For a split second, I contemplated leaving this guy here and running away. However, it wasn't certain how long this Bind Array was going to hold him down.
The guy could barely move due to the Bind Array he was under. But because it was hastily formed, there was no way to tell how long he would stay under its effects. So without much thought, I used Rushing Bull Step and Piercing Fang Fist simultaneously.
In an instant, I was in front of the guy, and his eyes widened. I used the Rushing Bull Step again and kicked off the ground. This increased my speed once more to impossible levels, where I could no longer see where I was going. However, my target was so close that I could no longer miss the target.
For a second, my mind wandered toward whether I should have aimed for his legs instead. Crippling him and giving me a chance to run away. But such a move would have been a gamble. He could have found the willpower within himself to move his foot away.
My fist landed straight on his liver, below his rib cage, and I felt his squishy organs through the skin, despite my punch not piercing him. His bloodshot eyes stared at me, full of shock, and this time there was even a trace of fear as his body was flung away like a rag doll. He bounced off the ground a couple of times before smashing against a tree, causing the leaves to fall, as he lay there motionless.
I looked at my hand and frowned. "I for sure thought that would pierce through."
This wasn't something one would brag about, but I had experience punching someone in the chest, where there were more bones. It was my first kill and not something I would ever forget. Even now, it felt like I had pieces of flesh and organs stuck under my nails because of that guy.
What was more worrying was how the guy was still breathing. Sure, I was somewhat glad he was alive, as killing someone like that sounded like something that would only bring trouble. I might not have wanted to kill the youngster, but every punch I had thrown was done with the intent to deliver the most damage and kill. It was a testament to how I couldn't afford to be merciful here.
The chilling feeling in the air increased, even though it wasn't that cold. I kicked at the ground, creating a cloud of dust as I jumped back. While I couldn't see Qi, I could see everything else around it. As the dust shifted about, it resembled two intertwined snakes shooting toward me.
Though the attack was coming toward me, it moved as if it didn't know where it was going, likely because of the dust screen where the inner disciple couldn't see where I was or where I was going and only judged by the rough position I had been in where to throw the attack.
Maintaining such a technique no doubt took a lot of concentration, and by where the coiling of the dust snakes began, I could judge the rough position of the origin of the technique.
I leaped into the dust cloud and closed my eyes. Then I stomped on the ground hard enough to create a sound, and immediately the dust in front of me shifted away, and I opened my eyes.
Though I could not see the Qi, being able to see everything else around it was almost the same as being able to see it. Tendrils of dust shifted around and made to grab toward me. The whole front was covered in a wide net of Qi from what it seemed.
It appeared that the inner disciple wasn't as naive as I had thought them to be. He had already realized that my technique could theoretically only move in a straight line and had formed a net of Qi.
That was a good move, much better than one would expect from someone like him. Maybe he did have some fighting experience after all. But he was a bit careless, as I rushed to the source of this attack, and there I found him, breathing heavily and blood coming out of the corner of his mouth.
I didn't know much about medical matters, but when someone had a body shot and started bleeding out of the mouth, there was clearly some internal damage.
He also had a look in his eyes that made it clear he wouldn't be going for non-lethal shots anymore.
Well, time to use this in a real battle.
I kicked off the ground, and it wasn't a stomp, but more like I was kicking myself forward. It was the usual execution of the Rushing Bull Steps, and then I brought my knees high to my chest like a human cannonball. Then I used my right leg to kick out and immediately changed directions toward the left.
Wincing as the pain spread through my leg, changing directions so abruptly was quite painful. This was me putting my own spin on this technique, so to speak. I clenched my teeth and kicked off with the right leg, changing directions once again.
Right, left, right, left…
Continuously until it formed a zig-zag pattern and slipped past the Qi wall, net, or whatever he had there. He looked at me, his eyes widening, but despite him being more than twice my speed usually, there was no time to react. By the time his pupils dilated and his mind seemed to catch up with what was happening, my fist was an inch away from his stomach.
But suddenly, the sound of clapping rang out. My fist was an inch away from hitting him, but it could not move even an eighth of an inch more. It was like I was frozen in place.
"You have pushed me far, trashy outer disciple," he snorted. "This will be a shame that I will carry for the rest of my life, and even a thousand deaths from you wouldn't be able to wash this away."
I tried to throw another punch at his face; however, the same happened, and my fist couldn't make contact. However, this time the distance grew thinner on both sides.
Had he been concentrating the Qi to his stomach to be able to block my first attack? Then he spread it toward his face, lowering the defenses on his stomach. But not like it mattered; without significant momentum, I couldn't even scratch him.
"You see now? This is the difference between a Body Tempering and a true Qi Gathering cultivator," he said.
As he said that, he coughed a bit, and some blood came out of his lips. But he still straightened his back and tried to maintain an upright demeanor.
He had grown serious, and there was no longer a chance I was winning this. I immediately disengaged and shifted my body mid-air. He saw both of my legs coming for his stomach, but he only chuckled, "Do you think two legs would be better than one?"
I kicked off his chest, using it as a springboard, and shot away.
Staying around any longer was just asking for a beating.
"How shameful, running away from a fight?" The guy appeared next to me, his footwork leaving behind a trail that resembled the letter S.
He threw a kick mid-air, and I raised my arm to block as I couldn't dodge out of the way. Immediately, my arm shook, and I could have sworn something broke. But as I blasted away, I could only sigh in relief when realizing that my arm was likely only fractured.
That last kick didn't seem like he had used any technique, just raw power and probably a bunch of Qi.
So, this was the difference between someone using Qi and someone who wasn't. As expected, it was a vast difference. If I hadn't learned the Turtle Shell Body technique, both my arm and head would be gone with that one kick.
His kick threw me quite far away, and the darkness helped me hide. But I also realized that escaping from him when he was using Qi was no longer an option. It sounded more likely that I would die first before he ran out of Qi.
I racked my brains to try to figure out another way. How could I get away from someone who could match me in speed?
A certain memory popped into my head. One where the old janitor told me how stealth and scouting techniques were quite rare. Since the sect didn't want disciples to kill each other.
Now the question of the day was, how rare were they really? This guy chasing me was the grandson of an inner elder and an inner disciple himself. Did the same rules apply in the inner sect?
Common sense dictated that they did. Techniques like this would be dangerous even when given to inner sect disciples. After all, they could kill each other too. But maybe there were some exceptions...
This was such a gamble; I didn't like it at all.
But I had no better choice but to take the chances.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, a plan had already formed in my mind. Crouching down, I ripped grass, covered myself in it, and laid on the ground at a shadowy angle, away from the full moon. Hopefully, the darkness might help hide me better.
My heart beat in my chest as there were sounds of leaves crunching and branches shaking, as someone got closer. The second loudest thing I heard was the heavy breathing from the inner disciple.
Would he find out? I remembered the librarian mentioning that Qi Gathering Realm cultivators could sense Qi. Everyone had dormant Qi within themselves; even I probably did.
Now the second question of the day was just how honed was the sixth sense of a Qi Gathering cultivator?
The tree above me shook, and then with a swish of wind, something moved past and went further and further away. I held my breath of relief and dared not move even an inch. Cold sweat drenched my clothes, and my pupils shook.
Was that it? After all that stressing about him finding me, did he just rush past without even checking?
I was worried he might notice my tracks ending here, and he would stop and search.
But was he really so incompetent, or was he acting like he had gone far away, waiting for me to come out of my hiding spot and capture me then?
Despite every instinct in my body telling me to run away from there, I stayed still and held my breath, taking in breaths only when needed.
After a dozen minutes of a whole lot of nothing happening, I stood up and quietly rushed toward the library.
Maybe he would be there too. After all, if he hadn't found me, then the next logical choice would be to wait for where I would be.
I had to be prepared for another battle at the entrance of the library!