The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 178

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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 Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 239

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“Has he departed?”
“Yes. He left just moments ago.”
Seol Ha-yeon, the Junior Princess of the Northern Ice Palace, closed her eyes gently as she absorbed those words.
The events of that time still played vividly in her mind. The expressions and gazes of the dying alone made her tremble with fury, and she could not bear to think of her father’s corpse.
Yet she held it all within her mind and heart.
A reality that must not be forgotten.
And something that must be accepted.
But she must not let vengeance consume her.
Keep the mind cool, the heart resolute.
First, she would determine what needed to be done, set her priorities, and accomplish them one by one.
And the highest priority was.
“The moment the palace’s restoration is complete, I will recruit new warriors.”
“…Junior Princess.”
“We have not yet… fallen.”
Though anyone would think it strange if they had not collapsed, the Northern Ice Palace still stood intact, and she herself remained alive.
Moreover, this incident had opened the Binghua Yujing, and the power of the Ice Soul Stone grew stronger with each passing moment from the cold emanating from the Eternal Ice Jade.
She could rise again.
When all of that was complete.
Crunch—!
Seol Ha-yeon clenched her fist as she thought of Gang Cheonho.
A beast of a man.
She would sever his neck without fail.

* * *

The Northern Ice Palace, which had been so close, gradually recedes into the distance.
Though the time spent there was brief, countless events unfolded in that place.
Some were dangerous, but I gained much in return.
First and foremost, the Gok Ok.
The one in Namman was held by Gwanbaek, and what Mo Yong-cheon sought to obtain was taken away by Auk—I had tasted failure twice before.
But this time was different.
I obtained it with certainty, and it became completely mine.
The consumption of innate true energy troubles me somewhat, yet in the most perilous moments, it would prove far superior to surrendering my life.
Second is the sword.
I gazed upon the blade resting beside me.
It felt no different from usual, yet the moment my hand touched it, I could discern a stark contrast from before.
A biting chill emanated from it.
The icy coldness that made the consumption of the Ice Soul Stone unmistakably evident was incomparable to when it had not been fed.
Now I understood why the Master of the Heavenly Demon Forging Method had insisted on feeding it the Ice Soul Stone.
Though I had not yet wielded it properly, it would undoubtedly prove invaluable.
This alone justified the journey to the Northern Ice Palace.
“Young Master, would it not be wise to rest here for a time?”
At that moment, Namgung Baek’s voice suddenly reached my ears, rousing me from my reverie as I surveyed my surroundings.
We had traveled quite a considerable distance without my notice.
The Northern Ice Palace, visible mere moments ago, had vanished entirely, and the landscape had transformed in an instant.
Lost in thought, I had not noticed the passage of time.
We had departed early in the morning, yet it was now midday.
Looking around, everyone bore expressions of exhaustion.
We had endured combat without proper rest, and just when it seemed finished, we attended to the bodies and rendered various aid before departing once more.
Though unspoken, dark shadows hung beneath everyone’s eyes.
In the end, I nodded and began searching for a suitable place to rest.
We settled in an appropriate location and kindled a campfire.
Several swift-moving individuals prepared food, while others arranged comfortable resting places, granting our weary bodies respite.
I confirmed this and settled myself down.
Then I lifted the sword beside me and drew it slightly from its sheath.
The moment the blade emerged, an even more intense chill surged forth.
The sensation of freezing everything that stood before it greatly stimulated the competitive spirit of a warrior.
I glanced subtly at Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon.
While they would make suitable opponents for a test, the recent trials had been so arduous that watching them sit and sigh was pitiful beyond measure.
I could not wield my sword while burdening them.
Then what?
My gaze turned toward Cheon Yul.
Unlike the others, he appeared quite intact.
He seemed ready to leap into action without hesitation.
Had he sensed my gaze?
Cheon Yul regarded me with a puzzled expression.
“Huh? What is it?”
“Are you bored?”
“Hahaha! What, you offering to spar with me?”
“I would be honored.”
“Really?!”
At my sudden proposal, Cheon Yul shot to his feet.
That I, who had refused to engage no matter what he said, would suddenly challenge him to combat—his eyes practically bulged from their sockets.
Even Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong beside him widened their eyes in shock, their expressions screaming bewilderment.
“Let’s do it! Come on! Hurry up! Attack me now!”
Cheon Yul, who had already drawn his blade, shouted with urgency.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he launched forward in a blur of motion.
Shhhhwick—!
A blade of merciless sharpness came slashing down.
Heedless of the people surrounding us.
In fact, this felt entirely different from that brief encounter at the Jin Family compound.
In the short time since then, he had clearly made considerable progress.
I narrowed my brow and retreated.
The blade swept through empty air uselessly, but Cheon Yul, as if he had anticipated this, closed the distance and slashed again.
In an instant, five phantom blade images converged upon me.
Impossible to distinguish illusion from reality.
The grin on Cheon Yul’s face told me he was certain he had me this time.
In that moment, I released my innate true energy.
Simultaneously, his movements slowed.
If one truly understood what innate true energy was, one would think it wasted on someone like Cheon Yul, yet without mastery, such power cannot be deployed when it matters most.
At the same time, I counted.
One.
A mere breath—the span of a single count.
But in combat with a powerful expert, this is immense.
Enough to overturn the entire match in an instant.
Clang—! Thud!
“Ugh?!”
I thrust my sword through the opening to block, then extended my leg in a sweeping kick to his abdomen.
The moment he was struck, his eyes widened with shock and disbelief—as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
Seeing that, I smiled thinly, almost mockingly.
“Is that all you have?”
“Impossible!”
Cheon Yul grinned wickedly and drew upon even greater reserves of power.
Unwilling to waste this rare opportunity, he began unleashing his blade with reckless abandon, his extreme inner force radiating outward.
Swift and nimble, yet dazzling to the eye.
What I had learned from Cheon Gong-hak proved far from wasted—I began demonstrating refined martial technique and applying relentless pressure.
Was it because of this display?
Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon’s gazes remained fixed upon me.
As though unwilling to miss a single detail.
Clang—clang clang clang—clang clang clang—!
I parried lightly, deflected, and received his strikes again and again.
Without any intention to attack, I wielded my blade not to strike but to draw out everything from him, displaying it all to the two observers.
“This time, I will surely cut you down!”
“Do try.”
Blaze—
Cheon Yul’s eyes burned with terrifying intensity.
Judging by the smile on his face, he seemed to anticipate greatly what he might gain through our confrontation.
But I could not yield so easily.
Once more, I moved my sword guard lightly.
“Huh?! Wha—what—?!”
Thwack thwack thwack thwack—!
Before his blade could even swing, I blocked his movement and simultaneously struck his head. As this repeated several times, he could do nothing but take blow after blow, unable to display any proper technique.
Crash—!
At his ungraceful tumble, Namgung Yeon let out a hollow laugh of exasperation.
Yet it only ignited Cheon Yul’s fighting spirit further.
Roooaaarrr—!
A fierce momentum exploded wildly.
In an instant, Cheon Yul regained his stance and appeared before my eyes. Just as I drew my sword to block his incoming blade—
I furrowed my brow and stepped back half a pace.
Whoooosh—!
Cheon Yul had certainly been before me, yet suddenly his blade swung from behind, passing by with a sharpness I felt by mere paper’s thickness. I could not help but smile.
That technique from Cheon Gong-hak.
Without thinking, I let out a hollow laugh and drew forth my energy.
Power radiated outward in all directions, stretching forth with tremendous force.
The sensation of the sword in my grip transformed.
As though it held the bitter cold of northern winds and winter snow.
The more I poured forth my energy, the stronger the frigid aura it released.
It felt as familiar as though we had been one from the beginning.
Whoooosh—
The moment the frost gathered upon my blade reached its peak.
I stepped forward and swung my sword.
Clang—!
Crack—!
“Ugh—?!”
The instant blade met saber, his saber froze solid.
Not as formidable as the Junior Princess, yet unmistakably freezing. The biting cold that accompanied it permeated the surroundings, causing Cheon Yul to recoil in alarm.
It was more than mere threat he sensed.
The overwhelming chill would freeze and solidify his body.
Understanding that his movements would sluggish as if encased in ice, Cheon Yul created distance and adapted to the situation accordingly.
“What is this?! Did you master the Binggung technique? When on earth did you learn it!”
“It is not the Binggung technique.”
Clang—! Clang clang—!
Crack—! Crackle crackle!
“Then what exactly is this!”
The Ice Soul Stone.
I had grasped precisely how to draw forth the power dwelling within the blade.
It was not merely what lay dormant in the sword.
As if becoming one with me, I could freely modulate its strength and weakness using my inner energy.
Sometimes weak, sometimes overwhelming.
Though such mastery paled in comparison to the Junior Princess wielding the Binggung technique, the fact that I could achieve effects comparable to it made this blade incomparable to anything else.
I smiled faintly and swung the sword once more.
Clang clang—!
Cheon Yul’s blade parried it and attempted a counterattack, but the encroaching cold forced him to furrow his brow and retreat again.
Seeing this, I moved my body.
The Junior Princess’s footwork.
As if manifesting what surfaced in my mind, I continued moving, blocking Cheon Yul’s blade, and naturally extended my sword to strike the ground, unleashing the freezing force.
Crack! Crackle!
“Ugh?!”
In that instant, Cheon Yul, unaware the ground had frozen, gasped and slipped. My blade followed, seizing the opening to slash across his chest.
Swish!
Not deep, but unmistakably a wound.
Yet no blood flowed.
The wound had frozen over instantly.
I pointed my blade toward Cheon Yul, who stared at me in shock.
“Shall we continue?”
“No, what is this…”
Cheon Yul muttered in disbelief.
From the trembling of his pupils alone, I could see how shocking this situation was.
It was only natural—someone not of the Binggung had wielded their technique.
I retrieved my sword, my expression satisfied.
Unlike before when I couldn’t comprehend it because I didn’t know how to draw it forth, my mind felt refreshed now, and the suffocation in my chest had cleared completely.
It was better than I had anticipated.
In some ways, even more so than the power I gained from Gok Ok.
If I could master it properly, it would be perfect, and if I could additionally obtain the Binggung’s heart method and restructure it, there would be nothing more to say.
No—if I could perfectly assimilate what Geomcheon Muheo had demonstrated into my own technique, the Binggung’s heart method would become meaningless.
While I was thinking such thoughts, I heard Cheon Yul’s disgruntled voice.
“That monster! This is completely unfair!”
“Isn’t using illusions even more unfair?”
“That’s our martial art!”
“This is also my martial art.”
“Ugh, ptooey!”
Cheon Yul, whose brow was deeply furrowed in displeasure, spat out his frustration, then began grumbling continuously as he made his way back to his seat.
I gazed at his retreating figure and smiled.

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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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