The night air was thick with tension, the moon casting long shadows over the battlefield. Juwon and Ren Shi stood a few meters apart, the space between them charged with silent hostility.

  Ren Shi smirked, twirling his sword. "You’ve been running this whole fight. What’s wrong? Already tired?"

  Juwon rolled his shoulders, exhaling slowly. "Running? No, just watching. You really don’t think, do you? You just swing your sword like a puppet."

  Ren Shi’s eye twitched. "Shut up!"

  With a furious growl, Ren Shi lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air in chaotic patterns—Heavenly Demonic Swordplay.

  His movements were sharp, but they lacked the refinement of experience.

  He focused too much on the complexity of his techniques and not enough on the flow of the battle.

  Juwon danced between the strikes, slipping just outside of each attack’s reach.

  He doesn’t adapt. He just commits to his form, expecting it to be enough.

  Juwon’s footwork was precise, shifting ever so slightly to expose openings.

  Ren Shi snarled, his frustration mounting.

  "Stop dodging!"

  Juwon smirked. "Why? You seem to be doing a great job hitting nothing."

  Ren Shi roared and executed Demon Fang Crescent Slash, sending a razor-sharp arc of Qi toward Juwon.

  He sidestepped, watching as the attack carved into a nearby tree.

  That move is predictable. He telegraphs his strikes too much.

  Ren Shi lunged again, this time attempting Nightmare Phantom Edge,

  a rapid feint followed by a thrust. Juwon leaned away at the last second, countering with a quick palm strike to Ren Shi’s ribs, sending him staggering back.

  "Your techniques are impressive," Juwon said, rolling his wrist. "But you have no idea how to use them."

  Ren Shi’s face twisted in anger. "I’ll kill you!"

  They clashed again, but fatigue was beginning to creep into Juwon’s limbs.

  This was his third fight today, and Ren Shi still had the advantage in sheer cultivation power.

  If I keep this up, I’ll be the one collapsing first.

  Then, as fatigue threatened to consume him, realization dawned.

  Power alone wouldn’t win this fight. Technique was not enough.

  He needed understanding.

  His mind sharpened, recalling everything he had witnessed—Qi wasn’t just a force to be expelled, but something that could be shaped, refined, and directed seamlessly.

  Like the flow of Tao. He needed to move like the wind, to strike like lightning.

  Juwon focused his Qi—not into raw force, but into flow and refinement. He let go of rigidity, allowing the energy to course through his limbs as if it were a natural extension of himself.

  The dragon’s power was not in its strength alone, but in how it moved—fluid, precise, unstoppable.

  Ren Shi lunged again, but before he could react—

  Juwon planted his feet, feeling the surge of Qi traveling from his dantian to his fist.

  But instead of expelling it outward, he condensed it around his knuckles, forming a shimmering layer of energy.

  The sudden burst of Qi created a flash of light, forcing Ren Shi’s eyes to flinch shut for a fraction of a second.

  Before Ren Shi could react, his vision blurred. Another blinding flash erupted, not from Juwon’s disappearance, but from the Qi itself.

  The moment he blinked to adjust—

  Crack! A devastating punch crashed into his jaw, sending shockwaves through his skull.

  W-What—?! His instincts screamed, but his body couldn’t keep up. The next moment, another burst of light forced his eyes shut again—right as another punch drove into his ribs.

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  Crack! Another hit.

  His body lurched from the force.

  Then another.

  And another.

  The rapid succession of attacks came from everywhere at once. Each punch was faster than the last, each strike amplified by Qi compressing around his fists.

  Dragon Fang: Flash Fist Fury.

  Ren Shi could barely register the strikes between the bursts of light, his senses failing him as his body was battered from every direction.

  Ren Shi’s body convulsed as a barrage of fists rained down on him, each strike sending shockwaves through his frame.

  His ribs cracked, his forearms became useless, his swollen eyes barely able to stay open.

  He couldn’t see, couldn’t react, couldn’t understand what was happening.

  Thud!

  His legs gave out. He collapsed onto his knees, barely able to breathe.

  Ren Shi panicking and panting "Hufffff"" Huuffffffff"

  Juwon stood over him, looking unimpressed.

  "Pathetic."

  Few Minutes Earlier

  Blades clashed as Zhang Yuxian and Ren Jiao fought, their movements like streaks of lightning in the night.

  As Yuxian’s Yin-Yang Reversal Slash met Ren Jiao’s Demonic Tyrant Fist, a thunderous shockwave erupted, shattering the ground between them.

  The sheer force sent cracks spiderwebbing across the battlefield, scattering debris into the air.

  The force of their clashes cracked the earth, sending debris flying, while the sheer pressure of their Qi distorted the air.

  When Ren Jiao unleashed Hell’s Devouring Palm, Yuxian twisted his blade, redirecting the force midair before countering with Heaven and Earth Resonance, sending Ren Jiao skidding backward.

  Ren Jiao narrowed his eyes, frustration mounting as he felt himself losing his edge.

  His strikes weren’t landing cleanly, and Yuxian’s fluid swordplay was slowly wearing him down. "Tsk. Annoying techniques, Wudang dog. You fight like you're dancing through a storm."

  Yuxian smirked, sidestepping an incoming palm attack "And you fight like you have nothing but brute force to rely on.

  It’s no wonder you don’t understand the balance between strength and flow."

  Ren Jiao scoffed, wiping a thin trail of blood from his lip, his breath ragged from the relentless exchanges. "Balance? You mean stagnation! Strength is all that matters!"

  Yuxian's blade shimmered as he executed Yin-Yang Reversal Slash, forcing Ren Jiao back several steps.

  "You keep talking about strength, but you're the one struggling right now.

  Maybe you should start questioning yourself."

  Ren Jiao sneered. "That brat—he’s nothing. Why does Wudang care so much about this kid? You’re throwing away your resources for what? Some foolish sense of duty?"

  Yuxian smirked, twisting his blade to redirect an incoming strike. "That’s the difference between us. You fight for greed. I fight for balance."

  Yuxian shifted forward, pressing his advantage, but before he could follow through—

  A bloodcurdling scream filled the air, cutting through their duel like a blade.

  Both fighters turned.

  Ren Shi had fallen.

  Juwon grabbed Ren Shi by the face and lifted him effortlessly. His legs dangled helplessly, his swollen face barely recognizable from the relentless beating.

  Juwon smirked. "Gap in our cultivation? Fancy techniques? Let me show you one more of my fancy techniques then."

  Ren Shi’s eyes widened in terror. He tried to struggle, but his body refused to move. Nothing worked.

  Juwon’s grip tightened—he had already realized this long ago.

  When Physician Bai had explained Xiulan’s condition, a thought had struck him.

  Instead of allowing Qi to explode outward chaotically, what if it could be twisted and curled into itself, condensing into a spiraling force? A force that didn’t just break—but drilled through everything in its path.

  Golden-white Qi surged from behind Juwon’s shoulder, taking the shape of a coiling dragon, its golden tint shimmering against the darkness.

  The dragon twisted and curled around his arm in a spiral, the energy becoming denser and more refined with each passing second.

  It started slow, the dragon’s form sluggish at first—then it began to rotate faster, tightening like a screw about to pierce through steel.

  Ren Shi’s eyes widened in pure horror. He felt it. The inevitability of what was about to come.

  The dragon coiled tighter, spinning violently before it dove into Ren Shi’s mouth.

  Silence

  Juwon smirked, watching the fear in Ren Shi’s eyes.

  Void Break: Draconic Damnation

  A grotesque cracking sound echoed as his meridians twisted under the sheer force of the spiraling Qi.

  His veins bulged unnaturally, his entire body convulsing as his own energy was ripped apart and reshaped into destruction.

  Blood burst from eyes, then his nose and then every pore on the body, his Qi center collapsing under the unbearable pressure.

  His body writhed helplessly in Juwon’s grasp—then, with one final rupture—

  "This is what happens when an indestructible Qi tries to destroy itself, it destroys everyone and everything in its path instead"

  Golden-white Qi surged through Ren Shi’s body.

  His meridians twisted unnaturally, his own Qi betraying him as it collapsed and imploded from the inside.

  Blood erupted from his mouth, his entire body convulsing violently before—

  His frame burst apart, reduced to nothing but crimson mist.

  "No, no, no, no, no, no, NOOOOOO!!"

  Ren Jiao’s pupils dilated, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. His entire body trembled, and for the first time, his rage was overshadowed by something else—grief.

  His vision blurred, not just from anger, but from the tears welling in his eyes.

  His younger brother, the one he had sworn to protect, lay in ruins before him.

  His lips quivered, a broken whisper escaping, "Shi... no..."His voice cracked as he gasped, "Shi... I told you to stay behind... I told you..." But no voice answered him.

  No cries of defiance.

  Just silence.

  His body shook violently, the veins in his neck bulging as a primal roar tore from his throat.

  The air around him crackled with unrestrained energy, his Qi surging chaotically, consuming his reason.

  A dark crimson mist emanated from his skin, tendrils of berserk Qi lashing wildly at the ground.

  The earth beneath him splintered, unable to withstand the sheer force of his rage.

  His fingers curled into claws, his nails digging into his own palms as his muscles expanded unnaturally.

  His eyes, now entirely bloodshot, glowed with an eerie red light, his very presence exuding an overwhelming killing intent.

  His breath came out as a deep, guttural snarl. He wasn't just angry—he was transforming into a mindless beast driven by vengeance and unrelenting bloodlust.

  He had lost control.

  He had gone berserk.

  Juwon exhaled, feeling his own body reaching its limits. He knew what was coming next.

  This was getting out of hand.

  Hi everyone !!

  As we reach the checkpoint of our MC’ s first big fight, I wanted to address some of my shortcomings in my writings as well as provide some insights into the vision of this story.

  First let’s address the obvious.

  I am new to writing. And if writing wasn’t one of the best methods to storytelling I would have never done it in the first place

  (ノ?益?)ノ彡┻━┻

  It’s too much of a hastle if you ask me ( ?????;)

  But well, I am still in the midst of developing my writing style and might make some mistakes. Maybe some huge mistakes ( ?????)

  But anyways thank you for bearing with me and I hope you do in the future as well (??﹏?)

  I have edited the previous chapters to make it more readable now and hopefully new readers would find it more bareable :D.

  Now lets move to the insights on the world we are reading about:

  1. The story does seem like your run of the mill cultivation stories but there are several differences. I love cultivation stories but there are things that I hate about them too:

  -Usually the stories would call themselves martial arts stories while all the fighting sequences are a slugfest between different martial arts techniques.

  " My technique is stronger so I win" Hah ! So boring

  This story will not tolerate that. As the setting is in the modern world the use of modern martial arts will be evident and fights will be choreographed with actual techniques that involve physical movement like dodges, punches, kicks etc., instead of just swinging and calling names. Even qi techniques will be an extention of what you can do with your actual body and not remain as a mage class lul ?(ò_óˇ)?

  - The world building in usual martial arts story is pretty bland and there is no greater purpose than pursuit of power for the protagonists. Hence world building usually revolves around the mc and how he gets his power up.

  In this story, our protagonist will gain some power ups but it will be a by product of the actual story.

  2, Some of you might have noticed but every thing that has a mention in this story is connected to our real world somehow. Yes the places our MC Visits ,the mysteries he unravels and the legends he comes across are all connected to our real world and references them wether those are objects, mountains, locations or myths.

  3. For this story, I have derived the principles of cultivation from RPG games. Cultivation realms are like levels. With each level your base stats improve such as strength, agility, Qi, life force, intelligence. Now keeping that in mind, each cultivation realms have 9 layers (like levels of their own) which creates the difference between cultivation realms huge and unless you have some mythical endgame equipment or skills ( like the ones I gave our protagonist? Oops :p), It is impossible to overcome the difference in realms.

  Now comes martial arts which are a combination of techniques and forms/stances. So breathing techniques develop and nurture your Qi and all help in restoring and expanding its capacity, while rest of the techniques such as Qi sense, attack techniques or footwork focus on expending the Qi within.

  So in a way you could say these are skills ? In game terminology! So skills require Qi to perform in the middle of the battle. Ofcourse you wouldn't use up all of it and save them for sure-hit situations.

  And this is why I hate technique slugfest that we see usually in such stories. Because imagine a game where you are just using skills. Not evading, not thinking about anything! Just spamming skills.

  4. Our protagonist is highly intelligent and considered a prodigy in the archaeology world. This has somehow translated into his martial artist strength as well. As you see in this chapter the techniques he used were completely built on his understanding of the earlier techniques. As he couldnt use advanced techniques right now as they require higher mastery of breathing techniques and higher cultivation realm, our protagonist went ahead and racked his brain to create his own! That's why he is a genius level talent. These techniques will grow with him as he gains more understanding into the Tao and Qi usage.

  Anyways, those are all the insights I am able to provide right now.. Until next time

  I hope you guys stick till the end.

  I love you guys (*′ω｀*)

  Please follow for more :)