Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 337
—————
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 337
Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong (Harmony of Heaven’s Original Force).
A divine technique I created in my previous life, originating from the Yuk-hap-i-won-gong, the foundational method that remained within the Baek Family.
A profound martial art embodying countless wondrous applications, befitting the fundamental principle that all qi under heaven converges to benefit the source.
‘Its greatest characteristic lies in its deep exploration of the mystery of unity.’
The higher one’s martial cultivation ascends, the more one must unify with oneself.
Even now, reaching the peak and transcendent realms requires unifying three separate enlightenments with oneself respectively.
That’s not all.
‘Without Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong, I could never have woven inner qi and seon-gi into one.’
Nor is that the extent. Thanks to the mystery of embracing all qi as one, it possesses advantages in detoxification and demonstrates resilience against demonic qi infiltration.
By reversing the principle of accepting all qi under heaven, one can detect the flow of qi with greater sensitivity, and it even becomes possible to replicate the inner force characteristics of other schools.
‘Packed with every conceivable advantage, and the speed of qi accumulation is second to none anywhere.’
To have created such a divine technique while suffering from qi deviation—am I truly a genius…?
I entertained such thoughts for a moment before regaining awareness.
More precisely, I was forced back to awareness.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
Dang-gun, who had been infusing poison throughout my body, hesitated.
“Hwi’s younger brother… are you in much pain?”
“Ugh!”
“Should I stop?”
“Uhhh!”
“Got it! Going all at once!”
Dang-gun, his lips pressed firmly together, placed his other hand on my jang sim point.
‘Elder Dang, I meant don’t stop but go gently….’
“Gaaahhhhh! Gaaahhhhh!”
It felt like insects crawling beneath the skin across my entire body.
Simultaneously, it felt as though my limbs were slowly melting away from the extremities.
‘Damn it! Damn it!’
Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong certainly demonstrates superior detoxification properties, but that applies only when qi is circulated for detoxification purposes.
Right now, I was instead saturating my entire meridian network with poisonous qi and even performing qi circulation.
In other words, I was maximizing my own poisoning.
‘I’m going to die. I’ll probably die before even meeting Seon….’
But there’s no choice. With only half a year remaining, I had to intensify my training to achieve results.
Gathering my fraying consciousness, I continued circulating my qi.
‘Hwa-cheon-i-won. Harmonizing all qi under heaven.’
But what comes after harmonization?
What result am I trying to achieve through this harmony?
A flaw I had newly discovered in Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong.
Harmony and unity. These principles alone are profound enough to serve as the foundation of a divine technique.
Yet it felt insufficient. There was no end result born from using these two as means.
‘The Immortal Pearl Harmonizing with Heavenly Qi. The moment I obtained it, the reason I gave it such a name was….’
A mental image took shape.
Like a pearl, yet somehow different. Yes, that’s it.
Something that evoked the Ruyi Pearl said to be held by dragons… as if it contained every possibility imaginable.
It was a sudden enlightenment that came when I obtained the Immortal Pearl Harmonizing with Heavenly Qi.
‘I must gather everything under heaven and forge it into being.’
That’s why I needed Dang-gun’s help.
Because I needed a tool to forge the pearl—an absolute, desperate self-mastery.
And incidentally, I would also elevate Dang-gun’s poison into a transcendent toxin through my own will.
‘As a bonus, by adapting to Elder Dang’s poison and using it against Seon, I could also practice moving freely… ugh.’
In the end, Yang Hwi lost consciousness while sitting.
* * *
The Shaolin monks plunged their hands into scorching sand, and Jeomchang’s disciples had sword points driven into their throats the moment they entered the sect.
Thus, walking the path of martial arts was akin to voluntarily embracing hardship.
“A poison addict.”
“How can a person be so toxic?”
Even among such warriors, those with exceptional willpower and talent shook their heads in unison.
“Marinated in poison yet never asking to stop.”
“Losing consciousness while sitting—easier said than done.”
“If everyone in the world were like Young Master Baek, our Dang Family would never have needed to develop torture poisons.”
Dang-gun laid Yang Hwi down and gazed blankly at his face.
Could he himself voluntarily poison himself and lose consciousness while sitting?
He prided himself on never yielding in matters of willpower, but now he had no confidence.
‘With such a younger brother, it makes sense he reached the pinnacle at such a young age.’
And this Yang Hwi had promised to bring Dang-gun himself to the pinnacle in half a year.
He couldn’t fathom how agonizing that process would be.
‘Dang-gun, are you afraid? You don’t even deserve to call Hwi your younger brother.’
It was then that Dang-gun felt a twinge of self-reproach.
“Please don’t do that, Soga-joonim.”
A beautiful voice that brought joy merely by hearing it.
It was Jegal Seol-ha.
“Young lady, I’ve temporarily stepped down from the position of Soga-joonim.”
“Is that so? Then what should I call you?”
They had shared countless experiences centered around Yang Hwi, yet Jegal Seol-ha still addressed Dang-gun by his title.
The only man she called “older brother” affectionately was Yang Hwi.
If she allowed any distance at all, it would be with Chu Dal and Adu.
“Call me Young Master Dang, young lady.”
“Yes, Young Master Dang. In any case, there’s no need to reproach yourself by comparing yourself to your older brother. Who under heaven could possibly compare to him?”
“That too is true. You’ve given me wisdom, young lady.”
“Young Master Dang will reach the pinnacle of transcendence before long.”
“Because my younger brother asserted it?”
“Beyond that, I can see it with my own eyes.”
Jegal Seol-ha smiled faintly and stepped away from Dang-gun.
‘Ugh, I have my own troubles, yet here I am offering advice like some fool.’
She too was far from reaching the pinnacle of transcendence.
Moreover, since no one with the Daohua Eye was showing her the form of her inner world, it felt even more distant.
‘It’s right there on the tip of my tongue, yet I’m going mad with frustration.’
I could sense something.
Using my brother’s expression, that itchy feeling before breaking out of an egg.
But since that spot was right in the middle of my back, it only tickled and I couldn’t scratch it—utterly maddening.
‘Ugh, I wish someone would tell me what form my inner world takes.’
Still, I could feel what the crossroads meant.
Transcendence into immortality. And ascending to heaven.
My choice was naturally ascending to heaven.
I had sworn to walk alongside Yang Hwi, so I couldn’t set my own limits.
‘My Master would be ashamed of me otherwise.’
If I hadn’t known, that would be one thing, but knowing and still choosing transcendence into immortality was impossible.
My pride wouldn’t allow it.
‘The pinnacle of the Sound Master’s art is Transformed Sound.’
Transformed Sound meant harmonizing sound and inner qi to wield them freely.
Currently, I could produce drum sounds from the seven-stringed guqin, and I could also create the sound of a stream flowing from a drum.
‘Then after Transformed Sound, the pinnacle of transcendence would be….’
Actually, I already knew the answer. How could I not, when my Master is a Sound Master who has touched the heavens?
Heart Sound. In other words, the sound of one’s mind.
Sound Arts are ultimately delivered through sound.
Because it was sound, it could be a sublime inner qi technique that rendered armor useless, but if someone blocked sound with qi barriers or protective inner strength, it could be neutralized in an instant.
Against opponents of lower or equal realm, it was tremendously powerful, but against those stronger, it was far too vulnerable.
It was an inherent weakness born from not being concentrated on a single form like the sword or saber.
‘If I could obtain Heart Sound, everything would change.’
How could one block sound that resonates through the mind?
One could only endure it—never evade or block it.
Heart Sound was such a realm and ability.
‘The problem is, I don’t know what my own sound is, what resonance my heart’s voice carries.’
“Damn it all.”
It was when Seol-ha, frustrated beyond measure, let out a curse.
Chara-rang—a jade note rang out.
“Seol-ha. I told you not to speak such vulgar words.”
Seol-ha’s eyes widened as she gazed upon the absolute being wearing the appearance of a fifteen-year-old girl.
“Master…?”
“I’ve come seeking guidance because my martial path has hit a wall.”
Pacheon Eumhu smiled softly.
* * *
All the senior figures of the various factions residing within the Baek Family gathered in the conference hall.
They had abandoned their tasks and rushed out barefoot to receive two distinguished guests of such importance.
“Pacheon Eumhu, Venerable One. Yeoilrakbul, Venerable One. It is an honor for our main house to host both of you.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Baek Family Head.”
“Tsk tsk, to receive such a greeting for a mere old monk—I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“But where is my other disciple? The master has arrived, yet he doesn’t even show his face. It seems I must teach him some manners.”
“That is….”
Baek Moo-ryang’s expression grew troubled.
Yang Hwi had been pickled in poison to the limit and collapsed, so even with energy infused into him, he couldn’t regain consciousness.
Literally on death’s door. It was only because the training had been conducted with thorough preparation that it wasn’t fatal—had it been elsewhere, his death would have been unremarkable.
Upon hearing the circumstances explained, Eumhu’s brow furrowed.
“Baek Sohyeop has always been reckless beyond measure. Bring him here.”
As Yang Hwi was carried in on a stretcher, Eumhu made a gesture through the air.
“Taeng-jung. Would you look after the boy?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, we elevated our Adu to the pinnacle—this much is nothing.”
Golden energy shimmered in Lakbul’s hands.
The Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Washing technique—in all under heaven, Shaolin was most proficient at reconstructing and purifying the body.
Yang Hwi soon regained consciousness.
“Ugh, I thought I was dying… huh?”
Yang Hwi’s gaze alternated between Pacheon Eumhu and Yeoilrakbul before tilting his head skyward.
“Is this a dream?”
When no answer came, Yang Hwi’s head bobbed slightly.
“It’s quiet. Not a dream then.”
“Sohyeop. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”
“Yes. It really has been a long time.”
Eumhu smiled gently.
Though she tried not to show it, disappointment was evident on Yang Hwi’s face.
The family had been ambushed by the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng and fought a great war for over a year, yet only now did she show her face.
Whatever the circumstances, as a disciple, he could only feel disappointed by his master.
“I’m sorry, Sohyeop.”
“Ah, you must understand. Susa Jaeseol was being so insistent.”
Pacheon Eumhu and Yeoilrakbul could not set foot in the Jang Gang war.
Even the Taeguk Sword Master of the Shaman sect, the very party involved, could not directly intervene.
“I heard from the Sword Master. He said that if the two of you stepped forward, Susa Jaeseol would mobilize all his subordinates and incite a blood purge across the realm.”
‘It’s only a guess, but Susa Jaeseol is probably not the only one.’
One of the Cheonmu-sip-jon threatening three of them—wasn’t that arrangement peculiar?
There was likely more backstory that hadn’t been shared.
“Sohyeop speaks the truth.”
“I had to prevent bloodshed. That’s why I couldn’t intervene.”
Baek Moo-ryang, who had been quietly observing the conversation, raised his hand.
“I must respectfully submit to the honored masters: if we allow the mercenaries to roam free, won’t it lead to far greater casualties in the future?”
Allowing mercenaries to roam free in order to prevent bloodshed?
For Baek Moo-ryang, who had declared himself the hero of the common people, this logic was incomprehensible.
“The Baek Family Head is right. However, the meaning is somewhat different.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, it means literally that blood should not flow. Especially not large quantities of blood in a specific region.”
No one in the conference hall could understand these words.
No one except Yang Hwi, that is.
‘The Blood Sect grows by consuming blood.’
That’s why I had prevented the great war of the righteous sects in my past life.
Due to the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng’s surprise attack, I had somehow become central to the great Jang Gang war, but this too must have involved those heretical bastards.
‘It’s obvious from the fact that those mercenary bastards possess demonic qi.’
“Master, wouldn’t visiting the main house also become problematic?”
“Seon could certainly make it a problem if he wanted to. However…”
Eum Hu’s expression turned fierce.
“You dared harbor murderous intent toward my disciple? Seon has crossed the line. So I too shall cross it.”
“Ah, Eum Hu. Calm yourself. You know that if we move now, we could be blamed.”
Lakbul quickly stepped in to soothe Eum Hu and spoke instead.
“We still cannot lend a hand to the donors’ conflict. That would turn this into complete chaos. However, this much is possible.”
Lakbul smiled cunningly.
“We did make an agreement with Seon, but simply taking up residence as guests at the Baek Family shouldn’t be a major problem, would it?”
It was the moment the Baek Family’s main estate became an impregnable fortress.
“And as a bonus, we could impart some teachings to the promising disciples who will become the pillars of the future.”
Two martial masters whose skills touched the heavens had even emerged.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————