The First Peak of the Force
Page 35
[Right Eye of the Storm]
Rank: Gold
Quality: Peak
Feature: Passive [Wind Shredder]
Feature: Active Ability [Sea Dragon’s Storm]
Right Eye of the Storm is spiritually linked to the Left Eye of the Storm. Using both blades doubles the wielder’s attack power.
Usually, cultivators used only one weapon, if any. Once in a generation, those who could use two blades with equal efficiency would appear. To do that, the cultivator needed to have great control over energy and Forces as they’d have to send them simultaneously in two directions.
“Not bad.” Fang Bao smiled, hiding his surprise. “But you’re not the only one with a couple of aces left in your sleeve.”
A pair of golden gauntlets appeared on his hands, coupled with a pair of greaves that adorned his feet. Because of the mark, all that the people could see were the name and quality of the items, but this was enough to surprise the audience.
[Gauntlets of the Golden Beast]
Rank: Royal
Quality: Peak
[Greaves of the Golden Beast]
Rank: Royal
Quality: Peak
Rare were those who had seen, let alone held or owned a Royal-rank item of this quality. The process of making them was relatively new and required an incredible amount of rare resources.
But what was even more surprising than Fang Bao owning such treasures, was the fact that he could use them.
“You also know how to use the Force of Form?” Kai asked, surprised.
“I do. Now, come on, show me what you’ve got.” Fang Bao grinned, taking a fighting stance.
Kai narrowed his eyes. Spreading his legs a little bit further apart, he crouched slightly, focusing ki into his feet. From there, it then spread over his body, activating Speed Step.
Leaving behind a trail of dust, he closed the distance between him and Fang Bao. His weapon’s passive ability was activated the moment he got closer to his opponent. Imbued with the Cold Void and Sword Forces, the blades hit the gauntlets, but did nothing other than roll off them.
Kai just smiled. Crossing the blades, he activated Blade Release, sending forth a wave of crimson that engulfed Fang Bao. Kai jumped back the next moment, avoiding Fang Bao’s fist. The latter stood still, body emitting a pale white light. The ground behind him was destroyed, but he got off with only a couple of scratches.
“Just as I thought. This is definitely a Belteise Empire technique. As are his weapons,” Rune’Tan said. “He’s really lucky to have stumbled upon the legacy of one of my countrymen. I think I know to whom these items belonged. He was a warrior not much weaker than me. He followed the Path of Stone and the Path of the Body, combining enormous defense and physical strength. Seems Fang Bao is following in his footsteps.”
“Did he have any weaknesses?” Kai asked.
“Mental and soul attacks, as well as some other rare elements,” the redhead replied with a chuckle. “All you can do is rely on your skills and brute strength. Ivsim was able to wound him even though Fang Bao didn’t use the Force of Form and weapons back then. I think you have a chance.”
“I’ll think of something...” Kai chuckled as he watched Fang Bao run toward him. The scarlet tattoo was glowing brightly. Nodding to himself, he activated Ultimate Focus. His pupils dilated and a wave of power washed over him.
Flesh collided with steel, but there was no blood. Fang Bao immediately realized that he wouldn’t be able to crush his opponent with brute force alone. Kai wasn’t as fast as Ivsim, but he avoided all attacks, using both blades to deflect whenever it was necessary. Still, his blades couldn’t so much as scratch Fang Bao’s strengthened skin. But they didn’t need to.
With each hit, a drop of Kai’s power would be absorbed into Fang Bao’s body, interfering with the control of his ki. But Kai was delusional if he thought that that’d be enough to throw Fang Bao off. He was much more experienced than his previous opponents and had greater control over his body thanks to the path he had decided to follow.
The exchange of blows continued for a while, when Kai suddenly closed the distance. Putting the blades together, he swung, sending forth a thin scarlet crescent. Intuition screaming to get away, Fang Bao dodged as quickly as he could.
Kai’s limit was four techniques. Using the swords as mediums, he activated Blade Release four times. However, he didn’t stop there. Focusing on the flow of energy, he managed to combine four attacks into one, putting all his power into it.
Fang Bao poured even more ki into the tattoo and sped up but he still failed to dodge in time. The crescent grazed his leg, leaving a deep wound, bypassing his defensive technique.
For the first time since the beginning of the Tournament, he was truly surprised by someone else’s skill. Not only had Kai managed to wound him, but he was still standing despite the fact that he had spent a crazy amount of ki.
How much energy does he even have?! I have to end the fight as soon as possible. If I lose just because I got tired, I’ll never forgive myself.
The tattoo began to grow, spreading over his entire body. Once it had covered him to the tips of his fingers, it flashed and disappeared. Pieces of translucent green armor began to emerge from his skin until he was covered in it from head to toe.
Avatar of War was his strongest technique but it used a lot of ki. Had it not been for the Gauntlets and the Greaves that accumulated and released ki, allowing him to fuel the technique, he would’ve never been able to use it. He usually relied on pills and potions to keep his energy supply steady, but those were forbidden by the Tournament rules.
He rushed forward before Kai had the time to recover from shock. The Avatar was a chunky piece of armor, but it was still very fast. So fast in fact that many were unable to see him until he was right next to Kai, who stood bound by the Ghost Fists. Swinging with his fist, he hit his target with such force that the air shook, the ground trembled, and a crater formed. Debris flew in all directions, but Kai was nowhere to be seen.
“Motherf―”
Turning abruptly, he saw Kai standing behind him unharmed.
Appearing in the air in front of Fang Bao, he swung with his swords. The former didn’t have time to do anything but helplessly watch as the blades pierced the ghastly steel, cutting their way through to his body. Only at the last moment did he send ki toward the more vital areas to protect them. The tip of one of the blades sank a couple of inches deep into his shoulder. He waved with his left to attack, but Kai disappeared again, appearing twenty feet away.
“That’s―!” exclaimed one of the Blade elders.
“―Spatial Transfer,” another whispered. “Combined with the Force of Form.”
“How’s that possible? Not even... Is this even possible without the Fusion Force?!”
“Hypothetically, it is. But it requires a large supply of energy and a Gold-rank technique, much more powerful than ours. I can only think of one explanation...”
“The ancestors...”
Kai breathed heavily as the space around him slowly returned to normal. Fang Bao looked at him with surprise. He wasn’t the only one who had managed to master two Forces of Form while still being below the Elementalist Stage. But his Paths were relatively simple, while Kai walked one of the most difficult ones — the Path of Space.
I haven’t seen such a thing even among the highest elders of the clan. Fang Bao thought. Could it be that...? Has he also found an item from the era of the Belteise Empire?
Wincing, he grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. Looking down, he saw a layer of crimson frost covering the wound. It was then that he felt the source of the force that had hindered him earlier. Now it was in his body, slowly freezing it. In addition, he also lost the connection with the Avatar.
Grimacing, he redirected some of the energy from the Golden Beast’s Armor to counteract the Cold Void. However, because of that, he now had even less strength left to maintain the Avatar. He needed to finish the fight soon.
But Fang Bao would rather die than give up.
I can feel him! He prefers the right side. He’s limited to thirty feet... Oh, I’ve got you now.
Kai, who appeared the next moment, was in for an unpleasant surprise in the form of several dozen Ghost Fists, which he couldn’t avoid this time as Ultimate Focus no longer worked. The attack sent him flying to the opposite side of the arena and crashing into the protective dome. Gasping, he coughed blood. He was sure that he had suffered internal bleeding or at least a punctured lung.
Falling to the ground, he tried to get up, but broken bones and torn ligaments weren’t really cooperating. It became clear that by dispelling the Avatar, Fang Bao had invested almost all of his remaining energy into his attack.
Raising his head, he saw a huge golden cocoon where Fang Bao had just been. By the time Kai was finally able to get up, a powerful aura began to seep through the golden ribbons. Sitting back down, Kai continued to regenerate and restore ki, preparing to deliver the final blow. The recent attack had significantly weakened Fang Bao, making it more difficult for him to continue. Kai hoped to finish this battle once he had sufficiently healed.
He knew that the Golden Cocoon was a defensive ability of Fang Bao’s weapons. But what worried him was the aura. Where did it come from?
Slowly but surely, the golden ribbons began to unfold, revealing the unharmed Fang Bao. His skin looked like it was made of stone. Ki was literally pouring out of it. He felt like a completely different person.
People began to whisper.
“What’s happening?”
“Is this also some kind of transformation, like Shin Sei’s?”
“Is there anyone in the Blades with a bloodline so pure that they could partially transform?”
“No. Fang Bao certainly doesn’t have a bloodline.”
“Then what is it?”
“You may not believe it, but judging by what I know about Spirits, this is it. Or rather, a union with one.”
“A Spirit?! Fang Bao has a Spirit?!”
Kai was convinced that Fang Bao had merged with a Young Stone Spirit, which he must’ve been keeping inside himself under a special seal. By the looks of it, it seemed to be a natural one. Not only was this type of Spirit rare, but the process of catching and taming one was a feat worth of history books. And judging by the fact that Fang Bao could even merge with his Spirit, he seemed to have taken possession of it a long time ago.
“This asshole.” Jiang Yui bit her fingernail. “As far as I can sense, his powers have tripled! And that is without taking into account his techniques.”
“Are you worried about your student?” One of the elders grinned.
“Of course I am!” she exclaimed. “Although I’m amazed by the fact that he can use Forces of two different Paths, that won’t help him with this.”
“If memory serves me, no one before had used a Spirit in the Tournament,” the old man said, stroking his beard. “Hell, I don’t remember seeing anyone this strong in the finals before.”
Jiang Yui grimaced. Did Kai even stand a chance now? His healing skills were out of this world, but would that help him win? Where did this Fang Bao come from even?
Maybe he has another ace up his sleeve? She hoped. Heavens, I want him to win so badly…
Fang Bao had completely merged with his Spirit, gaining both its energy supply and cover. By this time, Kai had healed his broken bones and even managed to restore a good chunk of his ki reserve.
“Sorry, Kai, but you can’t win,” Fang Bao said and then disappeared.
Kai didn’t have time to blink. In the next second, he was punched in the stomach with such force that he was sent flying back. Stumbling to the ground, he vomited blood. But Fang Bao didn’t stop there. Moving with tremendous speed, he attacked again, hitting his left shoulder. Kai raised his hand in time to block, but he ended just breaking his bones. Jumping back, Fang Bao dashed forward and kicked Kai’s legs, knocking him over.
“Give up,” he said, stepping on his chest. “You heal extremely well, but I don’t want to harm you any further.”
“Maybe you should give up.” Kai grinned and looked at Fang Bao’s foot. The ice enveloped it and continued to crawl up his leg.
Fang Bao immediately retreated, directing all of the Spirit’s energy into suppressing the Cold Void. Turning his gaze to Kai, he saw a sphere of ice rapidly forming around him.
Not wishing to give him a chance to attack, he dashed forward. But when he approached Kai, his body began to freeze and he had to move away. Hitting the air, he created some of the strongest Ghost Fists so far. But when they approached Kai, they immediately froze and shattered.
Kai had to back off to heal again. He didn’t expect that Fang Bao would become so strong, and he paid the price for his carelessness. However, Fang Bao also underestimated Kai, giving him time to come to his senses and activate Unbreakable Ice — one of the three techniques described in the Dance of the Sea Dragon Scroll.
Kai’s defense had always been weak, so the first thing he decided to master was this particular technique, which quickly froze everything around the target for a while, protecting it. He had finished mastering it a few hours after the battle with Shin Sei since he had reached the peak understanding of the second layer by then.
Kai watched Fang Bao’s futile attempts to destroy the ice. The onslaught didn’t last long, however, as he decided to save energy. Not that it mattered, Kai was using this to buy himself enough time to reveal his last ace — his evolved bloodline.
His bloodline was of a physical type, so Rune’Tan immediately suspected that it was his body that was interfering with the transition process, and not his soul. He turned out to be right. Kai’s body was unusual. In addition to the standard three hundred and sixty acupuncture points, his body had six more. Until he opened them, he couldn’t level further. But this was more complicated than it sounded. The System called these points The Six Gates of the Body, each of which always remained closed by default. But Kai could now open them at any moment by saturating them with energy. And, depending on the Gate and the amount of ki he used, he could receive one of six boosts: strength, speed, endurance, regeneration, intelligence, and stamina.
But, besides that, after going through the evolution of the bloodline, Kai finally found out whose it was. The System helped him in this, displaying the following message.
Attention!
First Bloodline Evolution Completed!
Feature gained [True Descendant of the Nine-Headed Heavenly Hydra]: Six Gates of the Body are available.
Kai opened the Endurance Gate. By filling it with about one-fifth of its maximum energy reserve, he increased his healing rate by almost a third. All the injuries he had received were healed in less than a minute.
Used another part of ki, he filled the Power, Speed, and Stamina Gates increasing the corresponding characteristics by more than forty percent. To avoid overloading the body with energy each time, he could now use the Gates.
But… There was always a but. His ki supply, big as it was, didn’t allow him to open more than three Gates at the same time.