Ultimate Martial Venerable - Chapter 56

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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 56. Because We’re Friends
As the Training Tower door closed, Young Yo stood before it for a moment.
Yuk Beom’s words from moments earlier came flooding back—the ones he’d gasped out as he crashed onto his back.

‘You’re too strong, Senior.’

The same man who’d driven his sword through Cho Gwal’s body and pinned him to the earth had collapsed before the blade even reached him. The more she recalled it, the more she wanted to laugh.

“Those two really are…….”

Young Yo turned away, her hand covering her mouth.
Yuk Beom and Han Pung had been given a single hour within the tower. There was no need for her to stand guard at the door any longer. In truth, Young Yo knew the Training Tower’s rules quite well—before her name even appeared on the Martial Ranking Board,

her master had brought her inside personally and helped her refine her martial arts.
Of course, she’d told the two nothing of this.
If Han Pung found out, he’d spend days pestering her to bring their master here too. Yuk Beom would probably just stare at her quietly before asking if she’d known all along.
Young Yo tapped the coin purse at her waist lightly.

“I suppose I can afford something that glitters.”

She walked away from the square in quick strides, then stopped short. Three figures were approaching from across the way.

“Yeon Yeon?”

Yeon Yeon smiled as if delighted to see her.

“Young Yo. So you were here?”

The words were warm enough, but Young Yo’s gaze had already shifted to the two beside her. One was Nyeong Han, whom she’d parted with at Boryong Juru. The other was a lean man in a dusty gray martial robe. Sunken eyes and a bloodless face gave him the appearance of an invalid, yet the energy radiating from his frame was far more dangerous than Nyeong Han’s.
Yeon Yeon introduced him.

“He’s U Sim from the Eumyang Academy.”

Young Yo’s eyes widened slightly.

“U Sim—twenty-first on the Martial Ranking Board?”
“Your news travels slow.”

Nyeong Han smiled gently.

“Senior U Sim just defeated Hwang Yeorum of the Cheonggeom Academy. He’s nineteenth now.”

U Sim himself glanced at Nyeong Han with clear annoyance.

“Did you come here to brag about my ranking?”
“Of course not, Senior.”
“Then where are they? Let’s get this done and leave.”

Nyeong Han pointed toward the Training Tower.

“They’re inside.”
“Can’t fight inside the tower.”
“They’ll come out. An hour is sufficient.”

U Sim clicked his tongue.

“I hate waiting. If you’re not as strong as you claim, I’m taking the lot of you down too.”

Nyeong Han’s smile stiffened for just a moment.

“You certainly do joke too much.”
“It’s not a joke.”

The smile faded from Young Yo’s face.

“Are you waiting for Yuk Beom and Han Pung right now?”

Nyeong Han turned to look at her.

“Looks like you’ve already memorized their names.”
“Answer me.”
“That’s right. Han Pung kicked my face, and Yuk Beom broke Yu Hwa, damaging the Yin-Yang Academy’s honor. I can’t just let that slide, can I?”
“Yu Hwa set the condition first. What happened with Han Pung was your own doing — you insulted Ilwon Academy first.”

Young Yo’s voice quickened.

“Is dragging people here after losing really the way to restore the Yin-Yang Academy’s honor?”

Nyeong Han’s gaze turned glacial. Yeon Yeon gently took hold of Young Yo’s arm.

“Why are you getting so worked up?”
“You know as well as I do — they didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Whether they did or didn’t, it’s a matter of the Branch’s face.”

Yeon Yeon smiled soothingly.

“It’s not our place to interfere.”

Young Yo pulled her arm free.

“I’m going to interfere.”
“Why?”
“Because the two of them are…….”

Her words caught. The face of Yuk Beom, who had promised to bring her to Ilwon Academy, appeared before her — and Han Pung, laughing as he vowed to claim the best martial arts for himself first. Young Yo looked directly at Nyeong Han.

“They’re my friends.”

The moment the words left her lips, Young Yo’s heart began racing, though late. They hadn’t known each other long. And yet Yuk Beom had returned his share from the wager as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and Han Pung, for all his bluster, had drawn his sword first when danger came. That was enough for Young Yo.
Yeon Yeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Friends?”
“Yes.”
“How long has it been since you met them on Gambo Mountain? Don’t tell me you’ve developed feelings beyond friendship?”
“What are you saying…….”

Young Yo’s face flushed crimson in an instant. She tried to deny it, but Yuk Beom’s face surfaced in her mind first, and her words tangled.
Nyeong Han’s expression lost all trace of mirth.

“Why is your face turning red over those bastards?”
“Don’t concern yourself with it.”
“I’m worried about you, that’s why I’m saying this. Han Pung lies every time he opens his mouth, and Yuk Beom is someone you can never quite read. There’s no reason you should have anything to do with men like that.”
“That’s for me to decide.”

Nyeong Han stared at Young Yo for a moment, then smiled again.

“All right. Since you call them friends, I won’t destroy them completely.”

His gaze traced slowly across her face.

“Instead, how about you grab a meal with me after this is over? That’s hardly an unreasonable favor, is it?”

Young Yo clenched her teeth.

“Han Pung said you were a despicable person.”
“Did he?”
“That was actually him being rather restrained.”

U Sim let out a soft laugh.
Nyeong Han’s eyes twitched. Young Yo’s flushed face, tinted by thoughts of Yuk Beom, seemed to grate against him unbearably. Yet instead of showing his anger, he only deepened his smile—and that expression sent a chill down Young Yo’s spine.
Nyeong Han’s hand reached toward Young Yo’s wrist.
Smack!
Young Yo deflected his hand with the back of her own.

“Don’t touch me.”

Interest flickered across U Sim’s lips.

“Feisty. Tell me, Nyeong Han—if a man from the Eumyang Academy wants a woman, how should he go about it?”

Nyeong Han rubbed the back of his hand and smiled.

“If words won’t do, you teach through force.”
“So you know that—why keep talking?”

The moment he finished speaking, Nyeong Han moved.
Young Yo retreated, but a step too late. The instant his fingers jabbed her shoulder, violent Gangjing surged through her meridians.

“Ugh…!”

Her limbs went rigid as stone. Young Yo tried to draw up her own Gangjing, but Nyeong Han’s power clamped down on her meridians, trapping her still.
Nyeong Han tapped her shoulder lightly.

“See? This way, we’re both more comfortable.”
“That’s…cowardly.”
“You’ll thank me later.”

He tilted his chin toward Yeon Yeon.

“Bring the girl. I’ll wait in front of the tower.”

Yeon Yeon steadied Young Yo’s body. To any onlooker, she was tenderly supporting a companion who’d nearly collapsed.
Young Yo looked at her with eyes full of disbelief.

“Did you…know about this too?”

Yeon Yeon whispered in her ear, never losing her smile.

“You’re so fortunate, aren’t you?”

Her fingers dug into Young Yo’s arm, harder than before.

“How long have you even been here? Master only has eyes for you. Even on Gambo Mountain, the men take your side.”

Young Yo’s eyes wavered.

“You have so much—you won’t even miss a little bit taken away, will you?”
“Yeon Yeon…”
“Don’t worry. Once you understand your proper place, we’ll get along just fine again.”

Yeon Yeon gently arranged Young Yo’s hair for her.
Young Yo said nothing more. She tried to circulate the Gangjing within her body, but the force wedged into her meridians would not budge. When she forced it outward, a sharp numbness radiated from her shoulder.
Yeon Yeon held her arm tighter.

“Don’t exhaust yourself. This isn’t a problem you can solve alone.”

Young Yo gazed toward the Training Tower rising in the distance.
In one hour, Yuk Beom and Han Pung would walk out those doors. But neither of them knew who waited for them outside.
* * *
Fourth Floor, Training Tower.

“We’re almost there! Just one more floor to the Spirit Rank

rewards!”

Han Pung crawled up the stairs, his voice hoarse from shouting.

“You’ve said that three times already.”
“This time it’s true!”
“You said the same thing a moment ago.”
“Your senior is dying here, and you’re correcting my words?”

With each higher step, the obstacles grew more vicious. The moment a foot touched down, the pattern on the floor drew inward, and every few steps a massive barrier of light rose to block them. Breaking through it sent the shattered force surging back like a wave, slamming them downward.
Yuk Beom stored the Weaponless Heavy Sword

in the Nine Heavens Ring

and raised both fists.

“Collapsing Mountain Fist!”

Gangjing amplified twentyfold crashed into the barrier. His second fist, wreathed in the golden flames of the Blazing Gold Body, shattered the wall of light into fragments.

“Now.”

Yuk Beom slipped through the gap first. Behind him, Han Pung’s Jade Water Long Sky Sword blazed with light.

“Move aside, you cursed wall!”

Outside the gap, the Tal Cheon Sword Method he’d hidden until now split through the remaining barrier. As Han Pung leaped forward, broken light crashed down like a tidal wave.

“Aaaagh! Help!”

Yuk Beom grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

“You said you were fine.”
“Being fine and being pushed back are two different things!”
“Stay behind me.”
“You’re protecting your senior?”
“We’re running out of time.”
“Do you always have to add something like that to feel satisfied?”

Yuk Beom did not answer, pressing on to the next barrier. By shattering the core first himself, he reduced the burden Han Pung’s injured body would have to bear. At times, after breaking through a barrier, he would plant himself on a single step, blocking the resurrecting light with his fists until Han Pung could slip through the gap.
Han Pung understood what he was doing. Ordinarily he would have rushed ahead, but this time he matched Yuk Beom’s pace without complaint. Instead of offering thanks, he merely raised his voice as he swung his blade behind them.

“I’ll take the left! You handle the right!”
“So everything falls to me, then?”
“I’m commanding operations!”

The two ascended hundreds of steps. They passed through Human Rank treasures on this floor, then surpassed even the inferior Spirit Rank items on the Third Floor. With each transition, Han Pung’s gaze drifted toward the flames.

“Yuk Beom. Wouldn’t settling for the Third Floor be reasonable enough?”
“You said it had to be at least Spirit Rank quality.”
“If a person chases only grand dreams, they miss the happiness beneath their feet.”
“And you’re missing time.”

As Yuk Beom continued upward, Han Pung followed with reluctance dripping from his face. Though violet flames hovered near the Fourth Floor, he did not stop this time either.

“The Fourth Floor’s middle-grade Spirit Rank wouldn’t be so bad…….”
“You said you’d go to the Fifth Floor.”
“A wise man knows how to adjust his aims to match circumstances.”
“Time is running out.”

Han Pung gritted his teeth and pushed forward again.

“Fine. The Fifth Floor. And if we come away empty-handed, that’s on you.”
“Why should I bear that responsibility?”
“Forget what’s past. A great martial artist looks only forward.”

The final barrier rose before them. Yuk Beom’s fist and Han Pung’s blade carved through the light in unison. Both threw themselves toward the upper opening, turning their backs on the recovering barrier.
The pressure vanished in an instant.
Han Pung collapsed to the Fifth Floor the moment he stepped onto it.

“Someone help me…….”
“Your mouth still works perfectly.”
“If I couldn’t even speak, how lonely would you be?”

Even as his breath came hard, he swept his eyes across the chamber. In the center stood a towering White Silver Marionette,

and above its head black flames flew like living creatures.
Han Pung read the inscription.

“Fifth Floor, Yu Myeong Hwa

! At last, Spirit Rank quality!”

Two disciples who had arrived earlier were chasing the flames. Even when they managed to catch one, the moment their hands touched it they trembled violently and lost their grip.
Their hands were already swollen and red from being burned several times. Each time they tried to withdraw a tome after grasping the flame, Yu Myeong Hwa thrashed violently, casting them away.
Han Pung watched all this and let out a derisive laugh.

“Don’t be afraid. They’re just slow with their hands.”
“They reached this floor before us.”
“Climbing stairs well doesn’t mean you’ll catch fire well.”

One of the black flames flew close.

“That one’s mine!”

Han Pung hurled himself forward and seized the Yu Myeong Hwa.

“Ha! See that? The old hand at work!”

He thrust his hand boldly into the flames. The moment his fingers brushed the tome, his smile widened.

“Got it. This is definitely a Spirit Rank item… It’s so hot!”

Han Pung’s body flew backward out of the flames, tumbling across the floor.
The male disciple who had ascended first let out a derisive snort.

“Fool. Did you really think Yu Myeong Hwa’s martial skill would come out that easily?”

Han Pung jerked his upper body upright.

“If you’re going to boast, why don’t you retrieve the martial art first!”

Yuk Beom examined his hand. Despite being wrapped in Strong Energy, his palm had flushed a deep red.

“Are you all right?”
“It hurts terribly.”

Han Pung clenched his teeth as he rose, raising his voice.

“But it’s nothing! My hand just warmed up a little!”

Both disciples snickered in unison.
Yuk Beom looked up at Yu Myeong Hwa.

“I’ll try it.”
“Be careful. That fire—its nature is fouler than mine.”
“That does sound dangerous.”
“Was that concern or an insult?”
“Both.”

Yuk Beom pushed off the ground. His hand grasped the black flames precisely.
Searing heat clawed into his palm, and the flames thrashed like a living beast. Yet the body hardened by Blazing Gold Body cultivation, the membrane of dragon blood, and layered Fusion Strong Energy held the inferno at bay.
Yuk Beom descended lightly, still clutching Yu Myeong Hwa.
Han Pung stared at him blankly.

“Doesn’t it burn?”

Yuk Beom checked the sensation in his palm.

“A little.”

Han Pung and both disciples’ eyes widened simultaneously.
In Yuk Beom’s hand, Yu Myeong Hwa blazed fiercely.
Yet his hand remained unmarked.

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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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