Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The warriors spoke in unison.

Their voices, honoring Lightning Genius with the reverence due to a Grandmaster, gently rippled through the night air.

Each voice, stemming from thoroughly trained internal energy, was remarkably firm.

'What...'

An impossible event had occurred. Zhu Yeon-jeong thought so.

This was no ordinary matter.

Even white martial attire was rare—considering the entirety of the martial world.

The white robes of Desolate Fortress symbolized extraordinary martial prowess.

Indeed, a formal martial artist of the Desolate Fortress was a figure capable of playing a central role in any martial clan.

And now, they were gathered to support a single person? What could this signify?

"Now."

Zhu Yeon-jeong's voice turned sharp.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you dare violate the laws of the Fortress in front of the Desolate Ma Clan?"

"And what intentions does Lady Zhu have in trying to mislead our hearts?"

The response came in a heavy voice. It was the Crimson Noon Sword of the Annihilation Squad. His blue robe felt more like a military uniform.

Though somewhat worn, as if neglected, it exuded a dense aura of internal energy, making it seem immensely solid.

"Mislead? What absurdity are you spouting to me...?"

Zhu Yeon-jeong's gaze sharpened, but Crimson Noon Sword was unfazed.

"I understand what you mean by invoking the laws. Are you referring to the Fortress' doctrine that forbids bonds between master and disciple? Truly a laughable matter. The law isn't the issue—Lady Zhu is."

"Go on. Keep spouting your nonsense."

She scoffed, though inwardly she did not feel that way.

She intended to make the Lightning Genius, Jung Yeonshin, into the sword of the Ma Clan.

She had already prepared a substantial amount of wealth, weapons, and even rare elixirs.

Though Zhu Yeon-jeong belonged to a branch family, she was still royalty. She knew people like Jung Yeonshin—those who would not break oaths.

If she could extract a vow of loyalty, he would undoubtedly become a blade to serve her purposes for years to come.

'With the Radiant Demon Squad annihilated, this was the perfect time to draw Lightning Genius into my grasp.'

She silently berated herself for treating the situation like a negotiation by setting conditions.

Even so, she believed there was still another chance.

Apart from the Lord of Desolate Fortress, her maternal Ma Clan, and the now-vanished Radiant Demon Squad, what did Lightning Genius have?

He was a sixteen-year-old boy who had entered the Desolate Fortress alone.

In the end, he would have no choice but to rely on her. And when that moment came, she would embrace him ever so gently, so that he could never escape her warmth and authority.

Zhu Yeon-jeong firmly believed so. She wasn't wrong.

Until Crimson Noon Sword led the warriors to bow to Lightning Genius with formal reverence.

'A man who once wore white now stands in blue.'

She glanced at Crimson Noon Sword's scarred face and then shifted her gaze subtly to Jung Yeonshin, who stood just outside her line of sight.

She made no obvious gesture, but it was meaningless.

The boy's face, though only faintly, betrayed a flicker of turmoil.

It was subtle, but the interest and surprise were clear.

She understood why. Zhu Yeon-jeong, too, was a master of martial arts.

The aura of the group opposing her bore a striking similarity to Lightning Genius'.

They shared the same lineage of martial arts. A bond was inevitable.

'The variable is martial arts.'

She had used similar methods when shaking the foundations of the Desolate Ma Clan. But there were two differences.

Lightning Genius had not orchestrated this situation.

Moreover, he had created his own martial art and was now being honored as a Grandmaster—right here, in this very moment.

"…Lady Zhu, are you listening?"

Crimson Noon Sword looked at Zhu Yeon-jeong with a steady gaze.

She suddenly snapped back to reality.

Dealing with Lightning Genius never went as planned.

This was only the second time, yet the impression was already profoundly strong.

"I'm listening."

Zhu Yeon-jeong raised her chin coolly. Her conduct had to remain dignified, no matter what thoughts swirled in her mind, no matter how the situation shifted.

"You claim it wasn't a disciple's bow, yet the elaborate show of respect for such a young Blue Rank is excessive. Can this be explained without invoking forbidden bonds? Are you openly defying the laws of the Desolate Fortress?"

Her voice was cold and stern.

Crimson Noon Sword showed no signs of shrinking back.

Zhu Yeon-jeong held no official position in the Desolate Fortress. She wasn't even the official mistress of the Desolate Ma Clan.

In the hierarchy of Desolate Fortress, she was a distant outsider.

Crimson Noon Sword was well aware of this.

Meanwhile, he himself had risen from decades as a White Rank warrior to don blue robes.

This was thanks to the development of Lightning Genius' martial art, the Splendid Wings Step.

The second technique within the art suited Crimson Noon Sword perfectly. Its principles of creating spacing through footwork resonated deeply with his lifelong combat style.

Lazy Donkey Roll.

He had never hesitated to roll on the ground during duels if it meant measuring distance effectively.

Splendid Wings Step' Second Step.

He glimpsed a heavenly truth through this footwork technique that shaped spacing.

Crimson Noon Sword was awestruck by a martial art that compensated for his shortcomings.

It was divine skill—at least to him.

So much so that he had passed the Blue Rank promotion tests, which he had failed dozens of times before, with ease.

Thus—

'Lightning Genius is both a benefactor and a Grandmaster.'

Every warrior present thought so.

Crimson Noon Sword stood firm. This was a confrontation about the laws of Desolate Fortress.

The years and rank he had accumulated were not lacking.

He spoke calmly.

"Lady Zhu, you are of royal blood. It is well known that the Ming Imperial Family closely associates with Buddhist orders. Isn't that why Shaolin stands so strong among the Nine Great Sects? Even their monks are nobility."

"Stay on point."

Zhu Yeon-jeong's cold tone failed to deter him. Crimson Noon Sword continued without pause.

"Many nobles have a tradition of ascending Mount Song as pilgrims. Surely, Lady Zhu has done so at least once?"

"And?"

"The pagoda forest, which enshrines the relics of Shaolin's eminent monks, is the pride of the temple, isn't it? There is no royal who does not offer prayers before Bodhidharma and Huike when making offerings."

Zhu Yeon-jeong's eyes widened.

"You now..."

"The Radiant Demon Squad, Lightning Genius, and we are no different. No, the only small difference is that the lineage's Grandmaster is still alive—and young at that. We are like Shaolin's pilgrims. We paid the proper respect to the Grandmaster of a single lineage. What martial artist of the Desolate Fortress would be angered by such an act, unless their mind was unusually twisted?"

He threw Zhu Yeon-jeong's earlier words back at her, mocking her tone.

Perhaps it was the humiliation of an unprecedented defeat.

Losing the argument and being outmaneuvered in justification, her eyes widened, the whites showing prominently. Her pupils briefly rolled back.

Lightning Genius no longer had anything to fear.

Those bound to the martial lineage he had created were more than enough to reinforce his strength.

Harsh truths struck Zhu Yeon-jeong's mind like lightning. Only Ma Se-in, standing by her side, appeared restless.

"These people truly..."

Crimson Noon Sword turned his gaze away from her furious expression.

Instead, he looked toward Ma Yeonjeok, the unparalleled master in purple who had been silently observing.

"You have truly raised an exceptional heir, Lord Ma."

"The practitioners of Lightning Genius' lineage will always be grateful for this."

He flattered Ma Yeonjeok while leaving room for him to withdraw gracefully. It was a display of seasoned diplomacy.

Even Jung Yeonshin briefly imagined himself uttering honeyed words like that to the Lord of Desolate Fortress.

"…You are not wrong. Yeonshin has found strong allies."

"Leader!"

Ma Yeonjeok's demeanor remained astonishingly calm, ignoring Zhu Yeon-jeong's outcry.

He merely gazed at his grandson, who was steadily gaining support, and finally spoke.

"You possess talent rare in a thousand years, building both martial arts and a lineage."

"…Grandfather."

"I've shown you too many shameful sights. It is disgraceful. If you return safely, you'll see a transformed family..."

Cough.

His words were cut off by a spurt of blood.

"Leader!"

"What is this...?"

As the Ma Clan members stepped forward in shock, Ma Yeonjeok looked at the blood seeping through his fingers with a bitter smile.

"So it's already come to this, and it was just one trip to South Zhili."

He ignored Zhu Yeon-jeong and the elders, instead extending his hand toward the startled Jung Yeonshin and Ma Se-in, shaking his head.

"This is karma. The path of tyranny I walked in my youth now returns as arrows. It's no wonder that the martial arts I built so hastily are crumbling."

"Is that why you can't go to Sichuan...?"

Jung Yeonshin's question was met with another shake of the head.

"The law. It's the law. Guarding the Desolate Fortress comes first. That is all."

His words revealed the obstinate will of a former Leader of the Divine Sword Squad.

Declining abilities and a deteriorating body.

The scattered forces of the Divine Sword Squad amid the growing chaos of the world. Even if both were true, he spoke only of the law.

Yet, he looked at Jung Yeonshin with nothing but pride before turning away, his purple robe swirling.

"I wish you good fortune in battle. I always have and always will."

He spoke as he turned his back.

"Members of the Ma Clan, escort the guests out and follow me."

His next command did not include Jung Yeonshin. Ma Yeonjeok spoke firmly.

"Zhu Yeon-jeong has shown behavior unbecoming of her station, and the elders tacitly supported her actions. Listening quietly, I hadn't expected it to be this severe. Such insubordination cannot be tolerated. The Golden Laws of the Imperial Family? No, if we truly seek the family's revival, we must first establish order and discipline. Even if it means abandoning my dignity and risking my life, I will see this through."

His words, weighed down with restrained anger, sounded ancient and solemn.

A disciplinary action declared by Ma Yeonjeok, the purple-robed master of the Desolate Ma Clan.

Had such an event ever occurred before?

For the first time, Zhu Yeon-jeong's voice carried a hint of desperation.

"Lord Ma...!"

"I said follow me. Do you think your martial skills are so deep that you can look down on me? To be humiliated before my grandson—I must know. I won't draw my sword. It might kill you in one stroke."

Those were his final words.

Jung Yeonshin left the Desolate Ma Clan with the warriors of Lightning Genius' lineage. It was the natural course of action.

Yet the keen senses of a martial artist clearly picked up the surge of energy beyond the threshold.

Boom!

The explosive sound of energy slamming into an abdomen, the scattered breaths of Zhu Yeon-jeong collapsing, and Ma Yeonjeok's calm cough.

"Brutal."

Lazy Flame Dragon, walking beside Jung Yeonshin, muttered.

The boy walked in silence, pushing his concern for Ma Se-in to the back of his mind.

The presence of the warriors following him was immense.

In a single night, he had gained enough strength to form a military division.

With this, even the General Affairs Bureau would approve the expedition to Sichuan. The only task left was persuasion.

"I heard about the Radiant Demon Squad."

Crimson Noon Sword suddenly spoke.

Step.

Jung Yeonshin stopped and turned around. Crimson Noon Sword continued.

"I also visited the General Affairs Bureau, following the Grandmaster's trail. Such an incident was bound to spread throughout the Desolate Fortress."

"…"

"If you need us, just say the word."

"I need you."

Jung Yeonshin answered without hesitation.

His eyes swept over the warriors behind him.

Some nodded silently, while others smiled faintly. Traces of his unique martial art were evident in each of them.

They spoke words filled with reverence, exchanging views amongst themselves.

"Grandmaster, you should also know that Sichuan's martial world is... chaos."

"Indeed. One alliance, three great sects, three major clans, and seven prominent factions all tangled together. Imagine that."

"No other place in the world is like it. Countless masters and ordinary fighters die there, and the schemes are endless."

"Still, we've already discussed this on the way. It's a fitting place to demonstrate the martial arts of Lightning Genius' lineage. And as we're going to rescue comrades, how could we not follow? Our spirits are ablaze."

A young White Rank warrior's words prompted Crimson Noon Sword to look at Jung Yeonshin.

Under the open night sky, the moonlight cast long shadows of the boy and the warriors together.

"However vast and boundless Sichuan may be, we are martial artists bound by a lineage granted by heaven."

He bowed respectfully.

"Lead us, O Grandmaster. Draw the Desolate Sword and guide us."