To be strong and weak

To be strong and weak

[Tai Lung's POV]

I stood on the roof of the Tower of the Sacred Flames as I looked at the city below. The tower was ten stories high and was the tallest structure in all of Gongmen City. It was visible even miles away.

Although I was so high up, my eyes were easily able to observe the people below. Specifically at the Kung Fu Council who were waiting for me at the arena outside the palace.

There were more people than yesterday as this was an official duel, and many people wanted to witness it. Other than the normal guards stationed around and the nobles, I saw six masters there.

Master Rhino, Master Ox, Master Croc, the Gazelle whom I thought was a prostitute but was actually also a master from what I saw and heard, Master Elephant and finally Soothsayer were also there.

I looked down at how the guards were stationed and carefully checked if there was something fishy going on. I knew it was unlikely but it was always better to be cautious, for all I knew Shen could suddenly appear during our fight.

After seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary, I let out a sigh.

It would be wrong to say that I was as enthusiastic as I was yesterday. The future that Soothsayer described had left much for me to think about.

It made me question the path I was walking and the plans that I had made. It also left me with yet another realization that I was still not strong enough for the upcoming threat.

Kai.

The warrior who was going to defeat me according to what Soothsayer had described. If I could not grow strong enough to face him, nothing I did right now would matter.

If it was Kai in his base, I had no doubt that I could defeat even a dozen of him as I am right now. But Kai's real strength was in the Chi that he stole.

Not to mention the fact that I would need to master Chi just so I could face him without having my own Chi stolen, he was an almost impossible opponent to defeat.

The guy would've stolen Oogway's Chi even before he came back to the mortal realm. Coupled with the fact that he stole other master's Chi and that he was a Spirit Warrior who could never get exhausted, I did not like my chances against him.

I need more power.

I chuckled at that thought. 40 years and I was still chasing after power. The reasons have changed but the pursuit remains the same.

"One step at a time." I said and looked at the vast infinite horizon.

"And what better first step than beating the leader of the Kung Fu Council?" I said and leapt down from the roof of the tower.

My body sliced through the frigid morning air and I descended towards the arena like a falling star. I flipped in the air to slow down my momentum before I landed in front of Master Rhino with a small shockwave.

"I was afraid you'd never come." Master Rhino said with a smirk and I got up to my feet while slapping the imaginary dust from my fur.

"I have never seen someone so eager to lose." I said before cupping my fist and giving the Master Rhino a bow of respect.

Although I was stronger than him, I must show respect as the challenger. He was the one doing me a favor by accepting my challenge when he did not stand to gain anything.

He nods back at me in acknowledgement.

I looked around at the observers and took a closer look at them. My eyes lingered on Master Elephant and his robust physique. He stood around 20 feet tall and my senses told me that he was more of a building than an animal.

"Did you gain a few pounds while I was away master Elephant?" I asked with a smile to which the grumpy elephant scoffed.

"I am not the young bull I used to be Tai Lung. I would've taken you on if Master Rhino was not already doing it."

"Sure you were." I smiled. The last time we fought he could not even catch me due to our difference in speed.

On another note, I never expected him to join the Kung Fu Council. I thought he was all about a strong bull not needing a group or backing. But I guess he had grown as he said.

My eyes shifted again and fell on the gazelle with the alluring smile. She seemed equally shocked and amused to learn my identity. I was no longer wearing my cloak so everyone could see who I was.

"I thought you were someone who works horizontally." I said, choosing a more respectable word since I now knew she was not only a master but a member of the Kung Fu Council.

"Oh honey, sorry to burst your bubble but I don't do that. But if you beg me I might consider it." She said with a coy smile.

I deadpanned at her which only caused her to giggle.

"So.." Master Rhino drawls while he roved his robe to reveal his bare torso. His body was filled with iron-like muscles ready to explode into action.

"Shall we start?"

I turned to look at him and with a smile, I agreed. "I am ready when you are."

He twirled his signature weapon - the Warhammer - before he planted the bottom of the hammer on the ground. "Do you have your weapon?"

My claws came out of my fingers and they cut the air like sharp blades.

"Always."

Master Rhino fixed his posture and got into a stance. He grabbed his hammer and aimed the head at me.

I cracked my neck and in the next breath, Master Rhino shot towards me at a speed illogical for his size.

His huge body caused a disturbance in the air as he planted his feet on the ground when he was in front of me. Then in a perfect straight line, his hammer flew towards me.

Since it was coming at me in a straight line, my eyes could not tell the distance it covered. It felt like it was not moving towards me even, but I knew better.

I side-stepped to my left and let the hammer fly past me. The air exploded and a small hurricane was formed due to the sheer force behind a single attack.

He grabbed his hammer and pivot on his heel and swung it at me. I dodged it again by ducking down. The strong wind produced by his swing ruffled my fur.

He quickly spun around and swung his Warhammer overhead. The weapon descended on me and this time, it seemed even stronger.

But with a simple twist of my body, I dodged the attack and stepped forward. I was so close to him that he had no way of attacking me anymore with his long weapon. I was in an awkward position for him to strike.

"Don't tell me that's all you can do." I said, my tone unamused as my eyes pierced his. He had gotten stronger for sure but that was it.

His Kung Fu remained the same and as someone who already learned his style of Kung Fu as well, he was predictable.

I used flash steps and appeared before him. I was so fast that I was able to stand half a second in front of him before he noticed me in his disoriented state.

That was all I needed.

"Internal Destruction." I said and threw a punch right at his chest. It did not matter how tough his hide was or what armour he was wearing.

My attack went past all his defences and exploded inside his body. He immediately grabbed his chest and fell on his knee. Blood spilled from his nose and mouth as his eyes shook.

I did not give him mercy as I kneed him on his face. The attack did no real damage but it shook the brain inside his skull.

My smile went wider as I grabbed his giant horn with both hands. Then I spun around and used all of my muscles to pull at him.

I was not strong enough to lift him up. Even after strengthening my muscles with Chi, I was not strong enough to throw his heavy body around.

But I had other solutions.

My nostrils opened up to the limit as I sucked in huge amounts of air. A small vortex formed near my nose as I breathed in.

Snow leopards lived in high altitudes and in cold temperatures where oxygen was scarce. Therefore they had powerful lungs and a large chest cavity to gather as much oxygen as possible.

It might seem like a random fact to some but if you know how to utilize that special biology, you can use it as an advantage.

And with all of my knowledge in Kung Fu and fighting techniques, I knew exactly how to utilize my special biology.

'Sun Breating!!' I said in my mind as I used inner peace to create the miracle necessary to execute this technique of a different world.

My eyes shone bright yellow and my veins popped out visibly due to the rush of oxygen. Then in a feat of strength beyond my capability, I pulled Master Rhino's body and threw him over my shoulder like a ragdoll.

*BADOOOM!!!*

His body crashed into the arena with a loud explosion as his body left a permanent mark on the platform specifically made to be durable.

If this was in the city, it would've been enough to collapse towers and buildings. Luckily the arena was designed to accommodate fights so even if this was the most intense fight I had in a while, we did not cause much destruction.

I stood up and stepped back from Master Rhino's unconscious body while I looked at my own hands.

That's it?

Was that really what the leader of the famous Kung Fu Council had to offer? Master Rhino was stronger than Wubao, possessing the same strength if not more than the bear but also a clear mind while wielding such strength.

But I have also grown stronger.

With my new mastery over inner peace and the plethora of techniques I recreated and copied from different worlds, my total combat power had increased dramatically

Even only flash steps had increased my already ridiculous speed tenfold.

At that moment, I was left to contemplate how one could be so strong yet weak. I looked around and the audience all had looks of disbelief.

I made beating Master Rhino look easy.

From the nobles of the City, the guards, Soothsayer and the masters of the Kung Fu Council. They all looked at me with a different light. A mix of horror and amazement.

In their eyes, I saw fear.

I couldn't help but start chuckling in the shocked silence. I did not know what I was feeling at the moment, maybe I found it funny how I was this strong yet it wouldn't be enough for the future.

I stopped chuckling and turned my attention to somewhere else. My eyes skipped past everything else as I focused on the figure perching on top of the wall far away.

A white peacock in a hood.

Shen.

He was also looking at the fight. I noticed him while I was looking down from the top of the tower but I did not know it was Shen.

He immediately ran away when he realized that I noticed him.

"The duel has been concluded. The winner is Tai Lung!!" Master Elephant declared with a solemn face.

Master Rhino's body twitched and he struggled to get up. His students soon gathered around him and tried to help him up.

They glared at me as they helped their master. As if this was not a conceptual duel.

I ignored them and instead made my way towards the wall where I saw Shen. But by the time I was there, he was already long gone.

But I saw a single White feather on the ground.

I took it and quickly put it in my pocket.

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[IMAGE]

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Author : Although Tai Lung's narration hyped up Master Rhino and said he was one of the strongest at least, he was not that powerful in the world. He was killed by the cannon of Shen when Po and even Tigress could survive it so he was definitely not the strongest living master.

Long ass chapter deserves a stone. 3459 words!!

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