Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 52

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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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Episode 52. The Void Waist Belt
A brief silence settled over the spot where Nyeong Han had been sent flying.
No one spoke at once. Han Pung, who had split the External Force Realm Realm Garment with a single kick,

stood dusting off his leg with an expression no different from usual.

“Got something on my shoe.”

Nyeong Han, bearing a clear footprint across his face, pushed himself upright. Two disciples from the Yin-Yang Academy rushed to help him up, but he brushed their arms away roughly.
His twisted face and reddened eyes burned with murderous intent. Yet he could not draw his blade in this place. If word spread that he’d attacked his opponent after losing the wager, it would scar his reputation far worse than today’s humiliation.

“Let’s go.”

With those words ground out between his teeth, Nyeong Han left the Rear Courtyard. The Yin-Yang Academy disciples had no choice but to follow.
Yeon Yeon watched Young Yo for a moment. Her lips moved as if to speak, but in the end she turned to follow Nyeong Han and his group.
Young Yo watched them recede into the distance, then turned her gaze to Han Pung.

“You’re far stronger than I expected.”
“Far stronger? Didn’t I look like a strong man from the start?”
“At first, I thought you were a strange person pulling the admission fee from your pants.”

Han Pung’s laughter faltered briefly.

“That’s a misunderstanding. I kept it in the most trustworthy place so thieves couldn’t get it.”
“Hearing that explanation only made it stranger.”

Young Yo covered her mouth and laughed. Han Pung tried desperately to recover his dignity, but then noticed their gazes meeting naturally.

“So then. I was just a supporting player.”

When Yuk Beom turned around, Han Pung wore the most aggrieved expression in the world.

“I stopped Nyeong Han, made the wager, even kicked him in the face—and Young Yo only has eyes for you. Is this the fate of an older brother?”
“If you stopped saying pointless things, perhaps things might change.”
“That’s the same as telling a man to abandon his own nature.”

Yuk Beom didn’t respond and approached the two men who had set up the game.
The stout brothers had lost their earlier composure and were now guarding their pockets. The one who appeared to be the elder bowed first.

“I’m Bang Hae of the Hengsan Academy, and this is my younger brother Bang Do. We serve under the Sageun Sin Do. I’ve heard Yuk Beom’s name mentioned more than once by the Sageun.”
“My name?”
“Yes—turning down the Yin-Yang Academy and choosing the Ilwon Academy. The Sageun was upset about it for days. If you change your mind even now, the Hengsan Academy welcomes you at any time.”

Bang Do at his side quickly nudged his elder brother with his elbow.

“Brother, let’s save the recruitment pitch for later. First we should settle accounts. Everyone’s watching.”

Bang Hae cleared his throat and picked up the pouch that Yuk Beom had wagered.

“Right. The pouch was placed here from the start and no one touched it. I’ll open it now.”

As the knot came undone, a small bottle emerged.

“Medicine pills.”

Bang Hae’s expression changed as he uncorked it. After catching the scent and examining the pills inside the bottle, he carefully removed one.

“A fourth-grade Ming Jing Pill
Ming Jing Pill
. And not just one bottle…….”
“Ten bottles.”

At Yuk Beom’s measured reply, the spectators’ breath caught.
A single pill of fourth-grade alchemical medicine was worth more than a thousand gold coins. Ten bottles—not one—was a wager beyond what an ordinary disciple could reasonably stake.
Yu Hwa, sprawled on the ground, managed to push himself up on his elbows. The moment he saw what came from his pouch, blood spilled from his mouth again.

“That’s…… everything?”
“You were the one who said you’d stake the same thing.”

Yuk Beom didn’t sneer. He simply returned Yu Hwa’s own words to him.
Yu Hwa’s face drained of color. Nyeong Han had already left, and there was no one to settle the wager in his place.
Han Pung approached with a gleeful expression.

“If you’re short on coin, you can pay in goods. Still not enough? Your clothes look valuable—strip them off and we could probably sell the fabric on Gambo Mountain for a decent price.”
“Wait!”

Just as Han Pung’s hand reached for his waist, Yu Hwa twisted his body in desperation.

“I’ll pay it back. I can settle it myself!”

His trembling hands unfastened his own waist belt. At first glance it was an ordinary dark-brown leather strap, but the underside bore intricate formation patterns carved into it.

Void Waist Belt

. The internal space measures four hundred spans across. That should be more than sufficient.”

Han Pung snatched the belt and poured his Gangjing into it. His eyes closed as he sensed the interior, and the corners of his mouth gradually rose.

“Plenty of space inside, and quite a bit of gold coins and medicinal ingredients too. A touch short for ten bottles, but the rest can be made up with these.”

Yu Hwa tried to protest but simply fell backward instead. This time he truly lost consciousness.
Han Pung tossed the belt to Yuk Beom without hesitation.

“Youngest, take it. Items like this aren’t easy to find even if you have the money.”

Then he lowered his voice.

“The gold coins inside—we should split them evenly between us, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I hadn’t made the wager, you wouldn’t have this belt at all.”
“I staked my own pills and fought to win this myself.”
“But I did the work of kicking Nyeong Han in the face.”

Yuk Beom examined the inside of the Void Waist Belt. One side of the spacious interior held a considerable heap of gold coins, medicinal ingredients, and daily goods. The Nine Heavens Ring

was more compact, but this was more than enough to store ordinary items.
The Nine Heavens Ring that O Jin had given him needed to remain hidden. Going forward, valuable and secret items would go in the ring, while frequently used things would fit perfectly in the Void Waist Belt.
Yuk Beom unfastened his old belt and switched to the new one.

“I’ll verify the gold coins later and divide them then.”
“There’s no one quite like you, youngest.”

Han Pung, unlike moments before when he’d been quibbling over terms, promptly patted Yuk Beom on the shoulder.
Young Yo also stepped forward to Bang Hae.

“I wagered on Young Master Yuk Beom as well.”
“Of course I remember. I’ll settle it at ten times the amount.”

The handful of gold coins had returned as a small pile. Young Yo took the pouch in both hands and checked the count several times. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, a smile kept spreading across her face.

“Really, ten times over.”
“I promised I wouldn’t let you lose.”

At Yuk Beom’s words, Young Yo looked up.

“I did believe you… but I never thought it would grow this much.”

Bang Hae and Bang Do, having settled the wagers, pressed half of the remaining coins toward Yuk Beom. The moment he accepted them, he handed them over to Han Pung.
Han Pung’s face went blank with surprise.

“You’re really giving it all to me?”
“You contributed to this whole affair as well, after all.”
“My contribution was considerable, true enough. But if you give me this much, it’ll be difficult for me to refuse…”

Yet even as he spoke, his hands were already sweeping the coins into a Void Pouch

with practiced ease.

“Well then, I can’t very well spurn a disciple’s good faith. I’ll accept it.”

Bang Hae and Bang Do suppressed their laughter and bowed. People began to disperse, and Yu Hwa, still unconscious, was carried out by the other disciples.
By tomorrow, word would spread through the entire Martial Arts Academy that Young Yo from the Yin-Yang Academy had been overwhelmed by a disciple of Ilwon Academy, and that Nyeong Han had been sent flying by Han Pung’s kick.
At that very moment, in a private chamber on the upper floor of the Baelong Liquor House, a table shattered into splinters.
Nyeong Han wiped away the footprint on his face and spoke through gritted teeth.

“I won’t let Han Pung or Yuk Beom leave Gambo Mountain.”

Across from him sat Yeon Yeon, who had vanished earlier. When she cautiously suggested he seek help from his fellow disciples of the Yin-Yang Academy, Nyeong Han’s hand seized her throat.

“Are you mocking me, saying I can’t win alone?”
“No. Absolutely not, that’s not what I meant.”

Yeon Yeon shook her head frantically, gasping for breath. After a moment, he released her, but livid marks remained stark on her neck.
Nyeong Han paced the room, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“There’s a lunatic obsessed with fighting here on Gambo Mountain. If he hears that a strong disciple has appeared in Ilwon Academy, he’ll come running of his own accord. I’ll wait until they exhaust themselves, then finish them myself.”

A cold smile returned to his face, which had been twisted with rage. His fingertip slowly traced across Yeon Yeon’s cheek.

“And you’ll hand Young Yo over to me, won’t you?”

Yeon Yeon concealed the marks on her neck and smiled.

“I’ll do as you say.”

Unaware of their scheming, Young Yo only now looked around and tilted her head in confusion.

“I don’t see Yeon Yeon anywhere.”

Yuk Beom had watched her leave with Nyeong Han’s group, but he chose not to mention it aloud. There was something in Yeon Yeon’s manner that couldn’t be explained by mere camaraderie among fellow disciples.
Young Yo glanced at the empty stairs once more, then turned to Yuk Beom.

“Since you’ve made a fortune today, why don’t you buy us a meal?”
“Of course.”
“Why ask only the youngest? I made good coin today too.”
“I suspect Han Pung will follow along whether he’s invited or not.”
“Your eye for people is sharp indeed.”

Han Pung felt no shame whatsoever.
The three of them made their way to the Baelong Liquor House,

famous throughout Gambo Mountain for its exorbitant prices.
The golden plaques and jeweled screens, the walls inlaid with night-pearls—it evoked a dragon’s palace rather than a mere tavern. The tables and chairs were crafted from cloudwood, said to clear the mind and nourish the body, and a single fish no larger than a fingernail cost near as much as platinum.
Han Pung glanced at the price list, then turned his gaze directly to Yuk Beom.

“You said you’d treat us today, didn’t you?”
“That was something I promised to Young Yo.”
“So you’d let your senior brother starve?”
“You just took all my gold coins.”
“That’s capital for the future. It’s a different matter from today’s meal.”

Yuk Beom gave up responding.
A cool mountain breeze drifted through the bamboo private chamber with its open windows. The moment food arrived, Han Pung abandoned all remaining pretense at manners and set his chopsticks to work. The speed at which the medicinal herb-raised chicken and fish disappeared was no different from combat.
Young Yo watched for a moment, then asked carefully.

“Do you always eat that quickly?”
“At Ilwon Academy, eat slowly and you go hungry.”

Han Pung answered before he’d even swallowed the food in his mouth.

“The youngest here puts on airs now, but once we’re back at the academy, he’s faster than I am. If you throw the senior brother into the mix, mealtimes are warfare.”

Yuk Beom saw no reason to correct him. It wasn’t wrong.

“I’ve heard that at Myungsim Academy, each disciple uses their own grand residence, and servants bring the meals.”
“That’s right. They fetch most of what you need. It’s convenient, but you spend so much time alone it gets a bit lonely.”

Curiosity lit Young Yo’s eyes.

“Do you cook for yourselves at Ilwon Academy?”
“We used to, but these days Kkamangi does the cooking.”
“Kkamangi?”
“The youngest’s servant. Tends the fires and handles all the cooking.”

Han Pung spoke with evident pride, gesturing to reveal a piece of vegetable on his chopsticks.

“We don’t have ingredients as expensive as this place, but the taste is decent. If you get the chance, come visit. Just tell Kkamangi to lay out a spread.”

Yuk Beom had never actually granted permission, but Young Yo’s face already showed eager anticipation.

“I’d really love to go.”

She showed more interest in stories of the worn dining table at Ilwon Academy than in the opulent Baelong Liquor House on this foreign mountain. As Han Pung joked and she heard tales of Kkamangi’s cooking, the expression that had grown rigid from her encounter with Nyeong Han earlier completely softened.
Yuk Beom recalled the melody Young Yo had played. Thanks to it, he had crossed the threshold of Body Fusion Heaven Earth.

One meal was hardly repayment enough—in fact, what he had gained was the greater prize.

“Will you both be entering the Division Ranking Tournament?”
“I intend to.”
“I’m planning to enter too. When we meet then, would it be all right to ask for your instruction?”

Han Pung’s eyes gleamed.

“Study with the youngest here instead. The two of you, alone in a quiet place for long practice sessions, you’ll learn many things beyond martial arts…….”

Yuk Beom’s hand moved to rest on the hilt of his Weaponless Heavy Sword.

“I didn’t say a word.”

Han Pung immediately bowed his head and picked up a piece of chicken.
Yuk Beom shifted the subject.

“But Nyeong Han was in the External Force Realm. How did you tear through his Realm Garment in one strike?”

Han Pung’s chopsticks went still. He glanced around before lowering his voice.

“I bent the rules a little. I took a sword technique the Sageun forbade and applied it with my legs instead.”
“Is that why your leg is hurting now?”

He recalled how Han Pung had favored one foot slightly with each step.

“It’ll be fine by tomorrow. Besides, I didn’t use a sword—I used my legs. So breaking the rule only counts halfway.”

It was logic bordering on sophistry, yet Han Pung seemed to genuinely believe it.

“In the ranking tournament, I’ll show them what I’m really made of. Those bastards from the other branches need to learn what it costs to look down on Ilwon Academy.”

Young Yo smiled and nodded along.

“The two of you seem ready to make quite a splash. As it happens, I have something to show you.”

She rummaged through a small pouch and withdrew a folded sheet of paper, which she unfolded with obvious pride—she had bought it for a single gold coin. The page was densely covered with names.
Han Pung and Yuk Beom leaned forward in unison.
Four characters at the top caught their eyes.
Martial Ranking Board

.

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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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