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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 001
Chapter Title: Prologue
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World's Greatest Expert.
It's a phrase that everyone in the martial world dreams of and harbors as an ambition at least once in their lifetime. The desire to grow stronger has dominated the martial world, and comparing strength is undoubtedly a natural human curiosity.
However, no one in the long history of the martial world can answer who was the strongest. The standard of strength varies from person to person and from era to era.
Then what if we ask who was the greatest eccentric in martial history?
Surprisingly, there is an answer to that.
The Heavenly Qi Master.
The Heavenly Qi Master was recognized as a genius from childhood due to his unparalleled intellect. He had mastered countless mechanical formations to an unfathomable level, and his martial arts were powerful enough that no one could dismiss them. True to his moniker, his insight allowed him to read the flow of heavenly qi itself.
He was known for his unpredictable words and actions, and he would achieve whatever he set his mind to, no matter the means. This had plunged the entire martial world into chaos countless times, leaving everyone shaking their heads at his eccentricities.
The reason people were drawn to the Heavenly Qi Master was his martial arts. Though he possessed formidable techniques, calling him the world's greatest was a stretch. Yet he drew attention for his martial arts theories.
The Heavenly Qi Master had encountered more martial arts than anyone in the world and understood them perfectly. Based on that, he had the ability to create far superior techniques.
In fact, a simple martial art he devised in his later years shook the entire world, a testament to his genius.
The technique that rocked the world at the time was the Flash Shadow Blade, a sword art consisting of just five forms. A ronin who mastered it could single-handedly dismantle dozens of mid- and small-sized sects.
Even more astonishing was that this ronin had learned the Flash Shadow Blade from the Heavenly Qi Master in a mere three years. Using unique methods involving mechanical formations, the Heavenly Qi Master had transformed an nameless third-rate wanderer into an absolute master in that short time. Of course, that third-rate warrior later earned the moniker Flash Shadow Blade and was eventually hunted down as a public enemy of the martial world, meeting a tragic end.
Regardless, the incident drew massive attention to the Heavenly Qi Master, prompting numerous martial organizations to seek him out. But after that, he vanished without a trace from the martial world.
Despite massive searches involving countless people, he disappeared as if he had ascended to the heavens or sunk into the earth.
"Is this the Heavenly Qi Master's martial art?"
"Precisely, it's a treasure map marking the location of his martial arts, Alliance Leader."
Mountain Breaking Sword Dugun Un, the current leader of the Martial Alliance, stared sharply at the man seated before him.
He was Jo Il-hyeon, head of the Jo Family Manor in Henan. The Jo Family Manor was a renowned sect in Xuchang, Henan. Even for the Martial Alliance, it was rare for the head of such a top-tier family to visit personally. Dugun Un had been surprised by his arrival, but the news he brought was even more shocking.
"How did you confirm this is the Heavenly Qi Master's treasure map?"
"I've brought it, so please verify it yourself, Alliance Leader."
Jo Il-hyeon pulled a scrap of paper from his bosom. Dugun Un swallowed dryly as he watched. The paper was soon spread out on the desk, and Dugun Un examined it intently with piercing eyes.
"It appears genuine to me. We should investigate this location first. The drawings seem to depict mechanical formations, so we'll need someone versed in arrays as well."
Jo Il-hyeon nodded vigorously at Dugun Un's words.
"That's what I thought too."
"Have you visited the site yet?"
"Not yet. Greed invites disaster. This item is too heavy for me to bear alone. I believed the Martial Alliance could handle even the heaviest burdens."
Dugun Un nodded with a satisfied smile at Jo Il-hyeon's words.
"Manor Head Jo is truly wise. I can already envision the Jo Family Manor rising to great heights. Ha ha ha!"
Jo Il-hyeon gazed at the heartily laughing Dugun Un with a pleased expression. He had obtained everything he desired. In any case, Jo Il-hyeon's judgment was sound. A treasure map containing the Heavenly Qi Master's martial arts was something no one but the Martial Alliance could possess.
And so, a single treasure map emerged into the world. It detailed a location where the Heavenly Qi Master, in his final moments of enlightenment, had hidden his martial arts—along with instructions to unravel its mechanisms. Thanks to this, the martial world, quiet for so long, began to stir once more.
Chapter 1
My name is...
Mount Heng, corresponding to South Mountain among the Five Great Mountains. Deep within that mountain, amid dense trees and undergrowth, stood a cliff piercing the heavens.
Rumble rumble rumble.
Suddenly, the cliff began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. Accompanied by a low roar, it trembled for a long while before collapsing with a thunderous boom.
Kaboom!
Dust and debris filled the air, and the lush trees were shattered by the falling rocks, reduced to splinters.
As the dust settled, the revealed sight was astonishing. Only the front of the cliff had crumbled, while the back remained intact. It looked as if someone had sliced off the original cliff. The cross-section was that smooth.
And in that cliff gaped a massive cave.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind streamed out from the cave, sweeping around the cliff before vanishing. The moment the wind died, a man appeared at the cave entrance.
He wore black clothes that seemed made of thin leather. At his waist hung a weathered sword without a scabbard—a bare blade. Yet the sharp aura emanating from it was anything but ordinary.
"I've finally come out..."
The man murmured, tilting his head to gaze at the sky. A cloudless blue expanse filled his vision.
"How long has it been since I last saw this..."
He stood motionless, staring at the sky for over an hour. Finally, he lowered his head.
"It's confusing."
Muttering to himself, he took a few steps. He needed time to organize his thoughts. And he had to recall the things he had forgotten during that time.
Finding relatively flat ground, he stopped and closed his eyes. Standing naturally with eyes shut—this was the most comfortable posture he could take all those years. And it was also the beginning of everything.
With eyes closed, he delved into the depths of his memories.
The earliest memories wouldn't come, no matter how hard he tried. It seemed around age ten. That was when he first came here.
"I'm the Heavenly Qi Master. From now on, you must listen carefully to what I say."
The old man who called himself the Heavenly Qi Master smiled kindly as he surveyed the hundred terrified children before him. The man, too, stood there as one of those children.
"You may not understand or believe me now, but in ten years, you will bear the mission to save the world."
The man clearly remembered feeling no fear back then. He couldn't say why. Given that he recalled nothing further back, he might have been an orphan.
"Rest well today."
With that, the Heavenly Qi Master vanished. Trembling in fear, the children lay down. The cave was quite spacious. Some tried to flee, but it was futile. At the entrance sat the kindly-faced Heavenly Qi Master.
With no choice, the children forced themselves to sleep, biding their time for another chance. But that night was their last opportunity to escape. The next day, the cave entrance was completely sealed by the rock cliff.
"I've blocked the entrance with the cliff wall. What if someone intrudes? Ha ha ha!"
Before the Heavenly Qi Master, who spoke of such a feat so casually, the children could only stand silently like mice. And from that day, the ordeal called martial arts training began.
Everything from eating to sleeping was strictly controlled. The children could do nothing on their own.
The martial arts taught by the Heavenly Qi Master were how to breathe, how to wield a sword, and how to move the body. At first, he didn't even reveal their names, but once they roughly mimicked them, he taught the details.
The breathing method was called Three Talents Miraculous Art, the sword technique Three Talents Sword Art, and the movement skill Three Talents Step.
It seemed about three years passed learning these arts. They were far from simple, and despite grueling training, progress was slow—for most children too. Yet the Heavenly Qi Master seemed satisfied watching them.
On the third anniversary, he gathered the hundred children and distributed a small pill to each.
"This will aid your martial arts. Eat it."
The children swallowed it without suspicion. The man did the same. Confirming they had all taken it, the Heavenly Qi Master smiled and spoke.
"Today marks exactly three years. Your martial arts have reached a certain completion. Now, you need only make them fully your own. What I've taught you is truly remarkable. Master it properly, and you could become martial gods."
He scanned the children. Having lived in rigid confinement, they lacked all freedom—like puppets.
"For the next seven years, perfect your martial arts individually. Then emerge into the world to resolve its great calamity."
With that, he led them deeper into the cave, to a strangely shaped door.
"From now on, open that door and enter. Train your martial arts there. Freely."
Without objection, the children entered. The interior was filled with fog. Even in zero visibility, they pressed on.
Once all were inside, the Heavenly Qi Master sealed the door.
Thud!
Sitting quietly on the floor, he sighed.
"Phew, all preparations are complete. Now, it's just a matter of how to use them later. Blood Demon, why must you stir such trouble? In ten years, these children will emerge and shatter your ambitions."
Regulating his breath, the Heavenly Qi Master stood. Time was short. He needed to release a force into the world capable of commanding them at the right moment. The problem was his own remaining time.
"About ten days left? I'm sorry to the children, but to save the world, there's no choice. To think the world's greatest me would resort to gu."
The pill the Heavenly Qi Master gave the children was actually gu. A particularly special kind he had developed himself, called Yin-Yang Gu.
The gu fed to the children had yin properties. If someone absorbed a yang-property Yin-Yang Gu, the children would have no choice but to obey them.
The Heavenly Qi Master took out a small wooden box containing the yang variant.
"Now, I just need to figure out how to handle this."
His figure vanished from the cave in an instant. There was even a secret passage only he knew. Of course, people ten years from now would enter through that passage.
With the Heavenly Qi Master gone, only the eerie door emitted a strange glow in the cave.
The man opened his eyes.
"I see. Heavenly Qi Master... Now I remember why we had to enter that hell."
Killing intent clung to his body. He closed his eyes again and sank back into his memories.
In the fog, the children could do little but train. What they thought was mere mist was actually crystallized qi of immense density. Their martial prowess grew daily.
Then, one day during their relentless training, an unforeseen calamity struck—something even the Heavenly Qi Master hadn't predicted.
The area where he had confined them was layered with arrays concentrating ambient qi. Drawing in the mountain's energy and the world's qi alike, the interior brimmed with ultra-dense qi, guaranteeing rapid progress.
The Flash Shadow Blade had elevated a master similarly in one go, so it was obvious these children would gain extraordinary power here.
But it was too much. The qi in the cavern grew excessive. Even before gathering the children, it had pulled in worldly energy—imagine how much accumulated. With qi crystallizing into fog, something going wrong was inevitable.
The Heavenly Qi Master had expected it to last at least ten years. But the children's talents were the issue. Qi built up in their bodies, erupting fiercely daily, saturating the cavern and distorting the surroundings.
Then a black hole formed in the floor. It devoured all the qi inside cleanly—and the children with it.
That was the beginning of hell.