WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 341: Ranking Battle (2)
──────
It was a realm where the mind and inner energy became one.
Jeong Yeon-shin knew that the unity of essence, qi, and spirit was not solely beneficial. The dead Moyong Family Head was proof enough.
Though he had known of dharma-powered martial arts, he had unconsciously activated the Heavenly Demon Divine Armor, allowing Jeong Yeon-shin to steal his breathing rhythm with Azure Flame, First Form, the ultimate move of the Thunderclap Flash-Ridge Sword Art.
Jeong Yeon-shin had never intended to destroy the roof of the Chief Steward's Office hall.
It was because Three Flowers Gather at the Crown kept forming and fading. There was no problem with the clear, still disposition of the current Leader of Demon Wings.
Fragments of blue-black roof tiles scraped harshly as they scattered around him. Amid the falling debris, Jeong Yeon-shin took a step with Phantom Wing Step.
Thud.
An invisible force wave surged up beneath his feet and swept the dust aside. It was as though a great pale curtain had been torn down the middle.
'This is a problem.'
The young man thought.
Every movement had to remain completely under his control. Martial arts beyond one's control were useless in a contest between masters.
Their exchanges were incredibly fast, and the precision of each form decided life or death.
At least there was a solution. He had been told that the backlash from Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging could be resolved by eating proper meals.
It was advice from the former Divine Sword Squad Leader. Now that his body and energy could bear the divinity of the upper dantian, all he needed to do was keep himself well fed.
The intervals between disruptions of Three Flowers Gather at the Crown had indeed grown longer.
It was likely thanks to all the smoked wild boar he had eaten on his way to Xiangyang. Jeong Yeon-shin looked around, newly conscious of the dignity of that venerable senior of Desolate Fortress.
This was the top floor of the Chief Steward's Office hall, a meeting chamber resembling Wonpyeong One Sword Hall.
Silver blinds screened the entrance, while ancient stone carvings of dragons, phoenixes, and other creatures stood throughout the chamber.
"Phantom Wing Step?"
"It's the orthodox form. Not a branch technique."
There were seven people.
Those seated around the enormous round stone table turned their gazes toward Jeong Yeon-shin.
The air in the corner where he landed heated up in an instant.
Only two rose from their seats to confront a hostile intruder. The other five simply leaned against their marble-backed chairs and turned their heads.
They did not care whether the roof had been blown away.
Whoosh...
A translucent current rippled through the chamber.
It felt like the air outside beneath the summer sun. The aura in the gazes of the seven men and women was immense.
None seemed to possess a blazing yang qi art like the Languid Flame Dragon's, yet the density of the overlapping, interwoven waves of power was overwhelming.
Even a peerless master could die to a combined attack from several supreme masters.
They said that wherever three or more Black Uniforms gathered became Desolate Fortress.
How many were here now?
Jeong Yeon-shin remained expressionless as he swallowed a groan. The pressure radiating from his respected seniors pressed through his skin and into his muscles.
Even after undergoing Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging, any path out seemed faint. If this were enemy territory, it would be the most dangerous place in the world.
How powerful would Desolate Fortress be if it had never once divided its strength for something it considered more important than the people's welfare?
As he considered that, he decided not to reveal his identity, at least for the moment.
It was the only way to deal with a guest who carelessly spoke of the Lord of Desolate Fortress while he pretended to know nothing.
That was when the huge man seated at the head of the round table spoke. Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong had been studying him with grave eyes. He opened his beard-framed mouth as though asking those around him for their opinions.
"Was that truly Phantom Wing Step?"
The vibration in his voice pushed through the air.
Jeong Yeon-shin had felt that level of martial prowess before. The Grand Chief Steward also possessed martial arts that would not fall behind those of most Squad Leaders.
The moment he spoke, Ak Su-rim, Jin Myeong-jo, and Un So-yu spoke in turn.
"He looks absurdly strong. I wondered how much nerve someone needed to come here alone, but now I see why."
"...If Seom-ye's secret manual has been leaked."
"We must question him. I believe apprehension should come first. It will not be easy, though..."
The last to speak was Un So-yu, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader.
She stood with one hand resting on her sword hilt.
She commanded the martial force responsible for enforcing Desolate Fortress's laws. She had fought Jeong Yeon-shin during his promotion to Black Uniform.
She was a swordswoman suited to standing with her back straight.
Long hair swayed beneath ears as sharp as a treasured sword and beautiful features, a sign that she was about to draw her sword. Even before the blade left its sheath, a chilling sword wind flowed out.
No one addressed the hostile intruder.
That was Desolate Fortress's nature.
They did not negotiate with anyone who struck first. Enemies filled every corner of the martial world.
"I heard Desolate Fortress martial artists have been suffering attacks outside Xiangyang. What happened today alone shows how the martial world has treated this place of late. What sort of disturbance is this in broad daylight? Some ignorant strongman has barged into Desolate Fortress's meeting hall."
The middle-aged man seated beside the Grand Chief Steward spoke calmly.
He had refined features and somewhat long ears. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a high-ranking noble.
His relaxed expression suited his silk official robes, which revealed his status at a glance.
The hilt of the precious sword at his waist had been worn smooth, evidence that it had long endured the grip of hands filled with inner energy.
"This is all because the Lord of Desolate Fortress is absent. A commander, no matter how exalted, should remain at their post to raise the morale of the camp... With not a single Purple Uniform peerless master in the fortress, how could the Lord leave the main fortress? This cannot be allowed. At the very least, the Grand Chief Steward or the Desolate Divine Spear should have been informed."
He blamed the Lord of Desolate Fortress in an old-fashioned tone while pointing at Jeong Yeon-shin.
"What was this if not a wasted trip? I wonder what the Gungmyeong Prince will think. His personal letter, which only the Lord of Desolate Fortress can open, has remained sealed for days. And now someone like that has appeared."
A realm capable of contending with Black Uniform supreme masters, along with the status to deliver a Prince of Commandery's letter that only the Lord of Desolate Fortress could open.
It was an exceedingly rare combination. Unless he was a direct descendant of a prince invested by the Imperial Court, it made no sense.
"......"
Silence fell.
This was a gathering of martial arts masters.
As far as Jeong Yeon-shin knew, fewer than half of those here had mild dispositions.
Now that such insolence toward the Lord had been spoken, their attention naturally shifted from the unidentified intruder to words they could scarcely tolerate.
The Grand Chief Steward sat at the head of the table.
The middle-aged man who had spoken without restraint sat to his left. To the Grand Chief Steward's right sat a short-haired girl with black hair and a grave expression.
It was Ak Su-rim, the Desolate Divine Spear. The way her fingers kept twitching made it seem as though she wanted to seize her spear at once.
"Sword Authority Duke, please watch your words. Even the Lord of Desolate Fortress is accorded the honors of a Prince of Commandery by the Son of Heaven."
The Grand Chief Steward spoke in an even voice.
The middle-aged man called the Sword Authority Duke scoffed.
"How many squad leaders of the Divine Sword Corps are being wasted here? If you had listened to this official without delay, you would have long since cut off those arrogant fools' heads."
"It is dangerous territory, and we do not know how much strength will be required. The area is also extremely broad. After deducting the forces that must remain in the main fortress, there is little to spare..."
"That damned reserve force."
Sword Authority Duke waved a hand as though sick of hearing it.
"What meaning does that principle have now? The Lord of Desolate Fortress has left his post. The entire world is looking down on Desolate Fortress, yet you still intend to cling to tradition? The warmth of the place where the Lord once lay has probably vanished by now. What is needed is a decision from the Grand Chief Steward and the Divine Spear..."
His words were outrageous.
Jeong Yeon-shin did not know what had happened, but surely it was acceptable to strike now.
'He must be of the imperial clan in Beijing's Forbidden City.'
He guessed the man's identity as Light Wheel qi ran through the quadriceps in his thigh, causing them to expand explosively before extending down to the Yongquan acupoint in his heel.
A cool yet hot sensation raced through his acupoints. It activated despite not being his intention.
The lightness skill, Ten Miles of Deep Light.
His body manifested the image formed in his unconscious mind on its own.
The ground beneath him caved in. With a cracking boom, the stone floor crumbled, then dust and fragments burst outward in a circular shockwave.
At the same time, a misty radiance trailed after his heel.
Bang!
He shot forward as though tearing space apart.
The round table in the meeting hall rapidly grew in his vision. A fierce wind tore past his ears and swept his hair back.
Many things entered his sight through the wind that slashed at his face like blades.
Un So-yu, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader, was closest, drawing her sword.
Jin Myeong-jo, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon, sat to one side wrapped in a black robe. The instant his eyes met Jeong Yeon-shin's, he reeled in his refined aura strand by strand. Behind him, Ak Su-rim fully revealed eyes that seemed to flash with black lightning.
Un So-yu was drawing a dark arc with a strike worthy of her sobriquet, the Black Cloud Sword Absolute.
The sword rising from her waist carved a diagonal line. Jeong Yeon-shin had to pass her to reach the seat beside the head of the table.
'One exchange.'
He did not slow his charge.
Thud.
Just before the Law Enforcement Squad Leader's sword grazed his Adam's apple, he pressed his palm against the flat of the blade.
The invisible sword wind around the blade churned violently, as though trying to tear his hand apart. Yet his body had already divided the Force Projection in his palm into five streams, severing the sword-strike force wave strand by strand.
A loud sound rang out in that brief instant, like paper being roughly torn apart.
It was an exchange carried out in an impossibly small span of time.
In the next instant, he had pressed down on the sword with his palm and forced it far to the side.
The space before him opened completely as he continued his charge. The aftermath of the collision shredded his sleeve into strips, but not a single drop of blood spilled.
"...!"
The gazes of the Leader of Demon Wings and the Law Enforcement Squad Leader met as they drew rapidly closer.
Un So-yu's brows rose. Just as the eyes of a noble clan flashed blue and saw through her opponent's identity, Jeong Yeon-shin had already passed to her left.
The counter was nearly perfect. Its execution had also been immediate enough to send a shiver down one's spine.
In that realm of speed where everything around him seemed painfully slow, the air in the chamber changed. No one here could have failed to see that one exchange. Leaving countless questions, surprise, and confusion behind him, the young man stepped onto the enormous round table.
Crack!
Cracks appeared in the table beneath his foot.
Long fissures ran in every direction, as though racing the leg that swept through the air.
Slaash!
Several flashes grazed his right arm like cold flames. They were attacks from those who had not recognized Jeong Yeon-shin.
Sharp threads and sword qi were pushed behind him. None could properly reach the starry mist curling around his heels.
The young man passed through those terrifying flashes without hesitation and stretched out one leg.
It looked as though he intended to land by stepping on Sword Authority Duke's sword hilt with Leg Arts. His trajectory was like a ray of light, carrying the full rebounding force of his world-shaking lightness skill.
A dull vibration rang out, and pale dust rose in all directions.
The Sword Authority Duke had been drawing his sword over the round table, but Jeong Yeon-shin stepped on the end of its hilt and forced it back down. The shockwave from the point of impact swept violently through the chamber, and a tremendous tearing roar swept across the surroundings.
"......"
Heavy silence pressed down upon every presence in the room. Only the eerie sound of stone fragments falling remained.
"Your words go too far."
Even another Prince of Commandery would not dare speak of the Lord's bedding. Jeong Yeon-shin lowered his leg and spoke quietly.
The Grand Chief Steward rose sharply beside him, wearing a strange expression.
He studied the young man's features as though he were a ginseng hunter who had discovered a hundred-year-old root. It seemed he had sensed the Light Wheel qi and confirmed his identity.
Ak Su-rim had already stepped up beneath the Grand Chief Steward's thick beard. She looked up at Jeong Yeon-shin without blinking.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
