Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time-Chapter 382: The World (6)

Jeong Yeon-shin muttered under his breath as he watched the Seventh Apostle disappear into the distance. The echoes of her words still lingered in his ears.

She had called him Taesa again, that twisted endearment laced with obsession and sorrow.

"The karma of this cult is a blood debt," she had whispered. "And now, it's all mine. Because I am the cult leader."

Her voice had been oddly detached, carrying a sense of inevitable burden. Yet beneath that resignation, he could still feel the clinging possessiveness that made her so dangerous.

"I'm sorry for making you sad, my Taesa."

For a long moment, Jeong Yeon-shin remained frozen. The weight of her words pressed down on him, stirring emotions he thought he had long buried. A hollow emptiness clawed at him—something akin to the loneliness he felt whenever he recalled the Cheonggirin, Seonryong, or the Tang siblings.

There was no Ma Gwang-ik. No comrades from the Society of Sacred Swords.

He was alone.

"What are you thinking? You haven't made your move yet."

A small yet crystalline voice scattered his lingering thoughts.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly lifted his gaze.

Even as he stood with the Divine Thunderblade gripped in his hand, filling his body with jin-gi, the presence before him felt impossibly distant—untouchable, no matter how quickly he might strike.

"Calculating my moves."

The petite figure of the Golden Dawn Sect’s Master tilted her head.

"Was that ever necessary for someone like you?"

"Before the unification of Jing-Qi-Shen, it always was. It used to give me headaches, like now."

"So you've mostly fought opponents above your level."

She nodded, as if it all made sense. There was no arrogance in her voice, only quiet understanding.

Behind them stretched the vast shadow of a mountain range, while ahead lay an empty village square, bathed in an eerie, suffocating stillness.

Jeong Yeon-shin gazed at the Greatest Martial Master of Sichuan in silence.

She was much shorter than him, but she did not seem small in the slightest. The sheer density of her presence made her loom larger than life.

There’s no opening.

He had fought the Tenfold Gate Lord, who had lost his cultivation at the hands of the Bloodflame Cult Leader. He had clashed with the Sunmaryeon Lord, whose martial techniques were inherently incompatible with his own.

But this was different.

Now, he was facing someone purely in a contest of martial ability.

No weaknesses. No gaps in her form.

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Even her realm was unreadable.

Jeong Yeon-shin parted his lips and spoke.

"Does the Golden Dawn Sect not understand shame?"

"Shame?"

"There’s a group hunting down the fleeing civilians. I can sense them—your sect’s people. Even the children. What exactly do you plan to do with them?"

His qi perception had already picked up the telltale signatures. The same figures he had encountered before within the Golden Dawn Sect—an elderly guardian wielding a massive broadsword, spiritual hunters armed with all manner of strange weapons, closing in on the villagers.

The Sect Master’s lips quirked slightly, a subtle smirk.

"That’s your fault."

"My fault?"

"We need to recover our sacred treasures and offerings. So we’ll be opening the Dragon Warding Formation here again."

Jeong Yeon-shin narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"Spiritual beings love pure innate energy. And children have far more of it than adults."

Pure innate energy—the natural essence people were born with. It grew tainted over time, accumulating turbid energy. That was why so many folklore tales spoke of demons devouring children.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s expression darkened.

This was exactly why the Thirteen Heavens were monsters. Their entire way of thinking was twisted beyond redemption.

"Even less than a roasted chicken leg..."

"Hm? I actually like fried chicken legs."

Her carefree response barely registered in his mind.

Fighting her while protecting the civilians? It wasn’t a question of possibility—it was nearly impossible.

What was the right move?

"I will go."

The sudden voice came from behind him, punctuated by a rough cough.

Jeong Yeon-shin turned slightly, seeing the Sect Leader of Cheongseong struggling to stand, using his sword for support.

Without looking back, Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

"The Left Guardian of the Golden Dawn Sect leads the pursuers. You’ve sustained a severe internal injury. Are you sure you can handle it?"

The old master ignored his concern, instead offering advice.

"Be wary of Sky-Piercing Dragon Slaughter Art. Even our sect’s Azure Cloud Drizzle Sword was ineffective against it."

Jeong Yeon-shin frowned.

The Celestial Water Immortal, who had only recently taken the mantle of Sect Leader, was still a man of conviction despite being a Daoist.

For a Sect Leader to struggle against a mere Guardian—that alone spoke volumes about how powerful this opponent was.

"Do not clash head-on in a contest of raw strength. Use shockwave techniques, deception, or any other means—"

But then, the master suddenly trailed off.

He had realized something.

The Golden Dawn Sect Master was far too young.

Compared to Ma Gwang-ik, the difference was like that of a weathered cliff against a mere pebble.

"It’s impressive that she commands such powerful qi," the old Daoist thought. "But if all of her techniques rely on that qi—"

The Blazing Shadow King was infamous.

Her youthful appearance, her absurdly long lifespan, her very existence was filled with contradictions.

How many years did a martial artist need to perfect a single type of jin-gi to the point that it became an extension of their body?

Decades, at the very least.

To master multiple jin-gi without deviation backlash was an even greater ordeal.

The Celestial Water Immortal suddenly recalled an old saying:

"One who seeks too much will lose everything."

Was it worth risking Jeong Yeon-shin’s life just to uphold his pride?

Would it not be better to cast aside his dignity and work together instead?

And then—

Jeong Yeon-shin spoke.

"Go."

Jeong Yeon-shin’s long hair rose halfway into the air, carried by the sharp gust of wind that followed.

An invisible force spread through each strand, rippling outward in an ethereal current. It was an unsettling yet strangely refined flow of power—one that sent a chill down the spine of anyone who witnessed it.

"That jin-gi...!"

The Celestial Water Immortal’s eyebrows shot up as he caught sight of Jeong Yeon-shin’s back.

For a fleeting moment, a distant memory surfaced—an image of the Bloodflame Cult Leader, glimpsed only from afar during his youth.

That languid yet intoxicating presence, exuding a spirit that seemed to exist alone in all of creation...

This was worse than he had imagined.

Even beyond raw talent, what disturbed him more was the nature of Jeong Yeon-shin’s cultivation. It wasn’t just supreme talent—there was something else. A hidden refinement, layered beneath his jin-gi.

"How did you...?"

"Senior Divine Blood Demon was a great source of inspiration."

Jeong Yeon-shin’s voice was smoother than before, his tone laced with solemn reverence.

Divine Blood Demon Jin Myeong-jo—a name well known in the martial world, even to the Celestial Water Immortal.

"The Blood Dominance Lord of Ipwang Fortress... I see."

Without further questions, the Celestial Water Immortal immediately turned away. His breath was uneven, but his movements were sharp. With a sudden shift of his stance, he launched himself into the sky, his feet striking the air in bursts.

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Azure Wind Descends from the Heights—a supreme movement technique of the Cheongseong Sect.

Each step echoed like a drumbeat, propelling him forward with accelerating speed.

The Golden Dawn Sect Master did not seem to care.

Her bright amber eyes pierced straight through Jeong Yeon-shin.

"Geniuses are like that. One skill is never enough."

She murmured the words as if to herself.

Jeong Yeon-shin adjusted his grip on the Divine Thunderblade.

"Let’s begin."

"Or are you actually a transformed flood dragon?"

There was no tension in her voice.

But the air around them shifted violently. The space between them shimmered, distorting as if being compressed by an overwhelming force.

A deep, resonant hum filled the silence.

Ten steps apart.

Jeong Yeon-shin closed the gap with a single movement.

The wind spiraled into his grasp as he raised the Divine Thunderblade—and swung.

Thunderblade Pierces the Ridge—Heart-Eclipsing Qilin.

A stroke of radiant light cut through the air, as if it had always existed in that space.

Crack!

The gleaming arc shattered mid-flight.

Blocked.

By a flask.

The impact spread fractures across the surface of the gourd, but it did not break.

The scent of strong liquor wafted into the air.

"Want a drink?"

The Golden Dawn Sect Master asked quietly.

Before Jeong Yeon-shin could react, a wave of golden energy erupted from her body.

A surge of force swept through him, rooting his entire jin-gi in place. It wasn’t just a simple shockwave—something about it froze his energy flow entirely.

And in that moment of paralysis, she reached forward, running an open palm up his chest.

Her fingers traced a slow path across his black robes, leaving behind a glimmering golden ripple.

Then—

A violent explosion erupted.

Sky-Piercing Dragon Slaughter Art.

Lightning Heaven Rending Dragon Strike.

BOOM!

Jeong Yeon-shin was blasted backward.

He first registered the feeling of shattering through the swing set that a child had been using only moments ago.

Then came the impact—his body slammed into the far cliffside of the village, stone crumbling beneath him.

A cloud of dust rose into the air, debris falling in jagged fragments.

How far had he been thrown?

He understood now.

"She is different."

This wasn’t like his previous battles.

This was not an opponent he could defeat in a quick exchange.

Single-strike techniques, which relied on exploiting openings or disrupting an opponent’s rhythm, would not work.

She had no gaps.

Sichuan’s Supreme Beauty. Sichuan’s Greatest Martial Master.

A title signifying the most honored martial artist in all of Sichuan, surpassing even the six great orthodox sects.

Even Ipwang Fortress had to send their most distinguished masters when dealing with her.

"You shouldn’t have interfered with the formation."

A delicate yet perfectly symmetrical face filled his vision.

The Golden Dawn Sect Master.

She practiced Dragon-Scales Stepping Art, one of the Four Supreme Movement Techniques in the martial world.

It was said to let her climb even the longest flood dragon’s back with ease.

Her footwork was not simply fast—it was incomprehensibly refined.

She excels at closing the mid-range gap.

Faster than Wind God Step. Slower than Ten-Mile Radiant Stride. If I extend the movement path...

His mind whirled like a spinning wheel.

Jeong Yeon-shin let go of his Divine Thunderblade.

A spectral dragon—formed entirely from his jin-gi—wrapped around the sword, keeping it suspended in mid-air.

Sword Projection Art.

At the same time, the Golden Dawn Sect Master twisted her body slightly, as if preparing for another strike.

CLANG!

A violent surge of force—his sword shot upward, aimed directly at her abdomen.

Her entire body was engulfed in blue flames.

A body-strengthening energy field—designed to withstand even the breath of a flood dragon.

Even after taking a direct hit from Sword Projection Art, she did not break.

But she felt the pain.

Even as she soared higher into the sky, she furrowed her brows and raised the flask to her lips.

As if drinking away the pain, like a poppy flower blooming through agony.

Her inner energy regeneration speed, her martial adaptability, and the explosive force behind each of her strikes—all of them surpassed common limits.

If he had not undergone his own transformation through Trinity Harmonization, he wouldn’t have even been able to exchange blows with her.

"She is beyond monstrous. A flood dragon-tier spirit beast in human form."

His crushed chest cracked back into place.

The Profound Jeong Household Martial Art—a technique that inflated his chest meridians and wrapped his shattered ribs in jin-gi, forcibly restoring their alignment.

His head throbbed with pain.

But he didn’t care.

A roaring battle spirit surged from beneath his ribs, boiling through his body.

Every martial insight he had mastered—every combat technique stored in his heart’s radiant wheel, in his Baihui acupoint—began to unravel and reconstruct itself.

The Tang siblings’ playful smirks surfaced in his memory, their expressions etched into his mind like calligraphy strokes.

"I have to win."

"No matter what—it ends with her death."

BOOM!

Jeong Yeon-shin kicked off the cliffside, sending a spiderweb of cracks through the rock.

His eyes locked onto the Golden Dawn Sect Master, who now held his Divine Thunderblade in her small hands.

She was preparing to counterstrike.

From afar, a voice echoed faintly.

[How unfortunate. No audience to witness this properly. If you’re to cross the Threefold River, at least let the greatest masters be present to see your true worth.]

It was a murky, jin-gi-altered voice, carrying the same energy structure as the Tenfold Gate Lord’s technique.

Jeong Yeon-shin clenched his jaw.

He would cleave apart every single enemy /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ he encountered from now on.

Step.

He planted his feet against the cliffside.

A glowing mist spread beneath him—Ten-Mile Radiant Stride igniting like mist.

One step.

Two steps.

He began running straight up the massive cliff, his pace accelerating rapidly.

The wind howled around him.

And then—

BOOM!

He launched himself toward the heavens.

The Golden Dawn Sect Master turned to meet him.

Their figures clashed—two supreme martial masters entwined in battle.