Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 404: Transcendent Realm (4)

“No matter how many times I think about it.”

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke slowly.

“The title First does not suit you. If this were a literary contest, you wouldn’t even rank as second-class.”

“There are two above me in my household?”

Namgung Mu-jin curled his lips into a smirk.

“You speak so grandly. I have no idea what limited experiences have led you to keep judging my family’s sword, but let’s see if you can still say the same after crossing blades here.”

His voice rasped, as if scraping against his throat. His words carried weight.

Previously, Namgung Mu-jin had measured the reach of Jeong Yeon-shin’s sword techniques to be about thirty bo.

That was not a short distance, even against peerless grandmasters. But now, with the formless greatsword in play, Jeong Yeon-shin would have to traverse far more than that.

Suddenly, Namgung Mu-jin’s heavy eyelids lowered slightly.

At the same time—

Whooong—

The massive formless sword tilted instantly into a diagonal slant.

It was aimed right at Jeong Yeon-shin. The mere shift of its angle unleashed a storm of force, violently sweeping through his long hair.

This defied conventional logic.

A formless sword should not react with such speed. It moved as naturally as an ordinary blade.

“The Eye-Guided Sword...!”

From behind, Yeon So-ha gasped in shock.

Jeong Yeon-shin had been thinking the same.

This was sword control at a level where the wielder commanded their weapon with nothing but their gaze. He would have to reassess Namgung Mu-jin’s sword domain.

At least a hundred bo...

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Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes gleamed an icy blue.

Why hadn’t Namgung Mu-jin struck immediately?

He was wary of a counterattack.

He had seen firsthand how fast Jeong Yeon-shin’s swordplay and lightness techniques were. The Master of the Dark Night lurking in the background with a drawn bow must have been factored into his calculations as well.

The timing of the initial strike had to be perfect.

This was a battle between peerless grandmasters, both armed with fatal techniques. It was no different from a strategic game of Go.

One had to carefully observe the opponent’s breathing, posture, and balance—then deliver the decisive strike at the most opportune moment.

“What the hell am I looking at? Why is that damn formless sword so—... And that eerie light trailing from Ma Gwang-ik’s back?!”

“It’s a Life-Saving Ultimate Art. When so-called peerless grandmasters have no better technique to use against a much younger opponent.”

The Commander of the Divine Sword Squad’s voice rang calmly.

He had no intention of interfering.

Was it because he was managing his internal injuries with firm resolve, as he had when issuing the Black Summons? Or did he simply trust his junior that much?

“Life-Saving Ultimate Art? You mean Moonlight Saber Dance? This is sorcery disguised as martial arts!”

“This is precisely what sets the true nature of this world apart. So-ha, I find myself rather proud of that young man. Time is on our side, after all.”

“...Why?”

“Because this will soon cease to be a battlefield. It will become the One Sword Arena of Wonpyeong. As long as he holds out, it’s a favorable trade.”

The gathering of the Divine Sword Squad in Ipwang Fortress.

A single name, widely known throughout the martial world, had just been uttered by the Commander of the Divine Sword Squad. It was a move calculated to force the opponent into reckless action.

Namgung Mu-jin furrowed his brow. Even knowing the intent, he had no choice but to react.

The One Sword Arena of Wonpyeong.

Since the founding of the empire, the strongest martial artists had borne the weight of that name. No mere formation could compare to its significance.

Golden lightning flickered in Namgung Mu-jin’s eyes. The unique glow of the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art.

“Your rank and status are both beneath mine, yet I shall cast aside dignity and seize the first move.”

“You’re unbelievable. Attacking together, yet still clinging to your pride.”

From behind, Yeon So-ha craned his neck, interjecting sarcastically.

As Yong Hui-myeong gestured for silence, Namgung Mu-jin instead shot a glance at the one who had spoken, stirring an invisible current of power.

At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin vanished from his spot.

Kwaaaaaang—!

The formless greatsword plunged diagonally into the ground.

Its massive, colorless body erupted like lightning, sending a tremor through the air, while the force of the impact shredded dust clouds apart.

Above it—

Jeong Yeon-shin was sprinting along the blade of the greatsword.

His movement was so fast it warped the perception of his form.

Ten-League Radiance.

His feet never directly touched the sword.

The formless blade brimmed with an overwhelmingly domineering energy. Wasting defensive qi to shield against it would be inefficient.

Instead, he treated the rippling power surging from the sword as blades of grass and advanced with the Profound Flight Technique, stepping upon its energy waves.

Dwooong—! Dwoooong—!

The sound of war drums.

Each step left behind concentric ripples in the air. While evading, he simultaneously activated Ten Thousand Blossoms in the Rain through the Yongcheon Acupoint at the sole of his foot.

A fierce outpouring of supreme martial mastery pierced through the greatsword’s blade.

“......!”

Fragments of raw qi, like a torrential hailstorm, rained toward Namgung Mu-jin.

They were shards of the formless sword itself, caught in the turbulence of Ten Thousand Blossoms in the Rain.

Each fragment refracted sunlight into spectral hues as it fell.

This was the pinnacle of offense and defense united.

Evasion was an attack in itself.

Namgung Mu-jin’s eyes darkened. The young warrior opposing him in a fight to the death truly bore the mark of Ipwang Fortress.

Namgung Mu-jin swung the Stellar Blade he had stolen from his household in a grand arc above his head.

ZZZEEEENG—!

The atmosphere rippled like water around the sword’s trajectory.

The falling shards of the formless greatsword detonated like thunderclaps upon impact.

‘This bastard’s instincts... He’s a born warrior.’

Namgung Mu-jin thought to himself.

Was this what the War God of the Northern Lands had been like in his youth?

The countless Thirteen Heavens martial artists who had faced Ma Gwang-ik must have had the same thought.

This one must be cut down before his roots grow any deeper.

And then—

Kwaaaaaaaaaang—!

Suddenly, Jeong Yeon-shin’s flickering shadow atop the formless greatsword was hurled far away.

In that very spot—

The long, threadlike radiance unraveled in the air and scattered. It was undoubtedly the Dark Night’s Master's arrow strike.

[The Path to Shoot the Moon.] (射月一路)

A perfect execution of the Moonlight Saber Dance.

It was an attack that simply could not miss. Even the top ten movement technique masters in the martial world found it difficult to evade more than a few times.

—Pursue him. It’s not enough.

A hoarse voice echoed in Namgung Mu-jin’s ears. The Dark Night’s Master.

Namgung Mu-jin did not question it. The moment the Path to Shoot the Moon had landed, he had seen the flash of energy surrounding Ma Gwang-ik when he had seized the Ten Ri One Kill earlier.

With qi defense at that level, Jeong Yeon-shin could withstand the Path to Shoot the Moon several times.

—Is he still connected?

—It’s a martial art designed to annihilate Ipwang Fortress. I can fire twenty more shots.

—Then we are the same.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Namgung Mu-jin replied through transmitted sound, his eyes widening.

Kugugung—

The formless greatsword reacted instantly, straightening its colossal frame. Dust clung to its surface, seeping from its length like steaming mist.

[Moonlight-Smothering Saber Dance of the Dark Night.] (劍夜塗月光)

The origin of its name was no different from The Path to Shoot the Moon—a technique meant to pierce the moon.

Its meaning: Under the darkness cast by the sword, there is no place for moonlight to exist. Another ultimate technique aimed directly at the Lord of Ipwang Fortress.

The formless greatsword rotated, following Namgung Mu-jin’s gaze.

And then—it stopped.

Five jang away, Jeong Yeon-shin stood.

Beneath the shadow of the greatsword’s blade. He had not been flung as far as expected.

Only the ground beneath his feet was cratered, as if a massive depression had been struck into it.

"How is he still standing?"

Namgung Mu-jin let out a hushed murmur.

Ma Gwang-ik, Jeong Yeon-shin.

Draped in a violet battle robe, his black sleeves draped down with his sword.

His long, jet-black hair and flowing garments formed a striking silhouette. It was as if the sunlight fractured only around him.

"......"

Namgung Mu-jin felt an insurmountable wall before him.

The presence of this junior—it was no different from the past generations of Ipwang Fortress’ Purple-Robed Warriors he had read and heard about.

Then—

"You claim to be seeking martial transcendence."

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly spoke.

"Yet you patch the weaknesses of your martial arts with another’s arrow techniques."

His gaze shifted toward the line connecting his chest to the air—a faintly glowing white thread, composed of immense spiritual force and a trace of internal energy.

It truly appeared as though moonlight had been drawn into a tangible form. The Dark Night’s Master had embedded an arrow along this line, making it an inescapable strike.

It was even faster than Ten Ri One Kill.

‘Because the distance has closed within ten ri. The energy wave of the archery strike isn’t dispersing.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought, feeling a searing pain in his side.

This was his first time facing a combined attack from two peerless grandmasters.

As expected—it was not easy.

From the beginning, he had heard that even killing a single sect leader from a major martial school was enough to earn one the title of a Purple-Robed Warrior.

Jeong Yeon-shin was well aware.

His current abilities had yet to reach the level of Divine Sword Squad Commander Yong Hui-myeong.

Perhaps if he had momentarily enlightened himself within the Moonlight Saber Dance of the Golden West Gate Lord before—

Thud.

A heavy footstep struck the earth. Namgung Mu-jin.

"The weakness of my martial arts?"

"You haven’t fully committed to any single approach. That Emperor’s Sword Form can’t keep up with my Solitary Swordsmanship."

A statement spoken to one of the greatest swordsmen in the martial world.

Yet his tone was calm—because he believed it to be true.

There were not many left who could surpass Jeong Yeon-shin in swordsmanship.

And here—he intended to prove it. Not just to Namgung Second-Rate Sword standing before him.

But to the lofty Azure Qilin as well.

At that moment—

Suddenly, his vision was engulfed in white.

The single white thread connecting his chest split into dozens, weaving into a vast web that enveloped his entire body.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT—!

A shock ripped from his head down to his chest and into his abdomen. The ground beneath his feet trembled violently.

The relentless barrage of arrows poured down, accompanied by a deep, resonant hum.

The explosions rose like a cloudburst, deafening his ears.

Boom! Boom! BOOOOM—!

Fragments of white light scattered and reformed before his eyes.

They were the remnants of his shattered qi defense—the very layers meant to protect his body.

The deafening roar did not stop. Sparks erupted ceaselessly from the relentless impacts.

"How long can you endure?"

Namgung Mu-jin’s voice.

The formless greatsword plunged down in an executioner’s arc.

A decisive, cleaving force.

The shadow darkening the surroundings thickened.

Kugugugugung—!

The air trembled fiercely.

The Moonlight-Smothering Saber Dance of the Emperor’s Sword Form was the ultimate art of heavy blades. A direct hit could crush the body outright, no matter the recoil of one’s qi defense.

Jeong Yeon-shin, still caught within the blinding barrage of light, raised Yeorae above his head.

A stance that grasped the sky through the sword’s edge.

His lips, encased in a thin layer of qi, parted—though the exchange had yet to conclude.

"My turn."

In that instant, a violent pressure erupted from his entire body.

The beams of white light pinning him down wavered all at once, bending and shooting skyward.

Hwaaaaaak—!

The redirected white threads impaled themselves into the descending formless greatsword.

The Dark Night’s Master’s archery strike ceased.

Yet, the Path to Shoot the Moon had already been fired—those arrows would not simply vanish.

At that moment, two sword techniques flashed in Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

[Heart-Extreme Qilin.]

[Azure Flame Eclipse.]

The essence of martial arts, honed over long years, was what truly constituted the Moonlight Saber Dance.

He fused his qi defense and Ten Thousand Blossoms in the Rain into a single entity—a star.

And what of the sword techniques?

‘It’s coming.’

From afar, the presence of fluttering banners approached from all directions.

Their speed was monstrous.

For the first time, he felt at ease.

This battle—while precarious—was, at its core, a training ground.

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

This—can you see it?

Wooooong—

Yeorae cried.

A pale-blue wind curled around the blade, piercing through the shadows of the descending sword.

And then—

The radiance of a clear sky poured onto the earth.