Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 81

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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 081
In the Gangho, there exists a hierarchy known as rank distribution.
Just as a father stands above a son, and a grandfather above him, it is a system of seniority within a sect determined by generation—a pecking order of sorts.
For example, in renowned sects, the most recently admitted disciples are called third-generation disciples.
Above them are second-generation disciples and first-generation disciples, with elders and sect leaders occupying the highest ranks at the apex.
“Which of the Three Elders will offer instruction?”
In essence, Yang Hwi—merely a third-generation disciple in rank—had challenged a first-generation disciple to a duel, or rather, someone who should be considered above even that: an elder.
The elders of Jeongwol Gate hardened their expressions sharply.
‘Well, it’s understandable to be displeased. It’s as if a grandson were charging at his grandfather demanding a fight.’
By the standards of the Gangho and martial prowess alike, it was a puppy barking at a tiger.
On the surface, at least.
“You youngster from the Baek Family. You certainly are bold.”
The first to step forward was the one among the three elders whose temperament appeared most sanguine.
-Gyeok-wol-gwon Jang Ju-bong. When his anger flares, he rages with the momentum to shatter even the moon itself—such is the alias he earned. He is a master at the peak realm.
I cupped my fists in salute once more while listening to Chu Dal’s transmission.
“Gyeok-wol-gwon, then. Will you offer this junior instruction?”
Unlike the sect leader, who lacked experience and wisdom and had caused trouble, Gyeok-wol-gwon had wandered the Martial Arts World for well over thirty years.
He possessed more than enough experience to discern my true intentions.
And so Gyeok-wol-gwon had no choice but to burn with fury.
“You think you’ll turn Myeong-gun’s shallow tricks back on him? Do you truly have such confidence!”
Jeong Myeong-gun had sought a duel with me to gain swift renown, only to suffer a humiliating defeat.
It was a disaster born of his own overconfidence and contempt for his opponent.
In other words, victory would bring immense glory, but defeat would render everything worthless.
But then.
“A junior merely seeks instruction from a senior. Surely there is no need for the elder himself to take the field.”
Gyeok-wol-gwon ground his teeth at Yang Hwi’s cunning demeanor.
“Fine then. I’ll teach that wretch a lesson he won’t forget!”
Gyeok-wol-gwon leaped onto the Dueling Stage.
I observed the expression of the Jeongwol Gate leader.
‘He shows no intention of stopping this. Then again, stopping it would be strange.’
The sect leader’s pathetic defeat had dragged Jeongwol Gate’s honor through the mud.
Under these circumstances, only by having Gyeok-wol-gwon crush me could they salvage even a shred of face.
‘With Gyeok-wol-gwon at the peak realm stepping forward, stopping him would indeed be odd.’
The peak realm is also called the boundary of transcendence.
Because at the peak, truly many things change fundamentally.
So much so that the Gangho has a saying about it.
‘A warrior who has not reached the peak realm cannot defeat a peak master, no matter what methods are employed.’
A peak master is one who has awakened to the mysteries of heart-life resonance, intention-qi unity, and sword-qi manifestation, achieving harmony of body and spirit.
Warriors below the first rank cannot defeat a peak master.
This is a truth widely known throughout the Gangho.
“Whoooosh.”
Well then. Let’s see if I can shake the very heavens and earth.

* * *
Chu Dal stood with his arms crossed, watching Yang Hwi on the dueling stage.
He had done everything as instructed, but he couldn’t fathom what was going through his mind.
So he asked.
“Soga-joonim. I… what exactly is the young master thinking?”
Over the years they had spent together, Yang Hwi and Dang-gun had become comfortable speaking with each other.
However, Chu Dal remained casual with Yang Hwi while still maintaining formality toward Dang-gun.
“As for what my younger brother is thinking… I’m not sure myself.”
Dang-gun lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, offering a faint smile.
From the moment he first saw Yang Hwi at the tender age of eight, he had been someone whose thoughts remained utterly inscrutable.
“But Soga-joonim, logically speaking, there’s no benefit to be gained from fighting an elder of the Jeongwol Gate, is there?”
“That’s true. If he were to win, much would certainly follow. But it would be difficult.”
“Difficult isn’t even the word—it’s impossible, isn’t it?”
Chu Dal’s words were correct.
For Yang Hwi to claim victory against Gyeok-wol-gwon, a master at the pinnacle, was an impossible feat.
When the mind moves, the qi follows.
Through will, one manifests momentum to harm the opponent.
Through sword qi, one gives form to the formless and wields it.
Three enlightenments necessary to reach the pinnacle realm.
In other words, a pinnacle master suppresses enemies through momentum, gains superiority in the speed of qi manipulation, and possesses the ultimate weapon of sword qi.
Well, since Gyeok-wol-gwon is a fist master, it should be called fist qi instead.
“He’s always pulled off miraculous schemes, so surely he has some hidden agenda this time too.”
To Dang-gun, Yang Hwi was truly a mysterious existence.
Apart from the exceptional talent he possessed.
A younger brother who, though more youthful, had much to teach in many ways.
This situation was no exception.
‘My younger brother never acts at a loss. So let’s see what he shows us.’
How to gain profit from a situation where profit cannot be sought.
“Brother Chu Dal. Let’s watch together. When you think about it differently, isn’t this quite an entertaining situation?”
“That it is. I’m genuinely curious what expression that arrogant brother will make when he gets knocked down and sent flying like dust.”
Chu Dal began to chuckle.
Dang-gun’s smile deepened as well.
“Indeed, even if things turn out that way, it would be entertaining.”
“Exactly? Do your best, Gyeok-wol-gwon!”
That was when it happened.
“Now, it begins.”
Yang Hwi drew his sword and hurled himself toward Gyeok-wol-gwon.
“So you’re using a sword this time.”
“I was too rough before.”
Gyeok-wol-gwon had overwhelmed a swordmaster using only his fists and footwork, without drawing his blade.
The spectators had witnessed it clearly with their own eyes, so surely some shameful epithet would soon attach itself to Soga-joonim’s name.
Clang!
Gyeok-wol-gwon batted away Yang Hwi’s sword with his bare hand.
Despite the collision between human flesh and steel blade, not a single wound appeared on Gyeok-wol-gwon’s palm.
“While a swordmaster may hold the advantage against a martial artist, once one reaches the pinnacle, the story changes entirely. Your blade cannot harm me.”
Gyeok-wol-gwon’s hands were shrouded in martial energy.
Intangible force condensed and crystallized into tangible form.
It was both a perfect instrument of attack and a shield that defended against all assaults.
“You said you would yield the first move since you stand in the position of teaching our Soga-joonim.”
Gyeok-wol-gwon planted his feet firmly. Both his legs sank into the blue stone of the Dueling Stage up to his ankles.
“Ten seconds. For the duration of your ten seconds, I will not move from this spot.”
In a duel between senior and junior, yielding the opening move meant not attacking.
Blocking or evading remained permitted.
But Gyeok-wol-gwon had declared something more—that he would not even evade.
The source of such confidence was.
“Protective Body Energy.”
Waves of tangible energy rippled across Gyeok-wol-gwon’s entire body.
He had woven energy around himself, manifesting the Protective Body Energy.
A barrier of force that no mere piece of steel could ever penetrate.
“Come. The ten seconds begin now.”
Dang-gun swallowed hard.
“To weave Protective Body Energy across his entire form… Gyeok-wol-gwon’s inner strength is no ordinary matter.”
“The Master’s chances of victory seem to have diminished further, wouldn’t you say?”
“The ten-second advantage is now meaningless. He won’t land even a single successful strike.”
The gap between one who had reached the pinnacle and one who had not was indeed this vast and deep.
“Hmm. Yet, I must say, the Master’s face appears quite bright.”
“Hmm? It seems he has some stratagem.”
Yang Hwi, smiling faintly, began to move his lips.
“Gyeok-wol-gwon. Do you perhaps know? There is a saying in the Gangho: beware the old, the woman, and the child.”
Yang Hwi’s sword began to tremble slowly.
Soon the trembling intensified. No—vibration.
“You called me a child, yet you lower your guard. Ten seconds without even evasion.”
I aimed my blade at Gyeok-wol-gwon’s solar plexus.
The sword point advanced slowly, touching Gyeok-wol-gwon’s Protective Body Energy.
The blade could advance no further, as if blocked by a steel shield.
But.
Bwooooong! Bwooooong!
The sword sings. My body trembles, producing a melodic resonance.
Vibration.
And also, progression.
Only the sword trembled, but soon enough.
The vibration spread throughout the entire protective aura of the Gyeok-wol-gwon.
In harmony with my vibration, the qi of the Gyeok-wol-gwon began to tremble.
“Kuk!”
The flustered Gyeok-wol-gwon let out a gasp of astonishment.
“What sorcery are you employing!”
“Sorcery, you say? How disappointing for one who walks the White Path to speak such nonsense.”
“N-nonsense? You wretch!”
“Oh my, do not move. We are only at one second now.”
“You bastard!”
With my arm drawn back, I thrust the sword forward with all my strength.
The moment the sword strike collided with the protective aura, the vibration transmitted once more, sending ripples through the barrier.
“Now it is two seconds. Great Master of Gyeok-wol-gwon, remember this: carelessness invites calamity.”
For Gyeok-wol-gwon, the current situation was utterly incomprehensible.
The sword merely trembled, yet the impact penetrated the protective aura and struck within?
A marvel. An inexplicable marvel beyond ordinary understanding.
“What technique are you using?”
My answer was simple.
“It is the Inner Family Heavy Hand Method, executed through the subtleties of sound cultivation.”
The Inner Family Heavy Hand Method—a technique that strikes the exterior to deliver impact to the interior.
Also called Penetrating Force.
A method that literally infiltrates and attacks from within.
“Haha. So Brother Hwi had a plan all along.”
“When did you devise such an ingenious technique? It is truly remarkable.”
Eight seconds still remained.
Unless Gyeok-wol-gwon withdrew his own boast, the victory was already secured.
“So this is what it means for a first-rate master to defeat a peak master.”
“The honor of Jeongwol Gate will be dragged through the mud.”
“Conversely, Brother Hwi’s reputation will pierce the heavens.”
A late-stage first-rate cultivator who defeated a peak master and elder of a major sect?
“The gossips will not leave this alone. It will be noisy for some time.”
“Perhaps a splendid epithet will be attached to him. Something like ‘Shatters the Unbreakable Wall.'”
Shatters the Unbreakable Wall. Could not cross the wall, but shattered it instead.
A fitting epithet for Yang Hwi, a first-rate master who defeated a peak master.
Though the sound of it was not particularly appealing, so perhaps another epithet would be given.
It was then that Chu Dal and Dang-gun exchanged jests with one another.
“Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.”
I flicked my sword lightly, tapping Gyeok-wol-gwon’s shoulders eight times before leaping backward with a flourish.
“There. Ten seconds have elapsed, Master Gyeok-wol-gwon.”
Gyeok-wol-gwon stood motionless, his gaze piercing through me.
“Are you in your right mind?”
“Of course I am.”
“You just threw away your only chance to defeat me.”
He was right. The technique I had displayed was only possible because Gyeok-wol-gwon had remained stationary.
In other words, the moment the promised ten seconds of restraint ended, the situation would reverse entirely.
Gyeok-wol-gwon would now face me with heightened vigilance, and for a first-rate master to triumph over a peak-level expert without complacency was impossible.
But.
“I simply didn’t want to hear that I won through concession.”
‘I’m sick of the title “Sword Fool.” This time, I’ll claim a truly magnificent epithet.’
I grinned wickedly.
“Then come, Master Gyeok-wol-gwon.”
“You insolent wretch!”
Treading the dazzling footwork unique to the Wol-heun Sword technique, Gyeok-wol-gwon charged at me.
Wol-heun Sword technique, Eighteen Chaotic Fists Under the Moon!
Like moonlight descending from that vast sky above, illuminating every corner.
Dazzling and disorienting fist shadows filled the space around us.
A single stance befitting a peak-level master—swift and seamless, with no openings visible.
But.
‘I see it all.’
I stepped into the Gicheon Step.
Containing both speed and slowness, illusion and clarity within it.
“This cannot be!”
“How is this possible!”
The spectators around us, along with Chu Dal and Dang-gun, gasped in astonishment.
Of the eighteen fist strikes, not a single one had touched me.

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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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