Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 291

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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 291
Sim Su-chimrang genuinely marveled at what he witnessed.
A young disciple who had never experienced a mind battle had shattered a moment of intention?
It was impossible.
Yet piercing through his admiration surged another emotion.
Jealousy.
“Does talent that touches the heavens truly place such feats within the realm of possibility?”
“A mediocre wretch like you couldn’t even imagine it, could you? With merely Living Dynamic Qi, it’s more than sufficient to shatter intention.”
“…You accomplished this with only Living Dynamic Qi?”
Shock etched itself across Sim Su-chimrang’s face.
It was something he had never once conceived of.
Living Dynamic Qi—the enlightenment of bestowing will upon one’s energy, granting it vitality and animation.
Its function was simple in theory.
One could cut whatever they wished to cut, and block whatever they wished to block.
…In theory, at least.
“What you’re saying is that your mere peak-level will surpasses my transcendent-level will that has transformed into intention. Do you understand?”
“You’ve recited the answer yourself. That’s correct.”
“It’s impossible.”
“Shall I cut once more?”
Since my return, I had yearned to rush forward, yet I did not rush.
Though slow, I built broad and sturdy foundations.
I had grown by focusing on expanding my own vessel.
This was the result.
‘I must cast the bait.’
“You may not believe it, but I could have reached peak mastery at ten years old. Yet I delayed until fifteen. To contain even greater enlightenment within myself.”
The emotion clouding Sim Su-chimrang’s eyes.
It was unmistakably greed.
‘Caught.’
“Watch my performance from beginning to end at leisure. You who rushed forward so quickly will never obtain what I shall reveal to you.”
“The longer the entertainment, the richer it becomes. I shall observe well.”
‘Excellent. Now I need only gain enlightenment facing this bastard.’
A life-or-death duel against a Transcendent Master who hadn’t deployed his killing techniques?
Where in this world could one find an environment more conducive to enlightenment?
With three inches of tongue, I had seized the opportunity. Now came the moment to grasp it through action.
-Kiiiiiieeeeee!
The clash began with a resonant cry, the right sword blocked but the true strike lay in the left palm strike.
White sword energy sprouted from the black hilt, invading the spear energy coiled around the harpoon, drawing an exclamation from Sim Su-chimrang.
“Is this also your Living Dynamic Qi?”
“You grasp it well.”
“So it truly is possible to achieve such feats with only Living Dynamic Qi!”
‘Is this really it, you bastard?’
It was the function of Silent Breaking.
Sword qi cultivated within Silent Breaking becomes sharper.
As if the pitch-black sword hilt itself were a whetstone honing the blade.
‘No matter what, to pierce through a Transcendent Master’s spear qi like this. Ancestor, you’ve left behind an incredible legacy.’
“Show me the next technique. I’ve seen enough of Vivid Qi.”
“I’m already preparing it.”
The left and right swords clashed. Though it was a collision of qi against qi, a clear metallic ring echoed through the air.
Simultaneously, the cry of a hawk tearing through the surroundings.
The penetrating force of the Sound Technique’s mysteries struck at Sim Su-chimrang from all directions.
“Useless. Do you think you can match the Sound Technique of the Descent?”
Boom!
With a refreshing rebound force, dozens of strands of sound scattered completely.
This was also the limitation inherent to Sound Techniques.
Formless and difficult to control, Sound Techniques were therefore extremely easy to break.
That Pacheon Eumhu, who rose above Cheonmu-sip-jon by making such Sound Techniques her primary strength, was truly a magnificent existence.
But.
“The real technique lies elsewhere.”
The scattered sound gave birth to sword qi.
The enlightenment that made this possible was Void Grasping Form.
“How did you just perform that technique?”
Void Grasping Form transforms formless momentum into tangible form.
The scattered sound, the qi contained within it—controlled and remade into sword strikes.
“I have no obligation to explain. Seek understanding through your own investigation.”
“Hmph, arrogance has its price. Receive one strike from me.”
A spear containing the essence of flowing water traced a line between heaven and earth.
Though called water flow, each water droplet contained qi, making it no different from a massive collection of spear qi.
‘That petty bastard!’
-Kiiiiiiaaaaaah!
A hawk’s cry erupting in convulsions.
Drawing even the mysteries of the Great Sea, I unleashed an absolute strike.
Sky-Covering Sword, Twin Hundred Eight Transformations Heaven.
One Strike’s Transformation, Twin Wings Command Heaven!
The white hawk flapped its wings.
A pair of wings crossed, feathers cascading down in torrents.
Yet it was insufficient.
‘Sky-Covering Sword Second Secret, Feather Transformation Great and Small!’
Even the power contained in Sim Su-chimrang’s spear strike became my own as I countered.
Yet it was still insufficient.
“Graaaaaahhhhh!”
The lake split in two. A strike so intense that walls of water formed on both sides.
The water walls collapsed and created waves, and only after the surface grew calm again did Yang Hwi’s figure emerge.
He attempted to tread upon the water using the subtleties of water-walking technique, but his control of qi was unstable, causing his feet to sink with each step.
“Did you see? Merely one second. Such is the gap between you and me.”
‘I know without you telling me, you bastard.’
I scooped water with my hands and washed away the blood pooling at my lips.
Yet my lips stained with blood once more.
“How pathetic. Has your little performance ended?”
“….”
Even Neung-o, having mastered the Sa-il Sword that contended for supremacy under heaven through the mysteries of one-strike certain death, could defeat Myeong-wol, a Transcendent Master.
Unfortunately, the martial arts of the Baek Family—the self-created Gaecheon Sword—followed a different path than the Sa-il Sword.
Therefore, at my current level of merely Peak Mastery, I cannot defeat a Transcendent Master.
I absolutely cannot win.
‘No. I will overcome this.’
I recalled the moment in my past life when Elder Dang died.
Along with the hawk’s cry.
Along with the feathers that bloomed.
When I transcended and set foot upon the realm of the mind.
‘Why cannot I transcend? Why is returning to a realm I once reached so impossibly distant?’
There was but one reason.
The Transcendent Realm, the realm of will reached through transcendence.
It required creating a pillar of the mind standing tall between heaven and earth.
Since so much had changed from my past life, the enlightenment needed to reach the Transcendent Realm had also changed.
Having laid a broader and more solid foundation, I required proportionally greater enlightenment.
‘Then shall I give up?’
Never.
An unbreakable spirit is the staff upon which one climbs higher.
“If a warrior of lower rank has tricks to display against a master, there are still some left.”
“Oho. What might that be?”
“Well, perhaps unleashing my hidden potential?”
A cruel smile spread across Sim Su-chimrang’s face.
“Go ahead. Exhaust every last drop of your Primordial Qi.”
“Very well.”
I lifted my left hand, drawing out ink-black energy through void-grasping.
Upon it gathered a collection of qi.
Clear and white, bright and luminous.
‘Seonran Hwayong-sul.’
The egg of Primordial Qi transforms into courage.
A martial technique created for Neung-o, who had resolved to face the Myeong Sect that had stained Jeomchang.
Until now, I had fed Seonran eggs to my companions.
Through him, I had come to deeply appreciate the capabilities that Seonran possessed.
‘Come now, lend me some courage. If there was ever a time I needed it, it’s now.’
“You know what? There’s a demonic technique called Sebtanpokshinsu among the dark arts.”
True to its name, it was a vile technique that involved devouring one’s own dantian to temporarily gain the power of a demon.
In my past life, I had stumbled upon the incantation while exterminating those Blood Sect bastards.
‘I’ll combine Sebtanpokshinsu with Seonran Hwayong-sul.’
I had already conceived of the incantation long ago.
Given how perilous it was, I had never actually attempted it before.
The Primordial Qi of my middle dantian, the innate power I was born with, would form Seonran.
A white sphere of light, no larger than a fingertip.
Bringing my hand to my mouth, I crunched down and swallowed Seonran whole.
“The real show starts now, you drained bastard.”

* * *
Even after I dragged Sim Su-chimrang away, the others had to continue their fierce battle.
Nine Transcendent Masters from the Water Ghost Brigade.
Meanwhile, our side numbered only five, excluding me.
Counting Chu Dal, who could barely be considered a combatant, as half a person, each of us had to face two opponents—there was no way around it.
-Neung-o! I’ll hold the rear!
-I trust you, Dang Soga-ju.
Though I claimed to hold the rear, I was actually dumping a heavy burden onto Neung-o’s shoulders.
But as Dang-gun, I needed a moment to catch my breath and assess the battle situation.
One wrong move and someone could die.
‘Three on this side. Three against Adu. Three against Jegal Sojeo and Chu Dal.’
Dang-gun ground his teeth.
We didn’t have enough hands.
No matter which way it went, someone could fall and our formation could collapse without it being surprising.
Adu and Jegal Seol-ha? They may be disciples of Cheonmu-sip-jon, but they’re barely in their twenties.
How could they possibly hope to defeat three Transcendent Masters who had trained for decades?
‘The precious time Hwi’s Younger Brother bought us… I need a strategy. I have to find a way, somehow.’
Even time was not on our side.
There was no way Hwi alone could defeat a Transcendent Master of that caliber.
I had to eliminate all nine Transcendent Masters as quickly as possible and go to his aid.
‘Think, Dang-gun. Don’t let a man destined to become the Family Head of the Dang Family falter at mere hardship like this!’
But there was no way.
I simply could not see a path forward through this adversity.
Dang Soga-ju, Dang-gun. I felt despair.
‘No. This isn’t the time for that. If I can’t think of a solution right now, I’ll break through the first obstacle quickly and perfectly!’
If I could kill even one of my three opponents, the battle situation would swing dramatically in our favor.
The problem was that the odds of success were extremely low.
Neung-o had a record of slaying a Transcendent Master, yet his actual martial prowess was merely that of a perfected peak master.
Since that day, Neung-o had grown with remarkable speed, as if breaking through a wall, but facing multiple peak masters of equal standing left him woefully inadequate.
Crack!
A harpoon grazed Neung-o’s forearm.
Dang-gun hastily drew a hidden weapon to intercept the follow-up strike.
-Master Neung! You’re bleeding!
-It’s fine.
Though the harpoon’s tip had torn away a chunk of flesh, not a flicker of emotion crossed Neung-o’s face.
-Dang Soga-ju. Keep thinking.
As Dang-gun flinched, Neung-o’s voice transmission continued.
-Bin-do cannot think like the Soga-ju. He is merely shot forth. So while Bin-do is being shot, prepare your strategy.
Neung-o positioned his sword precisely against the tip of the incoming harpoon.
‘Bin-do is an arrow that has been loosed.’
Two harpoons tore through the air from left and right.
Each one was death itself.
It was the same as that day when I entered Jeomchang, when my Master pierced my lifeline and granted me the Eum-an technique.
‘Master. Your disciple has somehow ascended to the position of sect master. Though it is far too much honor, this too is the result of being shot forth, is it not?’
Memories flowed swiftly past.
Perhaps it was a lantern show of life.
The scenes drifted and flowed back several years.
I recalled the day when Yang Hwi, barely sixteen years old, and I became sworn brothers… or rather, sworn brothers and sister with Dou.
“Bunsang lacks self-mastery, does it not?”
Even as I walked the Sa-il path inherited from my Master, I was lost, not knowing what superiority I possessed compared to Bunsang.
Then young Dou’s single remark became my light.
Moreover, I came to know that even should I fall, there would be those who would save Jeomchang.
‘So I had no need to hesitate. I could be shot forth.’
“How can you trust Bin-do and speak so?”
“Because a sword carries the heart of its wielder.”
‘Baek Dou. You said a sword carries the heart of its wielder.’
Then I shall place my heart within it.
Once more, I shall shoot myself forth.
Neung-o’s body suddenly stilled.
Three harpoons targeting his entire body were rushing forward.
“Master Neung! Danger!”
Dang-gun cried out desperately while releasing dozens of hidden weapons. Yet he alone could not pierce through the qi barrier of three peak masters’ void-grasping technique.
Just as the first harpoon was about to pierce Neung-o’s throat and penetrate the Eum-an gate.
Neung-o opened his eyes halfway.
“Sa-il Sword Method, First Form.”
And the ultimate secret of the Sa-il Sword Method.
“Hou Yi Shoots the Sun.”
Neung-o became the sword itself, launching forward.
Among the three enlightenments required to reach Transcendent mastery—the unity of warrior and body.
This was the moment when the swordsman’s blade-body unity manifested.

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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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