I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 5

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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 5
Seonwu erased his friend’s wicked words from his mind and continued his questions.
“Then how strong is my eldest brother, the one who wields the Longshen Zhili?”
“The four Your Highnesses can also be considered masters of the Realm of Creation, but they are not included among the Ten Great Masters of the Court.”
‘Uh, wait. That means in the Imperial Court, besides my Imperial Father who is in the Tianzi Realm, there aren’t actually ten masters of the Realm of Creation, but fourteen?’
Wulin has its own ten great masters, but the Imperial Court has fourteen great masters, and the Emperor stands above them.
Ah.
This means Non-Interference Between Court and Wulin must not be a real thing.
“So there is no Non-Interference Between Court and Wulin?”
“Such things were customs from eras like the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms, when the power of the Imperial Family was weak. Even martial artists are people living on the land of Zhongyuan beneath the heavens, so how could they escape the rule of the Heavenly Dragon?”
The Grand Scholar bowed deeply.
“Still, an armed group of that scale must have some kind of standing, right?”
“You are wise, Your Highness. While it is not non-interference, for the Court to inspect every single detail would require excessive manpower, so a certain amount of authority is delegated.”
‘In short, they’re like the local gentry of Goryeo.’
They were granted a certain degree of practical autonomy.
However, it didn’t mean they were completely free from monitoring and supervision by officials dispatched from the center.
They couldn’t openly defy direct orders coming down from the center either.
‘That’s why they walked on eggshells and offered Spiritual Pills on my birthday.’
Could it be because they found a five-year-old child cute?
They were walking on eggshells because my father, the Emperor, is extremely powerful, and beneath him are fourteen powerhouses of the Realm of Creation.
“Does that mean if I can properly wield the Longshen Zhili, I too can reach the Realm of Creation?”
“It shall be so.”
‘Wow, awesome.’
Although there was the Tianzi Realm above the Realm of Creation, he wasn’t greedy for that much.
‘Thin and long. No, that’s a deception. Thick and long enough.’
However, jumping into the fight for the throne, clashing with his four brothers, and ending up branded as a traitor one day or being assassinated—he refused such an end.
‘Let any of my successful brothers take that seat.’
I’m going out into the Wulin.
Since I was born in a martial arts world, I should learn Martial Arts, go out into the Wulin to make a name for myself, have beautiful women by my side, and share friendship with other chivalrous xia.
Why would I want to film a historical court drama in the Imperial Family?
I should traverse the rivers and lakes alone with a single sword; a frustrating historical drama trading political schemes was out of the question.
However, there was one more thing he had to ask.
“If you delegate authority like that, wouldn’t the laws of the country fail to apply properly to the bottom ranks in distant provinces, and wouldn’t those who have learned Martial Arts arbitrarily extort the commoners… or is that not the case?”
For the first time, Grand Scholar Jin showed a look of surprise and admiration.
“That is…”
“Of course, it’s a delicate matter because it might sound like I’m saying my Imperial Father’s reign is imperfect. But isn’t a sycophant someone who only speaks of good things and tries to cover the eyes of heaven? I won’t carelessly blabber this story elsewhere, so please tell me the truth.”
Grand Scholar Jin bowed his head.
‘How could this be the thoughts of a five-year-old?’
Grand Scholar Jin answered cautiously.
“His Imperial Majesty’s grace illuminates the world like the sun, but it cannot be said that there are no shaded areas at all.”
“I suppose so. Even among officials who receive stipends from the Imperial Court, they can’t all be clean-handed, so the Wulin sects must be even worse, right? Not to mention the Unorthodox Factions, even those who are nominally Orthodox Factions can’t all be noble and pure.”
Even in the democracy of the Republic of Korea, where voters were watching, the place was full of bastards who committed corruption openly.
Whenever an international event was held, how the taxes melted away.
Then what about the Wulin forces who didn’t even belong to the Imperial Court?
They received partial delegation?
Though it might not be all of them, he could bet that a significant number of them were acting unjustly and squeezing the commoners.
‘Damn, Jun would laugh if he saw this.’
Criticizing martial arts was the rumor of heresy.
But if asked whether the powerful martial forces ruling autonomously in the provinces were all noble and true Orthodox Factions…
‘Yeah, to be honest, I know that fellow’s words make sense too!’
Seonwu grumbled, recalling Jun’s smirk.
The reason he had yelled back at his words was actually because a painful spot had been poked.
A world ruled by private force meant that a chivalrous xia could punish evil with strength.
But it also meant it was perfect for an evil person with strength to torment the commoners.
‘I badmouthed the laws of the Republic of Korea, but…’
Because he couldn’t bring himself to say that a case like Mexico, which spoke with guns instead of laws, was better.
There was a shadow even in the Wulin he loved.
‘Right, then I can just go out into the Wulin and perform acts of chivalry!’
If he liked it, did he feel sorry for the suffering commoners right now?
He was glad because it seemed like he would have many chances to live out his dreamed-of chivalrous path.
In other words, he felt pity because it seemed like there would be many unfortunate people who needed a chivalrous xia.
However, five-year-old Seonwu’s determination to go out into the Wulin and live a chivalrous life like a true protagonist only grew stronger.
* * *
Since they said the Longshen Zhili of the Yeouiju would awaken in earnest and he would start taking Spiritual Medicine from the age of seven, Seonwu decided to focus on the basic academic studies of this world for two years first.
An ignorant prince who was only strong in Martial Arts would be a bit unsightly.
Besides, to perform acts of chivalry, one actually needed to know things.
Only by properly knowing how the world worked and what the problems were could he respond correctly.
Just swinging a sword wouldn’t solve the root of the problem.
Putting all that aside, he was also just purely curious.
How did this world, which actually possessed Martial Arts, unfold a history different from the Earth of his past life?
Thus, while learning characters and studying history for two years, Seonwu came to understand this world a step further.
Rather than blindly forcing him to learn the classics, Grand Scholar Jin allocated plenty of free time for questions and answers just as Seonwu wished.
He was open-minded enough to think that maintaining interest in studies was more important.
So, while studying characters and various basic academic subjects, Seonwu also acquired knowledge about history and the current situation of the world.
In the midst of that, what he realized was that his mind in this life had become incomparably better than in his past life.
‘My brain definitely wasn’t the type to remember everything upon hearing it once like this.’
Is this the life of a smart person!
Experiencing it firsthand, it was incredibly convenient.
‘Let’s see. I’m experiencing the life of a rich person, the life of a powerful person, and I’m living a smart life too.’
It would be perfect if I could experience the life of a handsome man and the life of a Martial Arts master here.
Although it was a bit early to guarantee since he was only seven now, looking in the mirror, he did seem cutely handsome.
Moreover, when he observed his Imperial Father while paying his morning respects, he was a dignified and handsome middle-aged man.
‘Though he felt more broad-lined and intensely charismatic rather than a pretty boy, there is plenty of demand for that type if they’re handsome.’
On top of that, his mother was also a beauty.
‘That means there’s a high probability I’ll grow up to be a handsome man too. The buds are showing even in my young appearance.’
Hmm.
Is this truly a life of having everything.
At any rate, as he studied like that, Seonwu came to know how this world was different.
First of all, Martial Arts really existed.
And that Martial Arts wasn’t just at a level of having a slightly nimbler body or fighting a bit better.
A master of the Transcendence Realm could be called an army on their own, and a master of the Realm of Creation was literally a one-man army.
The saying that a single master of the Realm of Creation was better than a hundred thousand ordinary soldiers who hadn’t learned Martial Arts wasn’t for nothing.
Of course, in reality, for soldiers, they had to learn Martial Arts up to about the Second-Class and also learn a Formation to be considered elite troops.
Those at about Third-Class were poorly trained soldiers.
If they weren’t even Third-Class, they weren’t soldiers but just a ragtag bunch of peasants hastily made to hold weapons, so they weren’t even rated as an army.
However, even based on elite troops who had learned Second-Class Martial Arts and Formations, an absolute master of the Realm of Creation was rated better than ten thousand elite troops.
Usually, it is said that for a lower realm to face an upper realm, it’s a fifty-fifty chance if they form a Five Elements Formation.
Of course, even within the same realm, there are differences in high and low, but this is when they are roughly similar.
Then, calculating simply, one might think a master of the Realm of Creation equals three thousand Second-Class or fifteen thousand Third-Class, but reality is not like that.
It’s a fifty-fifty chance for five masters of the Transcendence Realm to fight a Realm of Creation with a Five Elements Formation.
But it is very difficult for twenty-five masters of the Peak Realm.
It is impossible for one hundred twenty-five masters of the High-Ascending Realm to defeat the Realm of Creation.
This was because even if they attacked together, there was a practical limit to the instantaneous martial force that could be focused on a single target.
Also, there was the fact that that many numbers were not gathered in a single sect to train together normally to form a single formation.
‘The army is in a better situation than the Wulin sects, but…’
Still, it remained unchanged that a single master was better than an army large in numbers.
There was the issue of concentration of martial force, but in terms of supply and mobility, the strategic utility differed greatly, even more than the tactical strength.
‘Compared to an army, a master costs much less to maintain.’
To be precise, it wasn’t that the cost of treating masters well and feeding them Spiritual Medicine was small.
However, an army is an organization that completely takes away young men, the core labor class that works.
In contrast, a single master with equivalent combat power doesn’t reduce the number of laborers at all.
‘It just ends with subtracting one person.’
That wasn’t all.
For example, let’s say a master receives a stipend equal to the cost of arrows, food, and equipment consumed and eaten by an army of ten thousand.
Would the maintenance cost be the same?
No.
The former requires a separate supply unit to transport those consumables, and that eats people, eats money, and eats materials again.
Compared to that, a supply unit for a single master doesn’t need to be that large.
High-end luxury goods or rare Spiritual Medicine must be sent, but there is no need to mobilize a thousand wagons.
Treating a master well does not incur that much transportation cost.
‘In other words, the fact that the social cost to maintain a similar combat power is much less makes a master far more advantageous than an army.’
The only limit is that masters aren’t infinite just because you want to raise them, and they aren’t raised blindly.
“In the end, the number of Spiritual Medicines limits the number of masters.”
At Seonwu’s words, deduced from his studies so far, Grand Scholar Jin bowed his head.
“You are wise, Your Highness.”
Unlike the past history of Earth, this Great Long Empire did not monopolize salt or iron.
They controlled gunpowder, but even this wasn’t very strict.
Instead, they thoroughly controlled Spiritual Medicine.
Spiritual Medicine was what limited the number of masters of the Peak Realm.
Of course, it is said that the Transcendence Realm or the Realm of Creation is an area of enlightenment rather than Spiritual Medicine, but there must be many in the Peak Realm first for someone among them to gain enlightenment, right?
The Great Long Empire also controlled most of the Spiritual Medicine to adjust the quantity each sect could obtain.
“The reason Shaolin is the foremost among the Nine Great Sects is because of the Seventy-Two Arts, but also because the country allowed that much Spiritual Medicine.”
“That is so, Your Highness.”
“One of the reasons is that while there are six Daoist Sects among the Nine Great Sects, there are only two Buddhist Sects.”
Even then, Emei was a sect of Buddhist nuns.
In the end, Shaolin was the only major Buddhist sect made of men, who were more suitable for learning Martial Arts.
‘If the Wulin is to be moderately divided among Buddhism, Daoism, and the secular world, there is a need to raise Shaolin more than a combination of several other Daoist Sects.’
Like that, the state and the entire society were structured around Martial Arts.
Right and wrong were also preceded by sparring rather than loyalty, filial piety, or reason.
Whether one possessed power through Martial Arts divided the high and low of a person.
The dignity of the Imperial Family was also ultimately because Imperial Father was the overwhelmingly strongest master, and the four older brothers supporting him were the next greatest masters.
The whole world was Martial Arts.
And in that world, Seonwu had the strongest master as his father.
The force where the most masters gathered under his command.
In short, he was the youngest of the Imperial Family.
‘Hmm, the more I know, the better I was born.’
I prayed to the dragon descendant to let me be born into a prestigious family, but I thought of something like a great clan; I never imagined it would be the Imperial Family.
On top of that, since the Imperial Family controlled most of the production and distribution of Spiritual Medicine, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they held the life-thong of the sects.
‘And I can directly learn Martial Arts from my father, the strongest master of the current age, and I can raid the Imperial storehouse for Spiritual Medicine as needed. Hehehe, exciting.’
It’s almost his seventh birthday now.
Then he can take Spiritual Medicine and learn Martial Arts too.
It was a fantasy in his past life, but now it exists.
He can use Martial Arts too!
Let’s wait for that day alone.

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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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