Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 74

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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 074
After it was revealed that Gyojin-bang’s backing was the Black Wolf Escort Agency.
And after my thoughts connected from the Black Wolf Escort Agency to Baek Cheol, the mysterious swordsman.
I formulated a plan.
‘I established a ten-year grand strategy with the Sichuan Tang Family, but truthfully, my own house lags far behind.’
The Sichuan Tang Family—though not counted among the Five Great Martial Families of the realm, they are regarded as standing just beneath that tier.
Needless to say, the difference in family wealth alone was staggering—easily dozens of times greater.
‘Elder Dang seemed to view my family favorably, but the stance of the Tang Family’s senior members is another matter entirely.’
Any senior member of a martial house must naturally devote themselves to maximizing their family’s interests.
Even if the Tang Family accepted the blueprint of a ten-year grand strategy, how the profits would be divided was a separate question altogether.
‘Thinking of the future… I must make at least the Tang Family recognize my family’s potential and excellence. Even if I have to exaggerate it to the point of seeming hollow.’
One of my means to achieve this was Baek Cheol, and after taking him in as a retainer, I immediately began probing him with questions.
“Baek Cheol. What work did you do when you were at the Black Wolf Escort Agency?”
“Well, Young Master. Please, speak casually….”
“Never mind. The manner of speech isn’t what matters.”
I said this, but since Baek Cheol seemed so uncomfortable, I simply told him to speak freely.
“Baek Cheol. Is that really true? At the Black Wolf Escort Agency, they only had you make farming tools?”
“Y-yes. Because I made them so well….”
‘So they just had him keep making what he was already making.’
Fools. They had no eye for talent whatsoever.
Any martial family of sufficient standing to be counted among the great houses maintains its own smithy within the family compound.
Naturally, the Baek Manor also had an old annex that had once served as a smithy.
As a test, I had Baek Cheol sharpen a sword.
‘Clumsy, but his talent is undeniable.’
Baek Cheol lived up to his name.
His skill in handling metal was extraordinary.
Not a craft born from experience and practice, but an inborn gift.
From that day forward, I taught him Inner Energy Forging.
“W-why must I learn martial arts, Young Master…?”
“Because you need to forge divine weapons for me.”
“D-divine weapons…? Me…? But what does that have to do with martial arts…?”
“Baek Cheol. Inner Energy Forging has many uses beyond martial artists.”
Throughout history, all implements called divine weapons have one thing in common.
They inherently contain spiritual energy within themselves.
This means divine weapons can only be created through special materials or by a master craftsman infusing their energy into them.
“Just do as I say. If you listen well to my words, fortune will rain down even while you sleep.”
I called out to Han Supervisor, who happened to be passing by.
“Isn’t that right, Supervisor?”
“Hehehehe! Young Master Hwi’s words are always correct!”
Han Supervisor formed a circle with his index and thumb fingers behind Baek Cheol’s back, making the sign for money.
It seemed Father thought I was scheming up something profitable again.
Well, if Baek Cheol’s skills improved, making a fortune would be child’s play anyway, so it was indeed a profitable venture.
“There. You’ve memorized all the incantations, yes? From now on, you must practice energy circulation breathing daily. After about ten days, once I judge you’ve grasped the fundamentals, I’ll give you a Spirit Pill.”
“Hiii, a Spirit Pill…!?”
I actually gave him one.
I fed Baek Cheol one of my remaining Spirit Pills and even guided his cultivation, instantly infusing him with ten years’ worth of inner power.
Had I spent several years on it, I could have extracted the full twenty years of medicinal efficacy.
But time is precious now, so this sacrifice was necessary.
“From this moment, for the next fortnight! Transform the smithy’s interior into the Sword Forest Hell, commence!”
In Buddhist cosmology, among the eight great hells, the one filled with sword blades was called the Sword Hell.
Under my rigorous instruction, Baek Cheol had to… burn with passion and forge dozens of swords.
Ordinarily, what people call genuine swords take years just in the forging process alone, so this was an incredible pace.
‘Without Elder Baek’s innate talent, there’s no way he could have achieved this speed.’
In any case, Baek Cheol succeeded.
After dozens of practice attempts, he crafted a masterpiece that even Baek Moo-ryang, a sword-forging master of the highest caliber, acknowledged as a genuine blade.
Indeed, people and stone alike grow beautiful only through constant polishing and refinement.

* * *
“Master Baek. How long has it been since you first worked with metal?”
“Judging by the blade’s reflective gleam, the forging method itself seems simple, yet the sharpness is extraordinary. Do you have a method unique to yourself, Master Baek?”
Baek Cheol received countless handshake requests from the Tang Family’s martial artists and blacksmiths.
What should have been a banquet welcoming the Tang Family members had unexpectedly transformed into a forum for discussing blacksmithing techniques.
“Come now. Let’s not do this here. Shall we go inside and discuss it?”
“I agree with the Family Head. Let us proceed inside.”
Those who received orders from Dang-gun and Baek Moo-ryang began to move.
Baek Cheol stood bewildered, surrounded by the blacksmiths.
‘Elder Baek. Learn diligently while conversing with them.’
Baek Cheol’s innate talent was transcendent, but his blacksmithing technique itself still had many rough edges.
The Tang Family members would quickly fill in those gaps for him.
‘Establish his reputation and develop his skills. Two birds with one stone.’
Several days passed after that.
Once the Tang Family members had recovered from their fatigue, the two families jointly held a conference.
It was a meeting to discuss how the Tang Family’s branch would proceed.
“The Tang Family’s branch plans to establish a medicine hall and a smithy centered around Ak-an County, expanding our influence.”
“The Baek Family will actively support this endeavor.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the strong impression left by showcasing Baek Cheol.
Though I had prepared for sharp confrontations in the discussions, we reached an agreement surprisingly smoothly.
More precisely, both families made concessions toward each other and easily found a compromise.
Thus, the Tang Family’s branch opened its doors.
‘It seems the Tang Family’s branch has settled in well by now.’
“Then our Baek Family must advance as well.”
The territories under the current Baek Family Head’s influence were Ak-an County and Gyeun County, where the Black Wolf Escort Agency had once been located.
From earning mere dozens of silver coins a month, I had become the lord of two counties.
However.
Even so, it amounted to only one-tenth of Gangwon Province’s territories, and I controlled merely one-seventh of that.
“I, the Family Head, hereby declare this. Within three years, I shall extend the Baek Family’s influence across the entire province!”
Baek Moo-ryang had changed somewhat since reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.
More precisely, he had come to harbor far grander ambitions.
In my previous life, I had whispered like a secret to Baek Moo-ryang that my dream was to seat Yang Hwi and elevate the Baek Family to the ranks of the Three Great Houses.
Seeing my father declare his dreams before all the household members, my emotions swelled beyond measure.
‘Father, it will surely come to pass.’
What mattered most for making it happen was, after all, the roots.
For an ancient tree to stand tall, its roots must spread deep and wide.
Only then can the branches grow luxuriantly and still bear the weight.
In that sense.
“Younger siblings, gather here.”
Baek Heon-so, Baek Yeon-yeon, and Chu Dal stood before me.
I had been somewhat neglectful of my younger siblings since there had been little reason to venture outside recently.
To be precise, in the eyes of the other household members, I was a devoted eldest brother, but by my own standards, it fell far short.
“All of you. From this moment, under my instruction as your instructor, you shall begin hellish training of indefinite duration.”
“Elder brother, I already have a Master, ow!”
Chu Dal, struck by a flick to his forehead, collapsed while clutching his head.
“Excuses only weaken a martial artist. I shall discipline any complaints with the hawk.”
“Elder brother, will you hit Yeon-yeon too?”
“Of course! But our Yeon-yeon has no faults to strike, which is unfortunate.”
“Hehe.”
It was around the time when Baek Heon-so and Chu Dal were feeling genuinely aggrieved.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
Among the many elements of martial arts, let me focus solely on the body.
That is, physical form.
Physical form divides into two aspects.
The robustness of the flesh itself.
And, the proper application of a trained body.
‘Beginning with physical form and advancing to technique.’
The Baek Family now possessed the connecting link to maintain this progression.
With the Five-Flower Six-Harmony Art establishing the foundation of physical form, and the Six-Flower Continuous Spirit Art enabling proper body usage, advancement became possible.
Since both techniques contained the mysteries of the same principles, cultivating qi during the process was merely a bonus.
‘Heon-so, Yeon-yeon, and that rascal Chu Dal. I shall have all three of them called dragon and phoenix in this lifetime.’
Well, for that to happen, they would need to endure some hardship for a while—quite a bit of hardship, actually.
“Gasp, Elder brother. This is too difficult.”
“Argh! Master’s training alone is killing me—why must you torment me too, Elder Brother!”
“Brother… couldn’t I rest for just a moment?”
Complaints? I dismissed them.
I rebuilt my younger siblings’ bodies from the ground up.
Martial talent divides primarily into two categories: bone structure and the five elements.
My goal was to develop their bone structure to the point where they could be called prodigies of the Heavenly Martial Arts.
“It’s hard? Then would you like to train at my level?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
My three younger siblings fell silent as if their mouths had been sewn shut.
They had no choice.
While we trained for the same duration, I imposed a severity of intensity upon myself that was merciless.
“Shhhhh, huuuuuh…”
Sweat poured from my entire body like rain.
With each movement of my body according to the mysteries of the Ethereal Fire Six Harmonies and the Six Fire Continuous Body techniques, iron rings suspended across my frame clanged with metallic resonance.
My current weight was approximately seventy jin.
And the total weight of the iron rings hanging from my body was also seventy jin.
“Elder Brother, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“You’re going to cough up blood, Elder Brother.”
Training and overexertion are fundamentally different.
Why is a limit called a limit?
Because the moment you exceed it, it becomes poison.
However.
‘Even if I develop bone disease, the intensity wouldn’t be strange—but I possess vital energy.’
Vital energy possessed the function of making the physical body stronger.
A fact I discovered long ago when using it to treat my mother, Jeong In-hwa.
‘They say that mastering the Shaolin Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic can reach the realm of Diamond Indestructibility.’
Though I lack knowledge of secret body-forging techniques, if I actively utilize vital energy, I might achieve similar effects.
No, I was certain I could develop a physical body of an entirely different dimension than my previous life.
‘The fastest path would be to retrace the road I walked in my previous life. But I cannot do that.’
Much has already changed.
Not only did I comprehend mysteries I failed to grasp in my previous life, but I also received teachings from Eum Hu.
I’ve gained the ability to extend roots in many more directions—walking the same path would be a loss.
‘Even if slower, deeper and broader. Yes, according to Gaecheon’s teachings. Steadfastly.’
In my previous life, I suffered from demonic obsession and had to live with physical discomfort for the rest of my days.
I have no desire to endure that suffering in this life as well.
So, both bone structure and blood vessels—all must be perfect.
Slowly, steadfastly.
I intend to build the body of Cheonmu-sip-jon.
‘Harmonizing spirit, energy, and body—if I elevate my body, I must elevate my spirit and energy in kind. But…’
It mattered not.
Possessing the enlightenment from before my regression, achieving harmony between spirit, energy, and body would inevitably be less difficult than in my previous life.
‘For every drop of sweat I shed now, I can climb higher still. In this life, I shall plant my feet upon a realm beyond even the pinnacle of perfection.’
An existence that must exist within the greatest family under heaven.
The greatest master under heaven.
I resolved to stand upon that lofty summit.
At minimum, I would claim the glory of Cheonmu-sip-jon for myself.
Thus passed a year.
When another year had elapsed.
“Little brother! Hahahaha!”
Blessing descended upon Baek Manor.
“Rang-rang! Rang-rang!”
Three years had already passed since Gu Ak entrusted himself to Baek Manor.
Save for the occasional journeys he undertook, Gu Ak had spent his days contentedly with Rang-rang, grinding sesame seeds together.
Yet without word of a child, Gu Ak had borne the shame of being called a seedless watermelon.
At last, Gu Ak had succeeded.
“Our Rang-rang carries my child! Hahahaha!”

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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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