Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 220

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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 220
“Ho, so you propose a wager.”
A subordinate making such a proposal to a superior—and a mere late-stage cultivator at that, to one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon—was excessively disrespectful.
Yet Peng Fan’s expression betrayed genuine intrigue.
A fortunate reaction. I had anticipated such a response from our brief exchange and deliberately broached the subject.
“Yes. Would this not be entertaining?”
“Indeed it would. Hehehehe, Junior Disciple! You understand perfectly what old men find amusing!”
Though Peng Fan appeared outwardly to be a man in his forties.
In truth, he had lived for over a century.
“What shall we wager? If I hear the terms first, the thrill diminishes. Let us settle the stakes beforehand.”
“Simple. Should I lose, I shall become your disciple without complaint and handle all matters concerning Eum Hu.”
“And if I lose?”
“Merely grant me one wish. Of course, you may refuse if it displeases you.”
In that moment, Peng Fan’s eyes widened slightly. Then came a hearty, booming laugh.
“Hahahaha! Do you know the value of a wish granted by this Peng Fan in the martial realm?”
I know well. A wish from him is worth its weight in gold, literally.
Especially when the one granting it is none other than one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
But.
“And what value do you suppose a junior disciple of the Cheonmu-sip-jon would hold in this martial realm?”
“What! Hehehehehehe!”
Peng Fan’s laughter grew louder and more robust.
“You speak truth! Not a single sect under heaven would fail to covet you! Yes! You know your own worth exceedingly well, Junior Disciple!”
Peng Fan declared.
“I acknowledge it! The scales are perfectly balanced—neither side tips!”
Yang Hwi smiled faintly in gratitude and continued.
“Now that you have heard the stakes, you must also hear the terms of the wager, yes?”
“Indeed. Will it entertain me as much as the stakes suggest?”
“I believe it shall.”
“Speak then!”
“It is simple.”
I had set the stakes myself. Should the wager be too easy, Peng Fan would feel insulted.
Yet if the terms were perfectly balanced or predictable, he would lose interest.
‘Better to provoke his ire than lose his interest.’
Of course, there existed a third option.
If the wager were exceedingly difficult—if it made him think the bet was merely a pretext, and that I was truly asking him to accept me as his disciple.
Yang Hwi’s lips curved upward as he spoke boldly.
“Should I become the Greatest Under Heaven, it is my victory. Should I fail, it is your victory.”
In this moment, Yang Hwi stood before one of the ten greatest masters in all the realm.
Before the Daehaeyongwangdo, capable of contending for the title of Greatest Under Heaven.
Regardless of the past, I had just declared that the current late-stage cultivator—the future Greatest Under Heaven—would be myself.
“Kahahaha! The position of First Dragon! You’re wagering the seat of First Dragon! Kahahaha!”
To execute my plan, I would need to become First Dragon anyway.
At the very least, I would ensure that neither Hyeon Geom nor Namgung Cheon-yeong ever earned the title of First Dragon.
Since I was destined to walk this path regardless, adding Peng Fan’s wish as the stakes meant there was no loss for me.
Peng Fan expressed this understanding of Yang Hwi’s thoughts in his own words.
“A wager is only made when one possesses both conviction and confidence! It seems you possess both. Among those younger than thirty-six, you believe yourself to be the greatest under heaven!”
I nodded readily.
“That is correct. I do believe so. Adu of Shaolin, Hyeon Geom of the Shaman sect, and the disciples of the Nine Sects and Five Great Families—among all of them, I am the one most suited to the title of First Dragon.”
After going so far as to reverse time itself, could I fail to earn the title of First Dragon?
If that were the case, I might as well drink a bowl of cold water, collapse, and return to where I was meant to go.
“Throughout history, the champions of the Dragon-Phoenix Contest have been at least twenty years old. With the twelve earthly branches multiplied by three, contestants up to thirty-six are permitted. Yet you believe it possible for someone barely in their twenties?”
“Did you not tell me directly? I am confident and convinced.”
A gleam of fervor ignited in the eyes of the Great Sea Dragon King.
It was the look of someone who had found suitable material and found it so entertaining that they absolutely intended to take this one as a disciple.
“Excellent. You have proven yourself worthy of wagering with me, Peng Fan, the Great Sea Dragon King. I accept!”
“I am grateful that you accept this junior’s rudeness with such magnanimity.”
“How could I refuse? This wager holds no loss for me.”
That was indeed true. In terms of winning odds, Peng Fan would have nine out of ten chances.
At least, if one measured it by the perception of others.
“I shall take my leave now. If one makes a wager, one must do their utmost. I cannot simply remain idle.”
“Yes. I too shall give my all.”
A whirlwind erupted as Peng Fan’s figure vanished.
His disregard for farewells was befitting of the legendary Great Sea Dragon King.
‘Everything that breaks shall be consumed by the Great. What will come to pass, I wonder.’
I had cast a new die.
All those who had been making their own plans and executing them regarding this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering would now face a new variable.
When Yang Hwi departed the Baek Family to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, he had told his companions that he would cause chaos.
This certainly qualified as chaos.

* * *
This Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was orchestrated by the Shaman to establish an alliance and claim its leadership.
Consequently, the heads of all thirty-six major sects were scheduled to gather in Wuhan several months hence, and the Family Head of the Hebei Peng Family had already arrived in advance.
It was only natural, given that the Great Sea Dragon King himself had stepped forward as the family’s supreme elder.
“My son, you need not exert yourself so strenuously.”
Peng Gun, the Family Head of the Peng Family, spoke while observing his son Peng Wang, who held the position of Junior Family Head, then took a sip of wine.
“Yes, Father. However… I fear the scrutiny of the world.”
Peng Gun regarded his son with a pitying gaze.
It was unavoidable—he himself would have felt ashamed in such circumstances.
“Father… might you not persuade Grandfather to reconsider his position?”
Peng Gun chuckled softly.
“My son.”
“Yes.”
“You know it is impossible.”
“…That is true. However, consider this.”
Peng Wang’s complaint began in earnest.
“At the previous Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, I was the First Dragon, and now at thirty-six years of age, I am to compete again in the Dragon-Phoenix Contest. Does this make sense?”
I could easily imagine what the world would whisper.
Surely they would say he cared nothing for propriety and greedily sought fame.
A shameless wretch—the previous First Dragon, the Junior Family Head of the Peng Family, called the Dragon-Tiger Great Blade, yet inserting himself into a gathering meant for his juniors!
“My son. No—Junior Family Head Peng.”
At the change in address, Peng Wang straightened his posture.
“Speak, Family Head.”
“Much is at stake in this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Though it pains me that you must participate in something that damages your honor at your grandfather’s insistence, there is nothing wrong with you becoming the First Dragon.”
The reason was simple.
“The Shaman is attempting something absurd—establishing a martial alliance and such nonsense. The Dragon-Phoenix Contest is merely its beginning. To become the lord of the entire martial realm, one must possess the cultivation of the greatest under heaven. Beyond that, the martial world trembles with upheaval.”
The Peng Family of Hebei is the greatest family of our age. Should we quietly join the alliance the Shaman seeks to create, the title of greatest under heaven would become a mockery.
That was not all.
“Namgung, too, has sent forth a Junior Family Head cultivated with utmost devotion. They seek to reclaim their lost position, beginning with the title of First Dragon.”
Before the Peng Family, it was Namgung that held the position of greatest family under heaven.
For a considerable time, Namgung had been the foremost of the Five Great Families, bearing the glorious title of greatest under heaven.
“Do you not understand? It is not the last place that grows most desperate, but the second.”
Truly, those who wish most desperately to escape their circumstances are not those in last place, but those in second.
Because with just a little more effort, the position of greatest under heaven seems within grasp.
And so one crosses the line.
Nothing makes a person more desperate and extreme than something visible yet beyond their reach.
Thus, the Peng Family had necessity to prevent any misfortune that might arise.
“Regardless of your grandfather’s will, for the sake of our main family, there is nothing wrong with you becoming the First Dragon.”
“I, as Junior Family Head of the Peng Family, shall fulfill my duties with utmost dedication.”
“Good. I am always reassured by your steadfastness.”
A conversation befitting the Family Head and Second Head of the greatest martial arts family under heaven.
In that moment, the Great Sea Dragon King burst in.
Needless to say, the atmosphere shattered completely.
“My boy! My grandson!”
“…Grandfather.”
“Phew. Former Family Head, do maintain some decorum.”
“Live to my age and you’ll see. Such things are merely worldly pretense.”
That’s not quite it. You’re simply living as you please, without restraint.
“That’s not what matters now. I just met that Gaecheon Geomryong boy, and ahahaha! Quite entertaining indeed!”
“You mentioned going out for a stroll earlier—so you did have business after all.”
Both Peng Gun and Peng Wang held interest in the Young Master of the Baek Family.
They knew that Baek Yang-hwi was Eum Hu’s private disciple and possessed extraordinary innate talent.
Yet despite this, Peng Fan’s next words were nothing short of astonishing.
“I asked that brat to become my disciple!”
“Truly, sir?”
“What do you mean—”
“And he rejected me!”
“What?!”
“What in the—!!”
The mere fact that he had offered discipleship was shocking enough, but he was actually rejected?
Who under heaven could refuse an offer of discipleship from Cheonmu-sip-jon?
“How did this happen? Surely the Shaman didn’t extend an offer first?”
“No, that’s impossible. Absolutely not. That boy—though our conversation was brief—he’s not the type Geom-ong would favor.”
“Then why did he refuse?”
“He seems to value his loyalty to Eum Hu. And he’s cunning too. He understands how to maximize his own gains, so to speak. It wasn’t a simple rejection.”
“How so?”
“He proposed a wager. A bet where he loses if he doesn’t become the First Dragon. Isn’t that amusing?”
Peng Fan explained the details before continuing.
“You all know I’ve been searching for a disciple, don’t you?”
“…Yes, we do.”
“Yet none from the main family have qualified.”
Not a single brilliant successor from the greatest martial arts family under heaven had met Peng Fan’s standards.
Becoming a disciple of the Great Sea Dragon King was that difficult.
“That boy was perfect. I felt certain that with proper instruction, he would be more than sufficient to inherit the Great Sea Dragon King’s techniques.”
“To that extent?”
….
Peng Gun was astonished, while Peng Wang felt an inexplicable emotion.
Both had experienced the past where they strived to inherit their father and grandfather’s legacy.
“Therefore, my grandson.”
In that moment, Peng Wang felt an unexplainable chill.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Let me observe your cultivation.”
Peng Wang finally grasped the true nature of Inner Qi.
“…Why all of a sudden….”
“You know as well as I do. I told you to participate in the Dragon Phoenix Gathering because it seemed entertaining, but truthfully, I never genuinely wanted you to become the Supreme Dragon.”
“Yes, I understand. You instructed me to participate but to enjoy myself moderately before withdrawing.”
Unlike Eum Hu and Lakbul, Peng Fan harbored no particular grievance with the Shaman’s course of action.
It was only natural for a man to aspire to elevate the sect he had founded with his own hands to supremacy under heaven.
However, if circumstances shifted like this, the matter took on a different complexion.
“I must absolutely take Baek Yang-hwi as my disciple. Just to be safe, you should prevent that fellow from becoming the Supreme Dragon.”
“….”
The training regimen that Daehaeyongwangdo imposed upon Peng Fan was… nothing short of hellish in its difficulty.
Thus, Peng Wang could only smile contentedly.
Inwardly, however, he screamed.
‘Baek Yang-hwiiiii!’
Ten days remained until the opening of the Dragon Phoenix Gathering.
Time flowed like water—swift and unobstructed.

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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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