Chapter 18 : A Grand little sparring

Funny thing is after my meridians formed my strength is already three times my previous self on earth, I think those people will talk to the elders for a while .

I think it’s time to do a little sparring , I haven’t utilized my skills in any kind of actual combat , normally rune master and formation masters can apply some of the formations in actual battle especially the ones which are a grade lower than their current level , normally the ones at their current level takes a lot more time to create but it is heavily dependent on their Qi control and calculation for formations and with the runes its Qi control and Concepts , rune masters can utilize runes in combat which uses their Concept to create canvas for them weave runes on and concepts can also be utilized with formation but both of them are used very differently in a battle .

“Hey Rong, let’s have a small sparring match. You must be itching to test your new powers after all,” I said with a grin on my face.

Ning Rong arched an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “You want to spar with me? Are you sure about that? .”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh, please. You might have some fancy new powers, but don’t forget who taught you half of what you know. Besides, I’m curious to see how well that ‘Battery Rune’ works in a real fight.”

She pretended to consider it, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know, Feng. It seems a bit unfair. I mean, you’re just a humble rune maker, and I’m... well, me.”

“Is that so?” I said, crossing my arms. “Are you afraid you’ll lose? I promise I won’t hold it against you if you cry.”

Her eyes narrowed playfully. “You’re really asking for it, aren’t you?”

“Maybe I am,” I shot back, my grin widening. “So, what do you say? Ready to put your lightning to the test?”

She sighed dramatically, but I could see the excitement in her eyes. “Fine, fine. But don’t go crying to mother when I wipe the floor with you.”

“That’s the spirit,” I said, clapping my hands together. “But let’s set some ground rules first. For this match, you can only use your lightning abilities. No other tricks or powers. Agreed?”

Ning Rong pouted, but nodded. “Agreed. I suppose it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

We walked to a clearing near the training grounds, a perfect spot for our little spar. As we squared off, a small crowd of younger clan members started to gather, curious about the commotion.

“Alright,” I said, rolling my shoulders to loosen up. “Ready when you are, young clan leader.”

Ning Rong smirked, a spark of lightning crackling around her fingertips. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Alright, Feng. You’re on, but don’t come crying to me when you’re on the ground, begging for mercy.”

As we moved to a nearby training area, the anticipation between us crackled in the air. I could see the excitement building in her eyes, her confidence radiating like a storm about to break. She stopped a few paces away from me, and I could tell she was readying herself.

“Remember,” I said, pointing a finger at her. “No other abilities. Just your lightning.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I heard you the first time. Let’s get this started.”

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them again, they were filled with an intense pink lightning, dancing and sparking with raw power. The sight was mesmerizing, and for a second, I almost forgot that I was about to fight her.

“Impressive,” I said, genuinely awed. “Your control has improved a lot.”

She smirked. “Just wait until you see what I can do now.”

The air around her began to shimmer with electric energy, and I could feel the static prickle on my skin. Her hair, which had that rainbowish hue, seemed to lift slightly as the power coursed through her. The pink lightning arced and crackled around her, creating an almost ethereal glow.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. “Alright, then. Let’s see what you’ve got, young clan leader.”

She grinned, her eyes sparking with determination and excitement. “Don’t hold back, Feng. I want to see your full strength too.”

“As you wish,” I replied, getting into my fighting stance.

The atmosphere was charged with electricity, both literal and figurative, as we faced each other. Ning Rong’s pink lightning illuminated her face, making her look almost otherworldly. I knew that this sparring match was going to be a true test of our abilities, and despite the banter, I was ready to give it my all.

“Ready?” she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

“Ready,” I replied, my grin matching hers.

We stood there, waiting for the moment to strike, the pink lightning reflecting in both our eyes. The battle was about to begin, and I could feel the thrill of the challenge coursing through my veins.

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As she moved towards me like a pink bolt of lightning , I manipulated the nodes I have created in the area to make a ‘Shield formation ‘ , her punch collided with something ethereal and she bounced back .

“what’s that?”

Instead of replying I moved my hands and few more nodes formed , I can only control two formations at a time at my level and I have very small reserves of Qi , suddenly the shield disappeared and a thick mist covered the area .

I casted another formation while keeping track of her movements through my soul sense and with a little bit of prediction I placed new nodes around a certain area.

Ning rong started to feel dizzy and suddenly lightning enveloped her as she dashed to the area outside of mist coverage but the moment she landed on the ground , she saw something shining near her and then, she was in triangular cage.

While Rong is trapped in cage I better put this time to good use and set up a trap formation , he thought as he pulled out three Green Seeds and started casting a formation using them , a formation that doesn’t need his active control, after doing he casted a new formation as he had already released his mist formation which was about to disappear and ran away.

The mist dissipated to reveal Ning feng holding his hand in her direction with a grin on his face .

“ Can you be any more predictable ?”

She burst out with all her strength and using her preliminary concept she sent all her lightning in her right fist and punched .

The barrier shattered like a piece of glass sending its shards flying everywhere which disappeared into motes of light , wiping the arrogant grin off his face she bolted towards him , Ning feng had a panicked look on his face but she suddenly stopped 10 metres away from him and sent a bolt of lightning from her Grade 2 ring .

The lightning passed through him as if he wasn't even there, this confirmed her suspicion that it is one of his illusion formations And the moment lightning struck , another Formation lit up and the area was completely covered in green vines as thick as a tree trunk.

“ You need to make the illusion more believable , there was no shadow of you on the ground.” She moved her face in his direction.

“ I wasted an expensive material to set up that trap formation .”he Grimaced

He moved his hands and suddenly a sword of light fell from the above and when she looked up she saw a 20 swords hovering above her .

Damn

She ran as the swords fell she dodged one after the other they were threatening but only if she was immobile and this killing formation was not that strong , she approached ning feng while dodging the swords .

“ There is no use spending so much qi to cast a formation like this , it can not hurt me.” She zapped around like pink current flowing through a white river .

“Now for making me run around like a mouse you will get a beating.” She had a victorious smile on her face but suddenly her smile faltered as shock replaced it as she was one metre away from him she sensed a disturbance in her surroundings and she saw white lights shining everywhere in her peripheral vison.

“Wh-“ she was unable to move or speak , she was frozen in place as 20 white ropes tightly bound her.

” Nah , You lose . This is a Grade 2 Formation , you know .” Ning feng said with a smug expression as he placed a sword on her neck . He has just used those twenty swords as nodes for his Grade 2 formation .

Formations are mainly used in support roles or defence due to the fact that it needs to be based around nodes , it can also be used to create traps using killing formations or control the opponent using Binding formations.

While runes are mainly used for attacking the opponent directly , it might seem like there is an overlap between the usage of runes and formations in battle with martial techniques but that is not true as formations and runes takes a lot more time to cast compared to techniques of the same level for instance a Qi manifestation cultivator will take around 20 seconds to cast a Grade 2 formation and 10 seconds for a Grade 2 Rune in a battle while it will take only around 5 seconds for him to use a martial technique .

Well its a bit different for me.

The biggest benefit a formation would have over a technique is its extremely low usage of Qi , so normally what cultivators with this level of prowess in formations and runes do is use one Grade lower Formations to support their techniques or create traps or to drain their opponents defences and Qi reserves while maintaining their own reserves.

In case of runes of runes the biggest benefit is once created it can be maintained on the side and used at an opportune moment and no of runes completely depends on the user’s Qi control and concept level, that’s why even if they can create higher level runes creating lower level ones is more often than not more beneficial as you will able to maintain a higher number of them .

Techniques at the same level are usually more powerful than the runes or formations even if it’s a Human grade technique on lower cultivation levels like body tempering and Qi manifestation.

Techniques are usually divided into –

Human

Earth

Heaven

Immortal

Ning Rong glared at me, her frustration evident as she struggled against the ropes binding her. “I can’t believe I lost,” she muttered, her voice tinged with annoyance. “What was that mist, anyway?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her disgruntled expression. “That,” I said, gesturing grandly, “was a peak-level one formation I came up with after studying paralysis and mist formations. I mixed it with some research about soul and soul-related formations that I did to help you understand your second concept better.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You mean you used all those books you were always buried in to create that thing?”

“Exactly,” I replied, my grin widening. “It’s a combination of several principles: the mist to obscure vision, a subtle paralysis effect to disorient, and a touch of soul manipulation to make it harder to resist. It’s pretty ingenious, if I do say so myself.”

Ning Rong huffed, clearly not amused. “You and your ridiculous formations. You always have some new trick up your sleeve.”

“That’s the point,” I said, shrugging. “You have to keep things unpredictable, especially when dealing with someone as strong as you. Besides,” I added with a teasing tone, “you were the one who said my illusions weren’t believable enough. So, I had to step up my game.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a small smile. “Fine, you win this round. But don’t think I’m not going to get back at you for this.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” I said, releasing the formation and letting the ropes dissolve into the air. Ning Rong brushed herself off, still fuming but less upset now that she knew what had happened.

As she regained her composure, she asked, “So, this formation of yours... can you teach it to me?”

I blinked in surprise. “You want to learn how to counter it?”

“Of course,” she said, folding her arms. “If I can understand how it works, I can figure out ways to counter it. Plus, it might come in handy in future fights.”

I nodded, impressed by her practicality. “Alright, I’ll teach you. But you’ll owe me one.”

She smirked. “Deal. And next time, I won’t lose so easily.”

“Good,” I said, feeling a sense of satisfaction. “Because next time, I’ll have even more tricks ready.”

Ning Rong laughed, her earlier frustration melting away. “You’re impossible, Feng.”

“Just doing my job,” I replied with a wink. “Keeping you on your toes”

“But once I master some techniques along with this ability I going to pummel you for this loss and I haven’t used my other ability so don’t think you can beat me , its a lot stronger now. “she said .

Isolation formation is about to go down , the moment he thought that , the formation disappeared . after sometime he heard footsteps approaching and heard his adoptive mother’s voice “ Rong Rong , Feng’er come here I want you both to meet someone .“