Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 24

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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 024
Southwest of the bustling district, with Baek Manor at the center of Ak-an County.
In this territory controlled by the Suhoji Guild, one of the four factions that had dominated Ak-an County until recently, a carriage carrying Baek Moo-ryang and his children, along with Jegal Seon and Jegal Seol-ha, rolled down the main road.
“Elder Brother, if what you say is true, the black path sects should be flourishing in Ak-an County, yet I don’t see as many arrogant thugs as I expected?”
At Jegal Seon’s question while gazing out the window, Baek Moo-ryang’s expression brightened with satisfaction.
“The numbers of the black path gangs in Ak-an County have decreased significantly of late, younger brother.”
“Now that you mention it, among the anecdotes you told us about Yang Hwi, there was indeed one involving the black path gangs.”
As they conversed, the carriage arrived at the largest tavern on the southwestern bank of Yu-hang-ho.
Yuwaru—the tavern bearing the name of the place where water’s currents bend and rest.
Before Yuwaru stood several sect masters leading the various martial schools belonging to the Suhoji Guild.
“Welcome, welcome. I am Yang Ga-ryong, Guild Master of the Suhoji Guild. You must be the Family Head of Baek Manor, Baek Moo-ryang, and….”
The man standing foremost among them paused for a moment before continuing.
“The Young Master of the great Jegal Family, the Unparalleled Reclining Dragon, Jegal Seon, the esteemed master swordsman, is it not?”
Though there were differences in family prestige and status, it was unmistakably Baek Moo-ryang who led those in the carriage.
Yet Guild Master Yang Ga-ryong was addressing Jegal Seon as the primary guest.
Jegal Seon’s eyebrows twitched slightly before he laughed heartily.
“Indeed, Guild Master Yang Ga-ryong. Elder Brother mentioned he had business here, so I shamelessly tagged along for an outing, but I hope it’s not too much of an imposition.”
Though it sounded like mere courtesy on the surface, his words carried weight, clearly establishing the distinction between host and guest.
Yang Ga-ryong had no choice but to exchange formal greetings with Baek Moo-ryang first.
“Though we live in the same county, our interactions have been rare. I am Yang Ga-ryong, Guild Master of the Suhoji Guild and of Yang Jo-mun.”
By either family standing or age, Yang Ga-ryong was not obligated to use the highest form of respect toward Baek Moo-ryang.
Yet because Yang Ga-ryong had used the highest form of respect toward Jegal Seon, and Jegal Seon had called Baek Moo-ryang “Elder Brother,” he had no choice but to employ the highest form of respect toward Baek Moo-ryang as well.
“Delighted to meet you, Guild Master.”
Meanwhile, Baek Moo-ryang, having seen through Yang Ga-ryong’s true intentions in his initial greeting to Jegal Seon, responded with measured courtesy.
The first battle of prestige between the Suhoji Guild and Baek Manor ended in a decisive victory for Baek Manor.
Yang Hwi watched Yang Ga-ryong’s expression as he secretly ground his teeth, and let out a quiet laugh.
‘Uncle’s subtle wit is quite impressive.’
The entire situation had begun with a single remark from Jegal Seon.
Even if he was called the Unparalleled Reclining Dragon for his passion in martial arts, he was still the Young Master of the Reclining Dragon House of the Divine Jegal Family.
“Please come this way, both of you. Ah, will the children be joining us? The young members of our guild participating in the martial competition are gathering separately to prepare for the tournament.”
Baek Moo-ryang looked at his three children and Jegal Seon.
“Younger brother, I think it would be best if we take Seol-ha and Yeon-yeon with us. Let Yang Hwi and Heon-so go separately to prepare for the competition.”
“Oh, Father, Yeon-yeon is….”
Baek Yeon-yeon, whimpering and trying to coax her older brothers to take her with them, was stopped by Yang Hwi.
He had discerned his father’s true intention—to have Baek Yeon-yeon present so that Jegal Seon wouldn’t be questioned about taking only Jegal Seol-ha with him.
-Yeon-yeon, if you stay quiet with Father, I’ll buy you something delicious later.
Upon hearing Yang Hwi’s voice transmission, Baek Yeon-yeon’s eyes widened before she broke into a bright smile and nodded.
Then her lips moved slightly.
‘You promised!’
Thus Yang Hwi and Baek Heon-so were guided separately from Baek Moo-ryang and Jegal Seon.
“Young masters, all the other young masters are gathered here.”
In the backyard the guide indicated, nearly a hundred children were loosening their bodies while gripping wooden swords or wooden spears.
Even if more than ten martial sects belonged to the Suhoji Guild, a hundred seemed excessively numerous.
Moreover, there were even boys who appeared to be around fifteen years old.
‘Now that I think about it, there were martial officials from the Suhoji Guild too. Did the officials’ children come as well? Let me see… their level is…’
These were sects that only matched Red Bridge Hall’s strength when ten of them combined their power.
There wasn’t a single child displaying particularly impressive martial skills, and by martial talent alone, there was one child I could have brought to the Baek Family Estate and put to use later.
It was when Yang Hwi was thinking such thoughts.
“Are you kids from Baek Manor?”
Four young men who had approached unnoticed surrounded Baek Heon-so and me.
What lingered at the corners of their mouths was a faint sneer.
It was clear at a glance that they regarded both me and Baek Heon-so as beneath them.
‘These brats must have heard something about Baek Manor from their parents.’
“Shall we exchange names? What’s your name?”
Unlike me, who stood quietly, Baek Heon-so, pure and innocent because of his youth, energetically performed the martial salute.
“Baek Heon-so of the Baek Family! Pleased to meet you!”
“I’m Yang Hak of Yang Jo-mun.”
Unlike Baek Heon-so, Yang Hak did not return the martial salute.
The meaning of that fact was clear, and Baek Heon-so’s face turned bright red.
I placed my hand on Baek Heon-so’s shoulder and shook my head side to side just before he flared up.
“So, the sparring tournament is coming up soon.”
“Brother…”
‘Children are always like this. I need to establish the hierarchy from the start so they don’t cause trouble.’
The Baek Heon-so from not long ago came to mind. That impudent little brat who had grumbled that he couldn’t acknowledge me as his brother.
Now, after instilling a clear sense of hierarchy and feeding him appropriate incentives, he had become a lovable and obedient younger brother.
‘Well, it’s too much trouble to act right now. I’ll need to teach these kids a proper lesson during the sparring tournament.’
Soon after, the guide who entered the backyard shouted loudly.
“Now that the elders’ discussion has concluded, young masters who wish to participate in the sparring tournament, please follow me!”
By the Yuhanho Riverside, in the banquet hall of Yuwaru.
A hastily constructed platform hosted a feast above, while two sparring arenas were set up below.
‘Literally entertainment and a spectacle for the adults. Well, that’s what children’s sparring tournaments are always like anyway.’
“The sparring tournament is divided into the junior and youth divisions, with participants facing opponents of their choosing, and the one who accumulates the most victories becomes the champion.”
A young man raised his hand and asked a question.
“If I want to have my first match, I just need to step onto the sparring arena?”
“That’s correct, young master.”
I was thinking the rules were simple and good when Baek Heon-so beside me suddenly jumped onto the sparring arena.
Then he shouted.
“Yang Hak of Yang Jo-mun! I challenge you to a sparring match!”
He seemed eager to repay the rudeness Yang Hak had shown earlier.
‘This will be too much for So.’
I had trained in martial arts for over two years, but most of that time was spent cultivating third-rate techniques. My practice with the divine art had lasted merely a few days.
Moreover, Yang Hak was several years older than Baek Heon-so, making him an opponent beyond comparison.
Yet Yang Hwi did not stop Baek Heon-so.
‘Defeat is also nourishment for growth.’
The sparring match began at the referee’s signal.
“Hah!”
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
As I had anticipated, Baek Heon-so did not secure victory.
However.
“Stop! Young Master Baek Heon-so loses—he has dropped his wooden sword!”
Baek Heon-so did not yield easily.
He fought fiercely enough to paint disappointment across Yang Hak’s face, who had been looking down on him, and managed to exhaust his opponent’s stamina considerably.
‘The boy has grown quite a bit over these past months.’
Compared to my previous life… no, it’s incomparable growth.
Turning my gaze toward the upper seats, I saw that Baek Moo-ryang was also regarding Baek Heon-so with a pleased expression.
Meanwhile, Baek Heon-so, who had retrieved the dropped wooden sword and returned to my side, wore a dejected face.
“I apologize, older brother…”
“Hmm? For what?”
“I stepped forward confidently as the first contestant, yet I lost and brought shame upon the Main Residence’s name.”
“Before the adults consider you to have brought shame upon the Main Residence’s name, they will marvel at the courage a young boy showed in challenging someone several years his senior. And.”
I chuckled softly and patted Baek Heon-so on the head.
“If you bring shame upon it, then so be it. I’ll simply pour water and wash it clean.”
With the wooden sword slung across my shoulder, I pushed off with my toes from where I stood.
With that alone, I was able to execute a graceful somersault and land upon the sparring arena.
“Ho, quite a remarkable technique.”
“The divine art of a mere child is rather impressive.”
“He appears to be of junior division age—has he been training primarily in divine arts?”
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, I swung the wooden sword resting on my shoulder once.
“So you are Yang Hak of Yang Jo-mun.”
Though I had noticeably improved over the past several months, I remained a beggar.
Therefore, my frame was still small, whereas Yang Hak was larger than his peers.
In other words, Yang Hak, who appeared two years younger than me, frowned upon hearing my casual speech.
“A presumptuous little brother, aren’t you.”
“Whether I’m presumptuous or not, we’ll find out once we cross blades.”
“A puppy unaware of a tiger’s might, they say.”
Yang Hak chuckled and whispered quietly so the adults in the upper seats could not hear.
“Prepare yourself to have one of your four limbs broken. I’ll teach you proper manners.”
Regardless, I simply smiled with amusement.
‘How much should I reveal?’
This sparring tournament had two purposes.
My first objective is to claim victory and receive a reward from Jegal Seon, and my second is….
‘To elevate the Main Residence’s prestige and reputation. While there are limits to how quickly I can expand my influence right now… if I can spread rumors that this place harbors a sleeping dragon, that would be invaluable.’
“Both young masters, prepare yourselves. The match begins the moment the coin touches the ground.”
Hearing the referee’s words, Yang Hwi decided how much of my strength to display.
The coin, thrown high into the sky, struck the earth with a metallic ring.
Whoooosh!
A sound like a fierce wasp fluttering its wings irritably echoed beneath the clear sky.
Thud!
And just like that, the match was over.
“Uh… uh… Young Master Yang Hak has lost consciousness… so Young Master Baek Yang-hwi claims victory.”
The children gathered around watching, and even the adults seated in the upper stands, had not yet grasped what had happened, so applause and cheers did not ring out.
In that moment, Baek Moo-ryang let out a word along with a sharp intake of breath.
“The Wasp Wing Realm…!”
In the secret manual Yeo Un-hyeok had given me—the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom—there was an annotation that read:
When all three of the fifty-four techniques are condensed into a single strike, it mimics the fluttering of a wasp’s wings; this is called the Wasp Wing Realm.
‘Has Yang Hwi already achieved the third mastery of the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom technique!’
It had been only about two weeks since Yang Hwi had achieved the first mastery.
Yet already the third mastery.
For Baek Moo-ryang, there was nothing but admiration for such martial talent.
“How does that child possess such speed at that age.”
“Did you see the sword technique? The blade sang from the sheer velocity.”
“How could an eight-year-old defeat a fifteen-year-old!”
Following Baek Moo-ryang, people began to exclaim in astonishment one after another.
Among them, Jegal Seon’s eyes widened as he gazed at Yang Hwi.
Drawing all eyes upon myself,
I flashed a grin and leaped into the air.
My feet landed on the Junior Division Sparring Arena beside us.
“It seems I have no worthy opponents in the Infant Division. Would the older and more senior young masters not grace me with instruction?”
The division between Infant and Junior was set at twelve years old.
The age when genuine growth begins to accelerate.
That an eight-year-old child would challenge opponents up to fifteen years old caused the crowd to murmur once more.
“Though he displayed remarkable martial prowess….”
“To challenge someone up to seven years his senior? How reckless.”
“Seven years might not sound like much, but it’s nearly double the age, haha.”
Regardless, Yang Hwi pointed to one of the boys below.
“You there, the sturdy young master. Shall we cross blades?”
The boy who was pointed out let out a scoff.
“So you easily defeated Yang Hak and now your head reaches the clouds!”
“Hmm, what is your relationship with Young Master Yang Hak?”
“Yang Yeom of Yang Jo-mun, Yang Hak’s older brother.”
So it’s Yang Hak’s older brother after all? How perfectly inconvenient.
With that thought, I replied simply.
“Young Master Yang Yeom. If you don’t come up, I’ll assume you were intimidated by an eight-year-old child.”
“Ha!”
Yang Yeom launched himself onto the sparring arena.
“Perfect timing. I’ll avenge my brother’s defeat.”
The moment the signal fell.
Yang Yeom charged forward at a speed incomparable to Yang Hak, wielding his wooden sword.
“Hyah!”

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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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