Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Translator: Penny
Episode 15
Following his martial arts duel with Zhuge Munho, seven-year-old Zhuge Munhyeon achieved the remarkable feat of being banned from both the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion and the Heavenly Star Pavilion.
As a result, his notoriety only grew.
Damn it! They said a duel would be fine...
To make matters worse, he ended up with another useless Master—something he hadn't even wanted.
But he couldn't refuse, not after learning about Zhuge Munho's circumstances.
And then...
"Munhyeon-ah, this mother is truly proud. So many people care for you..."
His Mother wept.
Perhaps it was because she had suffered so much due to her origins.
Musician Family lineage... What does it even matter?
Perhaps because he had been born into this body and showered with love, his heart now ached at the mere sight of his mother's tears. Was this what they called emotional resonance? No one would blame me for turning away, but why pretend not to see what I can do? Yes, I'll do it! I will!
What was filial piety, anyway?
With his mother speaking like that, what did it matter if he had one useless master or two?
After gaining two personal masters, he rarely left the house except for outings to the market with his mother and Sohye.
It was as if he had entered a secluded training retreat, though not by choice.
This allowed Zhuge Munhyeon to dedicate even more time to his training.
Time had passed, and the rumors of the Head of the Byeongju Hall's good-for-nothing son's innate talent had faded.
The gingko tree planted in front of the Manor to commemorate his birth had grown to over twenty feet tall, casting a shadow that enveloped one side of the building.
Beneath its shade, Han Siheon, his sideburns now streaked with gray, stood gazing at the Formation he had painstakingly constructed after days of deliberation, a satisfied expression on his face.
He had labored over it for three days and nights, groaning and sweating.
He had even tried reverse-engineering it, but found no flaws.
Thump.
The pebble he tossed into the Formation vanished as if sucked into a void.
"Heh heh heh, it's done. It's done."
Grinning with satisfaction, he turned his head.
Thud!
At that moment, Yu Ganghu collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Tsk tsk, lost again. Lost again."
Han Siheon clicked his tongue in exasperation.
Han Siheon glanced at Yu Ganghu with pity before turning his gaze to Zhuge Munhyeon, who stood before him clad in a snow-white scholar's robe.
Now fifteen years old.
The seven-year-old boy had grown into a man as robust as any adult. His features, inherited from his mother—once hailed as "The Foremost Beauty of Dangang"—had only grown more radiant with age, becoming so striking that they stirred ripples of distraction among women.
"Master, you need to take another step in True Illusion Shifting. If you stop there, you'll keep leaving yourself open to attacks like this."
"Hmm. Like... this?"
"Exactly. From there, you execute another Variation."
"Ah..."
Yu Ganghu nodded in understanding at Zhuge Munhyeon's words.
It was a peculiar sight: a disciple instructing his master.
But their roles had blurred long ago, making it difficult to tell who was the master and who was the disciple.
Thirteen? No, even younger than that?
Zhuge Munhyeon had personally taught his Master the Minor Heavenly Star Art, which he had refined himself.
Yu Ganghu had initially burst out laughing, but after hearing the Mnemonic Verses, he had grabbed Zhuge Munhyeon's hem, begging to be taught.
The more one observed him, the more astonishing his talent became. He truly deserved to be called a genius for the ages.
Yet such praise never crossed the walls of the Manor.
This was due to a secret oath Zhuge Munhyeon had sworn upon becoming his Master's disciple:
"Never reveal what you see or hear to the outside world."
Of course, this applied not only to martial arts.
Han Siheon was also currently seeking instruction from Zhuge Munhyeon.
"Ahem! Munhyeon."
"Ah, you're ready?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, another Nine Palaces Formation?"
"No! This is the Nine Palaces Myriad Forms Formation!"
"It's still the same basic structure, just with a fancy name and some tweaks. It won't make any real difference."
"Hmph! We'll see about that. I spent several sleepless nights perfecting this! This time will be different."
"It's pointless. You'd be better off reinforcing your training formations instead of wasting time on this."
Zhuge Munhyeon sighed at Han Siheon's resolute declaration, his eyes burning with determination, and stepped into the Formation.
Seven years had passed since he first learned about Formations.
At first, he'd thought they were utterly useless. But as he practiced, he found them surprisingly engaging. While they lacked the visceral thrill of direct combat, battling illusory opponents helped him internalize martial arts techniques.
This unexpected interest transformed his initial reluctance into a natural drive to study Formations, just as his father had hoped.
Since then, he had constantly engaged in duels: against Yu Ganghu and against Han Siheon's Formations.
"Do you really think it'll work this time?"
"Trust me. I spent three sleepless nights perfecting this Formation."
"Are you really that confident?"
"Of course! I've scrambled the Life and Death Gates and reversed the Eight Trigrams. This time, it's absolutely unbreakable..."
Han Siheon's confident expression crumpled almost immediately.
"See? I told you it wouldn't work."
"..."
Half an hour.
Zhuge Munhyeon effortlessly navigated the Formation, shattering his two Masters' expectations.
They stared blankly as he strolled out.
"I'll be training alone from now on. You two should reflect on what went wrong. How am I supposed to train when you're such weak opponents? Tsk tsk."
The clicking of his tongue pierced the Masters' hearts like a dagger.
Damn brat.
"Alcohol..."
"...Let's go."
With heavy hearts, they trudged out of the Manor once again.
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"Well... don't ask."
"Lunch is almost ready."
"I don't feel like eating."
Baek Suhyeon, who had just returned with groceries, received these dejected replies.
"Looks like you two lost again, Madam," Sohye remarked.
"Sohye, you shouldn't say things like that so carelessly," Baek Suhyeon scolded.
"But you always lose to our Young Master, don't you?"
"Sohye, even if it's true... Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that."
Baek Suhyeon, who had been scolding Sohye for her hurtful whispers, suddenly apologized, startled by her own words.
She's even worse. She always manages to pick the most accurate truths, making her even more formidable than her mother.
But since it was all true, the two could only let their shoulders slump even lower.
We're learning so much here, we can't just quit...
It was after dinner one evening.
"Huh? What's with the alcohol?"
"Is that so surprising? I heard you occasionally drink with your Master."
"Those Masters sure have loose lips."
"Hey, you brat! If you wanted a drink, why didn't you ask your father first?"
It was a rare, intimate drinking session between father and son.
"You have something to say, don't you?"
"Indeed."
"Does it have to do with my future path?"
"Correct. Now that you're fifteen, you can't just spend all your time cooped up at home, can you?"
"That's true."
Zhuge Munhyeon nodded in agreement.
He understood.
As a father, it must be frustrating to see his son constantly holed up at home, focused solely on training. Even his mother, who had arranged this drinking session despite his youth, likely felt the same way.
Well, it seems she already knew I'd been secretly drinking. Career path... It's about time that topic came up.
Typically, descendants of the Zhuge Clan spent their final year at the Heavenly Star Pavilion, at the age of fifteen, as apprentices to choose their career paths.
Scholarship, Mechanisms, Formation, Martial Arts.
They rotated through each department, gaining experience, and upon reaching adulthood, selected the area that best suited their talents to fulfill their duties.
Even Zhuge Munhyeon, who had been confined to the Manor and trained day and night since being barred from the Heavenly Star Pavilion, couldn't ignore the clan's customs.
After all, he had already chosen to live as a son of the Zhuge Clan.
"Do you have any particular area in mind?"
"Not yet..."
"I heard from your two Masters that your Martial Arts and Formation skills have reached a rather impressive level."
"They're quite rudimentary."
"Rudimentary?"
"Yes."
"Hmph! That contradicts what your Masters told me."
"They're exaggerating."
"Exaggerating, are they...?"
His father chuckled dryly and shook his head.
"Fierce Fist is evenly matched with you, and Han Siheon's Formation-crafting skills have improved significantly thanks to your repeated breakthroughs. I heard you even cracked a modified Nine Palaces Formation in just half a shichen recently?"
"Ah, about that..."
He forced a bitter smile.
Evenly matched? Half a shichen? These people... Even though I'd sworn to keep my true abilities secret, they're exaggerating far too much, considering they always lost.
"Fierce Fist was an exceptional martial artist, having served as the Chief Instructor of the Heavenly Star Pavilion."
Just first-rate. If we fought seriously, it would be over in ten seconds.
"If he solved the Nine Palaces Myriad Forms Formation in just an hour, his understanding of formations must be quite remarkable."
Just the Nine Palaces Formation. After delving into it for seven years under the guise of training, breaking it is child's play. That's more than enough. After all, this skill was just a byproduct of my martial arts training.
"What do you think? Would you consider gaining some practical experience through an apprenticeship?"
"An apprenticeship?"
"Yes. It's a bit late, but since you'll need to choose a career path after your coming-of-age ceremony, gaining some experience beforehand wouldn't hurt."
"Hmm."
Experience? he chuckled inwardly. Could anyone in the Zhuge Clan have more experience than me? At least in martial arts, I doubt anyone in the world could match me.
He smirked and drained his wine cup as his father continued.
"I've long known your heart lies not in scholarship, so I won't urge you in that direction."
"A hundred thanks for that."
"You rascal."
His father chuckled wryly, then paused as if considering something before speaking in a measured tone.
"It would be difficult for you to immediately join the Main Clan's Black Tiger Corps. Start as a trainee at the Byeongju Hall first."
"Huh?"
He was dumbfounded.
Why was the conversation drifting back to this topic again?
It was like a story that always ended with formations.
"You haven't given up on your dream of raising me to be a Formation Master, have you?"
"Would you give up if you were me? My son is so talented he could break the Nine Palaces Formation at just fifteen years old!"
"Haa... You're so stubborn."
"What can I do? Your talent is what it is... But being a Formation Master isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's no rule saying Formation Masters can't practice Martial Arts. With your abilities, you could excel at both, don't you think?"
"That's true, but..."
"Son, I understand your reservations, but the Byeongju Hall is the very heart of the Zhuge Clan."
"Of course I know that. The Main Clan's most crucial roles revolve around strategy, formations, and mechanisms."
"That's right. But do you know the real reason why?"
"The reason? Isn't it something like... identity?"
"That's not entirely wrong. But the more practical reason is that the Byeongju Hall is the Main Clan's largest source of funding."
His father's eyes gleamed with cunning. He must have thought he'd be tempted by money.
Well, who doesn't like money?
But! What use does a martial artist have for money? It's been so long since I've become indifferent to wealth...
Perhaps it was his lukewarm attitude that made his father change his strategy again.
"It's not just about money. Sometimes, you can experience various martial arts techniques there."
"Huh? What do you mean by 'various martial arts techniques'?"
Now that was tempting.
"The current political climate is turbulent, with factions dividing along personal lines rather than official duties. Yet no sect exists that doesn't rely on formations and mechanisms. Whether constructing Secret Vaults or establishing defensive and offensive formations, they're utterly dependent on our expertise. That's why we often serve as advisors when sects create their Sword Formations. Each time, we gain insight into their unique Martial Arts."
"Ah..."
A brief exclamation of understanding.
But Father... I know you're trying to pique my interest in Martial Arts, hoping to mold me into a Formation Master. But you've chosen the wrong target. I've traveled the world, met every renowned martial artist, and witnessed every conceivable Martial Art. And let's be honest: all this talk of constructing mechanisms, establishing formations, and providing consultation—it's just... getting paid to work in other people's homes.
"You've heard of the Wudang Sect, haven't you?"
"..."
His face froze, turning as rigid as stone.
W-what did he just say?
"Oh? You seem quite interested in the Wudang Sect."
"..."
His father had likely mentioned them to pique his son's interest, but Zhuge Munhyeon felt his blood boil the moment he heard the name.
How could I not know those bastards? They're the ones who forced me to be reborn instead of achieving Ascension...
"I have a very keen interest in them, Father."
The first place he would wreak havoc once he regained his former strength would be that very sect.
"Heh heh, you rascal. The Martial World is in turmoil, scattered by the current chaos, but we might be heading there soon."
"To Wudang?"
"Yes. I heard that the Secret Cave of the Virtuous Celestial, who ascended long ago, collapsed during the recent heavy rain. We received a request for assistance and are currently studying the mechanisms and formations installed by the Wudang Sect."
His heart nearly burst.
The Virtuous Celestial, Yu Gilcheon... That damned Secret Cave? Wait a minute... he ascended?
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny