WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Chapter 36: Desolate Ma Family (2)

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The successor of the Desolate Ma family’s expression changed the moment he saw Yeon-shin. Complex emotions were plainly visible on his face.

It seemed that anger and shame were not all he felt. That much was clear from the words he spoke after approaching.

“Will you cross swords with me?”

“Your name?”

“...I am called Ma Se-in. We did not even exchange names back then.”

“It seems your state of mind has changed.”

Yeon-shin quietly studied his maternal grandfather’s adopted grandson.

He had heard that Ma Se-in was defeating White Uniform martial artists one after another in the Martial Arena.

He had every reason to be proud, yet despite his haggard complexion, he did not neglect his manners.

Was this the strength of a prestigious family, born from self-reflection?

There was no telling what Ma Se-in had thought upon seeing Yeon-shin’s skill and talent.

Ma Se-in clasped his fists in salute.

“I learned much from you then. I gained a great deal. Give me another chance.”

“Well.”

After returning the salute, Yeon-shin considered it.

He had to complete his next mission without fail. Only then could he obtain the Blue Uniform without wasting time.

Whether the boy before him might offer another source of inspiration was a secondary matter.

‘I can’t fill the framework of the Radiant Sword Flow with inferior inspiration.’

It was different from when he had created the Sihwa Boundless Fist. The Radiant Sword Flow was a sword art inspired by the sword path of an absolute master of the previous generation, the Sword Grandmaster.

There was a martial arts library open to the martial artists of Desolate Fortress.

Of course Yeon-shin had visited it. He did not use only the martial arts he had created himself.

Beyond his newly founded martial arts, the martial arts of Desolate Fortress had been absorbed into every movement he made in actual combat.

He had stripped away every martial principle, building a foundation to create something new.

The elven race’s movements that Cheong Myeong had used to inspire him were also taking the form of a peerless movement technique.

However, martial arts that fit him perfectly, like the Radiant Sword Flow, Phantom Wing Step, and Sihwa Boundless Fist, could not simply be created because he wished for them.

The fact that martial arts recorded in books were lifeless was another matter.

He simply had not found the inspiration needed to weave together a martial arts system that would satisfy him.

He needed lightning to strike his mind. But divine lightning did not strike at just any time.

“It could broaden my horizons.”

Ma Se-in’s offer of a spar was not bad.

If it was the swordsmanship of the Desolate Ma family, it would be a level of martial arts difficult to witness even in Desolate Fortress.

Just then, a light breeze rose. Yeon-shin felt the hem of his clothes fluttering slightly.

“A newcomer, was it? Let us exchange a few moves.”

Cheong Myeong had approached without notice. He lightly tapped Yeon-shin’s shoulder before looking at Ma Se-in.

The black eyepatch over his left eye possessed an old-fashioned elegance.

Ma Se-in’s face brightened.

“Blue-Eyed Demon Sword...!”

“I’m one-eyed now.”

Cheong Myeong smiled mischievously before turning to Yeon-shin.

“May I?”

“Do you come to the Martial Arena often?”

“Otherwise, I would fall behind. This faction has so many monstrous masters.”

“It’s because of your eye.”

“Yes. I need to slowly sharpen my senses. A swordsman’s vision has been cut in half, after all.”

Cheong Myeong spoke with a smile and seemed almost cheerful.

An outstanding White Uniform martial artist would make a good training partner. Yeon-shin agreed.

As he watched the two walk side by side toward a corner of the Training Hall, Do Yu-won, who stood beside him, muttered.

“How strange. It seems the rumors are true. They say the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword treats people differently according to their talent.”

“Senior Cheong Myeong...?”

When Yeon-shin asked in confusion, Do Yu-won nodded.

“He is truly a cold person. You can tell from the records alone. They say he applies merciless standards to martial artists rather than commoners. Both talent and character are included in those standards. It is common for him to openly slight others, and many orthodox martial artists who put on false pretenses have lost their heads to him. That is why he is called the Demon Sword. His standards are harsh.”

“I had no idea.”

“That is likely because your talent is extraordinary. He usually avoids dealing with other Blue Uniform martial artists. White Uniform martial artists are out of the question. The successor of the Desolate Ma family has picked the wrong opponent.”

Do Yu-won clicked his tongue.

‘He did not treat Young Hero Hyeonwon badly, either.’

As Yeon-shin mulled over those words, the match was decided.

Ma Se-in had tried to enter Cheong Myeong’s left field of vision, which must have been pitch-black, but the martial ability of a Blue Uniform martial artist was indeed different.

Cheong Myeong seemed to have reached the point of replacing his blind spot with energy perception.

Without even looking, the left palm he thrust out struck Ma Se-in’s solar plexus. It was an astonishing palm technique. Ma Se-in coughed up a handful of blood and sank to the ground.

It was then.

Had he realized something from Cheong Myeong’s move?

Ma Se-in suddenly sat cross-legged, a smile forming on his lips.

Anyone could see that he had gained insight.

As soon as he sat down, martial artists in orange uniforms flew in from all directions and surrounded the area. They appeared to be guards of the Desolate Ma family.

Cheong Myeong stepped back slightly, gave a quiet chuckle, and returned. He glanced at Yeon-shin.

“That fellow isn’t completely ordinary.”

“This is Desolate Fortress. Everyone seems accustomed to such things.”

“In Demon Wings, you alone make the rest seem dim, but there are many people here who were called prodigies.”

Perhaps uncomfortable around Cheong Myeong, Do Yu-won had already retreated. He gave a slight silent bow.

Yeon-shin returned the gesture and once again felt the depth of Desolate Fortress’s strength.

Cheong Myeong had lost an eye, yet his martial power had not diminished greatly. Ma Se-in, who had seemed like nothing more than an arrogant young noble, had changed at once.

Once his character became humble, insight came more easily.

It was astonishing. Yeon-shin could scarcely believe a person could change so much.

‘I had no business judging the quality of inspiration.’

Yeon-shin immediately stepped into the Martial Arena’s Training Hall.

* * *

“The Lord wishes to commemorate your coming of age.”

When Yeon-shin returned to the Demon Wings pavilion with the sunset light draped around him like an outer robe, Ma Jin suddenly arrived and said something that felt strange to him.

“Desolate Fortress intends to preside over my coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Yes.”

As Ma Jin nodded, Yeon-shin furrowed his brow.

‘The Chief Steward’s office asked whether I had undergone a coming-of-age ceremony.’

The coming-of-age ceremony was the first of the four rites described in Zhu Xi’s Family Rituals.

Among the gentry of the Great Ming Empire, the ceremony was held at twenty. The martial world was different.

The more perilous the local martial world was, the earlier the ceremony was held. The age used as the standard varied from place to place.

They said the martial world was a mysterious place. The greater a sect’s prestige, the more formidable its enemies became.

An early coming-of-age ceremony meant that, since one never knew when they might die young, they should quickly leave their mark as an adult.

However, it did not concern Yeon-shin. His life itself was the legacy he would leave.

“When is the next mission?”

Ma Jin sighed.

“The Lord arranged the ceremony. She has acknowledged your talent and potential.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon-shin could not fathom the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s intentions.

She acknowledged his talent? Then she could simply pluck the World Tree fruit and bestow it on him.

There were not many other possible interpretations of making such a clear distinction between public and private affairs.

Perhaps she wanted Yeon-shin, pressed for time as he was, to rise to the rank of Divine Sword Squad Leader on his own. Or perhaps Desolate Fortress’s martial strength was already sufficient, leaving her with no sense of urgency.

For now, it was unknowable.

Yeon-shin did not want to rely on empty hope.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress was a long-standing absolute master. Even when she appeared to show goodwill, her boundaries were clear.

One only had to see how she treated Ma Yeon-jeok, who was said to share a friendship with her spanning decades, with blade-like severity.

“I do not wish to do it. In one shichen, I could comprehend several dozen variations in swordsmanship. Please refuse.”

“She seems to know you better than I do. She told me to tell you about your reward. It is a liquor whose properties do not overlap with those of any spiritual medicine under heaven. It is called Thunder Immortal Treasure Wine. One cup is enough to grant a long life free of illness.”

Even martial artists were not free from illness. Severed meridians were proof enough.

That was why the medical arts of doctors called divine physicians in the martial world served many purposes.

They did not only heal internal and external injuries caused by battle.

A long life free of illness. Even without expecting too much, it was not something Yeon-shin could ignore.

“I will do it.”

His attitude changed at once.

“...Only one person among those undergoing the ceremony may drink it. Desolate Fortress’s coming-of-age ceremony is a place where one elevates oneself through martial arts. Usually, children who have not yet become White Uniform martial artists compete, but this time is different. I heard that two or three White Uniform martial artists from prestigious families are participating because of you. They will be two or three years older than you.”

“That will not be a problem.”

Ma Jin’s bewildered expression did not concern him. One never knew. It might delay the opening of the Baihui acupoint, even if only slightly.

* * *

“The Lord is interfering.”

Seats lined both sides of the vast yet lavish banquet hall.

Ma Yeon-jeok, seated at the far end of the upper section, muttered.

His splendid purple robe completely covered the armrest. Below him, Ma Jin’s scar twisted.

“Did you intend to hold it at the main house?”

“I am not the sort to concern myself with propriety.”

Ma Yeon-jeok replied calmly.

Meanwhile, the boys and young men were following procedures wholly unlike those of a gentry coming-of-age ceremony.

Though there were complex forms such as divination, arranging the hair into a topknot, and capping, their substance was different.

Was it the boldness unique to martial artists? The atmosphere was not solemn, either.

They wore the standard Desolate Fortress uniforms. Among them, Yeon-shin, clad in a Blue Uniform robe over white garments, stood out conspicuously.

At the end of the long procedures, they ascended the platform one by one.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress, dressed in green martial attire, personally placed coming-of-age caps upon their heads.

Of the twenty-five, only three were White Uniform martial artists.

Most had grown up in Desolate Fortress from the start. Yeon-shin and Ma Se-in, who had entered through the Desolate Exam, were unusual cases.

“Congratulations.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress’s red lips parted. After stroking Yeon-shin’s cap once, the corners of her mouth curved smoothly upward.

“Seom-ye will not take a courtesy name.”

The spectators nodded at her clear, resonant words.

It meant he would not be given a new name to use as an adult.

Some martial artists who gained an epithet early used that epithet as their courtesy name.

For Yeon-shin, Seom-ye was such a name. It had become a name he would carry for life.

Once the ceremony concluded, people began chatting lightly. Quite a few seemed to have come simply to ease their boredom.

“Now only the final part remains.”

“The finishing touch remains.”

“I wonder who will drink it this year.”

“Judging by achievements alone, there are few White Uniform martial artists who can rival Seom-ye. Hasn’t he been running without rest? I heard that White Qilin Namgung Hwa-shin only just completed a single mission.”

“That may be true, but the strength of martial families is tremendous. The talent of the successors of the Desolate Ma family and the Shin Family will also surpass imagination.”

They seemed to be growing excited. Yeon-shin returned to his place and watched the platform.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress was already tilting a jade bottle over a white wine cup.

‘Thunder Immortal Treasure Wine.’

Life returned to his eyes.

Even when he met the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s dark green eyes, he did not yield before her presence. She smiled faintly and spoke.

“This is a celebratory drink bestowed upon you. I will grant it to whoever seizes it first.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress’s clothes began to flutter. It felt as though green waves spread from her body.

“Claim it with your own skill.”

Whoosh!

An overwhelming aura swept over them. It felt as if it were dragging them into an immeasurably deep mire.

Taking even a single step forward became frightening. It was enough to make him laugh inwardly.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress had not revealed even one-tenth of her true martial power.

‘It could not have been this severe last year.’

Those who had not yet become official martial artists of Desolate Fortress were blown backward and knocked down.

It was remarkable that she had not caused them internal injuries. The seated guests, meanwhile, appeared unaffected.

It was power control that had reached the realm of the divine.

“Urgh!”

Someone groaned.

At this moment, only Yeon-shin, Ma Se-in, and a young noble said to be from the Shin Family remained standing.

Yet only one of them lifted a foot and moved.

Yeon-shin felt the mystical wind the Lord of Desolate Fortress emitted from her entire body.

The currents of pressure sweeping across his body caused new lightning to bud in his mind.

As though his soul were being drawn into the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s eyes, a formula to break through the barrier of energy naturally flowed through his mind.

This was resonance. A sky-blue gleam flashed through Yeon-shin’s eyes.

His first step was not the Phantom Wing Step. He merely stepped forward while yielding to the energy as fully as possible.

Its purpose was different. The Phantom Wing First Step was a footwork technique that created openings.

Now, the second step manifested.

Step.

A wave of energy spread from the foot he planted.

The colorless wave spreading in all directions gently pushed aside the Lord of Desolate Fortress’s green wind.

It was the Phantom Wing Second Step, a step that pierced through pressure.

His cap flew away, and his long hair came loose in a rush. No one in the hall spoke.

With his black hair settling around him strand by strand, he finally ascended the platform.

“You may savor it.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress raised the corner of her mouth slightly and stepped down from the platform. It was then.

“I alone am supreme! Every martial artist dreams as you do!”

Ma Se-in shouted from where he knelt on one knee, blood trailing from his mouth. His eyes were reddened.

Whether he had overexerted himself while enduring the pressure or some emotion had welled up within him, there was no way to know.

Perhaps he had walked only a path of uninterrupted success. He did not seem to be in his right mind.

“But the martial world is not as you think! Why do people establish sects, form martial families, and create alliances?”

“...”

“I have decided to follow Grandfather’s will. Aim for the position of Family Head of the Desolate Ma family. With the main house behind you, your standing will rise again.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yeon-shin was dumbfounded. This was a public place. Even if he had a valid point, it should not have been raised in a place like this.

Moreover, it concerned family matters. Ma Se-in seemed remarkably incapable of discerning what was appropriate, yet Ma Yeon-jeok did not stop his adopted grandson.

He only watched Yeon-shin’s lips.

Ma Se-in continued.

“Set a date and compete with me. Defeat me fairly for the future position of Family Head of the Desolate Ma family. You can become the successor. That position far surpasses Thunder Immortal Treasure Wine. Take my place. A mere individual who has consumed spiritual medicine? A position that lets one hold a hundred swords alone is worth more than any spiritual medicine.”

His emotions seemed to have become heated after another defeat. Yeon-shin could not understand it.

Were Ma Se-in’s words his own will, or Ma Yeon-jeok’s coercion?

Yeon-shin thought they might be both.

“...Grandfather wants to make you the successor instead. Do not refuse. I know you do not find it appealing. But there is no reason for that. The position of a group leader, the Family Head of a martial family, takes precedence over anything. It has always been the way of human affairs, and it is also the principle of the martial world.”

Ma Se-in concluded after letting out a long breath.

Yeon-shin looked at his collateral relative as though he were insane.

To speak of such things here? Did he think Yeon-shin would find it difficult to refuse if he were urged in front of people who did not know the circumstances?

Whoever had conceived it seemed shameless.

Yeon-shin did not nod. What he sought was different.

‘I might have done so long ago if I could obtain the World Tree fruit through the power of a single family.’

The problem was that he could not. Furthermore, if he were bound to a family, inspiration would not be able to run free.

Yeon-shin knew himself instinctively.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress concealed Yeon-shin’s lifespan even from Ma Yeon-jeok.

Yeon-shin did not want to beg others to save his life without offering compensation. It did not seem that it would help much, either.

He quietly spoke.

“You called it the principle of the martial world. I know it well enough from experience. Let me tell you.”

Yeon-shin stood straight and alone upon the platform.

The boy in a Blue Uniform robe, looking down at the wine, was an exceptionally striking sight.

He bore the air of a swordsman standing alone after cutting through the world’s harsh storms.

He slowly extended his hand.

“This.”

He lifted the wine cup clasped between his fingers. It was a cup he had won for himself.

“This is the martial world.”

As he brought the wine cup to his lips, his words carried with unusual clarity. The hall was already silent.

In that silence, only the sound of Thunder Immortal Treasure Wine passing down his throat began to echo.

Footnotes:

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