36 Encounter
[Tai Lung's POV]
I went towards the wall surrounding the Palace of Peacocks, or better known as the Towers of Sacred Flames because it was the place where fireworks were made.
The walls were tall and thick enough that it instil a feeling, that I was tiny compared to the mighty walls and Palace.
I headed straight to the main entrance gate and I was immediately ordered to stop by the goats and deer guarding the gate.
I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I saw their skinny frames void of muscles and their half-assed weapons.
"Stop right there!!" One of the guards yelled at me but I chose to ignore his order and continued walking towards the gate.
"I said stop!!" He yelled and he was the first to charge at me. I dodged his incoming spear swiftly and with a single touch, I attacked his nerve and he fell paralysed on the ground.
"He is attacking the Palace!! Stop him!!!" The others called out and all of the guards which were a dozen or so charged at me.
I resisted the urge to tell them my ancestors ate their ancestors and I swiftly put them down with a single nerve attack, one by one.
They were only slightly stronger than the average civilian. It truly baffles me why they were appointed as the guards but I guess a bunch of kung-fu masters living in the Palace did not really need guards.
After I took them all down, I slowly walked up the wide steps and stood before the mighty gate. I gazed at it with a smile, before I put a hand forward to touch the gate.
"Open sesame." I whispered before pulling back my arm and slamming a chi-infused punch right at the centre of the gate.
The hinges of the gate exploded violently before the mighty gate collapsed. As it hit the ground, a loud crashing sound was heard and the shockwave stirred up a cloud of dust.
I strode in with confidence worthy of the strongest. I looked around he open area and immediately noted down the other guards present there.
I scanned the surroundings and made sure there was nothing that could threaten me before my eyes finally fell on the ruler of the City.
Master Thundering Rhino.
He was much bigger and more mature than I remembered. He had a Warhammer on one hand and I also saw the battle scars which his clothes could not hide.
He was stronger than before, astonishingly stronger. That put a smile on my face.
I took off the hood of my cloak and revealed myself to the world. The other masters did not seem to recognize me except Master Rhino.
"Tai Lung." He named me and I heard the others gasp as they finally caught on who I was.
I let the information sink in their mind before I spoke with a smile towards Master Rhino. "I heard you were talking a lot again. They called you the strongest living master so I wanted to see it for myself if you had grown to deserve such title."
I saw Master Rhino completely freeze on his spot when I said that. I smiled, he seemed to draw a parallel between the past and the present, just like I did.
He was having a PSTD episode and I couldn't help but have nostalgia.
..
..
But then everything stills.
.
.
!!!!!
My fur stood on end as my instincts honed through years of training screamed at me. My vision turned black as a gigantic mountain of a Rhinocersous loomed over me.
His red eyes looked at a corpse as they shone with the colour of his Chi.
They looked at me.
I wasted no time and put my hand up to catch the incoming swing of his Warhammer. My hand made contact with the head of his Warhammer and that was when I finally realized just how much power was slamming down at me.
The force was enough to pulverize a mountain.
My Chi erupted out of my body and my eyes shone with brilliance as I entered the state of inner peace in that single instance.
I did not need movement or focus. After all my training, I could enter the state of inner peace in a heartbeat.
I caught the head of his Warhammer and instead of trying to push back the force, I accepted it in my body and allowed it to flow through my muscles.
Shaori the Ultimate Defence.
By relaxing my muscles to the very limit, I made it something akin to liquid as I felt the force flow through my body.
Normally, the body made of flesh and bones had a limit on how much force it could absorb or redirect. But with the miracle achieved through inner peace, I was able to let the force pass through my body and let it exit under my feet.
It was a mix between Shaori and the concept of Internal Destruction where you can make the force behind your attack skip through armour. Only this time I made my body into that armour.
The violent force behind Master Rhino's attack exploded under my feet, leaving my body unscratched as in a show of absolute mastery over body and force, I had redirected the force of his swing to the ground.
*Whoooosh*
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!*
The earth beneath my feet was forced to bear the full weight of the attack and it was left completely devastated.
"That was a nice hit, of course, unless you were aiming for me." I said the phrase I often use to taunt my opponent in the past as I stopped his attack.
I had completely caught Master Rhino's attack but I couldn't help but sweat a bit. That was such a frightening show of power and the force behind that swing was so much that I couldn't even redirect it back at him like I wanted to and had to immediately let it out on the ground.
That was just how strong he was.
If I had not trained 10 months before this, the fight between us might be close. He was almost as strong as Wubao in berserk mode.
And imagine, that much strength in the hands of a master of Kung Fu with a clear head. That was truly an exciting thought.
Master Rhino pushed himself away from me and landed near his students. He looked at me with a shocked face but there was a smile of amusement on his face.
A smile that quickly turned into a laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!"
I scoffed and started chuckling too while looking at him. The guy was so shocked that he started laughing.
"Of course, of course." He said, wiping away the tears in his eyes due to laughter, "You are Tai Lung after all. Only you would be able to use his time of imprisonment to attain inner peace."
'So that was what he found funny.' I thought to myself, also noting his impeccable observation. He was able to tell how I was stopped his attack in an instant.
"For a moment, I believed you would stagnate after 20 years in prison and I would have been the superior warrior by a long shot." Master Rhino said and hit the ground with the butt of his Warhammer.
"As long as I am not dead, I will always come back stronger." I said with a smirk. He shook his head and his chuckles slowly died down before he got serious again.
"So Tai Lung." He said, "What is a criminal like you doing in my city."
I felt my eyebrow twitch when he called me a criminal. I took out the letter of the Jade Palace from my drawstring bag before throwing it at Master Rhino.
He caught it and opened the scroll before reading the letter inside.
It was a letter written by the master of the Jade Palace himself. The letter stated that the Jade Palace took back their declaration of me being a criminal.
The Jade Palace was the one who braided me as a criminal, and since they took back their claim, I was now innocent.
"As you can see in the letter, I am no longer a criminal." I said and he shifted his gaze from the letter to look at me. "And I am on a journey to seek out warriors to challenge, just like the old days."
He stayed silent for a while before looking at the letter again. In the end, he sighed, "It seemed Shifu had grown soft for his son."
That comment would've cost him his horn if it was me right after breaking out of Prison.
"So you have come to challenge me." He said and threw the letter back at me. I caught it before swiftly putting it back into my bag.
"I would be more than happy to accept your challenge. I have more than a few reasons to fight you as well." He said and hit the ground with the end of his Warhammer again.
"However, as you are the guest of the City you will be treated as such. You may rest for the day and we will have the match tomorrow." He said with a small bow.
That was how people with real strength were treated in this world. Although Master Rhino truly hated me and believed me to be a criminal, he also respected my strength as a Warrior.
And he had just learned that I was an enlightened one who had attained inner peace. That was undeniably superior to him as someone who had not attained such a state.
Even in the whole of China, those who attain inner peace can be counted on one hand. That's the reason why he was acting as polite and respectful as he could.
"Sounds good to me. I shall allow you a one-day delay until I defeat you for a second time." I said and I saw his eyes twitch.
"I might've admitted I was not as superior to you as I thought I would be, but that does not imply I am not stronger." He said, "I have grown much in the past 20 years. This won't go like last time."
"Your words would be put to the test soon." I said and I blurred from my place before I appeared in front of him.
Speed had always been one of my strong points so even without using Flash Steps, I was too fast for the naked eye. The only reason Mantis appeared faster than me was because of his small size.
The other onlooker's eyes widened when they saw me instantly appear in front of Master Rhino. He was very tall, standing at more than 12 feet but I stared directly in the eye.
"Very well then." He said and it was agreed that we would have a duel tomorrow. I could not wait to test my new techniques on his behemoth of a body. I was sure he would be able to take a hit.
After that, he guided me towards the top of the steps and he ordered his students to resume their training.
We stood side by side as we watched his students spar with each other. He asked me about my opinion on his students and how they compare to the Furious Five.
Of course, I made sure to praise the Furious Five and I boast of their talent like any proud senior would. He also asked me about the Dragon Warrior and the rumours around the fight we had.
After seeing my current power with his own eyes, he found it hard to believe that a newly appointed Dragon Warriro could match me.
Of course, I made sure to clear the misunderstanding and I also told him how the Dragon warrior held the greatest potential I had ever seen, surpassing even the likes of me.
"Even more talented than you? He must be truly an extraordinary warrior if he can make you admit that." Rhino commented in surprise.
I shook my head, "Talent can only get you so far."
"You of all people should know that it takes more than talent to reach where we are. Po is still young, he still doesn't even know who he is." I said and Master Rhino nodded.
I stayed talking with Master Rhino and watching his students spar for a while before I decided it was enough and I took my leave.
I went around the City once more and this time I visited the East District of the City which was more reserved for the actual citizens of Gongmen city.
I went around their market, curiously looking everywhere and enjoying the busy city instead of the peaceful village for a change
But as I was walking around the common market of the city, I was suddenly halted by a voice when I passed by a small bridge.
"Tai Lung."
..
..
..
I turned around cautiously as the person called me by my name. I was wearing my cloak and no one was supposed to know me.
That was when I met an old goat who sat under the shade of the small bridge. She laid a cloth before her where she was displaying small trinkets which I assumed she was selling.
I did a double-take when I saw her.
"Soothsayer." I called her and she smiled.
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[Image]
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