Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 55

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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 55. My Senior Brother Is Too Strong
“All you have to do is lose.”

Han Pung lowered his voice deliberately.
A sinister smile played at the corners of his mouth, and both his hands were already rubbing together with anticipation. It was hard to believe this was the same man who’d been clutching his side and groaning in agony just moments before.
Yuk Beom glanced back and forth between Han Pung and the Training Tower

entrance.

“Will those marionettes even fall for it?”
“It’s not about deceiving them.”

Han Pung’s expression grew serious.

“They’re simply following the rules very faithfully.”
“So if I deliberately lose, that’s faithful?”
“The world remembers results, that’s all.”

Han Pung tapped Yuk Beom’s shoulder, speaking with genuine gravity.

“You beat Jogrwal. If you lose to me, doesn’t that make me stronger than him? Why are you overcomplicating something so simple?”

Yuk Beom said nothing and turned his gaze to the two Bronze Marionettes

standing before the gate.
They really did repeat only what they’d been programmed to say. If you defeated someone on the Martial Ranking List, they’d grant entry. They never mentioned anything about verifying the authenticity of the fight.

“Listen, younger brother.”

Han Pung pressed on.

“A single superior martial art could change your senior brother’s entire life.”
“That’s an odd thing for someone who was going to tempt their junior brother with Clarity Restoration Pills.”
“That’s about changing my life, isn’t it?”

Han Pung didn’t waver an inch.
Young Yo, who’d been watching the exchange, finally covered her mouth and laughed.

“Are you two really going through with this?”

Han Pung turned his head sharply.

“A martial artist must be honest in the pursuit of learning, Senior Sister Young Yo.”
“It sounds to me like what you’re about to do is very far from honest.”
“You haven’t lived in the world long enough yet, Senior Sister. This isn’t about honesty—it’s a matter of wisdom.”
“Your words keep changing.”
“A person who does great things must know how to adjust his words to match the situation.”

Young Yo’s shoulders trembled faintly with suppressed laughter.
Yuk Beom exhaled softly. He didn’t like the idea of deliberately losing in front of all these people. But it was also true that Han Pung had been injured while fighting Jogrwal on his account. And he had no way of knowing what martial arts awaited inside the Training Tower.

“Just this once.”
“Understood, understood. I won’t ask twice.”

Han Pung answered, then paused to think for a moment before folding down two fingers, leaving only one raised.

“Today, anyway.”

Yuk Beom’s eyes narrowed.

“Senior.”
“Why do you sound so ominous? I’ll go in first and scout out some good martial techniques for you too. Everything I do going in first is reconnaissance for you, youngest.”
“What if there’s only one good option?”

Han Pung averted his gaze.

“We’ll figure that out once we’re inside.”
“Still doesn’t sound trustworthy.”

Young Yo let out a laugh she could no longer contain.

“Young Master Yuk Beom sees right through you, doesn’t he?”
“Even with the short time we’ve spent together, there are some things you can tell.”
“Youngest, don’t hastily judge your senior’s depths.”
“They show rather quickly, being so shallow.”

Han Pung’s face brightened considerably.

“There’s truly no one like you, youngest!”
“Just don’t drag this out too long, please.”
“Don’t worry. With my skill at acting, I’ll finish it in a single move.”

That was exactly what worried Yuk Beom most.
Han Pung cleared his throat a couple of times, then suddenly straightened his spine. Tensing his abdomen and lifting his chin, the tottering figure from moments before vanished as if it had never been. He stepped back from Yuk Beom, raising his voice.

“Yuk Beom, my disciple!”

All the disciples remaining in the courtyard turned at once.

“What you just did against Jogrwal showed some skill. But seeing you strut about relying only on strength—I, as your senior, cannot simply overlook such a thing.”

Yuk Beom had to press his lips firmly together to keep from laughing.

“You didn’t say anything like that when Jogrwal was hitting you, did you?”

Han Pung’s eyebrow twitched.

“I deliberately took those blows for you.”
“Why?”
“To teach a junior student properly, a master must first display his mastery and composure.”

Barely suppressed laughter rippled through the gathered onlookers.

“Does he have a iron plate in his forehead or something?”
“Wasn’t he rolling around on the ground just now?”
“Who’s going to believe this after he got dragged out on a stretcher?”

Han Pung pretended not to hear, extending his hand.
The Jade Water Long Sky Sword embedded in the stone floor trembled, then flew toward his palm. Several disciples who had been mocking him just moments before shifted their gaze, forced to acknowledge his skill.
Han Pung spun the blade once and planted it before him with practiced flair.

“Youngest, watch carefully.”
“I’m watching.”
“Let me etch into your very bones what this senior’s sword can do.”
“Take care of that injured back first.”

“Concentrate!”

Han Pung charged toward Yuk Beom.
His momentum was impressive. But the moment the Jade Water Long Sky Sword extended forward, its tip wavered without force, and barely any Strong Energy emanated from it. It was a thrust so slow that Yuk Beom could have dodged it with merely a slight turn of his head.
Yet Yuk Beom’s eyes went wide.

“Hrgh!”

Before the blade even touched his body, his shoulders trembled violently. The Weaponless Heavy Sword

in his hand clattered to the floor, and Yuk Beom staggered back two full steps, clutching his chest.

“How… how is this possible…….”

The corners of Han Pung’s mouth lifted slightly.
The moment Yuk Beom saw that expression, he suddenly lost all desire to continue.
But it was already too late—he’d begun.
He gritted his teeth and forced out his final line.

“Senior… you are far too strong.”

Thud.
Yuk Beom sprawled flat on his back.
The courtyard fell silent.
Han Pung sheathed his sword and exhaled long and slow. He even wiped his brow with a flourish, as if he’d just concluded a genuinely grueling bout.

“Phew. The youngest held out rather well.”

Someone could no longer hold back.

“His blade didn’t even touch him!”
“Are you calling that a duel?”
“The one falling down wasn’t even convincing!”
“This is even more awkward than when he laid out Jogrwal!”

The jeers burrowed even into the ears of Yuk Beom, lying prone on the ground. He wanted nothing more than to spring up and pretend ignorance, but the sight of Han Pung moving toward the Bronze Marionettes meant he had to endure just a little longer.
Then a small, stifled laugh escaped from beside him.
When Yuk Beom’s eyes shifted, Young Yo quickly covered her mouth. Tears were already glistening at the corners of her eyes.

“……Please do not laugh.”

Yuk Beom spoke quietly from the ground.

“I wasn’t laughing.”
“I heard it clearly.”
“I’m sorry. But the way you fell so seriously…….”
“I was not falling seriously.”
“That makes it even funnier.”

Young Yo’s shoulders quaked as she kept her back turned, her face flushed from suppressing her laughter.
Han Pung ignored the jeers entirely and strode toward the Bronze Marionettes.

“Did you see?”

The Bronze Marionettes did not answer.

“Yuk Beom—the one who struck down Jogrwal—fell with a single stroke of my blade. Surely that proves I deserve a place on the Martial Ranking List, does it not?”

The red eyes of both marionettes flickered in turn.
One observed the fallen Yuk Beom while the other surveyed Han Pung with his drawn sword. Even as the onlookers shouted “Fraud!”, the marionettes did not blink once.
Han Pung pointed at Yuk Beom with one finger.

“This one defeated Jogrwal.”

Then he pointed at himself.

“And I defeated this one.”

He broke into a wide grin.

“The math checks out, doesn’t it?”

After a long silence, two long spears slowly rose.

“Han Pung of Ilwon Academy.”
“You have defeated a martial artist from the Martial Ranking List. Entry is granted.”

The courtyard erupted into chaos.

“You actually believe that?”
“Do these marionettes have nothing but stone in their heads?”
“I’m going to bring my senior brother from the ranking list too!”

Han Pung spread both arms wide like a man receiving an ovation.

“Don’t be jealous! This is pure skill!”

The moment the Training Tower door swung open, he winked at Yuk Beom.

“Little brother, I’m going in first to claim the best treasures!”
“Please save something for me as well.”
“Don’t you trust your senior brother?”
“That’s precisely why I’m asking.”

Han Pung disappeared into the tower with a hearty laugh.
Only after the door closed did Yuk Beom push himself up. As he dusted the dirt from his clothes, Young Yo approached as though she’d been waiting for exactly that moment. The moment their eyes met, she bit her lip as though fighting back a smile.
She seemed on the verge of laughing at the sight of his face.

“Senior brother is… terribly strong.”

Young Yo mimicked Yuk Beom’s stiff voice.
His face tightened slightly.

“Please forget that.”
“How could I? A moment ago you were beating down Jogrwal like that, and then you collapsed before even a blade could touch you.”
“He was helping me.”
“I know.”

Young Yo smiled and nodded.

“You two are strange. Whenever you meet, you bicker with each other, and Han Pung orders you around constantly… yet when something actually happens, you both leap forward first.”

Young Yo gazed at the closed door as though recalling her duel with Jogrwal just moments before.

“Han Pung acts as though he only cares about his own survival, yet the moment you’re in danger, he draws his blade first. You complain and grumble, yet you always end up granting his requests in the end.”
“I don’t grant all of them.”
“You just threw yourself to the ground in front of everyone.”

Yuk Beom found himself at a loss for words.

“That’s… because Master was injured.”
“So I was right, wasn’t I?”

Young Yo laughed playfully.

“When you two are together, I sometimes can’t tell who’s the master and who’s the student.”
“I find myself confused about that too, at times.”

Young Yo broke into laughter again. Yuk Beom glanced back at the closed door.

“But Master fought for me first, after all.”

His answer was brief, but Young Yo’s laughter softened somewhat.
She pointed toward the Training Tower.

“Now you should go in as well, Yuk Beom. If you see any decent martial arts inside…”

Young Yo trailed off, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Please find one for me too.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go in and choose for yourself?”

Yuk Beom glanced sideways at the Bronze Marionette.

“I can knock it down once more.”

Young Yo finally broke into open laughter.

“I don’t want to. I’m not as good at acting as you are.”
“Didn’t you just mock me?”
“A little.”

Young Yo held up her fingers to show how small. Yet her face, brimming with laughter, looked anything but slightly amused.

“Besides, I don’t think I’ll be able to learn any martial arts even if I go inside. They say it doesn’t end just by crossing the threshold.”

Yuk Beom studied Young Yo.
When they’d raced up Gambo Mountain, she’d followed the two of them with ease. Even now, she didn’t seem like someone showing her full strength. Yet she’d drawn a line, saying she lacked confidence inside the Training Tower.
Young Yo avoided his gaze, clasping her hands behind her back.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No reason.”
“You look suspicious.”
“This is just my face.”
“That’s a lie.”

Young Yo laughed again.

“Anyway, I’m asking you to pick one for me. I think you’ll choose something better than I would.”
“Understood.”

Yuk Beom didn’t press further.
Young Yo nodded, satisfied, then spoke again as if something had just occurred to her.

“And don’t go straight back when you come out.”
“Why?”
“You promised to take me to Ilwon Academy.”
“Did I?”

Young Yo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You said earlier that we should eat together.”
“I did say let’s have a meal, but Ilwon Academy…”
“Then we can decide right now.”

Young Yo spoke without giving her a chance to respond.

“I want to eat at Ilwon Academy. Han Pung goes on about it so much that I’m curious what it’s actually like. And I want to see Kkamangi too.”

Yuk Beom thought for a moment, then nodded.

“As long as Kkamangi behaves himself.”
“Does he bite people?”
“He’s fine as long as you don’t touch his food.”
“Then you just hold him tight.”

Young Yo spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Having extracted her promise, she stepped back.

“I’ll look around the area for a bit first. I need to find something good.”
“Don’t expect too much.”
“Why wouldn’t I expect something?”

Young Yo didn’t wait for his answer. She waved her hand and left the courtyard.
Yuk Beom watched her retreating figure for a moment, then walked toward the Training Tower.
As expected, two spear-wielders blocked the path again.

“Yuk Beom of Ilwon Academy. You were defeated by Han Pung.”
“That is correct.”
“Entry is forbidden.”

Laughter erupted among the disciples remaining in the courtyard.

“He was trying to let his senior brother in, and now he’s the one who can’t get through.”
“Who told him to put on such a terrible act?”

Yuk Beom paid no attention to the laughter.

“I have defeated Jogrwal and am now ranked thirty-fifth.”
“That is so.”
“Losing once to Han Pung does not drop me below fiftieth on the Martial Ranking List, does it?”

The red eyes of the Bronze Marionettes flashed in unison.
Yuk Beom continued calmly.

“If Han Pung is ranked thirty-fifth, then I am ranked thirty-sixth. I am still within the Martial Ranking List.”

The two marionettes looked at each other.
This time, the calculation took a while as well.
Curses were already pouring in from those around them.

“If they let him through this time, they’re truly brainless!”
“What’s the point of the Martial Ranking List if things go like this?”

A moment later, the spear was raised.

“Yuk Beom of Ilwon Academy.”
“Entry is permitted.”

A sigh of resignation rippled through the courtyard.
Yuk Beom walked into the Training Tower as though nothing had happened.
The moment the great door closed behind him, the clamor that had been pouring down was cut away like a knife through cloth.
Inside the tower, all was vast and still.
Beneath the ceiling, countless golden flames drifted lazily. Without a breath of wind, they swayed up and down as though alive, weaving between one another.
Yuk Beom’s eyes narrowed.
Each flame held a book within it.
One of the flames that had drifted near brushed past his face. The heat radiating from it was barely perceptible on the surface, yet the book inside cast out a faint glow. It seemed near enough to touch, but the moment his fingertips moved, it bobbed playfully upward.
A shout erupted from somewhere deeper in the tower.

“Yuk Beom! Over here! These wretched fireballs are mocking us!”

As Yuk Beom ventured inward, Han Pung was chasing after one of the golden flames, taking a few quick steps before clutching his waist and stopping short.

“It looks like I can grab it, so I reach out, and it slips away just by a span. If this were a proper martial art, it would settle obediently in my hands. Why must it be so infuriatingly troublesome?”
“Judging by the way it avoids you, it seems to have some perception.”
“The moment you walk in, you’re already taking jabs at me. Show some mercy to a man beaten up by Jogrwal.”
“I heard you were already eyeing the best techniques for yourself?”

Han Pung cleared his throat and turned his head toward the stone tablet.

“First, I need to tell you the rules so you know your share.”

Han Pung tapped on the stone tablet.

“First level: Golden Flame Fire.

The name sounds grand, though I haven’t the faintest idea what it means.”

Yuk Beom looked up at the flames hovering overhead.

“I believe that refers to those flames.”
“I gathered that much. The question is how to extract what’s inside.”

Just as Han Pung reached out toward one of the nearby flames, the sound of grinding stone rang out.
The walls on either side of the staircase swung open, and a colossal Stone Marionette emerged. Its body stretched across a dozen paces, and it wielded a long blade, its eyes aglow with crimson light.

“Choose the technique you wish to learn. Each student may obtain one technique from this level.”

Han Pung immediately withdrew his hand.

“Just what we needed—someone to explain the rules.”

He called out to the Stone Marionette, tilting his head back.

“So these golden fireballs contain martial techniques inside them?”
“They do.”
“And if I extract it, it becomes mine?”
“Yes. You are given one shichen of time. When the time expires, you will be driven out of the Training Tower. The techniques on this level are at most mid-grade Human Grade.

If you desire higher techniques, ascend to the upper levels.”

All hope drained from Han Pung’s face.

“Merely mid-grade Human Grade?”

He waved his hand dismissively at the golden flames.

“Yuk Beom, there’s nothing worth seeing here. Let’s go higher.”

Han Pung took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

“Wait. Does one Shichen mean one Shichen on this floor, or one Shichen for the entire tower?”
“One Shichen for the entire tower. You may choose one technique on each floor, but the time allotment does not increase.”

Han Pung’s expression hardened gradually.

“So while I’m here grabbing one golden ball of fire and deliberating, time is still running out?”
“It is.”
“Even if I go up to a higher floor and come back down because nothing there suits me?”
“Time continues to diminish.”
“You’re at least subtracting the time I spent wrestling with the marionette outside, right?”

The Stone Marionette did not answer at all.
Han Pung turned to Yuk Beom.

“Youngest, that bastard is deliberately ignoring my question.”
“It seems the answer was not worth giving.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“Time is running out.”

Han Pung’s face went pale.

“Damn it all!”

Han Pung bolted toward the staircase.

“Youngest, move! I didn’t limp in here with my back nearly broken just to settle for some Human Grade nonsense. At minimum, I’m getting a Spirit Grade

treasure!”
“Your back has looked fine since we arrived.”
“Stop talking and start moving!”

Yuk Beom stepped onto the first stair behind him.
In that instant, a crushing force seized his ankles from below. The ordinary-seeming stone steps grew heavy, as if the entire staircase were trying to pin his body to the ground.
Han Pung ahead of him staggered, his back bending dangerously.

“So they make it hard enough to get in, then pull this stunt with the stairs too?”

Han Pung gritted his teeth and forced his next foot upward.

“If only I could still fly, I’d vault over these cursed stones in one leap.”

Yuk Beom looked up at the long staircase stretching above them.
The Bronze Marionette at the entrance could be tricked with cunning.
But from here onward, it was different.
If you wanted the higher techniques, you had to climb through your own strength.

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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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