Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 126

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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 126
Eum Hu observed her audacious disciple with a measured gaze.
So she had noticed that I was watching her all along.
‘How could she have possibly known? I maintained sufficient distance while observing.’
The distance was close enough for Eum Hu to perceive every movement of her disciples, yet from their perspective, it was impossibly far.
Even an audacious disciple blessed with talent capable of earning admiration from the Cheonmu-sip-jon themselves should have remained oblivious.
“Your disciple Baek Yang-hwi pays respects to Master.”
After offering proper courtesy to my teacher, I answered her question.
“I believed Master would never send Seolha alone.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Yes. Seolha is far too precious and beloved a disciple to be sent unaccompanied, is she not?”
Of course, that was not the entire reason.
My certainty had crystallized only recently.
‘So I have finally reached the pinnacle realm.’
What this meant was that my already keen sensitivity to qi had become even more acute.
Naturally, had Eum Hu, one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon, deliberately concealed her presence, I would never have detected her.
Yet Eum Hu prioritized observing her disciples’ movements over hiding her aura.
Believing I would not sense her, she had extended a faint thread of energy to eavesdrop on every word and action.
‘Without the memories of my past life, I would never have noticed something so subtle.’
The reason I could confirm Eum Hu’s surveillance from such threadbare suspicions was simple.
‘Master’s affection for her disciples remains unchanged between my past and present lives.’
The movements of the Cheonmu-sip-jon, no matter how trivial, resonate throughout the realm.
Thus, among the tales I had heard, there was one.
‘She had completely annihilated an entire sect that had wounded one of her disciples.’
Regardless of how dark that sect’s path had been, to sever their fate merely because they had injured a disciple—
It revealed the depth of her particular affection for her disciples.
Well, considering the nature of Seong-eum Ok-ryeong-mun, it was hardly surprising.
A mysterious sect of single-lineage transmission, and given the nature of its martial arts, finding a successor was extraordinarily difficult.
Even Eum Hu herself would have needed to search for at least another decade if not for Jegal Seol-ha.
Considering that, her affection for her disciples could only be extraordinary.
‘Indeed, calling Seol-ha was the right move. I had prepared it as a contingency, just in case.’
By summoning Jegal Seol-ha, I gained So Wol-hyang’s favor, set an absolute powerhouse like Eum Hu in motion, and am currently even assisting Fourth Senior’s path of enlightenment.
Truly, I had achieved three benefits from a single stone.
“Hey. What did you say earlier? What? That I should die? Say it again.”
Hyeol-ya Chil-do, forced to his knees by the formless qi, trembled with shock and horror.
Seeing their faces filled with panic and astonishment, a sneer escaped my lips.
“M-may I ask who this esteemed person is?”
Rather than respond, Eum Hu simply gazed upon the warriors of Hyeol-ya-bang-do.
Her eyes were colder than ice itself.
I-do, sensing the mortal danger, trembled with fear yet continued speaking in desperation to survive.
“This… this sect’s gathering is meant to recover the assets that the deceased’s disciple extorted. Please… we hope the deceased will understand….”
Ah, that bastard crossed the line. One of Master’s greatest dislikes is when people fail to see others as human beings.
As expected, Eum Hu flicked her finger.
Snap!
“Krraaaagh!”
I-do’s body flattened against the ground.
That alone wasn’t enough—he began to be crushed as if a giant were stepping on him.
“You convert of the Hyeol-ya Chil-do, speak again.”
“P-please spare me!”
“Hmm, no. I told you to speak. Did you truly equate a person with property before me?”
“N-no! Please spare me! If you would only let me live, I shall vanish from your sight this instant!”
Finally, I-do seemed to grasp the situation.
But had we not encountered them, that would be one thing—now that they stood before her, there was no way Eum Hu would let the Hyeol-ya-bang-do leave unscathed.
Snap!
“Krraaaagh!”
“Gack, hack… gahhhhh….”
The aura of one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon, the ten strongest warriors under heaven, consumed the very air.
The bodies of all the Hyeol-ya-bang-do, including Chil-do, lifted into the void.
‘Hmm. She’s about to slaughter them all.’
That cannot happen.
Since Eum Hu now knew that I had orchestrated this situation while aware of Master’s presence, I needed to perform adequately to avoid punishment later.
“Master.”
“Yes, Namgung Cheon-yeong?”
“Do you truly need to intervene in dealing with these wretches?”
“Hmm?”
Clang!
I drew my blade and continued.
“Since we meet after so long, surely you are curious about your disciple’s progress. I thought to satisfy your curiosity and have a bit of sport—what do you think?”
Eum Hu’s eyes narrowed subtly, a pleased smile playing at the corners.
“Now that I think of it, Namgung Cheon-yeong, you’ve reached the Pinnacle Realm.”
“What?!”
The one who cried out in shock was Jegal Seol-ha.
“Senior Brother has reached the Pinnacle Realm?”
“You didn’t know?”
“No… we haven’t fought since we met.”
“What a shame, Seolha. You cultivated diligently to catch up to Namgung Cheon-yeong and reached the First-Rate Realm, yet he has taken another great stride forward.”
Eum Hu’s words were true. Emptiness settled across Jegal Seol-ha’s face.
‘He reached the Pinnacle Realm at merely sixteen years old? Was such a thing even possible?’
Reaching the Pinnacle Realm before the age of twenty is already celebrated as genius.
The Pinnacle Realm was such a high and formidable wall.
Not even reaching thirty, let alone twenty—no, reaching the pinnacle at an age closer to Ji-hak’s?
For Jegal Seol-ha, who had devoted herself to pursuing Yang Hwi as her goal, it was nothing short of deflating.
But then.
She clenched her delicate fists, her slender fingers curling inward.
“You’re pulling ahead again, Senior. Just wait. I’ll catch up to you for certain.”
She replied with a light chuckle.
“By all means.”
Being someone’s target was a gratifying thing.
Even if I were to be surpassed, I would not mind and would wait with gladness.
For if that came to pass, I too would gain yet another motivation to hone and refine myself further.
It was at that moment.
“I’ve reached the pinnacle too!”
“Pardon? You as well, Monk?”
“Amitabha Buddha!”
Golden fist energy crystallized upon Adu’s knuckles.
Jegal Seol-ha was left astounded once more.
Despite his face appearing to be in his late teens or younger, he had already reached the pinnacle.
He was undoubtedly a talent comparable to Yang Hwi.
“Now that I think of it, I’ve been meaning to ask, Namgung Cheon-yeong. How did you come to meet Adu?”
“You know of Adu?”
“I heard it from an old bald monk. He boasted endlessly about how a child destined to save the world had been taken under Shaolin’s care.”
‘Come to think of it, that great elder of Shaolin was Cheonmu-sip-jon. It seems they have dealings with one another.’
Wait. Could the great monk Adu mentioned possibly be…?
No, surely not.
The bald monk who spoke of such things to that fellow must be a different monk.
In any case.
“Adu. Want to play together?”
“Yes!”
“Master, would that be acceptable?”
“Of course. I’ve been curious about this child’s abilities anyway.”
As the formless energy slowly dissipated, the Hyeol-ya-bang-do members who had been frozen and unable to breathe properly all released ragged gasps in unison.
Seeing their state, I called out.
“Hey. You heard that, right? Let’s fight.”
….
Instead of answering, I-do of Hyeol-ya Chil-do rolled his eyes, searching for an escape route.
Yang Hwi continued speaking.
“Only this bald-headed monk and I will face you. As you can see, we’re both not even half your age.”
“…Little brother. I’ve truly made a grave error. Would you not beseech the great one to let us go?”
Yang Hwi, his brow furrowed, vigorously scratched his ear.
“Who are you calling little brother? Do you really want to die?”
“….”
Silence laden with frustration and despair. I could even see some of them shedding tears, drenched in the fear of death.
Looking at them, their spirits were so thoroughly crushed that they wouldn’t be able to fight properly.
This is becoming tedious.
Perhaps I should plant a small seed of hope.
“Stop your whining and get up. If you manage to subdue us, I’ll let you live and send you on your way.”
“…Is that truly so?”
Desire for life began to kindle in the eyes of the Hyeol-ya-bang-do members.
“A man’s word is worth its weight in gold. Win and you live. Lose and you die. So, do you feel like fighting now?”
“…We are grateful for your mercy.”
In that instant, Yang Hwi let out a snort of disbelief.
Mercy? What mercy?
Did these bastards actually think they could win?
Two not yet in their twenties. Their opponents were seven masters at their peak and more than a dozen other warriors.
By any reasonable standard, the numerical disparity was absurd.
So in a way, I could understand why these bastards were confident and took victory for granted.
But.
-Kiiiiiii!
A sword cry erupting forth. The cry of a hawk.
All of the Hyeol-ya Chil-do members simultaneously stiffened their faces, sensing the momentum transmitted through the trembling.
“Mercy, you say. It seems premature to be grateful.”
With a smirk, I infused my inner force into my blade.
Then, like bamboo shoots sprouting after rain, sword energy surged forth abundantly.
“If you’re confident, try turning my mercy into reality.”
That was the moment.
The Hyeol-ya Chil-do members simultaneously drew their blades and rushed in with their strikes.
It seemed they had plotted this ambush through silent transmission.
‘So they’re determined to subdue us through coordinated assault.’
Four of the seven were charging at Adu, while three were coming at Yang Hwi himself.
This stung my pride somewhat. They must have assessed me as the weaker one just now.
‘I’ll make them regret that.’
-Kiiiiiii!
The sword cry that rang out carried the subtle mysteries of sound-based martial arts.
With the Eung-hu-myeong-jin deployed, I fixed my gaze upon Chil-do, I-do, and Il-do among the Hyeol-ya Chil-do.
Three blades whistling through the air, targeting my limbs.
A line was drawn.
The most efficient trajectory to deflect all three blade strikes with a single movement.
“If you’re going to ambush, you should have drawn your sword energy from the start.”
Clang clang clang!
Blade met blade. It was a clash of three against one, yet the momentum belonged to Yang Hwi.
“Ugh…!”
“What kind of internal energy does this brat possess!”
“I’ve picked up quite a lot along the way. Isn’t it shameful for you seasoned old men to launch a coordinated sneak attack on a young kid and say such things?”
“Shut your mouth!”
I-do’s sharp rebuke was accompanied by a transmission of sound to Chil-do and I-do simultaneously.
-From now on, we fight with full power!
I had deliberately refrained from drawing my blade during the initial ambush, fearing I might wound him.
But now that I understood the brat’s skill was considerable, it would be better to subdue him quickly, even if it meant inflicting injury.
“Haaaah!”
Dark sword energy frosted the blade, which had bloodstains clinging to it in places.
-I-do strikes the upper right, Chil-do the lower left!
Sending another transmission, I-do brought my blade crashing down toward Yang Hwi’s head.
I had no intention of killing him—merely to concentrate his defense upon myself.
In that opening, my two sworn brothers would each target an arm and leg, inflicting wounds.
After that, subduing this brat would be simple.
Clang!
The moment Yang Hwi raised his sword to block his head as intended, I-do unfurled the Suction Palm technique, pressing blade against blade to prevent any escape.
This way, the brat’s body below his neck would be completely exposed.
As I-do waited with inner satisfaction for the coordinated assault from my sworn brothers to follow—
‘…What?’
Silence. No sound reached my ears.
No, there was sound, but it was nothing like what I had expected.
“Cough… cough…”
“Ugh, you bastard… what have you done…!”
The sound of coughing and spitting blood.
Voices wracked with pain, cursing the opponent.
Without thinking, I-do turned my head.
And then I saw it.
My two sworn brothers rolling across the ground.
‘What in the world…?’
Seeing the expression on I-do’s face, Yang Hwi guessed what I was thinking and smirked.
“Curious?”
“What sorcery have you employed!”
“Ah, a technique called Hawk’s Piercing Truth. I’ll let you experience it soon.”
-Kiiiieeee!
The blades still locked together. The hawk’s cry echoed once more.
The penetrating energy manifested through the mysteries of internal energy relentlessly burrowed into I-do’s meridians.
“Cough!”
A spray of blood erupted from I-do’s mouth.
In that instant.
“That is…!”
Shock flashed across Eum Hu’s eyes as she watched Yang Hwi.
It was not merely because he had unleashed the Eunghu Myeongjin.
She had been teaching Yang Hwi for several years now, so she could not be ignorant of the Eunghu Myeongjin.
Her astonishment stemmed from something else entirely.
‘What kind of enlightenment have you achieved, Namgung Cheon-yeong!’

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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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