Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 395

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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 395
Yang Hwi continued speaking after dropping a bombshell proposal to hold an auction with the Baek Family’s concubines as collateral.
“The Song School’s Ancient Sword level might be too much. But if we mention it’s a new weapon worth about half of the Song School’s Ancient Sword, they’ll all come flocking.”
Even Baek Moo-ryang, accustomed to Yang Hwi’s audacious remarks, found his mouth falling open involuntarily.
Summoning all thirty-six of the most prestigious sects in Baek Do to hold an auction?
And the item being sold was a new weapon.
Even if it were only worth a tenth of the Song School’s Ancient Sword, they would come swarming like a pack of dogs.
‘He speaks of selling such things. Items that martial sects should hide away in the deepest vaults, not sell… hmm?’
Suddenly, Baek Moo-ryang felt a sense of déjà vu wash over him.
It seemed like there had been times before when he’d gotten caught up in his son’s schemes and failed to say what he originally intended.
“Hwi. You must have a plan. Very well, I’ll allow it. But first, don’t we have matters to discuss?”
There was truly much he needed to hear from his son.
Whether he had recovered his martial prowess or discovered a way to do so.
How he intended to handle the matter of refusing the marriage annulment and departing with Seolha—or rather, being taken away with her.
And various other matters besides.
But.
His opponent was Yang Hwi, second to none in the world when it came to reading situations.
“To realize this strategy, I need the consent of my friends! And there’s much to ask the Baek Blacksmith as well! Since this is for the family’s sake, we cannot afford even a moment’s delay! I shall handle matters as swiftly as possible!”
As Yang Hwi dashed away, Seolha, who had been standing in bewilderment, cried out as well.
“I-I’ll go too, Father!”
Seolha vanished in a flash as well.
“…Father, she said.”
A title that had slipped out in her flustered state.
Baek Moo-ryang smiled softly to himself.
‘So she feared being scolded that much. This girl. At times like this, she truly acts like a daughter.’
It felt as though one of his questions had been answered.

* * *
I first sought consent from Adu and Neung-o.
“Given the circumstances, I’d like to receive my entire share through Seong Cheol and Han-cheol.”
“That works for me. I prefer shiny things anyway.”
“Dou, truthfully, the Strange Armor alone means Bin-do already claims the largest share. I intend to transfer his portion to the Baek Family as well.”
“Ah, but that won’t do. Besides Neung Hyeong, the Jeomchang Sect deserves their cut too. Jang Moon-in spent over half a year running around on foot for this.”
In any case, both Adu and Neung-o readily agreed.
Next came the discussion with the Baek Blacksmith.
“Brother? Why didn’t you ask me? I prefer treasures.”
Where could the Baek Blacksmith be?
‘Well, considering his nature, he’s probably where he always is.’
The smithy located at one corner of the Baek Family’s main compound.
The rhythmic clanging of a hammer echoed through the air.
“Baek Blacksmith! I’m here!”
Upon spotting me, Baek Cheol’s face brightened and he immediately set down his hammer.
“Young Master! You’ve returned! I was so absorbed in my work I didn’t even notice you’d arrived.”
“Ha, what a grave offense. As punishment, starting today, forge ten Divine Weapons for me!”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m such a magnanimous superior, reducing such a serious crime to such a light penalty. Wouldn’t you agree?”
‘Light? Ten Divine Weapons…?’
Baek Cheol harbored brief doubts, but quickly composed himself.
“Yes, Young Master. To repay such generosity, I must accomplish at least that much.”
At his response, I felt somewhat embarrassed.
After all, my greatest kindness had merely been rescuing Baek Cheol and his father from slavery under those wretched bandits.
Though I suppose bringing him into the Baek Family and allowing him to live doing only what he desired could also be counted as a favor.
“First, take a look at this.”
I unpacked a bundle containing the Seong Cheol and Eternal Han-cheol I’d prepared beforehand.
Baek Cheol’s eyes widened and he rushed forward.
“Ohhhhh! Seong Cheol! And Eternal Han-cheol too!”
Moreover, both had already been refined, so their quality was excellent enough to use immediately after melting.
For someone like Baek Cheol, whose greatest joy in life was forging, it was like beholding a perfectly prepared feast.
“You know the main family has been under severe financial strain recently? I plan to forge ten Divine Weapons and sell them.”
Generally, selling finished products yields far greater profit than selling raw materials.
And if that product is a Divine Weapon, there’s nothing more to say.
The question was whether Baek Cheol could forge weapons worthy of being called Divine Weapons.
“Baek Blacksmith. Ten Divine Weapons. Can you do it?”
“As your retainer, I shall do my utmost for the family’s benefit, Young Master.”
Baek Cheol had already once refined ordinary steel through the Hundred Refinement technique and forged a blade that reached the rank of a renowned sword.
That very blade, which he had once presented to me as repayment of his debt, was currently wielded by Baek Heon-so.
‘With Baek Blacksmith’s skill combined with Seong Cheol and Eternal Han-cheol, I should be able to forge renowned swords reaching about thirty percent of the quality of the Song Family’s ancient swords.’
The only problem is time.
Since I’m putting up divine weapons for auction, the moment I receive the contract, the senior disciples will come running like their feet are on fire.
“One month. All ten blades need to be completed within one month. Can you manage it?”
Baek Cheol tilted his head in thought before answering.
“Ten days should be sufficient, Young Master.”
“T-ten days…?”
“Yes. Ah, if I raise the quality further, the time will increase accordingly. Should I make them to match the one-month deadline?”
Even for the Baek Family’s forge, handing over divine weapons of the caliber of the Song Family’s heirloom blades felt somewhat uncomfortable.
The plan wouldn’t be hindered at all even without weapons of such exceptional grade.
‘Just how much has this fellow’s skills improved?’
Even a master blacksmith who has reached the pinnacle of ordinary forging arts sometimes dedicates decades to crafting a single divine weapon.
Yet this man claimed one blade per day?
‘Truly worthy of being called the reincarnation of the genius blacksmith Gu-ya from my past life. No, his talents seem to bloom even more brilliantly in this lifetime.’
A blacksmith who has reached the master’s realm unconsciously manipulates intent.
This is why someone without martial training can forge weapons that transcend the quality of their materials.
I suspect his sensitivity to visualization and intent awakened early, thanks to handling the mysterious metal known as Seong Cheol.
“No. Make them match the ten-day schedule.”
“Understood!”

* * *
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Rhythmic hammer strikes. Baek Cheol counted silently in his mind.
‘Ten thousand and one. Ten thousand and two. Ten thousand and three. Ten thousand and four.’
For four days straight without rest, he had struck the hammer over ten thousand times.
Since becoming a retainer of the Baek Family, Baek Cheol had learned meditation techniques and consumed vitality elixirs to build his strength, but even so, this was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.
Yet there was not the slightest tremor in Baek Cheol’s hammer strikes.
His mind held only a single thought.
‘I’ve completed nine blades. Eighteen days remain until the deadline the Young Master gave me.’
He was told to forge items to be sold, but Baek Cheol had decided to pour his gratitude into the final blade.
‘Seong Cheol and eternal iron steel—the finest metals under heaven. The greatest opportunity to repay those who cherished someone as insignificant as me.’
Baek Yang-hwi, the Baek Family Heir. The benefactor who saved the lives of not only myself but also my only family—my father.
Baek Moo-ryang, the Baek Family Head. The benefactor who gave shelter and sustenance to my father and me when we had nowhere to go.
‘Thanks to them both, I’ve been able to live as I wished, simply swinging my hammer.’
Not yet thirty years of life.
Yet the debt of gratitude I owe is so vast that a hundred years of repayment would not suffice.
This time, I intend to repay at least one-tenth of it.
Such thoughts were forged into intent and embedded within each hammer strike.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thus, two weeks passed.
Four days remained before the promised one-month deadline.

* * *
It’s commonly said that a master can defeat a steel sword using nothing but a blade of grass.
But.
That statement is false.
More precisely, it’s both true and false simultaneously.
‘When masters of equal skill clash, naturally the one wielding a steel blade wins.’
Therefore, the quality of a master’s weapon becomes increasingly important.
When a master wields a divine weapon, their maximum combat potential increases dramatically.
“Family Head. Young Master. I wish to repay a portion of the debt I owe you both through these ten divine blades.”
Inside the grandest hall of the Baek Family.
With senior disciples standing at attention on both sides, ten divine weapons crafted by Baek Cheol hung upon display stands in the center.
“Ahhhhh….”
“Such magnificent weapons completed in merely a month….”
“Without question, Baek Cheol the blacksmith possesses the finest forging technique under heaven.”
Yang Hwi himself could not help but admire them genuinely.
‘This is beyond words. I hadn’t expected divine weapons of such exceptional quality.’
At this level, they truly seemed to rival half the power of the Song Family’s Ancient Sword.
And among the ten blades, the one that shone most brilliantly was—
‘Without doubt, it surpasses the Song Family’s Ancient Sword.’
Baek Moo-ryang could not tear his gaze from the blade embroidered with a hundred feathers.
Baek Cheol approached the display stand, took up the sword, walked before Baek Moo-ryang, and knelt.
“You commanded me to forge ten blades for auction, but this one I wish to present to the Family Head. I have poured my gratitude into its creation.”
A peerless divine weapon. A sacred blade to be passed down through the family for generations.
Baek Moo-ryang did not refuse Baek Cheol’s offering.
No swordsman could refuse such a blade.
“The Hundred Feather White Sword. Your gratitude, Baek the blacksmith, has reached the heavens, and you have forged a hundred feathers into steel. As Family Head, I declare: henceforth, the Baek Family shall treasure the Hundred Feather White Sword as our heirloom and pass it down through all generations!”
“We acknowledge your decree!”
“We acknowledge your decree!”
“We acknowledge your decree!”
As Baek Cheol shed tears of emotion, Yang Hwi stepped forward once the atmosphere had settled somewhat.
“Family Head. The merchandise is prepared, so we should begin formal auction preparations.”
“Speak your strategy, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
After conceiving the idea in a moment, I had spent days with the Young Scholar refining it into a proper strategy.
“The Great Sea Dragon King, one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon and former Family Head of the Peng Family, has established the Dragon King Alliance. This is likely a countermeasure against our rapidly expanding One Wing Alliance.”
Yang Hwi ground his teeth internally.
The very reason the Baek Family currently struggled for funds was because of the Dragon King Alliance’s interference.
‘They callously cut off our financial lifeline to cause us hardship. Just wait, old man. We shall see.’
I picked up one of the large swords from the display stand.
Baek Cheol had crafted it with special care upon receiving the order, and tiger stripes were elegantly engraved upon its surface.
In short, it was a blade perfectly suited to the Peng Family.
“The Peng Family, called the greatest under heaven. Our Baek Family has grown to the point of threatening the Peng Family’s standing.”
This was the root of the problem.
With the Baek Family Head serving as the alliance leader of the Ilik Alliance, four of the Nine Great Sects—Jegal, Baek Family, Namgung, and Jeomchang—had joined, causing them to feel threatened.
“The Shaman Sect, Hwa-san, Jongnam, Gongdong, Moyong Clan, Shandong Yak Sect, and the Peng Family. Seven of the Nine Great Sects form the backbone of the Yongwang Alliance.”
In terms of power, the Yongwang Alliance, despite being newly formed, was twice as strong as the Ilik Alliance.
It was all thanks to the prestige of the Peng Family, called the greatest under heaven, and the Great Sea Dragon King, one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
“But here’s the thing. How cohesive can a newly formed alliance really be?”
Yang Hwi suddenly grinned.
“While we’re opening the auction to raise funds, why not try to turn one or two of them to our side?”
Turn. It was assassin slang.
Making enemies into allies.
“I have a good strategy for you, hehehehe.”
Let me think—how many prestigious families are desperate to become one of the Nine Great Sects?

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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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