I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 102
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 102
102 – The Beginning of Fracture
#1
What had happened in the Slums spread throughout the Namgung Family’s Main Estate like wildfire.
It was an incident in which So Yeon, the mistress of the family, had nearly come to harm.
News of Calamity, naturally, rippled outward in all directions.
Even the Elder Council regarded this matter gravely.
Especially the Grand Elder.
He had summoned all the elders to discuss countermeasures.
Right now, internal disputes mattered less than ensuring the Namgung Family did not crumble.
“When exactly did these demons take root in Anhui?”
…….
“Yi Elder, have you noticed any suspicious activity at the Martial Academy or Chel Ryong Pavilion under your watch?”
Yi Elder nodded.
At least in the places he administered, discipline had been maintained rigorously.
“No such activity has been reported thus far, sir. There are a few instructors still requiring investigation, but…….”
“Troubling. We are in the midst of the Small Family Head Competition, and the competence of the instructors is crucial…….”
Yi Elder fell silent.
Two incidents had already occurred in which trainees nearly lost their lives at the training grounds.
Reports had also come in of frequent demon attacks during missions.
And then.
“Grand Elder, it is Seongeom Daejoo.”
“What brings you so suddenly?”
The voice of Seongeom Daejoo came from beyond the door, raised in urgency.
What could be so pressing as to interrupt such an important discussion among the elders?
If it were not grave, such an intrusion would warrant considerable reproach.
But the news being conveyed was urgent enough to warrant interrupting the council.
What came through was truly shocking.
“During this mission, Yi Elder’s grandson…….”
…….
“What, what are you saying……?”
The Small Family Head Competition of the Namgung Family was known to be brutal.
But that brutality stemmed from unforeseen accidents or internal power struggles.
Deaths during minor missions were extraordinarily rare.
Yet…….
The news struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Yi Elder shot to his feet and demanded an answer.
This could not be.
The next words to be spoken would require the utmost care.
“What, what did you just say?”
“Yi Elder, please compose yourself—”
“Choose your next words with extreme caution!”
Yi Elder’s voice roared like a tiger’s cry.
The next words came with difficulty.
As they would.
There is always a suffocating pressure when delivering grave news.
All the more so when it concerns the death of a grandson of a major elder of the Namgung Family…….
Seongeom Daejoo’s lips finally opened.
His eyes were squeezed shut so tightly that even those beyond the door could see it…….
At last, the words no one wished to hear came from his mouth.
“Your grandson fell in combat during the mission. His body has been recovered and is being transported to the Main Estate.”
…….
“Who, who did this? Who!”
For a warrior, death is like the grim reaper that forever walks beside him.
But there is no law that says it must be one’s own family.
The elders fell silent.
Only massive rage filled the chamber.
Yi Elder—Namgung Hyeon Baek—rose unsteadily and opened the door.
Not one soul dared attempt to stop him.
Not even the Grand Elder, holder of the Namgung Family’s power.
“Grand Elder, forgive me. I should take my leave now.”
“Your condolences do you credit.”
……
The Grand Elder had lost his family before his eyes.
What must he have felt in that moment?
The world itself seemed to collapse.
Not just recently—he too had known a similar anguish once before.
And so there was nothing he could say.
All he could do now was let the man grieve fully, let him pour out his rage.
Yi Elder departed, and silence settled over the room.
It was Third Elder who broke that oppressive stillness.
“So then, what do you mean to do? The matter seems to be spiraling beyond our control.”
“I wonder if we ought to proceed with the Small Family Head Competition as planned.”
“That is a dangerous thing to say. The Namgung have never bent before any threat.”
Someone voiced their concern, but Third Elder strongly opposed it.
The Grand Elder, listening quietly, wore a confused expression.
Those who rise from adversity will grow stronger for it.
But then……
What of the countless victims born from that struggle?
‘What if that sacrifice were my own family?’
Then what would one do?
As he deliberated, Third Elder’s voice rang out once more.
“As they say, one may turn disaster into blessing. This crisis is precisely the right moment to weaken the Family Head’s influence.”
“Do you truly mean that……?”
“It is work that must be done regardless, and he is someone who must fall for the greater cause. If one is to become ruthless—well, times like these are opportune for it.”
The Grand Elder’s deliberation only deepened.
Those who opposed him now stood against those who did not.
The chamber where the Elder Council convened was swiftly descending into chaos.
And there was one who observed all of this in silence.
……
Baekryong Daejoo.
He watched quietly as the council fractured before him.
Yes.
So this is all you do—squabble over your own scraps of power.
In time, all will become clear.
Who will be the next master of the Namgung Family……
Baekryong Daejoo observed the council with cool eyes.
The old men grow only more feeble.
The young ones remain impetuous and inexperienced.
‘In the end, it is we of the middle generation who will lead what comes next.’
They do not know.
What machinations unfold beneath the surface.
What turmoil the Namgung Family will soon face……
#2
At that same moment.
Namgung Yeon stood quietly before the Waterfall.
After vanquishing Calamity, new treasures in Biho’s collection had been unlocked.
Today was the day to test these newly acquired items in a place where no one would see.
Before, they had sharpened his eyes, allowing him to perceive what was hidden.
More precisely, they had awakened his Middle Dantian and Upper Dantian, elevating his realm.
Now it was time to strengthen those centers even further.
‘To reach the Peak realm, activation of the Middle Dantian is essential……’
The Middle Dantian symbolizes Qi.
To master the advanced techniques spoken of in legend—the Void Grasping Technique, Water Surface Flight, Grass Surface Flight—one’s Middle Dantian played an indispensable role.
Countless martial artists died never knowing this secret, spending their whole lives cultivating only the Lower Dantian.
In the end, only those who grasped the true path could reach that rarest pinnacle—the realm of the Super Peak Master.
‘What I will consume this time……’
Dragon Vein Stone.
Some called it a dragon’s inner core; others spoke of it as a spirit stone gathered with breath from the dragon veins for thousands of years.
What was certain was that inside this Dragon Vein Stone dwelt an energy that strengthened the heart.
“This one here? We procured it from the distant Western Regions.”
“What was it called again…? Dragon Heart, wasn’t it?”
The heart of a dragon.
Whether it was genuine or not, he couldn’t say for certain, but this spiritual stone too had cost more than ten thousand taels of gold to obtain.
Even in this era, it surely existed somewhere.
“They say that the more you consume it, the more new abilities manifest. But for now, I’ve managed to acquire only one.”
A dragon—a creature Namgung Yeon himself had never laid eyes upon, a mysterious being beyond comprehension.
Thus, from the moment he first discovered a Dragon Vein Stone, he had steadily accumulated them with each passing cycle.
What he’d gathered amounted to roughly ten.
Their efficacy had already been proven.
After all, he had consumed one himself.
Back then, with no time to prepare, he had simply swallowed the stone whole.
As a result, he had lost most of the energy in the process.
“With merely that small fraction of energy, I…reached the Peak Realm. Even then, only barely at its edge.”
If he could absorb the full measure of this energy and take in all of it together with the Heavenly Genius Spirit Pill…
Perhaps because it was a Dragon Vein Stone, this stone radiated tremendous heat.
That was why he had come to the Waterfall, where the water’s energy ran strong.
He wouldn’t consume the stone directly; rather, when Internal Energy was infused into it, the condensed energy within would be released outward.
By absorbing that energy through Qi Circulation, his Middle Dantian would begin to activate.
The energy emanating from the Dragon Vein Stone could only coil and settle in the region where the heart dwelt.
‘The True Qi I release will take on countless forms.’
His own path, reached through countless trials and errors.
In pursuit of strength, he had coveted great wealth, and had even paid for the knowledge to guide his direction.
The conclusion was singular.
Each person possessed their own method, yet a fundamental principle always existed.
Though the teachings differed, when examined closely, the essence that ran through them was always the same.
Through decades of wandering, questioning, and investigating, he had compiled all that knowledge to forge his own Martial Way.
Now, he need only walk that path, money in hand.
“This time, I will absorb all the energy…”
So that a new Heavenly Prison would be born within Namgung.
Namgung Yeon hurled himself into the waterfall and immediately began Qi Circulation at full force.
Whoooosh—!
And in that same moment, tremendous Extreme Yang Qi surged forth from the Dragon Vein Stone.
“Grrrraaagh—!”
In the water, Namgung Yeon began absorbing the Yang Qi that felt as though it would scorch his entire body.
Soon, bubbles began rising to the surface.
Glub-glub-glub—!
The bubbling grew more and more violent.
‘Now, I absorb it all until the very end.’
The Yin Qi that nature possessed.
And the Yang Qi that the Dragon Vein Stone possessed.
He sought to absorb both of these opposing forces entirely.
The Vast Firmament Grand Evolution Divine Art.
Fill it to overflowing, even to the Firmament itself.
If he could do so, the two opposing energies would become One Source, and be reborn in a new form.
Crack-crack-crack—!
From Namgung Yeon’s entire body, blue Thunder Lightning erupted in a single instant.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————