Battle to the death and departure

I was running while using my Time Phasing Art in order to arrive faster to the center of the Core Area of the Time Forest. I knew that if I wanted answers to all the questions I had since my first day spend here, it was there in the 'eye of the storm' that I would find them.

I passed trees, plants, herbs and roots which little by little turned from silver to a shining platinum. I had finally found some resources and materials, there was Shiny roots which gave an enormous Time Qi, there were shining trees everywhere with grand aura of Time Qi, and that was just some exemples. I asked Osis to fly and see if he could see any beasts or animals.

He came back while shaking his head in negation. I understood that something big was there. Be it a natural resource so powerfull that it prevented other lifes forms from approaching just with its aura or was it an incredible Beasts so cunning and dominating it defined its territory and didn't tolerate anyone in it. I didn't know what it could be, I just hoped I was strong enough to face it.

While walking inside this strange area I could sense the Qi in the surrounding growing thicker making me feel as if a littl e mountain was gently droped on my shoulders.

The more I walked the more delighted and anxious I was. I didn't even know if I was near the center yet and I could already see incredibles materials and resources which could greatly help me with Alchemy Qi and enhance my strenght to new height. Soon I found a cave in which I sensed a strange Qi which was extremely profound. It contained Time Qi but there was a depth in it I couldn't hope to reach with just Time Qi. It was clearly an amalgam of Time Qi and another Qi unknown to me.

I approached the cave but when drawing near it's entrance I heard a hiss so strong, the whole cave was shaking.

' It is Loris, the one which gave me my wound when we met.' Osis gave me a brief explanation. I saw that he was quite afraid but his eyes were determined. He didn't want to suffer such humiliation anymore.

' He is a snake with strange Qis, I know he has Time Qi and that he has at least two other Qis. He is the first Qi Beasts in the region to have named itself and possess incredible intelect, be carefull.' Osis said to me. I frowned and strenghtened the grip around my spear.

A big snake which was nearly 10 meters long and 1 meter high shot out of the cave and pounced at me.

I took my defensive stance while Osis flew and was prepared to give instant assistance in case of. I dodged and regained my guard.

'Human, what are you doing here with this shitty pigeon ?' A voice resounded in our head, sweet but devoid of any emotions.

" Oh... Soul Qi... That's already one less Qi to find, there is just the one merged with Time Qi and I would be able to kill you knowing almost all ther is to know. This little pigeon is my blood brother, watch your filthy mouth or I'll cut your fangs and make a dagger from it. Nice trophee don't you think, huh?" I said while sneering at the snake.

His scales were a mix of deep blue and platinum. He had a little crown on top of his head and exuded a powerfull Natural Qi. It was the supression of a strong body. I send a message to Osis.

'So he is a rarity right ? Talent in Soul, Body and Qi cultivation huh ?'

'Well, yeah and I suspect that he choose the center as his territory and hunted every herbs, plants, roots and trees of worth and replanted them in it.' Osis replied and add a new hypothesis.

'That would explain a lot of things, but how could he go to every part of the forest, take every little resources available, in so little time ?' I asked myself.

Loris had his eyes narrow and glared at me.

'If it must come to this don't blame me fo-'

Loris said but was interrupted by me.

" Yeah yeah just shut the f*ck up, I never understood why the vilain in every eastern novel had to talk so much..." I rebutted him and used Time Phasing Art.

I reappeared one meter away from him and slashed using the Four Elementals Spears.

He looked at me with disdain and slowly said.

'Way too slow...'

he disapeared but wasn't behind me. He decided to focus entirely on Osis and threw its body in the sky. Osis flew up fast to avoid Loris and dodged. I reactived my movement art and appeared falling just next to him. I attacked again but despite its body falling one moment it reappeared on the ground the next.

It sneered at us began and began to toy with us.

It seemed he wanted to kill us slowly. Osis and me were covered in wound as we didn't know what to do against hus insane speed. We quickly decided on our next course of action. It was impossible to escape. It was his territory and he was faster than the both of us.

We were slowly weakening when he took the chance to finish it. He yhrew himself at me and opened his jaw wide. That's when a new glint in my eyes was seen. I roared with all my strenght and pierced my short spear inside his mouth making him unavle to close it and kill me.

I was infuriated and felt humiliated, I had said so much arrogants words as if I was sure my win. And that I ²pcould kill it in one strike but here I was nearly played to death by a little lizard without any legs. It was great life lesson I would do good to think about after everything was finished.

Osis dived and with his two sharps platinums claws struk Loris's eyes rending him blind. Loris hissed, roared and debated itself in anger and pain. He disapeared and reapeared some meters away but he had clearly lost some of his speed.

He bashed his tail in every direction and projected me against the entrance of the cave. Some of my internals organs were injured and blood dripped in the corner of my mouth. I slowly stood up while Osis was occuping the snake when a blade made of void reached me almost instantly.

I had a lot of chance and dodged it but one of my arms, the left one was cut and I couldn't hope to have it regrown soon. I despaired as pain filled my entire being. I could still sense my missing arm and was filled with sorrow. I didn't know if my path to glory had been interupted or not.

'NO... I refuse to let a f*cking Beasts Qi which didn't have any intelect less than 2 years ago destroy everything I put efforts in. I will skin you and make every part of your body a trophee to never forget this lesson. My arrogance is useless here. If I know that I'm late compared to other people because of my sturdy foundation, Why, just why should I take them as stupid, boneless and without any strenght, huh ?!? While I progress they aren't just jerking off, you know, James ? You have been stupid and this is the price of your arrogance. Now take your shits together and fight James, for your life, for your dreams, for yourself.' Tears falling down my cheeks, I slowly raised my head and my body from the ground. There was pure self-anger and hate inside my eyes.

Osis sensing my pain, rage and hate through the link of our souls, shuddered. His eyes as well as mine turned red and we plunged together ready to take the life of Loris with our if need it. We roared and for one moment, surprise was reflected in the expression of the snake. Not only his attack failed but he could sense the tangible killing intent displayed by the pair.

He tried to retreat but without his eyes it was far more complicated. He readied himself for the incoming assault but was unable to adapt to the savages and continuous attacks of the duo.

Osis dived and began to lacerate his body creating wounds after wounds. Meanwhile, I was jumping. I reached for his now, non-existents eyes and took a grip with my remaining hand on one of his eye cavity. I shot with my left foot the inside and tried to crash his eye cavity to maybe reach his brain and give significant damage. I began to condense my Qis and used, I don't really know how, my new spear art based on Lightning and Metal Qi. The problem was that I had no spear on me and was using my feet to stomp with Lightning and Metal Qi sharpening and fastening my leg.

Loris was debating himself but couldn't do anything, he still had a metal spear penetrating his mouth giving him no room to eat his preys. After the shock inflicted to his eye cavity by my powerfull art he began to enter a frenzy and trash around. Alas it was too late, he had played with his prey for too long and paid too, the price of his arrogance.

I succeed in stomping my left foot inside his eye cavity and pierce through it. I reached the brain and shot it, giving Loris a jolt as he began to lose control of his body. His head was wobbling as each shots gave more pain and gave more damage to his brain. Finaly after a fight which lasted 1 hour he died, his body covered in blood and brain matters.

I found myself with my left arm missing, covered in minors wounds and little cuts. Osis was the same except the missing claw or wing.

We tiredly gathered our spoil of war, including the 10 meters long and 1 meter high snake and my metal spear, and rested in the cave the Snake kindly gave us. It took me one month to heal myself while 3 days was enough for Osis. He had a better recovery thanks to his stronger body and body talent, while I had to adjust myself to a missing arm. Also the last attack was a space attack. We finally knew what type of Qi was fused with Time Qi. He had fused Time and Space Qi, creating the infamous and super strong Spacetime Qi. Rarely seen in every novel I read. Only some protagonist chose to learn this Law, Intent, Will or Qi.

The attack was imbued with Space Qi and since it was my first time dealing with a Qi attack I needed to put this time to contribution. I purposely slowed my recovery to sense Space Qi and learn how to slowly extract it from the inside of my wound. It was tiresome with my body in this state, but it was worth it...I think ?!? Yes, it was. I finaly sensed a Qi I absolutely needed to complete my Cultivation Techniques and I had an increase in depth in Alchemy Qi which helped me extract the Qi inside my wounds. I needed to extract the Qi while staying far away from the Natural Qi present everywhere in my body. I didn't want to reduce my lifespan by accident, please I had already enough problems.

After this fight, if I hadn't squeezed out all my potential then f*ck it, I'm gonna complain to God. Seriously this fight gave me a lot of experiences and points I could improve on in my Arts and in my attitude. I couldn't permit myself to look down on other people after this. I should be respectfull towards the respectfulls and rude towards the disrespectfulls, shouldn't be arrogant because there is always a peak above another peak. I had found the first step towards heart cultivation. Something so mysterious that it was considered just myth.

I now had 1 year and 7 months to improve myself, create Spear Qi and adapt to this missing arm.

I spend the remaining 7 months training my arts, but without any type of Qi merged inside. I just wanted to improve my movements. To have them without any excess, reduce the stamina comsumption and increade the power behind every move. I could be considered a master of spear arts after seven month of intense training. My movements were extremely close to the flawless state and I began to touch upon the spear Qi. Spear, which I had in my right, and only arm for the 7 last months. the metal spear hadn't left it for 7 months and my hand was filled with caluses. I didn't just practice my spear arts, I spend half the time in a day to increase my proficiency in Alchemy, Blood, Space, Time and Soul Qi. They were the most important Qi I had, the cornerstones for my future cultivation.

I was also quite happy that what I had was a short spear because had it been any longer, the strenght needed to use it proficiently would increase exponentially making it difficult for a one armed young man to use it efficiently.

All the while Osis was hunting and improving his Time arts. His flight had gotten faster and now reached an incredible 300 km/h just flying and hovering. The patern or Qi Art he used in correlation with Time and Naturel Qi was so profound that I didn't understand it. He said that he was sorry because he couldn't explain it. It was as if by being a Time Qi Beasts, the World had already chosen the path he would take for him and gave him a legacy no one apart him could understand yet.

I saved the patern in my memory, which had gotten more powerfull after all the manipulation of Qis and my meditation, to study it later.

After the seven months in the cave I now had a basic undestanding of Alchemy and could create some pills thanks to the aboundants resources Loris had left behind just for us.

I also had taken his deep blue and silver scales and created a set of armor and a new spear created in its fang and bones from the skull, with it. I had been quite applicated in making it and was rather content with the result. It gaves me an unfathomable aura plus my missing arm, growing beard I hadn't cut in week and the deepness in my eyes, I could pass for an expert everywhere. Of course I gathered what I could transport and took it away. Be it precious resources or remnant materials from Loris, we took everything we could.

Osis and me departed some days later and exited the Time Forest for the first time. We decided to travel the world and see it for ourselves. It was time to learn from others too.

2 weeks later we arrived in some valley surrounded by montains. There, lies a small village which was attacked by brigands. You know what I did right ?... Even I find myself tiring sometimes...