Shen's spiritual blade cut through the air like a thunderclap.
Kael saw the attack coming.
Before, he would have dodged purely on instinct.
Now... he could see the patterns.
He tracked the flow of energy in Shen's body, the way it gathered in his muscles before the strike. He noticed the subtle pivot of his foot to add force to the blow and the deliberate angle of the blade—a move designed not to kill but to test Kael's new speed.
He doesn't want to kill me, Kael realized. He wants to measure the difference.
For the first time, Kael didn't step back.
He advanced.
The blade descended.
Kael twisted his body into the attack, slipping just beneath the deadly arc. The blade missed by a hair's breadth, and Kael countered.
Black energy surged around his fingers, sharp as the claws of a shadowy beast.
Activated Technique: Abyssal Claws (Enhanced Version).
Kael's strike tore through the air, aiming directly for Shen's neck.
The errant smirked.
He had been expecting this.
At the last second, Shen shifted his weight, twisting his body out of the attack's path while snapping his leg upward in a punishing counterstrike.
Kael realized the trap a moment too late.
The kick connected with his stomach, a crushing blow that sent him flying backward.
CRACK!
Kael's body slammed into a tree, the impact reverberating through his ribs. Agonizing pain flared in his chest as his body screamed at him to stop.
But Kael didn't stop.
He fell to one knee, coughing up blood, and forced himself back to his feet.
His black eyes gleamed with an intense light.
This... this is incredible.
Shen spun his blade casually, observing Kael as the boy steadied himself.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Shen asked, his voice calm but knowing.
Kael took a deep breath, his chest still aching. He knew exactly what Shen meant.
Every exchange of blows. Every mistake punished. Every successful strike burned into his body.
This wasn't cultivation from books or the careful wisdom of secluded masters.
This was the brutal, unforgiving truth of combat.
Kael smiled.
His body was battered and bloodied, but he couldn't stop smiling.
"Again," he said, his voice firm.
Shen laughed, low and deep.
"Now you're getting it, kid. Now you're starting to understand."
The fight resumed.
Hours passed. Time lost all meaning.
Shen attacked without mercy, his strikes faster and more precise with every round. Kael dodged, countered, and learned.
Each mistake brought pain, but every ounce of pain brought growth. Kael's movements grew sharper, his reactions faster. He wasn't just learning; he was adapting.
And then, he began to evolve.
Passive Skill Evolved: Adaptive Reflexes → Instinctual Predator.
Kael's body no longer merely reacted—it anticipated. Each attack Shen launched seemed to unfold in Kael's mind before it even happened, his instincts guiding him with terrifying accuracy.
By the time the battle ended, Kael was drenched in sweat and blood, his breaths heavy but steady.
Yet he remained standing.
Shen studied the boy before him, his sharp eyes taking in the transformation.
Nothing about Kael looked human anymore.
The black void of his eyes, the controlled rhythm of his breathing, the faint smile that lingered on his lips...
Shen sighed and sheathed his blade.
"That's enough for today," he said.
Kael relaxed his stance, though his body still hummed with the energy of battle. He didn't argue—he, too, knew when to stop.
For today, it was enough.
But tomorrow...
Tomorrow would be even worse.
And Kael couldn't wait.