Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Realm of the Middle Dantian
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The kidneys filter out waste and harmful substances from the body and excrete them while also regulating blood flow and blood pressure.
Thus, developing the kidneys meant making the body healthier and more robust.
But then, the yin crystal formed in my middle dantian connected to the kidneys.
In that instant, I felt my body harden, and the world seemed to flip upside down with a snap.
My ears had "opened."
Sounds I hadn't heard before began to reach me one by one.
The rumble of the carriage wheels, the faint recitation of sutras by the old monk on the roadside, the wind brushing through the grass, the laborers heading home after work, the chirping of grasshoppers, the flow of moonlight...
Even the desperate cries of Onma and the specters.
「Young Cult Leader? Young Cult Leader!」
「What's wrong, Young Cult Leader!」
The problem was, I could clearly hear what they were saying, but understanding the meaning was difficult.
It felt like a jumble of noise buzzing in my ears.
The world I had suddenly become aware of made me feel like I'd been tossed carelessly into the vast ocean of the universe, utterly alone.
Facing that immense world, my breath caught in my throat.
If I stayed like this, I might get swallowed by the waves of the cosmos. That's the fear that gripped me.
So, I quickly activated the Ear King's Scripture.
Wooong!
As I tried to control my perception bit by bit, the range of the world I could perceive narrowed, allowing me to regain my composure.
“…Hah!”
I exhaled roughly.
It felt like I'd barely escaped the vast ocean and could finally breathe fresh air.
But the aftershock from that awakened world was overwhelmingly intense.
Woooong!
First, I sensed the yin crystal wriggling vigorously in my middle dantian.
It brimmed with vitality, twisting like a dragon in flight.
「Are you feeling better now, Young Cult Leader?」
“…Yeah.”
Onma pressed his wings against my chest and let out a sigh of relief.
「It seems you briefly experienced clairaudience. Thank heavens.」
“Clairaudience?”
Clairaudience was the supernatural ability to hear and understand all words in the world, from good and bad human speech to even the voices of beasts and ghosts.
And I'd experienced it?
「The kidneys nourish the body's yang while also being linked to the ears, enhancing hearing. It seems with the yin crystal taking root, your ears naturally opened wide. You were startled this time, but if you adapt properly from now on, you'll gradually gain control.」
It wasn't comparable to before, but even now, if I focused, I could faintly hear sounds from far away.
Proof that the yin crystal was actively functioning.
In that case?
I spread my palm wide and drew yin energy from the yin crystal.
Tssst—
Cold energy rose, freezing the moisture in the air into fine frost.
It resembled the Northern Sea Sect's Ice White Divine Art, but it was different.
Theirs merely released cold artificially, whereas mine was closer to the primordial energy.
「Oh, to witness such pure yin energy.」
「And overflowing with power too. It could be put to great use in real combat.」
To me, this middle dantian energy was just a bit novel.
Until now, I'd only handled the upper and lower dantians.
But this one in between, the middle dantian.
“A little worrying.”
「Why is that, Young Cult Leader?」
“If it's reacting to the kidneys, that means the middle dantian is fully developing, right?”
「Yes, indeed.」
“Then I need a cultivation method to manage the middle dantian separately… but I don't have a suitable one.”
The upper dantian had the Ear King's Scripture, the lower had the Poison Dragon Heart Formula. The latter was set to evolve into the cult leader's secret art, the Heavenly Demon Roaring Heart Technique.
Both were supreme martial arts.
Of course, the Heavenly Demon Repository held countless techniques, but none compared to these two.
If I learned some odd cultivation method, it could adversely affect both the Ear King's Scripture and the Heavenly Demon Roaring Heart Technique.
So, it would be ideal to have something that naturally bridged them.
But no matter how I searched my mind, nothing fit.
Leaving it alone would just waste the middle dantian.
However.
「…….」
「…….」
「…….」
For some reason, Onma and the specters were looking at me with strange expressions.
“What's up?”
Onma and the specters rolled their eyes wordlessly, glancing at each other.
As a furrow formed on my brow, Onma hurriedly stepped forward and slammed his head to the ground.
「W-We lesser demons didn't know which part of the Young Cult Leader's words to laugh at!! Please forgive our foolish, stupid heads that can't understand jokes!」
“I'm serious. What's so funny?”
Onma snapped his head up, blinking his eyes.
「...You're serious?」
“So what the hell are you talking about.”
Onma exchanged glances with the specters, then scratched his cheek awkwardly with a wing.
「You've already created such an outstanding martial art that even we lesser demons were astonished, yet you say that... It's hard to tell if you're joking or serious.」
“I've already created a martial art?”
「W-Well, hasn't the yin crystal already taken root in your kidneys?」
“What does that have to do with it?”
「A cultivation method is simply a way to operate qi according to the practitioner's will. But you're already freely manipulating yin energy with your will, aren't you?」
Huh?
Come to think of it, yeah?
「In our humble opinion, unlike other methods where form awakens the will gradually, you've already awakened your will, so your form is free—it's just a brief moment of hesitation.」
The other specters nearby nodded in agreement, murmuring "That's right, that's right."
The only one not following the conversation was the Fifteenth Tiger.
The innate shaman was sweating profusely, subtly stepping back.
「But leave the yin crystal's flow be for now, and slowly reassemble the insights you've gained. Then that will—」
“Become my own new cultivation method?”
「Exactly!」
I pondered briefly.
A new method of operation born without my conscious knowledge.
In a way, it was just a makeshift way to refine the essence in the middle dantian.
But with the new yin crystal formed, the qi circulation had restarted accordingly.
So, why not refine and develop it further?
A thought flashed by.
Then, what direction should its development take?
Something crossed my mind.
The reason the middle dantian had suddenly opened.
“I need to create a foundation where the upper dantian's shamanic power and lower dantian's internal energy mix.”
「As expected of the Young Cult Leader! Teach you one thing, and you grasp ten—no, a hundred. A genius of one yielding a hundred—」
“Cut the crap.”
「—The Young Cult Leader, who has reached the level of the Ear King in shamanic martial arts while also possessing the cult leader's secret arts. Rather than learning another new martial art equal to them, the most important thing is to create a link that binds them together.」
Onma's words struck the back of my head hard.
Ear King's Scripture.
Heavenly Demon Roaring Heart Technique.
Link these two together...?
In other words, fuse them into one.
「The Young Cult Leader seeks to surpass the Divine Cult's lord and ascend to the cult leader position anew.」
「Then, couldn't you create a secret art even greater than the cult leader's?」
「It will be a difficult and arduous path, but having watched you all this time, we lesser demons believe you can do it.」
Onma and the specters gazed at me with eyes full of fervor.
Only then did I realize their thoughts stemmed entirely from discussions they'd had while I experienced clairaudience.
And.
I shared the same thought.
Even with the Ear King's Scripture, I had lost to the Council.
My master had mastered the cult leader's secret art but couldn't surpass the Council's wall.
But the Divine Cult hadn't lost yet.
We were still fighting.
So, developing a superior martial art might allow us to stand against them.
Developing the middle dantian was the key to that.
Feeling the yin crystal pulsing near my solar plexus, I thought.
What to name it?
It pulsed like a dragon with the properties of water, so Black Dragon?
Then Black Dragon Water Qi?
But its purity rivaled true qi, so Black Dragon Water True Qi.
Shortened to Black Dragon Qi.
Black Dragon Qi Art.
Woooong!
Naming defines existence.
The yin crystal seemed to realize that.
It surged, wrapping around the lower dantian's internal energy and upper dantian's shamanic power, writhing even larger like a true black dragon.
Sss!
Black Dragon Qi welled up in my palm, merging with the existing frost flakes.
A hexagonal ice crystal formed, sparkling beautifully.
「We lesser demons hope we haven't disturbed the Young Cult Leader's ears.」
“No. It was valuable advice. I'm grateful.”
I stroked Onma's head.
The worried expressions of Onma and the specters brightened instantly.
「To understand our hearts— we are deeply moved!」
「Ahem! Then perhaps—」
「If you bestow upon us the same reward as Onma—」
「T-The yin crystal's energy looks so tempting, er, blessed—」
But for some reason, their faces were all fixed on my palm, drooling.
Precisely, toward the ice crystal.
“…….”
「…….」
Just to check, I moved the crystal to the left.
Their gazes followed left.
Then to the right.
Gazes to the right.
“…….”
「…….」
“…….”
「…….」
“…….”
A brief silence passed between us.
What?
These guys wanted this?
I looked at them incredulously, and Onma awkwardly opened his beak.
「Hehehehe! If you just share a little, slurp! Your grace would be as vast as the sea, slurp! Slurrrp!」
But while his face was like that, his gaze stayed glued to the crystal, refusing to budge.
Drool dripped from his beak, forming a puddle.
I snorted and withdrew the yin energy.
The crystal crumbled to dust.
「Ah! Aaaah!」
「P-Please, not that—」
「Waaah! Nooo! Please, anything but that!」
They wailed in despair, bursting into sobs.
Who'd think a family member died?
“I'll see how you perform from now on.”
「Really!?」
「As expected, the Young Cult Leader's vast heart is like the sea—」
“Baek Mountain mental training—all done? Bring him out.”
「…….」
「…….」
Suddenly, silence like cold water poured over them.
“Why so quiet?”
「W-Well—」
「J-Just give us a bit more time—」
“What more time? If the mental training's done well, I'll give you what you want.”
「That's just it, we—」
They collectively avoided my gaze, sweating bullets—highly suspicious.
Without hearing more, I yanked the golden chain linked to Baek Mountain.
「W-Wait a moment!!」
Clatter!
With the sound of pulleys turning, Baek Mountain was dragged up, dangling upside down by the iron chains.
He'd been beaten so thoroughly his eyes were swollen shut, and bruises covered his body.
But.
「Hehe! Hehehehe! People! Humans! Hehehehehehe!」
This guy's pupils were completely deranged.
“…What the hell happened to this bastard?”
I looked at Onma and the specters in bewilderment.
「…….」
「…….」
「…….」
They slyly turned their heads aside.