Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 113: Alchemy Foot Master

Seojun quickly analyzed the martial art while mentally reviewing the sutra of the Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art.

As Pae Jingwang had said, it was a martial art difficult to categorize. If anything, it could be split into several distinct disciplines of martial arts.

Broadly speaking, it was primarily a Dynamic Art—a type of cultivation technique that cultivated inner qi through movement of the body.

However this one diverged from conventional Dynamic Arts. In actuality, most were ultimately extensions of cultivation techniques that focused on building up qi.

Yet the Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art didn’t follow that path. It instead gathered qi in the dantian and directly infused it into the muscles.

Seojun finally understood the strange incongruity he’d sensed in the Fist King’s qi.

The Fist King had no dantian.

...Because his entire massive body was the dantian itself.

By saturating his muscles with qi and reshaping them, the Fist King no longer relied on qi in the traditional sense.

Instead of expending qi, he simply accumulated muscle fatigue.

The qi infused in his flesh had already transformed into something similar to muscles-like in itself.

This is insane.

That alone was enough to hook Seojun’s interest.

It was unlike anything he’d seen before.

Though the Fist King claimed he had no gift for internal cultivation and had thus created his own martial art, it seemed his talent clearly lay elsewhere.

Next up...

Fist techniques. Literally, the art of using one’s fists.

Since this was his first time properly studying them, Seojun felt a flicker of anticipation.

And these weren’t just anyone’s techniques—they were the techniques of the Fist King himself.

If he could master them properly, he would be able to shift fluidly between fist and sword in the middle of battle.

Beyond that, there was also footwork, body techniques, leg techniques, finger techniques, eye techniques, and more. The Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art wove together a chaotic array of martial arts.

It was so similar to the Primordial Divine Art that he felt an unexpected sense of familiarity.

Their philosophies pointed in opposite directions—but still.

“Hey, old man. Now that I’m looking closer, you’re not half bad.”

“I’ve lived hundreds of years longer than you, brat. Of course I’m not.”

“I’ve seen six-hundred-year-old geezers who were still complete idiots. From what I’ve seen, after the Transcendent Realm, if you don’t have talent or something special, you’ll be stuck forever. Even ten thousand years wouldn’t help.”

“Well, enlightenment’s a kind of skill too. If you can’t recognize your talents and find the right path, time alone won’t mean a thing.”

At that, Seojun puffed out his chest with pride.

“That has nothing to do with me.”

“Y-You insolent brat. I should beat some sense into you.”

“Oh? You tryna throw hands now?”

“Sure, come here, you brat.”

Pae Jingwang burst into laughter and clapped Seojun hard on the shoulder.

Each blow made Seojun’s body quiver slightly.

This wasn’t like Chunbong’s rapid-fire therapy. This kind of force would turn a normal person into minced meat...!

“Are you seriously picking a fight with me!?”

“Shut up and just pay attention.”

Pae Jingwang resumed his explanation of the Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art.

While the cultivation technique-like principles of the Dynamic Art matched what Seojun had already grasped, the fist techniques still felt elusive in parts.

“There are basic combat patterns, but that’s it. If I had to put it nicely, it’s ‘formless within form.’ If I had to be honest, it’s just fighting however the hell you want.” fгeewebnovёl.com

That part reminded him of the Giant Spirit Divine Art. They’d probably sync well together.

Speaking of which... I wonder how old man Jang Geuk’s doing.

He had passed on the genuine Giant Spirit Divine Art, but who knew if the guy was using it properly?

I should check on him sometime.

“Now, try it.”

“Huh? Try what?”

“What else? The Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art. What’s the first thing you do when learning a martial art?”

“Feel the qi?”

“After that.”

“Dantian?”

“Exactly. You need to create what amounts to the dantian of the Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art—the qi muscle.”

“Qi muscle? What the hell... When you hit the Profound Realm, would it be called heart muscle or something?”

“Oh? How’d you guess? That’s the ultimate goal.”

“What...”

Creating muscles in the heart, too?

This old man’s just as unhinged as the rest.

*While receiving Pae Jingwang’s instruction, Seojun suddenly thought of his demonic transformation.

In that state, he had six arms. Up until now, he’d used the extra four as support—but what if he used swords with two arms and fist techniques for the other four?

Or maybe even throw in some sorcery and use all three simultaneously.

When he voiced the idea, Pae Jingwang nodded with genuine seriousness.

“That actually makes sense. ...But why are you whispering so close?”

“Chunbong shouldn’t hear this.”

“People grow extra arms sometimes. What’s the big deal?”

“Well, you never know.”

He would suffer a fatal emotional wound if Chunbong recoiled in disgust and called it creepy.

“...You’re a strange one.”

Pae Jingwang clicked his tongue and closed his eyes.

“Fist techniques using multiple arms...”

In his mind, countless combat paths branched outward.

He had always trained with only two arms. With more limbs, not only would the number of possible paths increase—entirely new ones would emerge.

The Fist King, seated on a throne built with nothing but fists, slowly opened his eyes. He now had a profound look in his eyes.

“I’ll organize it and teach you later.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The Giving Fist King...

If you’re handed something, the least you can do is show some sincerity.

Seojun, having glimpsed the web of paths extending from the Supreme Force Monstrous Divine Art, calmly began to map them out.

Since Pae Jingwang had little interest in internal cultivation, the approach would be trickier than usual—but that only made it more fun.

“Old man, look forward to it.”

“What are you going on about now?”

In Seojun’s mind, a new martial arts manual was being quietly written within his vast inner library.

*The next day, right on cue, a message arrived from Namgung Youngbo.

Preparations were complete—they could begin creating the Heaven-Man Divine Pill at any time.

Seojun postponed a day of training with Pae Jingwang and headed straight for the Heavenly Medicine Hall.

“Welcome, Young Master...!”

The place looked more like a cult awaiting the descent of their god.

“Hmm. Applause.”

“Wooooo...!!”

Seojun stepped into the alchemy room, basking in the fervent cheers of the Heavenly Medicine Hall staff.

There wasn’t much for him to prepare since he knew next to nothing about alchemy except for the parts involving qi.

All the groundwork had already been done. Ingredients were prepped and ready.

All he needed to do was stand before the cauldron and channel his inner qi.

Which, honestly, was the most important part...

Namgung Youngbo, scratching his head sheepishly, barked out orders to his subordinates.

“Don’t disturb the Young Master—stay back! If you haven’t fully mastered the Heaven-Man Divine Pill Art yet, watch until your eyes pop out and learn like your life depends on it!”

“Yes, sir!”

Under the blazing stares of the entire hall, Seojun focused his mind and twisted the Five Elements Formation of the Heaven-Man Divine Pill.

The mutual generation and overcoming of the Five Elements—

Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water.

Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood, Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water.

These were the natural laws. The cycles of the heavens. The flow of nature itself.

He twisted them.

It wasn’t even that hard.

Hadn’t he already mastered the Reverse Taiji? With the Heaven-Defying Principle in mind, he inverted the natural flow, redirecting it to guide the Heaven-Man Divine Pill’s formation.

It felt more like sorcery than martial arts.

But Seojun’s talent wasn’t confined to martial arts—he was attuned to qi itself.

With the blueprint already drawn in his head, Seojun calmly placed his hand over the cauldron.

“You really shouldn’t try to copy this just by watching.”

“...Pardon?”

“It’s a little different.”

The inner qi extending from his hand took complete control of the flow of qi within the cauldron.

Delicate, almost thread-like strands of qi danced through the air, guiding the energy as the formation shifted.

What took shape was the Reverse Five Elements Formation.

The natural cycle of mutual generation and overcoming was reversed.

Water burned in fire.

Fire birthed metal.

Metal rooted into wood.

Wood nourished earth.

Earth purified water.

Water killed wood.

Wood smothered fire.

Fire scorched earth.

Earth shattered metal.

Metal failed to bind water.

These nature-defying reversed laws were sealed within a single seal. The Heaven-Defying Principle manifested in physical form. The surrounding principles warped in response, giving rise to phenomena beyond logic.

Trees burst forth from the cauldron, smothering the flames in the furnace, only for fire to erupt again from the ingredients within the cauldron, intensifying the energy.

The pill, once a simple round shape, began to shimmer like polished metal, scattering light around.

Namgung Youngbo, blankly staring at the pill floating levitating in the air, suddenly widened his eyes.

The principles are unraveling.

The robes wrapping around Seojun unraveled into shimmering threads before he could even process it, blooming into violet flowers, twisting and sprouting clusters of eyes and mouths.

“Y-Young Master...?”

Thump. Thump.

Namgung Youngbo’s heartbeat faltered. He swallowed, dry-mouthed.

That back—

His breath was taken away by the demonic figure looming above it.

Namgung Youngbo could only watch his actions, pressed down by the enormous pressure.

Swish—

Seojun’s fingers moved.

Thumb to thumb, index to index, middle to middle—ring and pinky fingers flared out like wings, forming a cage of six fingers that trapped the pill inside.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the suffocating pressure vanished.

“Haaah...! Haaah...!”

All around him, the members of the Heavenly Medicine Hall gasped for breath, drenched in sweat.

It felt like waking from a nightmare—except the vines and flowers still coiled around the floor, proof that it had all been real.

As Seojun sealed the energy of the completed pill and tucked it into a wooden box, Namgung Youngbo staggered forward on trembling legs.

“Y-Young Master....”

“Yes?”

Namgung’s gaze was dazed, his body trembling.

“How....”

His breath caught in his throat. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Seojun, mouth twitching, lips curling into raw emotion.

“Could you possibly be...”

He suddenly shouted.

“The God of Alchemy!?”

“...Excuse me?”

“No—no—! How did you do that!? Reversing such a complex Five Elements Formation and drawing a Reverse Five Elements Formation...! This isn’t something a human can do!”

Namgung Youngbo started bouncing on the spot, saliva flying with each word.

“Truly the God of Alchemy! No! Really! This is...! Wow!”

Seojun instinctively took a step back, terrified by the bizarre reaction, but Namgung Youngbo was undeterred.

“I love you, Young Master...! Please! Just teach me one technique!”

“Please...!”

Seojun was flustered by the voices of the Heavenly Medicine Hall members that rang out in chorus.

“What is this now...”

He didn’t want to be confessed to by a crowd of men.

*After promising he’d teach them when he had the time and escaping from the Heavenly Medicine Hall, Seojun finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“Phew... are they crazy?”

Shouldn’t the normal reaction to that scene be fear or at least mild horror?

The alchemists were surprisingly open-minded to reversed principles.

They had all the makings of proper demonic practitioners.

But all that aside, what mattered now was the spirit pill.

Seojun’s lips curled as he glanced at the wooden box.

Heavenly Demon Divine Pill—that’s what he had decided to call it.

If it works the way I think it will.

It would be the first step to embodying both natural and reversed principles.

Something no one should be able to achieve.

But that—

—was the Principle to Defy the Heavens.

Seojun’s pace quickened.