Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Chapter 45 – Preparation

Jeong Yeon-shin thought it wasn’t good. The martial world was harsh. Arrogance was an emotion that encouraged early death.

It wasn’t a feeling to harbor even before eating the fruit.

Just because many people treated him as a genius didn’t mean he should really think that way.

‘Just give me the fruit. I’ll do anything.’

He gave himself this suggestion. He recalled the deep green pupils set in the Desolate Sect Lord’s curved eye-smile.

A feeling like falling into an endless abyss.

While mentally repeating his plea for the World Tree’s fruit, the pavilion door opened.

* * *

They said it was originally unplanned. There was talk that the crown prince had personally requested it.

Some sharp seniors talked about it.

Having no justification to meet Lightning Flash privately, they said he put forth the pretext of praising the Ming’s sword.

“So you are the blue warriors who were just promoted.”

Jeong Yeon-shin met the Ming dynasty’s third heaven.

Do Yu-won’s advice wasn’t needed. He was already famous for his capriciousness.

“I am this country’s crown prince.”

He was an incredibly handsome young master.

His ears like precious sword tips were familiar. Perhaps five and a half chi tall(1.83m).

He seemed similar in height to Jeong Yeon-shin who had been growing significantly lately.

Under thick jet-black eyebrows, his flashing eyes contained ink-colored lightning.

A feeling of existing alone in the brightly entering sunlight from the side.

Innate dignity dwelled in his gaze sweeping over the bowing blue warriors.

Was it the energy of one born with the destiny to rule all under heaven?

Though he had already said they could raise their heads, only Jeong Yeon-shin actually did so.

‘It’s not like he’ll accumulate merit in my place.’

Even the emperor who was said to already possess advanced martial arts treated the Desolate Sect Lord as a military king.

They said she had taught martial arts to the current emperor and crown prince.

The Ming’s long-standing grand preceptor. Since even the crown prince’s power couldn’t do anything about the World Tree’s fruit, this was a meaningless meeting to Jeong Yeon-shin.

Loyalty was the same. It was something that would come after living.

‘Should slowly request teachings from the sect leader. Perhaps asking for mind techniques would be good.’

It was while lost in thought. Suddenly their gazes met. Very black eyes contained strange curiosity.

“So it’s you.”

The Ming Empire’s crown prince opened his mouth.

“Could you perform music with a sword?”

“…?”

“Many famous swordsmen make sword sounds with one blade. Sword songs are different. It’s the realm of true energy control. They say one needs innate sense to turn sword sounds into song.”

It was when there was silence at the contextless words. Suddenly the crown prince laughed casually.

“I heard your talent was outstanding so I tried asking. We’re the same age.”

His speech and behavior were unconventional. Tremendous self-confidence seeped from his words and conduct.

It felt like saying no one under heaven could do anything to him.

“Having things taken from me is rare. Even more so with attention. Yet they say the grand preceptor turned her attention to you. Even I who studied under her felt it. Jealousy arose in my heart.”

“…I am honored.”

“No. It is my flaw. Something that shouldn’t exist in the emperor’s crown prince. It is due to my lack of virtue, my imperfection. I wanted to confirm your talent. To perhaps dilute this shame a little.”

The crown prince’s gaze was very direct.

Though he had the eye light unique to masters suggesting he had learned peerless divine techniques, he seemed to have something beyond that.

‘Force of character.’

Jeong Yeon-shin thought.

While the Zhongnan Sect’s Wei Ji Myo-hwa was called Sword Dragon, this person seemed sufficient to be called simply Dragon.

There was a reason the Ming used the same honorific “Your Highness” for both crown prince and heir apparent.

He hadn’t known at all. This was what bloodline encompassing all under heaven meant.

“But it seems I expected too much. Sword songs are the most luxurious entertainment among the world’s arts. How could I ask you about something that only applies to royalty? Even I only heard about it from my father the crown prince. I am sorry and ashamed.”

The crown prince smiled slightly and turned around with his hands behind his back.

“Everyone return. It was a pleasant meeting.”

* * *

“How was His Highness the crown prince? I’ve only seen him from afar too.”

It was just after finishing all schedules.

Shin So-bin thrust her small face forward. All of Radiant Demon Wing were waiting without even entering their sleeping quarters.

They had set up a banquet hall at the main training ground. Was this Desolate Sect Radiant Demon Wing’s capacity?

“Well. We received the order to leave too quickly.”

Jeong Yeon-shin answered roughly. The fragrant smell of the feast seemed to stimulate even his dantian.

His hunger increased after going through ceremonies absent from his life.

Today even Jeong Yeon-shin had to touch alcohol. Even though he minded energy circulation, it was so. Because Heon Won-chang said he had brought it after much consideration.

Shaoxing wine.

They said it was precious wine that came to Xiangyang from quite distant Zhejiang.

Hyeon Won-chang had rushed to Xiangyang’s First Tavern to obtain it.

‘Does this taste good?’

A colleague’s heart and wine taste were separate matters.

Taking a sip along with Ma Jin’s congratulations, Jeong Yeon-shin unconsciously furrowed his brow.

The seniors giggled. Even junior Shin So-bin looked at him like a child.

“Lightning Flash is blue-level.”

“It’s an incredibly short time to say ‘times have changed’.”

“Aren’t his achievements substantial? We were shocked at the Eight Fierce Rakshasa Sword, and the Seventh Apostle’s eye…”

Everyone chatted boisterously.

Even Desolate Sect’s masters revered by all under heaven were like commoners when drinking.

Among them, Jeong Yeon-shin recalled the task the crown prince had thrown out.

The task was purely Jeong Yeon-shin’s thought. He was just interested as some inspiration seemed to brush his mind.

‘He said sword song. Playing music with sword sounds.’

He had encountered many rumors since coming to Desolate Sect. Once he heard talk of sound techniques.

It was said that rumors were famous in the murim.

It was a story of some internal force master facing a hundred people by playing a seven-stringed zither.

It was said he burst enemies’ eardrums by plucking strings a few times.

It wasn’t difficult to guess the principle.

‘True energy.’

In the end it was internal force. The question was how much one could raise the effectiveness of true energy carried on the air.

That’s where the difference between rising martial arts and third-rate martial arts divided.

‘Maybe I can create sound techniques with a sword.’

If successful, it would become easier to handle multiple enemies.

“Drink!”

“The side dishes here are gone!”

Were all drinking gatherings like this?

Now the banquet was no longer a place celebrating Lightning Flash. Everyone seemed to just enjoy themselves, but rather that made it more comfortable.

Jeong Yeon-shin began conceiving sound techniques while moderately accommodating Heon Won-chang’s drunken behavior.

Thus a boisterous day set. The moonlit night was cozy.

* * *

There were still schedules remaining the next day. This time they said it was compensation for blue-level promotion.

“Choose quickly. They’re all famous swords.”

He was a man who seemed to come a little above Jeong Yeon-shin’s waist. He had thick beard and short limbs.

Instead his arm thickness was tremendous.

Just in visible muscles he looked sturdier than Jeong Yeon-shin who had refined Jeong Family Dynamic Technique.

“But wouldn’t there be one that fits my hand?”

“They were made to fit all people under heaven. To the extent that before any guy blames the weapon, they should look back at their own martial arts first.”

It felt like seeing the man’s lips hidden by his beard. He seemed to wear an expression containing tremendous pride.

The armory of Desolate Sect’s forge that competed for world’s first in metalworking.

Jeong Yeon-shin met a dwarf clan member for the first time.

Those who helped found the dynasty and settled in the Central Plains with the elf clan. They received completely different treatment from Western Region colored-eye people.

The imperial court kept them tightly hidden in the Central Plains. Martial artists were the same.

They said they looked at the skills they possessed rather than the dwarf clan’s short stature.

‘Since they even make divine swords.’

Jeong Yeon-shin swept through the armory interior with Cheong Myeong. All weapons looked extraordinary. It really seemed fine to choose anything.

Cheong Myeong with a smiling face opened his mouth.

“Still need to be careful. It’s your one promotion reward. They say you can get something else when becoming black-level.”

“Hey, Blue Eyes Demon Sword. Is this youngster really blue-level? I can’t believe it. Never heard of such a case. Even though our clan is indifferent to the outside.”

“Can’t you tell by his clothes?”

The iron clan member closed his mouth when Cheong Myeong spoke seriously.

The title Blue Eyes Demon Sword seemed to fit as notoriety to others. It was an unfamiliar aspect to Jeong Yeon-shin.

He tapped Cheong Myeong’s arm.

“Hm?”

“How about that one?”

Jeong Yeon-shin pointed to a sword hanging on the display. Both sword wave and scabbard were pure white.

It would contrast with the current Desolate Sword at his waist where everything except the blade was pitch black.

“Northern Light. It’s a good one.”

The dwarf clan man said. His attitude was like treating swords as people.

After getting the man’s permission, Jeong Yeon-shin immediately approached and grabbed the sword. Only after feeling the sword wave’s sensation for a moment did he draw the blade.

Swish.

Wave patterns flickered on the dazzlingly revealed pure white blade. Jeong Yeon-shin infused true energy with his right hand.

He immediately felt it was top grade. The unobstructed energy that extended out played on the blade.

He brought the blade close to his body and stroked it with his left hand. For a moment pale blue lightning flashed in his eyes.

“…With this level I could perform music with sword sounds.”

“You?”

The dwarf clan man snickered. Perhaps because they were a clan that presented weapons to the imperial court? He seemed to know sword songs.

“Without being quite familiar with weapons, one couldn’t even dream of such divine technique. Even supreme masters can’t imitate it without innate talent, what more with a sword just picked up.”

“Quiet.”

Cheong Myeong said.

Jeong Yeon-shin had already closed his eyes.

Without swinging it, he knew.

How to move the sword with what feeling, how to ride the air well when drawing slightly different sword paths.

It was a realm separate from proficiency.

Though it would take time to familiarize with it like the Desolate Sword, he instantly felt what kind of sword Northern Light was. It was innate sense.

That’s when it happened. From quite far away, unfamiliar energy waves approached.

A noble feeling as if about to rise into the sky. Could this be what the crown prince had seen before?

After a moment, the iron clan man frowned.

“Didn’t I tell you to choose quickly? They said the crown prince is coming.”

It wasn’t coincidence.

They said royal processions had extreme aspects.

If it wasn’t something no one could know, everyone knew. Desolate Sect was a group of supreme masters.

Unless the crown prince was in seclusion or on a secret journey, anyone could know.

Jeong Yeon-shin hadn’t seen imperial martial arts yet. He chose this time wondering if he could gain even a little inspiration.

“Crown prince. He’s been going around often lately?”

Cheong Myeong asked in a strange tone. The man nodded.

“They say martial arts became his attachment after the crown princess’s passing. Trying to soothe his heart with the sword after losing his mother.”

“His mother…?”

Jeong Yeon-shin unconsciously repeated.

He examined Northern Light for a moment. Then asked Cheong Myeong as if it wasn’t important.

“When gaining the crown prince’s favor, would it be of any help involving the main fortress’s personnel matters? For example, gaining support when challenging for the Divine Sword Squad Leader position?”

“Well it would be better than having no friendship. It’s not a position that can be reached by martial power alone.”

At Cheong Myeong’s slightly smiling answer, Jeong Yeon-shin nodded.

Then it was good. He had already practiced with the Desolate Sword. Could he not handle sword sounds when trying to create sound techniques to face a hundred?

He stepped out of the armory.

Boom.

When he infused true energy again, Northern Light emitted strange vibrating sounds.

A sound like a newborn flood dragon crying. Then there was the sword’s song spreading straight out.

“What…!”

It was a cry that even buried the dwarf clan man’s shocked voice.

* * *

The Great Ming was an empire that arose from the union of Ming’s founding emperor and a elf clan empress.

Since elf clans were revered as immortals, the bloodline originating from the empress dowager’s body created longevity in descendants.

The throne only changed through warfare and assassins’ killings.

The current emperor was powerful. He had reigned long without incident.

Thanks to Desolate Sect, peerless masters couldn’t covet the imperial court, and the emperor grew more relaxed as time passed.

He had even handled the 108 Arhat Formation alone wanting to witness Shaolin martial arts.

The crown prince had been heir apparent for decades. There was absolutely no justification for succeeding to the throne.

Crown Prince Zhu Lun-ming was born late.

As the crown prince’s son, he had to watch his father losing his brilliance.

Sword songs were the art his father demonstrated with a sword whenever he composed his mind. At some point they could no longer be seen.

“Sword songs.”

Suddenly the crown prince smiled. It was while personally walking toward Desolate Sect’s armory.

“Who else would cultivate such a luxurious hobby.”

Having lost his mother the crown princess early, his soliloquies increased. Those serving him knew well enough not to react.

That’s when it happened.

Under the falling twilight.

There was a youth holding down a sword while making blue robes flutter over blue martial clothes.

He had seen him before. Lightning Flash was it?

He was the young swordsman whose activities the Desolate Sect Lord he admired received reports about daily.

Was it intuition? An anecdote arose in the crown prince’s mind.

In the Spring and Autumn period, a music master called someone “knowing the sound.”

It meant a close friend who understood his performance better than anyone.

“Sword sounds…?”

The crown prince heard vibrating sounds spreading from the youth’s sword. His steps unconsciously quickened.

And he saw. It felt like his ears naturally opened.

Woong-

A serpent’s groan breaking its shell gradually transformed into a dragon’s growl.

There was a resonance as if yearning for something far away. It approached to the point of being sorrowful.

The sword song that seemed to rise from a dragon’s throat even rewound the crown prince’s old memories.

His father in times still full of vitality, the sword’s song.

As he rested his heart in distant memories, he muttered as if sighing.

“To think there was one who would make me know the sound……”