The first and second days passed without notice. When the third morning arrived, dew still clung to the tips of the leaves, and the cool air from the hills enveloped the village like a thin, soothing blanket.
No one dared to approach the warehouse on the edge of the forest since the night before. From a distance, the building looked quiet, no different than usual. But anyone who looked in its direction would feel something strange, an unnatural coldness, like a lingering shadow that had not completely disappeared.
Not far from the warehouse, a small river flowed quietly, covered in a thin morning mist.
In the middle of the stream stood a figure.
It was Raven.
His upper body was naked and wet, his muscles defined but not excessive, approaching the ideal proportions of a man who had trained for years. However, this change was not the result of ordinary physical training. Two days and two nights of intense meditation using the heavenly demon body technique had reshaped his body from within, strengthening every muscle fiber and bone through extreme death qi pressure.
Water dripped slowly from his long black hair, falling onto the gently rippling surface of the river. He opened his eyes.
His gaze was sharp, clearer than before.
Surrounding his body, a thin white aura enveloped his skin like warm steam, faintly mixed with a faint purple-black hue that pulsed gently. The two did not swallow each other, but moved in unison.
The air around him vibrated lightly.
It was not because of the wind, but because of the resonance of energy from his own body.
He raised his hand and washed his face, cleaning away the remaining sweat and dried blood from the slaughter a few days ago. The river current carried away the traces without a trace.
Under his skin, fine, jet-black veins pulsed slowly, appearing and disappearing like living shadows. These were not wounds, but new pathways created by the movement of Death Qi, which he now controlled.
Raven stared at his hands.
On his left palm, a dark gray qi swirled softly like thick fog. Meanwhile, on his right hand, faint sparks of clear, warm energy appeared, like the light of life itself. Two forces that should have been opposites, Death Qi and Life Qi, now coexisted in his body.
He took a deep breath, as if enjoying every second of the sensation.
"This body..." he muttered softly.
"Can it hold both?"
Initially, Raven only intended to condense Death Qi in his lower dantian, right around his navel, to reconstruct his body. But something strange happened. Once the Death Qi reached its perfect form, a small portion of its energy refused to settle. The current surged, penetrating his lower meridians to the middle, right in his chest.
The remaining energy stopped there, swirling, clumping together, then slowly forming an energy vortex similar to a dantian. Surprised, Raven instinctively followed the current, directing his Qi to stabilize the formation. Finally, a new dantian was completely formed in his chest.
He fell silent, almost in disbelief.
In all his knowledge of martial arts, even when he was known as the Heavenly Demon, something like this was impossible. No expert had ever had two dantians, let alone two dantians containing different energies.
In the world of Murim, Life Qi and Death Qi were the two primordial poles at the root of all forms of energy. Life Qi was the foundation of life, the energy that flowed within every living creature and was the basis of all orthodox martial arts techniques. From there were also born various special types of Qi, which were examples of derivatives in harmony with the laws of nature, such as fire, lightning, water, wind, earth, and ice, rare powers possessed only by those who were gifted from birth. It is this special Qi that allows some users to control specific elements from within their Qi and perform powerful techniques that manifest the dominant elements of nature.
On the other hand, there is deviant Qi. Blood Qi, Demonic Qi, Poison Qi are energies that are still related to life, but tend to be destructive, and can even consume their users if not controlled.
Death Qi, however, is different.
It is not life energy, nor is it a deviation from it. Death Qi belongs to death; it is something that living beings should not be able to touch. For anyone other than Raven, its existence means the end of everything.
Raven was stunned...
He tried to hold it back, but the current changed its nature, spreading a soft warmth that contrasted with Death Qi. The energies mingled, spinning together like day and night dancing in the same body.
"...Life Qi?" he whispered in disbelief.
The two energies were balanced, neither negating nor destroying the other. Instead, they adjusted their rhythms to each other.
Raven took a deep breath, feeling the double pulse flowing through his blood.
"I don't know if this is a miracle... or a curse," he said softly.
"Maybe the heavens have given me a new chance," he continued.
The morning mist still hung low over the river. In the silence, a leaf fell and landed softly on the surface of the water.
Raven reached out, catching the leaf with two fingers.
A thin vapor escaped from his body as he channeled a little energy into the thin leaf. It vibrated softly, becoming taut as if it had turned into an invisible blade.
With a casual movement, a light touch like brushing away dust, he flicked it to the side.
The leaf shot forward.
It didn't float... but pierced the air with sharp speed. It split another leaf that had just fallen, then continued on without losing momentum. Two tree trunks were pierced cleanly before the leaf finally stuck deep into the third tree trunk.
The forest fell silent again.
Small ripples spread across the surface of the river due to the delayed air waves.
Raven slowly lowered his hand.
"I didn't expect to reach the Peak Master level this quickly," he said calmly.
"Just by forming a second dantian in my chest."
He lowered his gaze to his own body.
"Even so... its destructive power is almost equal to that of an early stage Grandmaster,"
He paused for a moment, feeling the two energy centers in his body, the old one in his lower abdomen and the newly formed one in his chest. Both spun in harmony, but it was clear that the flow of the two energies was different.
"The increase in qi pressure is probably due to these two dantians..." he whispered.
"But Death Qi and Life Qi should repel each other."
He narrowed his eyes.
"But in my body... they actually compress each other until they solidify."
A possibility flashed through his mind: not conflict, but compression. Two opposing energies continuously colliding in a confined space, creating pressure far greater than a single source.
"Huh... interesting."
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"I must learn more about this."
He stepped out of the river, water dripping from his body onto the grassy ground. With a single breath of qi, the remaining moisture on his skin evaporated instantly.
"…but for now," he continued softly, his mind racing through the possibilities.
"With this level of energy… mastering the orthodox faction's internal techniques will be much easier."
His eyes narrowed.
"And not only that… maybe I can combine two different techniques from two opposing factions."
Destructive Death Qi and stable Life Qi, if woven together in a precise qi circulation sequence, would produce more than just the sum of their powers.
It could be... something completely new.
"I don't know what kind of technique it will create," he muttered softly.
"But I can't wait to try it."
Raven glanced once more at the tree where the leaf was embedded.
Then he turned and walked calmly toward his hut at the edge of the forest.
His steps were light, almost silent.