Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Translator: Penny
Chapter 5
Hmm, the family history... it's just records of dead guys, no need to bother with that. And the institutions and formations... not really necessary either.
Zhuge Munhyeon entered the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion and quickly scanned the classification labels on the bookshelves, passing them by without a second glance.
To others, each of these books held invaluable worth, but his sole interest lay in one thing.
"Ah! Here it is."
In the farthest corner of the first-floor library, a dusty, unlit area where few footsteps ever reached, Zhuge Munhyeon smiled as he spotted a particularly small bookshelf with only a few volumes.
The Martial Arts Cabinet.
"Sohye."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Bring me a lamp."
"Huh? You're going to read there instead of at your desk?"
"Mm-hmm."
At Zhuge Munhyeon's reply, Sohye hurried over and hung the lamp, illuminating the area brightly. She gasped in surprise.
"Aish! Young Master, there's so much dust!"
"True enough."
"Oh dear, this won't do. Move aside."
"Huh?"
"If the dust irritates your lungs, I'll get scolded."
"S-Sohye, you don't have to go that far..."
"This is very important to me! I'm the one responsible for your health, Young Master. Do you want me to get yelled at by Madam for no reason?"
Sohye firmly pushed Zhuge Munhyeon aside and began cleaning the dust.
There are separate staff to manage the library... And I've never seen my benevolent mother scold Sohye. She's just using my mother as an excuse because she hates sitting in dirty places. I know that's the only way to avoid her being stubborn. This girl is such a handful.
Zhuge Munhyeon stepped back and chuckled softly.
He had never met anyone who cared for him so deeply, despite not being family.
"By the way, doesn't the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion ever get cleaned? They claim these are precious books, yet they've let dust accumulate like this."
"Indeed."
"What kind of book is it?" Sohye asked, tilting her head curiously.
She can't read. That's a relief. Even if Father or Mother asked, she could only say I had been reading books. What if they asked me directly? I could simply recite the Myeongsim Bogam, Analects, Mencius, and other classics in order. It wasn't that I didn't know them; I just hadn't bothered to recite them before. More importantly, if my father, who desperately wants me to excel academically, found out I was practicing martial arts, he might forbid me from entering the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion.
"Are you finished cleaning?"
"Ah, yes! Please sit down now."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
At Zhuge Munhyeon's words, Sohye smiled brightly and stepped back.
She seemed pleased by the expression of gratitude.
Even though it wasn't the first time.
Come to think of it, he realized he had rarely thanked anyone in the past.
It wasn't that he had ever received or expected help from anyone.
But now, he was used to it.
Having vivid memories from the moment of his birth, he understood the immense support his parents and Sohye had given him.
Perhaps my parents in my previous life were the same? They must have given birth to me and raised me...
He didn't know how he had ended up in the Demonic Cult, but the fact that he had survived until then suggested he might have received considerable help.
If only I could have remembered things back then like I do now. I'm getting sentimental for no reason.
That too was one of the changes that had come with his new life.
Emotions.
In his previous life, he had barely experienced any emotions.
After all, wasn't the Demonic Cult a place where everyone was practically an enemy?
In his youth, Zhuge Munhyeon had thought only of survival. Later, he focused solely on defeating the strong and becoming stronger himself, leaving no room for emotions.
It feels like I'm learning how to live all over again.
Realizing he could feel others' emotions because of himself wasn't entirely unpleasant. It felt like growing closer to someone, emotionally.
In just seven short years, he was learning more than he had in his entire previous life.
"Hoo."
Pushing aside distracting thoughts, Zhuge Munhyeon pulled out a book and opened it.
Minor Heavenly Star Art.
It was a martial arts manual shelved alongside its sister techniques: Minor Heavenly Star Palm and Minor Heavenly Star Sword Technique.
Even for a basic martial art, they really phoned in the name.
Zhuge Munhyeon chuckled and turned the page.
Even if it's just beginner-level, it's still something. More importantly, there's another reason why I need to master the Zhuge Family's martial arts instead of Demonic Arts. Ascension. For now, I must live as a warrior of the Zhuge Family. But someday, I might reach a realm where I can gaze beyond the horizon once more. For that day, Demonic Arts would be a poor choice.
Demonic Arts focus solely on rapid advancement, leading to remarkably swift progress.
However, this came at a cost: a unique energy called Demonic Qi accumulated within the body like sediment, becoming a major obstacle to Ascension.
Therefore, to achieve the Spirit Body—the state required for Ascension—one must undergo an additional stage: Purity Restoration.
To purify the spiritual energy to its purest state.
"This took the longest," he murmured.
During his training in Taiji Cave, he had devoted the most time to this aspect.
Why repeat the mistakes of the past? This is a new life.
With Zhuge's martial arts, he could surely regain the strength he had possessed in his previous life. Thus, he decided to start with the foundational techniques of the Zhuge Family's orthodox martial arts.
"Let's see... hmm..."
Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen a Martial Arts Manual in so long?
Even knowing it was a beginner's text, he quickly became engrossed in its contents.
Whether it was due to his accumulated experience, his knowledge from years of studying martial arts, or some other reason, he understood the material perfectly as he read, without needing explanations or commentaries.
Amidst all this, the content proved surprisingly engaging.
After all, even in his previous life, accessing another clan's Martial Arts Manual had been a rare experience. It revealed depths beyond what could be gleaned from mere sparring.
He meticulously deciphered each character, each word, pouring his heart and soul into comprehending its meaning.
Huh?
An elderly man with a benevolent expression was gazing at him.
A hazy figure.
True Intent... Such occurrences are not unheard of. When one's concentration reaches its peak, entering a state of Selflessness and drawing near the author's original thoughts within the text, the author's creative process manifests as if in a Trance, guiding the reader through the very moment of its conception. If this were my first experience, my eyes would have widened in surprise! But it wasn't. I've already experienced this countless times in my past life. A hallucination conjured by someone seeking enlightenment. The old man is an illusion. Every question asked and answered through the mind is ultimately a dialogue with oneself. Yet the True Intent rarely manifests in physical form. Minor Heavenly Star Art... This is better than I expected.
He turned the pages, contemplating the passages, and engaged in a mental conversation with the illusion.
The old man spoke, and Zhuge Munhyeon listened intently.
Watching this scene, Sohye held her breath to avoid disturbing them, her heart swelling with satisfaction.
The only sound in the quiet library was the rustling of pages turning.
He's truly remarkable! His concentration is astonishing. Who would ever believe he's only seven years old? Lately, whenever I gather with maids from other pavilions, Zhuge Munhyeon is the main topic of conversation. Some say he's just a fleeting shooting star, while others claim the blood of an artist has overwhelmed the Zhuge lineage within him. Those damned fools! They have no idea how brilliant our Young Master is. Seriously, who else can articulate their thoughts so clearly and logically at just seven years old? And that's not all—what about his kindness and thoughtfulness? They're just babbling nonsense without knowing anything.
Regardless of what others said, Sohye remained fiercely proud of serving him.
Perhaps that's why she couldn't help but grab any maid by the hair who dared to whisper ill of Zhuge Munhyeon.
Just try spouting nonsense one more time. I'll rip every strand of hair from your head.
Secretly steeling her resolve, Sohye waited for Zhuge Munhyeon to finish reading.
How long had it been?
Growl.
Her stomach rumbled loudly.
Since survival was her top priority, she usually kept to a strict meal schedule.
It was almost lunchtime.
A quick glance at Zhuge Munhyeon revealed he was still completely absorbed in his book.
He must be hungry too...
She knew she should tell him the time, but she didn't want to disturb his concentration. So Sohye quietly slipped out of the bookshelf alcove.
A long while later...
"Whew, finally finished!"
Zhuge Munhyeon, who had been so engrossed he wouldn't have noticed if someone had died beside him, closed the book with a relieved expression.
First Light of the Star, Hidden Movement in the Silver River. Heavenly Star Resonance, Bright Star Illuminating the Heavens. In the dark night sky, a single star awakens, mingling with countless others in the Milky Way. Yet only when it reveals its form and resonates with the cosmos does it truly become a star that illuminates the heavens. Minor Heavenly Star Art. This martial art, named to signify a small beginning leading to eventual greatness, was modeled after the birth and growth of stars. Though it lacked advanced techniques, it was a foundational art imbued with the wisdom of ancestors, capable of supporting any further development built upon it.
Tsk, tsk... To leave such a valuable martial art gathering dust in the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion... The reason seemed clear: It must have been slow. They must have grown impatient. Rather than building a solid foundation and progressing step by step, they likely sought to learn something more advanced from the start. It must have seemed more efficient. But it was like a beautiful apricot with a rotten core. The achievements of the replacement might appear superior at first, but once they reached a certain level, their weak foundation would fail to support the towering structure they had built. This was precisely why the Zhuge Clan's martial arts were so weak. They lacked patience. They couldn't wait for the bursting flower bud, swollen with potential, to bloom fully.
Poor fools, he thought. They had a treasure right before their eyes and couldn't recognize it. Perhaps they were too clever for their own good. Blinded by greed for immediate gains and the desire to replace it with something "better," they failed to see its true essence.
Seeing how it was being neglected, the creator must be turning in his grave, pounding the earth in regret.
Damn bastards! I wracked my brain to create this, and you treat it like this? he thought, clicking his tongue in frustration. He was only seven years old.
But could I just let it be? I had already seen the True Body. Of course, I had to change it.
"You should be thanking me. The Minor Heavenly Star Art you created might now be remembered as a Peerless Divine Art, all thanks to me, Zhuge Munhyeon."
Zhuge Munhyeon muttered to himself as he closed the book. In the void, someone smiled in response.
"Um, Young Master?"
Had he been too absorbed in his reading?
Sohye, who had been waiting patiently beside him for a break, startled him when she spoke as he closed the book.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes."
"Oh, I've been waiting for ages!" Sohye said, her face crestfallen. "You were so engrossed in your reading, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt..."
"Ah..."
She was carrying a small table covered with a cloth. She must have quietly slipped out to fetch food while he was reading, not wanting to disturb him.
"They said I couldn't bring anything else, so I only brought rice cakes and tea. But the cakes have gone hard and the tea has gone cold while I was waiting."
He felt a pang of guilt seeing her disappointed expression. The faint rumbling of her stomach told him she was hungry too.
"Why didn't you eat first?"
"How could I eat alone when the Young Master is starving?"
"Just eat it."
"Absolutely not! I can't possibly eat alone while the Young Master is hungry."
Zhuge Munhyeon sighed at her resolute tone.
What a pointless conviction.
Yet inwardly, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps it was the simple fact that someone was thinking of him.
"Let's eat."
"No way."
"Huh?"
"The rice cakes have hardened. They're too tough."
"What does that matter? As long as they fill our stomachs."
"They'll hurt your teeth."
Nonsense.
Even though most of his teeth were still baby teeth, a seven-year-old with his spirit could chew through stone.
"Besides, it's already getting dark."
"Already?"
"How deeply were you concentrating? You didn't even notice the time passing."
"Ah, well..."
Zhuge Munhyeon wore an embarrassed expression as he responded to Sohye's gentle scolding.
The Martial Arts Cabinet was located in such a secluded corner that it received no sunlight. Relying solely on lamplight, he hadn't realized how dark it had grown outside.
He must have been quite thrilled to finally grasp the true intent of the Minor Heavenly Star Art.
"I'm sorry for making you go through all this trouble because of me."
"Don't say that. I'm more worried about you, Young Master. You're taller than others your age, but skipping meals during your growth spurt..."
"..."
"Let's go now. I'll prepare a delicious dinner for you."
"Alright."
Zhuge Munhyeon grinned and left the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion with Sohye.
Day One.
Reading a single Martial Arts Manual was enough.
Even though it was a beginner's text, long abandoned, obtaining its True Body was an extraordinary stroke of luck for Zhuge Munhyeon—a moment that could only be described as a miraculous opportunity.
📝 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