Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 41

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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 041
Click!
The fist-sized metal sphere split in half and opened.
Why did it suddenly open?
Even as I panicked, my hand caught the single ring that fell from inside the iron sphere.
“….”
“….”
Silence and stillness permeated the entire Yu Family Manor.
I, Gu Ak, and the assassins exchanged glances for a moment.
Eyes meeting in passing. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
‘No, what. I was trying to destroy it….’
To overcome this desperate situation, I needed the iron sphere as a hostage.
I’d even infused it with a tremendous amount of inner energy to make a credible threat.
Ah, could it be.
‘Did it open in response to the energy?’
No, that didn’t seem right.
The iron sphere clearly looked like a vessel containing something inside.
It must have passed through countless hands over the years, yet surely no one had infused it with inner energy before.
That meant the injection of inner energy alone couldn’t be the cause.
‘Was there some hidden principle? I didn’t infuse the energy in any special way… Ah.’
One possibility came to mind.
The seed of immortality, the Xian Dan, located at the center of my dantian.
The Xian Qi flowing from the Xian Dan, granting a special quality to the inner power residing in my dantian.
‘It’s possible it opened in response to the Xian Qi.’
The Xian Dan and Xian Qi were things I never possessed in my past life.
I infused the iron sphere with inner energy once more.
This time, carefully observing the presence and flow of the Xian Qi.
Click!
‘As expected. It opens and closes in response to the Xian Qi.’
That was when it happened.
“Kid. I don’t know how you opened it. Hand over the ring. If you do, I’ll spare your life.”
One of the assassins spoke to me.
I snorted and replied.
“I am a disciple of the illustrious White Island, upright and honorable. I don’t converse with assassins who lack even the courtesy of introducing themselves.”
“….”
I was about to provoke him into anger as a habit to create an opening, then remembered that all the Nameless Ruthless Sect members had mastered the Emotionless Art.
‘Creating an opportunity by agitating them won’t be easy.’
“If you want to talk, why don’t you introduce yourself first?”
“Nameless Ruthless Sect Leader, Am.”
Am. It couldn’t be the character for rock, so it must be the character for darkness.
Anyway, these assassins sure do love everything dark and gloomy.
It’s either black, or dark, or shadow—always something like that.
“Exchange of names is a courtesy, they say. It’s your turn to introduce yourself, Sohyeop.”
“I have no name to share with an assassin.”
….
Am fell silent. Since he couldn’t feel emotions, he probably wasn’t flustered—likely just thinking of what to say next.
I used that moment to organize my own thoughts about the situation.
First: The Nameless Ruthless Sect was planning to use the iron ring as leverage for hostage-taking, but the ring opened.
Second: The ring opening was likely due to Seongi, and I might be able to use this incident as an opportunity to learn more about Seongi.
Third: Since the ring is in my hand, the hostage hasn’t disappeared.
“Just answer me one thing. What exactly is this iron ring?”
“I have no desire to tell you.”
“Is that so?”
The moment I brought the ring toward my mouth, all the assassins flinched in unison.
I smirked and opened my mouth.
“A ring from a treasure that brings health to those who carry it. It must be good for the body, right? If things go wrong, I’ll just swallow it?”
“If you wish to die, then do so.”
That didn’t sound like a threat to kill me.
It seemed to be a spirit pill that would become a disaster if swallowed without proper preparation.
‘So that’s how it is?’
Wow, I’ve never even seen a spirit pill in my past life, and here one falls right into my lap.
I was actually planning to set up something for the spirit pills that would be discovered a few years from now.
“Whether I die from eating it or die from you guys, it seems like the same thing either way. Don’t you think?”
“I promise you. If you hand over the ring, I will withdraw quietly. I will kill no one else.”
“What nonsense. These are the ones who were trying to wipe out the entire Yu Family because of this.”
….
“How can you trust the word of Black Island assassins in the first place?”
Whether Gu Ak, the former Black Island member, flinched inwardly or not, I snorted.
Once the spirit pill hostage disappeared, these bastards would discard their promises like worn-out shoes.
“Sohyeop. If you don’t intend to see this through to the end, wouldn’t it be better to find a point of compromise?”
“Fine. At least tell me what this is first.”
“That doesn’t seem to be a necessary step for finding compromise.”
“That’s your opinion. Will you eat it?”
‘This is an opportunity to gain clues about Seongi’s origins and identity. I’ll get what I can first.’
When I didn’t back down, Am quietly glanced around at his subordinates before speaking.
“I don’t know exactly either. I only know that it’s a legacy left behind by a martial artist from hundreds of years ago who was the greatest under heaven and reached the realm of enlightenment.”
“Who was that?”
“I don’t know.”
Nonsense. He knows but doesn’t want to say.
It seems I’ve extracted all the information I can get here.
“First, have all your subordinates withdraw.”
“Why should we do that?”
“To find common ground. Ultimately, I’ll hand over the Danhwan and you’ll retreat, won’t you?”
Of course, that wouldn’t happen.
There was no way those bastards would do that.
“Then there’s no reason to maintain the encirclement, is there?”
“….”
At a glance from the Sect Leader, the assassins quietly lifted their siege.
However, they hadn’t completely withdrawn and still maintained a semicircular formation.
Yang Hwi leaped down from the stone wall and moved to Gu Ak’s side.
“Little brother, what are you thinking?”
“Before that, why were you being surrounded, older brother?”
“Didn’t you ask me to rescue the Yuga Manor’s people as much as possible?”
“You didn’t just start fighting outright? You should have used strategy to handle it better.”
Was it a mistake to expect such quick thinking from this crude Black Island native?
While contemplating what would make Gu Ak furious if he knew, Yang Hwi cast a sound transmission technique instead of speaking aloud.
-Their martial skills—the subordinates are second-rate, but the Sect Leader seems first-rate. Is that correct?
-Accurate. I can handle one Sect Leader alone, but his subordinates are the problem.
Generally, a first-rate master can contend with three or four second-rate masters.
Even then, victory is impossible—at best, one can only drag out the time.
But our forces consist only of Gu Ak, who is first-rate, and myself.
‘This is hopeless.’
In the current situation, I could never survive against the Nameless Ruthless Sect.
In other words, I had to make them actually retreat after receiving the Danhwan, as promised.
“Hey, Sect Leader. Will you keep your promise to withdraw after I hand over the Danhwan?”
“Of course.”
“Provide a specific method.”
“Like this. It seems you belong to a sect, so we’ll maintain a standoff while moving to the sect’s sphere of influence. We’ll exchange the Danhwan there.”
In other words, hand over the Danhwan in a place where safety is guaranteed.
Yang Hwi put on an interested expression.
Of course, my true thoughts were the opposite.
‘Once I’m safe, there’s no guarantee I won’t swallow the Danhwan myself, yet he makes such a proposal.’
He’s spouting words that only a novice to the Martial Arts World would believe.
‘Wait, is it because I’m young?’
It seems he thinks this level of deception is sufficient to fool an eight-year-old child.
Gu Ak is here, but… seeing him nodding beside me, it seems he finds the man’s words plausible.
‘Well, older brother Gu isn’t particularly cunning anyway.’
“That’s a good proposal. But there’s one problem.”
“What is it?”
“The lives of the Yuga Manor people.”
Even if I moved as he suggested, there was no way the Yu Family Estate people would be left alive.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
So he really did plan to kill them all.
“How does it have nothing to do with you? I’d have to watch innocent people die.”
“Is that heavier than your own life?”
“Not exactly. But still.”
Yang Hwi’s lips curled up roughly.
“If I only cared about my own life while innocent people died, Father would scold me.”
“…?”
“Just thinking about sitting through four hours of his lectures… ugh. I’d rather risk my life fighting instead.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Let all the Yu Family Estate servants escape. Once everyone’s gone, we can talk again.”
No compromise. I brought the Danhwan to my lips, conveying a silent message to Am.
A bluff made in confidence that without obtaining the Danhwan, murder and annihilation meant nothing.
“…Very well. We’ll do as you say.”
“Did you hear? Everyone from the Yu Family Estate, flee far beyond the manor grounds!”
The people who had been kneeling before the Main Hall with fear-stricken faces began rising one by one.
“Th-thank you!”
“We’re indebted to you for saving our lives!”
“Stop talking and run as fast as you can. Those bastards will chase you down to kill you later. Get as far away as possible and hide.”
Thus, roughly a dozen servants left the manor.
Within the manor remained only Gu Ak, Yang Hwi, and roughly a dozen assassins.
“I’ve granted all your requests. Now it seems it’s your turn to grant mine.”
His patience was finally reaching its limit.
As Am raised his hand, the assassins formed an encirclement once more.
“This is my final proposal. Decide where we’ll move to hand over the Danhwan.”
“You’re trying to find out which sect we belong to and determine whether there will be consequences afterward?”
“Is there another method that would satisfy both sides?”
“Of course there is.”
Yang Hwi answered briefly, his mind racing so intensely he felt steam rising from his head.
‘I can’t let the Myeongmyeong Musalsak bastards know we belong to the Baek Family Estate.’
These dogs would attack at night and attempt to annihilate the Baek Family Estate without hesitation.
The original objective was to safely extract Chu Dal.
Following his proposal would make that extremely difficult.
In other words, the conclusion.
‘I need to inflict enough damage to destroy the Myeongmyeong Musalsak sect.’
Given that the Sect Leader himself had appeared, these assassins here must be the core forces of the Myeongmyeong Musalsak.
If I kill most of them, the objective is achieved.
‘Then what matters is the method.’
I already had an idea about that.
To be precise.
The intense pull I was feeling even now seemed like it could be the answer.
No—it had to be.
‘The Xiantai is calling to the Danhuan.’
Consuming the Danhuan right now would be essentially suicidal.
I knew that clearly. My mind understood it.
Yet looking at the Danhuan, I felt a baseless instinct and conviction that I could consume it.
‘That’s right, there’s no other method anyway.’
Normally, I wasn’t one to act on instinct, but this was a moment when I had to.
If there was no best option, I had to choose the second-best one.
“Danhuan, you want it that badly?”
I asked the question with a smirk.
In that instant, the Nameless Ruthless Sect Leader felt unease despite cultivating the Wusin technique.
Soon enough, his anxiety became reality.
-Brother Gu! Prepare for battle!
Having sent the transmission, I immediately swallowed the Danhuan whole.
“What’s this? The Danhuan is gone?”
I smirked once more.
The Nameless Ruthless Sect Leader issued orders to his subordinates.
“Kill them both as quickly as possible. Especially kill the young one first and split open his belly.”
“Who do you think is going to die!”
Watching the assassins rush toward me, I desperately hoped this gamble would succeed.
Immediately, a power as immense as Mount Tai surged from within my body.
‘This power is…!’

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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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