WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈
Episode 342: Ranking Battle (3)
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A young man had broken through the round table of Desolate Fortress's leaders.
He was remarkably handsome. His sword-like brows and eyes, as if painted with a brush, drew every gaze in the room.
Sunlight poured over his distinct features. There was something dreamlike about him. His high-bridged nose and composed lips stood out.
Even after a fierce exchange of a single move, his neatly flowing hair left a deep impression.
Colorless lightning flickered continuously at the ends of his black hair, which fell below his shoulder blades.
It was the aftermath of the forms he had unleashed.
“...”
Those gathered, each with an extraordinary bearing, remained silent for a long time. Had the clash occurred head-on, the result would have been different.
There was a vast difference between escaping a combined-attack formation and properly withstanding one.
But what if that formation had been made up of Desolate Fortress Black Uniforms?
A flash of light passed through Ju Cheol's eyes as he faced Jeong Yeon-shin.
The prestige of the title Sword Authority Duke had just been battered like straw in a year of poor harvest, but his first priority was assessing the rogue who had struck him.
How many people in Desolate Fortress could recreate what had just happened?
As he quietly regulated the acupoints rattled by the shockwave of that exchange, Ju Cheol read the atmosphere.
He had seen it clearly.
Neither the Divine Blood Extreme Demon nor the Desolate Divine Spear had raised so much as a finger against the intruder. Un So-yu, the Law Enforcement Squad Leader, had managed to draw her sword unlike Ju Cheol, yet even she had flinched strangely right after the exchange.
Even Im Jin-myeong, the Grand Chief Steward, who possessed equally profound martial arts, had been too occupied studying the other party.
It meant he was not an enemy.
The implications were significant.
‘Such a person was in the Imperial Court's loyal armory?’
The intruder, whose arrogant words and actions had seemed entirely natural, was merely a young man around twenty.
He was not someone who could be judged by ordinary standards. His potential was comparable to rare wonders such as azure stone oil or a flood dragon.
Ju Cheol had heard of him.
“I heard the current Leader of Demon Wings was... a young boy.”
Ju Cheol spat out bloody saliva and muttered.
Yet the young man only glanced at him before turning away. The unfamiliar handsome man met the eyes of the girl who had been staring up at him.
“Is your body all right?”
He was asking after the Desolate Divine Spear's condition.
He seemed to naturally possess information that was not easily obtained. Only those in the know were aware that she had suffered grave internal injuries from the counterform of the Ak Family Spear Art.
The only rumor spreading through the martial world was that three Desolate Fortress Black Uniforms had killed the Zhuge Family Head.
Ju Cheol was certain. The young man carried the same manner as those arrogant Black Uniforms who looked down on him, the legitimate heir of the Gungmyeong Prince’s estate.
Having come from the prince's estate, he knew every name among Desolate Fortress's upper ranks. Other than the Leader of Demon Wings, no one else came to mind.
‘But how...?’
He was deeply confused. The young man's martial prowess and appearance were far beyond all expectation. So was the sight of Ak Su-rim, the Desolate Divine Spear who had ignored even him as imperial kin, staring up at the youth with pearl-like eyes and letting out an exclamation.
“You're Seom-ye, right?! What's happened to your voice?”
Tap.
She took a step forward on her short legs.
Her hair, barely covering the nape of her neck, swayed slightly. Fragments of overwhelming inner energy leaked from her. Her Three Flowers Gather at the Crown state was not properly under control.
“Didn't it hurt? I thought I was going to die.”
Ak Su-rim stretched out a small hand, holding it just short of the young man's face.
Her hand traced the air along his jawline, filled with pride that verged on astonishment. The Light Wheel qi that had shimmered like divine mist warped along her fingertips.
The room stirred.
Anyone could read between the lines. It was practically an admission that he had undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging.
“Thank goodness you don't look like Old Man Ma anymore. If you eat regularly, won't you become prettier than the Golden-Wing Sect Master, Sichuan's greatest beauty? She only looks like that because of a serpent dragon's inner core.”
“My colleagues said I'd become more manly.”
“How can you compare those fledglings to a great senior? Do their eyes compare to mine?”
She smiled brightly and chattered away, warm and familiar as ever.
Jeong Yeon-shin was inwardly relieved to see that his senior seemed unharmed. The sight of her during the life-and-death duel with the Zhuge Family Head remained vivid in his mind.
Sometimes, even in his sleep, he remembered her taking the ultimate technique of the Yin-Yang Divine Whip in place of her junior.
“Squad Leader Jeong! Squad Leader Jeong...!”
The Grand Chief Steward began exclaiming in astonishment over what on earth had happened, but Ak Su-rim's busy gestures pushed him aside.
She soon began pouring out questions like a lark, seeming every bit as young as she looked.
“You were already like black iron before you grew taller, so how did you forge your body like this? I want to compare you to Shaolin's divine monks. What happened after you left the Zhuge Family? And if you leave behind only a message and disappear again, then...”
‘Senior Ak and Grandfather. If cultivation of body and mind follows the body's condition...’
Jeong Yeon-shin was certain. He had truly become an adult. No one could deny that fact.
He carefully passed over the longer questions and answered the shorter ones one by one, then turned toward the Grand Chief Steward.
Ak Su-rim's small head no longer blocked his view. Even her cries of, “Hey, where are you looking?” could no longer hold an adult's gaze.
“I came to report my return. Every Demon Wings martial artist who accompanied me is safe, and the mission...”
“It was a success.”
The Grand Chief Steward continued with a smile.
“The Chief Steward's Office received word some time ago. The death of the Zhuge Family Head has shaken the entire martial world. Shanxi is so broad, yet the rumors have leaped from city wall to city wall.”
“Has it reached Xiangyang already?”
“It is spreading at an unprecedented speed. This differs from the Huangbo Family Head being killed by established Black Uniforms. The person who beheaded the Zhuge Family Head after the latter set up a sorcery formation was the youngest Black Uniform, after all. More than a few sects witnessed it as well. The news that Associate Director Jiang Suihui wished to dispatch Seom-ye, the Leader of Demon Wings, to the north also had a major impact.”
Jeong Yeon-shin did not respond. He could feel his seniors' eyes moving over his profile and back, but this was the time to set aside embarrassing talk and get to the point.
“Shouldn't we follow the proper procedures for merits so the main fortress's laws remain upright? I heard the Lord of Desolate Fortress is away, so I should properly submit my report to the Grand Chief Steward...”
“A written report will suffice. Since there were no casualties, there is no reason to keep you here. Return to the Demon Wings Hall and rest first. You may send the mission report through a subordinate.”
Grand Chief Steward Im Jin-myeong tended to treat Jeong Yeon-shin with excessive courtesy.
He had done so ever since Yeon-shin was named the Lord of Desolate Fortress's direct disciple. Even now, he was naturally granting him a small convenience before the other Squad Leaders.
Jeong Yeon-shin was skilled at reading the room through his aura sense. It was an ability he had gained at Jeong Family Manor. After discreetly gauging the reactions of his respected seniors, he spoke.
“...Very well.”
If he brought up the Moyong Family Head here, Ak Su-rim would likely torment him for a long while. The man called the Sword Authority Duke, who emitted the heavy aura distinctive to imperial martial arts, also bothered him.
Rumors might travel faster than feet, but they could not match the lightness skills of masters.
The distance from Taiyuan in Shanxi to Xiangyang in Huguang was immense. News of the Moyong Family Head's death probably had not arrived yet.
When Jeong Yeon-shin had nearly died at that man's hands and undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging, the only outsiders present had been members of the Assassins' Sect.
‘And the Divine Sword Squad Leader's divine hawk took my White Swallow.’
Like the swallows used by Squad Leaders as messengers, the Divine Sword Squad Leader also had an intelligent white hawk.
It was a spiritual beast of prey called a divine hawk. It had suddenly appeared in the sky, let out a long cry to call White Swallow, then flown away with it.
That had happened while Jeong Yeon-shin was heading down to Xiangyang with the Seventh Apostle. Something seemed to have occurred, so he had left it alone for some time.
“One thing before I go.”
Jeong Yeon-shin had turned to leave, then looked back at the Grand Chief Steward and spoke.
At the same time, he greeted Senior Jin, the Blood Guard Squad Leader, with his eyes. The Divine Blood Extreme Demon, who had recognized his identity first, stood some distance away with his back turned. It was the dignity Jeong Yeon-shin wished to emulate.
“The Divine Sword Squad Leader's divine hawk came to me...”
“It came to us too. We were discussing that.”
Ak Su-rim smiled and placed a hand against Jeong Yeon-shin's side, pushing him away. He did not resist and stepped toward the door. After everything he had experienced, his mind was more weary than his body.
“You can rest for a while, so return to the hall. A Squad Leader who has returned from a mission should not come to Wonpyeong One Sword Hall. You should focus on energy-circulating meditation.”
“I haven't greeted all the seniors yet... Why are all of you coming with me?”
“To watch you eat. The Demon Wings cooks are probably quite skilled, aren't they?”
“I can eat on my own.”
“Children your age say that, then skip meals and waste away.”
No one spoke until the young man and girl's backs disappeared from the assembly hall. The Grand Chief Steward and the Squad Leaders all seemed to be processing the shock that refused to settle.
“The Tyrant Hero's maternal grandson.”
Sword Authority Duke Ju Cheol was different.
“They said the next Purple Uniform would be one of the Black Uniform Three Pillars.”
He muttered without concern for the gazes around him.
He recalled the rumors pervasive throughout the Imperial Court and the prince's estates beneath it. They said that the Tyrant Hero's bloodline had grown so potent in this generation that it would surpass the Tyrant Hero himself.
What the Leader of Demon Wings had done today.
Through a startling appearance, he had carved his presence into Desolate Fortress's highest ranks.
A figure who should only have emerged in the generation after next had displayed his power and standing before many seniors, launching his attacks without hesitation at an imperial master.
He had rapidly risen not only toward Purple Uniform, but even toward the position of Divine Sword Squad Leader. That exalted post could only be attained after various procedures and a majority vote from the Squad Leaders.
From now on, when people discussed Desolate Fortress's next generation, Jeong Yeon-shin's name would always be mentioned.
Even if the time he had spent accumulating merits was absurdly short compared to the other elven Black Uniforms.
‘Despite being of the Ma Family bloodline, he is so composed. His cultivation of body and mind is truly remarkable.’
Ju Cheol decided that he needed to be chosen by that young man.
A Desolate Fortress Squad Leader could choose among various missions.
Some high officials burdened by troubles in the martial world even gave vast sums of wealth to those connected to Black Uniforms, along with requests to speak on their behalf.
“It would be best to speak again tomorrow. I will return to my quarters.”
“Please do, Sword Authority Duke.”
The Grand Chief Steward smiled unusually and clasped his hands. It was likely because he had gained the Leader of Demon Wings, newly transformed through Marrow Cleansing and Bone Reforging, as a trump card. Ju Cheol clicked his tongue inwardly and turned away.
Step.
A breeze carrying the warmth of spring skimmed over the floor. Dust from the hall scattered upward toward the wide-open sky.
* * *
The Leader of Demon Wings' office.
The scent of iron mingled with the scent of ink. The wall racks filled with the treasured swords of the Desolate Ma family smelled of oil.
As the young man seated before the marble table ground ink and wrote on a letter, the Seventh Apostle reclined on the bed opposite him and fixed Jeong Yeon-shin's image in her bright-red single eye.
Whenever he raised his head, she smiled faintly and deliberately looked away.
‘I'll have to do something about that woman too.’
A day had passed. The current Leader of Demon Wings had heard many things.
While he had gone through fierce battles, many of Desolate Fortress's martial artists had endured difficult days while training in Phantom Wing Step.
The number of people dying on missions had risen drastically.
Not only White Uniform warriors, who mainly captured wandering martial artists given to pillaging, but also many Blue Uniform masters dispatched alone to small and medium sects were not returning.
The famine had stripped martial artists of their fear.
The fear of starving had defeated the fear of being punished and killed. It could only be bad news for Desolate Fortress.
They had been making up for their shortage of people with the prestige of being the greatest major faction in the martial world, but martial artists across the land had begun to disregard them.
Ha Do-un, the Swift Heaven Wing Squad Leader.
Cheon So-so, the Lord of the Immortal Wood Spirit.
Xiahou Wi-jin, the Heaven-Treading Forest Squad Leader.
There had been no news from the three who had gone to capture the Ming Cult's Young Sect Master.
He had first heard about it through Ak Su-rim's drunken, slurred speech.
The mist spreading from Xinjiang through Qinghai to Sichuan was likely connected to it, but they could not divert their forces because some of the Thirteen Heavens were targeting the main fortress as if they had noticed the Lord of Desolate Fortress's absence.
‘I need to go rescue them.’
Jeong Yeon-shin forced himself to set aside thoughts of his seniors' lives and deaths, then rose.
In one hand, he held the report on the Shanxi mission. It was a letter that plainly recorded the matters of the Zhuge Family Head, Eon Hwa-ryeon, Shanxi's martial nobility, and the Moyong Family.
It would serve as his declaration of intent.
Footnotes:
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