Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Ma Jin muttered, his facial scar becoming significantly distorted.

“Not just anyone, but a Blood Master…”

“This proves that the incident in Jinpyeong County wasn’t a coincidence.”

Recognizing the importance of the matter, Baek Mir-yeo furrowed her brows while Myeong, behind her, simply stroked Yeon-shin’s head, impressed.

“There are traces of the regenerative ability starting but not finishing. It’s definitely the Blood Master.”

For some reason, Hyeon Won-chang showed an unexpected reaction.

He neither clicked his tongue nor shook his head in exasperation.

He examined the Blood Master and confirmed traces of excessive blade movement.

Ma Jin spoke up.

“This isn’t normal. It’s an improbable occurrence.”

“Blood Masters aren’t that common.”

Mir-yeo slightly nodded her head.

“This is a matter to be thoroughly investigated, whether in the Unorthodox Sect or not. The expansion of the Blood Flame Sect’s influence is a serious issue. If they have developed their techniques to the point of placing a Blood Master in each county, it could mean an increase in the Blood Flame Sect’s adherents. If their numbers have grown… it’s horrifying.”

“Of course.”

This time, even Myeong nodded in agreement.

“Lightning Flash has achieved considerable merit. It seems incidents follow you. Handling and bringing back such information and achievements will inevitably impact the martial world. The Desolate Fortress will respond.”

After staring at him for a moment, Ma Jin spoke again.

“Yes. You wish to ascend Mount Zhongnan.”

“I am a warrior. I can’t help but worry about my niece’s safety.”

Did it sound like a roundabout criticism of the Desolate Ma family?

Ma Jin’s face awkwardly stiffened. With an unusually strained expression, he spoke.

“…We just received the news as well. But the current Mount Zhongnan is in a dangerous position. The Tyrant Sword Sect is different from the Blood Flame Sect.”

“They cannot be simply called an unorthodox sect. They blend orthodox martial arts and sorcery. They are obsessed with becoming stronger and know no bounds.”

Baek Mir-yeo added. Her slightly raised eyes seemed to hold concern.

“Yes. More importantly, no mission has been assigned. It is enough for us to do our given tasks.”

It seemed Ma Jin and Baek Mir-yeo did not want to send Yeon-shin away.

Only Myeong, next to them, tactlessly defended the youngest of the Desolate Ma family.

“Can’t a grandmaster judge the matter and assign a mission at their discretion?”

“……”

As Baek Mir-yeo glared fiercely, Ma Jin continued speaking.

“To be honest, how can we send you to Mount Zhongnan not knowing if you will return?”

“Pardon?”

It was a story that naturally made one ask back.

However, everyone present except Yeon-shin seemed to agree.

“Anyone in the Desolate Fortress who knows your talent would be worried.”

“Even if it’s an unnecessary concern, it’s understandable. How can they not covet you, especially with your kin there? There were even rumors about the guests of the Mount Hua Sect.”

Mir-yeo and even Myeong spoke with expressions of agreement.

Yeon-shin knew Ma Jin had another reason unknown to them.

It must have been a concern for him, who had not attached himself to the Desolate Ma family.

“Can the grandmaster not distinguish between public and private matters? Is the trust I built with the Desolate Ma family only that much?”

He spoke with a calm face. It was a statement that struck a nerve.

“……”

“I have made significant achievements. Please allow me to go. Record this as my sole reward.”

“You’re caught in a checkmate.”

Myeong eventually received a blow from Baek Mir-yeo for his remark.

As Ma Jin, lost in thought, slowly opened his mouth.

“You are right. It’s hard to refuse outright. Let’s make a bet.”

“A bet?”

“Take one move of my technique. Just one move. If you counter or avoid it, I’ll let you go. To stand out in the martial world, you must have that level of skill. Additionally, I promise another reward.”

“I understand.”

Amid the astonishment of the group, Yeon-shin nodded calmly.

They headed to the backyard of the guest house. Yeon-shin, as well as Ma Jin, did not care about the onlookers.

It was a place to exchange one move.

High-ranking experts from the Mount Hua Sect approached, asking the reason.

Upon hearing the general situation, many of them cautiously requested to watch the move.

Ma Jin granted permission without much concern.

“Thank you.”

Mount Hua Sect warriors surrounded them, blocking the common people’s view.

“To witness a move from the Demon Wings Master. Isn’t the Supreme Master of the Desolate Fortress comparable to the Chief Instructor?”

Yu Hyeon asked Cheon Ju. The leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen answered affirmatively and added.

“In chaotic battles, he is stronger than me. His alias is ‘Hell Slayer.’ It means he completely dominates the battlefield. Many elders of prestigious orthodox sects have become spirits at his hands while flaunting their hypocritical wickedness.”

“Even receiving one move looks terrifying.”

“Facing such a high-level expert, one cannot take even a hand gesture lightly. A single move can contain the mystery of instant death. It is different from our old-school warriors who seek the pinnacle in swordsmanship. It is martial arts thoroughly refined for real combat. When thinking of it as the apex of battlefield martial arts, there’s nothing more frightening.”

“No matter how talented Yeon-shin is, it would be difficult. There isn’t anyone among our peers who wouldn’t be defeated in a single move against such a master.”

Yu Hyeon’s eyes turned to Yeon-shin standing opposite Ma Jin.

The Lightning Flash of the Demon Wings. With his hand lightly resting on the sword hilt, facing the blowing wind.

His face showed no significant fluctuations in emotion.

Yeon-shin calmly thought about demonstrating the martial arts he had learned. He slowly opened his mouth.

“May I have some time?”

“Take as much as you need. I plan to show you a strike that even a Blue Uniform would find hard to withstand, so sharpen your senses.”

It sounded like he was being considerate. However, Ma Jin’s standards would be different.

The Demon Wings Master. A supreme master of the Desolate Fortress. They said he was not yet over thirty.

Yeon-shin closed his eyes. He observed his body and first awakened his lower dantian.

He also woke the dormant qi throughout his body.

While circulating qi throughout his body, he also sought to draw out the sense he had realized in the Mantis Sect.

If it were an ordinary warrior, the experience of that time would have slipped away like catching smoke, requiring focused training to grasp it.

But Yeon-shin was different. Once he had properly felt a sense, it became entirely his from that moment.

He didn’t need to spend time trying to make a leap with a random event as a catalyst.

“I see it.”

Was this the clone technique of the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong?

He could perceive Ma Jin’s entire body as if even his back were visible.

With his unique sensitivity to qi, his sense reached perfection.

“I will yield the initiative.”

Yeon-shin made a rare joke.

Ma Jin, with a slight smile, raised his hand. It was a hand hardened into a thick edge.

It was said his martial arts were the essence of the Demon’s Light. He had mastered all kinds of weapons.

They said he could skillfully handle any weapon fallen on the battlefield, even a wine bottle rolling on the bar floor.

“Then, his hands would be the most fearsome.”

Just by looking at the gathering qi, he could guess. He now understood what it meant that even the White Uniform would find it hard to withstand the strike.

The density was on a different level.

That kind of palm technique could shatter even a thick fortress wall in one blow.

“I must avoid it.”

He made his calculation. If he blocked it clumsily, he would not escape severe injuries.

Yeon-shin completely lowered the hand he had placed on the sword hilt.

As the onlookers could not hide their puzzlement, Ma Jin’s large frame charged in.

Thud!

His body movement was straightforward and brutally fast.

It felt like a condensed typhoon was rushing in.

Even though it wasn’t his full speed, it was challenging for Yeon-shin to turn his body aside.

Wham!

Ma Jin precisely controlled his movement.

A slight twist of his foot reversed the flow of power. At the end of the trajectory of his horizontally slashing hand, Yeon-shin’s head was in its path.

Until then, Yeon-shin observed Ma Jin’s movements. A faint blue light flickered across his eyes.

With the current body techniques he had learned, he could not escape.

The body movements Myeong taught were not mere routines but needed a clear intention to open a path.

“Just one step.”

Ma Jin’s movement paths and power directions drew complex lines in his mind.

The Baihui acupoint on the top of his head seemed to burn.

What posture, what qi manipulation, at what point should he step?

One step to tear apart the whirlwind.

At that moment, another dantian seemed to form near his heart. It was a fleeting moment.

A stream of Jeong Family Dynamic Training’s inner energy momentarily activated his middle dantian.

For a brief instant, even stronger qi fueled the creation of a new technique.

It wasn’t the realm where some supreme masters felt time slowing down.

Yeon-shin’s thought process was as fast as a flash. That was all.

His innate talent manifested at that moment in the martial arts domain.

Step.

Whack!

As Yeon-shin took one step, a tremendous force swept his hair up.

He then felt the strong wind caused by the explosive power behind him.

“……”

Dust swirled around, but no one spoke.

Everyone present was a master who lived with martial arts.

Everyone could feel that Yeon-shin’s step was extraordinary.

“That step technique.”

Ma Jin, in the posture of striking, slightly moved his lips.

“What is it? I haven’t seen it before.”

“I simply walked. I saw a way to survive.”

“…You are truly incomprehensible. Still the same.”

“I will name it the Splendid Wings Step.”

Yeon-shin spoke calmly.

The name of the Demon Wings was not complicated.

It originated from the meaning of being the wings of the Desolate Fortress that exterminated the demons of the Great Ming Empire.

The name Hwanikbo was different. By including the character for ‘wings,’ it revealed Yeon-shin’s affection for being part of the Demon Wings.

Not only Ma Jin, but even Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo’s faces seemed to melt away.

Ma Jin straightened his posture. He slowly opened his mouth.

“I allow Lightning Flash’s journey to Zhongnan.”

“Wow!”

Won-chang, shouting in excitement, rushed over. Brimming with excitement, he lavished praise on the incredibly miraculous footwork.

While his body was being shaken by the grip on his shoulders, Yeon-shin quietly pondered.

“Splendid Wings Step.”

It was just one step for now. How far it would extend, he did not know.

If it extended to ten steps, would it reach the realm of the Divine Sword Squad Master?

“A supreme genius has emerged from the Desolate Fortress.”

“It’s not entirely pleasing but it’s the promising step of an infinitely potential new talent. There’s joy in watching over it.”

“Don’t reject me when I visit!”

Amid the admiration of the Mount Hua Sect masters and Yu Hyeon’s envious gaze, they returned to the guest room.

Warmth radiated among the masters of the Demon Wings gathered around.

“To act alone in the Zhongnan Sect, a White Uniform will not be enough.”

Myeong smiled brightly as he spoke.

What was he talking about now? Yeon-shin’s eyes were filled with curiosity.