Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The land of Hangzhou was vast beyond measure.

There were even three relay stations within the city itself.

It had not always been this way.

Before the founding of the Ming dynasty, there had been two cities, Jiaxing and Shaoxing, above and below Hangzhou. However, during the founding era, a monstrous, unruly warlord and the imperial concubine of the Ming’s first emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, clashed in a battle that left both cities in ruins.

Thus, they were absorbed into Hangzhou.

Even more, during that time, the ground itself had risen from the sea between the three cities, transforming Hangzhou into the overwhelmingly vast metropolis that now dominated Zhejiang province.

The imperial family did not divide the land into separate districts. The people's sentiment had to be considered.

Hangzhou had long been known as a wealthy land, and distinguishing it from the ruins of neighboring regions would have been unwise.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, in the aftermath of war, did not divide the city into separate provinces but instead shaped it into a place where people from all walks of life could coexist and thrive.

That was why the Lord of Annihilation still existed today.

Despite being pursued by warriors from Celestial Extremity Gate and Taemosan Fortress, he continued to roam Hangzhou. The sheer vastness of the land made it possible.

Step.

A wet footprint was left behind.

This was the dockside, known to be the site of a battle among Jeong Yeon-shin and other absolute masters of the martial world. Crowds had gathered like a cloud.

Swordsmen scanning the surroundings, hoping to find traces of the legendary swordplay. Poets and scholars, drawn here by tales of the highest-ranking martial artists. Idlers, accompanied by armed escorts, wandering in search of rare spectacles. Merchants, clutching their coin pouches tightly, selling flatbreads and sweets among the throng.

The murmuring of voices was a deafening cacophony, and the merchants, wary of thieves, called out with restrained caution. The gentle sound of rippling water mingled with the noise.

There were few unremarkable people here.

Unless one was truly desperate with hunger, common folk tended to keep their distance.

"Did the divine warriors truly cross blades here?"

"Can’t you see the dock is cut clean? It must have been the Celestial Extremity Gate Master’s technique. You know the story, don’t you? That he deflected the Divine Sword of Yeonhwa Nata all the way into the heart of the city..."

"So that’s what happened!"

"Sweets, sweets for sale! The finest sweets you’ll find...!"

Amidst the crowd, the Silent War Monarch, Shin Hwang, stood quietly.

A travel pack slung over one shoulder, clad in a plain yellow robe.

His long, lanky limbs were exposed beneath the coarse fabric. The body of a martial artist with an unusually long reach.

His face was concealed beneath a broad-brimmed hat, casting a shadow over his features.

Shin Hwang had no qualms about disguising himself. The success of the mission always came first.

The Lord of Annihilation of the Divine Sword Sect was famous throughout the martial world as a symbol of Ipwang Fortress’s prestige, yet he had never particularly cared for maintaining appearances in his travels.

Indifference would be a fair way to describe it.

He thought of Seomye.

A boy he had known since his earliest days as a White Rank warrior.