Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 201

—————
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 201
The Changcheon Namgung Family (蒼天南宮世家).
Deep within the training grounds located at the heart of an estate so vast it could be called a city rather than merely a village.
A middle-aged man watched a young man wielding his sword with evident satisfaction.
“Yes, that’s it, Cheon-yeong! Absolutely magnificent!”
The young man appeared barely past his twentieth year, yet the sword technique ingrained in his body was anything but ordinary.
The brilliant azure sword energy flowing from his blade like threads far exceeded the martial achievements possible for his age.
Crack—splash!
Though a sword might cleave anything, it cannot cut water—yet Namgung Cheon-yeong’s blade tore through the very air itself.
His expression remained rigidly stern throughout.
‘The child who once viewed martial arts as mere pleasure now harbors such determination. Who could possibly keep pace with this boy’s growth?’
Satisfaction. Such profound satisfaction that joy knew no bounds.
Though his son, who should have stood above the heavens proclaiming his name, had been miserably broken.
Cheon-yeong—the child destined to stand eternally above the heavens—was growing splendidly.
‘Thank you, Cheon-hu. Your absence is perfecting Cheon-yeong. Perhaps this is how you repay your debt to the Namgung Family.’
Namgung Cheon-yeong was born with supreme martial talent under heaven.
But now,
Namgung Cheon-yeong viewed martial arts not merely as a source of pleasure, but as a tool, a means, a weapon to achieve what he desperately desired.
The easiest way to change the world is to change one’s own heart.
With his mindset transformed, Namgung Cheon-yeong grew at a pace incomparable to before.
All for his new goal: to condemn the Gaecheon Baek Family.
“Phew. Father. I believe my technique has reached completion.”
“Your father agrees. You shall be the First Dragon of this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering!”
The victor of the martial tournament at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering receives the title of First Dragon if male, or First Phoenix if female.
In Namgung Il-geom’s eyes, the First Dragon of this generation could only be his own son.
“Yes. I must become the First Dragon. Only then can my elder brother’s resentment be eased even slightly.”
Namgung Cheon-hu had also aimed to claim the First Dragon title at this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Had it not been for that unfortunate accident.
“When will my elder brother… ever return…?”
“Cheon-yeong.”
“Yes, Father.”
He was about to reprimand such weak words, but changed his mind.
Instead, he clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tsk. Cheon-hu, my son. Even if you return, nothing will change.’
Namgung Cheon-hu had slaughtered all the Changcheon Sword Sect members escorting him during his transfer to the Namgung Family and disappeared without a trace.
Despite the Namgung Family’s exhaustive investigation, he had vanished so completely that not a single clue remained.
‘Had it not been for Cheon-yeong, Cheon-hu would have been flawless as the next Family Head. He must have had some hidden card up his sleeve.’
“Simply devote yourself to cultivation. Only martial power that none dare challenge will guide you to the righteous path.”
“Yes. I shall do so.”
“Polish your martial arts alone and ascend to the position of the greatest.”
‘Not merely the greatest swordsman of the Namgung, but the greatest under heaven itself. I shall make you the instrument through which our family ascends to that very pinnacle.’
Unlike Namgung Cheon-hu, Namgung Cheon-yeong had learned nothing of the Soga-joonim’s duties until reaching his coming of age.
His father had never intended to teach him in the first place.
“Yet Father, is it truly acceptable to devote myself solely to martial cultivation? Am I not now the Soga-joonim?”
A scion of a prestigious family, destined to become Family Head, must possess intimate knowledge of all matters great and small concerning the clan.
Yet Namgung Cheon-yeong spent his years in nothing but cultivation.
“Do not concern yourself. There is a saying in this world: the right person in the right place. As for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, the trivial matters shall be handled by the swordmaster who accompanies us.”
“Ah! If the swordmaster uncle travels with us, then I can set my mind at ease.”
‘That is it, Cheon-yeong. Polish only the blade of martial arts. Become the sharpest sword for our family. That is your path.’
Some might furrow their brows, questioning whether he was using his son as a mere tool.
Yet to be born of the Namgung direct line was precisely that.
Namgung Il-geom himself had not been reborn as the most perfect Family Head, viewing his children as swords for the clan, competing beneath his father against his younger brothers from the First Sword to the Fifth Sword?
Everything existed for a single purpose: to inscribe the name of the Great Namgung as the greatest under heaven.
For that end, anything within the bounds of possibility became permissible.
‘Yet you shall not experience the tragedy of kinsmen tearing at kinsmen. This too is your father’s affection.’
Among the First through Fifth Swords of the Namgung, only the First Sword and the Fourth Sword—who had championed the First Sword as Family Head from the beginning—survived.
“Cheon-yeong.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Should you venture to the Gathering, you shall surely encounter the children of the Baek and Dang families.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong’s eyes ignited in an instant.
“Indeed it shall be so….”
Namgung Cheon-yeong, grinding his teeth, continued.
“I shall without fail punish those wretches who cast false accusations upon my elder brother.”
“Yes. That too is both your duty and your right.”
Namgung Il-geom stroked his beard with satisfaction.
‘The Baek family has been most helpful in many ways.’
Thanks to them, I was able to eliminate Namgung Cheon-hu without great difficulty.
Moreover, they serve as bait for Cheon-yeong’s growth.
Having received such kindness, I must repay it in kind.
I shall be magnanimous and, rather than annihilate them, make them a vassal family instead.
They possess the credentials of descendants of the greatest under heaven, and recently they have been making quite a name for themselves—they would serve perfectly as loyal hounds in service to the Great Namgung.
“Go then. Show all the world the height to which the Namgung name must be inscribed.”
“I accept your command. The Soga-joonim of the Namgung receives the Family Head’s appointment.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong’s eyes, as he performed the formal bow, were heavy with resolve.

* * *
The shortest path from Gangxi to Wuhan, where the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was held, was to cross the Yangtze River and travel directly northward.
However, Yang Hwi deviated from the original plan and headed toward Lake Tai in Anhui instead.
From there, I intended to travel down the Yangtze River to below Wuhan, then proceed northward.
The reason for changing the plan was simple.
-Kee-ahhhhh!
“You’ve arrived?”
I fed a piece of jerky to Won-woo, who had perched on my forearm.
Won-woo, who despite being a young bird preferred seasoned jerky to raw meat, flapped his wings and bobbed his head excitedly.
“Even if I do that, you won’t understand anyway. Connect with me quickly.”
-Kee-ah.
As our spiritual connection established, the landscapes Won-woo had observed from the sky flooded into my mind.
“Hmm. About twenty li beyond the northwestern pass. Chu Dal, you should be able to handle this alone.”
“Understood. Do I need to reveal my identity this time as well?”
“Yes.”
Chu Dal departed, employing his lightness technique. My group quickened our pace once more.
Since we could communicate our positions through Won-woo, there was no need to waste time waiting idly.
About half a double-hour had passed.
“I’m back. Here.”
Chu Dal, upon his return, produced two tokens.
“Human-rank again. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
I unfastened the travel pack I had been carrying and inserted the tokens inside.
There were already over a dozen tokens within.
“Younger Brother Hwi. I’m sure you have your reasons, but it does seem somewhat dangerous. If we continue seizing tokens like this, both the main family and the Baek Family will accumulate ill repute.”
I understood. But there was no choice.
“We cannot allow innocent token holders to be slaughtered by those Hyeol-gyo bastards.”
“That’s true enough.”
According to the information obtained from the Patriarch, the Hyeol-gyo cultists planned to ambush token holders, strip their tokens and facial skin, then infiltrate the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
To prevent this, the most efficient approach was to strike first and seize the tokens.
“This is all for the sake of righteousness. For righteous conduct, one must endure some ill repute.”
“Hmm. For something like that, you seem to have mixed in quite a bit of personal interest.”
‘How did he know?’
Without a token, one could not participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
In other words, if I sold the tokens in Wuhan, it would certainly be quite profitable.
There were also various other benefits I could pursue.
Besides, I had been planning to hunt for tokens anyway to obtain a Heaven-rank one, so this was killing two birds with one stone.
“The problem is that aside from the two we have, all of them are Human-rank.”
“Three hundred sixty Heaven-rank tokens were distributed throughout the entire martial realm. It’s practically difficult to encounter one… Hmm?”
Dang-gun paused, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
“Younger Brother Hwi.”
“Why?”
“You couldn’t possibly have overlooked this. Surely that’s the reason we’re heading to Anhui?”
Yang Hwi chuckled with amusement.
“Overlooked what? That we’re planning to strip the Namgung Family of their heavenly-rank disciples? Well, I haven’t decided how to do it yet.”
So far, I had encountered Hyeol-gyo Cultists three times.
Those places were Gangseo’s Shinju, Namchang, and Geom Wang’s Tomb in northern Anhui respectively.
‘Roughly speaking, I can estimate that the Hyeol-gyo’s sphere of activity spans from Gangseo to around Anhui.’
So I was heading to Anhui to seize the disciples.
To minimize the number of late-stage cultivators who would be killed by the Hyeol-gyo cultists.
And if I could create some leverage with the Namgung Family in the process, that would be a bonus.
“There’s one more reason, but that’s still a secret.”
“…You really are something. Always causing trouble without fail. And never anything small either.”
I smiled wryly as I watched Dang-gun sigh.
“Let’s keep going for now. I’ll feel better once we’ve secured at least three more disciples.”
We had crossed into Anhui Province some time ago.
Unlike Gangseo, which was merely a frontier by martial realm standards, Anhui was a relatively central province, so the number of disciples we were acquiring steadily increased.
Several days passed like that.
“Yeon-a, since we’re out here, should we go see Lake Tai?”
“I’d love that, brother.”
“If our Yeon wants it, there’s nothing I can’t do. Let’s go!”
It was when we had moved close enough to see Anhui’s famous Lake Tai.
“You there! Stop for a moment!”
A group of people blocked our path.
The notable thing was that most of them appeared to be late-stage cultivators.
From their varied clothing, they didn’t seem to belong to a single sect.
“What’s this about?”
“You’re the young masters of the Dang and Baek Families, aren’t you?”
I tilted my head askew and looked at the man raising his voice.
When did this bastard ever see me that he speaks so familiarly?
“Yeah. Why?”
“Why? How shameless! News of your atrocities has spread far and wide!”
“What atrocities? Oh, the disciples?”
“Yes! The disciples! Why are you committing such barbaric acts?”
I turned my head and gestured with my chin toward Chu Dal.
Chu Dal, quick to catch on, relayed the information.
“From his clothing, he appears to be a late-stage cultivator named Yang Heon-seung from the Anhui Yang Family. The disciples are probably heavenly-rank.”
“Interesting. A family? We were only at earthly-rank, but he’s heavenly-rank?”
Yang Heon-seung began to sneer, though I hadn’t even directed my words at him.
“Does the Baek Family’s name carry enough weight for heavenly-rank disciples? It seems your shoulders have risen from the excessive praise of the common folk, but a dragon born from the gutter is merely a mud dragon.”
Rather than anger at his provocation, confusion welled up first.
What is that bastard relying on to act so brazenly?
Even knowing he’s gathered over twenty golden tokens in just a few days, if he’s still acting like this, then he must have something to back him up.
“Loser of An! Even the Soga-joonim of the Great Namgung said he cannot simply overlook your actions! Ahahaha!”
‘That’s right. He does have something to rely on.’
A presence rapidly approaching from far across Tae Lake.
Soon, several men dressed in sky-blue martial robes revealed themselves.
One of them appeared to be an elder of middle age.
And the other one was.
‘Namgung Cheon-yeong!’
Thump! My heart raced.
-Forgive me, Nangjoong Jeil-geom. Your talent is far too dangerous.
A fleeting moment from the final instant of my past life.
‘Namgung Cheon-yeong. At last we meet.’
Suddenly, I realized something.
‘This is fun. Truly.’
I should be the one pouring out rage.
Why are you burning so much brighter, you bastard?
“Gaecheon Geomryong Baek Yang-hwi. I’ve heard much of your reputation. Really, damn it, quite a lot.”
Screech—!
Namgung Cheon-yeong drew his sword without hesitation.
The middle-aged man standing one step behind him furrowed his brow slightly, making it clear this was an unplanned action.
“Let’s see if you live up to your name.”
Rather than respond immediately, I calmly surveyed my surroundings.
Then, for a long moment, I studied Namgung Cheon-yeong’s face carefully.
-Elder Dang. I’m sorry.
-Hwi? Hwi!
Emotion is the poison that ruins great endeavors.
But.
Because of that bastard, Chu Dal had to lose his head in my past life.
What makes a person human is having emotions, is it not?
So today, let me act more human, more like an elder brother.
“You are from the Namgung Family, I see. Where is Soga-joonim Namgung Cheon-hu?”
At the same time, I sent a transmission.
-You half-baked brat, where do you get off baring your fangs? Don’t you know your brother got his life ruined trying to act tough with me?
Namgung Cheon-yeong’s face contorted in fury.

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