I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 120

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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 120
Outside, construction on the formation was in full swing under the cooperation of the Zhuge Clan and the Yige, but Zhuge Jun had set up a separate small formation in the annex just for himself to stay in quiet isolation.
Inside it, Jun circulated his family’s secret tradition heart law one last time before swallowing the spiritual medicine he had received from his father, the Patriarch.
Because he valued intellect over brute force, he had learned the Eight Formations Clear Enlightenment Divine Art instead of the Jiangun Xiantian Zhiqi.
‘Though to be honest, it’s a step below the divine arts Seonwu mastered, which are discussed as the absolute best in the Wulin….’
Shaolin’s Vajra Indestructible Divine Art and Peerless Prajna Divine Art.
On top of that, he had mastered Wudang’s Taegeuk Yangui Shingong.
And he even learned another legend, the Solar Divine Art?
‘No, is it even possible for one person to learn four of those?’
He took pride in his clan, but he couldn’t deny that every single one of those four stood a cut above his own clan’s divine art.
Besides, a human only has one body, so what was the point of learning four?
Any normal human would have spent more time properly mastering just one of them and learning how to utilize it effectively.
Furthermore, they would have focused on breaking through the wall to rise beyond the Peak Realm into the Transcendence Realm.
Before any of that, those were arts difficult to master even a single one of.
There was a reason why even in Shaolin, not many high priests chose the Peerless Prajna Divine Art or the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art.
If achieved, it might make one the strongest, but the path was simply too arduous.
‘To think that was his own way of breaking through the wall of the Peak Realm. Good grief, a dragon really is a dragon.’
In their past lives, they had been equals as friends, and even now, he deceived everyone else to act like his friend.
But that was strictly because Seonwu wanted it that way.
If Seonwu had put on a serious face and asked if Jun still thought of himself as a friend, Jun would have prostrated himself flat on the ground.
Anyway, unlike in their past lives, Seonwu was doing exceptionally well just as he wished, which was something to celebrate, while Jun needed to walk his own path.
‘Even if it’s a bit lacking to be placed side-by-side with something on the level of the Peerless Prajna Divine Art, the main house’s Eight Formations Clear Enlightenment Divine Art that I’ve practiced since childhood suits me perfectly.’
It clears the mind and enhances intelligence.
This was a divine art that couldn’t be more perfect for a strategist who studied formations and devised plans.
And it was only slightly disappointing when compared to the absolute top tier; its power wasn’t actually lacking when it came to executing martial arts.
“All right. I’m ready.”
In any case, that fellow Seonwu was in a position where he was trying to pour yet another completely new divine art into a vessel that already held four.
Compared to that, finalizing the one he had always been practicing was an extremely natural path.
Of least, that didn’t mean it was actually easy.
If anyone could do it, then Peak Realm masters would be a dime a dozen.
Beyond that lay the Transcendence Realm.
That domain, where one was usually treated as one of the Top One Hundred Masters, was what was incredibly difficult and rare, but even the Peak Realm was a realm that only a fraction of the vast Wulin martial artists ever reached.
‘Of course, looking at it coldly, if talented individuals are just trained in proper secret traditions and given spiritual medicine like the Tianji Pill, the number of people who can reach the Peak Realm is higher than it is now.’
The current bottleneck is the spiritual medicine, not the secret traditions or the number of talented people.
But that just meant there was more potential talent than the current number of Peak Realm masters.
It was a completely different story from saying that absolutely anyone could reach the Peak Realm as long as they were given a secret tradition and spiritual medicine.
‘That’s why Father is being cautious instead of immediately distributing all those spiritual pills Seonwu gave him.’
Yet, even within that cautious movement, his own achievements had been recognized.
It was a pleasant realization.
‘With this, I will reach the Peak Realm too.’
Jun swallowed the Tianji Pill.
Inside him, the spiritual pill containing the essence of heaven and earth melted away, and a majestic spiritual energy began to flow.
His energy channels expanded, and his dantian filled to the brim.
In particular, the acupoints related to the brain were stimulated even more intensely.
The Eight Formations Clear Enlightenment Divine Art was also known as the Eight Formations Clear Enlightenment Heart Law.
This was because, while it also strengthened the physical body, it focused far more heavily on reinforcing the spirit, mind, and brain.
His head became a layer clearer.
His ability to calculate formations and debate political situations rose by another level.
‘Right now, I could even execute the Xinfeng Baibaxian properly.’
It would come after first finalizing the divine art, but his share of what he could contribute to the trio currently traveling together would also increase.
‘I could never be an opponent for Seonwu in the first place, but I feel like I could hold my own reasonably well against that guard friend next to him, the one called absolute shadow.’
Honestly, as a fellow martial artist, wouldn’t it be a blow to his pride to occasionally feel intimidated by the killing aura of someone in his own party?
Even if he wasn’t quite at the level to defeat the absolute shadow, he needed to possess a weight class that wouldn’t get instantly killed just to have peace of mind.
Of course, he had a history with Seonwu and contributed through his intellect, but that was that.
‘If you’re a martial artist, you still have to match the basic martial arts weight class.’
They were both in the Peak Realm, but since he focused on mastering formations, it was perfectly fine to lag behind in a one-on-one martial duel against the absolute shadow.
However, he desperately wanted to escape the situation where he couldn’t hold out for even a brief moment because of the gap between a High-Ascending Realm and a Peak Realm.
If he finished his great inner power like this, wouldn’t he be able to put up a pretty good fight, even if they weren’t completely equal?
‘On top of that, if I add the assistance of the formations and knowledge I possess, I’ll be more helpful to Seonwu than that guy.’
Once I finish this great inner power, should I propose a martial sparring session?
I don’t necessarily have to win; it would be nice just to make it a decent match.
Jun briefly pictured various dreams like this.
It was a completely achievable goal.
‘All right. Instead of just dreaming, let’s finish the martial arts first.’
Thus, Jun circulated the energy of the Tianji Pill throughout his entire body, advancing toward the cultivation realm of a Peak Realm master.
By the time Seonwu woke up and headed back out into the Jianghu, he would be able to support him from behind as a master of the Peak Realm.
‘If word gets out in the Jianghu that I, the Earth Dragon who holds a seat among the Eight Dragons, have ascended to the Peak Realm, people will talk endlessly about me taking another step upward.’
Not that it mattered, since those words would be praises.
‘Now, let’s see each other again after I reach the Peak Realm, my terrifying guard friend.’
* * *
While Jun was rejoicing over the thought of finally catching up to the absolute shadow, Seonwu was talking with Dan Suyeong again.
‘It’s a good thing Jun obtained the Tianji Pill to reach the Peak Realm, but Suyeong should receive some kind of reward too.’
Wasn’t that only fair?
Not to mention this fight against Mandok Mazon, Suyeong had performed magnificently as his guard in various battles before that as well.
Strictly speaking, rather than protecting him as a guard, he had hunted down his enemies like a faithful watchdog, but it was splendid nonetheless.
‘Especially in the battle against Mandok Mazon, I would have lost if Suyeong hadn’t been there.’
His own contribution was the greatest, but it was such a fierce battle that they would have lost if even a single one of the others who joined him had been missing.
If he failed to reward Suyeong, who had properly played his part there, how could he claim that his rewards and punishments were fair?
Thinking that if Jun heard this, he would smack his lips and say it was true enough, Seonwu questioned Suyeong.
“To commend your work this time, I ought to give you some kind of reward.”
Even though they were in a private space with no listening ears, Seonwu thoroughly maintained the formal boundaries of their relationship.
Suyeong dropped to one knee before him.
“If I was of help to you, that itself is my honor, so how could I desire a reward?”
“Come now, that’s not how it works. If there are no rewards for such deeds, others will think I am unjust with my rewards and punishments and refuse to follow me, which will shake discipline.”
He spoke under the guise of an older martial brother, but if one listened closely, the phrasing was much closer to the perspective of someone ruling a nation.
At the very least, it wasn’t a conversation that suited the Eunhak Sect, where it was supposed to be just the two of them.
However, Suyeong wasn’t foolish enough to miss that this was being spoken by King Wuryong.
“Whatever reward you bestow upon me, I will simply receive it with joy.”
“Is there nothing you particularly want? Would you prefer a spiritual medicine, or perhaps a weapon? Or maybe another secret manual? Since you’ve accumulated this much merit, even those fastidious old men won’t say anything if I reward you further.”
By those old men, he meant the Commander of the Golden Dragon Guard and the Commander of the Yuelongwei.
If Seonwu just showered his own people with gifts indiscriminately, the members of the other two guards would feel a relative sense of deprivation.
Of course, since he was the Prince, who could stop him if he decided that favoring someone was entirely his own prerogative?
In the first place, obtaining the opportunity to deliberately practice high martial arts and guard the Prince from up close was already a massive favor.
‘But giving special opportunities and just throwing rewards around carelessly are two different things.’
In truth, even that wasn’t impossible if he put his mind to it, but rewarding someone after they earned merit was visually much better from the standpoint of managing an empire.
‘And no one can deny this particular merit now.’
They might envy him for catching such an opportunity, but not a single person even within the Golden Dragon Guard would deny the result.
Suyeong reflected deeply.
Excessive politeness is discourtesy.
Since his lord went so far as to say this, continuing to decline would be rude.
‘The grace of my lord, who looks upon me so favorably and takes care of me, truly knows no bounds.’
He had saved his failing clan, cleared his father’s name, and furthermore, taken him as a guard to give him opportunities while now praising his merit; Suyeong resolved to serve him by risking his life through thick and thin in the future as well.
Then, what could he receive that would make him more useful to his lord moving forward?
Suyeong wished for the reward itself to be something that helped him serve Seonwu better.
‘On top of that, I cannot lose my advantage against that half-witted fellow.’
Zhuge Jun.
He carried a grandiose alias like the Earth Dragon or whatever, but he was a fool who couldn’t even pierce through his lord’s true identity.
Of course, that formation he displayed this time wasn’t entirely useless, but….
‘I can’t allow myself to fall behind a guy like that.’
His lord was generous enough to overlook the fellow’s sacrilege on account of his ignorance, but if Suyeong wanted to enforce discipline even occasionally, he couldn’t lose his superiority in strength.
“If there is something I desire, it is a more definitively powerful strength. So that I may better cut down your enemies.”
And by extension, so that he could occasionally keep that arrogant Zhuge Clan fellow in line.
Because Suyeong concealed his inner thoughts, Seonwu didn’t catch that part.
Instead, he pondered what would be good for Suyeong.
“Ah, that would be perfect.”
Something happened to cross his mind just then.
“Have you ever heard of the Invisible Heaven-Sinking Sword Art?”
“Forgive me, but my knowledge is shallow.”
“To put it simply, it’s a special martial art that makes your sword transparent. That’s all it does, so it also teaches a few tricks to utilize the advantage of that transparent sword, but at its core, that’s the entirety of it.”
“Transparent, you say.”
However, Suyeong immediately understood that this was by no means a gimmicky martial art meant for an opera.
Why was it called a sword art and not just a sword technique?
‘Rather than martial forms to manipulate the sword, it must be a special qigong cultivation method that turns the blade transparent.’
And such a transparent sword would maximize its effect when combined with a sword of extreme attack and extreme speed like his own, rather than a myriad of swords or a heavy sword.
A strike that was already too fast to react to would now be completely invisible?
As the user, several ways to exploit it already sprang to his mind.
Conversely, those who had to face him would suffer immensely.
“It is truly a magnificent martial art. How has such an ultimate technique remained hidden from the world?”
“It’s because mastering the sword art alone isn’t enough; it also requires a sword made of a special material.”
“Ah….”
Indeed.
Then it made sense why practitioners would disappear.
However, the Imperial Family naturally possessed that special sword as well.
“Of course, when I bestow the sword art upon you, I will grant the sword along with it, so there is no problem.”
“Your generosity is boundless.”

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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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