Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Chapter 106 – Lightning Genius’ Legacy (6)

***

“What… did he cultivate Wudang Sect’s cultivation technique?”

Ma Se-in muttered in bewilderment. The lined-up elders also showed great movement.

Several people’s complexions changed. They didn’t look like those who had carried heavy energy paths.

They seemed to want to open their lips immediately.

“Closer to Shaolin than Wudang. But, even they wouldn’t compress and gather energy like that.”

Lazy Flame Dragon muttered alone.

“So you’re Lazy Flame Dragon. Wouldn’t? That’s wrong. Can’t is more accurate. As there is talent even in energy gathering.”

Only Ma Yeon-jeok nodded with a smiling face.

Meanwhile a cold voice rang out.

“Did you yourself speak of rights and demands?”

Zhu Lianting spoke in a stern tone. Unlike her son Ma Se-in.

Her eyes only wavered once. Her gaze fixed on Jeong Yeon-shin was straight and intense.

She didn’t show weakness even with a purple supreme master beside her.

Though she must know Ma Yeon-jeok’s affection for Jeong Yeon-shin.

Indeed, Ma Yeon-jeok’s thundering rebuke fell.

“Who are you interrogating now? Step back.”

“Lightning Genius, that child spoke of rights and demands mentioning the family. This is Ma family business. Do you intend to give liver and gall to a Radiant Demon Wing blue master, bound by private emotion?”

“What did you just say?”

“Family Head, please do not be angry and show understanding.”

The argument between Ma Yeon-jeok and Zhu Lianting began. Zhu Lianting didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

Only Ma Yeon-jeok’s face turned reddish with anger.

Zhu Lianting’s position seemed stronger than expected.

From how the elders didn’t speak for or against with serious faces, that was clear.

Though they say a great noble family’s ecology is no different from Beijing Forbidden City politics, it was hard to understand given Ma Yeon-jeok’s position.

Even if his martial arts level had fallen. He was still the former Divine Sword Group Leader.

―Did your mother pass on imperial family martial arts? This scene doesn’t make sense.

Jeong Yeon-shin openly sent sound transmission. It was a question toward his branch cousin. A reply came immediately.

―You, your insight is quite sharp.

Ma Se-in spoke with a bitter face. Complex feelings were buried in his answer.

The Ma family martial arts are not orthodox methods.

Recently Ma Yeon-jeok’s decline in skill was noticeable as the family’s only purple master.

The Desolate Ma family was reconsidering their hereditary martial arts.

The rise and fall of prestigious murim families was naturally directly connected to martial arts level and nature.

Meanwhile Zhu Lianting brought in the imperial Golden Immortal Eight Methods.

The moment Ma Se-in was chosen as heir, she amazingly obtained the imperial family’s permission to partially release the Golden Immortal Eight Methods verses.

Thus she won the Ma family retainers’ favor and built support.

So Ma Se-in’s position would no longer be shaken by Ma Yeon-jeok’s personal whims.

―I see.

Jeong Yeon-shin inwardly nodded.

Previously when Zhu Lianting evaded Ma Yeon-jeok and called him was strange, but now everything made sense.

The Desolate Ma family is a martial sect.

Prestigious family authority comes from martial arts and fame.

When caught holding the martial arts that form the family’s foundation, they can’t help but be shaken.

‘Not my concern right now.’

Right now someone from this family faced crisis like a candle in the wind in Sichuan’s murim.

Jeong Yeon-shin had obtained the raw information fastest from the Administration. He immediately opened his mouth.

“Radiant Demon Wing Leader Ma Jin.”

He spoke without minding Ma Yeon-jeok and Zhu Lianting’s argument.

Earlier he had shown the sight of vaporizing the Treasure Spirit Jade before everyone’s eyes.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s voice cutting in had clear presence.

“They say Uncle Ma’s whereabouts are unknown. Radiant Demon Wing too. The Administration said they must be considered a force out of commission.”

“What…”

One Desolate Ma family elder spoke first. It seemed an unconsciously thrown question. Jeong Yeon-shin continued without minding.

“Urgent news just entered the Administration. I heard it directly. We need forces that can find and bring back all of Radiant Demon Wing.”

“…”

After a moment’s silence, someone showed reaction. The raised energy was intense.

The owner of the purple clothes rising like raging waves was Ma Yeon-jeok.

“…Do you know how chaotic the recent murim is? It’s because the famine has lasted too long. There are countless people rising up across the world, now it’s hard to distinguish martial artists from commoners. Many trash acting like kings across the central plains believing in a few learned martial arts. The main fortress has no spare capacity. Radiant Demon Wing must show their wellbeing through their own power.”

His momentum and words differed. While showing anger, he maintained blade-like reason.

He distinguishes public and private even before his grandson who he has trouble facing.

The former Divine Sword Group Leader’s vessel was cold. Values hardened through decades of years.

For a moment Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t see his grandfather as human.

Was he like this when abandoning mother too? Desolate Fortress’ sword moved wrinkled lips toward the boy.

“The Administration must have said the same as this old one. Right?”

“…Yes. So I thought to borrow the Ma family’s hand.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered.

“…The main family’s forces are also out for world civilian relief. The Lord commanded. With Eight Families and Thirteen Evil Sects each running wild, the main fortress’ fighting forces aren’t even several tens…”

“Can’t grandfather go out directly?”

He spoke words that had kept circling in his mouth.

The one who answered his question was Zhu Lianting. Her red lips twisted strangely.

“Purple masters without position must stay on standby. That is the main fortress’ law.”

Everyone speaks of law. All are bound by it.

Suddenly Jeong Yeon-shin felt an impulse. He wanted to break what couldn’t be seen.

‘What should I do.’

Must obtain forces that can handle Sichuan’s murim. And in not much time.

They said Radiant Demon Wing’s whereabouts were already unknown.

The more delayed, the more they must greatly assume cases of not even finding bodies.

‘Should I accept and revise Desolate Ma family martial arts? Even taking time.’

No. Can’t.

How long would formulas built up with time take? Not something to finish in a short time.

Rather denying Ma family orthodoxy and creating anew would take less time.

But who here would agree to that?

“Ah…”

His heart felt strangled. It was an unsolvable limit.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt helplessness for the first time since learning his lifespan.

Perhaps more so because it wasn’t something he directly encountered in Sichuan.

“This woman has privately raised forces. If you promise one thing, I’ll gladly give them.”

Zhu Lianting’s cold voice was only kept in his ears. She was a royal branch member.

Like a snake, couldn’t know what demands she would make.

It was a proposal to return to only if he couldn’t obtain forces before tonight passed.

“Hang in there.”

He stepped away with Lazy Flame Dragon awkwardly comforting. The Desolate Ma family figures sent him off with silence. Most wore hardened expressions as if likewise controlling their hearts.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

It was something that couldn’t be helped. Everyone seemed to say so.

Step.

Jeong Yeon-shin hadn’t given up yet.

‘By whatever means.’

He had people decided in mind first. Him and Lazy Flame Dragon first. He planned to plead with Namgung Hwa-shin too.

‘Let’s start after securing three blue masters.’

But must begin search and inquiry immediately upon entering Sichuan. Hands were lacking.

Though even whites could overwhelm ordinary wanderers, there was no way to obtain forces immediately.

That’s when he was counting alone.

The boy suddenly raised his head while walking.

He sensed presences gathered far away. Outside the Desolate Ma family main gate, he felt waves of qi calmly settled.

Not just one or two. From energy without formal Desolate Fortress rank, to those who could extend swords in the blue realm.

“They say they’re guests who came looking for you, Yeon-shin.”

Ma Yeon-jeok seemed to have felt it first. His tone was strange.

Guwoong!

They seemed to have detected Jeong Yeon-shin’s presence from outside too. The huge gate slowly opened.

A group approached. Straight toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

“Their affiliations are all different…?”

Ma Se-in’s voice rang with bewilderment. He was the Desolate Ma family heir.

Having stayed long at the main fortress, he knew the Divine Sword Squads fighting forces’ faces.

‘The front are all formal warriors.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. About thirty? Many unnamed disciples were visible behind too.

The boy’s eyes swept over them. There was familiar physicality approaching. All were familiar.

What he had only felt in his body showed in others’ bodies. Traces of ceaselessly accumulated training.

Muscle form, gait, faintly emanating energy of move cultivation.

“Lightning Genius? His age is even… than i heard.”

“If thinking of appearance, look at that physique first.”

“Amazingly well-trained body. Worth making the effort to come.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Worth? Shouldn’t finding principle come first? He gave something impossible, should repay first.”

They were those approaching from the right. They seemed to have mainly learned fist techniques.

The muscle form dropping below their shoulders drew elegant curves. The lines were familiar.

It was body changes prominent in early Eternal Blossom Fist training. Cultivating with qi makes it like that.

‘Was Shin So-bin’s words true?’

He could even tell which moves they focused on learning.

Four properly cultivated First Move Spiral, three Second Move Advancing Thunder, the remaining five Third Move Blossoming Fist.

Desolate Fortress’ warriors were all murim talents. He had heard well from Radiant Demon Wing seniors.

They said each was called a genius in their hometown.

If choosing one technique to cultivate in short time, they could show clear achievement.

‘And.’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze turned.

“…”

Those walking from opposite the fist technique warriors were silent.

They were swordsmen. Just the Desolate Swords at their waists showed it.

Both men and women had long limbs. Familiar qualities also emanated from their whole bodies.

It was sharp energy like sunlight rays. They seemed to have trained several Radiant Sword Style sword moves.

‘Not the end.’

Some even had the lively feeling unique to Fate Defying Scripture.

Had they really entered arts needing delicate sense of qi layering?

There were also those with Radiant Wing Step method principles showing in their footsteps.

His vision was filled with his unique martial arts. Living moving martial art verses.

Jeong Yeon-shin stood blankly for a moment.

“Why are you like that? You were truly like a blade at promotion test.”

A heavy voice rang. Energy like a veteran northern army general wafted strongly.

It was one standing at the front of those approaching.

The middle-aged warrior’s face with scars across was familiar.

His clothes weren’t. When first meeting he wore white, but now wore blue martial clothes.

Crimson Day Sword of Desolate Fortress’ Annihilation Team.

He had crossed swords with Jeong Yeon-shin during blue rank promotion examination.

Crimson Day Sword too seemed to have finally raised his rank to blue.

“After your return, we kept track of your movements. And today, finally heard you left the Radiant Demon Wing hall.”

Crimson Day Sword who stopped about ten steps from Jeong Yeon-shin said.

Unlike his terribly carved face scars, his expression was gentle.

“We searched for quite a while.”

His speech changed. Not like when facing Lightning Genius the white warrior. Now it wasn’t looking down.

The warriors approaching with Crimson Day Sword all stopped too.

Those pursuing martial arts in Desolate Fortress took in one boy.

‘Strange but familiar.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought. That was the feeling.

Not strangers. That’s what martial artists were. Arts give birth to sects, martial arts connect people.

Thus something is born. Called martial arts sects.

Strong martial. Vein legacy.

Even at this moment here, a martial arts sect was being created.

Martial arts donation. What was just done seeking merit returned with surprising results.

“Let’s pay respects.”

Crimson Day Sword said.

Instantly all warriors raised clasped hands to their chests. It was a disciplined greeting.

Bearing that anyone could tell came from the heart. It carried respect that couldn’t be added to.

The approaching feeling was strange. The Ma family figures including Zhu Lianting receded from Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

Even though all were watching this scene.

“Practitioners of one legacy.”

As if coordinated. The moment Crimson Day Sword began, the warriors lined behind opened their mouths together.

―Carefully pay greetings to the Grandmaster.

Speaking with one voice. It was a greeting awakening Desolate Fortress’ night.