Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 288

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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 288
The secret cave discovered by the Il-ik-chae mercenaries was located some distance away from Il-ik-chae’s sphere of influence.
“It was quite well hidden.”
“Indeed. It would never have been found if we hadn’t been rampaging about.”
During the process of Il-ik-chae absorbing other fortresses, the surrounding terrain had changed considerably.
In this regard, Adu deserved the greatest credit.
Since his specialty was charging like a wild boar while wrapped in golden light from head to toe, the surrounding earth and rocks were left utterly devastated.
“Yang Hwi! I did well, didn’t I?”
Instead of answering, I pulled out a rice cake from my pocket and tossed it to him.
Adu nimbly caught it in mid-air with his mouth and laughed with a silly grin.
“Delicious!”
Despite being a disciple of Cheonmu-sip-jon and the greatest talent of Shaolin, his treatment was far too harsh—such was the look that flashed across his eyes.
I approached the stone wall blocking the cave and swept my palm across it once.
“The energy flows in a regular pattern. A mechanism trap has definitely been installed.”
Moreover, it was sturdy enough to withstand hundreds of years of time.
This meant either expensive materials were used for the mechanism, or a renowned master of mechanism traps had created it.
“Seolha. Would you come take a look?”
“Yes.”
When it comes to mechanism traps, the Jegal Family is also famous.
As a direct descendant of the Jegal Family, Seolha possessed deep expertise in mechanism traps.
“Hmm. The structure cannot be disengaged from outside. To be precise, a key is needed. Or else it would require force beyond a certain limit to break it.”
“A key, you say?”
Seolha pointed to the grooves carved into the stone wall.
“Most of them appear to be randomly carved grooves, but there are specific grooves that respond to energy.”
“Based on the appearance, it seems like the structure requires striking the stone wall with a specific technique to open it, am I right?”
“That’s correct.”
With this, one thing became certain.
If this cave was indeed the place indicated by the six characters of Jeomchang’s legacy.
Then the ancestor referenced by the ancestor’s belongings was not Yeo Dong-bin.
‘Because the Cheon-dun Sword Technique has no formal techniques.’
I had certainly obtained Cheon-dun, the first technique of the Cheon-dun Sword Technique, but this was not actually a technique with external form.
Each technique of the Cheon-dun Sword Technique was not a ‘method’ of wielding the sword, but rather an ‘enlightenment’ in wielding it—in other words, it contained mental imagery.
This was also why I felt that the moment I obtained the Cheon-dun Sword Technique, I could not even learn it without reaching at least the perfected pinnacle.
“Seolha. Step aside.”
If it was not the legacy of Yeo Dong-bin, then two possibilities remained.
Either it belonged to Cheon-u Geom-sin Baek-cheon, the founder of the Baek Family, or some unknown ancestor from a previous era. The cave was the legacy of one of these two.
If it were the former, it would respond to the Gae-cheon sword… wait.
‘Come to think of it, the current Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom is something I essentially created myself…?’
From the Gae-cheon-sam-geom that had fallen into disuse over hundreds of years, leaving only traces, I had created one hundred and eight new techniques.
Even if the roots were the same, it would be an entirely different form from Cheon-u Geom-sin Baek-cheon’s Gae-cheon sword.
“No. Even if the branches that extend outward take different forms, the roots remain the same. So our ancestors will surely understand the will of their descendants.”
I drew my sword with a solemn expression.
Among the one hundred and eight techniques of the Gae-cheon sword that I had created myself, this was the form closest to the original.
The fourth technique of the Gae-cheon-bak-pal-geom—Baek-u Ap-jeong.
Kuguguung!
Several grooves in the stone wall suddenly began to glow.
“Ooooh!”
“Hwi’s younger brother, it seems the founder is responding to the current Baek Family’s sword!”
“A swordsman recognizes another through the blade. If it’s the sword of Baek Dou, it’s bound to resonate.”
Yang Hwi chuckled warmly.
“Hehe, all those years of polishing and refining the sword have borne fruit, haven’t they?”
Then it happened.
The light extinguished all at once.
There was no further response whatsoever.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“It seems that wasn’t it.”
“Brother, surely we weren’t rejected for being adopted?”
Yang Hwi quietly rolled up his sleeves.
He was still smiling warmly, but veins were bulging prominently on his forehead.
“It seems I need to greet our ancestor with a bit more vigor.”
“How so? With force?”
“If we destroy the stone chamber, wouldn’t that be desecrating the ancestor?”
“Ah! A swordsman speaks through the blade!”
Sword energy began to roil violently from the blade I gripped.
With that level of momentum, it seemed the stone wall would shatter regardless of whether the technique was correct.
“Cheon-ik Ap-bong!”
The sword energy flew and struck the stone wall directly.
Fuwhaaaack!
The surrounding earth and sand scattered from the violent force of the sword energy.
All the grooves in the stone wall suddenly glowed, but they could not withstand the power of the sword energy.
In that moment.
Kuguguguung!
The stone wall slowly split open to the left and right.
The technique I had unleashed with reverence for our ancestor had no effect whatsoever?
“It seems the power of the previous technique was too weak, so it only glowed before extinguishing.”
“Hmm. It appears the Baek Family’s founder must have had a personality similar to mine.”
“Is it that a descendant should possess at least this much strength?”
What had been a crude attempt to break through with brute force had become a stroke of fortune.
Yang Hwi moved forward with an unabashed expression.
“The ancestor has keen eyes indeed. Let’s go inside.”
The stone chamber within the rock wall wasn’t particularly spacious.
At most, perhaps five or six people could fit inside?
Seolha examined the interior walls meticulously.
“Remarkable. No special mechanisms were employed. To endure hundreds of years through nothing but mastery of mechanical artifice alone—extraordinary.”
At the center of the stone chamber stood a small altar, upon which two objects rested.
I lifted the first object—a book—and brushed away the dust.
[Hawk’s Wing Blankets Heaven]
“This is….”
Pages fluttered past. From merely skimming them, all the contents settled into my mind.
“Enlightenment of the Realm of Intent. It seems this stone chamber was indeed created by the Baek Family’s ancestor.”
“A fortunate discovery. The Baek Family’s great fortune.”
“I am grateful, Baek Dou.”
A sense of satisfaction welled up within me.
In my past life, the supreme enlightenment I had personally cultivated and refined.
The contents contained in this book differed little from mine.
Though the forms of branches and leaves were different, the roots and trunk were the same—they could easily be unified as one.
I had not been mistaken.
The Gae-cheon-sam-geom, that faint trace, had grown properly as a seed.
‘Well, setting aside my feelings, this doubt won’t fade.’
Jeomchang’s two treasures.
Could this place truly be what was meant?
I would need to examine the remaining object to know for certain.
“This looks like a sword hilt.”
An antique sword guard. Completely black.
The color symbolizing the Baek Family is white. This was the complete opposite—a color that clashed entirely.
“Where did the blade go?”
“Looking at the cross-section, it doesn’t appear to have been cut away.”
The blade seemed never to have existed in the first place—so clean, so complete.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly hidden. Even when I infused it with energy, there was no response.”
Even when I refined only the Seon-gi from Hwa-cheon Seon-gi and poured it in, it showed no reaction… wait?
Could it be?
“Ah, I understand now. In the end, I’ve been walking a path already laid out.”
“What do you mean by that, Baek Dou?”
“I thought I was carving a new path forward, but I’ve come to realize I was merely following in the ancestor’s footsteps.”
It wasn’t disappointment in myself.
Rather, admiration for the Baek Family’s founder, Cheon-u Geom-sin Baek-cheon, welled up within me.
Yes, if one is a hawk, one must have two wings.
The ancestor truly was a person of wisdom.
Since the sword handle is as black as ink, I’ll simply call it the Ink Blade.
“I’ve discovered what the Ink Blade is used for.”
“Oh, could you demonstrate it for me?”
True to his nature as a master swordsman, Neung-o couldn’t resist anything related to blades.
I answered readily.
“Of course. Let me step outside first….”
-Kiiiiiii!
A sharp cry cut through my words.
Chu Dal leaped up and retrieved a message from Won-woo’s leg as the hawk landed.
“Brother! It seems the mercenaries at Lake Payang are preparing for a decisive battle!”
“What? Which bastards?”
“The Shuang Yang Fortress, sir!”
Shuang Yang Fortress.
Also known as the Payang Number One Fortress.
“Quite the big player.”
“It’s time we made our move.”
It seemed the Ink Blade’s first demonstration would come in the midst of actual combat.

* * *
Lake Payang, being the largest lake under heaven, had so many fortresses nested within it that they couldn’t be counted on both hands.
Among them, the Shuang Yang Fortress was the largest in scale.
Though it wasn’t among the eighteen fortresses of the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance, it was still a force not to be dismissed.
“At first, they thought your actions were mere child’s play and didn’t act rashly, but it seems they’re beginning to feel the pressure now.”
“Well, more than a month has passed already. In a sense, their response is rather late.”
The Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong, the successor to Baek Do’s legacy, suddenly proclaiming himself the Il-ik-chae Master?
And this while a direct confrontation with the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance is looming?
They must have been worried about rushing in and falling into our trap.
Now the sense of crisis from their forces being invaded must be overwhelming any such concerns.
“Perfect timing. Let’s strike the Shuang Yang Fortress immediately.”
Dang-gun, the most cautious among our group, added his thoughts.
“Younger brother Hwi. Wouldn’t it be better to gradually consume the smaller fortresses first and build up our strength?”
If one ignored the broader situation, Dang-gun’s opinion was indeed the most sound strategy.
But.
“Four months. When winter comes to Lake Payang, everything will be completely different. The Waterway Alliance will want to finish this before then.”
In other words, time wasn’t exactly on our side either.
“However, if we attack the Shuang Yang Fortress directly, our own casualties will be considerable.”
I was already aware of that aspect.
Yet the reason I still wanted to strike the Shuang Yang Fortress directly was.
“When I started this mercenary business, I didn’t bring a single person from the main family. But that doesn’t mean I’m not receiving other support.”
As I finished speaking, I snapped my fingers, and Chu Dal swept his arm wide like a fisherman gathering his net.
As the connected silk rope was pulled taut, the cloth covering the devices installed along the edge of the boat was stripped away in unison.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother, what are those devices?”
“The decisive weapons we’ve been preparing since we first made our agreement with Jin Yeong-gil.”
Though the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance had caught us off guard with their initial ambush.
The Baek Family had been preparing for a confrontation with the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance all along.
Today, I intended to reveal one aspect of those preparations.
“Seolha. You’re confident?”
Jegal Seol-ha, who had played a crucial role in developing the devices, winked.
Her face was alight with excitement and anticipation.
“Of course. I’m going to play with all my heart.”
Five ships under Il-ik-chae’s command.
It took one hour to reach the territorial waters of Ssang-yang Fortress located to the north.
Dang-gun and Neung-o, witnessing the sight spread before them in the distance, both hardened their expressions.
“Those henchmen.”
“They’re doing something they shouldn’t.”
Did I not realize Il-ik-chae would move this quickly?
The mercenaries flying the Ssang-yang Fortress flag were plundering a village by the lakeside.
No, perhaps the word “plunder” was insufficient.
They were slaughtering all the common people, setting fires everywhere, and transferring valuables onto boats.
“P-please, save us!”
“Kyaaaaaaagh!”
“Don’t! Kyaagh! Kyaaaagh!”
Though the distance was still considerable, all the warriors in our party could hear the screams and groans of the common people clearly.
This was it.
The reason why those called bandits should never be treated as human beings.
“Listen well. We kill them all. Make them regret ever being born.”
No one in the group raised any objection.
“Seolha. First, let’s destroy all their boats so they can’t escape.”
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
Seolha extended the Hwa-cheon Seon-gi forward and drew drumsticks from her sleeve.
Soon, a spirited performance began.
Boom, boom-boom, boom-boom-boom!
That was when it happened.
The devices installed on the boat began to vibrate in unison.
The Baek Family’s decisive weapon against the Yangtze River Waterway Alliance—the Resonance-Shattering Bandit Cannon—was being demonstrated for the first time.

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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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