The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 176

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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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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 176

Chapter 176. Traces of Snowwind Palace (3)

Hm?
I lifted my head at the strange sensation that washed over me.
Around me stretched a Snow-Covered Wasteland.
Was this a dream?
I had been reading the secret manual inside the Cavern just moments ago.
Then I heard a voice from behind me.
“You’ve come?”
“…?”
When I turned around, the handsome man I had seen in my dreams before was looking at me.
“Are you the Ancestor?”
At my question, he nodded and spoke.
“Draw your sword.”
“Yes?”
“Draw your sword and perform the Kangseol form.”
At those words, I tilted my head in confusion, but sensing there was a reason for his command, I obediently drew my blade before him and executed the first form, Kangseol.
However, upon seeing my swordsmanship, he frowned.
“Tch, what is this? Such a sloppy technique?”
“…Yes?”
I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
So he was saying my technique was a mess right now.
Kangseol was the form I was most confident in, though.
As the first form, I had trained it the most, and having learned all the forms, I understood its true essence.
Moreover, my Master had also acknowledged it as excellent.
Yet the Ancestor, upon seeing my Kangseol form, immediately frowned and shook his head with clear disapproval—I could only be bewildered.
“Is this not it?”
“No.”
“But the movements are correct, are they not? They match exactly with the secret manual you gave me.”
“The movements may be identical, but if you cannot fully embody its true essence, then identical shell is not Kangseol, is it?”
“….”
His words sparked my curiosity.
“Then what is the true Kangseol? I have never seen it before—how can I embody an essence I have never witnessed?”
At my words, the Ancestor nodded.
“You speak truly. Showing once is better than explaining a hundred times.”
As the Ancestor said this and made a light gesture, the sword that had been in my hand suddenly found itself in his grasp.
Yet its form was distinctly different from when I held it.
“The Silverless Blade’s shape has changed.”
“This sword has no fixed form. It merely takes the shape that suits its master best. That is why it is called the Silverless Blade.”
Because it is a sword formless as mist, it bears the name Silverless Blade.
And precisely for this reason, it can command the mist itself.
“Then, watch carefully.”
“…!”
The moment he drew the blade, I felt a chill run through me.
And for the first time in recent memory, I felt true cold.
A cold that bit through flesh.
Ah….
Snow began to fall.
As the Ancestor moved, the sword qi that scattered in his wake was itself like snow falling in the depths of winter.
Only when the Blizzard technique ended could I regain my senses.
And I was astonished once more.
For everything around me lay in complete devastation.
“….”
“This is Blizzard.”
I had known that Blizzard was a more tyrannical technique than I expected, but I had never imagined it to this degree.
“Blizzard forcibly transforms the surroundings into winter itself, while simultaneously creating the foundation to continue fighting. As you know, the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art grows more efficient the lower the ambient temperature.”
“Indeed it does.”
“So one can fight even in a desert.”
The Ancestor grinned wickedly.
“And then you crush them with sword qi.”
“….”
Was it my imagination that the Ancestor’s nature seemed far from ordinary?
.
.
.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in the cavern from before.
Had it been a dream?
Looking down at my hands, the Silverless Blade was once again gripped in my palm.
Should I try once…?
I rose to my feet and recalled the Blizzard technique from my dream, the one the Ancestor had shown me.
Holding that memory close, I slowly moved the blade.
.
.
.
At last, I had grasped the true essence of Blizzard and wove it into the technique.
“Is this sufficient?”
Did my question reach the secret manual?
The section describing the first form of the secret manual vanished as if sand were scattered by the wind.
Surely not….
Does the secret manual disappear once I master all the forms?
In that instant, my vision spun.
“Hm?”
I stood once more in the Snow-Covered Wasteland. And before me stood the Ancestor.
“We meet again.”
“That means you’ve mastered the Jinseol form perfectly. Let me see.”
At those words, I immediately demonstrated the form of the Jinseol, and the Ancestor nodded.
“Well, it’s passable enough.”
Ah, yes.
I’m relieved you let it slide.
“Ancestor, does this mean I can only leave the Cavern once I’ve perfectly mastered all the forms of the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique?”
At my question, he smiled and nodded.
“Indeed.”
So I truly had to master them all to escape.
It felt daunting, yet somehow reassuring at the same time.
Because now I had a clear objective.
“However, Ancestor. There are those waiting for me outside, and also….”
“Even so, there is only one thing I can offer you.”
“Yes?”
“To help you master the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique as quickly as possible.”
That’s right.
The sooner I mastered it, the sooner I could leave this place.

How much time had passed like this?
Honestly, I was incredibly worried at first. It was as if I had simply vanished.
But fortunately, everything I had organized would run smoothly even without me.
I felt sorry toward Palgap and the guards, but there was nothing I could do about this situation.
How could I have known it would come to this?
Still, if they return, my Master will likely discern the circumstances and give my parents a hint.
So I steeled myself and focused on sword training.
Because I had come to realize this was an extraordinary opportunity that no amount of gold could buy.
I had never had time to concentrate solely on martial arts, and the Ancestor who created the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique was teaching me directly.
How should I put it?
Like those one-on-one marketplace lectures that are fashionable in Beijing?
And only now could I truly comprehend the magnificence of what they call the Hyun Ryong Physique.
When my Master said I had exceptional aptitude, it didn’t move me much, but now I finally understood how remarkable that was for someone in the Martial Arts World.
Looking at what the Ancestor showed me, I felt like I could simply understand how it was done.
I couldn’t explain it in words—I just seemed to understand by watching.
When I asked the Ancestor about this, he smiled and said, “You’re a genius like me, that’s why.”
That sounds like he’s bragging about himself, doesn’t it?
Anyway, I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but it felt like five or six years had gone by.
Now only two forms remained in the secret manual.
The eleventh form, White Night, and the twelfth form, Flower in Snow.
I hadn’t learned them in this life, and though I had learned them in my previous life, my mastery was only first-rate, so my understanding was merely superficial.
My Master also said those two forms could only reveal their true nature once one reached the pinnacle.
.
.
.
“I have arrived.”
“Good.”
By now I was so accustomed to this that I immediately bowed to the Ancestor.
And the Ancestor promptly took my silver sword and wielded it as it was.
“…!”
In that moment, I witnessed the true essence of White Night—something I had never seen in either of my two lives.
A white night.
It wasn’t a bright night because the sun continued to hang in the sky.
It was a white night because it froze even the sun itself.
I couldn’t actually freeze the sun, but that’s how it felt.
When my Master demonstrated it, it wasn’t quite to this degree.
The Ancestor withdrew his sword and spoke.
“This is White Night.”
“Wow, it’s really difficult.”
“Why? It’s merely the sum of the first form through the tenth form combined.”
The Ancestor was right.
It might seem simple because of that, but from what I could see, it wasn’t.
“Each technique has to flow together harmoniously without clashing with the others, doesn’t it? To calculate that… it seems like it would be incredibly difficult. Did the later disciples really think this through and create it?”
At my question, the Ancestor turned his head slightly and let out a dry cough.
“Ahem.”
Seeing that reaction, the answer became crystal clear.
He’d created it based on his own standards without considering the disciples who would learn it.
For him, the calculations came naturally through intuition.
As I quietly observed the Ancestor, he gazed toward the distant mountains and spoke.
“I never realized my disciples were so lacking.”
“….”
There was no point in saying anything here—it would only exhaust me.
The sword technique was already created, and the Ancestor was already gone.
The problem lay with those who remained.
The Ancestor had entrusted me with the reconstruction of Snowwind Palace along with substantial compensation, but it seemed the sword technique needed improvement for that to succeed.
“But isn’t the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique something only direct disciples learn?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Yes?”
“That’s a technique all disciples of Snowwind Palace learned.”
“….”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
My Master had clearly said the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique was a family martial art.
“From the beginning, Snowwind Palace never had martial arts that only direct disciples could learn. The Palace Master was chosen not by bloodline, but by whoever possessed the strongest martial prowess recognized by both the Beihai Ice Palace Master and the disciples of Snowwind Palace.”
“….”
It seemed that over the long years, Snowwind Palace’s traditions had gradually changed.
If that was the case, there shouldn’t be much issue with putting my ideas into practice.
“Well then, would it be alright if I made some adjustments to the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“To make it easier to learn, that is.”
The Ancestor, who had been thinking for a moment at my words, nodded.
“Yes, well, do as you wish.”
I had received permission.

And so another long stretch of time passed.
At last, only the final form remained—Snow Blossom.
A flower blooming in the snow.
“So this is the final form at last.”
At the Ancestor’s words, I nodded.
“Yes. Now comes the farewell.”
“Farewell?”
The Ancestor chuckled softly.
“Why do you think so?”
“Well… because it’s the final form of the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique.”
“Do you believe the only martial art I created was the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique?”
“….”
Ah… well, that’s true.
Master also mentioned he had many other martial arts that have since been lost.
“Time has its merits, but also its cruelties. It is the nature of time to erase what once existed.”
“….”
I ventured to ask cautiously.
“Surely… this isn’t the only place where one can learn this sword technique?”
“That’s right. I’ve created such places throughout the land.”
That answered my question.
So I’d have to endure this ordeal again?
I wanted to decline.
Perhaps the Ancestor sensed my reluctance, for he spoke with sorrowful eyes.
“But those places are designed to respond only to the successor to whom I granted a second life at the cost of my own.”
“….”
“If the successor does not master them, the martial arts of Snowwind Palace will vanish forever.”
How cruel. Is this truly necessary?
The tears of an elder…
This is unfair.
“Enough talk. Let us return to training.”
Master’s expression grew stern as he raised his sword.
“Watch carefully. This is the final form of the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique—Snow Blossom.”
Snow fell gently around us.
Was it a gentle snowfall?
No, it was a heavy accumulation.
Amidst the biting wind that howled fiercely, I felt something warm.
Warmth?
No, it was heat.
I had once heard it said that when cold intensifies beyond measure, that very cold can inflict frostburn.
Yes, that was it.
The pinnacle of extreme yin is, in essence, extreme yang.
A soft bloom—
And there, a single flower bloomed: the Snow Blossom.
It was beautiful.
.
.
.
Another considerable span of time had passed.
Once I had mastered the Snow Blossom perfectly and awakened, the secret manual—now emptied of all its contents—scattered like sand swept by the wind and vanished.
And my eyes closed.
At last, I was escaping this cavern.
How much time had truly elapsed?
Everyone must be worried sick.
I needed to return as quickly as possible.
Or so I thought.

“Young Master? Why do you look so dazed?”
“Huh?”
Before me stood a single rock, the very stone inscribed with words demanding proof of qualification.
I still had my sword embedded within it.
Turning around, I saw Palgap and the guards staring at me.
Something felt off.
“Wait—have I been standing here this whole time?”
“Yes, sir. That’s correct.”
“For how many hours?”
“How many hours? What are you saying, Young Master?”
“What?”
“You’ve only been standing here for about half an hour, sir.”
“What?”
I could have sworn I’d trained in that cavern for at least several years, yet only half an hour had passed?
I examined the rock again, but no inscription was visible upon it.
“The writing… it’s gone?”
“Pardon?”
“What writing are you referring to, sir?”
I withdrew my sword and channeled my inner energy, pressing my hand against the rock, but it yielded no response whatsoever.
What had that been? An illusion?
.
.
.
We returned to the Guest Room at the Northern Sea Ice Palace. And I headed to my quarters alone.
I needed to verify whether the treasures I had stored in the secret vault were also illusions.
I carefully opened the secret vault.
“This is….”
An enormous quantity of gold and silver treasures, along with surgical techniques for attaching ice-crystal blades, were all preserved inside.
I couldn’t fathom how this miraculous situation had come to pass, but one thing was certain.
Our Seolpung Palace’s Ancestor is the best.

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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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