Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 303

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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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Chapter 303
Without a clock, judging by my internal sense of time, it seemed to take at least a full day.
Among them were secret martial techniques and profound teachings from various sects.
Thanks to this, I came to know not only the martial arts of the Mudang Sect that I was already familiar with, but also those of the Northern Ice Palace.
After reading through everything, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call myself a walking encyclopedia of martial techniques and profound teachings.
‘However, these are advanced martial techniques and teachings, so they’re simply not easy to comprehend.’
Even knowing much, the world of martial arts is vast—merely memorizing a few passages doesn’t solve the problem.
Especially techniques of this caliber were similar to reading the Taiji Sword Scripture.
‘Back then, my eyes read the passages but I couldn’t understand the content. In the end, such martial knowledge must be grasped through countless exchanges of blades with others and enlightenment through insight.’
So this is where the easy path ends.
Well, to say I took the easy path would be an overstatement—I had to stake my life to come this far.
I wondered if there was a safer and easier way to gain knowledge without effort, but it seems this is simply the way of the world—some things cannot be helped.
‘If I continue to dedicate myself to martial knowledge and research with my Master, perhaps something worthwhile will emerge.’
After thinking that far, my body swayed slightly.
‘I’m hungry.’
I had tucked an Imperial grain-abstinence pill into my sleeve just in case, but I had already consumed it all long ago and my stomach was empty again.
‘Let me rest for now.’
I lay my body down on a plush, elongated chair placed in the center.
There was a symbol marking the Emperor, but I deliberately averted my gaze.
After resting in that comfortable place for quite some time, my strength gradually returned.
‘There’s a water scent—perhaps there’s something to drink around here.’
Looking around, I spotted a spring.
‘My throat is parched, but is it safe to drink from this?’
I had brought a martial arts-style water container in advance, but the guards at the Imperial Palace entrance had confiscated all my belongings.
They said they would keep it safe until my return, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
I slowly focused my perception on the water and tilted my head in confusion.
“Why am I detecting spiritual medicine properties from the spring water?”
I was only trying to determine whether it was safe to drink, but spiritual medicine?
Ah, I can’t resist this.
As I swallowed a mouthful, a refreshing energy flowed down my throat.
“It’s not the legendary Pure Jade Spiritual Oil, but this spring water is at least semi-spiritual grade or lower-tier spiritual grade…? If I just drank this during the early stages of building inner strength and practiced the Circulation Technique, my inner strength would accumulate?”
‘…Those imperial family bastards, they’ve been hoarding all the good stuff in secret!’
A spring gushing forth semi-spiritual grade water.
As a modern person, my desire burns fiercely.
‘No, this alone is an incredible treasure?’
With this spring water, I could not only raise a sect but even become a ruler of the Gangho for generations to come.
“Tsk, I should drink more.”
Now that I’m already thirty years into my cultivation, there’s no point in expecting benefits from drinking this.
Still, it’s free and a treasure, so I drink a bit more.
After quenching my thirst this way, I stretched out languidly. Since I understand that rest is important, I’m stretching out like this to rest a little.
This is a time for rest.
My mind needs a break.
As I sat there in a daze, I suddenly sensed something amiss.
‘What feels so strange about this?’
I glanced around the room. After staring for a long while, it finally clicked.
‘Ah, the objects were arranged in the pattern of the Eight Trigrams.’
But not just the Eight Trigrams—they were inverted.
‘Why is it reversed like this?’
Puzzled by the oddity, I stared for a while longer before finally scratching my head.
“Right. Since hidden secrets led to more hidden secrets, it wouldn’t be strange if there’s something else concealed here too.”
I pondered briefly, then moved the jar.
After that, I began rearranging the other objects to match the Eight Trigrams pattern.
Each one was a remarkable treasure, but I focused solely on moving them into position.
Once all the objects were arranged in their correct places,
I finally positioned the sword that had been inserted and placed it properly.
Click—
‘As expected, something else was hidden here too.’
Whoever designed this place was clearly either someone consumed by distrust of humanity, or someone who enjoyed toying with people.
‘Much like the Jegal Family ancestors, I’d imagine.’
From what I’d vaguely heard from my Master, those who served as strategists in the Gangho for long periods often developed occupational quirks.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble!
This time, not only did the mechanism activate, but the entire surrounding aura began to convulse.
‘What… is happening?’
A formation? Or…?
For reasons unknown, a terrifying aura pressed down on my heart, and simultaneously, the center of the floor split open to reveal another staircase.
‘Phew. Is this the last one?’
Having come this far, there was no point in deliberating whether to descend or not.
I straightened my clothes and slowly made my way down the stairs.
The deeper I descended, the more that terrible aura pressed down upon my entire body.
When I regained my senses, thick mist surrounded me.
Unlike the upper level(?), night-luminous pearls hung from the ceiling, so it wasn’t dark, but the mist blocked my vision just the same.
‘A formation, then. But different from before.’
Even using my aura sense, I couldn’t perceive my surroundings.
When I turned around, the entrance and stairs I’d come through had vanished.
‘Until now, no matter how difficult, they were designed to be solvable, but this is something different from what came before.’
Am I going to die?
Here of all places?
Chills ran down my spine.
At that moment, a voice echoed.
—Those without qualification shall be destroyed.
Kuuuugh—
The entire mist began to writhe.
It felt less like a formation and more like being swallowed into the belly of some monstrous beast.
Even drawing upon every scrap of knowledge I possessed, I had never encountered a formation of this nature, and the fear pressed down upon my chest all the more heavily.
“Gasp…!”
An enormous pressure began to crash into my body.
It was different from poison.
Pure Qi!
I could not fathom with human reason why such a thing was operating, or why it existed in this place.
Just as my breath was being strangled away.
Suddenly, light began to emanate from my heart.
Uuuuung—
‘What is this? Why is my body resonating?’
With pressure of this magnitude, my meridians should have burst and I should be dead.
Yet for some reason, my body continued to persist even under this crushing force, unbothered.
—One who possesses qualification. Proceed forward.
The pressure vanished.
“…”
The mist parted, and a path appeared.
I looked down at my own body.
A faint light flickered across the back of my hand before dissipating like sparks.
‘What exactly is this body?’
One who possesses qualification.
I could not comprehend what that meant.
Only the mystery surrounding this body’s true nature deepened.
‘The way back is blocked.’
Then I had no choice but to move forward.
How much further did I walk along the path?
A massive lake revealed itself.
It was a lake within an underground cave, and at the very center of the ceiling there was an opening through which light poured in, casting an ethereal glow across the waters.
‘Is this Jije Lake? To think such a place exists beneath the Imperial Palace…’
First, I needed to find a way back. Perhaps I could climb out through that opening.
The question of how to explain this to the Emperor was troublesome, but I had to survive first before worrying about that.
As I approached the lake with such thoughts, something massive slid past with a slithering sound.
Grrrrr—
I had heard this sound before.
It was the same sound I heard when I exterminated Heukgapoong in the past—that massive spiritual creature, the centipede.
The breathing of a beast.
The breathing of a massive beast at that.
‘The problem is I have no sword.’
Based on the sound alone, this creature must be a spirit beast incomparable to Heukgapoong.
Surely the final trial isn’t ‘win through combat’?
That kind of martial arts novel development does exist.
But even then, the protagonist was given a sword to conduct the test.
Then, with a tremendous splash, something massive parted the water and revealed itself.
“…A dragon?”
A dragon’s head so enormous I couldn’t take it all in at once emerged.
Golden scales symbolizing the Imperial House came into view.
‘Insane—the Imperial House symbol is a golden dragon because there’s actually a golden dragon living beneath the palace?!’
Even now, the inspector’s insignia rests quietly around my wrist.
I never imagined an actual golden dragon dwelled underground, even while wearing this.
‘Yeo Ha-ryun catching a water demon appeared in the novel!’
Like a proper long martial arts epic, later there are battles with immortals and water demons and chaos ensues, but capturing a dragon never happens.
And certainly not one that’s entirely glittering gold!
-How curious. A member of the Imperial bloodline has reached this place despite the time being unripe.
I’ve heard that voice before.
The voice that questioned Jin Cheon-hee’s qualifications at the final trial.
“In truth, I am not of the Imperial bloodline… rather… I am one permitted to use the Imperial insignia. Who… are you?”
The golden dragon let out a scoff.
-Descendant of Boggi. You ask who stands before you? Surely you have not forgotten about me?
‘I said I’m not Imperial bloodline.’
Regardless, I can infer something from the dragon’s words.
“Are you perhaps Eungryong from the founding mythology?”
Eungryong.
Eagle and dragon combined.
While ordinary dragons as divine beasts fly through the void without wings, legend tells that Eungryong ascended beyond the dragon to become a winged dragon.
Eungryong is known as an existence that shared purpose with the ancient gods.
The dragon among dragons. Also called the Divine Dragon.
‘Yet Eungryong never appeared even once in Jicheon Cheonma.’
I never imagined such a worldview secret was hidden beneath the Imperial Palace.
-Indeed. I am Eungryong. Once the Dragon Emperor who lent strength to establish order in the realm.
But why would such a being reside in an underground lake beneath the palace?
“….”
If I said that, I’d be done for in an instant.
This is already a being that transcends human reason.
There is no winning against this.
Splash—
The massive body moved, yet the water’s surface barely rippled.
The dragon’s mirror-like pupils seemed to penetrate the very depths of one’s soul.
-Yet… you are most peculiar. A body that should already be dead moves with life. That spirit cannot be seen by fate. Hmm… you scatter the heavenly mandate itself. Hehe… so that is why you reached this place despite the time being unripe.
Heavenly Timing.
A phrase I’ve grown weary of hearing by now.
“What do you mean by saying the time hasn’t come?”
Splash—
Eungryong swished his tail slightly before speaking.
-It seems you’ve arrived here knowing nothing whatsoever. In that case, I have no obligation to teach you the truth in this place. Humans barely live a hundred years anyway. What judgment could that small mind of yours possibly make, regardless of what I teach?
Jin Cheon-hee responded calmly to those words, showing no sign of anger.
“I understand that you… don’t particularly care for me, or rather, for humans in general.”
-Hehehehe. I’ve dwelled in this place for several thousand years already. Though the time may not seem long, I remain here because of a promise with Boggi. This is a tiresome affair. Do not disturb my slumber.
You’re going back to sleep?
Eungryong continued speaking.
-Act according to what you know. I shall fulfill my duty.
With those words, he began to descend back beneath the waters.

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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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