Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

“Yes. Each division of the Divine Sword Squad is equivalent to the core forces of the Nine Great Sects. Along with budget, supplies also include spiritual medicines and elixirs. Though they are not in large quantities… Of course, there is nothing as grand as Kongqing Jade or Millennium Snow Ginseng. I heard that the Shaolin has Great Rejuvenation Pills, but that’s beyond my jurisdiction.”

Ma Jin smiled broadly.

“You look like you want me as your master. Unfortunately, the laws of the Desolate Fortress prohibit personal master-disciple relationships between warriors of the same sect. It’s to prevent any personal matters from affecting missions.”

“I am grateful, but I hadn’t thought that far.”

“Understood.”

“Should I bow in respect then? Can I do that here?”

“If you’re not afraid of the severe consequences of breaking the laws, go ahead.”

Yeon-shin caught the elixir Ma Jin tossed with a light chuckle.

He stared at the white pill in his hand.

He had never seen such a thing at the Jeong family. He hadn’t even heard of it.

It wasn’t because the family head hated him, but because there was simply no such thing as an elixir in a backwater martial family.

“Given your level of inner energy, you should see significant benefits. Have you ever consumed any spiritual medicine before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Absorbing the medicinal energy into your inner energy isn’t easy with regular cultivation. If not done correctly, you might waste the precious effects. I can help. Come with me.”

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

It was a question that someone tainted by worldly ways wouldn’t have asked.

It was a question that only a boy with nowhere else to go could ask.

The scar that crossed Ma Jin’s face twitched cheerfully.

“I’m not giving you special treatment. Everyone in Demon Wings is treated the same. After experiencing life-and-death missions a few times, you’ll understand.”

He tapped Yeon-shin’s shoulder and walked past him.

Yeon-shin watched his back for a moment, then slowly followed, brushing the arm of Won-chang, who looked enviously at him.

There was a ripple effect. The duel wasn’t witnessed only by the experts of the two brigades, so the rumor spread quickly.

“Alluring Sun Sword! I heard your side has an extraordinary hidden dragon?”

“Hidden dragon?”

“Why? The rumor is widespread. They say a young swordsman who joined your ranks dueled with the Azure Sky Squad. Isn’t Goo Ik-hwan from the Azure Sky Squad a skilled swordsman? There’s no way a White Uniform could defeat a Blue Robe of the Desolate Fortress.”

“Well, I don’t know about a hidden dragon, but he’s certainly a monster. What should I say… There’s more nervousness than anticipation.”

“Nervousness?”

Baek Mir-yeo, the Alluring Sun Sword opened her mouth again to the questioning warrior from another squad.

“He’s diligent and humble. Sometimes it’s annoying when he says the right things without hesitation, but he’s fundamentally polite. However…”

“However?”

“He’s incredibly adept at dissecting martial arts. Isn’t that right, Cheong Myeong?”

The blue-eyed man next to her nodded with a light smile.

“It’s an unprecedented talent.”

“I used One-Inch Strikes during a spar, and then somehow that kid next to me is replicating the same technique in a different stance. It’s incredibly irritating, but when I look back, his form is much more precise. There’s something innately gifted about his ability to reinterpret techniques, to the point where it makes me hesitant to use my unique martial arts in front of him.”

“He’s already mastering them.”

Cheongmyeong added lightly.

“Right. I think if he hadn’t joined the Desolate Fortress, he would’ve died a vagabond somewhere.”

“No martial arts sect would let such a talent live.”

At some point, Baek Mir-yeo and Cheong Myeong were conversing. The warrior, who had been pushed to the background, frowned.

“What are they talking about? Are they mocking me? I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I.”

Mir-yeo muttered, then signaled to Cheong Myeong with her eyes to send the warrior away.

At the Demon Wings Hall, Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo, along with the other skilled warriors of Demon Wings, naturally surrounded the area.

Some were hidden on the roof in stealth, while others were casually chatting with visitors but never moving from their spots.

In the center of this vigilant formation was the hall’s interior.

Yeon-shin and Ma Jin were there.

Ma Jin, placing his hand on the seated boy’s back, spoke.

“I don’t know how much of the elixir you’ll be able to absorb. Even if it seems you’re not getting the expected results, do not act recklessly. While inner energy can always be accumulated, damaging your dantian or meridians will take years to heal. If you don’t want to remain stagnant, remember this.”

“Yes, master.”

The amount of effort Demon Wings as a whole put into their youngest member was truly tremendous.

To Yeon-shin, it felt almost overwhelming. He thought, ‘So this is what it means to belong to a sect.’

He felt emotions he had rarely experienced before, tickling the top of his head.

“Listen. It’s truly astonishing that you’ve already achieved the Great Circuit. You don’t need to circulate qi through your lower body’s meridians. Think of linking the major meridians of your upper body, the Conception and Governing Vessels, from end to end. Place the medicinal energy in the flow of qi and keep circulating until it dissolves. The essence of consuming an elixir is constant qi circulation. If your qi flow becomes unstable, I will intervene, so don’t be alarmed and go with it.”

“Yes.”

Yeon-shin took the elixir and placed it in his mouth. As he chewed, he noticed it had no particular taste.

It was said that the supreme elixirs like the Great Rejuvenation Pills of Shaolin would melt on the tongue, but this one had to be chewed and swallowed.

Soon, the energy from the elixir spread within his body.

In the time it took to drink two cups of tea, the qi circulation was complete.

Ma Jin didn’t even have time to assist. He now had an expression that seemed to have given up trying to understand.

“…Congratulations. You’ve completely absorbed all the medicinal energy.”

“Yes. The increased qi is incredibly robust. It’s incomparable to the energy I had before.”

Yeon-shin, who had consumed a spiritual elixir for the first time, observed the interior of his body with wonder. It was as described.

His inner energy, which had always been exceedingly scarce, had now surpassed even the standard elixir distributed by the Desolate Fortress.

‘It’s surprising I managed to fight with such minimal inner energy. Now, I finally have qi befitting a white uniform.’

Ma Jin spoke, his face now relieved of its earlier frustration.

“I must go out now. Master, as well as the seniors, this is too overwhelming.”

“Feeling burdened?”

The scar running down to Ma Jin’s chin lifted. It was a now-familiar smile.

“Don’t be. Once you go out into the martial realm and face life-and-death situations a few times, this will become natural. The higher your martial arts skills, the better.”

“And you’ll earn merits too, right?”

Muttering to himself, Yeon-shin saw Ma Jin nod and spoke quietly.

“I want to go out into the martial realm.”

Yeon-shin had thanked his seniors with cupped fists more than ten times. He was exhausted just from showing proper manners.

‘Cheong Myeong and Baek Mir-yeo don’t even seem like warriors. They touch shoulders and heads without hesitation.’

Excessive physical contact among martial artists was usually awkward.

In the martial world, where favors and grudges were intricately intertwined, who knew if someone might use internal techniques to wreak havoc within one’s body?

Although he had gained his seniors’ favor through the duel with the Azure Sky Squad, Yeon-shin himself still hadn’t fully integrated himself into Demon Wings.

The elixir made him stronger, but mentally, he was exhausted.

Though things changed once he returned to his quarters.

“You’re training again?”

Won-chang asked with an exasperated look. Yeon-shin nodded roughly and left the room.

‘The Great Training Hall feels like too much right now.’

Demon Wings had two types of training halls.

The first was the Great Training Hall, used for coordinated training in preparation for group battles and for disseminating missions and updates.

The place he was heading to now was the Small Training Hall, used by Demon Wings’ masters to practice unique martial arts outside the Demon Wings Formation.

As he passed by the Great Training Hall, he saw a large building without a ceiling.

It felt like the labyrinth of the imperial tombs built above ground. Even from the outside, the qi emanating from inside was extraordinary.

Yeon-shin wasn’t the only one training.

For someone with a certain level of inner energy, it wasn’t difficult to discern others’ qi.

Passing by occupied rooms, he searched for an empty one.

Even if he didn’t sense any energy, he avoided places where a cloth, serving as a makeshift door, was hung, just in case.

When he found an empty training room.

-Youngest!

It wasn’t a voice but a transmission of sound. It was the etiquette of the Small Training Hall.

They were cautious, lest anyone disturb someone who might be gaining enlightenment.

Looking back, Baek Mir-yeo, the Alluring Sun Sword stood there, her hands emitting waves of qi.

She was a senior with such an imposing aura that it was hard to speak to her.

Cautiously, Yeon-shin approached her gesture.

-What… Isss… It?

The sound transmission he learned with the Demon Wings Formation was still a bit clumsy.

The voice should be firmly condensed and transmitted, but to Yeon-shin, it still felt like a gentle breeze.

It was due to his insufficient inner energy realm.

Fortunately, Mir-yeo didn’t seem to mind much.

-I need a partner. Will you take a move?

-Did you gain enlightenment? Congratulations.

-It’s just a small clue. You’re not going to tell me you can’t spar after showing such a performance at the duel, are you?

-Wouldn’t the noise be too much?

-Let’s go outside.

The two left the Small Training Hall. Walking silently, Mir-yeo spoke as they approached the Great Training Hall.

“If you had training planned, I apologize. I’m in a hurry. The enlightenment came to me suddenly.”

“Actually, this works better for me. Solo training can be done anytime, but it’s not every day I get to spar with a senior like the Alluring Sun Sword.”

“My ultimate skill is a sword art. Why do you speak of hand techniques?”

“Don’t you focus on your hands while unsheathing your sword? Unless you were practicing calligraphy, the Alluring Sun Sword could unleash swift sword arts regardless of where her hands are.”

Mir-yeo laughed softly. Despite her cold eyes, the smile suited her well.

“Just call me Senior Baek.”

As they conversed, they reached the Great Training Hall.

Some who enjoyed practicing in the open and others who were practicing the Demon Wings Formation nodded their heads.

“Now. Let’s start by sparring.”

“I’ll take the first move.”

Since coming to the Desolate Fortress, Yeon-shin had heard enough of the phrase, ‘I’ll yield the first move,’ to be tired of it.

Responding to Yeon-shin’s impudent words, Mir-yeo smiled and gestured.

She stood with empty hands, and Yeon-shin drew his sword without hesitation.

But surprisingly, his wrist was quickly grabbed. She had swiftly closed in and seized his wrist.

It was an incredibly fast joint lock. The unprepared blue uniform warrior he sparred with was not this strong.

He could barely see her hand moving.

‘Not yet. Demon Wings Formation.’

His left hand was free.

He tried to strike with a straight fist following the qi trajectory, but the distance was too close to exert force. Instead, her body came even closer.

At that moment.

Mir-yeo’s hand, which was an inch away, struck his abdomen.

“Hup!”

Despite the close distance, she released a powerful strike.

His body was pushed back, but his seized wrist remained held.

Immediately, Yeon-shin’s Demon Wings Formation instinctively guided his body, and in a split second, he struck upward with his knee imbued with the qi of the Fatebreaker’s Codex.

Mir-yeo, who was now massaging her own wrist that had been knocked away with a thudding sound, had a face filled with astonishment and satisfaction.

“You managed the qi in your strike flexibly. I had a feeling, but it seems my one-inch strikes have become more efficient. I can apply more power.”

She spoke with satisfaction.

“Were you practicing one-inch strikes?”

“A swordsman trained in the Demon Wings Formation can’t rely only on the sword. One-inch strikes are very useful in close combat. Against an opponent covered in defensive qi, it’s best to break their protective qi first.”

Yeon-shin cautiously spoke.

“May I, an unworthy junior, offer a word? I’ve been sensitive to qi since childhood, and your qi control caught my eye.”

“You can see the movement of qi? Even for you, that’s hard to believe.”

“I merely observe the ripples of qi along with the flow of your internal force. I can’t see qi residing within the body.”

“Even that is unbelievable. Such a sense of qi… Perhaps only the supreme masters possess it.”

She was referring to the hierarchy of the Desolate Fortress, from white to black uniforms. Baek Mir-yeo, who had slightly widened her eyes, continued in a calmer tone.

“But with you… we’ve felt something too. Alright. I’ll listen, junior.”

She smiled playfully at the end of her words. Yeon-shin spoke with a perplexed look.

“I recently started learning the Rotational Strike from Master. Your hand techniques seem more suited to internal force rather than one-inch strikes. The control of qi appears well-suited to the Internal Family Heavy Unarmed Attacks.”

“Hmm?”

“If you used the same force with internal force, it would be much… Ah, are you already at that level with the Internal Family Heavy Unarmed Attacks?”

“What?”

Baek Mir-yeo’s eyes widened slightly.