Chương 35: Chapter 35
"You're looking down," a voice whispered next to Shi Bin's ear, sending a chill down his spine. His pupils shrank in shock as he whipped around, his Qi surging in defense. But the space behind him was empty, I was gone long before he could react.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. For many, I seemed to vanish like a ghost. However, those with higher cultivation or sharper senses saw the truth: I was using a movement technique far beyond what someone at Level 1 Body Tempering should be capable of.
"He's moving like a shadow... no, like a phantom," an elder muttered, his tone filled with disbelief. "Even at Level 10 Qi Refinement, how can Shi Bin not keep up with him?"
"Don't be foolish. Shi Bin was merely caught off guard," another observer interjected, their tone filled with confidence in Shi Bin's strength. "Shi Bin is someone who can challenge even those stepping into the Soul Refinement realm. The prince is talented, yes, but this alone isn't enough to defeat him."
On the stage, I smirked, halting my rapid movements to appear a few meters in front of Shi Bin. My sudden stillness caused an audible shift in the atmosphere, drawing every eye to the stage.
"The movement technique I'm using is one of my own creations," I said, my voice calm but edged with confidence. "There are three types of movement techniques. This technique of mine combines all three."
The crowd erupted in murmurs of disbelief and intrigue, their eyes narrowing as they struggled to comprehend the bold claim. Shi Bin's expression hardened, but I could see the slight shift in his posture, he was taking me seriously now.
"The first is the most common type of movement technique," I said with a smile, bouncing lightly on my feet. My steps were effortless, my body nimble. "It uses Qi to temporarily vitalize the body, pushing it to move at extreme speeds. I call it the Body Flicker Technique."
I could see Shi Bin's eyes narrowing, his stance shifting subtly as he braced himself. Good. He was starting to take me seriously.
"The second type," I continued, my voice calm but cutting through the noise like a blade, "focuses on minimizing the steps needed to reach a destination. Shunpo. By reducing the distance traveled per step and maximizing the speed of each movement, one's speed can become downright terrifying."
I met his gaze, the corners of my lips curling into a confident smirk. Shi Bin's muscles coiled like a loaded spring, his intent sharp and dangerous. He was preparing to strike.
"And the third?" I paused for dramatic effect, letting the crowd hang on my every word. "The third increases the number of steps, kicking off the ground as many times as possible in the shortest amount of time. The more steps, the greater the speed. I call this Soru."
Before the last syllable left my lips, a blur of movement caught my eye. Shi Bin struck with a tiger claw, his attack cutting through the air with enough force to leave a faint shockwave.
"You dodged that?" Shi Bin's voice held a trace of disbelief as he stared at the empty space where I had just been.
From above, I came falling headfirst, spinning lazily through the air. To the untrained eye, it looked like I was descending in slow motion, almost mocking him.
"These three types of movement techniques…" I grinned mid-fall, the rush of blood and adrenaline making me feel alive, invincible. "...when combined, I call it Rapid Movement. I'll admit, coming up with names is annoying." My voice carried a strange mix of glee and calm, a contrast that only heightened the tension.
Shi Bin's expression hardened as I continued, my voice brimming with excitement. "Oh, but there's more. If I use the flow of my blood to push my body even further, I can amplify my speed. Let's call it… Second Gear."
Before the words could fully register, I vanished. The sound of my disappearance was like the crack of thunder, sharp and explosive.
Shi Bin barely had time to react before I reappeared above him, my leg barreling down toward his head with the weight of a falling mountain.
His instincts kicked in. Raising his arms in a cross guard, he braced for impact.
Black lightning cracked through the sky, splitting the heavens as the entire stage trembled beneath the force of my kick. The ground beneath Shi Bin's feet shattered, splintering into jagged fragments as my attack collided with him.
The power behind it was staggering. Though my physical strength alone matched someone at Level 3 Qi Refinement, the combination of my techniques amplified that force many times over, driving it to the peak of Level 10 Qi Refinement.
Lightning forked wildly across the stage, arcs of black energy whipping out like serpents. The crowd gasped as bolts struck dangerously close to the other arenas, forcing fighters to scramble back, barely avoiding the stray lightning.
Shi Bin staggered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How can your body withstand such power?" he demanded, struggling to understand.
I grinned, hands resting casually at my sides as my leg, damaged from the sudden stop, healed rapidly before his eyes.
"Simple." My voice was calm, yet it carried an edge of pride. "I'm obsessed with the concept of control. My energy control is refined to the atomic level. Every movement, every attack, it's deliberate, and not a single ounce of energy is wasted." I let the words settle before continuing, "Unless it's a power-up, my techniques won't harm me. The only injuries I suffer are from the sheer speed and force of my own movements."
In an instant, I disappeared, reappearing a few meters away, lightning still crackling around me.
Shi Bin's eyes narrowed, and he looked down at his arm, the spot where he had blocked my kick. Despite reacting in time and circulating the 9 Heavens Fiendgod Cultivation Art to resist my strike, he had still taken damage. My attack, enhanced by Haki, had bypassed his defenses, causing internal destruction. His body strained to repair itself, but his regeneration was noticeably slower than before.
Shi Bin smirked suddenly, his eyes gleaming with newfound resolve. With a step forward, the illusion of a ferocious tiger materialized behind him, its presence tangible, its growl reverberating across the arena.
In an instant, his movements shifted, sharp and primal. Predatory.
Like a tiger pouncing on its prey, Shi Bin exploded forward, a blur of speed and raw power. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, appearing right in front of me with claws bared, ready to rip me apart.
Boom!
The earth quaked as Shi Bin's tiger claw met my fist, the collision shaking the very air. Those watching saw it, as a battle not just between two cultivators, but between the illusions of titanic beasts. Behind Shi Bin, a tiger roared, fierce and unrelenting, its claws poised to rend the heavens. And behind me? The shadow of a giant ape, towering and primal, its aura brimming with untamed fury.
Black lightning surged outward from the clash, twisting like serpents in a chaotic dance. My Conqueror's Haki crackled with an overwhelming presence, a force so oppressive that those with weaker wills collapsed where they stood. One by one, members of the audience dropped like flies, unconscious before they could even process what was happening.
The skies seemed to rumble in response to the outpouring of power. Lightning rained down recklessly, stray arcs scorching the ground and striking dangerously close to the crowd, and stages.
"Hurry!" someone roared amidst the chaos.
High-level experts among the spectators moved quickly, raising massive barriers to shield the onlookers. Layers of shimmering energy encased the arena, trapping the explosive force within and preventing further devastation. Even so, the pressure outside the barriers was palpable.
"Good!" I laughed, ignoring the gruesome sight of my fist, shattered, twisted, and deformed beyond recognition. Pain radiated through my arm, but I paid it no mind. Even as blood dripped from the mangled flesh, my cultivation art worked its magic, bones knitting back together and muscles healing, albeit slowly.
Shi Bin, on the other hand, stood unwavering, his figure as solid as a mountain. His defenses, reinforced by the strength of his cultivation and his mastery of the 9 Heavens Fiendgod Art, easily absorbed the brunt of my Haki-infused strikes. Despite the force I poured into my blow, the sheer gulf between us in raw cultivation made my attacks seem inconsequential, a mere breeze against an unshakable wall.
"You're not so bad yourself!" Shi Bin grinned, his voice steady despite the ferocity of the moment. His fist shot forward, swift and unrelenting like a tiger pouncing on prey.
Laughing, I met his strike head-on with my other fist, the only one still usable. But this time, the clash was different. Why keep doing the same thing when you know it leads nowhere? To repeat the same tactics without adapting, would be the mark of stagnation, not growth. And I refused to stagnate.
Shi Bin's Tiger Claw came, razor-sharp and brimming with raw Qi. Yet, instead of meeting it head-on, I changed. My movements softened, shifting into fluidity. Like water finding the cracks in a dam, I flowed past his strike. In one seamless motion, I twisted my body and drove my palm into his chest.
Boom!
Shi Bin's eyes went wide in shock, a grunt escaping him as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The force rocked him, but he didn't fall, no, he was too resilient for that. With an unrelenting will, he seized the opening I left behind. His palm surged forward, glowing with power.
Boom
I had no time to dodge. His strike connected, and a blast of force exploded through me, sending me careening backward. The impact rattled my bones, my vision flickering as I coughed up a mouthful of blood mid-flight. Yet even as pain roared through me, I couldn't help but smirk.
My feet touched down, barely. The ground cracked under the force, and I staggered for just a heartbeat before vanishing. I moved so fast it was as if I had disappeared into thin air.
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