But rather than pounce Kayle paused His brow furrowed and there was a strange second of stillness from him
Huang Li passed through the edge of the halo and landed onto the ground He adjusted his stance and lowered his wo dao slightly bewildered But then he saw that all the hanging blades of KayleÆs Skill shimmer and then transform into hands
Li was dumbfounded This was a legitimate Skill And somehow Kayle had adjusted its shape on the fly Are you kidding me
Can this really be done with just an image Huang Li wondered
IÆm a man of my word Kayle responded Then he rushed forward that Domain of palms spinning and swirling outward to surround Huang Li
But with the few seconds of a break Li had regained his balance and connected with the air swirling around the whole of the arena That forceful usage of his image boosted his physical performance to a point that he had never experienced in the past His wo dao drifted downward and then he exploded forward to meet the palms directly
His blade could only be seen when it caught the light as it flickered and flashed to deflect the oncoming attacks But even now Li still trailed behind KayleÆs physical abilities by the smallest amount His steps were light and uneven as he forcefully pushed his muscles and joints to their limits to avoid the brutally sharp attacks from Kayle And for the first time since the battle began KayleÆs smile slowly faded
While the explosions from the other fight continued to blast their way across the wide arena Kayle spoke with a cold certainty Bring out the other sword This is no judgment on you but you are not my match otherwise Show me your sharpest sword or you will be beaten into the ground
But Huang Li didnÆt bother to answer Instead he continued to frantically swing his sword up down left right and around to defend against the veritable swarm of palms that struck at him His Stamina and mental energy were gradually being exhausted but Li somehow knew he couldnÆt survive by conserving his strength Besides he had the oddest sense that as long as he continued fighting for just a little while longer he would be able to find the answer he sought
Wo dao and palms repeatedly clashed The lines around KayleÆs eyes gradually hardened
Yet this couldnÆt last forever Even with the extra boost from his DragonÆs Dance Huang LiÆs momentum was gradually exhausted and he was barely able to hold his ground He could match the Domain well enough but KayleÆs actual attacks were brutally sharp His hands were so filled with the concentrated image of sharpness that Li could hear the wind whistling as those fingers cut through the air Li had to urge his body to keep up with the onslaught but an answer to his prayers continued to allude him
Congratulations Your Skill DragonÆs Dance has grown to Level 259
Not that he didnÆt understand KayleÆs frustration the other man wanted a challenge Huang LiÆs training was ultimately a job to him but he wouldnÆt have risen to his current station as head of the guard if he didnÆt find some joy and passion in the act of combat Even now as the wind whipped through LiÆs hair and he was trembling with the strain of resisting KayleÆs attacks he felt something reassuring about the conflict
This fight was a problem that could be solved with preparation and planning Which is why Huang Li didnÆt now try and create the sword he had used to such great results in the prior match That was far too blunt an instrument to be relied upon here
One of KayleÆs attacks slipped past Huang LiÆs guard and landed on his left bicep Rather than any true concussive force the strike actually drilled a small hole directly through LiÆs bone and muscle to blast out the other side Blood dribbled down his limb as he forced his hands to remain tight around his sword and block the next attack
Congratulations Your Skill Greater Swordsmanship (Un) has grown to Level 219
When Li had finally managed to unleash his Sky Slaying Sword in the prior match it had both left him completely drained and with lingering mental interference He had opened himself up to the ambient images in the air and gathered them together in an enormous mass That mass became the fuel to create the imposing effect that the Ghosthound himself was forced to move in order to block
But it was dangerous And it was not the sort of strike that Huang Li felt proud of
Fine then Kayle said lightly His movements seemed to blur at the edges as he brought down a series of curving palm strikes toward LiÆs body The increase in his speed was slight but the two of them had been already moving at Huang LiÆs limit The first attack he deflected but the second left a deep gash across his forearm and the third forced him to retreat a half step
Kayle twisted and brought his elbow smashing into LiÆs arm The domain of hands smashed downward at LiÆs head and back
Preparation and planning Huang LiÆs eyes flashed While the attacks closed in on him from every direction his mind seemed to spin furiously The motion was desperate but with his heightened senses Huang Li could feel his body come alive Time seemed to slow down His eyes flicked side to side to cover all the threats
Congratulations You have created the Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths Warning This action will consume your life energy Please see your Village Spirit in order to avoid sickness and death
Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 2
Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 3
Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 4
The truth was ambient images werenÆt the only way to absorb strength and empower himself Huang Li remembered the way his adoptive aunt smiled at him and poured him steaming tea He remembered the instructors at the academy standing with ramrod straight spines and pointing out the flaws in his sword grip He remembered the sound of wind rushing through the reeds along the river and the way his Glorious Leaders had joked it sounded like the laughter of dragons playing in the shallows
It was reality but it was also an image
KayleÆs attacks steadily inched closer A terrible headache made Huang Li grit his teeth But from those fragmented memories he could see the shape of the image he had been building for the past five years all for this moment
It would have been an impossible task on his own to build such a powerful image in such a short period of time Five years was nothing on the grand scale of human history But he wasnÆt on his own The weight of Chinese culture gave him shape detail and poignancy THAT was the power of being an average man
Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 5
Congratulations Your Skill The Stretch Between a DragonÆs Breaths has grown to Level 6
Finally Huang Li couldnÆt maintain his new Skill any longer But he whipped his sword around slightly altering the trajectory of KayleÆs attack and the sweeping away the Domain that struck at his back Li felt his pinky break from a glancing strike of the elbow but his gaze remained focused
Of course it wasnÆt that simple to bridge that gap between Kayle and himself even with a blooming image KayleÆs emotionless eyes detected the change in LiÆs style and he seemed to cut through the intervening space to strike before any further variations could appear His hands ripped forward like a falcon spiking downward at the unsuspecting back of a rabbit
DragonÆs Roar Huang Li hissed The explosion of wind barely slowed Kayle down at all but it did get LiÆs momentum heading backward So when KayleÆs attack landed he was smashed backward rather than simply being crushed
Chapter 1455
Wind and dust blasted outward as Kayle struck Huang Li Releasing a deep sigh Paolo pulled his envious gaze from the tumbling form of Huang Li and looked back at Huang Shou in front of him You know you are more tenacious than I would have thought But please give up Your teammate is at the end of his rope and I donÆt wish to win more slowly than Kayle