Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Along the edge of the formation, which continually rotated in a large circular shape, a pale white light flowed in long streaks.

It was a tangible energy wave. It held the power to block external interference.

The swallow circling in the sky failed to descend.

Not only was it difficult to grasp the capabilities of the formation, but there were also incredibly dangerous entities surrounding its master on the ground.

Screech—

The winged spirit blinked its small, pitch-black eyes as it looked down at its master.

Though it had finally arrived after sensing the energy it hadn’t felt in a long time, its innate nature warned that its master was once again doing something that would make it impossible to come closer.

The mystic swallow of Ipwang Fortress instinctively felt this.

If it recklessly approached the master’s technique, it might never be able to pass the small piece of wood hanging from its leg.

The small eyes of the spirit alternated between its master, the shadow of the master, the figures of the Golden Master and the Ten Arts Master standing nearby, and, far in the distance, a presence approaching at an incredible speed—an entity beyond reach.

"Net."

At that moment, the Golden Master spoke.

Within the faint white light of the formation, the small, pure white face of the legendary beauty of the Four Heavens opened her eyes, and as she looked toward Jeong Yeon-shin, she exuded the transcendent aura typical of an absolute being.

Her distinct features, like carved from stone, combined with the sunlight pouring over them, blended into the light of the formation, creating a surreal, dream-like effect.

"Before meeting the river dragon, you should look over your Flowers of Steel Rain first."

Net.

This was the term the Golden Master used to refer to Jeong Yeon-shin.

It was not a term of endearment nor an exaggerated title. She had no interest in his true identity or background.

She treated him like a lifeless object, as if he had no real purpose in her world.

"Now?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked briefly. He had not heard any words from the Golden Master in the past three days, which had been spent dining together in silence.

She lowered her lashes slightly, and a faint tint appeared in her hazel eyes, reminiscent of a practitioner reflecting on enlightenment.

"The timing doesn’t matter. ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) A great awakening is like a thunderstorm on a clear day," she responded.

"Tell me more," Jeong Yeon-shin urged, his tone calm as he guessed at the meaning behind her words.

‘Has she seen through it?’

The one flaw he possessed in martial arts.

"Impudent fool. I’ve told you time and again, but that brat still hasn’t learned to control his speech..."

"Hold it, Method of Peace."

Wanyang, who occupied one of the positions in the formation, looked at Jeong Yeon-shin disapprovingly, but none of the Golden Master’s followers seemed to care, except for one warrior who appeared to be Wanyang's subordinate.

Jeong Yeon-shin had stayed true to his origins as the successor of Clan Leader Tang, forming the Flowers of Steel Rain with unparalleled skill.

The tangents formed by the Golden Master, who had effectively brought down the Tang Clan, were difficult to dismiss. The hunting of the river dragon, the exceptional talent—the path he walked required abandoning etiquette and principles. It was not an easy task.

Even though Jeong Yeon-shin showed somewhat disrespectful behavior, the Golden Master’s followers didn’t seem to mind.

Instead, the high-ranking warriors of the Ten Arts, adorned with various weapons, watched Wanyang carefully, sensing the tension in the air.

From the murmurs around them, it seemed that Wanyang had once suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the formidable Lord of the Moonlit Phoenix, Lady Yulha.

"I’ve seen your Flowers of Steel Rain many times before," the Golden Master said, elegantly fluttering her silk sleeve within the formation.

"Yours is just a trick. You are merely imitating the forms of Flowers of Steel Rain from stories by utilizing the subtleties of inhalation and the release of energy. It’s like mimicking the ‘Victory Sword’ through empty space."

"So?"

"You wield that technique too easily, which means there is no true devotion in your martial arts. You won’t be able to hold the river dragon for long."

"Devotion?"

"Flowers of Steel Rain is a supreme form of martial arts, a combination of poison and stealth techniques mastered over a lifetime, unfurled like the Milky Way. It’s the martial arts of time itself. The talent that accomplishes everything effortlessly is hard to understand."

Her blunt, dry tone irked Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Golden Master seemed to be silently asking him with her eyes: Have you ever truly poured your heart and soul into your martial arts?

The Golden Winged Bird.

She had named her sect after the legendary bird that devours dragons. The eyes of the greatest martial artist in the Four Heavens had fully seen through Jeong Yeon-shin’s concealed nature and energy, unraveling the aspects of him that even he had tried to keep hidden.

Had his energy not been close to perfection, she might have even seen through his lifespan.

The young man slowly parted his lips.

"...Isn’t this a meaningless conversation? With the grand undertaking right before us."

"There are those who cross the time they should take in a single step. Like the child of a righteous family."

Her advice, based on a mere fleeting possibility, was almost whimsical. She turned her head back toward the formation.

Jeong Yeon-shin briefly thought of the rumors that the Golden Master might be older than the Imperial Court itself.

Despite the changing times and the restructuring of major factions, the Golden Master’s predecessor, the Changlong Sect, had never been anything less than a great school like Shaolin or Wudang.

She must have seen many leaders of the Tang Clan over the years. She must have seen their Flowers of Steel Rain as well.

"Why didn’t you collaborate with the ancestors of the Tang Clan, who mastered the true Flowers of Steel Rain?" Jeong Yeon-shin asked.

Having fixed her gaze entirely on the formation, the Golden Master only responded with her lips.

"I did, once."

"Once?"

"The rest of the time, the timing wasn’t right. The dragon’s true form never remains still."

"Then why push forward with a plan when you weren’t satisfied with my Flowers of Steel Rain?"

"Because I’ve grown stronger since then. You only need to hold it for a while."

"..."

"Do not approach the river dragon too closely. Your body... there's no trace of usable defense energy. It'll tear you apart with a single breath."

This was the advice to cast martial arts from as far away as possible. It was a provocation that Jeong Yeon-shin had previously faced from the small sect leader of the Righteous Path.

‘That one, and this one.’

Being primarily skilled in close combat techniques like boxing and swordsmanship, such advice was unfamiliar to Jeong Yeon-shin.

A heat he had never felt before gently stirred in his chest when, from one side, the Ten Arts Master, arms crossed, approached with a hearty laugh.

"Master of the Flowers of Steel Rain!"

"Ten Arts Master."

"You’re younger than I expected. With the world in such turmoil, it seems even the Tang Clan is producing hidden dragons."

"Younger?"

"With the likes of Suncheon Immovable, the King of Fire Mist, and the Blood Demon Seven Apostles starting to be called the Five Absolutes, I see that you’re not just one of those weaklings who can be dismissed. At least, this Pang family child isn’t likely to be worse than you."

A peerless master of the military, adept in all eighteen types of weaponry.

His usual stoicism was surprising. His actions, like counting his own fingers, seemed almost innocent.

Unlike his first impression, he appeared to have a nature that enjoyed speaking, as he continued without concern for Jeong Yeon-shin’s response, finishing his words with, "However, this is not yet your time."

"The long-bodied river dragon’s breath is said to destroy entire kingdoms. It could very well be one of the evil spirits that drove the clans who descended from the heavens out of their homeland. This is not the time for a weakling to interfere."

He was clad in pure white armor, making his presence seem imposing.

He was about the same height as Jeong Yeon-shin, but when standing face to face, he exuded an overwhelming presence like a living fortress.

In terms of size, the missing Heavenly Gate’s Great Lord, Hahoe Wi-jin, would be even more imposing.

But the Ten Arts Master wore the unmistakable aura of a peerless martial artist. His overwhelming presence gave the feeling that anything was possible.

"Be content with helping from behind. Even so, you’ll make a name for yourself in the martial world, and even in history."

His words, like those of an old military general, were perfectly suited to his nature. It wasn’t just his martial skills, but his very demeanor that conveyed an aura of experience.

Despite the lingering aftereffects of the injury inflicted by the Bloodflame Cult Leader, his eyes gleamed with sharp light as he regarded Jeong Yeon-shin with interest.

"World...?" Jeong Yeon-shin muttered, almost to himself. The Ten Arts Master, with his arms crossed, slowly nodded.

"Golden Master has initiated an unprecedented event. The great gate below the plaque has been opened, welcoming guests. The martial world must be abuzz. They say even the weakling of the Righteous Path has arrived."

After being struck directly by the Flowers of Steel Rain, Hu Gae, who had fallen unconscious, came to Jeong Yeon-shin's mind, but he chose not to think about his face and silently observed the Ten Arts Master.

"You, the weakling, wouldn’t know. How the great feat of hunting the river dragon could resonate with the imperial family and the clans of great power."

"Quiet," the Golden Master ordered with a small gesture of her eyes, silencing the Ten Arts Master.

Everything around them was bright.

From the formation, countless threads of energy spilled out endlessly, growing darker and more intense.

The flow of the technique seemed to have reached its climax. Jeong Yeon-shin could feel the prelude to the manifestation of the technique as the energy from the formation brushed through his consciousness.

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The great work that the Golden Master’s sect had prepared for hundreds of years was on the verge of coming to fruition.

"I don't know where it will fall. If I die, it will be my fate."

Swish.

The Golden Master’s crimson sleeve brushed against her waist, lowering as she moved.

The Ten Arts Master and others standing within the formation adjusted their weapons, making metallic sounds as they tightened their grips.

There were masters everywhere, their bodies cloaked in neutral protective energy, vibrating with power as they readied themselves.

The elite warriors of the Thirteen Heavens, with expressions full of excitement, were preparing for battle. It was a scene that could rarely be seen outside of Ipwang Fortress.

"Don’t be too disappointed by the Dragon King's Divine Power. As a general leading the vanguard, it carries many lives."

"Ten Arts Master, you truly are restoring my dignity."

Whhhuuumm—!

The light surrounding them rapidly deepened. A resonating roar, akin to the cry of a dragon, filled the air, but it didn’t seem to be a harmony of humanity.

"It begins! It has started!"

"Is the river dragon really going to leave for the immortal realm?"

"How could a person ascend to the immortal realm...! And not just one, but many!"

Hundreds of them.

Those who had been hiding silently around the massive walls of the Golden Master’s sect began to reveal themselves, the shock of the situation clear on their faces.

Martial artists from outside the two major factions of the area, who had been too far to influence the formation's activation.

Most had come only after hearing rumors, astounded by what they were witnessing. Some quickly turned back, sending messages or scattering via light steps.

Just as the Ten Arts Master had said, the entire martial world’s attention was focused here.

"So the two heads of the Thirteen Heavens are gathered in one place?"

"That’s not all. It looks like the Golden Master is preparing to empty the sect entirely. I even hear there are the two great techniques of the Golden Master here!"

"Crazy... They’re really planning something."

Soon.

Something was about to happen.

At that moment, Jeong Yeon-shin had finished his analysis of the formation.

His senses, precisely attuned like a mechanical system, understood every flow of energy and selectively focused on what was needed from the formation.

The wheel of light within his chest began to turn.

‘Heart Sword.’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s energy threads extended outward from his entire body, invisible yet palpable.

Dozens of energy strands. He silently took control of the flow of energy in the formation, weaving himself into it and seizing the control of the spellwork and martial power from the Golden Master.

‘The Tang siblings are already ensnared as offerings to the formation. It’s impossible to separate them.’

His thoughts converged like a beam of light.

—Draw the Tang siblings closer to his side, and ensure the exclusion of the two heads of the Thirteen Heavens.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind immediately turned into a force of will, flowing into the formation. The moment his consciousness entered, ancient symbols etched in the ground began to vibrate harshly, drawing a circle.

“...?”

The Golden Master, who had been quietly lowering her lashes, suddenly opened her eyes. She immediately sensed the disturbance.

She couldn’t have missed it. The core equations of the formation, which had once been perfectly aligned, were now scattering and changing into a completely different array.

However, Jeong Yeon-shin had initiated the move under the assumption that the output of the peerless masters would be recognized the moment it occurred.

Whooooo—!

The formation was already activated.

Dozens of threads of light spilled from the circular boundary, radiating outward in every direction. The chill of late winter that had brushed through the air gradually faded, as all traces of energy were concealed.

The surroundings became hazy.

“You...!”

The Golden Master’s voice, her first sign of emotion, sharply directed at Jeong Yeon-shin.

***

A fleeting moment passed. It was truly brief.

But the landscape surrounding Jeong Yeon-shin had entirely transformed.

Tall, ancient trees stretched endlessly upward, the thick scent of grass filled the air, and dozens of strange figures clad in peculiar garb—Iron Clan members—moved in a commotion around him. These beings, typically unseen in the world, were now present.

It was a foreign world. Could there be anything like this in the entire world?

At this moment, the only figures unchanged were the Tang siblings and Wanyang, Master of the Peace Technique.

They couldn’t hide their astonishment. More precisely, it was the Dragon siblings, the Toxic Dragon and Toxic Phoenix, who were struck dumb. Wanyang, however, seemed to feel a strange exhilaration amidst his confusion.

Whoooo—

“This power... yes, it’s finally here...!”

Wanyang’s entire body was enveloped in a dim, colorless energy.

It was incredibly strong. The air around him seemed to ripple with its power.

His inner energy had found its true home, far beyond what it had once been.

Wanyang laughed.

“The Master is making mistakes too. I should interrogate these lowly ones and show them to you.”

As the unfamiliar Iron Clan members surrounding them flinched...

“Hey.”

Wanyang turned his head toward Jeong Yeon-shin with a deliberate, dignified motion, despite having once been driven back by him during the chaos of Flowers of Steel Rain.

"Make sure you don’t resist. I’ll deal with you harshly if you do."

It was an order.

Jeong Yeon-shin understood why.

At that moment, even though his consciousness had sunk inward, he felt an odd sense of exhilaration.

‘The river dragon’s martial formation? What is this place...?’

The core of his energy. The ring of light embedded in his heart.

Another radiant wheel briefly appeared and disappeared outside the original halo. It left a pulse that sent a shiver through his entire body.

An unimaginable possibility.

It was the second ring.