Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 189

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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 189
Since ancient times, Jeomchang had been a place whose true identity remained unclear.
Even Jang Moon-in of Jeomchang himself did not fully understand its origins.
Did it arise from a Taoist temple that served the legendary archer Yi?
Based on the Four Suns Sword Technique, a genuine and supreme martial art, this appears to be true.
Or was it closer to a Buddhist temple, given its intimate connection with the royal dynasty of Dali, which adopted Buddhism as its state religion?
This too is factual—during Dali’s period of strength, the successive masters of Jeomchang were the Dan clan, members of the Dali royal family.
“Master, is Jeomchang Taoist or Buddhist?”
To young Neung-o’s question, his master answered thus.
“Neung-o, the mountain where our sect resides, Jeomchang Mountain in Yunnan, was originally called Cang Mountain.”
What is Cang? As we can see from the phrase “azure sky,” Cang resonates with the heavens themselves.
Add the character for “point” to this, and we have Jeomchang—the Point of Azure.
True to its name, Jeomchang School is a gathering place of swordsmen who seek to become a single pure point in the heavens—to touch the sun itself.
“Therefore, the Way we pursue is neither the Way of Taoism nor the Way of Buddhism. Our Way is the Way of the Sword.”
The image of my master stroking the head of my younger self remained vividly etched in my mind even now.
“Thus, Neung-o, you who inherit the Dan surname, you must walk the path of the Sword of Shooting the Sun, following in my footsteps. Can you do this?”
Though I was but a child, I felt something beyond words—a sense of Fate and Destiny combined.
The world calls this union “destiny.”
“Yes! I shall see this path through to its end!”
My master, still smiling, grasped a sword in the hand that had been stroking my head and thrust it through me.
“Then die.”
I could not even cry out.
The blade had pierced beneath my larynx, severing my windpipe.
To cease breathing is to cease living.
Thus, breath is akin to life itself.
A sword thrust that pierces through life.
The sharp form of the blade. The cold touch of steel.
Through my own life, I felt the sword, accepting the essence of the blade.
I lost consciousness and wandered the boundary between life and death for more than three days.
“Have you awakened? Tell me—what did you perceive of your sword?”
These were the first words I heard upon returning from death.
My master did not ask after my well-being, but rather about my understanding of the Way of the Sword.
An ordinary child would have wept in sorrow and resentment.
But young as I was, my eyes gleamed as I answered.
“It was light itself!”
Though but a child, my talent transcended my years.
Thus I could perceive the essence within my master’s blade that pierced my throat.
A sword, yet it was light.
Like an arrow loosed from the bowstring.
Faster than all else—swift as light itself.
“Excellent. That is Shooting the Sun.”
Light piercing through life itself—that is truly Shooting the Sun.
The hand that had gripped the blade piercing my throat gently stroked my head once more.
“Neung-o, Neung-o. From this moment forward, you shall be called only Neung-o.”
Jeomchang does not bestow Dharma names upon its disciples.
Instead, we abandon our family names, signifying that we devote everything to the sword.
Thus Dan Neung-o became Neung-o.
And became the First Disciple of Jeomchang’s greatest swordsman.
“Neung-o. We are seekers of the Way.”
Those of Jeomchang refer to themselves as seekers of the Way.
“It means we must be capable of abandoning anything for the Way.”
Thus, Jeomchang’s training was a method of severing all attachments.
At seven years old, I gazed upon the sun for ten days from the highest peak of Jeomchang Mountain, deprived of all food and drink.
At eight years old, I had to succeed in performing one hundred thousand thrusts within three years of taking up the sword.
And at ten years old, the number of times I was cut by the sword while sleeping exceeded one hundred.
This was because I had to sleep with dozens of blades placed upon my bed.
“Is it difficult? Endure it. Neung-o, you are a seeker of the Way.”
The first form of the Shooting the Sun sword technique is Hou Yi Shooting the Sun.
The supreme secret technique of the Shooting the Sun sword method is also Hou Yi Shooting the Sun.
To pierce the heavens themselves, one must endure training that is unbearable.
Without such suffering, one cannot comprehend the supreme swordsmanship.
That was the Shooting the Sun technique.
The Way that Jeomchang pursued.
“It is acceptable to die during training. Approach it with such resolve.”
“Aspire to it. Even if you die in battle, accept any life-or-death duel with the strong whenever it comes.”
“Devote everything to the path you walk.”
To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening is acceptable.
If one awakens to the Way in the morning, it is good to die in the evening.
The sword is the Way itself, worthy of any sacrifice to obtain.
And yet.
Cultivation. Refinement. The pursuit of the Way.
Why is such disciplined practice worthy of praise?
Because it is far too difficult for ordinary people to accomplish.
“A Shaman’s Disciple wishes to witness the sword technique of Jeomchang.”
The occasion was the Winds and Clouds Gathering, where the ten sects of Gu-pa’s faction assembled.
Warriors naturally compete when they gather, and thus the Winds and Clouds Gathering was also the place to determine the greatest master of the Gu-pa sects.
“Well observed. Magnificent.”
Magnificent—the word itself signified praise and respect.
Yet when spoken by the victor to the vanquished, it is merely consolation.
“Your sword form was truly awe-inspiring.”
“Wow, the Four-Sun Sword Technique is truly the greatest under heaven!”
“I have learned much. Truly, I am humbled.”
Jeomchang suffered defeat at the hands of the Shaman.
Through six cycles of wind and cloud, across an entire sixty-year span.
“The Four-Sun Sword Technique. Truly, it was a blade worthy of the greatest sword sect under heaven.”
The current greatest swordsman of the greatest sword sect, speaking to Jeomchang’s first swordsman of old, who had once held that very title.
Jeomchang fractured.
Consumed by rage born of frustration, I fell into doubt about whether the path I walked was correct.
The way of the sword is something worthy of devoting everything to pursue.
But truly, was the way of Four-Sun the answer?
“It is the answer. Our way is Four-Sun.”
Neung-o’s Master, the first swordsman of Jeomchang, declared this.
Yet this could only sound like the bluster of a defeated man.
For across that entire sixty-year span, Jeomchang’s first swordsman had lost to the Shaman’s first swordsman.
It was then.
That the Fragmented Light Sword Technique appeared.
“A sword technique created by reinterpreting the Way of Shooting the Sun. Its name is Fragmented Light. It embodies the audacity to split even light itself.”
Myeong-wol. A peer of Jeomchang’s first swordsman and the eldest among their generation of disciples.
He, known to have secluded himself for decades, polishing his blade without cease, unveiled the Fragmented Light Sword Technique to the sect.
“How extraordinary! Truly, a transcendent and supreme technique!”
“It shares the principles of Four-Sun yet differs! Truly, a remarkable transformation has been achieved!”
“And the cultivation method is even easier and more accessible than Four-Sun!”
The Four-Sun blade was extraordinarily abstruse, and reaching its heights was tremendously difficult.
In contrast, the Fragmented Light blade could be learned easily even by younger disciples, and they could grow stronger far more rapidly.
Jeomchang’s choice was Fragmented Light.
“Distribute the Fragmented Light Sword Technique to all disciples. This is the command of the sect leader.”
“The Fragmented Light Sword Technique shall become Jeomchang’s new supreme secret art.”
Of course, resistance arose. Those who upheld tradition and honored the will of their predecessors refused to abandon the Four-Sun Sword Technique.
Yet it was an irresistible tide.
For humans naturally prefer what is easy and convenient.
Especially when the heights of the peaks one could reach were the same, all the more so.
“Senior Brother, now you must cease learning the Fragmented Light Sword Technique.”
Ten years later, when Neung-o came of age. These were the words Myeong-wol spoke upon visiting Neung-o’s Master.
Myeong-wol, gazing at his senior brother who was far his junior, and at Jeomchang’s first swordsman, wore the smile of a victor.
“Junior Brother, the way of our Jeomchang is Four-Sun.”
“Why cling to such obsolescence? Four-Sun is merely antiquated.”
“No. The roots are everything. The Four-Sun Sword Technique is the greatest blade technique under heaven.”
“Indeed. The greatest under heaven. It was the greatest under heaven. Has anyone in our sect truly attained the way of Four-Sun? No one. Not even tracing back through all our predecessors, we must go back a hundred years.”
He was right. There was no refutation.
The Four-Sun Sword Technique had granted Jeomchang the glory of being the greatest sword sect under heaven, yet it was also the source of Jeomchang’s decline.
“Senior Brother, Jeomchang must become the greatest sword technique under heaven. If you, Senior Brother, who possesses the greatest talent of Jeomchang, master the Bunguang Sword Method, then Jeomchang can reclaim its position as the greatest under heaven.”
Neung-o’s Master, who had been silent, posed a question.
“Disciple, did you truly create the Bunguang Sword Method yourself?”
“….”
This time, Myeong-wol fell silent. After a moment, the words that emerged were not an answer.
“So you refuse to learn the Bunguang Sword Method? Then I, this disciple, must claim the title of Jeomchang’s greatest swordsman for myself.”
Neung-o could not know what conversation the two of them had after moving to another location.
Only one thing was certain—the two of them had tested their martial prowess against each other.
“Neung-o, draw your sword. I shall impart my final teaching.”
Neung-o’s Master, returning with serious injuries, commanded a martial duel between master and disciple.
“Master! You must recover!”
“No! Neung-o! Draw your sword! This is my command!”
Perhaps he had already realized that time was running short.
“Show me. Your way. The path you walk!”
Only two exchanges of blades.
A thrust like a ray of light.
The first form of the Sail Sword Method, Huye Sail.
The final form of the Sail Sword Method, Huye Sail.
“Neung-o.”
“Master….”
“Did you see?”
“…I saw….”
All disciples of Jeomchang bore a scar below their throat, pierced by a sword.
It was called the Hawk’s Eye Mark, elongated vertically.
The sword point had pierced the Hawk’s Eye Mark.
“Excellent. Truly excellent. You and I have finally become true companions of the Way.”
“Master, please….”
“Calm yourself and listen. It was not Bunguang but Bunguang—not the character for ‘divide’ but the character for ‘confusion’.”
Not the character meaning ‘to divide’, but the character meaning ‘to confuse’.
“The Bunguang Sword Method is merely a confusing light that obscures our Jeomchang. Therefore, do not abandon the Way of Sail.”
My Master’s words grew increasingly slower.
“Thus, Neung-o. You… must show it. The Way of Sail… awaken it anew for Jeomchang….”
Help them understand what Sail truly is.
“Yes, Master! Your disciple shall surely do so! Master! So please! Please!”
Days later, my Master departed from this world. Until the end, his face bore a smile.
Because of this, I did not weep.
Instead, I laughed. I laughed desperately.
My face contorted with laughter.
‘Master. Your disciple shall surely fulfill your command.’
Now, I was the only disciple in the Jeomchang Sect who had not learned the Bunguang Sword Method.
And so Neung-o took charge of all external affairs.
For a warrior, the most vital pursuit is cultivation.
Therefore, a prestigious sect like Gu-pa would never burden its core disciples with trivial tasks.
There simply wasn’t enough time for training.
“Disciple Neung-o of this sect, hear me. Your stubborn adherence to the Four Extremes Sword Technique alone leaves you with scant hope of reaching enlightenment. Become at least a stepping stone for your fellow disciples.”
That Neung-o—possessing talent that transcended his station and serving as a disciple of Jeomchang’s First Sword—should shoulder the burden of external affairs was fundamentally unreasonable.
Yet it was an order given by Jang Moon-in after receiving counsel from Myeong-wol, the current First Sword of Jeomchang.
“This disciple Neung-o accepts the order of Jang Moon-in.”
Thus the years flowed like a rushing stream.
Neung-o became the First Disciple, and still he bore the burden of external affairs.
‘Truthfully… there were things I could not fully understand, Master.’
Why had my master rejected the Splitting Light technique and insisted only on the Four Extremes?
What was wrong with a sword that was simple, convenient, and could elevate one to great heights?
Only now was I beginning to comprehend.
‘Master. Many things are changing.’
Jeomchang had been a sect that pursued only the sword.
It had walked the same path as Shaolin, with its benevolence and righteousness.
But now it was different.
Jeomchang had begun to desire much more.
‘Without the need for singular devotion, they now desire more. Everyone thinks the same way. Yet it is different.’
Originally, Jeomchang had been a sect that cared not for the means or methods in pursuing the Way.
But now the direction was unmistakably shifting.
“Henceforth, this sect shall support the endeavors of Sosineui.”
I found myself escorting a man who claimed to be the disciple of the Greatest Physician Under Heaven, traveling between wealthy households.
The man provided no proof of his identity, yet it mattered little—he sponsored the sect with vast sums of money.
“We shall subjugate the sects near our territory, so direct the disciples to act for the benefit of this sect.”
What Jeomchang had pursued was the sword, not power.
Yet now Jeomchang came to believe it must rightfully possess worldly authority.
“The Way must be discussed in terms of the Way itself. We shall construct a Taoist temple and begin research into Jeomchang’s Way.”
Though bearing the colors of both Buddhism and Taoism, Jeomchang’s Way had resided in the sword.
But no longer.
The Four Extremes, and the Splitting Light that derived from it.
Light—the common element of both Ways—became what they believed and followed as the path to pursue: Illumination.
‘Master. You were right. This disciple shall surely carry out your final command.’
“I command you, Disciple Neung-o.”
“This disciple accepts the order of Jang Moon-in.”
Neung-o carried out every command without resistance.
Silently, faithfully. So that no one could find fault.
Occasionally, Jang Moon-in would ask with a look of pity.
“Do you still have no intention of abandoning your stubbornness?”
Each time, Neung-o simply smiled in silence.
Ten years of isolation, shunned by the entire sect.
The spirit of Shooting the Sun still burned fiercely within Neung-o’s heart.

* * *
A blade carries many things within it.
This is why swordsmen often say this.
A swordsman can converse through his blade.
Taang!
The sound of torn air bursting apart.
It was almost unbelievable that a single thrust could produce such a sound.
‘Truly a thrust like shooting the sun itself.’
“Ugh, I thought I was done for.”
“…You’re hardly one to speak when you didn’t even dodge.”
Neung-o’s blade touched Yang Hwi’s throat.
Yang Hwi had not dodged the thrust that carried the momentum to pierce through all things, and Neung-o, despite unleashing a technique he hadn’t even considered stopping midway, left only a shallow scratch on the skin.
Both displayed a realm rarely seen.
“Indeed. They are different.”
“Are they? The fundamental principle remains the same.”
Shooting the Sun seeks to pierce through light.
Splitting Light seeks to divide light.
If we insist on calling both the same light, we might say it thus.
But.
“There is no self-mastery, is there?”
To shoot and pierce the sun, one must become an arrow that has left the bowstring, freed from oneself.
That is Jeomchang’s self-mastery.
Neung-o’s body trembled slightly as he asked.
“Why didn’t you dodge?”
“There was no reason to. In turn, I ask you. Why did you stop?”
“I stopped because you didn’t dodge.”
It was a Zen dialogue, yet sufficient for the two to understand each other.
It was only one technique, but both were swordsmen.
“There exists a demonic sect called the Illuminated Moon Cult. The stench of those bastards is strong in the Splitting Light Sword Method.”
“Is that so? Then it wasn’t your own creation after all.”
“Brother Neung-o. I hold a great grudge against those bastards of the Illuminated Moon Cult. It seems they’re scheming against the Jeomchang Sect. Would you not help me with my revenge, Brother Neung-o?”
“On the contrary, Bin-do wishes to ask for your help, Namgung Cheon-yeong. Would you tell me more about the Illuminated Moon Cult? And my surname is not Neung-o.
“What is your surname then?”
“I abandoned it.”
“Then I’ll just call you Brother Neung-o.”
“Very well.”
The two of them spent a moment sharing what they knew of the situation.
“Those Bright Sect bastards reek to high heaven, yet their inner energy itself is pure. So it was just a matter of acquiring the martial principles.”
“Recently, my late master entered seclusion. I sought to innovate a new inner cultivation method.”
“Ah. So you’re trying to gradually corrupt them from within.”
“Do you have any idea why the Bright Sect is attempting such schemes?”
“The fanatics’ objective is transparent enough. They wish to make all under heaven believe as they do.”
“So it matters not if the outer facade is Jeomchang. After all, it’s merely the beginning.”
I had considered investigating whether Jeomchang was a puppet of the Bright Sect, but fortunately he was not.
Or rather, not yet, to be precise.
‘In my past life, I had an oddly distant connection with Jeomchang. Moreover, I heard nothing of Neung-o’s reputation at all.’
Now it made sense.
As the Bright Sect’s schemes infiltrated deeper, Jeomchang would have begun controlling the rumors spreading to the outside world.
Neung-o, who appeared to be the only counterforce, would have died not long after.
There was no doubt.
Had someone this extraordinary survived, he would have made a name for himself.
“Brother Neung-o. In truth, I am not a disciple of Seong Su-sin-ui.”
“Is that so? I thought it was genuine since Jinjang regained his senses.”
“Instead, I am a disciple of one among the Cheonmu-sip-jon.”
“What?!”
“My master currently pursues the traces of the Demonic Sect. Should I inform him of Jeomchang’s predicament, he will surely intervene.”
It was a fact known only to Jegal Seol-ha, yet I spoke it trusting Neung-o.
However, when Neung-o heard the secret spoken without hesitation, he seemed slightly taken aback.
“How can you trust Bin-do so and speak thus?”
“Because the heart dwells within the blade.”
….
Though it was merely one technique, the two swordsmen conversed through their blades.
At least, that is what I believed, what I was certain of, and what I deemed sufficient.
As a warrior and a swordsman, the blade and martial arts were vessels capable of holding what words could not express.
“I ask again, Brother Neung-o.”
Watching Neung-o’s silent gaze, I continued.
“What do you wish to do?”

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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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