Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 153

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

Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 153
I had cultivated my inner energy far longer than I expected.
I’d begun my cultivation at early evening, but by the time I emerged from the Training Grounds, the sun was already rising.
‘So Seolha and Adu stayed up all night watching me?’
Well, it didn’t matter. Once you reached the level of a first-rate master, a single sleepless night wouldn’t leave you fatigued.
“Master. How are you enabling me to comprehend the Aura of Righteousness in merely seven days?”
“It’s simple. The method’s already proven effective. It’s the same approach I used with Seo.”
Jegal Seol-ha had heard about this before.
“Isn’t that an incredibly crude method? You’re simply exposing me to the Aura of Righteousness all day long.”
“Right. Seo took an enormous amount of time, but seven days should be sufficient for you.”
In truth, Baek Heon-so had internalized the Aura of Righteousness in merely half a year, which was already an extraordinarily rapid pace.
“The real challenge is comprehending it thoroughly enough to meet your exacting standards—moving slowly without losing sight of the path.”
“Hmm. That certainly does sound incredibly difficult.”
To use an analogy, it was like sprinting at full speed while simultaneously collecting every pebble placed at regular intervals along the ground.
Utterly contradictory.
“Still, it’s not impossible. You possess the Painting Canvas Body.”
The Painting Canvas Body—a legendary physique born with the Painting Charm that captivates all who behold it.
The heavenly curse that had plunged Jegal Seol-ha into hell during her childhood.
Her expression darkened. Merely hearing those four characters—Painting Canvas Body—summoned memories of her past.
“Don’t worry. From now on, the Painting Canvas Body will become your weapon alone.”
“…How can you be so certain?”
‘Because I’ll make it that way.’
I recalled my past life. Unlike the beautiful Seolha before me now, I remembered Seob Hon-ma-hu, who had orchestrated a massive calamity.
Jegal Seol-ha’s past incarnation. The Great Demon Lord who had enslaved and slaughtered countless souls through the Seduction Demon Art founded upon the Painting Charm.
‘It’s so strange how different this life is from my previous one.’
I had participated in the campaign to subjugate Seob Hon-ma-hu.
I had even fought against her directly, experiencing firsthand her martial prowess and demonic power.
That’s why I could be certain.
‘But it’s awkward to explain that directly.’
“Seolha, this senior brother possesses the greatest martial talent under heaven. Simply trust my words.”
“How infuriatingly presumptuous, and yet I have no counterargument…”
“You’ll be even more surprised when you hear this—in seven days, you won’t merely comprehend the Aura of Righteousness.”
“What do you mean?”
There were three realizations necessary to reach the Peak Realm.
Heart-Born Eternal Qi, Aura of Righteousness, Sword Aura of Righteousness.
“Here’s a question. A Peak Realm swordmaster draws forth sword aura. So what happens when a Peak Realm master who has cultivated sound-based arts reaches that stage?”
“Huh? That’s true, isn’t it?”
Jegal Seol-ha’s expression grew puzzled.
Her master, Eum Hu, had never mentioned this before.
She likely hadn’t forgotten—she had deliberately refrained from bringing it up.
“Sa-mae. Unfold your sound technique.”
“Yes.”
As she plucked the strings of her pipa, dust rose from the training grounds some distance away.
“Warriors who’ve learned conventional martial arts like fist techniques or sword forms typically can’t project their qi outside their bodies until they achieve the enlightenment of Intent and Qi. You understand, right?”
“Of course. All we can do is strengthen our bodies with qi.”
“Yet you’ve been unfolding your sound technique since you were third-rate. How is that possible?”
I had received an explanation about this from Eum Hu before.
Jegal Seol-ha answered with confidence.
“Because for us, sound is the sword itself.”
“Exactly.”
Just as one strikes the ground with a sword, we wield sound itself—the very vibrations—as a weapon to attack. Since we must infuse sound with physical force, it consumes considerable spiritual qi, but to observers, it appears as though we’re striking empty air and delivering distant attacks.
The consumption of true qi is substantial, but it creates the illusion of striking empty space and delivering attacks from afar.
“Fundamentally, sound technique is equivalent to a swordmaster infusing their true qi into a blade and swinging it.”
Then if one reaches the pinnacle realm, could one infuse tangible qi into sound?
That wasn’t the case.
“Sa-mae. What do you think is the enlightenment of sword qi?”
“Isn’t it the materialization of qi?”
“Wrong. The essence is the control power strong enough to materialize intangible qi.”
Control over one’s qi—this was the profound mystery that penetrated the pinnacle realm.
“Since your master deliberately didn’t mention this part, I’ll explain only this much. First, let’s begin your training in Intent and Qi.”
Jegal Seol-ha didn’t even give me time to prepare before unleashing an aura.
And it was a killing intent so intense it was almost unbearable.
“Kyaaaah…!”
I felt my hair stand on end.
This was the first time in my life I’d been exposed to such horrifying killing intent.
‘How can she emit killing intent of this magnitude…?’
Killing intent, by nature, is the desire to take a life.
Naturally, the greater one’s wish to end another’s life, the denser the killing intent one can emit.
Or perhaps one has already committed murder multiple times and become accustomed to death itself.
It couldn’t be the former, so it had to be the latter—yet my peer senior sister couldn’t possibly have committed so many murders.
“I warned you it would be difficult, didn’t I? Endure it, Seol-ha. You can do this.”
“Kyaak, ugh…!”
I wasn’t accustomed to killing intent.
Of course not—I’d been raised gently before being confined to the mountain.
My first murder had been just yesterday.
My body trembled like an aspen leaf, and my knees buckled.
I felt as though I might collapse, and tears threatened to spill.
But.
‘I can endure this…!’
My gaze turned toward Yang Hwi’s presence.
A scarred but unyielding stone.
Around it, a warm tenderness lingered.
Had she harbored genuine killing intent, murky darkness would have shrouded her instead of warmth.
So I could endure it.
‘It’s merely training. My senior brother’s true heart is different. It’s warm.’
‘She’s holding up better than expected.’
Watching Jegal Seol-ha like this, Yang Hwi felt a sense of satisfaction.
At this rate, she might embody the Intent of Qi Resonance without even needing seven days?
‘Others might struggle, but Seol-ha can do it. She’s mastered the Flame Heart Technique and the Profound Origin Complete Dantian Divine Art, and on top of that, she’s a Sound Qi practitioner.’
Sound Qi practitioners wield sonic waves as weapons.
In other words, those who master Sound Qi are fundamentally far more attuned to external vibrations than ordinary warriors.
From the moment of entry, they manipulate waves and use sound strikes as basic techniques—it’s only natural.
‘And then there’s the Profound Origin Complete Dantian Divine Art.’
Profound Origin—the mysterious and wondrous source.
Complete Dantian—a tree rooted entirely in the dantian.
The Profound Origin Complete Dantian Divine Art was, true to its name, an inner qi cultivation technique that nurtured and developed Spiritual Qi based on the upper dantian.
Only an extreme minority among peak masters ever reach the opening of the upper dantian, yet this art enables it from the very beginning—it truly deserves the name Divine Art.
‘Once the upper dantian opens… she’ll become more sensitive to Intent.’
That’s why members of the Jegal Family readily acquire the Intent of Qi Resonance.
Though they miss much in their haste, reaching the realm itself isn’t difficult.
‘Combined with the Flame Heart Technique, Seol-ha can catch everything she misses while moving fast.’
Seol-ha can perceive the inner landscape of minds.
She could wield the ability of the supreme pinnacle as naturally as breathing from a young age.
Though she lacked control and her own resolve was weak, leaving her with only terrible memories.
‘That’s why in my past life, Seol-ha became the Seob Hon-ma-hu. She’s practically the same age as me.’
For reference, the Seob Hon-ma-hu of my past life could only be subjugated after roughly ten masters, including myself, combined their power.
In a sense, Jegal Seol-ha possessed the greatest talent under heaven.
‘Well, considering her many flaws, I’m still the greatest.’
But that wasn’t the important part.
So—sensitivity to qi waves allowing her to handle the upper dantian, and even the talent to glimpse the inner landscape.
How should I prepare this to quickly create something delicious?
I added variation to the killing intent I was releasing.
It was the same killing intent, but to use an analogy, I changed its nature from water to mist.
“Ugh!”
Jegal Seol-ha immediately reacted.
Normally, such a change would be difficult to detect.
Mist or water—it’s the same killing intent.
But she immediately sensed the shift in Intent contained within the killing intent and responded.
It’s a shame she couldn’t counter it, but the speed of her reaction alone is incredible.
Honestly, I thought it would take at least a day.
‘As expected, the Martial Arts Merchant faction poses no problem.’
I needed to be swift yet precise.
Rather than fashioning pebbles into tweezers, I could simply hand them over directly.
Without bending my waist to pick them up, I merely extended my hand, and the pebbles would smoothly settle into my palm one after another.
I continuously shifted the intent embedded in my expelled momentum, conveying the answers from the answer sheet.
Enlightenment cannot be expressed in words, but mental imagery is different.
Since it is the manifestation of will itself, direct, intuitive, and instinctive transmission becomes possible.
‘Now the problem is Heart-Birth Eternal Qi and Sword Qi Imagery.’
Synchronizing the movement of will and qi.
And obtaining control powerful enough to allow materialization.
‘I should give this some serious thought.’
Four days passed like this.
“Ah! Senior brother!”
Yang Hwi stood with his mouth agape, his expression dazed.
Jegal Seol-ha had begun infusing her will into her qi to counter his killing intent.
“No… I thought it would be fast, but not to this degree.”
This easy, this swift… it was almost depressing.
Was this right?
Even with direct assistance, something felt off.
Could the world really be this easy?
“Hehe. I was born with exceptional martial talent, after all.”
“Does the Blank Canvas Constitution have martial talent among its abilities?”
“I’m simply superior by nature.”
“…”
In any case, at this rate, I could afford to be more aggressive.
Heart-Birth Eternal Qi and Sword Qi Imagery.
In truth, once Sword Qi Imagery is embodied, Heart-Birth Eternal Qi follows naturally.
The control required to materialize qi stems from such powerful will, and when will is powerful, qi naturally follows in its wake.
“Let’s take a shortcut, Sa-mae.”
“How so?”
“By borrowing the power of a Divine Weapon.”
“Like the Baek Family’s White Feather Immortal Sword or the Crouching Dragon Pavilion?”
“Yes. We have a Divine Weapon of our own.”
Yang Hwi returned with a single sword in hand.
“Senior brother.”
“Hmm?”
“Is that a Divine Weapon?”
“Yes. Any weapon imbued with mysterious and wondrous power qualifies as a Divine Weapon.”
“Isn’t this a Cursed Weapon?”
“Well, it is certainly wondrous, isn’t it?”
What Yang Hwi had brought was the Blood Spirit Demon Blade he’d obtained from Geom Wang’s Treasury in the past.
A sacred relic of the Blood Spirit Sect, a demonic artifact that suppressed the spirit of whoever wielded it and drove them into frenzy.
Of course, it had no adverse effects on Yang Hwi, who possessed Seon-gi.
To use a human analogy, it was like a commoner facing a strong versus weak matchup.
“How can you possess such a demon blade! The moment it’s discovered, you could be branded a public enemy without question!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
“No, if the entire family becomes wanted by the Martial Arts World because of this? Harboring a demonic artifact is that serious of a matter!”
“We never intended to keep it.”
The plan was to destroy it so it could never fall into the Blood Spirit Sect’s hands, then use it afterward.
The problem was that even Baek Cheol, the Baek Family’s most skilled blacksmith, hadn’t managed to learn how to destroy the Blood Spirit Demon Blade.
“Regardless, if we have it, we should put it to use. I’ll use this demon blade to stimulate Sa-mae’s dantian and forcibly manifest the Flame Body’s abilities.”
“Isn’t that just inviting demonic possession?”
“…It might be similar?”
“Sigh!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Shortcuts are always a bit risky anyway.”
Jegal Seol-ha gazed at Yang Hwi with cold eyes.
She felt as though she’d glimpsed the secret behind how her peer senior brother had grown so rapidly.
When a person took such risks, rapid growth was inevitable.
‘Now that I think about it, he even used Primordial Qi in just this one battle.’
Did this person really think he had multiple lives?
“I assure you there’s no danger. You know I have Seon-gi. If you’re really worried, let’s just test it lightly.”
The Blood Spirit Demon Blade’s function—spirit suppression.
This meant the Blood Spirit Demon Blade harbored a demonic spirit.
For a mere blade to possess such spirituality that it could manifest directional intent.
This would become a new stepping stone for Jegal Seol-ha.
“Use the Hyeonwon Jeondan Divine Art to draw out your Flame Body and observe the demon blade’s essence. If it’s dangerous, I’ll sever the connection immediately.”
“Understood. Can I trust you?”
“Blessings come to those who have faith.”
Jegal Seol-ha carefully drew out her Flame Body and examined the demon blade’s inner nature.
That was the moment.
[Stars Shift, Fortune Turns]
The Blood Spirit Demon Blade shattered into pieces.
“Huh?”
“What?”
Yang Hwi’s expression grew serious.
That voice from just now.
It was definitely the same as when he returned.

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