WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 407: The Reason to Live
──────
The limited fortune allotted to one’s life.
That was innate qi.
In the martial world, using innate qi was an unspoken declaration that something mattered more than one’s own life.
There had been a time when I was prepared to use innate qi in this life as well.
It was when I needed to protect the Taeul Sect from the Iron Sword Sect and the Dragon-Phoenix Association.
But there had always been a high-ranking person who could mediate the situation.
By showing my resolve while allowing them to talk me down, I gained the effect of using innate qi without actually using it.
Of course, there were occasionally brain-dead bastards like Yuk Sirang and Jwa Daegi, who treated innate qi like some ultimate technique.
Just as there were lowlife martial artists in the Black Path who swallowed Bloodburst Pellets as though they were spiritual medicine.
Some people boldly crossed the boundaries of common sense, but innate qi was never something humans should touch. It was energy that should never be used carelessly.
Put simply, it was no different from admitting that your life was already ruined.
It was the last resort of the weak, who had nothing left to lose but still struggled because there was one thing they could never afford to lose.
Just as someone with much to lose was at a disadvantage in a fight, those who had reached high realms and attained great mastery rarely touched innate qi or used Bloodburst Pellets.
‘Unless they’re insane.’
Gooooo.
Visible energy surged over Hyeonyeong’s shoulders.
It was proof that his innate qi was so abundant that it overflowed beyond his body.
Step.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
When he took a step, afterimages appeared in every direction, as though several figures had emerged at once.
By the time I saw it, felt it, and thrust out my sword, it was already too late.
Slice, slice, slice, slice.
His sword had already passed through.
This was on an entirely different level from Gye Cheolyeong using a Bloodburst Pellet.
That bastard had only gained more internal energy, and his qi and blood circulation had been unblocked. His actual skill had not advanced by a single step.
Hyeonyeong, on the other hand, fought while perfectly controlling the overflowing energy, as though he had recovered his true strength.
He must have attained the realization first, while his body was still catching up.
Then the innate qi had allowed him to put all those realizations into practice.
It was like giving wings to a tiger.
“Young Master Jin, are you all right? The blood...”
“Please be quiet.”
“...All right.”
Sorry, Dam Ak, but I didn’t have time to listen to you right now.
That fucking bastard was too strong.
I tightened the Heavenly Silkworm Thread and took a deep breath.
‘Reacting after seeing it is too late.’
I frantically searched the library in my mind and pulled out every Wudang Sect martial art I knew.
At the same time, I recalled every battle involving Wudang Sect members that I had seen on the battlefield in my previous life.
I had to predict how they fought and linked their forms, then respond before they did.
‘The Five Dragon Coiling Hand flows into Blue Dragon Soars from the Crane and Golden Peak Against the Dipper.’
The instant he began a form, I immediately responded to the next one.
Slice.
A deep piece of skin was sliced away amid terrible pain. Even so, I calmly executed the countering form.
Clang!
As expected, he used Blue Dragon Soars from the Crane, followed by Golden Peak Against the Dipper.
Clang, clang!
I felt his gaze waver.
Swish.
The man who had been using the Thirteen Taiji Stances immediately switched to the Five Fingers Soft Sword.
His swift, flexible movements became soft and solid once more.
That made my response much easier than before.
After all, I had seen far more people who used the Five Fingers Soft Sword than people who had learned the Thirteen Taiji Stances.
It felt strange to defend before my opponent even attacked, but it was certainly effective.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
His pupils wavered even more violently than before.
Much better than that porcelain face.
“Why? Surprised?”
He pushed me back and unleashed the Nine Palaces Divine Movement Sword again.
Fresh wounds appeared across my body.
This was my greatest weakness.
I had been such a worthless fighter in my past life that all I had seen were worthless fights.
I knew what kind of sword art the Nine Palaces Divine Movement Sword was, but I didn’t know how it was used in actual combat.
In the end, I had no choice but to take the hits with my body and remember them immediately.
Clang! Slice, clang! Slice, clang! Slice.
Fortunately, my method of responding seemed to be working, and I was injured less often.
Several cuts on my arms and legs had already opened deeply enough to reveal white bone, but that was fine.
As long as I escaped, the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Bear’s energy would heal wounds like these completely.
“What a pity. Someone with your skill is a Black Path martial artist.”
Huh? Look at this bastard.
“Fuck you! I haven’t joined the Black Path yet!”
Why the hell was he trying to force me into it?
Since he had shown the resolve to touch innate qi, there was no half-hearted way out of this.
I had no choice but to use the Breaking Strike Form.
I unleashed the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven and Earth Sword Art to its limit, drawing out both Ten Thousand Swords and sword force.
“This ends now!”
The powerful wave of condensed, compressed energy made even breathing difficult.
As force beyond all common sense bore down on him, he responded as expected with the Thirteen Taiji Stances.
My energy devoured everything like a living volcano, while Hyeonyeong’s let everything flow past like a river.
At the boundary where those opposing energies collided, a miracle occurred.
Crackle, crackle, crackle.
Space twisted as the great energies crashed together.
Crack, crack, crack!
Boommmmm!
A deafening explosion, a violent shockwave, and a flash bright enough to blind.
Within that chaos, we desperately searched for each other’s weaknesses.
He knew I understood the weakness of the Thirteen Taiji Stances, so he did not easily give me an opening. I searched again and again, trying to force my way into the smallest gap.
The moment the opening I wanted appeared, I entered without hesitation.
But then.
“As expected, you knew the weakness of the Thirteen Taiji Stances.”
With a cold voice full of ill intent, he willingly took the Scarlet Radiance Sword.
Thud!
Just as I had, he received the Scarlet Radiance Sword with his body. He grabbed the blade barehanded and disrupted its path.
At that moment, I realized something.
‘Where’s his sword?’
When I looked up, I saw it.
His sword floated in the air, compressing explosive energy.
It had to be a fragment of a higher realization.
And the result of using innate qi.
The absurd sight drew a gasp from me.
“Sword Flight Art?!”
It was incomplete, but the aura alone was enough to tell.
He was clumsily imitating Sword Flight Art.
‘Fuck... Are you kidding me?’
Gye Cheolyeong had only managed to scatter sword qi after swallowing a Bloodburst Pellet, while Hyeonyeong, who had touched innate qi, had brought out Sword Flight Art.
He had not entered the realm of Sword Flight Art yet, so it was horribly incomplete, but Sword Flight Art was still Sword Flight Art.
‘I’ll die!’
If I dodged, I would definitely die.
Running away while leaving a flying sword behind me was even more impossible.
That left only one response.
“Do I look that fucking easy to you?!”
I poured all my power into the Scarlet Radiance Sword as well.
A dazzling sword force rose two feet from the blade and struck the flying sword head-on.
Boom!
The moment they collided, the skin of the hand holding my sword tore open, and pain swept over me.
It began in my palm and ran through my arm, shoulder, chest, and waist.
Though it was not a direct clash of force against force, incredible pressure surged through my entire body.
I wondered whether Dam Ak on my back could endure this.
But I had no time to check on him.
Hyeonyeong stood before me, blood dripping from his nose as he poured every last bit of his innate qi into the attack, and his eyes were fixed on Dam Ak.
Grrrrrrrk!
I poured out all the internal energy I had, a full five gapja, yet my body gradually began to slide backward.
‘It’s a matter of quality, not the amount of internal energy.’
Even as I learned firsthand how frightening innate qi was, my mind continued to race.
What should I do?
How could I escape his flying sword?
If he was willing to risk his life while I only wanted to preserve mine, I would never survive.
That was why the demonic beings I had killed in my past life had died.
In the end, I had to risk my life as well.
‘If I can’t stop it, I’ll die anyway!’
I reached toward the tip of the flying sword, thick with terrifying energy.
“Fuck off!!!”
My fingers felt as though they were burning just from touching the flying sword’s energy, but I grabbed the blade anyway.
At the same time, I activated the Azure Dragon Bangle.
Grrrrrrrrk!
Energy flowed in through my fingertips, but it was different from before.
Ordinary energy had felt like warm water with a thick consistency. The energy absorbed from the end of his sword was like thorns stabbing every part of my qi and blood circulation.
What was more, the amount I absorbed was not even one-fifth of what it normally was.
Considering that the flying sword’s energy was power imbued with its user’s will, that was only natural.
But once I had started, I could not stop.
Enduring pain that threatened to devour my whole body, I took another step forward.
“Aaargh!”
As I drew in the energy more forcefully, my body stopped being pushed back.
Just when I thought I could definitely defeat him and make it to Anhui Province...
“Hyeonyeong!!”
A middle-aged man dressed like the madman who had touched innate qi was running toward us.
‘Fuck...’
#
Hyeonyeong could not contain his shock.
He had known that Jin Sowoon’s skill was extraordinary, and that his quick thinking rivaled that of old martial world monsters.
But it was beyond surprising that even after unleashing his innate qi and pouring out every realization of his life, he still could not easily overwhelm Jin Sowoon.
Especially since Jin Sowoon had stopped Sword Flight Art...
Though it was incomplete, it was not something an ordinary martial artist could block.
But that was as far as it went.
Once he had unleashed Sword Flight Art, Jin Sowoon and Dam Ak could never escape.
Yes, that was what he thought.
“Fuck off!!!”
Jin Sowoon reached out with a crude curse foul enough to pollute the ears.
The burning true energy radiating from the flying sword ravaged his already ruined hand even further, blood streaming down from it.
Then, at that moment...
‘What the fuck...’
He was so startled that he nearly swore for the first time in his life.
His energy was being drained.
It was still only a small amount, but innate qi imbued with his will was definitely leaking away.
Like strength draining from one’s hands and feet after excessive external martial arts training, his energy dribbled out.
‘...That’s impossible!’
He had no idea what kind of phenomenon this was, or even how it was happening.
Yet the small amount of energy leaking out gradually began to increase.
At this rate, the incomplete Sword Flight Art might collapse.
As a fierce sense of crisis made his heart pound...
“Hyeonyeong!”
His martial uncle Myeongjin, the Unit Leader of the Fierce Tiger Unit whom he had been waiting for, rushed over like an arrow.
‘It’s done! Now we can finish this!’
Myeongjin had been running from far away when he sensed something strange and used his movement art at full speed.
Then he saw the scene before him and could not contain his astonishment.
“Hyeonyeong... Don’t tell me... You used innate qi?!”
“Martial Uncle! You came at the right time. Quickly, that man...”
“You fool!!”
“...”
Myeongjin knew Hyeonyeong could be inflexible, but he had never expected him to do something this foolish.
“No matter how urgent the situation was, innate qi... You used innate qi!”
“But Martial Uncle, that man...”
“Be silent!”
Myeongjin turned his gaze toward Jin Sowoon.
Jin Sowoon was covered in blood, with Dam Ak on his back, holding the flying sword in his bare hand.
The sight was so unreal that Myeongjin felt sick despite seeing it with his own eyes. Then he saw the man’s unbroken gaze, and his anger rose even further.
“...You have made the situation this bad. Do you think you can possibly be forgiven...”
Myeongjin doubted his eyes again.
‘Is he... smiling?’
The blood-covered man’s lips curved into a graceful smile.
“Fuck... off! You’ll be the ones begging. Not that I’ll forgive you.”
Clang!
Myeongjin’s sword flashed out like lightning.
Hyeonyeong had touched innate qi.
They could not delay in dealing with Dam Ak and Jin Sowoon if they wanted to treat Hyeonyeong.
He had to deal with those treacherous rebels quickly...
“Fuck! Move even one finger, and I’ll make the energy flow backward and turn Wudang Sect’s precious disciple into a madman.”
Myeongjin’s movements stopped before he realized it.
“What?”
“Why? You’re fine with losing Wudang’s secret weapon here?”
“How did you...”
He realized too late that the words had slipped out, but he could not take them back.
“Is that important right now? Aren’t you going to save that madman? He seems like a precious talent of Wudang. Or is it fine if he dies here?”
“Martial Uncle! Why are you hesitating? This is our last chance to deal with Dam Ak!”
Ironically, Jin Sowoon spoke of Hyeonyeong’s life, while Hyeonyeong spoke of his own death.
“Think carefully. It’s only been one meal’s time since that lunatic touched innate qi. At this point, Wudang’s medicine should be able to restore him to some extent, shouldn’t it?”
Jin Sowoon’s words made Myeongjin’s thoughts even more tangled.
“...”
Once someone touched innate qi, they could never display their original ability again.
But Hyeonyeong... Even if his strength declined, Myeongjin believed this child would still demonstrate comprehension far superior to the others.
Besides, Hyeonyeong was not someone who should be spent so suddenly.
“What do you want?”
“Martial Uncle!”
“Be silent!!”
Myeongjin shouted at Hyeonyeong.
“You forced the matter and brought yourself to this state without caring for your own well-being. Stay still!”
“What are you saying? Isn’t Dam Ak someone who must be eradicated for the future?”
“...He is not that important a person.”
“What do you mean...”
“...”
Myeongjin gave no further answer.
Instead, he looked at Jin Sowoon.
“Tell me what you want.”
“It’s nothing much. Put your sword away, then swear it in Wudang’s name.”
After thinking for a moment, Myeongjin nodded.
“And?”
“And what? Take care of that lunatic and get back to Mount Wudang as soon as you can.”
“...Fine. Then let go on three.”
“All right.”
Jin Sowoon nodded.
Myeongjin immediately began to count.
“One, two.”
Then, faster than anyone else, Myeongjin gathered true energy in both hands.
“Three!”
At the same time he said three, he lunged at Jin Sowoon.
“Fucking bastard, I knew you’d do that!”
Jin Sowoon’s sword twisted in a strange direction and pulled Hyeonyeong toward him.
With only a step between them, Hyeonyeong was dragged into the space between Jin Sowoon and Myeongjin.
Myeongjin realized Jin Sowoon’s trick too late and tried desperately to withdraw his outstretched hand...
“No!”
Thud!
A fist force struck Hyeonyeong squarely in the chest.
“Cough!”
The light of the flying sword vanished at once, and Hyeonyeong vomited out a bowlful of blood.
“H-Hyeonyeong!!!”
Myeongjin went pale and caught Hyeonyeong in his arms.
Though he had coughed up a bowlful of blood, Hyeonyeong himself looked dazed.
‘He... wasn’t that important a person? Then...’
What had he been fighting for?
What had those who died carrying out this mission been?
Was their sacrifice taken for granted, while Wudang’s sacrifice... was not?
[You’re lucky. I wanted to teach you what real sacrifice is.]
Jin Sowoon’s voice, which had awakened Hyeonyeong in the darkness, echoed in his ears again.
And it awakened his mind once more.
Perhaps those words had not been directed at him, but at Wudang itself.
“Hold on, Hyeonyeong!”
Cradled in Myeongjin’s arms as Myeongjin opened Hyeonyeong’s acupoints and administered emergency treatment, Hyeonyeong stared blankly at Jin Sowoon’s retreating back as he ran desperately into the distance, carrying Dam Ak in his arms.
‘Real... sacrifice...’
He repeated the words Jin Sowoon had left behind over and over.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
