Chapter 30: Experiment #4

Chapter 30: Experiment #4

For a split second, I contemplated leaving this guy here and running away. However, it wasnt 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 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!