"Before jumping, you need to gather your Qi in the meridians in your feet. It also needs a trigger; basically, you need an outburst," Ji Wuye explained patiently to Song Jia, whose brow furrowed in concentration as she listened intently.
Their flickering silhouettes cast dancing shadows on the cave walls, illuminated by the warm glow of torchlight. Ever since the wood-attribute Dungeon's collapse, the current Dungeon had transformed into a seemingly ordinary cavern with rocky surfaces. It was just a bit darker compared to before.
"What outburst? What do you mean by outburst? Is that some kind of water stream?" Song Jia asked, a hint of frustrated annoyance creeping into her voice as she gripped the torch tightly, its flames casting a soft radiance on her flushed cheeks.
Her vexation stemmed from her inability to master – or even properly execute – her Master's sword art despite her relentless efforts. Each failed attempt chipped away at her confidence, leaving her feeling like a mere pretender unworthy of her discipleship.
Ji Wuye, an outsider to her Master's tutelage, could elucidate the intricacies of the sword art with apparent ease, only deepening Song Jia's sense of inadequacy as a disciple.
"Hmm, an outburst... well, in simple terms, it's just a will. How willing are you to perform the Rising Gale?" Ji Wuye calmly elaborated, his steady gait and the jian gripped loosely in his right hand exuding a relaxed demeanor in stark contrast to Song Jia's tense posture as she warily scanned their surroundings, the torchlight flickering across her guarded expression.
"I'm very... very... willing!" Song Jia unconsciously shouted, her pent-up frustration erupting in a heated outburst as she clicked her tongue and shot Ji Wuye a defiant glare, as if the answer should have been blatantly obvious.
Yet Ji Wuye merely responded with a light snort and a faint, knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Of course I know, but instead of explaining with theory, let's test it out in a real battle." He halted abruptly, raising his jian to point towards an unsettling darkness that seemed to loom ahead, its inky tendrils coiling ominously.
Perplexed by Ji Wuye's cryptic words and actions, Song Jia followed the line of his outstretched arm, instinctively raising the torch higher. The flickering flames illuminated a startling sight that caused her breath to catch in her throat.
"The light... it doesn't penetrate the shadow..." Song Jia mumbled, her eyes widening in disbelief as she experimentally swung the torch back and forth, extending and withdrawing it repeatedly, but always with the same unsettling result – the inky darkness seemed to devour the feeble flames, rendering them powerless against the engulfing void.
In stark contrast to Song Jia's surprise, Ji Wuye's reaction was far more intriguing. Instead of frowning with concern, the faint smile playing across his lips broadened into a knowing grin. 'Blindness,' he mused inwardly.
A dungeon typically only possessed elemental attributes, but the 'dark' attribute dungeon they now faced harbored not only those traits but also a sinister "Specialty".
Stepping forward, his white shoes were instantly swallowed by the encroaching darkness, disappearing from sight until he withdrew them once more.
"Interesting..." But this sensory deprivation was merely a temporary illusion, for under the crimson glow of his eyes, a transparent screen flickered into view.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/YPfZZm0/Notif-1.webp]
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As the ethereal display manifested, Ji Wuye's crimson irises blazed with fierce intensity, and the thick, obscuring veil of shadows began to dissipate gradually, revealing countless Dark Wolves lurking within. Their own ruby-tinted eyes glinted menacingly in the gloom, their natural predatory glow muted by the concealing darkness that had previously shrouded them.
'Come to think of it, this Dungeon and the one before had a gigantic size,' Ji Wuye thought inwardly, seeing how these Dark Wolves, the size of carriages, were gathering in this Dungeon without even reaching the ceiling.
On the other hand, the lupine beasts moved with eerie, silent stealth, their padded paws making no sound, cunning enough to suppress their instinctive growls that might betray their presence.
"What should we do?" Song Jia's voice cut through the tense silence, her eyes already wide and alert as she dropped the now-useless torch and gripped her jian defensively, the blade's steel tip pointing forward in a combative stance.
"What do you mean? Didn't we agree before? Rising Gale, of course," Ji Wuye replied evenly, drawing his own jian as he began advancing into the impenetrable shadows, his form gradually consumed by the all-consuming void.
"Wait! Don't you need vision to see? How can you see in the dark?" Song Jia hurriedly called out, but Ji Wuye's silhouette had already vanished into the obscuring gloom, leaving only an echo of his disembodied voice reverberating from all directions.
"Humans have five senses; use them wisely."
"But how can I fight then?" Song Jia's voice wavered with uncertainty, her brow furrowing as she sensed movement stirring in the impenetrable darkness before her. For the first time, a tendril of unease snaked its way into her heart – an enemy she couldn't see, whose shape and attack patterns remained maddeningly unpredictable. This was the first adversary of its kind she had ever faced, its very invisibility rendering her martial training inadequate.
Yet, no matter how the deafening silence stretched on, Ji Wuye's reply never came. Drawing a steadying breath, Song Jia willed herself to remain calm, repeating a mantra of conviction. "You can do it, Jia!"
...
Concealed within the sea of shadows, Ji Wuye's crimson eyes pierced the gloom with preternatural clarity, as though the darkness held no sway over his enhanced vision. He watched, unblinking, as Song Jia tentatively stepped into the engulfing void, her every movement laid bare before his penetrating gaze.
"Currently, your will is not in the right place. You yearn to master the Rising Gale swiftly, to prove your talent to your Master," Ji Wuye's disembodied voice seemed to reverberate from every direction, surrounding Song Jia with its resonant timbre. "But the Rising Gale itself embodies a concept of freedom, like how the legendary Kunpeng breaks free from the limitations of its earthly form."
Even as the words left his lips, Ji Wuye's heightened senses detected the Dark Wolves slinking from the shadows, their wiry forms tensing as they prepared to strike at the vulnerable Song Jia.
A cacophony of feral growls and Song Jia's grunts of exertion filled the air, mingling with the sound of ripping fabric as her clumsy, blind strikes found their marks – or, more often, missed entirely. Splashes of crimson arced through the darkness, her torn martial robe fluttering in ethereal ribbons amidst the chaos.
"Set your mind free and focus on your other senses," Ji Wuye's calm instruction cut through the melee, even as his own attention shifted to the periphery of his vision.
CLICK-!
Drawing deeply from his Dantians, he channeled his Qi into the awaiting jian gripped in his hand.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/BcxY44n/Notif-1.webp]
A sanguine aura, akin to bubbling, viscous blood, enveloped the blade in a menacing scarlet glow as several translucent screens flickered across Ji Wuye's vision.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/xzhnv7X/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/44Z9K1K/Notif-3.webp]
SWOOSH!
In the span of a single, fleeting instant, Ji Wuye's form blurred with preternatural swiftness. His bubbling jian flashed in a deadly arc as he pivoted his body with coiled grace, the razor-sharp edge cleaving through the shadows with merciless precision.
"GRR-!" A bestial howl rent the air, abruptly silenced as a severed lupine head sailed through the gloom, spattering the rocky ground with arterial spray.
THUD!
The sickening impact of the severed lupine head striking the rocky ground reverberated through the shadows, its arterial lifeblood spattering in a gruesome arc across the cave floor. The abrupt commotion seemed to catalyze a frenzied response, drawing the rest of the Dark Wolf pack from the concealing gloom like sharks scenting blood in the water.
Yet the number that now converged upon Ji Wuye was far greater and more crowded than the horde of goblins that had assailed the village or the pack that had ambushed them on the road.
"No wonder you guys are hunting those poor goblins," Ji Wuye mused aloud, his gaze sweeping over the teeming mass of gigantic forms that flooded the Dungeon. "So you're raising your newborns."
Sliding into a battle-ready stance, he planted his right foot forward while aligning his left with his shoulder, the jian raised in a defensive guard position as he gripped the hilt with both hands at eye level.
"Well..." A light snort escaped his nostrils, accompanied by the faintest ghost of an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
The blade thrummed with pulsating vitality, its steel embraced by a sanguine aura that bubbled and roiled like viscous, simmering blood. Ji Wuye's crimson eyes glinted with wry amusement as he faced the steadily encroaching horde, his breathing as deep and steady as the eternal presence of Mount Tai.
"I think this is more than enough to advance my skill, or so I hope."
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/PhMmjMJ/Notif-1.webp]