Juwon groaned as his consciousness returned, the familiar weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. His body ached. He had collapsed. Again.

  “Not again… Is this going to happen every time I fight now?”

  A familiar voice, laced with amusement. “Good thing you have us to protect you.”

  Juwon cracked one eye open to see Yuxian grinning down at him. “Yeah, yeah, says the guy who stood there watching me almost die at his elder’s hands.”

  “Hey, we were too far away, man,” Yuxian defended, with puppy eyes. “Besides, you handled yourself just fine.”

  Juwon sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. “Glad to see you guys.”

  “Enough chitchat,” Yunfei interrupted, arms crossed. “Get up and get ready. Sect Leader is calling you.”

  Juwon groaned again, rubbing his temples. “I’m having déjà vu, huh?”

  Elder Huang Long led Juwon through a secret passage that wound deep into the mountains.

  The tunnel, carved smoothly from stone, twisted and turned before opening up to a flight of ancient stairs leading to a secluded courtyard high up in the peaks.

  Beyond it lay the Sect Leader’s residence.

  Juwon’s expectations of grandeur were immediately shattered though, when he stepped forward.

  Zhang Taichen's residence was an architectural paradox—sleek glass walls, minimalist furniture, and an infinity pool that overlooked the mountains, blending modern luxury with ancient seclusion.

  The scent of fresh tea mixed with the crisp mountain air, creating an ambiance more suited to a high-end retreat than the abode of a revered sect leader.

  Zhang Taichen, the ever-imposing Sect Leader of Wudang, was lounging in an open-button shirt, sunglasses perched lazily on his nose, with some shorts on, and a steaming cup of tea in hand. He stood near a pool, its crystal waters reflecting the mountain peaks beyond.

  “Oh, hey, Juwon! Welcome to my humble abode. I’ve brewed some tea—it’s on the table. Help yourself. Or should I say, ‘Elder Guardian’ now?”

  Juwon blinked, then deadpanned. “I’m sorry, I think I got the wrong place.”

  “Hey, hey, hey, Its me! I am the Sect Leader,” Zhang Taichen protested, pushing his sunglasses up.

  Juwon gave him a long look. “Seriously, what happened to the all-powerful, stoic Sect Leader we all saw? The one with the stone-cold face? Now you are here looking like you’re on vacation.”

  “That’s me at work,” Zhang Taichen said, sipping his tea. “This is just me at home.

  … *after a moment of silence and a weird look from Juwon*…

  What? I can't be serious all the time. I'll get wrinkles.”

  Juwon raised a brow. “Also, what’s with the Wi-Fi setup? You seriously have internet up here?”

  “Do you have any idea how much it costs to redirect satellites for reception up here?” Zhang Taichen scoffed.

  Juwon rolled his eyes. “Whatever, rich guy. Now let's get to the point. What did you call me here for, esteemed gang boss?”

  Zhang chuckled. “Two things. First, I want you to understand Wudang Sect properly.”

  Juwon groaned, rubbing his temples. “Oh no, here comes a lecture.”

  Zhang smirked. “Yes, and you should listen. Wudang isn’t just one unified, harmonious group of martial sages meditating under waterfalls. It’s a sect of factions, each with their own ideologies, ambitions, and power struggles.”

  Juwon arched an eyebrow. “Factions? You mean to tell me you guys aren’t just monks sipping tea and contemplating the Dao?”

  Zhang chuckled. “Oh, we do that too. But power breeds politics. Wudang is divided into five major pavilions, each with a different approach to cultivation and their own sphere of influence.”

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  He took a sip of tea before continuing. “The Heavenly Sword Pavilion is Wudang’s martial vanguard. They train the best swordsmen, uphold discipline, and believe in absolute mastery over sword. Their strength of the sword techniques are comparable to Mount Hua’s.” Taichen’s nose held up high “I’m quite proud of them! In fact I was the pavilion master there once before I stepped up to be the sect leader”

  Juwon’s eyes held in thought before he spoke, “ Oh so that’s the reason Yuxian and Yunfei are trying to look like you. You know you are a bad influence in terms of style”

  ”Hey I have to look the part man, Anyways—“

  “The Phantom Shadow Pavilion,” Zhang continued, “specializes in deception, speed, and assassination techniques. Their disciples move unseen, strike before their enemy realizes it, and ensure Wudang’s enemies don’t get a second chance.”

  “The Ironclad Pavilion is all about endurance and unarmed combat. No weapons—just raw, physical power. They believe a true cultivator’s body should be as unbreakable as their will.”

  “The Stormbringer Pavilion wields spears and polearms, dominating large-scale battles. They believe in overwhelming force and battlefield control, ensuring Wudang’s supremacy in war.”

  “And finally, the Supreme Harmony Pavilion. They are ones akin to actual monks who focus on Qi manipulation, energy refinement, and healing. They are the backbone of Wudang’s longevity, responsible for maintaining the sect’s internal strength.”

  Juwon sighed, stretching his arms. “So what you’re saying is, Wudang is a fancy martial arts academy with rival cliques and power struggles. Great.”

  Zhang winked. “Now you understand why I need an infinity pool.”

  ”Hah! No”

  Juwon leaned back. “Let me guess… Elder Shen Mu is one of the ring leaders of the ‘Kill Juwon Club’?”

  Zhang nodded. “Correct. As the master of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion, he thrives on political maneuvering. His ambition is no secret—he wants more power, and he sees you as a disruption to his plans.”

  Juwon frowned. “Then why keep him around?”

  Zhang’s gaze turned sharp. “Because keeping the snake where you can see it is safer than letting it slither in the dark.”

  Juwon hummed in thought. “Fair enough.”

  Then, Zhang’s expression shifted. “The second reason I called you here—what exactly happened with Hei Long?”

  Juwon exhaled. “They were looking for some kind of pillars. They thought I might know about them.”

  Zhang’s fingers paused on his cup. “Pillars, huh?”

  Juwon’s eyes narrowed. “Sect Leader, do you know something?”

  Zhang looked at him for a moment before responding. “Not enough. But I do know that five days before you arrived, something changed.”

  Juwon frowned. “Changed how?”

  “you need to see this”

  Zhang headed inside, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

  "News Highlights: A recent breakthrough in science has brought new insight into mysticism. The emerging conglomerate of multiple private corporations under a single parent company has, through joint efforts, introduced Qi Serum into the market.

  This serum acts as a doping agent, granting superhuman capabilities to those who consume it—giving some the ability to leap supernatural distances and others the strength to shatter stone with their bare hands.

  Scientists, historians, and scholars alike confirm that this serum is based on ancient technologies beyond current comprehension."

  The news anchor continued,

  "Despite the government’s consistent threats to ban the product, the Hei Long Corporation—the fastest-growing company in the world—states that the serum has passed all the accreditations and medical evaluations, the side effects have been proven to be non harmful, this is the next step in human evolution. Holding this from public will always put them under the government’s mercy. This statement from Hei Long has caused public uproar.

  The government, they claim, simply wishes to monopolize Qi Serum for military use.

  The Hei Long ultimatum stands: either the serum is made available to all, or it will be sold exclusively to select enemy nations.

  Tune in tonight at 8 PM for an exclusive interview with one of Hei Long’s chief representatives and the daughter of the corporation’s CEO, Liang Rui."

  Juwon’s eyes widened. "What? Liang Rui? Qi Serum? Are they seriously talking about injecting Qi into people? To increase their Qi capacity? But if they do that… in a few months' time—"

  Zhang’s expression darkened. "Their meridians will explode from excessive strain. Blood will pour from every pore in their body, ultimately disintegrating them."

  Juwon frowned. "But why? If they have something like this and want to monopolize it, why would they get rid of their own customers? It doesn’t make sense."

  Zhang’s eyes narrowed. "Unless…"

  Juwon’s mind raced. "They don’t want to sell Qi itself—they want to sell the techniques to control it."

  A small smile tugged at Zhang’s lips. "You’re a smart one."

  Juwon exhaled sharply. "Their true customers were always governments. When ordinary people start collapsing, the government will be forced to step in, and they’ll have no choice but to buy Hei Long’s solution. At that point, Hei Long won’t just control Qi distribution—they’ll control who lives and who dies."

  Zhang nodded. "Five days before you arrived, I sensed a shift in the Qi around Wudang. The mountains became greener, Taichi Lake brims with Qi, and disciples started breaking through more easily. Even I reached Peak Nascent Soul Realm.“

  Zhang leaned back. “For the past year, Qi levels in this region were depleting. I sensed it but couldn’t determine the cause. Hei Long had been active in this area for years, and their movements suggested they were doing something to manipulate the Qi flow.”

  He placed his cup down. “Then you arrived. With the purest form of Qi I’ve ever seen, speaking only of legends. The moment you came, Qi in the atmosphere didn’t just return—

  it surged. Whatever Hei Long was doing to drain the Qi, your presence disrupted it”

  Juwon sat silently, processing. “So… you're saying that me being here, means I somehow stopped whatever Hei Long was doing?”

  Juwon thought to himself—Did the qi surge happen after energy burst from the pillar of Zhang Sanfeng? Then what was depleting the Qi ? Was it Hei Long?

  Zhang nodded. “Exactly. And now you’re going to Qinghai.”

  "What?"