Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 295

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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 295
A clash between a Transcendent Master and an Elite Transcendent Master.
The outcome hardly needed stating.
Unconditionally, absolutely, inevitably—Yang Hwi’s certain defeat.
Because of this, Seolha, Chu Dal, and the rest of the party had fought through all of Sugu’s forces and desperately sought out Yang Hwi.
The outcome was likely already decided, but if even a thread-thin possibility remained…
They would find a way to survive together.
Yet the first words I heard upon meeting Yang Hwi were these.
“Elder Neung-o. I’ve defeated an Elite Transcendent Master while remaining at the Transcendent stage myself.”
Unconditionally, absolutely, inevitably—it should have been a certain defeat.
Yet Yang Hwi had emerged victorious, with composure enough to jest.
‘As expected… my older brother. The person with the most unshakeable spirit.’
‘Hwi’s younger brother is always the same. He cannot be measured by the standards of an ordinary person like me.’
‘I believed in you, Baek Dou.’
‘He won? Wow!’
‘Goodness, he actually survived this. I have to say, Elder’s fortune is something else.’
A long silence stretched out. Then, without anyone going first, laughter erupted.
“Hahahaha!”
“Hehehehe!”
“Haha.”
“Hihihihi!”
“Ahahaha!”
Jegal Seol-ha laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face.
Perhaps it was because she had been carrying the greatest burden of worry.
“You’ve surpassed yourself, Baek Dou.”
“Yes. It was thanks to Elder Neung-o showing me the way first.”
“Bin-do did nothing. The victory is entirely yours. My congratulations.”
After Neung-o came Dang-gun.
“Hwi! How on earth did you win! Against an Elite Transcendent Master, no less!”
Yang Hwi shrugged even while leaning against Chu Dal.
“Elder Dang. Who am I, hmm? If I possess the greatest talent under heaven, then at the Transcendent stage I should be able to cut down one Elite Transcendent Master. As Elder Neung-o proved.”
Finally, Jegal Seol-ha.
“Stop showing off now. And next time, don’t run off alone saying you’ll handle it yourself. We wandered around for quite a while looking for you.”
Thwack! Jegal Seol-ha playfully struck Yang Hwi’s shoulder, then her eyes widened.
Yang Hwi had lost consciousness and his head drooped.
“Older brother? Older brother! Dang Soga-ju! Please check on him quickly!”
Dang-gun rushed over and felt Yang Hwi’s pulse, assessing his condition.
“His life force is on the verge of extinguishing! We need treatment immediately! Elixir! Anything light will do—does anyone have a spirit elixir?!”
Yang Hwi had been overflowing with composure, even cracking jokes, but in truth he was on the brink of death.
Chaos erupted.

* * *
In a dream, I wandered through the sky.
Below, I could see two diverging paths spread out before me.
One was more direct, but its end led to a cliff.
The cliff loomed high and treacherous, seemingly impossible to climb.
Turning my head, I saw another path—long and winding.
It was wider, but I doubted whether I could walk its entire length even if I devoted my whole life to it.
Because its end stretched toward the heavens, invisible and endless.
‘To reach the end of such a long path….’
One must possess a stride that transcends the ordinary, something extraordinary.
A gait that goes beyond the mundane.
For instance… Seon-gi.
A force that guides all things in the correct direction.
‘No. No, that’s not enough. Seon-gi was merely… a possibility.’
Qi surged from my palm, sketching something spherical.
Like a pearl, yet somehow different. Yes.
Something that evoked the Orb of Wishes held by dragons… something that seemed to contain all possibilities.
In that moment, I named the newly acquired qi… the Powerful Qi.
I gave the name Hwa-cheon Seon-gi to the combined qi of Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong’s Hwa-cheon Qi and Seon-gi.
The Powerful Qi refined and condensed from Hwa-cheon Seon-gi as its foundation—its name was.
‘Immortal Pearl Heavenly Qi.’
Abbreviated as Immortal Heavenly Qi.
I must forge the pearl, the Immortal Pearl.
Even if it meant gathering everything beneath the heavens into one.
“….”
I awoke from the dream.
‘Ugh. Is this a body or a stone?’
The moment I opened my eyes, exhaustion flooded over me. I wanted to fall back asleep immediately.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
“Brother!”
I had no choice but to open them again.
I could see bright light filling Seolha’s face, which had been full of worry and concern.
“Are you alright? I thought you were dying!”
“I’m the one who’s injured, so why would you be dying?”
“I thought you were dying, brother. Since you can’t understand what I’m saying, it seems you’re still not yourself. I’ll call Dang Soga-ju.”
Seolha hurried away. It seemed no one else was nearby—they were all handling the aftermath of the battle.
‘Since a ship was coming behind the Sugu forces… there must have been plenty to do.’
Yet judging by the fact that there’s still work to be done, it doesn’t seem I was unconscious for very long.
‘By the state of my body alone, I should have been unconscious for at least seven days… hmm.’
Though it resembled a lump of stone, the corpse whose lifeline had been severed recovered to a state where it could be called human again—gravely wounded, but alive.
Even with Seon-gi’s power, such improvement was remarkable.
It seems Seon-gi’s abilities have grown stronger, haven’t they?
‘Perhaps it’s because I obtained the Hwa-cheon Seon-gi.’
Sword qi and sword force. Though both are manifestations of tangible energy, their grades differ.
Sword force carries within it a spirituality born from intent so powerful it defies the will of heaven and earth.
Yang Hwi’s sword force in particular—the Feather Rain Heart-Severance—possesses a spirituality so intense it can shatter the mental imagery of a Transcendent Master.
This was surely the result of accepting the mental imagery contained within the second technique of the Heaven-Severing Sword Method, Severing Heaven.
With such thoughts, I withdrew something from my robes.
An ancient tome emanating a tremor that only I could sense as qi flowed through it.
It was the Geom Seon’s Manual.
‘From the first revelation of Jian-pa Yang, I obtained the Silent Breaking technique, and through Won-woo, I even received the technique of Severing Heaven.’
So it was no wonder that the next characters emerged in my mind.
[Kill something to seize victory from the king.]
‘Kill something to take victory from the king….’
Compared to the first revelation of Jian-pa Yang, this was far more concrete.
No, with only two possibilities, it was remarkably direct.
‘King. In this Yangtze River Tournament, there are only two kings involved.’
One is Seon, the Alliance Master of the Yangtze River Water Route Alliance.
He is worthy of being called the king of the Yangtze.
And the other is… the Namgung Family Head, the Undefeated Sword King, Namgung Il-geom.
Surely he too was a person worthy of being called a king.

* * *
I returned to the Baek Family instead of continuing my role as the Il-ik-chae Master.
Beyond my injuries, I needed time to digest the new enlightenment I had gained.
Until now, the urgency of circumstances had outweighed the need for cultivation, but with the addition of Dancheon’s techniques and Seonhwa Ganggi, my priorities had reversed.
“Party Leader Dang, I entrust Il-ik-chae to your capable hands.”
“I shall guard it faithfully, Baek Family Head.”
Dang-gun and I grasped each other’s hands solemnly.
Seolha, watching this exchange, sighed and muttered under her breath.
“Men are all the same. The moment mischief strikes, there’s no stopping them.”
Only Seolha and I returned to the Baek Family.
The others remained at Il-ik-chae to fully secure Fayang Lake.
“Whimper. I want to go with you and Seolha too.”
“You can’t. You’re the assault captain of Il-ik-chae now.”
“I can do it well, right, Monk?”
“Mm… yes.”
I couldn’t take Adu with me.
Losing a force of Adu’s caliber could place the others in unforeseen danger.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“Safe travels, Baek Dou.”
It took over two weeks to return to the Baek Family.
My injuries were severe enough that Seolha insisted on traveling with utmost caution.
‘A brief display of lightness kung fu followed by a day of bed rest would be more efficient.’
Yet yielding to Seolha’s stubbornness proved more efficient than resisting it.
I could meditate and cultivate within the carriage as well.
It was upon arriving at Agan County near Yuyang Lake, where the Baek Family was situated.
“Winter approaches, it seems.”
The landscape visible through the carriage window appeared quite prosperous.
As the Baek Family grew, considerable wealth flowed into Agan County as well.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I left the carriage interior and sat beside Seolha on the driver’s bench instead.
My body had recovered considerably, so I came out to see the marketplace, when commotion erupted.
“Gasp, such a beauty… wait. The person sitting beside her looks like the Baek Young Master?!”
“It’s definitely him! The Baek Young Master!”
“Gaecheon Jeil-ryong!”
“Wahhh! The Baek Family Heir has arrived!”
“The heaven-defying swordmaster who defeated even a Transcendent Master!”
“The Sword Dragon of Unwavering Walls!”
“The Unwavering Wall Sword Dragon!”
“The Unwavering Wall Sword Dragon!”
I scratched my cheek with a bewildered expression.
Not Gaecheon Sword Dragon, not Gaecheon Jeil-ryong, but the Unwavering Wall Sword Dragon.
“It seems Elder Brother has earned himself a new epithet?”
“Apparently so.”
“Well, with a body at the peak of perfection defeating a Transcendent Master, it’s only natural the rumors would spread. It’s bound to happen.”
Seeing everyone in the marketplace shouting about it, the rumor wasn’t merely spreading—it had become the talk of the entire capital.
Well, rumors do spread like a celestial steed, after all.
“A Master at the peak of perfection defeated a Transcendent Master in combat. Though there were circumstances with the disciples, it’s the sort of matter that would elevate even Nong-o Daoist—who committed the grave sin of slaying the sect leader—to the position of sect master.”
Not a remarkable occurrence, but a miracle.
My victory was more than worthy of such a title.
In fact, it exceeded all expectations.
‘Hmm. With this level of renown…’
To kill the tiger and seize the throne.
I wasn’t certain which throne was meant, but I’d assume both and lay the groundwork accordingly.
“Seolha, prepare yourself. We’ll convene a council of elders the moment we arrive at the main house.”
“Without resting first?”
“I’ve rested plenty in the carriage. I need your help, Seolha.”
“Tch. Understood.”

* * *
Though the Baek Family Heir had defeated a Transcendent Master, he returned as a sword of the beginning and immediately convened a council of elders without rest.
The retainers clicked their tongues at this fact.
The heir of the main house was an iron man who would sacrifice everything for his family and still have more to give.
“Hwi. Your father thinks nothing is more important than your recovery, but what is the reason for suddenly convening this council?”
“Before I explain, I wish to hear of the main house’s current situation.”
At this, Seo Seong-saeng stepped forward and began marking the map on the wall.
“More than two months have passed since the Yangtze River Alliance’s one-sided ambush. Even in the warm south, the waters are beginning to freeze.”
Though it was still early winter, snow was already falling in the northern regions.
In other words, the moment we had endured and awaited had arrived.
“The waters of Poyang Lake have receded. It is the dry season, after all.”
Poyang Lake was the largest lake under heaven, yet its fame paled compared to Dongting, Taihu, and West Lake.
The reason was that when the dry season arrived, the waters would recede and split into dozens of independent lakes.
“In other words, the Yangtze River Alliance can no longer launch offensives through Poyang Lake. Their ships cannot enter.”
Until now, the Baek Family had to defend Ganzhou and Poyang Lake to protect Jiangxi.
This was also why we had concentrated our forces at Ganzhou and established Il-ik-chae at Poyang Lake with my companions.
I struck the table with my fist.
“Father. The military forces required for defense have decreased. Therefore, now is the time for us to take the offensive.”
The reduction in defensive necessity was not limited to the Baek Family alone.
The Shaman, Jegal, and Namgung families were all affected.
With winter and the dry season upon us, numerous tributaries had dried to the point where ships could not navigate them.
In other words, we could now deploy our surplus forces to the main channel of the Yangtze River—the core territory of the Yangtze River Alliance itself.
“The main house has signed a treaty with the Namgung Family. Among its provisions is a clause requiring us to lend military forces to the Namgung.”
However, Namgung is a potential enemy.
If I lend my full strength to Namgung’s request, we may all return dead.
“We must strike first. I wish for our first full-scale confrontation with the Yangtze River Water Alliance to take place in Anhui.”
Kill two birds with one stone.
If one claims to be the greatest talent under heaven, one must always aim to achieve two goals with a single move.

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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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