Chapter 7 - Third Layer

The beast looked like a bear, something similar to the grizzly bears he remembered from his past life. But oddly enough it had a tigers stripes and red eyes instead of brown. It was looking at him threateningly and that made Long Yang think he finally hit a hard wall which he can't escape today.

'But why the hell is there a Middle Level Qi Condensation beast here? It is the first time i heard something happening like that.' thought Long Yang. While he was starting to prepare for his escape, his eyes got used to the low light in the cave. What he saw made him stop in his tracks, the beast was wounded and severely at that.

'No wonder it wasn't attacking me outright and only trying to scare me. This may be a chance for me. I heard every part of a demon beast is a treasure. And here a middle level one is served before me in silver plate. But a cornered beast is a very scaring being to provoke. But what is the beast doing by lying there? I know demon beasts can't cultivate so it shouldn't be trying to recuperate with Qi. Only way for him to get some energy would be through eating.' while thinking like that he saw the blood on the ground was still fresh.

'It seems it got here recently and waiting for its wounds to close. After that it will probably hunt some Low Level Qi Condensation beasts around outer circle. I guess that's why it got here in the first place.'analysed the situation Long Yang.

After his thoughts reached that far, he started thinking of a plan in his mind. He got out of the cave and went as far as 20 yards away from the entrace of the cave. There he stared the cave one last time and sat on a branch of a pine tree. After that he took lotus position and closed his eyes.

While Long Yang immersed himself in his cultivation, the beast were kept looking in his way. A pained look has passed in his eyes but after that it replaced itself with deep hatred. The beast were already in the middle levels of Qi Condensation, thus he gained some intelligence and could somewhat understand what was the human trying to do. But the only thing it could do grit his teeth and wait for some of its wounds to heal. It could feel that the human wasn't that strong, couldn't feel much threat from him. So it was thinking it wouldn't be hard to deal with the weakling when he healed a little bit. Maybe eating him would be the key to success his revenge on the being in the inner circle of the forest. Thinking about that beast made its hair stand up even in its wounded state. It also closed its eyes and thus started their peaceful confrontation.

After two hours of cultivation Long Yang released a sigh. Sitting still and cultivating non stop wouldn't take him anywhere. He knew he had to use his Qi until his meridians are empty, only then he could push his meridians to the brim to increase their capacity. Simply gathering and trying to push the limit of his meridians was good too but not as much as constant usage of Qi.

Then he thought about the only martial art he can use his Qi on. Dragon Stretching Its Claws. It had already reached the Proficient level but he couldn't find any way to further improve it. The martial art were incomplete in the first place. After he achieved moving his Qi in his hands and managed to use the techniques in the martial art, even if he chanted the mantra and sent a greater amount of Qi to his hands, he could feel no improvement at all.

'Maybe reaching the Mastery stage in a martial art required more than being able to use the technique. At this point only thing i can think of, to be a master at something you had to add your own unique way to it. Only then you could make the technique yours and thus be a master of that path. Maybe i should comprehend more to the martial art and add some things from myself to it.' thought Long Yang. Having Azure Qi and probably being a descendant of the Azure Dragon Race, helped filling the missing parts of the techniques, but that was only that. Going further needed his comprehension.

'What is this martial art about anyway? To name the art after a dragon, first part of the art being about helping moving Qi in an unique way to the technique. And i got that part after the first try, so i can safely say only way to be different from others in that part, would mean i had different meridian paths on my body in the first place. If i am the descendant of the Azure Dragon and different from a normal human in that way, i should have a meridian ways similar to a dragon. So the martial art should probably made to mimic a dragon by trying to build a path similar to it and create similar Qi usage to it. So i can begin from that. The dragons from my past life had two wings and four legs. I don't have wings but i have hands similar to the front legs of a dragon. But techniquehas 'Claws' in its name. So they probably derivated the technique from an attack of the dragon by front legs. But dragon also has legs at the back lower part of its body with claws. So maybe it could attack in similar way by its back legs too?' thought Long Yang.

But when he imagined a dragon doing a flying kick as an attack, he shaked his head strongly in denial. 'No way that would be the case. Only thing it could be any help would be something similar to the movement technique of the old man from before. But what differs the martial arts by attack, defense and movement in the first place? At least the shop doesn't seperate them in that way. At least if i could use my martial art for blocking, it could even thought as a defensive technique. So maybe the martial arts are only about the way of the usage of the Qi, only we restrict ourself in only one way of using it.' when his thoughts reached that far he went to the ground from the branch and he decided to use the martial art in the same way with his hands, only this time he sent all his Qi to his feet. And with a pleasant surprise, he indeed could feel a similar path to his feet and toes.

After he sent all his Qi to his right foot, he started the feel a similar feeling when he first tried to use the martial art in his hand. His right foot started to swell and feel a little bit painful. He quickly thought about sending it out in the same way he punched the stone. Thus he rised his foot and kicked the ground while sending the collected Qi to the ground. But this time the ground wasn't the only thing that got the damage from the Qi. From the recoil of the technique he used with his foot he shot into the air from the impact. Only after reaching 10 meters high into the air did he stop.

'Why did i have to get excited and use all my Qi in the first place? But that can't be blamed on me since i didn't practice the usage of my Qi in that way...' thought and sighed Long Yang slowly. When he reached 10 meter high, in that single moment he could only look one way. And in that way he saw a mountain which reached to the cloud and its peak couldn't be seen.

At the start of his journey, he found his way from the moss that grew from the trees because of the mist in the forest. And his path has always been to the west of the Everlasting City. And the way he looked was exactly that way.

"Mount Emei..." murmured Long Yang. But he couldn't enjoy the view for long and he started to fall. After reaching second layer, first level bronze bones and second level bronze skin, he didn't think a mere 10 meter fall would be enough to kill him but he knew it would hurt.

While falling he tried to grab some of the branches desperately but he couldn't stop himself completely. He only slowed his fall and splitted the damage to his body from a single impact from the ground to multiple bruses and fractures on the body by hitting those branches and trees.

After a few seconds which felt like ten minutes, he reached the ground. He groaned checked the after effects of the fall in his body. Three fractures in total, two in the ribs and one on the ancle of his left foot.

He quickly lied on the ground started circulating his Qi. Cultivation didn't necesserily need lotus position, it was only more efficient that way. He decided to take care of his bones first. He chanted the mantra for the Bronze Bones and started his healing process.

While he was in pain, a familiar pair of red eyes were watching him. When the beast saw the human wounded, it thought about dealing with him right there and then but the sight it saw a minute ago made it hesitate. The human basically jumped 10 meters and cracked the ground at the same time. Even if the scene afterwards were kinda funny since he wounded himself, the situation got the beast thinking. The prey didn't seem so easy anymore.

At the same time Long Yang was also aware that he was been watched. A normal low level demon beast wouldn't scan as far as his Qi, but a middle level beast was different. If it was in his range of sight, he was in its sight too. So he was always stayed vigilant of the beast while circulating his Qi.

After an hour he spent all his remaining Qi from the jump, which was enough for only healing a single rib. Thus after that he started cultivating for fill his empty meridians and also trying to improve at the same time. When he finished his cultivation after two hours he started sending his Qi to his bones again. But bones were much harder to heal than skin. So again it wasn't enough for him to heal completely.

Thus happened a cycle between Qi cultivation and body cultivation.

Only in the morning after that day he felt he finished his cultivating session. He felt he almost reached but third layer which made him impatient but systems voice comforted him.

-Congratulations the host for reaching Bronze Bones Level 2.-

After hearing the announcement he decided to check his stats.

'Status.' he called in his mind.

-

Long Yang (Age 19)

Cultivation: Second Layer of Qi Condensation (Early Level)

Cultivation Method: Azure Dragon Cultivation Art

Body Cultivation: Bronze Skin Level 2, Bronze Bones Level 2

Martial Arts: Bronze Skin Method

Dragon Stretching Its Claws (Half Step into the Mastery)

Bronze Bones Method

-

"So it worked indeed. Half Step into the Mastey..." laughed out loud Long Yang. His mood greatly elevated from when he was in the clan which he felt like he hit a wall. But his path cleared up after reaching the forest.

After seeing his path ahead he started another cycle between Qi cultivation and Dragon Stretching Its Claws.

...

Two days have passed.

Without any sleep, food or drink Long Yang continued his training for whole two days. Even if he didn't need much food, drink or sleep since he improved his cultivation, he couldn't free his body from worldly needs yet. So it was taxing for him to stay alert for whole two days, but he had no other choice because the beast were wide awake all the time.

He thought he would continue the same cycle today too but when he cultivated the whole night, he heard a voice which made him joyful and energized.

-Congratulations host for reaching Third Layer of Qi Condensation.-

'Finally...Now i have more chances against the beast.' thought Long Yang. He felt a little bit more assured for his incoming fight against the beast. But he didn't think about going a death match with the beast yet. While they were in stalemate, he was gaining power but the beast was starving. So he continued his practise of the day with Dragon Stretching Its Claws. After his first accident he had started using a third of his Qi and jumping two times before cultivating. When he did his three jump and started cultivating for ten minutes, he finally felt a movement in the cave.

The beast had much more fierce look when he saw it the first day. It was most likely waiting him to fall asleep or simply thought he couldn't bear the hunger and thirst. But when he saw his two jumpes of the day this time it finally snapped. The human was getting stronger while it thought it was testing its limits of endurance with him. But it seemed it was only an illision, the beast itself was seemed the only one in pain from that confrontation. So instead of waiting anymore and losing its a little bit remaining chances of winning he decided to risk it all today.

"Can't wait anymore huh?" said Long Yang in a low voice. He had already regenerated most of his Qi from his ten minute cultivation so he also felt ready for this.

The beast released a ferocious roar and starting preparing its charge to the human. But it was then it felt its mind went blank. The human suddenly turned and started running away. When it saw the shameless human who was waiting in its door until they finally decide their duel suddenly flee, it finally lost its last shred of restraint. It started running at the greater speed towards the human. This weakling dared to deceive it like he was some kind of oppenent equivalent to mighty itself.

The chase took five minutes, when the beast felt it almost catched the human, it saw the human went behind a large tree which inclined to its way. The beast didn't think about much or didn't have that much patience in the first place, so it ran towards to the tree.

But it was then it heard a boom sound. The trunk of the tree shaked greatly and started to fall to the head of the beast. It sneered when it noticed what the human was trying to do.

The beast gathered all its power in its paws and made a big swipe to the big tree coming its way. The forceful push which had its full power and body weight in it almost snapped the trunk to two parts and pushed it sideways. But it was then the beast saw another thing falling to its head behind the tree. It reflexively started to rise its head and bite it but before it could rise its head completely, it noticed it was too late. It felt a huge impact on its head and before it knew the beast lost its consciousness.

After the beast passed out another boom sound echoed in the woods. Beneath the beast the ground sink almost half a meter and around it was full of cracks. One could also see the beasts head was visibly sinked in. On it was a young man standing on his right leg which could be seen how tired he was.

After pushing the tree to the beast he kicked the ground at the same time and begin his falling right after the tree. While falling he gathered his remaining Qi, which was almost half of his total Qi to his right foot and used it on a stomping attack he developed while he was practicing the technique in the two days that passed. After the fight was over he couldn't keep awake anymore from all the tension that build up on his body these past days, and passed out right on the beast.