Throne of the Wolf

The Origin of Inner Power

If the subtle warmth he felt after slaying his first enemy on the battlefield had been mere illusion, then the intense surge of heat flooding into his body after dispatching the gravely wounded minotaur warrior could only confirm his suspicions beyond doubt.

Simply put, each kill seemed to send a flow of warmth into his own body, with the amount of energy gained determined by the opponent’s strength. The stronger the foe, the greater the energy; a kill near his own level granted minor replenishment, while killing the weak was likely to yield nothing at all.

"Thud!" With a sudden burst of force beneath his feet, Sun Bo-na instinctively executed a Bagua palm strike, his face shifting as the earth beneath him indented sharply underfoot as if he had stepped on tofu. His entire skeleton resonated, emitting a sequence of eighteen distinct sounds as his inner energy ignited—a sign of his mastery of the “Eighteen Falls of the Robe.”

His expression shifted again. Inner energy? This sensation, the elusive qi he had only felt during his peak state in his forties or fifties, had never before manifested as true inner energy. Now, after merely refining the werewolf body’s bones with martial arts, he had already developed inner energy, even without completing the marrow-refinement stage! This progress seemed to leap past his previous lifetime’s achievements.

Awe flooded his heart. If it were this easy to cultivate inner energy here, how tragic for all those masters of traditional martial arts who spent their lives searching in vain, fading away without ever achieving it. Was it simply the environment here that made cultivation easier?

He understood well that, on Earth, the body would produce a subtle ‘qi’ once physical conditioning reached a certain level. This qi, when accumulated, would form the spinning dan of qi, and further practice could lead one to become an ancient "qi practitioner." In ancient times, martial artists achieved this mystical inner energy, their prowess transforming them into legendary figures like Zhang Sanfeng. But as the mystical energy of heaven and earth faded, the golden era of martial arts ended, leaving only a few revered masters of the Republic era, like Sun Lutang and Yang Luchan, but none capable of reviving those old martial myths.

In his past life, he had sought that peak realm, going so far as to experiment with electrostimulation of pressure points—a pursuit that cost him his life. Yet, the heavens had granted him another chance. The descriptions of dou qi stirred within him a sense that he had uncovered something worth exploring.

Sun Lutang, the martial master of the Republic era, honored as the “Saint of Martial Arts” and “First Under Heaven,” defeated both Japan’s elite warriors and Russia’s famed fighters. He reached unparalleled heights, yet never unlocked inner energy, for the world had changed.

As generations passed, traditional martial arts faded, leaving only a few practitioners. The age of martial arts had passed into an era of advanced weaponry, with even fewer individuals skilled in the subtleties of ming jin, an jin, and hua jin. Yet now, with just an initial practice of bone refinement, Sun Bo-na had already developed inner energy. The only explanation was the abundant “heavenly qi” in this world—something ancient practitioners once called "spiritual energy."

Sun Bo-na’s mind was ablaze. An ardent devotee of martial arts, he felt as though he had entered a paradise for martial arts enthusiasts.

Indeed, his previous life’s achievements in martial arts had left him uniquely suited to this transformation.

As he moved across the battlefield, slaughtering dozens of elite enemy soldiers and several minotaur creatures, he drew little attention. All were slain, save for a few lucky survivors who now regarded him with wide-eyed astonishment, their gazes filled with disbelief, as though they could hardly believe the scene before them.

After his dan of qi fully stabilized, it began to spin slowly yet firmly, continuously strengthening his physique. The changes were subtle to the eye, yet Sun Bo-na’s body was constantly evolving. His strength was still modest, and his dan of qi weak, requiring months or years to see significant transformations.

But Sun Bo-na had no intention of waiting that long. He realized there was a faster method—to absorb this mysterious warm energy by killing enemies, thus accelerating the growth of his qi and transforming his body more rapidly.

As his reincarnated dan of qi absorbed more of this mysterious energy, it spun faster, gradually reshaping his body—a transformation he could sense every moment.

Sun Bo-na's excitement was boundless. This world wasn’t some alien land; it was a paradise for martial arts cultivation, an ideal world for a devoted martial artist like him.

An intense thrill washed over him as he surveyed the battlefield. Though a martial fanatic, he was far from dull-minded. His keen gaze took in the skirmish, noting that the Dalesian werewolves had not been pushed back. Instead, they held their ground against the heavily armored human warriors and robust minotaurs, with the battle locked in a stalemate.

From above, the battlefield appeared as fragmented rings of skirmishes, each with interwoven fighters from both sides.

The chaotic scene only heightened Sun Bo-na’s excitement. The martial arts he excelled in were perfectly suited to this kind of melee. Regardless of who held the upper hand, neither side’s dominance mattered, for the werewolf’s body he had inherited was not yet powerful enough to take on the humans’ armor-clad soldiers or the powerful minotaur brutes. Even with his combat awareness and inner energy, his strength paled compared to these formidable warriors. He was determined not to draw attention but to quietly build his strength, consolidating the qi within his dan and enhancing his own power.

In a swift survey, he spotted three gray werewolf warriors battling five human soldiers nearby.

The Dalesian wolf tribe, scattered across the vast Aramut Grasslands, was comprised of countless clans and villages, with various werewolf types, including gray wolves, black wolves, and the elite Silvermoon wolves of the royal line.

Though the gray werewolves were relatively weaker, standing around 1.8 meters tall and covered in dense fur, their sharp, claw-like fingers, paired with their agility, made them stronger than an ordinary human warrior. However, with well-forged armor, sturdy shields, and deadly swords and axes, the humans held the upper hand.

The human formation—a front-line shield-bearer, two sword-wielding defenders at the flanks, and two pole-weapon wielders striking from behind—quickly overwhelmed the gray wolves. Yet in their final throes, the gray wolves managed to claim the life of the lead shield-bearer, wounding two others grievously.

“Min’s dead, and those two are down. We need to retreat.”

But as one of the surviving human warriors suggested withdrawal, his words were cut short as a deadly glint flashed across his throat—a Shaolin Dragon Claw technique aimed with deadly precision. Clutching his neck, he fell, his blood pooling around him.

“D*mn wolf! Die!” The remaining soldier swung his meteor hammer with a lethal arc. But the werewolf dodged with a nimble iron bridge stance, his body twisting to avoid the blow, his fur barely brushing the edge of the hammer.

In a crouched leap, the werewolf lunged at the human’s chest. A moment later, his claws had pierced the soldier’s heart.

With ease, Sun Bo-na dispatched the last two human soldiers and absorbed the warm energy from their bodies, feeling an immediate surge of strength. Taking up a massive, three-meter spear left by a fallen minotaur, he found it balanced comfortably, though its weight exceeded a hundred pounds. Without his newly developed inner energy, wielding this weapon would have been impossible.