Zhong sat on the floor of the training hall, staring at the shattered remnants of the gate Sun had destroyed. His mind replayed the scene endlessly, dissecting every detail of the technique Sun had displayed. Though his tale was permanently damaged, Zhong understood it wouldn't have helped. That technique was nearly flawless—bordering on perfection.
At first glance, it seemed straightforward. Sun had merely concentrated his aura into his fist and struck. But as Zhong analyzed it further, the terrifying sequence of moves in the technique became clear.
The initial wave of aura had tensed Sun's muscles, preparing his body for the strike. Then, in less than a second, the aura disappeared, creating a vacuum that absorbed the surrounding energy. When Sun reactivated his aura, the combined force of his own energy and the absorbed energy amplified the punch many times.
But that wasn't all. Just before the impact, Sun had rotated his fist several times with incredible speed, forming a sharp edge of aura. This concentrated edge struck the gate's center point, obliterating it in an instant.
"If he'd used that technique on me when we first fought…" Zhong whispered, his face paling at the thought. "I'd be dead."
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice.
"Zhong, are you okay?"
He looked up to see Mei, one of the younger students, staring at him with concern. Her round face and wide eyes gave her an innocent, almost childlike appearance, though her skills in combat were anything but.
"I'm fine, Mei," Zhong replied, forcing a smile.
"You've been sitting there for hours," she said, crouching beside him. "The others are starting to worry."
"Just… thinking about something," Zhong muttered.
Mei nodded, though she didn't look convinced. "Well, try not to overthink things. Master always says clarity of mind is as important as strength of body." She gave him a playful nudge before running off to join the other students.
Zhong watched her leave, a pang of guilt tugging at his chest. Mei, Jin, and Li were like siblings to him, not bound by blood but through their souls. They had trained together for years, faced countless challenges, and protected each other through thick and thin even before joining the school.
But as he thought of Sun's technique, a dark realization crept into his mind. If someone with Sun's power ever targeted the village, would he be able to protect them?
…..
The next morning, Zhong found a secluded corner of the schoolyard. Instead of practicing the school's traditional techniques, he began attempting to replicate Sun's Single Point Impact.
His first attempts were laughable. He couldn't control the flow of aura through his body with the precision required. Activating aura, releasing it, creating a vacuum, reactivating aura, and rotating his fist all within a split second was simply too much.
Each failure frustrated him more. His punches were clumsy, the aura dissipating harmlessly around him. His arms ached, his mind felt like it was about to burst, but he refused to stop.
From a distance, his master watched silently, a faint smile on his lips. Though Zhong was neglecting the school's techniques, the elder didn't mind. If anything, he felt proud. Zhong was beginning to forge his own path—a sign of growth few of his students ever achieved.
…..
After several days of no progress, Zhong was called away by his master. He and two other students—Jin and Mei—were assigned escort duty.
"This is an important mission," the master said as the three students prepared the carriage. "The villagers rely on us to ensure safe passage through the mountains. Stay vigilant."
Zhong nodded, though his thoughts were still preoccupied with Sun's technique.
As they set off, Jin slapped Zhong on the back, grinning. "Cheer up, Zhou! You've been sulking for days. A little action might be just what you need."
Zhong rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress a small smile. Jin had always been the jokester of their group, his cheerful personality was a constant source of morale.
Mei chimed in from her seat at the front of the carriage. "Let's hope we don't run into anything too exciting. I'd rather this be a boring trip."
…..
Meanwhile, deep in the mountain pass where Sun had first arrived, a gruesome scene unfolded. The ground was littered with the corpses of bandits, their bodies twisted and torn. Many were missing chunks of flesh, their wounds jagged as if a wild beast had feasted on them.
At the center of the massacre stood a humanoid creature. Her skin was pale and covered in faint, blue scales. Her eyes, slit like a serpent's, gleamed with a cold, predatory hunger. Blood dripped from her fanged mouth as she surveyed the massacre.
The creature wasn't here for food, though.
She had sensed something extraordinary. A divine energy radiated faintly through the mountains—a trace left behind by Sun. The source wasn't just Sun's aura; it was his very soul, touched by divinity from his battle with Darius in the Divine Court.
The creature craved that energy. Its purity and strength were unlike anything she had ever encountered. She followed the lingering trail like a bloodhound, the scent of power pulling her closer to the village.
The creature's lips curled into a menacing smile. "Such a sweet scent…" she hissed, her voice a chilling whisper. "I have to devour him."
The moonlight illuminated her grotesque figure as she moved through the shadows, her steps silent but heavy at the same time. With every moment, she drew closer to the village, her hunger growing stronger.