Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 238

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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 238
“Originally, I intended to leave all the matchups for the True Dragon Tournament to the will of heaven.”
He meant they were planning to decide it by drawing lots.
“However, since the many disciples wish for a different method, I have conceived a fair way that all can accept. Each finalist will designate the opponent they wish to face.”
It was a natural statement, but inevitably, someone would fail to receive a nomination.
For example, strong favorites like Hyeon Geom and Adu.
Someone raised a question about the blind spot.
“Separate from the nominations, each finalist can choose their opponent from among those who nominated them. Once a pair is formed, we exclude them and proceed with fresh nominations.”
If done this way, all sixty-four participants would inevitably be paired into thirty-two matches.
Those remaining until the end would mostly be skilled fighters.
‘Changing the game board at precisely the right moment.’
Until now, the Shaman had arranged the matchups.
Though he claimed fairness by leaving it to chance, who could know if that was true?
A problem had been raised at just the right time—it was to shift responsibility away from the Shaman.
‘After all, only six more matches remain until becoming the True Dragon. Manipulating the bracket would hardly matter at this point.’
Still, something felt odd.
Battles between strong fighters would be fierce, and even in victory, they would inevitably affect the next match.
What if Hyeon Geom faced Adu, Namgung Cheon-yeong, and Okcheon consecutively and was eliminated?
‘For the Shaman’s purpose, they would need to obtain the title of True Dragon… Ah, I see.’
I swept my gaze across the banquet hall. After the Taeguk Sword Master’s announcement, everyone was moving busily.
‘The Shaman simply needs to instruct finalists under their influence to nominate Hyeon Geom.’
Similarly, the Namgung Family also had nothing to lose from this proposal.
Being the Namgung of all under heaven, they could surely sway at least three or four finalists.
‘Grandfather, were you aiming at me when you said this?’
I could not afford to accept defeat and seek out a finalist who would nominate me.
No matter how rapidly the Baek Family was rising, compared to all under heaven, we were still only middling.
In other words, the probability of me not being nominated until the end was high, and I would face only strong opponents on my way to the finals.
‘No matter how capable I am… if I engage in consecutive battles against people like Adu or Hyeon Geom, I might commit the error of a thousand calculations ruined by one oversight.’
Far away, the Taeguk Sword Master was watching me.
Eyes of profound depth that revealed no emotion.
It seemed to say: you who claimed you would not walk the same path, now show me what path you will walk.
‘I’m in a bind, Grandfather.’
No matter how I twisted and turned, this seemed difficult to break through.
Should I try requesting nominations in exchange for adequate payment?
No. I need to win five times to reach the finals—bribing everyone would be far too wasteful.
“What will you do, brother?”
Baek Heon-so’s question.
“You shouldn’t have much trouble finding an opponent, at least?”
For someone from a minor martial family, he had performed decently, but he could not compare to me, who had made a name for himself by openly causing chaos.
“Yes, there are already finalists requesting a match. What about you, brother?”
“I’ll be the one left standing till the end, facing off against Adu or some other strong bastard.”
“If that happens every match, wouldn’t that be troublesome?”
“Yeah. Sounds pretty annoying and exhausting. Feels like that’s their game plan.”
“…What should we do?”
“Hell if I know. Since it pisses me off, I should retaliate first.”
“Pardon? How?”
Seated at the highest position was the Taeguk Sword Master. Perched on a torch stand beside him sat a pure white hawk.
‘Won-woo, this bastard’s gotten quite the fine appearance in the meantime.’
The bird must have received such lavish treatment that dignity radiated from its very bearing.
I let out a soft whistle.
-Kee-aah?
Won-woo spread his wings and flew toward me.
The hawk landed on my outstretched forearm, bobbing his head proudly.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
Nod nod.
“See? I told you they’d treat you well, didn’t I? You’ve had a few days of fun, so come stay with me now.”
-Kee-aah!
“They say if you listen to me, rice cakes will fall even while you sleep. So keep listening to me from now on, alright?”
Nod nod.
As I conversed with Won-woo, the astonished Mudang Disciples came rushing over.
“Young Master Baek, why did Eocheon-eung come to you?”
I tilted my head at an angle.
“How would I know? It’s the bird’s choice.”
“…Well, that’s true. But please return it.”
I turned to look at Won-woo.
“Want to go back?”
Shake shake.
“He says no?”
“W-well… but surely Young Master Baek didn’t hand Eocheon-eung over to us without conditions.”
“I did attach a condition when I handed him over. Not to interfere with what Won-woo wants.”
….
I felt a gaze from afar. I met it and sent back a look.
The Taeguk Sword Master’s expression rarely changed, but I felt it.
When you stab someone in the back, you’d better be prepared to get stabbed in yours.
“Was this your plan all along when you handed over Eocheon-eung?”
“What do you mean? I treated him well during his stay, and it seems he likes me more than the Mudang.”
….
Anger settled across the faces of the Mudang Disciples.
The hawk that Geom Seon had raised was like a treasure of the sect to them.
They showed no intention of backing down quietly.
‘If I don’t back down, what then? Draw my sword here? On the Shaman’s stage?’
That was when it happened.
The Mudang Disciples’ heads all turned in unison toward where the Taeguk Sword Master sat.
Then came a word, spat out like grinding teeth.
“You’ll regret it.”
“If such a situation arises, I’ll use Won-woo as a shield and block it with the price I’ve already paid.”
After all, I can borrow the names of the Shaman and the Taeguk Sword Master whenever I wish.
In any case, I felt I’d vented my frustration at being betrayed quite thoroughly.
‘Still a dead end, though. It would be nice if some mediocre kid would point me out.’
“Baek Sohyeop, would you not spar with me?”
‘Oh!’
I turned my head, then felt disappointed.
It was Nang Hon who had spoken to me.
The assassin who became the greatest dragon in my past life. If I chose this one, things would unfold exactly as the Taeguk Sword Master wanted.
“I appreciate it, but I must decline.”
“Why not? With Baek Sohyeop and this Nang Hon, it seems we could have quite an entertaining match.”
It certainly did seem like it would be entertaining.
“Later. Let me climb higher first, then we’ll fight. If I fight you now, there are many people who would be pleased.”
“What does that matter?”
“I have a chronic ailment—my stomach aches whenever people are pleased with me.”
“An amusing thing to say.”
Nang Hon nodded slowly, then fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“I heard that Baek Sohyeop is the Jeong In of Pye Wol-ok-bong. Is that true?”
Why, are you interested in our Seolha too?
Though I suppose any man would have to be interested in Seolha.
“It is.”
“I see….”
The emotion clouding Nang Hon’s face deepened.
Amusing, perhaps, or intriguing. In any case, his expression radiated enjoyment.
Suddenly I grew curious.
“Why do you want to fight me?”
“I told you. It seems like it would be entertaining.”
“Weren’t you aiming for the greatest dragon? Someone of your caliber should have realized it.”
The moment anyone fights Yang Hwi, their chances of winning plummet dramatically.
Nang Hon couldn’t possibly have failed to notice.
“True. You make a fair point. But what does it matter? I entered because it seemed entertaining, and I want to fight because it still seems entertaining.”
That spirit of yours is quite admirable.
Indeed, one must live the life of an assassin to truly become a person.
Look at this. How warrior-like and romantic it is?
“Then let’s do this. If no one points me out before those paired up in the first round are eliminated, I’ll have a match with you, Nang Hon.”
I wasn’t lacking in confidence to break through everything with pure skill and climb higher.
I was simply using my head because I disliked being toyed with by Geom-ong’s schemes.
‘If I cannot escape this dead end, then I’ll blast through with a direct assault.’
In that sense, Nang Hon was a suitable opponent.
With him, I could demonstrate a match that far exceeded the late-stage Qi Condensation level.
“Very well.”
Nang Hon withdrew, and someone else approached.
Completely unexpected, someone I hadn’t anticipated.
It was Jin Yeong-jin.
“Young Master Baek.”
“Ah, Young Master Jin. What brings you here?”
Jin Yeong-jin hesitated for quite some time, as if struggling with what to say.
Moreover, regret was already etched across his face.
Though he hadn’t done anything yet, he was already regretting what he would do moments from now.
Yet despite this, he finally cried out.
“I am Jin Yeong-jin, son of the Bungsan Jin Clan! I hereby challenge Baek Yang-hwi of the Gaecheon Baek Family!”
He must have been nervous. He shouted loudly instead of speaking quietly, and all eyes turned toward him.
“The Bungsan Jin Clan?”
“One of the Heaven-class martial sects.”
“Was he such an exceptional late-stage Qi Condensation warrior to challenge Baek Yang-hwi?”
Jin Yeong-jin had shown no remarkable performances until ascending the Dragon Ascension Tournament.
His goal was simply to climb as high as possible by any means.
But.
The match between thirty warriors competing for five flags had profoundly affected Jin Yeong-jin.
‘Casually gathering four flags as if it were nothing, and even wagering all the flags.’
Because I was bound by chains, I saw it clearly.
The true strength of Baek Yang-hwi and Peng Wang, who were in my group.
I’ve already advanced to the Dragon Ascension Tournament. I’ve achieved my minimum objective.
What good would winning one or two more matches here do?
Unless I reach the semifinals or finals, it’s all the same.
‘Rather than that…!’
I want to use this as a stepping stone.
Just like them, I want to climb to greater heights!
“I know it too! That I could never defeat Young Master Baek! But! But! I want to properly learn one technique from you!”
After finishing his words, Jin Yeong-jin bowed deeply and clasped his palms together with his fist.
It was the martial salute of respect.
‘So this is how I escape this dead end.’
I thought I would inevitably fall into the Taeguk Sword Master’s intentions.
I had considered this fellow a nuisance even before our last encounter.
But he turned out to be a far more respectable warrior than I expected.
“Young Master Jin.”
All eyes in the courtyard turned toward us.
I took up the fist salute with a flourish, my robes sweeping elegantly through the air.
“I am grateful for your nomination. Fighting alongside you, I believe we can deliver a spectacle that will leave all observers in awe.”
Regret still lingered plainly across Jin Yeong-jin’s face.
Yet he did not retract his words.
Yes, this is how people are—they walk forward on the path they must take, even as regret accompanies them.
Such is the way of human life, and such is the martial path of a warrior.
“However, before I accept Young Master Jin’s competitive spirit, there is one matter I must settle first. Please excuse me for a moment.”
If I fought Jin Yeong-jin, I could escape the Sword Master’s grasp.
But just to be safe, it would be wise to plug any potential leaks beforehand.
I walked steadily forward until I stood before Namgung Cheon-yeong.
‘If I simply fought Jin Yeong-jin, they might spread rumors that despite all his boasting, I chose the weaker opponent.’
The solution was simple.
“Yang Hwi of the Baek Family proposes a match to Namgung Clan Head.”
I continued with a slight smile.
“We have much accumulated between us. Shall we settle it?”
‘I had planned to challenge him once all the Five Great Families’ representatives were eliminated. But this works just as well.’
Now then, I return the Sword Master’s turn to you.

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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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