Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 127

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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 127
From the moment Yang Hwi, accompanied by Adu, began his confrontation with the Hyeol-ya-bang-do warriors, Eum Hu became a mere spectator, observing from the sidelines.
Jegal Seol-ha found herself wondering if her own worry was strange, given how composed Yang Hwi appeared to be.
“Master, do you think my senior brother can defeat them?”
Though Eum Hu had publicly declared Yang Hwi’s cultivation level, considering he was only sixteen, it couldn’t have been long since he reached the peak realm.
Meanwhile, their opponents numbered twenty—seven seasoned peak masters plus thirteen additional warriors.
In other words, Yang Hwi and Adu alone were hopelessly outnumbered.
“I’m curious myself. Given how confidently he stepped forward, he must have something planned.”
The battle began in earnest.
Four blades aimed at Adu, three targeting Yang Hwi.
As befitted peak masters, the assault from the seven Hyeol-ya Chil-do warriors was blindingly swift.
But then.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Yang Hwi’s sword deflected three blades in a single strike.
As the assault continued, they only belatedly discovered that two of the warriors had already fallen.
Jegal Seol-ha clicked her tongue as she watched I-do and Chil-do rolling across the ground.
“My senior brother’s sound technique seems to have improved.”
“Precisely. Now that he’s reached the peak realm, it’s become considerably more formidable.”
Sound technique was a martial art that weaponized sound itself, channeling inner energy through vibrations to attack.
Through the unity of energy waves and sound waves, it enabled the projection of inner energy at a distance even without achieving the enlightenment of unified intent and form—a superior martial discipline, though difficult to master due to its demanding entry and cultivation requirements.
“To reach that level without proper transmission is remarkable. Your senior brother’s talent truly is extraordinary.”
“Beyond talent, his strategic mind is equally formidable. Even now, he’s making excellent use of me.”
But that wasn’t all.
“Now I understand why Namgung Cheon-yeong bothered to step forward.”
In Eum Hu’s eyes, Yang Hwi’s dazzling display of sword techniques came into focus.
Beyond mere forms, the profound mysteries woven within them.
“Ah, so now that I’ve revealed myself, he’s using actual combat as part of his training regimen.”
“Was it not because my senior brother feared being scolded by Master?”
“That may be a factor, but his primary purpose seems to be tempering himself. Judging by how he hasn’t fully integrated his newfound enlightenment with the peak realm.”
Crossing the threshold of the peak realm—whether one succeeds or fails—changes everything dramatically.
Even the most talented require grueling effort and lengthy periods to fully master it.
Though unusually skilled, it was clear my disciple hadn’t yet fully embodied the martial prowess of the peak realm.
“Achieving enlightenment and crossing the barrier is one thing; adapting to the world beyond and inscribing it into your body is another. Namgung Cheon-yeong has simply turned them into wooden practice dummies.”
Jegal Seol-ha’s expression shifted to one of shock.
“So my senior brother is gaining the upper hand against three peak masters without even having properly mastered the peak realm?”
“Precisely.”
For Jegal Seol-ha, this was incomprehensible.
Eum Hu offered her instruction to help her understand.
“Because what he has built is different.”
The peak realm could only be reached by achieving unity of heart, energy, and body, plus the enlightenments of heart-generated eternal energy, intent-formed killing technique, and sword energy transcendence—in other words, a different height entirely.
In other words, it was like stacking three types of bricks with three different kinds of clay packed between them to build something solid.
Naturally, of course.
Depending on the size and shape of the bricks, and the viscosity and composition of the clay used, even if the height remained the same, the form, size, and durability would differ.
“You’re quite skilled, as if you’ve climbed it before. To use an analogy, your spirit is up there, but that spirit is still pulling up an immature body.”
It made no sense by common standards.
But Yang Hwi had shown me countless impossible feats since childhood.
‘Talent… sometimes transcends the understanding of ordinary people. Truly, a talent that astonishes the world.’
Moreover… a new enlightenment reminiscent of the heavens. Or perhaps the profound mysteries of swordsmanship.
It was so sublime and contained such deep truths that even Eum Hu, the Cheonmu-sip-jon of all under heaven, felt amazed.
‘There will be quite a lot to hear shortly, Namgung Cheon-yeong.’
Boom!
At the sudden thunderous sound, both Eum Hu and Jegal Seol-ha turned their heads.
The opponent struck by Adu’s fist had become like a bird, flying far away through the air.
“Damn it, this monk is no ordinary fellow!”
“All of you, rush him together! Make use of our numerical advantage!”
“Kill him!”
“Hahaha! This is fun!”
People kept flying through the air with thuds.
He didn’t employ any Buddhist precepts as befitted a monk, but…
Flying through the air like a bird to that extent—he probably wouldn’t die, but it seemed unlikely he could function as a human being.
It was then that Jegal Seol-ha had such a thought.
“Shaolin has created a monster.”
“Is he truly that remarkable?”
Of course, his martial prowess was extraordinary, but to Jegal Seol-ha, he seemed inferior to Yang Hwi.
It felt more like he was overwhelming everything with his immense internal energy, rather than possessing any particularly profound enlightenment or depth of martial arts.
Though this was only in comparison to Yang Hwi.
“Remarkable indeed. That child… even if he reaches the pinnacle in the future, he will never undergo a rebirth of bone and marrow.”
Rebirth of bone and marrow—the process through which a martial artist obtains the most ideal form of body suited to the direction of enlightenment and martial arts accumulated over time.
“Because he already possesses the ideal body most befitting Shaolin’s martial arts. You could say he embodies the very culmination of Shaolin’s external techniques in one person.”
Adu, who took a sword strike wrapped in sword energy directly to the head yet bore not even a scratch, simply smiled brightly.
Watching such Adu, Jegal Seol-ha fell silent for a moment.
“…I apologize, Master.”
“For what?”
…
Being the disciple of Cheonmu-sip-jon Pacheon Eumhu, yet failing to display such excellence.
Not possessing the talent befitting her master’s realm.
Ashamed and wounded in pride, she could not bring herself to speak it aloud.
Eum Hu, sensing her disciple’s heart, smiled gently.
“Seolha. I assure you, throughout all under heaven, you are the one most suited to be this one’s disciple.”
“…Master.”
“A dragon requires a thousand years to ascend to heaven, yet once it does, it soars higher than any other creature. The martial aptitude of this child mirrors such a path precisely.”
A true member of the Jegal clan—brilliantly perceptive.
Not only talent in martial arts, but an innate gift for rhythm and harmony as well.
Eum Hu smiled once more, envisioning the divine techniques Jegal Seol-ha would one day display.
“The true magnificence of sound arts reveals itself only after reaching the pinnacle. The entry is difficult by nature, and the path is fraught with complexity. So remember this well. If you persevere, you will stand beside me.”
“…Master, I shall never fall behind. I will catch up to you without fail.”
“Good. Never forget such resolve.”
As their conversation continued, the battle had entered a lull.
Adu and Yang Hwi had succeeded in subduing all of the Hyeol-ya-bang-do members with merely the two of them.
Shwaaack!
Yang Hwi shook the blood from his blade and sheathed his sword.
He walked between corpses and the wounded, coming to stand before Wol-hang-ru Master, who stared blankly in his direction.
“Old man. I’ll give you credit for not running away.”
“…”
Wol-hang-ru Master simply remained silent.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to flee. He simply believed that escape would be meaningless.
“…Who… is that person?”
Though she was called master and teacher, her true identity remained unclear, yet she was unmistakably a supreme expert.
The sight of such absolute power wielded by a girl of merely fifteen years made it obvious.
“That person is far too exalted for you to know. Now then, what shall I do with you?”
Simply letting him go felt wasteful. I wanted to ensure he could never harbor ambitions again.
Yet Yang Hwi had no need to ponder this matter further.
Eum Hu, who had been observing, lightly leaped forward and descended before the two of them.
“You who viewed humans as mere property, not as people. You who bestowed hell upon the innocent through your own greed.”
Eum Hu’s eyes were transparent as glass, devoid of any emotion.
“I shall now deliver your punishment.”
Snap!
The sound of her flicked finger transformed into a beautiful melody that seeped into Wol-hang-ru Master’s ears.
“Krraaaagh! Krraaaagh!”
Wol-hang-ru Master rolled across the ground, clutching both ears.
He felt his own screams gradually fading away.
Despite his vocal cords still trembling.
“Sound! The sound…!”
“You did not heed the words of the sage nor keep them in your heart, so what use are those ears? Thus, even if you spend your remaining life hearing nothing at all, you shall have no cause for complaint.”
Wol-hang-ru Master, now deaf for eternity.
Yang Hwi clicked his tongue.
‘Master truly shows no mercy in such moments.’
Though the teachings of the Seongeumok Ryungmun held that evildoers must pay the price for their transgressions, witnessing it sometimes frightened me.
It made no sense to judge an absolute master who had reached the supreme realm of Cheonmu-sip-jon by common sense.
In any case, with this, all matters had come to a close.
“Master, please come with me. Allow your disciple to escort you. Seolha is undergoing the Maneum technique, but surely a brief moment of respite wouldn’t be amiss?”
“Hmm. You’re right that I have much to learn from Namgung Cheon-yeong. However.”
Eum Hu gazed toward some distant point.
“I have other matters to attend to.”
The moment I heard those words, I understood one crucial fact.
‘There’s no need to prepare for future troubles.’
The Hyeol-ya-bang-do would face their destruction today.
By the hands of an absolute master fallen from the heavens.

* * *
The Dongpa Inn suffered no damage whatsoever.
This was thanks to Eum Hu preventing anyone from approaching the inn, both to stop those attempting to take hostages and to protect it.
‘Well, So Suk-su seems quite shaken, though.’
“So Suk-su! You and Dongpa-yuk prepare fresh food and wine! My Master must eat, so make it absolutely delicious!”
I called out deliberately cheerfully, and only then did So Suk-su snap back to attention.
“Yes, yes! Just a moment, please!”
I first requested a bottle of wine and drank it straight from the bottle.
“Ahh. After a good fight, a bottle of wine truly needs no accompaniment.”
“Senior brother, can’t I have some too?”
“Tsk. You’re still just a child.”
“But we’re the same age?”
Hmm. It doesn’t seem like she should be drinking yet.
Well, it’s different from the situation with Chu Dal back then.
“Wow, this is my first time drinking wine.”
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“No. To be honest, it just tastes bitter.”
“Tch. Still too young indeed. That’s not bitterness, junior sister—that’s the taste of life.”
“I told you we’re the same age?”
I also offered a cup to So Wol-hyang, who had suffered great shock to her mind and body.
“Have a drink, sister. Don’t worry about your family. I’ll handle it right away. Once you’re settled, let’s head to Kangso together.”
So Wol-hyang took the cup in her hands and bowed her head deeply.
“Young Master. I’m truly grateful. Truly….”
“It was payment for the commission.”
“How could I see it that way? I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live… for as long as I live….”
Just as this touching atmosphere settled over the inn.
Jegal Seol-ha interjected.
“But senior brother. Actually, wasn’t it Master who saved sister Wol-hyang?”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. It seems like you orchestrated this whole situation knowing Master would arrive.”
“….”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement.
“You said it was payment for a song sung with such flair, or a request to perform an act of charity.”
“….”
“Pfft!”
I really needed to find time to teach these two some proper decorum between martial brothers.
By the time an hour had passed with us bickering back and forth, the moment arrived.
With a creaking sound, Eum Hu opened the door and stepped inside.
‘She organized an entire faction in just an hour.’
Truly a member of the Cheonmu-sip-jon. I could only admire her.
“Welcome, Master!”
“I’m afraid I’m a bit late.”
“Not at all. The dishes have just been brought out.”
Eum Hu, seated with So Wol-hyang and Adu in addition to my two disciples, first asked me a question.
“Namgung Cheon-yeong. You’ve gained much since we last met. Would you explain?”
I explained what had happened at the Geom Wang Clan and everything I had obtained there.
After hearing the entire account, Eum Hu nodded her head.
“So that’s how it came to be. I merely gave you a small clue, yet you actually found the Geom Wang Clan. Truly impressive.”
“No, Master. It was all thanks to you.”
“You’ve reached the pinnacle realm and even inherited part of Geom Seon’s sword techniques. I’m genuinely curious about your future, Namgung Cheon-yeong.”
“There is something I wish to tell you about that.”
I looked at Eum Hu for a moment.
It would be better to get permission first, wouldn’t it?
“Please give Seolha to me!”
“…?”
“…?”
Jegal Seol-ha’s face flushed crimson in an instant.
“What are you saying right now, you idiot!!”

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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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