Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 30

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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 30. The White Lotus Pill
The lids of both cauldrons swung open almost simultaneously.
Red flames and multicolored light crossed through the air, and the mingled scents of medicine filled the space before the Yuk Clan’s main gate.
The first to claim a pill was Jo Uk.

“Mine is the Red Flame Triple-Layer Pill.”

The red pill gleamed in his palm as he held it aloft, and the face of a victor already bloomed across his features.

“When consumed, it creates a coat of flame around the body. Any attack that hasn’t reached the External Force Realm will be blocked—three times over. Whether you’re a Martial Artist or a Flame Practitioner, it works all the same.”

Gasps rippled through the onlookers.

“It really can block three attacks?”
“Even against anything below the External Force Realm?”

A low murmur spread among the Yuk Clan’s younger members. Any martial artist knew how precious a gift this was—the power to survive certain death mattered more than the power to fell an enemy.
Without thinking, Mak Cheon leaned toward the pill. In a martial duel, life and death hung by a thread. A medicine that could absorb three blows in his stead was worth three lives unto itself.
Mak Un Bi’s eyes kindled with hunger. If she carried that pill with her, she could afford three more mistakes when facing Yuk Beom—perhaps even turn the tide.
Jo Uk’s smile widened as he caught her gaze.

“Among Third Grade pills, this is a rare sight indeed.”

Having spoken, he turned his eyes toward Cheol Myeon.

“Now, let’s see your pill as well.”

Over the black glove, a mottled, luminescent pill came into view.

“The White Lotus Pill.”

“What are its effects?”
“It strengthens the foundation and cultivates original qi.”

A moment of silence fell.
Then Jo Uk laughed loudly.

“That’s it? You’d stake a pill contest on something with no immediate visible effect whatsoever?”

Laughter erupted from the Mak Family’s side. The faces of the Yuk Clan’s young men hardened. Had Cheol Myeon produced even a Strength Increase Pill, they could at least have witnessed a tangible rise in power on the spot.
Yuk Ho too narrowed his brow as he stared at the White Lotus Pill.
Jo Uk reached toward a vial containing Dragon’s Blood.

“The contest is over. Now, the pill formula belongs to me—”
“Are you finished laughing?”

A low voice emerged from beneath the iron mask.
His outstretched hand froze in midair.

“I haven’t finished my explanation yet.”

The laughter around them died away one by one.
Yuk Beom rolled the White Lotus Pill slowly between his fingers.

“For an ordinary person, it strengthens the body and clears away chronic ailments. For a Martial Artist, it widens the meridians and solidifies Strong Energy.”
“The effects of a common tonic pill, then.”
“For a Flame Practitioner, it expands the Dantian.”

Jo Uk’s sneer vanished.

“I’m sorry—what did you say?”
“Once the Dantian expands, it draws in heaven and earth’s qi on its own. The meridians and Dantian, once widened, do not return to their former state even after the pill’s effect wears off.”

Jo Uk approached Cheol Myeon and extended his hand.

“Show me.”
“Just a moment ago you said it wasn’t worth seeing.”
“I’ll verify it myself.”

Yuk Beom opened his palm without hesitation. Inspecting a pill required more than eyes and nose alone. Jo Uk examined the surface sheen and grain, then brought it near his face to inhale its aroma. Finally, he touched a trace of powder clinging to his fingertip to his tongue.
In that instant, his eyelid trembled.
At first he thought he’d been mistaken. The part of him that refused to acknowledge defeat rose before the pill’s potency could register. But once he steadied his breath, all excuse fell away.
It was only a speck of powder. Yet his rigid meridians had opened infinitesimally, and the edges of his Dantian pushed outward. The pill’s power had not forced stimulation on any single point. It was reshaping his body’s foundation all at once.
Strength drawn up by force fades with time. But widened meridians and an expanded Dantian remain. Both his cultivation speed and the volume of Original Qi he could contain would shift fundamentally.
Jo Uk’s hand lowered slowly.
Mak Cheon could no longer hold his tongue.

“Which one is superior?”

No answer came.

“Jo Hyung?”
“Be silent.”

The sharpness in his voice made Mak Cheon’s face stiffen.
Jo Uk gazed at the White Lotus Pill without pause, swallowing dryly.

“My Red Flame Triple-Layer Pill can withstand three strikes. But once consumed, that is the end.”
“And this pill?”
“It transforms the body itself.”

A heavy silence descended over the street, which had been noisy moments before.

“Mine is Third Grade. If that White Lotus Pill were properly graded… it would approach Fifth Grade.”

Laughter drained entirely from Mak Cheon’s face.
Jo Uk looked down at the Red Flame Triple-Layer Pill in his palm. The pill he had been certain would secure victory suddenly seemed shabby.
After a long silence, his lips parted.

“I have lost.”

Mak Un Bi rushed forward urgently.

“Jo Hyung, reconsider. You’ve only tasted a trace of pill powder—”
“Arguing with your mouth doesn’t erase what the pill revealed to mine.”

The one who answered was Cheol Myeon.
Yuk Beom extended the White Lotus Pill toward Jo Uk.

“If you don’t believe me, judge for yourself.”

Jo Uk did not even glance at Mak Un Bi.

“Cheol Myeon’s skill surpasses mine. I’ve lost this match.”

The admission of defeat came in a low but steady voice.
A roar erupted from the Yuk Clan side.
Yuk Ho released the breath he’d been holding. He felt a touch of embarrassment at having doubted, moments earlier, whether offering the Strength Increase Pill had been wise—but he made no attempt to hide the smile spreading across his face.

“As expected of Cheol Myeon.”

At those words, the young men’s voices swelled louder.
The Mak Family’s sons, by contrast, exchanged only nervous glances. Mak Cheon’s lips had gone pale. A single Yuk Beom was already trouble enough—and behind him stood a Flame Practitioner capable of crafting pills approaching Fifth Grade.
Jo Uk picked up the Five Element Pill

he had offered as the wager.
His hand tightened around the medicine bottle for a moment, then he hurled it toward Cheol Myeon.

“The promised item.”

Yuk Beom caught the vial, its surface shimmering with five-colored light, and tucked it into his robe.

“I accept it gratefully.”

Jo Uk turned to leave, but his feet halted.
His gaze remained fixed on the White Lotus Pill.

“Cheol Myeon.”
“Yes?”
“Would you consider parting with that pill formula?”

The voice that had been hurling taunts moments before now carried a mingled undercurrent of pride and covetousness.
Yuk Beom pretended to consider for a moment, then nodded.

“Very well.”

Jo Uk’s eyes brightened.

“Bring me the formula for the Single Yang Pill.”

His expression froze solid.

“The Single Yang Pill is a Won Dan—a renowned superior Won Dan at that. How could I possibly possess such a formula?”

“Then there’s no deal.”

Jo Uk swallowed his humiliation and tried again.

“Forget the formula. Just give me a single White Lotus Pill. I’ll pay its worth in spiritual medicine or other pills.”
“Do you have more Five Element Pills?”
“……What do you mean?”
“Produce two more. Then we’ll trade.”

Jo Uk’s lips trembled.
Even the Five Element Pill he’d just handed over had been a treasure received from his master. He couldn’t produce two more—not even half of one.

“If you can’t, then there’s no deal.”
“I won’t forget what happened today.”
“Remember it or not—suit yourself.”

In the end, Jo Uk seized the Flame Cauldron

in one rough motion.
Mak Cheon lunged forward to stop him, but the white-robed figure was already threading through the crowd, pulling away.
Yuk Cheon Gang shouted at the Mak Family disciples retreating in his wake.

“Look at them scatter like dogs without a home, tails between their legs!”
“Choose your words more carefully.”

Yuk Ho raised a stern hand to silence him.

“Would you call the Mak Family head a homeless dog? The man at least has a house to return to.”

The Yuk Clan disciples, who had been momentarily stunned, burst into laughter, clutching their sides.
Mak Cheon’s steps faltered, but he did not turn back.
After the onlookers had dispersed, Yuk Ho approached the iron-masked figure.

“You’ve been of great service once more. Please, come inside. The wine may not be fancy, but we have some good stock.”
“I’ll decline.”

Behind the mask, Yuk Beom kept his voice low.

“I’ve obtained the Five Element Pill. We’ve both done what we needed to do.”
“Still—”
“If you have something to tell Yuk Beom, relay it. I’ll listen when he comes looking.”

Any longer, and his manner of speech would be exposed.
The black robe stirred the wind as he vanished beyond the alley corner.
Only when he reached a place where no one lingered did he remove the iron mask and robe.
Yuk Beom leaned his back against the wall and withdrew the vial containing the Five Element Pill. Within its transparent surface, five colors of light swirled slowly together.
He knew the formula, but had never managed to gather the ingredients to craft it himself. Among Flame Practitioners, it held value as a medium of trade.
As the vial opened, the pure aura of the Five Elements brushed across his face.
There was no reason to hesitate.
The moment the pill passed his lips, five strands of force erupted simultaneously in his belly.
Scorching flames traced through his meridians, cool water-like essence wrapped around the heat. The solid force of metal drummed against his channels, while wood’s vitality mended the wounded places within. Finally, the heavy force of earth contained all the wavering flows.
For an instant, it felt as though five beasts thrashed inside his body, each in a different direction. An ordinary Flame Practitioner would have had to soothe each element one at a time to accept them.
But as his Fusion Strong Energy

moved, the situation transformed.
The forces that should have repelled one another lost their edges the moment they touched that flow. Fire did not drive out water, metal did not cut wood. Each retained its nature while dissolving into a single unified force.
Yuk Beom immediately settled into the Five Hearts toward Heaven

posture.
With each breath, the Heaven and Earth Force

surrounding the alley converged toward the center of his ring. The medicinal potency of the Five Element Pill and the external aura circled through his channels again and again.
It was not a force to shatter walls by brute strength.
Instead, after ascending to the third level of the Inner Gangjing Realm,

it filled the gaps that had not yet been consolidated. His expanded Dantian drew in more Fusion Strong Energy, and the flow became faster and more stable than before.
After one hour, the last light of the five colors seeped into his Dantian.
The meridians, which had been stretched taut, settled, and the force flowing through them grew heavier than before. Without rushing, Yuk Beom sent his Fusion Strong Energy once more through his fingertips and toes. There were no places where it caught or broke.
With a final turbid breath, the impurities within his body were expelled.
As Yuk Beom opened his eyes, he could hear with crystalline clarity even the sound of snowflakes falling across the alley. Simply by extending his hand, a broader range of aura than before gathered toward his palm.
The third level of the Inner Gangjing Realm, perfected.
As a Flame Practitioner, he had reached the Third Grade pinnacle.
A single pill had not broken through to the next realm, but it had pushed him to the very threshold of the next wall.

“So that was the extent of it.”
​
A smile played across his lips as he gazed down at the five-colored energy gathered in his palm.
If he could only procure the medicinal materials, he would have to make it again. The pill had been so effective, so satisfying, that he wanted to consume it repeatedly until its effects wore off entirely.
At that same moment, before the gates of the Mak Family compound.
Jo Uk stopped walking.
​
“I shall return to the Academy now, Master of the Mak Family.”
​
Mak Un Bi hurried forward.
​
“Stay a few more days. We’ve prepared more medicinal materials—”
“Today I saw clearly how lacking my strength truly is.”
​
The usual composure had drained from Jo Uk’s face.
​
“I must return to my master’s side and train anew. When you come back to the Academy, find me then.”
​
His white robe receded without waiting for a reply.
Even when called twice more, he did not turn back.
Mak Cheon held back his grandson.
​
“Do not pursue him. We lost completely to the Yuk Clan today.”
“They brought in a visitor just to humiliate us.”
“You still don’t understand?”
​
Mak Cheon’s finger pointed toward the Yuk Clan compound.
​
“Our strongest lost to Yuk Beom, the younger generation gained pills, and now even a Flame Practitioner stands with them. If things continue this way, the Mak Family’s position in Ganglim Castle will vanish within a few years.”
​
Mak Un Bi’s fists trembled.
Each time Yuk Beom’s name was spoken, the helplessness he’d felt in the alley surged back to life. The image of Mak Rim flying through the air. That moment when, without thinking, he’d stepped back before Yuk Beom’s approach. And today, watching Cheol Myeon break even Jo Uk. These scenes layered upon one another in his mind.
​
“I will not allow it to happen.”
“Then you must grow stronger. In our family, you’re the only one who entered the Academy. You’re the only one who has a chance to surpass Yuk Beom.”
​
Mak Cheon exhaled heavily.
​
“If only that fellow didn’t exist in the Yuk Clan, none of this would have happened.”
​
At those words, Mak Un Bi’s gaze rose slowly.
If only Yuk Beom didn’t exist.
There was no need to win head-on. The Academy possessed far more people and methods than Ganglim Castle could offer.
His hardened lips twisted gradually into a grimace.
​
“Do not worry, Grandfather.”
​
Mak Un Bi gazed toward the direction of the Academy.
​
“When I return, I will find a way.”

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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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