Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 208

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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 208
The Tang Siblings were genuinely astonished on two counts.
First, there was Chu Dal’s attitude—speaking of it as “good entertainment” despite committing an act that would result in limb amputation the moment he was caught.
And… his shadow concealment technique, which allowed him to infiltrate and escape from the inner chambers of a sect ranking among the Heaven-Rank Thirty-Six without being detected by anyone.
‘He’s grown. All of him. And so rapidly at that.’
“Chu Dal, since you’ve already done it, so be it. But what about afterward? You’re certain you weren’t discovered?”
“If things had gone wrong, we could have faced real disaster, Chu Dal.”
Chu Dal slowly rose to his feet.
Surely he wasn’t about to panic and flee now, was he…?
It was precisely when the Tang Siblings were entertaining such thoughts and growing anxious.
“Elder Brother. Who am I?”
Normally, Yang Hwi would have responded with something like, “Who? Just that ugly Chu Dal!” But now he laughed cheerfully and played along.
“In the art of thievery, without question, the greatest under heaven! The sole legitimate successor of the Divine Thief Bloodline!”
Chu Dal straightened his shoulders and thrust out his chest.
“Precisely! I, Chu Dal… or rather, Lee Hu! The fourth-generation inheritor of the Divine Thief and the sole bearer of everything the Divine Thief Bloodline represents!”
Yang Hwi tapped his knee in rhythm, keeping time.
“Huzzah!”
There are many differing opinions on which sect possesses the greatest swordsmanship under heaven.
But if one were to ask which martial lineage possesses the greatest shadow concealment technique under heaven,
all people would speak a single name.
The Divine Thief Bloodline—the Shadow Ghost Gate!
“I am none other than the Master of the Shadow Ghost Gate, Gwi-mol Eung-hyeop Lee Hu!”
“Huzzah!”
“Elder Brother. Say ‘huzzah,’ not ‘huzzah-si.'”
“Eh?!”
“…I should have known better.”
Chu Dal, his enthusiasm dampened, continued.
“In any case. Rest assured, Dang Soga-ju. I was not discovered.”
“…Truly?”
“I didn’t even visit places where discovery seemed likely. The areas where martial techniques would be kept were heavily guarded.”
Not to mention he had confirmed that fact with his own eyes.
“Then exactly where did you go?”
“The sect master’s office.”
Dang-gun couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“You went to a dangerous place! You went somewhere you could easily be caught! The Taeguk-mun Master is the greatest master of the Taeguk-mun sect, having learned martial arts at the Shaman’s main headquarters!”
“He wasn’t there, sir.”
“What?”
“It appears something came up. It seemed he had gone on a journey. I sensed no trace of a master of the Taeguk-mun Master’s caliber within the sect.”
Indeed, Chu Dal possessed the most information among the group.
As the core of the Baek Family’s intelligence division and the one responsible for maintaining regular communications.
With this, I could ease my worries about potential repercussions.
But Dang-gun’s expression hardened once more.
“Chu Dal, you made a clever judgment. But you should have thought more carefully.”
Chu Dal and Yang Hwi felt a sense of déjà vu watching Dang-gun’s expression.
It was the kind of look stern adults wore when delivering a lecture.
“Spying on another sect’s secrets without permission is not an honorable act. In essence, it differs little from theft.”
Chu Dal offered just one response.
“What about Mount Liang?”
“….”
Mount Liang. The setting of the Water Margin, one of the most famous tales of legend in the Central Plains.
In short, a bandit stronghold.
“The heroes of the Water Margin were bandits of Mount Liang. Yet they are called heroes and legends, are they not!”
“…But that’s just a novel.”
“All stories contain the hopes and dreams of the common people!”
“So… you’re saying you committed righteous theft, like the noble bandits of Mount Liang?”
“Yes! I am a righteous bandit of this age!”
Beside Chu Dal spouting nonsense, Yang Hwi nodded as if to say, “Exactly, exactly,” with his expression.
‘Ah. I see.’
Not long ago, after meeting Chu Dal again for the first time in years.
I had observed that he seemed a bit more weathered.
But it was far worse than that!
Chu Dal had always been someone with clear principles, even if he was a bit frivolous….
Heh heh heh. His principles had shifted upward.
Like someone else’s.
“Chu Dal is right, Elder Dang. This too is righteousness.”
“…I’m quite curious what logic that is.”
Yang Hwi simply chuckled.
It was natural that he couldn’t accept it.
But it was righteousness.
Stopping the Shaman sect’s plan would ultimately prevent tremendous bloodshed.
Well, they probably wouldn’t understand even if I told them the truth now.
So let me convince them briefly and directly.
“Stopping the greed of Gu-pa and the Five Great Families.”
Yang Hwi’s answer was simple. Because of that, Dang-gun had no choice but to understand immediately.
Gu-pa and the Five Great Families. The Dang Family, born from their hands, knew best how unreasonably these noble houses of Baek Do pursued their desires.
“I see. Their greed often blinds them to the suffering of others.”
“It’s truly important to know what the Shaman is planning. They’re acting even more tyrannically than the Five Great Families, who are bloated with greed.”
Jegal Seol-ha, who had been listening quietly, whispered in an ant-like voice.
“The Jegal Family apologizes….”
“Ah.”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t considered that.
“Haha, hahaha! Waryong Musang of the Jegal Family is renowned for his righteous conduct and integrity! This Dang has long admired Soga-joonim greatly, young lady!”
“That’s true… Father is a good man. Unlike our family….”
It was spilled water in a different sense.
“Now, now, what does logic matter? The water’s already spilled, so let’s make good use of the information we’ve gathered.”
I added another comment, watching Jegal Seol-ha’s dejected expression.
“It might be an opportunity to outwit the Shaman.”
Jegal Seol-ha’s face brightened immediately.
“That’s right! I’d love to repay these bastards for all the grief they’ve caused. Hehehehe!”
“….”
“What is it, older brother?”
“Nothing.”
I felt no guilt whatsoever about remodeling Baek Heon-so and Chu Dal, but now it was different.
There was an inexplicable sense of unease.
Seolha, don’t laugh so carelessly with that expression….
“Anyway. Chu Dal, tell me quickly what you found out. Do you have any useful information?”
“Yes, older brother. There was something interesting. For instance, the Shaman’s ultimate objective?”
It was information that even Dang-gun couldn’t hide his curiosity about.
Originally, the Dragon-Phoenix Conference was an event where renowned masters from various prestigious families shared responsibility.
But this time, the Shaman had gone so far as to forcibly take sole control of the proceedings.
The reason was naturally intriguing.
“Isn’t it to solidify his position as the leader of Gu-pa and establish the prestige and standing of the greatest sect under heaven? Did you find another reason?”
“Yes. It was far more than just that.”
I let a slight smile cross my lips.
This fellow Chu Dal had brought back something more substantial than I expected.
‘The Shaman Sect’s ultimate objective. I must certainly stop it. I didn’t expect to be able to speak of it so openly already. This is excellent.’
“First, Dang Soga-ju’s words are correct. The Shaman does seek greater fame and standing. However, the means to achieve it are remarkably radical.”
“Tell me then. What did you discover?”
“The formation of an alliance. That is what the Shaman desires.”
Dang-gun’s expression became puzzled.
“That shouldn’t be difficult. We ourselves have formed the First Alliance, haven’t we?”
Using the Dragon-Phoenix Conference, which occurs once every ten years, as a stage for such a goal seemed too modest.
It was common for various sects to form alliances when their interests aligned, was it not?
“The name of the alliance is the Martial Alliance.”
It was a simple answer, but Dang-gun’s expression hardened immediately.
He had grasped the Shaman’s intent embedded in the alliance’s name at once.
“How audacious.”
“And arrogant.”
What was the Martial Realm?
Under Heaven itself.
A world where countless martial artists lived and breathed.
To attach such a name to an alliance?
The meaning behind this fact was clear.
“The entire martial realm… or at least the whole of the Hundred Paths martial world wants to fall under his influence.”
It wasn’t merely fame and standing that the Shaman desired.
Real, tangible influence capable of controlling the Hundred Paths martial world.
What the Shaman ultimately sought to seize was power itself.
“And even that power is likely just a means to an end.”
“What do you mean, Hwi’s Younger Brother?”
“It’s obvious. He wants to move the entire Hundred Paths martial world in one direction to achieve something specific.”
That something was precisely what I had to prevent at all costs.
“Speaking of which, Elder Dang. There’s one more thing I should tell you.”
“What is it?”
“The main tournament of the Dragon-Phoenix Conference… at the latest, by the semifinals. That’s when all the leaders or representatives of the Nine Sects and Five Great Families will gather. They’ve been invited by the Shaman.”
It was being done in secret, but Seolha was of direct Jegal Family blood—she couldn’t possibly not know.
“I see. A Martial Alliance, then. Whether it’s actually possible to form remains to be seen.”
“It seems difficult, but the Shaman will find a way.”
“Then how the Shaman moves becomes crucially important. Chu Dal, tell me more.”
“Huh? That’s all the information I managed to gather.”
“Hmm…?”
Chu Dal’s expression turned aggrieved.
“No, but isn’t this already a major catch? If you make that face, I’ll feel hurt!”
Well, that was true.
“That’s really all you found out? Seriously?”
“You people clearly have no experience in banditry. Infiltrating without being detected requires extreme caution! The time I was given was far too short!”
Indeed, the time spent at the Taeguk-mun was barely over two hours.
Discovering the Shaman’s ultimate objective was already worthy of praise.
“Hmm. Still, it’s somewhat vague.”
“We need more information. Specifically how he’ll move, things like that.”
“Should I go steal another peek… wait, I mean cooperate and return?”
…Again?
Dang-gun revised his earlier assessment of Chu Dal.
The man’s moral line hadn’t simply shifted upward.
At this point, one might say the line had disappeared entirely.
“No. We of the Dang Family will investigate separately. We’re one of the Thirty-Six Sects ourselves, yet the Shaman gave us no hint whatsoever. I’m curious about the reason.”
‘Elder Dang. Perhaps… he thought the Dang Family would naturally obey if commanded.’
That was the role the Nine Sects and Five Great Families believed the Dang Family should play.
Though that was about to change completely after this Dragon-Phoenix Conference.
“For now, we’ve obtained a Heaven-rank certificate from the Taeguk-mun and made quite a name for ourselves. So…”
As Yang Hwi spoke, the Innkeeper knocked on the guest room door.
Yang Hwi’s voice and the Innkeeper’s voice overlapped.
“With this information, I can predict the movements of the Taeguk-mun and the Shamans….”
“Guests, the Taeguk-mun Master has arrived to see you.”
“I thought I could work it out, but I didn’t expect this.”
No, this was truly beyond my calculations.
Why did he come here?
“Chu Dal!”
“Surely not!”
Everyone’s eyes widened, and urgency flooded their faces.
Chu Dal was the most shocked of all.
“We absolutely weren’t discovered! Truly! No, truly!!”
“Then why is the Master here, you fool!”
“Eek, what do we do? Should we run?”
“Everyone, stay calm. Your faces! Your faces! Control your expressions!”
A solemn presence ascending the stairs from below.
Soon the Taeguk-mun Master appeared.
“Members of the Dang Family, Baek Family, and Jegal Family. It is my honor to meet you. I am the Taeguk-mun Master, Yeon Mu.”
In all matters of this world, seizing the initiative brings victory.
Yang Hwi quickly opened his mouth.
“That is to say! We have committed a grave discourtesy!”
“You are aware then. I never imagined that while I stepped away, you would create such a troublesome situation under the guise of a martial competition.”
A hint of hostility colored his voice and words.
Yet everyone in the group felt relief wash over them.
Could it be… he didn’t come because of Chu Dal?
Then why did he suddenly arrive?
And a Master of one of the Thirty-Six Heaven-Rank Sects at that.

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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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