Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 360: Tenfold Perfection (1)

The Qi-Infused Sword Technique came first.

The Radiant Wheel Technique burrowed into the sword’s core, forming a straight axis.

A method to infuse the blade with energy to prevent it from breaking easily. It had already been activated, but now the true energy was condensed even further.

It was merely extending the lifespan of the already-cracked Meteor Sword for a little while longer.

Jeong Yeon-shin pushed forward.

In an instant, he infused the Radiant Wheel Technique once more, reinforcing both sides of the blade. The Qi-Infused Sword Technique formed a central axis, while two rippling streams of energy surged along the edges.

Two intertwining threads of true energy followed a specific pattern, violently churning on both sides of the blade. Even in the fraction of a moment when time was endlessly fragmented, the resonance they produced was immense.

Wooong—!

A technique abandoned long ago due to its deadly effect on the Hundred Convergences Acupoint the moment it was activated.

Spread wide.

At that very moment, Feng Lord Li Shi-myeong’s kick grazed Jeong Yeon-shin’s collarbone, leaving behind a searing wound. Yet, Yeon-shin remained silent, mercilessly lashing the energy streams within the Meteor Sword.

Holding his sword at a slight downward angle.

Time moved differently.

His mind slowly perceived the vast world around him, while his innate control over internal energy—enhanced by the Three Harmonies Convergence—accelerated the flow of the Radiant Wheel Technique to its extreme.

At last, the technique was unleashed.

A perfected technique was born on this very battlefield.

“......?”

The first to sense the anomaly was Peng Yeol-ran, the Ghostly Tyrant Queen, who had just lifted the edge of Cheon So-so's veil with her slender fingers.

She had been admiring both the breathtaking scenery beyond the cliff and Cheon So-so’s exquisite beauty, when she subtly tilted her delicate chin to the side.

Peng Yeol-ran’s brief head movement outpaced even Feng Lord Li Shi-myeong’s fully committed kick.

I had planned to take him as a concubine.

Her fingertips trailed slowly across the translucent veil.

Before Cheon So-so’s shoulders could even flinch, Peng Yeol-ran briefly glanced at Jeong Yeon-shin, whose throat was about to meet Li Shi-myeong’s foot.

A black-cloaked youth from Ipwang Fortress she had never seen before.

A man whose beauty was rare beyond compare—one she had secretly considered claiming as her concubine.

The deaths of the old monsters she had taken as subordinates meant nothing to her.

She cared little whether they lived or died.

Because, just like the symbol of her greatest defeat—the mark left by the Lord of Golden Twilight—what truly mattered to the Ghostly Tyrant Queen was not wrinkled, unsightly old men but the radiance of beautiful men and women.

If that beauty came with martial prowess, even better.

The peerlessly beautiful young man now spreading ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) pale waves of energy with his sword in his billowing black robes held more value than a hundred old monsters.

Had the Dragon Formation not existed, she might have found him even more valuable than Cheon So-so.

A brief pause in time as an unfamiliar technique emerged from Jeong Yeon-shin.

What kind of art is this?

Peng Yeol-ran hesitated for a moment, debating whether to relinquish the soft, intoxicating sensation of the Lord of Seonmok Ridge’s shoulder.

She gently touched the base of Cheon So-so’s neck, releasing only her grip on the veil.

Jeong Yeon-shin had already slain thirty-five of the Ghostly Tyrant Family’s old masters.

That was acceptable.

This land was a paradise for past grandmasters. Losing that many warriors was no issue.

But no more.

If any further losses threatened the foundation of the Ghostly Tyrant Family, it would tarnish Peng Yeol-ran’s authority.

She had long enjoyed her role as the absolute law of this land.

The Five Tiger Severing Blade Art was an intensely practical martial discipline, yet, as a supreme art of one of the Eight Great Houses, it also emphasized pure and refined energy.

To one day surpass the Golden Twilight Lord’s Celestial Dragon Severing Technique, maintaining a serene state of mind was paramount.

And as the preordained ruler of Hebei’s Greatest Noble Clan, Peng Yeol-ran could not maintain mirror-like clarity without both power and indulgence.

Her divine status had been cultivated through feasts and revelry.

And so had this moment—where time stretched like taffy, endlessly fragmented by her supreme domain.

Shaaah—

Even the peerlessly beautiful youth from Ipwang Fortress was nothing more than a stepping stone toward martial perfection.

There was no reason to wait for him to complete his peculiar technique.

Five Tiger Blades. Severing the Gate of Suffering.

She whispered the essence of the Five Tiger Severing Blade Art while raising her calloused right hand.

She was not well-versed in Formless Sword Arts.

However, as a grandmaster-level martial artist and the previous head of the Peng Family, merely envisioning her lifelong martial arts in her mind was enough to manifest an indomitable blade of energy.

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A technique that no ordinary grandmaster could withstand—where even skilled warriors would perish instantly.

From her palm, a faintly luminous energy formed the outline of an enormous greatsword.

The Blade Qi of the Five Tiger Severing Blade Art.

A mere flick of her wrist would graze Feng Lord Li Shi-myeong’s throat and pierce straight through the youth’s chest.

Yet, Peng Yeol-ran adjusted the flow of energy in that brief instant.

The youth’s radiant physique suggested that any conventional strike would be absorbed by his Qi-infused muscles. Rather than ruin his smooth flesh with a reckless attack, she decided it would be better to disrupt him from within—preserving his aesthetic appeal.

Farewell.

With bare hands, she unleashed a world-shattering technique.

She flicked her wrist toward Jeong Yeon-shin, a touch of regret in her gesture.

Sssssk—

Then, suddenly.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze shifted toward her hand.

Slowly, yet unmistakably, his eyes traced the path of her technique—a technique she had spent a lifetime refining to rival the Golden Twilight Lord.

His sky-hued pupils moved languidly.

A sight she had never imagined.

“......!”

Peng Yeol-ran’s eyelashes quivered upward in shock.

—Thank you.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips moved.

—So this is how it flows.

A grandmaster’s battle sense honed through countless deadly encounters.

Following an uncanny sensation pricking his skin, he adjusted the energy array of his Hundred Convergences Acupoint into a fan shape.

Then, using Dragon’s Harmonization, he linked his spiritual perception with Peng Yeol-ran’s consciousness.

As if meeting the eyes of an unseen observer.

Previously, the Meteor Sword Techniques of the Mo Yong Clan had controlled space.

Now, the Five Tiger Severing Blade Art of the Ghostly Tyrant Family was revealing the secret of supreme warriors—controlling time.

Severing the Gate.

Destroying the limits of perception.

It cannot be maintained for more than a few breaths.

How fearsome the martial world was.

Had he not attuned his senses, he would have been struck down without a sound.

But his martial arts were evolving to counter even these unprecedented techniques.

Rise.

At his whisper, a tsunami of energy surged within the Meteor Sword.

A newborn dragon let out its first cry.

One after another, bodies collapsed, blood gushing from their eyes, noses, and mouths. The immense internal energy that had once resided within them briefly flared—only to vanish into nothingness.

There was no trace of the revelers who, just moments ago, had indulged in a carefree celebration on the eve of a grand wedding.

When the deafening roar of destruction finally faded, the only one left standing was Feng Lord Li Shi-myeong.

Even he couldn’t hide the stream of blood trickling from his ear. The impact had struck him hard.

The rest were strewn about, their eyes soaked in blood, their lips dyed a deep crimson.

The bodies numbered in the hundreds.

Instant death.

The former great masters of the Ghostly Tyrant Family had been annihilated. The force of the sword’s backlash stirred a gust that swept through the tattered remains of their robes.

A cold and eerie wind.

It was difficult to call it meaningless.

Jeong Yeon-shin pondered. To die by an unseen martial art... It’s certainly a better fate than the countless nameless warriors of Ipwang Fortress who perish forgotten in the wilderness.

“That was unnecessary effort.”

He spoke.

“They would have died soon enough anyway.”

“......”

Feng Lord remained silent, his expression frozen in shock.

Who wouldn’t be?

Only the sound of rolling dirt and scattered rubble filled the silence.

Jeong Yeon-shin wordlessly glanced down at his sword. The blade had vanished, leaving only the hilt in his grasp. Without a second thought, he tossed it away.

Thud—

The soft impact made the distant spectators flinch.

He paid them no mind and reflected.

This is not a technique I can use recklessly.

Cracked though it was, the Meteor Sword was still a treasured blade from the Mo Yong Clan.

It was sturdier than most weapons, yet even reinforced with his Qi-Infused Sword Technique, it had shattered in a single strike.

It meant that his technique drastically consumed the lifespan of any sword.

That also meant he couldn’t simply wield any ordinary weapon. There was a limit—a restriction.

Yet, the last strike had revealed something significant.

My Hundred Convergences Acupoint is intact.

The damned meridian at the crown of his head hadn’t ruptured. Even as he executed the technique, he hadn’t felt the usual overwhelming strain.

It all pointed to one conclusion.

A complete synchronization of Jing, Qi, and Shen—essence, energy, and spirit.

His body had fully adapted to the Radiant Wheel Technique, and his innate instincts had risen to match.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze shifted past Feng Lord’s shoulder, landing on Peng Yeol-ran and Cheon So-so.

The Ghostly Tyrant Queen had fully turned toward him now, her expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Cheon So-so, who had clearly sensed the radiating aura, stared at him with widened eyes.

“You...”

“Be silent.”

Peng Yeol-ran raised a hand, cutting off Cheon So-so’s words. Then, she tilted her chin toward Jeong Yeon-shin, the slanted light casting a sharp glint along her jawline.

“So, you’ve avenged Suncheon Ik-ju after all. Can you handle the consequences?”

“...Avenge?”

Jeong Yeon-shin quietly echoed, feeling the weight of her words press against his spine like a creeping malice.

“You didn’t know?”

Peng Yeol-ran’s lips curved slightly.

“That brat, Ha Do-un, has long been dead by my hand. He came to me, whining about the Iron Clan’s slaves, and dared to draw his sword.”

“......”

“He held out for quite some time. Unlike the pathetic old retainers of my household who perished to your bizarre technique.”

She dismissed her own subordinates without hesitation. Was it an attempt to shake Jeong Yeon-shin’s composure?

The weight of silence thickened.

“What... what just happened...?”

“Is that even a martial technique...?”

The murmurs of the gathered spectators rippled through the air. Just as the whispers began to grow louder, Peng Yeol-ran’s figure blurred.

Hwaak!

The sound of the air splitting came from behind Jeong Yeon-shin.

Before he could even blink, the Ghostly Tyrant Queen had closed the distance behind him. Her presence flared like a hellish inferno rising from the depths of the underworld.

Five Tiger Severing Blade Art. The Tiger Immortal Emerges.

Somehow, she had acquired an enormous broadsword, and with both hands, she brought it down in a vicious arc.

The crimson sleeves, symbolizing the status of a bridegroom, fluttered upward.

Chwaaaaaak—!

A colossal slash tore through the air, its sheer weight pressing down on everything in its wake.

Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin turned naturally, unimpeded.

Nothing hindered his movement.

His finely tuned muscles extracted every ounce of power from his footwork, allowing him to glide through the storm of blade winds unleashed by the Ghostly Tyrant Queen.

At the same time, his Heavenly Sight Technique activated—his pupils burning with a piercing blue glow as his gaze met Peng Yeol-ran’s.

“......!”

For the first time, she recoiled.

She withdrew her blade and leaped back—a masterful retreat. In the blink of an eye, she had put ten steps between them.

Then, from a distant ridgeline, a raspy, wheezing laughter echoed.

“Keh-heh-heh!”

“The Ghostly Tyrant Family, who once boasted about their dominance, has been annihilated! And the Tyrant Queen herself forced to retreat! If I leave you be, would it be acceptable for me to converse with the Lord of Seonmok Ridge instead?”

On top of a massive boulder.

An old man, draped in tattered rags, lay reclined, scratching his belly with one hand.

He looked every bit a beggar, but his eyes—sweeping across the battlefield—were disturbingly sharp and eerie.

The Demon Beggar, Wan Hu Gae

A former disciple of Grandmaster Zhou of the Beggars’ Sect, he had stolen the secret techniques of the Dog-Beating Staff and the Drunken Eight Immortals Steps before vanishing.

“That old beggar never shuts up.”

Above Jeong Yeon-shin and Peng Yeol-ran.

“Young warrior of Ipwang Fortress, that was quite an impressive technique.”

Perched casually on the branch of a tree was a striking young man.

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced at him, his eyes momentarily widening.

For an instant, he thought he was looking at Tae Yeom-ryong.

That same relaxed yet overpowering presence.

It was Hwangbo Gon, known as the Divine Martial King of the Hwangbo Clan.

A former patriarch of the Hwangbo Clan—and the grandfather of Yang Guifei, the Demon Beauty of Ma Guang-ik’s faction.

He exuded an air of casual arrogance.

And there were others.

Beneath the branch where Hwangbo Gon perched, another figure floated in mid-air.

An elderly Taoist, his head adorned with a ceremonial headdress, muttered to himself.

“So, the catastrophe has finally arrived...”

His gaze was deep. The flowing sleeves of his robe, swaying gently with his movements, gave him the appearance of an immortal, an illusion created by the mastery of Sky Piercing Void Steps.

A man who wielded the Eight Cloud Dragon Forms of the annihilated Kunlun Sect as naturally as breathing.

“The Hollow Sage!”

“Even the Dark Lord is here...!”

Whispers spread across the mountains.

The absolute rulers of this land.

The Twin Kings and Three Lords, each positioned at different vantage points, stared down at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Their gazes were filled with a mix of emotions—hostility and curiosity, apathy and wariness.

The weight of their presence was immense.

Any ordinary person would have collapsed under such pressure. Even many among the crowd who had gathered for the grand ceremony were now hastily descending the mountain, their instincts warning them to flee.

“Who knows what will become of this land now.”

“I thought such a successor only existed in the martial world beyond these borders... but to think all of the Twin Kings and Three Lords would gather here...”

The flow of events had shifted into something akin to a cataclysm.

Yet, amidst it all, Jeong Yeon-shin’s gaze remained fixed solely on Peng Yeol-ran.

The woman who had just claimed responsibility for killing Ha Do-un of Suncheon Ik-ju.

He had no interest in the so-called Twin Kings or Three Lords.

He simply reached forward.

It didn’t matter that Peng Yeol-ran narrowed her eyes and unleashed an overwhelming surge of energy.

It didn’t matter what reactions the gathered rulers of this land displayed.

[Seom— Ye—!]

A deep voice rang out. A voice he recognized.

From the distance, the presence of Hahoe Wi-jin, the Great Lord of the Heavenly Forest, was unmistakable.

Something long and slender rested in his massive grip.

Reinforcements had arrived.

Jeong Yeon-shin instinctively layered the folding fan of his mind over it.

A certainty filled him—this was necessary.

He muttered internally.

Come to me.

Buaaaaaang—!

A thunderous boom tore through the air, closing the distance in an instant. It happened in the blink of an eye.

A streak of fierce, azure light pierced straight through the center of Peng Yeol-ran’s abdomen with a sickening thwack.

Blood erupted in an explosive burst but failed to reach the very tip of the luminous blade.

“Kuh-hak...?!”

Jeong Yeon-shin had only slightly twisted his waist as he caught the sword mid-flight.

Tak—

Astonishingly light.

The sensation in his grip was warm.

His entire Radiant Wheel Aura trembled violently as if it had reunited with a long-lost companion, radiating an intense heat.

It fit his arm like an extension of his own body, achieving a state of Perfect Balance.

His heightened state of mind pushed his energy to the absolute peak.

Sword and Body as One.

Wooooong!

The large, golden character 荒—"Desolation"—which had been emblazoned across his shoulder, melted away, its remnants forming a perfect ring around him.

Yet, his Heavenly Serpent Silk battle robes remained pristine.

His hair, flowing wildly behind him, felt weightless.

Saaaaah—

Dandelion seeds that had been drifting aimlessly caught onto the fragments of his Radiant Wheel Aura, absorbing its light.

One by one, they transformed into shimmering, white petals, scattering like a celestial rain across the battlefield.