Chapter 18: Blood-Piercing Absorption Technique (3)

Blood Heaven Blood Refinement Method.

It may sound grand, but in truth, there’s not much to explain about this technique.

It isn’t something you learn separately on its own, because the foundational energy method of the Blood Asura Technique is the Blood Heaven Blood Refinement Method itself.

When sitting cross-legged and circulating energy like with any other cultivation method, it shows no special effect.

However, if the practitioner comes into contact with blood during energy circulation, the unique properties of the Blood Heaven Blood Refinement Method naturally manifest.

It is a vicious martial art that absorbs the opponent’s vital energy entirely through their blood.

Derived from a mystical sect’s secret technique, it was later customized by the Blood Demon to suit the Bloodborne Physique.

Naturally, the effectiveness of the Blood Heaven Blood Refinement Method increases with the quantity of blood and the strength of the energy contained in it.

Knowing this well, Cheon Hwi’s lips twitched.

“Wow, this really is way more effective than grinding people to train.”

He could feel Choa’s internal energy rapidly increasing in real time through his energy sense.

In sync with that, the body of the boss Mountain Giant, having its blood drained, began to slowly shrivel.

Satisfied that Choa was properly utilizing the Blood Heaven Blood Refinement Method, Cheon Hwi turned his head.

“Hm.”

His gaze, moving horizontally, stopped as it locked onto the Association President.

He quietly observed the man, who was staring down at his palms, muttering something with his head deeply bowed.

Then suddenly, the Association President shuddered, raised his head, and took in a deep breath.

“Looks like you’ve gained some insight.”

“Yes… I believe I have.”

The Association President’s face, trembling as he clenched both fists, was filled with joy.

It might seem a little much for a middle-aged man to act that way — but having once trained in Heaven and Earth Great Shift himself, Cheon Hwi could fully understand what he was feeling.

Even the confusion that would soon follow.

“Hmm!”

The Association President thrust his fist forward.

Kuung!

The motion of his punch toward the forest was clean.

The heavy power packed into that single blow exploded into a shockwave, blasting a hole through the woods.

But his expression remained grim.

The Association President’s lips moved slightly in confusion, then his expression twisted in frustration.

Watching the entire scene unfold, Cheon Hwi burst out laughing.

“Puhaha!”

“Th-This… This doesn’t make any sense…”

The movement was clearly much better.

Compared to all the countless punches he’d thrown before, the punch just now was worthy of being called divine.

“Sir Cheon Hwi, what exactly is going on here…?”

There was no way it should’ve ended at this level.

It wasn’t just supposed to punch a hole through the forest — the entire forest, ground and all, should’ve been ripped up and sent flying.

There was improvement, yes, but only just that.

Confused and disappointed by results far below expectations, the Association President turned to ask.

As if waiting for the question, Cheon Hwi stopped laughing and answered with a grin.

“It’s simple. What you gained is insight while thinking about Heaven and Earth Great Shift, not the actual technique itself.

You haven’t even entered the doorway to it yet.”

The core of Heaven and Earth Great Shift lies in the direction of force.

It might sound obvious, but all martial arts used by warriors involve force in some way.

Because of that, those first starting to train in Heaven and Earth Great Shift often fall into a trap.

They confuse a realization about power itself with a true understanding of direction.

“Well, you’ve at least cleared the first step.”

“The first step, you say?”

“Yes. When you return to the Association, review the training data from the combat mannequin.

Now that you’ve experienced your first insight, you should be able to gain something from it.”

“I will definitely do that.”

The Association President bowed deeply in gratitude, and Cheon Hwi gave a light wave before turning his gaze back to Choa.

He was checking to see how much longer she’d need.

‘Looks like she’s almost done.’

The body of the boss Mountain Giant had visibly shriveled up.

It seemed the energy absorption was nearly complete.

Given its massive size, it clearly took a considerable amount of time to fully drain.

“By the way, are you not planning to use the Mountain Giant corpses you dealt with on the way here?”

“Ah, those? They’re useless now. Since they’ve been dead for a while, their energy’s probably already scattered.”

If he were being honest, Cheon Hwi would’ve liked to scrape up the blood of the Mountain Giants he took down on the way.

But since they were already lifeless and had grown cold over time, absorbing their blood wouldn’t yield any meaningful energy.

It’s what you’d call losing the big picture for a small gain — yet it’s only natural to feel a little regret.

Even though he wasn’t the one cultivating with the Blood Asura Technique, Cheon Hwi let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I suppose… I can keep you company for, let’s say, fifteen minutes.”

“Keep me company…?”

Cheon Hwi walked over to the ruined edge of the forest where the Association President had blasted a hole.

He picked up a thin, small twig and aimed it at the President, who stared back at him in confusion.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

With a sly grin, Cheon Hwi tilted his head slightly.

Looking down at the Association President as if mocking him, Cheon Hwi spoke briefly.

“Come at me. I’ll spar with you until Miss Choa’s done.”

There’s no training more effective than real combat.

Knowing that well, the Association President didn’t hesitate — he charged at Cheon Hwi.

What exactly is an S-rank Hunter?

If you stopped a random person on the street and asked that question, nine times out of ten, the answer would be:

A monster beyond human limits.

The nickname “Transcender of the Mortal World” isn’t just empty talk.

S-rank Hunters possess abilities that are hard to believe come from a human.

Just look at the criteria for S-rank Hunters across the world — it speaks volumes.

To be able to single-handedly shut down an A-rank dungeon — the kind that could destroy a country and threaten its neighbors.

Or to face off against an entire nation without anyone’s help.

Are beings like that still considered human?

It’s a topic that has sparked endless debate over the years.

Cheon Hwi, with a half-bored look, responds:

‘If they’re born under Heaven, then they’re human.’

And what’s the big deal about a minor realm like Present Realm being called transcendent or questioned as inhuman?

If he’d said that on stream, the chat would’ve exploded with reactions —

But even those same viewers, if they saw what was happening now, would’ve silently nodded in agreement.

“Ugh…!”

“This makes sixty-three.”

Cheon Hwi was toying with the Association President.

If you went by titles alone, it meant a rookie Trizik streamer was toying with Korea’s strongest S-rank Hunter.

Just reading that sentence makes it sound completely absurd.

And yet, faced with what was happening before his eyes, the Association President couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the one being toyed with.

“Even while clashing with you directly… I still can’t understand it.”

“You don’t understand why you can’t even snap this thin, brittle twig, right?”

Cheon Hwi teased him with a smirk, and the Association President, catching his breath on one knee, responded with a bitter smile.

The meaning behind the “sixty-three” Cheon Hwi had mentioned was simple.

It was the number of times the Association President had charged in, only to be immediately knocked down.

The target was the slender twig in Cheon Hwi’s hand.

A twig that should snap with the lightest press of a pinky still remained untouched, perfectly intact, and pointed at the Association President.

“Whew, I’ll try once more.”

After steadying his breath and refocusing, the Association President widened his eyes.

The silver-white energy swirling around him shimmered like heat haze as his body shot forward in a streak of light.

“Hhup!”

His fist, coated in what looked like silver foil, wasn’t flashy but radiated brilliance like a meteor streaking through the sky.

This technique, which mimicked the exact form of his fist, was famously known as Thousand Silver Meteor Fist — the most renowned striking art in Korea.

It was said to pulverize the bodies of monsters like soft tofu, leaving not even a trace of a person behind.

The Association President, as much as the public praised him, had full confidence in his own power.

But at this moment — standing before Cheon Hwi, of all people.

Even he, the mighty Association President, could only act with utmost humility.

“Fast and strong. The problem is, that’s all there is to it.”

Swish.

Cheon Hwi gently angled the twig toward the incoming punch.

A meteor-like, brilliant silver fist hurtled forward — and a tiny twig softly met it.

Logically, the twig should have shattered into splinters.

That’s what should have happened.

But Cheon Hwi’s martial arts didn’t just defy logic — they distorted even the laws that should have applied.

Heaven and Earth Great Shift is a martial art of flow.

It is not about overwhelming strength, but the principle of redirecting the force in motion.

All power in the world moves with a flow — and if one can understand and guide that flow through the mystery of Yu, then truly, they would have no equal under Heaven.

By that logic, the might of Heaven and Earth Great Shift, once it ascends to the level of divine technique, begins to shine from the Hwa-kyung realm onward.

A martial artist who reaches true harmony can bind their martial philosophy and mental state together, thereby distorting the very laws of the world.

Until one reaches the Transcendent Peak, however, Heaven and Earth Great Shift offers limited benefits.

Waste in movement disappears, techniques become cleaner and more refined, and at best, one’s power efficiency improves.

Even with just those benefits, Heaven and Earth Great Shift is still worthy of being called a divine technique.

But compared to what a Hwa-kyung level martial artist can do with it, that earlier form is nothing more than a cheap imitation.

“I’ve said it many times — don’t focus on speed or strength, focus on flow.”

Whish!

The Association President’s punch, launched straight at Cheon Hwi, suddenly twisted.

The straight, silver trajectory bent at the exact point it met the tip of the twig.

His fist, curving unnaturally, veered off course and broke free from his control.

It circled back and slammed straight into his own chest.

With the bizarre sight of striking himself, the Association President was sent flying and collapsed backward.

“Guh—!”

“That makes sixty-four.”

Cheon Hwi sighed as he increased the count by one.

He knew Heaven and Earth Great Shift was a complicated martial art.

But this was the first time he’d seen someone be so stubborn about it.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the Association President wasn’t trying to learn the technique.

But was instead trying to find a way to forcefully break through it head-on.

It was enough to make Cheon Hwi mutter to himself in disbelief.

“You can’t break Heaven and Earth Great Shift like that. Maybe if it were at the Transcendent Peak level, but from Hwa-kyung and up, the rules themselves start to bend.”

It was long ago now, but the first martial art Cheon Hwi tried to master after reaching harmony was exactly Heaven and Earth Great Shift.

Because from the perspective of someone who possessed modern knowledge,

There was no technique as unfairly powerful as this one.

Power is made up of quantity and direction.

It’s a basic principle even taught in high school physics — and also one of the world’s fundamental laws.

Pulling, pressing, lifting, swinging, striking… in all these actions, force moves in a specific direction.

It’s a concept known in physics as a vector.

But for a martial artist who has achieved true harmony, Heaven and Earth Great Shift distorts those physical laws.

Of course, the extent of that distortion depends on one’s realm — but at Cheon Hwi’s level, it’s entirely possible to redirect or reverse the direction of force at will.

Vector manipulation.

If one were to name the ability of Heaven and Earth Great Shift the same way awakened traits are described in the modern era, that’s probably what it would be called.

Sensing that Choa was stirring — her qi circulation apparently complete — Cheon Hwi decided to end the sparring session.

“Figure out the rest by reviewing the training data from the mannequin. Looks like Miss Choa’s just about done.”

Cheon Hwi set the twig he was holding down on the ground and began walking away.

The Association President glanced at the twig — and saw that it still retained its original shape, exactly as it had been when Cheon Hwi first picked it up.

“Huh…”

A breath caught between a sigh and admiration escaped the Association President’s lips as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Meanwhile, Cheon Hwi’s gaze was fixed on Choa, who was completely soaked in blood.

She was staggering down from the shriveled corpse of the boss Mountain Giant, its body drained dry of every last drop of blood.

Seeing Cheon Hwi, Choa waved happily.

Cheon Hwi waved back, then called out to the Association President, who was still deep in thought.

“Well, we’re done here. Let’s head back.”

Having successfully wrapped up their B-rank gate outing, Cheon Hwi began thinking about what to show on his next broadcast.

[Mutldak77: Who even is this Song Cheon Hwi guy?]

[(Dalboong-i: So… do you wish to become a blood demon too?)]

[SseulkSseulk: Wasn’t the ‘Choa the Vampire’ meme just an inside joke for Korean fans?]

Unaware that the kicked-out viewers had set fire to the early-streamers’ message board, Cheon Hwi walked on.

One week might be too short to master a martial art,

But it was more than enough time for the internet community to erupt like a volcano.

And Cheon Hwi had no idea.