Qiongqi Emperor Fist

The internal energy surged explosively within me.

In my dantian, brimming with majestic power, abundant qi writhed and pulsed with life.

Not bad.

My internal energy had increased too. Might as well loosen up my body a little.

Kicking me out immediately feels a bit harsh, don't you think?

Hmm.

I let out a short groan before kicking off the floor and standing up.

"This won't do."

"Hey now. It's not like that at all."

My body was itching with restlessness.

Time to hunt down a gate.

With this much internal energy...

I should be able to unleash the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts in its complete form.

"I still can't use the six final stances from the latter half."

I had trained those latter forms back in Algeria, yet the most profound techniques remained beyond my reach.

"It's not just the quantity. The size of the dantian itself matters."

Even if you fill a soju glass to the brim, there's a limit to what it can hold. If the dantian's capacity doesn't expand, I can't properly express the profound insights contained within each stance.

"I could force them, but they wouldn't display their true power."

Since some of the latter stances could still be deployed safely, I hadn't bothered recklessly attempting the rest.

"That's true enough."

My arsenal had grown far broader than in my previous life. I could now extract essences from corpses and even intangible monsters. I'd also obtained the Monarchs' signature skills like Demonic Power and Fusion Qigong.

Even so, I had no intention of neglecting martial arts.

"Shouldn't I use everything at my disposal?"

I contacted the Association and secured an appropriate gate—one that had spawned not far from the guild house. Fortunately, the entry requirement was Gold rank or higher, so there were no issues.

"Special Task Force Agent Yu Jinho, confirmed."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"I wish you good fortune in battle!"

Good fortune? For a B-rank gate? A bit much.

I stepped into the gate with the relaxed stride of someone out for a casual walk.

***

I scanned the mountainous terrain covered in lush green vegetation, turning my head from side to side.

"Finding a suitable gate every time I want to train is becoming a hassle."

"One strike from the latter stances would blow the whole thing to pieces."

What barrier? The force was strong enough to make the entire guild house explode with a bang and reduce it to dust.

"I turned an entire gate into the guild training ground."

Considering entry conditions and difficulty level, I bid on gates the Association could manage steadily and converted them into training facilities.

"You can set up the recreational facilities outside."

Just relocate some temporary buildings and you're done. It ended up being cheaper than hunting for a new gate every training session.

Since it occurred to me, I should bring this up with Han Suchang after finishing my martial arts training.

"That guy says one thing but his body tells the truth. Give him more work and he'll break into a happy tap dance."

"Either way, he'll dance, so it's all good, right?"

Enough random thoughts.

I spread my feet slightly wider than my shoulders. An appropriate level of tension pulled every muscle in my body taut. The perfect state for training.

Hoo—

As I'd mentioned before, the latter stances of the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts placed greater emphasis on internal energy manipulation than on mimicking movements. Even motions impossible for the human body could be replicated to a degree through qi.

"Let's start by warming up."

Crackle-crackle!

Internal energy drawn forth by the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method raced through my meridians toward my fingertips. The power filling every joint concentrated at the tips, then I released it all at once.

Finger Bullet Technique.

A method that flicks condensed qi from the fingertips to discharge it outward.

"Correct. It's the sixteenth form—Xiezhi Scale."

I did say I was just warming up.

Dozens of jet-black energy bullets, tinted by the influence of the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method, rained down upon the vegetation.

Boom! Boooom!

The explosions from the condensed qi rounds toppled the plants with loud cracks.

"Kererelek."

What emerged from the underbrush was a bipedal crocodile-like monster—a Ludger. Its stats were roughly equivalent to a Gold-rank player. In other words, it was weaker than the trash mobs I'd faced countless times in the Land of Fire.

Along the edge of my outstretched hand blade, a blade of condensed qi surged upward. As I brought it down from above, everything seemed to be swallowed by darkness for an instant. There was no sound. Even the noise of bones and muscle being sliced was devoured by the black qi.

"Where exactly did you learn that analogy?"

If she keeps pursuing truth like that, she'll evolve into a first-rate keyboard warrior. From a NEET to a basement-dwelling warrior—what a horrifying hybrid.

The commotion drew even more Ludgers than the ones I'd already slain.

Crescent-shaped qi traced a black trajectory through the air. This time it wasn't a blade of qi but a crushing force. Though the qi itself was the same, the underlying principle differed. The edge spun violently, amplifying its destructive power. The Ludgers touched by the black line were cut clean in half at the waist before collapsing.

At a glance ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it looked similar to the previous cut, but the different principles left distinct traces on the severed surfaces.

These enemies would have been more than enough if I'd simply unfolded Dragon's Wings and used Lightning Wing Strike. However, I hadn't forgotten that the purpose of visiting this gate today was training.

As I poured out the latter stances, the internal energy that had increased by over a thousand points rapidly depleted.

"The less energy I have, the sharper my senses become."

When it came to honing a martial artist's intuition, nothing beat depleting one's internal energy. I could have used the true Yeouiju's ability to convert mana into qi, but I deliberately continued unleashing the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts without relying on it.

"That felt refreshing."

The forest had been reduced to a wasteland. Torn corpses of Ludgers lay scattered everywhere.

"...Yeah, I got carried away."

I cleared my throat.

About ten percent of my internal energy remained in my dantian. I'd controlled the output well enough to avoid qi deviation.

"Ten percent. Martial arts are measured in tenths, you know."

Now that my dantian was empty, it was time to fill it again.

I sat down on the scorched ground. The air was thick with mana. I guided it through my breath, accumulating it within. The internal energy seeping into my empty dantian circulated in reverse through my meridians.

It was one of the highest demonic cultivation methods in existence.

***

The Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method greedily devoured the qi mixed in the air.

"Perfect."

My sharpened senses told me that if I tried now, I could unfold the remaining stances perfectly.

Come on.

Isn't it the way of the world that hardship leads to reward? They say the young should endure hardship willingly. Back before my regression, I tested countless synergy combinations until things literally exploded in my face.

"I ran the experiments inside the Tower of Babel."

Before the third Great Erosion, death penalties weren't that severe. I tested every combination that came to mind and eventually established the current synergy formulas. It was an experience forged from blood, sweat, and tears.

Anyway.

Let's finish training before I lose this edge.

The internal energy accumulated through the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method coiled around my left arm.

The flickering flames I forged from qi were a variation of the Threefold True Fire. They possessed the property of burning anything they touched, yet fire resistance offered no defense. After all, it was still condensed qi.

Stop. Any more and my chuunibyou symptoms might relapse.

Ugh. The black flame dragon residing in my hand... is raging wildly!

The moment I let my mind wander, the flames of qi in my left hand scattered in every direction.

Hsssss!

The black flames melted the ground as they sank downward. Dealing with them was surprisingly simple. Just press them down with raw power. See? Pretty easy, right?

You could just suppress it with an aura blade or the output of the Explosive Demon Technique. I even told you the solution, yet you still complain.

"It's the ability of a fantastical species manifested through martial arts."

Honestly, its practical combat utility was rather low. Not because the power of Black Dragon Flame was lacking, but because I possessed too many other abilities.

"Controlling flames made of condensed qi requires considerable concentration."

A traditional martial artist who had only learned the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts would probably welcome a stance like this, which bordered on heretical.

Polar Night.

It was the root of the Goddess of Night, Nyx, and the power of darkness that enveloped all things. A versatile ability without any fixed form!

"You're right about that."

I had various elemental magics, as well as blessings like Grace of All-Encompassing Erosion and Grace of Greed that altered spells. There were countless abilities I hadn't even mentioned. They would be a tremendous help to a martial artist who stubbornly pursued the pinnacle of pure martial arts, but they held little merit for me. This was also the real reason I hadn't recklessly learned all the latter stances.

"You get me."

From the nineteenth to the twenty-third stances, these techniques felt closer to supernatural abilities than pure martial arts. They manifested various phenomena through condensed qi. Naturally, since they focused on qi manipulation rather than the unity of mind, energy, and body, their power fell short of the final six stances.

"These techniques are all groundwork for the final stance."

Qiongqi. The worst demonic beast recorded in Chinese legend, a fantastical creature possessing the traits of many different species.

"I infuse my fist with the properties of stances nineteen through twenty-three."

The endless expansiveness of Black Dragon Flame. The lightning speed of Lightning God. The crushing pressure of Kunpeng that forces everything to submit. The wide-spreading Pulse Shackles. All these concepts are received and focused through the elasticity of Gluttonous Deflection. Gathering these difficult-to-combine principles into a single point and releasing them at once to pulverize the enemy—that is the Qiongqi Emperor ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fist.

"The theory sounds good, doesn't it?"

"I'll show you."

I spread both arms wide, then clenched my fists tightly. Black flames and lightning dwelled in my arms. Wind and shockwaves gathered in my tightly gripped hands. As I brought my outstretched arms forward and slammed my fists together—

Flash!

For an instant, pure white light erupted from my fists. Nothing else could be felt beyond the blinding glare. No sound reached my eardrums... Not even a breeze stirred. It was literal annihilation. The light released from my fists 'deleted' everything within a five-meter radius.

"Ah. That wasn't easy after all."

White bone protruded from my elbow. My left arm had bent backward at an unnatural angle, while my right arm's muscles had burst, turning patches of skin black.

The moment I unleashed the final stance, I had failed to control the power. The full recoil came rushing back.

As my body recovered, the excruciating pain gradually subsided.

Whew.

Having my muscles twisted like pretzels wasn't exactly a pleasant experience.

Tsk.

Couldn't jump straight to ten stars in one go, huh?

"My body's balance is different from my previous life."

What a shame.

If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could reach ten stars in the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts and eight stars in the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method...

"That would be worth aiming for."

I stroked my chin, lost in regret.