Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 54

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

Chapter 54. Thirty-Fifth Place
“I’ll need to settle that debt.”

Yuk Beom’s voice was quiet.
Yet it rang across the plaza with the clarity of a solid ingot driven into the stone floor.
Fusion Strong Energy rose from his body.

The flickering force spread like flames in all directions, and the Heaven and Earth Force surrounding the Training Tower twisted violently at once. Despite being only at the seventh stage of the Inner Gangjing Realm,

the pressure emanating from Yuk Beom was no different from that of a martial artist in the Outer Gangjing Realm.

Even the Bronze Marionettes guarding the tower flickered their crimson eyes and turned to look around. They seemed to sense something unfamiliar, yet could not pinpoint where it came from.
Jo Gwal’s face hardened.
Moments before, Yuk Beom had been nothing more than a quiet teacher tending to the fallen Han Pung. Yet the moment he drew his sword and stepped forward, he became someone entirely different.

“Come and fight.”

Yuk Beom drove his Blunt-Edged Heavy Sword

into the ground.
Bang!
Cracks radiated outward from where the blade struck. It was not a sharpened edge that bit into the stone—only a dull blade, yet pure weight and Strong Energy alone had shattered the hard floor.
When Jo Gwal did not answer at once, Jo Ryeong spoke first, her voice sharp with anger.

“Brother, knock that bastard down too! All those Ilwon Academy scum do is spout hot air!”

Jo Gwal’s brow furrowed deeply.
Jo Ryeong might not have seen it, but he knew: had Han Pung’s thrown sword flown even slightly to the side, his head would already be pierced.
He had just incurred a debt of life to an Inner Gangjing Realm martial artist.
And now this re-emerged Ilwon Academy disciple’s Qi Momentum was far stronger than Han Pung’s had been.
His instincts screamed at him to retreat. Yet the plaza was filled with countless disciples watching, and he was Jo Gwal—a martial artist of the Hengsan Academy, ranked thirty-fifth on the Martial Artist Ranking Register.
If he backed down now, even his victory moments ago would become a mockery.
Jo Gwal brought his fists together.
With a dull sound, white Gangjing Armor

enveloped his entire body.

“Fine. I’ll meet you.”

Yuk Beom did not reply.
The two men’s Qi Momentum collided at the center of the plaza.
Invisible force crashed against invisible force, and dust swept outward in a ring. At first the balance seemed even, but it did not hold. Jo Gwal’s body staggered, and his Qi Momentum scattered like smoke caught in a fierce wind.

‘This can’t be real.’

Blood flooded Jo Gwal’s eyes.
It was the first time he had been overpowered by Qi Momentum from a martial artist at a lower realm than himself.
Yuk Beom had not held back from the start. Using the Yin-Yang Array, he had multiplied his Fusion Strong Energy twenty times over, and with the Five Elements Formation, he had drawn in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Force. From the moment he saw Han Pung bleeding,

any thought of fighting half-heartedly had vanished. Using the Five Elements Formation to amplify his power further, he had left restraint behind entirely.

A martial artist’s Qi Momentum was not mere bluster. It was the first exchange of combat—shaking the opponent’s breath and judgment before the fight even began, preventing them from fully unleashing their power. If one was overwhelmed by Qi Momentum and merely endured, every subsequent technique would arrive a beat too late.
Jo Gwal gritted his teeth. If he continued to hold, he would be completely crushed under Yuk Beom’s pressure. But if he retreated, it would be as good as admitting defeat before all gathered in the plaza.
With his Qi Momentum stolen, he had only one choice left.
Jo Gwal roared and rushed forward.
Overlapping ripples of force erupted from his fists. Even before they made contact, waves of power lashed out across Yuk Beom’s chest. His robes fluttered backward, and the stone beneath his feet cracked and sank.
Yuk Beom did not give ground. Jo Gwal’s Strong Energy pressed against his skin and reverberated through him, but the Fusion Strong Energy enveloping his body immediately dispersed the impact. Having already experienced the power of the Outer Gangjing Realm in his fight with Im Je, he could endure this degree of pressure without difficulty.
Instead, what became clear was what kind of martial artist Jo Gwal truly was. Not one who relied on speed or intricate variations. A martial artist who trusted his refined body and overwhelming strength, one who crushed his opponent head-on.
There was no need for complicated tactics then. He simply had to break it head-on with a stronger, heavier force.
The Weaponless Heavy Sword spiraled upward from below.

The Heavy Sword Formula, the Spiral Dragon Sword.

Gangjing amplified twenty-fold spiraled along the blade like a helix.
Sword and fist collided head-on.
Bang!
Yuk Beom’s feet drove deep into the stone floor. Yet the Gangjing wrapping Jo Gwal’s fist began to tear away layer by layer from the outside. Each time the Weaponless Heavy Sword’s rotational force burrowed in, the skin on the back of his hand split open and blood sprayed.

Divine Tiger Force!

Jo Gwal’s muscles swelled further. Thick veins rose along his neck and shoulders, and a power like the roar of a beast erupted from within his body.
True flames surged from Yuk Beom’s form as well.

Blazing Gold Body.

Beneath the fire, white scales flashed like lightning.
The two fighters’ power exploded once more. The stone floor beneath their feet crumbled to dust and shockwaves swept in all directions. The disciples watching cried out and staggered backward.
Immediately after, Jo Gwal’s body shook violently.
The Weaponless Heavy Sword forced his fist back and wrenched his right arm.
Crack!
Jo Gwal’s shoulder dislocated from the joint.
He was driven back five paces before barely coming to a stop. Blood dripped steadily from his charred fist.

Is that really the Inner Gangjing Realm?
He pushed Jo Gwal back by sheer strength.
An Ilwon Academy martial artist stronger than someone from Hengsan Academy?

Gasps of disbelief erupted from the onlookers. Hengsan Academy was the one among the Nine Branch Academies that most prized the body and raw power. That a disciple from Ilwon Academy had driven back one of Hengsan’s strong fighters in direct confrontation—it was a sight that overturned everything they thought they knew.
Jo Gwal harbored the same question. Watching Yuk Beom’s strength and flames, the man before him seemed far more suited to Hengsan Academy than Ilwon Academy.
But the fight was not over.
Jo Gwal seized his dislocated arm and twisted it roughly back into place.
Pop!
Having forced the joint back together, he stepped forward again. His right hand would be difficult to use for a time, yet the intent burning in his eyes had not faded.
Yuk Beom took a step forward as well.
The Weaponless Heavy Sword, wreathed in flame, rose above his head.

Blazing Flame Sword.

The massive blade fell, trailing flames.
Jo Gwal did not meet it head-on. From his massive frame came movement so short and swift it seemed impossible—he slipped sideways, evading the sword’s arc.
The Weaponless Heavy Sword crashed down onto the stone floor, scattering flames.
In that instant, Jo Gwal’s left arm turned dark as ink.
His fist struck true into Yuk Beom’s ribs.
Thud!
A dull, heavy impact echoed through the plaza.
A grin flashed across Jo Gwal’s mouth. This fist carried all the Outer Gangjing Realm’s power and the full strength of the body honed by Hengsan Academy training.
But the grin faded just as quickly.
Yuk Beom’s body barely wavered at all.
The Blazing Gold Body and dragon blood membrane, layered with Fusion Strong Energy, withstood the successive impacts. Jo Gwal’s arm, which had struck Yuk Beom’s flank, recoiled as if it had lashed against solid stone.
Yuk Beom seized the wrist that had touched his body.
A chill swept down Jo Gwal’s spine.

“Caught you.”

Divine Soul Force

exploded from Yuk Beom’s fingertips. The power honed through the Ilwon Dao Jue coursed down Jo Gwal’s arm and lashed through his mind. His Gangjing protected his body well enough, but it could offer no defense against an unprepared spirit.

Jo Gwal’s eyes lost focus. Yuk Beom did not release the arm he gripped. Jo Gwal gritted his teeth, struggling to recover his senses, but his limbs refused to obey. The solid flesh of an Outer Gangjing Realm master meant nothing before Divine Soul Force that shook the very mind itself.

Yuk Beom’s arm tightened.
A body like a small mountain lifted into the air.
Crash!
Jo Gwal slammed into the stone floor on his left.
Without pause, Yuk Beom lifted him and drove him down in the opposite direction.
Crash!
Once. Twice.
Jo Gwal’s massive frame swung across the plaza like a club. Each time he struck the ground, stone shattered and deep craters opened. The spectators who had mocked Yuk Beom fell silent. To those who did not understand why Jo Gwal could not resist, it appeared that Yuk Beom was wielding an Outer Gangjing Realm martial artist like a toy, powered by raw strength alone.

Only the sound of stone breaking filled the plaza.
Five times.
Eight times.
On the tenth throw, Yuk Beom released Jo Gwal’s arm.
The massive body soared skyward.
Yuk Beom pushed off the ground and rose after him. The scattered Heaven and Earth Force converged on his body. Power transformed into Fusion Strong Energy accumulated upon the Weaponless Heavy Sword, and the air around the blade trembled under the weight.
In that moment, a vision flashed through Yuk Beom’s mind—something he had glimpsed long ago within the Weaponless Heavy Sword itself.
A single tyrant’s slash that crushed all things.
Yuk Beom seized upon the insight that rose within him and brought the blade down.
Not the edge, but the wide flat of the sword lashed across Jo Gwal’s body.
Crash!
Jo Gwal plummeted into the plaza like a meteor.
Explosions thundered in succession, and stone fragments shot upward ten lengths high. Disciples who could not withstand the shockwave scrambled backward. Yuk Beom himself was driven back by the recoil, but he twisted in the air and landed on his feet.
Presently, the dust settled.
In the deep crater, Jo Gwal lay drenched in blood. His face was swollen beyond recognition, and crimson continued to flow from his mouth.
Yuk Beom had raged, but he had not crossed the final line. He had struck with the flat of the blade, not its edge, and he had avoided the vital points that would have taken a life.
Jo Gwal coughed blood once more before losing consciousness.
Had he not been a Hengsan Academy martial artist, he would have died long before.
Jo Ryeong, witnessing this, collapsed where she stood. Her entire frame trembled, and dark stains bloomed across her lower garments. When she finally broke into tears, disciples from Hengsan and Pyomyo academies hurried the siblings from the plaza. No one tried to stop them.

Every eye was fixed on Yuk Beom. Those who had first mocked him now could not meet his gaze. Some disciples whispered his name to themselves, determined not to forget it, and undisguised curiosity flickered in the eyes of the female disciples.
Some murmured that merely taking Jo Gwal’s place was not enough—with the power just revealed, he would not lose even against someone ranked in the top twenty rather than the thirty-fifth.

“Is that man truly a disciple of Ilwon Academy?”
“He crushed Jo Gwal through sheer force.”
“The Martial Artist Ranking Register must be updated. Write down Yuk Beom’s name at once!”

One disciple hurried from the plaza. Another, holding a fan, laughed with evident intrigue.

“At last, Ilwon Academy has produced a true monster. This branch ranking tournament should prove quite entertaining.”

Yuk Beom paid no mind to the flood of gazes upon him. Defeating Jo Gwal was not about making a name for himself. What mattered was that Han Pung, who had faced a stronger opponent and still refused to take a life, was bleeding.
With the Weaponless Heavy Sword strapped to his back, Yuk Beom returned at once to Han Pung.
Han Pung was slowly rising to his feet, one hand pressed to his waist.

“Well done, youngest! My eye for talent was true, as always. Though I must say, why does my waist hurt so much? Surely this won’t damage my masculine appeal?”
“Your mouth is still working fine, so it seems the damage isn’t too severe.”
“Don’t talk like that—you’ll hurt my feelings. That pill you gave me was quite good. How about one more?”

Yuk Beom drew a Brightcalm Pill from his Void Floating Repository

and tossed it over.
Han Pung caught it, examined it from every angle, then tucked it into his robes without taking it.

“Why won’t you take it?”
“Something this precious would be wasted if I consumed it now. Imagine how grateful a martial brother in pain would be when I handed it to him.”

Yuk Beom found himself at a loss for words.
Young Yo, who had stepped up beside him, gave Han Pung an openly exasperated look.
At that moment, the Bronze Marionettes before the tower spoke in unison.

“Yuk Beom of Ilwon Academy. You have defeated Jo Gwal, ranked thirty-fifth on the Martial Artist Ranking Register.”
“You have earned the right to enter the Training Tower.”

Only then did Yuk Beom remember why he had come to this place.
By defeating Jo Gwal, he had taken his rank.
Young Yo gently grasped Yuk Beom’s sleeve.

“That was truly impressive. How long have you been at the Martial Arts Academy, and you’re already defeating External Force Realm martial artists?”
“The matchup was simply favorable.”

Yuk Beom answered briefly. Jo Gwal was a martial artist who met strength with strength, which had allowed him to fully demonstrate the advantages of the Fusion Strong Energy and Blazing Gold Body he had cultivated.
Han Pung’s eyes gleamed as he pointed to himself.

“What about me? You saw my strength just now, didn’t you? Can’t I enter as well?”
“You did not defeat a martial artist ranked on the Register. Entry is forbidden.”

Han Pung’s face twisted.

“You blockheaded statues! Didn’t you see that I could have killed Jo Gwal? Do you only acknowledge strength through victory?”

The Bronze Marionettes offered no response.
Han Pung cursed for a long time, then abruptly fell silent.
One had to defeat someone on the Martial Artist Ranking Register.
Then who was it who had just defeated Jo Gwal and taken his thirty-fifth position?
Han Pung’s eyes slowly turned toward Yuk Beom.
A familiar smile curved his lips.

“Youngest.”
“Yes?”

Han Pung picked up the Jade Water Long Sky Sword

and stepped into Yuk Beom’s path.

“Let’s have a match.”

He lowered his voice so no one nearby could hear.

“All you have to do is lose.”

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