Releasing a fireball here was asking to get arrested by the city's guard force, so he shelved that idea. He put up a frightened front and asked while trembling, "Ah...fellow brother, what may be the problem?"
"Hehehe...." The man chuckled, mockingly pointing at him, or more specifically, his robes.
"Give it to me." He said arrogantly. Simultaneously, a puff of air came firm the other three's noses, creating a faint mist. Iguro's face went cold, and he suddenly punched at the man.
Fiery Fist, Burning Star Blast!
Spontaneously creating a skill that utilized the most Qi being channeled into his fist, his fist shone in a bright light, and he flashed forward with Blazing Steps, punching forward.
Caught off-guard, the man could barely block with his arm before being sent flying. A gush of blood spurted from his mouth as he landed, thudding heavily on the floor three times before coming to a stop. His barely conscious body lay limply, nearly being sent out of the alley.
Iguro was startled by his own power, however, he quickly regained his wits and flashed in circles around the three confused men before they had a chance to regain themselves.
The three still stood dumbfounded.
They practiced the Divine Primate Cultivation technique. Though they were still in the shallow parts, their defense should be the best within the F and E Grade. Even D Grade cultivators would find it a bit tasking to wear down their defenses, but this....
Just one punch!
The three slowly regained themselves and growled, baring their fangs in a manner all too familiar with Iguro, who had spent a while of his training being chased by apes.
As they prepared to rush towards him in rage, Iguro tapped his foot an the ground, releasing a spark that flew towards the at considerable speed.
Snorting, they ignored the spark and jumped into the air. However, mid-jump, several 'whoosh' sounds were heard, and they suddenly found themselves within a torrent of flames.
Moreover, due to his trail path usually being linear, added with his pure flames, it usually had a searing effect. Cries of misery rang out as their so called indestructible bodies became scorched, causing them to deflate like balloons.
All this took place in less than ten breaths, so their shriveled bodies still experienced a bit of pain before the flames subsided. Iguro suddenly flashed away, leaving a crimson red afterimage. A moment later, a massive fist struck it, destroying it.
Iguro gulped, as he felt the raw power contained within the fist. A D Grade cultivator was still a D Grade cultivator, possessing immense power. He had an advantage in terms of Qi quality and quantity over normal E Grades, so Iguro adopted a serious expression, his fists flaring up. A dragon tattoo suddenly began to appear on his body, and though it was hidden by his robes, his arms were exposed, showing a black dragon that seemingly coiled round his arms.
"Good, good." The man was now thoroughly enraged, and he ground his teeth painfully. A red mark glowed on his chest, burning through his clothes. He clenched it in pain, utilizing his Bestial Qi to neutralize the aftermath of Iguro's Yang Qi.
This was the effect of reaching the D grade. One's Qi would fully transform into one's attribute, binding one permanently to that attribute.
Though his Qi had already passed this stage, courtesy of Old Dragon, he hadn't truly grasped this level of quality. At most, he was on par with this cultivator in front of him. After a while, he growled at Iguro, "Your Qi is unnaturally pure for a brat like you! Good! I'll make sure to strip you of the technique you used before killing you."
"Killing me?" Iguro's face turned cold. He faintly snorted and his body seemed to flash into multiple places at once. The man's eyes darted around quickly in an attempt to follow his movements, but eventually he lost track and took a defensive stance as he sensed a hot fist coming at him.
"Hmph, now that I know how your attacks work, they-"
*Whoosh!*
The alley once again turned to a flaming storm as a myriad of fire trails fiercely cut through the air like swords, searing through the man's flesh mid-sentence, causing him to cry out in pain. However, he was significantly better off than his unconscious counterparts, and remained in the ape-like form.
With an enraged growl, he shot forward and attempted to smash Iguro into mincemeat. Anytime Iguro flashed back and forth, he would move away from the region in fear, causing Iguro to feel depressed.
The two ran back and forth like cat and mice, chasing each other to no avail. Burning Star Blast took some time to use, which would create an opening which he was sure his opponent would take advantage of.
If he tried Humble Fury, then the opponent would retreat and eye him warily. He couldn't completely conceal the traces of the trail yet as he wasn't too proficient yet, so his opponent would definitely sense the lingering Qi in the air. After ten seconds, it would scatter, just like his normal trails.
The current impasse forced him to think up of a solution, and he began to implement a change.
Kuroma was depressed, to say the least. All he had wanted was to speak amicably with the brat so he could hand over the Superior Grade Starry Sky Robes, but he ended up losing his temper after getting soda, and a particularly sticky one too, getting splashed all over him.
After that, his only thoughts were to force the brat to hand over the treasure domineeringly, but who would've thought this brat was a hidden master, nearly killing him with one blow. Moreover, his Qi was extremely pure despite being an Upper E Grade cultivator.
If Iguro could deal with him, then his harebrained brothers would pose no threat. However, they could buy him time to silently recuperate and deal a lethal blow, crippling the little fucker.
They all knew that such a powerful attack required time, so they tried to charge him relentlessly, forcing him to retreat, but the brat just pulled out another handy trick, like he developed his abilities based on these types of situations.
It was extremely infuriating! Who used a movement technique to attack?! Though it was effective, he was supposed to experience a drop in speed! This was common logic! If that were the case, then he would gladly deal eight hundred points of damage to himself and one thousand to the enemy.
[AU: This means he would hurt himself to hurt his opponent.]
But this brat was still fast, and the lingering Qi filled him with fear. His fist strikes only hit afterimages, which annoyed him greatly. However, he relaxed when he saw the brat's face begin to tense up, and could not help but gloat inside. He further increased the frequency of his attacks, thinking that the smelly brat was at the end of the rope, running out of Qi.
He would thoroughly teach him a lesson, forcing him to spit out his Qi refinement, movement and fist technique, with the main prize being the Superior Earth Grade Starry Sky Robes. He trembled in excitement when thinking about it, and could not wait for the brat to run out of Qi.
But after a while, the afterimages suddenly began to hurt. He felt silly when thinking about it, but truly, he felt a pang of heat assault his fist with each destroyed afterimage. Slowly, this heat began to accumulate, and soon his fists were as red as heated iron rods.
AU: If you're still reading, then thanks a bunch! A comment would really help me on how to improve for you all! ^^
A quick shout out to the reason this novel is currently being published!
Thanks a lot Gifted Child!
You too HageshiX!
Didn't forget you Shadon23!
You guys are the best!