Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time

Techniques that incorporate armor are exceedingly rare.

In the vast world of martial arts, there are only three widely recognized martial disciplines that specialize in them.

The Beast Clans of the North, the Imperial Army, and the Ten Gates of Sichuan.

Though the martial artists of the world enjoy the order established by the empire, they shamelessly wield blades without proper qualifications. Yet even such sword-carrying paled in comparison to the audacity of wearing armor—an act that bordered on treason.

That was precisely why the Ten Gates had come to be known as the Thirteen Demonic Heavens.

They had taken in a retired grand general, a former pillar of the northern front, as their leader. Using his military connections, political cunning, and the isolated geography of Sichuan, they had found a way to circumvent imperial law.

And thus, the Peerless Grandmaster of the Ten Gates forged a martial discipline dedicated to armored combat.

A supreme martial art that allowed the Ten Gates to stand as an equal to the Tang Clan and the two great orthodox sects of Sichuan, and even rival the Pure Devil Sect.

A heavy silence followed.

The Tang Clan, Ten Gates, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect, and the Pure Devil Sect.

Even in the treacherous lands of Sichuan, these were towering figures—each a master of supreme martial prowess. None among them were strangers to battle formations.

And all of them had witnessed the same thing.

The famed Loyalty-Devouring Sky Art, one of the countless disciplines that cemented the Ten Gates’ reputation, had collided with the black-robed youth—only to be utterly destroyed.

Thud.

Chunks of blood, flesh, and shattered metal that had once been Engraved Scarlet Star, Zheng Qiu-kun, plummeted to the earth.

The vanguard of the Ten Gates had perished exactly as his rank dictated—first.

And in the midst of it all—

The black-robed youth, bathed in an almost bluish glow, didn’t so much as glance at the remains. Instead, his gaze remained calmly fixed on the Lord of the Ten Gates.

It was an unbelievable sight.

Even Zekun Long of Qingcheng, the one who had shouted out Zheng Qiu-kun’s name, could not believe his eyes. Nor could the Lord of the Ten Gates himself, who had been silently observing Jeong Yeon-shin all this time.

“…Qiu-kun.”

The Lord of the Ten Gates murmured.

Sunlight flickered faintly in the eyes of a warrior who had fought through countless battlefields.@@novelbin@@

Among the elite of the Ten Gates, those who shared the rank of Master were not merely subordinates—they were also disciples.