Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 503

Tidying Up, and a Challenge (4)

Two days later.

“Hmm.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been wielding the Black Dragon and White Dragon Blades, tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

‘How peculiar.’

It was the same with the Mad Dragon Blade, but wasn’t it truly strange?

‘Is it my instinct that makes me gradually lose interest, or am I simply bored?’

Even when he was the Dark Emperor, he was skilled in all forms of weaponry. Later, no matter how unique the weapon, the moment he held it, he instantly knew how to wield it to maximize its power.

That was why he used an axe weighing over eighty pounds. Others might find it difficult to handle, but for Yeon Ho-Jeong, it was a weapon that allowed him to fully utilize his immense strength, profound inner energy, combat sense, and the Four Divine Arts [a set of powerful martial techniques].

Wielding such a large axe allowed him to unleash the full extent of his martial prowess. He used the massive axe not to intimidate his opponents, but because it was the weapon that truly suited him.

It wasn’t just the Mad Dragon Blade.

The Black Dragon and White Dragon Blades, crafted with the blood and sweat of the artisans of the Sichuan Tang Clan [a renowned clan known for their craftsmanship], also demonstrated incredible efficiency in his hands. They even allowed for faster strikes and more chaotic attacks than the Mad Dragon Blade, giving him an advantage in surprise attacks, even if their power was slightly reduced.

Regardless, the Mad Dragon Blade and the Twin Dragon Blades were precious weapons to him. He had no intention of using any other weapon as his primary weapon.

“I’m not bored. I can’t be bored. It doesn’t make sense for me to be bored with my own weapons. If anything, I should be honing them further.”

Clink, clink, clink.

He sheathed the two axes connected to the Coiling Dragon Chain and stroked his chin.

‘Is my martial arts beginning to change?’

When he was the Dark Emperor, he never felt that a weapon was unfamiliar or unwieldy.

However, there was definitely a period of radical change that he had never anticipated before.

‘What was I like back then?’

That time when his martial arts underwent a fundamental change, when he was running forward, somewhere between heaven and earth.

Before he was called the Dark Emperor, before he ascended to the extreme realm, what kind of changes did he experience?

‘The Iron Chain.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong lifted the Coiling Dragon Chain.

Clink, clink.

The dark gray Coiling Dragon Chain, emitting a clear sound, radiated a chilling aura.

‘I tried all sorts of weapons before finally wielding the axe. I fought through chaos with that axe, and eventually, I turned my attention to the iron chain.’

The change was not simple at all.

One might think he was simply wielding the iron chain along with the axe, but the very idea of using an axe and an iron chain together was unconventional.

However, he experienced that change in realm through his techniques, and went on to walk the path of a king’s martial arts amidst the pouring light of the Absolute [the highest level of martial arts mastery].

‘Is it coming?’

Thump!

He gripped the Coiling Dragon Chain with immense force.

‘Is that chaotic, illusory realm finally opening its doors to me?’

Excitement flickered across Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face.

It was a realm he had once reached, but the person he was then and the person he was now were completely different.

Even the inner energy cultivation method that formed the core of the Four Divine Arts was different. Back then, he had diligently trained the Crimson Heaven Energy, but now he had combined two of the Yeon Family’s Five Great Divine Arts to form the legendary divine elixir of the Yeon Family [a powerful and rare form of inner energy].

Different energy changes the body, and a changed body alters the depth of thought and the scope of thinking.

He must not assume that it would be the same as before.

‘Just because that realm opens its doors doesn’t mean I can reach it quickly. Some might reach it in a day, while others might struggle at its threshold for their entire lives.’

Even in the past, he had entered that illusory realm and only reached the Absolute several years later.

He shouldn’t think that he would be faster now. No, he should assume that he might be even slower than before. Only then would he avoid becoming complacent and sticking to the wrong path.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was lost in thought.

‘Going to the Black Dragon Unit and becoming one with them is important. However, I must not forget my own growth because of that.’

In a way, his own growth was more important than the Black Dragon Unit matter. The reason was that he had to be ready to lead the charge at any time when war broke out.

‘Then, what should I do now?’

Yeon Ho-Jeong pondered.

And he made a decision.

“Are you coming back from training?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve worked hard. Come and sit down.”

Yeon-wi personally brewed tea for his son.

He had known from the moment Yeon Ho-Jeong came to him. That his son had some worries, and that he had something to ask of him.

He had reached a point where he could tell his son’s condition just by looking at his eyes.

“How is it?”

“It’s a tea I haven’t tasted before. What is it?”

“It’s called Safflower Fragrance. The Peng Family Head gave it to me as a gift.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes lit up.

“The Peng Family Head?”

Yeon-wi chuckled.

“He talked about you a lot. It seems your meeting left quite an impression on him. He talked about you for a while, and then he gave me these tea leaves as a gift, saying he had recently acquired them.”

“The aroma is very nice. That man is stingy, unlike how he appears. If he has something good, he should share it right away.”

“Ahem, haven’t you fixed your way of speaking yet?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been grumbling, cleared his throat.

“I apologize. I’ve been on edge lately.”

Yeon-wi smiled and said,

“It’s alright. I don’t think scolding you once more will fix it. But you must continue to try as you are now.”

“I understand.”

“Yes, well, what is it that you want to ask of your father?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened.

“You knew?”

“Can you deceive a ghost, let alone your father’s eyes?”

“Ahem!”

“Speak comfortably.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong spoke cautiously.

“I’m thinking of training in the remaining Five Great Divine Arts of the main family.”

He had already memorized all the formulas of the Five Great Divine Arts.

In fact, Yeon-wi knew that as well. And when he realized that Yeon Ho-Jeong had formed a divine elixir, unlike himself, he also realized that they were walking completely different paths, even though they were father and son.

There were only a handful of people in the history of the Yeon Family who had formed the Yeon Family Divine Elixir. But if people had the desire to form it, many more ancestors would have done so.

In other words, if someone had the ability and needed it, they could form the divine elixir. But if they didn’t need it, there was no need to walk a path that didn’t suit them.

Even Yeon-wi could form the Yeon Family Divine Elixir right now if he wanted to. But the reason he was only training in Sword Qi [a type of energy used in swordsmanship] was because he thought that this path suited him perfectly.

Yeon-wi was intrigued. By the future of his son, who was walking a different path of martial arts than himself.

However, they needed to discuss again the topic that they had vaguely glossed over.

“Even though you know all the formulas of the divine arts, you still came to ask for your father’s permission?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t care if you master all the remaining divine arts. You know that, right?”

“Yes.”

“But there must be a clear reason why you came to see your father.”

Yeon-wi’s expression became serious.

“Is it because of the next family head?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought. Indeed, his father’s eyes were sharp.

“Are you worried that if you master all five divine arts, I might give the position of Young Master to you instead of Ji-Pyeong?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong did not beat around the bush.

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

Yeon-wi, who had been quietly observing Yeon Ho-Jeong, crossed his arms.

“It was a topic we needed to discuss at some point. Since we’re on the topic, let me ask you something.”

“……”

“Besides the reason you told me before, what is the real reason you want to give up the position of Young Master?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled bitterly.

“Although you have been constantly correcting my rough and rude behavior, my unchanging nature is the reason.”

“Do you think your nature is not suitable for the family head of the main family?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you think so?”

“You know what kind of past I have.”

The Dark Emperor.

The king of the dark path, and the first black lion of the south to unify the dark path in history.

There was now a group called the Black Dragon Unit, but that group did not exist during the Dark Emperor era. Rather, Yeon Ho-Jeong was the one who created such a group, not from the outside, but solely with the power of himself and his comrades.

However, the process and method of governing were too rigid and rough.

A method of governance that worked because it was the dark path. He, who was accustomed to such methods, should not lead a prestigious family of the white path. That was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s thought.

Yeon-wi nodded.

“Yes, I’ve heard that you ruled with a certain degree of fear, and that you ran that group called the Black Emperor Fortress without mercy.”

“……There was mercy. A little bit.”

“Whatever the case, the you of then and the you of now are different. You know that, don’t you?”

“But my nature……”

“The people who created that nature are me and your mother.”

“……?!”

“Both you and I are people of the Yeon Family.”

At that moment, Yeon Ho-Jeong was speechless.

Yeon-wi turned his head towards the window.

“I’ve thought about it sometimes. Whether I’ve been too rigid in governing the main family.”

“How could that be? There is no other family as clear in its rewards and punishments as the main family. And that is a good thing, not a bad thing.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes.”

“I also believe that you would govern the main family well if you became the family head.”

“Father.”

“You have ruled the dark path, but you have never ruled the main family, have you?”

“……”

“Also, you said that the dark path has its own unique characteristics. Furthermore, you were busy fighting as the lord, and the people who actually governed the Black Emperor Fortress were your subordinates.”

“That’s true, but.”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t have the same experience as you. When I first became the family head, I was truly at a loss as to where to start.”

Yeon-wi turned his gaze back to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“You didn’t rule the Black Emperor Fortress that way because of your rough nature. And you’re not so timid as to be afraid of governing a family because of your own nature.”

“……”

“The way you ruled the Black Emperor Fortress is just a past experience. Given your personality, which seeks to improve, there’s no way you would rule the main family like the Black Emperor Fortress.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong clicked his tongue.

“Of course, that might be the case. But isn’t it too dangerous to entrust the fate of the family based on just that one reason?”

“Everyone was like that.”

Yeon-wi’s eyes shone.

“Your father, me, my father, and my father’s father all entrusted their fate to their children.”

“……”

“And we believed. That even though they were clumsy and still had many shortcomings, they were capable of governing the family. The main family was able to reach this position thanks to the unwavering support of our predecessors.”

Yeon-wi smiled.

“Now, I think it’s time for me to hand over the sheath of fate to my child.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes wavered.

“Father, I……”

“I know. You’re not ready. You have doubts about your own abilities. I don’t intend to hand over the position of family head to you right now either.”

“……”

“But as the Young Master of the main family, and as the next family head, I hope you will never neglect your studies.”

In the end, Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Alright.”

“……By any chance, if I still refuse, you wouldn’t just kick me out, saying I’m not worth anything, would you?”

“Let’s think about that when the time comes.”

That was a hundred times more terrifying than saying he would kick him out.

“I’ll give you a day. Think carefully and let’s talk again tomorrow.”

“……”

“And you can learn the Five Great Divine Arts. No, I hope you will.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong wanted to consider whether there was a way to improve his martial arts other than the Five Great Divine Arts.