Sword Training

Using Vortex Thrust, Li Wuhan was able to narrowly avoid a blow to the ribs, instead the claws of the panther connected with his side. The pain was brought down to a dull throb due to the barrier he had activated before finding his opponent. Li Wuhan touched where the panther had gotten him and raised his hand to his face. "Good, no blood."

Activating Qi Sword, a glowing gray-white sword blinked into existence in his outstretched hand. Raising it at the ready above his head, Li Wuhan used Vortex Thrust to its max to disappear from the panther's sight, only to reappear near enough to land a solid hit on its side.

The toughness of the Panther's hide deflected most of the blow, yet Li Wuhan saw a few drops of crimson blood trickling down a small gash made by his sword. Seeing that he drew first blood, Li Wuhan backed away once more, disappearing again from sight. He silently thanked Hong Zhao for giving him the Qi blocking uniform which hid his cultivation rank. He knew first hand that the panther would only see the ambient Qi disturbed as he rushed through the open area.

Having confused the beast enough, Li Wuhan appeared behind his opponent. The panther was scanning the area in front of him, leaving his rear exposed to attack. Li Wuhan took advantage and once more landed another attack, yet the moment he did, the panther turned quick as the wind and struck Li Wuhan yet again. His Qi barrier once again took on more damage, yet he could feel cracks within the technique starting to form. He had one or two more strikes to finish off the beast, or he had to run.

It wouldn't be the first time Li Wuhan had to run from a fight within the forest. He had learned from his fights with the panthers during his first two weeks of training when Hong Zhao had found him. It's more important to survive than to land the killing blow after all.

Li Wuhan cast all thoughts aside as he circled the panther once more. It seemed more alert than it was the last few times he struck it. Instead of striking the panther where it expected to be struck, Li Wuhan took a page from Hong Zhao's book and launched himself at a tree branch ten feet up. Using his Qi to hold him in place, he took aim and launched himself downward, stabbing the beast in its back. Slashing seemed to have little effect with his sword, yet stabbing downward, using momentum drove the sword through the back and into the beast's heart.

The panther thrashed around with Li Wuhan on it's back for a few seconds, until it finally succumbed to the blow to the heart. Li Wuhan sat on the back of the panther for a moment, reveling in the blow that he had been able to land.

He then carved out the panther's beast core and put it in his ring, then he cut open the panther, removing the bone and organs and harvested the meat before allowing his sword to disappear.

Jumping back into the trees, Li Wuhan found a suitable branch to sit upon and began to cultivate. He had used almost all of his Qi during the fight just to keep his barrier around him. Even though such use of Qi was hindering his ability to lash out with stronger attacks, he could feel his understanding of the ability growing.

Li Wuhan allowed some of the Qi he cultivated to circulate through his organs, some of it seeped in to make them stronger. Soon, his body would have the same density as wood, so long as he continued this path of cultivation.

After regaining his Qi within, he set out again to find another opponent. He looked within the his family ring for a moment to see the stash of beast cores he was able to gain within the first few weeks of fighting. He had at least fifty so far. "Hopefully I'll be able to double that by next week." He said to himself as he launched himself off of the tree and back into the thick of the forest.

He wanted to gain as many beast cores as possible before meeting back up with his sister and Hong Zhao. He was starting to get down the method of refining pills, and had a healthy stash of both Qi Grasping Pills and Health Recovery Pills. Though for every third pill he made, he lost at least one. He thought back to the first day of refining and remembered the twenty batches he had tried before making his first pill. A week later, three pills seemed to be a good pace for a beginner.

He remembered when Hong Zhao had told him that he was to be the new alchemist. After all of the pills that he had been given by his friend, he knew he had a lot to make up for. Since meeting Hong Zhao, he and his sister had gone through hundreds of his stash of pills over the years. If he was to start repaying his friend, he had to put in his best effort. "Fifty beast cores would mean at least forty-five pills at the end of the day." He smiled as he thought of the gain in knowledge he would receive.

As he looked below, he saw yet another panther. The light being drawn into its hide, making it a little more difficult to see. Li Wuhan thought back to the day he had met Hong Zhao, when he was shrouded in the darkness of the Shadow Panther pelts, dropping down to the forest floor and decapitating their captors. He chuckled when he remembered just how weak he was back then.

After a moment of recollection, Li Wuhan launched himself down to the floor, repeating the final step first and stabbed the panther through its thick hide, hitting the heart in one go.

"I will not feel right just being support for Hong Zhao in the future." He said to himself, knowing the truth in which he spoke. If he kept up the pace, he might be able to consider himself a partner to the younger boy. He plucked out the beast core and put it in his ring. "That makes fifty one."