I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 77

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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 77
As Seonwu engaged in such idle chatter with Jun, Absolute Shadow, who had only been listening, opened his mouth.
“What? How could I possibly hold the alias of a dragon! That makes no sense!”
“Why not? It’s not like calling the rising stars of the Orthodox Factions dragons started yesterday, and it’s not exactly forbidden in the current Empire either.”
“That is because His Imperial Majesty generously permitted the riffraff of the Wulin to bray among themselves…”
“We are Wulin martial artists too. What’s the issue?”
Absolute Shadow could not answer.
He could hardly say that it was just a disguise, that he was actually trained in the Golden Dragon Guard, and that he had been selected as a bodyguard for His Highness King Wuryong.
[Uh-huh, if your disguise is blown, I’ll be angry. Work on your facial expressions, will you?]
At Seonwu’s Sound Transmission, Absolute Shadow lowered his head.
“Understood. Even so, I cannot take the title of Sword Dragon. With my senior disciple here, how could I possibly obtain the alias of Sword Dragon?”
“Huh? I am completely fine with it, though?”
“But if we do that, the world will place me ahead of you, senior disciple.”
If one was the Chivalrous Dragon and the other was the Sword Dragon, public perception would naturally assume that the Sword Dragon was better at wielding a sword.
They would think that while the senior disciple possessed chivalry in his character, the junior disciple possessed superior martial arts.
If their primary martial arts were completely different like a Fist Dragon, people wouldn’t know who was stronger, but since both clearly used swords, they would assume the senior disciple was inferior.
Even just receiving the alias of a dragon was nerve-wracking enough for a martial artist of the Imperial Court, even if it was for the sake of a disguise, but an alias that would place him ahead of his lord?
Absolute Shadow declined because he could not dare to commit such sacrilege, but Seonwu was stubborn.
“I say I like it that way, junior disciple. Don’t argue with me.”
Sensing that this was a command, Absolute Shadow bowed his head.
“I will follow your will, senior disciple.”
Jun was dumbfounded.
“Hey, but shouldn’t we also hear what Namgung Su’on has to say about this? Will he just meekly yield the reputation of Sword Dragon to your junior disciple?”
“Of course he won’t.”
Seonwu thought the same.
‘Especially since in the current Empire, there’s a tendency to hold the alias of a dragon in higher regard than in previous dynasties.’
Originally, the officials argued that it should be completely banned, but the Emperor commanded them to leave it alone, so it was still being used now…
Well, His Imperial Majesty wasn’t the type to go out of his way to forbid something that had conventionally been attached to the outstanding rising stars of the Orthodox Factions anyway.
He even left titles like Emperor, Sovereign, or King to be used here and there, and went so far as to block the practice of naming taboos.
‘On top of that, he abolished eunuchs, and it feels like he secretly possesses the sensibility for human rights and freedom of the press like a modern person.’
However, permission was permission, and the alias of a dragon carried high prestige.
“But what’s he going to do if he doesn’t yield?”
At Seonwu’s counter-question, Zhuge Jun thought for a moment.
Well, come to think of it, there wasn’t really much the guy could do.
When a real dragon decided to play, what could a fake dragon, whose title was merely a metaphor given by the Wulin, possibly do about it?
“We’re going to travel the Wulin, performing more chivalrous deeds and building our reputation! Then a Sword Dragon who relies on nothing but family background will become a fraud. If he finds that distasteful, he can go perform more chivalrous deeds than us.”
[Oh? So you aren’t stripping it away by imperial decree?]
[No, what do you take me for? I don’t abuse my power like that.]
[You’re already stripping the Namgung Clan clean, though.]
[That’s punishing them because they committed crimes, it’s not an abuse of power.]
[I suppose that’s true…]
Jun briefly anticipated the future.
He didn’t know how severely the Namgung Clan would be punished this time, but their family fortunes would certainly totter heavily.
In that situation, the only thing they would have left was reputation.
‘As the candidate for the next head of the Namgung Clan, I don’t think he’ll just meekly lay down the alias of Sword Dragon.’
Won’t he come at us one more time, demanding a martial sparring to settle it?
‘…Eh, whatever. This guy’s bodyguard won’t lose anyway.’
It wouldn’t hurt for Namgung Su’on to be broken thoroughly once.
Not particularly because the guy had mocked him before, but to cure his arrogance for his own sake.
“More importantly, so when is the repair of the formation going to be finished?”
There were two reasons why Seonwu was staying at the Zhuge Clan even though the banquet was over.
One was to wait for the results of the investigation into the Namgung Clan.
The other was to watch the Zhuge Clan’s formation before leaving.
Of course, he didn’t just play around while waiting; he lightly bickered with Jun and also witnessed the martial arts of the Zhuge Clan.
“Hmm, so that is indeed the Zhuge Clan’s Xinfeng Baibaxian and Heavenly Secret Rippling Step.”
“Well, compared to what my father does, it’s a low cultivation realm, but the characteristics of our family’s martial arts show through, right?”
“Yeah, I can see why both oh… Master said they were a bit lacking in some areas.”
“Hey, hey, that hurts the ears of any Zhuge Clan member listening. Speak a bit more gently.”
Fortunately, there were no other Zhuge Clan members around except for Jun.
“Ahem, I don’t just go spreading that kind of talk anywhere either.”
There was a murderous intent poking at Jun.
‘That insolent fellow, when His Highness merely spoke the absolute truth.’
Absolute Shadow’s burning, fierce eyes glared as if they would bite into the nape of Jun’s neck.
‘Who do you dare tell to speak gently!’
No matter how ignorant he was, there was such a thing as basic etiquette.
It was so stinging that Jun unfolded his fan and fanned himself vigorously.
A drop of cold sweat rolled down his back.
‘If I get caught playing around like this while knowing that Seonwu is a king, I really won’t live out my natural lifespan.’
No matter what happened, he absolutely had to remain someone who did not know Seonwu’s true identity.
Even so, Jun asked brazenly.
“Which part is lacking?”
The true identity of the Master Seonwu spoke of was none other than the current Emperor.
Since he was considered one of the strongest throughout all of history, a single comment of his regarding their martial arts was worth treating as a golden rule.
“Zhuge Liang pursued miraculous stratagems while keeping his foundation solid. The only reason it didn’t appear that way was because the power of Shu Han was already trailing too far behind when he first entered service. Even in the midst of that, he tried to maintain a solid foundation, and it was because of the power stemming from it that his miraculous stratagems were possible. By contrast, the current Zhuge Clan relies too much on divine calculation and demonic strategy, and their martial arts are the same, so he said.”
Seonwu felt the same way.
‘I didn’t know exactly when I only heard my father’s words, but seeing it in person, I understand.’
It was certainly subtle and dazzling, yet it contained countless variations.
It was different from the Boundless Firmament Sword Technique; literally, countless traps that only a clever person could pull off were linked one after another. In addition to that, the strategy of drawing in and inducing the opponent through variations was hidden within it.
‘It really is a martial art that brings divine calculation and demonic strategy to life.’
However, because they only played clever moves, a fleeting impression arose while facing them that their actual foundation was somewhat missing.
“Our main house’s martial foundation is weak? Not because my cultivation realm is low?”
“Well, if your cultivation realm is high, that will naturally improve, but you have to compare it with the high cultivation realms of others too, right? Well, if you don’t want to believe it, don’t.”
“It’s not that. It’s a comment from whom, so I must treasure it.”
Still, as for Jun, he wondered if his family’s martial foundation was truly that weak.
‘Our family’s Jiangun Xiantian Zhiqi isn’t such a weak internal energy. The Bazhen Qingming Xinfa I learned is no less either.’
It was fully something to boast about as an orthodox internal energy law.
‘Then do the footwork and fan techniques that utilize it rely too much on variations and traps?’
To Jun, who fell into contemplation, Seonwu added another word.
“For starters, from what I see, learning a better internal energy first might be a solution too?”
“Jiangun Xiantian Zhiqi shouldn’t be a weak internal energy, though?”
“I’m not saying it’s weak…”
Seonwu sent a Sound Transmission to Jun.
[My father classified your family’s internal cultivation method as the fourth grade of the Earth Pavilion. The fact that it’s in the Earth Pavilion means it’s recognized to some extent… but still, it feels like it falls short compared to the Nine Sects and One Gang when discussing the world.]
[Fourth grade, I see. What are the internal cultivation methods of the current Orthodox Factions that are in the first class?]
[Shaolin’s Peerless Prajna Divine Art, Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, and Wudang’s Taegeuk Yangui Shingong.]
Jun waited for Seonwu’s next words.
But because no answer came, he asked back.
[And?]
[There are no more? The few others that exist don’t belong to the current famous Orthodox Factions but are other ancient arts that have been lost.]
[Ah, indeed, in his eyes, the divine arts of the first class amount to only three, even if you gather all the current Nine Great Sects, Five Great Clans, and other famous orthodox factions with deep history?]
[Yeah.]
If that was the case, he could accept his family being fourth grade.
He had thought that calling it fourth grade was looking down on his family too much, but the standard was simply strict.
[The Heavenly Secret Rippling Step and Xinfeng Baibaxian also received a third grade in their own right, but they still couldn’t make it to the first or second class. Your family falls short a bit exceptionally among the Five Great Clans.]
[Haha, at least they received a third grade. Well, falling short is a fact… but it’s not like we can just fetch other martial arts from somewhere, so what can we do.]
[Hmm, if I give you one more word, Zhuge Liang wasn’t great just because he possessed divine calculation, but because he reached that point by bowing deeply and exhausting himself. He said the current Zhuge Clan only inherited the divine calculation and demonic strategy, but lacks the spirit of bowing deeply and exhausting oneself.]
[To put it simply, doesn’t that mean we lack eeeefffort?]
Seonwu felt a prick of conscience.
To be honest, it sounded that way to him too when he heard it.
[Uh-huh, what an impious thing to say. The Emperor himself pointed out the shortcomings of your family.]
[Right, I’ll just pass it along to my father.]
As they spent three days in that manner, the first repair was finally finished before they knew it.
It wasn’t all of the Three Great Formations, but at least one had been repaired.
The Zhuge Clan immediately activated it for verification.
There was an additional hidden purpose of showing the formation to His Highness King Wuryong who was visiting for fun, but only a few people knew that.
This time, the Divine Wind Eight Trigrams Grand Formation was properly activated.
A tremendous wind whipped up, blanketing the Zhuge Clan and its subordinate villages.
Not only was it impossible to enter from the outside, but being inside didn’t mean one was completely safe either.
If one did not move along the designated path of life, they would literally be caught in the wind and torn apart in an instant.
“Wow, what a spectacle.”
Sitting in the premium seats thanks to the family head who had secretly invited him, Seonwu admired it purely.
In that spot were Seonwu, the Zhuge Family Head, and Absolute Shadow.
Thus, the three of them were there.
To be exact, there was one more person speaking.
“Isn’t it grand?”
At his question, Absolute Shadow replied.
“Yes, it is a spectacle. Since you view it with pleasure, senior disciple, I am also pleased.”
“I’m getting a good view thanks to the family head.”
“It is an honor that you think highly of my humble skill.”
“Come on, don’t use modesty you don’t mean. Honestly, you take pride in this too, don’t you, family head? Hmm?”
“I have nothing to say.”
In front of Seonwu, who questioned him somewhat mischievously, the Zhuge Family Head bowed his head.
‘I can roughly grasp his disposition.’
He dislikes complex etiquette, and he doesn’t even welcome modesty-filled manners if they are too excessive.
It’s a personality that should be called simple rather than flashy.
‘In fact, the current Empire itself is a country that has simplified all kinds of etiquette compared to previous dynasties.’
Even though such etiquette raises the authority of the Imperial Family, the current Empire abolished various things as if confident they didn’t need them.
And the disposition of His Highness King Wuryong resembled the current Emperor.
‘Perhaps he might be even more so.’
That is why the choice to leave the life of the Imperial Family behind and travel incognito in the Wulin would be possible.
Seonwu watched the raging, fierce wind without getting tired of it.
“It’s much stronger than a naturally blowing typhoon?”
“It is so. A typhoon that comes with the seasons is not difficult for a master to withstand, but the wind created by this formation also contains fierce energy, making it difficult even for a master to endure.”
“On top of that, since the path of life can be changed this way and that from the center of the formation, knowing the method to break it from the outside and coming in doesn’t solve it.”
It wasn’t a formation where the safe path was fixed.
It was a formation that could be changed this way and that while watching the opponent’s movements.
With this, even if masters flocked in large numbers, they could not dare to break through.
‘And this isn’t even all of it; since they said it’s the Three Great Formations…’
“If all three are perfectly intact, the Zhuge Clan would be utterly impregnable.”
“It is merely a talent to stall for some time.”
“Haha, stalling for time is what’s amazing. You can wait for reinforcements, or you can engage in guerrilla warfare against the enemy while moving in and out.”
It wasn’t for nothing that castles and fortresses were built at strategic points on Earth in his past life too.
‘Though a castle or fortress from my past life doesn’t hold much meaning in front of a Wulin master…’
Instead, there was this formation.
‘Against modern weapons, a vicious wind like this might actually work too?’
It wasn’t pure wind either, but a wind that contained energy to tear all things apart by itself.
Even if they were modern soldiers armed with guns and body armor, they would be turned into pieces of flesh in an instant if caught in this wind.
‘Helicopters? Tanks? If they get caught in this wind, they’ll all be torn apart?’
Of course, the drawback was that this formation didn’t attack from a distance but activated in the area where it was installed, so it only exerted its effect when activated by surprise after drawing the opponent in.
In a way, it was a super landmine or a super interception system.
‘Modern people aren’t fools either, so they might fall for it the first time but won’t fall for it twice, right? Still, if a formation like this exists, wouldn’t it be incredibly useful in a war where the front lines are deadlocked?’
Battles fought over a city while grinding armies against each other.
That kind of thing still happened even in modern warfare.
But wouldn’t an absolute defense zone be useful, where human beings, drones, tanks, airplanes, and even missiles are shredded the moment they enter?
‘Well, it’s not like I’m going to reincarnate back to modern Earth with this, so it won’t mean much.’
Still, imagining it was fun.
Instead of an Iron Dome, wouldn’t it be called a Wind Dome or a Hurricane Dome?
At any rate, the value of the formation was completely clear even to Seonwu.
“It is excellent, as it will even block a master of the Realm of Creation.”
“Therefore, I intend to offer this formation manual to Your Highness in gratitude.”
“Huh?”
You’re giving me what?

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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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