I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 46

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 46
46 – Preparation
#1
The room was striking for its lighting, which mimicked the hues of dusk just as its name suggested.
Wol Yeong kept her trembling heart hidden as she regarded the enigmatic figure before her in silence.
Unless the other party spoke first, it would be discourteous to broach one’s business prematurely.
“You’ve come from Namgung Clan, you say. What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to purchase this tower.”
“Purchase the tower? Surely no one would have tasked you with such an absurd undertaking. Tell me your true purpose.”
Clearly, her opponent was skilled.
The idea of taking over Hwanghaklou was Wol Yeong’s own strategy, not something Namgung Yeon had instructed her to do.
And yet she had sensed it.
The figure before her was not someone capable of handling this troublesome enterprise.
So she resolved to press harder still.
Her true business, then…
It would become her true business from this moment forward.
This matter of purchasing Hwanghaklou.
“My true purpose is precisely that. I’ve come to make Hwanghaklou the property of the Namgung Clan.”
……
“Whatever its price, the Namgung Clan surely possesses the means to pay it.”
To be honest, she had no idea whether Namgung Yeon, merely the fourth son, had the wealth to purchase Hwanghaklou outright.
Yet somehow Wol Yeong believed it sufficient—entirely possible.
For when one gazed into those eyes, which seemed to draw one in with an almost hypnotic pull, the impossible appeared not to exist.
On the other hand.
The figure before her appeared to fall into thought upon hearing her words.
A woman’s body had come to this place.
And moreover… she continued to make unreasonable demands.
Was she saying that she herself was not enough?
“I cannot fathom what secrets are so grave that you would make such an immodest request.”
“Then are you saying the person over there has no right to deliberate?”
“Hm-hm… My suspicions were correct after all. I’m afraid I cannot summon the clan’s principal figures at present. However…”
The atmosphere shifted.
Yes.
Now the true negotiation would begin.
So the Namgung Clan was indeed moving in the shadows.
The enigmatic figure continued, thinking as much.
“You, too, must bring the genuine party—not a proxy. That is where genuine negotiations shall commence.”
“Tell me the date and place.”
“I hear the Namgung Clan is currently in the midst of the Succession Tournament. Is that correct?”
Wol Yeong nodded.
Indeed, they too possessed knowledge of her circumstances.
Thinking that nothing in this world was beyond reach, she waited for what came next.
“I shall make my own preparations. Come once the first trial is concluded.”
“…Very well.”
At least she had secured the appointment.
Until then, it would suffice to keep this troublesome affair well guarded.
With that thought, Wol Yeong rose from her seat.
“One more thing.”
The enigmatic figure stopped her.
Wol Yeong turned back to hear what he would say.
“Can the Namgung Clan truly afford to purchase Hwanghaklou?”
“…They shall manage.”
……
The enigmatic figure fell silent for a time.
Then, with a nod, he pressed the Guest Dismissal Token into her hand.
“How intriguing. Until next we meet.”
Wol Yeong stepped out from Hwanghaklou.
She exhaled softly and spoke to herself.
“Let’s return. We must head to Hapbi.”
Her pace quickened.
#2
Though called a tournament, the preparation period passed in nothing but peace and tedium.
The thrill of learning Intermediate Martial Arts faded quickly; the three-person teams soon found themselves cursing the ever-harsher training regimen.
They’d barely skimmed the surface of Intermediate Martial Arts before being thrust directly into sparring.
It was a training protocol that Namgung Yeon, as team leader, had relentlessly driven forward.
“This… is this even something a human can endure?”
“I’ll collapse dead before I even master Intermediate Martial Arts.”
Rough breaths escaping from their lips.
And Namgung Yeon observing them with detachment.
This particular sparring session was rather unusual.
Teammates now possessed different characteristics.
The exercise’s premise was to have two such individuals simultaneously rush at Namgung Yeon.
The objective was simple enough.
To cultivate the ability to survive in a Chaotic Battle.
And to ensure one’s own presence didn’t become a hindrance to one’s allies.
“Phew… We’ve only trained in individual combat until now, and suddenly we’re doing this?”
“And this bastard keeps getting in the way.”
“Says the one who was thrashing about like a madman.”
“What did you just say!?”
Lee Hyeon and Namgung Jinjin.
Their coordination was, to put it mildly, disastrous.
One might reasonably ask, then:
Didn’t they practice fighting enemies as a team during the mock battle?
‘That was only possible because they used the same Swordsmanship and the same Internal Energy Cultivation Method.’
Why does any military force place such emphasis on standardization?
Because when each individual moves differently, coordination becomes impossible in group combat.
Or more precisely, it becomes extraordinarily difficult.
That’s why they learn only formalized martial arts from the start, training solely as instruments of collective warfare.
But what of those in the martial world?
One can be ambushed even while walking a solitary path—such is the lot of a martial artist.
Moreover, demons are certainly watching and waiting for every chance to strike.
“Develop your spatial awareness further. If your ally moves beyond your range, you must know when to gracefully yield ground.”
……
“That’s why I’ve paired you two together. Your pride is far too strong.”
Namgung Yeon had deliberately grouped Lee Hyeon and Namgung Jinjin as one team.
Ho Ho was there, and Se Woon as well.
And Geon Ho, too, possessed a reserved temperament.
Of course, it would be nice if those whose temperaments matched well sparred together.
One yielding, one pressing the offensive…
‘But then only their jagged personalities would stand out.’
Namgung Yeon had seen many demons throw themselves at their foes even as they fell, desperate and clawing.
Their first targets were always those like Namgung Jinjin and Lee Hyeon.
Those who burned like brilliant, blazing flames.
For their protection, it was necessary to teach them something.
Demons deceive us.
Then we too must learn to deceive demons.
Namgung Yeon’s gaze grew progressively murkier.
“Again. Once this is finished, I’ll give you all a gift myself.”
“Oh…”
“A gift? Is it like the one from last time?”
“That’s a secret.”
Namgung Yeon drew his sword, his expression remaining impassive.
They are those who walk bearing the curse of death.
Being the brightest beacon, that curse would crash down upon them as a landmark.
Sometimes that fire needed to be extinguished.
And so the training would continue.
Namgung Jinjin and Lee Hyeon drew their swords anew.
“Your eyes have grown keen.”
“Now that I’m a man, I can’t disgrace myself by losing to you again.”
“Well said. It’s been a while since you’ve thought the same as me.”
Namgung Jinjin and Lee Hyeon exchanged a glance.
Then, in unison, they both frowned and widened the space between them.
“Don’t interfere.”
“You’re the one getting in the way.”
As if racing each other, they both lunged toward Namgung Yeon.
#3
After the training session ended, Namgung Yeon surveyed the Infinite Archive.
Since time remained, he thought it was time to retrieve something new for his own strengthening.
The faster one grew stronger, the better.
‘This time I’ll need to borrow the power of the spiritual essence.’
Before meeting the Formation Master, his plan was to fortify his body, consume spiritual elixirs, and build resistance against the Evil Arts.
Serious training could wait until after he met the Formation Master.
From that point forward, his growth would accelerate dramatically, so there was no need to rush now.
[Infinite Archive]
[Thousand Year Fragrant Cypress]
(千壽香柏)
A cypress tree.
It grew in terrain surrounded entirely by silver-hued trees, a wood of extraordinary rarity bearing a deep brown bark.
When such a tree absorbed the fragrance of that region for a thousand years, it became the Thousand Year Fragrant Cypress.
Eun Rim Gok.
A legendary forest where immortals were said to have once dwelt.
Everything was shrouded in illusion, and only the chosen could enter such a place.
Save for the ancient Rei Shin, no one had ever managed to set foot within it.
‘Such precious material, drawn from a place like that. Of course… after obtaining it that first time, I’ve been collecting more every visit.’
[Quantity: 80]
[Retrievable amount: 1]
Just one.
Only a Thousand Year Fragrant Cypress the size of a palm could be withdrawn.
Had it not been for her, he would have grown far stronger by now.
Namgung Yeon released a small sigh and immediately settled into a cross-legged position.
“Man Ho.”
“Yes.”
“Let no one enter from this moment forward.”
“I shall keep it secure with utmost diligence.”
From now on, this time belonged to him alone.
To summarize his current state briefly:
His Internal Energy reserves had far exceeded the first-rate level.
His comprehension of swordsmanship and martial arts was truly exceptional, and he had gained some resistance to toxins along with a body of steel.
What he needed to do from here was clear, yet extraordinarily difficult.
It was to activate all three Dantians.
Namgung Yeon’s body had been in a deplorable state.
He had suffered from Severed Meridians, and years without proper training had left him awash in toxins.
‘Until now, I’ve managed through sheer skill, but from here on, I must prepare with a solid foundation.’
He consumed the Heavenly Talent Spirit Pill and the Five-Color Secret Pill.
Furthermore, through expensive medicinal herb baths he had spent lavishly on, he had cleansed most of the impurities from within his body.
As the toxins had nearly vanished and his body had become as pristine as an infant’s, he judged the attempt safe to make.
The Thousand Year Fragrant Cypress would serve to facilitate the opening of both the middle and upper Dantians.
Moreover, its compatibility with the Five-Color Secret Pill was quite favorable.
‘Let me begin.’
To overcome the Illusion Art and the Soul Capture Art, activation of the upper Dantian was essential.
And to reach the pinnacle, activation of the middle Dantian was likewise necessary.
Whoosh!
Namgung Yeon placed a spark upon the cypress wood as if conducting a sacred ritual.
Soon, a mysterious and fragrant aroma began to spread through the air.
His body awakened, and he felt organs that had existed without awareness stirring to life.
“Exhale…”
In truth, Namgung Yeon did not particularly enjoy this process either.
The first time he had inhaled the fragrance of the Thousand Year Fragrant Cypress, he had lost consciousness on the spot.
What is the Illusion Art?
And then, what of the Soul Capture Art?
It was a martial art that invaded the opponent’s upper Dantian directly.
It mostly worked by touching painful memories, cherished moments—the fragments of a person’s inner world.
Namgung Yeon’s homeland was twenty-first century South Korea.
So he knew.
‘Nothing is more terrifying than touching the mind itself.’
As though he’d been dosed with some drug, he suffered violent hallucinations.
Comrades who had died in previous loops came back to life, and he watched horrible memories unfold before his eyes with no power to resist them.
And so, in one loop, the people of Eun Rim Gok severed his neck.
The cause was—yes.
Brain death brought on by severe hallucinations, one might say.
How much research had he done to overcome it.
‘Familiar work, but not one I enjoy.’
When he awakened again, he would be stronger.
Yet the process itself—like getting an injection at a hospital—filled him with dread.
Gently, his eyes closed.
When he opened them again, he stood in a terrible hell.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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