Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Even to himself, it seemed he had shown a somewhat impressive appearance, but that was the end.

He had performed far beyond his martial arts level. It was already his limit.

‘This is hard.’

It felt like having a wet cloth bundle pressed inside his body.

His previously light body felt so slack it seemed discordant.

The sword song was martial arts that exacted a great price.

It brought clear fatigue to the upper dantian. It was like this at the Hwangbo branch in Pingyin County too.

Could he properly execute the prepared sword song? He wasn’t confident.

He hadn’t thought much about what would come after the sword song when rushing into battle.

He had done his part sufficiently.

He thought if the Namgung family’s masters weren’t scarecrows, they would do something. It was a natural thought.

They were a martial family that received recognition from orthodox sects of the world and even held the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

He thought they would be different from the Hwangbo family. The upright character of Blue Qilin Namgung Hwa-sin he met during the Desolate examination had left quite an impression.

Yet they weren’t stepping forward.

‘Do they plan to watch?’

Were they wary of the Blood Flame Sect leadership? He couldn’t guess the reason.

It was a difficult situation. Even though they said it was rare to meet enemies in peak condition in the murim, this was so.

One Blood Swordmaster opened his mouth.

“Worthless. Die.”

The other fellow didn’t even speak. The two Blood Swordmasters’ arms shook.

With the thunderclap bombs, their right hands seemed to disappear and appear momentarily. It was proper throwing technique.

WHOOSH!

Thunderclap bombs that had reached the realm of martial arts through masters’ hands rushed in.

They came charging while splitting the air like lightning.

It was when he firmly gripped the Desolate sword’s hilt.

SWISH!

Black hair fluttered before his eyes. For a moment Jeong Yeon-shin thought it was Wei Ji Mo-hwa.

It wasn’t.

It was someone emitting energy completely opposite to the Zhongnan Sect’s righteous energy waves.

Red sleeves fluttered with strange nobility.

He couldn’t even hear the sound. Along with a gentle breeze, supreme-level Pear Blossom Grafting technique was revealed.

Two thunderclap bombs that brushed past white hands suddenly shot upward. The force was properly deflected.

Though they sharply changed direction, it looked natural enough.

The woman who had rushed in stretched her palm upward while showing her back.

Simultaneously, mighty energy rose explosively surging from her palm center.

BOOM!

The thunderclap bombs exploded in mid-air. It happened in an instant.

“Apostle.”

The Blood Swordmaster stepped back in the middle of the battlefield. Though she had blocked their attack, they showed no question.

The woman didn’t answer and turned around.

“Indeed.”

She smiled.

Her hair fluttering from the explosion’s aftermath was intensely black.

Her bewitchingly white and beautiful face wasn’t important.

She wore a black eye patch over one eye, while the opposite pupil was pomegranate red.

Apostle. They said it was a realm where high blood technique achievement manifested in the eyeball.

“I felt it while suffering your dharma martial arts last time.”

Her black hair flowing like the night sky and single red eye glowed with true qi. The Blood Flame Sect Apostle spoke.

“It reached me through energy sense. There was a raw feeling that came from that place, but I thought it couldn’t make sense. Then after receiving reports of your activities and seeing that strange sound attack.”

Her lips, as if stained with blood, curled up.

“You were born with tremendous great master talent? To an unbelievable degree.”

Her informal speech remained. The content wasn’t light.

Blood Flame Sect Apostle.

She was a supreme master who had faced off against a Desolate Sect Squad Leader.

She clearly had internal energy achievements like Three Flowers Gathering at Crown or Five Energies Returning to Origin completely contained in her entire body.

How sensitive her energy sense might be was unimaginable.

The smile formed on her lips approached eerily.

Finally.

The enemy had noticed. She had fully deduced Jeong Yeon-shin’s talent.

In the end, someone from the Thirteen Evil Sects who clearly realized the Lightning Flash’s specialness had appeared.

‘Dangerous.’

His nape went cold. For the first time since entering the murim, Jeong Yeon-shin broke into cold sweat.

The murim was a world made of martial arts.

They said any treasure in the world was trivial before verses of supreme martial arts.

There was a reason peerless masters’ tombs were dug up along with great chaos. Such was the world of those obsessed with martial arts.

Step.

The Apostle walked over gently. Tremendous energy waves spread in layers with her light footsteps.

The momentum wrapped around her entire body was terrifyingly chilling.

Her red outer eye like blood condensed into jade stared straight at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Energy filled with madness was nakedly felt.

No match possible.

Even the Demon-Destroying Azure Unyielding Palm only works when martial arts difference is moderate.

Without taking advantage of chaotic battle, he couldn’t hope for a miracle like last time.

Jeong Yeon-shin instinctively realized.

The wind sweeping his entire body enveloped in energy waves felt like it had a sharply honed edge. His innate senses whispered.

That his lifeline was already in that supreme master’s hands.

“Stubborn fools.”

The Apostle suddenly sneered. It seemed to be mockery directed at the Namgung family masters who were only now starting to act.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt it without looking back.

Blood Flame Sect masters who had flown over from the peak blocked behind him. They seemed to be facing off against the Namgung family.

“You’re mine.”

The Apostle moved her smiling lips.

They said calamity comes to the murim in all forms.

Death and defeat were the most common things in the murim.

Enough that anyone would nod when it suddenly approached and strangled even those on winning streaks.

Poor condition, an unmanageable supreme master, meager numbers.

He had learned well from Radiant Demon Wing. They said calamity takes various forms, but at this moment, all of them had come.

It wasn’t mere chance suddenly approaching.

Jeong Yeon-shin had rushed in knowing there would likely be Apostles on the battlefield.

He did so even while guessing at the presence of vastly superior masters.

He believed in his own talent sharper than anyone’s. He trusted in the Namgung family renowned for sword and chivalry.

It was something a martial artist shouldn’t do. Even more so if thinking of longevity.

‘Karma.’

The sixteen-year-old young master only reflected now that the situation had come.

Comradeship was good. Trust was excessive.

“Let’s go.”

The moment the Apostle’s hand blurred, his vision was instantly dyed pitch black.

Her striking speed was extremely fast. He seemed to hear Wei Ji Myo-hwa and some young man’s shouts, but they rapidly distanced from consciousness.

* * *

He became aware of dully rising sensations throughout his body. The warmth touching his skin felt blunt.

How long had he been lying down?

Jeong Yeon-shin immediately grasped the situation.

He was captured by the Seventh Apostle. He had been dragged somewhere while unconscious.

There was one more thing. Though he felt hunger like his stomach was being dissolved, he hadn’t starved to death.

If searching within about a fortnight’s distance radius from Huizhou, this place would come up.

‘She sealed paralysis points.’

It seemed only his mouth could move.

“I was thinking of waking you soon.”

His vision was blurry, but along with an unfamiliar ceiling, the demoness’s face was captured.

The Seventh Apostle wore a faint smile. Her long flowing hair lightly brushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s cheek.

“You’re the first Desolate Sect’s seed to set foot in our sect’s main hall. I should welcome you, right?”

“Water.”

“What?”

“I’m thirsty.”

His forced out voice was hoarse. Jeong Yeon-shin tried to maintain composure.

They were ones with desires.

Since they wouldn’t kill him here, he recalled what he learned from the Radiant Demon Wing seniors and Heon Won-chang.

‘They’re evil sect bastards. My lifeline is caught anyway. If I bow my head, there’ll be no end.’

The Seventh Apostle who briefly showed a blank expression soon started giggling.

The black hair gently stroking Jeong Yeon-shin’s face suddenly lifted. He thought it was good to have that irritation removed.

“Aah…”

She stopped laughing with a strange sigh.

Then she stared blankly. Her red outer eye that seemed to tickle met gazes as it scanned Jeong Yeon-shin’s face.

“You.”

The corners of the Apostle’s mouth rose.

“You think I can’t do anything to you?”

“……”

“Feeling inspiration, creating verses. Since torture would be poison for creating martial arts.”

Her upper body that had been sitting on the edge of the bed came down.

Along with ebony-like hair. This time he had to feel it on his nape.

The hair texture was creepily smooth.

She whispered.

“You probably didn’t know.”

The red eye came closer. The Seventh Apostle’s elbow gently came down and pressed beside Jeong Yeon-shin’s face.

Her snow-white fingertips on the other side touched his cheek.

The Seventh Apostle’s slender fingers slowly climbed his face, and eventually pressed his eyelid. His eye naturally closed.

“I can make your eyeball like mine too. I can cut off your limbs without killing you. I’ll give you our sect’s regenerative ability. Though your technique blocked my eye’s recovery, I don’t have opposing martial arts like you. It’ll heal right away.”

Her breath tinged with madness weakly brushed Jeong Yeon-shin’s bridge of nose.

The one whose eye was taken, unprecedented talent, unbelievably young age, evil sect fanatic’s bewitching nature.

At this moment, horrible possessiveness was sprouting. Jeong Yeon-shin felt it completely. Through her gaze and exhale.

“I’ll wait forever while pulling out your fingers.”

“……”

“Until you create martial arts for me.”

The mad air approached tangibly. Her red smile seemed to appear white.

The Seventh Apostle who lifted her waist and removed her head, rose from the bed.

She no longer whispered but said:

“I’ll transmit blood techniques to you. You’ll gain regenerative power.”

Her red clothes fluttered slightly as if excited.

“The ones regular members or swordmaster learn wouldn’t suit your caliber. What kind of martial arts would be born if I give you Apostle secret arts? I’m so excited I could go crazy!”

“You won’t have time to torture me.”

Jeong Yeon-shin said slowly. Her outer eye flashed bright red as she whipped her head around.

“Such impudence is only until you learn blood techniques. I’ll make you lick my feet.”

“…Come back again. Examine my Hundred meetings point.”

Along with his calm reply, dozens of streams of gentle wind struck.

It was the Seventh Apostle’s body technique. Her fingertips that subdued Jeong Yeon-shin again touched his crown.

The Seventh Apostle was a tremendous internal energy master. Directly touching his head, she would have to notice immediately.

It was paradoxical. An enemy was caressing the crown that even his maternal uncle and grandfather couldn’t touch.

Her single eye widened.

“You…!”

“With your inner energy level, you can feel it with your hands. It’s still growing even now, isn’t it?”

“Such a constitution in the world…”

The Seventh Apostle muttered blankly.

“Torture and heal me? In what lifetime?”

Jeong Yeon-shin asked with feigned composure. She had said it was the Blood Flame Sect main hall. It was hopeless.

Though the possibility of escape was infinitely small, he needed his body intact to at least attempt escape by growing his martial arts.

Even modifying one martial art required dozens of types of true qi cultivation.

They wouldn’t destroy his dantian. He just needed to avoid torture.

That’s when it happened.

“You, you’re truly brilliant…”

The distance was close. The Seventh Apostle’s eyes filled his vision like red jade.

He saw strange heat writhing in her white face and spirit light unique to supreme masters.

Would witnessing the birth of monsters in the Classic of Mountains and Seas feel like this?

This wasn’t male-female affection. It was the obsession of a fanatic master who breathed through internal energy techniques and moved through martial arts.

The demoness exhaled smooth breath and whispered.

“You’re mine. You’re my possession. Create my martial arts, and be contained only in my eye. Until you burn up all your talent and fade away.”

“Crazy B*tch.”

A curse came out unconsciously. The touch caressing his crown no longer felt gentle.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt goosebumps while racking his brain. How should he overcome this situation?

He didn’t know how long he would have to worry about it.

* * *

For two days he had to receive porridge made with finely chopped meat.

During that time, Jeong Yeon-shin became sick of the Blood Flame Sect main hall he hadn’t even gotten to see.

‘She’s crazy.’

The Apostle personally held the bowl and fed him. She absolutely wouldn’t let servants do it.

After confirming his lifespan, her eyes had completely gone mad.

She treated him like a comet that could only be seen for an instant.

‘Or rather.’

They said there were beasts that the imperial clan in Beijing raised with attachment. Was this how it felt to become a pet spirit beast?

Only after recovering from long starvation, sealed pressure points, and the sword song’s backlash did he receive freedom.

It wasn’t complete liberation.

He suffered a technique like the Annihilation Team Leader’s Seven Steps Life-Losing Pressure Point Sealing.

The Seventh Apostle’s blood technique true qi filled important meridian points. They said it would cause fatal internal injury if not periodically removed.

“Let’s go pay respects to the Sect Leader.”

The Seventh Apostle said with a slight smile. Jeong Yeon-shin rose silently from his seat. It was his first outing.

‘Blood Flame Sect Leader.’

The enemy of Elder Yuan who helped create the Demon-Destroying Azure Unyielding Palm.

The master of the Blood Flame Sect said to have the most vast power among the Thirteen Evil Sects.

He was a supreme master counted among the murim’s absolute powers alongside the Shaolin Temple Abbot and Desolate Sect Divine Sword Squad Leader.

He must have been involved in the Jeong Family’s extermination along with the Tyrant Sword Sect Leader.

He was someone worth seeing.

Stepping out through the door, seeing himself walking alongside the Seventh Apostle felt strangely unfamiliar.

It was different from when he was being fed meat porridge like a beloved pet.

His view opened wide.

A developed village spread out. Classical halls were arranged in orderly fashion.

There seemed to be hundreds passing by in all directions, with most having red hair.

“What.”

It was enough to make him swallow hard. Just where was this? Was it possible to hide from the Central Plains while building a village close to a city?

“Little one. The Sect Leader’s hall is quite far. Follow well.”

His sleeve was pulled by the Seventh Apostle’s hand that was as careful as handling a jewel.

While walking, Jeong Yeon-shin engraved in his eyes one by one the city’s structure and composition of masters.

Blood Swordmasters lowered their gaze as they passed. Regular members didn’t dare even look.

“Great Teacher!”

One passing Blood Swordmaster startled and knelt on one knee. He was one of the two who had thrown thunderclap bombs in Huizhou.

It was strange.

He didn’t seem to be paying respects to the Seventh Apostle. Rather, she gestured toward Jeong Yeon-shin.

Her eye showing only the right side curved slightly. Indeed it was so. The direction the Blood Swordmaster bowed his head was toward him.

The fellow opened his mouth again.

“This unworthy sect swordsman respectfully greets the Grand Teacher.”

Jeong Yeon-shin was briefly silent.

This wasn’t the treatment of a prisoner.