CG Chapter 25: The Painful pursuit of mastery

After he mastered the Second Ring, Tom decided to seek Tian Chang's guidance on how to train the Third Ring.

"I already trained the first Two Rings to mastery. Don't you think I should start with the 'Scavengers Palm' now?" Asked Tom as he already got bored from hitting trees over and over again.

Tian Chang thought about it for a while before replying, "Yeah, you are correct. It's about time you learn the 'Scavengers Palm' since once you master it and grasp the Fourth Ring, the 'Beast Stomp,' the other three Rings from the fifth to the seventh Ring will be trained at the same time."

Tom was surprised that he trained in each of the first four Rings individually, and now Tian Chang suddenly told him that he would need to train the rest of the Rings together all at once. Tom wondered if this was the actual training method or if Tian Chang was in a hurry for some reason. However, Tom didn't ask him any of that, as the only thing that filled his mind was his training of the 'Scavenger's Palm.'

Eager to know the details, Tom inquired, "How do I train the Third Ring?"

"For the 'Scavengers Palm,' you would need to first hunt an animal called the CorroJax. This animal has a unique level of stomach acidity. Its gastric acids aren't too powerful to the degree that would cause your hands to melt instantly, and it's not weak enough to the extent that you wouldn't feel it. After you hunt it, you must dissect the CorroJax corpse and extract its stomach content into a bowl. You mustn't remove your hands from the bowl unless I tell you to stop or if you see your skin fall apart."

Tom couldn't help but curse the creator of this martial art for making it so agonizing and challenging to train. He wondered if the creator of the 'Eight Predatory Rings' was a masochist or simply insane.

As his curiosity ate him up, Tom couldn't help himself from asking, "Before I hunt this CorroJax or whatever its name is, can you tell me where you got this martial art from?"

Once he heard Tom's question, Tian Chang paused for a second before answering him, "I was taught this martial art by my father, who found it in a cave that was inhabited by an unknown hunter."

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With his curiosity partially sated, Tom embarked on a journey to find the elusive CorroJax.

While knowing the general location of the CorroJax was of great help to Tom, that didn't mean that the hunt for the CorroJax was an easy feat. Known for its elusive nature, it buried itself underground only to come out to hunt its prey using its venomous shooting ducts.

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The CorroJax greenish skin glow shimmered as it reflected the moonlight, and its body entered and exited the soil with a somewhat graceful look.

Carefully, Tom followed the CorroJax's trail, mindful of its venomous shooting ducts. One wrong move could prove fatal. He needed to be patient and strike at the perfect moment.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tom spotted the CorroJax emerging from the ground to hunt its prey. It moved swiftly and gracefully, making it difficult to keep up with.

Tom's heart raced as he prepared to make his move. He knew he had only one chance to capture the CorroJax, and he couldn't afford to miss it.

As the creature lunged at its prey, Tom seized the opportunity. With lightning speed, he launched himself toward the CorroJax, using the techniques he had learned from the first two Rings to move with precision and accuracy.

In a swift and fluid motion, Tom managed to capture the CorroJax before it could react. He held it firmly, avoiding its venomous ducts, and quickly subdued it.

With the CorroJax captured, Tom prepared for the next part of his training. He carefully dissected the creature and extracted its stomach content into a bowl, as instructed by Tian Chang.

Taking a deep breath, Tom immersed his hands in the acidic substance. The searing pain was as intense as it could be. The feeling spread from the tips of his fingers to his whole hand. Tom felt as if his skin was slowly falling off from its place. However, he didn't care as he gritted his teeth and endured the agony with the smile of a madman.

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock

As the moments passed slowly, Tom began to feel that the effects of the CorroJax's stomach acidity became even stronger. The pain intensified on Tom, and he struggled to even breathe.

"Once I master this wretched Palm technique, I swear to hunt down every last one of those CorroJax. This acid is! Gah," Tom seethed with frustration and pain, his emotions about to explode out of control.

Noticing the state of Tom's hands, Tian Chang shouted, "Enough, remove your hand."

"But I can still go on," Tom said with resolve.

Tian Chang chuckled as he dispelled Tom's misconception. "I didn't intend to stop your training. I actually wanted to notify you that once you reach a certain limit in this Ring, you'll need to use the 'Scavengers Palm' multiple times on a boulder. First, you'll place your hands in the bowl and then strike them firmly onto the rough, rugged surface of the boulder until you can no longer feel your hands. Then, you'll repeat the action of immersing your hand in the bowl and pounding at the boulder over and over again."

Tom wasn't sure if he hated the pain or if he enjoyed his progress; however, his burning resolve and the madness within him made him keep on going over and over again.

Tom continued his training as he pushed himself to the limits while he honed his skills in the 'Scavengers Palm.' He slowly realized that the 'Scavengers Palm' wasn't simply a Palm technique. Instead, he had to time the change in his hand form precisely, as he needed to switch his hands from a Palm to a claw that would take the surface layer from his enemy, much like a vulture relentless in its pursuit of prey.

As the moon shone down upon him, Tom finally comprehended the true meaning behind this Ring. "I have become even more curious about the identity of the mysterious hunter who created this martial art. And while I still don't really like his agonizing training methods. I still can feel the profound prowess that this martial art holds."