Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 370

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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 370
From Kunlun through to Western Tibet, the journey had stretched across several months.
Throughout their travels, the group had engaged in countless martial bouts.
Because demon energy seeped out constantly, they couldn’t visit villages or cities, leaving martial sparring as their only form of entertainment.
Yet despite this, they hadn’t clearly established a hierarchy among themselves.
They were all Transcendent Masters, and if they fought in earnest, the surrounding terrain would be utterly transformed.
“The location is perfect, actually. Ideal for a fight.”
As evidenced by the demon bandits operating in this region, the surroundings were nothing but barren wasteland.
Meaning there was nothing to destroy even in a proper exchange.
“Since I’m younger, I should be allowed a handicap, right?”
Yang Hwi thought to himself.
‘Didn’t you reach Transcendent Master faster than me, Seol Ha-ya?’
Seolha seemed quite serious about this.
Neung-o nodded readily.
“In a one-on-one bout, the Sound Master would inevitably be at a disadvantage, so let it be so.”
It wasn’t wrong. Seolha’s inner world, the Flowing Heavenly Divine Wind, was specialized in supporting Yang Hwi.
However, Seolha’s pride seemed wounded as she pulled her lips up roughly.
-Brother, the way you’re smiling looks just like someone.
There was no need to say who.
He simply flicked her forehead once and focused on the bout.
“Shall we start gently?”
Seolha snapped her fingers.
Normally, a crisp sound should have emerged.
Ching, ching-a-ling-ling!
Altered Sound Realm. Sound transformed into melody.
Added to this was the symbol of a Sound Master who had reached Transcendent Master—heartbeat sound.
Originally, Sound Arts were a striking technique and an inner energy method, but now Seolha could inflict damage to an opponent’s spirit through sound alone.
However.
“It doesn’t reach me, young lady.”
Neung-o held his sword upright. He neither formed a sword barrier nor severed the sound infused with energy and intent.
Simply a sword.
Just a sword.
‘Ah, so that’s why I wanted to fight.’
Seolha’s eyes gleamed with violet radiance as she examined Neung-o’s inner world.
An unwavering single arrow.
Originally, Neung-o’s inner world was a cracked glass marble.
But now, it was merely an arrow.
‘So monotonous. This is the first time I’ve seen such a monotonous inner world.’
Human consciousness constantly shifts and transforms, and thus the inner world contains multiple elements.
For example, my original inner world was a scarred yet steadfast and unchanging rock.
“Nong Daoist Master, what ability did you say you obtained after ascending to the Heart Realm?”
“Steel arrows.”
Steel arrows. However, Neung-o’s heart realm was not arrows made of steel.
Originating from glass beads, arrows that remained glass.
‘It’s ridiculous that glass, of all things, appears harder than steel refined through ten thousand hammerings.’
Not mockery, but absurdity made it laughable.
In a way, it was truly characteristic of Neung-o.
“Ten-Thousand Refined Glass Arrow. How about naming it this way?”
“That is also good. Names are of little importance.”
Yes, names mattered little.
Whether steel arrows or glass arrows, the fact that they would never break remained the same.
Ching-ching-ching-ching-ching!
Seolha unleashed an absolute strike. However, Neung-o withstood every sonic wave.
For that was precisely the function of the Ten-Thousand Refined Glass Arrow.
The sword of extreme offensive prowess was none other than Neung-o’s Sa-il Sword Method.
Therefore, Neung-o had desperately yearned for the opposite ability.
“A cracked bead. Thanks to what you showed me, I could understand what Bin-do truly needed.”
To become an arrow that was loosed.
To achieve that, I realized I must never break.
“Ten-Thousand Refined Glass Arrow. It seems a fitting name. Now it is my turn, young lady.”
Pursuing the sword of extreme offensive prowess, Neung-o had become an arrow that would never break.
Heart realm, Ten-Thousand Refined Glass Arrow.
Its ability could be called invincibility.
Enduring every attack, just once.
Neung-o had perfected a heart realm that granted him a single opportunity to launch himself.
“Sa-il Sword Method, First Technique. Descendant’s Sa-il.”
Seolha’s strengths lay in sound mastery and lightness of movement.
Even an arrow that never breaks could be evaded.
Yet Seolha, instead of employing Thousand Winds, layered sound upon sound.
“Jade Sound Layering Method, Stacked Sonic Depths!”
Absolute strike clashed against absolute strike, and a thunderous explosion erupted.
Moments later.
Seolha gazed at the sword’s edge hovering before her eyes and smiled bitterly.
“I have lost.”
“You showed me much mercy. Let us call it a draw.”
“No. A loss is a loss. Tch, I wanted to win.”
Neung-o’s heart realm was a natural predator to a Sound Master like Seolha.
That was precisely why I had wanted to break through it, yet the result was deeply disappointing.
No, truthfully, it was somewhat frustrating.
For she too was a warrior.
“Well then, shall we head toward the Potala Palace as the Nong Daoist Master suggested?”
Chu Dal stepped forward to organize the situation, and Seolha nodded in agreement.
“Yes. It’s not you who lost, but me, older brother. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
If I said it wasn’t fine, she would clearly sulk.
However, I couldn’t say it was fine.
“It’s not fine.”
“What? After months of sleeping rough instead of sightseeing because of you, it’s not fine?”
Seolha glared at me immediately.
But there was no helping it.
I had let myself rampage freely since there was nothing to break, but I had forgotten that people might come looking after hearing the loud noise.
“Chu Dal.”
“Yes?”
“Subdue me for now. And all of you surround me and threaten me.”
“Older brother, what scheme are you plotting now?”
“Just do it. We don’t know what might happen.”
I knelt down and disheveled my hair to cover my face.
After the group moved as instructed, more than a dozen martial artists appeared.
“Who are you wretches!”
“This energy signature… Could it be!”
I scanned the newly arrived group.
Their clothing had a distinctly exotic feel, and the aura they carried was refined and close to that of Buddhism.
-They’re clearly from the Potala Palace side, aren’t they?
-Yes. The way they radiate killing intent the moment they sense demonic energy confirms it.
“Who are you! Did you subdue a demon?”
“Such dense demonic energy… Could you possibly be a candidate!”
I had managed to make it look like I was subdued, but I hadn’t decided what to do next.
Naturally, the group’s gaze gathered on Yang Hwi, and to the Potala Palace martial artists, this seemed like an affirmation of their question.
“Kill him first! We’ll talk after we kill him!”
Now that’s an approach I rather like.
I know the Potala Palace is also of the Buddhist faction, yet instead of trying to guide or convert, they want to kill first and talk later.
That’s certainly the proper way to treat demons.
‘The problem is that the demon in question is me.’
-Nong hyung. If this continues, it seems we won’t be able to go to the Potala Palace together.
-…Dou is right.
It’s clear that dialogue won’t work.
I had no desire to reveal my identity and say something like I merely harbored demonic energy for a moment.
The fact that Eung-hyo Je-il of the Baek Family harbored demonic energy must never be revealed.
-Since it’s come to this, let’s split up. Seolha, Adu, and Nong hyung go join the Potala Palace.
-What about you, older brother?
-This time, I’ll try my hand at playing demon sect leader, a role never written in my fate.
After finishing the sound transmission, I detonated my energy outward.
-Don’t resist. Just fly away.
I triggered my latent power to break free from the suppression, then laughed loudly.
“Kahahaha, you think this body would die to the likes of you?! Next time we meet, I’ll surely kill you all! Kahahaha!”
Oh, I’d forgotten one thing.
-Chu Dal, follow me while staying hidden.
-Huh? I really don’t want to go to the Madou lair…
-I need at least one companion. If you don’t follow, you’ll get beaten, understand?
-Yes…
Know your enemy and know yourself—victory in a hundred battles.
Then what if I made the enemy itself mine?
‘At worst, I’d win nine hundred out of a thousand!’
I still didn’t fully understand how this world’s forces operated.
But I intended to make a proper mess of things.

* * *
Western Province. A barren region dominated by deserts and plateaus.
Near a vast water source stood an enormous temple.
The Great Thunder Sound Temple.
Originally, it had been a place where monks cultivated the Buddhist way and served the Dalai Lama, but…
“The time of prophecy has arrived. Now we must decide.”
“I agree. We can only participate in the succession war by selecting an apostle.”
Those gathered in the central hall of the Great Thunder Sound Temple all emanated an intensely thick demonic aura.
It was remarkable, considering they were all senior members of the Great Thunder Sound Temple.
The Great Thunder Sound Temple had been founded by a monk from Tianzhu and had continuously transmitted the Buddhist way ever since.
“We absolutely must produce the next Sect Leader from our Great Thunder Sound Temple. Absolutely.”
“We cannot fall behind the Small Thunder Sound Temple.”
As their names suggested, the two sects had originally been one.
More precisely, the Small Thunder Sound Temple had split off as a branch.
But now things were very different.
About a hundred years ago.
After the prophecy was revealed, the Great Thunder Sound Temple came to revere the Sun, while the Small Thunder Sound Temple revered the Moonlight.
“Though the religious system has become dualistic, our faction must seize the initiative.”
“The greater cannot be dragged along by the lesser.”
However, there was one problem.
Until now, the religion had operated with the leader of the Sun faction taking the lead while the leader of the Moon faction quietly followed.
Due to the nature of the factions, the Sun faction was more explosive and specialized in martial prowess.
“Ugh… to think the main temple has so few talented individuals.”
“How can there not be a single child to put forward as a candidate?”
The apostle—in other words, the successor candidate for the next Sect Leader—had three conditions in total.
First. They must possess sacred energy more than anyone else.
Second. Their age must not exceed thirty to be suitable as a reincarnation vessel.
And finally, third.
They must possess martial prowess and talent that transcends their years.
“If things continue this way, when the time comes, we’ll lose the initiative to Wolpa.”
“That can absolutely never happen!”
The voices grew heated, but a candidate that didn’t exist couldn’t simply materialize.
It was precisely when the senior members of the Great Thunder Sound Sect were racking their brains over this dilemma.
Kwaaaaaaang!
A thunderous explosion that rang out like a bolt from the blue sky.
The senior members who rushed out could only gape in shock at the devastated main gate of the Great Thunder Sound Sect.
Especially when the perpetrator of the destruction not only didn’t flee but stood there with a sword slung across his shoulder, shouting with brazen confidence.
“Hey, you wretches! Your god has arrived!”
In that moment.
The abbot of the Great Thunder Sound Sect, the Sun Demon Master, widened his eyes.
“That, that aura is…!”
Sacred. So truly sacred that one felt compelled to kneel.
I had never encountered an aura so pure and close to its essence.
“Who, who are you?”
The Sun Demon Master found himself asking in respectful tones, and Yang Hwi answered with a sinister smile.
“I am the one who shall become your divine being.”
A demon mask concealing his face.
A thick demonic aura flowing forth naturally, without even exuding particular momentum.
The ambition to dare destroy the main gate of the Great Thunder Sound Sect—in other words, confidence in his martial power.
‘Well then, bastards. A perfect candidate has shown up, hasn’t it?’
Yang Hwi recalled the information he had heard from colleagues who had recently joined the Potala Palace.
Especially information about the current power structure of the Western Sect.
“I am Injoong Sinma! Great Thunder Sound Sect, I grant you the opportunity to serve me as your divine being!”
It was the moment when the legend of the pseudo-sect leader Eung-hyo Je-il—no, Injoong Sinma—began.

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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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