In the silence of the cave, Yoe Choin sat leaning against the cold stone wall. After the painful flushing process, he felt lighter, but his knowledge of this world was still very limited.
"Boss Demon,"
Choin called out in his inner space.
"I need knowledge about this world. In the construction world, we have concrete grades ranging from K-250 to K-500. What about the human levels in this world? I don't want to misjudge my opponent's strength."
Moen Kang Yo sighed, but this time there was a hint of respect in his voice.
"Listen carefully, Foreman. This world doesn't recognize numbers like 'your concrete grade,' but we do have cultivation levels that determine how much force a person can withstand and produce."
"First is the Foundation Realm. This is the most basic stage; you're simply clearing the meridians so that Qi can flow unhindered."
"Okay, that's the land-clearing stage,"
Choin interrupted.
"And then?"
"Second is Structure Realm. This is where we are now, level 1. Your Qi begins to form a protective barrier outside your body, like armor or... what do you call it? A steel frame, right?"
"Ah, Steel Frame,"
Choin nodded.
"Continue."
"Third is Internal Finishing. You compress your Qi into a very dense state within your dantian. Fourth is Mastery, where you can manipulate your surroundings. And the highest is Grandmaster and Peak Grandmaster, where your body and nature become one inseparable structure."
"Interesting,"
Choin said.
"Now, give me the working instructions. How did you fight during your life? I need your memories of martial arts techniques."
"You ask for a lot, Foreman! But never mind. I'll give you everything I've known since I was born,"
Kang Yo replied.
Suddenly, a massive wave of information hit Choin's consciousness. Fragments of memories of sword training in the pouring rain, the pain of being insulted as an illegitimate child, and the secret techniques of the Evernight Gate flowed like high-speed data transfer.
Choin closed his eyes. In his mind's eye, he saw the techniques not as a beautiful dance, but as mechanical schemes.
"Sector of attack... angle of the sword... distribution of body weight..."
Choin muttered.
"So, your faction's strongest technique is the God Demonic Sword Art? And for our sect, the Demonic Heavy Sword, which relies on mass and momentum."
"Yes,"
Kang Yo replied.
"Remember, each faction has its own signature 'ultimate weapon'":
"Demon Faction: The strongest technique is the God Demonic Sword Art.
The Evernight Sect relies on the Heavy Sword,
Blood Sea relies on the Blood Soul Hooks, and
Thousand Poison relies on the Myriad Venom Art.
Orthodox Faction:
Mount Hua: The swift and beautiful Plum Blossom Sword Art.
Wudang: Taiji Soft Sword Art, using the principle of soft over hard.
Namgung Clan: The Imperial Lightning Greatsword, a broadsword symbolizing justice.
Shaolin: The Diamond Staff Art, a powerful blunt weapon.
Unorthodox Faction:
The Ghost Shadow Chain Art from
Ghost Shadow Valley, extremely unpredictable."
Choin stood up, dust from the cave floor falling off his robes. He clenched his fists, feeling the now more stable flow of Qi within his body, which was at the first level of the Structure Realm.
"Now I have a clear goal,"
Choin said with a sly smile.
"I want to raise this body's strength to the 3rd level of the Structure Realm before we advance to the Internal Finishing realm."
"You talk like it's easy! It takes years of meditation to advance one level!"
Kang Yo snapped.
"That's if you use the usual method, Boss. I'm a foreman. We're going to 'accelerate the project.' We'll utilize the remaining poison that hasn't completely dissipated."
Choin retrieved a small vial of liquid left in the corner of the cave—the remains of the poison previously used to kill him, obtained from the envoy who targeted them.
"We're going to lure this poison into the newly cleared meridians in a controlled manner. The pain will trigger your body to produce large amounts of Qi as an automatic defense reaction. It's like forcibly pouring concrete hardener into a still-wet structure."
"You're absolutely insane! If the dosage is even slightly off, our hearts will explode!"
Kang Yo said with a slightly frightened expression.
"That's why I need you to regulate the flow while I monitor the pressure blueprint,"
Choin replied calmly.
"Cunning? Maybe. Painful? Definitely. But this is the quickest way to build a foundation that can avenge you and strengthen us."
Choin drank a drop of the poison, and the veins in his neck immediately tensed.