Lucian was fascinated as he read through the martial arts manual.
The manual had an incredible backstory written directly into the margins, where the creator recorded his insights and why he created this technique.
’Necessity is the mother of invention.’
The creator of this art was the child of a forbidden union between a Wudang disciple and a member of the Cheon Clan from the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Born with two distinct energy cores—one brimming with extreme Demonic Qi and the other with Pure Daoist Qi—the creator had suffered from a split personality in his youth, committing various violent crimes without realizing it.
Yet the man was a genius. He devised a method to balance both cores using Yin-Yang principles, creating this art so both energies could circulate without clashing. Later, he even modified the technique so ordinary martial artists could practice it, provided they possessed immense mental power.
’With this, one can use two martial arts simultaneously and even practice opposite arts at the same time.’
At the very end of the manual, a short warning was brushed in faded ink.
[I am keeping this book here because I believe my mother’s home may not be the safest place. If you are reading this, I only hope that you will not leak this art to the whole world, it will only bring great calamity if it falls into the wrong hands or people with ambitions.]
"Though I am not restricted by these two arts," Lucian murmured to himself.
His comprehension was sharp. Thanks to his ability’s auto-translation, he understood the fundamental concepts behind the text effortlessly, and he saw immense room for growth.
His cultivation foundation from the Eternal Profound Scripture already specialized in harmonizing different energies. Reading this manual gave him fresh insights into both the Demonic Path and the Daoist Path of Wudang.
Sword techniques, fist forms, mental illusions, and pure physical domination...
For the entire day and night, Lucian stayed in his room, testing different ways to adapt the dual-core circulation into his own meridians.
***
The Next Day.
Following the directions given by the Head of the Yellow Wind Merchants, Lucian made his way to a quiet alley in Luoyang. He found a modest, weathered brick building surrounded by beggars lounging in the shade, and pushed the door open.
Inside, the surroundings were surprisingly clean and organized. This was an official intelligence branch of the Beggars’ Gang. Informants were everywhere, quietly buying, sorting, and selling rumors.
"You clean clothes faction bastards are really a nuisance!"
"I just cleaned this today after a year! You stinky dirty-clothed bastard! Get lost!"
Lucian watched a quick argument break out between a clean beggar and a ragged beggar. Before it could escalate, someone approached him from the side.
’Isn’t he that beggar outside?’
Lucian recognized him immediately. The man appeared to have stage five baldness with sharp, assessing eyes.
"As expected you are new, your clueless face gave you, what information are you looking for?" Beggar Pung said, rubbing his thumb and fingers together in a clear demand for an upfront fee.
Lucian pulled a small silver ingot from his pouch and tossed it over.
"I just came down the mountains, I want all the basic information about major factions and current famous martial artists."
"Hoho, your request is a little vague but it will be done, I will charge you accordingly, for now come with me. You can call me Beggar Pung."
Beggar Pung led Lucian toward a quiet corner lined with wooden bookshelves, offering a wide, greasy smile that showed yellowed teeth.
’This young man is a master, let’s make a connection with him,’ Beggar Pung thought.
Due to the Martial Alliance’s recent declaration, hundreds of young prodigies were currently flooding into Henan Province. The Beggars’ Gang had been ten times busier than usual over the previous days.
Even so, Lucian stood out. An expert of his caliber who didn’t even know the basic layout of the major powers was rare.
"This is it, check this," Pung said, pulling a bound text from the shelf.
Before Lucian could take it, Pung pulled the book back slightly, joining his index finger and thumb in another universal gesture.
"This will be 50 silver nyang."
Lucian tossed five silver ingots onto the small counter. As his fingers brushed past Pung’s waist, he effortlessly snatched back the first silver ingot he had tipped him earlier. Lucian already understood the local currency exchange; there was no reason to leave an extra silver ingot in a greedy broker’s pocket.
Opening the text, Lucian flipped through the pages.
With his perception as a cultivator, he absorbed the written names, factions, and power tiers within seconds.
Satisfied, Lucian tossed the book back onto the counter, gave Pung a polite nod, and stepped out the doorway, his silhouette blurring as he vanished down the crowded street.
"Did he really read all that in such a short time?" Beggar Pung muttered, staring at the closed book in complete disbelief.
"Damn, I didn’t even get a chance to ask for his name!"
Another beggar strolled over, nudging Pung with an amused grin.
"Beggar Pung, I am hearing you caught a fat sheep?"
"No way," Pung denied instinctively. He couldn’t go around leaking client transactions.
He reached into his pocket to pat his upfront tip—only for his fingers to hit empty cloth. The silver ingot was gone.
"Huh?"
The second beggar noticed Pung’s sudden, horrified pat-down and burst into laughter, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in Jianghu.
"Pung, don’t tell me you got scammed?"
Beggar Pung’s face flushed bright crimson, his eyes narrowing at the empty doorway.
He was definitely going to look into that young man.
***
"The information was quite neatly arranged," Lucian muttered, organizing the power structure in his head as he walked back to the inn.
There were four main pillars of power in the Central Plains.
First was the Imperial Family, ruled by the Yuan Clan. They held the Mandate of Heaven, were blessed by the legendary Golden Dragon, and governed the secular empire.
Second was the Heavenly Demon Cult, led by the Cheon Clan. Situated deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains, they stood as the undisputed peak of the Demonic Path.
Third was the Unorthodox Alliance. Though they appeared fractured on the surface, they were secretly united and managed by the Hyeokryeon Clan.
Fourth was the Righteous Martial Alliance, led by the Nine Sects and One Gang alongside the Five Great Noble Families. Faint rumors suggested an ancient, hidden family backed them from the shadows.
Beyond these four pillars sat the mysterious Five Outer Palaces and the nomadic barbarians of the north.
’And then there are the Seven Gods, also called the pinnacle of martial might.’
According to the records, these seven masters stood above all living martial artists.
The Heavenly Demon from the Ten Thousand Mountains.
The Sword God from Wudang.
The Evil God from the Unorthodox Alliance.
The Arhat God from Shaolin.
The Ice Goddess from the North Sea Ice Palace.
The Poison God from the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The Martial God, who previously led the Martial Alliance and now served as its Vice Leader.
’Blood God’s name is not mentioned here, nor anything related to him,’ Lucian noted with a frown.
Then again, he had only paid for basic, public intelligence. An ancient monster like the Blood God would naturally be scrubbed from standard records and labeled as calamity.
’Though I am also interested in Beast Palace, who seems to be capable of taming and summoning otherworldly beasts.’
Connecting beasts from other realms sounded strangely similar to the monster incursions from Earth’s Great Rifts. It was a lead worth exploring later.
Having a clear picture of the power structure gave Lucian the exact clarity he needed.
A few days passed in a quiet routine. Lucian stayed inside his rented room, practicing in seclusion to adapt the Dual Internal Energy Art into his own cultivation.
Soon, drums and horns echoed across the city streets.
It was time for the Dragon Phoenix Competition to begin.
***
The Morning of Dragon Phoenix Competition.
Because such a grand event was being hosted here, the entire city of Luoyang was bustling from the crack of dawn. Famous young prodigies in clean silk robes and countless martial big shots could be seen walking through the crowded paths.
Yet beneath the festive surface, sharp eyes could see that this spectacle was merely the prelude to a far greater storm. Dangerous hidden currents surged beneath the calm river.
In a quiet, ordinary inn located in a dark alley of the city, several hooded figures sat around, quietly reviewing their plans.
"...so our plan will be carried out as we discussed, even if your identities are revealed, you need to kill anyone who you deem may cause delay in our grand plan, we also know this is a trap but as we are personally carrying his will, so even at the cost of death, you need to kill as many as possible because deaths are common in duels."
A figure wearing an iron mask spoke, his eyes sweeping over his companions. All of them wore matching masks, but beneath the eyeholes, their gaze burned with the rabid madness of true fanatics.
"With our commotion the second phase of our grand plan will begin and after that..."
The man paused for a moment, smiling cold through his mask.
Everyone in the room understood his meaning.
Because of the righteous hypocrites ruling the Central Plains, their true faith had been forced underground for centuries, unable to walk proudly in the sun. But every single cultist seated here was ready to lay down their life today.
The world needed to witness their way—the way that had been suppressed for far too long.
"Wudang was just the start, after the second phase is done, the blood god shall be revived in his true glory, all hail Blood God!"
"All hail Blood God! Blood shall rule the world!"
"All hail Blood God! Blood shall rule the world!"
Their hushed, chilling chants echoed within the sealed room as the leader smiled coldly behind his iron mask.