9 I Can Fight

Seven months has passed and I can confidently say I have the ability to defend myself. I'm starting to lose track of time and the direction I am heading in this forest after a couple fights with various spirit beasts but I have learned some common fighting concepts.

After absorbing the bear's beast core, I went off and found a stone boar that had a one and a half ring beast core.

The stone boar is a spirit beast with resemblance to a large boar that has skin with stone-like texture all over its body. The tusks are larger than a regular boar and the hide is slightly thicker.

Fighting the stone boar taught me to keep eyes on my opponent at all times, notice patterns, and use my surroundings to my advantage.

Even if I take my eyes off even for a second, the stone boar is already charging at me at high velocity. If I'm too close, the boar will go in for a little chomp at my ankle. Yet once the boar goes in for a charge, it needs to break hard with its hind legs to stop its movement.

By noticing the boar's recurring behavior, I baited out the boar to do a charge near the trees, causing the boar to suffer concussions and become dizzy. At that point I'm able to empower my attacks with Ki to jab my blade through the skull to quickly finish the boar off.

The boar's breathing style had Ki circulating slowly but whenever it charged, the circulation of Ki became extremely accelerated, increasing the boar's speed. This burst of swiftness only lasts for a few seconds but the distance that can be closed makes up for its low duration. From there I have learned the breathing style of the boar.

Later on I fought a two headed snake. This battle taught me to look and find the weak spots on my foes, just as the snake aimed for my neck to poison and strangle me.

Not having a body gives me immunity to venom but I did have to rip it off with force and Ki. Its breathing style wasn't anything notable besides faster movement and being able to wrap around your target with ease. Nonetheless, I learned the breathing style of the two headed snake.

I then fought a thunder ox and that battle taught me how to dodge and conserve my Ki. The thunder ox was huge, bulky, strong. Having a beast core with two rings, it could summon small bolts of thunder with each step it took.

If I were to get slightly scratched or grazed by a sliver of thunder, my whole soul would feel static and shocked, causing my movements to be off and stiff. As long I could dodge the thunder and make my way closer, I could slowly deal in some damage. Yet if I couldn't dodge I would have to dodge back and start back at square one.

This was a fight of attrition.

The hide was thick but the eyes were not. After the thunder ox launched a wave of thunder, I used minimum Ki to enhance my agility to dodge and jumped up in the air doing the third movement of the ceremonial sword dance.

My attack was strengthened with a high portion of Ki and I slashed through the ox's eyes, then dug my blade deep enough into the ox's head to stab its brain. It laid out before me dead. I absorbed its beast core and made my way to second stage of Ki Gathering.

During our battle I noticed the ox had another form of Ki inside. The Ki that was inside the ox resembled to have been thunder Ki. The circulation between normal Ki and thunder Ki is what allowed the ox to summon those bolts of thunder.

I could not learn its breathing style. I replicate the Ki circulation due to I do not possess thunder Ki or have any means to gather it.

I then went on to fight a lightning leopard. I learned the lesson of attacking when opportunity struck and it had a two ring beast core. Whenever I showed an opening the lightning leopard would pounce without hesitation, so I did the same. Absorbing the lightning leopard's beast core allowed me to reach half way to third stage of Ki Gathering.

After the lighting leopard, I found and fought another skull bear. The lesson I learned in that fight was how to strike hard and take hits. Its claws were sharp and strength was frightening.

Its circulation of Ki is what allowed the skull bear to take multiple slashes from my attacks and still stand properly. The way I defeated it was when I noticed a fly bumped on its nose and the skull bear became agitated.

I wondered how effective a punch would be instead of a fly and I dived back into the battle. I pummeled the bear's nose and the bear hurled in pain. I leaped and grabbed the bear by the head and shoved my sword through its throat. It took my five tries and the bear would still not die.

Yet the damage I did was enough for the bear to bleed so I ran around the bear dodging and blocking its attacks as best I could until the blood loss took effect. Eventually the bear fell down and I was the victor. Absorbing the bear's beast core finally made me reach third stage of Ki gathering.

Then after I stumbled upon a pack of black savage wolves with the alpha having a two and a half ring beast core.

I was surrounded. At moments like these you must stand your ground.

Yet I ran. There was no way I could fight a pack of savage black wolves on my lonesome. The numbers were seven to one. Especially with the strength that was leaking out from the alpha. From that "fight", I learned when to run away.

I'm no swordsman but during these seven months I reworked the sword dance to be more efficient and practical in deathly combat against these spirit beasts.

I transformed the first movement to just simple wide arc swings and stabs and the second movement to only be a strong uppercut slash. The revamped second movement allowed me to either let my sword swing vertically up or I could follow through joining the moment causing me to now be airborne.

I kept the third movement simple and I made it to a devastating downward slash that can be linked from either the first movement or second movement.

I then fought more skull bears, white one-tailed foxes, thunder oxen, lightning leopards, two headed snakes, and even more spirit beasts such as red crows, young ice tigers, shadow ogres, three horned goblins, elemental slimes, golems, and even a infant devil serpent.

A serpent differs from regular snakes for it is the last evolution before becoming a hydra or even possibly a dragon but the chances are slim.

By no means each of these battle were easy. In nearly all of them I could have easily died if I wasn't careful.

My set of skills are growing the more I fight. At this moment, my cultivation is at the fourth stage of Ki gathering. As long I keep surviving and absorbing beast cores, I will without a doubt reach Ki Condensing in no time.

If I were to have done meditation instead of hunting spirit beasts, my cultivation progress would be extremely slower. The Ki gathering rate I could achieve by absorbing beast cores against meditation is at least two to three times as fast. As well the tougher the spirit beast the more Ki I can gain.

Currently, I have now finished a fight against a hellfire lion. It's ferocity and tenacity is something not to underestimate. It hits harder than the skull bear and moves faster than a lightning leopard. It's flames surrounding its body are scorching hot and I could feel my soul burn as I get closer.

I managed to defeat it by luring it into the dark water lakes within the underworld's forest causing its flames to be extinguished and made the hellfire lion to be extremely stressed. I then used its own breathing style against it and empowered the third movement of the sword dance to dash behind and land a critical blow at the back of the neck.

I was fortunate the steam was large enough to cover me in entirety. Otherwise the hellfire lion would have still retaliated.

I took my sword, gutted the lion open, and rummaged to find the beast core. It was a three ring beast core. I was marveling at the sight of it.

Suddenly, I heard a ghastly roars of bellowing lions. Are they hellfire lions I hear seeking revenge for killing their comrade? No matter. I better run or else they'll surround me.

I heard wings flapping from the same direction I heard the roars. As well I heard fire being breathed out causing the nearby ash to be easily seen and noticed.

The unknown beasts crashed towards my direction and they were fighting.

It was a manticore and a chimera.

They were both challenging for dominance and I happened to be in between of this battle.

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