.
Saaa...
The talent dwelling throughout his body flowed like rays of light. The power waves of the Record of the Dharma Light Wheel clung to the surroundings with an auspicious aura.
At the same time.
The fragments of martial force scattered by Moyong Jung-rak all began to change at once.
It was as though the passage made of mirror shards scattered light and turned completely over. The space woven from bundles of invisible paths changed direction.
Countless threads of sword paths rose like waves, flowing from Jeong Yeon-shin to Moyong Jung-rak.
Heart Sword.
The surroundings began to brighten. It felt as though dawn had arrived.
Jeong Yeon-shin controlled the sword domain of aura and made it his own path. The Moyong Family Head’s presence, which had begun to cast a shadow before him, flinched.
He could not help sensing it first. A peerless master had lost control of energy.
Jeong Yeon-shin said nothing more.
Blue flames rose from the blade of the half-broken Northern Light Sword in one hand.
Azure Flame covered the short blade and, in an instant, grew like a sword edge. It was inner-energy control at the level of divine mastery. Jeong Yeon-shin had forged the force waves into a single line.
The Moyong Family Head’s brow twitched. The surroundings were soon dyed blue-black.
The Star Radiance Great Sword Lord had reached the utmost extreme of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown. The moment his heart stirred sharply, the inner-energy barrier of Heavenly Demon Divine Armor enveloped his entire body. It was a slip born of instinct.
[Azure Flame, First Form.]
Jeong Yeon-shin’s thoughts flowed out as a brief recitation.
Hwaaaaaaak!
The flaming sword strike that sprang from his right hand raced forward, dyeing the cliff blue. It was too fast for a peerless swordsman to react.
It was as though another sun had risen.
A chilling blue light filled the sword domain around them and violently swept up the Moyong Family Head’s entire body.
Footnotes:
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