[Note: this chapter might be a tad gory.]
I needed to get
I went to the study to look for my father.
"Father?" I called out.
"Yes?"
I was breathing heavily. Trying to get my words out.
"I need... to get it... to perfection..." I took long unsteady breaths between my words.
My father looked at me and sighed.
He waved his hand, and with a single motion I arrived at his chair. He put his hand on my heart to inject qi.
After catching my breath I felt better.
I was confused as to what was going on but didn't have to wait long before my father told me what had happened.
Apparently I had almost fallen victim to my inner demons.
After everything had been going smoothly, I couldn't accept the fact that I couldn't perfect the last technique in one go.
I took another breath to calm myself down. I spoke to my father about my worries and what had happened over the last few days. He was shocked to hear that I had almost practiced three martial arts to perfection.
He couldn't help but sigh at my predicament.
Some people went their entire life without practicing a single martial art to perfection. Yet here his daughter was worrying about not being able to get the last out of the three martial arts she had learned to perfection. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry.
He was by no means weak or untalented, on the contrary he was considered one of the top geniuses of his generation. He had access to numerous martial arts, time to practice, and a good environment.
All for what? Only having three perfected martial arts out of the numerous ones he knew.
His daughter was catching up to him at a speed that shouldn't be possible. She was still five while he was way more than a hundred times her age.
He sighed and finally spoke.
"Follow me to the dungeon. I'll let you practice on the criminals."
My eyes lit up, I could finally finish the technique.
After a few minutes of walking we ended up in a dark long corridor. There were people chained to the walls on either side. They all started panicking as soon as they saw my father. Everyone present had fear in their eyes. A few even started crying.
Everybody in this section of the room was only a Qi Accumulation realm cultivator.
""LISTEN UP!"
My father shouted.
"Anyone who can kill this little girl is free to go." He said while motioning towards me.
He left out the fact that I was his daughter because the criminals would only feel more despair as they would surely be killed if they hurt me.
Some of the people were excited when they heard this while others started saying things like 'she's only a kid' and 'this has to be a trap'. They were right, but I wouldn't admit that.
When they saw that I was only a kid, most of them assumed it would be a race to see who kills me the fastest.
However, some of them saw that I was also in the Accumulation realm. They were shocked because that would mean I was actually a ten year old child or some kind of monster.
These people refused to believe I was actually five... actually the thought probably hadn't even crossed their minds at all. And why would it? I looked to be seven or eight years old physically but was already in the third major realm.
Suddenly all of the chains fell off of the prisoners. Some of them didn't move, some stretched their limbs for the first time in who knows how long, others didn't even dare to move.
Father backed up and signaled for me to begin.
***
I was up against probably twenty Qi Accumulation realm cultivators ranging from the first stage to the ninth, indicating the amount of qi they had. I was excited to finally perfect my technique.
I got into a ready stance, waiting for someone to approach. It didn't take long before a group of three was sent to test the waters. They surrounded me, looking for an opportunity to attack. They were circling around me, evenly spaced apart. I kept my eyes on the one with the highest realm, a sixth stage, the others were both fourth stages.
Unexpectedly, the strongest of the three lunged at me while throwing a fist at my face. His fist was imbued with qi and looked like it could shatter stone. I didn't move though as I had yet to test my natural defense.
The criminal was ecstatic, he assumed I was paralyzed out of fear and forgot to dodge or defend with qi.
His fist had connected with my jaw. A crunch was heard throughout the entire room.
Before anything else happened the other two criminals came from behind and launched fist imbued with qi on either side of my head, trying to crush it in-between.
This had all happened in a split second.
As soon as the scream rang out though everyone's heart had dropped, this scream was not one of a child but one of a man.
The little girl at the center of everybody's attention had not moved at all. She just stood there and broke a qi infused fist without moving.
***
As soon as the scream rang out I smiled, my defense was nothing to scoff at. I could finally get started.
I took a step forward and stabbed my hand through the man's chest, piercing his heart. The criminal looked down at his chest and tried to pull my hand out. He was unsuccessful though as he had no more strength. He coughed up blood and fell off of my hand. He had died with only a single move.
I took a step back to dodge the incoming fist and shoved both of my hands forward at the same time. My hands were stuck in the sides of both of the criminals heads.
The entire thing happened so seamlessly that it looked choreographed.
By now, my arms were drenched in blood, my body had some splattered on it but not much.
Three people had died only three seconds after the battle had begun. The warm feeling of shoving my hand through someone was captivating, I couldn't get enough.
When the rest of the prisoners saw this, they realized they'd only be slaughtered if they didn't do anything at all so they simultaneously ran towards me from all angles not leaving any room for escape.
I had been surrounded by the prisoners, they were all slowly closing in on me. I smiled as this was the most fun I'd ever had, it was even more entertaining than the young master encounter.
Before the prisoners had the chance to make the first move I lunged towards the most crowded spot. I raised my hand and brought it down when I was close to somebody, slashing through their chest. I passed by and stepped into the void, disappearing from the crouds sight. Panic set in and the prisoners started to get anxious.
I appeared behind one of them at random and stuck my hand through their back, grabbing their spine and pulling it out.
I did this a few more times, grabbing their spine, piercing their heart or head, one time I even shoved both of my hands through someone's chest and ripped them apart.
I was so absorbed in the battle I didn't notice the smile on my face or the blood covering my body.
The sight of despair on their faces was so intoxicating I kept coming up with new ways of killing them. I ripped one man's throat out with my teeth, I ripped the lower part of another's jaw off, and the last one I shoved my hand through their chin and pierced their brain.
The entire room was filled with the scent of iron as dead bodies and severed limbs were strewn about. I was breathing heavily and shaking.
The ecstasy of killing would be hard to forget.
I didn't think I was that far gone but it seems that I had awakened something in me that's a little... unsavory. It seems that I've discovered a new 'passion'.
I had completely forgot the reason for coming here in the first place.
After a while I had remembered.
I had succeeded in perfecting the technique.
I felt like I had gained a lot that day. I also figured out first-hand why the method had the word 'bloody' in it. Today would be a day to remember.
***
"Have fun?"
I nodded my head more than I ever had before. My fists were balled up infront of my chest and my eyes were wide, I had a huge smile on my face.
Without the blood everywhere it would have looked like an excited kid that had just finished playing their favorite game.
He seemed a little concerned at the developments but didn't bring it up. "Lets get you cleaned up."
"Ok!" I replied enthusiastically.
***
I had the best sleep of my life after that.