Chapter 67 : What Are You? (2)

Chapter 67: What Are You? (2)

“Senior Gwak, did you meet him exactly ten years ago?”

“Not exactly, maybe around ten years? A bit over that? I just happened to see him fighting. But why do you ask?”

“It’s because the timing is slightly off. Could it be that time flows differently between the Middle Heaven and the Lower World?”

“There is a slight difference in the flow of time, but it’s not that significant. And in the Lower World, time seems to flow pretty evenly for everyone. Strangely enough. That’s why I said it the way I did just now—ten years ago, according to Lower World time.”

“Ah…”

Gwak Yu-chan had indeed said it was ten years in Lower World time.

From the way he explained it, he had been deliberate in saying so.

“Is there a big time discrepancy? Or is it just that you’re unsure of exactly when you ascended? A difference of a year or two is possible, you know.”

“…That could be it. I was secluded and didn’t meet anyone.”

Though he still felt uneasy, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t know where to begin explaining and ended up vaguely glossing over it.

But something still felt off.

‘There’s a possibility time might be twisted.’

He figured he’d have to meet Chul Geuk-jin to know for sure.

He needed to determine just how different their timelines were. While searching for traces of the Demonic Divine Fist Kim Min-soo, he also resolved to investigate Chul Geuk-jin’s whereabouts.

“If it was just a coincidence that you ran into him, then you wouldn’t know where he is, right?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t know. I only remembered his name because his martial art was unique. But today, I saw a martial art very similar to his again.”

Gwak Yu-chan chuckled as he once again reached out toward Sacred Heavenly Flowing Armor.

After repeating the motions several times, he finally stepped back.

“I’m the one who’s teaching, yet I ended up learning something.”

Thanks to Jang Woo-hyun’s martial art, Gwak Yu-chan gained a small realization.

Even in his eyes, Sacred Heavenly Flowing Armor was an exceptional martial art.

Gwak Yu-chan muttered “Just a moment,” and then began to think to himself. After some time, seemingly having organized his thoughts, he looked back at Jang Woo-hyun.

“Since I’ve gained from this, I’ll have to teach you even more earnestly.”

Smiling, he continued.

“You don’t know the realms of Middle Heaven, right? Then I should start by explaining that. Do you know what stage you’re currently at?”

“I don’t. Where I was, there wasn’t a specific term for the realm I’ve reached.”

“What did they call the stage just before the one you’re in now? Back in the Lower World, I mean.”

“They called it the Absolute Realm where I was.”

“And below that?”

Jang Woo-hyun explained the progression of stages: Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, Master Level, Peak Master Level, and Absolute Realm.

“Same as where I was. The words used to define the realms differ depending on the Lower World, but oddly enough, some places use almost the exact same terms—like we just did. Keep in mind that when you meet other martial artists later, they might use different names for the same realms.”

It seemed the world Gwak Yu-chan came from and the one Jang Woo-hyun had lived in used the same terminology for the martial stages.

“The stage beyond Absolute Realm. In Middle Heaven, the realm you’ve now stepped into is called the Transcendence Realm. Some people call it the Life-and-Death Realm. It’s said that once you reach this stage, your lifespan increases significantly, and you transcend humanity to become a kind of Immortal, which is why it’s called that.”

“Transcendence Realm…”

Jang Woo-hyun repeated the new realm’s name a few times.

The talk of becoming an Immortal reminded him of the sensation he felt before ascending to Middle Heaven—when his body was being reconstructed.

“What’s the next stage after that?”

“After Transcendence comes Infinite Boundlessness, then As-You-Will, then Immortal. Beyond Immortality… even I don’t know. You’d have to ascend higher.”

Gwak Yu-chan pointed toward the sky with his finger.

If he meant higher, that would imply the Upper World. In other words, here in the Middle Heaven Realm, Immortal was the final stage one could reach.

Hearing about the stages beyond made Jang Woo-hyun’s heart race.

This was different from when he was in the Central Plains.

Now he had a clear goal.

Transcendence Realm.

The stage that transcends humanity.

The realm he had just entered.

And as he had just heard, there were still three more stages above that.

Within the broader scope of Middle Heaven, Jang Woo-hyun would still be considered one of the weaker ones.

‘Transcendence, Measureless, As-You-Will, Immortal.’

He had a clear goal now.

There was no time to fall into boredom.

All he had to do was keep moving forward.

Just imagining reaching the next stage filled his body with strength without him realizing it.

“Alright then, let’s start by taking a look at your realm. You know how the Absolute Realm is different from the previous stages, right?”

“It's your perception. You start seeing things you couldn't see before. And sensing them too.”

“Exactly. That’s the difference between the Absolute Realm and the ones below. Now, how is the Transcendence Realm different from Absolute? Let me show you. I’m going to attack—try to block it. Or attack me if you prefer.”

Gwak Yu-chan walked about thirty steps away.

Then he turned toward Jang Woo-hyun.

“Get ready.”

Jang Woo-hyun focused his mind in preparation to defend against the attack.

He had already activated Sacred Heavenly Flowing Armor—his full power.

“Be–”

He had been watching, but suddenly Gwak Yu-chan vanished.

“–gin.”

Before he could hear the voice from his side, Jang Woo-hyun moved purely on instinct—not sight, not senses.

KWAANG!

He raised his arm to block the strike. It wasn’t a forceful blow, but the sheer speed carried incredible destructive power.

He was pushed back nearly three meters in an instant, qi spreading out in every direction.

But before he could even deploy his qi, Gwak Yu-chan was already behind him.

Jang Woo-hyun immediately turned and blocked the attack with both hands.

KWAANG!

“Ghk!”

He couldn’t even land a hit on Gwak Yu-chan—barely managing to block the attacks. If his reactions had been even slightly delayed, he would’ve taken a solid hit.

He steadied his body as it was pushed back.

He braced for the next strike, but this time, Gwak Yu-chan simply stood there, unmoving.

“This is what you can do once you enter the Transcendence Realm.”

“…You’re talking about speed?”

“Correct. When you enter the Transcendence Realm, you move as though you’ve entered a different time zone. It’s not just about moving fast… How do I explain this? It feels like the world itself slows down. Like I’m the only one moving in a frozen world. Some call it the Transcendent Sensory Domain, others call it Transcendent Perception, or just the Realm of Transcendence.”

“Confusing, huh? Just understanding this takes a few months. Still, you’re talented, so… wait, what are you thinking about?”

As Gwak Yu-chan explained, Jang Woo-hyun began to slip into his own world. But unlike Gwak Yu-chan’s assumptions, Jang Woo-hyun had understood everything that was just said.

A world where time seems frozen. A world where only he moves.

He had already experienced it once.

During the battle with Gi Il-gwang of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Back then, when he broke into the Absolute Realm, he had gotten a taste of Transcendence.

He had clearly felt it—that there was a stage beyond Absolute.

Kim Min-soo had written about it too.

Jang Woo-hyun slowly closed his eyes.

He tried to recall the sensations and memories from that moment.

He had already entered the Transcendence Realm. His Baihui acupoint had long since opened, and his body had been reconstructed.

It wasn’t that he lacked anything—he simply hadn’t fully recognized that he had transcended humanity.

Jang Woo-hyun stood in silence for a long time.

Sensing he might be on the verge of an epiphany, Gwak Yu-chan waited patiently.

Jang Woo-hyun tried to recall those memories and sensations. But it wasn’t easy.

Eventually, he opened his eyes again.

Had he been alone, he would have continued to dwell on it.

However, he wasn’t alone this time.

“Could you show me again?”

“Of course.”

Jang Woo-hyun deactivated Sacred Heavenly Flowing Armor and focused solely on stepping into the new domain.

Countless strands of Qi stretched out around him as he concentrated all his senses.

“Here I come again.”

As soon as Gwak Yu-chan finished speaking, he moved.

Wooooong—

The moment he stepped forward—

Everything entered a state where time had stopped.

The blowing wind around them froze, and even a small bird flying in the distance halted midair. If you looked closely, it was still moving ever so slightly.

Instead of heading directly, Gwak Yu-chan deliberately took a wide arc. His plan was to flank and strike from the side.

Jang Woo-hyun stared at a single point. From Gwak Yu-chan’s perspective, it would still look as if Jang Woo-hyun stood right where he was.

Sensing something, Jang Woo-hyun raised his hand.

But to Gwak Yu-chan, it was too slow—so slow it seemed intentional.

Before the arm could rise properly, Gwak Yu-chan was already beside him.

Seeing the slowly rising arm, Gwak Yu-chan threw a punch.

And at that moment—

Within that world where everything moved slowly, Jang Woo-hyun’s head turned sharply and locked eyes with him.

“What the—!?”

KWAANG!

Though slightly delayed, Jang Woo-hyun had seen his movement. He had caught up to the speed used within the realm of Transcendence.

Crunch! Crack!

The punch that flew at high speed shattered Jang Woo-hyun’s arm and ribs.

Though his body had transcended human limits, the opponent had too—so bodily strength didn’t matter much.

“Urgh!”

With Sacred Heavenly Flowing Armor deactivated, Jang Woo-hyun absorbed the full brunt of the blow. He flew nearly five meters and rolled across the ground.

“Whew…”

Gwak Yu-chan remained standing with his fist extended.

He had shown him three times now. Yet Jang Woo-hyun had caught up to his speed.

‘Is this even possible?’

He had suffered for a full year just to reach the speed of the Transcendence Realm.

The martial arts he had used before were fundamentally different, and the notion of a world where everything froze was incomprehensible.

It felt like accelerating time itself—completely separate from normal speed.

More accurately, it wasn’t just about being faster. It was stepping into an entirely different dimension.

Strangely enough, Jang Woo-hyun had quickly grasped it.

Of course, he hadn’t completely mastered it, but even this much was enough to be terrifying.

A genius?

That word didn’t suffice. He himself had been called a genius.

In the first place, had he not been considered a genius in the Lower World, he wouldn’t have been able to ascend to Middle Heaven.

To ascend meant one was the most outstanding individual in their Lower World.

“Grrr…”

Jang Woo-hyun let out a small groan as his shattered body began to recover, the pain washing over him.

“You… what are you?”

“Pardon?”

“How did you do that just now? You saw me move, didn’t you?”

“At first, I couldn’t even tell you were moving. But later… I was able to step into it. That sensation of time having stopped.”

Gwak Yu-chan stared at him with a face that asked, How is that even possible? In response, Jang Woo-hyun continued explaining.

“I’ve felt that sensation once before.”

“You… really?”

“Yes. I had felt it once before, so recalling it wasn’t difficult.”

“Right? Right. That’s why you picked it up so fast. Damn, I was about to lose my mind trying to figure this out. I’m seriously impressed.”

Having come to some conclusion, Gwak Yu-chan nodded to himself.

After that, Jang Woo-hyun’s lessons on the Transcendent Sensory Domain ended within just a few days.

Though it was fast, Gwak Yu-chan accepted it—because Jang Woo-hyun had already experienced it once before.

“I should have taught you this first. It’s Heavenly Void Step, the basic foundation here in Middle Heaven.”

A few days later, Gwak Yu-chan walked through empty air as if it were solid ground.

“Is it different from Void Step?”

“Sounds similar, but it’s different. You could probably manage it, but you’d have to pour a considerable amount of Internal Energy through your Yongcheon Acupoint, right?”

As he said, Gwak Yu-chan wasn’t exerting much power at all. It looked as if he was stepping on something invisible in the air.

“Heavenly Void Step is different. Instead of projecting Internal Energy through the Yongcheon Acupoint to stand in the air, it’s more like creating a foothold under your feet. And you can use it like this too.”

While walking, Gwak Yu-chan lay back in midair, as if lying on an invisible bed.

“…That’s amazing.”

“There are many situations where you’ll fight somewhere other than the ground, so you need to learn this. It won’t be easy, though.”

While Jang Woo-hyun had picked up the Transcendence Sensory Domain easily due to prior experience, this would be different. Even for someone like him, it would take time.

“It’s not easy. It’ll take a while. Don’t get anxious. If you’re fast, maybe two years. Usually, it takes around ten.”

Heavenly Void Step had nothing to do with martial prowess or talent.

Humans spent their entire lives on the ground.

The idea of moving while touching solid earth was deeply ingrained in their minds. To use the sky as though it were land was not a simple feat.

It was no different from telling a person to live underwater, or asking a fish to fly through the sky.

‘Even at best, it’ll take him a year or two…’

That’s what Gwak Yu-chan thought.

One month later—

“You… what are you?”

“…Sir?”

“I said, what are you?”

“I’m just… me.”

Jang Woo-hyun had mastered Heavenly Void Step.