Chapter 137 : Preparation
Chapter 137: Preparation
Feeling the energy settled in the middle dantian, Jang Woo-hyun closed his eyes.
Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood.
The Five Elements. The fundamental energies that formed the world.
It was said that by adding the harmony of Yin and Yang to this, one could manipulate the powers of lightning, such as Ice, Wind, or Demon Gate Qi.
In the Murim of the Dawn Continent, the five major sects each specialized in one of these energies, and generally, the martial artists of smaller sects were not significantly different.
However, Jang Woo-hyun was not a typical case.
Unlike Lee Ga-hang, who manipulated the energy of Fire, he did not focus on a single energy. Instead, he had evenly cultivated all five energies, raising them to a similar level.
To put it positively, it was close to perfection. Negatively, it was a neither-here-nor-there state. A condition in which he could not fully unleash any power.
The movement of the energy gathered in the middle dantian was also different from the norm.
In the case of someone like Lee Ga-hang, the energy in the middle dantian moved actively but was concentrated near the heart. In contrast, Jang Woo-hyun's energy did not converge in one place but instead attempted to spread throughout his body.
‘It feels like something’s trying to change, but I don’t know what it is.’
Even when he examined his body carefully, he could not figure out exactly what state he was in.
Though he had gathered a different energy than the internal energy he had accumulated until now, he was unable to advance any further.
He had hit a growth ceiling. It felt like trying to stuff his body into a cramped space.
‘Will things change once I ascend to the Central Heavens?’
Just as Kim Min-soo had said, the world itself was blocking the rise in realm. At this rate, no matter how much effort he put in, he would not be able to reach the next stage.
Letting go of his lingering regrets, Jang Woo-hyun decided to end his training. There was nothing more for him to learn here.
“This bastard, at this rate, isn’t he gonna become a Five Elements True Body?”
As he slowly opened his eyes and relaxed his posture, Lee Ga-hang, who had been beside him, muttered quietly.
Perhaps because Jang Woo-hyun had relaxed a little, she let her guard down and accidentally voiced what she had meant to keep in her thoughts.
Jang Woo-hyun stared silently at Lee Ga-hang.
“Why… what is it? Is there something on my face?”
“You just spoke.”
“Huh? Uh, um. Yes, I just spoke.”
Lee Ga-hang wore a blank expression, clearly not understanding.
“No, I mean, it wasn’t that you spoke—it's that you said aloud what you were only supposed to think.”
“Said what I was supposed to think… what does that… Aack!”
Her face turned bright red as she covered her mouth and backed away.
“P-please spare me! It was a mistake, a mistake!”
Realizing what she had just said, she fell prostrate and bowed her head.
—This bastard, at this rate, isn’t he gonna become a Five Elements True Body?
She had insulted a monster who could crush her in an instant. And right in front of him, no less.
“I don’t kill over things like that. Just explain what you meant by what you just said.”
“It was a mistake, just a mistake! It was a random, wandering thought! I didn’t mean ‘this bastard’ or anything like that!”
“No, I’m not asking you to explain the mistake—I’m asking you to explain that ‘Five Elements True Body’ thing.”
“Ah…”
Lee Ga-hang rose from her spot and began to explain at Jang Woo-hyun’s calm demeanor.
“‘Five Elements True Body’ is a term passed down only in legend.”
Five Elements True Body (五行眞身).
It was said to refer to a certain realm or an innate constitution.
“In truth, no one has ever seen it for themselves, so no one knows exactly what it is.”
Some say it is a realm one is born into with the energy of the Five Elements, while others claim it’s a realm where one can manipulate all Five Elements.
Others say it is the act of shedding one’s humanity and reconstructing the body with the Five Elements.
“What I know is that it refers to a certain realm. No, rather than a realm, perhaps it’s a kind of Body Reformation? I heard it’s about being reborn into something other than human.”
Maybe trying to make up for her earlier insult, Lee Ga-hang explained diligently.
“And there’s also a saying that if there’s no vessel to contain the energy of the Five Elements, it will all disappear.”
“Vessel? What’s that?”
An odd term had surfaced. It didn’t seem like a topic related to martial arts.
“I don’t know either. Anyway, it’s said that even if you reconstruct your body with the Five Elements’ energy, it will all disperse if you don’t have a vessel to contain it. No one knows whether it’s a metaphor or an actual object.”
“You don’t mean someone like me, do you?”
Wondering if it might refer to the next stage, Jang Woo-hyun asked. Since different worlds described martial realms differently, it was a reasonable hypothesis.
“Maybe it could be. If it was a vague expression of an unknown realm. With your realm, Master Jang, people might very well see you as something beyond human.”
Lee Ga-hang agreed with Jang Woo-hyun’s speculation. As she said, it might indeed be a different expression of the next stage.
‘Is it something in-between?’
He couldn’t grasp what the Five Elements True Body truly was. It could be another name for the Realm of Transcendence, or something entirely different.
Having been lost in thought for a while, Jang Woo-hyun quickly cast aside those thoughts and began to move. There was nothing left to learn here. It was time to move forward.
When he said he would be leaving the White Horn Tribe, many villagers poured out, saying they wanted to bid farewell. Having spent over a year with them, Jang Woo-hyun had grown close to the people.
“Immortal, safe travels!”
“Thank you, Immortal!”
“Please visit our village again, Immortal!”
Even the younger members of the White Horn Tribe, who had initially been indifferent, came outside to see him off.
He had told them not to call him ‘Immortal,’ but the White Horn Tribe hadn’t listened. He had saved their village and even taught them martial arts, so to them, Jang Woo-hyun was no different from an immortal descending from the heavens.
After giving a short farewell to the tearful White Horn Tribe, Jang Woo-hyun faced Lee Ga-hang, who had long helped him.
“Thanks for all your help.”
“…”
Lee Ga-hang felt a mix of relief and regret.
She had been dissatisfied, forced to stay hidden in a corner of the White Forest out of fear of Jang Woo-hyun’s power—but she had gained something, too.
The stories he shared about martial arts and the techniques he personally demonstrated had been invaluable teachings for her, whose progress had stalled.
“I’m grateful too. Well then, I should head back.”
“Are you going straight to the palace?”
“No. I’ve got some things to check, so I’ll be staying at the Black Tortoise Sect for a while. I’ve already contacted my subordinates, so some should be near the sect.”
“Alright. Then let’s meet again if the opportunity arises.”
“Again?”
To her question, Jang Woo-hyun pointed toward the sky.
“If it’s you, Sect Mistress Lee, you can ascend to the next realm.”
Of the five experts from the Five-Wheel who had initially gathered, Lee Ga-hang had been the most outstanding. Now, with Jang Woo-hyun’s guidance, she had enough potential to reach the next stage.
“Do you… really think I can?”
Lee Ga-hang asked, looking a little uncertain.
“You didn’t win the name Flame Queen through luck.”
Jang Woo-hyun answered with a refreshing smile.
Standing beside the monstrous genius Jang Woo-hyun, who had surpassed the realm of mere talent, she had lost confidence—but she was not weak.
The Greatest Under Heaven.
It was not a title she had earned through her own power. Still, she was the strongest martial artist in the Dawn Continent.
When Jang Woo-hyun looked at her with eyes full of trust, a smile formed on Lee Ga-hang’s face.
At the same time, energy spread outward.
Brimming with regained confidence, Lee Ga-hang subconsciously released her energy.
Heat radiated in all directions.
The ground beneath Lee Ga-hang dried up, and the surrounding grass withered.
She only seemed weak because her comparison point was Jang Woo-hyun. She was still worthy of being called an absolute master of the Dawn Continent.
The Vermilion Bird, which had been crouched in a corner of the White Forest, spread its wings once again.
“Alright. Until we meet again, Master Jang. Thank you.”
With that, Lee Ga-hang responded with newfound strength, and the two parted ways.
Jang Woo-hyun immediately went to find Kim Min-soo.
“You’re here?”
Upon reaching the cave where he had first encountered the projection, he saw Kim Min-soo moving busily.
“All done already? That was faster than I expected.”
Jang Woo-hyun’s talent, gathering energy in the middle dantian in such a short time, was unbelievable, but after spending over a year together, Kim Min-soo had grown indifferent.
By now, whenever Jang Woo-hyun learned something, he simply thought, ‘Jang Woo-hyun is just being Jang Woo-hyun.’
“Well, I think it’s mostly done. What about you, Senior Kim?”
Jang Woo-hyun had intermittently infused an enormous amount of internal energy into Kim Min-soo’s projection.
As a result, the projection had not dissipated and could continue functioning. Moreover, it now possessed the power of someone at the threshold of the Absolute Realm.
“Do you need more time?”
“No, I’m almost finished too.”
Preparations to return to the Central Heavens had already been made before Jang Woo-hyun arrived. Only a few final adjustments and preparations remained, which had mostly been resolved since the projection could now move freely.
“Alright, let’s go then.”
“Where to?”
“Deeper into the White Forest. I have another arrangement prepared there. We’ll ascend to the Central Heavens through that.”
The two moved straight to the north of the White Forest—a region perpetually covered in snow.
There was a small mountain there through which a dragon vein flowed. Kim Min-soo had long been gathering the power emitted by the vein, in case someone who inherited what he had left behind ever arrived in the Dawn Continent.
“Can one ascend just by gathering the power of a dragon vein?”
If that were all it took, then ascending or flight to the heavens would not be difficult. Dragon veins were hard to find, but gathering their power was not.
“Normally, no. But we’re not trying to ascend—we’re just making a hole to ascend through.”
Not fully grasping the explanation, Jang Woo-hyun simply looked at Kim Min-soo.
“I told you about your current state. You’re hidden from the eyes of the heavens. So we just have to make you visible again. That’s what making a hole means.”
Only the power of a True Immortal could conceal someone from the heavens.
“If it were the main body of a True Immortal enveloping the world, that would be different, but with just a small fragment, it should have weakened considerably by now. It's likely spread thinly and widely over the world.”
“So we’re piercing a hole in that.”
“Exactly. Then the heavens will detect his trickery, and you’ll shoot back up to the Central Heavens. That’s how the law is supposed to work.”
Listening to the explanation, Jang Woo-hyun narrowed his eyes.
“You’re really prepared this time?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“The martial arts manuals were useless.”
He had said it many times before whenever he infused energy into the cave.
“Why did you bother saving such worthless trash?”
There were limits to what he could do alone, and he hadn’t managed to retrieve anything proper before the projection’s power depleted.
Moreover, martial arts manuals were a lower priority than other tasks. If needed, Jang Woo-hyun could get them himself.
“Things happen. It worked out in the end, didn’t it? By the way, you once mentioned something about a gap in your memory. What was that about?”
Perhaps embarrassed by his blunder, Kim Min-soo changed the subject smoothly.
—I had a memory gap in the middle, but aside from that, about three years? I think I’ve actually trained martial arts for just over three years.
When asked about his martial arts training period.
He had answered with the shockingly short time of three years, and back then, they had not thought much more of it.
But a few days ago, Kim Min-soo recalled the conversation and decided to ask about it while he had the chance.
“That?”
As if it were nothing special, Jang Woo-hyun explained that he had been dragged away by a red snake and that another projection of Kim Min-soo had rescued him.
He also mentioned that, due to a distortion in time, his memory had vanished and returned later.
When he finished speaking, Kim Min-soo froze.
“What… was that?”
“Sorry?”
“What do you mean, red snake? I don’t know anything about that.”
“Then what about the projection that saved me?”
“That must’ve been created after this projection. I don’t know it. Maybe it wasn’t even mine. Could it have been sent by that guy? Or was there someone else besides the True Immortal?”
With a furrowed brow, Kim Min-soo fell deep into thought. But no answer would come from that.
“This is getting too complicated. Let’s just go up. I’ll need to meet that other projection or myself directly. That’s the only way we’ll figure this out.”
The two moved again and soon arrived at the mountain they were headed to.
About halfway up the snow-covered mountain, a small gap in a cliff came into view.
Kim Min-soo led Jang Woo-hyun toward it.
A few dozen steps inside, a wide chamber opened up.
Unknown symbols were drawn on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The inner part of the cave was one giant spell formation.
“This is what I prepared. I used this power to bring you down from the Central Heavens. Of everything I’ve prepared, this is the most important.”
Kim Min-soo spoke with a proud expression.
It was justifiable. Significant energy radiated from the center of the cave. It seemed he had prepared by converting the entire mountain into one massive formation.
“This is incredible. But how did you keep it hidden?”
“This place is the most remote of the remote. No one comes here. And maybe you noticed, but it’s concealed by a formation.”
No one visited, and by Dawn Continent standards, only someone of Five-Wheel level could sense the power here. That was how it had remained undiscovered and allowed energy to accumulate over time.
“We’ll gather the energy here and use it. If we combine it with your power and mine, piercing the power of the True Immortal that wraps this world shouldn’t be difficult.”
Kim Min-soo gave a brief explanation of how he would utilize the energy of this place.
However, Jang Woo-hyun was not focused on that story—his brow was furrowed.
Something had been bothering him for a while now.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
“This place… you said it’s a dragon vein, right?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“Just a moment.”
As he looked around, Jang Woo-hyun felt a strange sensation.
A dragon vein. A place where the energy of the earth flows in concentrated streams.
Because an immense amount of qi flows there, training in such a location would rapidly increase one’s internal energy, and it was also possible to utilize the dragon vein itself in various ways.
In the capital of Sichuan, even the Demonic Cult’s Left Envoy, Woo Jeong-hak, who had once troubled Jang Woo-hyun, had set up his base on a hidden dragon vein and operated puppets from a remote location.
The more Jang Woo-hyun examined the cave, the stronger his sense of incongruity grew.
‘What is this?’
He wandered around, unsettled by the unknown sense of dissonance.
He didn’t know the exact reason. Was it just a feeling, or had he actually sensed something?
He expanded his qi perception and released qi threads in all directions to scan the surroundings.
Nothing stood out. There were no anomalies.
‘Can a dragon vein exist without Five Elements Stones?’
The White Forest was a place without Five Elements Stones. Yet, there was a dragon vein of this magnitude flowing inside? It felt off.
Of course, dragon veins could exist independently of the Five Elements Stones. It was possible Jang Woo-hyun was simply misunderstanding.
Still, something gnawed at him. The feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave him.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Kim Min-soo approached and asked as he watched Jang Woo-hyun walk around with a hardened expression.
“It just feels strange.”
“What does?”
“Just… something feels off. I can’t explain it precisely. It’s just this unpleasant feeling.”
Just as he finished speaking, Yongwangrin hanging at Jang Woo-hyun’s waist began to stir, clattering slightly within its scabbard.
When he drew Yongwangrin, the blade’s scales detached on their own and pointed toward the ground.
It was as if they were indicating that something lay beneath.