Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 53

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 53. If You’ve Laid Hands on My Senior
Han Pung snatched up the papers spread across the table.
Names crowded a single thin sheet, fifty from top to bottom. It was a Martial Ranking List that Young Yo had purchased for a gold coin.

“The list came out already this year?”

Han Pung scanned the names from the top with a suspicious expression. Normally, the list appeared only days before the Martial Arts Academy’s Branch Ranking Tournament began. The fact that all fifty positions had been ranked before each branch had properly demonstrated its strength struck him as odd.
But his suspicion didn’t last long.
By the time he reached the bottom, the name Ilwon Academy had not appeared a single time.
Thwack!

“Does this make sense? Not a single person from our Ilwon Academy again this year!”

Han Pung slammed the paper onto the table.

“Taking gold coin payment and peddling this trash? They’re deliberately cheating people.”

Yuk Beom picked up the paper.

“What exactly is the Martial Ranking List?”
“It’s a ranking of the fifty supposedly strongest disciples at the Martial Arts Academy. It’s just a list made by gambling house operators, so you shouldn’t take it too seriously. The fact that a master like me isn’t even on it shows you how worthless the whole thing is.”

Young Yo frowned slightly.

“It’s not entirely useless. If your name appears and you keep your position for three months, your academy grants substantial rewards.”
“That’s how it works at Myungsim Academy. We don’t have those kinds of rewards at Ilwon Academy. Making the list just means endless challenges and trouble.”
“But you were just upset that nobody from Ilwon Academy made it.”
“That’s a matter of honor. This is a matter of practicality.”

Han Pung answered without the slightest embarrassment.
Yuk Beom examined the names written on the paper in order. Most were unfamiliar, though he recognized two.
Nyeong Han from Eumyang Academy. Forty-second place.
Im Je from Pyomyo Academy. Fiftieth place.

“Even a bastard like Nyeong Han made forty-second. If I’d truly shown my skill, I’d have cracked the top thirty at minimum.”

Han Pung rubbed his chin.

“And since the youngest beat Im Je, he’d have made the top twenty.”

Young Yo’s gaze turned toward Yuk Beom.

“You defeated Im Je?”
“I fought him once and won.”

When Yuk Beom answered matter-of-factly, Young Yo blinked for a moment. She had known he was strong, but she hadn’t expected him to have defeated someone whose name actually appeared on the Martial Ranking List.
Soon something seemed to occur to her, and she spoke.

“Then you both should especially aim for the list. This year, they’re giving people whose names appear on the Martial Ranking List a chance to enter the Training Tower

once.”

Screech!
Han Pung shoved his chair back roughly and stood.

“The Training Tower?”
“Just a moment ago you called it a worthless list.”
“That was before I heard about the Training Tower.”

Han Pung’s demeanor shifted as dramatically as a hand turning palm up.
The Training Tower was where the Martial Arts Academy stored the martial techniques it had gathered. Even after entering, one had to pass the trials on each floor directly, but with strength and fortune alike, you could obtain martial arts beyond the Spiritual Grade

and reach even Earth Grade

techniques.

“Come on, Yuk Beom. Let’s go.”

Han Pung seized Yuk Beom’s arm with the urgency of someone about to bolt from the room.

“We’re not on the list, sir.”
“You beat Im Je, didn’t you? The Pyomyo Academy dogs must have hidden the fact they got their teeth knocked in, which is why you’re missing from the list. If the list is wrong, we go and prove it.”
“How will you prove it, sir?”
“We’ll figure it out once we get there.”
“So you haven’t thought of anything at all.”

Han Pung ignored Yuk Beom’s words and headed straight for the door. Young Yo rose from her seat and followed the two men.
The three moved swiftly toward the southwest of Gambo Mountain. The white tower, visible from a distance, loomed ever larger as they drew near. Its peak was swallowed by clouds, and the faint light wrapped around the tower shimmered and wavered, tangled with the sunlight.
Though Yuk Beom and Han Pung subtly quickened their pace, Young Yo didn’t fall behind at all. Rather, she kept up lightly, her breathing never once becoming ragged.
Han Pung shot a glance at Yuk Beom.
Yuk Beom gave a small nod. It was clear that what Young Yo had shown so far was far from everything she had to offer.
After roughly a quarter of an hour, the three arrived at the Training Tower.
The plaza before the tower was so crowded there wasn’t room to set foot. Disciples waiting for entry and onlookers mingled together, their voices rising in a murmur.

“Why do they just let in everyone whose name is on the Martial Ranking List?”
“The academy head recently added many powerful martial arts to the Training Tower, didn’t he? They say those who’ve made it onto the ranking list get to enter first, specially.”
“So we have to beat those two marionettes?”
“If you think it’s unfair, get your name on the Martial Ranking List.”

Hearing that, Han Pung plowed through the crowd without hesitation.

“Make way! The elite from the Martial Ranking List have arrived!”

His voice was loud and his tone even bolder. The surrounding people instinctively parted, but when they caught sight of Han Pung’s and Yuk Beom’s faces, they tilted their heads in confusion.
Young Yo had already created distance between herself and the two. Even turning her head slightly, she was clearly pretending to be a stranger.
Yuk Beom wanted to go that way too, but Han Pung had seized his arm and wouldn’t let go.

“You still haven’t come up with a method, have you, sir?”
“A method presents itself when you reach the door.”

Before the tower’s massive gate stood two Bronze Marionettes.

They were three body-lengths tall with grotesque faces, and in their hands they gripped long spears that were corroded and weathered, yet unmistakably formidable.
As Han Pung tried to set foot inside the door, both spear shafts came crashing down simultaneously.
Bang!
The ground caved inward.

“Those who have not achieved a place on the Martial Ranking List may not enter. State your names.”
“Han Pung and Yuk Beom, of Ilwon Academy.”

Red light flickered in the marionettes’ eyes.

“Those names do not appear on the Martial Ranking List. Entry is denied.”
“My disciple beat Im Je. He’s stronger than some fiftieth-rank nobody—why can’t he enter?”
“The name does not appear on the list. There is no special entry qualification. You may enter once you pass the trial.”

Laughter erupted from the crowd around them.

“You didn’t come here boasting about being on the Martial Ranking List, did you?”
“Has anyone from Ilwon Academy ever even made it onto that list?”
“I suppose we’ll have to take the test. They say if you can knock down those two Bronze Marionettes, you can enter.”
“Don’t block the path for nothing—step aside!”

Yuk Beom showed no reaction to the cascade of ridicule. He’d endured far harsher words over more than a decade. Han Pung, however, had already rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge at any moment.

“Yuk Beom, wouldn’t it be possible if we fight together? Last year I lost because I was alone, but this year you’re here.”

Yuk Beom asked quietly.

“How strong are those marionettes?”
“Each one is around the Outer Gangjing Realm—six or seven levels deep. If they combine, maybe eight to nine?”

Yuk Beom quietly lowered Han Pung’s arm. Even combining their strength, their chances were slim. Escaping might be possible, but defeating them head-on would be difficult. If they charged recklessly, they’d be carried back down before they even entered the tower.

The laughter that had filled the square began to fade.

“It’s Jo Gwahl from Hengsan Academy.”
“The master ranked thirty-fifth on the Martial Ranking List has come to Gambo Mountain.”

A massive man walked through the parted crowd. His muscles looked hewn from stone, a thick beard shadowed his jaw, and he stood at least a head taller than anyone else. Each step he took produced a heavy, resonant sound against the stone floor.
Jo Ryeong followed at his side.
When Jo Ryeong spotted Han Pung, her face twisted.

“Brother! It’s him!”

She pointed directly at Han Pung.

“He tormented me!”

The eyes of everyone gathered in the square shifted subtly. Some of them glanced between Jo Ryeong and Han Pung, their smiles taking on a suspicious edge.
Han Pung thumped his own chest in disbelief.

“You lost to me in a formal duel, and you call that tormenting you? I am nothing if not fair and honest!”

Both Yuk Beom and Young Yo looked away at once.
Jo Gwahl didn’t bother asking for an explanation. He planted himself directly in front of Han Pung and clenched his massive fist. Bones cracked audibly.

“If you laid a hand on my sister, you deserve a beating.”

The stone-like fist came down instantly.
Han Pung drew his Jade Water Long Sky Sword and parried. The blade curved like a bow, and his feet slid long furrows across the stone floor. With his face flushed crimson, he flicked the blade back and charged again.

“A muscle-head with no sense of reason!”

Jo Gwahl laughed derisively and whipped his right arm forward. His entire forearm was engulfed in dark Gangjing, and a low tiger’s growl rippled through the air.

“Explosive Fist!”

Sword and fist collided. Sparks erupted, and Han Pung’s feet dug deep into the stone. Then the Gangjing erupted from Jo Gwahl’s fist.
Boom!
Han Pung’s body was hurled through the air, crashing to the ground with shattering force.

“Senior!”

The moment Yuk Beom moved to intervene, the Bronze Marionette’s two spear shafts cut off his path. The force channeled through the weapons pressed down upon the stone.

“An outsider cannot involve themselves in a martial contest between warriors.”
“That man initiated the attack without even challenging to a duel.”
“Two martial artists have already crossed weapons. Outsiders cannot intervene.”

Yuk Beom’s eyes grew cold and sharp.
Jo Gwahl did not stop. He drove another fist down toward the fallen Han Pung’s head.
Han Pung rolled his body clear and sprang back up in one motion, sweeping a kick at Jo Gwahl’s chest.
It seemed an unremarkable kick.
Yet Yuk Beom recognized the hidden sword intent woven within it—the very same technique that had slashed across Nyeong Han’s face. A forbidden sword technique delivered through the legs.
Jo Gwahl did not dodge. The warriors of Hengsan Academy had poured the most effort into tempering their bodies. The men of the Inner Gangjing Realm

at the seventh level believed they could take such a kick barehanded.
Screech!
Blood sprayed.
A long gash opened across Jo Gwahl’s chest as if cleaved by a blade. His face darkened with disbelief as he staggered backward several paces.

“You’ve wounded me?”

Han Pung stood breathing heavily in place. The wound was shallower than when he’d used the technique against Nyeong Han, but the backlash reverberating through his leg was far greater. Jo Gwahl’s body was not flesh and bone—it was closer to thick steel.

“Now you think to ask my name?”

Han Pung adjusted his grip on the Jade Water Long Sky Sword.

“I am Han Pung of Ilwon Academy. Remember that well.”

The eyes of those watching shifted. An Inner Gangjing warrior had cut through the body of an Outer Gangjing realm fighter. Though it had been almost a sneak attack, one thing was now clear: Han Pung was no mere boaster.
Jo Gwahl’s face twisted with rage.

“Han Pung. I’ll tear out your tongue first.”

His entire body was engulfed in a White Qi Garment. From ten paces away, Jo Gwahl thrust his fist into empty air.

“Tiger Vigor Resonance!”

An invisible force crossed the distance and lashed Han Pung’s body. As he flew backward, coughing blood, Jo Gwahl pushed off the ground and gave chase.

“Tiger Subduing Mountain Forest!”

A white tiger formed from pure Gangjing energy roared and swallowed Han Pung whole. Its massive claws bore down upon the sword, while its gaping maw descended to devour his upper body.
Han Pung gritted his teeth to keep from falling. His knuckles split around the grip of the Jade Water Long Sky Sword, his legs gouging furrows in the stone floor. Even as he was driven backward, he never looked away from Jo Gwahl.
Just before the white tiger erupted.
The Jade Water Long Sky Sword vanished from Han Pung’s hand.
Boom!
The white Gangjing energy detonated, and Han Pung’s body tumbled across the ground.
The moment the Bronze Marionette’s spear withdrew, Yuk Beom rushed forward. He caught the fallen Han Pung and drew a Ming Jing Pill

from the Void Floating Repository, pressing it into his mouth.

​”Brother.”
​”I won’t die.”
​
​Han Pung forced a smile despite his ashen face.
​The crowd’s gaze was not on him, but on Jo Gwahl.
​A thin line of blood trickled from Jo Gwahl’s forehead. Behind him, the Jade Water Long Sky Sword quivered, buried deep in the stone floor.
​Han Pung had thrown the sword the moment the white tiger exploded.
​No one had seen the blade’s trajectory through the air. Only the wound on Jo Gwahl’s forehead and the sword embedded behind him revealed what had just transpired.
​The blood drained from Jo Gwahl’s face.
​Had the blade’s path been even slightly different, the Jade Water Long Sky Sword would have pierced through his brow and split his skull. Han Pung, even in defeat, had possessed the means to kill Jo Gwahl in his final moment—yet he had deliberately altered the sword’s course to spare his life.
​No one in the square dared mock Han Pung any longer.
​Jo Gwahl understood this truth. His lips moved several times, but no words came. He had believed he’d secured a one-sided victory over an Inner Energy Realm martial artist, but in a death match, it would have been he lying on the ground.
​His face flushed crimson, then drained pale. He seized Jo Ryeong’s arm roughly and made to leave.
​Then a low voice called from behind.
​
​”You’re going to leave him like this?”
​
​Jo Gwahl’s steps faltered.
​Yuk Beom carefully lowered Han Pung to the ground. As he straightened, his face had lost its usual composure.
​The Weaponless Heavy Sword
​
​was drawn from his back.
​Despite having no blade edge, the weapon emanated a sharpness as keen as facing a divine weapon. The crowd, who moments before had mocked Yuk Beom and Ilwon Academy, found themselves holding their breath.
​Jo Gwahl turned and glared at Yuk Beom.
​
​”So what are you going to do about it?”
​
​Yuk Beom raised the Weaponless Heavy Sword, aiming it at Jo Gwahl.
​
​”You struck my brother.”
​
​His voice turned glacial.
​
​”You’ll answer for it.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————