Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 265

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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 265
Whoooooosh!
The rain was intensifying by the moment.
As if eager to pour everything out in a brief span and depart, the dark clouds rapidly expanded the puddles across the ground.
Tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap.
Raindrops struck the blade edge, producing a pleasant sound before trickling away.
Suddenly, I recalled something Eum Hu had once told me.
“Seo. Do you know that the most beautiful melodies are those of nature?”
I had climbed to the highest peak of Gokryeol Mountain and enjoyed the wind with Eum Hu.
There, we encountered a passing rain cloud, and as Eum Hu plucked her pipa, she shared her insight.
“Sound and melody are transmitted through the air. Thus, when the wind is strong, they are drowned out, and when rain falls, they cannot travel far.”
“But you see, Seo. I am a musician, yet also a warrior. Then could we not transmit melodies through something other than air? Is that not an intriguing thought?”
From that moment, I obtained a lightning-like enlightenment.
In the pouring rain, I grasped the direction forward.
Sound and melody are vibration itself. The unique function of the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom is also sound.
The buzzing of bee wings. The cry of a hawk.
Both originate from the trembling of the blade, do they not?
‘The fusion of blade and sound. It is possible. More than that—if I advance further…!’
From then on, I devoted myself to combining different martial arts, and as a result, the supreme techniques Wuhwa Dae-so and Eung-hu Myeong-jin were born.
Converting the opponent’s experience and qi into vibration to receive and accept it.
Converting experience and qi into vibration and transmitting it through water rather than air.
“Adu.”
“Hm?”
“You’ve mastered Void-Grasping Water-Treading, haven’t you?”
“Of course!”
I thought as much. A prodigy like Adu would not be surprising even if he had obtained all three enlightenments necessary for the ultimate realm.
Even if his current age was merely in his early twenties.
But.
No matter how exceptional Adu was, there was certainly one thing impossible for him.
“Then can you float continuously without touching the ground using Void-Grasping Water-Treading?”
Without touching the ground?
This transcended the enlightenment of Void-Grasping Water-Treading, reaching what was called Transcendent Flight, Level-Treading Sword, Void-Walking Steps, and other names.
Enlightenment connected to the realm of supreme movement techniques.
“No. It’s difficult.”
Watching Adu shake his head, I raised the corners of my mouth.
“As expected. No matter how insane your talent is, the time given to you is simply too short.”
‘So victory belongs to me, you brat.’
Uuuuung—!
The blade began to tremble.
The vibration intensified steadily. Soon the nature of the sound transformed.
-Kiiiiaaaaaah…!
“It was the first time I had ever truly learned the Eum Arts.”
Because it was so unique, the Eum Arts had various drawbacks.
That’s why initially I only thought of gaining enlightenment through Eum Hu’s teachings, never seriously delving into the Eum Arts themselves.
Then came an unexpected revelation.
It was truly wondrous. A time of discovering so much more.
‘If the same sound could travel through water instead of air… the power becomes formidable without doing anything else.’
I couldn’t understand the principle. I simply observed the phenomenon and put it to use.
“This is the final strike. Prepare yourself, Adu.”
“Got it! With everything I’ve got!”
The raindrops surrounding Adu defied the natural order.
The energy and momentum bursting forth were so powerful that they couldn’t fall to the ground, instead forming a curtain of water.
Adu, enveloped entirely in golden light, evoked the image of a Buddha descending into the mortal realm.
“Prajna Great Power, Hundred-Step Divine Fist, Ultimate Technique. Diamond Great Hand Seal.”
Adu’s eyes half-closed. Instead of his usual brightness, his face now bore the subtle mystique unique to Buddhist martial arts.
‘This must be the most powerful technique I can muster right now.’
Very well. I would meet it with my greatest as well.
With the supreme secret art that requires the environment itself to be complete.
-Kiiiiaaaaaah!
-Kiiiiaaaaaah!
The left and right swords wailed in unison.
Rather than pointing and swinging, I plunged them into the pooling water that had accumulated.
In that instant, the sound changed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The tremor spread rapidly.
Beginning from the blades, every part of the pool—the entire arena—vibrated.
“Gaecheon Baekpal Geom New Ultimate Technique. Hawk’s Cry Resonance Water Union.”
That wasn’t all. I moved my energy in succession.
The ultimate technique born from the fusion of swordplay and the Eum Arts was Hawk’s Cry Resonance, but since its creation long ago, it proved somewhat insufficient against Adu.
‘All martial arts evolve with time.’
That’s why the great sects with long histories earned their renown.
Hawk’s Cry Resonance was no different.
Since its creation, I had continuously refined it, and now succeeded in merging it once more.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The tremor began to subside.
More precisely, its range narrowed.
Water droplets sprayed upward from the surface due to the fierce vibration.
A straight line extending from me to Adu.
Only the water surface within the controlled range was ejecting water.
The concentration of experience and spiritual qi. The densification of vibrations through it.
By nature, tremors spread outward.
If one regulates this natural principle through spiritual qi, miraculous phenomena emerge.
Vibrations that cannot spread outward accumulate and layer upon each other, growing exponentially stronger.
‘Moreover, the source of these tremors originates from two places—the left blade and the right blade.’
Already in a state where vibrations are confined and stacked by limiting the range.
And if vibrations originating from both blades overlap and layer upon each other on top of that.
—Kiiiiiiiii!
—Kiiiiiiiii!
—Kiiiiiiiiii!!
The transformed sound reverted once more to the hawk’s cry.
Not merely from the two blades alone—the hawk’s screech poured forth from the waters in all directions.
Furthermore, something new began to bloom from the water’s surface within the vibration’s range.
Water droplets bouncing from the tremors.
Along with them, white feathers fluttering and forming in delicate profusion.
‘Layering upon layering. Accumulating upon accumulating.’
In other words, successive layers.
Therefore, the name bestowed upon it.
Gaecheon Sword Technique, Twin Hundred Eight Transformations of Heaven.
The convergence of transformed moves—White Feathers Layered Upon Layered, Sword’s Cry Resonates Across Heaven!
“Let’s go, Adu.”
“Right. Here!”
It was Adu who moved faster.
Yet it was also terribly slow.
A stillness so profound it created the illusion of motionlessness.
Yet simultaneously, a technique of explosive speed and dynamism.
Therefore, stillness within motion.
In other words, the essence of Vajra’s Immovability.
Adu’s fist slowly unfurled.
Five fingers. Golden light shimmered, evoking the palm of Buddha—a hand seal.
Following the mysteries of the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, the seal-formed spiritual qi advances.
As it progressed, it expanded, becoming so enormous it could not be conceived as a human palm.
Thus, the Vajra Great Hand Seal.
‘If it connects, even I would perish.’
Does Adu desire a life-or-death struggle?
Not at all.
He trusts and believes in himself as much as he trusts in me.
‘He believes that if it were me, I would surely survive even if struck by the Great Seal. I shall live up to that faith.’
I murmured softly.
“White Feathers Layered Upon Layered.”
Feathers filled the space around us, moving in perfect unison according to the mysteries of the Void-Devouring technique.
The Diamond Great Hand was completely covered in white feathers.
“Sword Cry Across Heaven.”
Two blades wailed in harmony with the feathers.
The vibrations, now faster and more powerful through the water, struck directly at Adu alone.
Adu’s eyes widened like those of a yaksha demon.
Yet Adu didn’t shift his stance even a fraction.
‘I’m holding firm. But listen here. This is just the beginning!’
“Union!”
Layers upon layers of white feathers stacked.
The sword cries of both filling all directions.
They merged into one.
Piling up, overlapping.
“Feather Sword Layers Upon Layers Dominate Heaven!”
White light and golden light dyed the entire world.

* * *
The martial arena was completely destroyed.
Rebuilding it would require far more time and expense than the original construction.
The rain was stopping.
The clouds rapidly receded, and the bright sun took its place as if the sky had never darkened.
The intense sunlight poured down. The spectators shielded their eyes with their hands yet never looked away from the center of the arena.
The white and golden light had been as intense as the sun itself in the sky.
Within the gradually fading luminescence, a single warrior stood firmly planted on the earth on both feet.
“Yang Hwi.”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe, that was fun….”
Adu, kneeling on one knee with a radiant smile, lost consciousness with a satisfied expression.
His massive body collapsed, striking the ground with a thunderous boom.
I slowly looked up at the sky.
A brilliant blue sky. The sun radiating light.
‘Listen, Heaven. I don’t know what you want, but remember this. What you sought from me was the Return Point Wish.’
“Uwaaaaaaaaa!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaa!”
The gathered crowd erupted in unison with fervor.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.
A legendary Dragon-Phoenix Clash, the long-awaited True Dragon Match, its final.
The victor had been decided.
The Greatest of this generation had been born!
“The Greatest! The Greatest Dragon! Gaecheon’s Greatest Dragon, Baek Yang-hwi!”
Someone could no longer contain themselves and cried out.
Initially, the world had three candidates for the position of First Under Heaven.
Adu of Shaolin.
Hyeon Geom of the Shaman.
Namgung Cheon-yeong of the Namgung Clan.
Yet the First Under Heaven who finally emerged was neither Shaolin, nor the Shaman, nor the Namgung Clan.
There, in the remote borderlands of Gangseong, a minor martial family whose name had only just begun to spread—the Baek Clan.
“Gaecheon Geomryong has become the First Under Heaven!”
“The Baek Family Heir has won the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament!”
So a disciple from a minor borderland martial family had truly become First Under Heaven?
In terms of pedigree, it was scarcely different from an assassin claiming victory.
The result was that shocking.
No matter how many extraordinary displays Gaecheon Geomryong had shown throughout the tournament.
“That final, breathtaking clash! Just watching it stirred the soul!”
“Such tremendous power!”
“Iron Tower Fist Dragon is Shaolin’s greatest talent and a direct disciple of Yeoilrakbul, so that makes sense, but Gaecheon Geomryong comes from an unknown martial family and is a disciple of Pacheon Eumhu, who has nothing to do with his own martial arts—isn’t he?”
“And he’s even a lay disciple at that!”
Everyone reached a conclusion they could not help but agree with and believe without doubt.
Gaecheon Geomryong of the Baek Family, or rather, the First Under Heaven.
He was born with the supreme talent of all under heaven.
Perhaps he would become the greatest martial artist under heaven in the future.
Transcending even being counted among the Cheonmu-sip-jon, the ten absolute masters.
Unique and unparalleled, the sole absolute.
The greatest martial artist under heaven!
‘This is the best possible outcome. The atmosphere is perfectly ripe.’
Yang Hwi quickly assessed the reactions around him and observed the expressions of the elders.
‘From this moment forward, my words will be those of the current greatest martial artist and a candidate for the future greatest martial artist under heaven.’
So now was the time.
If not now, I could never change the already-determined flow.
Once judgment was made, one must strike without hesitation.
Though my body seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
I expelled my spiritual qi to shake off the dust, then assumed the fist salute with imposing momentum.
“I, Baek Yang-hwi, the First Under Heaven, dare to offer a word of respect.”
The direction of the fist salute was already determined.
The one seated in the highest place of honor.
The Taeguk Sword Master.
“Taeguk Sword Master! Will you forgive this young junior’s rudeness?”
The Taeguk Sword Master’s response was already determined as well.
More precisely, he could only speak one answer.
Such was the atmosphere and the flow.
“Speak up.”
Thus concluded the long, drawn-out gathering of dragons and phoenixes.
Now it was time to sink my fangs into the prey I had been stalking.

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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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