Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27. What Else Could We Do
A month later, the Annual Ceremony came to the Yuk Clan once more.

A Black Stone stood in the center of the snow-covered courtyard, and young clan members stepped forward in turn to strike their fists against it. Until last year, Yuk Beom had stood in that same line.

But this time he sat on the upper dais alongside Yuk Ho. Everyone knew the reason: the Black Stone could no longer read his realm.

“Next, Yuk Myeong!”

Yuk Myeong stepped before the measurement stone and drove his fist forward.
Light bloomed above the Black Stone, indicating the ninth stage of the Body Refinement Realm.

It was an achievement that would have shaken the courtyard with cheers just a year ago. The applause was still considerable, but several eyes naturally drifted toward Yuk Beom on the upper dais.
As Yuk Myeong descended the steps, his gaze lingered there for a moment as well.
When Yuk Beom silently raised his cup in acknowledgment, a crooked smile crossed Yuk Myeong’s lips.

“Don’t laugh at me. I’m not planning to chase only your back forever.”
“Then catch up quickly.”
“Still as irritating as ever.”

Yuk Myeong snorted and took his seat. Yet unlike before, he did not avoid Yuk Beom’s gaze.
Once the measurements concluded, tables laden with food were brought in.
Kkamangi was the first to move, snatching meat and bolting away without a soul stopping him. The younger clan members instead offered him even larger pieces, vying for his attention.
Yuk Ho Yeon, watching the commotion, called out to Yuk Beom.

“You’ll be leaving for the Martial Arts Academy right after the ceremony, then.”

Yuk Ho slid a bundle toward him containing fine medicinal ingredients and a Gold Coin Tablet.

“Out in the world, money appears from places you don’t expect. Don’t suffer through hardship alone when you lack something—use what you need.”
“I will use it wisely.”

Yuk Ho smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly asked:

“Have you taken the Recovery Pill that Gwak Jin Hyeok gave you?”

“Not yet. It’s not a pill for raising one’s realm, but one to use when your strength bottoms out during a fight.”
“Then guard it more carefully. In a moment where lives hang in the balance, it will be worth more than gold coins.”

At that moment, the sound of a cup being set down came from across the table.
Since the talk of pills began, Yuk Ho Yeon’s fingertips had barely grazed the rim of his cup.

“What troubles you, Grandfather?”

Instead of answering, the grandfather looked toward Yuk Pung.

“You tell him.”

Yuk Pung lowered his voice so the younger clan members could not hear.

“A Flame Practitioner has appeared to have attached himself to the Mak Family.”

Yuk Ho’s smile vanished.

“Is it Jo Uk?”
“We’re not certain. But a few days ago, Yuk Cheon Gang returned gravely wounded from an encounter with Mak Hae.”
“Mak Hae alone was far weaker than the Heavenly Force Realm, wasn’t he?”
“Exactly. Which is what makes it strange.”

The fingers rolling the empty cup stilled.

“It’s not just Mak Hae who’s grown stronger. The young generation of the Mak Family has all risen one stage, and there’s talk that Mak Un Bi has even cultivated Strong Energy through medicinal pills.”

Yuk Ho’s brow furrowed.

“So you’re saying the entire younger generation is being pushed forward together.”

The expressions of the elders around the table darkened.
Words he’d heard from O Jin came to mind. A single Flame Practitioner could transform an entire clan.

“I do hope you’ll have the chance to form a connection with a talented Flame Practitioner at the Academy.”

At Yuk Ho Yeon’s words, Yuk Beom fell silent for a moment.
Revealing himself as a Flame Practitioner would not be difficult. But behind that came the question of Cheol Myeon’s true identity, the Fusion Strong Energy,

and even the medicinal methods he’d learned from O Jin.
The time was not yet ripe.

“I’ll investigate when the opportunity arises.”
“Don’t burden yourself too much with it.”

Yuk Ho Yeon clapped his hands together, as if shaking off the heaviness that had settled over the gathering.

“But you’ve come of age now—eighteen already.”

Yuk Beom, who had been lifting his cup, froze.
There was something unsettling about the smile that crinkled the corners of his grandfather’s eyes.

“Why are you looking at me that way?”
“Because it’s time to begin looking into marriage prospects.”
“What do you mean, Grandfather?”
“Families have been lining up at our gates with proposals. I’ll narrow down a few—do look at least a few faces before you leave.”

Without hesitation, Yuk Beom gestured to the seat beside him.

“Send Yuk Myeong first.”

Yuk Myeong choked on his drink.

“Why are you dragging me in?”

Yuk Pung burst out laughing.

“Too late. Yuk Myeong’s marriage to Heo Hang of the Heo Household is already arranged. The ceremony will take place at next year’s Annual Ceremony.”

Yuk Myeong’s ears had turned crimson, though he drained his cup as if nothing were amiss.

“What?”
“I feel betrayed.”
“Why should I wait for your wedding?”
“I thought we’d run away together.”

Laughter rippled through the head table.
Yuk Beom drove the nail in before the laughter had even subsided.

“I’ll find mine at the Academy.”
“You’re quite good at finding excuses to run. I’ll let it pass today. But don’t expect the same excuse to hold you three years from now.”

The next morning arrived before dawn.
Yuk Beom slipped through the castle gates while the sun still hid below the horizon.
He had no desire to skip his training, but if he stayed and trusted only last night’s words, he might actually find himself sitting through a marriage negotiation.
Ganglim Castle on a holiday morning lay quiet, every shuttered shop draped in crimson cloth.
Before he’d gone much farther, the clash of weapons echoed down the street.
Kkamangi’s ears pricked up first; the dog bolted toward the sound.
When Yuk Beom rounded the corner, blood-stained Yuk Clan robes filled his vision.
A dozen or so young men sprawled across the narrow alley in a tangled brawl. Yuk Cheon Gang led the Yuk Clan’s side, but the fight had already tilted decisively against them.
The Mak Family youth moved faster than before. Even opponents of comparable strength fell back under their frontal assault, and with each clash of steel, the Yuk Clan’s formation crumbled further.

“You crawled back for more even after last time?”

Mak Hae, wielding a long sword, pressed toward the bleeding arm of Yuk Cheon Gang.

“I’ll make sure you spend this year’s Annual Ceremony bedridden.”

As the blade fell, wind swept through the alley.
Mak Hae didn’t even see the face of the one who intervened. The moment a fist struck his ribs, his body folded—and he flew backward more than a dozen paces.
Crash!

“Stop.”

The command was quiet, yet every weapon fell still at once.
Yuk Beom positioned himself before Yuk Cheon Gang, examining the bleeding arm first.

“The bone isn’t broken?”
“It’s fine.”

The relieved Yuk Clan members immediately gathered behind him.
On the other side, the Mak Family youth hauled the fallen Mak Hae away and retreated. No one dared draw a weapon first.
Then slow applause echoed from the alley’s entrance.

“Getting a name and already thinking you’re better than everyone?”

Mak Rim stepped forward. Mak Un Bi was at his side.
Yuk Cheon Gang’s face hardened at the realization they’d been watching from the start.
While Mak Un Bi rushed to Mak Hae, the father blocked Yuk Beom’s path.

“You throw a Mak Family member around like that right in front of an elder?”

Yuk Beom’s gaze slipped past Mak Rim’s shoulder.

“You were watching when they drew their blades first, weren’t you?”
“All I saw was you flinging someone through the air.”

A dim light wreathed Mak Rim’s body.
Naegang Realm
(Inner Gangjing Realm)
—seventh tier. The pressure of his Strong Energy crushed the alley, and the breath caught in the throats of every young member gathered behind.

“Correcting an unruly junior is an elder’s duty.”

Yuk Beom grasped the hilt of the Weaponless Heavy Sword
(Weaponless Heavy Sword)
slung across his back.

“The Mak Family’s elders certainly have it easy.”
“What did you say?”
“When the children came at me in a mob swinging swords, I hid and watched. Now that I’ve taken a beating, suddenly he plays the adult.”

The ease drained from Mak Rim’s face.

“You dared strike a member of the Mak Family before me. You will pay the price.”

The black heavy sword slid slowly from its sheath.
Thud!
The instant the blade tip kissed the stone floor, the entire alley resonated with a weighty boom.

“I struck a member of the Mak Family.”

The Weaponless Heavy Sword rose in a single hand.

“And what will you do about it?”

Mak Rim’s face hardened to coal-black.

“Then I’ll teach you manners on behalf of your elders!”

His Gangjing exploded, and his form vanished before Yuk Beom’s eyes.
Dozens of phantom fists descended from all sides. Yuk Beom didn’t bother sorting the real from the false.
He swept them all away in one motion.

Heavy Sword First Technique, Wind-Breaking Force!

The dark blade cut across the alley.
Crack!
The phantom fists burst apart all at once, and Mak Rim’s knuckles struck the flat of the blade with a metallic ring.
One man held his fist forward, the other his sword—both rooted in place.
Neither gave ground.
Confidence drained first from the faces of the Mak Family disciples.
Mak Rim himself could not hide his shock. Even with the force of the Naegang Realm, seventh layer, the blade would not budge. Instead, the currents of Gangjing that coiled around it gnawed at his own force, biting deep into his fist.
When he pressed the blade forward, dark Gangjing gathered at his opponent’s knuckles.

Small Destruction Fist!

At the moment the blade made contact, the layered dark force shot up his wrist.
Pushed back two steps, Yuk Beom shook his arm once.
This was different from what Mak Un Bi used. The force didn’t end at the fist—it threaded through the shoulder and waist, down to the toes, only to explode again at the moment of impact.

“Now do you feel the gap?”
“No.”

Yuk Beom’s gaze remained fixed on Mak Rim’s feet.

“I think there’s much more to learn from the way you use it than from how Mak Un Bi does.”

A breath of air hissed from behind.
Mak Un Bi’s face flushed crimson. A muscle twitched at Mak Rim’s temple.
Fists and feet poured forth in rapid succession.
Yuk Beom blocked continuously, reading the current of the Small Destruction Fist. His own Destruction Collapse Mountain Fist—

Destruction Collapse Mountain Fist
—the last missing piece began to reveal itself, bit by bit.
His foot grazed Mak Rim’s cheek.
Blood bloomed faintly, but his eyes grew sharper instead.

‘That was it.’

The force born from the torso doesn’t detonate all at once. After impact, it leaves a Dark Force behind, driving deeper into the opponent’s body.

“Quite the struggle against a mere junior, isn’t it?”

Yuk Cheon Gang’s mockery drew laughter from the Yuk Clan disciples.
With each blow to his pride, Mak Rim’s breathing grew more ragged.

“I’ll tear that mouth of yours clean off.”

A deeper Small Destruction Fist
surged forward.
This time, Yuk Beom drew the Weaponless Heavy Sword across his back.

“Brother, be careful!”

Milky-white flames like Fusion Strong Energy wrapped around his entire body. When he layered the Fire Flame Transformation Method
atop it, the blaze surged along his arms.

To the onlookers, it appeared only that the Blazing Gold Body
had grown stronger still.

“Destruction Collapse Mountain Fist!”

The two fists collided head-on.
Boom!
Flames consumed Mak Rim’s arms.
The Dark Force shook Yuk Beom’s body and shattered the blue stone beneath his feet. Yet he didn’t step back an inch.
Instead, Mak Rim’s shoulders were driven sharply backward.

“How could you know the Small Destruction Fist…!”

His voice cracked with shock. The Mak Family disciples stirred in disbelief.
They’d only passed down a censored version, stripped of the core secrets, yet in Yuk Beom’s martial art lived a Dark Force far fiercer than their own.
Mak Rim’s fury broke past all restraint. Both his arms blackened.

“Great Strength Divine Ape Arm!”

Massive arms fell like hammers toward his shoulders.
Yuk Beom didn’t defend. Instead, he drove his fist first into the open chest.
Thud!
Mak Rim’s ribcage caved inward. Yet he held fast and seized Yuk Beom’s shoulders in both hands.
Boom!
The sound rang out like steel struck against steel.
Dragon Clan Blood Skin
and years of training with the Weaponless Heavy Sword had absorbed the blow.

“Got you.”

The Gangjing in his palm burrowed through flesh and meridians.

“Now all your strength will be sucked into me.”

The Fusion Strong Energy was indeed beginning to scatter.
Yuk Beom drove his fist into the man’s ribs instead of answering.
Once. Twice.
Blood trickled from Mak Rim’s lips, but his grip only tightened.
A direct war of attrition against the thick power of the Naegang Realm Stage 7 would favor Mak Rim. Even drawing in the Heaven and Earth Force from the surroundings, Yuk Beom couldn’t match the rate at which his energy was being drained.

Yet retreat never crossed his mind.

‘If I can’t break through even this wall, what wider world awaits?’

Instead of pushing the scattering Fusion Strong Energy outward, he pulled it inward toward his Dantian.
Five-colored light traced his meridians.
A crack formed in the barrier that hadn’t budged for weeks.

“What are you—”

Yuk Beom clenched his teeth.

“Break through!”

Boom!
The condensed Fusion Strong Energy detonated.
Mak Rim’s arms snapped back, and the shockwave swept through the alley. The Mak Family members nearby screamed and tumbled backward.
Yuk Beom’s momentum surged in an instant.
Naegang Realm Stage 3.
The power of his new stage flooded into his fists.

“Destruction Collapse Mountain Fist!”

Crack!
Mak Rim’s defense shattered head-on.
His body flew into the air. Even the Mak Family members rushing to catch him couldn’t withstand the impact and tumbled along with him.
Mak Un Bi, steadying his father, ground his teeth but couldn’t approach.
He had believed that once he entered the Naegang Realm through elixir, he could face Yuk Beom again. But watching Mak Rim fall shattered that belief in an instant.

“Yuk Beom! This isn’t over!”

As Yuk Beom stepped forward, his expression hardened.
Mak Un Bi shouted for his men to lift his father, then hurried out of the alley.

“If you want to finish this, come back!”

Starting with Yuk Cheon Gang’s shout, jeers poured from the crowd.
In that commotion, Yuk Cheon Gang spotted the heavy sword lying on the stone ground and grasped the hilt.

“I’ll take this, brother.”

Even with both hands straining, the sword wouldn’t budge.
Two others joined in, but the blade only lifted slightly before dropping back with a thud.
Yuk Beom stepped over and lifted the sword with one hand, then slung it across his back.
Yuk Cheon Gang, staring blankly at the sight, asked a question.

“You carry that with you all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It aids my training.”

Yuk Cheon Gang opened his mouth, then closed it, nodding quietly instead. His expression suggested he didn’t quite understand, but he accepted it.
The Yuk Clan members followed naturally as they made their way back.
The joy of breaking through to a new realm was unmistakable. Yet the weight of their young gazes boring into his back felt heavier than before.
Today, he had been here to protect them.
But who would guard them once he departed for the Martial Arts Academy?
Yuk Beom recalled the techniques O Jin had passed down to him, one by one.
Becoming stronger alone was not enough.
The time had come to draw out their strength as well—so that the Yuk Clan could endure even in his absence.

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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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