I Prayed for a Murim Reincarnation, But I Was Born as the Youngest Imperial Prince - Chapter 98

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 98
Watching the series of events where Seonwu discreetly lent a hand to bestow martial arts upon the Wolyeop Sect in secret, the Yuelongwei Prefect once more thought that the youngest prince was truly meticulous and brilliant.
‘Indeed, simply exposing the Huangbo Clan’s conspiracy and ending it there would only leave the roots of calamity to sprout again.’
A sect possessing vast territory relative to its actual strength.
This was no different from endlessly tempting those around them to cause trouble.
Seeing is desiring, after all.
To avoid this, one had to either raise their strength to match their status, or adjust their status to match their strength.
‘However, receiving martial arts simply out of necessity rather than as a reward for meritorious deeds might leave others feeling a sense of deprivation.’
If they received such grace without having done anything, what would that make of the others who actually worked hard?
Therefore, he secretly bestowed the martial arts first, but delivered them as an advance payment to be repaid through ‘loyalty’ in the future.
A meticulous judgment that took even that into consideration.
Furthermore, because of this, the Wolyeop Sect would depend even more heavily on the Imperial Court to survive.
Naturally, this would also keep the Huangbo Clan in check, thereby preventing any future disasters from brewing in Jiangxi Province.
‘What a truly exquisite move.’
Genuine admiration swelled within him.
‘Even now, he must be worrying for the realm, pondering over the governance of the world.’
* * *
Contrary to Yuelongwei Prefect Shim’s expectations, Seonwu had now completely put the matter of the Wolyeop Sect out of his mind.
“Shall we finally set off to find the Yige now? I hope something awesome is waiting for us there, like a fierce martial clash.”
His mind was entirely consumed with finding a place to throw down using the martial arts he had recently mastered.
He wondered if a martial arts tournament was being held somewhere.
His head was filled with nothing but plans to unleash his martial arts.
To such a Seonwu, Jun decided to toss a small piece of candy.
“Well, realistically speaking, the Yige is a sect of physicians, so what kind of martial struggle would break out there? Rather than that, you’ll probably get a duel proposal from somewhere else.”
“Oh? From where?”
“The Namgung Clan. The Sword Dragon.”
Jun spoke only those two words, but Seonwu understood immediately.
He simply hadn’t thought of it yet, but once given a clue, he could recall it right away.
‘I see how it is.’
Two people could not share the alias of Sword Dragon.
Originally, it belonged to Namgung Su’on, who was chosen as the successor of the Namgung Clan.
However, since the incident with the Zhuge Clan, rumors had been openly circulating that Absolute Shadow should take over that alias.
And this time, they had successfully resolved yet another massive incident.
Although the Prefect had revealed the truth and Patriarch Huangbo had dropped to his knees on his own, wasn’t it known that the two senior disciples of the Eunhak Sect had personally dealt with Mashu Xuesheng and the other Demon, who were the core of the entangled Demonic Practitioners?
And that was indeed what had happened.
“So, even though it’s a new alias for me, since my junior disciple achieved a new feat, the rumor that the Sword Dragon is actually my junior disciple will gain more traction?”
“Yeah. And if the Namgung Clan were at the height of their prosperity, they might be able to ignore those rumors, but…”
The current Namgung Clan had been stripped of their entire fortune.
They said they would show mercy and leave them their house, but not a single grain of rice remained in their Imperial Vault.
Of course, borrowing money under the Namgung name meant they wouldn’t literally starve, but their future would be pitch black.
“They don’t have that kind of luxury right now. The Namgung Clan will definitely contact us to compete and see who truly deserves the title of Sword Dragon.”
“Exactly.”
Seonwu grinned broadly.
‘That’s great. Then I can use that chance to… No, wait. They’re competing for the title of Sword Dragon.’
Above all, while he was pretending to be in the Peak Realm, he was already in the Transcendence Realm.
Even if one excluded all his various treasures and looked strictly at his pure ability, that was the case.
Competing against the Namgung Clan’s Sword Dragon, who was praised as a magnificent rising star just for reaching the Peak Realm at that age, would be cheating.
‘Right, it would be cheating for someone in the Transcendence Realm like me to fight him.’
I should be fighting by thrashing Demonic Practitioners of that caliber instead.
‘Well, watching someone else’s match is pretty fun too. Though depending on which team you cheer for, it might make you grow a Sarira out of pure stress…’
A true duel with an alias on the line, entirely different from the sparring matches between the Jinyiwei guards.
‘Man, that’s going to be exciting.’
Why is Wuxia called Wuxia?
It stands for martial arts and chivalry.
It wasn’t a play on words; they had established chivalry in this matter, but the martial arts aspect had been quite disappointing.
Mashu Xuesheng was vicious and cunning, but his martial arts were just mediocre.
Separately, a duel over the position of Sword Dragon would be absolutely perfect to spectate.
The Namgung Clan’s formal challenge card.
More than welcome!
Seonwu’s eyes shone as he looked at Absolute Shadow.
“Absolute Shadow, if you fight the Namgung Clan’s current Sword Dragon, you can win, right?”
“If that is your wish, senior disciple, I shall accomplish it.”
“I’m really looking forward to this, you know?”
“However, I wonder if I dare to possess the name of the Sword Dragon.”
“We talked about that before. And besides, isn’t it cooler if I’m known as the senior disciple and leader who orders the Sword Dragon around as his junior disciple?”
At those words, Absolute Shadow accepted it as a man of the government.
It was certainly true that even if a subordinate was great, the merit ultimately belonged to the lord who recognized and employed him.
If his lord had not chosen him, raised him, and given him the opportunity, how could he have achieved any merit?
Even if the Wulin alias of Sword Dragon was nothing but an empty title, if that empty decoration pleased his lord’s eyes, it was his duty to obtain and present it.
“It shall be done as you wish.”
“Perfect. We didn’t get to see the Imperial Sword Form last time.”
The Boundless Firmament Sword Technique is also a masterpiece, but one must see the ultimate technique the opponent prides themselves on to properly appreciate the whole thing.
Listening to the conversation between Seonwu and Absolute Shadow, Jun merely fanned himself gently with his fan.
‘If the Namgung Clan loses even the name of the Sword Dragon, they’ll take an even harder hit, but that might actually serve as bitter medicine.’
To his eyes, the name of an Emperor was a curse to the Namgung Clan.
And why was that?
‘They possess a sword technique that can only be completed by being an Emperor, and they strive to become an Emperor, yet they don’t actually have the weight class to be an Emperor.’
No matter how prosperous they were during the Song Dynasty, the current Namgung Clan was ultimately just a single Wulin clan.
Of course, they were the pinnacle of the Five Great Clans and the strongest, largest force in Anhui Province, so calling them ‘just a single clan’ meant they were still vastly powerful.
But that didn’t make them a real Emperor.
To put it coldly, the Namgung Clan could be subjugated if even one of the eight armies under the Eight Great Generals defending the border were to move.
Alternatively, didn’t this recent event prove they couldn’t even budge if just one of the two guards—the Golden Dragon Guard or the Yuelongwei—moved?
‘They aren’t an Emperor, yet they try to live like one, so things get twisted.’
It wasn’t as if the Namgung Clan didn’t make their own compromises.
After all, they didn’t literally tailor dragon robes to wear or build a palace facing south.
‘But because of that, a person gets twisted in many ways.’
They were certainly brilliant enough to discuss being the Number One Sword Under Heaven, but was a martial art that forced one’s personality to morph into that of an ‘Emperor’ truly beneficial?
‘Bitter medicine is good for the body, as they say.’
Speak of the devil and he shall appear, and true to the phrase, it actually happened.
A formal challenge card from the Namgung Clan addressed to the Eunhak Sect arrived via the Beggars’ Sect.
It was called a formal challenge, but stripping away all the flowery language, it was a letter of duel.
[I am the Sword Dragon of the Namgung Clan and the successor to the Number One Sword Law Under Heaven, yet because there are fools in the world who constantly talk nonsense about you being better than me, let us settle the hierarchy here.]
Of course, the Namgung Clan did not write an official letter in such a crude manner.
It was written very politely, elegantly, and courteously.
[Therefore, would it not be a beautiful thing, regardless of victory or defeat, if we examine each other’s swords, compare their strengths and weaknesses, and each gain something from it?]
The letter was certainly written that way.
However, Seonwu could not bring himself to read it literally.
“No matter how nicely you phrase this, doesn’t proposing a duel basically mean he wants to throw down?”
“Well, that is the essence of it, after all.”
Jun chimed in, agreeing with Seonwu’s analysis.
“Well, if it’s a fair and square match, we welcome it too.”
Setting aside how they had recently squeezed the Namgung Clan dry, Seonwu didn’t view this matter negatively.
A duel between rising stars with an alias on the line.
How thrilling was that?
‘Hell yeah, something like this needs to happen at least once.’
Seeing Seonwu grin, Jun shook his head side to side.
‘Seriously, he’s uncontrollable.’
If Seonwu were a young master desperately struggling to revive a truly ruined sect, he wouldn’t have the luxury to be this relaxed.
With his reputation finally building up, how could he not be nervous about putting it all on the line in a showdown against the Namgung Clan?
‘It would put him in a position where he’s shouting to go all-in with triple leverage on a specific stock.’
But Seonwu’s true identity was Imperial Royalty at the very apex of this country, a Feudatory King.
The alias of Sword Dragon for his close guard was likely just a toy that would be nice to win, but nothing more if lost.
He probably wanted to have it since it would be cooler if the Sword Dragon was his junior disciple, but if Namgung Su’on won, he would just applaud and leave it at that.
“Absolute Shadow, you haven’t changed your mind, right?”
“I will return with victory.”
“Great. Let’s tell them to come over since we’ll be waiting at the Wolyeop Sect. Better yet, let’s invite everyone who wants to watch!”
As Seonwu readily accepted the challenge, the duel was now locked in.
* * *
Rumors travel fast.
Interesting rumors travel especially fast.
Cheolbonggae, who had witnessed the duel between Absolute Shadow and Namgung Hyeok-in, decided to involve himself this time as well.
Although the duel location was Jiangxi Province, it was an affair involving the Namgung Clan anyway.
Wasn’t the Namgung Clan under his jurisdiction?
Muyyeonggae, who was in charge of Jiangxi Province, clicked his tongue but did not stop him.
‘Well, yeah, there’s no law saying two people from the Beggars’ Sect can’t spectate.’
It was an event well worth that much trouble.
And people began to place bets.
“No matter what, isn’t this a victory for the Sword Dragon?”
“Which Sword Dragon?”
“Huh? You’re right. Hahaha! Whoever wins, it’s a victory for the Sword Dragon.”
“Oh, come on, quit the wordplay. So is it Namgung or Eunhak?”
“Hmm, I’ll put one silver tael on Namgung.”
“You’re betting heavy. Then I’ll put one silver tael on Eunhak too.”
In the gambling dens, money was waged on both sides, and the odds themselves were neck-and-neck at nearly one-to-one.
Looking at the market rate, Seonwu muttered to himself.
“Surprisingly, our side takes up half the bets?”
“Hey, it’s not surprising; it’s a shame that even with that level of achievement, it’s only half.”
Jun chided him, asking if he had a conscience.
“No, but the weight carried by Namgung Hyeok-in and Namgung Su’on is entirely different, isn’t it? What Namgung Su’on mastered is the Imperial Sword Form.”
A sword technique that only the Patriarch and the chosen successor of the next generation could master within the Namgung Clan.
‘Even Imperial Father placed it in the first-class of the Earth Pavilion.’
While he wasn’t without rivals, he truly possessed the credentials to discuss being the Number One Sword Under Heaven.
Compared to that, the Shadowless Soul-Slaying Sword mastered by Absolute Shadow lagged behind in rank.
And the world likely knew that fact as well.
To be precise, they didn’t know exactly which tier of the Earth Pavilion the Shadowless Soul-Slaying Sword belonged to, but what kind of sword technique it was had already been revealed during the fight with Namgung Hyeok-in.
“The Namgung Clan has definitely analyzed it thoroughly to calculate their chances of winning.”
They must have researched a countermeasure as well.
“Considering the accumulated strength of the Namgung Clan, far more money should be riding on the Namgung side.”
Even Seonwu himself would have predicted a victory for the Namgung Clan if he hadn’t known that Absolute Shadow had separately mastered the Iron Ox Invulnerability Art.
“Oh ho? Why, if the money pours onto Namgung, are you going to bet on your junior disciple to sweep the pool?”
“Your words to our senior disciple are too harsh.”
Unable to watch any longer, Absolute Shadow snapped.
It wasn’t just sharp words; though it wasn’t full-blown killing intent, his sharp Qi stung Jun’s skin painfully.
“Whoa, Absolute Shadow. Why get worked up over this? This is just how friends talk to each other.”
“I apologize.”
If his lord accepted it, what could he possibly do?
Absolute Shadow lowered his head.
‘Urgh, because my lord is so noble, is the reckless speech of a fellow like that actually refreshing to him?’
“More importantly, the Namgung Clan must have sent the challenge after thoroughly studying your sword technique…”
Seonwu smiled faintly.
“Shall we fully reveal your martial arts at this point?”
It wasn’t something to keep secret forever anyway.
He had merely wished to avoid having too much known about them relative to their achievements.
However, they had already captured Jinguo Manei and unearthed the conspiracy of the Huangbo Clan.
In the process, they had also captured the man known as Mashu Xuesheng.
‘Looking into it further, he seems to be a disciple of Jinguo Manei.’
Since they had pulled off two massive feats of this scale, he figured it was about time to let one of their cards show.
“Is it alright if I do not conceal it?”
“I think it’s fine to show that much around this point.”
In any case, the things he was truly hiding on his end were far greater in number.
He was completely hiding his cultivation realm of martial arts.
He was hiding that he possessed all sorts of divine items.
He was also hiding his true identity.
Since they were clashing with the alias of Sword Dragon on the line anyway, he wanted his person to win.
Blood is thicker than water, after all.
‘I think it’s fine to gradually reveal the Iron Ox Invulnerability Art now.’
Of course, people would wonder how a disciple of a fallen, hidden sect could be so strong.
If they questioned where he obtained the spiritual medicine, they could just insist it was a fortuitous encounter and a heritage desperately gathered by their ancestors.
Leaving all that aside, they had already accomplished so much that the suspicious glances questioning whether they could do all that with just their revealed strength must be growing by the day.
It was time to make people understand by showing them that there was indeed something hidden after all.
“Just win. Ideally, I’d like you to take that splendid alias of Sword Dragon. That way, my prestige as your senior disciple will rise too.”
“I shall present it to you, senior disciple.”
Absolute Shadow bowed his head.
Since his lord desired it, he would bring it to him.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————