Chapter 132: Five Elements Qi

Contrary to his confident declaration, Kim Min-soo’s arrangements had faltered from the very beginning.

“Is this right?”

“……”

“I don’t think so.”

A lot of time had passed. Though he had prepared some defenses with formations and sorcery, they weren’t perfect, and most of what he had set up had either rotted away or deteriorated beyond recognition.

“You don’t remember either?”

To make matters worse, because he was in a projection state created through sorcery and internal energy, parts of his memory had vanished—unfortunately, it was the knowledge about this world’s martial arts that he intended to pass on to Jang Woo-hyun.

“So, it’s ruined? Completely?”

“……”

Even when asked, Kim Min-soo couldn’t respond.

“Hundred Martial Heaven Body – Nayuta Projection Technique. Very impressive. But why did you prepare all this in the Lower Realm? There are people who’ve mastered martial arts using the Middle Dantian in the Central Heavens too.”

A clear example was the Five Wheel Five Elements Cult that Jang Woo-hyun had encountered. And since the Central Heavens was incomprehensibly vast, other sects were bound to exist beyond just the Five Elements Cult.

“I told you, I made preparations in the Central Heavens too. I created a lot, both in the Lower Realm and Central Heavens, just in case. That’s how you happened to find this place.”

Kim Min-soo hadn’t predicted everything. Naturally, he hadn’t expected that anyone would actually come here.

What he had done was literally to prepare various things just in case, in the event of a “what if.”

He had even heard stories about those who fell into the Lower Realm and failed to ascend again, so he sent projections while conceiving methods to return to the Central Heavens.

“What if I hadn’t come? Originally, I shouldn’t have been here either.”

“If no one came, it would’ve just been discarded. It would’ve gradually lost power and vanished. But there are good things about being in the Lower Realm.”

“Like what?”

“The Lower Realm is much safer. The influence of the True Immortals hardly reaches here. Even that giant hand that struck you doesn’t directly interfere with this world.”

Now that it was mentioned, it made sense. If that giant hand truly wanted to crush Jang Woo-hyun, it could have descended in an instant—but after he fell onto the Dawn Continent, there had been no attacks.

“That hand, like I said before, probably doesn’t directly interfere with this world but only obstructs the heavens’ gaze—preventing you from ascending.”

Kim Min-soo, who had been discouraged by his failure, gradually regained his energy and began to speak more animatedly.

“You can think of the Lower Realm as a sort of safe zone where you can train without worry. That’s why I made arrangements here too, just in case. No one’s attacked you in the Central Heavens yet, right?”

“Who would attack me?”

“Who do you think? The subordinates of the True Immortals. The Ascension Cult or other factions acting under their orders. Since it hasn’t been long since you ascended, they haven’t targeted you yet simply because they don’t know you. But now that you’ve had an encounter, things will get troublesome when you return to the Central Heavens.”

“They’re persistent.”

“Of course they are. We don’t even fully understand why they’re so hell-bent on attacking us. But we’ve got to survive somehow. Like you said, we can’t just die.”

Jang Woo-hyun nodded in agreement with those words.

“So, there’s nothing left right now, is there? The secret manuals you left behind are a mess too? Any other methods?”

“Well, uh…”

The revived energy in Kim Min-soo's demeanor faded once more under Jang Woo-hyun’s pointed question.

“Let’s at least take a look at this. If I can master it, I will. If not, I’ll find another way.”

There was no other option. He had to try with what was available. And so, Jang Woo-hyun picked up the martial arts manual that Kim Min-soo had prepared.

Jang Woo-hyun began his training by gathering everything he had.

At present, Jang Woo-hyun had already developed his Middle Dantian.

Originally, one couldn’t reach the Absolute Realm without having developed the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantian.

Moreover, even before reaching the Absolute Realm, Jang Woo-hyun had already trained his three Dantian through the Six-Blade Asura Sword of the Asura Sword Sect and the Three Origins Art.

As a martial artist, he hadn’t used the developed Middle Dantian in any special way. The Middle Dantian merely served as a channel through which internal energy was sent to the Upper Dantian.

In any case, with his Middle Dantian developed, Jang Woo-hyun placed his trust in his talent, his body that had surpassed human limits, and his already cultivated Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantian, and threw himself into the new martial art.

A month passed like that.

‘This doesn’t feel right.’

For the first time, Jang Woo-hyun hit a wall while learning martial arts. No—it wasn’t exactly a wall. Rather, he was completely lost. He had no idea how to even begin mastering this new system of martial arts.

Initially, he tried to patch the missing parts of the secret manual to grasp the fundamentals of the Five Elements Qi. But it was not easy. The approach itself was completely different from the martial arts system he had previously learned.

Martial arts in this realm, which used the Middle Dantian, began by generating one of the Five Elements.

Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal.

Creating even one of the five types of qi wasn’t easy from the outset.

Separating Yang energy from his internal energy to generate Fire Qi wasn’t difficult for Jang Woo-hyun. But producing the energy of the Five Elements was a different matter.

‘This isn’t it.’

He could imitate it, but it wasn’t the correct method.

Even without continuing his training, he could predict that this makeshift approach would soon hit a limit.

‘Let’s try a different method.’

This time, he tried to create Wood Qi, known for its abundance of Water Qi and vitality, but that wasn’t it either. Something felt off.

‘It’s lacking. Something else is needed.’

After suffering through a few more days, Jang Woo-hyun gave up on mastering the Five Elements Qi. For now, there was no way forward.

Having given up on training, Jang Woo-hyun initially considered leaving the White Forest to directly explore the martial world of the Dawn Continent.

‘Timing is tricky.’

But upon realizing that the time he had mentioned to No Yuk was almost up, he decided to wait. Those who would show him new martial arts were soon to arrive.

A vast forest at the northernmost point of the Dawn Continent.

Its northern region was snow-covered year-round, and people called it the White Forest.

Numerous ethnic minorities lived in the White Forest, but most had settled in the southern parts of the forest.

In the southern region, not far from the village of the White Horn Tribe—

There were those crossing the grasslands in that direction.

Leading them was an old man. He was none other than Profound Heaven Sword King, No Yuk, who had previously fought Jang Woo-hyun.

“Are you sure the monster you mentioned is inside there?”

Right behind No Yuk were two young men. With thin builds and identical faces, they looked like twins.

Though they appeared young, the twins were actually not much younger than No Yuk.

The one who had just spoken, with a scar on his cheek, was the elder twin, Yu Yuk-rang. The unscarred one was the younger, Yu Yuk-ho.

The two of them were the leaders of the Azure Dragon Alliance, which ruled over the eastern part of the Dawn Continent.

“I still can’t believe it. That someone capable of overwhelming Senior No exists.”

Responding to Yu Yuk-rang was a muscular middle-aged man with short hair.

His name was Naeng Namcheon.

He was the Manor Master of White Tiger Mountain Manor, which governed the western region of the Dawn Continent, and the youngest among the group.

“What does the Palace Mistress think?”

Naeng Namcheon turned his gaze toward the woman walking in the very rear.

“I think it’s entirely possible. It’s not like we know everything about the world, right?”

Her eyes curved in a crescent as she smiled. It was a smile that lifted the mood of those who saw it, but the four others who knew her personality only frowned.

Her name was Lee Ga-hang, known by the alias Flame Queen.

She was the Palace Head of Vermilion Bird Palace, the ruler of the southern part of the Dawn Continent, and one of the absolute beings of the martial world.

Though the other four might not want to admit it, if judged purely by martial prowess, she was the strongest among them.

“Everyone knows, when it comes to Yellow Dragon Temple, anything can happen.”

The Yellow Dragon Temple ruled the central region of the Dawn Continent and was one of the five pillars of the martial world.

Fifteen years ago, that very Yellow Dragon Temple lost a battle against a single man and sealed itself away.

After that incident, the remaining four heads of the factions made a promise.

If a situation similar to what happened with Yellow Dragon Temple ever occurred again, they would join forces.

That was why the leaders of each faction had gathered here—five people in total. To stand against a mysterious expert whose identity was unknown.

“Old man, are you going to go inside?”

At Yuk Yuk-rang’s question, No Yuk shook his head.

“Then are we just going to wait here?”

“No need for that. He’s already here.”

At No Yuk’s words, everyone turned their heads in one direction. A man was pushing aside small trees and walking out from the edge of the forest.

Everyone focused their senses on him.

‘What is this?’

They couldn’t feel anything. No strong energy, no killing intent, not even a trace of pressure. Even though they were looking at him with their own eyes, his presence was faint.

A look of shock spread across the eyes of those watching him.

The four who hadn’t believed No Yuk’s words felt goosebumps rise across their bodies. None of them could grasp the skill of the man who had just appeared.

“Damn it. Am I the only one who can’t sense anything?”

Yuk Yuk-rang asked in unease.

“I can’t feel anything either.”

“Me too, brother.”

“Same here.”

All three, except for No Yuk, agreed on the current situation.

Sensing the energy, Jang Woo-hyun leapt forward with joy and exited the White Forest in an instant.

He saw five people standing on one side of the grassland.

The first to catch his eye was No Yuk, whom he had met previously.

Next to him were two young men who looked like twins, a middle-aged man, and a woman around his own age.

With his Qi Threads suddenly expanded, Jang Woo-hyun scanned the auras of the five.

‘The twins are wood. The woman is fire. The middle-aged man must be metal?’

Their distinct energies made it easy to identify their attributes.

‘No Yuk was water, so all that’s left is earth.’

It was a bit disappointing to be missing one, but still, four out of five had gathered.

Suppressing his rising lips, Jang Woo-hyun walked forward.

“I am Yuk Yuk-rang, who sits as the Leader of the Azure Dragon Alliance. And your name?”

“I’m Jang Woo-hyun.”

The situation was different from before, so Jang Woo-hyun spoke respectfully. It was too ambiguous to treat them as enemies.

‘It’s right to see them as people who came to help.’

Even if they didn’t see it that way, that’s how Jang Woo-hyun saw it.

“I heard you're not of the White Horn Tribe, so where did a martial artist like you suddenly appear from?”

“Well, I mean, hmm…”

After a brief moment of consideration, Jang Woo-hyun decided to be honest.

“You might not believe me, but let’s just say I came from another world.”

It was such an out-of-nowhere statement that the four tilted their heads or frowned.

But one of them reacted differently.

“I’m out!”

All eyes turned to the cheerful voice. Lee Ga-hang was backing away with one hand raised.

“Palace Head, what are you saying...?”

“Great Hero Jang! No, Mister Jang… Master Jang! I’m stepping out, so please don’t attack me!”

Ignoring the gazes of the others, Lee Ga-hang backed away and sat on her knees.

At her absurd action, Yuk Yuk-rang grimaced.

“That woman’s acting crazy again…”

“That lunatic’s always been like that. Let it go, brother.”

Just as Yuk Yuk-rang was about to grind his teeth and curse her out, his younger brother Yuk Yuk-ho stopped him.

If it was Lee Ga-hang, she was fully capable of acting like this.

Her alias, Vermilion Flame Queen, was as famous as her name.

She was infamous as the crazy woman who burned people alive, and so the others just thought, ‘That lunatic is doing something crazy again,’ and lost interest.

Now that she had acted like this, it was clear she wouldn’t stick to any agreement. She had always been that unpredictable.

“Bit of a shame. So are the remaining four going to proceed?”

When Jang Woo-hyun asked, the four who had been distracted by Lee Ga-hang turned their attention back. The madness of that woman was not the problem right now.

The real problem was the unknown monster standing before them.

“It’s a blow to my pride, but can we all go at once?”

“By all means.”

Jang Woo-hyun responded confidently with a smile, and Yuk Yuk-rang couldn’t help but smile back.

“I heard from the old man that you're strong, but we’re not so simple either. We’ve got something prepared.”

Fwoosh—

Starting with Yuk Yuk-rang, the others began drawing out their energy.

“I am Yuk Yuk-ho of the Azure Dragon Alliance.”

“I am Naeng Namcheon of White Tiger Mountain Manor.”

“No Yuk of the Hyeonmu Sect.”

As the four absolute experts simultaneously raised their energies, the very ground seemed to tremble.

But that was all. From Jang Woo-hyun’s perspective, the four were lacking. Even though they were absolute experts, they hadn’t reached the pinnacle.

‘The strongest is that woman?’

Lee Ga-hang, who had sensed something from Jang Woo-hyun and immediately withdrew from the fight. She was the strongest among them, while the twins were the weakest.

‘Hm?’

Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze returned to the twins he had deemed the weakest.

‘What’s this?’

The energy of the brothers, Yuk Yuk-rang and Yuk Yuk-ho, was growing larger and larger.

From the middle of the Absolute Realm, they were now charging toward its peak—reaching a level that Jang Woo-hyun could no longer take lightly.

Wuuuuung—Crackle—

Then their muscles began to swell. It wasn’t just a physical transformation. A constant stream of vitality poured out from their bodies.

‘Were they hiding their strength?’

He first thought so, but a closer look revealed otherwise. The power of No Yuk behind them had also grown. And now, the energies of the three were resonating with each other.

Jang Woo-hyun turned his gaze from Yuk Yuk-rang, Yuk Yuk-ho, and No Yuk—to the man standing furthest back, Naeng Namcheon.

The energy Naeng Namcheon was emitting had empowered No Yuk, and in turn, strengthened the twins.

‘Qi Resonance Transmission?’

The idea of transferring one’s internal energy to others crossed his mind, but Jang Woo-hyun immediately dismissed it.

This wasn’t about transferring internal energy. Their energies were resonating. The energy of the one behind was amplifying the energy of the one ahead.

From metal to water, from water to wood.

Metal → Water → Wood

An unbroken chain of energy.

“Ah!”

Only then did Jang Woo-hyun understand the power that surpassed the Absolute Realm.

‘Five Elements Generating Cycle!’

A martial art that utilized the Middle Dantian—Five Elements Qi—unlike anything he had known before.

That Five Elements Qi was strengthening their power through the principle of the Five Elements Generating Cycle.

“Ha!”

Jang Woo-hyun laughed at the martial art he was seeing for the first time in his life. A martial art from a completely different world.

A new perspective—his vision, quite literally, had opened.

Suppressing his excitement, Jang Woo-hyun clenched his fist.

Seeing this, Yuk Yuk-rang spoke up.

“If you're ready, we’ll go first.”

With their enhanced energy, the twin brothers kicked off the ground simultaneously.

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