Rebirth of the Thunder God

From the very beginning, a splendid history of the General was laid out.

[Top score in the eunuch entrance exam for the palace]

[Youngest ever selected for the Eastern Depot]

[Appointed as the Crown Prince's teacher, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince]

To think he was even in charge of being the Crown Prince's teacher, at this point, he wondered if messing with him would be like fighting the entire country.

Not only that, but a more surprising fact came next.

[Bestowed the Sunflower Manual]

'What? The Sunflower Manual actually existed?'

The ultimate divine art, the Sunflower Manual, which he had vaguely heard about from his master during his time as the Thunder God.

He had heard that it was a martial art that could only be learned by a man whose masculinity had been removed.

And its power was said to be no less than that of the Thunder God Divine Art.

According to his master's theory, an immortal who had been researching the harmony of yin and yang had created it and delivered it to the imperial palace, and the reason was to remove the sexual desire of the emperor who had neglected state affairs and played around wantonly.

But the emperor had not learned the Sunflower Manual and had just thrown it into the imperial palace's treasury.

And now, after about a hundred years had passed, a person who had learned it had appeared.

And he had even become a super-peak master.

'I shouldn't take the General lightly. The Sunflower Manual was said to be an extremely secret martial art, so he must be much stronger than he appears on the outside.'

As much as he was a eunuch who lacked 'that', his martial arts were also extremely sinister.

He didn't know if it was because of the balance of yin and yang, but it was said that swift and powerful techniques were deployed without any warning.

His master had said that even if he opened the electric current to the extreme and overloaded his nerves, it would be slightly insufficient to keep up with his speed.

The reason his master knew that fact was because the immortal who had created the Sunflower Manual was his master's close friend.

Even if they were immortals who were not interested in the secular world, there were times when they would intervene in this way if the emperor neglected state affairs.

Of course, the emperor had not learned it as the immortal had intended.

Anyway. The fact that such an ultimate divine art was in the imperial palace was a very unpleasant fact.

Come to think of it, the Sunflower Manual could be said to be closer to a demonic art.

Although only men could learn it, they had to give up their masculinity, and it was said that if a man who had not been castrated learned it, he would gradually turn into a woman, so how could it not be called a demonic art?

And since the power of the martial art was even beyond imagination, it was not an exaggeration to call it a demonic art.

Of course, as a martial art created by an immortal, it was said to be profound and the threshold for entry was high.

But if it was the General who had passed the palace entrance exam with the top score, he would have been able to learn even this.

Still, the fortunate thing was that considering the difficulty of entering the Sunflower Manual, there would be no one else who had learned it besides the General.

'But it's a little strange. He's learned the Sunflower Manual, but he only looks like he's at the beginning of the super-peak level? Has it not been long since he started?'

And most of all, it was strange that the General, who knew everything about Namgung Hui and the Thunder Sect, had not recognized Namgung Hui's cross-dressing.

Well, he hadn't had time to examine him in detail like the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, but he had thought that there would be at least one move to recognize Namgung Hui.

Namgung Hui, at that time, had not known that the person with Yewol was the General, so he had thrown a gamble.

But if he had known he was the General, he would never have taken such a risk.

And it didn't seem like the General had pretended not to know Namgung Hui even after recognizing him, so he felt a little strange.

'I have no way of knowing now, so let's just read the rest.'

After that, simple personal information was written.

But because of the Sunflower Manual written before, nothing else caught his eye.

He just memorized his approximate age and the fact that he was a twin and then folded the letter.

As he was about to put the letter back in his bosom, he saw a scroll that had come with it.

It was the list of suitable marriage partners that he had received from Jegal Geon before.

To win the tournament and rise to the Seven Dragons and gain great fame.

This was a matter that had to be carried out before anything else, like the Hoicheon Association or the Blood Cult.

Namgung Hui carefully unfolded the scroll with an excited heart.

For some reason, he was more nervous than when he was looking at the General's information.

He swallowed his dry saliva and read the scroll.

[1. Tang Soso of the Sichuan Tang family]

[2. Eun Seolrin of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild]

[3. Murong Ji of the Murong family]

[4. Hwangbo Sohye of the Hwangbo family]

Namgung Hui's expression hardened at the two familiar names.

Wasn't one of them the marriage partner he had been so against?

'I told you the Sichuan Tang family is really not it. This brat went and put it in anyway. And Eun Seolrin is a little surprising.'

It was quite common for a martial family and a merchant family to be connected, but perhaps because of the current reputation of the Namgung family, he hadn't thought that he would be connected with the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild.

Of course, the situation would change if he won the tournament, but unlike the martial families that valued fame and martial prowess highly, the merchant guilds were thoroughly calculating.

In that respect, hadn't Namgung Hui's own brother, Namgung Chan, shuddered at the thought of a merchant guild?

That evaluation was no different for the people of the Jegal family.

And yet, to have put Eun Seolrin on the list meant that he either valued her highly.

'Or it means I'll be good enough for the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild's eyes.'

Come to think of it, Jegal Geon's thought was not particularly wrong.

Hadn't he just recently saved Eun Seolrin and somewhat cleared the shadow cast over the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild?

Since he had had a not-so-bad meeting with the guild master, Namgung Hui's impression would be quite good.

'Still, I want to remain friends with Eun Seolrin. And what should I say. It doesn't seem like she'll be more faithful to her family than the guild.'

Namgung Hui's ultimate goal.

A happy and harmonious family.

Although it seemed simple, a happy and harmonious family was harder to achieve than he thought.

First of all, the couple's relationship had to be good.

And the children under them had to be bright and cheerful.

He hoped they would grow up healthy without any minor illnesses.

Well, the vast wealth that Eun Seolrin had could be helpful for a harmonious family, but sometimes it could also bring trouble.

And Eun Seolrin's delicate body was a little concerning.

In the first place, since his brother would likely disapprove, it was obvious that it would be called off at the family level.

Then the remaining marriage partners, the Murong family and the Hwangbo family, were prestigious families that he had heard of even during his time as the Thunder God.

Especially the Murong family was still listed among the five great families.

And the Hwangbo family was a place that was on the verge of entering the five great families in place of the Namgung family.

In their time, they had even produced the Fist Dragon, Hwangbo Seong, one of the Seven Dragons, so it was also true that their fame was ahead of the Namgung family.

Namgung Hui continued to read the brief personal information of the women written on the list.

[Murong Ji: Her appearance is beautiful, and her martial arts are also outstanding. Her older brother is the Heavenly Dragon, Murong Junseong.]

Namgung Hui was more interested in the fact that her older brother was one of the Seven Dragons than anything else.

Honestly, no matter how pretty Murong Ji was and how outstanding her martial arts were, would she be as good as Baek Seolhwa?

Namgung Hui was confident enough to bet his entire fortune on this.

That there was no way she was better than Baek Seolhwa.

'She's a master of returning to youth, so there's no way that's possible. On this occasion, I'll have to reveal Seolhwa's hidden skills while we have a sparring match tomorrow.'

Namgung Hui took his eyes off Murong Ji's personal information and read about the next person, from the Hwangbo family.

[Hwangbo Sohye: A master of kicking techniques. As befitting a child of the Hwangbo family, she is tall and has a sturdy build. Her personality is also bright and easygoing, so she gets along well with people.]

The fact that she used kicking techniques and her personality also appealed to Namgung Hui.

And the fact that her build was sturdy also worked positively.

However, the fact that her family was aiming for the position of the Namgung family was a big concern.

Namgung Hui shook his head and was about to close the scroll.

But besides the four people before, there was one more person written at the end.

[Baek Seolhwa: Her beauty is a matter of course, and her martial arts are also expected to be outstanding. Although her background as being from the Moon Maiden Palace is a constraint. There is a possibility in the future. Detailed explanation is omitted.]

'No, is this brat teasing me? If you're going to tell me, tell me to the end. What? Omitted?'

Namgung Hui's anger flared up at the word 'omitted'.

But come to think of it, there was no reason to be angry.

In the first place, Baek Seolhwa was just a friend. And since she belonged to the Moon Maiden Palace, marriage itself was impossible.

And how could a Young Palace Mistress, not even an ordinary palace member, get married?

But thinking about it like this, a corner of his heart felt uncomfortable.

To be precise, his heart. For some reason, it felt like it was tickling and aching.

Namgung Hui threw the scroll and sat on the bed.

When his mind was complicated like this, he had to control it with meditation.

Hadn't he just recently fallen into the danger of cultivation deviation?

And the Clear Mind Art he had given to Eun Seolrin was made to be used at times like this.

Namgung Hui sat cross-legged and focused on circulating his ki.

At first, he controlled his heart with the Clear Mind Art, and when he found peace of mind, he began to operate the Purple Thunder Divine Art in earnest.

The General and the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader he had met before.

They were by no means opponents to be taken lightly.

Besides them, there would be many unknown masters that Namgung Hui still didn't know.

Among them, there would surely be someone stronger than the General.

At least the leader of the Hoicheon Association and the leader of the Blood Cult would surely be among the top masters.

'Of course, they won't be as strong as the Heavenly Demon of my past life, but I also have to regain my past life's level as soon as possible.'

As his purpose became firm, his complicated mind also stabilized in an instant.

On the contrary, his mind and body became clear and distinct, and he felt as if even the blocked path had been cleared.

Namgung Hui fell into a state of selflessness and was completely immersed in the Purple Thunder Divine Art.

-Goooo...

The Purple Thunder Ki stirred his whole body several times and brought him a sense of elation.

The Purple Thunder Ki was all about explosive power.

But for some reason, this time it was quiet and silent.

It was like seeing the calm before a storm.

As if to prove that it was not a delusion, Namgung Hui's body stirred in the silence.

-Sizzle. Sizzle.

A purple flash flickered through Namgung Hui's hair and then disappeared as if it had never been there.

At the same time, Namgung Hui opened his eyes and licked his lips.

'A shame. I felt like I could have broken through the wall if I had dug in a little more. The Purple Thunder Divine Art is a little more difficult than I thought.'

Perhaps because it was a heart art that combined two ultimate divine arts.

It was bound to be more profound than the Thunder God Divine Art he had learned before.

That was why, although it was the 10th stage he had reached in his past life.

It had to be said that the 10th stage of the Purple Thunder Divine Art was on a different level.

But that didn't mean there were no results.

At least he had a sense of the direction.

As if reminiscent of a quiet calm before a storm.

The Purple Thunder Divine Art was also not all about its powerful explosive power.

The Sunflower Manual. Like that, it seemed he could pursue swiftness and secrecy with the harmony of yin and yang.

Even if it wasn't up to the Sunflower Manual, he could think of other applications.

'Then I'll test this on Seolhwa tomorrow.'

* * *

"Baek Seolhwa. Are you ready?"

"I was ready a while ago. But don't you need to warm up? I hope you don't make an excuse like your muscles froze and became stiff again."

"Again? Have I ever said that...?"

Namgung Hui felt a sense of déjà vu at Baek Seolhwa's words.

But he had never said such a thing in this life.

In the first place, he had not exchanged moves with Baek Seolhwa so roughly.

At Namgung Hui's appearance, Baek Seolhwa, as if she had made a mistake, quickly changed the subject and continued.

"I mean, you might say that in the future. You're so nitpicky. Then I'm coming in."

Baek Seolhwa, who had finished speaking, also seemed to have finished her preparations, and she quickly drew her sword and moved forward.

She hadn't even taken a few steps, but she reached Namgung Hui's front in an instant, as if she were sliding on ice.

-Clang!

A white spark bounced off the dark sword blade.

That white spark resembled Baek Seolhwa's skin and looked like a painting.

But that art-like scenery was soon shattered.

As a splendid sword ki rained down.

"Seolhwa. You're not going to say it's cheap to use sword ki between us, are you?"

"Of course. It wouldn't be strange even if a sword gang came out."

"Oh ho. So you're saying you're going to use a sword gang. Alright. Come at me."

-Woong woong!

As if to prove her words, Baek Seolhwa drew out a chillingly white sword gang.

No, was it even possible for a member of the younger generation to draw out a sword gang?

Of course, there were not a few masters who had reached the super-peak level among the Seven Dragons and Five Phoenixes, but it was safe to say that there had never been such a clear and unwavering sword gang until now.

A sword gang was not something that could be realized just by having a lot of internal energy.

And even if one had accumulated a lot of training, it was not something that could be done.

A true realization.

Furthermore, it was a realm of the sword that could only be realized when numerous actual battles had been accumulated.

And yet, Namgung Hui was accepting this strange sight as a matter of course.

'Well, if she's a master of returning to youth, it's a matter of course. Then shall I also draw out a sword gang?'

Namgung Hui, with a pounding heart, sent the Purple Thunder Ki into the Thunder God Sword.

At first, it was an awkward sword, but now, if he took it out of his bosom for even a moment, it would be more awkward.

Well, since it was a sword made of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, he cherished it, but holding the cold Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron in his hand, he could feel the Thunder Ki flowing in his hand more objectively.

Just like now.

-Sizzle!

A flash occurred, and a purple sword gang arose.

Baek Seolhwa's lake-like eyes contorted, and she thought to herself.

'That's not the Thunder God Divine Art. It resembles the Purple Mist Divine Art. When did that brat learn such a martial art?'

Before Baek Seolhwa could hold that question for long, Namgung Hui swung his sword gang at Baek Seolhwa.

-Clang!!!

In the fierce clash, the mountain birds in the open space of the mountain all flew away in a hurry.

And it wasn't just the mountain birds that flew away, but also Baek Seolhwa's thoughts.

Baek Seolhwa, who had come to her senses, looked at Namgung Hui and steeled her resolve.

'I can't lose either. I'll counter with the newly created Jade Maiden Sword Art and the Nine Yin Divine Art.'

Did they say that the backwater of the Yangtze River pushes the front water?

The ghosts of the past disappeared, and the clash of the newly created martial arts began in earnest.

(End of Chapter)