Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time Chapter 7

be recognized (3)

“Do you have any doubts about the evaluation of nature?”

“no.”

“I guess you’re curious about the test method. It’s simple.”

The examiner spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“Do the quickest swordsmanship you can. One sword will suffice. I will watch and judge.”

‘It’s simple.’

Jeongyeonshin felt relieved.

That’s why I guessed there would be a complicated method.

Heonwonchang, who had an anxious expression on his face, seemed to have different thoughts, but discussing his skills based on a single swordsmanship was a generous action that may seem narrow-minded at first glance.

Because in the real-life situations that Jeong Yeon-shin experienced, there were all kinds of variables.

The first test seemed to be just a sieve.

“Can I do it right away?”

He asked, taking a few steps back. The examiner nodded.

“I, I’ll do it first!”

It was Heonwonchang. He looked at Jeongyeonshin as if he was sorry and made a mouth shape.

‘I’m so nervous. I’m sorry.’

Jeong Yeon-shin, who hadn’t paid much attention, nodded her head.

Heonwonchang, who stood in the spot where the boy had stepped back, grabbed the sword.

He glances at the examiner who has his arms crossed as if telling him to draw his sword at any moment, then hardens his expression and takes a serious stance.

Although it wasn’t an exceptionally special form of gimmick, Jeongyeonshin sensed waves of true energy rising from his entire body.

‘Strong.’

He had a well-polished appearance. Better than any of the ronin I had seen on the way to Yangyang.

‘When your energy is refined, there is no waste. You can pour all your power into the sword.’

It was as Jeongyeonshin was thinking. The air split apart with the swing of Hyeonwonchang’s sword.

“Huh! That guy is a bit different.”

“I don’t think I saw it.”

“I only saw something whitish.”

Those who were watching burst into exclamations. There were even gamblers who quickly placed bets on whether or not they would pass.

“It’s okay.”

The examiner nodded.

A bright smile appeared on Heonwonchang’s face, and the examiner took the number cards from him.

Heonwonchang returned to Jeongyeonshin’s side and whispered.

“For this first test, if the unmanned person receives the card, you pass, and if they ask you to return the card to the reception desk, you fail.”

“How many times did you pass the first test?”

“Well, the second test, the martial arts test, was always a problem.”

“Is there a third one?”

“It’s an interview with the Lord of the Heavenly Kingdom. There are even martial artists who come to Yangyang just to see that. They want to gain insight and enlightenment.”

“okay.”

Jeong Yeon-shin nodded and stepped forward.

Those who had mixed reactions to the results of the bet on the Heonwonchang, and even those who had a look of incredulity, showed a questioning reaction.

“Are you really an applicant?”

“What a spirited young swordsman.”

“Right. If you’re from another region, when will you be able to conduct a swordsmanship demonstration in front of the unmanned Iphwangseong?”

“It would be a valuable experience to hear even a single word of advice.”

Among those who were gossiping, the gamblers didn’t even place a bet.

Some people smiled as if they were watching a joke.

Jeong Yeon-shin, who silently placed her hand on the sword, looked at the examiner.

He nodded with an indifferent expression.

“You may begin.”

The next moment.

“······.”

Nothing happened.

The only thing that had changed was that the sword was now pulled out of Jeongyeonshin’s hand.

It was a sight that seemed to be completely disjointed when you closed your eyes and opened them again. Only the examiner nodded with a stiff face.

“The future of Ip Hwang Seong is here.”

The rave reviews were overwhelming. The onlookers and Heonwonchang reacted as if they could not have imagined it.

People with their mouths wide open or looking at the person next to them as if they had misheard, especially Heonwonchang’s dumbfounded expression was a sight to behold.

Jeongyeon Shin was surprised in another way.

‘I haven’t even seen him wielding a sword.’

Now, the examiner seemed to have seen the quick swordsmanship that was invisible to his own eyes.

Is that really what an eye technique is? It was said that reading an opponent’s attacks was also a martial art.

“Give me the pattern.”

“······yes.”

“Hmm. Thirteen times.”

An examiner who accepts the award and writes down the letters with one hand as if engraving them in his mind.

His eyes, looking intently at Jeong Yeon-shin, seemed to be filled with a variety of emotions.

Soon, he closed his eyes as if he had given up on something and nodded. It meant for him to get out.

“then.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who put away his sword and took a lottery ticket, left the training ground.

Heonwonchang, who had been standing stiffly, hurriedly follows.

The close, prying eyes were a little irritating.

“Why is that?”

“Th, that······ Are you by any chance a descendant of a famous family?”

Jeongyeon Shin smiled at the careful engineering.

“Then what changes? After entering the Imperial Palace, I think it all comes down to martial arts, talent, and effort.”

“Huh… Confucius really intends to pass the imperial examination.”

“Isn’t that why you came here? Not just me, but Heonwon hyung too.”

“······That’s right. That’s right.”

Heonwonchang closed his mouth.

He was staying in another guest house, and after a long while of silence, he said goodbye and disappeared.

Jeongyeon Shin hoped to pass the second test with that kind and talkative man.

* * *

The cycles for the primary and secondary tests were one week and two months, respectively.

At the point when Jeongyeonshin passed the first test, the second test was about three weeks away.

During that time, he practiced the Jeonggadonggong, Kwaigeomgyeol, and the amplification method of Jin-gi operation called Shigeukgyeong.

In the mountains outside the inn, all three were used, and when returning to the room, the Shigeukgyeong was used.

It’s good to create new martial arts, but I think it’s better to practice the skills you have now that you’re about to enter actual combat.

Non-combat. A match where you compare the martial arts you have learned.

It is said that the last poem ends with one revealing one’s own inaction along with the opponent.

Jeong Yeon-shin devoted the remaining time solely to martial arts, and during that time, Heonwonchang never visited him even once.

-Growling.

And now.

“This is······.”

The inside of Iphwangseong Fortress was filled with dozens of magnificent and splendid halls.

All the passing drones gave off a stern aura.

A single line of horizon that seems to stretch across the world, and a cluster of numerous pavilions located next to a vast natural landscape.

While moving under the guidance of a servant, people in the same situation as Jeong Yeon-shin were seen.

“This is the best martial arts training ground in the world······.”

“I heard that the one in white uniform is a beginner warrior, but how can he be so powerful?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If you just wear white, your future will be bright and secure.”

“I wonder what kind of sleeping dragon will appear this time······.”

“I, the super-strong Hansan, will now become a dragon that stretches its legs!”

It seemed like they were strangers but they were talking so well, and then Jeong Yeon-shin saw a familiar face.

He seemed to have found Jeongyeonshin as well and approached her with a happy expression on his face.

“Your Majesty! You seem to have grown taller!”

“Hyung Heonwon’s complexion also looks good.”

“There were some small accomplishments.”

Heonwonchang, who still had the conspicuous yellow dragon hero statue on his forehead, stroked the base of his nose.

“But you still can’t know. Winning this test isn’t important. Even if you only do one of the two rounds, it’s enough to catch the eye of the Ip Hwang-seong master who’s watching the round… That’s the hardest part.”

“I guess that means you can still fall even after winning a duel.”

“That’s right. It’s obvious that the judges’ eyes will be even more critical today.”

“Why is that so?”

“I guess you haven’t heard the rumor. They say that a white giraffe will appear at the entrance ceremony today.”

“If it’s Baek Gi-rin, then Namgung Se-ga?”

“Yes. I heard he was already famous in Namjikrye. Before he turned fifteen, he destroyed a notorious bandit group, and defeated the black sword master Bunsalgaek. There’s also a story that when he was eighteen, he defeated all the other late-level sect members of the same age at the Yongbong branch. The Yongbong branch is a place where late-level sect members of prestigious families socialize, and no one has denied the rumors, so it could be true, right?”

This time, even Jeongyeonshin couldn’t hide her surprise.

At that level, he is a strong person who deserves the nickname of Kirin, a legendary spirit.

The reality of the martial arts world that I had only heard of here and there in Shinya-hyeon was so close to me that it really felt like I had entered the world of martial arts.

“If you are the successor of the Namgung family, then you have no shortcomings. If you have even Muwi, why not go to Iphwangseong?”

“That’s because he’s an illegitimate child. He can’t become the head of the household.”

The nearby Heonwonchang covered his mouth and whispered.

Jeong Yeon-shin, who frowned at the breath she felt in her ears, quickly fell down.

Heonwonchang chuckled as if he had never felt distant from the public before.

“It is said that the Lord of the Imperial Family is a noble family and maintains his position with a youthful appearance even after two hundred years, but if he were to rise to the rank of Danju, he would not be envious of the heads of the eight great families. In fact, his power would be even greater. Since he is in the center of the Central Plains and coordinates the order of the martial arts world.”

“Was it that much?”

“Isn’t it natural that Ip Hwang-seong is not absent from any of the great martial arts world? If not from Sega, where did you come from in the countryside?”

Jeongyeonshin walked with her mouth shut.

Heonwonchang followed with a smile, as if he was looking at a cute little brother.

“Please wait here. When your name is called, you can walk to the training ground.”

The practitioner left behind about thirty applicants.

The place where they stopped was a small flower garden behind a large smokehouse.

There was another one on the other side, and there were people gathered there too.

Along with the green sprouts sprouting up, flower petals bloomed here and there in a splendid way. But no one paid attention to the scenery.

Each pose has its own unique appearance, such as standing with one’s eyes closed and practicing mental meditation or staring into an empty space.

Jeong Yeon-shin waited, turning her pupils with subtle movements.

Soon, one by one, people from both sides began to be called out.

They fought among the unmanned Iphwangseong soldiers who sat in a circle in the center.

After the fight, the shoulders of those heading north seemed to pierce the sky, while those heading south had their shoulders slumped.

“I wonder how that could happen······.”

Heonwonchang couldn’t hide his impatience again.

“Among the martial artists who passed the first test to distinguish between jade and stone, there is probably no one who has not heard of their talents at least once. I was also called a martial artist genius in our county.”

It was heartbreaking to see her acting coquettish as if trying to relieve her tension.

“How cruel and difficult it is to be selected among these people. Even to perform martial arts in the midst of the masters of Ip Hwang Seong.”

“Isn’t it exciting?”

“hmm?”

“It’s exciting to be recognized for your talent. At least it’s twice as good as being ignored as a weirdo.”

“Confucius······.”

It was the moment when Heonwonchang was about to say something.

“Hanaseong Namyang! Shinyahyun’s Jeongyeonshin, come out!”

The attendant who ran to the flower garden called.

“I hope to see you again. Here, at Iphwangseong.”

Jeong Yeon-shin, who placed her left hand on the sword on her left waist, walked out of the garden with a leisurely gait. Heon-won-chang’s shout rang out from behind.

“Let’s definitely do that!”

* * *

The first rain was mild.

The opponent was a strange person, from the very beginning, saying that he had come from a small village to practice alone.

It is said that there are Four Books and Three Classics in the world and that various sects each spread their own teachings, but unless a person is a martial artist who has properly studied the martial arts, most martial artists live in their own world.

The only spirit of the times is the survival of the fittest.

There are so many different types of people in the Central Plains that it is impossible to guess the values and words and actions of others.

“You are a moth that is struggling without even knowing that the destination is despair!”

The swordsman said with a smirk, his yellow teeth flashing.

As soon as the fight began, Jeongyeonshin struck her opponent in the mouth with her sword.