Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 97

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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 097
I recalled the map of Jang Bo-do that I had redrawn by combining what I obtained from Jin Ga with Yeo Un-hyeok’s original version of Jang Bo-do.
Thanks to my exceptional memory, I didn’t need to unfold the paper—every detail was vivid in my mind.
‘The entrance location indicated on Jang Bo-do is definitely not here.’
Currently, I stood on the outer edge of the basin, having traveled quite a distance along the valley.
In other words, the faint qi I sensed here wasn’t flowing from the official entrance.
‘Over two hundred years have passed, so cracks must have formed in the sword vault during that time.’
I’d heard there were certain rocks that dissolved unusually well in rainwater.
Perhaps the geology of Baek Su-san was of that type.
If that were the case.
‘Then the original entrance must be elsewhere.’
Perhaps the assumption that there were now two entrances was correct.
“We can keep the chaos concentrated on one side and slip in safely?”
In other words, it didn’t matter if I expanded the chaos and turned the entire place into complete pandemonium.
“Hehehehe, it’s all worked out.”
After scanning the martial artists in the basin once, the Bandits still hadn’t arrived.
Given the distance and the fact that I deliberately delayed the information I passed through Gu Ak, this was only natural.
‘I had planned to encounter the Nokrim bastards when I emerged from the Geom Wang Vault and create confusion to slip away…’
But having all the Nokrim bastards enter as well wouldn’t be bad either.
It mattered little to me what kind of struggle these useless fools engaged in.
‘First, to turn my hypothesis into reality.’
I loosened my hair and covered my face appropriately, then wandered throughout the basin.
If my prediction was correct, I should definitely feel a stronger flow of qi somewhere.
I sharpened my qi perception, concentrating all my senses on detecting even the faintest qi fluctuations.
As a result, the qi waves of the surrounding martial artists tangled together like threads, causing my head to throb.
But I didn’t give up, methodically walking through every inch of the basin.
And the result was.
‘Twenty-six zhang from the south, fifty zhang from the west, based on the basin’s outer edge.’
Though extremely faint, this was where I felt the strongest flow of qi.
The entrance to the Geom Wang Vault was likely buried underground in this vicinity.
‘I never knew I could use qi sensing to detect entrances like this.’
If I’d known, I would have waited for the Namgung clan’s attention to turn away and come quietly.
There was a slight regret, but it couldn’t be helped.
The deed was already done and the board was already set.
Actually, in terms of being able to strike the Namgung clan hard from behind, the current situation was far better.
‘I’ll make sure you bastards can only watch the fruit being plucked right before your eyes, never tasting it yourselves as it all goes into others’ mouths.’
I returned to where my companions were stationed, chuckling to myself.
“Change of plans!”
“Younger Brother Hwi, what are you suddenly talking about?”
“Little Brother, did you find something in the meantime?”
“Elder Brother, you said you were going to fetch water. Where is it?”
“Ah.”
I’d gotten so excited finding the qi traces that I’d forgotten about the water.
They say even ghosts who died eating have fair complexions, but I still need to eat.
This would be perfect to discuss while eating.
“Chu Dal, go fetch some water.”
“…?”
“Want a chestnut strike?”
“Kindness repaid twofold, grudges repaid a hundredfold….”
I made a silent vow watching Chu Dal grumble as he departed.
Including the one I didn’t give him earlier, that’s exactly two chestnut strikes reserved for you, you bastard.
“Elder Dang, Elder Brother Gu, and Sister Dang. I have something to tell you. From now on, we’ll use sound transmission.”
I shared what we’d discovered in the valley with the three of them through sound transmission, ensuring no one else could hear.
Gu Ak exclaimed in astonishment and immediately asked.
-You sensed qi? Even I, a master at the peak realm, felt nothing?
Does reaching the peak suddenly sharpen one’s qi sensitivity that much?
Well, it does sharpen it somewhat.
But even so, it can’t compare to my innate exceptional sensitivity to qi.
It’s an overwhelming difference in talent, a gap in natural disposition.
-I’m certain of it. And I’ve pinpointed what appears to be a buried entrance on the southwestern side of the basin.
I relayed the same information to Dang-gun and Dang-yeon through sound transmission as well.
Using sound transmission meant I had to repeat the exact same words to each person individually.
‘Ugh, this is tedious. I need to reach the peak soon and use Six Harmonies Sound Transmission.’
Six Harmonies Sound Transmission—the advanced technique of sound transmission arts.
I knew how to use it, but unfortunately at my current first-rate realm, actually manifesting it was impossible.
-Anyway, Junior Brother. So how are you planning to change our strategy?
-What if we did it this way?
The longer we delay, the more martial sects and martial artists will flock here.
So we let the situation develop naturally, stretching out the time as much as possible and gathering more people in the basin.
Whenever martial artists gather in groups, they inevitably draw their blades for one reason or another.
Especially now, with so many martial artists from both righteous and wicked paths crowded together in this narrow space, it’ll be even worse.
-If it’s true outside, it’ll be even more so inside.
-Indeed.
-At an opportune moment, we casually leak the entrance location, and once everyone rushes into that narrow opening—
-Once they rush in?
-We slip through the crevice in the valley we discovered separately and explore thoroughly without a single fight.
Dang-gun, Dang-yeon, and Gu Ak exchanged glances with one another.
Then they simultaneously exhaled their admiration for Yang Hwi.
-A brilliant stratagem indeed.
-Certainly, we can minimize casualties this way.
—but what troubles me is that innocent people will suffer greatly from this.
The last to speak was Dang-gun.
True to form for someone from the Dang family—known for their rigid morality and fussiness—and especially given his particularly unyielding nature, he was borrowing trouble with unnecessary worries.
“From now on, let’s speak plainly. Elder Dang. Everyone gathered here has greed burning in their eyes. There’s no need to feel guilty.”
Just look at Shaolin. Despite being located on Song Mountain in Henan right next door, there’s not a single Shaolin monk in this place—
Ah, there is one. Adu Child.
Anyway.
‘Besides, most of those gathered here are from the dark path. They sold information to Ha O-mun. There may be some independent righteous sects, but at least the only ones worthy of being called legitimate schools are Namgung and the Shaman, right?’
Dang-gun answered decisively.
“Proceed with the plan!”
Hmm. His decision was faster than I expected.
Even Elder Dang isn’t concerned about Namgung and the Shaman.
“Good. Then I’ll be gone for a bit.”
“Where to?”
“To secure a more solid alibi.”
Imagining the chaos that would unfold days from now, I launched myself into motion.

* * *
Seven days later. The number of martial artists gathered in the basin had exactly doubled.
“You bastard! Do you know who I am!”
“Of course you’re some son of a bitch!”
“How dare you! Drop dead!”
“Ugh! No, it’s Nokrim!”
“Those heartless devils—why are they here… gasp!”
“So even the heretic bastards are raising their heads now. I wonder how this will end.”
“I fear we might witness a repeat of the bloodbath from decades past.”
The tension of the calm before the storm hung over the basin.
An atmosphere where a massive brawl could erupt at any moment.
Yet the reason no great bloodshed had occurred was simple.
An unspoken consensus: no one wanted to weaken their position over the prize of Geom Wang’s corpse.
This consensus was shattered when a carrier pigeon descended upon the location where Namgung’s Sword Brigade was stationed.
“Lord Soga. A message from Jin Ga has arrived through the main house.”
“Hmm? Why would that incompetent fool…?”
Joy bloomed across Namgung Cheon-hu’s face as he unfolded the letter.
‘That lowborn wretch who only squandered money has finally accomplished something!’
[After learning that the location Jang Bo-do indicated was Baek Su-san, I have re-examined and reinvestigated all ancient documents.]
[As a result, I have pinpointed the exact location of the entrance and report it to you, Lord Soga.]
Twenty-six zhang from the south. Fifty zhang from the west.
To pinpoint such precise coordinates in a basin spanning hundreds of zhang in both directions meant he could find the entrance faster than anyone else.
But.
There were complications, however.
‘Thousands of martial artists have already gathered in this place.’
To suddenly make a move in such circumstances, and even discover the entrance?
The Namgung clan could become the target of every martial artist present.
No matter how elite Namgung’s forces were, they couldn’t withstand a combined assault from the masses indefinitely.
‘There’s no helping it.’
Namgung Cheon-hu sought out Elder Cheongseo of the Shaman sect.
“Does the Soga-joonim have some business with me?”
“I have a proposal for you.”
Namgung Cheon-hu made his offer with the certainty that the Shaman would never refuse, and as expected, Elder Cheongseo accepted the proposal, his narrow eyes filling with emotion.
Immediately after.
Namgung and the Shaman moved as one, constructing a circular formation at the location where the entrance to Geom Wang’s Fortress lay buried.
“Namgung and the Shaman…?”
“Have they found some clue!”
Naturally, the alliance between Namgung and the Shaman drew the attention of the martial artists.
Martial artists began gathering around them instinctively.
“Keep your distance! This is the domain of Namgung and the Shaman!”
It was a shout that would have intimidated everyone under normal circumstances, but now it fell short.
“Domain on a masterless mountain? What nonsense!”
When Jang Han with his bristling beard stepped forward, murmurs rippled through the surrounding crowd.
“The Nokrim Sip-ung!”
“So the Nokrim really came!”
Among them, Cheol-mi Cheol-su Maeng-ung of the Nokrim Sip-ung laughed raucously and mocked them.
“Did the Namgung and Shaman elders perhaps mark this as your territory?”
“Ahahaha!”
“Territory marking! As if you were dogs!”
Namgung and the Shaman ground their teeth in frustration yet refused to dissolve the circular formation.
Other martial artists continued to provoke them, seeking to uncover the clue.
Yang Hwi and his companions observed the standoff from a distance.
“Everything is proceeding according to plan.”
“It’s almost frightening how perfectly things are unfolding exactly as you predicted, Hwi.”
“Hehe, this much is only natural.”
“Elder Brother, what happens to them now?”
“What happens?”
Yang Hwi’s answer that followed differed slightly from what his companions expected.
“The moment the entrance is discovered, they’ll enter together peacefully.”
“Hm? They won’t fight?”
“Sister Dang-yeon, they’re not all fools. There’s no reason to fight out here.”
“Ah, I see. After all, there’s only one entrance.”
“Elder Dang is right. There’s only one entrance.”
There’s only one exit they could possibly use.
Which means there’s no need to fight outside, no need to rush in first.
More than that—we shouldn’t do it.
The moment we show weakness, we become the sacrificial lamb.
“We’ll maintain a proper distance and keep watch while we scout the Geom Wang Pavilion. The instant trouble arises.”
That’s when blood will flow like a river.
Well, not that it concerns us.
“Let’s wait a bit longer. We’ll find the entrance within a day.”
Not even a full day—the entrance revealed itself in half that time.
A stone gate carved with dozens of swords.
The stone gate was firmly sealed, though it didn’t seem like that would be a problem.
The assembled masters of the peak simultaneously unleashed sword energy from their blades.
Just as dozens of sword energies were tearing into the stone gate.
Crrrrrrrrrunch!
“Huh?”
“What?!”
Yang Hwi stared in stunned disbelief at the dust cloud billowing in the distance.
Why… why is it collapsing?
‘Could it be…?’
As evidenced by the cracks forming in the valley, Baek Su-san’s geological composition consisted of rock layers vulnerable to rainwater erosion.
Could it be that the ground, eroded over centuries since the Geom Wang Pavilion’s construction, had completely collapsed under the barrage of sword energy?
‘If the stone gate had been acting as a keystone, and its destruction triggered a chain reaction that brought everything crashing down…’
It was possible.
“I wonder if all those bastards just got buried alive.”
“If that’s what happened… we’d have caused a massacre.”
“Elder Brother, what do we do?”
“Brother, does this make us enemies of the martial world?”
“No way. It couldn’t be.”
I cautiously approached and examined the area near the entrance.
It could no longer be called an entrance—now it was simply a gaping hole, or perhaps a circular cliff face.
‘Jumping down is one thing, but getting back out will be difficult.’
“They might all be dead.”
“…”
“…”
“Ah, no. They can’t be. If we’re curious, let’s just head in and check ourselves.”
“Let’s do it.”
We immediately headed toward the valley.
The gap behind the waterfall we’d scouted earlier, where vital energy was flowing out.
“Elder Brother Gu, I’m counting on you.”
“Got it.”
Gu Ak, wielding his twin axes imbued with axe energy, began moving with meticulous precision.
Exercising extreme caution to prevent collapse, he exerted force for a time until a section of the waterfall crumbled away, creating a cave opening large enough for a person to squeeze through.
“Then I’ll go first!”
Yang Hwi threw himself forward, and the others followed one by one into the cave opening.
Water was trickling through the interior as well, and whether dissolved by rainwater or not, the walls and floor were slick as ice.
Thanks to this, we penetrated deep into the interior in an instant without even walking, and in that moment.
“Ah.”
A suddenly narrowing and widening crevice.
Through the gaps between the fractured rock pieces ahead, light revealed engraved characters.
[Tomb of the Sword King]
Crawling frantically toward the characters, I immediately poked my head through the gap between the rocks.
And the landscape that came into view.
“This is getting more and more interesting.”
Yang Hwi’s lips curled into a smirk.

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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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