Episode 14: Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method
Gathering herbs became more difficult as time passed.
Rumors spread that a large-scale war was imminent...
There were even reports that the Demonic Monster Clans had invaded the Guardian Fortress, putting it on a war footing.
Yet, Present Ghost Peak remained peaceful.
Thanks to Jang So-cheon, there was no shortage of resources or herbs.
Even in this tense atmosphere, the disciples of Present Ghost Peak did their best to improve their Realm Advancement under the guidance of the Wuji Perfected One, each focusing on their own tasks.
So, a year passed.
One day, Jang So-cheon finally reached the 4-Star Qi Refiner stage.
The reason he advanced so quickly was that he now possessed four Spirit Root Attributes.
The more Spirit Root Attributes one had, the more Spiritual Energy they could absorb during Qi Circulation Meditation or when taking Elixir Pills, allowing for much faster Realm Advancement compared to others.
Additionally,
The Yellow Essence Pills crafted by Gwak Mu-jin and the leftover dregs from Master’s pill refining contributed greatly to his progress.
Once Jang So-cheon reached the 4-Star Qi Refiner stage, the Wuji Perfected One entrusted him with a Pill Furnace and allowed him to try his hand at Alchemy Pill Refining.
As a result,
In less than half a month, Jang So-cheon produced nearly perfect Yellow Essence Pills.
When these were distributed to the members of Herb Gathering Hall’s First Group, even Makjang quickly advanced to the mid-Third Star Level...
Even Gwak Mu-jin, who had been struggling with a bottleneck, miraculously broke through to the late Tenth Star Qi Refiner stage.
Word of the miraculous effects of Jang So-cheon’s Yellow Essence Pills spread like wildfire throughout Present Ghost Peak.
But Jang So-cheon did not release the pills freely.
He supplied them generously only to the members of Herb Gathering Hall’s First Group, storing the rest carefully in the Heaven and Earth Pouch.
Requests poured in from other teams in Law Enforcement Hall and Herb Gathering Hall, but Jang So-cheon ignored them all.
One day, the Wuji Perfected One asked Jang So-cheon,
“So-cheon! I hear you’ve made quite a lot of Yellow Essence Pills. Yours are especially effective and popular—why aren’t you selling them?”
“There are a few reasons. But if you wish, Master, I will offer them all to you.”
“You’d give them to me?”
“Yes. With war approaching, if you distribute them to the disciples, it will only strengthen the bonds between master and disciple.”
“And what do you gain from this?”
“Your trust, Master. That’s all I need.”
Though he said this, Jang So-cheon had another motive.
In this world, Realm Advancement was the most important thing for survival.
But it couldn’t be achieved overnight.
Protection and advanced Secret Technique Manuals were crucial, and the only one who could provide both at once was his Master, standing before him.
So he made his move.
Of course, this arrangement was hardly a loss for the Wuji Perfected One.
In these chaotic times, distributing Elixir Pills—impossible to buy even with money—to his disciples would only deepen their respect for him.
“Master! If war breaks out, the Golden Palace may requisition the Elixir Pills. It would be best to give them to the disciples beforehand.”
When Jang So-cheon offered a large wooden box to the Wuji Perfected One, he accepted it without hesitation.
After placing the pills in the Heaven and Earth Pouch, the Wuji Perfected One fell silent for a moment.
Then, as if making a great decision, he bit his lip and pulled a book from the Heaven and Earth Pouch, handing it to Jang So-cheon.
On the cover, it read: Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method.
“I was going to wait a bit longer before giving you this, but seeing your character, I think now is the right time. As my Direct Disciple, you are worthy of this. Begin training with it today, and do not share it with anyone.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“I assure you, there is nothing in our Extreme Heaven Sect’s collection that can compare to this Secret Technique Manual. Take pride in it and train diligently.”
“You will never be disappointed in me, Master.”
“I believe you.”
Leaving his Master’s quarters, Jang So-cheon could barely contain his joy.
Of all the techniques he had learned, the one he regretted most was the Qi Circulation Breathing Method, which only drew Heavenly Origin Energy into the lower dantian.
Now, having obtained such an advanced heart method, he couldn’t help but feel elated.
Back in his quarters, Jang So-cheon opened the Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method and immediately understood why his Master had praised it so highly.
Ordinary breathing methods, like the Qi Circulation Breathing Method, would even draw in Heavenly Origin Energy that had already lost its resonance with one’s Spirit Root Attribute, reducing efficiency.
But the Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method expelled energy without Spiritual Energy far away, maximizing the effects of Qi Circulation Meditation.
Moreover, its mnemonic formulas included a secret for drawing the Spiritual Energy within Heavenly Origin Energy into the dantian in a short time.
He had gained an advanced technique, his Master’s trust...
And the disciples who received the Yellow Essence Pills from the Master surely knew Jang So-cheon had made them.
His reputation would soar as well.
A triple win.
Having obtained everything he wanted, Jang So-cheon focused solely on Qi Circulation Meditation for a while.
Meanwhile, the Wuji Perfected One distributed the Yellow Essence Pills to the disciples...
Two of them achieved significant Realm Advancement after taking the pills.
*
The war with the Demonic Monster Clans broke out when Jang So-cheon reached the late 4-Star Qi Refiner stage.
As soon as war erupted, the Extreme Heaven Sect shifted to a wartime system...
The Golden Sword Unit and Blue Sword Unit, the main combat forces, were dispatched to the Guardian Fortress.
The initial fighting was fierce.
Hundreds, thousands of human martial artists and Demonic Monster Clans clashed in the Thousand Mile Gorge, resulting in massive casualties on both sides.
Despite this, the losses continued in the second and third waves...
Eventually, the conflict shifted to localized skirmishes.
When it became clear the war would drag on, Elder Jang Mun requested the Wuji Perfected One to produce Elixir Pills to support the frontline martial artists.
Present Ghost Peak’s martial artists were, after all, a group specialized more in Alchemy Pill Refining than combat.
The Wuji Perfected One didn’t object.
Staying here meant a much lower chance of dying.
Unable to meet the Golden Palace’s quota alone, the Wuji Perfected One ordered Gwak Mu-jin and Jang So-cheon to make Elixir Pills as well.
The other disciples were sent out to purchase medicinal herbs needed for pill refining.
Some martial artists managed the herbs in Law Enforcement Hall...
Disciples with lower cultivation, like Makjang, were encouraged to run errands or focus on Realm Advancement.
Half a year passed like this.
Jang So-cheon and Gwak Mu-jin’s pill refining skills improved by leaps and bounds.
Jang So-cheon’s Yellow Essence Pills were as effective as ever, and even Gwak Mu-jin, who made the more potent True Blue Pill, saw his failure rate drop dramatically.
There were nights spent refining pills in Wuji Hall, but Jang So-cheon tried to sleep in his quarters whenever possible.
Only there could he safely practice the Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method.
He would take a Yellow Essence Pill before practicing the heart method, as it allowed even the Spiritual Energy from the pill to be stored in his lower dantian.
But then,
Holding a Yellow Essence Pill, Jang So-cheon suddenly opened his Heaven and Earth Pouch instead of starting Qi Circulation Meditation.
He stared at the Mystic Flask and placed the pill at its mouth.
Plop.
As the pill slipped into the flask, Jang So-cheon felt a strange sense of wonder.
The flask, which had never reacted to anything before, responded for the first time.
Tap, tap.
But the pill that went in didn’t come back out.
He tried tilting the flask, tapping the bottom, but nothing worked.
Tsk!
Annoyed, Jang So-cheon took out another Yellow Essence Pill from the Heaven and Earth Pouch.
He tried to put it in the flask, but this time, it wouldn’t go in at all.
Gritting his teeth, he tried several more times and failed, so he just popped the pill into his mouth.
He chewed it thoroughly and swallowed.
Sigh!
With a quiet sigh, Jang So-cheon put the flask back in the Heaven and Earth Pouch and began practicing the Mystic Heaven Wuji Heart Method.
But today, his Qi Circulation Meditation didn’t go smoothly.
For some reason, he felt uneasy.
That dawn,
A thick darkness split open near Present Ghost Peak, and ominous shadows poured out.
Sinister and monstrous, they soared into the sky and slipped into Wuji Hall like ghosts.
But—
Crackle!
A blaze of light erupted from the darkness, illuminating the area around Wuji Hall.
At the same time,
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
The alarm bell rang out, signaling an enemy invasion, and martial artists poured out from all sides to confront the intruders.
The alarm system that Sanggwan Cheonse and Makjang had set up during their all-nighters months ago had been triggered.
Hearing the alarm, Jang So-cheon grabbed the Primordial Divine Sword and dashed out of his quarters.
He raced toward Wuji Hall, where Makjang’s talisman had lit up the night.
Clang! Clang!
Crash! Boom!
Swords and sabers clashed, a giant axe smashed flesh and bone,
Flames burned enemies’ heads, and lightning split the darkness white.
By the time Jang So-cheon reached Wuji Hall, two disciples of Present Ghost Peak had already fallen to the Demonic Monster Clans.
The monsters who ambushed Present Ghost Peak that night were the Black Phoenix Tribe, one of the nine clans of the Nine Ancient Kingdoms.
They were among the most powerful and mystical of the Demonic Monster Clans.
Especially skilled in spatial Divine Miracles, they had traveled thousands of miles from the Nine Ancient Kingdoms to launch this ambush, thanks to their Teleportation Divine Skill.
Screee!
Gwak Mu-jin’s great saber sliced at the neck of a seductive female monster.
But it was only an illusion.
She reappeared in a completely unexpected direction, as if slipping through a spatial rift, and stabbed at Gwak Mu-jin’s heart with a blade as sharp as a serpent’s fang.
Clang!
But Sanggwan Cheonse’s sword was waiting.
His blade blocked the attack, and as a giant Fire Serpent lunged for her head, the monster woman spread her arms like wings and retreated several yards.
Whiz! Whiz!
But there were enemies there too.
Seeing hundreds of hidden weapons block every escape route, the monster woman hesitated for a moment.
Still, she calmly used Divine Sight to head toward the relatively weaker Lower Realm Martial Artist.
But that was a mistake.
Flash!
Crackle, crackle.
The Lower Realm Martial Artist slashed the air, and lightning arced from his fingertips.
At the same time, blue flames rose like clouds, blinding her eyes and blocking her ears.
Panicked, the monster woman tried to tear open the air and escape into a pocket dimension.
But the lightning struck first.
Whoosh!
“Aaagh!”
Struck directly by lightning and covered in Flame Talismans, blue ghostly fire burst from the monster woman’s eyes.
Even as her body burned, she charged at Makjang to take revenge on the Lower Realm Martial Artist who had burned her face and chest with strange talismanic arts.
Just as she raised her skeletal hand to smash Makjang’s head, a fearless Lower Realm Martial Artist attacked her face.
It was Jang So-cheon.
Dodging the Primordial Divine Sword with a twist of her head, the monster woman leapt through space to strike at Jang So-cheon first.
But—
Thud.
The sword she dodged pierced straight into her heart.
Staring at Jang So-cheon in disbelief, the monster woman couldn’t understand how she’d been hit.
She was sure she’d dodged...
Slice!
Jang So-cheon pulled the Primordial Divine Sword from her heart and, with a flick, severed her head.
If the night drags on, so do dreams.
He wanted to make sure the monster woman would never dream again.
Whoosh!
The dead monster woman’s body burned, but her Heaven and Earth Pouch, hanging at her waist, remained untouched by the infernal flames.
Whack!
Jang So-cheon plunged his sword deep and snatched her Heaven and Earth Pouch, absentmindedly stowing it in his own.
Then he leapt into the air, searching for his next opponent.
The monster woman, killed by the combined assault of Herb Gathering Hall’s First Group, had held a high rank within the Black Phoenix Tribe.
Her death sent the Demonic Monster Clans into a frenzy of grief and rage...
Another monster fell in their wild attempt at revenge.
With two of their top fighters dead in an instant, the remaining monsters dashed into Wuji Hall in shock.
Their two greatest experts had entered the fray.
But inside was chaos as well.
Boom!
Rumble!
A deafening roar, collapsing buildings—one of the Black Phoenix Tribe’s top experts burst from Wuji Hall, leaping into the sky with a corpse in hand.
At that moment,
A transparent beam of light shot up from Wuji Hall, as fast as a lightning bolt.
Startled, the Black Phoenix expert teleported his body away.
Splurt!
Even so, his shoulder was blown apart.
“Retreat!”
The terrified monsters fled down the mountain, their subordinates scrambling after them.
“Stop!”
As the disciples tried to give chase, the Wuji Perfected One stopped them.
“Aaagh!”
“Master!”
The Wuji Perfected One was covered in blood.
His clothes were soaked, his chest slashed open, dark red blood pouring out.
He’d received the wound while killing one of the monsters.
Seeing the severity of their Master’s injuries, the disciples screamed and rushed to protect him.
“I’m fine. The monsters have all retreated... My wound isn’t as bad as it looks. The two Hall Masters, tend to the wounded disciples and assess the damage, then report back.”
“Yes, understood.”
Herbal Hall Master Chae and Law Enforcement Hall Master Jo Hyu answered respectfully.
They too were covered in blood, and Chae in particular was limping badly.