Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 106
>Chapter Title: The Three Veins Ceremony (2)
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The Second Disciple of the Assembly Leader, Jang Nung-ak, shouted loudly.
“The successor of the Moon Vein has arrived!”
No sooner had his cry ended than a path split open in two from the crowd that was neither the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang's faction nor the Earth Vein forces.
Someone revealed themselves.
All eyes turned toward that spot at once.
“Who’s that?”
“Isn’t he the disciple the Shadow Branch Leader took in?”
“That guy’s definitely from the orthodox faction’s hostages...”
Murmurs rippled here and there at Mok Kyung-un’s sudden appearance.
It was a moment no one had anticipated.
“H-How?”
Mo Yak, standing beside the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang, couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
What in the world was going on?
Hadn’t Elder Council’s envoy Yul Myeong boasted that he would bring every ounce of force he could muster to deal with Mok Kyung-un?
So how had that guy made it here?
Moreover, judging by his attire and appearance, there wasn’t even a trace of injury.
No way?
‘That can’t be?’
Even if he had surpassed the Wall, was it possible to face that level of force without a single scratch?
Mo Yak looked up at Na Yul-ryang beside her and said.
“Young... uh?”
In that instant, words failed her.
She had seen Na Yul-ryang in foul moods plenty of times, but never with a face frozen like this.
The gaze Na Yul-ryang fixed on Mok Kyung-un brimmed with tangled emotions.
As she suspected, Na Yul-ryang was inwardly displeased at Mok Kyung-un’s unscathed arrival here.
Yet something irked him even more.
‘Moon Vein?’
Moon Vein? What nonsense was this?
The Moon Vein he knew had been utterly exterminated over a hundred years ago—not just the clan, but even the remaining manuals were cursed, killing anyone who touched them in droves, rendering revival impossible.
So why was that bastard Jang Nung-ak introducing Mok Kyung-un as the Moon Vein’s successor?
‘What’s his game?’
Quick to judge situations and deeply insightful, even he couldn’t make sense of this.
Mok Kyung-un was strong, but he wasn’t meant to be the star here.
His role was to assist the Second Disciple Jang Nung-ak or the youngest, Wi So-yeon, helping one of them surpass him and become a succession candidate.
Yet Jang Nung-ak was flipping the script.
Did he really mean to claim Mok Kyung-un was the Moon Vein’s successor?
“Moon Vein?”
Yang Jeong, the Earth Vein family head, furrowed his brow.
This hadn’t been discussed with the Assembly Leader beforehand.
No, the Moon Vein had vanished long ago, so it was off the table entirely.
‘Beautiful.’
Even as a man, it was a strikingly handsome face.
Adorned properly, it could pass for a woman’s—so what did it mean that this young junior brother was the Moon Vein’s successor?
Among the Assembly Leader’s disciples, Jang Nung-ak was known for his schemes.
But he couldn’t fathom the intent.
If it were the Heaven Vein successor stepping up to join the Three Veins Ceremony, that’d make sense, but why drag in a third party as the vanished Moon Vein’s heir?
‘Assembly Leader.’
In the end, the Earth Vein family head Yang Jeong lifted his head, eyes conveying utter incomprehension toward the Assembly Leader.
Was this part of your plan?
Or an unforeseen twist even you didn’t predict?
‘...’
At that moment, Yang Jeong’s eyes narrowed.
Murmurs spread at the mention of the Moon Vein successor, yet the Assembly Leader showed no change in expression.
From this reaction, it seemed he had anticipated this to some degree?
‘You knew?’
Of course, it wasn’t quite that.
The Assembly Leader’s eyes also gleamed at Mok Kyung-un stepping forward as the Moon Vein successor.
Unlike the others, though, he wasn’t greatly surprised because he had known from the start that Mok Kyung-un, the orthodox faction hostage, had inherited the Moon Vein’s arts—and it was he who had kept that information suppressed.
‘Fateful.’
Yet he had revealed it himself.
And right at the moment the Three Veins Ceremony was about to begin, no less.
The Assembly Leader clicked his tongue.
Perhaps it was inevitable.
“Assembly Leader.”
Then Vice Assembly Leader Mong So-cheon approached, gesturing awkwardly toward Mok Kyung-un who had emerged from the crowd.
“What do we do? I don’t know how he found out, but it seems Young Master Jang Nung-ak acted on his own. We should stop him from...”
“Let it be.”
“Pardon?”
“The will possessed by the ghost won’t pass up this golden opportunity.”
‘The will possessed by the ghost?’
What did that mean?
Was he saying the kid Mok Kyung-un had mastered the cursed Moon Vein manual no one else could?
Puzzled by the Assembly Leader’s cryptic words, just then—
“The successor of the Heaven Vein’s arts, Na Yul-ryang, shall participate in the Three Veins Ceremony.”
Na Yul-ryang’s voice boomed across the main hall’s plaza.
His resounding declaration left the assembly in awe.
It was said that even among the Five Kings, Na Yul-ryang’s prowess rivaled the Eight Stars—and it proved true to his reputation.
Infusing his voice with qi to indirectly reveal his attainment, Na Yul-ryang cupped his fists in salute toward Yang Jeong, the Earth Vein family head.
This was a clear declaration of intent to proceed with the Three Veins Ceremony.
‘As expected of the Eldest Young Master. Yes, that’s how it should be.’
Yang Jeong returned the cupped-fist salute.
From his prior talks with the Assembly Leader, he had anticipated Na Yul-ryang wouldn’t yield succession rights easily.
If so, this was all the better.
It was far more legitimate for the next successor to step into the Three Veins Ceremony of his own accord than for the Assembly Leader to hand it over outright.
However, on the other hand—
“We acknowledge Young Master Na Yul-ryang of the Heaven Vein’s participation, but on what grounds do you claim that young junior brother there is the Moon Vein’s successor? Can you convince me?”
At his question, Mok Kyung-un quietly reached for the sheath of his demonic sword Ak-juk at his waist.
Gripping the sheath, Mok Kyung-un transmitted.
—Finally. The moment has come.
—Yes, child of man.
Cheong-ryeong’s responding voice trembled.
She had waited solely for this instant.
A hundred years ago, everything she possessed had been stripped by the Heaven Vein family head of that time, Byeok So-heon, leaving her a vengeful spirit.
As the first and last Assembly Leader of the Heaven-Earth-Moon Society, she intended to reclaim her lost honor and all that was hers.
And now was the beginning.
—Shing!
Mok Kyung-un drew the demonic sword Ak-juk.
—Woooooong!
The moment the sword was unsheathed, its eerie demonic energy burst forth, sending chills down the spines of all who beheld it.
“Is that the demonic sword Ak-juk?”
“The aura flowing from the blade is truly sinister.”
“Even so, what a famed sword. The sharpness emanating from it is no joke.”
Those renowned as sword appraisers in the Heaven-Earth Society eyed the demonic sword Ak-juk with interest.
No appraiser could resist a sword forged by the master craftsman Gu Ya-ja, demonic or not.
—Swish!
Mok Kyung-un swiftly assumed a ready stance.
He then slowly traced a trajectory with the sword.
All who watched that path recalled the full moon hanging in the night sky.
The trajectory was so pristine that some spectators’ jaws dropped involuntarily.
Especially those skilled appraisers.
They couldn’t hold back exclamations at the sight of the slow-drawn path.
It was a simple arc, yet so perfect that no gaps or flaws were visible.
‘As expected...’
Even Cheong-ryeong watched in admiration.
The first time she had shown him the Moon Vein sword forms, Mok Kyung-un had internalized them at a glance.
But that had been mere motions.
Now, properly executing the forms—not approximations—his Moon Vein swordsmanship had already surpassed her own.
It had become even more perfect in his hands, for which she was grateful.
—Slash!
Exclamations arose here and there at Mok Kyung-un’s following sword sequence.
“Unbelievable.”
“How can a sword sequence be this beautiful?”
“That sequence...”
Those admiring it soon couldn’t hide their shock.
Mok Kyung-un’s swordsmanship resembled the Heaven Vein forms, yet its essence was distinctly different.
‘...No doubt, the Moon Vein swordsmanship.’
Even Earth Vein family head Yang Jeong had to inwardly acknowledge it.
The three veins derived from one root shared similarities in their forms despite differing essences—and Mok Kyung-un’s display was so ingenious that even first-time viewers envisioned the moon.
Thus,
“Enough!”
Yang Jeong shouted for him to stop.
Mok Kyung-un halted midway through the sequence’s first half and looked at him.
Yang Jeong then cupped his fists in salute and said.
“No denying it—you have undeniably inherited the Moon Vein’s arts. I, Yang Jeong, recognize you as the Moon Vein’s successor.”
—Rustle, rustle!
Murmurs spread at his declaration.
Though taken as a disciple by the Shadow Branch Leader, many in the Society still viewed Mok Kyung-un as little more than an orthodox faction hostage.
For the Earth Vein—one of the three—to recognize him as the Moon Vein successor was shocking.
Amid this, Yang Jeong’s aide whispered.
“Recognizing him as Moon Vein is one thing, but why stop him midway, family head?”
“The Three Veins Ceremony hasn’t even begun. What meaning is there in defeating an opponent who’s revealed all their cards?”
“Even so, family head...”
“Enough. True victory demands overcoming a foe at full strength.”
This was why the Earth Vein family head Yang Jeong had halted Mok Kyung-un mid-sequence.
Not from disdain or hasty concession.
He simply sought a matchup on equal, undeniable terms.
At his display, Mo Yak let out a sigh.
‘I had hoped the Earth Vein family head wouldn’t acknowledge him.’
No help for it now.
The Assembly Leader, who had first proposed the Three Veins Ceremony to give other veins a chance, had tacitly allowed Mok Kyung-un’s appearance—perhaps he had known all along.
—Clench!
Mo Yak bit her lip hard and looked toward Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang.
Before Mok Kyung-un appeared, her sole hope had been for him to join the Three Veins Ceremony and best the Earth Vein family head.
But the situation had turned dire.
Though she cheered for her lord Na Yul-ryang, having witnessed Mok Kyung-un’s monstrous prowess firsthand, she couldn’t bet on his victory.
Yet,
—Clench!
She saw Na Yul-ryang’s fist tighten.
His eyes still burned with fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Mo Yak felt a pang of shame.
Her lord hadn’t given up, yet she had nearly advised retreat from a hopeless fight.
Then her duty was clear.
To tilt the board even slightly in Na Yul-ryang’s favor.
“Please hold a moment!”
Mo Yak stepped forward and cried out.
All eyes turned to her.
Her hair disheveled, chest exposed—some from Na Yul-ryang’s faction, mistaking her for a man, widened their eyes.
Ignoring them, she shouted.
“The Assembly Leader proposed the Three Veins Ceremony to give other veins a chance, but this is absurd no matter how you slice it.”
“Absurd?”
One of Yang Jeong’s eyebrows arched.
He had just recognized the man as Moon Vein successor—what right did this wench have to interfere?
Yang Jeong spoke in a cold voice.
“Young miss, this isn’t your place to interject.”
“I apologize for disturbing you. But even for the Three Veins Ceremony, one must meet minimum qualifications.”
“Minimum qualifications? What are you on about? Any more than this...”
“The Three Veins Ceremony isn’t merely about martial prowess. This decides the Society’s leader. Can you lead the Society by deciding on skill alone?”
“So what are you getting at?”
“Even if he inherited the Moon Vein’s arts, unlike Earth Vein leader Yang Jeong or my lord Na Yul-ryang of the Heaven Vein, he’s originally an orthodox faction hostage.”
“...”
At her words, Yang Jeong fell silent, his enthusiasm waning as he regarded her.
Seizing the moment, Mo Yak pressed on.
“True, the Shadow Branch Leader—one of the three branch leaders—took him as a disciple. But if a hostage from outside with no real foundation in the Society participates in the Three Veins Ceremony on that basis alone and somehow becomes successor, who would truly follow?”
—Rustle, rustle!
Murmurs spread at her words.
Many agreed with her.
Separate from inheriting the Moon Vein or his skills, Mok Kyung-un was an outsider brought as a hostage.
What foundation did such a person have to lead the Heaven-Earth Society?
‘Perfect.’
As the reaction spread, she inwardly cheered.
Skill alone favored Mok Kyung-un most, but leading an organization required more.
‘I need to push this hard.’
She had to seize this chance to bar Mok Kyung-un from the Three Veins Ceremony.
Right then—
“Hahaha. To call my disciple lacking in foundation—how intriguing.”
‘!?’
All eyes turned toward the voice laced with qi.
There stood a middle-aged man in his late forties, hands clasped behind his back.
The sight of him left everyone stunned.
Word had already spread throughout the Society of one who had recently surpassed the Wall and undergone bone transformation.
It was the Venom Isle King, Baek Sa.
[Chapter 106: The Three Veins Ceremony (2)] End