When I came to, I found myself lying in a pool of blood. Wincing, I struggled to get up while adjusting my bent glasses.
Several paces away, Gui Xiong stopped before slowly turning around.
"Oh? You're still alive?"
"No thanks to you," I replied and coughed out some more blood. I had hardly staggered to my feet when Gui Xiong's hand struck my face. Pain exploded across my head and my vision turned red.
Blinking, I crawled to my feet. The red fog that obscured my vision slowly cleared, but my sight remained blurry. I realized that my glasses had been knocked off and lay several meters away, broken. The lenses seemed cracked too – not that I could see them from this distance, but I could sense the damage with my sixth sense.
There was no point recovering them. I couldn't wear them, and even if I could, I couldn't see through the cracked lenses now.
"Damn it…!"
Replacing my glasses was the least of my worries now. Gui Xiong was charging at me again, his huge paws swinging wildly. When I ducked one of them, his hand smashed a huge chunk of concrete from the wall behind me.
What power…!
Rolling away, I did my best to defend myself, parrying and diverting. Once again, I couldn't block his punches directly – they were too strong. If I tried to block them head-on, his punches would shatter the bones in my arms.
So I had to deflect them as best as I could, spinning away and evading as much as possible. Whirling away, I tried to counter, but my palm was knocked away by what seemed like a solid wall of qi.
Apparently, it hurt me more than him if I tried to attack him directly.
"How…?"
I whirled away to avoid getting struck, but his arm still grazed me and I was sent flying several paces away. Crashing next to one of Gui Xiong's downed cronies, I scrambled to my feet and accidentally stepped on a knife.
Instinctively, I snatched up the knife and held it up in front of me. I honestly had no clue what to do with it, but it should be a lot better than trying to challenge Gui Xiong barehanded.
That was right. When faced with a stronger opponent, humans always had to adapt and improvise. We weren't as strong as bears, as swift as leopards, or as deadly as tigers. What we did have, though, was our ingenuity. If there was an enemy we couldn't defeat through sheer strength, then we used weapons to beat them.
However, Gui Xiong merely laughed. He struck me again, and when I parried his fist with the blade of the knife, I could feel my pilfered weapon almost get sheared off at the hilt. Not only that, the knife didn't even leave a single wound on Gui Xiong's knuckles. It failed to penetrate the thick barrier of qi that shrouded his body in a bear-shaped aura.
"Did you think my Ghost Bear Body Tempering Method would be so weak as to lose to a cheap knife? I'm a body tempering cultivator, you know?"
I ducked under his blow and slashed at his torso, only for the supposedly sharp blade to glance off his aura. He laughed and smacked an elbow down on my weapon, snapping it. Then his next strike surged forward, and even though I dodged it by a hair's breadth, I still received a glancing blow that sent me spinning.
Scurrying away, I put as much distance between him and myself. Despite his ferocity and strength, his speed was not as amazing. Sometimes he would catch me by surprise, but I could manage to stay one step ahead of him somehow.
Ba Bai was a hundred times faster than this guy. I had a feeling that Gui Xiong was slow because of his Ghost Bear Body Tempering Method.
Not that I could capitalize on his weak point for now. I was blown back by another strike. Blood left my mouth because of the internal injuries I had suffered and I crashed several feet away.
Planting both of my hands on the ground, I tried to get up, only for me to fall again. My arms felt numb, my head throbbed and my insides quaked. However, I refused to bow down. All around me, I could sense the corpses or unconscious bodies of the fallen Ghost Bear Clan members. I wondered if I should take another knife.
No…what was the point? I couldn't scratch Gui Xiong with any of the knives here. It was futile.
I clenched my fists. Blinded, severely wounded and completely outmatched. I hated the situation, but currently there was nothing I could do against such a formidable foe.
With my eyes closed, I had to depend on my sixth sense. The tempest of spiritual qi continued to rage around Gui Xiong, the multiple currents emanating from the gigantic bear silhouette that shadowed him. Heaving, I crawled to my feet.
Gui Xiong lashed out at me, his arm more a conglomeration of solid, hard qi than a physical limb at this point. I tried to evade it, but I was still caught in the aftershock and sent hurtling away.
"Ugh…"
Shaking my head, I tried to focus on my opponent. Rolling to my feet, I slowly stood up and concentrated on the innumerable currents of qi that made up Gui Xiong at the moment.
"You're a pretty tenacious kid. Honestly, I admire you. If you hadn't been so bold and audacious, I would even have invited you to my gang. It's just too bad."
Another surge of qi. It was almost as if I was staring at a hurricane. I tried to dive to the side, but I found myself buffeted by a blast and sent careening helplessly across the room. Landing amidst the bodies of defeated Ghost Bear Clan members, I groaned and desperately reached out.
More knives.
Gritting to my teeth, I crawled to my feet once again. Even though I still couldn't see anything with my actual eyes, I continued relying on my sixth sense. It was currently the only thing I could do at the moment.
It was the only move keeping me alive right now. If I wanted to avoid Gui Xiong's attacks, I had to continue doing my best to read the flow of his qi and predict his movements.
"Ha ha! Still standing? I can't believe you're still not dead yet!"
Gui Xiong lumbered toward me, slow and purposeful. I didn't know why he wasn't charging straight at me like the previous times. Was he tired? Or was he confident that victory was in his grasp, and thus couldn't be bothered to waste his efforts?
Taking a deep breath, I withdrew, warily keeping my distance. My eyes were still shut and I committed all of my mental faculties into observing Gui Xiong's deliberate motions.
As I studied him, I began to notice something. Little details that I had missed during the heat of battle earlier. The ebb and flow of many currents. While I still lacked the ability to see each and every one of them – there were far too many – the ones I could see had minute differences. Several qi currents flickered and died, only to be replaced by new, reborn ones. Some were shorter than others. Some were longer. Some were thicker. Some were thinner.
And then…there were spots. Areas in Gui Xiong's body that were not as thick or dense as other spots. The qi circulating his body was not equally distributed throughout. The qi that composed his huge bear aura wasn't evenly spread out.
Were those thin spots…vulnerabilities? Areas of weaknesses that I could exploit?
Closing my eyes for just a second, I recalled something that Kai Li Si told me. Something about the true nature of Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths.
"Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths aren't just about reading the flow of qi in your opponent," Kai Li Si had told me sternly. "Once you've truly mastered it, then you should be able to disrupt the flow of your opponent, stop his movements or attacks before he can fully execute them…and most importantly, perceive the gaps in his qi. By aiming for those holes in his qi, you should be able to deliver a fatal blow."
"What holes?" I had asked. Kai Li Si's only reply was a smirk.
"If you still can't see them, then it means you still lack practice. Continue practicing until you are able to see them."
And so I obeyed, but I never thought I would be able to gain an epiphany in the middle of an intense battle. Was it because my life was on the line, and my senses were pushed to their extremes?
Once again, I was reminded of what Divine Dragon Sect's Ye Wu Tian advised me.
Progression of my skills wasn't solely earned just by combat experience and fighting foes. Comprehension, figuring out details that I had missed before, improving my stances and executions – all these also contributed to your advancement.
I immediately understood. The moment I saw the minute details…perceived and understood the significance of the differences between all the numerous qi currents, and even discovered a way to detect weak spots in my opponent, I had achieved mastery of Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths.
Improved sixth sense, which included increased range. Enhanced qi perception. And now the ability to manipulate qi, both inside my body and that from my surroundings.
"You…" Gui Xiong's voice was thick with disbelief. "Did you just breakthrough to the Earth realm?"
"Did I?" I shrugged. "I have no idea."
Certainly, I felt a lot stronger than before…more invigorated. Was comprehending the true essence of Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths the key to breaking through to the Earth realm? Did I finally escape the bottleneck that had plagued me all this while?
Whatever the case, it didn't matter. I was almost enthralled my new improved sixth sense.
An idea brewed inside my head. Nodding to myself, I decided to take the risk. Kicking up one of the many knives that lay strewn about the basement in the aftermath of my fight with the rank and file Ghost Bear Clan members, I snatched it from the air and took the initiative to lunge at Gui Xiong.
"Ho…?" Gui Xiong spread his arms, completely unaware of the change in my comprehension of the technique I had been practicing for a year. "You're coming toward me? Instead of running away, you're approaching me?"
"I can't beat the hell out of you if I don't come closer," I replied.
"Ho ho!" Gui Xiong chuckled. "By all means, come as close as you like!"
I didn't need any invitation. I glanced up as Gui Xiong's bear reared up and swiped at me with a massive paw. Seeing a huge quantity of qi coalesce and solidify, I immediately dove to the right and barely avoided a crushing bow that smashed a crater into the ground.
The fuck? Did Gui Xiong's qi bear just turn into a stand?
Sliding along the side, I then darted toward Gui Xiong. He calmly stood his ground and countered with a punch. With my eyes closed, I perceived the qi around him and picked out the line that was thinnest. Reversing the grip of my knife, I then plunged the blade into that weakest of currents and cut along the line.
"Ugh?!"
To Gui Xiong's utmost surprise, my knife actually cut through his flesh and drew a long, deep line of blood. He staggered back on reflex, a torrent of blood gushing out and splattering onto the ground.
Without any hesitation, I continued to strike. Holding the knife with both hands, I stabbed at the spot in Gui Xiong's chest that contained the least amount of qi.
"You…!"
My opponent must have intuitively realized something was amiss, for he raised his arms to protect himself. I adjusted my aim on the fly and slashed at a weak spot on his left arm, which elicited another spray of blood.
Apparently, I must have cut an arterial vessel somewhere.
With a snarl, Gui Xiong retaliated with a backhanded blow that shattered the blade and knocked me back. Shifting myself, I moved to a position where the qi was the least dense. Even though I still received a grazing blow that knocked me several paces back, I still somehow managed to minimize the damage.
"Huff…"
Skidding backward, I straightened up and wiped the blood away from my mouth. Discarding the broken knife, I watched my foe warily.
Gui Xiong was studying his wounds, looking amazed.
"How did you cut through my Ghost Bear Tempered Body?" he growled, cocking his head in bewilderment. "A fluke?"
"Whether it's a fluke or not, I guess we'll find out."
Taking a deep breath, I then stomped on the ground. All of the knives that lay scattered on the floor were thrown into the air. Manipulating the surrounding qi by slowly moving my arms, I kept them hovering in the air unsteadily, as if keeping them above the ground by a strong gust of wind. The yin-yang symbol reformed behind me once again, but there was a difference.
This time, the yin-yang symbol was slowly revolving.
"That variant of Tai Qi Fist again?" Gui Xiong scoffed. His gigantic bear reared up to bellow soundlessly at me, its menacing appearance meant to intimidate. But I felt no fear. "It didn't work the last time. What makes you think it will work again?"
"This is not Tai Qi Fist," I replied. Snatching two of the floating knives from the air, I then charged forward.
Gui Xiong dropped to a crouch and met me head-on, his arms sweeping out to swat me aside with bone-breaking force. My eyes closed, I continued to move according to the flow and rhythm of the qi all around me, plunging my knives into the thinnest currents and stabbing viciously. My enemy grunted in pain as my blades pierced skin and drew blood.
"How?!"
Gui Xiong stumbled back and backhanded me, destroying my knives once again. His tossed me off my feet, but I didn't resist it. Instead, I made use of the momentum to jump into the air and above his swipes. Throwing the useless hilts aside, I reached out for a couple of knives that were slowly spinning in the air, grabbed them and stabbed them into his collarbone.
"AAAAAH!"
The goliath unleashed a surge of qi, which broke the knives off at the hilt and left the blades lodged firmly in his shoulders. He must be in quite the agony, blood streaming down his chest, but he was somehow able to continue attacking. His biceps bulged and he swiped at me.
Having read his movements, I was able to dodge it by a hair's breadth. Grabbing another knife, I then tore the skin across the length of his arm and caused him to withdraw his wounded limb in a hiss of pain.
"How is this possible?!"
Heaving from the exertion, his face pale, Gui Xiong swung his arms wildly in an effort to hit me. Was it my imagination, or was he a lot slower?
No. I wasn't imagining it. His movements were hampered, probably because of the wounds I was dealing to him.
I wasn't just cutting him and drawing blood. Thanks to my ability to read the flow of qi and detect weak spots, I was severing tendons and slicing into vital muscles. Gui Xiong had trained and tempered his body well, which was the only reason why he was able to continue fighting despite the severe damage he had sustained.
But even so, he was slowly but surely being worn down.
Darting away from his retaliation, I lost another knife, but I replaced them with another two that were slowly hovering about in the air next to me. Above and behind us, the great bear rammed both its paws against my yin-yang symbol, only to be repelled by an immense force.
Spinning around, I ducked under his desperate swipes and slashed at his chest, my strokes seeking out the thinnest lines of qi that protected his body. A geyser of blood spurted out as I left a cross-shaped scar on his chest.
"Ugh…!" Gui Xiong glared at me. As if he had only just realized it, he blurted out, "how are you even fighting with your eyes closed? Without your glasses? Even though you can't see anything?!"
"Oh, I can see something, all right," I replied as I followed up with another slash. "I see dead people."