Chapter 56
"What on earth is he up to?"
"Shh!"
Meanwhile, the clash of battle had erupted just moments before. Ji Wuye shut his eyes, immersing himself in a deep breath, honing his concentration on the Lower Dantian to attune to the rhythmic flow of Qi.
"Junior Brother, I'll confine myself to the 3rd realm!" Wu Gao declared, determination etched across his face.
"Hmm," Ji Wuye exhaled, his eyes aglow with a crimson intensity as he propelled forward.
SWOOSH-!
His steps glided seamlessly across the polished marble floor, leaving bystanders agape at the spectacle.
"Gliding? Let me put you to the test!" On the flip side, Wu Gao tightened his grip on his jian, advancing to intercept Ji Wuye.
A sudden twist of his hips and a lowered stance signaled his readiness, his eyes flashing with a fierce resolve as Qi surged into his Middle Dantian.
Dantian Drilling, Middle Drill!
Wu Gao's body burst into fluid motion, his jian executing a swift upward thrust. Qi surged through his Middle Dantian, propelling him with tremendous power as he closed the distance on Ji Wuye.
Gliding effortlessly towards Wu Gao, Ji Wuye couldn't help but smile to himself.
The figure approaching him blinked and came into focus, wielding a jian, while a transparent screen materialized in front of him.
[!] Your passive skill, Quick Adaptation(E), has been triggered!
For a fleeting moment, time itself seemed to halt, nature itself holding its breath to witness the unfolding spectacle. Within this suspended pause, Wu Gao's appearance underwent a gradual metamorphosis.
Starting from his initial stance, an ethereal version of Wu Gao descended into a lower position, his knees flexing with graceful precision.
The illusory figure then entered a state of suspended motion before seamlessly transitioning into another manifestation.
Wu Gao's phantom body pivoted on his lead foot, displaying remarkable agility as it twisted to flank his side, tracing the after-action of the previous move.
Like a scene frozen in a cinematic tableau, a subsequent phantom of Wu Gao materialized. In this iteration, he held his jian horizontally with both hands, poised ominously above his head.
The sequence unfolded, multiplying the illusory bodies until there were four distinct manifestations of Wu Gao.
Each conveyed a concealed maneuver within the artful guise of the second movement of the Dantian Drilling Stage, known as the Middle Drill.
Once these intricately woven images coalesced and were transmitted to Ji Wuye's mind, time resumed its natural flow.
The phantom images dissipated, seamlessly replaced by the tangible reality of Wu Gao charging forward, now embodying the formidable second move, the Middle Drill.
In response, Ji Wuye's calm crimson eyes formed a subtle smile on his lips.
This reaction was facilitated by the foresight granted by his Quick Adaptation, a skill that had been diligently gathering and analyzing various techniques exhibited in the initial wave.
'Middle Drill, a feigned attack, huh? The odds are high, but let's see...'
However, in that very moment, time once again came to a standstill.
In the ensuing fleeting moment, a new apparition of Wu Gao emerged, introducing intricacy to the mesmerizing combat dance.
His jian hand extended skyward, perfectly aligned with his revised lower stance.
This fluid motion birthed another phantom of Wu Gao, capturing the essence of his expanding chest as he inhaled deeply.
In harmony with his inhalation, the jian blade gracefully descended, mirroring the fluid and darting movement of a serpent.
The subsequent exhale expelled Qi, purposefully guided along the Lung meridian, accentuating the precision of the downward arc.
These seamlessly interwoven movements composed a captivating second series. The imagery of this sequence, akin to a vivid tapestry, once again etched itself in Ji Wuye's mind, signaling the impending resumption of time.
As the temporal suspension lifted, Wu Gao seamlessly reverted to the familiar charging posture, seamlessly continuing with the Middle Drill.
'The second possibility...
'So, Double Slash and Single Whip, huh?' Ji Wuye contemplated inwardly.
In the ensuing moment, following the sequence of imaginary images etched in his mind, Wu Gao moved precisely as he had foreseen.
"Look! Brother Wu's unveiling his special move!"
"Heh, does he really deserve that move?!"
Whispers from the disciples echoed, especially from the Official Disciples, their eager eyes glued to the unfolding spectacle.
Wu Gao's jian sliced through the air with lethal grace, leaving ethereal wisps of Qi in its wake.
Ji Wuye, seemingly unperturbed, elegantly glided into the path of Wu Gao's Double Slash, a technique hailing from the first stage, Meridian March.
"Junior Brother, what are you doing?!" Wu Gao exclaimed in bewilderment, momentarily disrupting the rhythmic sounds of combat as he executed the precise Double Slash.
But suddenly...
CLANK-!
A metallic clash resonated through the training grounds as Ji Wuye's jian, previously held lower than his waist, astonishingly parried Wu Gao's Double Slash.
The movement unfolded with such swiftness that even Wu Gao, intentionally restraining his strength to the 3rd realm, found himself momentarily captivated by Ji Wuye's agile defense.
Suspended mid-air, Wu Gao experienced an unexpected force pushing him back, disrupting the intended trajectory of his attack.
In stark contrast, Ji Wuye, halting his glide, firmly planted his foot on the polished marble floor.
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