Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 575: Naadam (8)

The limping figure beyond the gate.

Spoken aloud, the phrase produced an awkward echo. It simply didn’t fit.

Ssssshhhhh—

A faint dark-blue breeze drifted through the air. A wind tinted with color. The land was heavy with dampness and shadow—undoubtedly unfit for human life.

The ring of stone mountains that surrounded the wasteland made that clear.

Each peak jutted upward like a jagged spear from a battle drama. If one listened closely, one could hear the ghostly wails emanating from the smooth cliff faces. Like the cries of actual ghosts.

A hellscape not unlike the northern reaches.

Not a place for a limping man to survive.

And yet—words carried different weight depending on who spoke them.

When spoken by Ma Yeon-jeok and Yong Hui-myeong, those words felt as heavy as the world itself. And entirely natural.

“He’s far off. Even if Yeon-shin were to sprint at full speed using Ten Ri Light Step, it would take him a full shikgyeong. But that limping one—whether he's human or some spectral beast—is hard to gauge.”

“A shikgyeong... yes, that sounds about right. Might be even shorter. And what if it were the Drunken Beggar King? The so-called Fastest Man Under Heaven?”

“You mean that beggar king?”

“Why not just call him the Beggars’ Sect Leader?”

“When it comes to movement techniques, there’s no one better. He’s perfected the art of tumbling like a bear. If that beggar king had a good rhythm in his dash, then maybe—just maybe—you could say half a shikgyeong. From there to here.”

“You hold him in high regard. That’s rare, isn’t it?”

“He moves with such humor and freedom. His footwork might be faster than any limp.”

“Then let’s assume half a shikgyeong until we encounter the strange one. We’ll start counting from the moment he sets foot forward.”

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly.

Very slowly.

The presence they’d been tracking began to move.

It came from somewhere obscured by the peaks. A massive figure, like a yozoku, that pressed against the atmosphere with its size—one leg dragging with a limp.

Just as Yong Hui-myeong had said, it felt unremarkable. No grand aura to speak of.

But the owner of that presence clearly sensed them, too.

The giant turned in their direction.

The moment it stepped forward, Yong Hui-myeong slowly rose from the stone throne. The scabbard of his Divine Sword struck the armrest with a soft knock.

Earlier, they’d estimated half a shikgyeong.

The time it takes to eat a meal, halved.

But no—it was slower.

And at the same time, far faster. A faint but growing roar. It barreled toward them, straight through the rock peaks that stood in between.

Even the Drunken Beggar King couldn’t do this. In that instant, all things in the world felt weak and flimsy compared to the limping figure.

From that faraway place, a landslide of dust rose like a great curtain.

Effortlessly swift. Unstoppable.

It transformed into a presence sharper than anything else in the world, and just as Yong Hui-myeong’s Divine Sword began to shimmer with rainbow light, it came charging forward in staggered, unpredictable steps.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!

The eerie thudding echoed around them. At that moment, their bodies settled into perfect harmony with the air.

Flawless balance.

It manifested naturally. The secret of the Sword-Body Unity revealed itself—not bound to blade or body, but transcending into nature itself. Their forms began to dominate the surrounding space.

Their ability was singular.

No matter the state of the Divine Sword or the Moon-Guarding Sword, both were now infused with the full force of the Sword Sect Commander.

Every movement became a divine killing blow. Even if some world-shattering calamity broke their posture.

That was all the preparation they needed.

From both the current and former Sword Sect Commanders, not a single trace of energy leaked out.

They simply stared forward.

The ground trembled beneath them now, as if an earthquake approached. The pebbles at their feet crumbled on their own with a sharp crackling sound.

And then—all sound ceased.

As if someone not of this world had shifted the limping one through distorted space.

—Gunreung... You protect it even in death. Impressive.

The presence vanished with a quiet laugh. A phrase like “One more remains” followed, carried on a clear, northern gust—and then it was gone entirely.

That was the end of it.

Yong Hui-myeong whistled softly, then slowly spoke.

“...So it was a person. That’s bad news.”

“I have a guess who it might be,” Ma Yeon-jeok replied, clenching and opening his solid fist. Yong Hui-myeong gave a small nod.

“When we meet him again... if we die here, what then? It seems the former emperor’s divine restraint is still holding the limping one in place. That Aerial Martial Form—‘Winding All Creation.’”

“If we die? What kind of nonsense is that? And you call yourself the Sword Sect Commander?”

As always, Ma Yeon-jeok’s rebuke had no effect on Yong Hui-myeong. The current Commander simply pulled out a yellowed piece of paper from within his scholar’s violet robe.

It was the Ghost Emperor Document.

“If I’m truly the Sword Sect Commander, then I have to account for all variables. In Jianghu, anything can happen if luck runs out.”

“You’ve lost your damn mind. Hand over that Divine Sword. Looks like I’ll need to be the one to keep it safe now.”

“Hmm? That’s out of the question.”

Yong Hui-myeong tucked the document back into his robe.

“I’ll be the one to decide who’s worthy of wielding the Divine Sword. Sadly, it seems the elder generation won’t be getting another shot.”

“What?”

“If you don’t like it, why don’t you draw first?”

They were equals, but as Yong Hui-myeong had said, Ma Yeon-jeok never made the first move.

Maybe it was the stifling air, but the aged youth snapped his pale pink sleeves and asked bluntly:

“Seeing that limping one... it seems the time for judgment has come. What do you think, is Yeon-shin the Acting Commander—or the Sword Sect Commander?”

No immediate answer came from Yong Hui-myeong.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He was still young—much younger than when Ma Yeon-jeok had first passed him the Divine Sword. And he was a Half-Dragon Physique. Without exaggeration, he would remain in his prime indefinitely.

Yong Hui-myeong, the current Sword Sect Commander. The incarnation of the Divine Sword.

But he was also someone’s senior.

—...Wish you luck.

—Didn’t expect to hear that from anyone. Guess I really am living long.

It must have been around the time of the Life-and-Death Duel with the Namgung family.

The memory of his first conversation with fifteen-year-old Jeong Yeon-shin surfaced in his mind, and a faint smile touched Yong Hui-myeong’s lips.

“If he doesn’t go around pointlessly hiding his real martial arts, then... I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective. The title ‘Acting Commander’ shouldn’t even exist in the first place...”

***

The true Acting Commanders of the Divine Sword Sect stood at Cheonggwang Plain. Seventeen black swords of the Ming. Lords of the Round Table of the Divine Sword Corps.

Seven of them had come.

Jeong Yeon-shin recognized his seniors clearly, and with a lighter heart, he surged across the plain. In battle, he could not afford to worry for them.

The black-clad warriors of Ipwang Fortress were not ones to be pitied—they were to be respected.

Kwaaaaaaa—!

A gale tore through his ears.

With every step, the ground shattered like glass.

And amid it all, the only clear thing was the message etched beneath his soles with every landing.

Myungryu Commander’s Ground Word Transmission Technique. Sent from an unknown place at an unknown time—her messages were stacking one by one.

—Since I’ve infused it with the Radiance Seal’s pressure waves, I believe the Acting Commander is receiving it clearly. For any fragments lost, please infer from the context. First, Shin Tu.

‘I’m keeping up just fine.’

Jeong Yeon-shin surged his heart’s radiant wheel with even greater heat, leaping high. Sand exploded beneath him like a waterfall.

—The previous Pah Gun... meaning King Cham Mang, was stopped by the Ice Empress. I’m unsure of his current status, but at least for now, he’s not your concern.

The Northern King Cham Mang.

A former Liu Yuan Star Lord, ousted because of Jeong Yeon-shin. There’s no way he held any goodwill for the new King Yaryul. No doubt he’d come to reclaim his prestige.

What kind of martial and aerial forms would such a figure possess? Amidst all the other dangers, he would pose a significant threat.

But Jeong Yeon-shin erased his presence from his mind. He remembered the smile that the perfumed fool Yang Guifei gave to the Ice Empress. Myungryu Commander’s advice played no small role.

—Just head straight. By now, the battlefield should have aligned into one long line. You have only one task. Retrieve the Bright Sword Unit and Resonance Orders from the isolated front lines. Though their leaders are incredibly strong, they won’t be able to fend off the two Northern King forces carrying Whirling Wind Hollows without support. Their movement techniques are just too different.

The pace of a group’s movement technique varies dramatically depending on the command structure.

Naturally, the faster, the better. This was just as true in the great faction wars of Jianghu, where the scale had escalated to full-blown warfare.

In that sense, the Whirling Wind Resonance was the greatest aerial web of all time—an ultra-long-range sound transmission domain conceived by the God of War himself.

It followed that troop maneuvers under its influence were among the fastest in the world. Even the current holder of the title Fastest Under Heaven was a warrior from the northern martial world.

Shin Tu.

The Queen of the Dreamlike Physique.

A supreme master who had shared the God of War’s embrace for many years.

At this moment, Jeong Yeon-shin had to surpass both the fastest individual and the fastest group.

Rumble—

Shin Tu was already dashing across the plains in a pale blur.

But even she had not yet reached the upper limits of the Ten-Ri Light Step’s extreme speed. That was because she couldn’t shake him off.

She was undeniably faster than Jeong Yeon-shin, her limbs constantly darting forth like a moth’s fluttering wings, leaving afterimages in her wake.

Just like now.

“You’re not getting through.”

With the footwork of someone passing through a dream, she overtook him again. She even had the leisure to extend a long leg and try to collapse his ankle.

The faint white mist coiling around her calf must have been Heavenly Stage Light Armor.

But Jeong Yeon-shin didn’t stop.

Boom!

He kicked through and kept going. Behind him, a massive shockwave exploded outward.

A deep furrow carved itself into the ground in a straight line with a cracking roar. That strike had carried the force of Ultimate Thunder.

But even that slowed him down.

At the moment he needed to push forward, he had spent energy responding to Shin Tu’s leg. Compared to the Drunken Beggar King at full throttle, her movement technique surpassed Jeong Yeon-shin’s charge in every way.

“Give it up.”

Her smooth whisper tickled his ears and dispersed. Her figure had already vanished again.

It was the same pattern repeating itself.

Rumble! Clang! Crash! BOOM—!

Two streaks of light raced across the wide plains, clashing endlessly.

Pale shockwaves trailed behind them, forming ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) a chain in the dirt. Even before the afterimages faded, their heads collided again.

Wide shockwaves erupted in overlapping circles, and the terrain was gouged out like a comet had passed through.

Shin Tu’s movements were like walking on a river in a dream, only to suddenly vanish in a burst of speed. Every time she did, Jeong Yeon-shin lost the rhythm of his dash, forced to absorb the rebound from the Heavenly Stage Light Armor with his body.

It was a heavy impact. He also had to mentally repel the unique energy of her Dreamlike Physique, which pierced toward his upper dantian with a fragrant pressure.

It could steal your very soul.

That was Shin Tu.

Jeong Yeon-shin felt overwhelmed in the storm of her flurrying limbs. Frustration slowly turned to rage.

Irritation gave way to a burning heat at the mysterious heights of her movement technique. After all, the Bright Sword Unit and the Resonance Orders could be annihilated at any moment.

And yet, Senior Yun So-yu whispered to his soles in her delicate handwriting.

—Judging by the reported speed of Ten-Ri Light Step from Central Command, you should be seeing Haebing Mountain by now. Just beyond it, the Divine Sword Corps is facing off against the Flame Army and Extreme Army of the Star Lord Yeom Jeong.

She was right.

He was already within sensing range.

Beyond the sizable mountain, a cavalry force was stationed. Warhorses trained in martial arts radiated a crushing aura. It was the materialized momentum of a battle-hardened army.

‘I’m here.’

Roughly five hundred riders.

Even more terrifying, they belonged to the Northern Kings' martial army, wielding the Whirling Wind Resonance. The Flame Prince himself was among them.

By now, the Bright Sword Unit and Resonance Orders were not merely in danger—they could be on the verge of total annihilation.

—They may already be at the brink of destruction. If, upon arriving with Shin Tu in tow, you find them devastated—do not despair. The deaths of Ipwang Fortress’s warriors are a part of war. Especially in a battle of this scale.

‘No, Senior Un... you’re wrong.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought this as he looked at Shin Tu, who now walked backward beside him, matching his pace.

Unbelievable footwork. Her gray-white hair fluttered like mist, tinged orange by the sunset.

If he hesitated any longer, everything would unfold exactly as the Northern Kings had planned.

That could not happen.

As the Sword Corps Commander, he had issued a general assembly order to all subordinate forces. He had a duty to fulfill.

Here. Now.

Whoosh!

Jeong Yeon-shin released the True Radiant Meteor Sky that had been enveloping his body. The calluses of the Tang siblings returned to his heart in an instant, forming a second radiant wheel.

“...?”

A clear question appeared on Shin Tu’s face.

It was only natural. The inner energy shield that had been absorbing her Heavenly Stage Light Armor, her Golden Thread Palms, and her movement techniques was suddenly gone.

But Jeong Yeon-shin understood now.

Sometimes, what protects your heart isn’t yourself—but others.

Secret Divine Technique

Southern Harmony Expansive Grand Tai Chi

Craaaaack—

A sound rang from his heart.

The radiant wheel he had retrieved from the True Radiant Meteor Sky was once again unleashed, and the moment it flowed outside his body, it ignited like fire and began to race across the plains.

Faster than any movement technique.

Azure Light. A deep blue glow carved a path across the earth.

The blue trail passed Shin Tu and, in an instant, crossed even the mountain ridge—then painted a massive tai chi symbol at a point beyond Jeong Yeon-shin’s vision.

Circle of Azure Light.

Within it, every movement of the Radiant Formation is executed at the speed of the Three Flowers Purifying Alignment. In other words, as long as their energy allows, everyone becomes Jeong Yeon-shin.

Just like that day when every disciple of Wudang appeared to him as masters of the Ancient Sword Formation.

—Island Grace Martial Veins.

The Grandmaster had said:

—Radiant Formation. Annihilate the enemy.

The sound transmission would have pierced the ears of many through the path of the Southern Harmony Grand Tai Chi.

Even before he could sense the reactions of the masters who received it, Jeong Yeon-shin now stood face-to-face with Shin Tu, who had fortified her body once more with a white glow of Heavenly Stage Light Armor. Both had stopped in their tracks.

Sssshhhh—

Tiny stones at their feet crumbled to dust in the wind.

Jeong Yeon-shin no longer had a bodyguarding energy shield.

“What did you just do? Why pull something so foolish...?”

Shin Tu asked.

A soft white light shimmered around her form, but Jeong Yeon-shin’s body shone with painful clarity beneath the transparent sunlight.

Instead of an answer, thunder responded.

[Let’s find out who’s faster. Maybe I’ll lose—but I won’t die here.]

His voice echoed like a distant bell. A prelude to his Aerial Martial Form.

Annihilation of the Wasteland.

For this moment, the name—however unrefined—was entirely apt. His momentum surged with such grandeur it could have drowned even the relentless sunlight.

[Here I come.]

There would be no more pauses. Nothing left to hide.

“Here...?!”

Shin Tu’s eyes widened with disbelief.

[Grand Tai Chi.]

Jeong Yeon-shin’s intent seeped into the earth.