In his room, lying on the bed, Zhang Yong felt a burning sensation inside his body.
This was a side effect of using the Yin Path. After all, Zhang Yong was a man, and his body carried the nature of Yang. Yin-element techniques were not meant for him.
They had a corrosive effect—not only on the opponent, but also on himself.
And if you ask how his previous incarnation on the Yin Path possessed such techniques, it was because he had destroyed his own manhood for the sake of power.
Zhang Yong was not joking when he said his past incarnations were obsessed with self-mutilation. The Yin Path version of himself did anything for power.
But the current Zhang Yong had a way to treat the condition. That came from the Yang Path, but this technique… it enlarged his manhood, to put it plainly.
Yang Path — Yang Fortification Technique.
Even so, Zhang Yong felt great embarrassment while performing this technique.
Frankly speaking, among all the incarnations he had experienced, he did not feel bad at all about the death of the Yang Path version. In fact, he was glad he died!
He deserved it!
That incarnation brought him shame. He was a damned womanizer. In truth, Zhang Yong felt that if that incarnation stood among all his past selves, he would be beaten so badly he would reincarnate all over again.
"There's no other solution anyway, so just... let's avoid using the Yin Path unless absolutely necessary," Zhang Yong thought as he suppressed his frustration.
Then he immediately activated the Sacred Five Elements Method this time.
This technique seemed many times more expansive than the original technique. This time, Zhang Yong made it circulate rapidly while activating the Greater Circulation of spiritual energy.
The Venerable stage required refining the five organs. But who said it couldn't be done before that stage? The difference was clear, though.
Because the intensity of spiritual energy at the half-step Venerable realm was such that his energy was more abundant than other stages.
But for Zhang Yong, quantity could be compensated by quality. Compared to before, this time, the pure energy from the Eternal Yin-Yang Circulation technique he used last time was enough to refine one organ, and he decided it would be the heart.
After breaking through to the fortieth rank, he finally understood the problem with the Eternal Yin-Yang Circulation.
The energy was too pure. This was natural in the original world—cultivation techniques were widespread at various levels.
But a high-level cultivation technique alone is not the only factor in training a person. If the technique level is too high, and the energy absorbed is more than the dantian can bear, then spiritual energy deviation will occur and the body will explode.
On the other hand, a technique that is too low will get a person nowhere.
Nothing is perfect. The Yin-Yang technique was useful, yes, but it would be useful after reaching the Venerable level.
Then there was the King Realm A human naturally has three dantians—upper, middle, and lower—and based on them, a person's path would be determined.
What was called the Fruit of the Path was mastery of a path , but the term "Fruit" was not accurate. Rather, it was a Core.
A person could choose to possess at most three cores, and each location would produce a supernatural power for the person. In the lower dantian, based on the type of Core Path, the person would possess a Domain.
At the middle dantian level, the person would possess a unique Body.
At the upper dantian level, the person would possess their own Spirit Embodiment.
These vary from person to person based on the Path. A King could possess one core. Then, sacred Qi was required to advance to the Emperor stage—also called the Baptism of Heaven and Earth, where sacred Qi is absorbed and the cultivator's body is refined using lightning. If they survive, they gain the chance to obtain a second core. If they fail, they simply die.
Zhang Yong could guess that the third core would take its place at the Heavenly Emperor stage.
Zhang Yong began attempting to refine his heart throughout that night until morning.
---
Mine had already recovered. She went out to the training ground and called out, "Is anyone here?"
Instead, she found both Lubbock and Tatsumi doing push-ups, while Leone and Akame sat on their backs.
"What are you doing?" Mine could only stare.
"Just helping them train," said Leone, sitting cross-legged on Lubbock's back.
Meanwhile, Tatsumi, dripping with sweat, said, "After experiencing Incursio, it turns out it consumes more than I can handle. I need to train more. With my current strength, I can only use invisibility for a few seconds."
"I see." Still, she looked curiously at Lubbock. "It's rare to see you sweating."
Lubbock smiled seriously. "The number of men in the team has shrunk. I have to take things seriously."
"Oh." Mine looked around curiously, her eyes searching for someone. "Have you seen Zhang Yong?"
Akame nodded, then pointed upward. "There."
Mine raised her eyebrow in surprise and looked up. "Is that so... wait, what is that?"
Zhang Yong was hanging from the edge of the cliff, only his right hand gripping the cliff edge
while his body was weighed down by a massive boulder bound in black iron chains.
His body was covered in sweat, his muscles convulsing from exertion, but his eyes were fixed on the summit.
"Only 1%... this isn't enough!" he snarled as he pulled himself up with just his right hand.
He was internally frustrated. He had worked all night trying to refine his heart with the Five Elements Qi, but he had only completed 1%.
And now he was venting his frustration through training.
'I think the problem is my method. I'm trying to refine the heart using Five Elements Qi—that must be the mistake. For example, would someone use Sword Qi to refine the heart? After all, it's a thing made for cutting.' Zhang Yong pulled himself up again, stubbornly persisting.
'But the progress is just slow, not that the method is wrong. That's because I'm using all five elements at once. It would be wrong if one element were missing, and that would ruin the balance.' Zhang Yong breathed with difficulty, then decided to continue.
'But what if multiplicity is the problem? One element... that's right! The five organs and the five elements! How did I not think of that? I'm really stupid. Instead of trying to refine each organ individually with all five elements for each one, what if I refined each organ with a specific Qi!' Zhang Yong's eyes shone with realization.
"What are you doing?" Mine stood directly above his head, staring at him face to face.
"Training," he said simply, grabbing the chain tied to him and swinging his hand high into the air, sending it skyward, then he leaped lightly to the summit beside her. The boulder crashed to the ground, causing a tremor.
"What about my training?" Mine said, trying to remind him of their previous conversation.
Zhang Yong stopped wiping the sweat from his forehead and raised his eyebrows toward Mine. "Your training? Ah, yes... frankly, I'm not in the mood to teach you."
Mine didn't back down. Her eyes stared at Zhang Yong with clear defiance. "But you... oh, let me guess. You're afraid I'll surpass you?"
Zhang Yong's eyebrow rose higher. "What? Why would I be afraid of that?"
Mine shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. If you don't want to teach me, there's no other reason."
Zhang Yong held his forehead in annoyance. "What you're doing is the oldest trick in psychological manipulation book"
Mine didn't smile, but her eyes sparkled with intelligence. "And it works, doesn't it?"
Zhang Yong sighed and looked at her. Her Teigu was Pumpkin, which required a person to possess high spiritual energy. Accordingly, if we look at Mine through the eyes of evaluation, she should be at a high level.
"Fine, I can't teach you much in that regard. Sit cross-legged," Zhang Yong said with an expressionless face.
Mine sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff, staring at Zhang Yong curiously. "What exactly are you going to do?" she asked cautiously.
"Does that matter? Just focus on what I'm going to do." Zhang Yong approached her, placed his hand on top of her head, and released his energy into her body to open the energy pathways within her.
Zhang Yong's spiritual energy surged through Mine's body like a torrential flood, forcefully opening the closed energy pathways.
Mine's eyes suddenly widened, and her body convulsed as if struck by electricity.
"Ah! That... hurts!" she cried out as her fingers tensed against the ground.
But Zhang Yong's expression remained blank. Ideally, the best age to begin training in martial arts is ten or younger. Through training, a person can open their meridian pathways.
He cannot make another person do this.
Additionally, impurities accumulate with age.
But in this world, cultivators barely existed. The method they relied on to strengthen their spiritual energy was through physical training.
Cultivators, on the other hand, relied on absorbing energy from the air, and the prerequisite for this was having the meridians opened.
But Zhang Yong was now pouring his spiritual energy into Mine's veins, which would open them and allow her to begin cultivating. Given her accumulated spiritual energy, she would likely jump directly to the second level of the Warrior realm.
After minutes of suffering, Mine's facial expression began to shift from pain to astonishment. She felt as if a river of energy was flowing through her body for the first time.
"What is this... feeling?" Mine whispered, raising her hands before her face in wonder.
She felt as if she were seeing the world for the first time—all the colors became more vibrant, every sound clearer.
"Meh, you're exaggerating. This is normal, roughly a 25% improvement in bodily functions," Zhang Yong said calmly, picking his ear.
'Well, let's see... oh, unexpected. It's not the second rank of Warrior, but the fifth. I was right—Night Raid is a group of geniuses. Hehe, they'll be useful.' Zhang Yong smiled secretly.
Mine looked at her hands in wonder, then at Zhang Yong, who was looking at her with an indifferent expression. "So this is how you see things all the time?"
Zhang Yong rolled his eyes. Indeed, the perspective of ordinary people is different from that of cultivators. "Anyway, I'll give you a technique." Zhang Yong stepped closer and placed a finger on her forehead. Mine felt as if something had been imprinted into her consciousness.
"What is this...Greater Circulation?" Mine couldn't help but ask.
"You'll find out later. If I had to explain everything, it would take too long. For now, try to stabilize your foundation. Everything is mentioned in the technique," Zhang Yong said, then turned to leave.
"Hey, you're just going to leave like that?" She looked at Zhang Yong. Just leaving her like that was unthinkable.
Zhang Yong paused for a moment. "I... don't have time to waste. I have some things to take care of," he said, then continued walking.
He headed to the nearby forest and began swinging his sword.
He had realized the stage of Sword and Heart. Now he needed to achieve the stage of Sword and Spirit.
"In the stage of Sword and Body, I felt united with my weapon. In the stage of Sword and Heart, I loved the sword. But now, the stage of Sword and Spirit..." Zhang Yong continued swinging.
It was the stage at which he had remained for a long time, and he was supposed to understand it. But the point was... he was not the same person from the memory. He did not have the same goals, nor the same past. Their goals and desires were different.
"I think I will be able to achieve enlightenment through life-and-death battles. And most importantly... before Tatsumi is captured, I must obtain Incursio and Murasame from Akame so I can train on the Cycle of Life and Death," Zhang Yong said, setting his sword aside.
When night fell, he quietly snuck out of his room and crept into Akame's room.
As a trained person, she would be difficult to steal from in principle—but that's if it were an ordinary person. So he decided to start with her.
Zhang Yong slipped through the shadows like a ghost, his footsteps silent as he approached Akame's room. The moon was behind the clouds, leaving the hallways completely dark.
Zhang Yong stood before her door.
Death Path — Ghostly Form.
Darkness Path — Shadow Hiding.
Zhang Yong penetrated the door of Akame's room like mist, without making a sound.
The room was dark, but relying on the Heavenly Demon Eyes, he could discern all the details in the darkness.
Akame was sleeping on her bed, her long black hair spread across the pillow.
'she's somehow cute while sleeping'
Beside her, on a small table, the Murasame sword was carefully placed, gleaming under the threads of moonlight streaming through the window.
Theft Path — Wandering Ghost Hand.
Instantly, the sword disappeared from its place and appeared in Zhang Yong's hand.
As soon as he held it, Zhang Yong felt it immediately. Thousands of souls inhabited the sword, screaming.
'Yes, without a doubt... it's suitable to be the Essence of Death. I need to get out quickly,' Zhang Yong thought. He placed the sword in his storage and exited peacefully.
Then he made his way quietly. Tatsumi's room was at the end of the hallway.
Death Path — Ghostly Form.
He passed through the door easily, as if walking through mist. The room was somewhat messy—clothes scattered here and there, and the Incursio sword placed beside the bed, where Tatsumi was sleeping deeply after a day of exhausting training.
"Even the security around it is bad..." Zhang Yong muttered to himself as he reached for the sword and took it.
He placed the sword in his storage, then looked at the sleeping Tatsumi. "Don't worry, I'll return it later."
Then he exited the hideout and moved about a kilometer away from it, where he wouldn't disturb anyone.
The moon was full, casting its silver light on the surrounding trees.
He took the two swords out of his storage and looked at them. Technically, to train in the Cycle of Life and Death, he needed to absorb the two essences into his body.
Usually, this is done by transforming the essence into something like pills and swallowing them, but this was not possible for the two swords.
Meanwhile, these two swords were necessary for the final battle, so he could not afford to lose them.
"You could stab yourself with them to absorb the essence," said Belial in a wise voice.
"Wait, what?" Zhang Yong looked in shock. "Murasame kills with a scratch, and you're telling me to stab myself?"
Asmodeus laughed on the other side. "Believe me, that old man just wants to see you stab yourself. But truth be told, he's right. This will be fun."
"Alright... let's do this."
Zhang Yong gripped Murasame with his left hand and Incursio with his right. He took a deep breath, then quickly stabbed himself in the abdomen with both swords!
"Ahh!"
Sharp pain pierced his body, but he did not scream. Instead, he closed his eyes and let the two essences flow into him.
The Essence of Death from Murasame merged with the Essence of Life from Incursio, forming a vortex of energy within his lower dantian.
The pain was unbearable. As if the thousands of souls trapped within Murasame came back to life under Incursio's influence and entered his body all at once, each one screaming its own pain.
Zhang Yong fell to the ground, convulsing in agony. His skin began to turn gray, then return to normal.
After an hour of suffering, Zhang Yong finally managed to sit up. Now came the hardest part: merging the two essences together.
He took a deep breath and began activating the Cycle of Life and Death technique.
Two opposing energies began to circulate within his body—one bright red, the other pitch black. With each cycle, they merged more and more, until they became a single pinkish energy.
Zhang Yong opened his eyes and suddenly noticed something strange. He raised his hands, and a pinkish glow appeared around them. 'The result of merging the essences of Life and Death— the same aura of the Spring of Reincarnation, so this is Reincarnation Qi,' Zhang Yong said with a smile.
Then, focusing on this Qi, Zhang Yong contemplated the Cycle of Life and Death. It was like a bomb that would explode the moment he died, because it was planted in his body and soul.
There were also aspects of the principles of void, spirit, and time within it.
"Whoever created this skill is a genius... no, considering this technique, not really. I would have preferred one that sends me back in time upon death, but unfortunately..." Zhang Yong sighed. But what could he do? Something like that would be at the ninth level of the Law of Time. And so far, Zhang Yong had only reached the fifth level, all thanks to the Reincarnation Paths.
Although this technique was truly powerful... but the moment you die, you need a period of rest. So the moment you die and return, if you are killed again, you will truly die.
And because your body is reconstructed upon death, it will be somewhat weakened.