Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The village under the protection of Hahoe Wi-jin, the Lord of the Celestial Forest, seemed peaceful on the surface.

The constant ringing of hammers and the rhythmic puffing of bellows echoed under the blue sky, repeating endlessly. Rather than a mystical sanctuary of a dragon, the place resembled a town where artisan clans lived together.

And it was also the utopia of the short-statured Tang twins.

Dressed in green silk garments, the twin siblings flitted about, their long sleeves fluttering in a manner unfitting for their small frames. Their large eyes grew even larger with excitement.

“Uncle, can I touch this? I’ve never seen this kind of ore before.”

“Look at this! It’s light enough to attach easily. If we layer it with Flying Petal, Iron Lotus Blossom, and Scattering Death Needles, a single disc will create an incredible Heavenly Myriad Rain...”

“That, that! The fire is white!”

The Tang Clan’s skill in crafting bizarre and exquisite hidden weapons was renowned across the world.

Yet, the artisans of the village did not display the usual secrecy of blacksmithing communities toward the twins.

Whenever the two stood in front of a smithy or a merchant stall, the villagers would smile and show them various weapons and ores as if treating them to an entertaining spectacle.

It was a paradise.

There were True Silver Ore, passed down through generations in the Tang Clan’s oral history; casting techniques that made sword surfaces ripple like flowing water; and unfamiliar furnaces surrounded by abundant natural energy.

There was no time to feel bored.

For as much as they were innately gifted in martial talent, they were also born master craftsmen. They had endless discussions about the new things they encountered.

The twins were two but one.

“Let’s go with a sword and a disc.”

The Poisonous Dragon said, standing in the middle of an empty street. Facing him, Poisonous Phoenix nodded knowingly, as if expecting this.

“Alright.”

“We finally have a chance to get back at that feather-brained old monster. Didn’t Silver Duke say that time was lacking to complete the Heavenly Myriad Rain?”

“Yeah. But if it’s the three of us, time becomes meaningless.”

“Silver Duke isn’t like us. He’s gone through some serious rebirth. Just looking at him, you can tell he’s completely transformed. I don’t know what kind of process he went through, but his body is like some divine weapon...”

“Just get to the point.”

Their words naturally lowered Golden Seal Lord and elevated Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Flame Dark King, who had delivered the technique of Heavenly Myriad Rain to their clan, inflicted heavy damage on the nearby Ten Battle Gate and Sunmaryeon, and ultimately gave the Tang Clan a chance to breathe.

And the Golden Seal Lord, who had left their father, the Tang Clan Head, at death’s door.

Even as they wandered around, taking in the sights, their conversations always circled back to Jeong Yeon-shin. Everything was merely a process of waiting for him.

And when the sun had tilted slightly westward, casting long shadows beneath the village houses—

The village’s former chief informed them that Jeong Yeon-shin had already left.

“Is he avoiding us?”

“Well, we did meet again looking like a mess... Who would think of us as the Twin Dragons of Poison when we were captured as prisoners of Golden Seal Gate?”

“That wasn’t the impression I got.”

The former chief, an old iron craftsman with long-standing ties to the Tang Clan, stroked his beard as he spoke.

The Tang siblings had a pride that matched their talent. They quickly regained their composure and started chattering again.

“But the Ghostly Tyrant is going to marry Seonmok Lord? The former head of the Peng Clan is a woman, isn’t she? And among the Twin Kings, isn’t the man the Supreme Elder of the Hwangbo Clan, Hwangbo Gon, the Divine Hand King?”

Poisonous Phoenix asked. Their words showed how quickly they had grasped the martial world’s affairs.

The old man chuckled.

“Peng Yeol-ran’s title is Tyrant King. There’s nothing in the world she can’t do. Be it men or women. The Eight Great Noble Houses aren’t bound by teachings but by surnames, so every generation, there’s always been one hedonist among them.”

Poisonous Dragon frowned.

“If she still has that kind of energy, then her martial arts must be strong too, huh?”

“Terrifyingly strong.”

“How strong?”

“The Twin Kings are absolute masters who have achieved both Half-Step Return to the Heavens and Reversal Rejuvenation. They wield unrestricted power due to their martial prowess, which is why they are called Kings—even among past masters.”

Hearing the old man’s response, the twins exchanged glances. They thought of the sword that had hung from Jeong Yeon-shin’s belt.

Poisonous Phoenix was the first to speak.

“I don’t feel at ease.”

“You too?”

“Silver Duke has a lot to protect. And judging by his visit, it looks like it’s for that reason again.”

They were from an artisan clan with an extraordinary lineage, and at the same time, direct blood descendants of the Tang Clan, the most renowned noble family of Sichuan.

They excelled in human anatomy studies and hidden weapon forging alike.

The twins didn’t merely observe swords with their eyes—they sensed them with their internal energy.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin had effortlessly manipulated delicate threads of energy to toy with Golden Seal Gate’s Internal Arts, the Twin Dragons of Poison could exert the same harmony over metals.

“The sword that hung from Silver Duke’s waist... wasn’t it the famed blade of Liaodong? The elders told us before—it has the Seven Stars constellation engraved on its hilt.”

Poisonous Dragon, Tang Yuhwa, spoke as he approached a nearby anvil.

As the village chief and the iron artisans stepped aside, Poisonous Phoenix, Tang Leryeo, casually tied her hair with a thin ribbon and followed her younger brother.

A faint green mist seeped from her small body.

It was Tang Clan’s Secret Art—Reversed Origin Three Yang Technique, a versatile internal energy technique used in metallurgy ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) and blacksmithing.

“It was so finely crafted that it reflected everything clearly, even though someone had completely ground down the blade pattern.”

Tang Leryeo said. Tang Yuhwa smirked.

“It wouldn’t be Silver Duke’s doing. It must have been that ridiculous Lord of Ipwang or whatever.”

“It’s the Meteor Sword of Liaodong, right?”

When his sister asked for confirmation, the younger brother nodded without hesitation.

“Without a doubt.”

“Right? But how did Mo Yong Clan’s treasured sword end up with him...? Weren’t we told he beheaded Zhuge Clan’s Head?”

“He probably beheaded both.”

“That even possible?”

“I don’t know.”

Poisonous Dragon, Tang Yuhwa, replied indifferently.

Yet his actions were different. Standing before the forge and bellows, gripping a hammer, and scanning his surroundings—his demeanor was that of a craftsman. The same went for his sister, standing beside him.

“If his opponent is the Ghostly Tyrant, it wouldn’t be surprising if the sword snaps in one second. Looked like the Mo Yong Clan’s Head used it pretty roughly.”

“Let’s make him a new one.”

That was their purpose in sitting before the forge.

The Northern Light Sword they had once gifted Jeong Yeon-shin had been tailored for his past self.

Its grip, tang, and blade were designed to harmonize with Blue Warrior Seomye.

But now, when even his limbs had changed, it could no longer bring out its full potential.

“Now, even if we refine the sword’s spirit and edge to their limits, he’ll be able to handle it.”

“He used to wield a Swift Sword. His Old Palace Acupoint in his palm must be extremely flexible. We need to start from there.”

“The way he grips his sword, he barely tenses his index finger, right? That’s what I saw.”

“I saw it too.”

“And now his Grounding Tendons are even more pronounced.”

“Right. We can shift the balance slightly forward.”

“Just a tiny fraction.”

“I know.”

The world faded away as the twins immersed themselves.

Their eyes gleamed with sky-blue light as they mentally reconstructed Jeong Yeon-shin’s body, grip, balance, and internal energy—all to design a divine sword.

They were the only ones capable of crafting the perfect weapon for him.

For that was the chivalry of the Tang Clan.

And with the support of villagers seeking to escape the oppression of the Twin Kings, their work began.

Thud—

The former village chief dropped a massive silver ore before them.

True Silver Ore.

It was a strange material. Despite its size, it seemed incredibly light, and its surface shimmered like rippling sunlight. At times, a luminous white glow could be glimpsed within.

“A true master of the sword could face a thousand foes with nothing but a reed leaf.”

The old man, upon seeing the sky-blue light in the twins’ eyes, stepped back as if taking on the role of an observer.

“But what happens when such a person wields a divine sword perfectly suited to their own body?”

The old man finished his words.

The twins did not answer.

In the open-air forge, dozens of artisans from the village had gathered around them. Beneath their feet, with the rough blasts of the bellows, a thick plume of smoke billowed into the air.

***

Fully Armed.

That was the phrase that suddenly came to Jeong Yeon-shin’s mind.

The external energy brushing against his skin felt like the tips of arrows.

It was as if he needed to encase his entire body in a protective aura, like the elite warriors of the army, and grip a reliable, beloved weapon in his hand.

Step.

By the time the twilight had settled faintly over the grass brushing against his legs, the lantern lights spreading from the distant manor had deepened the hues of the setting sun.

Finding the location of the Ghostly Tyrant King’s wedding was not difficult.

Laughter and voices rang out in a noisy commotion.

A wide, ochre-colored uphill road led directly toward the source of the ruckus.

It was just as Hahoe Wi-jin had transmitted to him through sound transmission while seeing him off at the village chief’s seat. All he had to do was follow the broad mountain path.

Saaa—

The Scattered Pagoda of the Peng Clan, established by the former clan head, loomed ahead. How many artisans had been exploited here over the years?

The closer he got to the peak, the more the grand, fortress-like structures of the manor stood out.

From within those halls, intangible waves of martial energy surged like a gathering storm.

"They said it was a stronghold of old masters."

The layered waves of accumulated energy were overwhelmingly dense.

A place brimming with elder martial artists of advanced age, rich in natural energy beyond any ordinary environment.

Regardless of their actual martial prowess, the sheer depth of the sect’s accumulated energy was undeniable.

It was proof that Jeong Yeon-shin had come to the right place.

At last, he arrived near the manor. Among the three seniors he was meant to escort back, he had found Hahoe Wi-jin, and now he was approaching Cheon So-so.

Yet, Jeong Yeon-shin felt uneasy.

His mind was plummeting into an abyss.

Because he had seen something in unexpected people—something he had never wanted to confront.

“The Tang Clan... The Supreme Elder...”

That old monster was now dead.

That elder had been executed by his own clan after being forced to take Severance Pill as punishment for conspiring with the Bloodflame Cult Leader.

He had gained something from his dealings with the Bloodflame Cult—a trait that allowed him to replicate forbidden martial techniques.

After receiving the anatomical diagrams of Seomye of Ipwang Fortress, the Supreme Elder had enacted a secret ritual, engraving that knowledge onto the bodies of his own grandchildren.

It was through the Heavenly Vision Technique and the brief, dazzling light of his upper energy core that Jeong Yeon-shin had glimpsed that moment through the eyes of the Tang twins.

A vast stone chamber.

The emaciated figure of the Supreme Elder of the Tang Clan, draped in golden silk robes.

The dagger in his wrinkled hand.

The eerie spell formations unique to the Bloodflame Cult, spread out around them.

Had he told the Twin Dragons of Poison?

Had he told them that they had less than two weeks to live?

It was the price of injecting his talents into bodies that were not his own.

What the Supreme Elder had performed was not a ritual—it was a slow-acting Poisonous Art of Death.

The heir of the Ming Cult, Poisonous Phoenix Tang Leryeo.

Poisonous Dragon Tang Yuhwa.

Figures that reminded Jeong Yeon-shin of a fractured mirror.

Perhaps the heavens, in their cruelty, were giving him a glimpse of his own inevitable fate.

There was no way he could be at ease.

Suddenly, the moniker of his uncle, Ma Jin, surfaced in his mind—The Executioner of the Abyss.

"An unfamiliar face."

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

"Has he undergone Reversal Rejuvenation?"

Two elderly men stood at the manor’s gates, blocking Jeong Yeon-shin’s path.

Their features exuded a clarity befitting immortals.

Draped in pale green robes, they looked pristine and dignified. Even the intangible energy subtly rippling around their bodies, like a gentle breeze, carried an air of refinement.

They had clearly cultivated Daoist martial arts to an extraordinary level. In any sect, they could easily hold positions as Protectors, Guardians, or Elders.

No one would mistake them for mere gatekeepers.

Their presence only served as further proof of the Ghostly Tyrant King’s standing.

"You must have spent considerable effort refining your internal breath. What is your name?"

"Bride."

"What?"

"Tell the bride to come out."

Either one of them.

Jeong Yeon-shin spat out the words curtly.

Craaaack—

At the same moment, the ground beneath his feet twisted into a spiraling crater.

The trajectory of his Radiant Wheel Qi, revolving from his heart, carved its path into the dust, leaving a distinct spiral in the earth.

And in an instant—

The Echoing Steel completed in his hands roared like thunder.