[Word Count 1546]
In a jungle full of wild competition, one can't be a predator for eternity. It's common knowledge that a predator is the hunter and the prey is the hunted. But above all else, the predator (the hunter) can similarly be hunted by another stronger predator. In such a brutal world of survival of the fittest, any living being could be food for another without any bias.
Zhao Wei's current situation was just like that. His status as a predator was about to be reversed to one of being prey. The purple shadowy fog obscuring his vision and senses was a perfect indication of him being ambushed.
Zhao Wei felt that he was the mantis and his sneaky stalker was the oriole. A funny smile marred his face for a moment but his dark eyes shone with vigilance and ferocity.
The smoke-screen kind of fog had little effect on his superior vision and his penetrative gaze remained unobstructed. The purple shadowy fog had cut off his sense of smell and hearing, to be more precise, the neurons responsible for those two physiological functions had been momentarily rendered useless.
It was such a terrifying thing for someone to experience but Zhao Wei chose calmness over reckless panic.
By now, Zhao Wei had already come up with the profile of his mysterious attacker in his mind.
Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther. An extremely rare species to encounter in the Sky Cloud Forest. They were solo hunters and never moved in groups - they were extremely hostile and cruel even to their own species. The Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther favored lurking in the shadows over hunting in the open or broad daylight. They were the very definition of perfect assassins and like phantoms, they would always kill off their prey without giving them the chance of seeing who prematurely sent them on their way to lick King Yama's ass.
Zhao Wei's right hand slowly moved toward the obsidian dagger sheathed on his waist as he exerted the full capabilities of his sixth sense - 360 degrees angle vision.
Zhao Wei knew that the Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther would attack from any angle and position. The purple shadowy fog was its natural domain and Zhao Wei was bound to be easily suppressed.
Taking a silent deep breath, Zhao Wei closed his eyes and entered a state of tranquility.
Sometimes a man shouldn't trust his vision over his instincts.
This moment provided Zhao Wei with the means to conveniently test his instincts and battle awareness. In the event that one's gift of sight was taken away during a horrendous fight, would one despair and give up on themselves or try to salvage the situation by over-utilizing their other senses?
The battlefield was an unfair ground and physical handicaps were predominantly in any type of form.
With his eyes closed, Zhao Wei felt his world go blank and colorless before a new one was opened in front of him.
Everything in the universe had flow and the Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther was not an exception. It could assimilate with the shadows and the fog alike but it wasn't exempted from the universal recognition of the 'flow' that tainted every existence.
Zhao Wei instinctively tightened his hold on the obsidian dagger's handle when his instincts started tingling.
SHWAAH!
Zhao Wei couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't smell. But he could feel it. The barely detectable shift in the breeze, the cold murderous intent directed towards his very being, the sorrowful calling of death and chilling presence of the Grim Reaper's scythe… Zhao Wei could feel it all. He was in a hypersensitive mode.
Zhao Wei unhesitatingly swung his sharp obsidian dagger to his left side; the side causing him the most agitation.
SLICE!
Zhao Wei felt his dagger cutting through flesh followed by an angry moanful cry of pain before the Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther disappeared from his presence and returned to the shadows.
'So disappointing.' Zhao Wei thought in displeasure. He knew that he had barely carved out some skin from his assailant and since he had closed his eyes to sharpen his instincts, Zhao Wei couldn't see through its weaknesses.
'It's still not enough. What I am trying to accomplish is the imitation of [Ultra Instinct]. To move without thinking. To move without seeing. To achieve a sense of self. I never would have thought that it would be this difficult.' Zhao Wei analyzed inside his mind while subtly changing his stance.
'I have long managed to refine my basic skills and removed any sort of unnecessary movements but to achieve a rudimentary form of [Body on its own] or better known as [Ultra Instinct], I would have to completely embrace the realm of emptiness.'
Enlightenment is never sought after but there are countless unordinary beings out there in the Omniverse that can enjoy its gifts due to possessing almost unequaled comprehension abilities. Zhao Wei could be said to be one of them.
Zhao Wei wasn't overly special but he was certainly capable when it came to understanding the world around him.
Due to him having witnessed something synonymous to the realm of emptiness before he had transmigrated to this universe, Zhao Wei found it easier to dispel the thoughts in his energetic mind.
If you want to look further into the depths of the abyss, then you must first become the abyss and embrace its all-encompassing darkness.
Zhao Wei had already seen through the world of perpetual nothingness and he could now visualize himself being submerged by it.
His mind was now akin to an empty canvas but his body's instincts were constantly being pushed to the limits!
SHAAH!
Zhao Wei didn't think. He didn't need to. And when he swung his dagger, his movements were unhesitant, faster and as natural as breathing. Zhao Wei's body wasn't being controlled by his mind but it was moving on its own. Uninterrupted. Unhindered.
It was essentially [body on its own].
CRACK!
Zhao Wei felt his dagger embed itself deep into the cranium of his assailant before it cleaved the head into two gory halves and spilled soft warm matter on his hand. Then he opened his eyes.
Zhao Wei then directed his apathetic gaze toward the still-warm corpse below his feet.
It was the corpse of a slightly huge panther unlike the ones on earth. Its fur was phantom gray like a gray mist but its most conspicuous feature was its purple claws that soundlessly crackled with purple lightning. A soundless sound.
An assassin had been assassinated!
"The wonders of nature and evolution." Zhao Wei muttered silently while looking at the deceased Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther.
Shaking his head, Zhao Wei proceeded to harvest the most precious part of the Purple Lightning-clawed Phantom Panther - its Purple lightning-imbued claws.
He then stored them carefully.
"Thanks to meeting such a sneaky bastard, I was able to sharpen my instincts to unimaginable levels where my body can react independently of my mind." Zhao Wei smiled to himself since he was currently the ultimate winner of the situation.
"Stepping stone, haha!" Zhao Wei chuckled deviously before spitting on the corpse.
"I should now continue looking for what I want. To deal with the Blood Red Python, I would have to resort to paltry schemes." A clever glint flashed across his eyes.
Zhao Wei then left that area and continued on his search for the canyon.
Along, he didn't forget to occasionally duke it out with those beasts within his realm of handling and steered clear of the territories of High tier Deadly Beasts.
With his top-notch hiding skills it was pretty much simple to hide from those horrifying hungry motherfuckers. Zhao Wei didn't want to experience the same situation as Zhao Feng when he had come face-to-face with a Eighth rank High tier Deadly Beast comparable to a Martial Master.
Zhao Wei had to be extremely cautious as he constantly mapped out his surroundings the deeper he ventured into Sky Cloud Forest.
In his mind, he had already set up markers on the map. And just like that, the day ended and apparently, he was only left with 12 days to spare but Zhao Wei wanted to be done with what he was looking for as soon as possible. Staying in the deeper parts of Sky Cloud Forest made him uneasy since he was weak compared to its local hegemonies.
'The fear of knowing that I may die at any given moment makes my heart thump like crazy. The brave, the fool, and the fearful. It's really quite oxymoronic.' It was his second day in the hellish jungle as he covertly crouched hidden on top of a 300 meters tall tree.
Zhao Wei used his telescopic vision that could now perform a detailed surveillance of several kilometers to smoothly maneuver through the spooky environment of Sky Cloud Forest.
'But my fear only stems from my imagination - the imagination of an unknown future.' Zhao Wei deeply thought to himself.
'Instead of imagining an illusory future that is subject to alteration, why don't I focus on the present and live for the present?' Zhao Wei sighed in his mind but then the next moment, exhilaration suddenly filled him.
He had finally located what he was looking for!
Patience really pays!
***