Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 237

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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 237
You fail to comprehend because you have not reached the pinnacle of mastery.
Namgung Sa-geom’s eyes widened as he bared his teeth.
This was no remark he could simply overlook.
The reason he had survived the Family Head succession struggle.
Why he alone, unlike his brothers, could serve and support Family Head Namgung Il-geom.
“Are you saying… that because I, this elder, have not ascended to the pinnacle… I fail to understand?”
“Yes. You cannot perceive the Intent, can you?”
Among prestigious sects like Gu-pa and the Five Great Families, elders were at minimum of pinnacle rank or beyond.
Yet Namgung Sa-geom, despite being an elder of the Namgung Family itself, possessed martial prowess only at the first-rate level.
For a direct descendant of a prestigious martial family, it was a tragic curse of talent he had been born with.
This was Namgung Sa-geom’s reverse scale.
‘You will not die a peaceful death. Never!’
Until now, anyone who spoke such words had been torn to shreds through the mobilization of his family’s power.
So this wretch too should meet the same fate.
But the problem was….
Given the circumstances, he could not do so immediately.
Killing intent rose in waves from Namgung Sa-geom’s entire body.
‘How ticklish, Elder Namgung.’
What good would it do to emit killing intent?
For killing intent to possess tangible power, one must master the unity of will and qi, infusing intention into one’s energy.
From what I could see, his skill was merely at the early or middle stages of the first-rate level.
‘I knew from the start when his martial prowess was so pathetic for someone claiming to be a Namgung elder. I expected him to have a fit the moment I touched a nerve.’
In that sense, perhaps I should scratch a bit more.
“Forgive my rudeness, but I shall proceed.”
I asked permission beforehand and drew my blade.
Immediately the sword began to tremble, and pure white sword qi surged forth.
Sword qi—the symbol of the pinnacle realm.
Even amid his rage, Namgung Sa-geom gazed upon the sword qi with desperate eyes.
“Transform.”
A soft incantation. The sword qi began to shift and change infinitely.
Like a dandelion scattering seeds, pure white feathers drifted from the pillar of sword qi.
Each feather carried its own distinct Intent.
“Everyone. Would you like to touch them?”
Feathers spread throughout the banquet hall. The guests reached out with curious eyes and touched the feathers.
Namgung Sa-geom too, though he thought he should not, brought his fingers toward a feather as if enchanted.
Joy. Accomplishment. And competitive spirit.
The sensation from each feather was entirely different.
“Remarkable!”
“Impossible! What an extraordinary realm!”
“At that age, you’ve already comprehended the Living Qi technique?”
“You’ve already obtained one of the three! At merely twenty years old!”
Three realizations required to reach the pinnacle of transcendence.
Living Qi, Void Absorption, Divine Sword Unity.
Having demonstrated Living Qi, this served as proof of the realm I had attained.
‘In truth, it’s not just one, but this dispels any doubt that an unqualified minor martial family heir climbed through connections.’
“Living Qi. When one’s will and inner energy become unified to achieve life, words become unnecessary. Masters can discern each other’s intentions through a single exchange of blows—all thanks to this very principle.”
“….”
“I, Baek Yang-hwi. Okchung of Hwasan. Adu of Shaolin. Namgung Cheon-yeong of Namgung. We four have all awakened to Living Qi.”
“Ohhhhh!”
“The other two are naturally expected, but for Young Master Baek and Daoist Okchung to have reached such heights as well…”
“The pillars of the martial world are truly magnificent, hehehehe!”
I lifted the corners of my mouth slightly, observing Namgung Sa-geom.
The problems he had presented were, simply put, three in total.
Having proven my qualifications, now came what came next.
“You say we conspired from behind to check a powerful rival like the Namgung Clan Head? Actually, it’s the opposite. Why? Because we all felt it. Competitive spirit toward one another! A desire to clash at greater heights, in a state more free and unrestricted!”
I quickly surveyed those around me. Since all were warriors, their faces bore faint traces of excitement and fervor.
Of course it would be so.
Meeting worthy rivals at greater heights and engaging in a grand dance of combat.
Any warrior would naturally understand and resonate with such a desire.
“It is our greed, certainly. But surely this much can be considered a warrior’s leisure pursuit, can it not?”
“That’s true.”
“I would have done the same.”
Voices of agreement rippled through the gathering.
“Fortunately, Peng Heir graciously allowed us to compete and used that as a pretext to withdraw. For the sake of the younger generation. Thus, I presented the flag to the Namgung Clan Head.”
If Peng Wang hadn’t deliberately lost, would the grandson of the Great Sea Dragon King have fallen to a minor family heir?
If you acknowledge that as fact, then so be it.
Glancing at Namgung Sa-geom, his mouth hung slightly open.
‘Did he not expect me to simply accept it?’
Though I’ve shown my pride wounded a few times before, pride is something that bends and yields readily enough for profit.
Now I’ve made it so Peng Wang and the Great Sea Dragon King cannot be held accountable.
As I sent a look challenging him to refute me, Namgung Sa-geom clenched his teeth and responded.
“Is that truly your honest intention? I heard that Monk Adu even directly stated he didn’t wish to fight you.”
I blinked in response.
“Monk Adu didn’t fight anyone at that time. What’s wrong with a monk avoiding combat?”
It was true. Adu had yielded the flag and simply ran in the direction I’d indicated, finding the flag by chance.
Therefore, Namgung Sa-geom had nothing to say in return.
‘Now I see his intention clearly enough.’
He deliberately raised an issue that would be immediately resolved by revealing the truth.
His purpose had been to sow discord from the start.
So that’s why I took the risk and brought up the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
‘Dragging me down and humiliating me was just a bonus in his eyes.’
I don’t know what logic Namgung Sa-geom was operating under or what outcome he was aiming for.
But judging by his intentions alone, he was clearly trying to spread filth.
‘Then it’s only natural to repay him with more than what he was expecting to receive.’
“In the end, Elder Namgung, the crux of what you’re saying is whether the match was fair, isn’t it? I’d like to ask in return. The First Disciple of Hwasan. The greatest talent of Shaolin. The Clan Head of Namgung. The greatest dragon of the previous generation. And on top of that, Gaecheon Geomryong, who defeated Hyeol Sa-ryeon in a single instant and was at the center of all the rumors. Five out of thirty fell into the same competition bracket.”
Though it’s in the past, thinking about it now, it’s quite significant.
“Elder Namgung. Were you perhaps trying to say that the Shamans manipulated the bracket to reduce competitors? Then wouldn’t my accepting the flag from the Peng Heir and handing it to the Namgung Clan Head also be manipulation?”
“That, that is…!”
Namgung Sa-geom hastily glanced at the Taeguk Sword Master’s expression.
He had been voicing the unfairness that Namgung Cheon-yeong had to face in the match, but the issue had twisted into the fairness of the bracket itself.
As a Shaman representative, his mood could only be uncomfortable.
‘Well, it probably was manipulation.’
What were the odds that five people out of three hundred fifty would compete against each other?
The Shamans must have certainly used some method.
So they would handle this more seriously.
“I stake my name as Bin-do when I say there was no bracket manipulation.”
‘As expected. Even the Taeguk Sword Master couldn’t stay silent.’
“I apologize to Elder Namgung. I can say with certainty that I never harbored such thoughts.”
Now only one thing remained.
“Ah, I should also explain why I deliberately gave the flag to the Namgung Clan Head. It would have been his anyway if I’d just thrown it, so I just played a prank on him in the process. Because I personally dislike the Namgung Clan Head.”
Everyone in the banquet hall widened their eyes simultaneously.
In a way, the Baek Family had just publicly declared conflict with the Namgung Family.
‘Should I bring up what Namgung Cheon-hu did here too? No. If I did that, I’d be told I ruined a good opportunity.’
I should only address the issues that Namgung Sa-geom had raised.
And if I could land a blow on the Namgung Family in the process while they were trying to spread filth, all the better.
Fortunately, I had a perfect excuse.
Yang Hwi deliberately made a pitiful expression.
“How could I possibly like the Namgung Clan Head? He’s been pestering my betrothed while throwing his family’s prestige around.”
There wasn’t a soul in this hall who didn’t know who Gaecheon Geomryong’s betrothed was.
The most beautiful woman under heaven, Pye Wol-ok-bong Jegal Seol-ha.
‘Right. Any man would want to humiliate someone who clings to his betrothed.’
‘Now that I think about it, Gaecheon Geomryong must have felt quite wronged all this time.’
‘So the previous humiliation was ultimately a love triangle? Oh my, this is getting interesting!’
Namgung Sa-geom stared at the Jegal Family Head and Yang Hwi in turns with astonished eyes.
Jegal Pae shook his head quietly as if this was something he hadn’t been informed of.
Regardless, people’s gazes became more interested.
There. I had completely refuted Namgung Sa-geom’s logic.
“He kept telling me I had no qualifications and to step back. So I thought, fine, let’s compete fairly. In that spirit, I proposed the organization of the Yeonyeol-dae. Well, the Namgung Clan Head failed to become the Yeonyeol-dae Master because he lost to the Current Sword Daoist.”
In one move, I branded Namgung Cheon-yeong with the stigma of being someone who lost to the Current Sword Daoist, while simultaneously preventing Namgung Sa-geom from opening his mouth again.
‘Keep wagging that tongue of yours. Just as you dragged in the Great Sea Dragon King, I’ll bring the Taeguk Sword Master to your doorstep.’
Among the rumored favorites for the championship, only the Current Sword Daoist was notably absent from our bracket.
There was a nagging sense that perhaps we were acting under his instructions.
Kya! This is going to be a mess!
Namgung Sa-geom would have understood the implication.
“I see. This Namgung elder has made a misunderstanding….”
Yang Hwi laughed warmly, like a magnanimous man of great capacity.
“No, it’s understandable to be mistaken. After all, there was indeed a silent agreement among us, and you, Elder Namgung, have not yet reached the pinnacle….”
“….”
Goodness, wasn’t that jab a bit too loud with all these people around?
If this continues, you’ll be finished for life, Elder Namgung.

* * *
After Namgung Sa-geom’s concerns were addressed, the banquet took on a somewhat different atmosphere.
“There are more talented individuals among the later-stage participants of the Dragon Trial than I expected.”
“Shaolin and Namgung are one thing, but even the Baek Family, which just became a great clan, and Okchung of Hwasan have gained momentum.”
“And that’s not all. From what I observed in the preliminaries, Jeomchang has two dragons as well—Neung-o and Neung-wol.”
“The Shaman’s Current Sword Daoist goes without saying, and the two direct descendants of the Dang Family are hardly to be dismissed. The Zhejiang Black Clan and Bota Sword Pavilion are also outstanding.”
“And there’s even an assassin among them? One called Nang Hon.”
“Ah, that one. He’s quite skilled. I saw him myself.”
The Shaman had not yet announced the Dragon Trial matchups.
All the advancing participants wanted to win one more time, and if possible, become the first dragon.
It was natural, but interest in how the matchups would be determined was bound to intensify.
…For the senior figures attending the banquet, if the Shaman alone decided the matchups, they would gladly band together and voice their dissatisfaction.
“I must ask the Taeguk Sword Master!”
Finally, it happened.
“How do you intend to determine the matchups for the Dragon Trial? If it’s already been decided, it would be good to announce it here!”
Though the words were polite, both the speaker and all the attendees were clearly prepared to voice their displeasure if the matchups had already been determined.
‘Oh, this is getting interesting.’
Yang Hwi sipped his drink and raised the corners of his mouth.
If they just drew numbered balls and called it decided, everyone would rise in protest.
They were all warriors, so unreasonable things were bound to happen in the process.
‘I wonder how the Shaman will handle this?’
Soon, the Taeguk Sword Master rose to his feet.
“It seems all of you wish for matchups that everyone can be satisfied with. Then, how about this?”
To summarize the Sword Master’s proposal, it was this:
‘So the advancing participants would essentially vote on who they want to face?’
This is how it would go.
Yang Hwi unconsciously wore an intrigued expression.

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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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