Shadows in the Forest

Juwon remained still, his breath measured as the glowing eyes remained fixed on him from the darkness beyond the trees. He didn't move. He didn't need to. Whatever was out there had been watching him for a while.

The fire crackled behind him, casting long shadows across the cave's entrance. The air was thick with humidity, the night wind carrying the distant sounds of the forest—rustling leaves, the chirping of insects, and something else, something… unnatural.

His fingers tightened slightly, his body instinctively preparing to react. Before, he might have dismissed this as paranoia. But now? He knew better.

A deep, guttural growl echoed from the underbrush. Not a wolf—something larger. The glowing eyes stepped closer, revealing a massive bear, its fur darker than the night itself.

Juwon exhaled slowly. "A bear? Of course, it had to be a bear."

The beast reared up on its hind legs, its sheer size dwarfing him. He had no weapons. No plan.

The bear lunged.

Juwon barely managed to roll away, but not without consequence—sharp claws raked across his side, tearing through flesh. Pain shot through him, but his mind remained clear. He was still standing.

I should be dead.

But he wasn't.

His movements felt lighter, stronger, faster. His body responded in ways he didn't recognize—or perhaps, ways he had forgotten.

The bear lunged again, its massive jaws snapping toward him. Juwon reacted on instinct. His hands moved before his mind could process it—gripping the beast's lower jaw with one hand, its upper jaw with the other.

With a roar of effort, he twisted.

A sickening crack echoed through the forest. The bear collapsed, lifeless.

Juwon staggered backward, panting. His hands trembled, not in fear, but in realization. I just killed a bear. With my bare hands.

Pain flared up his side. His wounds were deep, his shirt stained with blood. He needed to do something before infection set in.

Then he remembered. He had already studied the Dragon Emperor's Primordial Breathing Technique during the hours he spent in the cave, trying to make sense of it. Now, it was time to put it into practice.

He settled into a cross-legged position, shutting his eyes, his breathing slowing.

"The Dragon Emperor's Primordial Breathing Technique involves channeling Qi through the dantian, allowing it to gather like a golden river before branching into meridians," Juwon muttered to himself, recalling the text. "If done correctly, the Qi reinforces the body, accelerating healing and strengthening the core." He recalled the technique's instructions—Qi must first flow through the dantian, gathering like a golden river before branching into meridians. The moment he focused, he felt it. The Qi.

It flowed through him, winding through his meridians, exactly as the technique described. "Focus on the dantian first, let it pool, then push it outward steadily," he reminded himself, his mind fully immersed in the process. He directed the golden Qi into his dantian first, letting it pool before pushing it outward, reinforcing his core and accelerating the healing process. His wounds stitched together at an unnatural pace. His body was healing itself.

Juwon exhaled, opening his eyes. It worked.

"This technique involves the use of primordial Qi. Apparently, the golden dragon Qi that I attained from the pendant was purified dragon Qi, and now it's in my dantian. But this is still not the primordial qi required to practice this technique" He muttered to himself, feeling the energy stabilize within him. "Now, I will let the Qi from the second pendant into my body... Akh—I'm already injured, and it's straining my wounds even more... But I have to push through."

As the Qi surged, his breath caught. "The golden Qi is running rampant due to the imbalance… My natural Qi wasn't interfering with the golden Qi until now. Until now, the two energies had coiled together like twin strands of DNA, weaving through my meridians in perfect harmony."

A sharp pain shot through his chest. "But now that the amount of golden Qi is too much, there's an imbalance—Ukh!" He spat blood, his body trembling. "I have to merge the two somehow..."

Gritting his teeth, he forced his focus inward, guiding his breath, his Qi. Slowly, painfully, the two energies began to twist together, fusing into something new. His eyes flared open, not golden, not his own Qi, but something else—a radiant white Qi of the purest form, laced with streaks of gold.**

A scream tore from his throat. "God damn it—!"

Darkness consumed him.

When he awoke, he was lying on his back, staring at the sky. His entire body ached, but the pain was gone.

Juwon groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I should rename myself 'Pain' with how much I've been knowing about it lately."

Sitting upright, he closed his eyes and focused inward. His dantian—he could feel it now. The Qi within had changed.

"So this is the Initiation Stage of the Dragon Emperor's Primordial Breathing Technique, huh?" His brow furrowed as he concentrated further. "Qi is circulating freely, reinforcing my body without me even trying. This is what cultivation really feels like."

Standing up, he clenched his fist, testing his strength. "Let's see what this new strength of mine can really do."

His gaze landed on a large boulder resting along the mountainside. Without thinking, he stepped forward, channeling Qi into his arm.

"Dragon Fang Void Break!"

Juwon thrust his fist forward, and for an instant, nothing happened. Then—a white dragon-shaped Qi projection erupted from his shoulder, coiling around his arm before launching forward with his punch.

He punched forward, and for a split second, nothing happened. Then—the boulder shattered into fragments, and the force didn't stop there. The Qi carried forward, striking the mountain wall behind it, leaving a massive circular crack in the rock face. A deep, circular crack spread across its surface, the stone trembling from the impact. The sheer force of the attack sent shockwaves rippling through the air, shaking the surrounding trees. Birds, startled by the sudden explosion of power, burst from their perches, scattering into the sky in a chaotic flurry of wings.

Juwon took a step back, eyes wide. "What… the hell just happened?" His mind raced, trying to comprehend what he had just done.

His breathing slowed as he stared at his hand. "This shouldn't be possible... What kind of logic explains this? Does science even have an answer for this?"

He slowly sat up, stretching his arms. "Well, at least I'm in one piece… but how long was I out?"

He pushed himself to his feet, shaking the stiffness from his limbs. "No point standing around. Let's see where that bear came from."

His gaze drifted to the bear's tracks. Where did it come from?

He followed the trail through the forest, his senses sharper than ever. Hours passed, and finally, he found something.

A caravan. Wooden carts, overturned. Broken honeypots, their contents spilled across the ground.

Juwon took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Qi Sense… let's see if this works.

Extending his Qi outward, he felt it—a presence lingering beyond the wreckage. Subtle, but definitely there.

Juwon crept forward, his Qi guiding him toward the hidden figure. The signature was faint, almost masked, but now that he had sensed it, there was no mistaking it. There. Behind a tree, crouched in a pit, someone was concealing their presence.

Juwon smirked slightly. "Not bad… but not good enough."

Juwon took a slow step forward. "You can come out now. It's safe for now—I've dealt with the bear."