Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 243

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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 243
The day of the match had arrived.
Thirty-two contestants, a total of sixteen matches.
The first among them was Baek Heon-so and Nang Hon.
“I shall introduce to you the stars of this opening stage!”
The Referee’s voice rang out loudly.
“The second Young Master of the Gaecheon Baek Family, the Little Dragon of Jiangxi, Baek Heon-so!”
“Roooaaarrr!”
The cheers erupted louder than expected.
Setting aside the preliminaries and main rounds, by the standards of the True Dragon Tournament, Baek Heon-so’s martial prowess was hardly exceptional.
Yet regardless of his opponent, Baek Heon-so gave his all in every match and left a favorable impression on the spectators.
Perhaps it was his youth and the straightforward, refreshing manner he displayed that made people naturally want to cheer for him.
‘I’ve certainly raised the boy well.’
For a moment, I recalled the Baek Heon-so from my past life.
Around this time back then, he would have been spouting words like “get lost from the house” and “worthless beggar” constantly.
Hmm. Let me stop dwelling on that.
“Little Dragon of Jiangxi! Let us compete!”
“Roooaaarrr!”
“The opponent of the Little Dragon of Jiangxi is! The Assassin Nang Hon, who defied everyone’s expectations and advanced to the True Dragon Tournament!”
As the Referee called out again, cheers erupted once more.
However, they were somewhat quieter compared to those for Baek Heon-so.
People generally tend to cheer for the underdog rather than the strong.
Yet the response to Nang Hon, the relative underdog, was sparse.
‘All his matches have been boring.’
When Nang Hon first advanced to the main rounds, he had received great support precisely because of his Assassin background.
However, since the main rounds began, Nang Hon had concealed most of his abilities and presented matches that were tediously dull.
As the entertainment value diminished, so did the desire to cheer for him.
The onlookers had gathered expecting exhilarating clashes between outstanding young talents, after all.
‘He must have done it intentionally to avoid standing out.’
I wondered if he would maintain the same approach in this match as well.
With such thoughts, I watched Baek Heon-so ascend to the arena.
‘I’m somewhat uneasy about this.’
There must be some scheme behind why he was chosen to face Baek Heon-so.
“I am Baek Heon-so, the Little Dragon of Jiangxi from the Baek Family! I look forward to your guidance!”
With his declaration, Baek Heon-so saluted with his sword and assumed the opening stance.
“Our family’s martial art is the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom. I shall demonstrate one technique.”
The Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom—a divine technique composed of one hundred and eight forms, nine each in six directions: front, back, left, right, up, and down, based on the principle of the six harmonies.
“Hah!”
Baek Heon-so charged forward, his footwork precise.
The subtle mysteries woven into each step. The Gi-cheon Step.
Baek Heon-so closed the distance with nothing but dominance and raw power, his momentum carrying into his next sword strike.
KWAAAAAANG!
A deafening roar erupted from the collision.
‘He’s trained remarkably hard, Seo. Impressive.’
Even Yang Hwi found himself thinking such thoughts at the force of that blow.
But.
“Ugh…!”
From the clash, it was Baek Heon-so whose expression twisted in frustration.
Nang Hon showed not the slightest change.
Neither in his face nor in his stance.
Chu Dal, standing nearby, posed a question.
“Brother. That assassin is incredibly strong, isn’t he?”
To withstand a powerful strike, one must spread their legs and lower their center of gravity.
“To receive Seo’s blow while standing perfectly still without even a tremor. Is that assassin actually a practitioner of Shaolin’s Diamond Immovable Body?”
“It’s not the efficacy of learned martial arts. He’s simply strong.”
“Hmm? Was Nang Hon that formidable? I knew you were keeping an eye on him, but…”
That’s the extent of it. If he were to fully display his abilities, Seo could never defeat Nang Hon.
“No ordinary assassin, then. Seo is far from weak, yet the gap is this severe.”
Baek Heon-so had reached the pinnacle. At nineteen years old, he’d attained the human limit, which should have been considered extraordinary martial prowess.
But his opponent was the greatest swordsman of his previous life.
“A fine sword technique. Most intriguing.”
“Thank you for the praise! I shall repay your kindness with my next move!”
Rather than despair, Baek Heon-so prepared his next technique.
The Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom, with over a hundred techniques to its name, emphasized speed and fluidity in its swordplay.
This time, rather than dominance and power, he maximized the subtlety of the sword technique itself.
Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom, Fifth Technique.
Hawk Feathers Scatter!
Dozens of sword shadows erupted around Nang Hon.
“Exert yourself further, Young Master Seo.”
Still, Nang Hon did not move a single step.
He simply stood in place, receiving the dozens of sword strikes.
The onlookers began to sense something amiss.
“Was Nang Hon always this strong?”
“That can’t be. His last match was nothing special.”
“Could he have hidden his true strength to enter the True Dragon Tournament?”
Two offensives. Two defenses.
Yet all could perceive it.
That Nang Hon possessed overwhelming martial prowess.
“I shall exert myself. I cannot shame my brother.”
A frost of intrigue crossed Nang Hon’s expression.
“You must have felt the gap between us. Yet you refuse to yield?”
Baek Heon-so let out a sharp laugh.
Fast and towering, overwhelmingly dominant?
It feels so vast that I cannot possibly keep pace?
Both sensations were familiar to Baek Heon-so.
“To despair at such an overwhelming gap, Nang Hon, you fall short only of my elder brother.”
The magnitude of the difference matters not.
What matters is to never stop pursuing, to keep pace!
“From this moment forward, I shall wield sword qi.”
The symbol of the pinnacle—sword qi unravels in its entirety.
The Seong Cheol Sword inherited from Yang Hwi began to emit the cry of a hawk.
-Keeeeee!
The Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom transforms completely the moment it reaches the pinnacle, utterly different from before.
Simple enough for third-rate martial artists to learn, yet considering the compression and linkage of techniques, it deserves to be called a first-rate martial art, and if one advances further still.
The Second Secret.
The Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom transforms into a new form befitting the pinnacle.
And Seo succeeded in entering the Second Secret of the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom.
Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom’s Second Secret.
Hawk’s Cry Covers Heaven!
-Keeeeeeee!
The sword shrieked. The hawk’s cry filled all directions.
In that instant, the onlookers felt an illusion of white feathers fluttering in the wake of Baek Heon-so’s sword’s trajectory.
Crash!
Dust and earth scattered in all directions. The blue stone beneath the arena shattered to pieces.
“Elder brother, when did Seo become this strong?”
Chu Dal, the same age as Seo, seemed to feel both wariness and competitive spirit.
Yet Yang Hwi’s expression hardened.
“He’s scratching at it properly.”
It was a strike worthy of being called a secret technique.
But Nang Hon’s stance remained unchanged.
Like a stone monument, rooted in place, he neutralized everything with a single sword.
“Huff. Huff.”
Baek Heon-so breathed heavily. Nang Hon smiled faintly.
“That was a fine spectacle. Enough to make me want to move. Before that, I propose—will you not concede? From now on, I shall hold back no longer. You may suffer grave injury.”
Despite already being exhausted, Baek Heon-so pulled his lips upward.
He grinned defiantly.
“Nonsense.”
Somehow… no, quite obviously—the grin was so similar to Yang Hwi’s that one could tell he had practiced imitating him.
Nang Hon’s smile deepened.
“Good. This is amusing.”
Nang Hon took a step forward.
From that moment, precisely five hundred breaths passed.
With only Nang Hon’s offensive continuing relentlessly.
The match ended.
“Th-the victor is… Nang Hon.”
Nang Hon, looking down at the fallen Baek Heon-so, turned his gaze toward Yang Hwi and smiled.
Then he laughed.

* * *
The moment the referee’s judgment was announced, my form vanished, reappearing upon the arena.
“Seo! Come to your senses!”
I infused my energy while caressing his cheek.
His condition appeared too grave for consciousness to return, yet the power of Hwa-cheon Seon-gi proved its worth.
“Brother….”
“How could you fight until your body reaches such a state!”
Nang Hon repeatedly urged surrender.
Yet Baek Heon-so never released his sword, even as he lost consciousness.
He sought any possible path to victory, never yielding an inch.
“That bastard… is incredibly strong. Cough, I wanted to land at least one blow.”
“I told you! Why must you be so stubborn!”
Despite the reproach, Baek Heon-so exerted every last ounce of strength, forcing his lips upward.
His mouth corners trembled, yet he managed a faint smile.
“Cough… still… I fought to the very end. Praise me… cough, cough.”
Baek Heon-so closed his eyes, satisfied.
I infused the Hwa-cheon Seon-gi even more forcefully, then rose to my feet.
“Nang Hon.”
“Yang Hwi.”
My insides churned with rage.
Nang Hon had maintained his principles to the end.
The principle being: a line I could not cross to demand Baek Heon-so’s surrender.
‘He intended to use Seo as bait to draw me out.’
Had he displayed such scheming openly, I would have stepped forward immediately.
Yet Nang Hon never crossed the line where I might break Baek Heon-so’s will and command surrender.
As a result, Baek Heon-so hurled himself against the boulder that was Nang Hon until he collapsed.
“You have a fine younger brother. His fighting spirit is extraordinary.”
“I’m grateful for that.”
If one has a fine younger brother, one must become a fine older brother in turn.
Nang Hon would certainly obtain what he desired.
‘Very well. As you wish, let me see what you can do on the next stage.’
“Brother. Are you alright?”
My expression must have betrayed my emotions so visibly that even Chu Dal noticed.
“Please regain your composure. There are more matches ahead, are there not?”
After four more matches, I would face Namgung Cheon-yeong in combat.
Given how crucial this confrontation was, Chu Dal’s concern was entirely justified.
“Thank you.”
Right—this was no time to be swept away by emotion.
My duel with Namgung Cheon-yeong transcended a mere match in the Gaecheon Tournament; it would determine the very path the Baek Family would walk forward.
“This match is won by Monk Adu! Next—Gaecheon Geomryong Baek Yang-hwi! Changcheon Geomryong Namgung Cheon-yeong! Both heroes, please ascend to the arena!”
The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The final chapter of the enmity I had forged with the Namgung in my past life.
And also.
The beginning of a new vengeance I would weave in this lifetime.
I immediately ascended to the arena.
“I am Baek Yang-hwi of the Baek Family of Gangseong.”
“I am Namgung Cheon-yeong of the Namgung Family of Anwhui.”
I raised my sword to my solar plexus, letting the blade hang downward.
Namgung Cheon-yeong assumed the same stance.
“Honored spectators, let us shower these two heroes with thunderous applause! The match shall now commence!”
The moment the Referee finished speaking, Namgung Cheon-yeong’s form vanished.
In the instant the onlookers gasped, he moved with such blinding speed that his sword came slashing down.
Kwaaaaaang!
In that brief moment, a single blade enveloped in sword energy drawn forth.
Swift, yet extraordinarily heavy.
‘So you intend to show me your true strength.’
Very well—let us see what you have.
I smiled and drew forth my inner qi.
My blade began to sing in response.
-Kiiiieeeeee!

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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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