I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 9
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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 10
The Emperor’s words continued.
“Furthermore, as for your Lightness Technique, learn Jin Wengong’s Zhuyu Tianxia Bu.”
“He is also one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.”
Excluding Qin Shi Huang, he was one of the five strongest overlords of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period.
If it was his exclusive martial arts, it would surely be magnificent.
“Yes. He, too, failed to ascend to the Tianzi Realm, but his martial arts reached the ultimate limit of the Realm of Creation, and his Lightness Technique in particular was second to none. Thus, I have classified this as a First-Class art of the Earth Pavilion as well. Moreover, since this has also long been lost to the Murim, they will not easily recognize it.”
If it was Jin Wengong, he was a figure who had wandered for nineteen years on Earth in his past life, and for thirty years in this world, before becoming a hegemon late in life.
‘Zhuyu Tianxia Bu. It’s an ultimate technique with a name that truly suits his lifelong journey.’
And if his Imperial Father had classified it as First-Class in the Earth Pavilion, it meant it was truly one of the greatest movement techniques under heaven.
Since the Heaven Pavilion was not a place where actual martial arts were stored, but merely a place where the origins and characteristics of the Ten Great Heavenly Emperor Martial Arts were recorded, wasn’t this the highest among the martial arts that possessed a practical form?
“Lastly, even if you are a swordsman, you must possess at least one martial art for bare-handed combat.”
“That is true.”
Though it is said a swordsman should never let his sword leave his side, one never knows what might happen in life.
Furthermore, such bare-handed martial arts could further support his swordsmanship.
“Hmm, the fist technique of Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou would be ideal.”
“If it is Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou… Is he not the greatest wise ruler of the Later Zhou, whom Emperor Taizu of Song once served?”
Of course, because the history of the Later Zhou was short, calling him the greatest in the Later Zhou was a bit ambiguous.
To be precise, he was counted as the greatest wise ruler during the chaotic period from the fall of the Tang Dynasty until the founding of the Song Dynasty.
It was said that if his lifespan had been just a bit longer, the Later Zhou, not the Song, would have ruled the world thereafter.
“Yes, had he been granted more years, he might have reached the Tianzi Realm even before Emperor Taizu of Song. If that had happened, Emperor Taizu of Song would have failed to achieve the Tianzi Realm and lived merely as a general beneath him.”
“Then his martial arts must be no ordinary feat either.”
“Indeed. Especially his exclusive ultimate technique, the Wuwang Shenquan, holds its ground completely even when compared to Shaolin’s Great Vajra Palm or the Beggars’ Sect’s Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. However, this has also been lost to the Murim, so choose this.”
“Thank you, Imperial Father.”
With this much, he could truly roam the Jianghu while pretending to be from a mysterious sect.
Though his internal energy alone was something highly famous, there would surely be a separate method to conceal its identity.
“Learn and practice diligently. And so, once you are ready, I will permit you to travel the Jianghu incognito after you reach adulthood.”
“I will practice diligently.”
“Starting tomorrow, separate from Grand Scholar Jin, I shall send you Commander Lee.”
“If it is Commander Lee… Huh? Could it be Commander Lee Dae-yong, the head of the Golden Dragon Guard?”
“That is so.”
Seonwu quickly recalled Commander Lee Dae-yong in his head.
The Golden Dragon Guard was an organization similar to the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty.
The difference was that in this world where martial arts actually existed, it was an organization packed with terrifying masters.
“But as the head of the Golden Dragon Guard and a master of the Realm of Creation, are his duties not heavy and his schedule busy?”
“Of course they are. However, what duty could possibly be heavier than properly teaching you?”
‘Ah, right, I’m a prince.’
And the very prince who would eventually take charge of Henan Province, where Shaolin was located.
‘Wow, then the one planning the grand framework of my martial arts training is my father, who is one of the Ten Greatest Masters of All Time and the Current Emperor.’
And the one handling the details to teach him was Commander Lee, who was one of the Ten Great Masters of the Court and the head of the Golden Dragon Guard?
These were names that made him wonder if his mentors could possibly get any more illustrious than this.
‘I was born well.’
“Of course, Commander Lee might not be able to stay by your side at all times. Keep that in mind.”
“Of course, I understand.”
“I, too, shall watch over you from time to time, so if you truly wish to roam the Jianghu while performing your duties as a king, you must practice diligently.”
“I must indeed.”
Seonwu was confident he would work hard.
Because he had a dream in this life!
And when the foundation to achieve that dream was given to him so solidly, it would be far too embarrassing to fail because he slacked off.
“Is there anything else you wish to ask?”
There was exactly one thing Seonwu desperately wanted to ask.
‘I don’t even crave the position of the Emperor.’
He had no desire to fight his older brothers, and in the first place, what he liked was wuxia, not court historical dramas.
Though he certainly had no intention of requesting an exchange or a refund, since he found living as royalty to be extremely pleasant.
“If I properly master the martial arts you have chosen for me now, could I become the number one master under heaven in the Murim?”
He did not dare mention the Tianzi Realm.
Since he had no intention of shouting, ‘I have come to inherit the throne, Father.’
But wouldn’t the desire to be the number one under heaven be the exact same dream shared by every martial artist in the Murim?
“Naturally. Though the current Ten Greatest Masters of the Current Murim are in their own right within the Realm of Creation, each and every one of the martial arts you will master is something that once stood at the absolute pinnacle of an era. If you unify the Vajra and Prajna, and add your own Cintamani to the mix, you could become even more than that.”
If it was more than that, there was only the Emperor’s throne.
Seonwu pretended he hadn’t heard that part.
If that were so easy, would the past dynasties have left Shaolin alone?
The number one master under heaven in the Murim.
That was more than enough for Seonwu.
‘These are the martial arts of people who were each the number one under heaven even if they only mastered one properly, so if I master them all properly, it will be even more amazing!’
He was thrilled.
* * *
“Ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years to Your Highness. This humble servant is Lee Dae-yong, the Commander of the Golden Dragon Guard, who has come to serve the Fifth Prince.”
Saying so, the Commander knelt before Seonwu.
Compared to how others would bow fully when coming before Seonwu, his etiquette was clearly different.
‘Let’s see. Even if it fits etiquette for me to speak casually to others while they refer to themselves as old servants, I was told that for the Eight Great Generals and the Two Great Commanders who have reached the Realm of Creation, as well as the Three Chancellors and Six Ministers who are at the Transcendence Realm but stand at the peak of the civil officials, I must use a polite semi-casual tone, right?’
It meant that no matter how much they were subjects, he had to use a respectful semi-casual tone to those at the highest First Rank, which wasn’t difficult for Seonwu, since the Confucian dragon inside him occasionally cried out about respecting one’s elders.
No matter how much of a royal prince he was, showing a certain level of respect based on age was a deeply ingrained lesson from his past life of several decades, quite apart from cursing out a few terrible old folks.
Since the Imperial Court etiquette was designed to be overwhelmingly advantageous to him as a prince, what room was there for him to make a mistake?
‘Heh, is this what they call the geocentric theory of the Imperial Family or something.’
Feeling once again how well he was born, Seonwu moved on to the main point.
“How should I address you?”
“If you call me Commander Lee, I would be overwhelmed with gratitude.”
“Then, Commander Lee, I leave my martial arts training in your hands starting today.”
“The honor is entirely this servant’s.”
The Realm of Creation.
One of the Ten Great Masters of the Court.
The fearsome Commander of the Golden Dragon Guard.
The man who strictly enforced discipline like autumn frost.
Seonwu carefully observed Commander Lee, who possessed such a resounding reputation.
With his hair completely white, he looked just as old as Grand Scholar Jin.
However, the body beneath his robes was packed with firm muscles, making it clear that he was a martial artist.
‘But far from being scary, he looks just like a gentle grandfather.’
Despite having a steel-hard physique, he was looking at him with such a warm smile.
Of course, Seonwu was no fool.
Would a man like this act the same way in front of others as he did in front of him?
‘No way.’
Given what the Golden Dragon Guard did and what their reputation was like.
The terrifying rumors couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere.
Well, what did it matter.
As long as he was gentle in front of me, that was a good thing for now.
However, there was one strange thing.
Although his body clearly looked like that of a steel-hard martial artist, did he feel like an overwhelmingly absolute master?
If asked whether he felt that way, the answer was no.
Rather, the elders of the Murim sects who came to congratulate him on his birthdays felt like greater masters.
‘Hmm… He is a master, right?’
Aren’t masters of the Realm of Creation supposed to exude a tremendous aura originally?
Did he actually learn martial arts?
He didn’t feel threatening at all.
…But who was Seonwu.
He was an avid reader who didn’t even know how many wuxia novels he had read.
‘This must be that Return to Nature.’
The so-called stage where it becomes impossible to even tell whether a person has learned martial arts.
“Commander Lee, you have reached the Return to Nature, which is why you show no signs of having learned martial arts, correct?”
“There is that aspect, Your Highness, but it is also because this servant is reverently and humbly practicing etiquette before you.”
To put it simply, he was hiding his martial arts because he was in front of me.
‘Well, I am still young and haven’t even learned martial arts yet.’
If Commander Lee were to unleash some tremendous energy and cause him to faint from shock.
Hmm….
A lot of problems would probably arise.
“Then do you reveal your martial arts a bit more when you are in front of my older brothers?”
“How could I dare carelessly display my martial arts before the four Princes? However, the four Highnesses do generously overlook a slight looseness on my part.”
Simply put, since I didn’t know martial arts yet, he was careful about revealing even the minimum amount of his martial arts.
Come to think of it, it might be inconvenient if he couldn’t even use a Lightness Technique freely.
He still couldn’t accurately gauge where the boundaries of acceptable etiquette and rudeness lay.
‘But now that I think about it, excluding Imperial Father, there’s almost no situation where I would be the one being rude anyway, right?’
When dealing with his older brothers, a minor mistake could just be laughed off as the youngest being cute.
Other than that, while others might be rude to him, it could be said that there was no way for him to be rude to them.
Right now, the Commander held the immense position of the First Rank Senior.
Even though he was one of the highest-ranking officials among the subjects, look at how polite he was being to him.
Of course, he was using a respectful semi-casual tone back, but respecting elders was something deeply ingrained from his past life of several decades.
Putting aside cursing out a few terrible old folks, treating age with a certain level of respect was a learned behavior that had become second nature.
Since the Imperial Court etiquette was structured to be so overwhelmingly advantageous to him as a prince, there was nothing for him to mistake.
‘Heh, is this what they call the geocentric theory of the Imperial Family or something.’
Feeling once again how well he was born, Seonwu moved on to the main point.
“Then how will I go about learning martial arts?”
“Yes, this servant shall humbly explain. If Your Highness desires, it is not difficult to grant you the internal energy of the Peak Realm all at once by utilizing Spiritual Medicine and a Grand Ritual.”
“But you don’t recommend it, right?”
Commander Lee smiled.
‘Grand Scholar Jin’s constant praise of his cleverness was justified.’
He contrasted sharply with his own grandsons, who only tried to rush forward if they could become strong quickly.
“That is correct. Of course, Your Highness will not walk the same path as ordinary commoners. However, when climbing a mountain, if one only seeks to reach the summit quickly, one is bound to miss the scenery that must be seen along the way.”
“I understand. Then how long do you think it would be best to take to climb it, Commander?”
“I am thinking three years. First, please obtain the internal energy of the Peak Realm over the course of three years.”
Even if it took three years, he would only be ten years old.
Of course, it was hard to believe that his older brothers had supposedly mastered the power of the Realm of Creation at the age of seven.
Naturally, that was what was bizarre, and looking at it normally, reaching the Peak Realm at ten years old was also overwhelmingly incredible.
“If that is what is required, then we shall do so.”
“You are wise.”
“However, putting aside internal energy taking three years, what about the swordsmanship and other martial arts…”
“That is a part that varies depending on the speed at which Your Highness masters them…”
“I understand.”
If Seonwu himself was dull, it would take a long time to realize the essence of swordsmanship.
If he was brilliant, he would master it quickly.
His reborn body had a good brain, so he felt like he would master things quickly, but….
Since it was his first time actually practicing, it remained to be seen.
If he only had Peak Realm internal energy while his other martial arts like swordsmanship or Lightness Technique were incomplete, he would only be a half-baked master.
‘I have talent, right?’
Seonwu felt a bit anxious, but he decided to try his best first.
* * *
From that day on, Seonwu’s martial arts training began in earnest.
Commander Lee brought an Elixir Pill to him and spoke.
“Your Highness, from now on, you will build up your internal energy and condition your body by consuming the Spiritual Pills this servant brings you one by one.”
“Ohh!”
Finally.
He would get to eat the Spiritual Pills he had seen during his birthday as well.
He had worried they might disappear into some mysterious tax haven like confiscated allowance money, but it seemed they were coming back.
It was internal energy!
‘Then I’ll undergo a Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth one day too!’
It was a basic rule that one became more handsome after undergoing a Marrow Cleansing and Bone Rebirth.
Even now, he felt like a beautiful boy when looking in the mirror, but he was still completely looking forward to it.
“This is called the Tianlong Genji Dan, so please first protect your body and accumulate Qi with this.”
“Should I eat it right now?”
“Once you consume it, this servant will guide the medicine’s energy. Straighten your posture…”
The Commander explained the points Seonwu needed to be careful of when guiding the Qi.
Since Seonwu had heard all of this somewhere before, he merely nodded.
There was nothing particularly difficult.
How could it be any more convenient than this, when he was told he just needed to focus and accept it for now?
He wasn’t even doing anything close to clicking a button, yet they were handling everything for him by his side.
Is this what a power-type martial arts training method looked like.
When he ingested the Spiritual Pill, he indeed felt a tremendous energy surging inside his body.
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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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