Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 321

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 321
We were enjoying a victory banquet, eating and drinking well, when Su-sa-jae-seon fell from the sky.
‘Insane…!’
The exclamation escaped my lips unbidden.
Appearing alone in a banquet hall packed with Baek Do’s senior martial artists?
It was practically asking to be killed.
…If Su-sa-jae-seon weren’t a Cheonmu-sip-jon.
‘So this is what a Cheonmu-sip-jon truly is…’
How could he act so recklessly?
Did matters of this scale not even warrant deep consideration?
I felt admiration. I even envied the freedom Seon enjoyed.
A hawk must be the freest creature in the world.
With wings to soar through the heavens and unmatched speed, it is so.
‘I could never conduct myself like Seon does now.’
People often mistook me for acting recklessly without forethought, but I calculated far more than anyone realized.
Only when I deemed every variable accounted for would I commit myself boldly.
‘I could never walk alone into the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng’s main stronghold. I wouldn’t have even entertained such a thought.’
Unlike Seon.
A Cheonmu-sip-jon—an absolute being who stood alone as an equal to Gu-pa—was something else entirely.
My fists clenched tightly.
Meanwhile, the conversation between Geom-ong and Seon was reaching its climax.
“You would do this here, without shame?”
“It will only deepen your regret.”
“That will not come to pass.”
The Five Elements’ qi swirled around Seon.
Each one was so immense it sent shivers down the spine.
The Taeguk Sword Master, by contrast, remained as still as calm water, yet the spheres of yin and yang held a different kind of terror.
Then it happened.
-Step forward.
Pardon?
It was the Taeguk Sword Master’s voice in my mind.
-Step forward. If Seon and I clash here, many will die.
-Then couldn’t you simply yield?
-Step forward. I won’t forget this.
Each step back surrendered initiative to Seon.
I understood that much…
But why me, when there aren’t even any Mudang Sect disciples present?
-Hurry! Only you can divert Seon’s attention!
“….”
Bewildered as I was, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
My mind spun rapidly, calculating which words and actions would maximize my advantage.
‘Good grief. I could easily end up dead if I’m not careful.’
Yet I found myself wanting to step forward.
The benefit of placing Geom-ong in my debt.
The intangible value of inserting myself between two absolute beings to create a three-way dialogue, and the shift in public perception that would follow.
No, setting all that aside—my heart was pounding.
The Cheonmu-sip-jon, beings I could never have approached in my past life, and now I could interject into their conversation and disrupt their plans.
I had grown this much.
‘That’s right. A supreme talent under heaven must never forget killing two birds with one stone. Today, let’s aim for three.’
Still, I should make sure to receive what’s due, shouldn’t I?
-What will you do for me?
-Now isn’t the time to discuss such things.
What kind of merchant talks about lowering grain prices during a famine?
When things are urgent, you need to settle what you’ll receive clearly.
-How about the Mudang Sect steps forward once when I need it later?
-Understood.
He said we’d talk later, yet immediately accepted. Look at that.
That old fox of a master, I tell you.
He must have calculated that if he changed his terms, he might recklessly unleash the Taeguk Sword of Mercy and the Taeguk Sword of Severity to the world without further thought.
Separate from punishment, if the sect’s techniques leaked, the Mudang Sect’s losses would be overwhelming.
Anyway.
‘Since I’m stepping in, three birds with one stone. Let’s go.’
So the beginning had to be as audacious as possible.
“Sigh.”
The moment I exhaled openly, gazes poured in from all directions.
Compared to the stares from Geom-ong and Seon, they were utterly trivial.
‘Phew, my skin’s crawling.’
I circulated my Inner Qi, controlling my entire body.
Standing with one leg bent and arms crossed, I manufactured an indifferent expression.
“If you’re going to fight, take it outside. I was enjoying my meal.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
A prolonged silence followed. No one opened their mouth, and no one could.
Geom-ong looked as though he was restraining the urge to press his forehead, while Seon simply wore a dumbfounded expression.
And the other bystanders—
-Hwi’s Younger Brother! Hwi’s Younger Brother!
-Older brother! Are you seriously insane?!?!
-Baek Dou always exceeds my expectations.
—Is that really Baek Gong-ja…?
His companions’ reactions were relatively mild, at least.
Everyone else stared at him with fear that transcended mere shock.
‘Before the Cheonmu-sip-jon… he dared to sigh?’
‘The Geom-ong might overlook it with the magnanimity of the great sea. But…’
‘Seon would never let such behavior slide. That fool Eunghyo, his life ends today.’
To speak such reckless words before the Cheonmu-sip-jon?
It would be no surprise if he died on the spot.
He should have already been dead.
If a man defies reason and tries to fly through the heavens, he will simply fall and perish.
This is the natural order, and that is why it is called reason.
In their eyes, Yang Hwi was merely human, yet he was attempting to soar through the heavens.
Only one who feared not falling could attempt such a challenge, and they had never imagined such a person could exist under heaven.
‘His audacity alone… is already supreme under heaven.’
‘If he does not break. If his life thread is not severed today. He will truly ascend to supremacy under heaven.’
‘The Baek Family of Gaecheon… from this moment, even the main house must make its decision.’
Yang Hwi’s clear voice shattered the silence.
“Ah, my apologies for the late greeting! Yang Hwi of the Baek Family of Gaecheon offers his respects to the descendant of Jang Cheon-sa!”
Yang Hwi bowed with exaggerated flourish. At this level of exaggeration, it was no longer respect but outright rudeness.
The very form of address was blatantly disrespectful from the start.
Not the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng, not the Cheonmu-sip-jon Su-sa-jae-seon, but merely the descendant of Jang Cheon-sa.
The lowest title by which to address Seon.
No matter how renowned the Cheonsa Sect had once been in Daoism, it was ruined now.
Seon’s white brows furrowed.
“You brat. Knowing that I hold you in regard, yet you conduct yourself with such insolence?”
“You hold me in regard? Me? You, Seon?”
I couldn’t help but scoff at the absurdity.
He had already pronounced a death sentence—within a year, he would kill me.
Now that I thought about it, I felt wronged.
I was supposed to cower before someone who openly declared he would kill me.
A genuinely defiant expression settled on my face.
“Since you’ve already said you would come find me and kill me within a year, if you regard me twice more, won’t I die today?”
Seon’s pupils became transparent.
Had I been too insolent?
“Kugh…!”
My consciousness grew distant. It was as though mountains were collapsing, and I was buried beneath them.
‘The killing intent of the heart itself…!’
The entire world seemed to scream for my death.
As a human—no, mere dust—I could only obey the command.
And so my heart stopped.
‘Damn… this power…!’
I clenched my teeth.
To endure?
No.
To take precedence.
What is inner conviction?
It is prioritizing one’s own will above the principles of heaven and earth.
A mental image so intense it becomes carved into the world itself.
The unyielding boulder that could never shatter had broken.
And so feathers gathered into clouds, and clouds embraced light to become an egg.
Feather Cloud Radiance Egg.
Mere pressure alone could never kill me.
“Ugh, gasp!”
I spat out a mouthful of blackened blood and straightened my body.
Following entirely my own will, my stilled heart beat once more.
“Yes, you possess at least the qualifications.”
“Isn’t this the talent that Seon took notice of?”
With everyone holding their breath and watching, I continued speaking.
“According to what the Geom-ong conveyed, you wished to see me within a year. I never expected it would be today.”
“I did want to meet you directly, but I didn’t come to see you. Why, did you wish it to be today?”
This is basically saying I should bow my head if I don’t want to die, isn’t it?
My legs were trembling with fear.
Still, I had no intention of kneeling.
This bastard already marked me for death and even sent word beforehand—what was there to hesitate about?
“That is Seon’s prerogative, is it not? Would my words change your mind?”
“That is also true.”
“But this much I will say with certainty.”
Already marked, there’s no point in being cocky—I’ll only die anyway.
Then I should scratch with all my might and make it so I can’t be killed by the wounds.
“If not today, Seon will die by my hand.”
“…!”
“…!”
“This madman…!”
Someone couldn’t help but gasp in shock.
It was that absurd a statement.
It was like a bug buzzing that it would kill a tiger.
“Kill me? Boy, have you seen yourself?”
“Yes. Since I don’t wish to die, I will prepare myself as much as possible.”
“…Heh heh. Hehehehe.”
I never knew someone of Seon’s stature would display emotions so openly.
I had never seen such a madman spouting such nonsense before in my life.
At the very least, I hadn’t encountered anyone like this in decades, had I?
“I see. Young one. It’s true that I took an interest in you. However, I cannot overlook rudeness of this magnitude. Therefore, you must die.”
Five streams of Five Elements Qi surged forth.
Imbued with killing intent, ready to be unleashed.
It was meant to crush and kill me like an insect.
My calculation was wrong.
I had thought Seon would never attempt to kill me.
An attack I could never block at this moment.
Was I to die like this?
To lose this opportunity I had gained once more in such a manner?
That was the moment.
I understood.
‘Ah. Haha. So that’s what it was.’
In the instant before death, watching the Five Elements Qi rushing toward me, I felt no regret for my earlier words and actions.
Because I knew.
Because I realized that I wasn’t facing death due to a miscalculation made consciously, but for another reason entirely.
I closed my eyes.
I observed my inner self.
The mental image appeared—the Primordial Chaos Whirlwind.
The reason for my arrogance.
The pure reason, apart from all these calculations.
‘Kill something and seize victory from the king.’
I trembled.
The Sword Selection Seal in my bosom was vibrating.
Kill something and take victory from the king.
Only now did I grasp the true meaning.
‘I myself must die.’
I had not consciously noticed, yet my subconscious had known.
That what I needed was death itself.
Knowledge is one world.
And humans are beings who can only advance to a different world through death alone.
One must break through and emerge; only by experiencing death can one be reborn anew.
‘So today. I.’
Ascend to the ultimate peak.
Using the killing intent of the Cheonmu-sip-jon as a tool to shatter it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————