Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

The sword that had streaked through the sky plunged into the earth and vanished without a trace.

The ground trembled violently, and the shockwave that had trailed down from the sky crashed into the earth.

Hwaaaaah—!

A faint ripple spread in the air.

Perhaps it was due to the sword's unique spiritual resonance, but the wind seemed almost tangible—like the aftermath of a martial master unleashing an air-splitting technique.

"……."

The wide-brimmed hat of the Celestial Extreme Lord wobbled as it was knocked backward.

Yulha Nangnang, who had been silently watching him, felt a few damp strands of hair brush past her ear. And before anyone had noticed, the Seventh Apostle, who had been perched in the tree, had vanished.

Sabak.

A figure stepped onto the spot where the sword had embedded itself.

A black leather boot, stained with dark red blood.

The hem of an intensely crimson long robe fluttered above the ground.

The one wearing the Bloodflame Cult’s pureblood robes, the Seventh Apostle, slowly parted her lips.

A crazed gleam flickered in her single eye. The eerie glow of blood-infused inner energy.

“…Yeoroe.”

The moment she muttered the name—

"Celestial Extreme Lord."

From a distance, seated where she had been, Yulha Nangnang called out to the blind man in the straw hat.

"What do you intend to do?"

"Ah."

The Celestial Extreme Lord curved his lips into a smile. He untied the cord securing his sheathed sword at his waist and gripped it, scabbard and all.

As if preparing to dive ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) into a lake.

For him, there was no distinction between the earth and water. He was a supreme swordsman—one said to sever even the fundamental principles of the universe.

"A curious thing, is it not? I shall go down and confirm it for myself. It seems my bundle of tales is about to gain a new story."

Compared to before, something was subtly different about the blind man known as the Supreme Unorthodox Sword.

His expression bore a faint trace of disbelief, but also a hint of excitement, as if something he had long awaited was finally within reach.

The man once called the Violet One of Ipwang Fortress had been destined to carve a legend with his sword alone, yet he met his end due to reckless actions.

It had been one of two things: either he had failed to recognize his own limits, or he had valued the lives of commoners and Yulha Nangnang over his own.

Either way, he had been a fool.

"It has always bothered me that I could not guide a promising junior down a singular path. Even if that path was branded as unorthodox, if he possessed such natural talent, was it not his duty to see the end of the sword’s path?"

Thud.

A hazy surge of energy erupted from the Celestial Extreme Lord’s entire body.

He had momentarily drawn upon an immense amount of internal energy.

He was the first to have forced Jeong Yeon-shin into a true defeat during a mission.

A life-and-death bond forged through battle—nothing could run deeper.

One could say he had shared the closest connection with Jeong Yeon-shin in all of Hangzhou.

"Do nothing."

Yulha Nangnang, still seated, issued a warning.

But the Celestial Extreme Lord merely smiled faintly.

"If he truly lives, then he has revealed himself too soon. As the master of all that is unorthodox, how could I ignore it?"

He should have healed before stepping forward.