Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

“Huff—”

The village gatekeeper gasped belatedly.

Through his fading vision, he saw the figure of an otherworldly young man, wreathed in a faint, smoke-like aura.

It was an impossible sight for any martial artist to comprehend.

The Guardian Qi Barrier was an inner power technique, inseparable from a martial artist’s body—it wasn’t something as simple as a piece of clothing.

Even the one who cast it would struggle to impose it on another. The idea of having it forcibly stripped away was so unthinkable that no one even considered the possibility.

Unless one was born with an innate ability to perceive the flow of internal energy with absolute precision and wield an incomprehensible level of inner power control—

“You… who are you?”

A man of the highest standing even within the mighty Golden Western Gate.

It was only natural that the wielder of the Dragon Spirit Divine Fist would be stunned.

From the very first move, his technique had been disrupted. He should have immediately launched into his second strike, yet he hesitated, momentarily frozen in place.

Jeong Yeon-shin did not answer. Instead, he furrowed his brow slightly.

The ethereal, smoke-like energy enveloping his entire body—the tattered remnants of the Guardian Qi Barrier, now barely holding together. He was patching it up with his own energy, weaving it back together like cloth.

It was a crucial process.

By doing this, he was analyzing the flaws of an inferior-tier Guardian Qi Barrier.

Rather than absorbing impacts, its structure was designed to amplify the force of incoming attacks. While the outer layer remained fairly rigid, the internal energy within the barrier moved erratically, ceaselessly shifting.

‘Unruly. Constantly writhing.’

Wanyang’s inner power was bizarre. They said he had mastered the Dragon-Slaying Arts—his energy itself had an inherently dispersive nature.

Unlike the Tang siblings’ internal cultivation, which operated as if it were naturally adapted to this mystical environment, Wanyang’s energy seemed boundless, continuously seeking expansion.

‘Either way, I won’t be using this again.’

Jeong Yeon-shin concluded.

The technique of stripping an opponent’s Guardian Qi Barrier and wearing it himself.@@novelbin@@

If he attempted this in a battle between supreme martial artists, where Moonlight Dance techniques ran rampant, he would likely be struck down instantly by a counterattack.

Unless his opponent was an absolute fool, it was unlikely he’d ever pull it off again.

“What kind of monstrous trick… How could this…?!”