The early morning light filtered through the trees as Adrian Whitlock stood before me, his weathered face revealing nothing. My question hung in the air between us.
"Defeat me first," Adrian finally replied, his voice carrying across the clearing. "Then I''ll answer your question."
I clenched my fist, frustration bubbling inside me. "That wasn''t our agreement."
"ns change." Adrian nted his wooden staff into the ground. "Show me your father''s legacy flows through more than just your appearance."
The revtion that this man knew my father sent a jolt through me. After years of emptiness, here stood someone with actual knowledge of my origins. I couldn''t walk away.
"Fine." I rolled my shoulders back, preparing myself. "Let''s begin."
Adrian nodded, his expression turning serious. "I''ll suppress my cultivation to match yours—Foundation Establishment Stage Peak. No higher."
I felt the shift in the air as his overwhelming aura receded, pulling back like a tide until it matched my own level. Even at this reduced power, his presence felt dangerous.
"Begin!" Adrian called out, taking a defensive stance.
I didn''t hesitate. Pushing off with explosive force, I closed the distance between us in a heartbeat, my fist already glowing with the concentrated energy of the Tyrannical Body technique.
Adrian''s eyes widened slightly at my speed, but he moved with practiced precision, palm rising to meet my attack. Our limbs collided with a thunderous crack that sent ripples through the clearing.
Pain shot through my arm, but I felt his body give way more than mine. First blood to me.
Adrian stepped back, shaking his wrist. "Impressive physical strength," he murmured, a hint of surprise in his voice.
I pressed my advantage,unching into a flurry of strikes. The Enlightenment Tea heightened my awareness, allowing me to see openings I might normally miss. Three sessive punches drove Adrian backward, the thirdnding solidly on his chest.
He grunted, eyes narrowing. "Enough testing."
His hands suddenly traced glowing patterns in the air. "Light Needle Formation!"
Dozens of thin, brilliant beams materialized around him, hovering like suspended spears. With a flick of his fingers, they shot toward me from all directions.
I roared, summoning my protective energyyer, but the needles pierced through it like it wasn''t there. Sharp pain erupted across my body as they prated muscle and bone, then dissolved inside me, wreaking havoc on my meridians.
"Distancebat is different from brute force," Adrian lectured, stepping backward with each word. "Your father understood this well."
Gritting my teeth through the pain, I charged again. Adrian simply gestured, and another volley of light needles struck me mid-stride. My legs buckled as the foreign energy disrupted my cirction.
"You rely too much on closebat," Adrian continued, maintaining his distance. "Admirable strength, but limited strategy."
I spat blood onto the ground, forcing myself back up. "I''m not done."
Adrian''s expression remained impassive as heunched wave after wave of attacks. Each time I tried to close the distance, he would retreat and strike from afar. My body was bing a pincushion of pain, internal damage mounting with each hit. <strong ss="in-imprint-a">Content sourced from * – My Virtual Library Empire.</strong>
After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, I copsed to one knee, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. My vision blurred as Adrian approached cautiously.
"You fought well," he said, raising his hand for a final strike. "But youck—"
The moment he came within range, I sprang up with every ounce of strength I had left, my hand forming the unique seal I''d discovered months ago but rarely used. The Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist—my most powerful technique.
"What?!" Adrian''s shock was visible as golden energy exploded from my fist.
In that instant of surprise, instead of dodging, Adrian''s hands reflexively formed the exact same seal, meeting my attack with an identical technique. Golden light collided with golden light, creating a blinding sh that temporarily illuminated the entire clearing.
The bacsh sent us both staggering. Adrian recovered first, blood now staining his lips as well. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"The Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist," he whispered. "How do you know this technique?"
I didn''t answer, gathering energy for another strike. With a roar, I unleashed a second attack, pouring everything I had into it.
This time, Adrian was prepared. His expression hardened as he abandoned his power suppression, his aura exploding outward as he blocked my strike with one hand. The difference in our true power became immediately apparent—like a child attacking a mountain.
"Enough," Adrianmanded, his voice carrying the weight of his unleashed cultivation. "You''ve proven yourself."
I stumbled backward, barely able to stand. "I won''t... yield..."
"You''ve already won," Adrian said, lowering his hand. "That technique—it''s impossible for you to know it unless..." His voice trailed off, his eyes searching my face.
"I found it within me," I replied between ragged breaths. "It felt... natural."
Adrian nodded slowly, as if confirming something to himself. "Of course it did. It''s in your blood."
I straightened as much as my injured body allowed. "You promised answers. How do you know my father? How do we share the same technique?"
Adrian wiped the blood from his mouth, studying me with new respect. "It was taught to me by your father; even my name was given by him."
The words hit me like a physical blow. This man—this powerful elder—had been mentored by my father? My mind reeled with implications.
"My father... gave you your name?" I repeated, struggling to process this information.
"Yes," Adrian confirmed, his expression softening for the first time. "I was once nameless, a disciple without identity or purpose. Your father took me in, trained me, renamed me. I owe him everything."
I stared at Adrian, seeing him in an entirely new light. "Who was he? What was his name?"
"Your father," Adrian said solemnly, "was known as—"