WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 340: Ranking Battle (1)

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The official road teemed with people.

Yet it was quiet.

The presence of a merchant caravan carrying somewhat empty carts, merchants standing before stalls sparsely stocked with fruit and grain, and three or four inn attendants calling for customers while avoiding wandering martial artists near the inns faded from Jeong Yeon-shin's mind.

He replayed Yeo-ui Cheon Ju's footwork.

Air surged upward along both sides of her toes. Aura warped together with the muscles in her legs.

As the creator of Phantom Wing Step, he saw through every detail of the altered footwork. The thoughtfully added mnemonic formula naturally flowed into his mind as he worked backward through it.

The composition of the footwork's force waves seemed dull at first glance.

That was precisely why it was exceptional.

There was a pattern to the energy interlocking above and below the kneecaps.

It felt like finely meshed gears.

'How low did she set the standard?'

It differed from the freedom of the current Leader of Demon Wings. Rather than following what came naturally, it was like teaching a beast how to drink water.

'She fixed the axis of the center of gravity in six directions and drew the Yongquan acupoint's aura down to the principle of the Three Powers. She narrowed the range of movement to make it easier to learn...'

The Phantom Wing Step Yeon-shin had originally created was designed so that its principles could be applied in every direction. It allowed countless variations depending on the situation. Even stepping backward to unravel an opponent's momentum was not difficult. That was because he varied his use of inner power each time.

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju Bukgung A's footwork differed.

She had set its directions in advance. To make it easy to learn and master, she limited its orientations to six. The force waves that generated momentum had been consolidated into three forms.

She had narrowed its applications and focused on attainment.

Only the traces of simple advances, retreats, and leaps remained.

'They say Senior Bukgung is the main fortress's greatest talent.'

Yeon-shin could not contain his surprise.

Was she a living Buddha?

He recalled the Wei Linggong chapter of the Analects, which he had read at Jeong Family Manor. It was the attitude of sacrificing oneself for others.

To teach her subordinates, she had sacrificed her own dignity.

The way she endured simplicity like a rock felt like boundless consideration.

'To compete with someone like her for the position of Divine Sword Squad Leader...'

Yeon-shin was briefly stunned.

He felt a difference in breadth of spirit he had never expected. He had never considered such a mnemonic formula himself. Radiant Art Formation had been his limit.

They said a respected peerless master among the Purple Uniform martial artists would take the seat of Divine Sword Squad Leader.

The wall called the Black Uniform Three Pillars, which he had thought he might at least have matched, felt high again.

'Wait.'

Yeon-shin inwardly tilted his head.

Then what about Maternal Grandfather?

“Hey, are you meditating? Do you need time?”

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju Bukgung A slightly lifted her chin. She seemed to be urging him on. White light fell across the sharply defined bridge of her nose.

The aggressiveness unique to northern royalty showed through.

It was only natural that she could not sense Yeon-shin's aura.

Likewise, he had never sensed the inner-power fluctuations of Blood Guard Squad Leader Jin Myeong-jo.

Having watched Divine Blood Extreme Demon conceal his aura and learned through rough imitation, Yeon-shin was confident that he could completely conceal his inner-power fluctuations even before the Divine Sword Squad Leader.

“Let's do it another time.”

“What?”

Yeon-shin's refusal was nearly a one-word answer.

His demeanor did not resemble that of a subordinate before a Black Uniform Squad Leader, yet the way he raised both hands in a formal salute was immaculate.

His unhidden admiration showed plainly.

“Thank you, Senior Bukgung. Your character has opened my eyes.”

He had seen depths beneath the depths. He now knew how detailed a martial art's mnemonic formula could become. He had learned it by witnessing the ocean-like breadth of the senior martial artist he had only heard about.

Having expanded the scope of his imagination, it was something that would come to him as inspiration someday.

Had she not been a fellow member of Desolate Fortress, he would have addressed her as Great Hero, just as he had addressed Weiji Myo-hwa, the Sword Dragon of Zhongnan Sect.

One of Bukgung A's brows rose slightly. It seemed she had heard something unexpected.

The upper dantian aura sense of a supreme Black Uniform master received an opponent's heart as it was. The thoughts reflected in Yeon-shin's expression were clear to her.

'What? He seems sincere.'

'It seems the altered Phantom Wing Step pleased the Squad Leader. She has wanted to spread martial arts far and wide for a long time. And Yeo-ui Cheon Ju...'

Hyeon Won-chang, who had been blankly watching the two from nearby, understood Yeo-ui Cheon Ju's confusion.

As far as the Desolate Fortress Divine Hero knew, Yeo-ui Cheon Ju, the Dragon Fist, was famous for having a temperament close to a complete disaster.

She flew into fits as often as if she had cultivated demonic arts, and Wonpyeong One Sword Hall had been blown apart several times because of it. Yet she was also the strange sort who slept in the ruined Black Uniform assembly hall.

'They say she has few people close to her.'

When the previous Leader of Demon Wings had been at the height of their prowess, there were people who placed Ma Jin's name among the Black Uniform Three Pillars instead of Bukgung A's.

It was due to personal feelings.

Just as each region named different people among the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.

The expressions of Hyeon Won-chang, Languid Flame Dragon, and Shin So-bin were each strange in their own way.

The Squad Leader looked like a Buddhist who had seen Maitreya.

“What is your name? ...No.”

Blue light gathered in Bukgung A's eyes as she abruptly closed her mouth. Her gaze swept over the young man's entire body, and in that brief moment, it took on a strange gleam.

“With a body like yours, you can't be a nameless nobody. I want a closer look.”

“I understand you are patrolling Xiangyang. This junior is deeply fatigued from his journey, so let us arrange another time. I will send word soon.”

Yeon-shin apologetically changed the subject. At the same time, the elbow he lowered from his salute lightly pressed against the Seventh Apostle's sleeve as she began to raise her hand.

She had been on the verge of making a move after hearing Bukgung A say she wanted to inspect Yeon-shin's well-trained body.

The Seventh Apostle trembled faintly, as if lightning had passed through her arm.

Yeon-shin paid it no mind.

'I will be able to see Senior Bukgung again at Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.'

The fact that he had undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging could not become known yet. It was a matter bound to cause a disturbance, however small. It was best for it to come out after he reached Demon Wings Hall.

Bringing the Seventh Apostle into the Squad Leader's office came first. That would at least secure her safety.

'Ju Yeon-jeong...'

He recalled his maternal grandfather, who had unhesitatingly destroyed the dantian of a collateral imperial relative.

Could he conduct himself as his grandfather had? Rather than being swept along by missions and circumstances, could he shape them as he wished...?

“It was an honor to meet such a distinguished senior. Your cultivation of body and mind truly lives up to its reputation.”

After bowing politely, Yeon-shin passed Yeo-ui Cheon Ju. Admiration lingered in his clear voice.

What had impressed him so much?

Bukgung A, normally called a fiery troublemaker, watched his retreating back with an uncertain look. Then the extraordinary sense she had been born with in the north stopped her.

There was none of the artifice found in a feint.

Only the free spirit unique to Phantom Wing Step followed the young man's heels.

Saaaah.

As a breeze scattered the feather ornaments around the stalls and brushed upward over her brow, Yeon-shin's group safely stepped through Desolate Fortress's main gate.

The marble fortress, white beneath the sunlight, welcomed them.

Quiet as always.

* * *

Jeong Yeon-shin entered the main fortress without revealing his identity.

That was possible because the identities of those accompanying him were clear.

Hyeon Won-chang and Languid Flame Dragon were Blue Uniform masters capable of independent missions. Their rank alone made them key forces of Desolate Fortress.

White Cat Shin So-bin was a direct descendant of the Desolate Shin Family, and her face was more widely known than those of most regular martial artists. In a place like Desolate Fortress, where all kinds of people came and went, that was more than enough to vouch for a couple of strangers.

Unlike the somewhat avoided Languid Flame Dragon, Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin had many acquaintances. Their connections extended beyond Demon Wings to other martial units and the Chief Steward's Office.

“Great Tongue Sword has returned. Have you been well?”

“You have no idea how quiet the main fortress has been. It seems the Leader of Demon Wings has gone to handle other business.”

“White Cat has grown again already.”

“Wait, that woman is...”

Martial artists with the character for Desolation branded on their arms approached the group, their faces full of delight.

Martial artists generally remembered people by their frames and builds. It was not easy to imagine that someone who had been a boy would grow so much through Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging.

With the youngest Black Uniform martial artist, who was difficult to approach, absent, they spoke casually.

Hyeon Won-chang quietly stepped forward and blocked their view.

“We can catch up later. This mission was extremely difficult.”

“I heard about it. Rumors that began in Shanxi reached all the way here. So, is all of it true? You know, that...”

“I said we'd talk over drinks. I'll prove that the seventy-percent binding seal on me was no lie, with how much I can drink now.”

“You are still saying that?”

Languid Flame Dragon snickered among the passersby, as if he had heard something ridiculous.

He really was not trusted at all.

Yeon-shin glanced at them, then at the Seventh Apostle, and slowly spoke. Even after entering the main fortress, she had kept her aura sense sharply focused on him.

Fine inner-power fluctuations fluttered beside him like downy feathers, accompanied by the scarlet hem of her clothing instead of the Pure Blood Robe.

“You.”

“Go on, tell me.”

“Wait quietly in my office.”

“Office? Your room?”

“My colleagues will guide you there. Don't cause trouble. I'll tell you the mnemonic formula when I return.”

“The mnemonic formula, from the first phrase?”

“Yes.”

“What if I forget it again because of qi deviation? Will you tell me from the beginning again?”

Her lips moved.

“You said, ‘Do Not Transmit to the Unworthy.’ You mustn't leave something like a secret manual behind.”

The way she repeated the whisper was uncanny. Even with her eyes covered by soft cloth, a reddish gleam seemed to shine from beneath it.

“...Wait quietly and don't cause trouble.”

After entrusting her safety to Hyeon Won-chang and Shin So-bin, Yeon-shin turned away.

The powers of the Blood Flame Sect's dharma treasure truly were remarkable. The other people of the main fortress saw not the Seventh Apostle, but Miss Ye.

It seemed difficult to see through her identity unless one was of the elven race and possessed the martial presence of a peerless master. The only person Yeon-shin needed to keep in mind regarding the Seventh Apostle now was Ju Yeon-jeong.

“I'll stop by the Chief Steward's Office.”

Leaving those words with the group, he quickly moved away.

He had not wanted to waste time getting caught by martial artists in the main fortress, but as he looked around the inner fortress, he felt it would be fine to combine Phantom Wing Step with the lightness skill Ten Miles of Deep Light.

Whoosh!

Familiar aura filled the fortress. Many of the people passing through his view used familiar footwork.

They were all using Phantom Wing Step.

Even though his martial art was not especially useful to those who could not properly control their own bodies.

'Amazing.'

Yeon-shin felt Senior Bukgung's influence anew. She was no less worthy of respect than Senior Jin, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon.

Yeo-ui Cheon.

It meant that there was nothing one could not achieve if one set one's mind to it.

It was said to be the strongest unit in the Divine Sword Corps after the Divine Sword Squad.

He had also heard that it was difficult to determine whether it or the Annihilation Squad was stronger.

Could Demon Wings surpass those two units and the Divine Sword Squad? Even if he became Divine Sword Squad Leader in the future, he intended to keep Demon Wings directly under his command.

'Radiant Art Formation... There is room to improve it.'

Yeo-ui Cheon Ju had shattered the assumptions Yeon-shin had held as the Leader of Demon Wings. Having learned just how low his own standard had been, Yeon-shin forced the heavy feeling from his mind and stepped onto the highest roof of the Chief Steward's Office complex.

He moved quickly even without fully using his lightness skill.

His completely transformed body sometimes gave him a dreamlike sensation.

It felt as if his entire body were immersed in a dream where nothing was impossible.

Only when the sense of unity within his body broke apart did that feeling fade, and even then, only rarely.

'They said Wonpyeong One Sword Hall was destroyed again. So they are gathered at the Chief Steward's Office.'

The aura rising through the rafters was heavy.

He could feel it through the tips of his toes.

What was happening?

There were an unprecedented number of Black Uniform presences.

The Divine Sword Squad Deputy Leader, the Blood Guard Squad Leader, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader, one aura that was unfamiliar yet familiar, and another completely unfamiliar one. Including Yeo-ui Cheon Ju, who was outside the gates, there were six.

It was truly overwhelming.

Were they preparing for a sect war?

Including Yeon-shin, whose return must have been expected, there would be seven.

Then it happened.

A faint shout entered Yeon-shin's ears as he briefly lost himself in thought.

[That is why I am asking for an explanation! I have been requesting one for days now. Where is the august Lord of Desolate Fortress, that I should be treated with such disregard? Surely one must receive those of proper status with appropriate decorum...]

In that instant, the Light Wheel in his heart rotated.

He entered the state of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown.

Qi raced through the meridians of his entire body in accordance with his will.

Kwoooooong!

Tiles rose in waves from the tips of Yeon-shin's feet and spread in every direction.

The roof, crushed by the shockwave, shattered upward in a vast concentric circle amid pale dust.

Erasing the image of his maternal grandfather that had flashed through his mind with shame, Yeon-shin landed within the ornate hall.

Footnotes:

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