The Peak Realm
Wuuuung.
The Dragon Pearl in my dantian began to stir. The energy radiating from the supreme divine treasure Fire Dragon had given me was anything but ordinary. Of course, I still didn’t understand the Dragon Pearl’s full capabilities, nor could I fully use them. All I knew was that every time I drew on my internal energy, a tremendous amount of power spilled out, so much that I could barely control it and had to restrain myself.
For that reason, I had avoided touching the Dragon Pearl for a while.
But now was no longer the time to worry about stability. I would have to assault a beast den soon. If I wanted to do it safely, I needed to grow stronger than I was now—by at least one realm, perhaps more. And if that was the case, then the power resting in my dantian was absolutely necessary.
All right. Let’s use the Kunlun inner art.
Teaching the Kunlun martial arts to anyone would have been dangerous. But learning them myself was unlikely to be discovered. Besides, the Kunlun techniques I had learned had been subtly altered for beast hunting. They were at a level only the direct disciples of Kunlun would be able to notice.
Red Yang Art.
I immediately recalled the Kunlun inner art I had practiced for a long, long time. As the name suggested, it was a mind art specialized in building yang-force, making it perfectly suited to me, with the Fire Dragon’s Dragon Pearl lodged within me.
Slowly, carefully, I recited the oral formula for Red Yang Art in my mind.
Of course, since I had never been a direct disciple, I had not been given the full formula. The latter half, the part that truly unlocked its power, was reserved for direct disciples alone. I had belonged to the beast-hunting branch, which meant I had never been admitted into that inner circle.
Still, even now it would be a hundred times, no, a thousand times more effective than the mind art of Jigeom Sect.
Wuuuung. Wuuuuung.
The moment I recalled the formula, the circulation of energy began. As the inner circulation started, the Dragon Pearl slowly began to bare its ferocity. The Fire Dragon’s power contained within it was so vast I could not see its end, and perhaps because it was meeting Red Yang Art, it raged as if it wanted to run wild.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
Flames burst up from my dantian. In that instant, I remembered the Fire Dragon’s breath that had once burned through my body, and my breathing grew ragged. The first breath, when I had escaped death by a hair, and the second breath, which had granted me a new life only to drag me back toward death, had both brought me unbearable pain.
“Urgh...”
A groan slipped out before I could stop it. Opening one’s mouth while circulating energy was forbidden. But the agony was so extreme that it forced me into a state like this.
As pain surged through me and the heat returned to my entire body, the circulation wavered.
Wuuuung.
The moment it faltered, the Dragon Pearl lodged in my dantian began to pour out even more energy. It spewed fire qi violently, as if asking whether I, unworthy as I was, could truly contain it. I gathered my mind in an instant. If I lost control here, the Dragon Pearl would swallow me whole.
Focus. Focus.
My realm might have been low, but I had crossed countless life-and-death thresholds. I knew how to steady my mind even under the most extreme conditions. More importantly, Red Yang Art specialized in handling yang energy. What I carried in my dantian was the Fire Dragon’s Dragon Pearl. The art was nowhere near sufficient to fully embrace that power, but it was still the best option I had right now.
Wuuuung. Wuuuuuuuung.
As I concentrated again, the Dragon Pearl’s energy gradually calmed. Then it began to release the energies of the Illusion Stones I had absorbed over time. What had moments ago seemed ready to burn my body to ash now began incinerating impurities instead.
Muscle and bone.
Veins and cells.
Every corner of my body, every obstruction that had hindered my growth, was beginning to burn away under the Fire Dragon’s energy. In that moment, I experienced something astonishing. A euphoric sensation I had never known before wrapped around my whole body, and boundless power flooded every part of me.
Wuuuung.
That power raced wildly through my body’s newly purified channels. It moved with exquisite precision, burning away even the dustlike remnants of impurity. After making a full circuit through my body, it surged back toward my dantian. There, it was absorbed by the Dragon Pearl.
And with that, the tremendous transformation inside my body came to an end.
“Ah...”
I opened my eyes and let out a breath of awe. The instant my circulation stopped, I could feel it clearly. I had ascended to a new realm. Until just a moment ago, I had been at the level of someone who had only just set foot in the First-Class Realm. That alone had been an astonishing achievement, given the miserable state of Jigeom Sect.
And now I had just reached the Peak Realm.
Considering that I had been on the verge of death the last time I met the Fire Dragon, the speed of my progress was absurd.
“Red Yang Art has reached eighty percent mastery.”
That was the highest achievement I could obtain without knowing the latter-half formula, the core essence of the art. I drew the sword hanging at my waist.
Shrring.
Even the motion of drawing it felt unnaturally natural now. I immediately began to unfold Jigeom Eighteen Sword Forms. I knew the Kunlun sword art as well, but there were too many eyes on me to use it here. Unlike an inner art, a sword technique was visible at a glance, so I had to be careful.
Ziiing.
The sword gave voice.
“Sword-body unity?”
The realm where body and sword became one. I felt deeply moved. My body and spirit seemed to have laid the perfect foundation for a true martial artist. With my will blazing awake, the forms flowed out naturally.
Sararang. Sararang.
The sound of the sword cutting through empty air rang out beautifully. Who could possibly call the swordsmanship I was displaying now some shabby little Jigeom Sect technique? Jigeom Eighteen Sword Forms began tracing convincing arcs beneath my hand. I fell into a state of complete absorption and swung my sword for a long time.
Every motion was flawless.
The blood channels tempered by the Fire Dragon’s energy carried my internal power freely and precisely, and the strengthened muscles and bones delivered every form exactly where I wanted it.
Bang. Pabababang.
Cracking sonic booms rang out, and wherever my sword touched, the air itself rippled. Right now, I felt as if I could defeat any beast that came my way. And so I finished all eighteen forms.
Shrring.
I stopped and returned the sword to its scabbard. Then I closed my eyes for a while, reliving the sword forms I had just unleashed and savoring the surging exhilaration in my chest.
So this is true swordsmanship. This is true martial art.
With both physical achievement and enlightenment, I had grown tremendously. My body had become one that possessed martial talent beyond anything I had been before death. Then I felt a gaze on me.
“...”
“...”
Turning my head, I saw Duseong and Hwaung staring at me with dazed expressions. I flashed them a grin.
“That surprised you, didn’t it?”
The two junior brothers nodded vigorously. Duseong, especially, looked even more shocked than Hwaung.
“What Eldest Brother just used was Jigeom Eighteen Sword Forms, right?”
“That’s right.”
“...Was it really the same sword art?”
I shrugged and answered.
“Probably.”
“I can’t believe it. The sword art you showed us felt like an entirely different technique.”
“Keep training, and you’ll be able to wield the same sword art as me too.”
“Really?!”
“Of course. Effort doesn’t betray you.”
Though, even if it didn’t betray you, limits still existed. In any case, Duseong looked thoroughly stirred by my words.
“I’ll work hard too and obtain a sword like Eldest Brother’s.”
“Good. Do that.”
I patted Duseong on the shoulder.
“Eldest Brother.”
“What is it, Hwaung?”
“It seems you’ve made a breakthrough.”
“A little.”
In truth, it was far more than “a little.”
Going from the First-Class Realm to the Peak Realm was hardly something that could be brushed off so casually.
“Just now, your body was trembling, and a lot of foul-smelling sweat came pouring out. Are you all right?”
“That was the impurities in my body being expelled as I made the breakthrough. Come to think of it, does it still smell?”
“I don’t smell anything.”
The Fire Dragon’s energy seemed to have completely burned away the waste expelled from my body. Normally, I knew this sort of thing was supposed to leave an awful stench.
“Is that so? Good.”
“Congratulations on your achievement.”
“Hwaung, too, will be able to strengthen his body if you keep working hard.”
“Yes, Eldest Brother.”
There was nothing but admiration in the eyes of the two junior brothers as they looked at me. They couldn’t help it. I was forging ahead beyond the limits of the sect, carving out a higher realm of martial art with my own hands.
“Good. Then let’s begin training again.”
The two junior brothers returned to their practice. I began meditating briefly to organize the breakthrough I had just achieved. With my eyes closed, I replayed the sword forms in my mind. Seeing them again after having entered that state of complete absorption allowed me to clearly organize the achievement I had gained.
Once I had settled all the forms, I smiled in satisfaction.
This is enough for now as a first goal.
The Peak Realm.
To think I had reached a realm that, in my previous life, I had only barely attained after devoting my whole existence to it. The power of the Fire Dragon’s Dragon Pearl was beyond imagination.
Thud.
I snapped out of meditation at the sudden sound. Duseong had collapsed onto the training yard floor.
“Huff... huff...”
He seemed to have reached his limit entirely. I rose slowly and walked over to him.
“Well done. Let’s stop here for today.”
“S-sorry, Eldest Brother. I can still...”
Duseong tried to get up, but his body wouldn’t obey. I shook my head.
“Don’t push yourself. We’ll keep training tomorrow too.”
Only then did Duseong finally exhale in relief. Beside him, Hwaung, who had still been running with the iron weights strapped to him, also stopped.
“Eldest Brother, I’m still fine.”
“You stop too. I know your stamina is good, but proper rest is also part of training.”
Looking between the two of them, I went on, “And one more thing. We leave in three days.”
“What?”
Both of them looked stunned at once.
“In three days? That... is that possible?”
Duseong asked cautiously. It was a natural reaction. Going to fight beasts after just a few days of training was no different from suicide.
“Don’t worry. The place I’m targeting is a gathering point for Earth Class beasts. It’s a level you can handle.”
In truth, there was a more important reason.
This is the optimal time.
Murim still didn’t fully understand beasts yet. Now, before the major sects had begun moving in earnest, was the perfect chance for me to get there first.
“Rest well today. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin training for actual combat.”
Watching the backs of the two junior brothers as they returned to their quarters, I once again sorted through my plan.
Three-man team. The minimum, but enough.
Hwaung would handle defense.
Duseong would handle offense.
And I would lead the entire hunt while taking part in the assault myself.
But I couldn’t be satisfied with that alone.
I would find one more key member to complete the beast-hunting team.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to go see that guy.
If I recalled my previous life correctly, this was about the time he should still be in Hubei. He was someone who would later make a considerable name for himself.
Lucky me. So he’s still here.
Left alone in the training yard beneath the moonlight, I drew my sword once more.
Shrring.
Now it truly begins.
***
The next morning.
I left Jigeom Sect early and headed for the nearby market. In one corner of it stood a small clinic with a faded signboard hanging above the entrance, and that was my destination.
“So he was here after all.”
In the alley behind the clinic, a boy was carrying a box of medicinal herbs. He looked about fifteen, thin-framed, with a pale complexion.
“Huh? Who...”
The boy looked up and startled when he saw me. He had recognized the Jigeom Sect robes I was wearing.
“Your name is Jinu, isn’t it?”
The boy’s eyes widened further at my question.
“Eh? How do you know my name?”
“I heard there was a boy in the market who had a sharp eye for herbs.”
Jinu was an orphan. He survived by doing odd jobs at the clinic run by an old physician called Doctor Baek, where he slept and ate in exchange for his labor.
But in my memory of the future...
He becomes a man with a remarkable talent for treating beast venom and injuries.
In particular, his emergency treatment and antidote work during battle would later prove unmatched. I looked at the still bewildered Jinu and said,
“Sorry to show up so suddenly. I actually came with a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
Jinu eyed me warily. He didn’t seem to have many good memories of martial artists.
“In three days, I want you to help me with a job. Of course, I’ll pay you well.”
“What kind of job?”
“We’re going somewhere dangerous, and I’ll need medical support.”
Jinu’s face went white.
“I... I haven’t been properly trained or anything. I’m just someone who runs errands for Doctor Baek. And dangerous places are...”
“It’s fine. You’ve got an eye for herbs, haven’t you? And you’ve probably seen plenty of wound treatment from the side.”
“That’s true, but...”
Seeing Jinu hesitate, I took a silver coin from my pocket. His eyes went wide.
“This is the deposit. I’ll give you two more when the job is done.”
Three silver coins in total.
It was a fortune Jinu could work at the clinic for a whole year and never touch.
“Re-really... three silver coins?”
“Yes. Of course, it won’t be easy. It could be dangerous. But you won’t die.”
Jinu bit his lip as he stared at the silver coin. He was an orphan living in poverty; refusing that kind of money would not have been easy.
“Is it... a job that involves hurting people?”
“No. On the contrary, it’ll save people.”
I took out the poison sac of the Hwanyo from my robe.
“Do you know what this is?”
Jinu’s expression changed in an instant. Though he hadn’t formally studied medicine, he had an eye for strange medicinal materials.
“This is... a material I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s the poison sac of a beast called a Hwanyo. Probably something you couldn’t find anywhere in the Central Plains.”
Jinu took the sac and examined it closely. Little by little, curiosity lit up his eyes.
“Amazing structure. It’s completely unlike the venom sacs of ordinary poisonous insects or snakes...”
“We’re going somewhere where I can get more things like this. It’s dangerous, of course, but all you have to do is handle the treatment from behind us.”
Jinu sank into deep thought. He needed money, and his curiosity had been piqued, but the idea of danger clearly frightened him.
“As for Doctor Baek...”
“I’ll go ask him myself. It won’t be the end of the world if you’re away for a few days, will it?”
After a long hesitation, Jinu finally clenched the silver coin in his hand.
“All right. I’ll do it.”
“Good choice.”
I smiled with satisfaction. With that, the minimum hunting party was complete.
Hwaung for defense, Duseong for offense, Jinu for support.
And I would command the whole operation while handling the core firepower.
“Then let’s meet at the main gate of Jigeom Sect at dawn in three days. Prepare herbs, bandages, and anything else you might need in advance.”
“Yes... understood.”
Leaving the clinic, I went straight to see Doctor Baek myself. The old physician reacted rather indifferently when I said I intended to take Jinu away for a few days, but the moment he saw a few silver coins, he agreed readily enough.
Now I need to improve the equipment.
Ordinary weapons would be useless against beasts. Special treatment was necessary.
I’ll need to make armor out of Hwanyo hide too...
The list of things to do was piling up.
But once everything was ready, the real hunt would begin.
I quickened my pace.
Three days.
I had to complete every preparation within that time.