38 To be strong and weak
[Tai Lung's POV]
I stood on the roof of the Tower of the Sacred Flames as I looked at the city below. The tower was ten stories high and was the tallest structure in all of Gongmen City. It was visible even miles away.
Although I was so high up, my eyes were easily able to observe the people below. Specifically at the Kung Fu Council who were waiting for me at the arena outside the palace.
There were more people than yesterday as this was an official duel, and many people wanted to witness it. Other than the normal guards stationed around and the nobles, I saw six masters there.
Master Rhino, Master Ox, Master Croc, the Gazelle whom I thought was a prostitute but was actually also a master from what I saw and heard, Master Elephant and finally Soothsayer were also there.
I looked down at how the guards were stationed and carefully checked if there was something fishy going on. I knew it was unlikely but it was always better to be cautious, for all I knew Shen could suddenly appear during our fight.
After seeing that nothing was out of the ordinary, I let out a sigh.
It would be wrong to say that I was as enthusiastic as I was yesterday. The future that Soothsayer described had left much for me to think about.
It made me question the path I was walking and the plans that I had made. It also left me with yet another realization that I was still not strong enough for the upcoming threat.
Kai.
The warrior who was going to defeat me according to what Soothsayer had described. If I could not grow strong enough to face him, nothing I did right now would matter.
If it was Kai in his base, I had no doubt that I could defeat even a dozen of him as I am right now. But Kai's real strength was in the Chi that he stole.
Not to mention the fact that I would need to master Chi just so I could face him without having my own Chi stolen, he was an almost impossible opponent to defeat.
The guy would've stolen Oogway's Chi even before he came back to the mortal realm. Coupled with the fact that he stole other master's Chi and that he was a Spirit Warrior who could never get exhausted, I did not like my chances against him.
I need more power.
I chuckled at that thought. 40 years and I was still chasing after power. The reasons have changed but the pursuit remains the same.
"One step at a time." I said and looked at the vast infinite horizon.
"And what better first step than beating the leader of the Kung Fu Council?" I said and leapt down from the roof of the tower.
My body sliced through the frigid morning air and I descended towards the arena like a falling star. I flipped in the air to slow down my momentum before I landed in front of Master Rhino with a small shockwave.
"I was afraid you'd never come." Master Rhino said with a smirk and I got up to my feet while slapping the imaginary dust from my fur.
"I have never seen someone so eager to lose." I said before cupping my fist and giving the Master Rhino a bow of respect.
Although I was stronger than him, I must show respect as the challenger. He was the one doing me a favor by accepting my challenge when he did not stand to gain anything.
He nods back at me in acknowledgement.
I looked around at the observers and took a closer look at them. My eyes lingered on Master Elephant and his robust physique. He stood around 20 feet tall and my senses told me that he was more of a building than an animal.
"Did you gain a few pounds while I was away master Elephant?" I asked with a smile to which the grumpy elephant scoffed.
"I am not the young bull I used to be Tai Lung. I would've taken you on if Master Rhino was not already doing it."
"Sure you were." I smiled. The last time we fought he could not even catch me due to our difference in speed.
On another note, I never expected him to join the Kung Fu Council. I thought he was all about a strong bull not needing a group or backing. But I guess he had grown as he said.
My eyes shifted again and fell on the gazelle with the alluring smile. She seemed equally shocked and amused to learn my identity. I was no longer wearing my cloak so everyone could see who I was.
"I thought you were someone who works horizontally." I said, choosing a more respectable word since I now knew she was not only a master but a member of the Kung Fu Council.
"Oh honey, sorry to burst your bubble but I don't do that. But if you beg me I might consider it." She said with a coy smile.
I deadpanned at her which only caused her to giggle.
"So.." Master Rhino drawls while he roved his robe to reveal his bare torso. His body was filled with iron-like muscles ready to explode into action.
"Shall we start?"
I turned to look at him and with a smile, I agreed. "I am ready when you are."
He twirled his signature weapon - the Warhammer - before he planted the bottom of the hammer on the ground. "Do you have your weapon?"
My claws came out of my fingers and they cut the air like sharp blades.
"Always."
Master Rhino fixed his posture and got into a stance. He grabbed his hammer and aimed the head at me.
I cracked my neck and in the next breath, Master Rhino shot towards me at a speed illogical for his size.
His huge body caused a disturbance in the air as he planted his feet on the ground when he was in front of me. Then in a perfect straight line, his hammer flew towards me.
Since it was coming at me in a straight line, my eyes could not tell the distance it covered. It felt like it was not moving towards me even, but I knew better.
I side-stepped to my left and let the hammer fly past me. The air exploded and a small hurricane was formed due to the sheer force behind a single attack.
He grabbed his hammer and pivot on his heel and swung it at me. I dodged it again by ducking down. The strong wind produced by his swing ruffled my fur.
He quickly spun around and swung his Warhammer overhead. The weapon descended on me and this time, it seemed even stronger.
But with a simple twist of my body, I dodged the attack and stepped forward. I was so close to him that he had no way of attacking me anymore with his long weapon. I was in an awkward position for him to strike.
"Don't tell me that's all you can do." I said, my tone unamused as my eyes pierced his. He had gotten stronger for sure but that was it.
His Kung Fu remained the same and as someone who already learned his style of Kung Fu as well, he was predictable.
He was predictable and slow.
"Why don't you find out!!" He yelled and threw back his head before he tried to headbutt me.
I was shorter than him so it was not difficult to lower my stance and I delivered a Chi-infused punch right at his abdomen which made him slide backwards.
I massaged my fist afterwards. At least his defence was as impressive as ever. That hide of his was probably tougher than any armour.
*SWOOOSH!!!~*
A swift gale blew my fur as Master Rhino suddenly appeared behind me. His speed was drastically faster this time and it almost caught me off guard.
I moved away as quick as possible and turned my body to look at him. I immediately noticed the change he went through.
His muscles had expanded and he appeared bigger than before. Not only that but there was smoke coming out of his nostrils.
'What the...' My thoughts were cut off as he spun around and followed after me. He swung his Warhammer at me but strangely enough, it would not have hit me even if I did not move.
His weapon swung past me in a gust of whirlwind and he spun again, this time his weapon came towards me with more strength and power than before.
???
He continued coming after me, swing after swing as I dodged everything with increasing difficulty.
Because he was getting faster and stronger.
..
..
'I see.' I thought to myself with a smile as I dodged his hammer which nearly blew my entire torso off. One hit and I was sure my body would explode into a pulp of flesh.
Master Rhino spun his huge body around again, never allowing the force behind his swing to disperse. He was continuously gathering momentum and the more he attacked, the stronger he became.
That way, even if he missed, his movement made his next attack more powerful. He was a master of his weapon as he used the weight of his hammer to balance his body weight. And in a harmonious way, he found a way to use both of that weight to create more force.
*FWOOOSH!!!*
His attacks became increasingly dangerous so I threw a powerful kick at him. My foot slammed against his body but instead of damaging him, I nearly broke my ankle as his body was spinning with such force that my attack simply became a way to increase his momentum.
It was an interesting technique.
"Hyaaaaah!!" He screamed out before he brought his hammer on top of his head and swung it down with such force that I felt the attack before it even landed. The air itself slammed down on me and my knees flexed to resist the sheer pressure.
I realized then that even if I were to use Shaori or other techniques, I wouldn't be able to come out unscratched. I would have to turn my body into vibranium to deal with that attack.
So the only way to deal with it was to dodge again. But I couldn't let his swings get stronger or gather more momentum so I came up with a solution.
I used flash steps to appear by his side in an instant. I saw his eyes visibly widen at my new display of speed.
His Hammer swung down beside me and the air itself seemed to wrap around his weapon. I used my leg to control the trajectory of his hammer and instead of letting him gather momentum again, I guided his weapon to smash the ground.
...
A good idea on paper.
But that might've been a mistake.
*BOOOOOM!!!!*
The ground could not bear the force it was met with and the arena caved in and waves of force rippled out as if we were in the middle of an ocean.
The arena was made of compact concert to make sure that it was able to withstand fights between two masters but at the moment, it might as well be a normal ground.
The earth opened up, unable to hold the force while also reflecting as much force as it could. That pushed me off my feet as I was tossed in the air.
"Oh."
That was his plan all along.
I saw a victorious smile on Master Rhino as he threw his giant head up to slam at me. As I was in the air, the only thing I could do was move out of the way of his pointy horn and I felt my body being thrown up in the sky.
I did backflips in the air before I landed on the ground. But I was not granted a moment of respite as I felt an earthquake. Master Rhino was charging at me with his head down.
I could dodge with Flash steps.
But I didn't.
I threw a smirk on my face and I pulled my arms back. When Master Rhino was about to slam at me, I threw a punch infused with Chi at his charging figure.
But this one was different from a normal Chi infused punch.
.
.
Blackflash.
It was a technique that allowed you to increase your power 2.5 times and distort space if you time your attack 0.000001 seconds with cursed energy.
I did the same thing but with the use of Chi. It was a little different than the original blackflash but with a few modifications, I could acquire the same result.
"Thundercalp!!' I called out the name of the technique inspired by blackflash as the space distorted and blue lighting erupted from my fist.
My attack slammed against Master Rhino's horn as we pushed each other back in a battle of force. There was an explosion of energy as a small hurricane materialized in our clash.
The ground beneath our feet cracked like glass as we pushed each other for a moment of eternity. In the end, I was the one who lost as I was swept off my feet and slid back.
Master Rhino stood up and shook his head. He was feeling dizzy and disoriented so I took that as an advantage to attack.
I used flash steps and appeared before him. I was so fast that I was able to stand half a second in front of him before he noticed me in his disoriented state.
That was all I needed.
"Internal Destruction." I said and threw a punch right at his chest. It did not matter how tough his hide was or what armour he was wearing.
My attack went past all his defences and exploded inside his body. He immediately grabbed his chest and fell on his knee. Blood spilled from his nose and mouth as his eyes shook.
I did not give him mercy as I kneed him on his face. The attack did no real damage but it shook the brain inside his skull.
My smile went wider as I grabbed his giant horn with both hands. Then I spun around and used all of my muscles to pull at him.
I was not strong enough to lift him up. Even after strengthening my muscles with Chi, I was not strong enough to throw his heavy body around.
But I had other solutions.
My nostrils opened up to the limit as I sucked in huge amounts of air. A small vortex formed near my nose as I breathed in.
Snow leopards lived in high altitudes and in cold temperatures where oxygen was scarce. Therefore they had powerful lungs and a large chest cavity to gather as much oxygen as possible.
It might seem like a random fact to some but if you know how to utilize that special biology, you can use it as an advantage.
And with all of my knowledge in Kung Fu and fighting techniques, I knew exactly how to utilize my special biology.
'Sun Breating!!' I said in my mind as I used inner peace to create the miracle necessary to execute this technique of a different world.
My eyes shone bright yellow and my veins popped out visibly due to the rush of oxygen. Then in a feat of strength beyond my capability, I pulled Master Rhino's body and threw him over my shoulder like a ragdoll.
*BADOOOM!!!*
His body crashed into the arena with a loud explosion as his body left a permanent mark on the platform specifically made to be durable.
If this was in the city, it would've been enough to collapse towers and buildings. Luckily the arena was designed to accommodate fights so even if this was the most intense fight I had in a while, we did not cause much destruction.
I stood up and stepped back from Master Rhino's unconscious body while I looked at my own hands.
That's it?
Was that really what the leader of the famous Kung Fu Council had to offer? Master Rhino was stronger than Wubao, possessing the same strength if not more than the bear but also a clear mind while wielding such strength.
But I have also grown stronger.
With my new mastery over inner peace and the plethora of techniques I recreated and copied from different worlds, my total combat power had increased dramatically
Even only flash steps had increased my already ridiculous speed tenfold.
At that moment, I was left to contemplate how one could be so strong yet weak. I looked around and the audience all had looks of disbelief.
I made beating Master Rhino look easy.
From the nobles of the City, the guards, Soothsayer and the masters of the Kung Fu Council. They all looked at me with a different light. A mix of horror and amazement.
In their eyes, I saw fear.
I couldn't help but start chuckling in the shocked silence. I did not know what I was feeling at the moment, maybe I found it funny how I was this strong yet it wouldn't be enough for the future.
I stopped chuckling and turned my attention to somewhere else. My eyes skipped past everything else as I focused on the figure perching on top of the wall far away.
A white peacock in a hood.
Shen.
He was also looking at the fight. I noticed him while I was looking down from the top of the tower but I did not know it was Shen.
He immediately ran away when he realized that I noticed him.
"The duel has been concluded. The winner is Tai Lung!!" Master Elephant declared with a solemn face.
Master Rhino's body twitched and he struggled to get up. His students soon gathered around him and tried to help him up.
They glared at me as they helped their master. As if this was not a conceptual duel.
I ignored them and instead made my way towards the wall where I saw Shen. But by the time I was there, he was already long gone.
But I saw a single White feather on the ground.
I took it and quickly put it in my pocket.
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[IMAGE]
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Author : Although Tai Lung's narration hyped up Master Rhino and said he was one of the strongest at least, he was not that powerful in the world. He was killed by the cannon of Shen when Po and even Tigress could survive it so he was definitely not the strongest living master.
Long ass chapter deserves a stone. 3459 words!!
....
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