Chapter 59: Immortal miniature city

With each fleeting moment, Jun's movements underwent a gradual transformation, evolving from their initial erratic nature to a more refined and efficient rhythm. As he honed his technique, Jun began to gain a noticeable lead over Yinling, prompting her to increase her own speed in an effort to keep pace.

While Yinling could match his pace with added effort, Jun's adjustments were more subtle, focusing on conserving energy rather than simply expending more. This strategy allowed Jun to maintain his lead without exerting unnecessary force, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach.

[Ding! Energy Control +1%]

[Ding! Energy Control +1%]

In the depths of his mind, Jun registered two distinct dings emanating from his system, yet he chose to dismiss them, wholly engrossed in the refinement of his running form to align with the elusive "hard but soft" concept.

Not even 10 seconds later, Jun abruptly opened his eyes in satisfaction, taking a look behind him, he saw the normal plain ground but seeing Yinling's trail of destruction with her a little behind him proved to him that his technique had achieved the effect he was going for.

With newfound confidence coursing through his veins, Jun surged forward with unparalleled vigor, each stride imbued with increased strength and velocity. In a matter of seconds, he propelled himself into the distance, leaving Yinling trailing behind in a cloud of dust as he surged ahead.

Initially grappling with the newfound speed, Jun's movements were erratic, resulting in several collisions as he adjusted. However, within a mere five seconds, he seamlessly synchronized his body's motion with his enhanced capabilities, 

Despite crashing at first due to his unfamiliarity with the speed, Jun quickly adapted within 5 seconds, mastering his body's movements with newfound strength and speed, all thanks to his system.

As he came to a halt, Jun leaned against a nearby tree, facing the direction from which Yinling would emerge. Nearly ten seconds elapsed before she appeared on the horizon, hurtling toward him at an astonishing pace, leaving a trail of upheaval in her wake.

As Yinling gradually slowed her pace, her brow furrowed in a mix of frustration and curiosity, her eyes scanning Jun's face for answers.

"What was that?" she inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of awe.

Jun's lips curved into a knowing smirk, but his eyes held a glint of satisfaction. "Just a little trick I picked up," he replied casually, his tone betraying a hint of pride. "I adjusted my movements to conserve energy more efficiently."

A spark of realization flickered in Yinling's eyes as she pieced together the puzzle. "So that's why..." she murmured, her voice trailing off as she remembered how Jun's trail seemed to vanish once his running style changed, a sight that had left her momentarily stunned.

But even so, this did nothing to reduce the shock in Yinling's eyes hearing Jun's words. If she didn't know any better, isn't the technique that Jun is describing one of the hardest concepts on Eternal Continent to learn called the "hard but soft"?

Only but a few people in the history since the war had entered the threshold on this concept, and who could blame them? 

"'Hard but soft'..." she repeated softly, the weight of the words sinking in. It was a paradoxical concept, requiring immense power while maintaining delicate control—a delicate balance that few could achieve.

Yinling's head shook in disbelief, her eyes tracing Jun with a mix of wonder and disbelief. Was he truly human, or some otherworldly being gifted with unparalleled abilities?

"Enough chatting, let's go!" Jun's voice carried a sense of excitement as he surged ahead toward the direction of the abandoned city, Yinling in hot pursuit, struggling to keep pace with his pace.

Hours slipped away like fleeting shadows as Jun and Yinling raced tirelessly, their footsteps echoing against the barren landscape. Though Jun could have easily surged ahead, he stayed by Yinling's side, determined to impart the elusive "hard but soft" concept, despite the lack of progress.

As they approached their destination, Jun's keen eyes caught sight of the imposing city wall looming in the distance. Coming to an abrupt halt, he touched down a few strides ahead of the wall a little out of breath, Yinling trailing behind, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she struggled to keep up.

Bent over, hands on her knees, Yinling gasped for breath, exhaustion evident in her voice as she managed to speak. "So, what was so important that we rushed all the way over here?"

With a grin, Jun wasted no time. He reached out and placed his hand on the city wall, his expression focused as he silently commanded, "Absorb."

Yinling's eyes widened in horror as she watched the impossible unfold before her. The entire city wall-- no wait! The entire immortal city the size of 100x Azure Soul Sects seemed to warp and shrink, gradually condensing into Jun's palm.

Not even 5 seconds later, the entire immortal city had vanished, in its place, stood a barren wasteland of dry infertile soil that had been ruined by the city's infrastructure.

"What... what did you just do?" Yinling stammered, her voice tinged with disbelief and fear.

What the hell did she just see? If Jun had explained that he stored it in his space ring, she could somehow believe it except for the fact that no such storage rings to her knowledge exist that are big enough to store an entire immortal city.

Yinling was about to question when Jun grabbed her wrist and ran.

"We can talk about this later, now we need to get out of here before someone notices," Jun said and rushed back to the scarlet sect, taking Yinling with him.

As they hurried along, Yinling's expression grew more complex, a whirlwind of emotions swirling within her. It had been some time since she had confronted this particular feeling, and she hadn't expected it to resurface so suddenly.

Yinling felt inadequate in the face of the monster-like talent and abilities Jun had been displaying. She remembered when she first met Jun, she saw him as some sort of genius unlike herself but this thought was slowly forgotten In the back of her head.

Now, faced with Jun's staggering prowess, Yinling couldn't help but feel the gaping chasm that separated them. Her confidence wavered as she grappled with the realization of just how far behind she lagged. It was a daunting prospect, one that left her feeling lost and uncertain.

"Will Jun eventually just leave me behind?" The question lingered in her mind, a nagging doubt that refused to be silenced.

A few hours later...

Jun and Yinling sneaked back inside of the sect, virtually undetected by anyone thanks to their new system.