Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Namgoong Mi had once spoken of surrender and persuasion.

This duel was special. The disparity in skill was extreme. Except for four people, all were seasoned masters.

Each of them was in a position to instruct rising talents. The life-and-death battle carried a strange appearance.

It meant that the withdrawal of any rising talent, who had already faced at least one life-or-death match, would not be considered a flaw.

Namgoong Mi, the Flourishing Spirit Flower Master, had set her sights on that point.

However,

At this very moment.

The head of his scheming younger sister falls.

The whole world approached like a crawling insect.

A shining sword brushed past Namgoong Mi's body, her neck severed without even a drop of blood forming, her balance collapsing in an instant as her body crumpled—a horrific sight that slowly etched itself into view.

The ones who had entered the fight were Lightning Genius and his sister.

Azure Qilin Namgoong Se-jin.

Namgoong Se-jin, the young master of the Namgoong clan, thought to himself—this could have happened.

He had not tried to stop her before the duel. It was impossible. Two of the most renowned martial clans in Jianghu had agreed to a life-or-death match.

Unless the disparity was extreme, duels in such circumstances prioritized honor over life.

A fight against Lightning Genius or White Qilin.

For Namgoong Mi, it was all or nothing.

She was the one who proposed a continuous winning-streak deathmatch starting with the youngest participants.

If she failed to defeat Lightning Genius and White Qilin, Namgoong Mi herself would die. She must have known this. Even if she never anticipated her own defeat.

'So it ends like this.'

The ruthless blade of Jianghu fell. The Flourishing Spirit Flower Master could not withstand Lightning Genius's sword. And now, she was dead.

This was the outcome of the life-or-death duel.

Those gathered tightly within the layers of surrounding mountains must have come knowing this was a life-or-death battle.

Yet, Namgoong Mi, as one of the Nine Phoenixes of Jianghu and a direct descendant of the Namgoong clan, had her head severed with a single strike.

It was enough to leave the countless warriors in heavy silence.

"..."

The young master had prepared himself as well.

This was Jianghu. Death arrived suddenly. Even a stray sword could bring death, and such occurrences were not rare.

But perhaps it was because he had been a poor older brother. Or maybe he could no longer bear to see his sister's death.

The young master suddenly turned his gaze to his father, who stood beside him.

The head of the Namgoong family.

A severe and cold-blooded family head. No one in the family dared to approach him.

When Namgoong Hwashin sought to leave the household, he had ordered assassins to kill his illegitimate son.

Even now, his expression was the same as it had been then, slightly hardened but showing no further emotion.

"Young master."

The Namgoong family head spoke.

"Prepare yourself."

"...Yes."

His father's words were, as always, brief.

A calculating man who had observed Lightning Genius's abilities and turned a blind eye to the Blood Flame Cult's actions. He used both his conscience and his children's lives as cornerstones for the family's foundation.

The young master's life had also been shaped in that manner. He never strayed from the path laid down by his father's will.

Helping Namgoong Hwashin leave the family was the one thing the young master considered his life's achievement.

"This unworthy son will return shortly."

The young master spoke.

The family head did not reply. He merely gave a slight nod.

After the Flourishing Spirit Flower Master, it was the young master's turn. He felt the dispassionate gaze of his inhuman father at his back.

The young master slowly stepped forward. Without breaking his composure, he approached the boy, Lightning Genius.

Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin, stood calmly with two swords sheathed at his waist.

His blue robe, similar in hue to Namgoong's signature attire, fluttered faintly with the scent of blood.

'Composed.'

The young master thought.

He envied the sight of Jung Yeonshin standing with his head slightly bowed. He had once told the boy he desired freedom, like Lazy Flame Dragon of the Hwangbo clan.

Lightning Genius already had it. At such a young age, the poise of a distinguished martial artist radiated brilliantly. It outshone anything else under heaven.

The young master stepped forward, prepared to test his skills against the boy.

Step.

Only then did murmurs begin to spread among the Namgoong family's side. Observations about the duel arose on the spot.

Some remained silent, maintaining solemn expressions, but many others seized the opportunity to speak—the Namgoong family, like Jianghu itself, was full of those eager for a chance.

"The Flourishing Spirit Flower Master..."

"How could it end like that? She perfectly executed the Azure Stream Divine Steps."

"Strange footwork. The swordplay was immensely destructive too."

Some retainers whispered with dismayed expressions, mostly young members of branch families.

The branches greatly outnumbered the direct line, which was limited to the family head's descendants.

The Namgoong family was vast. There were more people unmoved by Namgoong Mi's death than those who were.

One might expect restraint in speech due to the presence of the direct line, but that was not the case.

The shock delivered by Lightning Genius of IDesolate Fortress was overwhelming. To the Namgoong retainers, Namgoong Mi had been akin to nobility.

"I never expected her to fall so easily."

"So easily? Her techniques weren't lacking. She executed a lifetime's worth of linked forms. Lightning Genius's cultivation must have been more intense."

"He is truly formidable. Worthy of Desolate Fortress."

"But can he match the young master's sword? Few at his age could wield the King-Style Sword Arts to such an extent."

Their voices reached Jung Yeonshin's ears. His heightened focus kept him sharp.

His honed senses refused to calm. It felt exhilarating. As it should be.

'Strong.'

Because of the young master. 

He was walking toward Jung Yeonshin with an upright posture.

The pressure surrounding him, like a fog, sharpened into sword energy as he approached. It was tangible. A chill ran down Yeonshin's spine, as if his skin had been cut.

This was not someone who had simply traveled the martial world with him for a short time. Nor was he merely the heir to a great clan.

He was a fully polished swordsman, too powerful for Yeonshin to face without respect.

The two stopped ten paces apart.

"My sister Mi."

The young master spoke.

"I won't mention her. As a martial artist, she met a fine end... That's enough."

"..."

"You and I... One of us, or perhaps both, may die. This is a matter of life and death. I do not see this as a clash between Namgoong and Desolate Fortress. It is a duel of survival. If I am to die, I refuse to fall as a mere pawn."

Then.

A cheerful smile appeared on the handsome man's face.

"I've lived my life safely in Namgoong's shadow. Perhaps it's indulgent, but it felt like a shackle."

"It truly does."

At Jung Yeonshin's short reply, the young master's smile deepened.

"Even so, I wanted to break free just once. They say there's freedom in facing life and death—I still wonder if that's true. Right now, I'd like to find out. Can you, Lightning Genius of the Desolate Fortress, make that possible?"

It was a provocative question.

Jung Yeonshin didn't answer. He had to draw his sword again. This time too he gripped the Desolate Sword's hilt.

He was always like this before major battles. Though the Beiming sword was said to be famous, it wasn't as familiar in his hand as the Desolate sword.

"..."

The clash between Desolate Fortress and Namgoong. Perhaps because the weight of major sects' life-and-death match approached greatly with Namgoong Mi's death?

The crowds surrounding Clear Night Valley still kept their mouths closed. Occasionally, only fierce valley winds blew.

Amid that the two people's energy waves became dense.

The young master withdrew his smile.

"Let's begin."

"Yes."

There was no such thing as a referee. It was a world of masters.

SWOOSH.

The two drew swords simultaneously.

A dry wind played with their hair once and passed. Jung Yeonshin suddenly felt it.

'Timing, he spread the sword's domain widely.'

It was a sensation like a breeze sweeping his skin. It arose the moment the young master drew his magnificent precious sword.

It was an extremely sharp momentum. It gave him goosebumps as if an invisible forest of swords had risen.

King-Style Sword Arts. From the start it was supreme martial arts.

It seemed like his upper dantian intuition was ringing alarm bells in his mind. Jung Yeonshin immediately knew. If the young master struck now, there was no way to evade.

His body instantly became heavy. Even standing was difficult. It felt like the air wrapping his whole body had transformed into a thousand-jin weight.

[TL Note- Thousand Jin = 600Kg/1322 Pound]

'Will it work again?'

He recalled the second Splendid Wings Step. Splendid Wings Step. It was footwork that drove out released energy. It had excellently sealed Namgoong Mi's movement technique energy.

Could it break through King-Style Sword Arts too? It was an issue he had worried about before the martial match. He couldn't find any other method besides Splendid Wings Step.

Even as he pondered, the young master was approaching step by step. It seemed he couldn't use lightness techniques while displaying King-Style Sword Arts.

'Let's clash.'

Jung Yeonshin changed his mind. Schemes? They didn't suit the unique sect martial arts' nature. Lightning Genius was a warrior led by instinct.

He had survived all fights with faster than expected insight. He decided to clash immediately.

SWISH.

He had to use his whole body's muscles to take a small step. If not for his body trained with Jung Clan's Dynamic Arts, he couldn't have moved at all.

THUD!

Dust rose with one step. Simultaneously the load hanging on his whole body considerably eased. The implications were big.

It meant he had to take all movements in this fight with Splendid Wings Step footwork.

SWISH!

How sensitive was his energy sense?

The young master wasn't surprised. As if he expected it, he struck down his sword with an indifferent face.

Could he adjust King-Style Sword Arts freely like breathing? As Jung Yeonshin got faster, the young master's strike also became swift.

CLANG!

Jung Yeonshin almost furrowed his brows. He immediately spread Limit Releasing Technique true energy layering. It was his right arm.

The sword force that would have bisected him as it pressed down stopped. Tremendous vibrations seemed to shake even the blood vessels in his grip. It was a sword force he had never experienced.

'So it's this level.'

Jung Yeonshin calculated in the realm of sensation.

If one strike was this heavy, how to apply true energy layering, which direction to step Splendid Wings Step, how to properly counterattack.

From then it was selfless absorption. It started rapidly.

Two streams of sword paths tangled like chaos. Every movement extending sword blades was heavy. Heavy sword. It was a fight taking place in a heavy realm.

BOOM! CLANG! CLANG!

Sword energy splashing and soaring in all directions was like sparks. Jung Yeonshin's Radiance Sword Style was brilliant.

It was sword techniques that even disturbed vision by constantly spraying hazy light streams.

He made the Will Chamber point supporting his spine the foundation of Limit Releasing Technique. He handled relatively lacking power with fluid true energy layering.

BOOM!

The lacking weight was immediately filled with a step of advancement.

As the young master's sword brushed past his cheek, Jung Yeonshin stepped in once more.

Raising both arms, he firmly gripped the Desolate sword beside his face and charged without hesitation. Their swords clashed and scraped against each other.

A fierce, crackling friction rang out as if sparks might fly just inches from his right cheek.

'Now.'

It was the moment Jung Yeonshin loosened his left hand. The young master's sword gained more force.

He pushed Jung Yeonshin away along with his sword and spun half a turn himself.

The ascending defensive stance was perfectly executed. The logic of martial arts embedded in his movements was extraordinary.

'Again.'

This was such a fight.

The young master meticulously maintained distance, never approaching unnecessarily close.

Whenever the boy seemed to gather energy, he immediately countered with a probing thrust.

He appeared wary of the incomplete palm technique Jung Yeonshin had deliberately shown earlier. The boy suddenly spoke.

"That's why you talk about freedom."

"Hmm?"

"Your way of fighting. It feels stifling, bound to some form."

"You're quite provocative."

The young master smirked, though he didn't seem to have realized anything new.

However, his swordplay changed.

Kwaaah—!

The wide area controlled by the King-Style Sword Arts compressed into a storm.

Centered around the young master's sword, the condensed energy became immensely heavy. It felt as if the technique had shifted from wide-scale combat to targeted slaughter.

He dominated with his aura, commanding his sword.

Though not from the Zhu clan of the Forbidden City, his swordplay exuded the dignity of an emperor. The sword strikes surged forward without hesitation.

Bang!

The impact was different. The energy of the sword trembled violently in Jung Yeonshin's right hand.

Even the blade of the Desolate sword seemed as if it might shatter, trembling uncontrollably as Jung Yeonshin was relentlessly pushed back. Then he realized it—this was the moment for a reversal.

He readied his left hand, simultaneously unleashing Demon-Slaying Azure Steel Palm and Demon Roaring Blood Art.

Jung Yeonshin felt the indiscriminate surge of energy radiating from his body. The young master couldn't have missed it.

Thud!

Indeed, the young master charged straight ahead with a heavy step.

He rapidly closed in, enveloped by the violent energy surrounding his sword.

Jung Yeonshin stepped forcefully with Splendid Wings Step toward the approaching blade. The young master recognized the technique's effect and adjusted his sword's trajectory to protect his momentum.

In that instant.

Jung Yeonshin broke through the gap. He slipped past, executing the first step of Splendid Wings Step. It was a footwork technique that opened gaps.

Raising his left hand, he controlled the swirling energy of internal power and sorcery.

Even forming it into a spell formation would have been a problem, as it took time to manifest as a complete palm technique.

'No matter.'

He thrust it forward.

Passing by the young master's sword, his hand moved subtly as if mocking the King-Style Sword Arts.

In truth, it was entirely different. Jung Yeonshin's upper dantian blazed intensely as he continuously adjusted the angle of his left hand.

The internal energy of the young master's King-Style Sword Arts refined Jung Yeonshin's power of sorcery and martial force. In an instant, Jung Yeonshin harnessed the overwhelming energy of the King-Style Sword Arts to refine his own technique.

Swaaah—!

Immediately after absorbing the aura of the King-Style Sword Arts, energy spiraled from the center of Jung Yeonshin's palm.

It converged rapidly into a single point, skipping over one step of the palm technique's normal activation.

"Hmph!"

The young master spun around instantly.

His astonishingly swift movement accelerated the collision.

With a follow-up slash, Jung Yeonshin's Desolate Sword was sent flying.

The vibrations from the impact shook his grip fiercely.

Yet Jung Yeonshin paid it no mind and lunged in.

He reached for the young master's side and unleashed the palm technique.

Kwaaang—!

It exploded at a two-step distance.

For a moment, it felt as though Clear Night Valley itself had been shaken.

The massive explosion echoed endlessly, unable to subside immediately.

His ears rang. Feeling the extreme recoil, Jung Yeonshin staggered back.

It felt as though a thunderbolt had erupted from his left hand.

He had trained with top-grade elixirs and practiced this art alongside the Seventh Apostle.

The power was incomparably greater than when he sparred against Namgoong Hwashin.

Then.

"Uwaaah—!"

Screams erupted from the Namgoong family's side behind Jung Yeonshin.

Not just one or two voices. They seemed to be seasoned experts superior even to the boy in martial cultivation.

Soon, Jung Yeonshin saw it too.

"..."

He fell silent. He had to.

The young master's side had been torn away.

Not even blood trickled down.

It was a fatal wound. It was strange that he remained standing.

Was it the divine energy of the King-Style Sword Arts protecting his body?

At that moment, Jung Yeonshin briefly forgot his own martial arts.

The young master's divine presence and resolve were astonishing.

Unless he had reached another level entirely, such endurance was impossible.

And then.

"Stop!"

The young master shouted.

His eyes shone with a brilliant clarity.

He took in the Namgoong family's warriors, who were charging toward Jung Yeonshin, all at once.

His dignity was different from Namgoong Mi's.

Many ignored the duel's pledge and sought to kill Jung Yeonshin.

Namgoong Se-jin, the Azure Qilin, spoke again.

"Though bound by the title of young master."

He exhaled deeply.

"The end of Namgoong Se-jin as a martial artist... is mine to decide."

"..."

Namgoong Se-jin exuded a transcendent aura.

As the crowd fell silent, he spoke slowly.

"Do not defile my death."

Then he turned his gaze, burning with light, to his final opponent.

"What is the name of your technique?"

Jung Yeonshin understood the question.

He responded without hesitation.

"It has none."

"That's good. A name occurred to me."

"Tell me."

"Would you call it the Radiant River? It feels as though I see the river of the underworld, shining brightly before me. Perhaps it's because my heart is at peace. The character for brilliance, 'Radiant', seems fitting."

"..."

"It's a martial art worthy of being called the greatest under heaven. It feels that way. Will you use the name I've given it?"

"The Infinite Blossom Fist Strike, Radiant River. If anyone asks, that is what I'll call it."

Jung Yeonshin replied calmly.

"Good..."

"You seem to wish for it to be widely known. I, too, must roam Jianghu freely. It is my nature. I cannot do otherwise."

The boy's words lingered.

Perhaps moved by the clumsy comfort, Namgoong Se-jin faintly smiled.

"Yes... Do so. Live freely...."

Jung Yeonshin wondered what struggles the Azure Qilin endured as the young master.

At the end of his life.

He did not look at his family.

He died as a martial artist, gazing fully at his victorious opponent, Lightning Genius.

His faint breath gradually ceased, dispersing completely.

Slowly.

He died with his eyes open, still shining with lingering energy.

"..."

Namgoong Se-jin's death left a profound impact on Jung Yeonshin.

Besides lifespan, what else should he pursue? As a martial artist, was life his only banner?

Azure Qilin, who had stood firmly planted on the earth, slowly collapsed.

THUMP!

"He's… dead?"

"The young master, the young master!"

"Quickly… quickly!"

"Move! Urgent! Urgent!"

It became chaotic in an instant.

Thunder-like sounds rang out. Enormous crowds began leaving Clear Night Valley.

All sorts of messenger birds flapped their wings and flew up from everywhere. The weight of Flourishing Spirit Flower Master and Namgoong Clan's young master was markedly different. The murim's landscape would be overturned.

It was a place with all the murim's attention focused.

Jung Yeonshin who regretted not being able to support Namgoong Se-jin stood as victor.

While wind swept in with the festival of energy waves bursting in all directions, the boy silently faced the strong winds while gripping his lowered sword.

The golden characters for 'Desolate' beside his shoulder shimmered in the sunlight.

The rushing valley winds repeatedly lifted his blue robe hems.

It was the moment the title Lightning Genius was engraved in the Nine Provinces under heaven.

Fame.

The beginning wasn't far. Jung Yeonshin had to feel it immediately the moment he turned his head.