At dawn on the Sanmu Riverbank, a thin mist, like a veil of gauze, shrouded the quiet reed marsh.
Chu Bai stood silently atop a smooth, green stone polished by the river’s current, his eyes slightly closed, his expression solemn.
As he breathed in and out, the air around him seemed to solidify, and an invisible pressure faintly emanated from him.
"Condense!"
With a low shout in his heart, Chu Bai lightly tapped his right index finger into the air.
In an instant, the surrounding water vapor, as if answering some irresistible summons, rapidly converged at his fingertip.
The Water Needle, which used to take three breaths to barely form, now solidified in a single breath.
It was a fine, dark blue needle, only about an inch long, yet it emanated a chilling aura that made one’s heart palpitate, as if carved from the purest ice crystals.
This was the Spirit Water Needle, enhanced by Purifying Power. Not only did it form extremely quickly, but the Spiritual Power contained within was also incredibly dense.
"Go!"
Chu Bai flicked his finger.
"SWISH!"
With no hesitation, the Water Needle shot out. It didn’t dissipate upon leaving his body like Magic Techniques formed from ordinary Spiritual Qi. Instead, like an exceptionally agile fish, it carved a graceful yet strange arc through the air, precisely piercing a withered yellow reed leaf that was drifting down several meters away.
A pinhole-sized round hole appeared in the center of the leaf, its edges perfectly smooth. It didn’t even cause a flicker of movement, as if the leaf was always meant to have a hole in it.
Chu Bai retracted his finger and glanced at his status panel.
[Spirit Water Needle: Beginner (29/100)]
’Although the proficiency isn’t at the next level yet, with the enhancement from my Magical Power, its strength is on a whole other level. If this hit someone, it could probably pierce right through their flesh and blood.’
Chu Bai nodded in satisfaction. Today was another day of sparring at the Zhao Mansion. Perhaps... it was time to show a little bit of his strength.
After all, just taking beatings all the time wouldn’t earn him enough money to support his future cultivation.
Besides, he also wanted to test what his current combat abilities were truly like.
「Afternoon, at the Zhao Mansion’s private courtyard.」
Waves of heat rolled across the Martial Arts Arena, which was in a state of complete disarray.
"Take this!"
Zhao Xing roared, his hands forming a spell. Two Fire Bombs shot out one after another, carrying a scorching heatwave that cut off all of Gu Qinghe’s escape routes.
Zhao Xing hadn’t been idle recently. Under Wuu Shang’s strict tutelage, his Fire Bomb Technique had reached the "skilled" realm. Not only was his casting speed faster and the power greater, but he could even manage a simple double-shot, making it impossible to defend against.
Although Gu Qinghe had also made considerable progress these past few months—having accumulated more than half of the Spiritual Qi his body could hold and honed his Body Technique through repeated beatings—he was still struggling to keep up with this upgraded version of Zhao Xing.
"BANG!"
One Fire Bomb exploded by his feet, the shockwave knocking the round shield from his hand. The other grazed his shoulder as it flew past, scorching a patch of his sleeve and even singeing his eyebrows.
"HUFF... HUFF..." Gu Qinghe rolled wretchedly to the side, covered in dust and grime. He gasped for breath, his eyes filled with helplessness and a trace of unconcealable exhaustion.
"Next, Chu Bai!"
Zhao Xing was on a roll and gave no one a chance to catch their breath. He turned to Chu Bai with a savage grin. "Watch out. I’ve been practicing this move for a long time, specifically to deal with slippery eels like you!"
Chu Bai’s expression was calm as he slowly walked into the arena.
He carried the round shield, long since blackened and mottled, and appeared completely defenseless, like a lamb to the slaughter.
"Heads up!"
Zhao Xing waved his hands repeatedly. Amidst a surge of Spiritual Qi, three Fire Bombs shot forward in a triangular formation, their momentum astonishing, as if they intended to completely devour Chu Bai.
In Zhao Xing’s eyes, his attack was lightning-fast and covered all the angles, leaving Chu Bai no choice but to block it head-on.
However, in Chu Bai’s vision, the scene was completely different.
As he activated the Divine Sense of a Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator, everything around him seemed to slow to half speed.
The flow of Fire Spiritual Qi in the air was clearly visible; even the slight tremor of Zhao Xing’s muscles as he raised his hand and the subtle shift in his gaze were all laid bare before him.
’Too slow...’
Chu Bai thought to himself.
Over this period, he had already grown accustomed to Zhao Xing’s attack patterns.
He didn’t roll wretchedly like Gu Qinghe. Instead, with just a slight shift of his feet, his figure became as unpredictable as a willow catkin in the wind, yet he perfectly avoided every sharp attack.
"WHOOSH— WHOOSH— WHOOSH—"
The three Fire Bombs flew past, practically skimming his body. The first shot past his left shoulder without even touching the corner of his clothes; the second grazed his waist, stirring only a slight breeze; the third flew over his head, not even ruffling his hair.
It looked incredibly perilous, like he was dancing on the edge of a blade, but in reality, he was as steady as Mount Tai.
"This..."
Gu Qinghe, who had just scrambled to his feet, stared with wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape, his face a mask of disbelief.
He and Chu Bai had joined the Zhao Mansion at the same time, and their progress had always been similar. If he had been the one facing those three Fire Bombs just now, he would have had no way to dodge and could only have raised his shield to block them head-on. But Chu Bai... actually dodged them? And so effortlessly, without even messing up his footwork?
’A coincidence? Or...’ A storm raged in Gu Qinghe’s heart. ’Could this be the difference in talent?’
Instructor Wuu Shang, who had been sipping tea on the sidelines, now set down his cup. His brows furrowed slightly, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Chu Bai in the arena.
At first, he thought it was a coincidence.
But over the next dozen breaths, Zhao Xing launched a dozen more frantic attacks, and each time, Chu Bai was able to make the most efficient and precise evasive maneuver at the very last moment before the Fire Bombs hit him.

Comments

Loading...