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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Before the spar, Peng Hou-sang had said,
“The Peng Family doesn’t have any upper dantian techniques. Or rather, we don’t have any techniques that solely focus on the upper dantian.”
Namgung-Woo had suspected as much.
If such a technique existed, they would have taught it to Peng Ye-ryeong to try and control her unstable Celestial Gate.
“The reason the Peng Family hasn’t sought out upper dantian techniques is because we haven’t needed them, not because we’re lacking.”
It might have sounded like an excuse, but as Namgung-Woo faced Peng Hou-sang’s overwhelming presence, he knew it was no empty boast.
An oppressive force weighed down on him, like facing a tiger in the mountains as an ordinary person, before he possessed any martial arts skills.
The Peng Family’s martial arts were divine arts.
Why are they called divine arts?
Because the Heaven and Earth Infinite Void Divine Art, while starting with the lower dantian, naturally encompassed the middle and upper dantians as one’s cultivation deepened.
While slower than techniques that cultivated all three dantians simultaneously, like the Reverse Meridian Washing Technique or the Emperor’s True Scripture, it offered a solid foundation, built from the ground up.
The lower dantian, expanded and strengthened, provided an unshakeable base.
The middle dantian, filled and balanced, created an unyielding equilibrium.
And from this foundation, the upper dantian’s potential blossomed.
That potential was now unleashed through the tip of Peng Hou-sang’s saber.
‘I see it… I can clearly see it…’
His Ever-Clear Vision was active.
From the moment he opened his eyes, he’d seen through every move Peng Hou-sang intended to make.
He saw where the blade was aimed, its speed, and how to counter it.
He understood it all.
Yet…
“Ugh…!”
His predictions were wrong.
Why? His eyes weren’t mistaken. His analysis should have been flawless.
But Peng Hou-sang’s saber completely countered his defenses.
His overreliance on his own vision had created a disconnect between perception and reality.
The illogical strike disrupted his stance.
Because they were sparring with suppressed Sword Qi and Saber Qi, Peng Hou-sang’s attack was stopped by his protective True Qi.
But if the saber had been imbued with Saber Qi, he would have been dead.
Of course, he would have used his Sword Qi and Protective True Qi in that case, but still.
“Do you understand now?”
“…I think I have a vague idea.”
Namgung-Woo was still young…not even yet thirty.
To reach such heights at his age, his confidence in his martial arts must be immense.
He could have been angry or frustrated by the unexpected defeat, but Namgung-Woo calmly reviewed the exchange.
A competitive fire ignited in his bluish eyes.
Peng Hou-sang grinned.
“Shall we try again?”
“Please.”
“Good. Very good. This time, I’ll give you the first move.”
The first move.
In a martial arts duel, the first strike was crucial.
It wasn’t just a display of courtesy when a master yielded the first move to a junior.
Think of Go or Janggi.
Going first was a significant advantage.
That’s why, to ensure fairness, the second player received compensating advantages, like extra points.
But in a fight, there were no points.
Only life or death.
So, in a real battle, a master wouldn’t lightly give up the first move. A small mistake could be fatal.
Namgung-Woo carefully considered his options.
‘The Iron Sword Ten Forms are too weak. The Sky Vault Unfettered Sword Art needs more refinement. Is the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques my only option?’
He returned to the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques.
He selected the technique most likely to land a blow on Peng Hou-sang.
First Form, Single Branch Lightning? Too straightforward.
Second Form, Hundred Thunders Rumble? A series of strikes, good for overwhelming an opponent, but against Peng Hou-sang, it would only expose his weaknesses.
‘Third Form, Single Thunderclap.’
A downward strike, perfect for taking the initiative. It might work against Peng Hou-sang.
Its lack of preliminary movements made it difficult to anticipate.
Words were unnecessary. Peng Hou-sang was ready.
Namgung-Woo’s foot slammed into the training ground’s bluestone floor.
With a powerful thrust from the Infinite Steps, he unleashed the Single Thunderclap, splitting Peng Hou-sang’s vision in two.
A perfectly timed attack, disrupting his opponent’s rhythm.
But Peng Hou-sang’s saber flowed gracefully and deflected the strike.
It was a masterful display of counter-attack, so fluid it made one doubt the aggressive nature of the Hebei Peng Family’s martial arts.
Yet, it lacked the softness of the Wudang Sect’s Taiji Sword or the defensive focus of the Shaolin Temple’s counter techniques.
A sudden realization struck Namgung-Woo, and he twisted his sword’s trajectory.
His muscles strained, his bones creaked, but he ignored the discomfort.
And again, Peng Hou-sang’s saber followed his sword’s path.
Facing the saber’s edge, he finally understood.
‘Precognition…!’
The vision Peng Ye-ryeong had shown him.
Peng Hou-sang was seeing a glimpse of the immediate future.
That’s how he could anticipate seemingly unpredictable attacks and adapt flawlessly, even improvising mid-move.
Namgung-Woo’s conclusion was correct.
Peng Hou-sang, having mastered the Heaven and Earth Infinite Void Divine Art and opened his upper dantian, could perceive the near future.
He heightened his senses to the extreme, absorbing every detail, and his awakened upper dantian, with its transcendent intuition, allowed him to glimpse what was to come.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Peng Ye-ryeong, barely scratching the surface of the Heaven and Earth Infinite Void Divine Art, had resonated with his upper dantian and, using his Ever-Clear Vision, seen the destruction of Beijing.
He understood the secret. Now, it was time to counter.
The solution was simple.
‘An attack he can’t block even if he sees it coming.’
He channeled the Sky Vault Great Evolution Divine Art’s True Qi, circulating it through his meridians, and then ignited his Heavenly Thunder True Qi, accelerating it to an incredible speed.
He lacked Sword Qi or a Sword Aura, but he compensated with raw physical power, amplified to the extreme.
The only circular motion in the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques.
Fifth Form, Coiling Dragon, unfolded. But if Peng Hou-sang truly possessed precognitive abilities, he would see this coming too.
‘Coiling Dragon is a feint.’
The real attack was a relentless barrage, a chaotic flurry of strikes.
‘The true attack is Sixth Form, Thunderbolt Cleave.’
This would work. Even if Peng Hou-sang could see the future, there were attacks one couldn’t block, even with foreknowledge.
Just as he hadn’t been able to fully block the Sky-Gazing Howler’s initial attack, Peng Hou-sang wouldn’t be able to block everything.
‘I won’t fall for the same trick twice.’
As he unleashed his attack, he saw a fleeting, phantom-like image.
A hallucination?
No.
His Ever-Clear Vision was visualizing the invisible flow of energy, the ripples of force.
Five tigers filled his vision.
The Thunderbolt Cleave, aimed at five vital points in a single breath, was torn apart by the tigers’ massive fangs.
Not a counter, but a destruction.
The ultimate counter, nullifying his attempted breakthrough.
As he watched his attack crumble, he recalled the name of Peng Hou-sang’s technique.
“So, this is…”
At the same time, Peng Hou-sang’s saber shattered his practice sword, then pointed the saber at him again.
“The pinnacle of the Peng Family’s martial arts. The Five Tigers Gate-Severing Saber Art.”
An unblockable attack.
It wasn’t just a saber technique.
It was a mystical art in itself.
Perhaps this was what an upper dantian ability manifested as a martial art looked like.
Even with his perfect vision, he questioned what he’d seen. It was a marvel, a display that defied logic.
“…I lost.”
“Hmm.”
Peng Hou-sang sheathed his saber with a thoughtful hum.
“Techniques that rely on True Qi as a weapon are less effective when your internal energy is restricted. If you’d used the True Qi techniques you showed on Longevity Hill, I wouldn’t have had it so easy.”
He wasn’t just trying to be polite. It was a genuine assessment from one martial artist to another.
The later forms of the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques, the secret arts that relied on Sword Auras, would have been a different story.
The outcome, however, would likely have been the same.
“Five Tigers, for incorporating the five saber arts of the Peng Family. Gate-Severing, for severing the path of martial glory. It’s the culmination of the Peng Family’s martial arts, requiring mastery of the Heaven and Earth Infinite Void Divine Art and all five saber techniques.”
Now Namgung-Woo understood Peng Ha-ryeong’s excitement at gaining access to the Heaven and Earth Sundering Thunder Saber Art.
It wasn’t just about gaining another option in combat. It was about this.
The chance to learn the Five Tigers Gate-Severing Saber Art.
The hope of mastering an ultimate technique, inaccessible to those who hadn’t mastered all five saber arts.
“The Soul-Stealing Saber Art. The Iron Blood Executioner Saber Art. The Heaven and Earth Sundering Thunder Saber Art. The Primordial Chaos True Saber Art. The Tyrant-Breaking Heaven-Shattering Saber Art. The essence of all five is woven into the Five Tigers Gate-Severing Saber Art. By witnessing this, you’ve essentially seen the entirety of the Peng Family’s martial arts.”
Peng Hou-sang asked with a composed air, “What do you think of the Peng Family’s martial arts?”
“Astonishing. Truly powerful. I felt the weight of an upper dantian ability integrated into martial arts.”
A thrill ran through him.
The power of martial arts unified with an upper dantian ability was beyond his imagination.
And it provided a clue to a certain martial art he hadn’t been able to grasp.
‘…I lacked understanding of the upper dantian. That technique had a prerequisite.’
He’d been able to use the Iron Sword Ten Forms, the Great Evolution Sword Art, the Thirteen Lightning Sword Techniques, and the Sky Vault Unfettered Sword Art from the moment he’d arrived in this world.
But there was one he couldn’t.
A technique he couldn’t even visualize.
Peng Hou-sang had shown him the reason, and the solution.
His answer, filled with gratitude and excitement, seemed to please Peng Hou-sang, who smiled faintly.
“Indeed. The Peng Family’s power is formidable. And this power… will also be yours.”
Sheathing his saber, he opened a jade box presented by an attendant.
“This is the Peng Family’s token. The Five Tigers Token, granted only to the Family Head. Take it. And remember… the Peng Family will always stand behind you.”
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